Prague, Chez Republic (10/26-29/14)

Prague, Checz Republic

October 26-29, 2014

Gotta love Prague. I have been waiting excitedly for this town so I could see the Prague Castle.  This is where my friend Eija got married. Prague is a big city and very metropolitan for Europe. It also has a beautiful "old town" section. This was my fav.  But, believe it or not. We were saving that for the next day.  

Prague is a beautiful city that is ideal for traveling by foot... Except for the cobblestones. Also, we had no trouble communicating, because they had very good English skills.  The town square was filled with street vendors and entertainers. There were some women dressed in Prague costumes displaying their cultural dances. The women danced and the men played the music. They were so cute and you could tell they were enjoying the crowds participation. 

We also waited to see the Astrological clock in the square. Everyone gathers around awaiting this event every hour. You can hear the ohhhhs and ahhhhhs throughout the crowd. 

Next we also want to see the Jewish Quarters also known as the Jewish Ghetto. The Jewish a Synagogue is the oldest existing one in Europe and was built in the 13th century. They also have a very old cemetery on the property. There is a wall that surrounds this area that was built to protect the Jews. Wanted to your, but too many Euros. There was a small peep hole and we did get to see some of the grounds and tombstones. 

Then we made our way over to the Charles Bridge. This is the bridge that connects Prague to the Prague Castle and Cathedral. It has survived many disasters such as floods and battles. It is said that King Charles laid the first stone. The bridge was filled with many people, artist, musicians and jewelry vendors. 

Then it was dark and we were starved. We found a great little restaurant serving Russian food. There were candles on the table and it smelled delicious. It turned out we made another smart choice. Then for dessert they served brandy. They put the brandy in this huge brandy glass. The brandy was added then they took the glass and rotated over a flame to warm the brandy. Then it was served. Once it was cool enough to drink then you took a small sip. It was too strong for me, but Lee loved it. 

Then headed off for a good nights sleep. 

The next day up early and back to town. It was another beautiful day. A little cold, but sunny. Today was the day we were going to tour the "Ole Town" and the Prague Castle. 

First back to the square and it is just as crowded as ever. Everyone standing around waiting for the clock to strike in love it. Yes, it is the little things. The streets are very narrow, but the shops are beautiful. Everything from lace to chocolate to creeps and waffles with Nutella. Lee and I indulged in some hazelnut creeps. Very good. There were also Christmas shops with beautiful decorations. Done! Now we cross the Charles Bridge and head to the castle. It is so beautiful from afar, so I can't wait to see close up.

We walked a long way and of course up hill until we reached the castle gates.  The tickets were expensive but they included everything on the castle grounds including the cathedral. Disappointed that some of the areas are closed due to technical problems?

The St. Vitus Cathedral was founded in then13th century. This is the largest ancient castle in the world. This is also where the Crown Jewels are housed and they are only displayed once to the public every eight years.  Also, Hitler spent the night here after the Chez president handed his nation over to the Germans. 

The castle is as beautiful up close as it was when I was viewing from afar. So magical. Can see why my friend wanted to get married here. The grounds also have the little houses where the artist and architect lived. Today they are decorated to period as it was when they lived there. Some of the houses are set up for shops for the visitors. 

When we were ready to leave there was a wedding in progress and the bride was beautiful dancing outside in the castle square. Her dress was so beautiful when she twirled. 

Back to town for some dinner. Found a great restaurant and had cream of cauliflower soup and some great bread. All warmed up and full, we head home for  a good night's sleep to get ready for our next adventure... Krakow. 

Bruges, Belgium (10/26)

Bruges, Belgium

October 26, 2014

Woke up early. Taking a day train to visit Bruges.  We wanted to stay overnight, but could not find an "affordable" hotel. So a day visit will do. 

Bruges is beautiful! You leave the train and walk right into the city. No bus needed. Bruges is famous for many things... Chocolate, frites, lace and of course beer. 

Our first order of business, visiting the famous "Beer Wall". They have over 300 kinds of beers.  So crowded, so we stood inline for quite a while. That is OK, because there are so many to choose from. The menus hang from the ceiling by elastic thread. So you choose your language. When you moved forward in line, another Enflish menu will be available. Lee chose the traditional Bruges ber and I chose the Cherri beer.  It was very good, but any beer is good with nuts.  It was a beautiful day, so we sipped our beer not he river and watched the tour boats pass by below.

Next we visited the chocolate shops.  Lee loves chocolate, but has not purchased one piece of chocolate.  He can not resist the pastries. Also, we wanted to try the frites.  Do not call these French fries! The guy at the shop is like the "soup nazi" on Sienfield.  So be careful and most of all be patient. Frites are potatoes that Re cried twice.Of course, twice as fattening too.  Then he serves them whit a big blog of mayo on top. I asked for a little mayo on the side and ketchup on the other.  He was not happy. Not the way he like to serve his frites!!! They were very good. We enjoyed while we walked around the town. Wanted to do a bike ride, but could not find a bike rental store that was open. 

Almost time to leave, so we had just enough time to do the boat tour.  The boats were olds old wooden boats.. So nostalgics! The guide gave us info about the old homes and buildings.  We even saw somes swans on the river.  

Yes, Marilyn was there and Elvis too!

Oh well, time to leave and head back to the train. Would definitely recommend Bruges as a place to visit.  But for us, back to Brussels.  We had a train that was leaving around 10:00pm for Prague. 

Brussels, Belgium (10/25)

Brussels, Belgium

October 25, 2014

Motel One... Great hotel. Checked in and headed for the La Grand Place. One of Europes' grandest squares. The building are very ornate with richly decorated gables. It was a Saturday night and the square was alive with people and street entertainers.  We walked up and down all of the streets.  As we walked, we noticed a kid in a Texas shirt. He was from Dallas and him and his friends were on a student holiday. They were Business students studying in Switzerland and they had been doing some pretty expensive traveling. Wow! 

The Square - la Grande Place

We finally arrived at the famous mascot of Brussels... Manneken-Pis. It is a small bronze statue that lives up to his name. When dignitaries visit from other countries, they bring him costumes representing their cultural.  There are cases full of these costumes on display in the City Museum in the plaza. 

Manneken-Pis

Stopped in St. Michaels Cathedral and they were preparing for the next service.  The organ was playing and the music was Loud, dramatic, but so spiritual. Not as ornate as some of the other cathedrals, but still impressive. The stained glass windows depicted beautiful biblical scenes from the bible

Then we went in search for some dinner. We found a place called Chi-Chi's with tex-mex food. We enjoyed, but it was not like our tex-mex at home. Margaritas were pretty good for a city that specializes in beer. 

We found outside our hotel... Memories!

Amsterdam, Netherlands (10/24&25/14)

Amsterdam, Netherlands

October 24 & 25,  2014

We arrived in Amsterdam and it was cold and rainy.  First stop the Tourist Office for maps and bus tickets. Then we decided to do the "Hop On-Hop Off" bus tour to check out the town. After the tour, we walked to the Flower Market, but because of the season there were not many flowers. Too cold.  They were mostly selling bulbs and seeds for next year. When flowers are in season, they ship flowers all over the world.mWould love to see the tulips. 

One note about Amsterdam, they have more bikes than people.  The bikers are so fast it is unbelievable. So factor in, buses, trams, bikes, motor cycles the rain, and traffic is absolutely crazy. I almost caused several accidents with me being the victim. More than once I had that frozen, scared deer look on my face. 

Then we checked out the "Red Light" district. It appears that the scene is a lot different from the last time Lee was here. Also, the coffee shops do not sell coffee, they sell marajuana? No Starbucks... If course. 

Tickets for Anne Franks House were sold out on line and the wait was two hours. It was still raining, so we decided to get up early and stand in line tomorrow. 

We were getting hungry and wanted some pasta. We found this great Italian restaurant where they make homemade noodles. The spaghetti was great and the salad even better. Also, they were making hot mint tea with real mint leaves and honey. Both fragrant and delicious. Must try this when I get home! Now we are full and happy. Time to head home for some much needed shut-eye!

We wake up early and have a wonderful breakfast at our hotel, then headed out to see Anne Franks House. We still had to wait one and a half hours, but no rain and the sun was shinning. It was well worth the wait! Wanted to buy a book, but no more room in my backpack. I downloaded the book so I could read again on the long train rides. Also, we were going to Austvich in the next day or two. This is were Anne and her family was taken when the Germans removed them from the home where they were hiding. 

Then we decided, we would take an earlier train and head to Brussels. We are getting good at logistics for traveling. For instance, we could not find an affordable hotel in Bruges, so we will just head to Brussels. Nice to have this freedom. Will try to catch Bruges later on a day trip. 

Berlin, Germany (10/22&23/14)

KBerlin, Germany

October 22 & 23, 2014

Since Berlin is so big, we decided to take a bus tour to get familiar with the town. It was a great idea. After the tour we went to Checkpoint Charlie. Wanted my picture made with some military men that iwere standing out side Checkpoint Charlie. They were dressed in Ametican uniforms, but they wanted Euros? Not real military men, but actors. What a shame, but it worked I got my pic made with them. Then wanted to add a Checkpoint Charlie Stamp to my passport, more euros. Then we went to see where the wall used to stand and read all of the history before and after the wall was torn down. It was not that long ago... Only 25 years ago. Lee was here in 1988 before the wall came down. Him and his family actually got to cross over into East Berlin. He was amazed at the changes and the growth that has taken place in the city since then.

Lee is also a big fan of German food. So off we go to find brats and sauerkraut. We found a great restaurant that was perfect Then we walked around to see some of the new larger complexes and mega shopping areas. Getting late so back to hotel. Needed to do laundry and make more plans for next stop. 

The logistics of planning this trip is very time consuming. First you decide where to go next and then find trains to take you there. After you arrive you have to deal with bus/tram/subway maps so you can find your hotel. The Tourist Information Center is always our first stop. If we arrive before they are open, we have coffee and wait. Also, not sure how we could do without Wi-Fi. When Lee and I traveled through Europe by car a year and a half ago, we had no WiFi, no phone and no reservations.  We found rooms when we got to our destination. It always worked, but now... WiFi is mandatory. 

The next day we head out for some shopping. Getting colder, so I needed a coat. Lee gave in and decided he might need a man purse since someone stole his wallet. He is in charge of our important stuff and euros. Man purse is a good idea. 

Outside of DKMaxx, there was a mobile hot dog/brat vendor. It is an open grill fueled by butane. He grills the dogs and warms the buns. He also has a holder for condiments. He keeps his ingredients in an ice chest with wheels and away he goes. Lee thought they were wonderful. 

We went to Alexanderplatz. This is now a mega complex that was built on the East German site after the wall came down. Great stores, but expensive.  Prices higher than home. Then as we were walking around and spotted a DKMaxx. Wow! It was just like our TJMaxx at home. Great prices too. I found a coat and scarf. Now I will be warm. Lee found him a man purse and replaced his broken glasses. 

Then we did Checkpoint Charlie trip again.  Next we visited the East Side Gallery. It is known as the longest art gallery and it is almost a mile long.  The wall is still standing and artist were commissioned to paint their art on the walls. Great artwork, but then the graffiti artist have taken over. There was only one that was untouched by graffiti? Then we checked out the timeline of the history of the wall And why the East Berlin and West Berlin were separated. I remember Reagan, telling Kruchev to "Tear Down That Wall"... And down it came. 

We wanted to do the tower, but there was a two hour wait.  No more time. We had to have dinner and then head back to the train station for our next adventure... Amsterdam!

Caen and Normandy, France (10/21&22/2014)

Caen and Normandy, France

October 20 & 21, 2014

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey

Tour Guide: Francis from Ireland

This abbey dates back to 708, built in honor of the Archangel Michael. It only took 17 years to build. Imagine. It still holds weekly services and houses seven monks and five nuns. At one time during the Revolution it was used as a prison.  Thank goodness that changed in 1863. It is a very architecturally beautiful abbey, but not ornate like the other cathedrals we have visited. There was over a thousand visitors, but for the English tour there were only two English speaking tourist. That's right, just Lee and me.  Francis, our tour guide was am amazing and very informative. Since there was only two of us, we got a special "behind the scenes"  tour. 

Arromanches Museum

This Museum/cinema showed a documentary on the Normandy DDay attack on the Nazi Regime. The movie was depicted on a 360 degree screen. It showed live footage with Eisenhower and his team working on logistics in the final days before attack. Then his dilemma when weather conditions changed and the decision to wait or go ahead as planned rested on his shoulders. Then the attack... and the rest is history. It was a great black and white documentary. As the war was ending and Normandy was recovering, the film showed the rebuilding of Normandy and the town in its present state with color pics. 

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

This was a beautiful museum documenting the DDay attack. The theme of the museum shows the  Confidence, Courage, and Sacrifice made by the men that fought. Outside the museum are the grave sites of the victims killed there during WWII. They also continuously call out the name of the men and women buried in the cemetery. There are 9,387 Americans buried there. It was an amazing display and I could not help to think where we would be if we had not own that war. 

We left with a deep sentiment for the brave men and women that gave up their lives for the good of all. 

Paris, France (10/15-20/2014)

Paris, France

October 15 - 20, 2014

We had a great time in Paris. It almost felt like the camino because everyday we walked 13 to 20+ km! We also rode buses and trains to get back and forth from site to site. We have been doing some traveling. I am thinking by the time we return home, we will have walked another camino. These are some of the places we in Paris. 

Versailles

An amazing castle that was beautiful from top to bottom, both inside and the outside gardens. The tapestries, the artwork and the chandeliers were amazing. Everything was decorated and so ornate.  King Louis and Marie Antionette, lived a charmed life, but every moment of their day was spent following a royal protocol. Manners and proper etiquette were mandatory in their presence.  It started from the time they awoke until they went to bed. Even when they dined in the evening (every night at 10:00pm), friends were invited to watch them dine. Not share in the meal, just watch.  But sadly, their life had a tragic ending during the Revolution.

Catacombs

Paris was running out of burial space. Map to make room for more remains, the dead were exhumed and the bones were housed in walls and roofs around the cemetery. Soon those were filled, and they built tunnels underground and the catacombs became a bone depository for the remains. The bones are arranged "artistically" and the wall of bones outline the tunnels. Today in Paris, these ossuaries hold the remains of six million people.  For some reason the underground cemetery became a tourist attraction. 

Champs-Élysées

Great place for shopping, except pretty expensive.  I was glad they had a Gap with decent prices. Lee also did some shopping.

Eiffel Tower

Celebrated Lee's 70th birthday at the top along with a picnic lunch which included wine. Fun! 

Boat Tour on he Seinne

We did this boat tour at night on an open top boat. Yea, Paris is more beautiful in at night in lights. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

There were thousands of visitors throughout the cathedral and the park. Wanted to visit the Holocaust Monument, but it was closed due to a restoration project.  I was even the victim of a pickpocket. The only thing that I was carrying was my hotel key card. She was called out by a spectator and returned the card. There were warning signs everywhere we went.  They also make announcements at the train and bus stations warning visitors.  

Picnic on the Seinne

I packed a lunch, but we also picked up a homemade crepe stuffed with cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes. Yum! Also, visited a wine store to pick up a bottle of Bordeaux. Nothing like a picnic in Paris. Bon Appetit!

Invalides Military Museum

This museum previewed artifacts from as far back at the 1200's. The amours of those day were not simplistic. They were substantial, but also every weapon or garment worn by the soldiers were so decorative.  Then they previewed uniforms and artillery through WWII. The grand finale was viewing Napoleon's tomb. He was a small man in statue, but it was a huge tomb! Very interesting museum. 

Dining at French Restaurant - Boullion Chartier Restaurant

It was delicious. Lee picked this restaurant. We had salad, shrimp steak and spaghetti.  Yum!

Cathedral Sacré-Coeur

This is my favorite cathedral in Paris. Much smaller than Notre Dame, but has a more spiritual atmosphere. We visited during mass, and the music and service was so beautiful. The entire area was filled with people and there was hardly any walking room. Also, has an amazing view of Paris. 

Montmartre Art District

Paris great place to visit to watch local artist create great works of art for reasonable prices. They also will do caricatures or portraits if requested. Also, it is a great to sit at a sidewalk cafe for lunch or just your fav beverage. The trees throughout this area were turning so it made for a more beautiful visit. 

Sidewalk Cafe for Dessert

This was one of my request. The last time we were here, it was too cold to dine outside. But this trip , the weather was amazing. So our last adventure, was having dessert at a sidewalk cafe. We had chocolate cake with almond ice cream. What a way to end a perfect Paris visit!

Santiago to Finisterre and Done! (10/14)

Well we did complete our Camino pilgrimage this past Saturday. Walked into Santiago around 3pm and received our Compestellas. Yea! 

Happy and sad at the same time. Sad to say goodbye to our pilgrim friends that we have been walking with for 35 days. Of course it was time to celebrate before we parted. Planned to met Karen and Ian for dinner. Great fun. We look forward to staying in touch with these guys. 

As we head back to our hotel, we keep running into other pilgrims. Everyone is so happy to be done and be in Santiago. We exchange hugs and warm farewells and head home. First, we have to purchase more umbrellas. 

Today is Sunday and time to attend an official Santiago mass. We got there very early and got to see the incense burner for both services. What a site to behold. Just wish the services could have been in English.

Of course many of our walking buddies were there for the service. Almost like a family reunion. Made more dinner plans with Our team... Jay, Carrie, Dave, Bev and Sandra. This is where we part ways. They are walking to Finnestere and we will be taking a bus. Nòt because we can't walk, but we have big plans to travel throughout Europe. We are ready for more travel adventures. We will be traveling by train and a First Class too!

Next day we board the bus to Finnestere with other pilgrims. A beautiful ride to the coast. Finisterre is right on the Atlantic Ocean and was thought to be the end of the world in the Middle Ages. That is until Columbus sailed and discovered America. End of history lesson for now!

We arrive. We do not have a lot of time before the bus returns to Santiago. We take a quick hike to the highest point. This is also where pilgrims burn their hiking clothes. Not us, we did not have extra clothes because we had more travels. We said our farewells to the camino and then back to the bus. 

To finish off our Santiago trip, we went to the Paradore Hotel for a glass of wine and to hang out with the rich and famous.  Very good!

In the the morning, we fly to Barcelona. We arrive at 11am then to the train station. Leave at 4pm and will arrive in Paris at 11pm. Hotel Ibis is near, so only a short ride or maybe a walk!?

We say our final Buen Camino's as we kiss Santiago goodbye. Will Write more later. 

Mass in Santiago Cathedral. 

Preparing incense burner. 

Swings across the cathedral and to the ceiling on both sides. 

Cathedral altar. 

Lighthouse at a Finesterre. 

What a view!

The coast was so beautiful!

Last of the pilgrim art. 

Drinks at the Parrador.