September 22, 2008
The trip to Wurzburg was mostly a quick driving trip because of our late departure from Heidelberg. The weather was again pleasant, starting in morning at 8 C and warming in the afternoon to 18 C. When you do the conversion, that’s about 48 F to 64 F. The numbers seem cold but it really isn’t. Generally, there is little wind and low humidity and it is quite comfortable. We covered the distance on the Autobahn in relatively short time.
Once we got to Wurzburg, we found it to be like many of the larger cities we’ve passed through, it’s not a place where you want to spend a holiday, too big and not quaint and cozy. So, off we go to the outskirts to a little berg called Hochberg where the grass is greener and the air is fresher. We found a room at a nice gasthof, the Gasthof Golden Adler. It was a little late when we checked in so we headed straight to the restaurant to make sure we didn’t miss dinner. Much to our surprise we found in addition to the usual schnitzel or bratwurst, they had a ½ deep fried (no breading, just crispy) chicken on the menu. The chicken was soooooooo D E L I C I O U S !!! Normally, we chat a little during dining but I don’t believe either of said two words to each other while we ate. It was the first normal meal we had had in 2 weeks.
The next day we needed a couple of miscellaneous items so we stopped at the local “WalMart,” which in that part of Germany is a “Toom” store. It was interesting to see how they manage the shopping cart problem. It was the same way we noticed in all the cities since Belgium. The carts are stored in a shelter in the parking lot. To get a cart, you insert a 1 Euro coin and release a chain holding the carts together. When you finish shopping, you return the cart to one of the cart locations, reconnect the chain and retrieve your Euro. No errant carts in the parking lot and no cart attendants needed to bring them back home. The second thing we noticed is the stores don’t provide bags for your purchases. It’s like “Sam’s.” You either carry out each individual item in your arms or you bring your own bag. Also, all of the checkout cashiers have a chair and sit while checking you out. Having a cashier check you out while seated takes a little getting used to. Ed kept looking to see if they were pregnant. Anyway, we again had fun deciphering the packages to find what we needed. Bought some wine, which by the way really does not give you a headache. We were advised of this by some friends and it really is true! Also the prices are unbelievably inexpensive. You can get a nice bottle of everyday wine for 3-5 euros.
The next morning we left Hochburg and headed down the “Romantic Road” on the elusive Route 27 (It kept avoiding us. The signage wasn’t over done). I saw a neat little cemetery in a forbidden apple orchard and had to stop. Dorothea wanted me to pick some apples but I remembered what happened to another guy who ate an apple when he wasn’t supposed to so, instead, we took a couple of pictures and continued on. Even though the cemetery was located in a rural area, the tombstones were not insignificant. Most were on family plots dating back to the early 18th century. All were well cared for and indicated a strong tie of the present to the past.
The “Romantic Road” is an old trade route between Wurzburg on the North to Fussen in the Alps on the South. The roads are good and most of the land is in agriculture. The lands appear to be manicured and picturesque (if only Arcadia, FL could see them). We were on somewhat of a schedule to get to our apartment in Murnau on the 26th so we only could spend a little time in the villages of Bad Mergentheim, Weikershiem, Rothenberg, Feuchtwagen, Dinkelsbuhl, Wallerstein, Nordlingen, Donauworth, Landsberg and Fussen.
From Wurzburg we stayed in a great inn with a large room in Endlefingerhof and explored the nearby town of Bad Mergentheim (Bad is pronounced Bat and means Bath as in Spa). The lady at the Tourist Information (TI) Center told us about a light and dancing water show they were having that evening at 10:00 in one of the gardens. Since the temperature had dropped that day, we bundled up, headed for the gardens and decided to have dinner before the show at a nearby restaurant. We found there is no correlation between high prices, an attractive setting and good food. The dinner at the Best Western Premier left a lot to be desired. The water and light show with music was cool. It wasn’t the Bellagio but, they did a good job with the production.
We left Endlefingerhof and headed for Weikersheim to see its castle and town and planned an extended stop in the walled city of Rothenberg. The city with its surrounding wall and gates is a large shopping area which includes a Christmas Shop and quite a few of regular residences. The Christmas shop is huge with more than 20 different rooms (Dorothea was in heaven!) Wish we could have stayed longer in this spectacular walled city. Lots to see and not enough time! From Rothenberg on our way to Feuchtwangen, we came across a real sheep herder and his two German shepherds working a flock. From the photo you can see the size of the herd which made the dogs cover a lot of ground. They appeared to do it effortlessly. Also note the “black sheep” in the herd! In Thurnhofen, near Feuchtwangen, we stayed at the “Pension Grunen Wald” on the 23rd. It had a small restaurant where we had a dinner of guess what, Wiener Schnitzel. The best part of dinner was meeting our next door diner, an anesthesiologist from East Germany who was a great guy and chatted with us most of the evening. Dr. Hans Jurgen Woske was on his way to a medical conference and was glad to “practice his English” with us. He was someone who back home would have become an endearing friend and we hated to say good bye knowing we would never see him again.
The next day we went on to Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen, and Harburg. We saw quaint horse-drawn carriages (German version of conch trains!) in many of the villages like Dinkelsbuhl. St. George Cathedral is Gothic style and beautiful. At Donnauworth we stopped for coffee and pastries and were happy that our GPS coverage was back on! Our last stop for the day was Landsberg. We found the lovely “B & B, Aufeld” in Pitzling just outside of Landsberg. The owner was very nice and proud of the fitness room and sauna he built. He also was a sailor!
We could have spent two weeks on the Romantic Road, but had to be selective in how long we stayed in each city since we wanted to spend time seeing the Hapsburg’s castles including the “Cinderella” castle of King Ludwig II near Fussen and get to Munich before “October Fest” ended.
Be sure to see the associated photos for this BLOG on our Kodak gallery. we'll send you a link in a separate email.
Notes from last blog – “sahne” means cream, not sayne. Also the castle in Sankt Goar is Rheinfels.
Dorothea and Ed
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
September 18, 2008 BLOG
Thursday, September 18, 2008, another dark day in the history of Koblenz! In addition to the city being hit particularly hard by bombing raids during WII, it also was witness to our laptop deciding to have a problem. The charging circuit on the main mother board went out. Without our laptop, some of the tasks we planned to do on-line to facilitate our trip were going to be very disruptive. Needing to keep in touch with relatives and friends at home and manage some of our finances, we needed access to the internet from our own pc. Without it, we would have to depend on finding and using unsecure internet cafes instead of the relatively secure and convenient hotel networks. That put a damper on my spirits especially since I took precautions to avoid possible electrical problems by bringing a spare battery and power supply. For the next 36 hours, it became a preoccupation to try and get it fixed. Eventually, realizing a fix wasn’t going to happen while we were traveling, the unplanned expenditure for a replacement was accepted as necessary to keep us going without a lot unnecessary distractions. (While Ed is preoccupied, I venture to a neighborhood grocery store to find our important “snacks and wine!” Trying to decipher names of cheeses, etc in German is a challenge, but I am successful! dz)
With a plan formulated, it’s back to our sojourn. On Sunday, September 21, we head out for Heidelberg along the West side of the Rhine with its many castles, vineyards and a planned stop in the small town of Sankt Goar. We had heard they were having a festival called “Rhine on Fire” and it also had one of the largest castles along the Rhine open to the public. According to the locals, the “Rhine on Fire” lights up the Rhine from both sides of the river and culminates in a fireworks show second to none. People were coming in from all over the area and with limited accommodations being booked months ago there was no convenient place to stay. However, we did tour of the local St. Goar castle and have lunch in the midst of the festive crowd. (I discover a new drink – “new wine” which is unfiltered and somewhat sweet. dz)
One of the things we have noted to date was even though we’re traveling in what is supposed to be the off-season, everywhere we go there is some sort of celebration or conference going on. So much for having Europe all to our selves!
The day is sunny with a low in the morning of 5 C heating up to 16 C in the afternoon and the scenery fantastic. We read in the guides, the stretch from Koblenz to Heidelberg had more castles than anywhere and it’s true. Looking at those massive 12th and 14th century structures high up on top of mountain peaks makes you wonder how in the heck they managed to get them built. They’re all stone (large ones), no beams or timbers.
Arriving in Heidelberg, we stopped at the downtown Tourist Information Office to check on accommodations. Guest what, they were having a convention, but we found a great B & B with a restaurant about 20 minutes out of town high on a hilltop. Great little place, relatively new, nicely decorated and owned by a young couple. The husband, Nick, spoke excellent English, was the chef and ran the restaurant. We had a great meal, even if it was another Wiener schnitzel (no more oxen parts for me) and learned another useful German word, “sayne”. Ordering coffee after diner, our waitress asked, “mit sayne” (sounds like “sun”). Looking stumped, the waitress got Nick to come out of the kitchen to tell us “sayne” means cream.
When we started, I thought my 2 years of college German would get me through our stay in Germany. It may have 40 years ago but it would prove to be a little but not a lot of help today. Unfortunately, that is the single biggest disadvantage in getting the most out of our trip. Even though we have just started, we’re finding that we’re missing a lot by not being able to read descriptions and explanations of what we see. A lot of monuments and sites have plaques or signage explaining the history or background. We’re able to make out some of it but miss a lot. The other thing we’re finding is that not knowing the full history of an area is a disadvantage.
After a typical German breakfast of cold cuts and rolls (where are the eggs?), we thanked and said good bye to Nick. On the way into town to find an internet café, we pass the Heidelberg castle and cross over a river in time to see a Sunday morning sailboat race. It’s good to see the boats and makes us nostalgic about being away from home.
After many wrong turns and learning downtown Heidelberg in minute detail, including how to back our car out of pedestrian-only walk area (!), we find an internet café and park in a city garage. We spend almost 4 hours on the internet trying to catch up on emails and spec'ing out, comparing and ordering a new Dell laptop. The café has 20 to 25 computers, and almost all of them are being used by kids playing on-line games. It slows down the response time for us and along with smoking being allowed, the time we spend there is agonizing.
Finally, we decided on the laptop we want, submit the order, work out shipping to Dorothea’s sister, Linda, and take care of the billing details. We had to have the laptop shipped to Linda for three reasons. One, ordering and shipping to Germany would have required the order to be processed in Dell’s overseas department and configured with a German keyboard, not English (which has z’s and y’z in unusual places among other differences!). Secondly, shipping direct to Germany would have required us to pay an 18% Value Added Tax (VAT). Thirdly, we had to work out the logistics on where we would be for an extended period in order to receive the shipment. We had to get it ordered while we were in Heidelberg so the order could be processed while we were traveling and get to us during our extended stay in Murnau in southern, Germany.
With that done, we are ready to head for Wurzburg for our trip down the “Romantic Road.” But first, I had to get out of the parking garage. When we entered, an automatic dispenser gave us a ticket. Seeing an attendant in a booth, I thought you paid when you left. Not so! I get to the exit gate and there is no attendant and nowhere to pay. As I’m trying to figure what to do, cars pull in behind me blocking any possible retreat. The gentleman behind me keeps saying, “Gasse, gasse.” I’m thinking, I’ve got plenty of gas. Finally, he gets out of his car and leads me to a machine (kasse (cashier), not gasse!) 100 feet away where you put in the parking ticket and it calculates the fee. You put in the appropriate amount, get your change and validated ticket. You then have to run back to your car and place it in the gate controller to get out before more time is added. That little bit of info was never found in any of our travel guides!
Ed and Dorothea – See associated photos on our Kodak web site
With a plan formulated, it’s back to our sojourn. On Sunday, September 21, we head out for Heidelberg along the West side of the Rhine with its many castles, vineyards and a planned stop in the small town of Sankt Goar. We had heard they were having a festival called “Rhine on Fire” and it also had one of the largest castles along the Rhine open to the public. According to the locals, the “Rhine on Fire” lights up the Rhine from both sides of the river and culminates in a fireworks show second to none. People were coming in from all over the area and with limited accommodations being booked months ago there was no convenient place to stay. However, we did tour of the local St. Goar castle and have lunch in the midst of the festive crowd. (I discover a new drink – “new wine” which is unfiltered and somewhat sweet. dz)
One of the things we have noted to date was even though we’re traveling in what is supposed to be the off-season, everywhere we go there is some sort of celebration or conference going on. So much for having Europe all to our selves!
The day is sunny with a low in the morning of 5 C heating up to 16 C in the afternoon and the scenery fantastic. We read in the guides, the stretch from Koblenz to Heidelberg had more castles than anywhere and it’s true. Looking at those massive 12th and 14th century structures high up on top of mountain peaks makes you wonder how in the heck they managed to get them built. They’re all stone (large ones), no beams or timbers.
Arriving in Heidelberg, we stopped at the downtown Tourist Information Office to check on accommodations. Guest what, they were having a convention, but we found a great B & B with a restaurant about 20 minutes out of town high on a hilltop. Great little place, relatively new, nicely decorated and owned by a young couple. The husband, Nick, spoke excellent English, was the chef and ran the restaurant. We had a great meal, even if it was another Wiener schnitzel (no more oxen parts for me) and learned another useful German word, “sayne”. Ordering coffee after diner, our waitress asked, “mit sayne” (sounds like “sun”). Looking stumped, the waitress got Nick to come out of the kitchen to tell us “sayne” means cream.
When we started, I thought my 2 years of college German would get me through our stay in Germany. It may have 40 years ago but it would prove to be a little but not a lot of help today. Unfortunately, that is the single biggest disadvantage in getting the most out of our trip. Even though we have just started, we’re finding that we’re missing a lot by not being able to read descriptions and explanations of what we see. A lot of monuments and sites have plaques or signage explaining the history or background. We’re able to make out some of it but miss a lot. The other thing we’re finding is that not knowing the full history of an area is a disadvantage.
After a typical German breakfast of cold cuts and rolls (where are the eggs?), we thanked and said good bye to Nick. On the way into town to find an internet café, we pass the Heidelberg castle and cross over a river in time to see a Sunday morning sailboat race. It’s good to see the boats and makes us nostalgic about being away from home.
After many wrong turns and learning downtown Heidelberg in minute detail, including how to back our car out of pedestrian-only walk area (!), we find an internet café and park in a city garage. We spend almost 4 hours on the internet trying to catch up on emails and spec'ing out, comparing and ordering a new Dell laptop. The café has 20 to 25 computers, and almost all of them are being used by kids playing on-line games. It slows down the response time for us and along with smoking being allowed, the time we spend there is agonizing.
Finally, we decided on the laptop we want, submit the order, work out shipping to Dorothea’s sister, Linda, and take care of the billing details. We had to have the laptop shipped to Linda for three reasons. One, ordering and shipping to Germany would have required the order to be processed in Dell’s overseas department and configured with a German keyboard, not English (which has z’s and y’z in unusual places among other differences!). Secondly, shipping direct to Germany would have required us to pay an 18% Value Added Tax (VAT). Thirdly, we had to work out the logistics on where we would be for an extended period in order to receive the shipment. We had to get it ordered while we were in Heidelberg so the order could be processed while we were traveling and get to us during our extended stay in Murnau in southern, Germany.
With that done, we are ready to head for Wurzburg for our trip down the “Romantic Road.” But first, I had to get out of the parking garage. When we entered, an automatic dispenser gave us a ticket. Seeing an attendant in a booth, I thought you paid when you left. Not so! I get to the exit gate and there is no attendant and nowhere to pay. As I’m trying to figure what to do, cars pull in behind me blocking any possible retreat. The gentleman behind me keeps saying, “Gasse, gasse.” I’m thinking, I’ve got plenty of gas. Finally, he gets out of his car and leads me to a machine (kasse (cashier), not gasse!) 100 feet away where you put in the parking ticket and it calculates the fee. You put in the appropriate amount, get your change and validated ticket. You then have to run back to your car and place it in the gate controller to get out before more time is added. That little bit of info was never found in any of our travel guides!
Ed and Dorothea – See associated photos on our Kodak web site
Monday, October 20, 2008
September 17, 2008
On Tuesday, September 16, we packed up and got ready to leave Waterloo and head for Koblenz by way of Liege, Spa, Recht, Sankt-Vith, Prum, Gerolstein, and Mayen. A group of friends from our Yacht Club were taking a river boat cruise on the Rhine and we planned to meet them on the 18th in Koblenz.
On the way out of Waterloo, we stopped by the site where 300,000 men did battle that led to the downfall of Napoleon. We found swords had literally been traded for plowshares. Most of the land had been returned to agriculture and all that was left to commemorate the losses was a large mound of dirt. Wars – what a waste!
We had planned to stay in Liege, Belgium but when we got there, the city was large and didn’t look very appealing so we decided to go on to Spa, a resort town centered literally around a large natural spa! We’re glad we did because we found a fantastic B & B. When we called to get directions, Robert, the owner said he would send his son to show us the way. The house, like the owner’s hospitality was like an American antebellum, southern plantation home with high ceilings and large rooms (unlike the postage stamp rooms up til now). We could have stayed there a lot longer but couldn’t convince the owners they should adopt another set of parents.
In the morning we continued on to Koblenz with a side trip SW of “Recht” to “Poteau, Belgium”, another battle field site, this time it’s WWII, Battle of the Bulge. The end results were the same. Nature reclaimed the ravaged landscape and all that remains is an underfunded museum with old military surplus equipment attempting to immortalize wasted resources.
While we were in the area we stopped in the picturesque town of “Vielsalm” on a lake for morning coffee. This time it wasn’t McDonald’s, but a pleasant café at the lake resort!
We drove on to Koblenz in sunshine, pleasant temperatures, a high of 18 C (64 F), through hilly, and mostly agricultural countryside. We entered Germany and found the Autobahn an interesting road to travel. I would see a car coming up in the rear view mirror, way behind, and tell Dorothea to try and get a video clip of their speed. By the time she turned on the camera and started the video, the car would pass and be a ¼ mile ahead. We were doing 130 kph and they would pass us going 45 to 50 mph faster. That’s about 210 kph.
We arrived in “Koblenz” around 4:00 pm and went through our normal routine of looking for a room for the night. We found a nice little hotel with a restaurant on the East side of the Rhine that had one room left. We got to our room, freshened up, had a little wine and cheese and headed downstairs for dinner.
It was a small dining room with another couple and also two separate single guys. All spoke a little English and we had an enjoyable time chatting with all of them. When we asked for a menu, we found out there was only one choice. The waitress who didn’t speak any English tried to describe the dish but only in German. No problem! Our new found friends offered to interpret but all we got was that the meat was oxen. As we seemed a little hesitant, one of the single guys finally said that it was the part of the male oxen that could not make the female oxen happy. Having read that Europeans eat all parts of the animals, that explanation conjured up images in my mind that I didn’t want to think about at dinner time. When the dish arrived, it didn’t look like a normal piece of beef, it didn’t have the consistency of beef and it didn’t taste like beef. Sometimes in emergencies, stored snacks serve one well!
The next day we had a great dinner with Constance & Bill Robison in old town Koblenz. We were invited to a delightful breakfast on their luxurious cruise ship the next morning and were glad to see several YC friends. It’s truly a small world! And they speak English! What a treat after 3 weeks of French!
Look for associated photo link we'll send via email.
Ed & Dorothea
On the way out of Waterloo, we stopped by the site where 300,000 men did battle that led to the downfall of Napoleon. We found swords had literally been traded for plowshares. Most of the land had been returned to agriculture and all that was left to commemorate the losses was a large mound of dirt. Wars – what a waste!
We had planned to stay in Liege, Belgium but when we got there, the city was large and didn’t look very appealing so we decided to go on to Spa, a resort town centered literally around a large natural spa! We’re glad we did because we found a fantastic B & B. When we called to get directions, Robert, the owner said he would send his son to show us the way. The house, like the owner’s hospitality was like an American antebellum, southern plantation home with high ceilings and large rooms (unlike the postage stamp rooms up til now). We could have stayed there a lot longer but couldn’t convince the owners they should adopt another set of parents.
In the morning we continued on to Koblenz with a side trip SW of “Recht” to “Poteau, Belgium”, another battle field site, this time it’s WWII, Battle of the Bulge. The end results were the same. Nature reclaimed the ravaged landscape and all that remains is an underfunded museum with old military surplus equipment attempting to immortalize wasted resources.
While we were in the area we stopped in the picturesque town of “Vielsalm” on a lake for morning coffee. This time it wasn’t McDonald’s, but a pleasant café at the lake resort!
We drove on to Koblenz in sunshine, pleasant temperatures, a high of 18 C (64 F), through hilly, and mostly agricultural countryside. We entered Germany and found the Autobahn an interesting road to travel. I would see a car coming up in the rear view mirror, way behind, and tell Dorothea to try and get a video clip of their speed. By the time she turned on the camera and started the video, the car would pass and be a ¼ mile ahead. We were doing 130 kph and they would pass us going 45 to 50 mph faster. That’s about 210 kph.
We arrived in “Koblenz” around 4:00 pm and went through our normal routine of looking for a room for the night. We found a nice little hotel with a restaurant on the East side of the Rhine that had one room left. We got to our room, freshened up, had a little wine and cheese and headed downstairs for dinner.
It was a small dining room with another couple and also two separate single guys. All spoke a little English and we had an enjoyable time chatting with all of them. When we asked for a menu, we found out there was only one choice. The waitress who didn’t speak any English tried to describe the dish but only in German. No problem! Our new found friends offered to interpret but all we got was that the meat was oxen. As we seemed a little hesitant, one of the single guys finally said that it was the part of the male oxen that could not make the female oxen happy. Having read that Europeans eat all parts of the animals, that explanation conjured up images in my mind that I didn’t want to think about at dinner time. When the dish arrived, it didn’t look like a normal piece of beef, it didn’t have the consistency of beef and it didn’t taste like beef. Sometimes in emergencies, stored snacks serve one well!
The next day we had a great dinner with Constance & Bill Robison in old town Koblenz. We were invited to a delightful breakfast on their luxurious cruise ship the next morning and were glad to see several YC friends. It’s truly a small world! And they speak English! What a treat after 3 weeks of French!
Look for associated photo link we'll send via email.
Ed & Dorothea
Monday, October 13, 2008
October 12, 2008 Update
It’s been almost a month since we composed our last update. We were in Koblenz, Germany, when our laptop’s charging circuit on the main mother board failed. The computer works but it won’t work on external power or charge the batteries. The laptop is 7 or 8 years old and before we left, we considered getting a new one but decided against it thinking if it there was a theft, the thief could have the old one and our insurance company could buy us a new one. So, in preparation for the worse, I backed up and removed all of the personal information, bought a spare battery as well as an extra AC power supply which is now 8 extra pounds of worthless luggage. This trip is a lot like cruising, you never have the right spare parts.
After two weeks of having to jump through hoops to get an order processed and a lot of help from Dorothea’s sister, we now have a new Dell Vostro 1710 Laptop. The old one of 22 pounds is still with me but I have been leaving it on top of the car wherever we stop.
We will be trying to catch up on correspondence as well as other computer based business as we continue our adventure.
We’re currently in Salzburg and will be heading toward Vienna tomorrow. Along the way we’ll work on getting caught up with publishing notes of our trip.
Ed & Dorothea
After two weeks of having to jump through hoops to get an order processed and a lot of help from Dorothea’s sister, we now have a new Dell Vostro 1710 Laptop. The old one of 22 pounds is still with me but I have been leaving it on top of the car wherever we stop.
We will be trying to catch up on correspondence as well as other computer based business as we continue our adventure.
We’re currently in Salzburg and will be heading toward Vienna tomorrow. Along the way we’ll work on getting caught up with publishing notes of our trip.
Ed & Dorothea
September 16, 2008
Finally, we picked up our own wheels and once again we’re free. Free, free, free at last! Which brings up an interesting point. When we were in London, we were talking to a local who told us they’re not required to carry any form of ID. No driver’s license, social security, proof of insurance or anything. They said attempts had been made to change that but it was resisted because it was considered to be an infringement on personal liberties. Imagine that, our forefathers left Europe in search of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness only to evolve to a point where we now have less personal freedom than those back where we came from. Irony!
Since Pope Benedict was still in Paris and scheduled to speak at Notre Dame on Friday night, we decided on our way back to the hotel to try and get away from all of the congestion and head for the “Right” bank, (north of the Seine River) to find a nice quite place for dinner. Think again Sherlock! I’ve driven in New York, Chicago and L.A. all of which pales in comparison to driving with Parisians. (I have to say Ed’s driving is stupendous! dz.) The people in the cars are nuts but predictable. Can’t say the same about the hot shots (male and female) on the “Crotch Rockets” who are maniacs and bent on suicide. They’re allowed to weave between, in front of and around cars and generally go anywhere they feel like going. And, since they comprise about 10% of the vehicles it’s not something you can ignore. Change lanes without looking and you’ve added a new appendage to your car. After an hour and 20 miles north of the river, there was no change in congestion. So, needing a break from the dodge-em cars routine, we eventually came upon an upscale area just north of the Louve. We parked the car and walked some of the back streets looking for romantic Paris. We found Le Treilhard Brasserie and after dinner, stopped at a local market and bought a bottle of French wine for 2.49 Euro. I think I’m going to like France!
Early Saturday, we headed north to the Champagne region. Along the way, I had to stop for a cup of coffee and other necessities and much to Dorothea’s chagrin stopped at a McDonald’s. The coffee was good but no “Egg-McMuffins.” None-the-less, while we were there, we planned our route to the Champagne Country and Epernay, the home of Moet et Chandon and Dom Perignon. When we got there we found we were a couple of weeks early for the harvest and only tours of the cellars and not the processing facilities were available. No matter, a glass of Brut Imperial made up for it.
We had planned to stay in Epernay but when we called, everything was booked. So north we went to Reims and then to Rethel. About 10:00 p.m. and not having much luck in finding a room we figured if we couldn’t sleep at least we could eat. We stopped at a small pizzeria and while talking with the proprietor told him of our search for a hotel. What resulted was somewhat typical of what we have found of all the French. Without being asked, he took the time to look up the phone numbers of the hotels in the area, brought his cell phone to our table and offered to call them and to lead us there in his car. It’s easy to understand generosity of the French underground to help so many Americans back to their lines during WWII. From what we have seen and experienced, the French are really friendly and go out of their way to help if treated with a little respect.
Sunday morning, the 14th. we headed to Belgium with a stop in Charleville for coffee and a scrumptious pastry filled with a peanut butter mouse (Heavenly! dz). From there we continued on and planned to stay outside of Brussels in Waterloo. Yep, the one in the same place where Napoleon met Wellington. We found a nice hotel/bed & breakfast in a residential area and set up camp for a couple of nights.
We made our way to Brussels via train, very easy and comfortable. The St. Michel’s Cathedral is beautiful. In doing some renovations they discovered very old artifacts which were on display. The Grand Place is huge, the gothic buildings are so ornate and the detail is unbelievable.
Our stint in the city was complete with seeing the original “Mannekin Pis” Statue, lunch in a local Brasserie followed by a Belgium waffle and depositing all of 20 Euros in a local Casino. We took the metro back to Waterloo in time for cocktails and dinner at a local restaurant recommended by our Inn-keeper. After ordering and receiving our order, I have never seen as pleading an expression on Dorothea’s face as when she looked at her entrée of “Filet Americana” and panicky said, “I don’t want to eat raw hamburger!!” Evidently, “Filet Americana” in Belgium means “Steak TarTar.”
View the associated pix in the photo album link sent in a separate email.
Ed and Dorothea
Since Pope Benedict was still in Paris and scheduled to speak at Notre Dame on Friday night, we decided on our way back to the hotel to try and get away from all of the congestion and head for the “Right” bank, (north of the Seine River) to find a nice quite place for dinner. Think again Sherlock! I’ve driven in New York, Chicago and L.A. all of which pales in comparison to driving with Parisians. (I have to say Ed’s driving is stupendous! dz.) The people in the cars are nuts but predictable. Can’t say the same about the hot shots (male and female) on the “Crotch Rockets” who are maniacs and bent on suicide. They’re allowed to weave between, in front of and around cars and generally go anywhere they feel like going. And, since they comprise about 10% of the vehicles it’s not something you can ignore. Change lanes without looking and you’ve added a new appendage to your car. After an hour and 20 miles north of the river, there was no change in congestion. So, needing a break from the dodge-em cars routine, we eventually came upon an upscale area just north of the Louve. We parked the car and walked some of the back streets looking for romantic Paris. We found Le Treilhard Brasserie and after dinner, stopped at a local market and bought a bottle of French wine for 2.49 Euro. I think I’m going to like France!
Early Saturday, we headed north to the Champagne region. Along the way, I had to stop for a cup of coffee and other necessities and much to Dorothea’s chagrin stopped at a McDonald’s. The coffee was good but no “Egg-McMuffins.” None-the-less, while we were there, we planned our route to the Champagne Country and Epernay, the home of Moet et Chandon and Dom Perignon. When we got there we found we were a couple of weeks early for the harvest and only tours of the cellars and not the processing facilities were available. No matter, a glass of Brut Imperial made up for it.
We had planned to stay in Epernay but when we called, everything was booked. So north we went to Reims and then to Rethel. About 10:00 p.m. and not having much luck in finding a room we figured if we couldn’t sleep at least we could eat. We stopped at a small pizzeria and while talking with the proprietor told him of our search for a hotel. What resulted was somewhat typical of what we have found of all the French. Without being asked, he took the time to look up the phone numbers of the hotels in the area, brought his cell phone to our table and offered to call them and to lead us there in his car. It’s easy to understand generosity of the French underground to help so many Americans back to their lines during WWII. From what we have seen and experienced, the French are really friendly and go out of their way to help if treated with a little respect.
Sunday morning, the 14th. we headed to Belgium with a stop in Charleville for coffee and a scrumptious pastry filled with a peanut butter mouse (Heavenly! dz). From there we continued on and planned to stay outside of Brussels in Waterloo. Yep, the one in the same place where Napoleon met Wellington. We found a nice hotel/bed & breakfast in a residential area and set up camp for a couple of nights.
We made our way to Brussels via train, very easy and comfortable. The St. Michel’s Cathedral is beautiful. In doing some renovations they discovered very old artifacts which were on display. The Grand Place is huge, the gothic buildings are so ornate and the detail is unbelievable.
Our stint in the city was complete with seeing the original “Mannekin Pis” Statue, lunch in a local Brasserie followed by a Belgium waffle and depositing all of 20 Euros in a local Casino. We took the metro back to Waterloo in time for cocktails and dinner at a local restaurant recommended by our Inn-keeper. After ordering and receiving our order, I have never seen as pleading an expression on Dorothea’s face as when she looked at her entrée of “Filet Americana” and panicky said, “I don’t want to eat raw hamburger!!” Evidently, “Filet Americana” in Belgium means “Steak TarTar.”
View the associated pix in the photo album link sent in a separate email.
Ed and Dorothea
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