Well, I managed to only upload some of the photos. I think all the kiddies splaying counter strike in the 'net cafe killed my uploads. However, there are some goodies at this gallery.
Just as I find a place to upload some pictures from our trip, I manage to total our digital camera. Poor little Canon. It bit the dust as I turned into Mr. Butterfingers while trying to take a picture of the ubiquitious anarchist grafitti (I haven't seen that many anarchy signs since high school). No sooner did I fish it out of my pocket than it took a nice topple to the sidewalk, toasting the lens mechanicals. At least it was at the end of the trip instead of the begining. The upshot is now I have to torture my friends with slides of the rest of our trip from my Leica point and shoot 35mm.
The memory card, however, escaped unscathed so I'm uploading some photos right now. The ones from the first half of our trip, before Munich, are archived courtesy of my friend Olli, so these are just from Munich until now. Mom, don´t worry about the 100mph spedometer shots--the German roads are perfectly safe.
Speaking of cars, the new bimmer wagon has been a total dream to drive on these roads. Great handling, wonderful acceleration (for passing all those trucks on two lane Spanish roads) and perfectly comfortable at 160km/h on the Autobahns, Autoroutes and Autopistas. We've managed to put on about 2,100 miles on the car since Munich and we're loath to let it go in Madrid and wait the five to six weeks to get it back home. Driving the truck for a while will be an utter let down, as will the 70mph speed limit in Missouri.
Tomorrow, we're off to Brugges via Brussels, then back to London and then St. Louis.
It´s been a while since my last update, but we're almost done with our euro-trash adventure. After Rotenburg, we headed to Colmar which was sort of gritty, but not too bad. I fell in love with the Alsatian food which was like eating all the yummy meat products in Germany, but with that wonderful French flair.
After Colmar, we stayed a night in Beaune, in the heart of Burgandy. I think it'd be better during the week in the winter. As it was, too many people in suits drinking awfully powerful reds for me to really fit in. I like wine just as much as the next guy (possibly more) and sometimes I even pretend to be an expert, but this was way too much for me and Léonie.
Provençe was exactly the opposite. The people, and the weather, were warm and friendly, the cooking was absolutely fabulous and there were tons of small hilltop villages to explore (and several unmarked roads to try and dodge the other French drivers on). Roussillon was probably a place I could very happily move to. Very laid back, but still very French. Another interesting thing that I noticed was that the signs for the towns had two names. I found out that one was in French and the other in Provençal. I guess the regional dialect is alive and well.
From Provence we went to Chateau de la Caze, a 15th century chateau deep in the Dorgogne region along the Gorge du Tarn that´s furnished with 17th century furniture. Basically, it was like going to a museum and staying there for a night, an absolutely wonderful experience. Plus, it was coupled with a truly fabulous meal, probably the best I've had in my life. It seems that the French are very proud of their regional products and this was no different. Most of the food was grown or produced regionally, as in the small region around the chateau, down to the knives on the table (those were from the next region over) and the cart of about 25 different cheeses after dinner.
I know it seems that we've been eating and drinking our way across Europe and, well, you'd be right about that. But, it´s pretty hard not to eat and drink you way across this continent and with all the walking we've done, my pants aren´t fitting any tighter (though they are no looser).
After Chateau de la Caze, we headed to Barcelona, which was pretty much a disaster. All the hotels we could find were booked, the drivers made me fear for my life, the first time in Europe, even on the very twisty and narrow mountain roads with no guard rails along the Gorge du Tarn, and the people weren't that friendly (though that could be a we spoke spanish and they speak catalan thing). So, we ended up heading out of town and made it about a third of the way to Madrid before we stopped. The next day, we came to Toledo, and we've been here since. It's a great laid back sort of place, and I can just park the car underneath the hotel we're in (which is very reasonably priced) and we can just bum around the city on foot. The best experience I´ve had here was in Miguel Angel's wine bar, just inside the main gate (also recommended in Rick Steve's book. Miguel gave us a wonderful tour of Spanish wines, locally produced meats and cheeses (wow, what sausage!) and even let us stay after closing to sample some locally produced champagne and chocolate. I think that we'll have to keep going back there as long as we´re in Toledo.
We¡re off to Brugges on Monday, then back home on Wednesday night, but we're already planning to come back.
We're here in Rothenburg ob der Tauber today and about to leave for Colmar, France. Rothenburg is a wonderful old city that still his its walls and most of its buildings (several were reconstructed after an allied bomb attack in 1945). It's amazing how much history there is in this place.
On the way between Munich and Rothenburg, we had a great time getting lost in the Bavarian countryside in our new car. One time we stopped in a small town three km south of Haburg so Leonie could pet some friendly looking cats (she's really missed ours) and I could take pictures of an old stone bridge leading into the town. We were petting the cats in the driveway when a man came out and started talking to us. We explained that we were Americans and somewhere between German and English, we managed to have a short conversation. Albert explained that he had lived in California for five years and then told us that 3km up the road in Haburg was a wonderful old castle. Thanking him, we drove off and headed on up the road.
3km later, we pulled into this small, medieval village built into a hillside. The castle was on the top, obviously for better defense measures. We parked the car in a lot across the river from the town and walked across the old stone bridge. As we we were walking across a very nice old man told us (in English after he realized we spoke no German) what a wonderful day it was with the old bridge, the river, the ducks and a small field full of wildflowers on the other bank. We agreed, crossed over the bridge and walked up the hill to the schloss. Halfway up the hill was a small war memorial dedicated to people from that village that had died in the two world wars. It was on a nice, grassy spot, cut into the stone of the hillside and overlooked the village. It was a great spot to sit and remember.
Finally, after a long hike, we reached the top of the hill and the castle. However, instead of other tourists, we found that we had wandered into a movie production of Sleeping Beauty! After they cut the filming, we got to go in and see the castle courtyard. Unfortunately, the rest of the castle wasn't open for tours. However, the bathrooms were, so at least we got to make use of them (which was necessary after the long drive from Munich).
From there it was on to Rothenburg for tons of medieval fun. Even with all its tourists, Rothenburg still has a ton of charm. Time to get back on the Autobahn and continue the travels now
--dlloyd
Leonie and I have been in Europe for about five days now, and I can honestly say that both of us love it. London was OK, but it was probably the dirtiest city that I've ever been in. (Yes, Gus, I am going to get you the Cadbury's from the underground when we fly out of there). So far, Leonie and I vastly prefer Paris. The food is better, there's tons more to do, my snot isn't black with soot when I blow my nose and the people (here's a real surprise) are friendly. In fact, I've found the people in Paris to be friendlier and more accomodating than the British in London were. The exception to this is the wonderful taxi driver we had in London. Of course, this could have something to do with the fact that I speak enough French pour etre dangeruse. At least we aren't starving and most shopkeepers are prety impressed that I at least try (although there have been some occasions where communication just plain broke down and we had to continue in English).
The other thing that's great about Paris is the wonderful public transportation system. Easier and cheaper than the underground, there's both the Metro that everyone knows, but also the RER, which is a commuter train like they have in Chicago. One ticket gets you anywhere in the city with unlimited transfers to and from Metros and RERs. If you can go by RER, though, it's better since the seats are far more comfortable and there are fewer stops, so it's much faster. Both the RER and the Metro are universally clean and safe. I've never felt in any danger no matter what time of night it's been here or wherever I'm at. The only real danger is pickpockets, but that's easily averted by just walking with your hands in your pockets and locking the zippers of your backpack together.
Leonie and are staying in the 7th arrondissement, a stone's throw away from the Eiffel tower and chock full of great restaurants and the wonderful Rue Cler street market. Want lunch? Forget a restaurant! Just pick up a Baugette at one of no less than three bakeries, some brie (or something more adventerous like aged chevre) from the Fromager, a few pices of fruit from one of several fruit vendors and a bottle of wine from the wine merchant (tell him what you're eating, how much you want to spend, and he'll select a bottle that will knock your socks off). Leonie and I have enjoyed several lunches and dinners this way, just finding a quiet park bench to just watch life wander by.
Of course, we've seen the Louvre (the Mona Lisa, in case you haven't heard, is a pretty big disappointment, but the Venus de Milo is incredible), Catacombs, Musee D'Orsay (impressionst paintings housed in a former train station), the sewers, Versailles (words don't describe the grand scope of the place--even the trees are square topiary hedgerows), Arc de Triomph (the Champs Elysees is sort of a take or leave it proposition, though), Napoleon's Tomb, and probably some other stuff that I've forgotten. We saw the outside of Notre Dame, but the lines were too long and too full of rowdy schoolchildren on field trips for us to really want to tour the place. One of the best views of Notre Dame is from the very quiet park at the back with square sculpted trees and a small rose garden.
Tonight, it's the Eiffel tower, then on a night train to Munich. We pick up the new BMW on Tuesday, so hopefully I've learned enough about European driving that I won't get honked at too much. I think that the key is pretty much like everything else here. If in doubt, sit back, relax, and just watch what the locals do, then immitate. That philosophy has seemed to serve us pretty well so far, from the Metro to crossing streets to shopping for our next picinic lunch.
I'll try to make another verbose entry somewhere between Munich and Madrid. Hopefully I can find a 'net cafe that will work with my compact flash reader so I can upload some pictures. At the least, my friend Olli in Munich can probably hook me up so I can get some uploaded.
It's 5:00. Do you know where your employees are? I now officially don't have to go back to work until June 2. Life is good.
Time for beer #2.
Well, it looks like my dry hopped brown ale will be ready for this weekend's barbecue. Nice and satisfyingly bitter, with a good hop aroma. The hop aroma is a bit less than what I wanted, though, so I think I'll try adding more hops next time.
In other news, today my last day of work until June 2. We'll fly to London on 5/6, chunnel to Paris the evening of 5/8, train to Munich the night of 5/11 and pick up our new BMW at the factory on 5/13. I'll try to find 'net cafes (hopefully one I can hook up a CF reader in) and try to make semi-regular updates to the site.