We made a plan to get together for breakfast at 8:30 so that we could be on the metro into town by 9:30. The only problem with that plan? Renata's beds are super comfortable and we were very tired! We were all down at breakfast by 9:45 and then we seemed quite content to take our time. Renata brought out a wonderful assortment of meats, breads, cheeses, fruit, coffee and tea. Marina stopped off at the bread store to buy some fresh pretzels and some sweet pastries. It was all so delicious. Renata let us know that this wasn't how typical Germans at breakfast. You could see the wheels in Michelle's head turning trying to see how we could fold this kind of spread into our normal breakfast routine.
Finally "tour guide Marina", as we are lovingly referring to her, kicked into action and got us moving towards the door with a shout, "Hey guys!" We made it to the metro station, not for the 9:45 train (oops!) But for the 10:15. A short ride and a jaunt over to the Marienplatz, Munich's main square, we met the other exchange student Tim and Michelle hosted many years ago, Pia . It was a sweet reunion for Tim and Michelle and also Marina since Pia has been studying and traveling.
As the greetings continued and while we waited for the glockenspiel show, Pia and Marina explained the scenes around us. We were standing in the middle of a protest with a high security presence. She mentioned how organized these events are with one day being those with right leaning political beliefs and the next day those leaning to the left, and back and forth they go. The problem, she said, was that they never really talk to each other. As for the buildings, in one direction was the New Town Hall buildings that have been restored since WWI and the other direction was St. Paul's church that was reconstructed from damage done during WWII. Then the marionette clock show began, demonstrating how they conquered their enemies. An exciting few minutes!
Marina and Pisa led us on a tour through Munich with many historical sites and cultural experiences. We walked through the Viktualien Market and enjoyed shops and booths of fresh vegetables, fruit, olives, decorations and our favorite, The Crazy Ice Cream Maker. We've been told he makes many great flavors of ice cream but always has a few weird ones he offers as well. Marina mentioned a german sausage ice cream she tried once, and Pisa said there was a salmon one once too. When you order your regular flavors you are then offered a taste of one of the weird flavors. This shop was a small one, so no weird flavors here. Instead we enjoyed lime&cherry, mango, white chocolate and a few other German named flavors. Delicious!!
Back to the tour, we walked past the large cubed Jewish Historical museum/monument. We stepped into the narrow Asam Church and awed at the beautiful dark baroque decor in such a small setting. Continuing on, we stopped at another church and learned of the legend that the builder made a pact with the Devil so that he could build the church higher. The deal was that the Devil would allow the tall height, but when he stepped into the church he didn't want to see any windows in the church except for the one at the alter area. The Devil ended up loosing, as the builder built the church so that there were no visible windows from the entrance, but once you stepped inside 5-6 steps you would see there were many tall windows covering the sanctuary. It is said that the Devil was so angry that he stamped his foot on the ground, leaving a permanent footprint in the floor of the church.
On the outside, along the bottom of the church walls were lined with headstones and relics. Around another corner was a car free shopping street which gave our group a moment to spread out and step into the Deutches Museum store of gadgets and innovations for all ages.
All this walking and shopping worked up our appetite for the famous Hofbrauhaus (HB). We sat outside and were entertained by college guys being guys and multiple groups of bachelor and bachelorette parties. As an appetizer we gobbled up the biggest pretzel we had ever seen with our pints of Belgium beer. With all this we still managed to have room for the traditional dishes of sausage, sauerkraut, purple cabbage salad, pork with potato and bread balls in a sauce.
Continuing through the shopping district, Pia showed us her favorite spice shop with three stories of global spices. Then next door we stopped at the tea shop and left with a few packages of tea to take home. Tim was rather patient as these two stores took quite some time for the ladies! (We are still hunting for more Marzipan tea for Michelle.)
The day continued with a walk through the Odeonsplatz (the square that links past and present Munich.) Here we saw the stage, Viscardigasse, where Hitler attempted his first coup and was later arrested. Also in this square was the church where sweet Pia lit a candle for our safe travels. Across from the church we strolled around the Residenz Munchen and through the royal court gardens (Hofgarten) and through the gazebo. We stopped at the Englischer Garten and watched surfers line the canal and alternate jumping in to do their tricks at the one wave. The strong current would sweep the fallen surfers quickly down the canal. We are thankful our active boys don't live near this extreme sporting site.
Nearby we stopped at the once broken down graffitied WC (water closet). Now the refurbished, Freulein's Grunier, offers a selection of beverages for those entering the beautiful park. Here we had iced coffee and our first Mezzo soda-a 50/50 mix of Coke and Fanta. Yum! Guess what European kid-friendly drink we will be making back home?
You might be thinking after all these events of the day and walking for hours that we would be exhausted and head home to sleep. Oh not at all! These traveling Hardley's & Jackson's have Folkfest to attend. This is small town version of Oktoberfest that travels from city to city in Munich throughout the year. Think Oktoberfest mixed with your local fair. One very large tent with all of the traditional Oktoberfest trappings (beer, food, a live band, lots of happy people and tables for them to dance on) and all of the carnival rides and games of your local fair. We were excited and happy that our visit coincided with the event.
It was a train ride out of the city, a pit stop at the house to grab a scarf (Tim's outfit does not change) and we were off. Thankfully Pia's boyfriend, Dominik and his friend Frank were willing to drive so we could all attend. Marina's mom Renata joined us as well. In all, we were a merry band of 9 that night.
Walking into the Folk Fest we were surprised to see so many people dressed I traditional Bavarian garb. Special dresses for the ladies and lederhosen for the men. It seemed like everyone, young and old, was wearing their traditional clothing for the occasion. Pia told us that you could tell if a woman was taken or single by the tie on the apron of her dress. If the tie was on the left she was single, if it was on the right she was taken and if it was on the back it meant she was a widow. She did admit that sometimes when ladies go to these events they will move the ties back and forth depending on if they want to encourage attention, and possibly have a beer purchased for them, or if they want to discourage attention, especially towards the end of a festive evening.
The food and company were great, and the band was a cover band playing a lot of popular German and American songs. We were all pretty excited when an American song came on, both because the Germans sang enthusiastically along with it and because we could join in as well. There was a bit of modern, but also some old classics (anyone remember AC/DC? They do!). We stayed into the wee hours of the evening in this surreal moment, standing on table seats with beer steins raised high singing at the top of our lungs and surrounded by thousands of new German friends. It was a memorable one for sure!
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Kicking Munich Off Right
Stepping off of the train we quickly spotted Marina at the end of the platform. The Hardley's had hosted Marina (and Pia who we would meet with the next day) for one month in 2005. They both attended a language school during the day and lived with the Hardley's at night. On the weekends the Hardley's would take them to various places in California so they could learn about American culture and language.
They Hardley's had not seen her in the last 10 years, and she grew so much. She is now done with college and had a job in the franchise department at McDonalds. McDonalds is huge in Germany with over 1400 locations around the country. Munich is the central corporate location and often will be the test kitchen for new promotions and new products. One time a year everyone in the corporate headquarters has to work in a store for a few days so that they continue to have the experience of the customer and the stores.
She enjoys her job very much, though maybe not the few days in the store. She said that she always forgets what she should do and makes things harder for those who work there. :)
We bought tickets for the S Bahn metro to get out to Marinas moms house. They live just outside of the city center. Marina's mom Renata met us at the metro station to take our bags. She greeted us with a very large hug. As her car would only seat 5 people, Michelle and Marina walked the short distance to the house while the others drove.
At the house Renata had already begun a feast for dinner. Included were pork sausages, steaks, chicken and pork chops. As sides were an assortment of breads, a green salad and a homemade potatoe salad. Tim was an especially big fan of the potato salad, going back for 4-5 helpings of it. The new joke was that we were going to wake up in the middle of the night to find Tim eating a bowl of potato salad in the dark.
In addition to the food a variety of beers were brought out for us to sample. Marina had the variety so that we could find the kind that we liked before we went into any restaurants or beer halls. One of them, the radler, quickly became a favorite of the group. A radler is a mixture of beer and lemon aid. This helps to cut the percentage of alcohol in the overall drink and to sweeten the beer slightly. Michelle and Susanne also liked the darker beers.
It was all so delicious and we had a great time catching up and planning for the next few days of our visit. We finished the day off with strawberries and cream which was a deliciously simple way to end the evening.
Tomorrow we will get together with Pia and walk around the city center of Munich. Then we will see where else the day takes us.
Auf Wiedersehen!
They Hardley's had not seen her in the last 10 years, and she grew so much. She is now done with college and had a job in the franchise department at McDonalds. McDonalds is huge in Germany with over 1400 locations around the country. Munich is the central corporate location and often will be the test kitchen for new promotions and new products. One time a year everyone in the corporate headquarters has to work in a store for a few days so that they continue to have the experience of the customer and the stores.
She enjoys her job very much, though maybe not the few days in the store. She said that she always forgets what she should do and makes things harder for those who work there. :)
We bought tickets for the S Bahn metro to get out to Marinas moms house. They live just outside of the city center. Marina's mom Renata met us at the metro station to take our bags. She greeted us with a very large hug. As her car would only seat 5 people, Michelle and Marina walked the short distance to the house while the others drove.
At the house Renata had already begun a feast for dinner. Included were pork sausages, steaks, chicken and pork chops. As sides were an assortment of breads, a green salad and a homemade potatoe salad. Tim was an especially big fan of the potato salad, going back for 4-5 helpings of it. The new joke was that we were going to wake up in the middle of the night to find Tim eating a bowl of potato salad in the dark.
In addition to the food a variety of beers were brought out for us to sample. Marina had the variety so that we could find the kind that we liked before we went into any restaurants or beer halls. One of them, the radler, quickly became a favorite of the group. A radler is a mixture of beer and lemon aid. This helps to cut the percentage of alcohol in the overall drink and to sweeten the beer slightly. Michelle and Susanne also liked the darker beers.
It was all so delicious and we had a great time catching up and planning for the next few days of our visit. We finished the day off with strawberries and cream which was a deliciously simple way to end the evening.
Tomorrow we will get together with Pia and walk around the city center of Munich. Then we will see where else the day takes us.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Personal Safety Update #3
Hi all,
A quick note to say we are all doing well. We had a great three day visit with some friends in Germany and a whirlwind day of travel and sight seeing in Brussels Belgium. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we are off to Bruges for two days. We hope to catch up on the more detailed blog posts in the next few days. It is 1 am here so I am off to bed. :)
Michelle
A quick note to say we are all doing well. We had a great three day visit with some friends in Germany and a whirlwind day of travel and sight seeing in Brussels Belgium. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we are off to Bruges for two days. We hope to catch up on the more detailed blog posts in the next few days. It is 1 am here so I am off to bed. :)
Michelle
Friday, June 9, 2017
Personal Safety Update #2
Hi all,
We are catching up on some delayed blog postings so you will find 4 new ones posted today. We are now caught up with our travels so far. We have now arrived in Munich and are in the home of our friend Marina and Renata. We will be in Munich through Monday. Blessings to you all!
Swiss Alpine Hiking and the Melody of Cowbells
We enjoyed another slow start day with breakfast in our hotel. The Hardleys had stayed at the same hotel (Hotel Alpina) back in 2009 on a last minute trip up the mountain. On that trip they had planned to stay in Interlaken the entire time, but quickly realized that there was enough time to go to the small town of Murren. The hotel was full of hospitality then, and almost ten years later we found the same to be true. The breakfast was very complete, with a wide variety of meats, cheeses, breads, yogurt and granola type cereals. You could even boil an egg if you wanted one. Coffee was free flowing and the wait staff seemed to take so much joy and pride in their work. A few times the woman working there said "it is not problem, I want to see your day start off well" when we asked her for things. Just a small reminder that whatever your job, do it with joy, as no job is too small or unnecessary.
Our hearts and bellies full, we set out on a hike to the nearby town of Gimmewald. This was a hike the Hardleys had done on their last trip, and though it is straight downhill one way and straight up hill another way it is an easier one along a country road. They learned about the town from the Westmont Kinesiology department faculty who used to go there on the Kinesiology Europe Mayterm trips.
By this time it is around 10:00. The high for the day should have been around 60 degrees, which would have made for a comfortable hiking day. The walk downhill was an easy one (of course!). Along the way we stopped at the little shops that were operated by the farming families. A number of the farming families would have small boxes or refrigerators with their cured meats and cheeses for sale. It was a self service system where you paid money into an open bin and made your own change. We bought a sausage and a cheese and can't wait to try them.
Walking through town we bumped into the Honor Store, which is a small gift shop for the region. This shop is all on the honor system. If you want to purchase something you wrote what you bought on an envelope and put the money inside. Drop it in a bin and you are done. The store donates all of its profits to various sustainability projects.
We tried to catch a pizza at the Mountain Hostel in town because we had heard that they had decent sized and priced ones but there was no one there. This is the one downside of small towns and being at the beginning of the season. Not every restaurant and shop is open. Sometimes this can be fine, but if you hit Murren too early in the season you can find that a good number of places are still closed from the winter. On the Hardleys last trip they came very early in the season, so only one hotel, one restaurant and the Coop grocery store were open. If you missed the closing hours on the last two the. You went without dinner. :)
We decided in the hike back up that we would try a slight detour to a small water fall. Unfortunately, maps of the area being what they were, we were not quite sure where to turn to go to the waterfall. Some of the maps are more playful for the tourist and less informational for the joker. We had a sense of where we needed to be and took a chance that the sense was accurate. Always a great way to go hiking, yes? :)
It turns out that our sense was correct and we were on the right path. The hike was down a bit more on the hill, but we were able to see the waterfall easily. On the way back up we stopped for a view and a bit of wine. It was helpful, as the 60 degree day did not feel like 60 degrees once you had been hiking for a few hours.
Back on the way up the hill we were trying to be mindful of the time. We knew that the community pool closed at 5:15, having missed it by about 30 minutes the night before. Some time in a cool pool and warm spa sounded good to our aching muscles.
We stopped off at the hotel and changed the contents of our hiking bag for swim gear. We had a small snack in the room of the left over meats, cheeses and bread that were in our hotel refrigerator. Knowing that we would be leaving in the morning, it seemed prudent to work through the food we had since we had also skipped lunch. We were at the pool by 4:00. Once we had figured out where to go (we accidentally changed in the team locker rooms instead of the public locker rooms, oops!) we were in the pool. The pool itself was warm, and we had hoped that the spa would be warmer still. Unfortunately there was not much of a temperature difference, but the jets in the spa felt good nonetheless. So good that both Tim and Christyn fell asleep!
Our hearts and bellies full, we set out on a hike to the nearby town of Gimmewald. This was a hike the Hardleys had done on their last trip, and though it is straight downhill one way and straight up hill another way it is an easier one along a country road. They learned about the town from the Westmont Kinesiology department faculty who used to go there on the Kinesiology Europe Mayterm trips.
By this time it is around 10:00. The high for the day should have been around 60 degrees, which would have made for a comfortable hiking day. The walk downhill was an easy one (of course!). Along the way we stopped at the little shops that were operated by the farming families. A number of the farming families would have small boxes or refrigerators with their cured meats and cheeses for sale. It was a self service system where you paid money into an open bin and made your own change. We bought a sausage and a cheese and can't wait to try them.
Walking through town we bumped into the Honor Store, which is a small gift shop for the region. This shop is all on the honor system. If you want to purchase something you wrote what you bought on an envelope and put the money inside. Drop it in a bin and you are done. The store donates all of its profits to various sustainability projects.
We tried to catch a pizza at the Mountain Hostel in town because we had heard that they had decent sized and priced ones but there was no one there. This is the one downside of small towns and being at the beginning of the season. Not every restaurant and shop is open. Sometimes this can be fine, but if you hit Murren too early in the season you can find that a good number of places are still closed from the winter. On the Hardleys last trip they came very early in the season, so only one hotel, one restaurant and the Coop grocery store were open. If you missed the closing hours on the last two the. You went without dinner. :)
We decided in the hike back up that we would try a slight detour to a small water fall. Unfortunately, maps of the area being what they were, we were not quite sure where to turn to go to the waterfall. Some of the maps are more playful for the tourist and less informational for the joker. We had a sense of where we needed to be and took a chance that the sense was accurate. Always a great way to go hiking, yes? :)
It turns out that our sense was correct and we were on the right path. The hike was down a bit more on the hill, but we were able to see the waterfall easily. On the way back up we stopped for a view and a bit of wine. It was helpful, as the 60 degree day did not feel like 60 degrees once you had been hiking for a few hours.
Back on the way up the hill we were trying to be mindful of the time. We knew that the community pool closed at 5:15, having missed it by about 30 minutes the night before. Some time in a cool pool and warm spa sounded good to our aching muscles.
We stopped off at the hotel and changed the contents of our hiking bag for swim gear. We had a small snack in the room of the left over meats, cheeses and bread that were in our hotel refrigerator. Knowing that we would be leaving in the morning, it seemed prudent to work through the food we had since we had also skipped lunch. We were at the pool by 4:00. Once we had figured out where to go (we accidentally changed in the team locker rooms instead of the public locker rooms, oops!) we were in the pool. The pool itself was warm, and we had hoped that the spa would be warmer still. Unfortunately there was not much of a temperature difference, but the jets in the spa felt good nonetheless. So good that both Tim and Christyn fell asleep!
We stayed almost until closing time. On the way back to the room we debated on dinner plans. Christyn was feeling tired and opted to stay in the room. Tim, Michelle and Susanne headed back to the street to see what the options were. There was always the choice to eat at the hotel restaurant, and though it would be a fine option, we were also looking for something a little different. Kim at the hotel in Interlaken had recommended a few different Swiss dishes (aside from the traditional fondu pots of cheese) and we were hoping to find a place that offered some of them.
The great thing about European restaurants is that they will display their menus outside of their shops so that you can see before you sit down. The problem is, the menu at this restaurant was blocked by a group of 6 locals who were sitting at the table under it. Not wanting to disturb them, we asked the waitress for a menu. She was carrying 8-9 drinks on a tray at the time and said "Yes, you sit, I bring it to you". Not wanting to commit to a table without seeing a menu we waited for her to deliver her drinks. When she came back we asked again for a menu, and now slightly irritated, she repeated her instructions to sit.
We dutifully sat, hoping that the menu would include the suggested meals we were looking for. The sun was going down, and Michelle was soon cold. She went back to the room and grabbed both jackets and some socks for Susanne. While Michelle was gone, the waitress came to get our order. The menu was full of long German words that challenge the American tongue and a rough English translation below the German description. Luckily our waitress could speak English, she was an older thin German lady with graying hair, but she was curt and efficient - picture the stern school teacher you had growing up that had perfected the disapproving glare. When Tim asked her about the items on the menu, she looked at us quizzically with a narrowed eyes (implying...cant you read english?). Another attempt to ask her how she would order Rosti she told Tim that this is his problem not hers. If she tells him how to order then it becomes her problem. Understanding the issue, Tim said "If I order it, then I will eat it." Relief came over the face of the waitress, as we had broken through the cultural issue. She said she would order Rosti with meat, Tim said I want that too but that wasn't an option under the Rosti section of the menu. She had Tim flip the page and shows him the meat section and the side orders that you can choose from which includes Rosti. ***The American comparison...I walk into McDonalds and ask the cashier how he would eat Fries. While I look at the side-order section of the menu, he directs me to the Value Meal area and tells me fries are included in the meal deal. Silly Americans :)
So what did we order: 1) Schweinsbratwurst mit Zwiebelsauce mit Rosti; 2) Rindsgeschnetzeltes and 3) Kaseschnitte mit Vorderschinken und Spiegelei
Which to the enjoyment of our waitress we tried to pronounce. The third one, she practiced with Tim a couple times, she collected the menus leaving Tim holding one. Then said to him, "Practice, when I return you try again" with a big smile on her face.
When she returned with the beer we ordered, she looked at Tim and said, "Soooo." Let the butchering of the German language begin. We had a good laugh and she said to keep trying.
When Michelle returned back to the table she was apprised of the interactions that had unfolded since her departure.
So what did we order: 1) Schweinsbratwurst mit Zwiebelsauce mit Rosti; 2) Rindsgeschnetzeltes and 3) Kaseschnitte mit Vorderschinken und Spiegelei
Which to the enjoyment of our waitress we tried to pronounce. The third one, she practiced with Tim a couple times, she collected the menus leaving Tim holding one. Then said to him, "Practice, when I return you try again" with a big smile on her face.
When she returned with the beer we ordered, she looked at Tim and said, "Soooo." Let the butchering of the German language begin. We had a good laugh and she said to keep trying.
When Michelle returned back to the table she was apprised of the interactions that had unfolded since her departure.
The plates of food arrived and we were delighted with the smells...except for Tim's dish which had the pungent smell of a very strong cheese melted over the entire dish. We got 1) Sausage in onion sauce with hash browns, 2) egg noodle stroganoff and 3) Toast with ham completely drowned in cheese with a sunny side up egg on top. And once we tasted all the dishes, they were wonderful! Even the stinky cheese tasted good.
Full to the brim we paid the bill and asked to take a picture with the waitress. She was more than happy to, but suggested that we all go around the cow statue that was near the front of her shop. We were more than happy to oblige.
Full to the brim we paid the bill and asked to take a picture with the waitress. She was more than happy to, but suggested that we all go around the cow statue that was near the front of her shop. We were more than happy to oblige.
Back in our room we prepped for the next days adventures. It is a solid travel day, with our first transport leaving at 9:28am and arriving in Munich at 5:28. We have many connections to make as well, and a few of them are only 5-10 minutes apart. Since Swiss trains run like clockwork, we should be fine, but none in our group tend to rest until we are in the last leg of a multi-leg trip. We will see what adventures tomorrow brings!
Jumping Off of Mountains and Climbing Back Up in Murren
The next morning Tim greeted Susanne and Christyn with the exciting news that a van would be picking them up to go paragliding at 9:45 that morning. Their paragliding pilots were named Max and Flo and after a short drive up the mountain and brief instructions, they were ready for takeoff. Both Susanne and Christyn agree that paragliding was an amazing experience and the views of Interlaken and the turquoise lakes from flying above are unmatched. After landing in a field across town, they were driven back to the hotel, despite the fact that Tim and Michelle were waiting for them at the park a few streets away. Susanne and Christyn headed to the park, and while Tim and Michelle were taking pictures of the incoming paragliders (hoping one of them was Christyn or Susanne because you can't tell from the ground) the Jacksons walked up behind them and said Hi.
We headed back to the hotel to gather our things and say goodbye to Kim then hopped on a train to Lauterbrunnen. We stored our bags at the train station there and then walked through the valley past waterfalls and cows and over bridges to reach Trummelbach Falls. Trummelbach was definitely worth the fee of 11 Swiss Franks to enter, we walked through caverns and along paths carved into the inside of a mountain to view the waterfall that flowed through it. There are a total of 10 interior falls in this location. The upper ones you access by a tram that takes you inside of the mountain. You then walk down some stairs to access the lower falls.
We took our time checking it out, taking pictures, and eating Pringles (our one American luxury on the trip) before catching the bus back to Lauterbrunnen. We bought some picnic foods at the Coop in Lauterbrunen as we were not sure if the Coop in Murren would be open for the season yet. We then headed to the lift to Murren. The lift up was very exciting for Christyn and Susanne because they had never been on one before and the views of the mountains were gorgeous. Once at the top of the hill there was a little train that took us along the mountain top to the city of Murren.
We checked into our hotel and made a great little picnic on the balcony with views of the alps with bread, cheese, meat and wine. We tried to go to the sports center in town, where hotel guests can use their pool, and discovered that the swimming pool closes at 6 (last entrance at 5:15). As we had eaten a late lunch and no one was hungry, we opted to turn in early to get some rest after a busy day.
We headed back to the hotel to gather our things and say goodbye to Kim then hopped on a train to Lauterbrunnen. We stored our bags at the train station there and then walked through the valley past waterfalls and cows and over bridges to reach Trummelbach Falls. Trummelbach was definitely worth the fee of 11 Swiss Franks to enter, we walked through caverns and along paths carved into the inside of a mountain to view the waterfall that flowed through it. There are a total of 10 interior falls in this location. The upper ones you access by a tram that takes you inside of the mountain. You then walk down some stairs to access the lower falls.
We took our time checking it out, taking pictures, and eating Pringles (our one American luxury on the trip) before catching the bus back to Lauterbrunnen. We bought some picnic foods at the Coop in Lauterbrunen as we were not sure if the Coop in Murren would be open for the season yet. We then headed to the lift to Murren. The lift up was very exciting for Christyn and Susanne because they had never been on one before and the views of the mountains were gorgeous. Once at the top of the hill there was a little train that took us along the mountain top to the city of Murren.
We checked into our hotel and made a great little picnic on the balcony with views of the alps with bread, cheese, meat and wine. We tried to go to the sports center in town, where hotel guests can use their pool, and discovered that the swimming pool closes at 6 (last entrance at 5:15). As we had eaten a late lunch and no one was hungry, we opted to turn in early to get some rest after a busy day.
The High Speed Version of Venice
As plans were coming together we learned that Ariella could drop us off at their local station, Busa Di Vigoza, just 5 minutes from their house. Unable to find easy parking, Susanne and Tim hopped out of the car while Ariella, Christyn and Michelle circled the block. Susanne and Tim ran in for a quick stop at the Tabachi to buy train tickets, and with an attempt at Italian and some gesturing, we were off to the local train station.
We arrived at the Venice station with a few minutes of planning necessary to finish our next day travel plans to Interlaken. As Tim worked on this, the girls stepped outside for Susanne and Christyn's first views of the busy Grand Canal. How fascinating to watch the variety of floating vehicles of various sizes shuffle around each other, loading and unloading passengers and small cargo deliveries. Tim and Michelle worked their magic to figure out which water bus, Vaparetto, to crowd onto to tour the Grand Canal and stop at our first destination, San Marco. While on this ride we listened to our audio guide as Rick Steves pointed out the history of this beautiful floating city.
We hopped off and joined the crowds in the St. Mark's Square/Piazza. According to Rick, Napoleon described this place as one of the most elegant drawing rooms in Europe surrounded by the Doge's Palace, Campanile-the bell tower and the Correr Museum. Our hope had been to see the inside of the Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs but given our timing and the crowds, we observed from afar. (This will give Tim and Michelle something to do on another trip.)
I must add that the next event occurred merely by chance and is the beginning of two unfortunate events for Christyn. Spoiler alert: the day was still a good day with extra gelato to top it off.
By this time in our day of scurrying, we decided to grab a 'take away' sandwich. We were eating as we quickly hustled to the next vaporetto to San Giorgio Maggiore's Tower when, unbeknown to us, we had attracted a few seagulls overhead. One gutsy seagull swooped down on Christyn's sandwich as it was right in front of her from her recent bite and flew away with it. What a shocking assault!
We hopped on a vaparatto to cross over to San Giorgio island and a ride up San Giorgio Maggiore's Tower. The Church was beautiful with high ceilings filled with murals of detailed depictions of Christ and priests. One notable difference was the large paneled mirrors in a circle formation displaying a particular modern artist's message of service. This work was intriguing but out of place in the center of the church. Where we would typically expect an area for worshippers they were demonstrating art. We went past the display and to the ticket booth to purchase our ride up to the top of the bell tower. We also passed a WC, and we all took advantage of the free toilet as we waited for the elevator. (A note to those that haven't traveled to Europe, public bathroom are few and restaurant bathrooms are for customers only. So, if you see a free bathroom, use it.) into the top of the tower...The views were breathtaking of Venice! Susanne was in full picture mode. Then Tim called Susanne and Christyn over just as the bell overhead rang 1:00. It's not fair that Tim recorded the moment of surprise on video. What a brother!
Onto another vaparetto from the tower to the island of Murano and into a glass presentation. Perfect timing! This wasn't the typical tourist presentation, we had lucked into a real glass manufacturer. It was a great viewing of how the master and his apprentice make the large leaves on their famous chandeliers. Then we enjoyed a private conversation from a masters grandson on the evolution of their techniques while walking through the factory shop. After, we were off to shopping and to grab some gelato.
We arrived at the Venice station with a few minutes of planning necessary to finish our next day travel plans to Interlaken. As Tim worked on this, the girls stepped outside for Susanne and Christyn's first views of the busy Grand Canal. How fascinating to watch the variety of floating vehicles of various sizes shuffle around each other, loading and unloading passengers and small cargo deliveries. Tim and Michelle worked their magic to figure out which water bus, Vaparetto, to crowd onto to tour the Grand Canal and stop at our first destination, San Marco. While on this ride we listened to our audio guide as Rick Steves pointed out the history of this beautiful floating city.
We hopped off and joined the crowds in the St. Mark's Square/Piazza. According to Rick, Napoleon described this place as one of the most elegant drawing rooms in Europe surrounded by the Doge's Palace, Campanile-the bell tower and the Correr Museum. Our hope had been to see the inside of the Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs but given our timing and the crowds, we observed from afar. (This will give Tim and Michelle something to do on another trip.)
I must add that the next event occurred merely by chance and is the beginning of two unfortunate events for Christyn. Spoiler alert: the day was still a good day with extra gelato to top it off.
By this time in our day of scurrying, we decided to grab a 'take away' sandwich. We were eating as we quickly hustled to the next vaporetto to San Giorgio Maggiore's Tower when, unbeknown to us, we had attracted a few seagulls overhead. One gutsy seagull swooped down on Christyn's sandwich as it was right in front of her from her recent bite and flew away with it. What a shocking assault!
We hopped on a vaparatto to cross over to San Giorgio island and a ride up San Giorgio Maggiore's Tower. The Church was beautiful with high ceilings filled with murals of detailed depictions of Christ and priests. One notable difference was the large paneled mirrors in a circle formation displaying a particular modern artist's message of service. This work was intriguing but out of place in the center of the church. Where we would typically expect an area for worshippers they were demonstrating art. We went past the display and to the ticket booth to purchase our ride up to the top of the bell tower. We also passed a WC, and we all took advantage of the free toilet as we waited for the elevator. (A note to those that haven't traveled to Europe, public bathroom are few and restaurant bathrooms are for customers only. So, if you see a free bathroom, use it.) into the top of the tower...The views were breathtaking of Venice! Susanne was in full picture mode. Then Tim called Susanne and Christyn over just as the bell overhead rang 1:00. It's not fair that Tim recorded the moment of surprise on video. What a brother!
Onto another vaparetto from the tower to the island of Murano and into a glass presentation. Perfect timing! This wasn't the typical tourist presentation, we had lucked into a real glass manufacturer. It was a great viewing of how the master and his apprentice make the large leaves on their famous chandeliers. Then we enjoyed a private conversation from a masters grandson on the evolution of their techniques while walking through the factory shop. After, we were off to shopping and to grab some gelato.
This is the second unfortunate incident that occurred to Christyn. We were walking along enjoying our cones and headed towards a water fountain when a bird overhead dropped a mess on Christyn and some others nearby. Thankfully there was a store around the corner where we bought Christyn a new Venetian shirt. Plus more gelato shops to replace her cone. This might be the moment that affects our animal-loving Christyn to only love birds from afar!
We caught the vaparetto back to the main island. We had two hours to wander In the general direction of the train station. We took the back streets to the Rialto Bridge and when we were lost we just asked "dové Rialto"...which we did several times. Of course along the way we stumbled upon more shopping, kabobs, cannoli and generally enjoyed "getting lost" while exploring the fascinating streets and waterways of Venice. Plus, Tim found a wine shop with Fragolina which was perfect on this warm day with a little ice in a plastic cup. As we were leaving the Rialto market we stumbled upon the local traghetto stop.
To finish our day we hoped onto a 2€ traghetto, which is a little larger that a gondola, to cross the canal. What a thrill! Arriving at the train station with a few extra minutes, we sat on the steps watching the Venetian world go by. Then we were off to catch the train back to Padua.
To finish our day we hoped onto a 2€ traghetto, which is a little larger that a gondola, to cross the canal. What a thrill! Arriving at the train station with a few extra minutes, we sat on the steps watching the Venetian world go by. Then we were off to catch the train back to Padua.
Ariella met us at the station with a big Italian hug and we were off to their house again. We attempted to swim but the weather changed and it was rather cool but not to cold for Tim and Carlo Alberto.
After swimming we enjoyed another delicious meal of noodles and sauce with bacon from a region that suffered from an earth quake several years ago. Then Ariella brought out sliced cantaloupe and prosciutto and taught us how to eat them together. An odd combo from an American standpoint, but the flavor combination was delicious. We have enjoyed the history and pride their family has shared with us. We cheered "Ching, Chene!"
After swimming we enjoyed another delicious meal of noodles and sauce with bacon from a region that suffered from an earth quake several years ago. Then Ariella brought out sliced cantaloupe and prosciutto and taught us how to eat them together. An odd combo from an American standpoint, but the flavor combination was delicious. We have enjoyed the history and pride their family has shared with us. We cheered "Ching, Chene!"
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