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!
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