After moving to a better room I found my way to Side, Turkey (a 5 minute drive). They let us off at a bazaar area and I checked out the booths. I didn't buy much because they really start harrassing you (in a friendly way) until you made a sale. I even had to lie when they asked if I was alone--my husband was back at the hotel ;). Here is the infamous Turkish eye:
It was all over!
I got to see a lots of ruins. They were even excavating some "houses" as I walked by and you could see the mosaic floors still with their designs. This is a picture of one of the main "streets" with columns on either side.
This one is of the amplitheater:
The Great Gate (you can see the fountain which is the arch with two columns close by):
The library:
Some camels "sleeping" by some ruins.
It is hard to tell, but this is a sharp cliff.
I found a little path and walked along the edge until I came to more shops then to this:
The Roman Temple of Apollo (erected about 2nd century A.D):
See if you can match the pictures above in this map:
It is amazing how advanced they were with aquaducts, cisterns and fountains.
After getting back to the hotel and having dinner, the dessert buffet was waiting:
One evening they had a gigantic baked alaska (ice cream with meringue insulating it while it is baked briefly) and I wished I had run back to my room for the camera. As long as I am mentioning food and eating, I must say there was a down side to being alone during dinners--when I left my table (on the veranda) to go get my dessert they cleared the plate and drink and someone else was sitting in my place so I had to go find another place to sit. I was a bit embarrassed when a host asked if I was ONLY eating dessert! I had my fill of people watching, mainly at meal times. I would see if I could match which people belonged together as they walked to their tables. It was fun.
On the way back to the airport I snapped a few pictures. I wanted people to see the mountains here.
Also, this is a common site--skeleton buildings that have never been finished.
And that ends your tour, hope to see you again!
(And sadly ends my holiday).
Merhaba ("hello")! The trip was a tremendous success and Günter said I looked much younger! Ha. Really, I thourally enjoyed myself and felt very relaxed. I am now telling everyone to check their contract and see if there is a clause about a paid holiday in there--there was in mine!
Since some of my friends living here in Germany are interested in travels and want to know how to make it happen, I will say I found this trip as a last minute deal at expedia.de (if 60 days is last minute...) I checked out a lot of hotels on the tripadvisor to make sure I got a good one. (I had also considered the Canary Islands, Mallaco and a few other sunny places) for my holiday BY MYSELF (I keep having to clarify this to people--I happily went ALONE. I didn't want to feel obligated to do anything with anyone while I was there. Since I was single for so long I am quite comfortable and confident in traveling by myself.
This is the resort I stayed at. It was considered 5 star and was all inclusive (3 meals and drinks) but I would probably put it at 4 stars--which is still good.
I flew out of Zweibrücken (which was a former US military base before it closed--it has a huge airfield but is a VERY small airport) which was great since it was only 25 minutes from my home (rather than Ryan Air at Hahn or Frankfurt both about 1.5 hour drive). I flew on TUIfly and was pleased that they didn't nickle and dime everything like RyanAir. It is true that the plane took off 1.5 hours late but it wasn't their fault--there was a mechanical problem in Italy and they got that fixed (which I am grateful for) before coming to us. I was surprised that they served a light dinner (pasta) and drinks and a dessert. They had some shows playing on the TV but I just settled into my Twilight series book! It was a 2 hour flight plus one hour time zone change.
After landing and getting my baggage, I went to find the shuttle to the hotel (I knew it was a 50 minute drive). It was quite late by then (after 11 pm) and there was a young child that was crying the whole way and all of us were glad when we arrived at our various hotels. During the drive I noted a few things: surprisingly, gas was even more expensive than in Germany(!), the Turkish people are very patriotic--their flag was hanging every where and lately though their driving seems safe they drive down the middle of the line, so there were two lanes marked but 3 used. By the time I checked in and got my room it was 1 am. I just unpacked and tried for the life of me to turn off all the lights. I tried every light switch but couldn't get the one off by the mirror. In the end I just pulled the card key out and it turned it all off (the next day I just unscrewed the light bulbs until I discovered the hidden switch). The bathroom was all marble and the tub was a whirlpool and there was even a scale (go figure...like anyone wants to think of that during a holiday).
The next day I got up and saw a lovely sunrise.
Then headed to the breakfast--which was European style--bread, cheese and meats with some fruits.
I had an omlet every day and crepe with nutella! Here is the only picture of me:
Afterwards I went exploring. I found the Turkish bath/spa and they could fit me right in. The Turkish bath ("hamam"--if you want to read more about them, link here.) is the direct successor to the Roman bath and has had a special place in Turkish tradition for hundreds of years. Traditionally the Hamam has a domed roof with thick bottle-glass lights set into the dome that concentrate the sunlight.
After changing into the traditional 'Pestemal' a type of sarong (over your swimsuit), your body is acclimatized with warm water while lying on the hot marble slabs, then scrubbed with a 'loaf', to remove the top layers of dead skin cells and ingrained dirt. Then they soap (foam) you up by filling this cloth and swinging it around until the foam was made. It smelled like lemmon. Then they washed and massaged. It was so lovely. To end they rinse you again with the warm water while you lay on the hot marble. It is heavenly.
(Obviously I didn't take any photos but found a few to show you what it is like--there was no one else in there with me but the lady pouring warm water and scrubbing me).
Then they had me relax and drink some Turkish tea (more like apple cider) until it was time for my massage. I thought the massage therapist was quite good (and I have had massages all over the world). I have had a Swedish massage in Sweden and a Turkish massage in Turkey...I still need to hit China and Thailand! He did pressure points, adjustment (of my spine) as well as good, relaxing workout of my muscles.
Then I went to check out the workout room (which sadly I never used but it was pathetic anyhow), the indoor and outdoor pools, the children areas, the other rooms (I could peek in while the maids were cleaning).
I headed to my room and sprayed my fake tan on (and upset that it didn't seem to tan me even several hours later...) and made my way down to the beach. It was a bit of a maze--going down several elevators (or stairs, if you like) and around buildings and paths then finally to the beach. The sand was fine and warm and they had loungers with pads for everyone as well as free drinks. I was glad that they also had shade covers because I love the sun but am careful not to get too much (fear of skin cancer). It was quite noisy with all the wild jet skiiers, speed boats pulling up parasailers etc.
There were horse and camels on the beach as well as people just wandering.
But it was still peaceful with the sound of the waves and the warm sun.
I headed back to my room and felt everything was off to a great start. Unfortunately I went out on my balcony and found that the kitchen was directly below and smelled all the oil cooking as well as the workers smoking and talking. I went down to the front office to see if I could have a different room and I found that very few understand English. I gave up and went to lunch.
The buffets were quite elaborate but after 2 days you started to see no variance. It was okay because I had my favorite things to eat and I found that I didn't eat so much when someone else cooked and I could choose what looked good.
In the afternoon I walked along the beach. Here is a favorite photo I got of the rocks on the beach.
Then cut through another hotel to the main street to find a store that had cheaper batteries than the hotel (3 euros for 2 AA). I was paranoid that I was always getting ripped off as an American. I probably was. Anyhow, I found a place and bought 4 for 3 euros (I guess I should clarify that they are now accepted in the European Union and are slowly phasing into the euro but still use liras). I needed the batteries for my sound maker if I was going to enjoy my room. The shops are all about the same--shoes, tshirts and souvineers.
That evening I reserved the fish resturant and had a nice served dinner.
The first day was so relaxing and wonderful.
The next day I had another massage right after breakfast (which I don't think is a good idea because it is better to let the blood flow for the massage rather than digestion). Then I read my book at the pool.
It was sad that the days were so short (the sun was up around 7 am and went down at 5 pm).
I was further annoyed when I went to take a nap in my room to find the patio furniture inside the room and drop clothes on the balcony and the strong smell of paint with workers there.
The next morning I went to the front desk again to see if there was any chance of moving to a new room. I had good luck because the guest relations gal lived in America for a year and understood my concerns and found me another room--one with a very nice sea view and was quiet.
to be continued...
The fall weather was so lovely yesterday that we took a day trip to France (only 1 hour from our house) to the Fleckenstein Castle. It was a bit chilly but still it was a great hike. A lot of other people had the same idea as us, so it was busy there.
They had this nice interactive building for children to learn a little about how they built castles and about the surrounding nature.
Then we went to the castle.
Here is a rare picture of me! (I am the one taking pictures.)
This was labeled as the dog room or the prison--or maybe the same. Niki liked it because the door was just his size!
They had some rooms set up in period features.
We wandered around the halls and up and down stairs and corridors. Günter remembers going here when he was a boy and they didn't have any of it closed off and they all brought flashlights and went into all kinds of "caves" and alleys--great fun to a boy of 10 years.
After exploring the place we had breath taking views of the surrounding areas. It was especially nice because of the fall colors.
In the main courtyard they had some other things displayed:
We had to bribe Jenna with an ice lolly to get her to cooperate the last 30 minutes. It worked.
And there will be a lot more ice cream in our house this week after Niki has his surgery on Tuesday to remove his tonsils and tubes in ears.
This is going to be the final post of the holiday. I can't believe how long it is taking me, but I have the kids home and other commitments taking my time.
Since I already posted some about the Alps and bikers and flowers, I can say that it was a lovely drive back to Günter's fathers airfield (he doesn't own it but lives there for 6 months of the year--it is very small). Just to clarify, since some people have asked, Manfred did NOT go with us on the trip to the Riviera but we just did things with him when we were at his airfield--so there are pictures with him in the car with us.
We had planned to take a small aircraft ride but the pilot didn't show up. I guess there is a joke about the laid-backness of the French on matters like this but when he did arrive we made the apointment for the next day and he set an alarm on his cell phone so he wouldn't forget!
We watched some others take off in the plane we would fly in.
It is a French sports monoplane Remo 180 that is used to pull the gliders up into the air. Then we went over to take a look at Günter's father's glider.
The kids had fun sitting in it and Niki even pulled the stick and pulled the microphone to his mother "to call Oma". Funny.
img src="http://www.karpworld.com/pictures/IMG_5080.JPG">
There are some restrictions to flying gliders: kids ar not allowed to fly in the gliders until they are 12 years and there is a weight limit also for adults.
Manfred showed us how he has an engine to help lift him to better air currents if needed.
After that Günter and his father took the kids shopping and go-karting and I took a much needed nap (it is not very restful to sleep between these two kids that toss and turn all night).
When they came back we drove up the nearby Alps and hiked around.
We were there until dinner time and went to Barcelonette to a resturant (you saw the pictures of my fish and Günter's wurst in the post about French Food).
Afterwards the kids enjoyed following the lights build in the ground aound past store shops as we made our way back to the van. Apparently it was a French holiday so there were fireworks going off too.
The next day we DID get to have our airplane ride. I sat in the back with Niki by the window. He enjoyed the taxiing and take off, but I had to keep up his enthusiasm through the site. At times Jenna got bored and started bugging him so I tried to disarm that quickly. Günter was up front with the pilot. Günter's father actually made the flight plan so we would go by his favorite sites. It was lovely seeing places you can't go by car or foot.
After landing we said goodbye to Günter's father and hit the road.
While driving through Switzerland I thought the Alps look a lot like the Rocky Mountains. So even if you never get to travel to the Alps, if you have been to Utah or Colorado, you have a good idea.
There. The post is finished. Of course there were several days of unpacking, laundry and groceries.
Are you tired of reading about this? I just want to get it done!
Saturday 12 July we had a slow morning since check-out time was noon. We decided the driving was much easier with the kids because when we went out to explore places it just too so very long with them. We drove across the hills through two sister medieval villages Vence and down to St. Paul.
Then we drove further to Nice. After 2 nights in a comfy bed I couldn't bear to sleep again in the camper, so we went looking for the ETAP hotel. I knew that we were now officially in the window of the European 6 weeks of holidays where everything is packed--hotels, roads, resturants. The GPS took us to one right off the Riveria and from my post on 16 July you know what other fun thing we were on the door step for! Sadly we found no openings there or any of the other 2 ETAP hotels in the city. I knew we needed to move on since I get stir-crazy in traffic jams and around swarms (is that the word?) of tourists.
The beaches from Nice on do not have sand but pebbles--nice if you don't want to deal with sand in clothes but how comfortable can that be to lay on it?
After driving around the penisula we found a quiet village and let the kids play at their park.
It was HOT, so I was sure to slather the kids with suncream and made all of us drink lots of water.
Next was driving to the (smallest) country of Monaco and into Monte Carlo. We were like a sore thumb with all the ultra expensive cars and people with money to lose at gambling while living the high life at the resorts. It is not like Las Vegas either, you have to wear black tie and gowns to enter some of these buildings! Here are some photos taken as we drove on through (we never even step foot in the country).
It wasn't but a few more minutes and we were out of the city/country and we went to Menton--right on the border of Italy. It is famous for their citrus parade--with floats and such all made from lemons!
We found a nice park and let the kids free! The language of friendship is understood every where: play!
This is a picture of Lorenzo and his Grandmother. They were Italian and it reminded me how frustrating it is not to be able to communicate at all.
Of course in the hot weather we ended everything with ice cream!
From here on it is NOT the riviera but we drove north to the mountains again. I was a bit nervous about finding a camping ground. We set the GPS for the route back to Barcelonette and it took us through Sospel. It was getting to be around 6 pm so we decided to find camping there. As it turned out, this is quite a lovely village and Günter's former supervisor's favorite town.
the first place we found the camping cost 21 euros and it was getting late so we took it. As we went to explore the spot we were not fine with it. Cars were parked on the "lot" and it was crowded with youth groups doing adventure activities. We went back (I told Günter to let them know we would find another camp ground) but he came back and they gave us a different site--a quiet wooded area closer to the bathrooms. The spot was on a slope but you can't have it all!
Then we drove on and (depsite protests) I made Günter check out the other camp grounds. One was only a little better and the other Camping Municipal I would have liked much better. It was a walk to the city and flat and clean(er) bathroom/showers. Oh well.
We then walked to explore the village and find a resturant. I just loved the place. It had cobblestone narrow roads and unusual things like this:
Then there was the village fountain and clothes washing area--you really could imagine all the village woman scrubbing clothes while chatting away there.
There are a lot more pictures but I didn't want to format them. We found our resturant with our ears. There was a birthday party going on in the piazza next to it with a tuba player and the resturant had some awards outside. Even though it was late 9 pm we enjoyed our meal. The French and Italians eat quite late so it was not unusual for them. I already said we completely messed up their sleep schedules anyhow.
I got fish, but unfortunately it was smothered in sauce but the kids loved the noodles and sauce. We had some trouble getting the waiter to understand we wanted water with gas to drink--finally we got something, but not what we were expecting! Günter got a pizza and we were surprised to find a raw egg in the middle.
And that ended another lovely day of our holiday!
10 July 2008 we left the camp ground before 9 am so we were not charged for another day. I'll tell you that it is not easy getting things rolling in the morning with 2 young kids. We had to repack the car and put the rack and bikes back on, but we did it. We drove to the grocery store (Casino--they are the main stores there) and spent 2 hours in there--it is more like a super walmart, we bought so much that I worried how we would put it all away. We really stocked up on water and drinks and I found a nice plastic sand castle mould. I also bought too many pastries. Well, it was our holiday and it was France...forget the eclairs, they have much more amazing delights!
We then hit the road again.
We borrowed my MIL TomTom GPS since it had all of Europe (it had it quirks but was a life saver). It took us nicely through the traffic so we could drive (and there were some jams). While waiting there was this Rolls Royce crossing the street--there were 4 kids and no one was wearing seat belts--I guess bad things don't have to people with money (?!).
Here are other sites we saw as we drove along the coast to our destination Cannes.
Some areas reminded us of Sedona, AZ with the red rocks.
The color of the water was so lovely--you can see why this became such a popular place!
Just as we got to Cannes Niki informed us "I got to go pee" and since he is barely trained I knew we didn't have much time to park and find a WC. Günter pulled off and I took him across the street to the WC but it was a coin one (40 cents) and only took the correct coins so I kept frantically searching. Unfortunately I had to find a bush and let him do it. I couldn't deal with an accident since we didn't have laundry facilities and I didn't want pee clothes in the car. I figured people would forgive me since he was so young, but I don't think anyone even saw us! A few of the rizty hotels on the promenade:
When I got back we decided to find parking and explore a little. We found a car park (which was a problem since they have such low clearance and the camper was a bit higher than a normal SUV). But I was stunned (culture shock) as we drove past all the Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Austin Martins etc in the underground parking garage. FYI it cost us 10 euros to park for 2 hours!
Here is a link of things to see in Cannes.
Once on the famous promenade (as I felt like I should put a bag on my head because if you aren't 6 feet tall, anorexic and tan with designer clothes, you don't fit in!) the kids spied the amusement area. We let them drive a ferrari!
We walked around all the high-end stores (and didn't dare step inside) and found the pedestrian area where they had a lot of food and touristy shops. By this time Jenna was having a hard time and when we stopped to get something to eat she was near a melt down (and there wasn't a place to sit and eat). It was quite stressful since shop owners didn't like her touching anything and I wanted to look around. After eating and drinking a bit she was better, so we went on. Niki found a coin operated car to sit in and so I was looking at a shop while Günter was looking at another. Right about then Niki got out of the car and ran right across a street that had traffic in it. I yelled at him and he froze, which if the car didn't stop he would have been hit for sure. It was quite a scare and I really hammered into him about not crossing unless an adult was there with him. He must have understood since he said, "The car almost hit me and I could be dead like the bird on the side walk." Yes. This lead into another conversation about death.
After a few hours until we found the Etap hotel that is by Grasse (our destination) but still part of the Cannes suburbs (Mougins). Etap is an affordable way (68 euros) to stay at a hotel. It is one price for a room and it has a double bed and bunk above it (we had to be creative to make it work for 4). the bathroom is a plastic unit--like in a motor home with the toliet and shower all together. But it is clean and soooo nice to be in a real bed and have a good shower! (And that is the first thing we did once we got everything in the room. I would recommend it for travels in France.
The next day 11 July we headed out to see if we could find a laundrymat but sadly they all told us it would be a 3 day turn around and the selfserve where shut down. So we headed to the perfume factory in Grasse. There are three main ones advertised everywhere but we stopped at the first we came across Galimard. This region is famous for the perfumes and apparently make 80% of the world's perfume then ship it to companies to be placed in their bottles and marketed under their names.
They showed us how the lavendar (and other flowers) are distilled or flowers like roses have to sit in fat to get extract the oils. There is a man that is call "the nose" and can identify any of the 2,000 sents that may be in a certain perfume. He earns 2% of all the profits of perfumes from their company--he is quite weathly! Of course they tried to sell us perfume (in plain bottles) but I couldn't give up 40 euros for such a small amount. Next year the popular sent will be cranberry.
Then we headed to the Gottes caves.
They told us we couldn't use flashes so my pictures are not good.
The kids did fairly well, all things considered. They weren't as interested in it even though I tried to tell them about stalagmites and stalagtites--ha ha. Jenna was more interested in the lavendar by the parking lot.
We headed to McDonalds (surprise) for dinner and playground, so I could research our next stage of the trip.
On the way to the hotel we drove through Grasse--another medieval town.
Back to the hotel for pillow fights and going to bed for a good nights sleep.
Before I begin my tale, I want to explain that yesterday was a busy day (and I actually managed to do all the things on my agenda). I am finally in a crisis mode about getting a movie project done. My good (German) friend that knew Günter and I before we were married, is getting married herself in 2 weeks. I vollunteered (Why? Because, like pregnancy, I forgot how much trouble it was when I did my dad's life movie for his 70th birthday--which put on an extra 15 lbs that I haven't been able to shed) to do one of her and her fiance growing up and of them together. It was no easy task getting all the pictures from them and some music suggestions but I did and then I went on vacation. Vacation is for letting go of all the stress, right? I completely forgot about it and remembered it yesterday. I have to get it done in 2 weeks! Unless you have made movies yourself you don't know how many hours is involved and it can be a bit complicated. I use Ulead Video Studio and it has some quirks, I can assure you but it is the best I have. So last evening after the kids got to bed I started working on it. I am not sure what adrenalin kicked in but I couldn't stop until 1:30 am and only did then because I was scared about how I would manage the kids during the day. When I did go to bed I couldn't sleep until 3 am since I was obsessing and thinking about what to do with it. I should have just kept working on it if I wasn't going to sleep. It was a judgement call. I still have a lot to do but feel much better getting started and now I hope the momentum will carry me through so I am not doing this the night before her wedding!
Tuesday 8 July 2008 after we got up we went to the beach (of course)! The kids were starting to get the hang of being on a beach and I invited them to walk with me along the water to explore. There weren't any shells to collect and it was a bit hard walking on a slope and the sand really slows you down (remember how Chariots of Fire how he ran on the beach to strengthen?) but we made our way with Jenna crying and insisting on papa carrying her. We were a bit of a spectacle, I tell you. Anyhow on our way to the edge of the pier we walked past many beach areas owned by resturants and resorts. It was common for children and many adults to be nude. It is so intermingled that you can't avoid it. Children nude, I don't mind but wouldn't allow my kids to be that way (unless in our backyard--ha ha) but the adults...it wasn't baywatch, that is for sure! Mostly it is old fat women and men. I did see (couldn't help it) women that were unnaturally tan. I mean like dark leather. I didn't dare take a picture, but the memory will stay for a long time. I wondered why Michael Jackson wants to be white and these people want to be...black. Another thought that occured to me is that it hurts to be a woman (as if I din't know this every month and with child birth). I didn't intend to look at any of the nude people, but I couldn't help but notice when they were walking along the beach towards me that they didn't have hair anywhere but on their head, if you get my meaning! I wouldn't even notice the men if they were the same, because I have some modesty. Anyhow, it was a strange world on the beach!
After lunch and naps we decided to try out our bikes.
If you take all the trouble to bring them from Germany, you feel obligated... the road leaving our camping area was nice and flat but the main highway was uphill. I was quite ashamed of how belabored I was going up a small hill and thought of the people riding their bikes UP THE ALPS, it didn't make me feel any better. How out of shape I am. We did reach our destination, let the kids play a little while I went to the diving shop (our errand) and found out that there was only a few dives--a small wreck by the lighthouse and not many fish. I decided not to go because they required 3 things, 2 of which I didn't have (so I didn't go diving or even snorkling even though I brought my gear).
1. diving certificate and book
2. a doctors letter saying you can dive (not a general one saying you are in good health).
3. An insurance letter saying they cover diving injuries (should I be worried about decompression--surely not with these simple dives).
We planned to go to the Azur Amusement park but when we arrived we found it wasn't opened until 8 pm. In order to stall for time we went to McDonalds. When we returned we found that this amusement park was not one-price-for-all-rides (which I was hoping so the kids could jsut ride the little cars all evening) but you could buy a ticket for one ride on each of the kids rides. It was fun., especially as the evening got dark and the lights and smells made it all the more exciting.
Thekids rode these cars a few times (since it was empty the man let it run twice through the cycle).
There was a turtle train.
This was a fun house that Niki did really well.
But we had some problems with Jenna she was able to somewhat keep up with Niki but when they got to the 2nd level she got scared. She was stuck there and we kept yelling at Niki to go back and help Jenna. He did manage to figure out how to get to her but she still wouldn't go so a lady by us sent her older daughter (around 10 years) to help and Jenna was somehow able to get through but it was quite a lengthy "ride"for her! One funny thing was when the operator was trying to help out left her spot Niki came out and shot right through the entrance again without another ticket. It made me laugh.
Our pass had a ticket for the go-karts and the ticket guy didn't say our kids couldn't go on it, but when they got in they started pushing the gas and took off. We and the ticket guy were yelling at them to stop and he eventually pulled them back. He tried to keep it orderly, but with kids that is impossible. These karts went quite fast and got Günter a bit anxious. I just figured that they wouldn't allow them on if it was dangerous for their age.
A variety of other rides:
On the way out Günter wanted to ride the adult go-karts (an extra 8 euro). He did pass the girls but not the other guys. I guess he better not give up Engineering.
I want to put this picture in even though it isn't very good. For whatever reason I was drawn to this man. I think he dressed so classy (not very many people can get away with this) in white pants, white shoes and a navy sweater. By the way, the lady sitting there is one with the unnatural tan!
It was another enjoyable day and we busted the sleep schedule again.
On 9 July it was another beach morning--surprise! The kids were really getting "it" about enjoying hte beach. However, Günter has never really been to the beach growing up and didn't really enjoy it. Finally I had to give him some ideas of digging a big whole and helping the kids make castles.
The yatchs starting coming in.
Jenna made a friend with this French teacher (who spoke perfect English).
There were these sales guys wandering up and down the beach trying to sell beach covers and other things. One guy came over and eventually I got a white beaded cover for 10 euro but he was mad (why did he sell it then?) because I am sure he didn't get any profit.
Later I coached Günter on how to lay on the beach and listen to the waves and feel the warm sun and relax. After he took the kids back for a nap I stayed.
I did the same until I started feel like I was getting a sun burn despite the 30 SPF. Sure enough, Günter missed some places on my back and I was hurting any time I wore a bra!
That evening our little excursion was to the medieval village of Ramatuelle. It is a short drive from the beach up to the wooded area.
I went to some trouble to borrow umbrella strollers for the kids but Jenna wouldn't ride in it and insisted on riding on Günter's shoulders. In the end I had to push two empty strollers around.
This picturesque village had such a nice ambiance. There was a pedestrian zone with booths selling all kinds of foods (the olives and sweets were heavenly--we tried some) and wares. Provence is famous for its table clothes and lavendar we did end up buying two table clothes--one for me and one for my MIL (I'll post another time).
They even had some fun for kids:
Not just the cat, but also these musical instruments that were partly art partly practical. The kids loved finding them and using them. This one is with boots that each play a note.
This one is made with a ski pole and was like a xylaphone.
Jenna is one of the most social people I have ever met and here she was insisting her new friend go play with her.
We did have dinner there (pizza) where I had the stinky cheese (picture posted under French food).
On the way back to the car we found this interactive park for kids. They had fun games.
On the way "home" we drove through the other medieval town close by called Gassin. You can go on that site and click on photothèque for pictures of the village.
There are a lot of resturants and hotels, but we only saw the narrow winding roads. And we went bed to get to bed!
On 5 July 2008 we packed out the car (and it took all week to figure out meals, clothes and what else to bring) and left around 11:30. We finally broke down and did the car DVD thing, which totally saved our saniety. My neighbor lent her Dora DVD's and the kids were mesmorized by them for the 11 hour dirve. Well, we didn't let them have it on the WHOLE time--we did stop to eat and they napped and slept at night!
I already posted a picture of the Alps, but once we pulled off and I was amazed with the fresh pine air. It felt wonderful. I must say that France is known for it tolls and we were hit with our share. 7.90, 1.90, 10,50 and that doesn't even count the 30 euros for driving through Switzerland and the ($%&@) 33.20 to go through a tunnel into Italy (because the GPS took us that way). We arrived after midnight and luckily Günter's father had the camper van made up for us and I could just put the kids in bed. It was quite cold at night and I was miserable since we didn't pack blankets (who thinks of that going to the beach). But where Manfred flies his gliders in Barcelonette it is in the alps, so we should have known!
On 6 July we thoroughly cleaned the camper van--even washed the curtains (which I think had never been washed for 15 years) and packed it.
After having our lunch we decided to take the chance (even though it threatened rain) to go up to a nice mountain spot by the river and have some French cake.
It rained a little, but the kids didn't care about getting wet, so they threw rocks into the stream. It went too far when Niki threw a large one and the splash wet him entirely and we didn't have other clothes in the car. End of the fun.
That evening I had the fun of giving the kids showers (they only really like baths) in the hanger! I wish I had taken a picture but it wa traumatizing all the way around and it was the last thing on my mind!
The next day 7 July we finished up with packing up the camper van and loading the bikes on the back and took off for the beach! The drive through the switchback Alps was an experience, especially since Günter was not used to the transmission shift (all cars are different) and the van would stall out at odd times (made me quite nervous when I thought we might roll backwards).
We drove by a lake where the water was such an amazing teal color. Also the rock behind looked like it was layed as brick, just how geologically that happens, I don't know.
We arrived at St. Maxime around 4 pm. I had researched some camping sites but didn't book because I wanted to see them first and find out what was a available before comiting. I knew it was a bit risky, and that is the reason we moved out holiday up by one week because I was sure everything would be full for the last 2 weeks and the entire August with the Europeans on holiday. I found out they had lots of openings just one week before!
Some of the places we looked at: Holiday Marina, Camping Des Mures, and Kon Tiki (which a church friend recommended).
Kon Tiki was quite impressive--really a resort complete with a child's play area (and free child care), 2 resturants, a small shopette, diving shop. I found out they don't allow campers, they only rent out their tiki huts and small mobile homes--all complete with kitchens, baths and living area. Of course the costs varied according to if you were on the beach or in more luxurious hut/home. We liked it but not the price, so we drove down the road and found a sign for camping. By luck we came across a parking area that allows camper/motor homes (no tents) to park (as well as cars during the day) for 7 euros a night and 7 a day. We parked right next to the beach and that was our place for 3 days! They had a bathroom on the beach, so we used that. The only annoying thing was that the music from the resturants went on until 2 am but I was glad I brought my white noise maker!
I was anxious to show the kids the sea, for the first time in their lifes, so even though it was around 7 pm I took them out (the beach was empty and the lighting is lovely in the evening).
They didn't much like the cold water and finally played in the sand as if they were home in our sand box!
Then Günter buried Jenna in the sand and she LOVED it. I love the feeling too, but I think with her sensory issues, it must have felt heavenly.
Günter would bring water and wash out the sand and she loved it too. They tried burying Niki but he didn't really like it much. I just looked at the lovely color of water and took pictures.
It wasn't long before the kids were freezing! When the sun goes down the tempature really drops. We got the kids changed then walked up the beach to the place where the circus was performing. It cost 8 euros a person and was pretty pathetic.
We left when they had a "raffle"--which is that kids had to pay to buy a ticket and all of them got some sort of toy but Niki was tired and so we went back to our "home" as it was after 10 pm. (Yes, we totally screw up the sleeping schedule of the kids).
More to come tomorrow....
I am trying to do one short post a day until I get to the "meat" of the trip (still working on it).
We drove through the alps on the way down to the coast and the way back. The air was clean and pine-fresh. I loved it.
Several things stood out to me.
1. The wonderous wild flowers. I had to take some pictures. (I already posted the one with the butterfly).
Some were so small and fragile that they don't show up on the photos unless the pixel is quite large (so I won't post the others).
2. There were sheep and herders on the highlands. It was amazing to watch one (I assume) man herding such a large amount.
3. If you can believe, there were bikers going UP the 6% (at times) grade. I should have taken a few more pictures at key moments, some were older (with gray hair) and there were both men and women.
(As an aside, the Tour De france is currently in progress and the bikers must go up some of the mountains during th race. Here is a map--click on the map itself to enlarge. The French take their biking seriously!
There was even a few people with ski poles and little skis with wheels on them going UP (if you know the name of the sport, let me know).
They gained my respect even more when I had to hike just a little to the glacier and was out of breath in the high altitude!
4. There were some fortresses well above the tree line. How did they build those? (this picture was taken on the small aircraft ride).
At the summit there was the bunkers for the maginot line. I wish I had taken a picture, but it was when I was recharging the batteries. Anyhow, the magiot line was built before WWII and the French thought these strategic bunkers could prevent the Germans from invading. They didn't consider that the Germans would invade Belgium first then take France from that direction. We saw the door into the bunkers but I was too afraid to go in them by myself. The door was half blocked with snow but I could have climbed over it and into the bunker, which I didn't.
5. Some roads we went on were so narrow that there was no place for anyone to even pull off while the other passed. It was nerve racking!
Yes, we did go over the last one. Even Günter's father was nervous looking over the edge and wouldn't allow me to lift Niki up to show him.
Dana, this post is for you. I will write up the full report of the holiday in segments as I get time. However, on Saturday 12 July we were driving through Nice and looked for an Etap hotel right off the promenade by the Mediteranian Sea. We pulled up on a road and parked so one of us could run to the hotel to find if they had openings (no they didn't--it was the first official day of the European holidays that pack everything for 6 weeks--until the end of August). But there was all these vehicles with enormous satalittes and paparazzi cameras all over. I knew the Tour D'France comes through in a few weeks, but asked one (talked English) man and he said they were waiting for Angelina to have her baby. We parked next to the hospital!
Here is a small picture of where we parked:
side view:
The front entrance:
Here is a picture of them at the Cannes, france Film Festival.
On Saturday evening Angelina Jolie age 33 (with beau Brad Pitt age 44), had a C-section to deliver twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline 5.03 lbs and 5 lbs., at 6:27 pm by Dr. Michel Sussmann at Foundation Lenval hospital in Nice, France.
The new arrivals bring their brood to six. The actors already have a biological daughter, Shiloh, two, and Jolie has adopted Maddox, six, Pax, four and three-year-old Zahara. They have a three-year lease on the 880-acre estate Chateau Miraval in the south of France, valued at $70 million, it comes with its own vineyard, olive groves, lake, moat, 20 fountains and even a forest to help ensure privacy.
An interview about it!
So that was quite a fun thing to say we were there when this big event was occuring.
Saturday looked beautiful in the morning. The sun was shining and sky was a deep blue, so we decided to go on a family excursion. I thought of Metz, France. They have a flea market there twice a month on saturdays. Günter and I went there before we had kids and it was fun. I also went with a friend when I first moved here. So we got ready and were able to get out the door by 9:30. It is a 1.5 hour drive and it closes at noon, so we knew we wouldn't have much time.
When we went outside it was not as lovely as it looked. It was bitterly cold, so I ran back in and got hats and gloves for the kids. Then we left. The kids love going anywhere as a family! Niki is a chatterbox and tells us all kinds of nonsense that comes into his mind. It is very entertaining. We taught him some French--Bon Jour and Merci etc. He kept telling we were going to see Bon Jour (person) or would saying we would go to Bon Jour (place). Made us laugh!
I had forgot about the toll roads in Fance so that bugged me that we paid nearly 5 euros for about a 10 mile stretch. We didn't bring directions because I remembered that it was fairly easy to find and there were good signs too. But somehow we must have gotten off on the wrong exit or something, because we couldn't find it.
We did find this incredible cemetary while we were lost. I took loads of pictures because it was surreal. Most of the old tombs were from the 17-1800's. Here are a few pictures:
Aren't some of those tombs incredible? Some were so morbid--skeletons-like guards and one picture I didn't post (the lighting didn't turn out) of a tree-like cross with chains woven around it. What was that saying?! I don't know the French culture and why they have cemetaries like this. Why small cathedrals? ...it made me wonder if the family was so weathly or if they built a shrine for other reasons. And here it is, several hundred years later and no one really cares and it has fallen into ruin! Keeps it all in perspective. I have more of an eternal perspective and really don't care to accumulate wealth in this life and certainly don't want anyone to spend much on my death!
Anyhow, we looked at maps and Günter reluctantly asked people (what 2 years of HS French gave him) directions. He said he didn't really understand so we were quite tense. OUr GPS only works in Germany but it reminded us both that it can save a lot of tension and fights and we might as well invest in a European GPS if we are going to travel again.
Finally we did find the flea market but most vendors were packing up. The kids were hungry too. Günter put Jenna on his shoulders and I wisked Niki around by my hand as I walked past as many "booths" as I could. It is facinating to see antiques from past wars, paintings form the 1700's, glasswares, books, jewerly and various other things. I wish I could have had longer to browse but it wouldn't work with the kids at this age, so it was fine that we only had a short time. In the past there were so many more rooms crammed with things but it was limited to 2 big halls.
We then went to Cora and got some lunch (the bagettes sandwiches are so awesome!) then did some shopping at their big store--somewhat like a super walmart or something. They have products we can't get in Germany. Sadly we had to rush out since Jenna was having a melt down. It was past her nap time and it was all too much for her.
We loaded the kids in the car and I suggested we do a driving tour of the downtown area (and hope the kids fall asleep). In the past I only went to the flea market, so it was lovely to see the downtown. I had read about it in a tour book and it didn't disapoint. They had several Cathedrals that were quite ornate. Here is the entrance of one:
I am sorry I don't want to reformat and upload all these pictures, so I only did a few.
There were several rivers/canals with lovely building lining them too.
Then we drove past a small carnival and the kids (who had not fallen asleep) insisted on stopping. Who are we to deprive them? Actually I am glad we did stop, even though it was blowing cold and it was outrageously expensive for rides.
And in the end we got a royal tantrum when it came time to leave. Both children were hysterical (overly tired). I told Niki that we didn't have anymore money for rides and he kept telling us to turn around and go back. He said he will get more money!
When we returned to the car we were greeted with a parking ticket of 11 euros. Günter assumed since it was a weekend we didn't have to pay for parking. Great.
Jenna did fall asleep on the way home after a lot of fussing. Niki never did. We paid the tolls going back and returned home.
All in all I would say it was positive. I love traveling and being spontaneous was fun. I think the kids like going as a family and I want them to travel and explore the world too.
Thursday was a holiday in our region of Germany so Günter had the day off. The weather was lovely, so we decided to go on a bike ride. We drove to the WeinStraß near Bad Durkheim. It has the world biggest wine festival.
Once we got to Bad Durkheim Günter told of a fond memory where his Oma and Opa would take him to this icecream shop (they lived in this village). So we went there. Günter ordered what he had as a child: the spaghetti eis (vanilla icecream throudh a machine that makes tubes with strawberry sauce on top). For Jenna we got the Bumble bee ice cream and Niki the gummi bear ice cream.
Afterwards there was a fountain right next to the shop so the kids had to play!
Afterwards Günter said we should go to the Limburg Castle/Abbey (where he would hike and play as a child). He said it wasn't a hard ride on the bikes, so I agreed. But either his memory had failed or we were in a lost worse shape than I thought (I am sure the latter is true). I actually had to push my bike up part of the way with Jenna whining most of the time. But riding in the forest area was so peaceful. We finally did arrive!
It is a shame that this one is a bit blury since I love it! But that is what Niki did--run around screaming "Castle".
Jenna went exploring too.
I thought this was a stunning picture (I wonder how sometimes I take good ones and others are bad).
After we left the castle Günter said his Oma & Opa graves were close by so we rode our bikes there. Actually Günter's and Niklas's middle names are after his Opa (it is Willi).
We then rode back to the car and home. It was a nice day.
Our trip started out as an adventure. Thursday I took the kids to KiGa so I could finish the packing etc without disruptions. Soon after Günter finished his shower the water went off. I wanted to a load of Jenna's bibs and get a shower (not to mention washing dishes left from the night before) but that wasn't to be! I did manage to finish packing but it is hard to consider all the things you need. Our friends came at 11:30 and we loaded some of the things in their car and they went with Günter to pick up Jenna from her developmental preschool Meanwhile I got Niklas as 12 and took him home, gave him lunch and we waited. And waited. And waited.
Finally Günter and everyone else returned an hours and half later. His story is they talked to the people at the ReHa about Jenna's progression etc. But Jenna never got lunch and she was cranky and it was time to get on the road. We put one of the car seats in our friends car and let Niklas go with them. I honestly thought he would fall asleep within minutes. But each time we passed them I could see his little hand waving at me. At least Jenna took a little nap. Early in the trip we had to pull off several times because we had our friend's GPS since ours only works in Germany. It was taking us on different routes. Plus Howie (Harald) had to take a nature break (and couldn't at our house since there wasn't any water). We arrived in Colmar about 5 pm and it was fun to see this:
The sculpter that made the Statue of Liberty is from Colmar.
We drove past the vineyards and little villages while it rained, but it was so lovely.
We had trouble finding the road to get to our apartment (house on last post) but eventually found it. There was some misunderstanding aparently and the landlady thought it was 2 adults and 2 kids. But after she showed us the rooms, we thought we could make it work. We had to push two twin-sized bed together and they had a strange long crib-like bed that only had the bars up 1/4 the way. I brought the pack-n-play for Niki and we had Jenna sleep in the strange bed. But that is a story for later. There was only a shower (no bath for the kids and they don't like showers).
We unpacked the cars but about that time the thunder and lighting was getting quite bad and we lost power! Luckily the stove was gas and we could still make the dinner. In the hour the power was off the kids got quite excited and were running aroung slamming doors and Jenna went into the bathroom and took a bite of the soap. Our friend wanted to be spontaneous so we didn't plan out any meals and I didn't know what they would bring (and they were counting on shopping here). So around 7:45 we decided we could go down to the village and pick up a few things. The kids did not want to come, so Günter and I went. It was thrilling to go without them. But soon we stopped by some shops and they were all closed. Somehow Günter remembered enough French from HS to ask a lady and she said we had to go to Colmar to Cora. We then noticed the gas tank light was blinking and we needed to refuel. As we passed a huge traffic jam (in the opposite direction) I got nervous about not explaining to our friends about the kids bedtime routine and all. Günter had forgotten his cell phone at the place and we tried to use the one in the car but it just gave us a voice mail. We knew we just had to keep going and let them figure things out with the kids.
We finally found Cora and luckily they were still open! We discovered that even though they post signs that they take credit cards--they don't work. So we need to get cash too. Cora actually sells gas and we went there but it was for cards only and the credit card didn't work. We tried two other places and it didn't work (and there were not open with attendants). Finally we found a place to get gas. I was really expecting the adventure to go that we ran out of gas as well, but it didn't happen, mercifully. When we got back to the house we found Jenna was up, but sleepy. Apparentely it was a disaster trying to put them to bed. Niklas kept crying for Mama and they didn't know to put in the night light or the white noise maker. I guess he had just fallen asleep (and it was after 10 pm) and Jenna was having trouble sleeping in the bed. I went in and Niklas woke up and I had to sing to both and after 30 minutes (11 pm) they fell asleep.
We stayed up talking with our friends for a while. I really couldn't relax for some reason! After we went to bed around 12 and I was just getting into a deep sleep Jenna woke up in her "sleep terror" mode. I put her in bed with me (I was very nervous about disturbing not only our friends but other people in the building). Anytime I turned she bolted upright like she was afraid. The matress was not the best either, so when Niklas still woke up at his normal time (5:35 am) I drug myself out of bed. I tried to keep him and Jenna quiet so the rest could sleep, but it was hard since we had limited toys and no TV.
But the day began and we got breakfast and then Howie and Elke went off with the kids around 10:30 am.
We decided to go to the EcoMusée It was a very nice day if you don't mention the down pour of rain. Here are some pictures, see how many storks nest you can see--the storks & nests are EVERYWHERE.
We saw many demonstrations from worker suing the techniques from the "old world".
This was interesting--the artist shows how the timbered houses were assembled then raised up before the straw and clay went in the middle and designs were imprinted and they were painted.
The Kids's section:
We asked someone that worked there for a recomendation for a resturant. I want to add here that the Alsace region has an interesting history. Most people over 60 speak German along with French (not so with the younger generation they only know French). Most names of villages and streets are German, so it is quite an interesting thing!
We went to this resturant high up in the mountians (why didn't I take pictures?) and they serve only FRESH trout. What I mean by fresh is there are tanks outside and some inside and as we left we saw some fisherman deliver more that they caught up in a lake. I had a trout that was whole and fried with slivers of almonds on top. I didn't mind the skin (and thankfully the innards are removed) but the fried eyes in the head were disgusting to look at. Günter had a filet. We both were pleased.
We returned around 8 pm and they had given the kids dinner. They went to a Riquewihr with the kids and Kayersberg. The kids nap and sleep schedule was completely thrown off--they only got a little in the car at late times. Hense they stayed up later. But at least that night we put them to bed.
That night wasn't any better sleep-wise, but Elke got up at 7 and took care of the kids and I went back to bed until 9 am.
Howie and Elke took the kids to the EcoMusée and we went to Riquewihr. Most of the buildings were from the 1500's!
I love sundials!
Then we headed to Colmar.
By the time got there I had to go to the bathroom and so I had to use the public one--you have to pay. OUr coins didn't work so this Afraican guy selling wallets and such close by paid. I felt obliged to him (in a personal way) so ended up buying a wallet I didn't need and later found it sold in the market for half the price! I keep thinking I am sponsoring a family from Kenya for that!
The city is really spread out but here are a few highlights:
Old French lady with blue hair (a danger on the road we thought after seeing her driving skills)
This house was built by a hat maker--apparently they made more money that what I think a hat maker would make back then.
It is something special to see weddings from another country:
That evening Günter and I actually arrived back at the apartment before our friends and the kids. We started the dinner. We tried very hard to get the kids to bed earlier but they wouldn't. I must have stayed in there singing and telling stories for 1.5 hours and in the end I had to leave and let them be hysterical (then they finally went to sleep after about 10 minutes). I did that all because I am afraid that our friends think I am not a kind mother since I refused to let them stay up or get them out once they started crying.
On Sunday we had breakfast and packed out and went to church in Colmar. It is hard when you don't understand any French. In the end I took Niklas out and walked around outside with him.
We got home around 5 pm and then it was the other end of the stress--unpacking, washing and getting back to the routine.
There you have it! My "holiday". I had many more pictures but you saw enough I am sure!
Tomorrow we are braving another try at traveling with the kids. Some friends (that are trying to adopt) wanted to give ups a gift of watch our kids while we took a trip, but we thought it would be too much to leave the kids over night so we found a location not too far (less than 3 hours away) in Colmar, France to go and they would come to watch the kids. We found this nice place to stay in the forest 
and Günter and I will have the days free to do whatever and the evenings with our kids and playing games with our friend. Hope it turns out as lovely as I have in my mind. Unfortunatly it is suppose to rain Thursday and Friday but Saturday and Sunday will be nice.
I always get stressed out before I go anywhere on a "holiday". It makes me nutty to not only figure out what all we need, but to pack for the kids. If I forget anything I may not be able to buy it and if I do, it will be so expensive (and I will be kicking myself knowing I have it at home). You wouldn't think a short trip could require so much, but it does. We have been trying to get Jenna to "practice" sleeping in the pak-n-play but she refuses so we may have some sleepless nights.
I'll post next week on the adventure.
Günter took me to the airport on Thursday 31 August and I kissed the kids and Günter goodbye. I heard Niki calling out "Mama" as he drove off, which broke my heart, like I was abandoning him or something. I got in the line (that is the price to be paid at these discount airlines) and waited. I originally planned to just take carry-on but because of the terrorist stuff in England a few weeks ago, they would allow only a small handbag. I had to go to a different line to pay for the bag and come back to the original line to check in again. But I got through security and passport control in time. On RyanAir they don't assign seating so everyone gets aggressive about being first in line to get a good seat. I thought I was in the right one, but it turned out they moved it, so I stepped over a chair blocking me (which I can easily do thanks to going over the baby gate all day long) to be in the front again and someone called me "cheeky". I felt some shame about it and thought about it for far too long. The flight was uneventful except the attendant giving me the evil eye since I kept my backpack out so I could eat snacks (they only sell food to eat--no freebies) and have things to read. I wondered if in the end if she thought I was trying to be sneaky and not stow it away.
I am glad I did my homework, because after I collected my bag I knew to get on the 747 express bus to the city center (not a slow one that stops at every stop). After getting off I had to walk a little way to my accomodation (Trinity College). Dublin felt a lot like NYC with loud noises and the activity and even all the foreign languages being spoken. I found the entrance to Trinity College
and went got checked in and found my room. I chose this place because of the location--the room was sad. It had old furniture and I had to share a bathroom and shower with others on that end of the floor (thesea are normally rooms for students but their classes don't start until October so they rent them out to tourists and visiting guests).
It was hot and I got changed and went out to explore the campus a bit.
I then went on a tour lead by a graduate student in History. That was VERY interesting to get a good understanding of the history and relevant social conditions while he showed us the important sites. What I learned was: Prior to the 1845 famine, Ireland's population was about 6 million afterwards it was 3 million with most dying of starvation due to a fungus (that infected the potatoes) and the rest immigrating. There is still a very strong sentiment against Britain (to the point that no one ever admitted they were English--they were from Australia or New Zealand, but never England!) partly because of their rule and partly because they didn't send any assistance to the starving. After the famine the population then centralized (pulling together little communities to farm together) and the oldest son would inherit the farm. But he couldn't do so until the mother was deceased, which some times was many years. So they wouldn't marry (since they didn't have a way to provide) until they were very old. Then the old men wanted a young wife to bear children and after he died then there was a long wait again for the oldest son to inherit the farm and marry. Ireland was not always predominately Catholic--it was mostly protestant (and still is in Northern Ireland--Belfast, which is still linked to England, uses the sterling pound and has no desire to unite and be one country).
The Catholic church is still a very strong influence in the South. If you can believe, until 1995 (implemented in 1997) there was no such thing as divorce or birth control in Ireland(!!!!) because the Catholic church opposed that.
I almost threw the camera away while I was in Ireland. For 3 days I was able to take pictures then the batteries died and I used a spare set, which, suspiciously, died off quickly too. So I bought some more and still the camera was acting up! I would turn it on and it would shut itself off before I could take a picture (after it took 30 seconds to charge up the flash). So the second part of the trip the pictures are sparce.
end of first day:Thursday 31 August
After the cool city tour I wandered around around the Temple bar area--which is quite historic. There were amazing street musicians and a few Irish dancers that I was able to enjoy. Then I went back to the room and made sure I was packed and ready for the next day.
Friday 1 September: I took my bags with me when I checked out and went to the cafeteria for breakfast. They had a continental buffet and allows you to have 3 pieces of bread (I always got the raisin scones--wonderful) a piece of fruit and a small juice. Overnight my bags must have gained weight, since they seemed so heavy as I carried them a few blocked to the tourist info center where I met up with my tour that left at 8 am. I had a 3 day excursion with Paddywagon to the south of Ireland. There were 6 other people in the van (a nice size tour) besides myself and the driver (Mark). There were (if you can believe it) two sisters that just graduated from Gonzaga University from Spokane, Washington! And the rest were either from Australia or New Zealand.
Since I was the last to be picked up, I got the front seat with the driver. Which was roomy and I could see everything quite well. We drove to Phoenix Park--this is Dublin's playground - the largest urban enclosed park in Europe, with a Circumference of 11km (7m) and a total area of 712 hectares (1,760 acres). Situated 3km (2m) west of the city centre. Ornamental gardens, nature trails, and broad expanses of grassland, separated by avenues of trees, including oak, beech, pine, chestnut, and lime. Livestock graze peacefully on pasturelands, deer roam the forested areas, and horses romp on polo fields.
Here is a picture of the Papal Cross where John Paul II offered mass at the presence of more then one million on 29th September 1979.
We quickly drove past Aras an Uachtarain--the house of the Ireland's president (as far as I can tell, he doesn't have much power). On our drive through the country side we saw almost all the fields had stone fences. The land wasn't used to farm but for cattle to graze (I guess after the potatoe famine they just didn't trust growing crops). We drove through the area where they harvest peat moss (which I remember the smell fondly from my childhood). Here is a picture a peat field (bog)--which they call turf. 40% of the Irish use it for heating and the rest of the harvest is used for soil in gardening.
In one is where they found several stone-aged bog men (that were murdered) in a perfectly preserved condition with the soil there.
Then onto Clonmacnoise. Here is a little history of it, if you are interested. It was so beautiful. I found that Ireland really does have all four seasons in an hour. While we were there there was a brilliant blue sky, drizzling rain and strong winds. This is where the famous symbol of Ireland is located--the high cross. Some pictures
We then drove to Galway. He took us to the center of this quaint town and we bought some sandwiches and then he drove us to the coast (Salthill) so we could have a little picnic while on the seaside. It was lovely and relaxing to hear the waves and enjoy some sunshine (of course it rained a bit later). Then he dropped us off at our accomidation. Most everyone stayed at a youth hostel but I had "upgraded" to get a B&B (Aaron House). It was nice to have a private room, although it was on the main level next to the kitchen so I heard everything. After resting I walked into the town and around the shopping district. It was fun to see so many stores and to browse without worry of my kids. We met at a pub (Richardson's in Eyres Square ) at 7 pm for "pub-grub". The great part of it was all public places are non-smoking so I could rally enjoy it! Everyone (but me) had a pint of Guiness and it was a fun a relaxing evening.
I don't remember what time I left but it was raining and I got lost trying to find my B&B again. By the time I did (after asking many people for directions) get back, I was soaked to the bones and my shoes were soggy. But I slept well!
Saturday 2 September: Included in my accomidation was breakfast and I got the "full Irish" which includes a sunny-side up egg, ham (which they call bacon), 2 small sausages, a wedge of tomatoe, baked beans (the kind we have with BBQ's) and a patty cake of somesort of grain. Unfortuantly they combined us with a larger tour on this day so we were in a full sized bus and I felt like I was herded around.
The driver (Eric) was fairly fouled-mouth and the F word seemed to be said several times in a sentence. He drove like a maniac too (on these narrow country roads) and I wasn't used to the left-hand drive anyhow, so that was unnerving. It was raining of course as we drove along. We went past the Aran Islands and the guide highly recommends going there if you have the time (which we didn't).
It was breath-taking (in more ways than one) as the tour guide whipped around the narrow sea-side roads to Burren. We stopped briefly to look at the thatched-roof cottages. There was this crazy pole that couldn't fit another sign on it.
We stopped along the way and hiked up to see a fairy ring.
Here are some cool pictures of what it looks like hiking there.
There is a lot of fun folklore about fairies and leprechauns! We stopped in Doolen for lunch at a quaint pub called Gus O'Connor's. I had the Irish stew--YUM!
We did drive to the famous Cliffs of Moher, which were stunning. There were also some muscians playing harp and other instruments as we climbed up.
We took the Ferry across (you can drive along the coast) to Tralee to Scraggane Bay at Maharee Peninsula where a few Europeans from our tour actually donned a bikini and dipped in. It is a great place for surfing and diving.
We then drove onto the Dingle Peninsula where the hostel (the others stayed at) was called "Randy the lucky Lepercaun" whereas
I went to a B&B called Adrinane.
I didn't even go out that evening (as the others did drinking) but relaxed.
*************
Sunday 3 September
Thankfully we had our original tour guide Mark (in the small van) again this day! He was great fun and I could pick his brain on the culture and history of Ireland while most others slept as we drove (out drinking a wee bit too much the night before?!) since we reverted to our previous seats in the van.
First stop was at a beach (the name I can't seem to remember) that is shown on all the travel broshures.
We drove onto the famous Blarney Castle. He explained that "blarney" means not getting to the point or twisting the truth so much that it is hard to know the truth. Brief history here.
The castle was in ruins but quite impressive nevertheless.
A view from the top:
If you kiss the stone you will have the gift of gab...like I need that!!!
"There is a stone that whoever kisses,
Oh! he never misses to grow eloquent
'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber,
Or become a member of parliament."
—Francis Sylvester Mahony
But I did, so you can expect rambling!
The most impressive part to me was the gardens around the castle. They were simply amazing. Look at the size of the leaves on this plant!
or this amazing tree:
I understand now why it conjures up images of magical fairies and such! Speaking of which, if you look real carefully at this stone you can see a witches broom.
Or you can explore the Head Druid's cave:
But don't forget the lepercauns pots of gold that are running through the stream:
After we all gathered back to the van we drove through Cork City, and got lunch--which we took to Cahir Castle and ate at a little park nearby. We then took the tour of Cahir Castle.
But by this time we were thinking as some on our tour said, "theABC's--another bloody castle!"
On the way back to Dublin we drove past the fields (owned by the government--military) where Braveheart battlefields scenes were filmed (even though it is about Scotland). Somehow we managed to avoid the traffic as we went back into Dublin. He dropped me off and I walked back to Trinity College where I reserved a room for the next two nights. My bag seemed pretty heavy as I dragged it around since they gave me a key to a different room on the paper. That room was occupied and I went back and they corrected the problem. After resting a bit I went out to explore the area more.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous. I don't have many pictures of the rest of the trip since I was so frustrated with the camera that I started messing with the settings and could on get it to work on rare occasions.
Here are a few pictures of Dublin:
the famine victims memorial:
(I had to take the image from someone else site since this is one my camera messed up)
Ha'Penny Bridge--where the River Liffey goes through the center of the city.
Temple Bar area:
Cool buildings:
That evening I got Thai food (curry) and ate in my room.
Monday 4 September
I carefully planned the last two days so as to make the best of my time. Even though I wanted to lounge in bed for the day I forced myself out. On the Trinity campus they have the most amazing old library with books that are hundreds of years old.
The highlighted exhibition is the Book of Kells--written around 800 AD of the 4 gospels (in a Latin text) and is elaborately decorated by the monks.
Afterwards I took the DART (train) to Malahide Castle.
Malahide is a 12th century castle; one of Ireland’s oldest and most historic with excellent collection of period furniture, oil portraits. The castle belonged to the Talbot family from 1185 to 1976 when it was sold to Dublin County Council. The castle itself is a combination of styles and periods; the medieval Great Hall is the only one in Ireland that is preserved in its original form while the National Portrait Gallery features many fine portraits of the Talbot family and 18th and 19th Irish Notables.
The dining hall is still used today for wedding and special occasions.
The grounds/gardens around the castle were spectacular. There was no way to get a picture to show that, so I didn't bother. It was so green and lush and peaceful. I remember walking along and hearing the birds and rarely saw another human.
Close by they have the Fry Model Railway. I was greatly disapointed and bored with this exhibit. Don't waste your money, if you are there.
I then walked around Malahide town. It was quaint and had a nice coast line.
Then I took the train (which I had to wait at least 20 minutes for each connection) to the next coastal town of Howth. It was threatening rain, and quite windy. Imagine a strong fishy odor...
Then it began down pouring so I rode the train along the coast past Killiney (where U2 and Enya own a mansion--but not together--ha ha). Eventually I rode it back to Trinity College and hiked (in the down pour) back to my room. i went out to a hotel that has Irish singing (and dancing) in the basement each evening. I was disapointed in it. Maybe because I wasn't drinking?!
Tuesday 5 September
I packed up my bag and had breakfast and checked out. They did have a place store luggage for the day across campus (which you had to pay for) so I chose to take it with me (WHAT was I thinking?!). I walked quite a ways to find the right bus stop to take (the number bus ONLY stops at certain stops so you must walk (most the time a long way) to get a connection.
I took the bus to Kilmainham jail.
When it was first built in 1796 it was called the "New Gaol" to distinguish it from the old jail it was intended to replace - a noisome dungeon, just a few hundred metres from the present site. Over the 140 years it served as a prison it held in its cells many of the most famous people involved in the campaign for Irish independence. The leaders of the Easter Rising, 1916 were held and executed here. The last prisoner held in the jail was Eamon de Valera. It was abandoned as a jail in 1924 by the government of the new Irish Free State.
I spent the rest of the day at the museums. They are free (but closed on Mondays). The most interesting was the exhibition on the Iron Age bog bodies.
Here is a picture of the Old Croghan Man, an Iron Age bog body found in an Irish bog in June 2003. He was named after Croghan Hill, County Offaly, near where he was found. He stood 6'6" (1.98m) tall (calculated from his arm span), extremely tall for that time , and is the tallest bog body ever to have been found. He is also presumed to have been a man of high status, displayed by his manicured nails, untroubled by manual labour. He is believed to have been murdered by being stabbed in the chest, decapitated and his body cut in half. This is displayed by his lack of head, and body below the hips. He also has a scar on his arm - possible evidence that he tried to defend himself, and so was not oblivious to the attack. The man was tortured before his death, there are deep cuts under each of his nipples. He also had pleurisy, according to scars on his lungs.His last meal (analysed from the contents in his stomach) was believed to have been wheat and buttermilk. At the time of his death, he was wearing nothing except for a plaited leather band around his left arm. He is believed to have died between 362 BC and 175 BC, making the body nearly 2,500 years old. The evidence shows that he was in his early twenties when he was killed. There are many theories why he was killed.
The other one on display was the Clonycavan Man.
Radiocarbon dating has placed his death to between 392 BC and 201 BC, during the Iron Age of Ireland, making him around 2,300 years old. Scientific study of his hair has shed light on Clonycavan Man's diet leading up to his death. His diet was rich in vegetables, which indicates that he was killed during the warmer summer months of the year. The Clonycavan Man was also fairly young at the time of his death, believed to be in his early twenties. The most distinguishing feature of the man was his hair, which was in a standing Mohawk hairstyle raised with the help of hair gel: a unique find, considering the body dates from the Iron Age. The gel was made of plant oil and pine resin, imported from south-western France or Spain. This attests to trade between Ireland and southern Europe in the fourth and third centuries BC, before Roman influence was brought to bear on the Celts of Iberia and Ireland. This also suggests he was wealthy, as few others would have been able to buy imported cosmetics.
Some interesting info about it. Also about Bog bodies around the world (in general).
Then I took the bus to my final B&B Rathview in Swords. The owner was a young mother and was VERY kind and hospitable. She mae me a cup of tea with some cookies and gave me recommendations on near-by resturants. Although I didn't go out. I repacked and watched TV and enjoyed my last night.
Wednesday 6 September
The taxi came for me at 5:30 am and it was raining. Hard. But all went well with waiting in the long lines for Ryan Air. I arrived on time and soon Günter drove up to meet me. I was nervous about how the kids would react. Niklas kept saying "Mama" and I kissed him. Jenna just looked at me with wide eyes--like she was surprised I came back. It was great to be home.
I love traveling and hope to do more, but I do love my little family!!
I had a wonderful time escaping for the extended weekend. As it turned out, my husband and cat left with me on Thursday in the morning. We arrived at our friends that live on the border of the Netherlands. We were able to chat then patiently waited to go to the big Thanksgiving feast the NATO base sponsored. The food was great, and I thourally enjoyed myself but didn't over eat either. See pictures here.
On Friday my friend and Guenter drove to Brugge, Belgium and spent the day there. What a beautiful city. We tried the Belgian waffles and bought (and ate) far too much rich chocolate. I think we walked most of it off though as we took the "Rick Steve's" walking tour. That evening our friend made wonderful Italian food. Unfortunately Guenter got sick that night.
On Saturday Guenter stayed at their house (with my friend's husband) and fixes their satalite while my friend and I went to Brussels. It was very cold and windy, but no rain. We mostly walked around the Grand Place. What amazing architecture and variance. That outstanding chocolates. Did I say we grazed our way along? That evening we returned and my friend's husband made some *HOT* gumbo. It was yummy (particularly after a cold day) but made Guenter even worse. We went home on Sunday.
There was unpacking and getting ready for this week. Things are totally out of control with the holidays now. We have the upcoming move (and boxes being packed around the house), activities and work. I won't even do christmas cards until the new year. I am EXTREMELY frustrated with the bank not getting us the contract and the seller not having his things done in a timely manner. If I wasn't already so far in with money invested, I would walk away!
Work has been overwhelming. The only reason I can write this now is that a client didn't show for their apointment. I only hope I can make it through this month with some sanity.
Brutus is still hanging in there. I had to hand feed him the whole weekend. Since we returned home he stays in a hallway closet and won't come out. It breaks my heart. Once in a while I pick him up and take him to bed, but he jumps down and goes to the closet. This is one time I would be grateful for someone "coming out of the closest"!
We had a nice, but somewhat stressful weekend. Since it was a German holiday we planned to visit friend's in Austria (pictures here). We left at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and hit one traffic jam (stau) after another. We took my old cat Brutus with us since our friend's used to watch him and their 6 year old girl loves him. Brutus travels so well in the car and was very soothing to have him sleeping on my lap. We arrived there in the late afternoon. Our friends have a nice home and recently had their backyard landscaped including a pond for fish. We sat out there and talked while their daughter (and her friend) performed a short concert on the recorders and later the violin. Then we went over to their stable and saw their horses. JOhanna (their daughter) actually loves cleaning the boxes out!!! We took a nice walk around the farm. Oh, how I miss the fresh air and open spaces! It really brings me back to some pleasant parts of my childhood when we had a mini-farm. It was hard work, for sure, but I loved the animals and the simplicity of life. We had a nice dinner back at their home and chatted until we were too tired to keep our eyes open.
On Saturday they drove us 1.5 hours to a famous salt mine. We enjoyed the tour, including sliding down these wooden slides the miners would use to get to the next lower level. We got to ride the little cargo train out too! Lucky for us the weather cooperated and we could walk around the picturesque village and look at the beautiful lake. On the way home we stopped at this farm for "authentic Austrian" food. The owners raise cattle and slaughter them there and it is the freshest beef around. Plus I had this nice gravy that is white bread soaked in broth with some vegetables then hot shredded rashes on top! For dessert we had the farmer favorite--two pieces of white bread with plum jam inbetween, then fried with a little powder sugar on top. We were spoiled. After going back to their home we played Phase 10 and Rummicub.
On Sunday we had a nice leasure breakfast with brochen (small rolls), home made jams (strawberry, current and apricot), soft cook egg and a variety of meats and cheeses. Plus fresh squeezed orange juice! We left around 11 a.m.
The ride home was stressful. It was one stau after another. We listened to the traffic report and took a few detours, but at the end (7 hours in the car with the cat) we stopped at my husband's parent's home and got a bite to eat. Then we went the back way home (through the forest).
We were disapointed we didn't get home in time to watch any of our churches general conference. We thought we planned enough time, but didn't factor in the traffic. Luckily we video tapped it from the satalite and can view it this week.
Brutus was very relieved to be home in a stable environment too!
Please link here to read about our trip and see pictures from Trento, Portofino, Cinque Terre etc. in Italy along with parts of Germany.
Please link here to read about our trip to America in 2003 (Utah, Arizona and NYC).
Please link here for story and pictures of our trip to Budapest.
Please link here for story and pictures of Austrian alps.
Please link here to read about our trip and see photos of the Red Sea and Eygpt.
Thursday we drove to Rothenberg and visited museums and shopped. We went to the criminal museum (displaying torture & shame instruments used during the middle ages). Then we went to the toy and doll museum and we had to buy some German children books (so that our children will grow up reading the traditional books). We then went to Kaethe Wohlfarht Christmas store (which is about 1 square block long and took 1.5 hours to go through). It was fun. Afterwards we drove onto Bavaria to Günter's sister's home. On Friday (the 29th) we just hung out at home with them and played with the kids and talked. Then Saturday we all took the train to Munich and went to the Deutsches Museum--a museum displaying technology of Germany--from cars to airplanes to machines. That evening it began to snow and we took the train back to their home. Sunday we went to church, then took naps and stayed up playing Phase 10 until New Years. At the stroke of midnight, we walked out on the balcony (it was bitterly cold) and watched all the neighbors set off fireworks. They have some BIG ones too! Then we went in and went to bed. Monday we got up and took the kids sledding at the "fairy tale forest" by their house--the evergreen trees were heavily laden with snow and it was a wonderland. We had such fun pushing the kids and riding a few times ourselves. We came back and packed the car and drove to Günter's parents and stayed an hour, giving his father some ideas for his glider club. Onto home we drove. Tuesday I took down all the decorations and cleaned the house.
This adventure began on Wednesday 21 November 2001. I had stayed home to prepare myself for the trip. I finished up some errands and packing by the time my friend came to pick me up (at 6 p.m.). It was quite windy and rainy as well as dark as she whipped around the curvy roads to the small Hahn airport. We arrived at 8:15 p.m. and found free parking. The down side was it was at least 1/2 miles from the terminal. We fought through the wind and rain and to the warmth of the terminal. Inside there was a LONG line and a short line. After some consternation as to why this was, we got in the short line and found out there was no reason other than people ASSUMED there was a reason. We checked in and had a little snack then went through security and waited. On these "budget" flights you don't have assigned seating so when they called to board it was everyone for themselves. A huge mass of people crushing to get through first for the best seating. We had to walk out on the tarmac and up the stairs to the plane. Since we were in the middle of the crowd, we found seats together, but in the back of the plane. We arrived in London 30 minutes ahead of schedule. It was only a 1 hour flight too!
Once at Stansted we had to catch the light rail to the terminal then we went through customs and found our luggage. We were hoping to catch the 10:30 train into London because the next one left a half hour after that. We heard the sharp beeps indicating it was about to depart and all of us were racing for the doors. We jumped on within seconds of the departure then we all began to wonder if we got on the right train. It was SUPPOSE to be an express but it kept starting, so we worried with the other American's about where we would end up. Linda was following the map and checking the stops and came to the conclusions we were heading towards London! But we were NOT on the express. It stopped at every place so we ended up at Liverpool station shortly before midnight. Then we had to figure out the tube system. I went up to a machine that sold tickets and soon a long line was behind me as I fumbled to get the two single one way tickets! Had we waited 4 more minutes we could have used a one day pass! We found the right line (orange) and got onto the last one for the evening!
Once we arrived at our stop (Queensway) we had to take an elevator up to the main level. Once out on the street I had no clue which direction to head. The directions only said what stop to get off on. We asked a few people, but they were foreigners and didn't know. After looking at a city map we figured it was the other direction and walked two streets over and found it. I didn't think the neighborhood was all that bad, but my friend did. The hotel was a turn-of-the century stone building and had dark wood and stained glass windows. At least the reception area looked okay. I was nervous because before the trip my friend had expressed much concern about the hotel and location. We got the key and took the rickety elevator (that always stopped on floor 6) to our 8th floor. We had to go around a maze of small corridors and doors before finding the room in a remote corner. It was not looking good...I wish I could say we opened the door and were amazed with the room. In a way Linda was (I have low expectations since I have stayed in some "cheap" places before). The twin beds had only 1 foot between them and there wasn't room or a shelf to put the luggage up. We had a closet the size of a telephone booth and the bathroom twice that size. The toilet was so close to the miniature tub that you had to sit side ways! I felt bad and began apologizing and trying to look optimistically for damage control! We were so tired we just made do and feel into bed.
Thursday 22 November 2001 (Thanksgiving Day!!!!)
We discovered the room didn't have an alarm clock and neither of us brought one--my friend kept checking her watch (in the dark) to find the time. She took her shower first and came out saying that you have a choice of either hot water or water pressure--not both. I went in and I think she fix the problem because I got both! We were able to go down for the "continental breakfast" by 7:30. It was rolls and juice. We ate a few and I slyly stashed a few in my backpack for an emergency. My friend did not order Lion King tickets before we left so the plan was to go to the theater and stand in line at 9 a.m. After getting a day pass for the tube and took the right line, we found ourselves fighting the London people going to work. Once out on the street we had to wander around a bit (I got good at asking people while Linda studies the maps) and we managed to find the Theater. Of course there were only homeless people there sleeping on the steps. The sign said they opened at 10! We knew we couldn't wait and still make it to the changing of the guards, which started at 11. So we WALKED to Buckingham Palace. It was about 2 miles but along some beautiful parks. there were piles of large oak leaves we had to plow through on the side walks. We reached a fancy gate and a travel circle that had countries names on it like "South Africa" and we thought we found an embassy or something. I am glad we didn't ask anyone because the shame of it all. That WAS Buckingham Palace. It was a large white square building, with a tall black iron fence and gate around it. We had loads of time, so we walked over to the shop nearby (I wanted to get some postcards) and the man seemed rather grumpy. This was not a common reaction. Quite to the contrary, the English people were so very friendly and helpful--even approaching US to help when they saw us reading a map! Anyway, I was very surprised that there weren't any souvenir shops nearby--it was a residential neighborhood. We had to walk a distance to a business section to find post cards and stamps (only sold at post offices).
By the time we headed back my feet were already hurting and people were starting to gather around the fence. Miraculously the clouds had disappeared (they will cancel it if it is raining) and the sun was out. It was cold though! I sat in the sun writing post cards until I heard a father tell his son to look and see the horses. The first part was guards on horses that played trumpets. I raced over to where my friend was, to watch. We heard a band playing in the distance for at least 20 minutes. All the small Asian people had crowded in front of us at the gate and soon I couldn't really see anything. The guys in the black fur Q-tip hats came wearing coats over their uniform (that was disappointing). Later we had several d