Travel With Betsy

On Tuesday, we were up at the crack of dawn so that we could take the 6:39 am Rail Jet train from Vienna to Castelrotto, near Bolzano in the northern part of Italy. Mike and I visited Bolzano a number of years ago and thought we would like to come back to this area to explore the nearby Dolomites. This was our chance!

Castelrotto and Bolzano are in Italy, but they really span the border between Italy and Austria. As a result, there is quite a mix of cultures here. At any given time, you will hear Italian and German being spoken, sometimes in the same sentence. There is also a mix of Italian and German food, both of which we love. So, we are looking forward to this leg of our trip!

As you know, Mike is a train nut and has studied the different types of trains that are available for travel in different parts of Europe. The Rail Jet is an Austrian train that moves at lightening speed….maybe not quite that fast, but this little gem clips right along at about 135 miles per hour. Not too shabby! It also has great first class service. The leather seats recline a little and there is a decent foot rest. A very nice server comes around and brings you a snack or a drink as you zip along. Really first class!

We are glad about having this luxury to start the day out, as we would be on the train for most of the day! What we are NOT glad about is that we are only on this really nice train for the first part of our trip! We will be on an Italian train for the last leg, which we know will not be as nice. The Italian trains never are. We’ll see what happens!

The first leg of the trip was even more delightful than we anticipated. We lounged around in first class luxury drinking cappucino and eating a snack as we viewed the beautiful scenery. Some of us went to the dining car later on and had more coffee. Just lovely. But, finally, we reached Innsbruck, where we were required to change to the Italian train. What a change it was!

The train was laid out in the 6 seat compartment format that we had been in earlier, which was OK. But, this time, we were unable to find a compartment that was empty. Finally, we settled on one where 2 women were sitting. Gene and I had middle seats and Mike and Carrie were in the aisle. We all had about the same amount of luggage, which was too much for the overhead racks. So, Gene and I had our carry on luggage under our feet…not ideal, but certainly doable.

We all got comfortable and the woman sitting next to Gene looked at me and began to talk. You may remember my story about people telling me their stories. Well……..here we go again. UGHH!

After we all exchanged information about where we were from and where we were going, this woman began to tell us about her estranged daughter. About a year ago, the daughter had gone to a therapist and discovered that she had issues with this woman and had stopped talking to her. The woman went on and on about how this really wasn’t her problem, but her daughter’s issue. After all, if it really WAS a problem, why is this just coming up now. She went on and on and we all listened….blah……blah…….blah……….

UNTIL………

……….the conductor came in to check our tickets. Gene handed over his rail pass. The conductor looked it over and said, “Where is your reservation?”

You may recall from a previous post, that some trains require reservations, but not all. We knew this and had checked it out……actually twice…….with 2 different rail ticket offices. We were told…..twice…..that this train did not require a reservation. But, here we were face to face with the conductor who said that we needed a reservation. GEEZ…….

Gene and I both told the conductor that we were told we didn’t need the reservation. He looked at both of us and said, “Where is your reservation?” $11 Euros each later, we were still on the train in our middle seats with our feet propped on on our luggage. And, we got to pay for the privilege of doing so. See what I mean about Italian trains?!!

Mike is not always a fan of Italian trains….or Italy…for that matter. The fact that we will be spending so much time in Italy on this trip is really quite something. But, our train experience, is a good example of Mike’s issue with the Italians. His opinion formed early on while traveling in Italy in the 60’s. He had some experiences that were equally as mystifying as the reservation issue. When we settled back in after our confrontation with the conductor, Mike began to tell stories of his prior visits to Italy. He spoke of a policeman coming out from nowhere when he was trying to park a car (more than once) and forcing him out of the space, a hotel clerk chasing him down the street because he refused to pay a new tax that was imposed on the room as he was checking out, and a comical view of cars in a roundabout chasing each other and beeping their horns….they just continued to go ’round and ’round and beeping and beeping.

Carrie finally wondered out loud, “Why do they do these things that don’t seem to make sense.”

Mike said, “IT’S ITALY…..who knows?”

So, when we got to the car rental place in Bolzano to pick up the car that Gene had so painstakingly searched for so that we could drive into the Dolomites, and they didn’t have the reservation, we all looked at each other and said in unison…..

“IT’S ITALY”….

Finally, we did get our car and made it to our hotel. We were greeted by an Italian, who I’m sure is really a German. He handed Gene and me each a set of 3 keys that came with specific instructions. One key was for our room and one key was for the outside doors (they lock the doors at 7:00 pm). The other key was to release the gate for the parking area.

The Italian German looked at me and in a very clipped German accented English said,

“You will use this key to release the gate for the parking. No one ever remembers this and I am frequently awakened at 3:00 am to come down and let people in with their cars. You will remember this. I don’t want to be awakened because you can’t release the gate.”

“YA VOHL….YES SIR!”

Well…..”IT’S ITALY”……what can I say?!

In the time since my last post, our little traveling group has had a whirlwind tour of Vienna…..and more. In addition to our day at Schoenbrun Palace, we took the scenic tram and a walk through Vienna proper, viewed the Wachau Valley and took a side trip to Bratislava, Slovakia. With all of this, we have really only scratched the surface of things to see and do in Vienna and the surrounding area. This is definitely a place that I will visit again…and again…….and maybe again…..

During our travels, we have been using the train systems in the different countries to move from place to place. I may have mentioned this in some earlier posts, but the train system in Europe is far superior to what we have available in the United States and offers travelers many more options. Some of the long distance trains can move at very rapid speeds. On this trip, our fastest train was the one from Vienna to Slovakia. (We will also take this train from Vienna to the Dolomites on Wednesday.) It moves at about 135 mile per hour! Can you believe that!?! These kinds of speeds make train travel the transportation mode of choice for Europeans and other travelers more than not. It just makes sense. If you do it right, you can travel from one end of Europe to the other very quickly, cost effectively and in grand style.

For this trip, we all purchased a first class Global Rail pass that is good for 1 month. This gives us the flexibility to go anywhere within the European Union any time we want to and as often as we want to go within 1 month of activation of the pass. We pay one flat fee before we leave the United States and just hop on when we get to Europe. The cost quickly amortizes itself, especially on a trip like the one we are taking where we are visiting so many different locations. Such a deal!……which, you KNOW this group loves! Anyway, this is how we are able to visit so many places overall and from Vienna. It was great!

We have also made use of the public transportation in each city that we have visited. Almost everywhere you travel in Europe, you can purchase passes for the day, several days or a week that will allow you to use all public transportation in the city for a relatively low price. In Vienna, we purchased a 3 day pass that allowed us to use the subway, buses, and trams throughout the city. It is VERY cost effective and also a lot of fun! You really get a sense of the local color of the city by using the public transportation systems.

So, onto our days in Vienna……….As most of you know, I work at a winery in Paso Robles a few days each week. It’s fun and I like the people there. I also like to talk to people and have an interest in wine. So, this is a perfect fit for me! When I travel, I like to learn about the wine regions in the different areas that we visit. On this trip, there are 2 opportunities for exploring wine country. The Wachau Valley, which is outside of Vienna, is one of these areas.

We could have taken an organized tour of the Wachau Valley, but it was a little pricey and we really didn’t want to pay for the tour. So, we decided that we would piece the tour together ourselves with some help from the internet, Rick Steves and Trip Advisor. As it turns out, it wasn’t that hard to do! We didn’t actually visit a winery, but we did get a tour of the area and a view of the vineyards, which was spectacular. The leaves are just beginning to change in the Wachau Valley, so the scenery was not only spectacular, but colorful as well. One of the things I miss living in California is the change of seasons. I got my fill here.

The Wachau Valley is generally a cooler area and, as such, is mainly known for its white wines. They do have some red wines, but they are typically wines that are lighter in texture. Some of the most popular whites are Gruner Veltliner, Reisling and Gewurtstraminer. There is a wide range of style in these white wines. We sampled some that were sweet, with some residual sugars and some that were quite dry. We prefer the dry wines, but all were good.

The most popular reds are Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. The Gruner Veltliner and the Zweigelt are lesser know grapes in the United States and fairly specific to Austria.

On our trek to the Wachau Valley, we headed out of Vienna (using our rail passes) and headed to Melk, where we picked up a boat (our rail pass gave us a 20% discount on our passage) that took us through Speiz and Durnstein and finally ended up in Krems. From Krems, we took the train (using our rail passes) back to Vienna. It was quite a day.

For those of you who follow travel, Melk is a frequent stop of the European river cruises. There is an abbey that sits on the hill there that is just spectacular. Gene and Carrie and I walked to the top to view this and took some pictures. Just lovely.

The boat ride down the Danube was my favorite part of the day, As we got closer to wine country, we were amazed at the number of vineyards in each of the towns that we passed. As I mentioned, the leaves are just beginning to change. The vineyards were planted on the sides of the hills and were striped with leaves of yellow, orange and green. In these areas where the weather can be a bit cooler, vines are typically planted up the sides of the hills so that they can get exposure to the sun. It helps the ripening process. The towns themselves sat close to the water. They all appeared to be old towns, the center of which was a church and/or a fortress or castle of some type.

It was quite a scene as we cruised along and occasionally docked to pick up passengers. When we finally docked at Krems, we leisurely walked through the old part of the town, did some window shopping and eventually made our way back to the train station and headed back to Vienna. A wonderful day!

When we were on the train, Gene spotted some information on a trip to Bratislava, Slovakia from Vienna. It was only about an hour trip from Vienna, so we decided that we would do this the next day. We boarded the train to Bratislava and made our way to this little country (again, using our rail pases…..they are great, right!!??)

Navigating through the city of Bratislava from the train station was interesting. This is one of those countries where there are few vowels in the words and not many people speak English. As Mike says, “Can we buy a vowel?”

On the up side, we finally landed on the right bus into town and the bus ticket was really cheap (.35 cents one way). On the down side, we overshot the bus a little and had to walk through an underground passage to get back to the other side of the road to go back the other way. Mike was, as you might guess, underwhelmed with the walking. Oh well!

When we finally landed in the old part of town, we were pleasantly surprised with a real Slovak lunch of sauerkraut soup, dark bread and some of the best dark beer we have had on this trip…..maybe on any trip! YUM! We meandered through town and did some window shopping for a short time and then headed back to Vienna. All in all, a good day.

On Wednesday, we headed to the Dolomite area in the north part of Italy to view the mountains. This is our other opportunity to learn about another European wine region. We are all looking forward to this part of the journey. I’ll fill you in soon!

Ciao!

Well, I have another food story for you. Can you believe it!? I can hardly believe it myself, but here goes.

We arrived in Vienna on Friday in the late afternoon. By the time we reached our hotel, we were all tired. So we decided that we would all take a nap and reconnoiter in the hotel lobby at 7:00 for dinner.

Our first night in Vienna, and of course, we wanted to have a traditional Viennese meal. YUM! We also didn’t want to walk too far because it was now raining and getting a bit nippy outside. No reason to be uncomfortable. So, as is usually our first course of action, we asked the hotel if they could recommend a place to eat.

“Yes, of course we can.” said the helpful girl at the front desk!

OK, we are on our way. She directed us to a very nice restaurant around the corner from where we were staying. We started out. Found the restaurant….great! The abrupt server that greeted us said, “Reservation?” Of course not, why would we have a reservation? “Sorry,” he said. “We have no tables.” WHAT??!! OK, so we made a reservation for Saturday night. No problem.

So, we started out again.

I will take this opportunity to refresh your memories on the walking issue. Mike is not fond of walking. He especially hates walking when the “lead dog”, whomever that may be at the time, doesn’t really know where they are going. This happens often as we are traveling because, after all, none of us knows where we are going….at least not on the first day.

Anyway, we started out. Gene was the “lead dog” this time. We walked….and walked….and walked. Mike’s gait got slower…and slower…..and slower. Finally, we came upon a small restaurant on the corner. It was totally empty…not one customer. Only 3 burly men sitting in the window. HMMMM……..Mike has some rules to live by, some of which apply to food. Never play cards with a man named doc, never eat at a place called “Mom’s” and never sleep with a woman whose problems are greater than your own. Over the years he has added another….never eat in a restaurant where there are no customers. So, imagine our surprise when he suggested that we eat here.

Gene, Carrie and I started to dig in our heels. This doesn’t look good to us. So, we sent Mike in ahead as a scout to look the place over. He came out and announced that we would eat here. The food is Georgian, there is borscht on the menu and there is no other option. And, Mike was through walking. Enough said.

We ended up having the most delightful meal of our trip so far! Who knew?!

As we reviewed the menu, we realized that the menu was not in English or German, but in Georgian (or whatever language they speak in Georgia). We couldn’t read a word…. couldn’t make out a single menu item. To top it off, the waitress didn’t speak English or German, only Georgian. A dilemma!

We DID manage to let the waitress know that we wanted a bottle of wine! This is, apparently, universal! HA! Again, no familiar wines. Only wines produced in Georgia. Finally, we made a selection of a wine made with a grape that I have never heard of, Saperavi. The waitress was unable to describe it, of course, because she doesn’t speak English. But, she did give us a small taste before we committed to the bottle. It reminded me of a Petit Sirah. It was good, so we went forward.

A young man who was with the restaurant came to the table to to decant our wine. I heard him utter a few words in english and I looked at him and said, “You speak English.”

“Yes, of course,” he said. Of course.

His English was broken, but understandable. As it turns out he was the owner of the restaurant. He directed us through the menu and finally suggested that they prepare a special dish for us. We love this!! SOLD! We ended up with grilled pork skewers over a plate of vegetables. It was served with a sauce that I can’t describe, but it was absolutely delicious. I asked about the ingredients. He said it was made with a berry that was unique to Georgia. Who knows….but it WAS tasty!

All this time, Carrie and I were watching the 3 burly men in the window, who were also watching us. We decided there was surely something underhanded going on here….maybe this restaurant was a cover operation for the Russian mafia. YES! That’s it! We were convinced that we were in the middle of a something sinister….!! AHA!! We continued to discuss this and make up a story about this until we were through with dinner. Carrie and I should be writing fiction novels! We could pay for our next trip to Europe!

While our meal was being prepared, Gene and I reviewed the dessert options in the glass case. We were having a great time trying to figure out if any of them had a pudding-type cream filling. This is Gene’s favorite type of dessert. I think the owner was amused and finally came by and asked us if we would like a special treat….a complimentary shot of Georgian Grappa. Of course, we would. Anything for a free treat! By the time we got done with that, they could have served us anything and we would have been happy! WOW!

Seriously, though, this was a great meal with excellent service. As we talked to the owner, we learned that the restaurant had only been open for 3 days, most likely the reason that there were no customers. We were some of the first. The owner and his father had worked for a number of years in the restaurant business and wanted to branch out on their own. Good for them! I admire their entrepreneurship!

Carrie and I decided that we didn’t care if it WAS the Russian mafia. We liked these people and their food.

Until the next post….fat and happy in Georgia/Vienna…….

As I mentioned in the last post, we arrived in Prague by train on Tuesday. Prague has a different currency from the other places we are traveling on this trip, so, the first thing we needed to do was to get some local currency. This, as it turns out, was quite an adventure! First, there are no banks in Prague that have a relationship with Bank of America, our bank of choice (?!) in the United States. So, it doesn’t really matter where we get money, we will still pay a fee, which we all hate. But, OK. This makes the decision on which ATM to use very easy. Any ATM will do!

The ATM machines have English translations, so, no problem there. But, how much should we get. This is the real question! I had read the tour book on this subject and decided to get about $3,000 Czech dollars, which really just feels like too much. Gene, on the other hand, opted for $200 Czech dollars. When all was said and done, I had the equivalent of about $178 and Gene had $10. HA! It pays to read up on the currency! As it turns out, a big wad of Czech dollars feels like a whole lot more than it really is. Gene ended up getting more money, and we had a good laugh about his $10s Czech!

Our last 2 days have been spent exploring, eating and drinking our way through Prague.

I have to make a comment here about the food in Prague…and Germany for that matter. This is the land of fatty meat and carbohydrates. We have all consumed mass amounts of this stuff, so will likely all require Lipitor and insulin when we get home to bring our cholesterol and sugar levels down. There are very few vegetables served, making one feel somewhat deprived. Carrie and I have already discussed a pure vegetable detox diet after this trip. We have had bread and potatoes made in all different ways…..pretzels, croissants, seeded bread, hard rolls, potato dumplings, boiled potatoes, potato chips, french fries…. the list goes on… The meats are mostly beef, pork and sausage and they all have gravy. And, we can’t forget the dark, nutritious beer! Don’t get me wrong, we are all loving this European comfort food, especially the beer! The beer has us all well-preserved and the food has us feeling very satisfied. But, I can feel the “muffin tops” beginning to form at the top of my pants! I just hate spillover! UGGHHH!!

Talking about being well-preserved……Prague is one of the best preserved cities in Europe. Because of the war, Prague has seen some very hard times, but it is one of the few cities that was not bombed out in the war. Therefore, the buildings are original, unlike in Berlin and Hamburg where many of the areas were bombed out or affected by fire and later rebuilt in a traditional style. We spent a lot of time wandering through the tiny, winding streets of Prague, looking at the buildings and peeking into shop windows. Prague is definitely tourist oriented and caters to the American tourist with money. The tour books warn travelers of shop keepers and restauranteers who are ready to take your money and to “take” you if you are not careful. I think that’s the downside of travel in Prague. We didn’t have any trouble….not much anyway…. but you can easily see how it could happen. Sad.

But, overall, Prague is a great city and has lots to see. Everything is pretty much within walking distance of everything else. But, the public transportation system is also easy to use and very accessible.

Yesterday morning Mike and I got up early and walked over the Charles Bridge. This was a highlight for me. the bridge is very historical and has many statues that are representative of Prague’s history. I stopped at the staute where you rub a dog that is embedded on the monument for good luck. I gave it a rub! I figured why not! We can all use some good luck!

There were also street musicians and vendors everywhere on the bridge. There was a very cute little guy with a hurdy gurdy. There’s a new term for everyone! This is a music box type device that is driven by a manual crank. It was very compelling in an odd sort of way. There was also a small combo playing American jazz in a Django Rheinhart style, which was also good.

From the bridge, you could look back at the old part of the city on one side and the palace on the other side. The leaves were starting to change, and the reflection on the water was beautiful. I also dropped a coin in the river for a friend of mine. I hope she gets her wish! Around 10:00 am, the masses of tour buses started to unload at the bridge, so we went on. It was nice to see the bridge in a quiet state.

We wandered further and looked at the astronomical clock in the center of the old town. This is one of those clocks that gives you a show on the hour, We just missed that. Too bad, but the clock was interesting to look at.

We also spent a lot of time on the public transit system, It was cheaper, which is always a plus for us, and got us where we wanted to go. Mike has an interest in trains, as you know. He also has an interest in the tram systems in some of these European towns Prague had one of the most intricate and expansive tram systems that we have seen on our travels. It is a little complicated to understand at first. But, once you get the hang of it, it’s really pretty easy to maneuver. Good times!

All in all, we had a great time in Prague. Mike and I have decided we could come back here, too, and spend some more time. There’s a lot of ground to cover,

This morning, we left our Marriott apartment to begin our trek to Vienna. Gene and Carrie are staying at a different hotel here in Prague, so we decided to meet at the train station rather than try to coordinate a meeting at one of the hotels. So, Mike and I went to the train station on our own this morning to get a lay of the land. We decided to stop in at the travel information station to reconfirm the time of the train and to find the correct platform from which the train would leave.

This was our first experience of really feeling “taken”.

The nice woman at the train station recommended that we get a reservation. We are traveling with a first class train pass, which sometimes requires reservations, but not always. The Czech Republic doesn’t require this, but as the woman pointed out, it is Friday and there is only one first class car. Seats could be limited. It made sense to us to get the reservation. So, we did. We were in car 272, seats 85 and 86.

Guess what! When we got on the train, there was a car 271, but no 272. And, of course, our seats were not there either. HEY…..! So, this time instead of having the nice 4 seat compartment, we are in one of the 6 seat compartments elbow to elbow with a couple of stinky people, and we paid extra to do it! We won’t make that mistake again. Oh well, if you travel enough, these things happen, even to seasoned travelers like us!

Taken “with” and “taken” in Prague….UGGHHHH……

When I let you all know about this trip, and the next blog, I told you that I might get distracted and miss a few days. Well, it’s not even been 2 weeks and I am already behind! We have been busy touring the port of Hamburg and making our way to Prague. So, there hasn’t been a lot of time to keep you all posted. Here’s a quick run down on our last few days. I’ll try to keep up going forward. But, we have a very busy schedule…..

On Monday, we set aside the afternoon for a tour of the port of Hamburg. Hamburg is kind of a “sleeper” city. According to the tour books, it doesn’t get a lot of American tourists. I’m not sure why because it’s a great city that has a lot to offer. Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe, behind Rotterdam. So, as you can imagine, there is a large hub of activity at the waterfront. On our first full day out, we opted to take an hour long tour boat tour of the harbor. There is one tour daily that is in English, and we were on it!

The views from the water were incredible…..the skyline of the city and the ship activity on the harbor were both very interesting. There were container ships from all over the world loading and unloading their goods. I don’t know if you have ever had an up close and personal look at these puppies, but they are huge! One of the container ships was about 250,000 tons. WOW! Periodically, we saw windmills working to provide energy to power the massive equipment needed to do the work around these ships. It was mind-blowing. There was also a ship that was licensed in Luxembourg. The narrator, who was German and had a very difficult to understand and fast English narration, found this to be comical. Luxembourg is a country that is land-bound. So, this ship has never seen its home country. Kind of a ship without a country, if you will.

We also saw the “Europa”, one of the Hapac Lloyd cruise ships in dry dock. Mike wants to take this ship more than life itself! According to experts who study these cruise ships, this is the finest cruise ship in the world…..and the most expensive. Might be fun! When we win the lottery, we might consider this.

We also viewed the new concert hall that is right on the waterfront. It is a work in progress, expected to be completed in 2014 or 2015 depending on who you listen to. They are a little behind schedule. the architecture of this building is very unique. It is cube shaped in a way with windows that look like deep portholes. Interesting! The complex will include shops, restaurants, bars and cafes along with the hall. We might need to come back after it’s completed to see a concert! Good stuff!

After the tour, we convinced Mike to walk back into town. He agreed, with some consternation, but, in the end, I think he was glad he came along. Hamburg has 2 smallish lakes. The smaller of the 2 lakes is the center of an upscale tourist area in Hamburg. There are several upscale hotels there, as well. There is a fountain in the middle of the lake that reminded Mike and Gene of Geneva. I haven’t been there, so can’t do a comparison. But, I trust their assessment. We had a lot of fun looking in the shops and the Fairmont Hotel, Mike and Gene’s favorite hotel chain….mine, too. I am lobbying for Carrie to get a job with them so that we can all share in the hotel benefits. HA! So far, she is intrigued, but not sold! I have another 2 weeks to work on her. We’ll see what happens. I can be pretty persuasive!

There is also an Apple Store right there around the lake. I made a visit to the store, as I am having trouble with my cell phone here in Europe. Haven’t been able to make a call since I have been here. They got me going, albeit temporarily. The store is the biggest one I have ever seen….2 floors, just packed with people. Crazy!

On our last night, we had a lovely dinner at a restaurant that Gene had visited when he was last in Hamburg. It was yummy! We shared a bottle of German Reisling, which was very nice. However, it did impact our ability to get back to the hotel when we were through with dinner. We ended up taking the metro to the train station, which was very close to our hotel. But, we were unable to navigate back to the hotel and ended up taking a cab a very short distance. The driver wasn’t too happy. Too bad for him! I make it sound like we are heavy drinkers. We really aren’t. But, after a day of walking and small snacks, a little bit of wine goes a long way.

After our excursion, we were spent, and so packed it in for an early night. We were leaving on the 6:28 am train to Prague on Tuesday, so an early night wasn’t a bad idea.

Tuesday morning came early, but we were at the train station bright and early for our 6 hour train ride. Don’t want to miss anything. We boarded our first class compartment and headed off. The ride was very pleasant….and, we had our very own compartment with 4 seats…..just enough for our group. As I walked through the train, I decided that we definitely had the best seat in the house. All of the other compartments were for 6 people, and the people were really crammed in elbow to elbow. It pays to be early!

So, here’s the next food and travel connection……

Our first day in Prague consisted of eating and drinking beer…and, that’s about it. Mike and I are staying in a really nice Marriott Executive Apartment Hotel that is right off of Wenceslas Square, the happening place to be on the new side of town. We walked down to the square and had some snacks. As we walked through the square, we discovered stand after stand of street food, Czech style. We saw pigs roasting on spits, beer stands, piroghy stands, sausages, crepes….and other things that I couldn’t identify. We, of course, bellied up to the snack stands with the other locals and tourists and had a very substantial snack. It was great fun…and tasty! Again, food pulls us into the culture. There’s just no escaping it!

The other thing we have discovered is that food and beer here in Prague are very inexpensive. We went to dinner at a typical Czech restaurant later that night. We spent about $40.00 total for the 4 of us for 2 appetizers, 3 main dishes and 4 beers. We love this place! We will definitely not break the budget on this leg of the trip.

Tomorrow, we will really begin to explore Prague. I’ll let you know what we find!

I have made quite a few good friends in San Luis in the lat 5 years that we have lived there. As I think about each of them, I realize how different they all are, yet the same in some ways….like their love of travel. Each person I think of has traveled fairly extensively…Europe, Asia, South America, South Africa…. I love to hear their stories.

A few months ago, when we were in the throws of planning our trip, we were having dinner at a friend’s home in San Luis. We mentioned that we would be visiting Berlin and Hamburg on our trip. She has visited both areas several times and had some really great ideas of things to see while there. And, as it turns out, her mother, who I will call Ann, lives in Hamburg with a friend, I will call Bob. What a small world! Well….. after several conversations with my friend and some email exchanges with her mother, we all decided that we should meet.

Get ready for my next food and travel connection……..

As my friend and I discussed what we might do with her mother, she mentioned a restaurant for brunch She said it was in someone’s home and very unusual.,,but, typical German and excellent food. She also mentioned that we should not eat anything the day before we went because of the volume of food presented. Sounds good to me! SOLD! This would be the plan.

So, on Sunday morning, the 4 travelers boarded the S-bahn train to Blankanese to meet our new friend and have brunch. What a great time!

Blankanese is a suburb of Hamburg…about a 30 minute ride outside of town on the train. We arrived in good time and took a taxi to Ann’s home. She and Bob were already in their car waiting to take us to the restaurant. Since there were 4 of us and 2 of them and their car could really only seat 5 people comfortably, we opted to have the taxi deliver us directly to the restaurant.

My friend’s description of the restaurant was spot on. I’m not sure this was actually someone’s house, but it could have been and probably had been at some point. It was very quaint. The tables were set up in the lower floor of the house in what would have been the living room, foyer and possibly a sitting room at one point. The furniture was very old fashioned and reminded me in some ways of the dining room furniture in my grandmother’s home. Very comfortable and cozy, but still a little formal. All around were momentos of days gone by in Germany…..family pictures, doilies, and an array of antique furniture and knick knacks. It was like having a meal with an old German family in their dining room.

As we entered the area where the food was displayed, we began to see what my friend had alluded to. This was about the most extensive and delicious looking buffet brunch I have ever seen. Bob gave us a tour of the food options. There were at least 5 different kinds of fish displayed, maybe more. Some that I could identify and some that I couldn’t identify. On the same table were 2 kinds of caviar…..WOW! On the next table were some fruits and cheeses of all types (my favorite), along with all kinds of bread options to pair them with. Then, we moved on to the scone table (my second favorite). There were scones and clotted cream and a wide array of jellies and jams to try. The next table had eggs and bacon and some more bread options, and the last table had Muesli with some kind of a fruit compote and all kinds of juices. And, we had our own pot of coffee, which sat right in front of Carrie. She was a happy girl!

We dined for several hours. My friend was right, there was no need to have eaten the day before or for the rest of the day. The food was outstanding and what a great ambiance in which to experience it.

The company was also outstanding. Ann is a very interesting woman. She is 91 years old and speaks about 4 languages. She is well traveled. At one point, she owned her own travel agency in England. She had lots of great stories about places she had visited. She brought along with her to brunch her latest copy of the “The Economist” magazine to show us. She says that she educates herself about things that are happening around the world by reading this. In her opinion, there are no other periodicals that can compare with this one. We had a very lively discussion about American politics and the current American government shutdown due to the new healthcare initiatives. We shared stories about my friend and her children as well. Ann has lived in Brazil, London and now Hamburg and had some very compelling stories to tell about her family and her life. What an interesting brunch companion.

Finally, we waddled out of the restaurant. Ann and Bob wanted to give us a little tour of their town in their car. Again, I mention that there were 6 of us for a 5 passenger car. Ann looked at all of us and suggested that Carrie, who is younger and probably most flexible, should get in the front with she and Bob and share the seat with her. It was quite a scene, as Carrie straddled the middle gear shift with her legs in the passenger seat. Fun times!

They took us to a vista that Bob explained had been something of a toll collection spot for ships coming into Hamburg. The views were incredible. There was now a restaurant there and a small snack stand. We spent a good bit of time there looking at the views as Bob explained some of the things that we were looking at. Then, we all piled back into the car and they took us back to the train station so that we could head back into town.

I can’t say enough about the kindness of these people….the time they spent with us and directing us to a lovely restaurant where we could get to know each other and share some stories.

I think you can see where I am going with my thoughts about food being a connector. Over some great food in an amazing venue, we were able to become a part of a small German town, if only for a few hours. And, we made 2 new friends. There might be something better than this, but I don’t know what it would be!

Signing off for now…..fat and happy in Hamburg!

Since last we connected, we 4 travelers have experienced the full gamut of culture in Berlin…….McDonald’s to the Berlin Philharmonic and everything in between.

On Wednesday, our first full day together, we decided to get up early and hit the day with a great exuberance! So, at 9:00 am we ventured out to get some breakfast and make our plans for the day. Mike and I had been to a great little spot the day before and suggested that we try this out. Imagine our disappointment as we approached the door and found that it was closed. So sad! But, tomorrow is another day…off to the next place. The next place was also closed…and the next…. HMMMMM…Am I in Arles? You may recall from my January trip that I wandered around Arles for 3 nights straight looking for an open dinner restaurant. I am beginning to wonder if I am jinxed in the food department…

Finally, we happened on someone selling tickets for one of those “Hop on Hop off Bus Tours” and asked about where to get some breakfast. We would be happy with just coffee, truth be told. We learned that it was a national holiday and that the restaurants would open later in the morning, but the shops would be closed. The museums were open, too. Kind of the opposite of what would happen in the United States. But, we not in the United States, we are in Germany.

The nice tour operator directed us to McDonald’s.

Here’s my next travel and food connection…….

I am not usually a McDonald’s fan. In fact, I can count on one hand the times I have visited McDonald’s in the last 5 years since we have lived in California and have never done this while traveling in Europe. So, you can imagine my excitement at the thought of a McDonald’s breakfast. But, I did want coffee and there was no other choice.

What a delightful surprise! As it turns out, the German McDonald’s, while having some similarities to what we are used to the United States, also has some very distinct differences. First, we had regular cups instead of paper cups. And, they had the same kinds of pastries, with about the same quality, as our other cute spot from yesterday. The icing on the cake, was a small message left by McDonald’s on the inside of our cups….3 little pictures telling us that having coffee with our friends at McDonald’s would give us a happy day…….or at least that’s my interpretation. Who knew that McDonald’s could be so much fun!

After breakfast, we headed out for a day of museum visits. Berlin is a city like Paris where museums abound. There are all kinds of them…art, history, archeological, ethnic….really too many types of mention. The friendly concierge at the hotel gave us some direction on how to visit the most museums for the least cost. You know our group’s affinity for getting the best deal by now, so, you know that this made us very happy! We opted for the Museumpass, good for about 50 museums across the city. After 2 museums, this little gem pays for itself. We visited 3.

We went to Museum Island to begin. This is a small section that sits on the water and houses at least 3 of the city’s museums. We visited the Pergamon and the Neue Museum. Both were outstanding. The Pergamon houses the Pergamon Alter, for which the museum is named. This is a fairly complete restoration of the artifacts of this alter that reflect the stories of greek mythology. There are some missing pieces, but definitely enough to be able to get the gist of the stories. It was fascinating…and big. Reminded me of the Elgin marbles that I viewed in London. Very impressive!

Next, we went to the Neue Museum to view the bust of Nefertitti. As we took in the beauty of this piece, Mike announced that he had dated her. Apparently, she was quite a hot little number. Not surprising. This is usually his type. HA!! This gal was really quite beautiful. She had a very long neck, which gave her an elegance that was captivating. Sadly, she only had one eye. The other was just a blank socket. But, even so, she was quite beautiful.

That evening, we went to the Kultureforum to hear the Berliner Philharmonic. The friendly concierge also helped us with these tickets. In jest, Mike asked the concierge if the orchestra was any good. The concierge looked at him aghast and said, “Mr. Cramer, this is one of the best orchestras in the world.” Leave it to Mike to make a good impression. HA!

Mike and I are into classical music and try to go to concerts when we travel. We have been to some of the best venues and seen some of the best orchestras in the world, and, as it turns out, this was one of them. The concierge explained to us that the conductor is known for going to extremes to get the exact right sound. For the most part, the musicians use instruments that are provided by the symphony. They may use their own, but if the sound isn’t exactly right, they must use those that are provided. Very unusual.

There was evidence of this effort to get the exact right sound in all of the pieces that were played, but particularly in one piece. This piece had a section of musical echoes that were to diminish in volume as they were played. To achieve this sound, the conductor had the different sections of the orchestra placed both on and off stage at varying distances. As the music was played, you could hear the echo as it died off. Fantastic!

Needless to say, the concert was a highlight! It was one of the best we have seen. None of us were familiar with the pieces, but it didn’t matter. The quality of the music was incredible.

Yesterday, we visited the Jewish Museum. The museum has done a fantastic job of documenting Jewish history. But, the part I found the most moving was a newer section that reflected different aspects of the Holocaust through the architecture. It was outstanding and very well thought out. The most interesting space to me was a “garden” where there were multiple tall square pillars with plants growing out of the top. The “garden” was angled so that you were always off balance. It was actually dizzying as you walked through. This arrangement was meant to reflect the feelings of the Jews as they were being displaced and left with the uncertainty of their fate. From time to time, we all have this feeling of uncertainty. But, imagine feeling this all of the time. It’s hard to fathom.

I am grateful for the stability in my life that allows me to feel secure and to do the things I love ….to “follow my bliss”….

Signing off for now feeling secure, blissful…….and cultured.

On our way to Hamburg….see you there tomorrow.

Indecision is a terrible thing…and, sometimes really inconvenient. But, there are also some pleasant surprises when changes are made. Here’s my story.

When we were doing our initial planning for the trip, Mike and I decided that we would arrive in Berlin on October 1. We purchased our airline tickets (with frequent flyer miles) and made hotel arrangements to reflect this time frame.

Then, the opportunity came for Mike to leave a little early to spend some time with his friend in Italy, so, he changed his ticket. Then, I decided that I would go business class, which meant that I needed to change my ticket and come earlier than planned, as well. This meant that instead of arriving in Berlin on October 1, as originally planned, we would be here on September 30. Now the dilemma…..what to do about the hotel for the first 2 nights. Seemed like an easy solution to me….just book another 2 nights at the same hotel. Easier said than done, I discovered….

When I plan a trip, I use a variety of search engines to look for the best hotels at the cheapest rate. (You may remember from earlier blogs that we are all about the deal!) So, I do the due diligence in order to get the best rate. The deal that I got on the hotel for Berlin was one of my best efforts! Very proud! If there were an academy award for getting the best deal, I would surely have gotten it on this one! A 5 star hotel for the price of a 3 star! Can’t beat that!

When the itinerary changes came up, I figured that I could get the same rate (or at least a comparable rate) for the 2 nights that I had to front load. Should be a snap. Well, when I really got into the swing of the search, the best deal I could get was about $100 per night more than the nights of my great deal. HMMMM……as Mike says, “c’est tout fille”…”too much”. This is a long sojourn. Why spend all of our budget on the first leg of the trip?! So, I booked the Marriott Courtyard for the first 2 nights. Again, great deal….got the senior rate, one of the few benefits of aging! What that meant, however, is that we would have to pack up and move to another hotel in the same city after the second night. Not ideal, but definitely doable.

So, on Monday, we moved from the Marriott to our new hotel for the next 4 nights. Spent a good part of the day doing it, too. It was worth it, though. Definitely a move up!

Our reward is a truly great 5 star hotel with every perk you can think of…not for free, of course, but still available. There is fee WiFi, though! YIPPEE!! This is the best hotel we will have on the whole trip, I’m certain. Our location is quite different, as well. We are now in the west side of Berlin, as opposed to the central area, which was in earlier times, part of east Berlin. (Who’s on first?!)

As you know, the whole story of Berlin revolves around the fact that it was a divided city for a very long time. After WWII, it was divided into 4 sections and then into 2. The western allies controlled the west side of Berlin and the Russians controlled the east side. There was no movement from side to side allowed, which was not a problem for the West Berliners. No one wanted to go to the east side, anyway. But, people who were near the dividing line couldn’t speak to their neighbors across the street because they were on different sides. People were so desperate to escape this oppression, that they frequently tried to escape over the line, sometimes successfully. The economy on the east side began to suffer, so the Russians, literally overnight, built the Berlin wall as a physical divider. Silly, really, but quite effective. Now some people couldn’t even see their neighbors across the street. People still tried to escape, but it was much more difficult and most were killed as they did so. There are many monuments in the city that remember those who were killed trying to escape. Over time, as you might guess, the east side of Berlin lost ground economically. The west side was much more vital.

After the wall came down, an effort was made to revitalize east Berlin. These days, east Berlin is the area that is noted as the place to be and be seen. It’s really developing with new shops, restaurants, etc. and has a vibrant, “new” feel. Until recently, there has been less attention on West Berlin, making this area now feel a little dated and tired. In the last years, however, West Berlin has been coming back into its own. Our hotel and the surrounding area definitely reflect this.

We are right outside of the K’damm, which is a street somewhat like the Champs d’Elysee in Paris. All kinds of upscale shopping and eating opportunities. We have spent lots of time there window shopping. What a great section! There is even a BMW storefront that is showcasing the new electric BMW. In addition to his train fetish, Mike also has a strong interest in cars. So, we, of course, have already visited the BMW store. The friendly people there treated us to coffee and a cookie. It was free….all we had to do was fill out a survey. We can do this! Anything for a free treat!

Yesterday, Gene and Carrie, our travel buddies, arrived. We are very excited to have them join us! After we got them fed yesterday, we headed out to the U bahn station to get our train passes validated and to purchase some tickets for travel on the public transportation here in the city. Now, we are ready to do some serious exploration of the area! Fun times!

We have a busy itinerary for today, which includes a concert this evening in the Kulturforum, which is touted as one of the best venues, acoustically, in the world. The Berliner Philharmonic will be playing, also world renowned. Really looking forward to this!

I’ll give you a full report tomorrow. Moving right along….in West Berlin!

Cheers!

Before I left for my trip, a friend of mine asked me, “What’s the one thing that stands out for you when you travel? Is there one thing that you enjoy the most?”

I had to give this some thought. There are so many things that make travel meaningful for me, that it would be hard to pick just one thing. But, as I review my experiences, there is a common thread that bubbles up to the top. “It’s the food.” Some of my fondest memories of trips revolve around eating….or not, the locations of places that I have eaten, the experiences I have had while eating, the people I have met at restaurants, the food itself, and sometimes all of these things together. I like to “connect” with people and places and fully immerse myself in the culture of the areas that I visit. Food is such a big part of the local culture that it acts as a “connector” in many ways. It helps one understand the lifestyles of the local people and their history and, many times, reflects the forward progress of the local area through the variety of restaurants and foods that area available. Food can tell you a lot about an area…..and is just plain fun!

On the first days of the trip here in Berlin, I have already made some connections through food. Berlin, as it turns out, has a wide variety of restaurants available. In the last years since the wall was taken down, Berlin has evolved as a real culinary center. Every type of ethnic food that you can imagine is available and there are several Michelin rated restaurants now. In fact, Mike thinks there are more Michelin rated restaurants here than in any other city. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but it’s quite an impressive collection. Berlin is making positive forward progress in food while managing to keep its traditional roots in place as well. Kudos!

Last night, we went to a typical German restaurant, a pub really, for our first dinner of the trip. I had forgotten how hearty the German food is…..and the beer. We both had a mound of spectacular “comfort” food, each of which was enough to feed a family of 4 and still have leftovers. I had one of those dark beers that the Germans are famous for. Tasty stuff! This was some of the best German food I have had, and I have had a lot……and cooked some as well. YUM!!

Here’s the part about “connecting”. Yesterday, Berlin hosted the Berlin Marathon. Runners and bikers from all over the world converged here to participate in this race. The numbers were impressive. While I was waiting for Mike to arrive and for my hotel room to be ready, I walked to the Unter Den Linden, the main drag here in Berlin, to get a lay of the land and view some of the race. I did more than view the race. I became part of the community of people who were cheering on the runners. I found myself clapping and cheering as the fatigued participants passed by. There were some interesting people in the race. Most people were running, but there were some people on bycycles as well. I saw two men with no legs on specially made bycycles pedaling to the finish with their hands and arms. It was easy to get swept up in the excitement! I was standing near the end of the race. There was music playing, a group of cheerleaders with pompons calling words of encouragement, someone from a local radio station with a microphone calling out words of encouragement, and lots of clapping as participants moved forward. It was very moving.

When we went to dinner last night, some of the runners were in the restaurant having dinner. They continued to carry on the enthusiasm of the day….singing and laughing. Every now and then one of the men would break into a loud chant. The others would follow suit and laugh. I found myself cheering them on, congratulating them and encouraging them to celebrate their success. The people next to us, who were close enough to touch, were also engaged. The German pub atmosphere promotes this kind of raucous celebration that pulls people in. That’s what I mean about food and connecting. I felt like I was a part of the celebration. Fun times!

Today, we spent some time walking the city of Berlin. We visited checkpoint Charlie, the checkpoint of movement between east and west Berlin. We viewed many monuments to the people who were persecuted by the Nazis and read stories of people who were killed trying to escape from communist East Berlin. We walked past pieces of the Berlin wall that were still standing. There were also pieces of the wall on view that had been given to artists around the world to use as a canvas to share their thoughts about the past and the future of Berlin and the world. We walked past the Reichstag. All very moving. We will learn more about the history of Berlin as we tour this week, and I have a feeling that we will be moved in ways we can’t even imagine right now. But, it’s more than the memorials and buildings. There is a feeling here of a place that has taken a tumultuous past and is using it to move forward in a positive direction. This also pulls you in, but in a different way.

So, in answer to my friend’s question about what stands out for me…..I still like the food answer. But, maybe it’s something else, too. And, maybe it’s different in each place. I’ll be thinking about this as we travel on. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.