Probably no one's actually reading this anymore, but I thought I'd do at least one more post (who knows, maybe I'll get inspired to put up more pics -- or maybe one of those funky online photo albums...but I doubt it).
Anyway, we got home safe & sound Tuesday evening around 7:30pm -- with the exact number of bags we left Munich with. Woohoo! My beloved parents picked us up. They've been staying at our place visiting family and friends, and they've been around this week as well. It's been good to just chill out with them and share stories from our trip in person.
It seems we're mostly over the jetlag. Both of us have managed to sleep well, and it's nice to not have to be back at work right away.
Oh, another by the way. Our tenth anniversary was actually Thursday. Last night my folks took us and my brother and sister in law out for dinner to the Old Spaghetti Factory. Love that place.
Some might still be wondering about whether our bags have actually arrived. Well, funny you should ask. This week our travel agent advised Terri and I to consider our bags LOST, not DELAYED. That means that we should proceed with replacing everything we had packed in them for the trip. So, following her advice, we have been continuing to shop for those items we hadn't yet replaced. It feels a bit weird spending all that money that isn't ours, but on the other hand it's kinda fun :).
So this morning we head off to Vancouver to shop for a few more things, since we are wanting to put our claim into BA right after the long weekend. We get home about 7:30 this eve and there's a message saying that a bag has been delivered "to our back patio behind the barbeque" since we weren't home earlier. I go back there, and, sure enough, my (Nelson's) backpack is sitting there like a gift under the tree on Christmas morning.
Maybe there's hope that Terri's bag, also, isn't really "lost" forever. That would be a bonus.
Some of you are probably thinking, "Must be nice to get all that new stuff, and then your bag actually shows up, too." You'd be right, but boy oh boy, given the choice to have our bags lost for 4 weeks & buy new stuff OR just enjoy our trip with the stuff we packed in the first place, we'd definitely go for the latter. So now you can pray that BA will indeed reimburse us for all this extra money we've spent! We're quite assured about that, actually.
So...unless I/we get inspired to post more stuff, this is probably it for the Euro Expedition blog. If you have any more comments, we'd love to read them. We'll probably even respond to them, now that it's much easier to get online and not pay so much to do so.
Thanks for reading, thanks for praying, and for laughing and crying along with us!
Ciao...
Kings, Knights, Castles and...Swans
Only time for a quick one tonight, since most of our internet time is being spent putting up NEW PICTURES. WOOHOO!!!!!
Yesterday we visited two of King Ludwig II´s castles: Neuschwanstein (the big white one that Disney modeled his after) and Hohenschwangau (meaning "swans of the highlands", the yellowy-tinged one). Then we rode luges. Both great fun.
Today we saw a third King Ludwig spot: Linderhof. Pretty ostentatious, but very beautiful. We also saw this thing there called Venus´Grotto, or cave. See, Ludwig was a pretty big Richard Wagner fan (the composer), so a lot of his decor was inspired by his symphonies and operas. Our cave pics kind of sucked, so Google it if you want to see some good ones :). Then we paid a short visit to the town of Oberammergau, which is like the world capital of woodcarving.
Off to Munich tomorrow morning, where we´ll spend one last night before flying home on Tuesday--hopefully first class :). See you all soon!
Bonus Vienna Story
SO, after we had our nice picnic in the park the other night in Vienna, we had our books out and were doing some reading when all of a sudden this really loud punk music starts making it a bit harder to read. It was coming from a park nearby -- not the same one we were in, but real close.
Terri: Really?That kind of music?
Nelson: It doesn´t sound live. It sounds recorded to me. (Trying to be all knowledgeable.)
Terri continues to read, apparently successfully tuning out the rather loud music that continued. Nelson tries to read, but can´t, so he puts his book down, picks up his half-finished can of Radler (beer with lemonade...it´s actually really good) and says, "I gotta go see what´s going on."
Nelson walks toward the music, Radler in hand, and realizes that no, it is definitely NOT recorded music. It is very much live, and the punk/ska band playing (who were actually quite good...great horn section and eveything) is attached to a bunch of trucks and tents that have the words, THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK plastered all over them in big orange letters. Nelson realizes his can of Radler just took on new meaning in this context, so he inches away from the music, finishes his drink and puts it into a recycling container before returning to check out the scene.
Subtle, eh?
So, sure enough, this was an Austrian government-sponsored anti-alcoholism campaign, and this massive thing was on tour throughout the country. I think Gwen Stefani is even playing one of the shows somewhere along the way. Check it out here.
Before returning to where Terri was reading, I made my way over to the tent to pick up a brochure, armband and free mango fruit drink, nodded my touristy approval, and headed back, smiling to myself.
Terri: Really?That kind of music?
Nelson: It doesn´t sound live. It sounds recorded to me. (Trying to be all knowledgeable.)
Terri continues to read, apparently successfully tuning out the rather loud music that continued. Nelson tries to read, but can´t, so he puts his book down, picks up his half-finished can of Radler (beer with lemonade...it´s actually really good) and says, "I gotta go see what´s going on."
Nelson walks toward the music, Radler in hand, and realizes that no, it is definitely NOT recorded music. It is very much live, and the punk/ska band playing (who were actually quite good...great horn section and eveything) is attached to a bunch of trucks and tents that have the words, THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK plastered all over them in big orange letters. Nelson realizes his can of Radler just took on new meaning in this context, so he inches away from the music, finishes his drink and puts it into a recycling container before returning to check out the scene.
Subtle, eh?
So, sure enough, this was an Austrian government-sponsored anti-alcoholism campaign, and this massive thing was on tour throughout the country. I think Gwen Stefani is even playing one of the shows somewhere along the way. Check it out here.
Before returning to where Terri was reading, I made my way over to the tent to pick up a brochure, armband and free mango fruit drink, nodded my touristy approval, and headed back, smiling to myself.
EuroFood
OK (drum roll, please), here it is. We know you´ve been waiting for it. Our favorite foods/meals/dining experiences (since they´ll vary some from place to place) of the trip thus far...which is almost over (boohoo). Enjoy...
LONDON - At our hosts´, we all enjoyed Martyn´s homemade spaghetti bolognese (LOADS of garlic...mmm...). In town, we found a great little Indian restaurant near Leicester Square, where we had butter chicken and other curry-ish things.
PARIS - Terri - tiramisu at Cafe du Marche. Nelson - fried duck/potatoes (with dijon mustard...I officially like dijon mustard now)/salad/wine/tiramisu and cafe au lait at Cafe du Marche. Pam & Chad´s presence made all of the above extra special.
CINQUE TERRE - Terri - roast chicken with broccoli and carrots at the Porto Rocco hotel with Graham & Ros & family. Also, pesto foccacia was a snack highlight for her (the Cinque Terre are, after all, the birthplace of pesto). Nelson - swordfish (!) at the Porto Rocco, along with good wine and good friends. Amazing how much the people you eat with mean just as much as what you´re eating!
MELE/GENOVA - I wrote about this already in a previous post, but it´s worth mentioning again. Our Italian host Andrea (the sweetest guy you´ll ever meet...and he is single, ladies ;) took us to an incredible pizzeria atop the hill overlooking the town of Arenzano. Followed by gelato and a walk along the Mediterranean, of course. It doesn´t get any better.
ROMA - We both agreed that the "cat alley cafe" (see a previous post regarding this) was our favorite dining experience in Rome. Terri wanted to add her LEAST favorite: after we saw the Colossuem, we were all starved, so we looked around for whatever was nearby. Big mistake. Terri got a chicken burger from a street vendor that was mostly cold. She confesses she should have known something was up when the vendor guys both laughed when she ordered this, but alas. Terri swears it was actually made of pigeon meat (from one of the many pigeons gracing Italy in general and Rome in particular).
VENICE - With Pam & Chad, we were fortunate to stumble on this little cafe in a little out-of-the-way square in Venice that met our budget and also tasted good! Terri had a great pasta dish and Nelson had veal cutlets with spaghetti. Mmm.
AUGSBURG - Well, it first needs to be said that our hosts Colin and Marlene fed us VERY well the whole time we were with them. Our favorite meal at their place was what Terri calls Olly Olly Oxenfree. Its real name is Alio et Olio con pollo et pepperonchino. In a moment we´ll explain what it actually is, but first try to guess without looking. Done trying? OK. It´s an olive oil garlic pasta with chicken and spices. A-freaking-MA-zing. In Munich, Nelson says it´s a toss-up between Haxe (pig knuckle) and currywurst. (And of course the beer.)
SALZBURG - Again found a great cafe we both enjoyed. Nelson had a great Indian chicken curry dish, and Terri especially enjoyed the apple strudel, a local specialty.
VIENNA - We wrote about this one already, too, but Nelson and Terri both really enjoyed the evening when they went to the supermarket to get food and had a picnic in the Volksgarten. Special mention also to the Eiscafe we found one night. Terri had an After Eight sundae and Nelson had a thing involving chocolate and bananas.
REUTTE - On our hotelier´s recommendation, we found a small restaurant specializing in local traditional fare. Nelson had trout cutlets with almond butter sauce and a fabulous local red wine. Terri had wienerschnitzel, but especially enjoyed the little potato/broccoli appetizers that came beforehand.
Thanks again for reading. Stay tuned for more on our Reutte/Bavaria/Tirolean experience. It´s been great!
LONDON - At our hosts´, we all enjoyed Martyn´s homemade spaghetti bolognese (LOADS of garlic...mmm...). In town, we found a great little Indian restaurant near Leicester Square, where we had butter chicken and other curry-ish things.
PARIS - Terri - tiramisu at Cafe du Marche. Nelson - fried duck/potatoes (with dijon mustard...I officially like dijon mustard now)/salad/wine/tiramisu and cafe au lait at Cafe du Marche. Pam & Chad´s presence made all of the above extra special.
CINQUE TERRE - Terri - roast chicken with broccoli and carrots at the Porto Rocco hotel with Graham & Ros & family. Also, pesto foccacia was a snack highlight for her (the Cinque Terre are, after all, the birthplace of pesto). Nelson - swordfish (!) at the Porto Rocco, along with good wine and good friends. Amazing how much the people you eat with mean just as much as what you´re eating!
MELE/GENOVA - I wrote about this already in a previous post, but it´s worth mentioning again. Our Italian host Andrea (the sweetest guy you´ll ever meet...and he is single, ladies ;) took us to an incredible pizzeria atop the hill overlooking the town of Arenzano. Followed by gelato and a walk along the Mediterranean, of course. It doesn´t get any better.
ROMA - We both agreed that the "cat alley cafe" (see a previous post regarding this) was our favorite dining experience in Rome. Terri wanted to add her LEAST favorite: after we saw the Colossuem, we were all starved, so we looked around for whatever was nearby. Big mistake. Terri got a chicken burger from a street vendor that was mostly cold. She confesses she should have known something was up when the vendor guys both laughed when she ordered this, but alas. Terri swears it was actually made of pigeon meat (from one of the many pigeons gracing Italy in general and Rome in particular).
VENICE - With Pam & Chad, we were fortunate to stumble on this little cafe in a little out-of-the-way square in Venice that met our budget and also tasted good! Terri had a great pasta dish and Nelson had veal cutlets with spaghetti. Mmm.
AUGSBURG - Well, it first needs to be said that our hosts Colin and Marlene fed us VERY well the whole time we were with them. Our favorite meal at their place was what Terri calls Olly Olly Oxenfree. Its real name is Alio et Olio con pollo et pepperonchino. In a moment we´ll explain what it actually is, but first try to guess without looking. Done trying? OK. It´s an olive oil garlic pasta with chicken and spices. A-freaking-MA-zing. In Munich, Nelson says it´s a toss-up between Haxe (pig knuckle) and currywurst. (And of course the beer.)
SALZBURG - Again found a great cafe we both enjoyed. Nelson had a great Indian chicken curry dish, and Terri especially enjoyed the apple strudel, a local specialty.
VIENNA - We wrote about this one already, too, but Nelson and Terri both really enjoyed the evening when they went to the supermarket to get food and had a picnic in the Volksgarten. Special mention also to the Eiscafe we found one night. Terri had an After Eight sundae and Nelson had a thing involving chocolate and bananas.
REUTTE - On our hotelier´s recommendation, we found a small restaurant specializing in local traditional fare. Nelson had trout cutlets with almond butter sauce and a fabulous local red wine. Terri had wienerschnitzel, but especially enjoyed the little potato/broccoli appetizers that came beforehand.
Thanks again for reading. Stay tuned for more on our Reutte/Bavaria/Tirolean experience. It´s been great!
The Vienna Experience...continued
Our next two days in Vienna were fabulous. Here´s some of the stuff we saw & did...
- toured the Staatsoper (state opera house)
- St. Stephens cathedral, where we toured the catacombs and saw piles and piles of human remains...this was Terri´s favorite part of Vienna, actually. I´m not joking. I know, she´s weird.
- the Schönbrunn Palace (where the Hapsburgs spent their summers...sometime we´ll get some pictures up from those gardens...oh my goodness...)
- toured the most important parts of the Hofburg (Imperial Palace), from whence the Hapsburgs ruled for over 6 centuries: the Imperial Apartments (all their lavish rooms), the Silver Collection (OK, I thought my MOM´s china collection was something...room upon room of silver, porcelain and other precious dinner settings from all over the world), the Sisi Musuem (named after Emperor Franz Joseph´s beloved wife, the Empress Elisabeth), which was a bit over-the-top, but I guess she was a pretty mysterious, melancholic individual.
- got a picnic dinner of sesame melba toast, ham and gouda, and yogurt and went to the Volksgarten to read books on a park bench
The weather was absolutely perfect, and Vienna is a gorgeous city. Would love to go back there again sometime.
This morning we rode the train for four hours to Munich, where we picked up a rental car and drove into the Alps. We are now based in the beautiful Tyrolean town of Reutte. This evening we walked to a lovely restaurant called the Goldene Rose. Terri had wienerschnitzel and I had trout cutlets with almond butter sauce. Probably in my top 3 meals of the trip.
(HINT: keep reading for MORE about our favorite meals of the Euro Expedition.) Nelson´s thoughts: "Oh my. Do people really care about what our favorite meals were?" Terri´s thought-reply: "Mm. probably not, but we´ll do it anyway. No one´s forcing anyone to read this blog."
So there.
Of Waltzes and Wizards
So, when we left Salzburg on Tuesday morning it was POURing rain. Perfect day for a train ride to Vienna, we thought. The previous two days in Salzburg we had beautiful weather, so we´re grateful for that.
It was still raining in Vienna upon arrival, but not too heavily. So we were able to walk to the city center, to one of the places we wanted to visit: the Haus Der Musik (House of Music). It´s an extremely cool (and diverse) museum on four floors, with lots of high-tech hands-on stuff for the ever-so-slightly museum-fatigued. (Wanted to see how many hyphens I could use in one sentence there.) (And brackets.)
One floor had a little history of the Vienna Philharmonic. The second floor was when things got really fun. There was a room which simulated soundwaves as experienced by a human embryo! (Wow.) (Not done with the brackets yet.) In another room, they had a "virtual conductor" feature, where you held a digital baton and conducted the Philharmonic on a huge screen and they played Eine Kleine Nachtmusik acoording to how fast or slow you waved the thing. (Actually, with most people the orchestra stopped abruptly after a few bars and the bassoonist got up and complained about the conductor in German, with huge exaggerated hand motions, and everyone watching laughed.)
The third floor featured a bunch of great composers for whom Vienna was part of their personal or work history: Haydn, Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Beethoven, Mahler, and all the weird 12-tone guys from the "second" Viennese school: Schönberg, Webern, etc. (Not that many of you would care too much about this kind of stuff, but we found it interesting. OK, Nelson found it interesting. Terri, not so much.) (But she liked the fun hands-on stuff.) (I LOVE brackets! They´re the best.)
When we got out of the music museum, the rain had stopped, and the sky had even begun to open up. What a gift. So, we thought, "We´re in a big city. I´ll bet they´d have movies in English." Sure enough, we found such a place. Five minute walk from our hotel. We went to a late evening Harry Potter show! For the record, we both enjoyed it tremendously. It is very interesting to see how the different directors treat the stories. But this isn´t a film blog, so I´ll reserve further comment for now :).
On the luggage front...a couple of days ago we followed our travel agent´s advice and decided not to forward any more of our Europe ´temporary´addresses to British Airways. So, our home address is now the only one that appears on our file. We think there is probably a good chance they´ll arrive home before we do. In retrospect, we maybe should have done this awhile ago. That way, we wouldn´t have been so burdened (that may even be too strong a word -- we are really enjoying ourselves) with the whole "maybe today, maybe tomorrow" question. But hope is difficult to abandon, and that´s probably a good thing.
It was still raining in Vienna upon arrival, but not too heavily. So we were able to walk to the city center, to one of the places we wanted to visit: the Haus Der Musik (House of Music). It´s an extremely cool (and diverse) museum on four floors, with lots of high-tech hands-on stuff for the ever-so-slightly museum-fatigued. (Wanted to see how many hyphens I could use in one sentence there.) (And brackets.)
One floor had a little history of the Vienna Philharmonic. The second floor was when things got really fun. There was a room which simulated soundwaves as experienced by a human embryo! (Wow.) (Not done with the brackets yet.) In another room, they had a "virtual conductor" feature, where you held a digital baton and conducted the Philharmonic on a huge screen and they played Eine Kleine Nachtmusik acoording to how fast or slow you waved the thing. (Actually, with most people the orchestra stopped abruptly after a few bars and the bassoonist got up and complained about the conductor in German, with huge exaggerated hand motions, and everyone watching laughed.)
The third floor featured a bunch of great composers for whom Vienna was part of their personal or work history: Haydn, Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Beethoven, Mahler, and all the weird 12-tone guys from the "second" Viennese school: Schönberg, Webern, etc. (Not that many of you would care too much about this kind of stuff, but we found it interesting. OK, Nelson found it interesting. Terri, not so much.) (But she liked the fun hands-on stuff.) (I LOVE brackets! They´re the best.)
When we got out of the music museum, the rain had stopped, and the sky had even begun to open up. What a gift. So, we thought, "We´re in a big city. I´ll bet they´d have movies in English." Sure enough, we found such a place. Five minute walk from our hotel. We went to a late evening Harry Potter show! For the record, we both enjoyed it tremendously. It is very interesting to see how the different directors treat the stories. But this isn´t a film blog, so I´ll reserve further comment for now :).
On the luggage front...a couple of days ago we followed our travel agent´s advice and decided not to forward any more of our Europe ´temporary´addresses to British Airways. So, our home address is now the only one that appears on our file. We think there is probably a good chance they´ll arrive home before we do. In retrospect, we maybe should have done this awhile ago. That way, we wouldn´t have been so burdened (that may even be too strong a word -- we are really enjoying ourselves) with the whole "maybe today, maybe tomorrow" question. But hope is difficult to abandon, and that´s probably a good thing.
Human Bingo -- Euro Style
Hey avid blog readers! Welcome to a special edition of our blog, straight from one of the most gorgeous places we´ve ever seen -- Salzburg, Austria! What´s so special about this blog post, you ask? Well, read on...
The following is a list of "firsts" that one or both of us have experienced during this trip (besides listing the obvious firsts like being in Italy for the first time. Nothing too blog-worthy about that...at least in itself). We´re talking about stuff you might find in a game of Human Bingo--that annoying mixer game where you have to get peoples´signatures beside crazy or unexpected stuff they´ve done. Here goes...
Nelson & Terri´s FIRST Experiences On This Trip (In Chronological Order!)
- being in London for gay pride day
- being evacuated from a terminal at Heathrow in London due to a suspected terrorist threat
- staying the night at Heathrow
- shooting an interview for a BBC field reporter while on evacuation from a Heathrow terminal
- being helped by an Italian man off a ferry boat
- swimming in the Mediterranean Sea without bathing suits (we didn´t have any with us, so...when in Rome...OK, actually we wore capri pants)
- intentionally ordering anchovies on a pizza (Nelson)
- buying a pair of yellow shoes (Terri)
- getting shaved by a barber (Nelson again)
- getting shaved by a barber in the Cinque Terre, Italy (ditto)
- shaving my own face with a straight razor (N of course)
- eating a pig´s knuckle
BONUS! Movies We Want To See Again Because Of Our Trip
- The Italian Job
- Gladiator
- The Merchant of Venice
- Run Lola Run
- The Sound of Music (duh, we´re in Salzburg)
- Children of the Corn (actually we don´t really want to see this one, but there was a lot of corn being grown in both Italy and Germany)
- Casablanca ("we´ll always have Paris...")
- Enemy at the Gates (and various other war films...Nelson only)
- Amadeus (see comment beside The Sound of Music above)
There, that was fun, wasn´t it?
In other news, we are really enjoying Salzburg. It is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. This morning we went to the fortress and saw the sights there, took some amazing panoramic pictures from high above the city (which you will have to wait to see, unfortunately). We are missing Alexander´s smiles and laughs (Colin & Marlene´s 7-month-old son), but still having a great time! Tomorrow it´s off to Vienna. Looking forward to that as well.
"Never Again"
Friday we spent a couple of hours at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.
When we got off the bus packed with school groups heading to the site, we walked into the entrance tent, where you could buy tickets for various tours, audioguides and film documentaries. We overheard an unfortunate, but telling, conversation just in front of us:
English-speaking woman to Dachau memorial site staff person: "Is the film good?"
Dachau staff guy pauses, looks at the woman briefly and gives this firm but compassionate reply: "It's important. It may not be 'good', but it's important."
Hmm, we thought. Good on him for choosing the higher ground of not discriminating on the basis of ignorance.
Regarding Dachau itself, we still have a lot of processing to do in terms of how it impacted us personally. For now, suffice to say it caused us to think and reflect on many levels. The following is from the printed guide we received:
On March 22, 1933, a few weeks after Adolf Hitler had been appointed Reich Chancellor, a concentration camp for political prisoners was set up in Dachau. This camp served as a model for all later concentration camps and as a 'school of violence' for the SS men under whose command it stood. In the twelve years of its existence over 200,000 person from all over Europe were imprisoned here and in the numerous subsidiary camps. More than 43,000 of them died. On April 29 1945, American troops liberated the survivors.
On a happier note, on Saturday we had a wonderful time in Augsburg, where we went to the home of some of Colin & Marlene's friends, Jan & Lee, for a great brunch and fun conversation. In the evening we sat and watched episodes of The Office and Creature Comforts, laughing together while lightning and thunder showers raged around us. More metaphorical food for thought, in light of the previous day's experience. We have much for which to be grateful.
In a few minutes we will leave Colin & Marlene's to embark on the next phase of our journey -- to Austria! First stop: Salzburg -- birthplace of Mozart and all things Sound of Music. Not sure how much opportunity we'll have to post pictures over the next 9 days, so enjoy these ones while you got 'em! Aufwiedersehn until next time...
Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl (or Meteor Town and The Benevolent Swedes)
So Thursday we took an enjoyable daytrip with C & M to two medieval Bavarian towns. Nördlingen was built in the crater of a meteor. The gigantic gates date back to medieval times, and you can walk atop the wall that surrounds the whole of Nördlingen. Pretty cool.
Then it was off to Dinkelsbühl (which is really fun to say with the correct German pronunciation). The place is simply gorgeous. The origins of the town are also interesting. While the name is written about as early as the 1200s, its later history is what most people remember. In the 1600s the city changed hands eight times due to attacks from various warring peoples. In around 1632 it was the Swedes who came along and took over. According to legend, the children of Dinkelsbühl begged their attackers for mercy, and so while the Swedish did indeed take over the city, they spared the lives of the conquered people. Even more curious is that the people of Dinkelsbühl still hold an annual festival celebrating the fact that they surrendered and weren't destroyed by the Swedes.
In other news not directly related to travelling but nonetheless important, we watched the series finale of Studio 60 last night with Colin & Marlene, whom we were pleased to learn were fellow fans of this remarkable show. What an ending. Now we continue lamenting that it only lasted one season.
Bavaria 101
It´s been a great couple of days so far here in Bavaria.
Tuesday we hung out with Colin & Marlene and Alexander, their baby, in Augsburg. On our way to the town centre, we walked along part of an old city wall that has been there for many hundreds of years. Besides simply walking and a bit of shopping, we sat in the large platz (a square -- not to be confused with the delicious fruit-based dessert many of us Mennos have grown to love) and sampled some local fare. I had weisswurst (white sausage served in a bowl of water in which it has been boiled) with sweet mustard, a pretzel, and a nice Bavarian wheat beer. Mmmm. Terri even tried -- and enjoyed -- the weisswurst! In the evening we had a very nice meal at Colin & Marlene´s, and then watched Jesus Camp, which is a billion times scarier than any new kind of Bavarian dining experience.
Wednesday Terri and I went into Munich to see some sights and meet up with Christian, a friend I met at Taize last summer. We met at Marienplatz, which is the very center of old Munich. From there we walked to the Hofbrauhaus, another Munich landmark, for lunch. The previous evening, Colin told me that if I wanted a truly barbarian Bavarian food experience, I should try schweinshaxe, which is a pig knuckle. So, I tried it, along with ein masse of dunkel (dark wheat beer), which I figured would help make it more bearable if I didn´t actually enjoy it. Well, both were great. The brass band was pretty good, too.
In the afternoon we hiked the100-metres-tall tower of Alte Peter, which may be the oldest church in Munich, to see a pretty amazing view of the city. Then we went to the Alte Pinakothen (old art gallery) to see a wonderful collection of art and walk around in some air conditioning for a little over an hour. In the evening we met up with Christian again. He took us to the Englisches Garten -- the largest park in Munich -- bigger than Central Park in New York. There we went to a place called the Chinese Tower, around which is wrapped the second biggest beer garden in Munich. Apparently there is seating for about 7500 people. What an experience. Had currywurst -- which is exactly what it sounds like. VERY tasty. Afterwards we took the U-bahn back to Marienplatz, from which we walked back to the train station to get back to Augsburg. Another great day. Enjoy the pics!
Wir sind im Deutschland!
We said au revoir/ciao/auf wiedersehn to Pam & Chad yesterday morning in Milan. Then we were off to the train station from whence we began a long, HOT day riding trains with air conditioning systems that were sporadic at best. After missing our connection to Munich in Verona due to a late departure from Milan, we finally arrived in Augsburg around 7:30pm, where Germany in general and Colin in particular met us with a warm welcome.
You will surely notice, even after the most cursory of scroll-downs, that we have finally been able to add some pictures to our blog. Hope you enjoy them. We are looking forward to a wonderful week at Colin & Marlene´s in and around Augsburg & Munich.
You will surely notice, even after the most cursory of scroll-downs, that we have finally been able to add some pictures to our blog. Hope you enjoy them. We are looking forward to a wonderful week at Colin & Marlene´s in and around Augsburg & Munich.
Bocelli was made for fireworks.
Hey all. We're writing from a sweatshop-like internet point in a very hot Milan at the moment. Our butts are sweating just from sitting here. Net access in the past few days hasn't been too prevalent, or cheap, so most of our web time has been spent sending British Airways new contact information with which to track us down. A brief update regarding that, then onto 'some fun stuff we've been doing out here'.
The Hopeful News I wrote about five days ago has, sadly, turned a bit less hopeful. It is now Sunday and we're in Milan for one night. Pam & Chad head home tomorrow and we'll be off to Augsburg, Germany. Our bags weren't waiting for us at our hotel when we checked in this afternoon. So we still don't really have any clear idea of when or where we'll be reunited with out stuff. One silver lining is that we have been slated for a class upgrade on our return flights to Canada (subject to availability, of course). So we'll see if that works out. The best news is that we're still smiling and laughing a lot, despite the periodic rant against terrorist plots in general, and British Airways in particular.
OK, so what have we been up to?
One of our favorite evenings in Genova was when our host Andrea drove us up a very steep, windy road to the top of the seaside village of Arenzano, where, lo and behold, there was this GORgeous view and a really popular pizzeria (as evidenced by scads of little Fiats, Smart cars and motorcycles jammed into the tiny parking lot). We had lovely food and drinks, and then drove down to the seaside, where we found gelato (which we've been having at least once a day here in Italy) and walked along the Mediterranean.
In Rome, as mentioned in a previous post, we saw quite a bit of stuff in a relatively short period of time. On our last night, we thought, 'Hey, let's find a hip area of Rome we haven't discovered yet.' So the aforementioned Frommer's Rome guide told us about an area where 'Rome's night life is at it's festive best. In summer, cafes spill out into the streets, and there's live jazz, jam sessions, shops,...the street is blocked off from 8:30pm to 2am... (etc, etc)'. Well, we found our way there without too much trouble (the bus system in Rome is cheap, but it's a bit of a chore to figure it out. We did pretty well, though, if we do say so ourselves). But we decidedly did NOT find a hip, happening night spot. We found graffitti-laden walls, dark alleys, abandoned shops, and cats.
Thanks, Frommer's.
OK, on one corner there were a few cafes open, so we decided to stay there and enjoy a meal. Interesting that it ended up being probably our best dining experience in Rome. Tons of good traditional Italian fare for a reasonable price, and a server that looked like Jean Reno (not that Chad or I cared about that). His English was pretty good, so we asked him about it. Jean Reno said, 'I had a girlfriend from San Diego once.' A few minutes later he said, 'I also had one from London.' Gotta love those Italian studs.
On to Venice...
We weren't prepared for the challenge of navigating one's way on foot in Venice. (Did I mention our Rick Steves books were in our luggage?) But, equipped with a little Venice map someone gave us while in the Cinque Terre, we did OK (Editorial comment from Terri: 'Well, Nelson did ok. Thank goodness for my patient husband.') The highlight of our time -- besides gelato and a good restaurant we stumbled across -- hands down, was last evening. Upon arrival on Friday, we were told that this was a pretty big festival weekend in Venice, second only to Carnivale. We had no idea. 'There will be fireworks on Saturday, with lots of people and music and dancing.' COOL, we thought. What a way to (nearly) end our time in Italy, and the leg of the journey in which we are with our good friends Pam & Chad.
So we showed up about two hours before the fireworks were scheduled to start, and the crowds had already begun to amass and sit down to claim their firework-watching territory. There were a TON of people there. Wish we could show you pictures. Around 11:30pm, the music started and they finally began. Here are a few tunes we remember from the soundtrack:
- Richard Strauss, Thus Spake Zarathustra (you all know this one, whether you recognize the title or not...Google it!)
- Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli, Prayer (oh my goodness, I almost wept while this one played...all those people from all over the world, together spellbound by color and light bursting in the sky...unbelievable...words cannot describe...)
- U2 & Mary J. Blige, One (this version of this song has never sounded better)
- Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (for obvious reasons)
- Stuff from GREASE: Greased Lightning, Summer Nights
Well, for a solid half hour they captured the attention of thousands. It was probably the most memorable -- if not the best -- fireworks show we've ever seen. What an experience.
I guess that covers things for now. Maybe in Germany we'll be able to upload some pictures, so keep watching and reading (and commenting...we love comments...)!
Ciao!
Hopeful News & Memorable Quotes
HOPEFUL NEWS
This just in...we heard today that our bags were apparently sent to Milan on Monday evening, and will be delivered to us from there. Where, exactly, we don't know. But they have our Rome and Venice accommodation info, so things are looking up. We'll keep you posted. Thanks for your prayers.
By the way, had a great not-too-hot day walking around historical Rome today. Saw the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. After I finish this post, it's gelato time. Woohoo!
MEMORABLE QUOTES
OK, so I tried to make this a 'separate page element', but this computer is in Italian, and I can't figure it out by where the buttons are (talk about giving away our true blog rookie-ness). Anyway, here's some memorable stuff said by us or people we've encountered...
- "I've got a splitting headache this morning. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not up to my usual sparkliness." - Alison, our host in Greenwich. This is more delightful if read out loud with a Scottish lilt. Try it!
...and later in the car...
Pam (to Alison): How's your headache?
Alison: It's still there. Thank you for reminding me I have a headache.
£££££
Chad (to Terri -- while evacuated at London Heathrow): They're handing out water to women and children over there.
(Terri leaves, then returns about a minute later...)
Terri (to Chad): OK where? 'Over there' is a big place.
£££££
Brit Police officer after about 4 hours of evacuation: Anyone wanna be a police officer? I'm sick and tired of it.
£££££
Chad: Pam is my rock. I'm glad I have Pam.
Nelson: We're glad you have Pam too.
£££££
All of us: Rick Steves is the best. (This realization came to us after taking time to read a lame Frommer's Rome travel guide and lamenting the loss of our bags once again...which of course contained three trip-relevant volumes of our Rick Steves collection.)
£££££
"I think God sent this cloud cover just for me today. Jesus is my sunscreen." - Nelson, as we walked toward the Colosseum to stand in line and (eventually) get in.
This just in...we heard today that our bags were apparently sent to Milan on Monday evening, and will be delivered to us from there. Where, exactly, we don't know. But they have our Rome and Venice accommodation info, so things are looking up. We'll keep you posted. Thanks for your prayers.
By the way, had a great not-too-hot day walking around historical Rome today. Saw the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. After I finish this post, it's gelato time. Woohoo!
MEMORABLE QUOTES
OK, so I tried to make this a 'separate page element', but this computer is in Italian, and I can't figure it out by where the buttons are (talk about giving away our true blog rookie-ness). Anyway, here's some memorable stuff said by us or people we've encountered...
- "I've got a splitting headache this morning. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not up to my usual sparkliness." - Alison, our host in Greenwich. This is more delightful if read out loud with a Scottish lilt. Try it!
...and later in the car...
Pam (to Alison): How's your headache?
Alison: It's still there. Thank you for reminding me I have a headache.
£££££
Chad (to Terri -- while evacuated at London Heathrow): They're handing out water to women and children over there.
(Terri leaves, then returns about a minute later...)
Terri (to Chad): OK where? 'Over there' is a big place.
£££££
Brit Police officer after about 4 hours of evacuation: Anyone wanna be a police officer? I'm sick and tired of it.
£££££
Chad: Pam is my rock. I'm glad I have Pam.
Nelson: We're glad you have Pam too.
£££££
All of us: Rick Steves is the best. (This realization came to us after taking time to read a lame Frommer's Rome travel guide and lamenting the loss of our bags once again...which of course contained three trip-relevant volumes of our Rick Steves collection.)
£££££
"I think God sent this cloud cover just for me today. Jesus is my sunscreen." - Nelson, as we walked toward the Colosseum to stand in line and (eventually) get in.
Ciao from Roma!
Well, had a nice relaxing train ride from Genova this morning -- 5 hours long. After some walking around Rome's MASSIVE train station, we found our way to the appropriate bus to find our accommodations. We are staying in a delightful private apartment not far from the Vatican. Tonight we're planning to head out near the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps where we will find a place to have a nice relaxing dinner. Pasta and vino will be involved. Guaranteed.
No bags yet, but our faithful travel agent has been, and is, in touch with someone she knows at British Airways. Hopefully we'll get some good news -- or at least news -- soon.
The breathtaking beauty of fishing villages
Well, only time for a quick update. We have had a great time in Genova at the home of my friend Andrea (I met him at Taize last summer). Also spent a couple of days in the Cinque Terre, where we were able to meet up with some other friends for a very nice dinner overlooking the Mediterranean. No bags, but life could be much worse.
Today we are taking one more cruise through the five towns, and tomorrow we leave for Rome. I am writing this from Vernazza, and frankly, this is NOT my favorite way to spend time in this gorgeous place, but we thought you all deserved some communication, brief as it is.
Please pray our bags show up soon, and that they find us in the place we are actually staying in at the time! Peace to all...