First Stop - New York City!

Tuesday, June 13th - Our first day. Nice flights, first to Seattle, then on to Newark. Highlight - they had internet access on the plane, which was really fun. Got to chat with Sara via Facebook.

Upon landing in Newark, weather was rainy and gloomy. New York looked yucky. Took another crazy cab ride from the airport to our Hotel in the upper west side.

After checking into our hotel - which is small but nice - we took a cab to the Delta Grill - where I had my delicious cedar plank salmon with rosemary and apples, and Joanie had fried green tomatoes. A very nice dinner.

After dinner, the rain had subsided so we walked the streets on the west side - lots of restaurants and people. Stopped periodically along the way to check the Laker score and chat with locals along the way. Walked to the south entrance to Central Park, then took a cab back to the hotel… where we watched the Lakers lose again.

After a romantic evening in New York, we slept well, and after blogging, we are on to Day 2’s adventures.

Bikes, Boats, Trains, Planes, Automobiles--- Oh My!

6/14 - Day 2 in New York… 

We took the subway from our hotel towards Battery Park - got off about half way there - crowds, hot, yucky. Took a cab the rest of the way. Stood in a long line to board the ferry boat. Great views of the Statue of Liberty and then went to Ellis Island. Again, a zoo there, but we watched a 30 minute film and then went to look up some ancestors. Found my grandfather’s arrival into the U.S. Pretty cool.

Back at Battery Park, we walked a bit - went by Ground Zero and then taxied to the Ed Sullivan Theatre - where Letterman films (we asked about 5 cabbies to take us there - none of them knew where to go - kind of funny).

Anyway, after getting all the rules and hype about being audience members for the Letterman Show, we were finally let in and it was fun.

After the show, we met Bryce and Katie (two of Chelsea’s friends) for dinner in Bryant Park - a very nice outdoor setting in a small park in mid-Manhattan. A very nice, leisurely dinner spent with friends. Katie pointed us in the right direction on the subway back to our hotel.

6/15 - Last day in New York and off to Europe.

It was a fairly hellacious 24 hours. In the morning we rented bikes and rode through Central Park… that was fun. But the plane ride was longggg and cramped… and even though we both took a Tylenol PM, we barely slept. Upon our arrival in Rome, it was kind of hard to find the rental car company, but we did and we also ordered a GPS to make our navigating this strange new world more manageable. We departed the parking lot with the GPS working, but very soon after we arrived on our first Italian street, it stopped working. To make a long story and drive shorter - it took us about 30 minutes to get back to the airport. We decided after that short experience to forget the car. So we returned it and took a bus into Rome and then two trains to Sorrento, where after a very, very long and tiresome day, we finally checked into our hotel… with a great view of Sorrento Bay. We’re saving some of the more fun details for stories to tell later.

Our Great Day in Positano and Sorrento!

Friday, June 18th 

Woke up in Sorrento. Our hotel is spectacular! We have an amazing view of the coast to the west, and also to the east to hilly homes and small farms. We took the free shuttle bus down the hill in the morning to the center of Sorrento, and found a taxi driver to take a us to Positano on the Almalfi coast. Our driver was great! His name was Antonio and he spoke great English and the taxi ride toured into a great excursion to Positano… stopping for photos along the way, etc, etc.

Positano is a small town on the side of the mountain. We got dropped off at the top of the town and wondered down the streets and back alleys, through beautiful shops and restaurants until we reached the beach. Greg went for a swim in the Mediterranean and then we both laid out in the sun for a while, before we had a great lunch at a waterfront café.

We then took a hike over a cliff to another beach and back again before we boarded a ferry boat back to Sorrento.

After returning to our hotel to freshen up, we went back into town (Sorrento) for some strolling and dinner. It was a beautiful night and a great day. It felt like our first real day of vacation! Yay!

Pompeii and Off to Rome...

We left Sorrento by local train to Pompeii… which was awesome. The size of the town, and the urban planning that was going on at that time were really amazing to see and feel in person.

The spaciousness of the “downtown” mall and to see how far off into the distance the streets went, really was increbile to see. Also amazing to see where the plaster castings of several bodies frozen in place, and in fear, as the molten lava consumed them. We also really liked the brothel.

If I haven’t already mentioned this, our feet and calves are killing us by now. Walking downhill at Positano really set the stage for this, and we’ve been walking ever since.

So when we were done with Pompeii… after about three hot and muggy hours, we sat down at a little Pizzeria right outside the gates for a very enjoyable and relaxing lunch.

We then took the 30 minute train ride to Naples with some kids (twenty-somethings) from the States. (We’ve met several people from the States, and it’s always kind of fun.) Anyway, they were cool kids and we chatted the entire ride.

Once in Naples - which is really an ugly, dirty city, we finally activated our Rail Passes for the one hour high speed ride to Rome. We got to town and took a cab ride to our hotel, which is in a nice section of Rome (north) and a nice hotel, albeit a very small room. We had a very nice dinner at a restaurant right down the street, and that was our day.

An incredible visit at Pompeii was definitely the highlight. Exploring Rome tomorrow! 

A Day in Rome - June 19th

We had a nice breakfast at our hotel before we headed off to explore Rome. We decided to take a tour of Rome on a “hop on, hop off” double-decker bus. We walked about ½ mile to pick up the bus for our tour. It was really fun seeing the sights of Rome from the top deck. 

Our first stop was the Colosseum, which was out of this world. The size and the detail of the structure was incredible! Beyond words. We had lunch down the street and then went to the Roman Forum, the center of the Roman government. Again, an amazing display of ruins showing the organization of the Roman center of power. Back on the bus… we went to Vatican… and into St Peters. Also amazing in size and detail. 

After a self-guided tour of the site and Basilica, we got back on bus and went back to our hotel. After freshening up a bit, we went walking and stopped on Via Veneto for a Lemoncello and glass of wine, and then took a cab to the Trevi Fountain, which was really beautiful. Picked out a cute restaurant but the food wasn’t anything to write home about, so we won’t. (FYI… can’t find a good beer or Chardonnay in Italy yet… so we’re sticking with Lemoncello and red wines… not a big problem.)

After dinner, we went back to Trevi Fountain for the night scene and took a cab back to our neighborhood where we stopped and had our nightly gelato at an outdoor café. Came home after a long and adventurous day. We both have ended up really liking Rome. Crazy, but spectacular and vibrant. Nothing else quite like it.

Under the Tuscan Sun, and Clouds - June 20th

We decided to rent a car - a cute little two door Fiat - for our drive out of Rome and into the Tuscan countryside. It was fun. Only a tiny bit crazy leaving Rome from our hotel, but we were on the main highway very soon. The weather was touch and go all day…. From sunny with beautiful clouds to getting caught in a downpour in Montepulciano - and even that was fun.

Our first stop was in Orvieto - a beautiful hill town about one hour north of Rome. We didn’t think this was going to happen, but we ended up in the town itself, driving the incredibly narrow streets. We actually found a place to park the car for a couple of minutes near the edge of town for some incredible views.

Our next stop was Montepulciano - another beautiful town with a really neat town square. These towns were built in the middle ages, and were incredible. We walked a few of the streets, then ate a delicious lunch at the Quattro Venti restaurant right in the town square. After lunch, we went to the Contucci Cellars - a place we saw on one of Rick Steves’ programs, and were lucky enough to have a wine tasting with Adamo - a charming Italian-only speaking vintner - who has owned his winery since 1959. We bought 6 bottles of his wine and are having them shipped home. (Not to be consumed Ryan! J ) When we left the winery, that’s when we were caught in the downpour. Fortunately, we had our lightweight plastic ponchos with us, which helped a lot, getting us to our car without being completely drenched.

We were then off to our final destination of the day - Volterra - another hill town in the north- west portion of Tuscany. This town was incredibly beautiful and active more with locals than tourists. And the views from the edge of town, and approaching town were some of the best inland views (outside of Yosemite and the Grand Canyon) that I’ve ever seen. We would love to spend more time in this area.

Anyway, our hotel was very nice, and Joanie actually ate wild Boar and I had grilled lamb chops for dinner… as they say, “when in Rome” (or Volterra!) And of course, we had our required evening Gelato at a café on the way back to our hotel.

Another beautiful, adventurous day… made so special by the countryside, the ancient towns and the sunny and cloudy weather. Bellisimo!

Pizza in Pisa - June 21st

We woke up early in Volterra to a beautiful day. The clouds weren’t completely gone, but the sun did make an appearance. The town was quiet - except the echos of the pigeons in the square, and the view from the city wall was again gorgeous. We noticed wind turbines off in the distance - but we also noticed a nuclear power plant as well. Again, there is no perfect place.

We turned on Brittney and left Volterra. (Brittney is the name we gave our GPS system, which was great to have! She spoke with a British accent.) Anyway, the drive to Pisa was beautiful. We returned the car to the airport and got a cab to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was actually more beautiful than I expected. We walked around, took photos and then sat down at a nearby Pizzeria for some pizza in Pisa.

We hired a cab to take us to the train station and caught our train to Levanto - just about an hour ride. Once there, we walked about 3 minutes to our hotel - which is really nice - for our 3 day stay (our vacation from our vacation) in Levanto. That after we went to a Lavenderia (laundrymat) which was located right next door to an outdoor bar, where we had a drink and went online while we did our wash. Met some more Americans there, and had a fun chat while doing our wash. Had an okay dinner that night and went to bed a bit on the early side. A fairly slow, easy day which was nice to have.

A Day "Off" in Levanto - June 22nd

Today, we had no trains to catch, no sights to see. Instead, we just were lazy… a slow morning, a walk through town, a few hours at the beach (where we paid to rent two chairs and an umbrella) and that was about it. Very relaxed.

The night before we meet two girls vacationing from Holland, and this afternoon we spent a couple of hours in the courtyard of our hotel chatting over wine and Limoncino. Josephina and Sondra - they were fun. When Joanie and I went for dinner that night, we had just sat down and the girls showed up at the same restaurant - so they joined us for dinner as well. A fun evening - which ended of course with another gelato!

Exploring the Cinque Terre - June 23rd

After having a nice continental breakfast at the hotel this morning, we hoped a train to Riomaggiore… the southern (eastern) most town of the Cinque Terre - the 5 villages that make up this section of the Italian Riviera.

From there we walked along the ocean high up on a cliff, on a trail called the Via del Amore. This is the trail that lovers from the town of Rio, and the neighboring town of Manarola took to be together. For yearrs, lovers have placed padlocks along the trail to symbolize their commitment to each other. There were thousands of them! It was beautiful, and near the end we sat down for a cappuccino at a little café right there on the cliff while an accordion player accompanied us...very romantic.

In Manarola, we walked the small town and stopped in to sample a Frinatta - a chickpea “bread” that is served like a slice of pizza. It was okay, but Joanie and I both wished we ordered the one flavored with pesto.

From Manarola, we hopped on a ferry boat, sailing past Corniglia, docking in Vernazza to unload a few passengers, and then disembarking in the town of Monterosso. We walked this largest of the Cinque Terre towns pretty thoroughly, and finally had lunch in a café in the newer part of town off the promenade. Sat next to a couple from Finland who spoke English - had a nice time.

Then we took the 4 minute train ride back to Levanto… where we did a bit more laundry, hung out at Da Bridgata and surfed the net, and ended the evening with a nice meal of penne arribiatta and rissoto con fungi for dinner.

Levanto is actually not a part of the Cinque Terre towns but is just north, and made a very nice place to relax and have access to this very nice part of the world.

Tomorrow we leave Italy, our home for the last week or so. It‘s been a real trip for both of us - the beautiful country, the amazing history, the people, the culture, the food (albeit much of it is food catered for tourists). We have both loved it here, but now it’s time for France and beyond. Our favorite part of Italy - well Joanie and both agree that if we were to come back to Italy, we’d spend time in either Tuscany or the Amalfi coast - those were our favorite parts of Italy. Ciao!

Ciao Italy - Bonjour France!   June 23rd

Today is a travel day - leaving Levanto around 11am and arriving in Antibes - after 4 trains. I’m actually writing this from the train - not live on the blog - but will copy and paste when we have an internet connection again.

Ahhh Antibes - when we arrived there was a Taxi stand right out front. After about 20 minutes, we decided to get a French SIM card for our phone to call for a Taxi. The cost - 25 Euros, with only 4 Euros worth of calls, at 50 cents per minute. We decided to forgo the phone and found someone who called the Taxi for us…. No answer. Turns out there was a bus strike that day, so the Taxis were very busy. We started to walk towards the town centre looking for a Taxi. We reached a square, and to make a long story short, we found a very nice person who called our hotel, and they came to pick us up. It was amazing how stuck we were.

Anyway, the hotel was nice - another very small room of course - but we had wi-fi in the room this time. Since we had no transportation, we walked about 10 minutes down to beach and had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Sea. It was actually very nice and not too expensive. We both had a glass of wine, and Joanie had a huge Cesar salad, while I had a very tasty Linguine and clams. After a walk back to the hotel on a fairly balmy evening, I said to Joanie “vou le vous couche avec moi” and she said “oui”.

No to Nice - Oui to Antibes - June 25th

Yesterday when we arrived in Antibes on the train, we traveled through Nice. It did not look nice at all - it was huge and busy and crowded. On the train ride into France, we had to stand for the last hour. We both decided right then and there that we didn’t want to spend our only day on the French Riviera in this busy town. And once we experienced the difficulties of transit in this area - that decision was finalized. But it turned out okay.

This morning we borrowed 2 bicycles from the hotel and rode down to the beach. There we were able to rent two lounge chairs and an umbrella for only 10 Euros. We spent about 3 hours there, including having a small lunch at the snack bar right next to where we were laying. We then kept the bikes locked up and went on a walk along the sea. We then rode/walked home to freshen up for the evening.

So, in order to go into the town of Antibes, we had to find a Taxi, which again was difficult. The hotel helped us, but it still took about 15 minutes on the phone. Anyway, after a 20 Euro ride into town, we went to the Picasso Museum. The building was an old beautiful building, and the artwork only had a few of Picasso’s better works. It was too heavy on the scribbling for me.

We then walked through old town and the Marche Provencal… where we found an Absinthe Bar museum - which was very spooky. It was the drink that supposedly “helped” Van Gogh to lose his mind (or at least his ear). We were both too afraid to imbibe even though they sold shots of it there.

We then continued our walk, turned the corner and found a Thai restaurant, which was a welcome change, and turned out to be delicious.

After another long walk through town looking for a taxi, we finally went into a restaurant and asked if they could call us a cab, which he was happy to do. We sure have not encountered any of the “stereotypical” French snootiness we were warned about. Most everyone has been extremely helpful. After arriving back at the hotel, we watched a movie on our laptop and then called it an evening. 

On to Provence - June 26th

Finally caught a bus from our hotel in Antibes into town. Found a nice place to eat breakfast and then walked the rest of the way to the train station.

(By the way - now is a good time to say how great it has been to be traveling lightly! It is the best tip we received. Joanie and I are each traveling with a small daypack and a carry-on size bag with wheels. We can, and have, walked blocks through towns with no problem at all. And when we have to go up stairs, the handle folds down quickly and there is a handle to carry the bags which don’t weigh that much. We also purchased clothes that can be washed in bathroom sinks and dry quickly. And we are also using these things called packing cubes - zippered mesh pouches of two different sizes. For example, I use my largest cube for my pants and shorts (total - 6 pair), a smaller cube for my shirts (5) and the other small cube for underwear and socks. It is so easy to pack and unpack every day, and to carry around. It really makes this on-the-go European tour very easy and enjoyable. And when we get into a situation where we have to walk further than we thought - it just isn’t a problem. Very, very nice. We can’t imagine traveling any other way again - unless you’re traveling by car.) 

On to Provence, and Arles (continued, June 27th

Okay… so we are at the Antibes train station waiting for our high speed train to Avignon, France. Scheduled to arrive on time at 10:54. And at just about that time, a TGV train (hi speed), pulls into the station. (These trains are not marked - meaning we are scheduled to be on Train # 6176, but there is no indication. Just the right platform at the right time is how you are supposed to tell you which train to board.) So, I bet you can tell where this is going. We boarded the train, in the right coach number and began looking for our seats (103 and 104) as the train begins to leave. We can’t find our seats - we ask a passenger if this train is going to Avignon and they said “oui”… so we decided to just take two available seats and wait for the conductor to come by and show us our proper seats.

About 20 minutes passes and still no conductor. So I got up and began looking for one, and only found the bar tender. Well, to put an end to this long story… we were on a train to Avignon alright, but on a train that was going to take 4 hours, instead of 2.5! So, at the next town we were able to hop off that train, cross over the tracks and catch OUR train a few minutes later. Yay!

However for some unknown reason, our high speed train was traveling slow often, and we ended up being about one hour late arriving in Avignon. The plan was to rent a car and drive through the wine country, arriving in Arles - a smaller town to the south. Well, being late really wasn’t going to give us enough time, so we hopped a free bus from Avignon to Arles.

The good news was - despite the fact that Arles looked rather yucky on our approach (the newer, outer ring of the city) once we got into the old town, it was very, very cute and authentic. There was even a smaller version of the Roman Colosseum and a Roman Amphitheatre in town. There were sidewalk cafes and bars, shops selling local fair - from tablecloths and aprons to baguettes and fruit and wine.

We had a nice dinner overlooking the Colosseum and to our surprise, there was a concert that evening in the ancient Amphitheatre - which we decided to attend - which only cost us 3 Euro. All this was just steps from our hotel. A very nice afternoon and evening to a day that began a bit crazy.

Oh yeah, Arles is where Van Gogh lived for awhile, and we went on part of this Van Gogh walk, seeing the spots where he painted several of is masterpieces.

Arles the way to Switzerland (5 Trains - 9 hours) - June 26th

We woke up in Arles, France and had a nice breakfast in the beautiful courtyard of our hotel. We then walked through town to the bus/train station where we were going to catch the 9am bus to Avignon, to catch our high speed train from Avignon to Lyon - the first leg of our day long trip. However, the 9am bus never showed. Fortunately, we were able to catch the 9:30 train from Arles directly to Lyon, so that worked out okay.

The rest of the day worked like clockwork. We would arrive in a station, and have about 5 minutes to find where the next train was and get there and get on. It was amazing - and a bit stressful during these transitions. We didn’t have enough food with us for the entire day, thinking we would be able to purchase something in one of the many transfer stations - but we never had time. And these local trains only had a snack cart, serving food we didn’t want to bother with. We made it by on a couple of apples and part of a chocolate bar.

The good part of the trip was once we got past Lyon, France, the scenery started to change - getting mountainous as we approached Switzerland - so we were well entertained… although near the end of the day we were getting a bit punchy (travel weary). Despite it being a tiring day - it was fun and memorable.

We finally arrived in Lauterbrunen at 6:30 pm, and fortunately it was a very short walk to our hotel. When we walked up to our room on the 4th floor, we were rewarded with a balcony and a beautiful view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and a gorgeous waterfall… the best view from any of our hotel rooms so far.

That night for dinner we decided to eat at the hotel’s restaurant, where we met and shared dinner with Laura and Mike from Long Island. She was actually born in Switzerland and they were here visiting relatives. It was a fun dinner, and Joanie enjoyed an amazing salad bar and I had a very delicious and fun cheese fondue. After dinner, we purchased two glasses of Port and took them up to our balcony with our amazing waterfall view and the sound of the river rushing by near our hotel. A beautiful and relaxed way to end our long day of traveling. And that night when we turned out the lights, we left one window open, and the flood-lit waterfall was visible from our bed, lulling us to sleep. Ahhhhhh…

Our Day in Heaven - aka the Swiss Alps - June 28th

We woke up early this morning, anxious to begin our day in the Alps. We had a very good breakfast at our hotel and then took the short walk to our first tram ride of the day… from the Lauterbrunnen Valley up to the very small village of Grutschalp at the top of the valley’s wall. It was beautiful.

Once we arrived there, we immediately hopped on a small scenic - cliff hugging train ride to the small town of Murren… again sitting high above the valley along the cliff. The town was very “Swiss” and the scenery was again stunning… with the base of peaks like the Jungfrau and Eiger seemingly in our faces. Just gorgeous!

We strolled through the small town and came upon an opportunity to get a couple of massages - which we couldn’t pass up. Turned out to be a great massage, which was really appreciated after all the different types of beds, pillows, walking and sitting on trains we had been doing.

After our massages, we had lunch in Murren at this outdoor restaurant with a billion dollar view of the Alps. Joanie had a curry vegetable and fruit plate, which was pretty good and I had a local specialty - Rosti with pork ring sausage and onion sauce - and that was really good!

After lunch we then took the 30 minute, down hill walk to the town of Grimmelwald, which was again incredible - the views, the small farm houses, and the local people working in their yards. In town, we hopped on a tram heading back down to the valley floor - and when I say down I mean it. WOW… was that an incredible ride. We dropped about 2,500 feet at a very steep rate, but again, it was beautiful.

After a short bus ride through the valley, we arrived back at hotel, and relaxed on our balcony a bit before we walked across the street for an outdoor dinner of pizza and salad and Italian wine.

To end the day today - again on our balcony with the waterfall view - we ordered a Bailey’s ice cream treat. Another incredible, memorable, beautiful day. 

Backtrack to Bacharach - June 29th

After another nice breakfast at our hotel in Switzerland, that included a rare treat of eggs, we boarded the first of our 5 scheduled trains. The first ride was only 20 minutes down the mountain to the main town of Interlaken. There we checked in with Rail Services to confirm our schedule for the rest of the day - which they were able to do for us very efficiently.

The day was fairly uneventful - at least for most of the day. We made all of the connections very smoothly (except we did leave our bag of snacks on one train). Fortunately, the next train had a restaurant car where I ordered a nice plate of pesto tortellini and a very good German beer.)

But our last train of the day became an adventure. We said that if this had happened in the States, we probably would have been mad… but here, we realized it was just a fun memory in the making. Here’s what happened…

The last train was from Mainz to Bacharach Germany - scheduled to take about 50 minutes, mostly along the Rhine River. The train was probably the most modern and clean one we had been on. It even had an electronic board in each car notifying us of the name of the upcoming stop.

Anyway, we were about two stops from our destination when the train began to pull out of the current station, and it stopped after traveling about 20 feet. To make a long story short, after about 20 minutes an announcement was made that everyone had to get off and another train would be by in about 30 minutes to pick us up - so we did. At that time, Joanie noticed a family of four with a Rick Steves’ Travel book - he is the same author we have been using to plan our trip. (We have noticed many travelers with his book - in fact later that evening in Bacharach at dinner - of the 6 outdoor tables at the restaurant we were at - 4 of the tables were occupied by “Rick Steves’ travelers”! We all had a good laugh when we discovered that.)

Anyway, back to the side of the tracks waiting for our rescue train to come. So we struck up a conversation with this family (husband, wife, 17 year old son and 15 year old daughter) and when our rescue train arrived we boarded with them and hung out with them for the “short” ride to Bacharach - their destination as well. Well, that train didn’t stop in Bacharach - it sped right on by. So we all got off at the next station and found some train employees there. They told us we could take the next train south to Bacharach, which was boarding in about 15 minutes - so we proceeded to that platform and boarded that train.

Guess what - as soon as it began to move the conductor came by and we wanted to confirm with him that this train was indeed stopping at Bacharach. But “no” he said, the next stop would be Bingen - about 10 miles south of Bacharach. We couldn’t believe this - it was so funny - this is when we would have gotten mad.

So, at the Bingen station (which was a bit larger of a station) we again talked with some employees, checked with the departure board, and there was a train already in the station - looking like that clean, modern one we were originally on - and it was scheduled to leave in about 15 minutes, stopping in Bacharach. So, we boarded this train and this time, BEFORE it left, we actually where able to speak with the Engineer, and he confirmed for us that this train will actually stop at our destination - which it did. We were two hours late - but somehow being with this other family made the experience actually fun. (When we saw them later at dinner, the wife came over to our table and told us that her kids said they were glad that they went through this adventure with us - because if not - her kids said - they thought that their Mom and Dad would have been yelling at each other - funny.) Just another adventure in Europe!

Oh yeah - Bacharach. A very cute little medieval town on the banks of the Rhine - really gorgeous. We found our hotel near the far end of this little town. Our room was great - large, comfortable beds, large bathroom with a tub and no shower, and right on the main street in town. We ate at a restaurant that was right across the street from our hotel, where we sampled 16 locally-made Rhine wines - mostly Rieslings. Our dinner consisted of a cheese sampler plate - which was fantastic - and a “frankfurter” (crappy hot dog, not a Bratwurst) but with a very unique and tasty side of home made potato salad. After dinner and another stroll through town, we stopped at the Gelato shoppe and took our dessert down to the Rhine. A very pleasant and relaxed ending to a very funny day. 

Amsterdam Here We Come - June 30th

In Bacharach we had a nice continental breakfast at our hotel, and then walked down to the Rhine River to catch our boat to St. Goar. (Eurrail passes can be used for these boats at no additional charge.) St. Goar is another town similar to Bacharach, about a one hour boat ride north. This stretch of the Rhine is one of the best for viewing castles - and we really enjoyed this scenic cruise. Upon arriving in St. Goar, we walked a couple of blocks to the train station. Today we only needed two trains, and about 4 hours, to make it to Amsterdam.

When we arrived we decided to take a Taxi to our guest suite - which is the third floor of a privately owned townhouse by Lidy and Rene - our hosts. Very nice people and great accommodations - we have our own little apartment.

After settling in and showering, and getting a quick primer on the transportation system (basically street trolleys) we took the Number 9 line to Central Station in Amsterdam… where we were going to find a place to get a bite, and walk through the Red Light District, and I was thinking of pulling a “when in Rome” kind of thing by imbibing a tiny bit of the legal weed in Amsterdam’s coffee shops.

We ended up having Falafels for dinner at a sidewalk café and then we did go into the Baba Coffee Shop. I made the minimum purchase - 8 Euros for a gram (way more then I needed) of what they called “White Widow” - I asked for the weakest “flavor”. A guy there then showed me how to use a vaporizer to smoke it, and I took 2 little hits, and I felt it just a bit. It was amazing to do this in public, and the buzz was subtle - so we left Baba’s and walked towards the Red Light District.

And this place was truly amazing and actually a bit seedy and sad. It was amazing to see scantily clad women in windows - knowing that they are openly available - for a “rental fee”. And that was also the sad part - having daughters and thinking of how these daughters are selling their bodies, was just sad. I’m sure every one of them would rather be earning a living in some other fashion. Despite how amazing it was to see - our walk through this part of town was fairly quick. We then caught the Number 9 home around 11pm - just as it was finally getting dark. 

Amsterdam With a Friend - July 1st

We started our second day in Amsterdam at a local coffee house (not shop - only the “shops” sell pot). Anyway, we then hopped the Number 9 until it met up with the Number 3, which we took to the Van Gogh museum. We had purchased tickets online the night before and went to the front of the line, getting in before everyone else- it was great!

And the exhibition was also great! There were over 200 of his paintings there - some nothing much to speak of, while others were mesmerizing. I really love his work. There we met Anna Marie - an old friend of Joanie’s from her Chula Vista days. Anna Marie moved back to Amsterdam many years ago and it was the first time she and Joanie had seen each other in years. She was very nice and after the Van Gogh Museum, she volunteered to show us some more sights.

It was a casual, easy going afternoon. We took another tram to the Liendseplein - a “hopping” area of Amsterdam where we had lunch at another sidewalk café. Here we sampled Bitteballs - a meat “croquette” - little balls made of meat and flour and ragu, then fried in bread crumbs. They are a finger food… you dip them in mustard and enjoy - and we did. Then we went walking, by the canals, flower and cheese stores and throughout a cute little neighborhood known as the 9 Streets. After stopping for some lemonade and carrot cake (it was a fairly hot day - definitely hot by Amsterdam’s standards) we parted with Anna Marie, and returned to our guest suite where we took a little nap.

After our short nap and passing some time hanging around our Amsterdam home - we again took the Number 9 to Rembrandt Square (only about halfway to downtown) and had a great Indonesian dinner - coconut rice, satays, egg rolls, etc. Again, this was a sidewalk café on the very active square. After dinner, we needed to get rid of the leftover pot from the previous night. We went into another coffee shop on Rembrandt square and were able to purchase a small pipe for 5 Euros. We were going to sit at the coffee shop and I was going to take one final hit before giving my remainders to some “lucky” person… when we saw people smoking in the square itself. There were several policemen nearby, and I went up to one asking him what the law was. Indeed, smoking in public is okay - it’s only when you get out of hand that the police step in. So, we found a bench in the park and I took one more hit. It was surreal doing this right in the middle of the square. I found it awkward being so cavalier about this - but “when in Rome”. Even Joanie decided to partake in the “when in Rome” spirit and took a hit as well. Again, we both felt it, but very mildly - which is all we intended to do. I then gave my leftovers and our newly purchased pipe to these three guys that were already smoking - from a large bong- on a nearby bench. Another fun European experience for the books.

We then hopped on the tram for the short ride home, and called it a night- again arriving home just as it got dark - around 11pm.

Amsterdam was an amazing place. Everyone spoke very good English, with hardly noticeable accents. The town seems pretty young and is definitely a town on the move - with the constant availability of trams and buses and bicycles. Man, the bicycles are everywhere!!! I mean, you really have to be careful not to be hit by one - but it truly is an amazing site to see this towns reliance on bikes - it makes so much sense and was great to see. I have a pretty good collection of bicycle photos to share someday.

A fun and memorable time - our two days in Amsterdam. 

Hot Train and a Hot Time in Paris - July 2nd

We left for the train station early this morning, and had a nice breakfast at the station - trackside dining. And that was the best part of the day. (Great Dutch Apple pancake pictured!) From that point on - hot, muggy and crowded.

The train from Amsterdam was hot, muggy and crowded - definitely the most (and only) uncomfortable train ride we’ve had.

When we got off in Brussels - to spend about 3 hours in the nearby Grand Place Square - the station was hot, crowded, muggy and confusing. Everything seemed hard to find. We finally found the lockers to store are bags, but didn’t have the energy to seek out and walk to the Grand Place, so we went to a nearby (air conditioned) restaurant and had lunch there.

Back on the train to Paris, we took the French Thales - their high speed train. For some reason, we were traveling on this train in 2nd class, but it was fine. This train was comfortable and (fast - pretty cool - but it was only an hour and 15 minutes before we arrived in Paris.)

Wow - very crowded at the train station - standing in a fairly long line to get a Taxi. And when we finally got to our hotel, the air conditioning and the internet was not working. I could have gotten by without the internet, but the AC was only slightly cool, and our room was uncomfortable. And when it cooled down outside in the evening, we couldn’t open our windows to sleep because of the busy street below.

We left the hotel room for an evening stroll (cooler and less muggy now) and had a fine dinner on a sidewalk café. And sleeping in the room wasn’t too bad after a cold shower. But the next morning, when the hotel said they wouldn’t be able to fix the AC until Wednesday, we said we wanted to find a new hotel, and we did.

Cloudy Skies in an Amazing City - July 3rd

So, finding a new hotel and a cab to help move us was the easy part. Just a few kilometers away, we found the Hotel Victor Hugo - which was located between the Arc de Triumphe and the Eiffel Tower. And in fact, our nice room ended up having a really nice view of the tower - which was great to have.

However (yes, there is a “but” here), I forgot my Passport at the old hotel and Joanie forgot her back pack in the cab! Pretty lame, huh? The good news is that we called the cab company and for a small fee, they returned Joanie’s bag. And then of course for an additional small fee, they drove us over to the old hotel where I found my Passport right were I left it - under the mattress… even though the maid had already made up the bed for new tenants. What could have gone very wrong had a happy ending… and so our second day in Paris was off to an “interesting” start.

After picking up my Passport, we had our cabbie drop us off at the Orsay Museum. After waiting in not too long of a queue, we spent almost 2 hours there - admiring more Van Gogh and many of his buddies - Monet, Manet, Degas, Renior and many more. Just beautiful, magical paintings. My favorite of this has usually been Van Gogh’s landscapes, but there was a self portrait of him that was amazing - it seemed to come alive, as though it was in 3D. Really incredible to see these works of art in person.

After the Orsay, we purchased two tickets for the Paris hop-on, hop-off tour bus, like we did in Rome. Our first ride ended up being kind of short - in that we got off at the Champs Elysees and walked a few blocks (past all the high priced stores and cafes) to the Arc de Triumphe. Again, the size and detail of these European monuments is dazzling. From there it was a short walk to our neighborhood, where we stopped at our local café for some sweet crepes. Then after resting up back at our hotel… we hit the streets again.

Our hop-on, hop-off bus has a pick up spot very close to our hotel, so we went there to catch the next bus. And we then spent the next two hours touring Paris - seeing all the sights from the top deck. It was amazing!! And the weather was cooperating - after yesterday’s hot and muggy conditions, it had rained in the morning and the rest of the day was cloud cover and cool. A very relaxing, pleasant tour of Paris, taking tons of photos. After completing the 2 hour circle of Paris we were back in our neighborhood, where we had a fantastic Italian dinner, street-side of course - with a view of the Eiffel Tower from our table. A very “tre magnifique” day in Paris!

An Evening Surprise - July 3rd

This is what we saw out of our hotel window, right before we called it a night. It looked incredible in person, so we thought we'd share this one... 

A Beautiful Day in Paris - July 4th

We woke up to beautiful blue sky. Yay! On the first Sunday of each month, the museums in Paris are free, and guess what today is! So, early this morning we took a taxi to the Louvre and had breakfast at a café on that side of town. (Starting to miss my cereal and Big City Coffee!)

Anyway, we went to the Louvre and saw her Majesty, the Mona Lisa - a lot to do about a seemingly run of the mill painting. And the crowds that flock to it are amazing. We also saw Venus de Milo and many other statues and paintings from those time periods, as well as a good deal of African and Egyptian statues and artwork. The free day sure brought out the crowds, but going early made it tolerable - but after a little more than 2 hours - it was time to go. But memorable, and we’re glad we experienced it.

We then took our double-decker bus on another tour of Paris (again, this time with beautiful blue skies) until we got home. After a little break, we hopped our bus again for the short ride to the Eiffel tower, where we had a great picnic in the park. We then went for a scenic cruise on the Seine River, where we mostly saw the same sights but from a really nice, cool and breezy point of view. We decided, unfortunately, not to go up the tower because the line was way too long, so we just walked home from there.

Heading to dinner now at our local Bistro/Café/Brassiere/Whatever… for our last Parisian meal. (Got French Onion soup on my mind). Then early tomorrow morning we take the EuroStar through the Chunnel for old London Town.

Sounds like a simple day, and it kind of was, but it was a great, scenic, beautiful, sunny day in Paris!

Oh and by the way, Happy Birthday America! We love you and we miss you!

Hip Hip Hooray - London - July 5th

We’re still on the EuroStar train, just emerging on the England side of the Chunnel and I’m so happy! Road signs in English, train announcements in English - YAY! But just as I’m celebrating a return to normalcy - at least for me - I see cars driving on the wrong side of the road. Well, a couple more days before normalcy will really return. Looking forward to our two days in London, but now both Joanie and I are ready to be back in the States. More later…

When we arrived we took a cab to our hotel. However, on the way we asked our driver if he could drive us to Abbey Road, which he did. That was really fun for me - the Apple Studios right there, and then the famous crossing from the Abbey Road cover. Silly, but cool.

Our hotel is in Kensington, a “suburb” of London - nice neighborhood with a “Tube” station (subway) right down the block, along with lots of pubs and restaurants. And the hotel is very cool - inside an old townhouse, the hotel itself is very modern and comfortable… and a great hotel staff. We arrived too early to check in, so we left our bags there and walked down the street where I got some fish and chips and a Guinness, and before hand, Joanie and I both got a Starbucks.

We then checked in, and soon thereafter took the Tube to Leicester Square in London, where we purchased half price tickets to the play “Hair”, for that night at 8pm. We bought the tickets around 4pm so we had time to kill, and then bought our double-decker bus tickets for our London tour, and spent the next 2 hours on the top of a bus driving all around London. Another great tour, filled with all sorts of sights and “slices of life” of the Londoners and tourists below.

We then returned to Piccadilly Circus and had dinner (Joanie had some Asian food and I ended up with bad Asian food, so went down the street for a “jacket potato” and a beer. Joanie and I also split a sticky toffee pudding before walking down the street to the theatre.

Hair was fun, and actually the ending was a blast, but the theatre was so dam hot - unbelievably hot. We were fanning ourselves, I was even unbuttoning my shirt all the way and getting water from a water bottle I had, wetting my hands, and wiping down my body. Heck, with the nudity on stage, I was ready to join them. Wouldn’t that have been a hit!

Anyway, after the play we took the Tube back to Earl’s Court (our stop) and came home and both of us slept well. It was fun getting to know London. 

Another Jolly Good Day in London - July 6th

Yup, today is our last day in Europe - flying back to the States tomorrow. Even so, we decided not to cram the day with too much sightseeing. We started out walking to a breakfast place our hotel recommended, and it was great. I had corned beef and hash with eggs and Joanie had organic porridge… both were very good. We meet a couple there, that we had just seen at our hotel. They were from Canada and had traveled to South Africa for the World Cup. We had a nice conversation with them over breakfast.

Then, it was back on the Tube, this time to the Westminster in the heart of London. (by the way, the Tube has been fantastic. Rick Steves, the author of the guide books we’ve been using says it’s the “best people mover on the planet”, and it’s the best one we’ve ever been on.)

At Westminster, we took some great pictures of Parliament and the London Eye, and then we walked over the Thames to the “Eye” and bought our ticket. After about 30 minutes in line, we boarded the Eye for our 30 minute “flight”, as they call it. (The above photo was taken from the top of the Eye... with Big Ben in the background.) It was very cool - not scary or thrilling at all - but a great view of London, and fun smooth ride on this technological marvel.

We then walked across the Millennium Bridge and hopped on the Tube again - this time stopping at Hyde Park, where we went to the London Hard Rock café - the original one. And after lunch, we went to their onsite Museum to take in some legendary rock memorabilia… for example, the harpsichord that the Beatles used on “All You Need is Love” and on some other songs on the Sergeant Peppers Album. Very cool. We then walked through Green Park to Buckingham Palace for some photos, then back on the Tube for a ride home.

Tonight, we’ll just go out to a local restaurant here in Kensington, and take in the last part of the Holland vs. Uruguay World Cup match. With our recent visit to Holland, we’ve kind of becomes fans and are both rooting for them tonight.

A simple, low key night as we wind down, as we’ve both been describing this, a trip of a lifetime. It’s been an incredible adventure. But again, we are both looking forward to being back in States.

Thanks for sharing our Blog with us - it’s been fun keeping a journal of this fantastic experience.

Love - Greg and Joanie

California - We're Coming Home

Since we had a wedding to go to in California, we decided to stay in the Golden State instead of returning to Boise and having to come back. So here is a run-down of the wonderful times we had awaiting Angela's wedding...

7/7 - Julie and Dina met us at hotel - had fun dinner at El Tarasco

7/8 - drove to Santa Barbara, picked up Nonni’s car. Over the next few days, we wound down from our trip - did laundry, hung out, saw Cyrus, had dinner with Julio and Madeline and Barbara, Scott, Caelun. Watched World cup with Stefan, had Sean and Jeannie over for a drink, went to dinner at Argentine restaurant - Stefan and Alex joined us, and Sean and Jeannie came back to the house afterwards. Went to Barbara’s house and had a BBQ - with some rain - joined by Rick, Billy, Amy and Nico, Gia and Lucca, and Scott’s kids - Seth and Skyler.

7/12 - got rental car, drove to Belle’s house. Had dinner at the Organic Café in Paso - Gary, Marian, Kathleen, Greg, Cody, Taylor and Sawyer joined us. Spent night at Belle’s.

7/13 - went out to the Vineyard for a lesson in Gary’s soil. After 4 hours, we drove up the Big Sur coast to Ronald and Cheri’s. She had a great Salmon dinner prepared for us. Nice evening. Next day, walks along the cliff, went looking for rings downtown S.C. and in Capitola… had lunch at Seabright Brewery - Salmon and chips and great beer. Had dinner at restaurant on Seacliff - Ronald’s birthday dinner - outdoors - very nice.

7/15 - Our anniversary! Had small breakfast with Kaplans, then hit the road up the coast to San Francisco. Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and took a photo - another world landmark visited - stopped for a quick lunch at an organic café in San Rafael, and pulled into Ukiah late afternoon. Had dinner at Patrona’s - local, organic restaurant. Nice time, but Joanie didn’t like her meal.

On Friday, we drove to Mendocinco and walked around - looking for rings again. We then hooked up with Jaynie Beyer Blake and her husband Greg at her old café - Café 1 in Ft. Bragg.. Nice organic, local lunch and then went back to their house for a tour of their garden and pot green house. Pretty amazing. Drove back to Ukiah and then down to Hopland where we had dinner with Joe and Angela at the Crushed Grape. A great dinner, great wine on the deck - listening to the Russian River Ramblers - who played some great New Orleans Jazz. After dinner, we played Bocce on their championship courts. A fun night.

On Saturday - we took it easy. Hung out by the pool, had lunch at Mendocino Brewery - the first organic Brew Pub in the nation - good lunch and nice IPA. Then went to Nick and Angela’s wedding. A longish drive down a country road to a beautiful home - but it was way too hot for an outdoor wedding. Got some shade for awhile after the ceremony, but dinner was blazing for the first hour, then finally the sun set and a good time was had by all. A great couple and we got to visit with a long list of Joanie’s relatives. Got home late and went to bed cuddling - our last night on the road on this greatest of vacations!

Sunday – started off slow and then packed up for our final leg of our journey. We drove down to Hopland and had Brunch at the Crushed Grape, and played another game of Bocce. Great fun in the blazing heat of the morning. We then met Marc and his girls, Mariah and Amelia in Berkeley, and walked around and ate at this great little Mexican restaurant. After a fun time with them, we drove to the airport, returned the rental car and after a short flight home, Ryan picked us up. We went directly to Bitter Creek, where we sat outside and we all enjoyed excellent beers and some of the best fries on the planet. We then drove home, greeted our overgrown front yard and Kona and Guido, and went to sleep in our bed for the first time in about 35 days.

An incredible vacation… but we have a great home to return to.