Hi all! Wow, jet lag stinks! It is 7 pm California time, and Tim and I have been wanting to sleep since just after lunch. So hard to stay awake, but we know that it is for the best. Since this is a rather long post, we are going to write it over two days and hopefully post it on Tuesday. So, here are the snapshots of our last 5 days in Europe.
France Day 1 - We were able to catch an afternoon train to Paris, but since we did not get the train reservations soon enough, we could not take advantage of the 1st class portion of our Eurorail tickets. There were seats open in 2nd class, and since our rail experiences have been good, even in 2nd class, we did not think anything of it. We took a small train from Murren to the lift, the lift down to Lauterbrunen and another train from Lauterbrunen to Interlaken. In Interlaken we caught another train to Burn, and Burn was where we took the 2nd class seats for 6 hours into Paris.
Well, those tickets were quite interesting. They were in a cabin with a family of 6, so 4 seats were on one side of the isle and 4 were on the other. The 4 kids (2 girls and 2 boys) were on one side, and the parents were seated on the other, with their bags on the empty seats. It seemed good to start, the parents spoke German but knew enough Engligh to communicate some with us, and we all got seated. And that was when it began. . .
We honestly felt like we were interloapers in a private cabin. The kids yelled, laughted, fought, jumped all over the seats, opened and closed the cabin doors repeatedly for no reason, and the youngest one had no sense of personal space, as she repeatedly kicked our legs while she swung hers back and forth. And we were trapped there for 6.5 hours. With no parent intervention at all. With no where else to go as the train was fully booked. It was not the way we wanted our Paris trip to being, and we were frazzeled after we got off. The one thing that surprised us, was that for 6.5 hours there was never a silent moment, chatter constantly filled the space. Definetly not what we are used to.
Since we arrived a day early, we had to reserve a room at a different hotel than the one we had for the next 3 nights. Our hotel of choice did not have room for us on the added night. It was not a problem, as it gave us a chance to stay one night in another are of Paris. The hotel we chose for the night was in the 19th district, so away from the city center, and was very . . . colorful. :) We did find dinner (a kebab place) and a laundromat. Unfortunately, by the time we found the laundromat, there was only 30 minutes left in their operating hours, so we put off laundry until the next day. Instead we walked all over the neighborhood. Sometimes in a new city we grab a map and see where our feet can take us. We tend to see great unplanned things, and then we use the map and Tims amazing sense of direction to find our way home. It was a great way to end the day.
France Day 2 - We woke up a little early to get the laundry done before we went over to our other hotel. We made it to the laundromat by 7:30 am, and had loads going shortly thereafter. Midway through the loads, a lovely older French woman came in, and started speaking to Michelle in french. Michelle figured that she did not know how to use the machines, so through very basic french and a lot of gesturing, we got her started. We tried to offer her one of the two chairs that were there, but she would not hear of it. Michelle took her chair and brought it over to where she was reading a book, and the woman smiled, then brought the chair back to where it was near Tim. She then handed each of us a pear that she had purchased, and thanked us in rapid french (we think!). The pears were great, and we could not stop smiling about the unlikely friends you make when you are on the road.
Back at the hotel we packed up, and again lugged our bags to our next hotel, which was our last one. It was a recommendation from Tim's boss, and it was a great one. We could lean out of our window and see the Eiffel Tower. So close to all of the action, and not that much more expensive than other hotels we had stayed at. We dropped our things and headed out.
We wanted to keep the second day light as well, so we headed to Notre Dame, for both a visit to the cathedral and to begin a Rick Steve's walking tour that we downloaded to our ipod before we left. We also visited the tourist information shop, and were told about a 2 day museum pass that Paris has, where you get free admission and you can enter in the group entrance at around 20 Paris museums. Since the Notre Dame tower climb and a few other museums we wanted to see were on there, we decided that was how we would spend our last two days in Europe. Can you forsee the pain in the feet that will occur? If you know us at all, you will know what will come next!
We spent the rest of the day walking around, getting lost as we do and finding ourselves again. A little shopping for some fun unusual items and then back to the hotel.
Day 3 - Are you ready for it?! Here it goes! We started the day with a few crepes in our hotel room with some apricot jelly, then we were off. The Notre Dame tower tour was one that we did not get to do during the '07 trip, and since that was one of the two places where we could not go in a group line, we opted to work on that one first. It was a few hundred stairs up, then a great view of the city. Thinking we were done, we wandered around the top a bit, and headed for the exit. But then we found there was another set of stairs, these leading to the top of one specific tour. Up around 50 more stairs, and we had an even better view of the city. It is so interesting to see the paradox of the older city with the newer sky scrapers in the background.
We visited the Notre Dame cript, which is a view of the ancient Paris. You see some of the original lanes that were there before current day Paris and some structures too. It is interesting to note that Paris used to be around 15-20 feet lower than the current city. This means that in some of the older buildings they had to be renovated so that the entrance was now at the new street level. Never knew that!
The next visit was to the Sant Chappel, a small church that has the most amazing stained glass windows. Gothic buildings allowed the builders to transfer the weight of the roof to the butttresses supporting the walls, freeing up the walls to have more windows. This chapel has the biblical story represented in its stained glass, and had cards describing how stained glass is made. About 70% of the windows were original, and all were just breathtaking.
We also visited the Concergerie (a former prison where Marie Antoinette lost her head). This place was also a good example of the change in Paris' street level over time, as you had to walk down around 15 steps to get to the first floor. As we learned, the original front door was at this street level.
The Pantheon followed, and then we tried to make a quick trip over to the Picasso museum. There is something with us and Picasso, but we were not destined to make it. We missed the last entrance by about 15 minutes, after nearly running to get there across town. Missed the Picasso Museum also in Barcelona, so maybe this means we need to come back to Europe again some day to get our Picasso fix.
Since it was Friday, the Louve stayed open late (until 10 pm versus 6 pm). We decided that since we could go and see "her" again, we probably should. On our way over, we did a bit more shopping and found some fun deals. We stayed at the Louve for a few hours, saw Mona again and visited the sculptures. We really are more sculpture people. Paintings are great but they just don't do it for us. We could spend hours looking at a marble sculpture, and still feel sad when we had to leave. One of the temporary exhibits had some pieces from the Borghuese collection in Rome, which we had seen on the 07 trip. We so hoped that they had a few of our favorite pieces, but knew the Borguese would not loan them out to another museum. But it was fun to see a few pieces for the second time.
We tried finding a recommended restaurant for dinner, but could not find it. Ended up at another that had good food, and Michelle had her first Creme Brulee of the trip. So unbelievably good.
Normally we would end the day with a brief statement about a metro ride, and then going to sleep, but this nights metro ride was also filled with a bit of drama. A group of young men, about 8 in all, had too much to drink and happened to get on the same train as us. Half were in our car and half were in the car behind us. The ones in the car behind us were singing loudly, banging their hands on the windows and chairs of the car, and generally being drunk men. The ones in our car were looking with amazement, then at the stops they would get off and go visit the other car for a brief time, then again at another stop they would return back to our car.
Michelle was glad to see the noise and rachus in the other car, until the men in our car began fighting with each other. Thankfully at the stop we needed they had still not actually hit each other, and we quickly scooted out of the door. As we were walking up th stairs to leave the metro, 10 french police ran by with their sticks out. Our guess was that the metro conductor saw what was happening, and stopped the train so that the police could come and resolve the situation. We both thought it might have been cool to be a fly on a wall to see how the French police operate (you don't get to see that every day!) but neither made the move to turn around and go back down. I am sure our parents are glad to hear this!
Back to the hotel room for some much needed rest for the feet and sleep. :)
Day 4 - The last full day in Paris started with a little rain, so we pulled out the rain slickers and umbrella and we were off. The first stop was to the Eiffel Tower, and we took an elevator to the top. Even though there was still a bit of drizzle in the air, it was still a beautiful view. We had breakfast at a Chinese food shop (hey, it smelled and looked great, even at 9 am) and then hit both the Musee d'Orsey and the Rodin Museum.
Lunch was at a little cafe, where Michelle tried to get creme brulee #2, and was foiled by their not having any more made. Who runs out of creme brulee at 12:30 in the afternoon? Mut have been really good stuff! We then did a quick jaunt through Napoleons Tomb and the Invalides museum. Very interesting to read the history of WWII from the French perspective.
We strolled down the Champs Elysee and enountered around 100 French police everywhere, shutting down the street. When we asked what was going on, we learned that President Obama was meeting with the French president nearby, and they would be leaving soon. Didn't know he was in town, as we had little access to English news, so that was an interesting surprise. We had dinner at Cafe Zimmer (so yummy, a great decour and finally creme brulee #2!) and we were headed home via the metro.
A calm metro ride this time, combined with some excitement on the way to the hotel. Michelle's feet hurt so bad that she could hardly walk, and Tim's were not much better. So Michelle went to the hotel room while Tim headed over to the Eiffel Tower to pick up a few last gifts. When we arrived at the hotel, there were 5 police cars parked outside of the hotel. Michelle headed inside and asked the desk clerk if he knew why they were there, and he was not sure. At that moment a policeman with a huge gun walked out of the restroom. Surreal. Tim was already headed down the street to a shop we had seen earlier, and found his way blocked by police cars who were not letting anyone cross their line. He went around the block, and again found his way blocked. He learned that President Obama was actually having dinner about 2 blocks from our hotel, so they closed down much of the area to any traffic. Meaning that if your hotel room is in that area, you are not getting to your room until he is done eating. SO glad he did not choose to be any closer to us!
Back in the room we both packed the bags for the morning and settled in for the last night of sleep.
Day 5 - We got up early, having heard horror stories about the Charles De Gaul airport. It was a little complicated, involving a metro ride, a train ride, a shuttle ride and then a walk to the counter through a maze of both finding our gate number, our station number and then our carrier, but we navigated without problem. Some of those things are so fun to do, when it is complicated, but managable, and you have to use your wits to determine how everything is figured. Finally dropped the bags (53 total lbs for Michelle, 60 lbs for Tim), and waited for our flight. It was uneventful (which is good) and seemed to go fast.
We arrived at 7:00 pm, and the rest you know from the previous post. It was a great trip, and we are glad to be home. Our bed and pillows felt great last night, and being near our animals brings peace. Now, back to real life.
Thank you for following our journey. Hopefully we will be able to share some of the approx. 1,500 pictures we took. Notice, I said SOME of the pictures, because we sure did take a lot! Love to you all.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Better late than never, right?
So, it turns out that we could not find an internet connection in Paris at all, which is why it has been around 4 days since the last post. The hotel had a terminal, and for 5 euros (about $7) every 15 minutes, you could use it. Knowing that it would take us at least 10 minutes to log on, with our luck, we opted to go post-free for a few days. Sorry if we worried anyone!
We arrived safely in LA this evening around 7 pm, having been picked up by Tims parents. A short meal later at Tims parents house (for those of you who know Diana, Tims mom, she always seems to have a roast in at the perfect moment, and her roasts are amazing!) and we are almost on the road home.
We are just stoping off to grab our dog Shadow from Tims sisters house, and were very grateful for both their help in loving our boy for 25 days, and for his lack of chewing anything in their backyard our house. Total damage done by the dog, one dog bed with stuffing removed. Thankfully he destroyed his own bed, so that will be a morning purchase we will have to make, but overall, not too shabby!
Since it is now almost 7am Paris time, and we need to hit the road, we will have to update you tomorrow on the last days of our trip. Look for one massive Paris post some time tomorrow, but for know, know that the Traveling Hardleys are back, safe and sound.
We arrived safely in LA this evening around 7 pm, having been picked up by Tims parents. A short meal later at Tims parents house (for those of you who know Diana, Tims mom, she always seems to have a roast in at the perfect moment, and her roasts are amazing!) and we are almost on the road home.
We are just stoping off to grab our dog Shadow from Tims sisters house, and were very grateful for both their help in loving our boy for 25 days, and for his lack of chewing anything in their backyard our house. Total damage done by the dog, one dog bed with stuffing removed. Thankfully he destroyed his own bed, so that will be a morning purchase we will have to make, but overall, not too shabby!
Since it is now almost 7am Paris time, and we need to hit the road, we will have to update you tomorrow on the last days of our trip. Look for one massive Paris post some time tomorrow, but for know, know that the Traveling Hardleys are back, safe and sound.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The view from above
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. We started the day off with breakfast at the hotel. In this hotel and the last they have both had the most amazing milk. It is so silly to comment on milk, but we just cant get enough of it. Maybe it is because it is full fat milk (and we are used to drinking skim) but it is amazing. Californians think they have happy cows, but they have nothing on Swiss cows. Yum yum!
After breakfast we were off to catch a cable car up to the top of the Schilterhorn, one of the highest mountains in this region and the filming location for a James Bond movie (on her majesties service). And the first landing place, we had to change to another cable car, which would take us up to the Schilterhorn. At the first landing the temperature was 1 degree celcius. Just so you know, that is cold! Once we reached top, we saw thick snow all around. In fact, there were two men who were helping to break up the snow with chainsaws. One man would slice the snow in blocks using the chainsaw, and the other would shovel it further down the hill. Quite fun to watch.
We had hoped to get up there early in the day, as the clouds tend to roll in during the afternoon. We did get an early start, but there were still a few clouds there. They moved often enough that we could peek at the mountains from time to time. It was beautiful and we shared a apple torte and hot chocolates in the revolving restaurant at the top. Once finished we hiked along the ridge outside, until it became a bit too dangerous to continue. In the summer time, you can actually do a 3.5hour hike from the top back to our village of Murren. We were hoping to do this, but with snow still covering some of the trail, Michelle was nervous that it was not a good idea. So we took the cable car back down.
This brings us to the less enjoyable portion of the day. So far we gave refrained from commenting on what are known as "ugly Americans" those tourists who are disagreeable in their manner or comments, or are offensive in their interactions that of makes you sad to be an American. We have a few stories to share, but one family visiting Murren took the cake. We had experienced them on our first day, and were not thrilled to see them in the co-op yesterday morning, not were we excited to see them on our cable car to the Shilthorn, or throughout the facilities at the top of the mountain. They seemed to follow us throughout our time there. We were very excited to get on the cable car to go home and to not see them there.
When we got home we grabbed our swim suits and headed over to the sports complex that had a pool and a spa. We enjoyed the facilities for a few hours. Back to the room for a bit of sleep and some food (sandwiches from the grochery store) and we ended the day with packing. We are on our way to Paris tomorrow, and we have no Internet connection in the hotel for the first night. Today will be travels to Paris, with us arriving around 7pm. There is hopes of laundry, and maybe a walk around the city, but we are not pushing much more. See you in a few days!
After breakfast we were off to catch a cable car up to the top of the Schilterhorn, one of the highest mountains in this region and the filming location for a James Bond movie (on her majesties service). And the first landing place, we had to change to another cable car, which would take us up to the Schilterhorn. At the first landing the temperature was 1 degree celcius. Just so you know, that is cold! Once we reached top, we saw thick snow all around. In fact, there were two men who were helping to break up the snow with chainsaws. One man would slice the snow in blocks using the chainsaw, and the other would shovel it further down the hill. Quite fun to watch.
We had hoped to get up there early in the day, as the clouds tend to roll in during the afternoon. We did get an early start, but there were still a few clouds there. They moved often enough that we could peek at the mountains from time to time. It was beautiful and we shared a apple torte and hot chocolates in the revolving restaurant at the top. Once finished we hiked along the ridge outside, until it became a bit too dangerous to continue. In the summer time, you can actually do a 3.5hour hike from the top back to our village of Murren. We were hoping to do this, but with snow still covering some of the trail, Michelle was nervous that it was not a good idea. So we took the cable car back down.
This brings us to the less enjoyable portion of the day. So far we gave refrained from commenting on what are known as "ugly Americans" those tourists who are disagreeable in their manner or comments, or are offensive in their interactions that of makes you sad to be an American. We have a few stories to share, but one family visiting Murren took the cake. We had experienced them on our first day, and were not thrilled to see them in the co-op yesterday morning, not were we excited to see them on our cable car to the Shilthorn, or throughout the facilities at the top of the mountain. They seemed to follow us throughout our time there. We were very excited to get on the cable car to go home and to not see them there.
When we got home we grabbed our swim suits and headed over to the sports complex that had a pool and a spa. We enjoyed the facilities for a few hours. Back to the room for a bit of sleep and some food (sandwiches from the grochery store) and we ended the day with packing. We are on our way to Paris tomorrow, and we have no Internet connection in the hotel for the first night. Today will be travels to Paris, with us arriving around 7pm. There is hopes of laundry, and maybe a walk around the city, but we are not pushing much more. See you in a few days!
Monday, June 1, 2009
A hill of a climb and a pot of cheese
Another great day in Switzerland. We had a semi early breakfast at the hotel, checked out by 11:00 and stored our luggage at the hotel. We tried going to the grochery store (the co-op that we mentioned before) but we found it closed. We were not sure why, but decided to continue on with the errands we had and would figure out why later. At the train station we determined when the train would leave. We then went to a sporting good store to buy some long johns for Michelle as the trip up to Murren will involve a sharp decrease in temperature. We were semi successful, and went back to the hotel to grab our things. We learned along the way that June 1st is a holiday, so many restaurants and shops are closed. Bummer, as we were hoping to grab some food for the mini fridge from the co-op before we headed up the hill.
We waited at the train station. At 1:35 for the promised train, but it never came. I guess when there is a holiday the train schedule changes slightly and there are fewer trains. Since the woman at the train counter assured us that there was an 11:35, there were quite a few people waiting there. Fortunatly we were not in a rush.
We took a train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunen, then a cable car up to Grutschalp, then took another train to Murren. Our hotel did not include the address in their website, so we were a little worried that we would miss it. Rest assured, the town really is not that big, consisting of two streets that run parallel to each other. It is pretty much impossible to get lost.
On the train we met a couple from DC, and they tend to travel in one country at a time, and they were amazed to hear about our trip. They had rented an appartment in town and were also not sure where they were staying as there was no address. I guess this is the town of no addresses!
We checked into the hotel (which is lovely) and decided to take a small hike down to Gimmewald. For those of you who are not familiar with
Gimmewald, it is a town that some of the studends from Michelles school used to visit. Since we were a 30 minute hike from the town, we decided to see if we could visit the town and meet Walter, the wonderful owner of a hotel there. This was the place where the students used to stay. Walter was there and he remembered the Westmont students. He was nice enough to take a picture with Michelle. It was great.
After visiting Walter we walked through the town. Five minutes later we were on the other end and heading back. :) Small town. We bought some homemade sugar coated Londs from one man, who came out and talked politics with us for a while after we made our purchase. It is always interesting to hear what others have to say about our political system. We also bought some homemake yogurt and cheese from another woman. The yogurt was apple flavored, a new one for us but recommended buy the maker. It was wonderful, and thin enough that we opened the container and ate it in front of the shop. It was gone in a matter of minutes. The cheese we have yet to try.
We then made the hike back up the hill to Murren. The hike to Gimmewald was all downhill, so the uphill trip took a bit longer. We had to climb about 800 meters, and the air up here is so thin that we were winded easily.
When we returned to town we had dinner at a place called Stager Stubli. We opted for a half bottle of Merlot, a dinner salad, and our first try at Swiss fondu. The wine and salad were good, and we were very excited to find that we liked the fondu as well. We topped it off with three scoops of ice cream. Now back at the hotel, we are setteling in for an early evening. Tomorrow will be an early morning with a fun day trip planned. Talk to you soon!
We waited at the train station. At 1:35 for the promised train, but it never came. I guess when there is a holiday the train schedule changes slightly and there are fewer trains. Since the woman at the train counter assured us that there was an 11:35, there were quite a few people waiting there. Fortunatly we were not in a rush.
We took a train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunen, then a cable car up to Grutschalp, then took another train to Murren. Our hotel did not include the address in their website, so we were a little worried that we would miss it. Rest assured, the town really is not that big, consisting of two streets that run parallel to each other. It is pretty much impossible to get lost.
On the train we met a couple from DC, and they tend to travel in one country at a time, and they were amazed to hear about our trip. They had rented an appartment in town and were also not sure where they were staying as there was no address. I guess this is the town of no addresses!
We checked into the hotel (which is lovely) and decided to take a small hike down to Gimmewald. For those of you who are not familiar with
Gimmewald, it is a town that some of the studends from Michelles school used to visit. Since we were a 30 minute hike from the town, we decided to see if we could visit the town and meet Walter, the wonderful owner of a hotel there. This was the place where the students used to stay. Walter was there and he remembered the Westmont students. He was nice enough to take a picture with Michelle. It was great.
After visiting Walter we walked through the town. Five minutes later we were on the other end and heading back. :) Small town. We bought some homemade sugar coated Londs from one man, who came out and talked politics with us for a while after we made our purchase. It is always interesting to hear what others have to say about our political system. We also bought some homemake yogurt and cheese from another woman. The yogurt was apple flavored, a new one for us but recommended buy the maker. It was wonderful, and thin enough that we opened the container and ate it in front of the shop. It was gone in a matter of minutes. The cheese we have yet to try.
We then made the hike back up the hill to Murren. The hike to Gimmewald was all downhill, so the uphill trip took a bit longer. We had to climb about 800 meters, and the air up here is so thin that we were winded easily.
When we returned to town we had dinner at a place called Stager Stubli. We opted for a half bottle of Merlot, a dinner salad, and our first try at Swiss fondu. The wine and salad were good, and we were very excited to find that we liked the fondu as well. We topped it off with three scoops of ice cream. Now back at the hotel, we are setteling in for an early evening. Tomorrow will be an early morning with a fun day trip planned. Talk to you soon!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Flying high in Switzerland
Hello all. Well, another great day on the other side of the world, and my what a day it was. We started off with the intention of sleeping in. Ah, that precious commodity of sleep that is so lacking some days on our vacations. Unfortunately, we neglected to turn off the alarm on the ipod, so sure enough, at 6 am it went off, and Michelle was awake. Thankfully, for one time in her life, she was able to get back to sleep. And since our bed here is really two twins pushed together, Tim did not notice her get out of bed, nor crawl back into it.
At 8:45 Tim was the one doing the waking. We rushed downstairs to grab breakfast before it closed at 9:30. Homemade bread, juice, homemade cheese, organic eggs (from the hotels farm) and coffee were downed with gusto. Back up to the room to prep for the day, and we were off.
Off to where you may ask? Well, what a great question. You see, the day before we were looking for something a little wild and crazy to do, and since the Swiss are so outdoorsy, there were many options. We chose to run off of a cliff . . . with a parachute and a guide strapped to our backs of course! We had talked to a man yesterday at one of the companies, and thought that we would sleep on it. In the morning, we were both still excited about the option, so we left the hotel to set up the flight. When we arrived to the shop, their 12:00 session was booked solid, but they had two openings at the 1:30 session. We booked two spaces, and were off to find some breakfast.
On the way, we stopped at the train station to deterime times for our trip out of town tomorrow. Originally we had planned to go to Luzern, but as we will explain later, plans are changing slightly. Once the train information was determined, we went to lunch at the CoOp place again. Having figured out the method to this place, we wanted a second try at it. We both tried different food this time, and it was still ok . . . not great, but not the worst meal we had ever had.
We arrived to the parasailing booth a little early, so we spent the time watching others at the landing site. It was amazing to see all of the tricks and turns they were doing in the air before landing. We both decided that we wanted to experience whatever they could throw at us.
We waited with a Hindu family, a family of four, where the mother spoke no english. The guide was working on hand signals with her, and trying to learn a few key Hindu words. We all drove in a van together that had to be push started by the guides, and there were a few cracks about how the van was as old as the parachutes we would be using. Nervous laughter commenced by most.
We reached the top of the hill that we would be launching off of, and all of the guides unrolled their packs. We were then to choose which guide we wanted to take us on our flight. Nothing like knowing someone for 20 minutes, then being asked to choose one to bet your life on. They warned us at the booth that our camera was a "bit big" to take on the flight, but that it would be up to the pilot we choose. Tim chose the one who seemed ok with him bringing our camera on the trip, and Michelle chose the one who was left, as everyone else seemed to rush to one specific person. Michelles guide was named Martin, and she would soon learn he had been doing this for 16 years, with over 5,000 flights under his belt. Not a bad default. Tims guide, Peach, beat Michelle's, with 18 years experience. We think we got the pick of the guides.
As they were unrolling their packs and strapping us into the harnesses, it soon became clear that since Michelles guide was the last one to unroll his parachute, she was the first person to go. Imagine a slight hill, that at the top end was where we were standing and the packs were being unrolled, and as each new pack was unrolled, it was placed just below the one before it. So that you had all the chutes lined up, going down the hill. That meant that since Michelles parachute was the last one to unroll, she was going first and was starting with less running room than everyone else. Ah, the joys when she figured THAT one out! At least with her leaving first Tim was able to get some good launch photos of her, as he was the last to launch.
It ended up well though, as she did not have enough time to get scared before she was being lifted off the ground and flying like bird. The sensation of lift off is quite thrilling, a bit like lifting off in an airplane but without a metal tube around you. The whole trip must have lasted all of 20 minutes, but it was amazing. We flew close to cliffs, and had a great view of the Interlaken valley. Just amazing. Towards the end of the flight near the landing zone, the pilots offered us the option of doing tricks - "Do you like rollercoasters?" The G-force was amazing as we plummeted downward in tight circles - blood rushing to your feet and your stomach turning. The landings were both smooth, better than others we saw who tumbled to the ground with the pilot strapped to their back. The camera survived with some great pictures of Tim's flight.
Once back on the ground we wandered back to our hotel to figure out what we were going to do for the next three days before we headed over to Paris. We were both feeling lukewarm about going to Luzern, as we are a little burned out with big cities and in need of some more rest and relaxation. So after much debate and the help of the hotel receptionist Paula, we are headed tomorrow over to a small town farther up in the hills called Murren. It is close to the town of Gimmewald, which is where some of the Westmont students have gone in the past for their semesters away. Gimmewald comes highly recommended, but we opted for Murren as the hotels were a little more available in Murren, and it was not so remote. A day trip to Gimmewald will be a fun possibility though. We have plans to sleep in a bit, head over to a department store to buy some warmer long jons to put under our pants, and then head up the mountain. The weather report for Murren was 6 degrees, but no snow. There should be internet access there as well, so hopefully we can keep the daily updates going.
Using Paula's food recommendation, we headed down the street to Barron's restaurant. A more traditional restaurant serving Swiss faire. Since we are on the German side of Switzerland, there is a heavy influence in the food. We opted for a starter of Gulach soup for Tim and potato soup for Michelle. We added a bottle of wine and a glass of the local beer. The main courses were Pork Schnitzel and noodles for Michelle and Rosti with a Brot sausage for Tim. We were satisified and happy with the choices. Needing to add to our delight of a good meal we topped it with dessert of a swiss-style apple pie with ice cream and whipped cream. Bellies full and a empty wallet (it is expensive here) we left the restaurant to head back to the hotel for a relaxing evening.
Blessings to all, good night!
At 8:45 Tim was the one doing the waking. We rushed downstairs to grab breakfast before it closed at 9:30. Homemade bread, juice, homemade cheese, organic eggs (from the hotels farm) and coffee were downed with gusto. Back up to the room to prep for the day, and we were off.
Off to where you may ask? Well, what a great question. You see, the day before we were looking for something a little wild and crazy to do, and since the Swiss are so outdoorsy, there were many options. We chose to run off of a cliff . . . with a parachute and a guide strapped to our backs of course! We had talked to a man yesterday at one of the companies, and thought that we would sleep on it. In the morning, we were both still excited about the option, so we left the hotel to set up the flight. When we arrived to the shop, their 12:00 session was booked solid, but they had two openings at the 1:30 session. We booked two spaces, and were off to find some breakfast.
On the way, we stopped at the train station to deterime times for our trip out of town tomorrow. Originally we had planned to go to Luzern, but as we will explain later, plans are changing slightly. Once the train information was determined, we went to lunch at the CoOp place again. Having figured out the method to this place, we wanted a second try at it. We both tried different food this time, and it was still ok . . . not great, but not the worst meal we had ever had.
We arrived to the parasailing booth a little early, so we spent the time watching others at the landing site. It was amazing to see all of the tricks and turns they were doing in the air before landing. We both decided that we wanted to experience whatever they could throw at us.
We waited with a Hindu family, a family of four, where the mother spoke no english. The guide was working on hand signals with her, and trying to learn a few key Hindu words. We all drove in a van together that had to be push started by the guides, and there were a few cracks about how the van was as old as the parachutes we would be using. Nervous laughter commenced by most.
We reached the top of the hill that we would be launching off of, and all of the guides unrolled their packs. We were then to choose which guide we wanted to take us on our flight. Nothing like knowing someone for 20 minutes, then being asked to choose one to bet your life on. They warned us at the booth that our camera was a "bit big" to take on the flight, but that it would be up to the pilot we choose. Tim chose the one who seemed ok with him bringing our camera on the trip, and Michelle chose the one who was left, as everyone else seemed to rush to one specific person. Michelles guide was named Martin, and she would soon learn he had been doing this for 16 years, with over 5,000 flights under his belt. Not a bad default. Tims guide, Peach, beat Michelle's, with 18 years experience. We think we got the pick of the guides.
As they were unrolling their packs and strapping us into the harnesses, it soon became clear that since Michelles guide was the last one to unroll his parachute, she was the first person to go. Imagine a slight hill, that at the top end was where we were standing and the packs were being unrolled, and as each new pack was unrolled, it was placed just below the one before it. So that you had all the chutes lined up, going down the hill. That meant that since Michelles parachute was the last one to unroll, she was going first and was starting with less running room than everyone else. Ah, the joys when she figured THAT one out! At least with her leaving first Tim was able to get some good launch photos of her, as he was the last to launch.
It ended up well though, as she did not have enough time to get scared before she was being lifted off the ground and flying like bird. The sensation of lift off is quite thrilling, a bit like lifting off in an airplane but without a metal tube around you. The whole trip must have lasted all of 20 minutes, but it was amazing. We flew close to cliffs, and had a great view of the Interlaken valley. Just amazing. Towards the end of the flight near the landing zone, the pilots offered us the option of doing tricks - "Do you like rollercoasters?" The G-force was amazing as we plummeted downward in tight circles - blood rushing to your feet and your stomach turning. The landings were both smooth, better than others we saw who tumbled to the ground with the pilot strapped to their back. The camera survived with some great pictures of Tim's flight.
Once back on the ground we wandered back to our hotel to figure out what we were going to do for the next three days before we headed over to Paris. We were both feeling lukewarm about going to Luzern, as we are a little burned out with big cities and in need of some more rest and relaxation. So after much debate and the help of the hotel receptionist Paula, we are headed tomorrow over to a small town farther up in the hills called Murren. It is close to the town of Gimmewald, which is where some of the Westmont students have gone in the past for their semesters away. Gimmewald comes highly recommended, but we opted for Murren as the hotels were a little more available in Murren, and it was not so remote. A day trip to Gimmewald will be a fun possibility though. We have plans to sleep in a bit, head over to a department store to buy some warmer long jons to put under our pants, and then head up the mountain. The weather report for Murren was 6 degrees, but no snow. There should be internet access there as well, so hopefully we can keep the daily updates going.
Using Paula's food recommendation, we headed down the street to Barron's restaurant. A more traditional restaurant serving Swiss faire. Since we are on the German side of Switzerland, there is a heavy influence in the food. We opted for a starter of Gulach soup for Tim and potato soup for Michelle. We added a bottle of wine and a glass of the local beer. The main courses were Pork Schnitzel and noodles for Michelle and Rosti with a Brot sausage for Tim. We were satisified and happy with the choices. Needing to add to our delight of a good meal we topped it with dessert of a swiss-style apple pie with ice cream and whipped cream. Bellies full and a empty wallet (it is expensive here) we left the restaurant to head back to the hotel for a relaxing evening.
Blessings to all, good night!
Rockin' Interlaken
Well, we are beginning our second day in Switzerland, but it is only proper to tell you about the first day first.
I dont know if this was mentioned before, but if there are misspellings or punctuation errors in our posts, please have patience. Finding the right keys on different types of keyboards is always a fun experience. In all of the countries we have been in so far, there are small changes that make typing fun. And since Michelle types pretty fast having memorized the key positions, it makes her have to think a little more. In all countries, the @ symbol for email addresses is either a third symbol under the number 2 button, requiring you to hit the "alt gr" button first, or it is on the right side of the keyboard. We are always searching for the apostrophy symbol, as it changes in every country, and in Switzerland the "y" and the "z" buttons are reversed. Ah, the joys of international typing! (Just took me a full minitue to find that exclamation point, so I will use it again now for good measure!)
We told the operator of the bed an breakfast that we had an early train to catch, so she made a special note to prepare breakfast a half an hour earlier than ususal. Appearently we were not the only ones to take advantage of this as there were others dining with us. Breakfast was had and we took a fast paced walked to the train station with fully loaded packs to make our 7:43 train. Not the time to be late as we had several connections to make on this leg of the trip. The first train was from Stresa to Domadossola, then Domadossola to Spiez, and the final train from Spiez to Interlaken West. Catching a train can be a nerve racking process as we only knew our destination not the train's final destination. Unfortunately, most of the trains are listed by departure time and final destination. It was a leap of faith to hop on a train solely based upon the departure time.
The ride from Italy into Switzerland was a beautiful train ride with views that were memorable of ridged snow covered peaks and lush green fields. And an occasional tunnel, or twelve.
Arriving in Interlaken, we were not sure what to expect - will it be cold? We were prepared for the worst Michelle bundled in her sweater and pants and Tim in his short-sleaved shirt and short pants (some things just don't change). The weather was actually quite nice with the sun peaking between the clouds. The mighty Junfraujoch mountain before us was fully engulfed in a white blanket of snow. The rivers that run through the town a light blue unlike we have even seen before.
When we booked our hotel (thank you again to the Booking.com recommendation from a fellow traveler), we opted for the swiss chalet looking structure. Upon arriving at our destination we were not disappointed. As we sit and type this we are in a wood paneled room with a giant wood burning fireplace and cow bells the size of my head hanging on the wall. I'm expecting someone to start yoddling soon. When we checked in the receptionist didn't really speak english and so we communicated with hand motions. Our room has wood floors, a four post bed with two single mattresses pushed together, and a balcony with a view of Junfraujoch. We dropped our packs and rested our feet. It must be getting close to the end of the trip as the packs are getting heavier and our feet are getting sorer. In need of nourishment, we pulled out the unopened chorizo sausage (not like the stuff at home - think of a spicy salame) that we purchased in the Barcelona airport and the apricot juice that we had purchased the night before and had a snack while sitting on the balcony enjoying the beautiful view. What an introduction to Switzerland.
We then walked slowly through the town, enjoying the views, the people, and the little shops that we could walk through. It was a day of rest, for both our feet and our bodies, with nothing on the "to do" list but relax. There is one main street in town, that runs from the west train station to the east. On the way we tried to stop for lunch at a little kebab restaurant, and after deciding that this was the place to eat, we discovered that they did not take credit cards. We are trying to avoid getting Swiss frances (as Switzerland is not on the euro) so that we dont have to deal with exchange rates and extra francs when we are leaving. We continued on the street in search of another place.
Once we reached the east train station, we had lunch at a place called the "Coop". They have a grocery store downstairs, and the restaurant upstairs. We walked through the grocery store first, then made our way up to eat. Michelle thinks that the Swiss all look like they could go hike a mountain even when they are just grocery shopping. They all look like they stepped out of a Patagonia or North Face catalgoue. The restaurant was cafeteria style, where you pay for certain foods by the weight and others by the serving. We chose our food, which was funny, as we were not sure what we were doing, so we just followed the lead of the person in front of us. We added a little bit of meat, some veggies and Tim added french fries to his plate, Then he realized that they charge per packet for ketchup. Since each packet was .50 swiss francs, we could esily spend 30 US dollars just on him eating french fries. He does love his ketchup! We also added a cheese cake looking item to our plate, and hoped for the best.
The meal was ok, it was food in the belly, but not nearly as inspiring as ones we have had before. The best part was the pork cutlet and a funky noodle looking dish that looked a little like 3 day old french friend shriveled up (both had by Tim and tasted by Michelle). Since it cost about 20 US dollars, it was dissapointing from that perspective given the serving portions. The swiss franc and US dollar are about equal, but everything here costs twice as much. The swiss may corner the market on outdoorsi-ness, but they sure do know how to drain the wallet quickly!
We continued walking around town, visiting the Japanese garden (a small garden with some of the largest fish we have seen, even blue ones!) and a few churches. The churches looked like the ones at home, without all of the elaborate ornimentation that we have seen in other European churches. It was refreshing.
Back to the room for a short nap, and then hitting the town again to see the last part of the main street we started earlier. Most everything was closed at this point, but we did manage to find a restaurant that served Korean, Chinese and Japanese food. OK, it's not local food but at least it is not a spicy wings at the Hooter's on the main drag. No sushi (probably a good thing) but we did manage to find some good kim chi (Tim, with Michelle on a few bites), spicy beef and rice (Tim), pan fried chicken and rice (Michelle), and some chicken dumplings (shared). It was good, our bellys were finally full, but still cost us twice what it would back home. Oh well, when on vacation . . .
We then walked along the river, and passed what we think was a community sports club, complete with pool, exercise equipment and a crazy miniature golf course. The holes for the miniature golf course had launch ramps for the balls from one part of the course over to another. It was the weirdest miniature golf course we have seen.
We made it to the center of town in time for the Nissan outdoor games video presentation. There were 5 teams, complete with mountain bikers, rock climbers, sky divers, paragliders, and kayakers who had one week to make a video of their sports. They were competing for 70,000 swiss francs. They showed the final videos last night in the middle of the city, and there were a good number of people that turned out. Before the awards presentation there was a concert with a Danish rock band (go Danes!) called the Blue Van Group. Aside from some technical difficulties, they were not that bad, and the dancing in the streets by the other partygoers was fun to watch. Michelle's favorite song was called "Man up".
We stayed and watched a few of the videos, enough to know that the athletes are a little crazy in what they do. We walked back through town via the river, and shared a bit of swiss chocolate and coca cola while watching a bike race. Rabobank had its bike team in it, near the lead when we were watching. We then went to bed nearing midnight. Until later!
I dont know if this was mentioned before, but if there are misspellings or punctuation errors in our posts, please have patience. Finding the right keys on different types of keyboards is always a fun experience. In all of the countries we have been in so far, there are small changes that make typing fun. And since Michelle types pretty fast having memorized the key positions, it makes her have to think a little more. In all countries, the @ symbol for email addresses is either a third symbol under the number 2 button, requiring you to hit the "alt gr" button first, or it is on the right side of the keyboard. We are always searching for the apostrophy symbol, as it changes in every country, and in Switzerland the "y" and the "z" buttons are reversed. Ah, the joys of international typing! (Just took me a full minitue to find that exclamation point, so I will use it again now for good measure!)
We told the operator of the bed an breakfast that we had an early train to catch, so she made a special note to prepare breakfast a half an hour earlier than ususal. Appearently we were not the only ones to take advantage of this as there were others dining with us. Breakfast was had and we took a fast paced walked to the train station with fully loaded packs to make our 7:43 train. Not the time to be late as we had several connections to make on this leg of the trip. The first train was from Stresa to Domadossola, then Domadossola to Spiez, and the final train from Spiez to Interlaken West. Catching a train can be a nerve racking process as we only knew our destination not the train's final destination. Unfortunately, most of the trains are listed by departure time and final destination. It was a leap of faith to hop on a train solely based upon the departure time.
The ride from Italy into Switzerland was a beautiful train ride with views that were memorable of ridged snow covered peaks and lush green fields. And an occasional tunnel, or twelve.
Arriving in Interlaken, we were not sure what to expect - will it be cold? We were prepared for the worst Michelle bundled in her sweater and pants and Tim in his short-sleaved shirt and short pants (some things just don't change). The weather was actually quite nice with the sun peaking between the clouds. The mighty Junfraujoch mountain before us was fully engulfed in a white blanket of snow. The rivers that run through the town a light blue unlike we have even seen before.
When we booked our hotel (thank you again to the Booking.com recommendation from a fellow traveler), we opted for the swiss chalet looking structure. Upon arriving at our destination we were not disappointed. As we sit and type this we are in a wood paneled room with a giant wood burning fireplace and cow bells the size of my head hanging on the wall. I'm expecting someone to start yoddling soon. When we checked in the receptionist didn't really speak english and so we communicated with hand motions. Our room has wood floors, a four post bed with two single mattresses pushed together, and a balcony with a view of Junfraujoch. We dropped our packs and rested our feet. It must be getting close to the end of the trip as the packs are getting heavier and our feet are getting sorer. In need of nourishment, we pulled out the unopened chorizo sausage (not like the stuff at home - think of a spicy salame) that we purchased in the Barcelona airport and the apricot juice that we had purchased the night before and had a snack while sitting on the balcony enjoying the beautiful view. What an introduction to Switzerland.
We then walked slowly through the town, enjoying the views, the people, and the little shops that we could walk through. It was a day of rest, for both our feet and our bodies, with nothing on the "to do" list but relax. There is one main street in town, that runs from the west train station to the east. On the way we tried to stop for lunch at a little kebab restaurant, and after deciding that this was the place to eat, we discovered that they did not take credit cards. We are trying to avoid getting Swiss frances (as Switzerland is not on the euro) so that we dont have to deal with exchange rates and extra francs when we are leaving. We continued on the street in search of another place.
Once we reached the east train station, we had lunch at a place called the "Coop". They have a grocery store downstairs, and the restaurant upstairs. We walked through the grocery store first, then made our way up to eat. Michelle thinks that the Swiss all look like they could go hike a mountain even when they are just grocery shopping. They all look like they stepped out of a Patagonia or North Face catalgoue. The restaurant was cafeteria style, where you pay for certain foods by the weight and others by the serving. We chose our food, which was funny, as we were not sure what we were doing, so we just followed the lead of the person in front of us. We added a little bit of meat, some veggies and Tim added french fries to his plate, Then he realized that they charge per packet for ketchup. Since each packet was .50 swiss francs, we could esily spend 30 US dollars just on him eating french fries. He does love his ketchup! We also added a cheese cake looking item to our plate, and hoped for the best.
The meal was ok, it was food in the belly, but not nearly as inspiring as ones we have had before. The best part was the pork cutlet and a funky noodle looking dish that looked a little like 3 day old french friend shriveled up (both had by Tim and tasted by Michelle). Since it cost about 20 US dollars, it was dissapointing from that perspective given the serving portions. The swiss franc and US dollar are about equal, but everything here costs twice as much. The swiss may corner the market on outdoorsi-ness, but they sure do know how to drain the wallet quickly!
We continued walking around town, visiting the Japanese garden (a small garden with some of the largest fish we have seen, even blue ones!) and a few churches. The churches looked like the ones at home, without all of the elaborate ornimentation that we have seen in other European churches. It was refreshing.
Back to the room for a short nap, and then hitting the town again to see the last part of the main street we started earlier. Most everything was closed at this point, but we did manage to find a restaurant that served Korean, Chinese and Japanese food. OK, it's not local food but at least it is not a spicy wings at the Hooter's on the main drag. No sushi (probably a good thing) but we did manage to find some good kim chi (Tim, with Michelle on a few bites), spicy beef and rice (Tim), pan fried chicken and rice (Michelle), and some chicken dumplings (shared). It was good, our bellys were finally full, but still cost us twice what it would back home. Oh well, when on vacation . . .
We then walked along the river, and passed what we think was a community sports club, complete with pool, exercise equipment and a crazy miniature golf course. The holes for the miniature golf course had launch ramps for the balls from one part of the course over to another. It was the weirdest miniature golf course we have seen.
We made it to the center of town in time for the Nissan outdoor games video presentation. There were 5 teams, complete with mountain bikers, rock climbers, sky divers, paragliders, and kayakers who had one week to make a video of their sports. They were competing for 70,000 swiss francs. They showed the final videos last night in the middle of the city, and there were a good number of people that turned out. Before the awards presentation there was a concert with a Danish rock band (go Danes!) called the Blue Van Group. Aside from some technical difficulties, they were not that bad, and the dancing in the streets by the other partygoers was fun to watch. Michelle's favorite song was called "Man up".
We stayed and watched a few of the videos, enough to know that the athletes are a little crazy in what they do. We walked back through town via the river, and shared a bit of swiss chocolate and coca cola while watching a bike race. Rabobank had its bike team in it, near the lead when we were watching. We then went to bed nearing midnight. Until later!
Friday, May 29, 2009
There's no stress-a in Stresa
Ok, so second post of the day, but since we have free unlimited internet at this hotel, and no one else is in need of the computer at present, why not take advantage?
Today we were up early, at 6:30 so that we could get ready, finish packing, get breakfast, update the blog and get on the train by 9:00. Whew, I am exhausted just thinking about all we did today. We brought all of our pack with us on the train, and had to hike it about 10 blocks to the train station. Who doesnt want a brisk morning walk at 8:15 with a 25 lb pack on your back. And my friends at work think I am on vacation. :)
Finding the train station was easy, we slipped on the train 15 minutes early and had a smooth ride into Lake Maggiore. We found our hotel, which lookes more like a bed and breakfast, except that it has about 30 rooms to it, and is on a small hill overlooking the lake. It is centered in a town on the lake called Stresa. Very beautiful, and the people running it are great. We dropped our luggage and then went to the lakeside so that we could see about getting a boat out to the islands that are in the lake. They are owned by the same family, once connected by cousins to the pope (the cousins were prominant cardnials, and the family owned 6 different immense houses all around Italy). We caught a boat to the first one, and toured both the house and the grounds. I bought a few new scarves (ok, so I am now addicted, but they have so many cute ones here!) and then we hopped on the next boat. That one took us to another island, where there was both a house and a botanic garden. One of the trees on the property was over 400 years old, and was knocked down in 2006 due to a hurricane. They showed pictures of it pre-hurricane, and it brought tears to my eyes. It was so big and full, almost covering the entire view of the front of the house. What was left was this small thing, that looked like its limbs had been sheared off. So majestic, and now so frail looking.
After touring the grounds and the house on the second island, we went back to the room to ask the hotel staff about dinner recommendations. The recommended a new up and comming restaurant that they really liked. We went there, and ordered as we usually do. The wait staff were nice, and when they brought out the salmon appetizer, it looked like something off of Iron Chef. For those of you who have not seen that show on the food network, it pits a new chef versus a seasoned chef (known as an Iron Chef) and gives then a weird ingrediant to work with. Their challenge is to create at least 3 dishes with the ingrediant, and most use it in an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. The problem is, their portion size is so much smaller than we are used to. Well, that is what we received. A very good appetizer, but more artisitic than filling. Unfortunately, we were so hungry (remember, we only had breakfast that morning) that we dove into it with out taking a picture. The main course for Tim was a steak with vegetables and for me it was a pasta with fish au gratin. Mine was great, and Tim loved his. We shared a bottle of wine, with a little Tiramisu for dessert. Tim tried grappa, and yes, we do only need to try things once. :) We know know that Grappa is not a favorite of either of ours.
And so that brings us back to present day, with me typing away on the computer. I am quite sure that Tim is now asleep in the hotel room, and I will soon join him.
A few other random things of priases:
Praise God for good weather, as it has not been too hot, nor has it rained yet
Praise God for good health. Aside from the minor mosquito bites and blisters, we are doing well. My knees are holding strong (at true miracle since the arthritis has been solid in the right one for about 8 months and I am not taking 1 of the meds here in Europe). I had an allergic reaction to the Aspercreme I was using on that knee, making it red and itchy, but 5 days later it is gone.
Praise God for good relations between Tim and I. If you ever want to test your marriage, try traveling like we do for even a week. What does not kill us . . .
Praise God for friends and family who are taking care of our lives back home. Specifically Tims sister and family with our dog Shadow (hopefully he has not destroyed too much!) and our friends the Lindstroms taking care of Lizzy (glad she finally made a short appearance the other day!) We could not enjoy ourselves here without you there.
Much love to you all. Good night!
Today we were up early, at 6:30 so that we could get ready, finish packing, get breakfast, update the blog and get on the train by 9:00. Whew, I am exhausted just thinking about all we did today. We brought all of our pack with us on the train, and had to hike it about 10 blocks to the train station. Who doesnt want a brisk morning walk at 8:15 with a 25 lb pack on your back. And my friends at work think I am on vacation. :)
Finding the train station was easy, we slipped on the train 15 minutes early and had a smooth ride into Lake Maggiore. We found our hotel, which lookes more like a bed and breakfast, except that it has about 30 rooms to it, and is on a small hill overlooking the lake. It is centered in a town on the lake called Stresa. Very beautiful, and the people running it are great. We dropped our luggage and then went to the lakeside so that we could see about getting a boat out to the islands that are in the lake. They are owned by the same family, once connected by cousins to the pope (the cousins were prominant cardnials, and the family owned 6 different immense houses all around Italy). We caught a boat to the first one, and toured both the house and the grounds. I bought a few new scarves (ok, so I am now addicted, but they have so many cute ones here!) and then we hopped on the next boat. That one took us to another island, where there was both a house and a botanic garden. One of the trees on the property was over 400 years old, and was knocked down in 2006 due to a hurricane. They showed pictures of it pre-hurricane, and it brought tears to my eyes. It was so big and full, almost covering the entire view of the front of the house. What was left was this small thing, that looked like its limbs had been sheared off. So majestic, and now so frail looking.
After touring the grounds and the house on the second island, we went back to the room to ask the hotel staff about dinner recommendations. The recommended a new up and comming restaurant that they really liked. We went there, and ordered as we usually do. The wait staff were nice, and when they brought out the salmon appetizer, it looked like something off of Iron Chef. For those of you who have not seen that show on the food network, it pits a new chef versus a seasoned chef (known as an Iron Chef) and gives then a weird ingrediant to work with. Their challenge is to create at least 3 dishes with the ingrediant, and most use it in an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. The problem is, their portion size is so much smaller than we are used to. Well, that is what we received. A very good appetizer, but more artisitic than filling. Unfortunately, we were so hungry (remember, we only had breakfast that morning) that we dove into it with out taking a picture. The main course for Tim was a steak with vegetables and for me it was a pasta with fish au gratin. Mine was great, and Tim loved his. We shared a bottle of wine, with a little Tiramisu for dessert. Tim tried grappa, and yes, we do only need to try things once. :) We know know that Grappa is not a favorite of either of ours.
And so that brings us back to present day, with me typing away on the computer. I am quite sure that Tim is now asleep in the hotel room, and I will soon join him.
A few other random things of priases:
Praise God for good weather, as it has not been too hot, nor has it rained yet
Praise God for good health. Aside from the minor mosquito bites and blisters, we are doing well. My knees are holding strong (at true miracle since the arthritis has been solid in the right one for about 8 months and I am not taking 1 of the meds here in Europe). I had an allergic reaction to the Aspercreme I was using on that knee, making it red and itchy, but 5 days later it is gone.
Praise God for good relations between Tim and I. If you ever want to test your marriage, try traveling like we do for even a week. What does not kill us . . .
Praise God for friends and family who are taking care of our lives back home. Specifically Tims sister and family with our dog Shadow (hopefully he has not destroyed too much!) and our friends the Lindstroms taking care of Lizzy (glad she finally made a short appearance the other day!) We could not enjoy ourselves here without you there.
Much love to you all. Good night!
Swimming in a Lake of Silk and Gelato
On day two in Milan, we decided to make a day trip of Lake Como. Our original plan was to go out to the lake with all of our packs, and stay the night, then go from there to Lake Maggiore and onto Switzerland. When we talked to the train personel, they let us know that there was no train from Como to Maggiore, the one train we could take would put us from Como to Milan, then Milan to Como. So hense, why we decided to stay two nights at the business hotel. It was a good decision, as the hotel was nice, and the breakfast was great. Tim had granola, and since we could not find cold milk for it (only hot for the coffee) he decided to eat it with yogurt. He was very happy with the decision, and raved about its goodness off and on all day, eagerly anticipating the next breakfast. He is going to love it that I told you all about it. :)
We slept in a bit, as this hotel had both curtins and shutters, which kept out most of the light. It was great, but the trip was started about 3 hours late. We took the 10:30 train which brought us to lake Como AT 11:37. We found the tourist information office, recieved about 5 lbs of paper worth of information on the area, and grabbed the next hydrofoil (high speed boat) that was there. All of this happened in about 20 minutes after we departed the boat, so our heads were spinning a bit. It took about an hour to get around Lake Como to the small town of Bellagio. A beautiful little town, very picturesque (as if all small towns in Italy dont belong on postcards!)
We walked to a beach called La Puente, and of course, where there is open water and a beach, Tim must go in. Except this time, he went all the way in. Unfortunatley for him, the water here was not nearly as warm as it was on the Cinquw Terre trail, and he grimaced mightily as he went under. The whole experience lasted all of 20 minutes, but it made for some great photos on my part. Of course, I was smart, and removed my Teva sandles to dip in a toe, but no more than that. Hey, it was cold, and I dont do cold well. :)
We then walked through the town, and explored some of the little shops with hand made items. We purchased a few things, and then had our second meal of the day. Gelato of course. First their is breakfast, then gelato 1 then gelato 2 then lunch then gelato 3 then maybe dinner but of course you must have gelato 4, right? Am I weird in this? I didnt think so.
I tried coconut, which is a new flavor for me, and a little scarey. I like coconut, but do you want to commit to an entire scoop of it as ice cream? Thankfully it was wonderful, so great that Tim ate a huge chunk of it.
We then headed back to the hydrofoil which took is back to Como. We visited their Duomo (from what I can tell, a Duomo is a church, but I am not sure what separates a Duomo from a Cathedral). We then had gelato 2 (see a trend here?). We tried finding some silk stores, as Como is known for their silks and all the Italian designers come there to plan their yearly silk needs for their collections. Most of what we found was touristy, or artisitic, but nothing much in between. I did buy one silk scarf (see Jeannette, I can get Tim to buy me clothes!) but everything else was priced way outside of what I was comfortable with. I just dont wear that many scarves, or silk in general, so there was little appeal for me.
We hopped on a train back to Milan, had lunch at a little cafeteria (not sure why they called it this, it looked and acted like a true restaurant to us) and then went to bed. Up early in the morning for Lake Maggiore!
We slept in a bit, as this hotel had both curtins and shutters, which kept out most of the light. It was great, but the trip was started about 3 hours late. We took the 10:30 train which brought us to lake Como AT 11:37. We found the tourist information office, recieved about 5 lbs of paper worth of information on the area, and grabbed the next hydrofoil (high speed boat) that was there. All of this happened in about 20 minutes after we departed the boat, so our heads were spinning a bit. It took about an hour to get around Lake Como to the small town of Bellagio. A beautiful little town, very picturesque (as if all small towns in Italy dont belong on postcards!)
We walked to a beach called La Puente, and of course, where there is open water and a beach, Tim must go in. Except this time, he went all the way in. Unfortunatley for him, the water here was not nearly as warm as it was on the Cinquw Terre trail, and he grimaced mightily as he went under. The whole experience lasted all of 20 minutes, but it made for some great photos on my part. Of course, I was smart, and removed my Teva sandles to dip in a toe, but no more than that. Hey, it was cold, and I dont do cold well. :)
We then walked through the town, and explored some of the little shops with hand made items. We purchased a few things, and then had our second meal of the day. Gelato of course. First their is breakfast, then gelato 1 then gelato 2 then lunch then gelato 3 then maybe dinner but of course you must have gelato 4, right? Am I weird in this? I didnt think so.
I tried coconut, which is a new flavor for me, and a little scarey. I like coconut, but do you want to commit to an entire scoop of it as ice cream? Thankfully it was wonderful, so great that Tim ate a huge chunk of it.
We then headed back to the hydrofoil which took is back to Como. We visited their Duomo (from what I can tell, a Duomo is a church, but I am not sure what separates a Duomo from a Cathedral). We then had gelato 2 (see a trend here?). We tried finding some silk stores, as Como is known for their silks and all the Italian designers come there to plan their yearly silk needs for their collections. Most of what we found was touristy, or artisitic, but nothing much in between. I did buy one silk scarf (see Jeannette, I can get Tim to buy me clothes!) but everything else was priced way outside of what I was comfortable with. I just dont wear that many scarves, or silk in general, so there was little appeal for me.
We hopped on a train back to Milan, had lunch at a little cafeteria (not sure why they called it this, it looked and acted like a true restaurant to us) and then went to bed. Up early in the morning for Lake Maggiore!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
An improving view of Milan
Hello again! So lets get you caught up on the latest adventures. After hiking 3 of the 4 trails in the Cinque Terre, and sweating bullets on the last one, we were very open to the idea of finding a place in Vernazza to stay for the night, instead of finishing the 4th one and heading back to Milan. We came off the mountain, and decided to ask at each of the houses on our way into town that had "Rooms for Rent" signs on them. In the last three towns we had seen many signs like these, so we were hopefull that Vernazza would have a healthy supply as well.
At the first one that Tim saw, we rang the bell as indicated on the sign, but there was no one there. MIchelle had seen a sign a little earlier, so we turned around and went back the way we came a few steps. We were discussing how to contact the person on the sign when a man yelled hello from his balcony. We inquired about the room, and he said he was full. Feeling like this was going to be Milan, round two, just with more sweat and exhaustion than the first time, we turned to leave. He called us back and said his friend (the one owning the first sign that we tried to contact) might have a room. He made a few calls, while we waited what seemed like an eternaty. A man came walking down from the hill, and out balcony friend began chatting with him in rapid Italian. It turns out he did have a room available, and would we like to see it. Remembering Milan, we said a firm Yes.
The room was actually an appartment, complete with kitchen and living room/dining room. It had still not been cleaned from the last guests yet, but we were assured that the mans mother would come within the next 30 minutes to clean it. We were grateful, and headed out to explore the city.
We found the little cove of the town and watched as people were swimming in the ocean and laying out on the beach. Tim, who needs to put at least a toe in every body of water we see, wished we could swim in it later in the day. Michelle, who just wanted to sleep, was less than enthused. :)
We ate a slice of pesto pizza and an orange fanta and then headed back for some much needed showers. Refreshed, we found a place to eat, based on one of the recommendations from Rick Steves, and had an enjoyable evening listening to the surf on the ocean. There was a younger couple there who had just gotten engaged, so it was fun overhearing part of the conversation about how surprised she was, and watching her admire her new ring. Michelle, ever the sucker for romatic moments, bought and sent a rose over to their table as a congratulations. It reminded us of when we got engaged, with the ring tucked inside a dozen red roses.
Back at the room we creashed for some much needed sleep.
The next day we were up and about early, trying to hit the last trail before it got too hot. We were packed up and out the door by 8;15. We stopped off at a local bread store and bought a large pesto bruchetta and a few apples, and headed up the trail. No matter how early you get started though, you are going to get hot. This last trail was the hardest, 2 km with the highest elevation climb. And boy was it a climb. Just imagine going up as many stairs as you think you can possibly climb, then turning the corner and having another set of stairs. And every time you stop to rest, you see 2-3 mosquitos hovering about. It was not a pleasant beginning. But the pain was all in the first 30 minutes of the climb. From then on it was much more managable. We were glad to be going the direction on the trail that we were, as at the end there was an even larger set of stairs going down. If we had started the entire hike from this last city, we are not sure if we would have made it.
The last town was named Montorossa al Mare, and once we got there we headed towards the train station. There was one pulling into the station as we arrived, and we asked other travelers if it went to Milan. They said yes, but since we were not sure if we needed reservations, we asked one of the train employees who was hopping on the train. He said it was going to Milan, and ushered us on the train. Once on, with the train moving, h told us that we needed to pay 18 euros for the reservation fee. So, it ended up that this was not the train we wanted. For the regional trains, which also go to Milan, our eurorail pass allows us to ride for free. Woops. Lesson learned, never jump on a train without asking all the questions first.
The train ride was smooth, getting us back to Milan in 3 hours. Once we arrived we found an internet cafe and reserved two nights in another hotel in Milan. This time, we made sure to do it through a site we have used for a while, and one where we could read comments left by other people. We checked into the hotel and were pleased to see that it was clean, comfortable and had no remnants of other past guests. It looks like a business hotel, which is great for us.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Milan. We walked to the Galleria and the Duomo, which also took us by the Scala theater that we mentioned in our last post. Looking at all of the men and women dressed up was fun, they were all so elegant and the fashion really is interesting to watch. We could not pull it off, but they manage to!
We had dinner in the Galleria, Tim had Osobuco with saffron risoto and Michelle had a pesto gnochi. Tims meal was excellent, Michelles was good. It was then back to the hotel for a night of good sleep.
We are about to catch a train to Lake Maggiore today. The hotel should have internet, so we can catch you up on our day trip to Lake Como that we did yesterday. Ciao for now!
At the first one that Tim saw, we rang the bell as indicated on the sign, but there was no one there. MIchelle had seen a sign a little earlier, so we turned around and went back the way we came a few steps. We were discussing how to contact the person on the sign when a man yelled hello from his balcony. We inquired about the room, and he said he was full. Feeling like this was going to be Milan, round two, just with more sweat and exhaustion than the first time, we turned to leave. He called us back and said his friend (the one owning the first sign that we tried to contact) might have a room. He made a few calls, while we waited what seemed like an eternaty. A man came walking down from the hill, and out balcony friend began chatting with him in rapid Italian. It turns out he did have a room available, and would we like to see it. Remembering Milan, we said a firm Yes.
The room was actually an appartment, complete with kitchen and living room/dining room. It had still not been cleaned from the last guests yet, but we were assured that the mans mother would come within the next 30 minutes to clean it. We were grateful, and headed out to explore the city.
We found the little cove of the town and watched as people were swimming in the ocean and laying out on the beach. Tim, who needs to put at least a toe in every body of water we see, wished we could swim in it later in the day. Michelle, who just wanted to sleep, was less than enthused. :)
We ate a slice of pesto pizza and an orange fanta and then headed back for some much needed showers. Refreshed, we found a place to eat, based on one of the recommendations from Rick Steves, and had an enjoyable evening listening to the surf on the ocean. There was a younger couple there who had just gotten engaged, so it was fun overhearing part of the conversation about how surprised she was, and watching her admire her new ring. Michelle, ever the sucker for romatic moments, bought and sent a rose over to their table as a congratulations. It reminded us of when we got engaged, with the ring tucked inside a dozen red roses.
Back at the room we creashed for some much needed sleep.
The next day we were up and about early, trying to hit the last trail before it got too hot. We were packed up and out the door by 8;15. We stopped off at a local bread store and bought a large pesto bruchetta and a few apples, and headed up the trail. No matter how early you get started though, you are going to get hot. This last trail was the hardest, 2 km with the highest elevation climb. And boy was it a climb. Just imagine going up as many stairs as you think you can possibly climb, then turning the corner and having another set of stairs. And every time you stop to rest, you see 2-3 mosquitos hovering about. It was not a pleasant beginning. But the pain was all in the first 30 minutes of the climb. From then on it was much more managable. We were glad to be going the direction on the trail that we were, as at the end there was an even larger set of stairs going down. If we had started the entire hike from this last city, we are not sure if we would have made it.
The last town was named Montorossa al Mare, and once we got there we headed towards the train station. There was one pulling into the station as we arrived, and we asked other travelers if it went to Milan. They said yes, but since we were not sure if we needed reservations, we asked one of the train employees who was hopping on the train. He said it was going to Milan, and ushered us on the train. Once on, with the train moving, h told us that we needed to pay 18 euros for the reservation fee. So, it ended up that this was not the train we wanted. For the regional trains, which also go to Milan, our eurorail pass allows us to ride for free. Woops. Lesson learned, never jump on a train without asking all the questions first.
The train ride was smooth, getting us back to Milan in 3 hours. Once we arrived we found an internet cafe and reserved two nights in another hotel in Milan. This time, we made sure to do it through a site we have used for a while, and one where we could read comments left by other people. We checked into the hotel and were pleased to see that it was clean, comfortable and had no remnants of other past guests. It looks like a business hotel, which is great for us.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Milan. We walked to the Galleria and the Duomo, which also took us by the Scala theater that we mentioned in our last post. Looking at all of the men and women dressed up was fun, they were all so elegant and the fashion really is interesting to watch. We could not pull it off, but they manage to!
We had dinner in the Galleria, Tim had Osobuco with saffron risoto and Michelle had a pesto gnochi. Tims meal was excellent, Michelles was good. It was then back to the hotel for a night of good sleep.
We are about to catch a train to Lake Maggiore today. The hotel should have internet, so we can catch you up on our day trip to Lake Como that we did yesterday. Ciao for now!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
We left our sweat on the Cinque Terre
Before we get to the Cinque Terre, we will tell you of our adventures in Milan hotels. We arrived at the Milan airport around 11:00 pm, and began looking for a room. You see, when you make last minute plane reservations, you dont always have time to also look for hotel rooms. So, since we had easily used a train station room reservation agent in the past to help us find rooms, we figured that we should be able to do it again with some luck, although maybe not the best deal on a room.
We found a room reservation station in the airport, not the typical tourist information booth, and were greeted by a smarmy man who said that there was a festival in town, and there was only one hotel with openings. He quoted us two prices, one for a room with a bathroom in the room, and one with a shared bathroom. We asked if we could have a moment to discuss the options. When we came back and asked for the room with the shared bathroom (which also came with a lower price) low and behold it was no longer available. In the 2 minutes it took us to discuss the options, it was snapped up by someone else. Not liking the bait and switch going on, we opted to find a place on our own.
We took the bus into town and then the metro to the central train station. While waiting for the metro we met an older couple from Ohio who were just leaving the Scala theater after a show. They talked to us about where there were many hotels, and we set off in that direction. We began walking around to the different hotels nearby asking if there were open rooms. The first one had a room, but it was 400 euros a night. You can do the conversion yourself, but it is a little outside our desired price range. After the 7th hotel with no openings we started to hear some options in the upper end of our price range. We kept walking following the signs to the next hotel, and happened upon the Rally Hotel, a "2 star" hotel (out of 5 stars). We walked in and they had rooms available, but the place smelled of incense. We negotiated for a price, decided we would keep looking, turned to leave and he dropped the price further. Maybe this should have been our first clue. We agreed to the room and were given a key. Glad to finally have a place to rest our head, we opened the door to the room.
What greated us was the instant smell of moth balls and heat, as the windows were firmly closed. There was a presentable enough bed, but it looked like the room had undergone no major renovations in around 30 years. We unpacked and began getting ready for bed. We also packed smaller day packs with a change of clothes in anticipation of our next trip. The shared bathroom echoed the years of the bedroom, except that there was an indication that we were staying in the red light district. That is as far as we will go with that description. Back in the room, Michelle decided to open the wardrobe to see if there was an extra towel, and found another indication we were in the red light district. Needless to say, we were not interested in meeting any of the other "guests". As we went to bed Tim also leveraged a chair underneath the doorknob. Can never be too cautious!
A fitful nights sleep ensued, and we were up at 5:30 am to get out of there to jump on the earliest train to the Cinque Terre. We have never been so excited to be out of a place before, and were surprised as we headed to the exit to have no one behind the front counter. A very sleepy hotel manager finally emerged froma back room, took our key and unlocked the front gate so that we could leave. Michelle still gets shivers thinking about being stuck behind a locked gate at that place.
Happily out, we made our way to the train station, checked our big bags into checked luggage, and headed onto the train with our day packs. The train ride was 4 hours long, with stops to many small villages along the way. Both Tim and Michelle caught up on a bit of sleep, which was not easy.
We took the train all the way to Riomaggiore, which is the farthest city south in the Cinque Terre. We arrived around 11:30, filled our water bottles (the first time), and did the first hike to Manarola easily. This first hike is the easiest of the 4, with an estimated time of 20 minutes for completion. The sights were beautiful, and the walking easly, and they should be, since this was the trail of love.
We had lunch in Manorola at a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves called Aristide. We shared a seafood sampler platter, Tim had the pesto gnochi and Michelle had the pesto lasagne. We loved all of it, especially the octopus on the seafood sampler. Who would have thought that octopus tasted so good when you prepare it correctly!
We filled the water bottles again and continued on the trail to the next town of Cornelia, dipping our toes in the water at one of the beaches along the way. This was a harder hike, and as we were now in the full sun of the day, there were precious few shady spots. Tim donned his hat, and Michelle opted to use the umbrella, not for the rain, but to keep the sun off of her as much as possible. In Corneila, we stopped for ice cream and bought more water. We then found a place to fill our water bottles yet again. Hydration is key to hiking mid day!
On the trail from Cornelia to Vernazza we had sweat dripping off of us. Lots of stairs, as this trail had the second highest elevation shift of all 4 trails. We were rewarded with beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides. But it was so hot. Hiking down into Vernazza, we decided to try and stay there for the night. Again, not having a reservation anywhere, flashbacks of the rat hole in Milan kept appearing. But this time, we were much more cautious.
When we update again, we will tell you about our second round of finding last minute accommodations. For now, know that we are safe, back in Milan, and we will try to get you current with our next post. Ciao!
We found a room reservation station in the airport, not the typical tourist information booth, and were greeted by a smarmy man who said that there was a festival in town, and there was only one hotel with openings. He quoted us two prices, one for a room with a bathroom in the room, and one with a shared bathroom. We asked if we could have a moment to discuss the options. When we came back and asked for the room with the shared bathroom (which also came with a lower price) low and behold it was no longer available. In the 2 minutes it took us to discuss the options, it was snapped up by someone else. Not liking the bait and switch going on, we opted to find a place on our own.
We took the bus into town and then the metro to the central train station. While waiting for the metro we met an older couple from Ohio who were just leaving the Scala theater after a show. They talked to us about where there were many hotels, and we set off in that direction. We began walking around to the different hotels nearby asking if there were open rooms. The first one had a room, but it was 400 euros a night. You can do the conversion yourself, but it is a little outside our desired price range. After the 7th hotel with no openings we started to hear some options in the upper end of our price range. We kept walking following the signs to the next hotel, and happened upon the Rally Hotel, a "2 star" hotel (out of 5 stars). We walked in and they had rooms available, but the place smelled of incense. We negotiated for a price, decided we would keep looking, turned to leave and he dropped the price further. Maybe this should have been our first clue. We agreed to the room and were given a key. Glad to finally have a place to rest our head, we opened the door to the room.
What greated us was the instant smell of moth balls and heat, as the windows were firmly closed. There was a presentable enough bed, but it looked like the room had undergone no major renovations in around 30 years. We unpacked and began getting ready for bed. We also packed smaller day packs with a change of clothes in anticipation of our next trip. The shared bathroom echoed the years of the bedroom, except that there was an indication that we were staying in the red light district. That is as far as we will go with that description. Back in the room, Michelle decided to open the wardrobe to see if there was an extra towel, and found another indication we were in the red light district. Needless to say, we were not interested in meeting any of the other "guests". As we went to bed Tim also leveraged a chair underneath the doorknob. Can never be too cautious!
A fitful nights sleep ensued, and we were up at 5:30 am to get out of there to jump on the earliest train to the Cinque Terre. We have never been so excited to be out of a place before, and were surprised as we headed to the exit to have no one behind the front counter. A very sleepy hotel manager finally emerged froma back room, took our key and unlocked the front gate so that we could leave. Michelle still gets shivers thinking about being stuck behind a locked gate at that place.
Happily out, we made our way to the train station, checked our big bags into checked luggage, and headed onto the train with our day packs. The train ride was 4 hours long, with stops to many small villages along the way. Both Tim and Michelle caught up on a bit of sleep, which was not easy.
We took the train all the way to Riomaggiore, which is the farthest city south in the Cinque Terre. We arrived around 11:30, filled our water bottles (the first time), and did the first hike to Manarola easily. This first hike is the easiest of the 4, with an estimated time of 20 minutes for completion. The sights were beautiful, and the walking easly, and they should be, since this was the trail of love.
We had lunch in Manorola at a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves called Aristide. We shared a seafood sampler platter, Tim had the pesto gnochi and Michelle had the pesto lasagne. We loved all of it, especially the octopus on the seafood sampler. Who would have thought that octopus tasted so good when you prepare it correctly!
We filled the water bottles again and continued on the trail to the next town of Cornelia, dipping our toes in the water at one of the beaches along the way. This was a harder hike, and as we were now in the full sun of the day, there were precious few shady spots. Tim donned his hat, and Michelle opted to use the umbrella, not for the rain, but to keep the sun off of her as much as possible. In Corneila, we stopped for ice cream and bought more water. We then found a place to fill our water bottles yet again. Hydration is key to hiking mid day!
On the trail from Cornelia to Vernazza we had sweat dripping off of us. Lots of stairs, as this trail had the second highest elevation shift of all 4 trails. We were rewarded with beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides. But it was so hot. Hiking down into Vernazza, we decided to try and stay there for the night. Again, not having a reservation anywhere, flashbacks of the rat hole in Milan kept appearing. But this time, we were much more cautious.
When we update again, we will tell you about our second round of finding last minute accommodations. For now, know that we are safe, back in Milan, and we will try to get you current with our next post. Ciao!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A funny thing happened on the way to the AIRPORT ...
YOu may be asking yourself why two smart people, with perfectly valid Eurorail passes, might be writing a blog about the experiences in a Barcelona airport. For the answer to that, we have to take you backwards a few days. Come follow us on this new twist to our journey. :)
So we woke up early from our hotel room in Barcelona, ready to go to the train station and book our train to Nice, France. We had a nice breakfast of grapes and juice (clearing the fridge in the hotel room of the last random pieces of what we bought) and packed up everything on our sacks. After having checked out and stowing our luggage, we made ur way tot eh train station. We asked the nice genetleman about the departure times, thinking we would be able to get space on the night train, and were informed that at 8 pm there was a scheduled Frenc train strike. Yup, at 8 pm we could be stuck at whatever town we were in, if the conductors decided to stop at the dot, or we would be stuck in Nice if they let the trains go through to their destinations. Either way, the strike would last at least 2 days (sso much for those day trips via train from Nice to Monaco and Cannes) and that the strike might last longer than 2 days if it was extended. So, any train travel in France was dicy at best.
So imagine yourself having spent the last 10 days in Spain and Portugal, ready to move onto the next country, and finding yourself stuck, as the only border country with Spain tot eh east is France. no option to skirt around it via another country. No securty that the money you spend will be for transport somewhere, or a grand donation to the french train lines. So we did the onlly thing we felt had security to it, we looked for flights out. We figured a flight would be an added cost (ugh), but if it saved the timing of the rest of our trip, then it was worth it.
Since we checked out of our room, we could not use their internet access, so we found a wifi connection at a local cafe. With two cafe con leches and small sandwiches in hand, Tims fingers flew trying to find flights using the ipod. Did we mention what a life saver this thing has been? :)
With a flight at 8:05 pm secured (we thought, no way to print a confirmation from the ipod!) we then tried to plan the rest of our time in Barcelona. We tried the Picasso Museum, which was an interest for Michelle, but it was closed. We then wandered around the Gothic quarter, and ate out first churros con chocolate with a yummy tropical icee. We then walked around Las Ramblas, which is a main shopping area. We visited a marketplace that sells fruits and meats, and tried a hot pink kiwi tasting fruit. We then went to the Guell park, which was designed by Gaudi. Then back to the hotel to pick up the baggage.
We left about 4 hours to get there, and were proud to have been there and ready to take off in 2 hours. The flight to Milan was uneventful, which is good. :) We arrived at the airport and had our luggage by 9:30.
More to come on the interesting search for a hotel for the night, and the rat hole where we finally stayed. Also an update on the events of this last day in the Cinque Terre. Yeah, the next post will be a fun one. :)
Depending on access, it might be a little while before we post again. Yes, the pink water bottle is back in our hands, for those that were worried about its fate. And a Happy Birthday to Michelles dad (on the 26th) and Michelles sister Shelby on the 29th!
So we woke up early from our hotel room in Barcelona, ready to go to the train station and book our train to Nice, France. We had a nice breakfast of grapes and juice (clearing the fridge in the hotel room of the last random pieces of what we bought) and packed up everything on our sacks. After having checked out and stowing our luggage, we made ur way tot eh train station. We asked the nice genetleman about the departure times, thinking we would be able to get space on the night train, and were informed that at 8 pm there was a scheduled Frenc train strike. Yup, at 8 pm we could be stuck at whatever town we were in, if the conductors decided to stop at the dot, or we would be stuck in Nice if they let the trains go through to their destinations. Either way, the strike would last at least 2 days (sso much for those day trips via train from Nice to Monaco and Cannes) and that the strike might last longer than 2 days if it was extended. So, any train travel in France was dicy at best.
So imagine yourself having spent the last 10 days in Spain and Portugal, ready to move onto the next country, and finding yourself stuck, as the only border country with Spain tot eh east is France. no option to skirt around it via another country. No securty that the money you spend will be for transport somewhere, or a grand donation to the french train lines. So we did the onlly thing we felt had security to it, we looked for flights out. We figured a flight would be an added cost (ugh), but if it saved the timing of the rest of our trip, then it was worth it.
Since we checked out of our room, we could not use their internet access, so we found a wifi connection at a local cafe. With two cafe con leches and small sandwiches in hand, Tims fingers flew trying to find flights using the ipod. Did we mention what a life saver this thing has been? :)
With a flight at 8:05 pm secured (we thought, no way to print a confirmation from the ipod!) we then tried to plan the rest of our time in Barcelona. We tried the Picasso Museum, which was an interest for Michelle, but it was closed. We then wandered around the Gothic quarter, and ate out first churros con chocolate with a yummy tropical icee. We then walked around Las Ramblas, which is a main shopping area. We visited a marketplace that sells fruits and meats, and tried a hot pink kiwi tasting fruit. We then went to the Guell park, which was designed by Gaudi. Then back to the hotel to pick up the baggage.
We left about 4 hours to get there, and were proud to have been there and ready to take off in 2 hours. The flight to Milan was uneventful, which is good. :) We arrived at the airport and had our luggage by 9:30.
More to come on the interesting search for a hotel for the night, and the rat hole where we finally stayed. Also an update on the events of this last day in the Cinque Terre. Yeah, the next post will be a fun one. :)
Depending on access, it might be a little while before we post again. Yes, the pink water bottle is back in our hands, for those that were worried about its fate. And a Happy Birthday to Michelles dad (on the 26th) and Michelles sister Shelby on the 29th!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The tapas of our last four days
Hi all!
We know that it has been a while since the last post, and for that we are sorry. We have a wifi connection here in Barcelona, but no computer. So here is another post care of our iPod. We have gone from Lisbon to Barcelona, and will be on our way to Nice France tomorrow morning (hopefully!) So here are a few highlights from the last four days.
From Portugal
A day spent at Cascais to dip toes in the water, to Cabo da Roca the most western tip of Europe, and the to Sintra to view some amazing houses, castles and gardens (Momma Kapka you would have loved it!)
Ricardo our new friend at the hotel
An attempt at fado (not so successful on that one)
A visit to the Castel St Jorge in Lisbon (beautiful views)
Meeting a mannamed Antonio and his daughter at an antique tile store who talked to us about the history ofPortuguise tile and shared a glass of port wine with us
For Barcelona
Not a good start as the first few people we met were bad - started as a big city full of people with big city attitudes
Finally seeing a bullfight after trying to in two other cities, which was a thing to experience once in you life, and for us, only once
Seeing the houses Gaudi designed
Going to Montserrat for the afternoon
Sleeping in this morning
Finally doing two loads of laundry amidst the fun
Well we hope you enjoyed these small tidbits of our last four days. We should get to bed. Tomorrow is another day to have a ball!
We know that it has been a while since the last post, and for that we are sorry. We have a wifi connection here in Barcelona, but no computer. So here is another post care of our iPod. We have gone from Lisbon to Barcelona, and will be on our way to Nice France tomorrow morning (hopefully!) So here are a few highlights from the last four days.
From Portugal
A day spent at Cascais to dip toes in the water, to Cabo da Roca the most western tip of Europe, and the to Sintra to view some amazing houses, castles and gardens (Momma Kapka you would have loved it!)
Ricardo our new friend at the hotel
An attempt at fado (not so successful on that one)
A visit to the Castel St Jorge in Lisbon (beautiful views)
Meeting a mannamed Antonio and his daughter at an antique tile store who talked to us about the history ofPortuguise tile and shared a glass of port wine with us
For Barcelona
Not a good start as the first few people we met were bad - started as a big city full of people with big city attitudes
Finally seeing a bullfight after trying to in two other cities, which was a thing to experience once in you life, and for us, only once
Seeing the houses Gaudi designed
Going to Montserrat for the afternoon
Sleeping in this morning
Finally doing two loads of laundry amidst the fun
Well we hope you enjoyed these small tidbits of our last four days. We should get to bed. Tomorrow is another day to have a ball!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A train, a train, a car, and another train
A quick update for you all on the happenings of the Hardleys. We have 16 minutes on the clock, so away we go!
The last couble of days have beena bit of a blur, with lots of running around to do. On our last day in Seville we took a free walking tour of the city that one of our new hostel friends helps to lead, and it was a great refresher on the history of the city. We talked to the guide a bit about how our experience with tapas has been so so, and he offered to take us to his favorite place. Let me say, we were bummed to have found it so late, but excited because these were the best tapas at the most reasonable prices. During our time in Seville we tried to branch out of the comfort zone where tapas were concerned, and this place was one that did not dissapoint. It was wonderful.
And, in grand Michelle fashion, as we were leaving she left her water bottle at the restaurant, only to remember it 20 minutes later when we were half way across town. And unless you start thinking that this is Tim writing this post, you would be wrong. My penchant for loosing things, keys, sunglasses, water bottles, is somewhat of a legend in my hometown. In fact, during the 07 trip, I left the original pink water bottle on a train to Pisa. Yup, just plain walked off the train without it. My friend Tiffany bought me a new one as a welcome home gift, and almost lost it too! So after shopping on the other end of town and picking up some great pottery, we tried to find the restaurant again. Not so easy when someone took you there the first time, so you were not exactly focusing on the details of how to get there. But Tim is an amazing navagator, and he found it easily.
That little excursion set us back about 20 minutes in the plan to get to the train station on time to catch a train back to Lisbon, and we had to hustle to get there. Our friend at the desk of the hostle strongly suggested that we did not try to run the mile or so to get there, but instead take the bus. We grudgingly agreed and set out for the stop. When we arrived, our bus was there and we were able to easily hop on. Talk about timing!
The train ride to Madrid was uneventful, the movie they showed was >Burn After Reading, which to us is the single worst movie in the history of bad movies. Feel free to disagree, but the only saving grace is that Brad Pitt is pretty funny, other than that, I cant get behind where the movie is going. Anyways, we got there in time to catch the next night train out to Lisbon, except that it was leaving from a different station about 4 miles away. We were asking a gentleman how to get there, and with his directions we were off. A few minutes later guy about our age came up to us and offered a ride, since his house was right near the station. We agreed, and were treated to a great ride on the freeways of Madrid without us risking life and limb. :)
The train to Lisbon was fun, we had never had a private coach before, and we explored ever nook and cranny, seeing how they made things pull double duty so that they could have so many ammenities in such a small space. I love trains that way, so industrious. The train made frequent stops, and if it hit the breaks hard, it filled the interior with a burned break smell, but overall it was fine. I donºt know if I would want to do it every night, but for one night, it worked well.
Well, time is running out and we have not even gotten to the things we did today. I believe the hotel in Barcelona has free internet, so we will have to catch you up there. Tomorrow is our last day in Lisbon, then a night train to Madrid and a morning train to Barcelona. We should be there around 1:30, which will let us catch up on sleep and our journals. Until then!
The last couble of days have beena bit of a blur, with lots of running around to do. On our last day in Seville we took a free walking tour of the city that one of our new hostel friends helps to lead, and it was a great refresher on the history of the city. We talked to the guide a bit about how our experience with tapas has been so so, and he offered to take us to his favorite place. Let me say, we were bummed to have found it so late, but excited because these were the best tapas at the most reasonable prices. During our time in Seville we tried to branch out of the comfort zone where tapas were concerned, and this place was one that did not dissapoint. It was wonderful.
And, in grand Michelle fashion, as we were leaving she left her water bottle at the restaurant, only to remember it 20 minutes later when we were half way across town. And unless you start thinking that this is Tim writing this post, you would be wrong. My penchant for loosing things, keys, sunglasses, water bottles, is somewhat of a legend in my hometown. In fact, during the 07 trip, I left the original pink water bottle on a train to Pisa. Yup, just plain walked off the train without it. My friend Tiffany bought me a new one as a welcome home gift, and almost lost it too! So after shopping on the other end of town and picking up some great pottery, we tried to find the restaurant again. Not so easy when someone took you there the first time, so you were not exactly focusing on the details of how to get there. But Tim is an amazing navagator, and he found it easily.
That little excursion set us back about 20 minutes in the plan to get to the train station on time to catch a train back to Lisbon, and we had to hustle to get there. Our friend at the desk of the hostle strongly suggested that we did not try to run the mile or so to get there, but instead take the bus. We grudgingly agreed and set out for the stop. When we arrived, our bus was there and we were able to easily hop on. Talk about timing!
The train ride to Madrid was uneventful, the movie they showed was >Burn After Reading, which to us is the single worst movie in the history of bad movies. Feel free to disagree, but the only saving grace is that Brad Pitt is pretty funny, other than that, I cant get behind where the movie is going. Anyways, we got there in time to catch the next night train out to Lisbon, except that it was leaving from a different station about 4 miles away. We were asking a gentleman how to get there, and with his directions we were off. A few minutes later guy about our age came up to us and offered a ride, since his house was right near the station. We agreed, and were treated to a great ride on the freeways of Madrid without us risking life and limb. :)
The train to Lisbon was fun, we had never had a private coach before, and we explored ever nook and cranny, seeing how they made things pull double duty so that they could have so many ammenities in such a small space. I love trains that way, so industrious. The train made frequent stops, and if it hit the breaks hard, it filled the interior with a burned break smell, but overall it was fine. I donºt know if I would want to do it every night, but for one night, it worked well.
Well, time is running out and we have not even gotten to the things we did today. I believe the hotel in Barcelona has free internet, so we will have to catch you up there. Tomorrow is our last day in Lisbon, then a night train to Madrid and a morning train to Barcelona. We should be there around 1:30, which will let us catch up on sleep and our journals. Until then!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Forever running out of time
Sorry for the abridged post, we were told the computer use was ending in 5 minutes so instead of finishing the post we thought it best to email hostals in Portugal so that we have somewhere to stay two nights from now. We are now emailing on our iPod, which means I am typing with one finger. Tedious, but a life saver. thanks Greg and Brenda for a great Christmas gift!
Tomorrow we will go across the bridge to the other side of town and do some shopping. :) Michelle is excited, Tim . . . not so much. Talk to you from Portugal.
Tomorrow we will go across the bridge to the other side of town and do some shopping. :) Michelle is excited, Tim . . . not so much. Talk to you from Portugal.
Of cathedrals and palaces
Hello all!
Just spent our second day in Seville, and we are still having a great time. We treated ourselves a bit, and slept in until 8:00. Since we have received 4-5 hours of sleep every night, to have 7 hours was a rare treat. After a quick breakfast provided by our hostal (bread, cheese, orange juice and coffee) we were off. Tim won´t drink coffee at work because it makes him wired, but he is on this vacation?!?
Our first stop was supposed to be the Alcazar of Seville, a royal palace that is still used by the king and queen of Spain today. But to get there, we had to walk by the cathedral. And since we saw an open door, we just had to walk in and check it out.
Inside is the most amazing church, for height, width and historical significance. We were pretty sure that the reason we got in was because they were doing a morning mass. As we walked in and heard the chanting of the choir and the paritioners to the sound of the 7,000 pipe organ, it was confirmed. We are never sure what to do in those moments, turn and leave? Stay and explore the church quietly? Join in the mass? Not being from the Catholic tradition, we are never sure what to say, and when to sit or stand. We have been to one mass that we can remember at Grandma and Grandpa Saskas (Michelle´s grandparents) ánd all we could remember was how to make the sign of the cross. We decided that if we could sit to the side and not detract from the service, it would be interesting to attend mass.
So we followed the cues from others and imitated their behavior. Apparently we were not alone, as in the beginning there were about 25 total worshipers, and when one older gentleman stood, we all looked at him and slowly rose, and as he sat, we all sat. As the service went on, the other tourists left, and other parishoners joined, so that it did not look as obvious that we were following their lead. In this mass they were giving communion, and we refrained, feeling that it was not appropriate. It was amazing to worship with others, even though it was all in Spanish so we did not completely understand it all.
After mass we were escorted from the church so that the museum staff could begin welcoming the paying public. So we left the church, went around the corner, and got in line to pay to enter again. There was much of the church we did not see that we thought it worthwhile. And it was. Once we entered we quickly made our way up to the tower, one of the last surviving pieces of the mosque that used to stand where the church now does. Christians tore down the mosque, but kept the tower, and we were glad they did. Instead of stairs to get to the top, it is a long winding ramp, where men used to ride up on horseback 5 times a day to ring the bells calling the Muslims to prayer. You can still see the grooves at the top where the horses grew tired and took more steps, wearing down the stones at a greater rate. The views were amazing, as you could see the city all around. There were also maps identifying the major buildings in the city by their rooftops.
We were quickly joined by a few tour groups and many other individual people, amd decided to decend the tower shortly thereafter. Brilliant idea Tim to do this first, as he could forsee the crowds if we waited. Sure enough, 30 minutes later there was a long line of people waiting to ascend at the base of the tower. We toured the rest of the church, noting the treasury with its ancient relics, including a "piece of THE cross". Also seen was the most valuable crown in Spain, with the worlds largest pearl set within it. Interestingly enough, we could not see it for a time, as there was a smaller pearl within the crown. Then we focused on one of the small angels on the crown, and noticed that its body was the pearl. The pearl was naturally formed in the shape of a torso and the beginnings of legs. Amazing!
There were also some other unusual treasures, like literal body parts from various saints. Hum . . .
The coffin holding the body of Christoper Columbus was also on display in the middle of the church. It was held up by 4 kings representing 4 different territories in what is now Spain. The men were wearing "flowing" robes all made out of metal and were around 9 feet tall.
After we had explored the church, we made our way over to the Alcazar, the royal palace. It is the oldest European palace still being used as a private residence for royalty. Like many things in southern Spain, it was originally designed by the Moors, and overtaken by the Christians. You see the Moorish influence in the amazing tilework and beautiful ceilings. There are also vast gardens and too many fountains to count.
Just spent our second day in Seville, and we are still having a great time. We treated ourselves a bit, and slept in until 8:00. Since we have received 4-5 hours of sleep every night, to have 7 hours was a rare treat. After a quick breakfast provided by our hostal (bread, cheese, orange juice and coffee) we were off. Tim won´t drink coffee at work because it makes him wired, but he is on this vacation?!?
Our first stop was supposed to be the Alcazar of Seville, a royal palace that is still used by the king and queen of Spain today. But to get there, we had to walk by the cathedral. And since we saw an open door, we just had to walk in and check it out.
Inside is the most amazing church, for height, width and historical significance. We were pretty sure that the reason we got in was because they were doing a morning mass. As we walked in and heard the chanting of the choir and the paritioners to the sound of the 7,000 pipe organ, it was confirmed. We are never sure what to do in those moments, turn and leave? Stay and explore the church quietly? Join in the mass? Not being from the Catholic tradition, we are never sure what to say, and when to sit or stand. We have been to one mass that we can remember at Grandma and Grandpa Saskas (Michelle´s grandparents) ánd all we could remember was how to make the sign of the cross. We decided that if we could sit to the side and not detract from the service, it would be interesting to attend mass.
So we followed the cues from others and imitated their behavior. Apparently we were not alone, as in the beginning there were about 25 total worshipers, and when one older gentleman stood, we all looked at him and slowly rose, and as he sat, we all sat. As the service went on, the other tourists left, and other parishoners joined, so that it did not look as obvious that we were following their lead. In this mass they were giving communion, and we refrained, feeling that it was not appropriate. It was amazing to worship with others, even though it was all in Spanish so we did not completely understand it all.
After mass we were escorted from the church so that the museum staff could begin welcoming the paying public. So we left the church, went around the corner, and got in line to pay to enter again. There was much of the church we did not see that we thought it worthwhile. And it was. Once we entered we quickly made our way up to the tower, one of the last surviving pieces of the mosque that used to stand where the church now does. Christians tore down the mosque, but kept the tower, and we were glad they did. Instead of stairs to get to the top, it is a long winding ramp, where men used to ride up on horseback 5 times a day to ring the bells calling the Muslims to prayer. You can still see the grooves at the top where the horses grew tired and took more steps, wearing down the stones at a greater rate. The views were amazing, as you could see the city all around. There were also maps identifying the major buildings in the city by their rooftops.
We were quickly joined by a few tour groups and many other individual people, amd decided to decend the tower shortly thereafter. Brilliant idea Tim to do this first, as he could forsee the crowds if we waited. Sure enough, 30 minutes later there was a long line of people waiting to ascend at the base of the tower. We toured the rest of the church, noting the treasury with its ancient relics, including a "piece of THE cross". Also seen was the most valuable crown in Spain, with the worlds largest pearl set within it. Interestingly enough, we could not see it for a time, as there was a smaller pearl within the crown. Then we focused on one of the small angels on the crown, and noticed that its body was the pearl. The pearl was naturally formed in the shape of a torso and the beginnings of legs. Amazing!
There were also some other unusual treasures, like literal body parts from various saints. Hum . . .
The coffin holding the body of Christoper Columbus was also on display in the middle of the church. It was held up by 4 kings representing 4 different territories in what is now Spain. The men were wearing "flowing" robes all made out of metal and were around 9 feet tall.
After we had explored the church, we made our way over to the Alcazar, the royal palace. It is the oldest European palace still being used as a private residence for royalty. Like many things in southern Spain, it was originally designed by the Moors, and overtaken by the Christians. You see the Moorish influence in the amazing tilework and beautiful ceilings. There are also vast gardens and too many fountains to count.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Cordoba-Sevilla Shuffle
So the clock now reads 0:02, which is a sight not commonly seen in the states. Another sitenot commonly seem, Michelle waiting impatiently for two ladies to finish on the computer so that she can post to a blog and go to be. And Tim, yeah he is the guy happily snoring away down the hall. Such is life when in a hostal!
So a quick one to catch you up with the latest. This morning we boarded a 7 am train to Cordoba, which is a city about 1 hour and 45 minutes south of Madrid. The train we were on makes two stops, one to Cordoba and the next to Sevilla. We decided that since we had some time, we would get a train from Madrid to Cordoba, spend a few hours there, then catch a train from Cordoba to Seville. We also decided to pack light, so most of our luggage is in the train station lockers in Madrid, and we brought our day packs and the barest of necessities. On the 20th we will take the train back to Madrid, grab out gear and hop on a night train to Lisbon, Portugal. But I am getting a little ahead of myself.
Finding the train to Cordoba was easy, and it seems that it was a commuter train as many of our fellow passangers were in suits and ties. We had two isle seats and they were quite comfortable. The trains in Spain, we have found, are nicer and easier to use than the ones we experienced in Italy. Here, they tell you exactly what coach (compartment) to go to, and even the train platform is marked with what coach will line up where. It is a failsafe system. In Italy, it seemed like we were always second guessing which coach was ours, and which seats were ours. I remember one time where we kicked 4 people out of their chairs, only to have some one else come by later and say we were in their seats. Feeling that we were right, we checked tickets and found we were on the wrong train! Thankfully, it had not left the station yet.
Cordoba is a pretty city, and we spent some time exploring the old Jewish quarter, with very narrow streets filled with white washe houses, as well as the mezquita. We approached the Alcazar first, and though all of our guidebooks said it was closed on Monday, we found the gates to be open. We approached, and the people working the gates said to go on in. There is normally a charge to enter, but they did not ask for any money, so we zipped on in and began exploring. The alcazar was a military fortress that >King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had built. They lived in it from time to time, and it was here that Christopher Columbus began speaking to them about exploring the new world. There were some amazing gardens (mom you would have loived it!) as well as a hike up into one of the spires. The view of the city was breathtaking, and it did a number on the muscles in our legs. We have been sore ever since.
We then made our way to the Romano Bridge, which was not all that impressive, especially since it is a reproduction since all of the bridges in Cordoba were destroyed and rebuilt at one time or another. At this point it was getting hot, so we decided to visit the mesquita.
The mesquita started out as a Jewish synagoge, was then taken over by the Moors who built a temple around it, and was then taken over by the Christians who carved out a large church in the center of the former mosque. It was the oddest, and most beautiful thing we saw today, but the building definetly had an identity crisis. You would see Christian artifacts right next to the moorish arches.
After the mesquita, we had a good lunch at a recommended restaurant, and then were off to the train station. We arrived in Sevilla around 5, with no hotel reservations (living on the wild side). We were able to find a place in the heart of town, close to some of the things we want to go see tomorrow. Once settled, we decided to follow a wapling map that we had found online, which took us through the town and some of the major sites. Since our feet hurt and we could not stand it anymore, we sat to eat dinner at a little courtyard restaurant. After some wonderful andalusian paella and sangria, we went to take some pictures on the river and headed home. And here we are!
Well, the clock now reads 0:22 so it is off to bed for me. Until tomorrow!
So a quick one to catch you up with the latest. This morning we boarded a 7 am train to Cordoba, which is a city about 1 hour and 45 minutes south of Madrid. The train we were on makes two stops, one to Cordoba and the next to Sevilla. We decided that since we had some time, we would get a train from Madrid to Cordoba, spend a few hours there, then catch a train from Cordoba to Seville. We also decided to pack light, so most of our luggage is in the train station lockers in Madrid, and we brought our day packs and the barest of necessities. On the 20th we will take the train back to Madrid, grab out gear and hop on a night train to Lisbon, Portugal. But I am getting a little ahead of myself.
Finding the train to Cordoba was easy, and it seems that it was a commuter train as many of our fellow passangers were in suits and ties. We had two isle seats and they were quite comfortable. The trains in Spain, we have found, are nicer and easier to use than the ones we experienced in Italy. Here, they tell you exactly what coach (compartment) to go to, and even the train platform is marked with what coach will line up where. It is a failsafe system. In Italy, it seemed like we were always second guessing which coach was ours, and which seats were ours. I remember one time where we kicked 4 people out of their chairs, only to have some one else come by later and say we were in their seats. Feeling that we were right, we checked tickets and found we were on the wrong train! Thankfully, it had not left the station yet.
Cordoba is a pretty city, and we spent some time exploring the old Jewish quarter, with very narrow streets filled with white washe houses, as well as the mezquita. We approached the Alcazar first, and though all of our guidebooks said it was closed on Monday, we found the gates to be open. We approached, and the people working the gates said to go on in. There is normally a charge to enter, but they did not ask for any money, so we zipped on in and began exploring. The alcazar was a military fortress that >King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had built. They lived in it from time to time, and it was here that Christopher Columbus began speaking to them about exploring the new world. There were some amazing gardens (mom you would have loived it!) as well as a hike up into one of the spires. The view of the city was breathtaking, and it did a number on the muscles in our legs. We have been sore ever since.
We then made our way to the Romano Bridge, which was not all that impressive, especially since it is a reproduction since all of the bridges in Cordoba were destroyed and rebuilt at one time or another. At this point it was getting hot, so we decided to visit the mesquita.
The mesquita started out as a Jewish synagoge, was then taken over by the Moors who built a temple around it, and was then taken over by the Christians who carved out a large church in the center of the former mosque. It was the oddest, and most beautiful thing we saw today, but the building definetly had an identity crisis. You would see Christian artifacts right next to the moorish arches.
After the mesquita, we had a good lunch at a recommended restaurant, and then were off to the train station. We arrived in Sevilla around 5, with no hotel reservations (living on the wild side). We were able to find a place in the heart of town, close to some of the things we want to go see tomorrow. Once settled, we decided to follow a wapling map that we had found online, which took us through the town and some of the major sites. Since our feet hurt and we could not stand it anymore, we sat to eat dinner at a little courtyard restaurant. After some wonderful andalusian paella and sangria, we went to take some pictures on the river and headed home. And here we are!
Well, the clock now reads 0:22 so it is off to bed for me. Until tomorrow!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Midnight flamenco and the twists and turns of finding your room
After the last post, we got the itch to stay out late, as the spanish do. We decided to take a chance on catching a midnight showing of flamenco at a local place that came highly recommended, called Casa Patas. There were about 15 minutes until the start of the show, and when we pulled out the map we discovered that Casa Patas was a 2 block walk from our hotel. Talk about meant to be. We showed up on the doorstep, and were told that there were still a few seats left open, so even though we did not have a reservation, we were seated at a high table in the back of the room. Good views of the stage though, so the distance was not that bad. Better, we learned, than the very front row which was inches from the stamping feet of the dancers and where you needed ear plugs.
The tickets came with a free drink, and since you can never have too much sangria, another round was promptly ordered. Delicious, refreshing and buzzing all at the same time! The dancing started shortly after we entered. It lasted until shortly after 2 am, and was full of the passion and vigor that the dance is known for. The dancers were two men, each taking turns out dancing the other. The only problem was that we were both waiting for the femle dancer to come, and it was quite some time before we realized that there was no female in this group. There were 3 people in the band (1 rocking the violin, 1 on the guitar and 1 playing a box like drum) along with 2 different singers. The guitarist played so fast his hands were a blur at times. The crowd was cheering with frequent cries of "oleeeeeeee".
Back to the hotel room we went after the end of the show. Finding our room is quite a production. Here are the directions, which we had to have an escort to the first time: go up 3 flights of stairs from the ground floor, enter the room at the end to get the keys to our room from the reservation desk (you have to return them every time you leave), back out the door, up 3 more flights of stairs, enter the foyer, and turn left. Go to the end of the hall, make a right, go to the end of that hall and make a left, then go midway down the hall, make another left, then a right at the end of that hall, and a right at the end of the next hall. Out the door that is straight ahead of you, and up two flights of stairs. Enter the last door on the left, then straight ahead to our room door. And you are finally home. No, we are not making this up, and try finding that after a few glasses of sangria!
Today was full of museums and palaces. We started with the Royal Palace, and were surprised to find that it was a free entrance fee day for all portions of the palace. We happily wandered through the main palace rooms and the private art collection, then made our way across the square to the the armory (way cool with coats of armor for man, horse and even a dog - then there is the weapontry swords, guns, long range rifles mounted on cannon-ish wooden structures and crossbows). We then strolled back across the square to tour the farmicia.
At noon, the bells began ringing from the Cathedral de la Almudena, which is next door to the palace. We were able to walk in and watch as the noon mass was about to start.
We made our way from the cathedral to El Rastro, which Tim insists on calling a completly different name every time he refers to it. This is a huge flee market with tons of vendors lining the streets and even more people. It begins in one square, and then there are three or more streets coming off of that square that are involved. We surveyed the vendors, were amazed at how many people there were, and picked up a few gifts and souvenirs. It was an overwhelming sea of people, but such a sight to see!
We had lunch at a little kabob store and ate out on the patio so that we could people watch. Kabobs were a favorite we discovered with Tim´s brother and nephew when in Italy in 07, and Duane, they were wonderful! A quick metro ride took us to the train station in hopes that we could squeeze in a trip to Toledo. Unfortunately, the train ride to get there and back would have taken up most of the time we had to visit the city, and it seemed impractical to spend 5 hours riding the train to spend only 2 hours in the city. So instead, we went to another museum.
This time it was the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza museum, which is the second largest privatly owned collection, after that of the Queen of Englands. We were again pleasantly surprised to find that today was national museum day, and there was no entrance fee to see the collection. We buzzed through, gazing at Monets, Reniors, Picassos, De Goyas and El Grecos for about 2 hours. Our favorite was Maximillion Luce´s "Factory in the moonlight", but we were also pleasantly reminded of Rome when we saw Casper Adriaansz Van Wittel´s "Pizza Navona, Rome" (A soon to be Shinsky favorite). Then our tired feet could not carry us anymore, and we headed over to La Plateria for more sangria (who knew it was that good!) empanada (pie with pork meat), and a strawberry tartas (torte-cake).
After that wonderful meal we went home. It is now 9:00pm, and we will spend the rest of the evening in a walk about town, hopefully culminating in a great dinner.
Tomorrows train to Cordoba-Sevilla leaves at 7:00 am. Buenos Noches.
The tickets came with a free drink, and since you can never have too much sangria, another round was promptly ordered. Delicious, refreshing and buzzing all at the same time! The dancing started shortly after we entered. It lasted until shortly after 2 am, and was full of the passion and vigor that the dance is known for. The dancers were two men, each taking turns out dancing the other. The only problem was that we were both waiting for the femle dancer to come, and it was quite some time before we realized that there was no female in this group. There were 3 people in the band (1 rocking the violin, 1 on the guitar and 1 playing a box like drum) along with 2 different singers. The guitarist played so fast his hands were a blur at times. The crowd was cheering with frequent cries of "oleeeeeeee".
Back to the hotel room we went after the end of the show. Finding our room is quite a production. Here are the directions, which we had to have an escort to the first time: go up 3 flights of stairs from the ground floor, enter the room at the end to get the keys to our room from the reservation desk (you have to return them every time you leave), back out the door, up 3 more flights of stairs, enter the foyer, and turn left. Go to the end of the hall, make a right, go to the end of that hall and make a left, then go midway down the hall, make another left, then a right at the end of that hall, and a right at the end of the next hall. Out the door that is straight ahead of you, and up two flights of stairs. Enter the last door on the left, then straight ahead to our room door. And you are finally home. No, we are not making this up, and try finding that after a few glasses of sangria!
Today was full of museums and palaces. We started with the Royal Palace, and were surprised to find that it was a free entrance fee day for all portions of the palace. We happily wandered through the main palace rooms and the private art collection, then made our way across the square to the the armory (way cool with coats of armor for man, horse and even a dog - then there is the weapontry swords, guns, long range rifles mounted on cannon-ish wooden structures and crossbows). We then strolled back across the square to tour the farmicia.
At noon, the bells began ringing from the Cathedral de la Almudena, which is next door to the palace. We were able to walk in and watch as the noon mass was about to start.
We made our way from the cathedral to El Rastro, which Tim insists on calling a completly different name every time he refers to it. This is a huge flee market with tons of vendors lining the streets and even more people. It begins in one square, and then there are three or more streets coming off of that square that are involved. We surveyed the vendors, were amazed at how many people there were, and picked up a few gifts and souvenirs. It was an overwhelming sea of people, but such a sight to see!
We had lunch at a little kabob store and ate out on the patio so that we could people watch. Kabobs were a favorite we discovered with Tim´s brother and nephew when in Italy in 07, and Duane, they were wonderful! A quick metro ride took us to the train station in hopes that we could squeeze in a trip to Toledo. Unfortunately, the train ride to get there and back would have taken up most of the time we had to visit the city, and it seemed impractical to spend 5 hours riding the train to spend only 2 hours in the city. So instead, we went to another museum.
This time it was the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza museum, which is the second largest privatly owned collection, after that of the Queen of Englands. We were again pleasantly surprised to find that today was national museum day, and there was no entrance fee to see the collection. We buzzed through, gazing at Monets, Reniors, Picassos, De Goyas and El Grecos for about 2 hours. Our favorite was Maximillion Luce´s "Factory in the moonlight", but we were also pleasantly reminded of Rome when we saw Casper Adriaansz Van Wittel´s "Pizza Navona, Rome" (A soon to be Shinsky favorite). Then our tired feet could not carry us anymore, and we headed over to La Plateria for more sangria (who knew it was that good!) empanada (pie with pork meat), and a strawberry tartas (torte-cake).
After that wonderful meal we went home. It is now 9:00pm, and we will spend the rest of the evening in a walk about town, hopefully culminating in a great dinner.
Tomorrows train to Cordoba-Sevilla leaves at 7:00 am. Buenos Noches.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sore feet in Espana
We have arrived. The butterflies in our stomachs have settled and we are having fun.
The best laid plans of mice and men...had us taking long naps on the flight. That was until we saw the movie selection at our personal movie screen. We each watched two movies and Tim was well into the third when the screens shut down to prepare for landing. Our flight landed just after 8am and we cleared customs by 8:30am. Grabbing our luggage we were off to start navigating the metro system. It is amazing how quickly you remember how to scrap our way through the maze of trains, stairs and tunnels. By 10am we were at the doorstep of our hostel. Too bad our room wouldn't be ready until 12:30. We dropped off our bags in a holding room and prayed they were there when we returned.
First stop the international train station to try to schedule our eurail train to Lisbon, Portugal. I wish we could post the pictures of the station. They have a rain forest in the middle of it with a turtle pond. Walking up to the ticket counter, we are now relying on Tim's two years of high school spanish to get us across international lines. Of course we get the ticket gal that only speaks "un pocito ingles." By the end of the hour we spent with this gal, with many laughs and gestures and Spanglish, we have not only have a night train to Lisbon with a private room (with our own bathroom) but tickets to Cordoba, Sevilla and Barcelona. Riding high on our euphoria we strike out to find our first meal.
We decided to walk around the town a bit as the room was not yet ready. We walked up a street near the Praso museum and made sure to check the list of recommended restaurants. It is called La Plateria de Museo. Tim ordered a half racion of Iberian pork and it was wonderful. Too bad it cost almost $12.50 US or we would have ordered more!
We spent the rest of the day touring the Puerta del Sol (under construction - not much to see there) and the Plaza Mayor. There were some . . . Interesting characters at the plaza. We may go back for a bite to eat there later. We also scored on the free entry times to the Prado museum. We had fun following the Rick Steves tour version for the museum.
Dinner was sangria and what we thought were tapas at a local club. Except that what we were served was two plates full of sausage and ham. Sangria was great, Michelles face is still red. Light weight, we know!
Now we are back in the room and will probably make it an early night. Tomorrow we hit a palace, and maybe a day trip off to Toledo. My how time flies!
The best laid plans of mice and men...had us taking long naps on the flight. That was until we saw the movie selection at our personal movie screen. We each watched two movies and Tim was well into the third when the screens shut down to prepare for landing. Our flight landed just after 8am and we cleared customs by 8:30am. Grabbing our luggage we were off to start navigating the metro system. It is amazing how quickly you remember how to scrap our way through the maze of trains, stairs and tunnels. By 10am we were at the doorstep of our hostel. Too bad our room wouldn't be ready until 12:30. We dropped off our bags in a holding room and prayed they were there when we returned.
First stop the international train station to try to schedule our eurail train to Lisbon, Portugal. I wish we could post the pictures of the station. They have a rain forest in the middle of it with a turtle pond. Walking up to the ticket counter, we are now relying on Tim's two years of high school spanish to get us across international lines. Of course we get the ticket gal that only speaks "un pocito ingles." By the end of the hour we spent with this gal, with many laughs and gestures and Spanglish, we have not only have a night train to Lisbon with a private room (with our own bathroom) but tickets to Cordoba, Sevilla and Barcelona. Riding high on our euphoria we strike out to find our first meal.
We decided to walk around the town a bit as the room was not yet ready. We walked up a street near the Praso museum and made sure to check the list of recommended restaurants. It is called La Plateria de Museo. Tim ordered a half racion of Iberian pork and it was wonderful. Too bad it cost almost $12.50 US or we would have ordered more!
We spent the rest of the day touring the Puerta del Sol (under construction - not much to see there) and the Plaza Mayor. There were some . . . Interesting characters at the plaza. We may go back for a bite to eat there later. We also scored on the free entry times to the Prado museum. We had fun following the Rick Steves tour version for the museum.
Dinner was sangria and what we thought were tapas at a local club. Except that what we were served was two plates full of sausage and ham. Sangria was great, Michelles face is still red. Light weight, we know!
Now we are back in the room and will probably make it an early night. Tomorrow we hit a palace, and maybe a day trip off to Toledo. My how time flies!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Second verse, same as the first . . .
Hello all!
So we are off again, on another grand adventure! We can count the number of days on one hand, so it is about time to revive the blog. For those of you new to this, you will see the details of our Europe 07 trip in earlier posts. We decided to make this a tradition, and plan to update this every few days or so on our trip. It has a three fold benefit: keeping friends and family informed, recording the good and bad in case any are traveling in this direction, and keeping the moms calm as they worry about their little "babies" gallivanting across the globe. :) Hi moms!
So here we are, three days to departure, feeling . . . good about the trip. Things are purchased, itineraries planned (for the most part) and our heads are definitely there already. Tonight and tomorrow are all about laundry and packing, with the hopes that Thursday at 5 pm Tim leaves work, grabs Michelle and the dog and we are on our way to LA. After an overnight stay with Tim's sister Susanne we will be on an early Friday am flight.
A few changes this time from the 07 trip, we will just be traveling the two of us, no Duane or Brandon. :( Hopefully we will still have some of the high adventure even though we are minus two traveling companions. Also new countries in the mix: Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. All three are new to Tim, Switzerland is a repeat of Michelle's '96 trip with her friend Julia. And the timeline is a bit extended. The 07 trip was 21 days, the 09 trip is 24 days. Pretty soon we will just need to move there!
We will start the current excursion in Spain (seeing Madrid and Toledo) then to Portugal (seeing Lisbon and Sintra), then back to Spain (Cordoba, Seville, and Barcelona). The French Rivera is next (Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Marseille) then to northern Italy (Genoa, Milan, Cinque Terre, and the lake district), and Switzerland (Interlaken and Lucern) with a flight out of Paris. Whew, we are exhausted already!
This is the plan of course, and always subject to change based on fancy. You know us, wild and crazy travelers that we are!
So hopefully the next post will be from Madrid, where we can happily say that we have arrived and are enjoying the trip. Be sure to post comments on this, as after a few weeks Michelle gets a tad homesick and comments revive her adventurous spirit. Hugs and kisses to all!
So we are off again, on another grand adventure! We can count the number of days on one hand, so it is about time to revive the blog. For those of you new to this, you will see the details of our Europe 07 trip in earlier posts. We decided to make this a tradition, and plan to update this every few days or so on our trip. It has a three fold benefit: keeping friends and family informed, recording the good and bad in case any are traveling in this direction, and keeping the moms calm as they worry about their little "babies" gallivanting across the globe. :) Hi moms!
So here we are, three days to departure, feeling . . . good about the trip. Things are purchased, itineraries planned (for the most part) and our heads are definitely there already. Tonight and tomorrow are all about laundry and packing, with the hopes that Thursday at 5 pm Tim leaves work, grabs Michelle and the dog and we are on our way to LA. After an overnight stay with Tim's sister Susanne we will be on an early Friday am flight.
A few changes this time from the 07 trip, we will just be traveling the two of us, no Duane or Brandon. :( Hopefully we will still have some of the high adventure even though we are minus two traveling companions. Also new countries in the mix: Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. All three are new to Tim, Switzerland is a repeat of Michelle's '96 trip with her friend Julia. And the timeline is a bit extended. The 07 trip was 21 days, the 09 trip is 24 days. Pretty soon we will just need to move there!
We will start the current excursion in Spain (seeing Madrid and Toledo) then to Portugal (seeing Lisbon and Sintra), then back to Spain (Cordoba, Seville, and Barcelona). The French Rivera is next (Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Marseille) then to northern Italy (Genoa, Milan, Cinque Terre, and the lake district), and Switzerland (Interlaken and Lucern) with a flight out of Paris. Whew, we are exhausted already!
This is the plan of course, and always subject to change based on fancy. You know us, wild and crazy travelers that we are!
So hopefully the next post will be from Madrid, where we can happily say that we have arrived and are enjoying the trip. Be sure to post comments on this, as after a few weeks Michelle gets a tad homesick and comments revive her adventurous spirit. Hugs and kisses to all!
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