Chvatal Travels

Homeward bound

2010-10-24T13:14:00.002-07:00

Managed to get diesel (yes, diesel fuel goes in diesel cars!), hit the road, and drove to Bordeaux on Friday. Had a bite at the airport. Flight left promptly at 13:55. We made it to Amsterdam. We managed to avoid any delays with striking French workers. Whew!
We stayed at the Sheraton, which is attached to the Amsterdam airport. Took the train into Amsterdam, drank the BEST Heineken beer and had a wonderful steak for dinner. Ams was a major culture shock from quiet little Plazac, but fun nonetheless.
Got to sleep in till 8 a.m., then caught the 11:15 to PDX. No headwinds, so we made it in 10 hours. Paul (of Paul and Joelle) picked us up at the airport. What a stud! I was home by 13:30. I made it until the 2nd qtr of the Oklahoma game, when the roof collapsed. I crawled into bed around 7:30 and slept great, until o'dark thirty (that's about 2:30 a.m.) I got out of bed at 3:00 a.m. Ugh...
I'll do better tonight...
Great trip.
I feel relaxed, which is the not the norm for my Euro vacations.
So, as I often say, I'd like to come home for a week, sleep in my own bed, trash my old clothes, and head back. Larry spoke highly of Portugal... hmmmmm...

Thursday... last day

2010-10-21T11:34:00.002-07:00

Our last day. I'm gonna miss this place. The owners of the house stopped by to say goodbye. Wonderful people.
Btw... you cut the cheese with the knife, but you eat it with your fingers. This from daughter Nicole, who has lived in the Franceland.
Bon Soir

Wednesday

2010-10-20T03:14:00.003-07:00

Winding down...
Yesterday we drove back to Perigueux. Bad idea. The marchers were back and the old town area was a mess. We left and drove cross country, ending up in Martignac, where we had lunch. Today we went back to Montignac for the market. It has become our favorite town. If we had to do it over, we would probably forsake this beautiful house and get something in Montignac. It's a town that's just big enough... plenty of restaurants and shops, two markets a week, lots of interesting streets... but not too big. The market season is winding down. The market today was about 75% of what we saw last Wednesday.
Anyway, we bought some pasta and are now having lunch at home. We bagged lunch out in favor of a couple of good bottles of white... I'm going to miss this lifestyle.

Bergerac

2010-10-18T06:41:00.002-07:00

Sunny this a.m., but it soon gave way to clouds. After breakfast, we headed to Bergerac. Most stores and restaurants are closed on Mondays in the Franceland. So we found Bergerac rather cold and boring. We wandered aimlessly, had a forgettable lunch and headed home. D & C are headed to the wine store. They have specific instructions... bring back some good wine. And a lot of it. What else is a man gonna do on a gray day in France...

St Cyp

2010-10-17T05:50:00.003-07:00

Like mon ami Laney, who is travelling to Mexico for one month, we are immersing ourselves in the French countryside way of life. Our normal day begins with breakfast, then we travel to a town that hopefully has a market. We peruse the market, gathering food for lunch or dinner, then return to the house around 2-3 pm. Today we went to St Cyprien, which had a HUGE market. Here are some snaps...

We spend our afternoons just lounging around... reading, movies, music, cribbage... we're are doing our best to reeeeeeelax.

Perigueux

2010-10-16T06:44:00.003-07:00

Rainy morning, so we headed to Perigueux, a town of 30k. Lots and lots of people downtown and they all seemed to headed in one direction... and soon we found out why.

As Johnny Horton sang in the Battle of New Orleans... "There must have been a hundred of 'em, beating on a drum". Yep, a full scale march. 15 to 20 thousand people by our estimate... the march went on for about 45 minutes.

They were protesting the change in retirement age from 60 to 62. That's for partial pension - full pension starts at 67. Lots of drumming, lots of noise. There is a national strike called for next Tuesday, 19 October. Hope we don't get stranded here, but worse things could happen. We due to fly out on Friday, back to Amsterdam. Spend the night, then fly out Saturday to PDX.

Anyway, Perigueux was a nice town. Lots of fun shops to explore - a large market. Reminded us of Bergerac. Ciao for now. P

Wine

2010-10-15T10:14:00.002-07:00

So far we have been a lot of Bergerac wines - both red and white. Quite enjoyable and not too expensive. The big reds we have sampled here have been from Cahors. Today we had a Malbec from Cahors, which went well with the meat. When in Sauternnes, we drank their whites. Have not had any cabs to date. The wines have been enjoyable, but this is not Burgundy.

Desert

2010-10-15T10:08:00.002-07:00

I had a pineapple thingy - chunks of the fruit in the bottom of a glass with ice cream on top - ended up being kind of a pineapple milk shake. C & D has apple tart with ice cream and carmel sauce. We ended up satiated, not stuffed. Best meal so far...

Cheese course

2010-10-15T10:03:00.002-07:00

The cheese course - Cabecou with a dab of honey, eaten with your knife. Didn't mama teach us not to eat with a knife? Well... when in France...

Main course

2010-10-15T09:54:00.004-07:00

D & I had steak. Cathy had stuffed chicken breast. The green glob was a stuffed squash blossom. Stuffed with peppers and some sort of mousse. The tomato was stuffed with some sort of a pork/mushroom thing. Also a potato au gratin pancake.

La Recreation

2010-10-15T09:37:00.009-07:00

Fog... i mean fawg. 1.5 hours to Cahors driving in mushroom soup. Cahors was a bit underwhelming - cold, foggy and kind of miserable. We spent an hour there before pushing on to Les Arques for our lunch at La Recreation. We were not disappointed.

10 tables (4 deuces) in a classroom. All full except for two. Fixed price menu - 34Euro for a five course meal. First was the soup - Legume. It was served in a large pot and we dished up our own. Add some croutons. On to the appetizer - D&I had scallops with passion fruit - C had a goat cheese salad. The scallops were covered with something that resembled angel hair pasta, but we could not define it.

From here...

2010-10-14T11:54:00.002-07:00

Have you read this book... From Here, You Can't See Paris?
I have not. However, we are going to the restaurant featured in the book. It's called La Recreation... it's in Les Arques. News at 11

Domme

2010-10-14T06:02:00.005-07:00

Drove to Domme today. It's a hill town. Hill towns are great, because they offer killer views, except when they're socked in with fog denser than curdled milk in your coffee. Went to the market... here's proof. Also, saw this beautiful vintage Jag in the parking lot. Drove on to St Cyprien for lunch... now home. Cathy's is reading and David is snoring.

About French drivers... not as good as Italian drivers. The Frenchies lack road manners. They get some sort of joy out of climbing up your tailpipe going 60 mph on narrow, curvey one lane country roads . I just get passive agressive and slow down.

No friends today

2010-10-13T12:28:00.002-07:00

No Addy no Burley :( The TGV from Paris to Bordeaux was cancelled tomorrow. Bummer...
Off to Domme tomorrow.

Easy Wednesday

2010-10-13T07:20:00.007-07:00

Just an easy Wednesday. Gave up the Ambien, so now there's the rebound effect. I recall the church bell at 11, 12, 01, 02, 03 and oh yeah, the 04. Now I understand Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger... just trying to get a good night's sleep. Oh well, I can sleep when I get to the States. Left at 09:00 for Montignac and the market. The markets rotate between towns - Tuesday is Le Bugue, Wednesday is Sarlat and Montignac, Sunday is Rouffinac. You get the point.

Here's David in line to buy salmon for tonight's dinner.

The main street is still decorated from last weekend's festival. Quite charming.

Tomorrow we are expecting friends (Addie and Burley) from Paris. However, the trains may be on strike. The oil refineries have halted production, so there may be fuel shortages. 7.7% of the French workers belong to a union and the unions still seem to be calling the shots in this country. They're a bit upset about having to retire at 62, instead of 60. Of course, everyone agrees that the country is going broke. So, what to do? Let them eat cake...

Tuesday afternoon

2010-10-12T10:17:00.004-07:00

Just sitting around, watching the sunset. The white is flowing, David's cooking duck and I just snapped these from the balcony. Wish you were here...

Oh by the way... France went on strike today. They're protesting the change passed by the Senate that raises the retirement age from 60 to 62. Jesus, what are we doing wrong... oh yeah, I forgot. We're Americans... we need more stuff, so we gotta work longer. Go figure.

Lunch in Sarlet

2010-10-12T09:07:00.003-07:00

Drove to Sarlat. Not a cloud in the sky, 75 degrees. Is this heaven?

Went to a restaurant, but it was closed. We settled for a pizza joint. David and I had pizza. Cathy had a salad. The yellow in the middle of the pizza is an egg! Here's a view...

Lascaux caves

2010-10-12T08:48:00.007-07:00

We have not the faintest idea whether the first words spoken were uttered 20,000 years ago or 200,000 years ago. What is certain is that mankind did little except procreate and survive for 100,000 generations. (For purposes of comparison, only about eighty generations separate us from Christ.) Then suddenly, about 30,000 years ago, there burst forth an enormous creative and cooperative effort which led to the cave paintings at Lascaux, the development of improved, lightweight tools, the control of fire, and many other cooperative arrangements. It is unlikely that any of this could have been achieved without a fairly sophisticated system of language.
Bill Bryson, The Mother Tongue

Amen I say to you. I sat crammed in a silver tube, shaken like an ice cube in a martini shaker, for over 12 hours, with no sleep. I have endured screaming children and crowded airports. I've been thirsty, hot, sweaty and somewhat crabby. I would do it all over again tomorrow for the experience I had today.
D&C let me sleep. I awoke at 10:00 totally refreshed, after waking at 01:00 and studying the ceiling art for an hour. A French breakfast (coffee and pain-au-chocolate) and we jump into the VW and head to the Lascaux caves. We arrive, wait 5 minutes and catch an English tour. Having just seen a REAL cave yesterday, I figured a replica of a cave (down to 5mm, they claim) would be pretty underwelming. Well let me tell you... I've seen the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa, I've stood on the Med Ocean at sunset... nothing, I mean NOTHING, prepared me for what I saw at Lascaux. The animal art LEAPS off the ceiling of the cave. 15,000 years old is what they think it is. It will bring tears to your eyes. 40 people in our tour group and all I heard was WOW. If you're ever down this way... DO NOT miss this.
On to Sarlat for lunch...
P

La Roque

2010-10-11T07:57:00.006-07:00

After lunch, we pushed on the La Roque, which, as Rick Steves says, is vying for the "cutest town in France" title. It is pretty impressive, glued to a rock wall next to the Dordogne. Here are a couple of pics...

David & Cathy wondered off, so I sat on the ledge, looking down the Dordogne River, which has been flowing down these shores for a very long time. I thought about how lucky we were to be here, just idling away our days in the sun. The following quote from Bill Hicks slipped thru my brain... it made me smile!

Today a young man realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves.

Caves

2010-10-11T07:33:00.007-07:00

Up, b-fast, then on the road to the caves at Font-de-Gaume. No pics allowed. This is the real deal - a real cave. They only let in 180 people a day. To see art drawn 15,000 years ago does something to you... leaves you feeling rather insignificant. We pushed on to Beynac for lunch. This is a small town on the Dordogne river. Here are some pics from lunch...started with gazpacio, then Cathy had fish, I had veal stew and David had lamb. Kind of overkill for lunch, but that's how we tend to keep the meal bill to a minimum... Lunches out, dinners in.

Sunday evening

2010-10-10T12:34:00.003-07:00

Just hanging out - leftover chicken for dinner on a bed of greens. Tomorrow is Lascaux caves and then Sarlat. Just another rainy Sunday - ring any bells...
ding-dong, ding-dong.
p
PS. we literally "battened down the hatches" (closed and latched the shutters). Heavy rains due here tonight. News at 11.

Sunday afternoon

2010-10-10T08:38:00.003-07:00

A little Oregon drizzle.

This is the view from our grand living room. Yes, there's a pool, but it's a bit chilly.

We came back from Montignac, made chicken sands, had a beer and then a siesta.

Ah... siestas. They should be required by law. Well, actually they are in Europe and the rest of the world. Only the Americans feel the need to work 12 hour days.

Tomorrow is cave day, since they are predicting rain. Lascaux will be our first stop.

Ciao for now.

Boxed wine

2010-10-10T05:25:00.003-07:00

You got boxed wine? No problem.

A visit to the wine store

2010-10-10T05:19:00.005-07:00

Found a wine store in Montignac. A couple of old boys and their dog were babysitting the place. Missing prices drove them nuts. Most expensive bottle we saw was 16E. Most stuff was 4-8E. Here are a few pics.

Sunday morn

2010-10-10T05:12:00.003-07:00

It's gonna get wet later, so off to the market we go. Rouffignac - small market - picked up a roasted chicken, vegetables, cheese, bread and a box of wine.

Then we set off to Montignac, looking for a grocery store (not much open today). Montignac had a big fair yesterday - elected a queen. Lots of paper mache flowers strung about the city.

Come Saturday morning

2010-10-09T12:35:00.003-07:00

Up by 9, breakfast at the chateau, then the road. Headed to Bergerac (Cyrano's turf), where we had lunch. Motored to Plavac and found our wonderful house. Built in the 16th century. Whoa !

I can walk into the fireplace. Everything is wonderful.

Friday nite for dessert

2010-10-09T12:30:00.004-07:00

Cheese & Sauterne

Friday night in the big time

2010-10-09T11:23:00.009-07:00

OK, we've survived a nap and now its time for dinner. We make our way to a wonderful restaurant in Sauternes. Main courses, after opening kir royal's, are... steak for moi, duck for David and salmon for Cathy. The wines - see pics are wonderful. A GREAT meal - wondeful way to kick off the trip. Yeah, we put a dent in the budget, but when in Rome...

Arrive !

2010-10-09T09:52:00.005-07:00

Three hours to the Twin Cities - lunch - eight, yes EIGHT, hours to Amsterdam. Did not sleep a wink, but music and a movie (The Joneses). Listened to Tracey Thorne's new album - Love and its Opposite - best song was Hormones. Tracey was the Girl in the band Everything but the Girl.
Arrive AMS, clear security AGAIN, go to the basement, take a bus to the tarmac and onto a "City Hopper" jet to Bordeaux. Arrive, rent a car (Golf Plus), fire the GPS and listen to Bossy Ben say... Turn Right in 500 feet. Drive to Chateau d'Arche in Sauternes. Check in. Grand old place. See pics.
No ATM's in Sauternes - drive to Langon - get cash - it's now 15:00 and no, let me say again, NO cafes are open. Dontcha love the Franceland! So, I'm running on no sleep, no food, my blood sugar is in the toilet. We grab a sandwich at a bakery - can't find anything to drink - head back to the hotel, consume the san with a bottle of hotel room water. C R A S HHHHH!. 1.5 hour nap. Oh gawd, I'm human again. Join David in the lobby - we order a bottle of 6E white, which we proceed to slug down. Cathy arises and we head to dinner...
p

Early

2010-10-07T07:43:00.002-07:00

Brian picked us up at 6:45 and we took the uneventful ride out I-84 to PDX. Of course, my brain is racing... "what did I forget, did I turn off the stove?, do I have my passport?". You know, the normal circulating mental trash.
Anyway, walked into the airport, right up to the Delta (acronym for delta.. "Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport") counter, checked in... checked in the bags. Then we disrobed and cleared the metal detectors, managed to put a smile on our collective faces, and are now sitting at Star*ucks sucking down a java.
Hurry up and wait.
7:48 and our flight to the Twin Cities leaves @ 09:00.
We wait...
P

Watch spider

2010-10-06T21:19:00.001-07:00

Some of you have watchdogs... some have watch kitties.
Meet Natasha the watch spider, stationed outside my front door.
Beware...

Bordeaux

2010-10-05T19:14:00.005-07:00

Le Bag... in an empty state. Soon it will be winging its way to Bordeaux France. Outbound - 7 Oct 10 - Minneapolis... 3 hr layover - on to Amsterdam. A quick check through customs - outbound to Bordeaux. We arrive @ 11:30 on 8 Oct 10. Travelling with friends of Nicole and Brian... David and Cathy. Staying in one house for two weeks - here's the link...

www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_175.htm

First night is spent in Sauternes... Chateau d'Arche. Wi-Fi permitting, I will update from there.

Ciao.

Bags

2009-10-21T03:00:00.003-07:00

Because of a previous sore back, I broke with tradition and gave up my back pack for a rolling suitcase. Actually it a Eagle Creek HC2 Duffel 25, which means its 25 inches long and therefore must be checked - normally we carry on.
Pros... lots of room, easy to pull around, no anxiety dealing with overhead storage space on the plane. Cons... lots of room so I tended to overpack, clickity-clack - now I'm one of those jackoffs pulling their suitcase down the cobblestone alley in Europe.
The bag did come back unscathed. I think I'm converted. Hope I won't be excommunicated from the Rick Steves religious community.

Home

2009-10-19T14:34:00.003-07:00

Stayed in a killer hotel in Malpensa called the Villa Malpensa. The only problem was that we had to leave at 05:00 to catch the 06:20 to Amsterdam. Then Amsterdam to Portland. It went ok.
Nice to be home.

Bolzano & beyond

2009-10-17T05:41:00.002-07:00

We have been in Bolzano (Bozen in German) for three nights. We head to Milan tomorrow morning. Took a bus up into the mountains today... had lunch in Castlerotto. This is Italy, but feels like Germany. So, if you like Rosti and schneitzel, then this is your place. Mostly German spoken... everything is in two languages. Food is pretty good. Got a couple of jugs for our Sat evening hoedown in the hotel room... Gerwertiz and Proseco, with bread, cheese and salami. its cheap and after awhile, one gets rather tired of eating out.
Its Kold here 10C... which is about 50. Not bad for walking, if the sun is out. Rather cold if you are in the shade, sitting still.
No. 1 son, Jeff, flew out of PDX to Guam yesterday. PDX to LAX (2.5 hours), LAX to Tokyo (12 hours), 5 hour layover in Tokyo, 3.5 hours to Guam. He gets in at 02:00 Sunday morning. Jeez, I thot my trip home from here would be a bitch... not even close!
Thats it for awhile.
P

Verona

2009-10-14T05:32:00.004-07:00

Here are some pics of Venice. We stayed in a monestary. Last two pics show the hallway outside our room and then our room. The other 3 pics are of St Marks Square.
Today, we are having a relaxing day in Verona. We finally made up our minds and we are pushing on to Bolzano. It will be cold, But, we are looking forward to the smaller town scene and the mountains. Today I was up at dawn, had breakfast, then set out to do my laundry. After some searching, found the laundromat. Clean and easy instructions... a novelty in Europe. While the clothes were washing, went out for a walk, had a mawk-ee-auto (espresso with a dash of foam), watched people go to work and students go to school.
Went back to the hotel, hooked up with the gang, caught a cab to the station and dropped off Caren for her trip back. Walked back to town, had a bite at a cafeteria (Brek) and wandered back to the hotel. Everybody is taking it easy today. Maybe some modern art later. Ciao

Ahhh, Verona

2009-10-13T06:14:00.002-07:00

Took the 10:50 from Venice to Verona. Ahh, Verona... it's like putting on your favorite sweater or pair of jeans. It's real... it's fun... I think its my favorite city in Italy. We're staying two nights in our old favorite hotel, the Aurora. Had a terrific lunch, with two bottles of Soave... Gini and Peropan. Can life get any better? Restaurante Greppa. Recommended by our hotel staff and also Rick Steves. Had a huge deja vu... I have been in the restaurant before. With Nicole, where she had "the best ravioli of her life ". Had the same... the pumpkin ravioli. Whoa. We have not have a bad meal yet.
Here for two nights, then on to Bolzano. Back to the mountains. have to check the weather. Will try to post some pics later.
ciao for now.
p

Italian internet

2009-10-12T05:05:00.002-07:00

Ya know how in the US of A, every stinking coffee shop and ding dong shop has free wi-fi? Well, you can fa getta bout it in Italy. Internet here is charge all the time, every time. 5E per hour. Switzerland - free as a jay bird. In Italy, its a revenue stream.
Venice... its losing 1,000 people per year. Permanent population is down to 26k. It's becoming Disneyland, despite what the IT gov is trying to do with rent controls, etc. It's a shell of it former self. Fun to visit, fun to stay overnight... love the fact there are no cars... but I can't envision ever, ever living here. It's whack. 2 nights and one full day are plenty, in my book. Would have love to spent another night in Vicenza. Next time...
We are staying next to the Acedemia museum. Nice and quiet here. In a monestary. Went to the museum. Was OK. Really, really enjoyed the Guggenheim, with its modern art. Bummed around with Caren, had lunch. Back for a siesta. More later. Phillippe.

Missing posts

2009-10-10T23:49:00.004-07:00

For some assinine reason, my last couple of posts did not take. C'est la vie. We spent the night in Vicenza... hotels are tough to get. We're headed to Venice on the 09.56, with reserved seats this time. Vicenza is quite nice... reminds me a lot of Verona. Must be a big University town... seems like lots of young people, especially the late night party types. But we did manage to get a good nights sleep, sans drugs.
Anyway, we're spending two nights in a monestary in Venice, then perhaps Verona for two nights, then up to the Dolomites. After Switzerland, the mountains seem to be drawing us. Love the small towns, good food, the air and peace. We'll see how the weather holds.
Ciao 4 now. p

Venice

2009-10-10T23:49:00.001-07:00

In Vicenza... headed to Venice.

Living the dream

2009-10-07T10:36:00.005-07:00

My bro, living the dream...

Caren's hat serves as a water carrier from nearby streams!

Temp is 65... a little hot while walking, but otherswise great.

ciao.

Is this heaven?

2009-10-07T10:14:00.005-07:00

So, I think I figured this out... Switzerland is adult Disneyland. When you look around, Walt got all of his ideas from here... plus a few castles from Austria. It costs just as much as Disneyland. But the beauty... whoa... like when you die, I think your first rest stop will be a little restaurant, facing the north face of the Eiger. I was there today. I'll admit it was pretty breathtaking, and I only had one beer. Here are some pics...

Your first meal will be "rosti", which is a fried egg with bacon over a plate of hash browns. Don't believe me... well take a look... see pic above... sorry i am such a shitty blogger.

After we are done with lunch, were back on the road to nowhere.

ciao

High

2009-10-06T07:09:00.002-07:00

High in the Swiss Alps... actually, about 2,500 feet that is. Took the train from Stresa to Brig - changed to Spiez - changed to Interlacken - went to the 18th floor of the Metropole for lunch. $164 later, we descended, walked back the the station and caught the train to Lauterbrunnen. Our hotel (Staubbach) is wedged between two veritcal walls. Imagine sitting in the parking lot of Multnomah Falls and looking up at the falls. Staubbach Falls are across the street from our hotel and they have to be at LEAST twice as high as Multnomah. It's expensive here. Let me restate that... ya better bring three paychecks and coupla Visa cards. The Swiss franc is roughly the same as the US dollar. 1/2 liter of bottled water... 3.80 SF. So, you see, 164 SF for lunch fits perfectly. We're only here for two nights... can't afford any more. Hiking and train rides tomorrow. I'll try to post some pics. Ciao 4 now. P

Tired

2009-10-05T07:20:00.002-07:00

I'm whipped! After walking downhill from the mountain top yesterday, today we toured three islands. Boats are fun... beautiful gardens... then back to the hotel... then to town with Caren to call her freaking bank to get her debit card to work... then to the train station to buy 4 tickets to Interlacken, Switzerland. Back to the hotel for a drink, blog and then out to dinner. Tomorrow, train to Interlacken. Weather is holding... hi overcast, but warm... say 70 to 75. I must be in heaven... no, its iowa. Ciao 4 now. P

What goes up...

2009-10-04T07:49:00.002-07:00

The boat races interrupted our island visit plans. So, we took the tram up to 4,500' for a wonderful view of the lake. Stopped half way down, checked out a garden and WALKED the rest of the way back to Stresa. Gawd, what was I thinking... my legs turned to rubber!. But we did make it back at the end of the boat races... had a couple of beer, split a pizza and now we're at the hotel, deciding what to do tomorrow. Checking the weather... maybe Switzerland. Ciao 4 now. Phillippe

2009-10-03T09:39:00.002-07:00

OK... after a bite and a double, we get on the Amersterdam flight. The 1st 3 hours take FOREVER. Finally, Sis whips out the drugs. Whatchya takin, i ask. A relaxant. I'll take one, sez me. I don't remember much about the next 3 hours cuz I zonked out. Woke up, played some tunes on the ipod and we were there. 8.5 hours to ams... 90 mph tailwinds help. Clear customs, have bfast, fly to Milano. High overcast, but warm. Take an expensive cab ride to Stresa, on Lake Magiorre. Nice hotel... only one bummer. We thot we were going to a quiet sleepy Italian lake town. wrongo... Italian Grand Prix (boats) is going on... afternoon racing, throngs of people, but fun never the less. Went for a long stroll, then back to the hotel for a siesta. Newly energized, we're off to dinner. There a islands in the lake, each with beautiful gardens, etc. That will be our Sunday. Leave Monday for Switzerland. Ciao 4 now. Phillippe

Crack 'o dawn

2009-10-02T04:50:00.002-07:00

Just dropped sister Caren off at the Max. Who is up at this ungawdly hour, you ask? Garbage haulers, a taxi and a tow truck. Lots of men sleeping on the sidewalk. Traffic? - non existent. Red lights? - stop, then proceed through them. You can really get to where you're going in a hurry... only problem is - there's no place to go!
Next stop Amsterdam.
P

Dust off the suitcase

2009-09-30T22:05:00.002-07:00

It's time to dust off the suitcase.
On Friday October 2, we set a course to Switzerland and northern Italy. Having just wrapped up helping #1 son Jeff finish a 7 month dive school in Seattle (he's headed to Guam), I decided that this was NOT the year to be traveling (have you see the Euro lately?...argh!).
But soon I realized that the real enemy here was not money (or the lack thereof), it was time. Because comrades, you're only allotted so much time on this planet. Best use it wisely.
And... by the way, I wanted to see scenes like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb6yBsVW0ug&feature=PlayList&p=5DAD38FB678110C3&index=4

Above is best played at home, with the speakers turned way up (wait for the commercial to end).
Ciao 4 now
Phillippe

You asked...

2008-10-27T11:57:00.001-07:00

$1,115.10

Better living through modern chemistry

2008-09-27T17:29:00.004-07:00

So, we leave Munich late, natch... seems they loaded the plane incorrectly and now they had to restow the bags. Late departure plus fog in Amsterdam put us in with 45 minutes b4 our flight. First thing we check is the departure board and we've been delayed two hours until 12. OK... now we've got a little while to stretch our legs, grab a bite and look at all of the overpriced shit in the duty free store. Remember when duty free meant WOW... look how cheap this shit is. Now it's 15% higher than in the states. It's kind of like Costco... mainly an illusion. We go through another security check, wait... get on the plane, wait... taxi out to the tarmac, wait... go to the end of the runway for takeoff, wait... 1 hour and 15 minutes later we take off. Shit. They serve us a pretty good chicken lunch and it's now time for drugs. The clock sez we have 8.5 hours to go. I can't find my Atavan, so sis give me two Clonopin...it was somewhere over the north sea that the drugs kicked in... got up once to stretch my legs... back to the seat and the next thing I know, the clock said 1.5 hours to go. 7 hours gone. Now, that makes this trip somewhat bearable... cuz lets say it folks, the romance of flying went out with the DC-3. Now its just one cattle call after another. So, if you can find yourself any medicinal relief... TAKE IT.
We arrived home, cleared customs (a non event), and now I'm home. We had fun and we learned a lot... jeez, that's sounds a lot like life, doesn't it. I'll give you a follow up on the Hertz situation, if there is one.
Ciao 4 now.

608… always late.

2008-09-27T17:27:00.001-07:00

608 was the number of my company, back in '67, at USN boot camp. We always seemed to be late. So, our little diddy went like this… 608 – always late – hurry up and wait. So, here we are, in the Munich airport, up at the butt crack of dawn, trying to catch a flight to Amsterdam. Brother Dave sailed right through. Our e-ticket failed, so we had to go that special line. You know that line, where all the misfits and retards go… well that was us. “Have you changed your ticket?” … No. Finally, the big computer spits out two boarding passes. We check our bags (I’m tired of carrying that freakin bag!) then slice through security like a razor though Velveeta. Keep your shoes on and your belt too. Liquids, they never even asked. The Amerikans are WAY more uptight than the Europeans.
We were up at 4:00 this a.m. Flipped on the German TV… they were broadcasting the pres debate. Over on channel 14, they were showing a model taking off all of her clothes and writhing around on a bed… there are some things I like about this country! Then again, I wasn’t singing its praises yesterday, when the dipshit cab driver dropped us off at the wrong hotel. We had to schlep our bags a half mile to the correct hotel. Nothing that 1.5L of beer couldn’t fix.
Flying used to be so romantic. Now, its like a root canal.
Oh well, they’re calling us. Ciao.

Adolf's place

2008-09-25T12:53:00.002-07:00

Just wrapped up a long day and I'm ready to hit it. Took the bus out to Berchtesgaden and took the Eagle's Nest Tour. Very informative, very interesting... rode in Hitler's elevator, stuff like that. Took the bus back and went out for our final Salzburg meal (steak in an Italian restaurant). Rained all day... sleet at the Eagle's Nest. Ugh. Catch the 9:57 to Munich tomorrow. Ciao

Rain

2008-09-25T00:20:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to rain... real PDX rain... this is only our second day of rain in the entire trip. We're going to catch the 11:15 to the Eagles Nest Tour. Ciao

Expectations

2008-09-24T12:50:00.002-07:00

Today was an out of town day. Following Rick Steves advice, we headed to Hallstatt, a mountain town pasted to the side of a mountain on a lake. It was swell and all, but after 45 minutes of wondering around and a wonderful trout lunch, we were ready to call it a day. Kind of like going to Long Beach WA. Takes two hours to get there, and you're through it in the blink of an eye. If you're lucky, you'll find a good place to eat, other than Mickey D's. A bit of a letdown...
Wandered home around 16:00... took a siesta... then Dave and I hit the town. Found out this is the last night of the Bach festival, so we had a beer to celebrate just being in Salzburg. Then we found a wonderful Italian restaurant. Lasagna and a jug... Dolcetto Alba... quite nice. Told Rosanne that she must join us there tomorrow night, as it's our last night in Salzburg. Ciao

Picture note

2008-09-23T06:47:00.001-07:00

I know you guys are all tecno savvy, but in case you haven't figured it out, the pics I am sending are pretty small. Just double click on them and the7 should fill your screen. Makes for better viewing.

Clip Clop go the girls

2008-09-23T06:18:00.007-07:00

The main town of Salzburg
Old town, with horses
Shopping in old town

Tuesday morning... after our coffee, we walked to the train station. We bot tickets for our Friday trip to Munich (our departure point) and tickets for a day trip tomorrow to Hallstatt, in the mountain lake region. We came back to the hotel, called and booked a Thursday day trip to the Eagle's Nest, Hitler's old hangout... speaking of zeig heil, the women here all seem wear blue jeans (tight) tucked into knee high black boots, with 2-3 inch heels. Wherever that walk, it sounds like a squad of SS storm troopers, jackbooting down the cobblestone streets. Kinda of sounds weird. Horse drawn carts, which you see in old town, offer the same sound... only you get the added smell of fresh horseshit. Ahh..... nothing like fresh shit in the morning to make your day.
The brats decided to rent bicycles (available at the hotel for 6E). I opted to walk. I realized that just about my most favorite thing to do in Europe is to walk down streets, window shop, people watch, look at the architecture and the colors, smell, listen, feel... I relish the fact that no one knows me and I know no one. So imagine my surprise when I wandered into old town, into the Bach festival, and hear..."Phil"......"Chvatal".... jesus, who knows me here??? I turned around to see my sister. She and Dave were doing the same thing I was doing... looking for some lunch. We grabbed a beer and a brat... now, let me tell you... they got some killer brats here. You can order them like a hot dog, but only touristas do that. They serve the weiner on one plate, with mustard. On the other plate, a large Kaiser roll. You eat the weiner with one hand, and the bread with the other hand. Damn good.
So I wandered through old town and slowly made my way back to the hotel. Weather is very comfortable... feels about 60... a dash of rain, with the sun trying to peek through the clouds. You would love this town... it feels a lot like Portland, only richer. The men and women are a mixed bag... just like our town, only thinner and taller. No muffin tops here. The people are good looking, in a healthy way. Not strikingly beautiful like the Italians or posh, like the French, but just wholesome. Most speak some sort of English, so no problem getting around. Now, if they would just give up the butts in public, this place would be a lot more tolerable. Ciao

Morning java

2008-09-23T05:53:00.008-07:00

Tuesday a.m.... we were up at 8, chowed down on some hotel bkfast, then off for morning java. We found a great little coffee shop along the river, about a 10 minute walk from our hotel (Hotel Bergland, if you want to know). They have this thing called "coffee to go"... ya know, a paper cup with a plastic lid on top. This is a total novelty in Europe... I've never seen it before. But, if you can imagine your local Starbucks with 20 peeps inside, and 15 are smoking Camels, ya know it's not a very fun place to hang for more than 6 minutes, tops. So Dave gets his Americano (that's cuz he's an American), Rosanne ditto - only add some whipped cream and me... cappucino... ahhhhh..
So we walk... down a side street pointed out by Rick Steves. Two pictures follow. Dave & Rosanne under a sign... that sign shows us that a guy named Joseph Mohr wrote "Silent Night" at that house. The second pics shows D & R at the beginning of a street. Notice the gouge in the wall next to Dave. An American GI tried to drive his Sherman tank up that street. He did not make it. Years later, when the owner of the house redid the wall, he just left the markings. Why, you ask, did the GI try to drive a tank up this narrow street? Answer... to get to the brothel up the street. "Life during Wartime". Ciao

Dial 3 for breakdowns

2008-09-22T05:52:00.003-07:00

After a so-so breakfast this a.m. I called Hertz. Took me a few times to get through, cuz dialing to Germany from Austria usually involves adding digits, subtracting digits and generally being a W.T.F. experience. Regardless, after a half dozen tries, a female answers…
Gookenspliel friedecane munchurass
I am broke down… can you help?
(Pause) yes… what is the license plate of the car?
I dunno… DN HN something er other
What is your contract number?
I dunno… the guy at the shop took it
You shouldn’t have given him that… it’s your contract.
Oh.
What is your name?
Shaw-va-tall… spelled C… H
(She interrupts) Oh yes… we know all about your car. It’s in Teisendorf. Do you need a replacement car?
No.
Ok then, be on your way.
Whoa, wait a minute, that’s all. I feel so stupid. You have no car. I did not live up to my end of the contract. I feel like an idiot.
It’s ok… it happens all the time. We will repair it. There is not problem.
Ok...Thank you.

So that was it. All of the grief, the second guessing, the what if’s (“If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle”), the “why wasn’t I paying attention”… you know the drill… it all vanished with one phone call. Oh yeah, I am sure I am going to get a bill, but at this point, I am just happy to be done with the situation. Feels like a large weight being lifted from my shoulders.
So, we hit the town of Salzburg. Stopped in a real coffee and had a cup of real joe. Then cross the river to old town, up the funiculare to the fortress on the hill. We toured the fort, enjoyed the magnificent view of the city, toured the museum and generally had fun. Wandered down, went to a cheap fish restaurant, on to Mirabell gardens and then we split up. I headed back towards the hotel… Ros and Dave went to Mozart’s house. I’m not a big fan (the cat hasn’t had a top 10 hit since before Elvis) so I skipped it.
We’re gonna take a siesta, then go out on the town.
It’s a great city… clean, historical… modern, yet dated. New, yet musty. You get the idea. Rained this a.m. so no pics today.
Anyway, it’s nice to be alive. Ciao

Nightmare, Part Deux

2008-09-21T08:57:00.002-07:00

Well I guess it was my turn to screw something up. Here’s my story… sad but true. I have always rented diesel cars in Europe. For 10 years I’ve been doing that… one gets a little paranoid when you rent a diesel because you have to put DIESEL in DIESEL cars. So we rent this VW. It sounds like a diesel. It drives like a diesel – a gutless wonder, especially in the mountains. So, as we are down to 1/8 of a tank on our freeway trip to Salzburg, we pull off at a freeway gas station. No problem, fill it with diesel. 60 Euros worth. Cool… right? No problem. 2.5 klics up the road… putter, putter, putter… she dies. Pull over at truck rest area (trucks do not travel on Sunday… they are all parked). What’s wrong… temp is ok, check the oil… it’s OK. We put diesel in it, right. That’s right… that’s what it calls for. We flip open the gas tank door… “Use unleaded gas 90 Octane”. Oh fuck.
The sign says “Rest stop – 500 meters ahead”. Well, that’s ½ mile. Let’s go back. Half way back we realize it’s a lot longer than 500 meters to the gas station. Oh well, we’ve come this far. 2,500 meters later we arrive at the gas station. As we approach the telephones, we see a silver Audi station on the right. We think nothing of it. Out of the driver door steps a woman (28 ish) and she begins to speak German to me. On her left shoulder is a funny looking patch that says “POLEZIA”. Uh oh. On her right hip is a Glock 9mm pistol. A dude is riding shotgun… he steps out and approaches us. At that moment, an old man in a Benz overshoots the exit for the gas station, hits the freeway entry point and begins to back up the freeway entrance ramp. The dude wanders off to write the old man a ticket. The woman speaks enough English to explain to us that we should have walked forward on the freeway, not backward. Yeah, we knew that. She asks for my passport and asks it we are on holiday. Yes. She said it was very dangerous walking on the freeway (yeah it was… a foot sometimes separated us from the cars going 70). She told us to make our phone call and she would give us a ride back to the car, where my sister was waiting with the car (hood up). Dave called Hertz. As frantic as my brother can be sometimes, he was cool, calm and collected. Yeah, we need a tow. Highway 8, marker 124. Bad gas. The police drove us back to the car… they were very kind. They explained that we were still in Germany… just over the hill was Austria. In Germany, on the freeways, use the SOS phones.
30 minutes pass. The tow truck arrives. The dude speaks ZERO English. Nada. Zippo. Dave rides in the tow truck. Rosanne and I ride in the car, which is mounted on one of those AAA type tow trucks. We say Salzburg… no, he says. Wrong country. Have to keep it in Germany. It’s like breaking down in Vancouver and wanting to go to Portland, only the tow truck guy says you have to be towed to Camas. Ah shit.
So we arrive in a little town called I dunno. A kid in the office has enuf English to explain that he will call us a cab. He figures 70 Euro to Salzburg. Ugh. Or a train to a small town in Germany, near Salzburg. Freisling or something like that. 15 mins later the cab arrives. A wonderful man with white hair and a white mustache says “Hello”. I say… “we have a problem”. He says… “yes, you have a problem, but I do not”. We all laugh. He explains that it will cost 15 Euro to Freisling, but for another 15-20 E, he can take us directly to our hotel in Salzburg. All right ! I coulda kissed the guy.
So, now we’re in Salzburg. I’m more depressed that Vincent Van Gogh on a bad ear day. Only one thing will fix this… BEER. We walk 15 mins into old town and find a bar and sit next to an open window to avoid the smoke. Two (2) 500 ml beers later, the pain have vanished and we’re feeling better. Rosanne, hating anything with fizz, opts for Baileys on ice. We realize that it could have been a lot worse. It’s gonna cost me some $$$, but no one was hurt, no one died, no one is in the hospital.
The lesson learned is this: PAY ATTENTION. If you talking on the phone, don’t be chopping carrots with your kitchen knife… chances are you will cut yourself. If you are unsure of what to do in a situation, STOP, take a look around and apply a dash of reason. LIVE IN THE NOW. Don’t have your head somewhere into tomorrow, while you’re driving down Belmont St. BE on Belmont Street. Enuf said. I’m sure we’ll be laughing about this six months from now, but right now, I’m feeling pretty stupid. Ciao

Italia

2008-09-19T09:00:00.008-07:00

Saturday
This morning was drove into Innsbruck. Parked, walked a mile or so to the old town, found some Illy coffee and a croissant. We found an internet cafe and emailed a hotel in Salzburg. We are leaving here tomorrow and heading to Salzburg for five nights. We side trip to Hallstadt and the Eagles nest. We grew tired of Innsbruck and decided to head to Italy, which is like driving to Salem. We drove over the Brenner pass, which is quite a highway. We ended up in a town just over the border called Vitipino. It was great being back in Italy, though it did feel quite Austrian. The best part of the day was spent taking a gondola up into the mountains. I'll send pics on the next post. Beauty beyond imagination. The greenery here makes Oregon look like the Mojave. Ciao for now.

Austria shots

2008-09-19T09:00:00.007-07:00

Austria hotel
Bath
Shower
East view from hotel
North view from hotel
As promised, here are some shots of our Austria hotel and views from same. There is a huge "WOW" factor here... around every corner seems to be a beautiful view and a "wow" spoken out loud. Trying to get a hotel in Salzburg. Later.

Nightmare

2008-09-19T09:00:00.004-07:00

Up and out of Ruette by 9:00, we took a short drive to our new hotel in Hall, which is 5 miles east of Innsbruck. Pulled up to our hotel... it's gorgeous. We go in and Rosanne says to the woman behind the desk... "We have reservations under the name Jacobs". The clerk paused and said "You HAD reservations". Come again... did I hear that right... HAD as in paste tense? Yup... HAD. Seems in all of the back and forth emails between Europe and Beaverton, some dates got confused. Rosanne had reserved Sept 17-19. We thought it was the 19-22. Oh shit. Then she talks on the phone and says that her boss wants us to pay the bill... it's 600 Euros. Double oh shit. Rosanne calmly says... "I will pay you for one night, but I am not going to pay the whole bill". The clerk immediately agreed. One night's deposit was fair, since they had held the rooms for one night, but then sold them. So Rosanne plunks down 200E. Ouch. Last trip, it was brother Dave leaving the train passes at home. C'est la vie. These things happen. The desk clerk was quite nice... she called another property in their family. The man came and we followed him to the hotel, which is in Thaur. An even more beautiful hotel, if that's possible. PLUS, free internet. I'll send pics later.
After checking in, we went to the bar and polished off a bottle of Sauv Blanc. That put us in a better frame of mind. We decided to stay just two nights in this area. Then we head to Salzburg, if can find a room. We'll day trip to the Eagles Nest and Halstatt, plus spend some quality time in Salzburg.
Today we drove up into the mountains and watched a paraglider jump off of cliff. Quite impressive. Then we drove to Hall, parked in an underground garage, and walked around the old town. Yep, underground garage. Oh shit. We go to exit and we owe 2.50, but where do you put the money? After swearing for 5 mins, a nice man told us that we needed to pay upstairs (like the PDX garage). A sign would have been nice. Ah, garages. Makes for interesting times. More later.

Ruetted

2008-09-17T12:51:00.016-07:00

Ruette, Austria
Thursday, 20:50
Up for breakfast (included with hotel price – quite nice), then off to Ludwig’s castles near Fussen, Germany. We walked our rear ends off… first up the hill to the small castle and then to the large castle. As castles go, they were ok. If you’ve seen one, you’ve pretty much seen them all. They look great from the outside… once you go inside, there are a bunch of rooms full of old stuff. Kind of like going to an antique store. You have to take a guided tour, which was a lot of useless info followed by “Now we will proceed to the king’s reading room”. Oh joy. But I’ve always wanted to see these two castles, so now I can scratch them from my life’s “to do” list.
Tomorrow were off to Innsbruck, but actually were staying in an adjacent town called Hall. We’re booked for three nights, but we’ll see how it goes. Rain is in the forecast, which could limit our luge runs. That’s it for plans… after that we’re winging it. Maybe Hallstadt, most likely a few nights in Salzburg, no to Vienna… too far.
Driving is great… the roads are smooth as silk and the drivers are good, except for a few meatheads with a death wish. Along every road is a bike path/walking path. We see all sorts of people using these paths. Very well planned. One thing that has been difficult… cigarette smoke. Germany and Austria are still in the dark ages. The restaurants are full of smoke… not so in France, where smoking is banned pretty much everywhere except maybe your backyard or your bathroom. We were humping up a hill today to get to the castles and people are passing us smoking a butt. Jesus. Everybody here does so much outdoor stuff… skiing, hiking, etc, and they all rave about this great mountain air, yet they all smoke. I don’t get it. My clothes stink.
Hopefully I’ll have a good internet connection in Hall. More later.

O Dark Thirty

2008-09-17T12:51:00.015-07:00

Reutte... in the wee hours.
My first night sans Ambien...a great drug, but there's always a "catch-up" factor. I fell asleep ok, but now I'm a bug eyed mantis. So... I write. Not much to say, but by popular request, here are some more pics of days gone by. I'll capture Austria later today.

Lunch in Eguisheim... salmon in reisling sauce, baby aspargus wrapped in bacon.... vino

Kayserberg and a restaurant in same. Below is Statue of Liberty... Bartholdi, the artist, was from Colmar. Also, our hotel courtyard in the early evening on a rainy day.

On the road to nowhere

2008-09-17T12:51:00.006-07:00

Arrived Freiberg 14:00
Looked for the Hertz car rental location... not, the "car sharing"... wrong gate. Went to the info booth... man sez, it's too far from here to walk... take a cab... travel to Hertz...present my res..."STOP THAT CAB"... you're at the wrong Hertz center. Go back to the station. 25 Euros later, we're back at the station. Get the keys to the VW. Woman sez go downstairs and take a right and proceed to the garage. Stall #28. Go to garage. Stall #28 contains a Fiat Punta, the size of a postage stamp with two doors. What the f... Go down one level. Stall 28 contains a Benz. Back to Hertz. She points down... garage is underneath us. Go down the stairs and take a HARD right (i.e. a U turn). Go down an alleyway and voila, stall 28 with a VW. Jesus help me.
Start driving following the Garmin GPS (a godsend by the way) set on "scenic". 3 hours into a 3 hour trip, we're about 2/3 of the way. Stuck behind trucks that go 80 kmh. When you hit the freeway, everybody goes 160 kmh, which is way fucking fast. They blow by us like a Kansas twister. So we set the Garmin to "get our ass there NOW" and we make the trip in 4 hours total. Austria is everything they said it would be... BEEEAutiful, like Oregon, except greener, if that's possible. And way expensive... it's the taxes gang. Shit, our dinner tonight was 46E... total bill after tax 64E. Do people really earn that much more here? Gawd help us if they do, cuz the good old US of A is turning into a third world country.
Tomorrow is fantasy land... we are going to the castles that Disney copied for his theme park. Could be fun and then again, it could be a touristic nightmare. Dinner tonight was great... veal schnitzel and the beer is killer. Ciao for now.

Leaving Colmar

2008-09-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 11:00

We’re on the train, heading to Freiburg, Germany, via Strasbourg. That’s like going from Portland to Salem via Hood River and Government Camp. There are faster ways, but who am I to argue with a French ticket lady.
There is something rather romantic about riding the rails… the warmth, the sway of the car, the feeling of security. The weather is partly sunny and there is a morning haze upon the countless vineyards to the west. Since the train left at 10:52, my travel partners have plenty of sleep under their belts, having drugged themselves into a nearly comatose state the night before. Sleep comes at a premium, folks. The train offers the opportunity for a quick catnap or a chance just to stretch out, feet up on the seat, American style.
Once we get to Freiburg, we rent another car (Hertz this time) and drive east towards Fussen Germany. Actually we have a hotel booked in Ruette, Austria, just across the border. For inquiring minds, we have our first three hotels booked. After Innsbruck, we’re on our own. That’s when the real fun begins… where are we staying… I dunno… where is it… I dunno… how do we get there… I dunno. But that’s what makes travel really exciting… living in the now, making plans in seconds, changing course in a momento.
So far, the trip has been fun. The Koenigsburg castle was fabulous, as were the Maginot line sites The food is great, the wine even better. We’re all still speaking… no meltdowns, no temper tantrums.
More later.

Amerika

2008-09-16T09:07:00.003-07:00

Things I do not miss about Amerika...
Sara Palin, the election, the talking heads, Applebees, big cars, cheap gas, hatred of the French, crappy tv, Christian evangilists, us vs them, "time is money", now knowing that my high school principal, Fr Perri, raped more than one woman, (yeah, the same Fr Perri who always said ¨a word to the wise is sufficient¨... what a prick), and assorted other shit which I will think of later.

What do I miss... a decent fucking keyboard... and most of all YOU. Wish you were all here so we could go out and drink some killer reisling and eat well.

Talk soon.

P

The day b4 tomorrow

2008-09-16T08:41:00.002-07:00

Tues 17 30
Long day. Cant seem to get internet at the hotel, so im stuck at this funky net cafe. Carrier pigeon would be faster than typing on this piece of shit.
Went to a great castle in Koenigsburg, which was rebuilt by kaiser wilhelm in 1905. Nice... well done and grandiose in a German way.
the food has been great, as is the wine. Even with drugs, sleeping has been difficult. It just takes awhile to get adjusted. Tomorrow we are off to Germany... rent a car in Freiburg, then drive to Ruette. There we take in the grand castle of Europe... then the trip is open. Italy... Vienna... who knows.
Ciao

Finally a connection !

2008-09-16T01:38:00.002-07:00

Sunday 20:00
Reflections on a day
It’s late – I’m staying in a first class hotel with third rate internet service. It costs $1.50 an hour and the service is marginal. So I will write now, before the Ambien kicks in and will transmit tomorrow.
Wow – what a day. Left the hotel at 08:00… headed north towards Strasbourg, looking for the Maginot Line – something the French did so well but oh so wrong. We found lots of sites. The first was the casement esch near Hatten… just a big bunker. The next was a large complex in Hatten, which was full of military hardware and a huge bunker. I did not realize how intense the fighting was in Alsace. The Germans invaded in 1940… the people of Alsace fled to SW France. The men who stayed behind (125,000) were conscripted into the German Army. Towards the end of the war, the towns were flattened by the Americans and Germans. Pretty depressing to see what these people went through 70 years ago.
On to Fort Schoenenberg, which is a fortress buried 30 meters underground and is 1000 meters long (we know… we walked all 1000 meters). 600 men lived underground, until the French capitulated to the Germans in 1940. I thot about the money it took to build this monstrosity… what a waste of time and materials… and for what? Oh, the insanity of war.
Onward… headed back to Colmar, polished off two jugs of Grande Reserve Reisling (Huber & Bleger…7.90E each) and went out for Chinese. Ahhhh… Chinese food in Colmar… Amazingly good!
Tomorrow we hit the one museum in Colmar, then to the wine road. The weather is getting better, no rain today and cloudy/sunny weather. The wine is good, as is the food. Wish you were all here.
PC

Monday 11:30 am
Up at 8 after a good night on Ambien. Hit the big museum in Colmar… a lot of old shit and some Jesus art. After awhile, they all start to look the same. Went to Monoprix, which is the Fred Meyer of France. They don’t give their stuff away here. Around noon, drove south to Eguisheim, in search of a bite, a splash of vino and some free internet. The latter seems to be hard to come by in this neighborhood. Nothing like the USA, where free wi-fi is the norm. Oh well… I can’t wait a while longer to see if the Ducks won…then again, who gives a shit if the Ducks won… I’m having a ball 5k miles from home.
The afternoon plan is to head to Kayserville and or Turkheim… grab a bite and a glass and just relax in the sun. It’s sunny but cold… think I underdressed. But as I always say… one can always buy more stuff. Only problem is that I have to carry it, and that backpack ain’t getting any lighter.
PC
Monday 12:00
I left that stupid coffee/internet shop. I thot the owner was a bit of a prick. So I left Dave & Rosanne there hacking on some funky pc’s and I walked outside. I’m sitting in a small square, in the shade of a maple tree. The sun is bright, but it’s jacket weather. The streets are small, as are the cars. There always seems to be too many cars in these villages, weaving in and out between pedestrians, dogs, cats and kids.
France this time is nice. It feels like trying on an old coat… warm, comfortable and you know not to put your change in your left pocket, because there’s a hole in it. It feels like tourism is down here, though. A bit of a recession… something everyone feels, but no one wants to talk about. Most of the tourists are old geezers, like myself. The major babes have all gone home to their jobs in Paris, so I’m left checking out the blue hairs from the tour bus. Such is life.
I kind of miss Provence… I think I fell in love with it last year. It feels more like California… this feels more like Oregon. Nothing wrong with that mind you… it’s just that I want a bit more foreign intrigue… Alsace is meat, potatoes and reisling… Provence is fish and rose. Alsace is Hansel and Gretel, Provence is Sophia Loren.
Don’t know what Germany and Austria hold… probably more of the same… where people talk like they have a mouth full of hot potatoes. C’est la vie!
PC

Here, not there

2008-09-13T11:23:00.008-07:00

Greetings... it's sunny there... here's it's Oregon... rained all day in Colmar. We arrived last night, easy flight, thanks to Atavan. Got 4 hours sleep. Amsterdam layover, then a flight to Zurich, then trained to Colmar. Here's a few shots of Zurich train...

Today we walked 5 kliks to rent the car.. Brand new Toyota Auris. Drove to Bergheim and a 3 hour lunch/dinner... pics

Did I mention the reasons I love to travel to Europe...
Yep, the food and the wine !!
Brian & Nic suggested that I try the Choucoutre... well, here it is. Wow... it was great, especially with the enclosed Reisling.

Later...pc

Picture test

2008-09-07T15:18:00.002-07:00

The Nikon stays home on this trip... too much to carry... Brother Dave will haul his... I get the Canon 870IS, which fits in my shirt pocket. Will keep you all posted with lots of photos. Click on photo to blow it up. PC

Countdown

2008-09-07T14:42:00.004-07:00

Standby...
Amsterdam, Zurich, Colmar, Ruette, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich await.
Outbound... 11 Sept.............scheduled return 27 Sept......
Travellers are:
Ciao 4 now.... Phil

Women of the World, Unite

2007-10-12T04:47:00.000-07:00

Being of the male species, my knowledge of the human female anatomy is sketchy. However, having sisters, girlfriends, wives and daughters, I kind of get it... OK? But girls, how in gawd's name do you approach one of these euro toilets? How do you keep everything from getting wet and making a giant euro mess? And where's the t.p.? Since we now allow women to vote, I suggest you vote to ban these pissoirs as "cruel and unusual punishment". This is one area that the americans have it all over the europeans. Ciao

It's all about the wine

2007-09-19T14:13:00.001-07:00

Another great dinner in a 12th century cave in Beaune. We had eaten here 6 years ago when Dave & I first visited this city. The women had trout, I had duck and Dave had beef. Opened with a Chablis, finished with a 1999 Nuits St George. We're some lucky sob's. Life is good. Tomorrow we rent bikes and tour the wine country. Ciao PC

Dinner in Beaune

2007-09-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

"Kicked out of port, Mr. Roberts"... Jimmy Cagney to Henry Fonda in Mr. Roberts... we were kicked out of Lyon... shut out... the 3rd largest city in France and there were no rooms. Say What ????? We moved on. we're now in Beaune... for dinner we had... pate, snails, beef bourgenoune and these wines... Chassagne Montrachet 2001 - 1st Cru Les Caillerets - Marc Colin et Fils and and and Gevrey Chambertin 2000 Les Evocelles. The food was OK. The wines... ahhhhhhh. Next time, gimme the wine and some bread and cheese. Hanging here for the next two days. May never return cuz we're in wine heaven. Ciao 4 now. PC

Rain Rain

2007-09-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

We all got lots of excerise yesterday. Ros & Dav on bikes. Caren and I walked. Had a couple of forgettable meals and some beers. Power nap... out last night... started raining... rained all night. We're down to b-fast, then catch the 10:01 to Lyon. Will keep you posted. PC

Sleep

2007-09-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Went to bed last night and actually put together 7 WHOLE, uninterrupted hours of sleep. No screaming outside my window, no street fighting man posturing for his gang bangers, no boom-boom radios blasting from BMW's, just peace and quiet. What a concept. I like it here... it's a little more normal. So we're off to b-fast and then perhaps a bike rental to tour around the lake. Ciao. PC

Annecy

2007-09-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon 16 September

We arrived in Annecy, where it’s at least 10 degrees cooler. This is France’s answer to Venice, with a beautiful lake and little canals that run from it. Very picturesque. We had an early meal, which was Ok, but forgettable. We’re all pretty wiped from Montpellier. Don’t get me wrong, MontP was great, but the rugby world cup is happening there and the place is overrun with partygoers. I mean, at 4:15 in the a.m. people are still dragging home from the bars. The town in general really hops, but add rugby to the mix and you’ve got a quiet riot. So north we head, though I will miss the beautiful Mediterranean women. Annecy is more normal, though still French. Plans are two nights here, then Lyon for 1 night, then Beaune for two nights. But plans change… PC

Postscript... we have free wi-fi, but it's spotty. FYI... my Canon S80 is barfing... E18... what the F ! It may end up in the lake. P

Plans change

2007-09-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday 16 September 2007

Midday…

Plans change… we’re leaving the coast and are on the train headed to the French Alps. So where have we been? After Carcasonne, we went back to Montpellier and looked for some non-French food. We found tapas, which we loved. Also had a bottle of Rioja. The bottle was wrapped in burlap. What does this mean? No idea, but it was good. The food was caliente et spicy. I paid later, but it sure was tasty. On Saturday morn, we drove to Sete, a small fishing town. It was like Coos Bay. We then drove out on an isthmus on the coast. The road reminded me of the road to Key West… right on the beach. We stopped and put our feet in the Med. Yes, raftman, there are girls who do not wear tops on the beach. The sun was pretty intense, so we did not stay long. Stopped in a town called Adge, where we had crepes. Then we headed into Montpellier to return the car… ugh!. But with GPS, it was a non event. We got turned around once, but pretty much just drove right to it. What a relief.

So, getting a little tired of the humidity and the big city, we tried to book a hotel on the French Riveria. No joy. So, screw it. Let’s head north. So, we are currently headed to Annecy, which is on a lake and is a gateway to the French Alps. I’ll send pics on my next blog. More later… PC

Carcasonne

2007-09-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

OK... so I finally nodded off in my sauna called a hotel room around midnight. Right outside my window is a major intersection, where it sounds like the Indy 500. Big thunder storm around 3:00 am, followed by some rain, which cooled the place down. We rolled out around 8:30 and headed to Carcasonne, which is a 13th century medieval town. 100 foot walls, turrets, the place looks like Disneyland. Walking around the outside was really fun. Walking in the city center was like the day after Chrismas at Nordstroms. Tourist city!!! But we did manage a nice lunch, before heading back. We're back in a cooler Montpellier and now have to figure out where to dump our rental car tomorrow. That's always fun. Returning a rental car at the airport is easy, in town it's a bitch. Imagine the Pearl on a Saturday afternoon, if a '57 Caddy... ya get the picture?? So, tomorrow we day train to Sete, a seaport village. Sunday we train outta here... looks like Cassis at this point... need some r&r. Ciao for now. PC

Back in the USSR

2007-09-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

OK, back to reality. On our last night in St Remy, we booked three nights in Montpellier. We found a chain hotel, like a Motel 6. The price was so cheap we each got our own room. Great, except the room looks and feels like it was designed by Gorbachev for use as public housing in Moscow. Christ. And to top it off, no A/C, so I feel like Alec Guiness in solitary in the Bridge Over the River Kwai. And here's the topper... my room is #107, which is essentially the ground floor. I'm about 10 feet above the sidewalk, looking out over a roundabout!!! I feel like an Amsterdam whore on display in the window. So this is what it's like to live like a European. Thank gawd we don't plan on spending much time in these rooms. Tomorrow we are driving to Carcasonne. On Saturday, we turn in the car and will catch a train to Sete, which is a beach town 15 minutes south of here. This hotel is a far cry from our palace last night... by the way, here's the web site to that place.. http://www.chateaudevarenne.com. Anyway, a breeze is kicking up and it's starting to cool down. More later... PC

Honky chateau

2007-09-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night 21:00 hours

OK, I’m stuck in some honky chateau 10 klics outta Avignon and I can’t access the net, so it’s time to “take a letter Maria, address to my wife, tell her I’m not coming home, I’m startin a new life”… Tom Jones (best covered by the Pleasure Barons).

We dumped the brat pack (Nicole and Chris) on the TGV to Paris around 09:30. We headed to Avignon, which was long on expectations, but short on delivery. Unless you like tourist gauntlet, full of trinkets made in China (with lead paint) and 8E beers. We did find a side street and had a reasonable lunch for 9E. Hung out till 2, then headed to the TGV station to rescue sister Caren, due in at 14:56. Right on time. We then jumped into the Passat, fired up the GPS and made our escape from Avignon with only one wrong turn. We crossed the Rhone and headed north to a town called Sauveterre where we had booked two rooms for one night at the Chauteau de Varenne. 16^th century villa… pool… the room Dave and I have is giganto… anyway we headed to the pool for a dip… layed around till 6… then to dinner. Having no idea where to go, we headed north.

We ended up in a little berg called Chateauneuf-du-Pape. They have some red wine there that will make you sit up and howl at the moon. I even got sister Rosanne, Miss Make It White, to agree that it was the best red she ever drank. For you Jack drinkers, this is like going to Lynchburg. Ended up at a restaurant called Le Pistou. Snails, duck, salmon, steak, shit we had it all. Best meal to date. We swilled down on ’04 by somebody er other and then followed with an ’03 gigandos. A buck and a half later, we mossyied down the road to chateau lah-lah. One could get real used to this lifestyle.

Say, I flipped on CNN and saw that the euro is at an all time high… $1.39 to 1E. I also saw that some kid got eaten by a pit bull and a black woman was held hostage by 6 white freaks in West Virginia. I turned that shit off, too depressing. Besides, no one, not no one here has ever even heard of West Virginia or pit bulls… nor do they give a shit. Me either.

So, tomorrow, maybe I’ll get up by 10 or so, put on my robe (furnished) and stroll down to the pool for a dip. Then a little breakfast… then a drive to Montpellier. Ciao. PC

Lazy daze

2007-09-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just a lazy afternoon. Went to town and strolled. Came back to the house, where we had sandwiches and leftovers. Did a couple loads of wash and the clothes are drying on the line. No dryers... they use mother nature here. It's a little depressing, knowing that we'll be leaving our beautiful house in St Remy and saying goodbye to the brat pack. They've been a good edition, especially Nicole because she can order my steak medium rare with green peppercorn sauce. I'd be lucky to order a hamburger. Chris heads back to Paris with Nicole tomorrow morn, then she heads out to Reims to rendezvous with her old buddies. Chris spends a two nights in Paris, then flies home. I'm quite sure Rosanne will be calling Chris in Paris to make sure that he brushes his teeth!!! She light a candle today at the church in hopes that Chris might start flossing soon. So, all if well in the compound. Ciao PC

It all remains the same

2007-09-11T02:29:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful dinner, where the waiter engaged us with lots of comedy and laughed at our feeble French. It was great fun. We wandered about town at 10:30 pm... a few people out and it was still warm. A man and woman approached us. It looked as though they lived and worked together and they were returning home after working in a restaurant. He's walking about three feet ahead of her and she's just yakking. He stopped, turned towards here, and said something in french, which sounded to me like George McFly in Back to the Future... "What Lorraine?" Relationships... they're the same world wide. Man, woman, boy, girl, scramble those any way you want and it just the same human dynamic.

EXTREMELY windy here... wind blew all night. Sometimes if feels like the 3 pigs and a huff and a puff and I'll blow your house down. Makes for crazy dreams. Off to St Remy for a day of goofing off. Travel tomorrow. Ciao PC

Mountain towns

2007-09-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today, Nic & I ventured to the post office to mail home some stuff. Going to the French post office is little like getting drafted, stand in this line, wait in that line, fill out this form, give us your euros... if you would have used THIS box, you could have shipped 7kg for 38E, but since you used YOUR box, you can ship 2.2 kg for 37E. Ah, the french... don't you luv 'em. This country is not run on service and even making a euro, it's all about taking your time and having a conversation and having a nice day and you'll know better next time... which is great and all, except when you're in a bit of a hurry. Then it's like fingernails on a chalk board.

Into the Passat we went (which is turning out to be a nice ride, except for 3 persons in the back seat). We headed for Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, which I had read about. Sounded great... turned out to be a bust. Everything was closed except for a few restaurants. Watch those expectations boyo. On to Gordes, which did live up to the hype... beautiful from afar, disappointing up close. Way to touristy. Ditto for Roussillon. Beautiful to look at, but not much else. Ever date anybody like that ??? I have. All show and no go.

Now Chris, Nic & I are back home, which is a nice respite. Rosanne and Dave headed up to Les Baux, which is an ancient town carved into rock. We drove through it yesterday on the way to Arles. They wanted to see it up close, the rest of us wanted a beer.

Tomorrow looks like a lay around day. It's our last full day at the house. We may just tour around St Remy. Wednesday, we ship the kids back to Paris and retrieve sister Caren. We have a reservation in Nimes, but may try to get another hotel more out in the country. Will keep y'all posted. Dinner tonight in town. Ciao 4 now. PC

7th inning stretch

2007-09-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have to keep asking... what day is this? What time is it??? I have no idea. And I don't even care. I turn 60 this year and I feel like it's the 7th inning stretch of my life... "Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack, I don't care if I never come back" Yup. PC

And the beat goes on

2007-09-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

So, where'd I leave off - a yeah, 5:30 in the a.m. So I waited around for sunrise and fell asleep and slept till 10. Ain't that grand.. I violated my primary rule... sleep in the states... get up and explore Europe. Oh well. Off to Arles we went. There was a huge festival going on there, complete with bull fights. Weather was mid 80's with a nice breeze keeping it oh so comfortable. The town was nice... had an Italian feel. A little dirty, a little funky, but the booze was flowing and there was lots of people. We drove back that night and cooked at home and devoured our purchased wine. The Chateauneuf du Pape was delicious. Went to bed, took an Ambien and slept to 9:45... Oh well, I'm on vacation right? This morning we left around 11 for Pont du Gard...This is a Roman aqueduct that transported water from Uzes to Nimes. The bridge that we are standing on was build by the French in 1848. It's a very awe inspiring sight and was the one sight I really wanted to see. Again, beautiful weather with a nice breeze blowing. It the sun it would seem to be hot, but with the wind, its very enjoyable. Just standing next to this 2000 year old structure takes your breath away. A day well spent.

From there, we drove to Uzes, a small town which was actually the source of the water for the aqueduct. There was a flower market open in the town square so we decided upon lunch. Here are a few pics from Uzes... so tomorrow we're off to Gourdes.

Gotta go sample some Deutz Champagne!

Butt crack o'dawn

2007-09-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Do you think I was smart enuf to take another Ambien last night? Nope. So here I lay, wide freakin' awake since gawd knows when, with every thot on the planet runnin' thru my feeble brain...not only have I solved the world's poverty and food programs, I figured out whom to marry, where to establish a residence and the color of the drapes in the guest bedroom. Isn't the mind a wonderful thing (a guru once said of the mind... great servant, bad master). Yep,

This is going to be one long ass day, till I can get back here for a siesta. Right now, I'm sprawled in the king. These digs sure are nice. It's 5:30 and not a hint of daybreak. Soon it will be here and the coffee will begin to flow. Now, if I can only get my travel mates to begin moving before 8:30. On to Arles. More later. PC

Aches, like headaches

2007-09-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

After breakfast, we jumped in the Passat, fired up the gps and hit the road. Here's what the road looks like...just loping along at 80 klics. Yeah, well after a few doubletimes around the roundabouts, and a coupla WTF's, we ended up on the A-7 headed to Aix-en-Provence (pronounced "Aches", like in head aches). A half hour later we pulled into the main center and parked the car in a subterranean lot. This was a nice lot, recommended by Rick Steves, though it took forever to find the exit.

Here's the main square...

It's a beautiful town - a university town. Lots of things to see, places to eat, people to look at, etc. This is the center of town.

Nicole and I stopped for lunch, right next to the marketplace. We ordered up salads, Nicoise for Nic and a Chef for yours truly. Very satisfying. We wandered and shopped. I love the small shops in France... it's all so formal. As you enter, you greet the proprietor... bon jour madame/monsiuer. They reply, bon jour monsieur (they always acknowledge me first, then my daughter), then bon jour madame. Then they leave you alone. They are helpful, if you speak the language and especially if you want to purchase something. Upon leaving, I say, merci, bon jour, to which they reply merci, au revoir, bonne journee. Which is, thanks and have a nice day. It's like there is an appreciation for each other, the shop owner and the shopper. Quite refreshing...

So, we headed back the St Remy and our compound. Had a light bite and a siesta. Went out to dinner around 8:00 (just like the French), found a bistro, had a delicious meal and now we're home and it's damn near midnight. Life is good. Tomorrow is Arles. Au revoir... PC

Better living thru modern chemistry

2007-09-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

Top o the morning to ya! A traveller's best friend...Ambien CR. Yeah, baby... pop one of those suckers and eight solid hours of sleep, which is a step in the right direction, I'd say. It's 7:45 and the house is dead quiet. No sense in waking everybody up - all are pretty pooped. I made it till 9:30, hence my early wakeup. Figured it was 48 hours of next to no sleep, so it feels like I'm alive again.

The picture above is the morning view from our back porch. Notice some mountain in the distance, Mt Somethin-er-other. Can't go up there because of fire danger. Closed mid June thru Sept. Like I was going to haul my ass up there! The back yard is very peaceful. It's where I'm headed after this water begins to boil.

Our VW Passat has a GPS in it. Chris, new age tech that he is, got to speak to us in English and told it where "Home" is. So, we're just going to venture out, down back country roads and then tell the GPS to take us home. Should be interesting. BTW, the wind finally died down. This part of the world reminds me of the Bay Area, say Palo Alto - Mountain View, before all of the housing developments gobbled it up. A noticeable lack of birds... the French ate them all! Ciao 4 now. PC

That Italian light

2007-09-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

All of the great artists seemed to navigate towards the Mediterranean because of the wonderful light. This is 5 minutes ago in our back yard, though I did not do it justice. PC

Shop till ya drop

2007-09-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Chris, Nicole and I went shopping for provisions. Before shopping, we stopped at McDonalds because C & N were starving. I had a Mac Royale, as mentioned in Pulp Fiction. It was freshly prepared, and it HAD REAL onions on it. Best Mac burger I've ever eaten. (For you non burger eating veg heads... get over it!) Shopping in France is such an experience. You'll recognize a lot of things in the store, but some things are a total ??? You have to bag your own groceries. If you do not have a bag, then you must purchase a bag or bring you own. None of this...Paper or Plastic? here. We spent 100 E and laid in enough for 3-4 days. Food is reasonably priced here... A 12 pack of Stella for 5.90 E, 5th of vodka for 8E... you know we try to purchase all of the major food groups in our family.

Marci to the rescue... she will send the train passes over with sister Caren next week.

The weather here is really different... there's a major shift going on, so it's sunny, in the low 80's, but the wind is blowing like a tropical storm... we're talking gusts that knock down trees. Lots of dust in the air, so contact wearers are suffering a bit.

Tomorrow we begin exploring... PC

Yo... who's got the train pass?

2007-09-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Whipped... 5 hours to Newark... 3 hours laying around... 7 hours to Paris... race walk to the train station... find the reservations for the seat on the train, but no train pass. Ugh. So, Dave buys 3 train tickets... 3 hour train ride to Avignon, on which the kids fall asleep. Living proof is here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So we arrive in Avignon, wait for Nicole and Chris to show up, since they were training in from Paris. We hooked up with them, got the rental car at Hertz (VW Passat). Drive a half hour to St Remy de Provence. Met Cornelius, who showed us the house. It's really nice... 4 bedroom, 5 beds... $1,600 a week. Will send more photos, but here's one for now (by the way, double click on the picture to blow them up). We still have to run to the store and get provisions. So, ciao 4 now. PC

Hurry up & wait

2007-09-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

"Out on runway #9,
Big 707 set to go" Gordon Lightfoot

Made it thru security... now I have the illusion of safety entrenched in my consciousness. Now we wait... just like the Navy... hurry up and wait. It's five hours to Newark, then a three hour layover, then seven+ hours to Paris. Oh joy. PC

Packing

2007-09-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

"All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go"... John Denver - Leaving On A Jet Plane

OK... I think I have everything... 17 days... all one really needs is a toothbrush and some underwear. But I'm quite sure I'll awake three times this evening with... "Did I remember to pack the (fill in the blank)". Oh well, they have plenty of stuff to buy there. So to bed early tonight, up at 5... Steve & Rosanne pick me up at 5:45. It's going to be a loooooonnngg day. Ciao 4 now. PC

Provence villages

2007-08-07T19:59:00.001-07:00

So I had to practice uploading a picture. So, here's some harbor pic my kid took in '05. Most likely Antibes, one of the most beautiful towns I have ever visited.

Top ten villages to see in Provence:
1) Gordes
2) Les Baux
3) La Fontaine de Vaucluse
4) Bonnieux
5) Malaucene
6) Buis-les-Baronnies
7) Bedoin
8) Roussillon
9) Saint Paul de Vence
X) Moustiers-Ste-Marie

With approx 5 days there, we have our hands full.
< than a month to go!

2007-07-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

#1 blog... who, me, blogging? What is this really? Dear diary?
Well, just for starters, it's a spot to post upcoming travel journals and photos. My sibs & I are off to Provence in September 2007. And instead of emailing, why not just a central spot where we could dump our adventures, our feelings, our anxieties and all of the wonderful things that travel does to your being. So, if I can figure out how this machine works (ignore that man behind the curtain), perhaps there will be something here worth pondering come September. Ciao