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Chemin du Piedmont 2022 plus

August - November 2022
Visiting friends and family in August and then on to join friends and family, walking the Camino across France from Carcassonne and into Spain Read more
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  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus

    Intro & Training on the North Bank habit

    July 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    This blog is for our trip to Europe, which is mostly to walk the Camino that runs from Carcassonne France to St. Jean Pied de Port, then over the Pyrenees to Spain and onto the Camino Frances (as far as we can make it until we have to fly back home).

    But when we first get to Europe, we are going to spend two weeks visiting some of our exchange daughters and my German cousin, Marlies and her husband Ulli Walter. So our first few entries will be those travels.

    Last year when we walked the Camino Portugues, I posted all my pictures on Facebook. My plan this year is to do a blog on FindPenguins, I might post a couple of those on Facebook and then if you want to follow the blog, let me know and I will invite you to join in. I’m not really sure how this works yet, learning as I go along!

    The pictures for this post are of our training for the Camino … finally we have started, not long enough or far enough or carrying enough of a load just yet. But we’ve started! (The date of this footprint is when we first started training on the North Bank, but since then we have done a little training with loaded backpacks. Today, 10 Aug, we walked to the local fairgrounds and back with our backpacks, about 13 km.)

    Next post will likely be from our first travel day. On August 14th, we have a very early morning flight from Eugene to Phoenix, then an almost 12 hour layover in Phoenix, from which we will start our overnight flight. We’ll land in London, transfer to Frankfurt, spend the night there and the next day we fly to Bergen Norway to visit Nina!    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    Day 3

    It’s Travel Day!

    August 16, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Our son Daniel drove us to the airport at 3 AM (thanks Daniel!) and we’re waiting for our first flight.

    All sorts of last minute questions and doubts in my head. Are my very expensive and laboriously researched shoes feeling too tight on my feet? ( despite them being a mens model and a full size too big for me?) Is my right knee (the bionic one) working well and ready for the foothills of the Pyrenees? Is my arthritic left knee strong enough to hold up for over 500 miles? Certainly I should have done those exercises on a daily basis!! What about my backpack— did I forget to pack something important? Will I be able to carry all that I DID pack? My pack is going to weigh almost 20 lbs by the time the water and daily food provisions are added— at least 6 lbs over the goal weight.

    I remind myself that I never feel completely ready and prepared, and somehow it works out — Now it is time to just jump in and enjoy the experience. I will build up my strength as we go, I certainly hope that’s the case!

    I wrote the first part of this footprint as we were in the Eugene airport, waiting for our first flight . Now that we have three flights behind us and we’re in Frankfurt, I have to say it was an exhausting journey! We flew about three hours to Phoenix and then we had a 10 hour layover there. Then we flew from Phoenix to London, another two hour layover in London to Frankfurt. Roel slept a bit on the flight overnight flight, I was unable to sleep hardly at all but when I got very tired I started feeling badly. Such a relief to get into London! Maybe we are getting too old for these overnight flights! I wish there was another way, but almost all the airlines, especially from the West Coast, operate only on overnight flights on the way to Europe.

    When we arrived in Frankfurt, we found that the hotel I had booked, hotel Miramar Romer, is in an excellent location right in the historic old city area of Frankfurt. We found a place that serves some outstanding Thai food, then on the way back to the hotel we took a quick trip through the historic area & shot a few pictures. Then back to the hotel for a good nights sleep! (FINALLY!)

    This morning we discovered that our hotel serves an outstanding breakfast and heavenly coffee!! Today we have time to just wander around Frankfurt and then get back to the airport for our evening flight to Bergen Norway. ready for our visits to begin!!    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    Day 4

    Visiting Nina in Bergen

    August 17, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    We spent yesterday and today in Bergen at the gracious home of Nina’s parents. It was so good to see Nina again, can’t believe it’s been five years! She took us to the downtown Harbor area, where we met her mother and took the funicular up the mountain to get some good views of Bergen from the Floyen mountain (one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen), and then we walked down a 3 km path to get back to the city.

    Today we took a walk around the area surrounding Nina‘s house, seeing where she used to go to school. And then this evening we are going to join in a family celebration for her birthday. Tomorrow we go back to the airport to head back to Germany for our next few visits.    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    2
    Day 7

    In Geseke with Leona & Family

    August 20, 2022 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    I’m beginning to suspect a nefarious plot during this visit: it is possible they are stuffing us so that later we may be eaten. Or perhaps, it’s as Matthias said,: if we gain 5 kg now, that’s more to lose and feel good about ourselves once we start the Camino!

    Which ever way it is, we have had so much delicious food since we have been here at Leona‘s parents house, thank you so much Matthias and Simone!! We will now waddle our way to the car and start the journey to our next destination, Melle.

    While here, we have not only had the pleasure of visiting with Leona and her boyfriend Simon, we have also been to a marvelous spot with a thermal spa and rehabilitation center for all sorts of ailments, Bad Sassendorf. We have also walked around a portion of the old city walls of Soest, a gorgeous town not far from here that I can now put on my list of possible places to be an expat.

    We have had a most wonderful visit, it was so good to see our first AFS German daughter again!! Leona is a treasure as always, and very soon will be a completely graduated and credentialed doctor, starting to work in pediatric medicine! We are so happy for her!

    We will be heading today to see cousin Marlies and her family and friends - so looking forward to that visit as well!    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    Day 8

    Visiting the Walters in Melle

    August 21, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    We had a great visit with Marlies and Ulli Walter and their children, Nicole and Bernd.
    Leona and Simon drove us from Geseke to Melle/Gesmold. On the way, Matthias and Simone also came Partway and we walked a few kilometers in the natural area near Paderborn. Then Leona and Simon continued with us to Gesmold where Marlies served coffee and kuchen when we arrived.

    After Leona left, Roel went to meet the guys with the motorcycles at Susanne and Claus’s house, although Susanne and Claus were away on vacation. He rode with Udo and Clause’s son Eric and another neighbor, Rene. While they were motorcycle riding, Marlies and Ulli drove me to the nearby Bad Rothenfelde , yet another wonderful German spa town with thermal baths. We saw an even larger salination structure and an older and more stately looking spa building, although this one was used more for medical purposes and less for recreation. After returning to their house, we had a barbecue along with the motorcycle riders who had also returned.

    On Monday, Marlies and Ulli took us to the zoo in Osnabrück. It was a pretty remarkable zoo for a small city, lots of animals in natural surroundings and some great walking paths. Most noticeably , there were four children’s playgrounds, each with a magnificent theme and a little snack bar. Great place for a family to take their kids!

    Today, Tuesday, we took a short trip to Melle and walked by the statue of the woman carrying water, something I’ve noticed every time I’ve been there. Then they drove us to the train station in Osnabrück and we took off for Hamburg to visit Lea..    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    1
    Day 10

    In Altengamme with Lea’s family

    August 23, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    We arrived by train to the Hauptbahnhof in Hamburg and then rode the U-Bahn to a location closer to Lea‘s house, where she and her dad picked us up. We got to the house around 4:30 pm, and her parents offered to make some homemade ice cream, five different flavors! They have a new machine called the ninja which I am now very tempted to look for! After eating our early dessert, we struck out for a walk into town. Helle (Lea’s mom) offered to show us the church that she’s active in. She got the key from the pastor and showed us around their almost-800 year old church, it was quite something!
    We walked back to the house for a late dinner of an assortment of vegan burgers, all delicious! So we got to bed late again, it has become quite a habit here because we have such good discussions every evening!

    The next morning, Helle and Ralf served us the special Sunday and guest breakfast, the breakfast Germans are known for but which they explained, they only serve on special occasions and on Sunday. Other times they eat muesli with yogurt mostly. After breakfast, Lea drove us into Hamburg to her student apartment, and we started our tour of Hamburg.    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    Day 11

    In Hamburg with Lea

    August 24, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    It had been five years since we’d seen Lea (she was with us the same year that Nina was). She has matured during that time of course and now she’s preparing to graduate from university, studying to be a teacher. Her charming roommate is also studying to be a teacher, although she is now working on her masters program.
    Lea took us to her student apartment in central Hamburg, where we spent the second night. It was an excellent location for her purposes. We spent the day walking down to the harbor, then we walked to the famous opera house and went up the escalators inside it to the viewpoints, from which we could see the entire harbor and the city. After that, we walked to the city center and had some coffee and snacks just off the main square, by the Rathaus.
    After walking back to her apartment, we felt we deserved another meal, so we found an Indian restaurant and some good food! Back at the apartment, we met her roommate and spent a very pleasant (and once again, too late!) evening in discussions with her and Lea. It was hard to say goodbye after such a short visit. Until next time Lea!    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    Day 12

    Unexpected stay in Ljubljana

    August 25, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Tonight we were going to be in Koper, Slovenia, on the Adriatic coast, visiting Jelena. But I found out that I needed to have reserved the shuttle from Ljubljana to Koper several days in advance so we are spending a night in the Ljubljana train station. We’ve had a long train ride today, starting in Hamburg and changing twice. So we just had enough energy to walk to the nearby McDonald’s, which caught my eye because they actually have a veggie burger here, unlike back home. That’s what I ordered of course and it was really delicious! It was a very different veggie burger than I’m used to, it was full of green veggies, I think some of it was zucchini and I couldn’t really recognize the rest but it was tasty. Sometimes it’s fun to check out what McDonald’s has another countries.
    We made a reservation here in the train station Hostel. It’s quite unusual in that its bunkbeds are three layers high and two people deep. I’ve never seen double bunkbeds before, except for sometimes when there’s a double bed on the bottom and a twin on top. Will have to let you know how comfortable it is.
    Tomorrow morning early, on our way to Koper!    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    Day 13

    Burek!!

    August 26, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    This morning we had to grab a quick cuppa coffee and some bread to eat while waiting for the train. Our hostel was right in the train station so fortunately there were some bakeries and coffee places also in the station. I was very happy to see a burek , which is a Turkish inspired pastry filled with spinach or cheese or meat - we choose the one with spinach. I guess it’s somewhat similar to a spanakopita, although really not the same. I ate bureks in Bosnia (2014) and I was very happy to see them again!

    I said I’d report on the comfort of the weird bunkbeds in the hostel. We slept well, although the bed was a bit of a challenge to get in and out of, I was glad we had the middle level because it’s not too far up. On the way down, I could just slide out, as long as Roel was helping me to not hit the floor too hard. we thought that the lowest level would have been easier, until we saw people getting down on their hands and knees and still having to duck under to crawl into them. So, middle level for these old knees!

    We are on the train enroute to Koper right now, where Jelena waits for us, can’t wait to see her!    Read more

  • TravelerChemin du Piedmont 2022 plus
    Day 14

    Piran, Slovenia

    August 27, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    This morning, we met Jelena for breakfast and then she wanted to take us on the bus to the nearby town of Piran. It was about a 40 minute bus trip, stopping in other little towns along the way. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was absolutely gorgeous!

    Turns out that Piran is another very old town, dating back to pre-Roman times. Similar to many other coastal areas, it was taken over by a series of powers and invaders, starting with the Roman Empire in B.C. 178, followed by Avars and Slavs in the 6th century, the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century, then the Franks, then the Slavs again, finally the Holy Roman Empire by A.D. 952. In the 2nd millennium, Piran became part of the Republic of Venice (1283 to 1797), the Austrian Empire in 1797, followed rapidly by the Napoleonic Empire in 1806, then the Austro-Hungarian Empire until it became part of Italy after WWI, then part of Yugoslavia after World War II. Today is part of Slovenia, although certain areas are disputed between Slovenia and Croatia.

    Current population of Piran is only about 3700 people, but in prior years it was a thriving spa and market town of over 15,000 inhabitants. Today it is primarily a tourist town; it was full of tourists this weekend, as it is the last weekend before school starts and vacations end.    Read more

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