Augsburg
1 de outubro de 2022, Alemanha ⋅ 🌧 48 °F
Augsburg was pretty much a rest stop for us. There's not a lot for tourists here. But staying in the namesake of a former favorite beer or mine (Augsburger, or "Augie's") did have a certain appeal. That was made in Monroe, Wisconsin and not here though. Augsburg is about the same size as Madison and is also a university town.
I booked a 4 star hotel using credit card points, so it was effectively free. The weather was rainy and cold, so we mostly chilled out and read up on the next few sites we will visit.
The hotel did have a sauna and we found an amazing pizza place in town that served gluten free pizzas. We were on the 11th floor of the only tall building in town and had a balcony, so it wasn't all bad. And we needed the rest.
Tomorrow, we're off to Baden Baden, one of Europe's premiere spa towns.
More photos and videos are here.
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Ulm is where the (oldest) Art is
30 de setembro de 2022 ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
From Lindau, Ulm isn't too far of a side trip if you're going to Augsburg. So we checked in our bags at the station there after a short train ride and checked out the Fisherman's Quarters., which is a lot easier than saying Fischerviertel-Blau. The rest of the city is modern and not too much to look at, but this area is chock-full of half-timbered houses along a canal near the Danube. It's what I would call a muddy river and definitely not blue.
We're in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg now, so we grabbed lunch at a tradional restaurant. Deanne ordered a strange, yet delicious meal with turkey, Brie cheese, fresh horseradish and berries on a large pretzel sliced in half like a bagel. My Nuremberger sausages with potatoes and kraut filled the bill. I'd had the Regensburg version years ago, and they were similar. Are those fighting words around here? They are small and look like American breakfast sausages, but they're a lot better.
And are we on the Einstein trail? If there is such a thing. Einstein was born here in Ulm, Germany and he worked in Bern, Switzerland where he developed and published his theory of relativity while working at the patent office. Check and check.
We ended our brief stay by visiting the Museum Ulm. It was an interesting hodgepodge of art and history. A modern art wing displayed some pop art from Liechtenstein and Warhol. But the piece de resistance of the museum was a carved ivory tusk of a half man, half lion that was found in a nearby cave. It was found in pieces in 1939 and was reconstructed just about 10 years ago after they found missing pieces in the same cave. It's estimated to be between 35,000 and 40,000 years old. Wow. To put that in perspective, it's the OLDEST statue EVER found. And one of the top 10 oldest pieces of art EVER found. Ulm is where the art is. After a quick stop for coffee, we got on a high speed train to Aubsberg where our hotel was waiting.
Hey Matt Gallo: I never could find any Grain Belt here.
More photos and videos are here.
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Lindau
29 de setembro de 2022, Alemanha ⋅ 🌧 50 °F
We were looking for somewhere new to visit and kinda chose Lindau on a whim. Deanne has a friend that lives here, but here's in Greece on vacation. Since we researched it, we went anyway.
It's just a one- nighter, but we're already regretting not staying longer. We found a great apartment in the pedestrian- zoned old town on a small island in the lake, the Bodensee. That's known to most Americans as Lake Constance. It's yet another charming German town with lots of locally owned shops, great restaurants, and not too many tourists.
Somewhere within the Bodensee is the border with Switzerland and a tiny sliver of Austria. Ferries go between cities in all 3 countries. It was overcast and a little late, so we skipped a ferry ride and just walked the quaint city streets. There wasn't a whole lot else to do except eat and amble, so maybe one night is enough. Tomorrow we're off to Augsburg for a couple days.
More photos and videos are here.
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Fussen and the Bavarian Castles
27 de setembro de 2022, Alemanha ⋅ 🌧 52 °F
We hit the ground running in the morning. The main reason people come to Fussen is to see the famous Neuschwanstein castle of the "Mad King Ludwig." I don't think he was mad, just not good with money and after he went broke building it in the 1880's, he unfortunately only got to live in it for a little while before being deposed. Then he mysteriously died a few days later. His body was found in a lake, along with the body of his physician.
We decided to take a scenic path to the two castles in the area: Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig was raised, and then onto Neuschwanstein, the picture perfect castle high atop the hill. Many say that it's the main influence for the Disney castle, but I've heard that at other castles before. The walk was amazing. Even though it rained off and on, walking through a lush Bavarian forest was a real treat. Everything was so green. There was lots of moss on the trees and in the distance, we could see the Schwan See and Alp see. These are two turquoise lakes that shine bright through the evergreens. We put in almost 12 miles of walking by day's end.
We missed our opportunity to take a castle tour. They sell out days in advance, but that's OK because it's the outside of the castle that's most impressive. We walked by the yellow Hohenschwangau castle after an hour or so and then walked up and up to Neuschwanstein. The sun came out and after walking 20 more minutes to the famous Marienbrucke, we got the money shots of the castle in the distance. Marienbrucke is a pedestrian bridge built by Ludwig over a gorge that gives perfect views of the castle in one direction and perfect views of a waterfall if you look behind you.
On the trail back to the cities, we ran into the 4 guys we sat next to at the Augustiner tent at Octoberfest in Munich. What a small world. We met in a city 2 hours away and were on one of the many trails/roads near the castles. We talked about where we're from and after I said "Madison, Wisconsin" another hiker walking by said "So am I!" He's an Econ student at U of Chicago now, but went to Madison Memorial. It's a REALLY small world. We almost always meet people from Madison when we're traveling abroad.
We told the Octoberfest guys about the great deals on lederhosen and dirndls we found at a used clothing store in town. Fuessen is a really charming town with lots of locally owned shops in the pedestrianized old town. We just stumbled into a clothing store on a rainy day and I couldn't believe that they were selling lederhosen for $50. It was a resale shop. Score! Like I said in earlier posts, these things regularly cost well over $1000 new. I tried on one I liked, and even though it weighs about 5 pounda, I couldn't resist. I'll fit it in the luggage somehow. Deanne found a nice dirndl from the same company that made her dirndle she bought in Austria when she was 16. So we had to tell these guys about it. It's something a lot of tourists buy for Octoberfest, but usually those are just like cheap costumes and not the real deal. The next day, we went back to the store buy a traditional shirt and blouse.
Most of Germany is drought-stricken but it's been all rain, all the time lately. Good for them and not so fun for us. But, we found out there's a thermal spa just right outside of town. We tacked on an extra day here because it's so nice and we need to chill a bit. And spending the day at a Bavarian spa is something I've never done before. For about $34 each, we could spend 4 hours changing between saunas and pools of various temps. Problem is, the saunas are naked only, and they're mixed sex areas. It's actually not a problem, but it's a bit of an adjustment. They just let it all hang out. Afer 15 minutes, you don't even notice. It's all ages (mostly over 25) and the population skews older. We loved the brine pool that was 24% salt. You could float on your back and soak it all in.
Our last night here, we ate at a nice Italian place and our bubbly, extremely gay Slovakian waiter was a hoot. We talked about the places we'd been in Slovakia and he was pretty surprised we knew Poprad and Stary Smokovek. And that Andy Warhol's parents were from near Kosice and not Pittsburgh.
Tomorrow, we're off for one night only to Lindau, a small German town on lake Konstanz. We know nothing about it and we're kinda winging it.
More photos and videos are here.
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Munich and Octoberfest
26 de setembro de 2022, Alemanha ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
We finally found some lockers that worked at the train station. Most were full or broken. Looks like we're not the only people who are doing Munich and Octoberfest in one day. After locking up our bags, we walked over to the Marienplatz to check out the Glockenspiel at noon. It's a carousel of dancers, a wedding party, and some jousting knights that perform a couple times a day for tourists from high atop the Rathaus in the central square.
Seems like Germans and Austrians don't always accept credit cards at busineses, so we had to do a bit of research to find an ATM that didn't charge exhorbitant fees. That's a big contrast to the Scandinavian countries, which are mostly cash-free now. We meandered to the nearby victuals market and found a cheap place to eat after getting some Euros. Gotta love the 1 to 1 exchange rate!
Then it was a long walk to the Theresienwiese, or Octoberfest grounds. Locals abbreviate the festivities to the "Wiesn" after the park. We stopped by a very small and interesting church on the way, the Asam church. The eccentric brothers who funded it used a hodgepodge of architectural styles. Let's just say it looked busy.
And then, FINALLY. The Mother Church of all things beer.... the famous Munich Octoberfest. We purposely chose to go on a Monday and just for the day. Rooms were sold out way in advance, or were outrageously expensive. Weekends are absolutely crazy and you can't get a seat in any of the beer tents. It proved to be a wise decision. We lucked out on the weather also. After a brief shower, it was sunny and warm the rest of the day. We had no idea that it was really a huge carnival with beer tents. We walked around a bit and poked our heads in a few of the tents. Six Munich breweries each have a huge tent. And it must be a tent. According to tradition, there aren't permanent buildings on the grounds. They all come down after the fest is over in early October. But they sure look permanent. And no other beers can be sold. And you can't walk around with beers. You must be seated in a tent to get a beer. So it's a mad rush on opening day and on weekends. Going at 1;30 on a Monday was a no-brainer.
We chose to go to the Augustiner tent, since I read in a blog that it had the lowest gluten content of the six. I found that I could get away with a few with no issues. So, after we walked in, we were promptly seated at one of the dozens of tables. Looks like were were in the cheap seats with other foreigners. Many families and companies pay big bucks to reserve tables a year in advance for seats near the band in the center, or up in the makeshift balconies. Steins of beer are sold only in the one-liter size and cost $12.80 or about $3 more than at the Augustiner beer hall near the center of town, or about double of what it would cost at a local pub. But it was well worth it for the atmosphere and fun. We knocked back a couple, sang "Ein Prosit" quite a few times, and chatted up some guys next to us.
Then we went out to explore the carnival and went on one ride. The complex is pretty huge and we walked around quite a bit before heading back for another Augustiner. We sat outside in the sun with a group of civil engineers from a local company and shot the shit. By 6:30, we were walking to the station just as the crowds started getting bigger. By 7:30 we were on a train heading SW to Fuessen, two hours away. And by then I was never happier to see a bed in my life. What a day. Octoberfest is something everyone should try at least once in their life. And the place was packed with foreigners from all over the world. About half of the attendees were wearing dirndls and lederhosen and everyone was laughing and smiling and having such a great time. I don't know if I'll make it back. Maybe if I get some Lederhosen......
More photos and videos are here.
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Salzburg
25 de setembro de 2022, Áustria ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
The train was a short 2 hour ride from Innsbruck. This was one of our first packed trains in awhile, but we still found seats. This week is the St. Rupert's Fair, which is like a mini-Octoberfest. Local transportation is free, but we decided to get the Salzburg card anyway. These cards can be great value or a tourist trap, depending on the city, so you need to do some research. Even though the buses and trams are free, it's still a great deal for 48 hours. Go to 3 museums or sites, and it pays for itself.
We booked an apartment about 3 miles south of town, which is starting to hit farmland already. We wondered if that was a mistake, since we'd be shuttling to the fair on buses. We were met by Monica when we got off the bus after Deanne texted our ETA. She spoke broken English, but was very sweet. The apartment is only 2 years old and Monica has a nice design taste. It's perfect! A coffee machine with pods, plenty of room, right on the busline, and the best part was when she offered a dozen farm-fresh eggs. We didn't have time to stop at a store on the way in and it was as if she read our minds about breakfast.
We went back to town right away to meet up with our friend Louie and his friend Michael at the funicular to get up to the Fortress Hohensalzburg, the big fortress on the biggest hill in town. Louie's a like-minded traveler who takes breaks from his job as a pilot whenever he can. He met us in Barcelona this winter. His friend Michael is from Denver.
We walked through the St. Rupert's fest area to get on the funicular. Dirndls (traditional Bavarian and Austrian dresses) and Lederhosen are in! About half the people we saw were wearing them. I read an article in a newspaper this year that they had come back into fashion in the last 10 years or so after being NOT COOL for a few decades. I'd love to buy some Lederhosen, but they run $200-$500 and are kinda heavy. I'm gonna pass.
Unlike Octoberfest in Munich, this is a low-key family affair with rides for kids. There are beer and wine tents, but I'd say there were about 2,000 - 4,000 people drinking and eating when we got there at about Friday happy hour time. The fortress had great views of the city and there were several small museums tucked into corners.
On the way home, we stopped at the Augustiner brewery, which was right on our busline. It was our first Bavarian style brewery/ beerhall. Even though it was late, the experience was fun. After you walk in, you grab a mug from a shelf on the wall. Then you walk up to a cashier and pay. With receipt in hand, you walk up to the bartender who's one job is to "Fill up der Stein." He makes a show of sliding it across a metal table with holes in it to catch the foam. The beerhall was huge and has plaques on the wall for various drinking clubs, many of which give their hours: Stammtisch Pensioners - every 2nd Thursday of the month from 4:00.
The lights started going off at 10:45 and at 10:55 all lights went off and a guy walked around the room telling everyone to get out.. A table next to us had a group of about 8 teenagers drinking. They were probably 16 or so and were much better behaved in a bar than my friends and I at 25.
The next day, we all hung out and walked around town and saw the sights, stopped for wine at cafes and markets, and pretty much avoided the fair area. It was hard to get a beer and they didn't have bathrooms! There were no porta potties and just one public restroom that I could see and they charged 50 cents. The line was so long, we know better than to order a drink there, so we went to a restaurant.
After saying goodbye around dinner time, we went back to the Augustiner beer hall again, because, why not? What a difference it was to get there by 8 pm instead of 10:30. The place was packed. There are small cafeteria style kiosks on the first floor with various food items. I got some ribs and kraut and we drank a few steins. They had run out of brats already
I counted six large rooms on the first floor that were full. There's also an upstairs and an outdoor beer garden. This is all at the same time as the fair going on in the center. We know now that after grabbing mugs from a shelf, you're supposed to rinse them in cold water to cool the mugs.
On Sunday, we headed south of town to take a gondola up to a peak called Untersberg. The views were partially blocked by cloudcover, but what we saw was impressive. There was snow on the ground and we were right on the border with Germany. The small restaurant on top was cheap and delicious. We still can't believe how cheap the food is compared to the first part of our trip.
Afterwards, we took a bus to see Schloss Hellbrunn, the palace grounds of a Prince Archbishop who was especially playful. He had these trick water fountains installed that used hydrolic pressure to power toys and to squirt unsuspecting guests. The gardens were impressive and Deanne got to see the glass gazebo used in the film The Sound of Music where Liesl sang 16 going on 17.
Tomorrow we are checking our bags at the station for a quick tour of Munich and a few hours at Octoberfest. Rooms are full or too expensive, so we're spending the day there before heading to Fuessen for the night.
More photos and videos are here.
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Innsbruck, Austria
21 de setembro de 2022, Áustria ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
Innsburg was a nice break. We did a lot of nothing here, which was fine with us. It's located in a broad valley between mountain ranges. Deanne scored a huge apartment in the center of the old city, facing the famous "Golden Roof." From our 3rd floor windows, we could look down on the hordes of tour groups and people watch. After all the hiking and trains and moving around, it felt great to just chill out. We had time to plan the next week or so of the trip. Of course we couldn't sit still for long. We took a bus to the south of town and then walked up to the Bergisel ski jump.
Innsbruck has hosted 2 winter olympics and the ski jump platform offers tours. The views of the city and mountains were spectacular. From the top, if we turned around, we could see the downhill ski run where Franz Klammer won the Gold in the 1976 Olympics.
We walked back to the old town from there. A bus took almost as long as walking. The old town is car free and very pleasant to stroll around. We decided to leave it for a traditional meal away from tourist hordes and weren't disappointed. Lunch was pork-laden, heavy, and delicious. Food and wine prices here are sooooo much cheaper than Scandinavia and Switzerland. Who knew that Austria could be seen as inexpensive? It helps that the dollar is strong now compared to the Euro. They're about equal. A fine beer or glass of wine is $3-$4 and a meal with tax, tip, (about 10% here) without drinks can be had for $13-$20.
We made it to one museum, the Hofburg palace. It had a lot of period piece furniture and portraits from the Hapsburgs. It's large and was well-done. But based on what we saw, it looks like this was little visited by the Hapsburg royalty and I got the impression that Innsbruck was seen as a backwater to be visited on the way to or from somewhere else in the sprawling kingdom. Vienna and Budapest were were the action was at, I think.
The views from most places in Innsbruck are out of this world. Imagine looking up to see snow-capped mountains in the background against a blue sky. We didn't get tired of it. We're staying above a nice cafe that makes fresh Apple Strudel every day. People are very friendly, even those that cater to tourists. I can't recommend Innsbruck enough. We're not doing a lot that the city has to offer. Instead, we're just walking around enjoying the sites. Today we walked along the Inn river toward the University and then strolled back a different way.
Tomorrow, we take a 2 hour train to Salzburg, home of salt mines, a fancy archbishop, Mozart, the Sound of Music, and the St. Rupert's fair.
Deanne was 16 going on 17 when she was an exchange student in Austria. And she played Mother Abbess in her high school production of the Sound of Music, so let's just say she's a little more excited to see certain sites than I am.
We hope to spend more time at the fair than any of the other sites of interest. It's a beer-fest that's supposed to be like a mini-Octoberfest. Our United airlines pilot friend Louie, from New York, is meeting us with a friend for the festivities.
See more photos and videos here.
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Liechtenstein
20 de setembro de 2022, Liechtenstein ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
We're taking a train through Liechtenstein to get to Innsbruck, Austria. We decided against stopping here. We've been on the go for several days and we're looking forward to staying put for 3 nights.
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The Bernina Express to Tirano, Italy
19 de setembro de 2022, Itália ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
Once again, we're winging it. The Bernina Express is another world-famous classic train ride. Our Eurail pass covers it, but not the $25 seat reservation for each person, each way. We're getting so used to just jumping on any train, that we didn't bother with the reservation. And we like the extra space in the first class compartment of the regional train.
From St. Moritz, we headed south and soon encountered the first glacier we've seen from a train: the Morteratsch Glacier. It's lovely, but I just gotta say that the Glacier Express we just completed yesterday allows no views of glaciers and is by no means an express. It's like the Holy Roman Empire over here, in that none of these words describe reality. I'm not complaining, because we love the slow trains. But be warned that the Glacier Express is just a branding term.
For most of the ride, there was just one other couple in our compartment. They were German and only the woman spoke English. They had traveled quite a bit in the US and were on a short vacation to Switzerland and even she commented on how expensive Switzerland was. All of us were excited to see the scenery and we had plenty of room to move around the compartment to change seats. They're from Straubing, in Bavaria and mentioned that their 50th wedding anniversary was this Saturday. They met at the Octoberfest in Staubing, the 2nd largest Octoberfest in Europe. Long live beer!
There were dozens of bridges and tunnels on this stretch, and the engineering feats were impressive, especially towards the end of the ride at Busio, where the famous Busio spiral viaduct takes the train down at no more than a 7% grade in a corkscrew ramp. We ended at Tirano, Italy, which lies just south of the Swiss border. What a difference! It was under 40 degrees when we woke up in St. Moritz and we arrived to sunny 70 degree weather in Tirano. But that's not the only difference we noticed right away. Literally right after we crossed the border (no checkpoints, this is all the Schengen visa area) I noticed a shirt drying on a balcony. In the 10 days or so we were in Switzerland, I never saw laundry drying. Is there a law against it? It's not like they use clothes dryers a lot in these parts.
People were more animated. They talked with their hands. Wine was literally 15 - 25% of the cost in Switzerland, just 5 miles north. Food was much cheaper at the store. Unfortunately, we've only got one night here. But we'll get back to Italy at the end of this trip.
We walked around town after the other Bernese expressers caught trains out of town. Deanne stole a grape from a vinyard. Kids played in the park. Local guys drank and sang loudly at 4pm at the pub across the piazza from our apartment on a Monday. What a contrast to the reserved Switzerland we just left.
We scored big time on the apartment I booked. It overlooks the main piazza near the station and was recently remodeled. And it's big by European standards
In the morning, we backtrack on the same route we took, up to Chur. From there, we'll pass through Liechtenstein and make our way to Innsbruck, Austria. It should take about 7 hours. My thoughts on Switzerland are that it is indeed expensive. It wasn't much of a shock coming from Sweden and Denmark. However, it's a once in a lifetime experience for me. The air and water are so clean and everything just works. I've never seen such well-marked trails and signs. The cost of visiting the Grindelwald area is high, but considering the cost to run the trams and trains and the trail maintenance, it's well worth it.
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The Glacier Express to St. Moritz
18 de setembro de 2022, Suíça ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F
You could say I've been training a lot for this. We're almost 4 weeks into our 3 months Eurail pass. We have broken even just one month into it. But we're not sick of trains yet. And this is what I've been waiting for.
From Andermatt, we quickly climbed up to the Oberalppass, the mountain pass on the way to Chur. They had some light snow up there last night. It's only 2,044 meters high, or 6,700 feet. So about 1,000 feet higher than Denver. Impressive views though.
Not long after the pass, we followed a small river called the Rhine. You might have heard of it. It's origin is up here and they created a reservoir, dam, and power station nearby. It truly is the hardest working river in Europe.
Father down, we're saw kayakers on the river. Then came some large white bluffs, which they call the Grand Canyon of Switzerland. That's a bit of a misnomer, but they were nice.
We changed trains in Chur, a nice sized city that happened to have a busker festival going on. It's the same day as the Willy St. Fair in Madison, so we got a similar experience, if only for an hour. We caught a few songs from a Cumbia band from Columbia, bought some wine, and jumped on the last leg to St. Moritz.
We ate a picnic lunch and enjoyed our wine and the stunning views. Bringing your own food and alcohol on board is not a problem in European trains.
Soon afterwards, we passed over the famous Landwasser viaduct before entering a long tunnel. Upon arrival, we checked into our hotel in St. Moritz and walked around town a bit. It's a ritzy town with lots of high end shops. It was dead on a Sunday afternoon, which was nice after dealing with crowds in Grindelwald.
We stumbled across the "stadium"where the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics were held. Most high school fields are much larger! I'm not sure, but this might be the 5th winter Olympics city I've been to. But never to the Olympics itself.
After a fine dinner downtown, we went back to our hotel and enjoyed a long sauna and called it a night. This is our last night in Switzerland. Tomorrow, we take the Bernina Express to Tirano, Italy. And the day after, it's a 7 hour trip to Innsbruck, Austria. Ok, make that 6 winter Olympics cities.
More photos and videos are here.
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Andermatt
17 de setembro de 2022, Suíça ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F
Andermatt is about half-way through the Glacier Express route and it seemed like a good place to spend the night. It's a ski town, but it's September, so it's pretty quiet. We checked into a nice, small hotel and took a half hour to walk around town. It's quaint, and not too touristy. We found a great restaurant run by a Swiss guy who married a South African woman and we were intrigued by the menu that had Swiss and South African dishes.
The train out of Zermatt followed the Matter Vispa river down and back towards Visp and then Brig before heading up to Andermatt. We had good weather and great views on our near empty train compartment, but the best views will be tomorrow.
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Zermatt and the Matterhorn
17 de setembro de 2022, Suíça ⋅ ⛅ 34 °F
We left Grindelwald early today and took a couple of trains to get to Zermatt, the home base for sights of the famous Matterhorn mountain. We chose not to spend the night here, but stopped in for a few hours and locked our luggage at the train station. There was some light snowfall up there last night, and a lot of it was blowing, so we only got partial views.
Zermatt had lots of tourists and lots of tourist shops. It's kind of what we expected, which is why we only stayed here a little bit. We took in the sights and snapped our photos and then got back on a train to start our "Glacier Express" on the cheap trip.
The Glacier Express is a Swiss Tourism creation that allows you to go on one tourist train from Zermatt to Chur or St. Moritz or the reverse trip. It's one of the world's great train rides, and while you won't see any glaciers from the train, the views are out of this world. Our pass covers it, but we would need to pay a $45 reservation fee. Two weeks ago, I found out that the Glacier Express trains are booked up 3 months in advance! I was bummed.
But, I found out later that anyone can take the local trains on the same route. The only difference is that you need to change trains a couple times and the normal train cars don't have the larger windows and a partial glass ceiling. Since we have a first class Eurail pass, we ended up having a better experience, I think. Our first class car had large glass windows and there was hardly anyone on them! So instead of a full car with an assigned seat, we could change to wherever we wanted on an almost empty train car.
We'll break up this normal one day trip into two days, and then do the same thing on the Bernina Express, another classic Swiss train route that goes from Chur to just over the border to Tirano, Italy.
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Grindelwald and the Jungfraujoch
15 de setembro de 2022, Suíça ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
Jungrfraujoch is a mountain pass here in the Bernese Oberland. It means "virgin" and it's the location of the highest train station in Europe. We chose the village of Grindelwald as a base for 4 days and nights here to hike and explore the Alps. Our Eurail passes don't cover this area's transportation, so we bought another pass for the myriad of trains, cable cars, buses, and cogwheel trains. It's pricey, but now that we've been here, I can say it's well worth it. It costs about what ski passes cost at most resorts. For 4 days of unlimited travel and one trip to the top of Jungraujoch, it cost about $270 each. That allows you to start or end your hikes at train stations or cable car stops. Even if you can't hike, the cable car rides are majestic and make the pass well worth it. A season pass for the spring - fall cost only $400, so if you can afford to spend more time here, that's a great deal.
Our train from Bern didn't take too long to get to Interlaken, a town between Lakes Thun and Brienze. They're both bright blue, long, and narrow mountain lakes that frame great views of the mountains in the distance. From Interlaken, we bought our new rail passes and rode another train up to Grindelwald. We rented a small apartment with a wonderful view of Mt. Eiger (of the Eiger Sanction fame.... horrible movie BTW).
This town allows anyone who spends the night to use the local buses for free. We actually pay for it in our hotel taxes, and it's a great idea. We need to use that bus since we're staying a mile above the village. For our first trip, we just showed our reservation to the driver and grabbed a seat. After checkin, we got a pass to use.
We hit the ground running on day 1 since it was the best weather day of the 4. We went from Bern to our apartment and immediately took off to catch a bus, a cable car, and a train to get to the Jungfraujoch while the sun was still out. It was amazing. The whole setup is quite the engineering feat. It looks like a James Bond villain's evil lair. Inside there is an underground train station in the mountain, an ice tunnel and caves you can walk through, a Lindt chocolate demo and store, several Swiss watch stores, 3 restaurants, small bars, a light show, and more.
But the best part is looking down on the largest glacier in the Alps, the Aletsch Glacier. It's slowly melting, but it's not disappearing as fast as many others. From the top, we could see pretty far in all directions and got to walk out on the glacier. The vast majority of the tourists here in September are Chinese, followed by Indians. I hear quite a few American accents also.
After that, we went back down the mountain and jumped on a random cable car that took us up another valley. We got out and hiked a bit and then zigzagged our way back to our rooom and made dinner.
On Day 2, we got lucky on the weather and did some more cable cars and hiking. On a small trail down towards Grindelwald, we stumbled on a quaint restaurant with amazing views and opted to have a late lunch/early dinner there with a carafe of wine. It's surprising how there are these tiny restaurants and cafes in the most out of the way places.
On Day 3, we had a rainy, cold weather day. I had my heart set on doing the classic Schynnige Platte to First hike. We took a train down towards Interlocken and then took an old, narrow-gauge cogwheel train up to Schynige Platte to start the hike. Deanne's shoes weren't the greatest and she did an about face after an hour. I trudged on.
The views of the lakes and valleys were good for another hour or so, but then it got cold, wet, and windy. A perfect day for hiking! I did the 16 Km hike and even went to the top of Faulhorn. And even way up top, there was a small hotel and restaurant. I couldn't believe it. I had to stop in for coffee. And I was shocked they it cost the same as in the village. I had to ask if they use mules to bring up supplies and she said "No, they used to a long time ago, but now we use helicopters."
At home, we made spaghetti and enjoyed the views of Eiger with our wine. Restaurants aren't really too expensive here, considering tax and tip is included. I'd say a meal without alcohol costs 10-20% more than a high quality restaurant at home. But we've got an apartment and cooking is a real treat when you're traveling for 10 weeks.
On Day 4, we visited several villages via cogwheel trains, regular trains and cable cars. Most of the villages are quiet and quaint and are ski towns.
Wengen was probably the nicest. We ate in Murren above a scenic valley. Lauterbrunnen had too many tourists and not much to see in town. We ended our last day by going all the way back down to Interlaken to see the 2 lakes and take the funicular to Harder Kulm, a line with a 64 degree grade! What views from the top.
Grindelwald and the neighboring valleys were all that we hoped for, and more. I'd love to come back for skiiing sometime.
More photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/nPCBkySzBTm8keqf6Leia mais
Feel The Bern
13 de setembro de 2022, Suíça ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F
What a lovely city. Situated on bluffs above the Aare river, Bern is Switzerland's capital. It's less than 200,000 people, but seems much larger because of tourists and the fact that most people use public transportation. We had 2 perfect weather days and booked a new, trendy hotel high up on a hill with great views of the city and Alpine peaks from the rooftop terrace. We walked around the city a lot and there was a family bike riding event going on. There were bike riding demos, stages, and blocked off streets kind of like Ride The Drive in Madison.
We opted to rent a car to see the village where Deanne's Funkhouser clan came from. It was my first electric car, and I loved it. The best part was not having to find a station and then pay for expensive gas ($8+ a gallon?) We had plenty of range to visit an Emmentaler cheese factory.
What we call Swiss cheese is Emmentaler, from the valley (Tal) of Emmen. At the adjacent restaurant, we went full Swiss and ordered fondue and raclette, which is cheese and bread and cheese and potatoes. Oh, they included some pickles with my raclette. Kidding aside, it was delicious but not something we can eat often since it was so rich. Outside our windows, we could see the cows grazing as the bells around their neck created a steady chime.
The Funkhousers came from nearby Strub and Fankhous. So, not only is Deanne a cheesehead, she's a Swiss cheesehead. Fankhous itself had about 9 houses and was along a stream that was bone dry when we visited. It's an absolutely gorgeous area though. From there we just drove around the area admiring the wonderful houses with blooming red flowers in the window boxes.
We meandered up to a ski village called Sorenberg. There were hikes from here, but we didn't have time. So we drove back to Bern to drop off the car and have some wine from our hotel rooftop. In Europe, breakfast is included in most hotels, and unlike American hotel breakfasts, these layouts are pretty impressive. Uusally, there are high-end cappuccino machines making a variety of coffee drinks at the press of a button. There's lots of fruit, muesli, yoghurts, cheeses, sliced meats, eggs, etc.
It was a short but sweet visit, but a couple days was probably enough, especially since the Bernese Oberland was waiting. We plan to spend 4 nights there to zip among alpine peaks on trains, cogwheel trains, buses, and cable cars, and to get some hiking in. The forecast calls for rain for 3 of the days, but we bring the sun.
More photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NstrJB17J9Dfcz6m9Leia mais
Cologne
11 de setembro de 2022, Alemanha ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Cologne was just a quick stop on our way to Switzerland. We had just enough time to check in, walk around town and grab dinner and a couple drinks. It looks like a great town even though it was raining. They desperately need the rain. The Rhine River is at record lows.
Kolsch beer is the rage here, and they serve it in small narrow glasses. Too bad we're not staying longer because drinks are about half price compared to Denmark! For dinner, it was Sauerbraten for me and Salmon in
a beurre Blanc sauce for Deanne, along with some German wines.
Cologne's most famous landmark is it's gothic cathedral. We just made it inside before closing time. It's extremely tall and quite impressive. But after seeing a few of these, they tend to all look alike. I know.... sacriliege! After seeing that, we stumbled on a cafe called "Funk Haus" and of course Dr. Funkhouser and I HAD to stop in for a drink. Nobody in Iowa is quite sure, but they think it means Radio Station. We are asking several people what the surname means and have heard Radio Station and Fire Station. This cafe is named after the TV station that was in the building before. Maybe we'll find out in the Emmental valley of Switzerland where Deanne's family came from.
More photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/CmhfqVJddU23wgAg7Leia mais
Copenhagen
9 de setembro de 2022, Dinamarca ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
Whew! What a whirlwind tour of Copenhagen and the area. We found a great apartment in the Vesterbro neighborhood of Copenhagen, across the street from the Meatpacking District. It's a trendy area with lots of restaurants and bars. But since we bought the 4-day Copenhagen card, we weren't much for nightlife. It allowed us free entry to almost all museums and castles in the area, along with free transportation. That meant we didn't need to rent a bike, which looked fun, but why pay double for transportation options? The card was an amazing deal and we were true Culture Vultures.
We saw 3 castles, many interesting museums, and climbed the top of Our Savior Church for majestic views of the city. One of my favorites was the photography exhibit in Hamlet's castle (known by 3 names: Elsinor, Helsingborg, and Kronberg). The costumes used in the photo shoots were pretty amazing. The photogropher used models to recreate famous Danish royalty. Some of the castle exhibits were musty, and some were fascinating. Another favorite was the Viking Ship Museum in nearby Roskilde, where we got to row and sail in a re-creation of a Viking boat.
We started off the first full day with a Canal boat tour and then hit the ground running. But on our arrival day, we made a late afternoon visit to the social experiment of Christiania, where hippies took over an abandoned military installation in the early 70's and never left. It's been about 50 years on now and it's still a thriving subculture.
Bikes are everywhere. Even more so than anywhere else in Scandinavia, I think. The transportation system is good, but there are no trams and fewer buses than most places. There is a good metro system and regional trains, but since so many people use bikes, I think there is less of a network than similar sized cities like Helsinki. People can bring their bikes on trains and buses. There are whole sections of them for bikes. And since the area is flat, it's just a great way to get around.
We thought we'd get an overnight train from Hamburg to Zurich, but it's sold out for the next month or so. And so we're adjusting by taking a day train from Copenhagen to Hamburg to Cologne in one day. In the morning we'll move on down to Bern, Switzerland . The Eurail pass makes plan B and C pretty easy. We really want to explore Hamburg, but we want to get to Switzerland while it's warm. We'll head back up to Germany later.
Fun fact: St. Pauli Girl, an innocent looking German Fraulein is named after the St. Pauli district in Hamburg. That's the former red light district. So think about that the next time you see the beer label.
More photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/5bZJ58NpPyJdnKfp6Leia mais
Stege, Mon, Denmark
4 de setembro de 2022, Dinamarca ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
Stege and the island of Mon is quite the contrast to the citites we've been in so far. It's like Wisconsin's Door County or Michigan's UP. But right after the tourist season ends. It's a sunny September 4th and the place is like a ghost town. Apparently, their tourist season is July and August only.
We're here because of the Mons Klint, or white cliffs of Mon. They rival the cliffs of Dover for sheer size and awe inspiring views. The east end of the island is chalky white limestone mixed with black veins of flint. But Stege is the main town on the island and on the west side. Not having a car is problematic, but we worked it out. There are public buses, but they don't run on Sundays, the day we have available to see the cliffs. There's a tourist office, but it's closed on weekends. Rumor had it there was a free green bus that made the trip, but there's nothing online, there's no mention of it at the bus stops, and most locals only heard a bit about it. But, we did find it and asked for the schedule from the driver. It's a modern, new long distance bus and was a great comfortable ride through the countryside to the cliffs at the GeoCenter, a museum.
We found a lovely house to rent and it will probably be the biggest place we stay in the whole trip. A path in the back leads to the lagoon and there's a dock and swimming area. It's sunny but very windy so we took a pass on the swimming. There was a small end of season festival going on when we arrived, with people dressed in 1800's era costumes giving demonstrations on weapon making, wool spinning, etc. Later a band played American classic covers in a tent, but the whole deal didn't attract too many people.
This morning we took the 50 minute ride to the Mons Klint and hiked several miles on a path through woodland and to the top of the highest cliff. Then it was down a long series of steps to the Baltic Sea, where we walked along the base of the cliffs. It was so beautiful.
And finally, we hiked up another series of steps back to the top. It's been a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of cities. Tomorrow it's back to it, for 5 nights in Copenhagen!Leia mais
Aarhus
3 de setembro de 2022, Dinamarca ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Oooh. Our first First Class train. After changing trains in Aalborg, we got to sit in the first train that offered First Class seats. For only a couple dollars more per day of our trip, we decided to spring for it mostlly because it will allow us to take the trains we want. Eurail passes allot a certain amount of seats for passholders in each section, but they don't tell you how many. So, if 2nd class is full for pass holders, we can almost always get a seat in First. This one included free instant coffee, magazines, and candy. But the best part is we were the only ones in it, so we could spread out. Gone are the days of sitting on a bag of cabbage and having an old lady sleep on my shoulder (I'm looking at you, Myanmar).
The town is pronounced Our HOOS. We immediately liked Aarhus as soon as we walked out of the station. Sometimes you get an immediate sense for a city. But as luck would have it, this is the week of the annual Aarhus Festuge https://www.aarhusfestuge.dk/, or Arts Festival. It seems to be a combination of art, music, and beer. Lots and lots of beer. At check-in, the host at our aparthotel told us it's like a mini-Octoberfest. There's beer tents everywwhere and stages for bands and people walking around with open beers or sitting in the parks drinking at 4 on a Thursday. What luck.
It was Deanne's 62nd birthday, so I made a reservation at a Michelin starred restaurant called Moef. But after 9 days on the road, laundry was calling. Laundromats are hard to come by in Europe, so we book places with laundry every week or so. Between loads, we explored the neighborhood and enjoyed watching people learn Swing Dancing in a tent and went grocery shopping.
The dinner was amazing. The chef and waitress explained everything and the chef told us which berries and herbs he grew and picked himself. We almost never order the same thing and since I wanted the Haddock with a french curry sauce, Deanne opted for a Confit pig with polenta, "the neighbor's currants", corn, and a sauce made from the roasted corn cob marinated with pork stock. Newsflash: Iowa girl orders Iowa food! Kidding aside, both dishes were amazing and we did the 'ole trading dishes across the table trick. Why doesn't anyone else do that?
The next day we explored ARoS, the modern art museum. The highlight is the Rainbow Panarama on the roof. You walk in a circular, glass enclosed walkway and the windows are tinted the colors of the rainbow. It's like walking through ROYGBIV. And besides that, it was probably the best modern art museum I've been to.
After that it was just walking around Denmark's 2nd largest city. We just missed the Queen's boat at the harbor. She came in on a boat for the fest, apparently. It's vibrant city, mostly because of the university and it's thousands of students. This weekend, they were all drinking but it was pretty mellow and everyone was well behaved, even when we walked through a park with lots of drinking games going on. The Latin Quarter is a quaint area with old buildings, tiny shops, and lots and lots of coffee shops and bars. All of them were pretty full on a Friday afternoon. Lunch was at a cool food court in an old warehouse. Each food cart was in a shipping container. There were maybe 25 carts. I opted for Jamaican and Deanne had Korean.
That night we made a picnic dinner and had wine with the locals in the park nearby. EVERYONE was out eating and drinking in the parks. After sunset, we walked around town looking for bands in tents. We danced a bit to the silent disco where you get to use free headsets and dance with about 50 other people. We saw this in Australia once. Basically, it's a really weird scene to see so many people dancing but not hear any music, unless you have a headset of course.
Later we took some Baltic dancing lessons in a tent and we ended up seeing a really fun Irish band in the tent Deanne first noticed as we walked out of the train station. We danced a lot to that one and especially enjoyed the version of Monty Python's "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life." We collapsed at home after midnight and regretted that we only booked 2 nights.
More photos and videos of Aarhus are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/SdXR135SKCPQFZcU9
Photos of just the ARos Art museum are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/W5KH7wQipTYGPxWDALeia mais
Do many European cities have Latin Quarters? The one in Paris is well known, and it is because Latin was spoken there. Why does Aarhus have a Latin Quarter. Inquiring minds want to know. [cp]
Skagen, rhymes with Dane
1 de setembro de 2022, Dinamarca ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
The ferry from Gothenburg only took 3 hours, but it was a sunny day with blue skies. It was definitely an older crowd. I guess that's us now. The mostly Swedes were on a short trip or a booze run. It's another tax free ferry once they get a few miles out, and many people brought their dollys to buy cases of booze at cheap prices. Sweden's sin taxes are notoriously high. For Wisconsinites, the sale prices were about what you'd pay at a big box store like Costco.
After we landed in Frederikshavn, we had to quickly walk to the train station about 10 minutes away. We practically raced a Swedish family trying to catch a train that left a few minutes after us, so they let us pass them at a stop walk. We made the train with minutes to spare and enjoyed the slow ride up to Skagen. It's pronounced like Skain and rhymes with Dane. You'd think I'd remember that but I kept saying Skoggin or Skahn all the time. I even did it in a video I recorded when we were at Grenen. That's the sand spit that is the northernmost point of Denmark and where the Baltic Sea meets the North Sea. The Danes add a few more seas in between them: The Kattegat and the Skaggerak.
That was fun and the water was warm. Everyone goes out and walks where the two seas meet, but apparently don't mix. It was strange to see all the starfish there. Most were dead and formed a long path on the North Sea side. Was it warming waters that killed them? We walked past WW2 bunkers built by the Germans and biked back in town. We had rented 2 basic bikes that are the standard here. They're slow and clunky compared to what we're used to, but everyone uses them. The pace is slower here, and that's nice. The bike paths are amazing and you have to pay to park a car almost anywhere in town, so it was a wise choice, especially given the great weather. We passed quaint houses, lighthouses, sand dunes, and large sea vessels. We packed a picnic lunch and ate it out on the sandy beach and finished a half bottle of wine we'd been carrying for two days.
Deanne mentioned a day or two ago that her watch was losing time and was scratched. I looked at it and noticed it said "Skagen, Denmark" on it. I had bought it for her on her birthday many years ago and didn't notice the brand name before. Today is her 62nd birthday, ironically, so I thought it fitting to buy her a new Skagen, Denmark watch. We had to look up the company online. It's an American company founded by 2 Danes but all their watches are made in China! But, we found a perfect watch for her that had tiny dragonflies on them. Before her friend Joyce died of cancer a few years ago she said she'd come back to Deanne as a dragonfly. So that sealed the deal. And then, when purchasing the watch the saleswoman said this model is called "Dancing." Even though the brand was different, it was sitll a Skagen, Denmark watch, and it was fate, indeed.
In the morning, we took our bikes out for a ride to an abandoned church that was partially buried in sand. The parishoners got tired of digging it out because of drifting and it was officially closed in the 18th century and only the top of the tower was left.
Other photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/2pmTetoLUyHT9KtE8Leia mais
Gothenburg
30 de agosto de 2022, Suécia ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
It's pronounced YER ta BOR ee? I'm doomed.
Or not, since everyone in Sweden seems to speak English. After another night on a ferry and a quick cab to Stockholm's Central Station, we jumped on a high speed train to cross through southern Sweden to the 2nd city of Gothenburg. The train was like most things Swedish: quick, clean, and efficient. Our 2nd class seats were as good as any first class seats we've been on and the wifi was strong. Imagine speeding through Wisconsin's north woods on a high speed train, watching beautiful lakes and trees whiz by and you'll get an idea of what our Swedish train ride was like. It took 3 hours, mostly because it stopped several times in between.
We stayed at a Scandic hotel near the station. This chain is everywhere here and we literally walked by 2 other Scandics to get to our business/budget hotel. It's relatively big room for Scandinavian standards and super quiet. Breakfasts are included, but already we're getting a little tired of cheese and coldcuts for breakfast. At least there's always Muesli. After checking in, we hit the streets and walked through several parks near the canals and hit the Haga neighborhood. It's a trendy and quirky former working class suburb that is now near the center of town. We hiked up a gazillion steps to the top of Skansen Kronen, a former fort at the top of the hill behind Haga, for city views. Then it was a meandering walk back through town to the hotel. Trams are everywhere here as are bikes and bike lanes. As a pedestrian, you really need to pay attention so you don't get run over by one or both. Bike lanes look just like sidewalks so you need to look for the painted icons. I love the bike culture here, but they seem to have the right of way. After you mix in the electric scooters and electric skateboards, it's quite an adventure getting around town. As much as we like bikes, we haven't seen a need to rent any yet, as most things are within walking distance.
The next morning we had another nice buffet breakfast at the hotel and hit a couple of museums. It was another sunny day. After a week in Scandinavia, we've had nothing but sunny days and warm weather. The city museum was well done and we took our time with the exhibits. The highlight was the remains of a viking ship and other viking artifacts. Outdoor restaurants were everywhere this time of year and we found a nice seafood restaurant at the remodeled old market in town by the canal. Deanne had "crawfish" which turned out to be 3 small lobsters. I opted for the hearty bouillabaisse and wasn't disappointed.
Next stop was the Goteborgs Konstmuseum, or Gothenburg Art Museum. They had a lot of impressionists, Picassos, and Rembrandts, along with lots of Swedish artists of various styles. Great museums and they only cost about $6 each. A long walk back to the hotel later and we found the hotel elevator still broken. We're on the 5th floor which means the 6th floor to Americans. At least we're getting our steps in.
Tomorrow we take a 3 hour ferry to Frederikshavn, Denmark across the Kattegat sea. I'd never heard of that one before. It's between the North sea and the Danish Straits which lead to the Baltic sea. From there, we'll take a local train up to the very top of Jutland and spend the night in Skagen.
More photos and vids are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/CFMhcGSc3kiRdYQV8Leia mais
Hella Party in Helsinki
28 de agosto de 2022, Finlândia ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
What a whirlwind trip. 8 years ago we took a ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki and absolutely loved it. For the price of a hotel room in Stockholm, we have ferry transportation with a cabin. It's just like a cruise ship, but it's only an overnight trip. Our friend Paul Herring is from Madison and lives in Helsinki with his partner Alyssa. We wanted to visit him and he knew of a friend's birthday party that just happened to be on the night we're there.
We're trying to hurry down to Switzerland so we can hike in the Alps while it's still warm. So it's one night and then returning to Stockholm the next night.
The hotel was right at the harbor and we hit the sights in town at 11 am. The weather was in the upper 70s and they don't get too many of those in Helsinki.
In the early evening we stopped by Paul's apartment and then walked to the party with some friends of his. It was a birthday party for other friends. Kalle is the songwriter and keyboardist for a band called Kemopetrol who had a big hit in Europe about 20 years ago. His wife Mintie is from United States and actually from Macomb, Illinois of all places. That's the home of Western Illinois University. I graduated from Eastern Illinois University so we pretended to have a rivalry.
They were both celebrating their birthdays and had put off the party a couple times because of COVID. What a fun group of smart and creative people. We hit the design museum earlier in the day and were surprised at how creative the Finns are given that their population is about the same as Wisconsin. Fiskar scissors? Text messaging? Heart rate monitor? Nokia phones? Angry Birds? All from Finland.
It was totally safe to walk home after midnight. In the morning we walked all over town and hit a small museum before getting back on a ferry to Stockholm.
More photos and videos are here! https://photos.app.goo.gl/5N2p4q2a9oocWrxy9Leia mais
Stockholm
24 de agosto de 2022, Suécia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We spent just one day in Stockholm. Eight years ago, we spent about 4 nights here and saw lots of museums. Today, we took the 40 minute train from Uppsala to just walk around town and see the sights. We saw the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace and poked our heads in the free armory museum under the palace. And we walked around Sodermalm, where we stayed the last time. Instead of an expensive boat tour, we took a local ferry to Skeppsholmen, a small island in the city and walked back to the Central station. After 10 miles of walking, we called it a day and took the train back to Uppsala for dinner. Our 3 month Eurail pass covers trains like this for free. Stockholm is an amazing city with tons to see, but we're really enjoying the slower pace of Uppsala and the vibrant student scene.Leia mais
Uppsala
23 de agosto de 2022, Suécia ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
We flew into Arlanda airport, which is halfway between Stockholm and Uppsala, a mid-size university town. I guess you could call it the Swedish Madison. We decided to stay here since we have a train pass and we've spent time in Stockholm before. It was a great choice since it is such a lovely town without all of the hustle and bustle of Stockholm. And everything is cheaper too. Uppsala is the home to Anders Celcius (of the temperature fame), Carol Linnaeus, (the father of taxonomy), and Norse gods (Woden, Thor., etc....) At least that's what the legend says. We spent Thors Day morning at Gamla Uppsala, the Old Uppsala just north of town to hike around the large burial mounds. This is where ancient vikings would gather for the Thing, or grand council to work things out. And to bury some high falutin people before building some large mounds on top. There was a nice museum on the site and an amazing buffet restaurant at an old mead house.
Later, we enjoyed a picnic in the park near the river Fyris while some live music was playing in the background. Deanne found a bar that had a rockabilly band playing and we spent a late evening out watching them.
More photos and vids are here https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z1ADqamgdwQtdqrbALeia mais
Chicago
22 de agosto de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F
We're heading to Stockholm, the first stop on our 10 week trip through Europe.
Time To Go Home
10 de junho de 2020, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌧 66 °F
Well, I got tired of the gloom and doom of tracking the cases and deaths here in Ecuador. It's been over 10 weeks since I've written anything. Part of that was because we weren't traveling and were stuck in quarantine. And part is because we were stuck in such a nice place with amazing people and I didn't want to rub it in to anyone in quarantine back home. After a few weeks, we dropped the social distancing pretense while here. Our group of international misfits dwindled from the upper 20's to a core group of about 22 for two months. There are about 15 of us here now and 7 of us will be leaving in two days for home.
Fortunately, nobody here contracted the virus and there were only two known cases in the village during the pandemic so far. Apparently, two shopkeepers contracted it. They interacted with people daily and dealt with distributors coming from Loja. Meanwhile, we were here in our happy little bubble with good, safe food, friendly staff, and the abilty to hike, swim, do yoga, and ride this out in shangrila. We studied the situation here and at home and now that regular flights are scheduled, we decided it's time to move on. We'll miss our new family here at Izhcayluma and will have many fond memories.
It was surreal to see how Guayaquil went from prepared to overwhelmed in such a short time. There are many reasons why that happened. A lot of it was because many people didn't heed the social distancing rules. It's really hot there and there's massive poverty. Lots of poor people eke out a living selling things on the streets. Their houses are tin roofed and there's no AC for many, so sitting outside and socializing is the norm. I have to say the government did a pretty good job of implementing measures early on, but Ecuador still got whalloped by the virus. And you can probably double or triple any death figures you see coming from Ecuador. In March, there werre 5,000 or more deaths than normal in Guayas province that weren't counted as Covid 19 cases.
We ended up staying here 3 months. We planned on 5 days. It's been an amazing experience, mostly due to the kind owners of Hosteria Izhcayluma. I'll add my review I posted to Trip Advisor and Google to give you an indication of how amazing this place is. If you ever head to Ecuador when things are safer, you should check this place out. I doubt it will lose any of its magic.
Here's my last photo album , from the last two months.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uz45jdraDDXtr7tS7
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My stay at Hosteria Izhcayluma was unlike anything you might experience here. My wife and I were looking for a safe place to hunker down at the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic in March, 2020. We contemplated getting an apartment on the coast, or sticking with our reservation at Izhcayluma. Raik, the manager told us that we could cancel it for free because if we come, we may be here for awhile. What an understatement! Our original 5 day reservation turned into a 3-month quarantine with 20+ other foreigners from around the world. I can’t think of another place in the world I would rather have been.
The owners Peter and Dieter, along with Raik made sure our safety and comfort was more important than profit. I’ll never forget their generosity and their concern for us and their staff. We were never left wanting for anything and the food and service remained top notch throughout the quarantine, even when we shifted to 2 meals a day to accommodate the staff who had to meet curfew requirements to get home in time.
And so, over time, we grew into a family of sorts. I’m writing this 3 days before we check out and go home and as of today, no staff or guests contracted the virus and we owe this to our vigilance, but also to heeding the advice of Peter, the owner. He also made sure his staff were paid when not all of them were needed. For this alone, you should spend your hard-earned travel money here.
But enough of that. What about the place? It’s heaven on earth! I feel like we were sentenced to stay in the Garden of Eden. The landscaping and gardens are top notch. What was a cow pasture 20 years ago is now a garden paradise. There are lots of fruit trees and flowers in bloom, connected by trails throughout the large property. All those bushes with red beans? That’s the amazing coffee you’ll drink in the morning. It’s roasted at the neighbor’s business. Someone had the audacity to tease Peter because the coffee isn’t local enough.
The pool (cleaned daily) is an oasis and lounging by it became an almost daily habit. It’s big enough for swimming laps also. The rooms are stylish and very comfortable and the nicest we’ve seen in Ecuador. We ended up being upgraded twice for free and most of the other guests were eventually upgraded also to give more space and because they’re just so damn nice here.
An amazing yoga shala is just down a trail and up a small hill. After 15 years of trying, my wife finally got me to try yoga. Why not? What else was I going to do? I ended up loving it and the view of neighboring mountain “Mandango” makes for a great backdrop. Yoga is free and what a deal that is considering what many yoga retreats charge. We were provided with twice a day yoga for 2 of the 3 months we were here, until people and instructors started heading home.
Each unit has at least one hammock and there’s a bird-watching spot with two hammocks where you can laze the day away. I’m not a birder, but there are so many here, including a nesting pair of Andean Mot-Mots that make their presence known. Sunsets behind the majestic Mandango are a perfect end to the day.
There are several maintained trails on the Izhcayluma property that allowed us to get exercise without leaving. And once the curfews lifted a bit, we were able to go on longer hikes through the area that staff have marked. Don’s miss the Izhcayluma Loop! Afterwards, you can head to the bar for the namesake drink. Yes, when everything in the country was shut down, they were able to pay for Dennis the bartender to stay onsite and keep the bar open. There, you’ll find a cozy open bar with cheap and delicious drinks, a pool table, ping pong, a large TV, and games. Remember, we were all quarantined together, so we dropped the social distancing a bit after a few weeks.
And the food? Well, it’s pretty top notch. It costs slightly more than the basic restaurants you find throughout Ecuador, but the quality is excellent and well worth it. There are several Ecuadorian dishes and some classic German dishes included on the large and varied menu. Vilcabamba locals come here often for some variety. And after working our way through every item over 3 months, we never really got tired of the food.
So, like I said, you will not have the experience we had because of the quarantine, but I can almost guarantee you will love it here. There are rooms for all price ranges, including cheap dorms and an upscale house with 2 apartments (which I highly recommend if you can afford it). Hopefully you’ll also make lifelong friends here like we did.Leia mais
So glad you guys are safe and well. When I realized how long it had been since you posted, I started to get worried. I hope your transition from paradise to our ugly reality here isn't too much of a shock. Hugs..........Linda [lindalbauer@gmail.co]
Covid-19 Quarantine - Week 2
25 de março de 2020, Equador ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
This post may be a tad dry, but it's my daily notes on what's going on here at Izhcayluma Hostal in Vilcabamba while we are quarantined during the Covid-19 crisis. I figure I'll enjoy reading this years from now. We are safe and consider ourselves VERY lucky, especially since we were considering hunkering down in Guayas province, where 80% of the Ecuadorian cases are.
All photos and vids are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/HdLcFFsi4FbkLsnb7
Friday March 20
43 Spanish nurses and doctors are trapped in Guayaquil since the mayor blocked their plane out.
260 infected and 4 dead in Ecuador as of last night.
Loja province, ours, has 4 cases.
It’s our 4th day here and nobody has any symptoms. I’m taking my temperature daily just to have a baseline.
It’s 1:40 pm and I just found the Ecuadorian Health Dept. website with up to date stats at El Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador (MSP) informa: Situación coronavirus 24-03-2020 Now there are 367 cases and 5 dead. 74% are in Guayas province.
Saturday March 21
426 infected, 7 dead
Hostel is moving to 2 meals a day since the curfew in town is shortened to 7 pm to 5 am. That means they need to leave by 6:30. But the bar will be open since the bartender will be sleeping on the property. Whew!
After 10 am today, the totals are 506 and 7 deaths.
Sunday March 21
Totals are 532 and 7 as of 5:00 yesterday. They are posting updated stats at 10 am and about 5 pm each day. Guayas still has 75% of the cases.
Some Dutch and Americans are planning on leaving soon. They need to coordinate getting to Quito and then booking a charter flight with their embassy. We have ZERO intention of leaving.
After 5 days here for us, nobody here has any symptoms.
There have been roadblocks put up by some villages/towns. They were literally putting logs in the road to prevent traffic. The military was called out to remove those and they and local police are manning the roadblocks. As of yesterday pm, the roads are all under government control. You need a pass to get through. Peter had a pass to drive the 35 minutes to Loja and went through 3 roadblocks and it took over an hour to get there. At least one cop had to call the chief of police of Vilcabamba to verify.
The Ecuadorian Health Secretary just resigned. So did the Labor Secretary. No word on why, but I assume the stress got to the Health Secretary.
New stats as of 1 pm: 789 and 14 deaths. Not flattening the curve yet, not by a longshot.
An article in a Guayaqil paper (El Universo) said that in one barrio of Guayaquil, it was like a normal Saturday there, with people out and about, no masks or gloves, shops all open and lots of people walking and talking together. “That’s very Guayaquil” said Peter. The rest of the country seems to be taking it more seriously.
Monday March 23
789 and 14 in am
An american who lives in Cuenca tried to leave to go home. He coordinated papers with a lawyer in Cuenca and hired a driver from there to pick him up. He couldn’t get through Loja yesterday and had to come back, even with legal papers to get him through.
Several people have booked flights to home (Europe) but they have to figure out how to get to Cuenca. Most are afraid of going through Quayaquil.
Curfew in Guayaquil is 4 pm to 5 am, in the rest of the country, it’s 7 pm to 5 am.
As of 10:30, the new numbers are 981 and 18.
Tuesday March 24
1,049 and 27 is the latest number. I don’t think they posted any data on Sunday, so this may be a 2 day jump in numbers.
President Morena just announced a nationwide curfew of 2 pm to 5 am, starting tomorrow! Ouch. Our staff here that cook for us will have to leave by 1pm so we may have to cook for ourselves now. I’m sure Peter will call a meeting soon to discuss.
We had an 11:30 am meeting today. Three people made it to Quito for a flight out to Europe. Also, the German embassy is coordinating evacuating EU citizens on several flights from Quito to Frankfurt. Alas, Brits are not eligible now. No real word from the US embassy for Tim and Denise, who are dying to get back to Madison.
Peter said to expect to stay here for a couple months if you don’t get out now.
We paid our first weekly bill. All food, drinks, lodging, and yoga was $610/week for both of us. That’s about $87/day. We consider it a huge bargain because we’ve had several drinks in the bar and the occasional bottle of wine with dinner. Peter is not charging for yoga or breakfast even though there’s no reason not too. Peter and Raik are so good to us.
Not sure how dinner is going to work now. There is PLENTY of food here and in the markets; no run on anything in the country. However, staff need to be home by curfew. The fines for being out after curfew are huge, like one month’s wage for a 2nd offense. Recidivists face jail time.
I took my first yoga class today at 7 am with Deanne. It wasn’t as hard as I thought. It was a good hour of stretching and I enjoyed it. They offer yoga twice a day but I’ll try to stick to the am session for now.
I’ve been doing laps at the pool and pushups and situps. What else am I going to do?
On that note, I’ve been reading a LOT of novels since we are no longer traveling. One of our two e-readers broke though. It was a little wonky after I left it in the rain at Yellowstone last year. After Deanne left it in the hot sun for a couple hours here, it was DOA. We’ll share our one good ereader and Deanne has also found a small library here with real books.
Thank god I bought a new Chromebook when in New Orleans. It’s super fast and we have several movies/TV shows we can watch. Even though there’s a big TV in the bar with Satellite TV, I don’t feel like hanging out with a group of people each night.
It’s been 8+ days with the same people and no symptoms with anyone!
Colin, the Irishman, and an American woman are still in isolation here since they passed through Guayaquil last week. 7 more days to go for them.
Wednesday March 25
1562 and 28 deaths as of 10:30
Peter held a meeting last night and said he got permission from the police to get an exemption from the 2 pm curfew for his cooks. The police will drive them to their houses when the dinner shift is over. It only costs 2 six packs of Corona and some chairs, which oddly, the police station is short of!
We said our goodbyes to Stina from Denmark, Chris from the US who lives in Cuenca but is going to the US to visit his mother, and an older German woman who wants to stay, but needs to get back to her 92 year old mother. They leave this morning for Cuenca and will try to get to Quito tomorrow during the short non-curfew hours.
The US embassy sent all US citizens in Ecuador an email saying they are coordinating evacuation flights tomorrow and Friday. Flights are from Quito to Miami and should cost the average price before the virus hit. They are making people sign promissory notes to pay the US government back. No credit cards or cash accepted! This is different than the German flights which seem to be costing a lot more and payments must be made up front. However, the US is not coordinating land travel to the airport in Quito. Roadblocks could still be a problem, even if you have a pass. In rural areas, locals are putting boulders, logs, etc. in the roads to block traffic, despite local police and military policies. Peter said this is a normal type of reaction in Ecuador. Again, we are staying put and are happy to be here, even if it’s for a couple months.
Ecuador has a slightly higher population than Illinois. I’m comparing Ecuador’s cases and deaths with them now. The confirmed cases is about the same, but the death rate is much higher here, for now. The US is still not taking drastic measures, and instead seems to be taking baby steps. I think it’s going to get pretty bad there, but I hope I’m wrong. If you want to know what it will be like in the US 2 weeks from now, look at what’s happening in Italy and Spain now. A friend of ours just flew into Chicago from Ethiopia and Somaliland and passed right through customs and immigration - no questions asked, no temperature readings, nothing. This is a problem.
It’s day 2 of yoga for me, and it feels great. Alas, we’re not studying Spanish as everyone here except the staff are speaking English. The staff are too busy to converse with, except maybe the bartender but we’re trying not to spend too much time there.Leia mais
ViajanteI am so thankful for the technology that is allowing you to keep us up to date. You know, as the eldest it is my GOD GIVEN right to be an extreme worrier. Love you both xoxo. I'm set up with Zoom for Ella's school so just let us now when you want to video chat again ;-)
As the middle child, it is my GOD GIVEN right to also worry, but to also be ignored, lol!
I, too, am very grateful for the ability to communicate with you all while we are going through this!
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Gratuito
