Sunday, July 30, 2006

Paris, France

Saturday, July 22, 2006



One can barely scratch the surface of what Paris has to offer in merely three days. We were set to meet up with our friend Vicki upon arrival, which was a welcome change of pace. Not only were Beth and I glad to see a familiar face, but I was a fish out of water with the French language and some local help was a welcome relief. I had adapted fairly successfully to the Italian tongue having already known a decent amount of Spanish, but French was a shock. It is a beautiful language, however, and I'd like to pick up more before I return.

I digress.


Beth and I spent our days braving the heat and visiting some of the more famous sights in the sizeable city. We took in sweeping views at the Eiffel Tower, walked the Champs-Élysées, a got to see the famed Notre Dame. The Metro (subway) was a convenient and cheap way to get around, and was reasonably easy to navigate once we got the hang of it. We visited many of the sights at our own pace, knowing that we'd be back to see more someday.


Our evenings were spent with our gracious host Vicki, and a few or her friends. Philippe, Laura, Leah, Leslie, Margaret and Vicki joined us for a few nights on the town spent chatting up Brits, Scots, Spaniards, Brazilians and Canadians in a sampling of pubs, clubs and restaurants around town.


Paris is a beautiful and romantic city, and was an ideal way to end our trip abroad. I can definitely foresee ourselves spending more time there in the future. There's a lot going on there, and one could probably spend years exploring it. Until then, our thanks go out to Vicki and our new friends for sharing their fair city and making it a visit to remember.

À la prochaine, we bid you a fond adieu.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Two Tour de France Posts

Congratulations to fellow San Diegan Floyd Landis for winning the 2006 Tour de France! In case you missed them, here are links to the two Tour de France posts from the stage that we got to see:

Hollanders know how to party
Allez! Allez! Allez!

Friday, July 21, 2006

Allez! Allez! Allez!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 - Race Day



We awoke at 7:00 (AM) to the sounds of the PA on the L'Equippe van, advertising their newspaper and various other Tour souvenirs. After a night of tossing and turning on our 10 euro sleeping bags set on an 8% cement slope, this wasn't an ideal way to start our day. We begrudgingly got out of bed and were pleasantly surprised with the handiwork that had occurred the night before. Since we had left for "the Dutch corner" to party with the Hollanders the night before, we hadn't noticed that the entire road had been covered with acryllic paint T-Mobile logos, devil's pitchforks (for Didi), and various other cyclists' names with motivations in multiple languages.

We spent our day sleeping in what little shade we could find, playing cards, chatting up our neighbors, and watching the steady stream of tired riders make their way laboriously to the summit. I even had a Frenchmen offer me 20 Euro to drive him to the top. Unfortunately I had to refuse, as giving up our spot now could be disasterous, but offered some water as consolation. Disappointed, he pressed onward.

At around 15:30 (3:30 PM) the caravan began to pass through our section of the route. The caravon consists of outrageous "floats" (if you could call them that) throwing "prizes" to the crowd. Grown men turn into little boys as they push, shove, elbow and gouge other spectators, scrambing for their free candy samples, keychains, hats and magnets. The purpose of this caravan is to amp up the crowd as the race approaches (and to advertise, of course). I have to admit that it worked for me, as I was waving my arms like a kindergartner and getting into the scrum with the rest of them. Beth fared better than I in the "swag" department, catching a good bit of the goodies, all while covering the event with our camera.

The wait during the next hour was almost unbearable. We (my new Scottish friend and I) found an RV with a satellite TV hookup, and watched with race as the riders approached, judging their distance by the helicopters following the peloton.


Finally the riders began to arrive, and I watched the legends of cycling pedal by. The group was fairly tired from the nearly 180 grueling kilometers they had already traveled that day, and as a result began to spread out on the climb, allowing us a great view as they passed. I have to admit, though, that I had a hard time recognizing the faces that I had until now only seen on TV. I did spot George Hincapie, and was able to run alongside him for a short bit, encouraging him with "Allez! Allez! Allez!/Go! Go! Go!" He looked to me, but seemed a bit to tired to respond. Seeing as he had a lot of work still to do, I'll let it slide.

The caravan of riders and vehicles ended with a blue van labeled "Fin de Course." At that point, we packed up and worked our way slowly back to Grenoble. We had originally planned to camp another night, but it became apparent that we would be the only ones doing so, so we decided to try our luck in Grenoble. It wasn't easy, but we managed to find a place right by the train station.

Seeing Le Tour in person, and sharing the intensity with about one million people was an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. This was somewhat of a pilgrimmage for me, and I'm so happy to have been able to do this with Beth, and on our honeymoon no less!


Update: Added pictures!

Hollanders know how to party

Monday, July 17, 2006



After cleaning house at the Decathlon (a sporting goods store) in Grenoble, purchasing a tent, two sleeping bags and two tripod chairs for 50 euro, we arrived at l'Alpe d'Huez at what seemed like just the right time. We parked about halfway up the final climb, just above turn N° 7 and set up camp on the road. Shortly after, the entire road filled in with vehicles behind us. Beth and I met a French family that we had initially mistaken for Americans, who had been following the entire tour. They were big Discovery fans, as their car was bedecked in American flags and Discovery-clad stuffed animals. I found myself wishing that I had brought my bike as I watched countless riders of varying age and condition making their way around the switchbacks that I had memorized from watching the tour on TV. After a delicious meal of bread, cheese, salami, and pesto (from Cinque Terre), Beth and I headed up the road to check out the scene.


Hollanders know how to party. They set themselves up with a DJ booth and a bar next to the church at turn N° 9. The orange clad mob drank beers and danced in conga lines while singing along to cheesy techno remixes (a la The A-Team theme). It was gloriously campy, and ended up turning into a great way to pass the time as we waited for race day.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Cinque Terre, Italy

Sunday, July 16, 2006



Life slows down in Cinque Terre. The picturesque terra cotta buildings seem to be carved right into the hilly coastline in the small one or two road towns that make up the co-op known as Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. There isn't much more to do here but hike, swim, and eat. All businesses are owned and operated by the locals (they prefer it that way), and the towns are connected to each other (and the outside world) by footpaths, rail and ferry boats that service each town's very small harbor. The hills surrounding the town are generally terraced, and are laden with vineyards used to create the local wine. Cinque Terre wine (or vino di Cinque Terre), as it is called, is a sweet semi-dry white table wine. It's easy to drink a bottle (or two) on a hot summer day before it loses its cool.


Beth and I spent our days in Cinque Terre hiking, relaxing, and letting the locals "show us Americans how to eat," which was fine by us. We met a number of Americans and Australians as they passed through, usually on their way from or to Rome, and enjoyed several hours of great wine, great conversation, and great pesto (it was born in Cinque Terre). All in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend a couple of days.

We're pressing onward to France, so it's now time to try to pick up yet another collection of phrases in an effort to, er, "blend in." Soon Beth and I will be waiting on the race course waiting hopefully for an American rider to be the first to round the final switchback at the top of L'Alpe d'Huez (Floyd Landis, perhaps?). Whether or not that happens won't really matter, though, as the experience we'll share with a million other spectators on the course will likely eclipse whatever the race result will be. I'm extremely excited to be a part of this spectacle, and I'm glad that I'll be able to share this with Beth. I don't know how I managed to talk her into doing this, and it's hard to believe that it is actually going to happen.


Update: Added pictures!

Friday, July 14, 2006

Florence, Siena and Tuscany

Friday, July 14, 2006



History buffs will probably have a field day in Florence and Siena. They'll probably have another pointing out the inaccuracies in this post. I'll do some fact checking when I get back, but until then, comment away!

Florence and Siena had a bitter rivalry dating back to the Middle Ages. There is a long history of war between the two cities. The last major defeat to Florence, coupled with the aftermath of the Black Plague was too much for Siena to recover. Whereas Florence flourished, Siena languished. Without the benefit of the many rich families to subsidize further development, Siena was left trapped in the Middle Ages.

Nowadays, Florence is a bustling, vibrant city filled with kamikaze moped drivers and high end shops. It is home to an enormous collection of paintings, sculpture and architecture. The Renaissance started here, thanks to Florence's many rich families and guilds who commissioned works from the greats: Donatello, Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to name a few.


The architecture appeared to be a mish-mosh of medieval and Renaissance, with a sprinkling of Baroque. Renaissance influenced architecture seems to have won out though, as it appeared on most of the buildings we saw.

Our days in Florence were spent touring the city and its museums and churches, fitting in a two-hour lunch or dinner at a cafe when we could. Our vacillation between the two was a welcome way to break up our day and slow things down a bit. It also gave us a welcome respite from the oppressive heat (Florence is hot!)

Siena, on the other hand, is a sleepy hill-top medieval town. Its ancient brick buildings are almost all uniform in style and color, giving name to that famous "burnt" Crayon in your box of 64. Being on the top of a hill, we appreciated the breezes that made their way through the narrow, shady alleyways.


We saw most of the town in an afternoon, and began to wonder what else could be found there. Where was this bustling nightlife we'd heard about? There were no pubs to speak of, no clubs, and the famous Enoteca Italiana wine bar was bereft of patrons (save for us, of course). We headed for Piazza del Campo, the central town square, figuring that'd be as good a place as any to start. Surprisingly enough, the square was packed with people. Many were milling about aimlessly; others were sitting in the amphitheatre-like square as if waiting for a concert to start. There was no concert, of course, but many (people of all ages) had brought bottles of wine. It seems that you make your own nightlife in this sleepy tourist town. With no drinking age and no open container laws to speak of, it doesn't seem like a hard thing to do. Just add vino.

The next day, Beth and I took a trip to Tuscany to visit a couple wineries in the Chianti region. This country is absolutely beautiful. A Slovak we met mentioned that he'd wanted to visit this region since he got a book about Tuscany to see if the country was really as beautiful as the pictures in his book. He wasn't disappointed.

Siena was a nice transition from the frenzy that was Florence to Cinque Terre, a very sleepy collection of five towns along the Italian Riviera. After a couple more rail transfers (we're really starting to get the hang of this now) we'll be able to relax with a glass of the local vino in Vernazza. From what we hear, it should be a bit more temperate. If not, we could always take a dip in the Mediterranean!


Update: Added pictures!

Monday, July 10, 2006

Ah, Venice!

Sunday, July 9, 2006



So much has been said and written about Venice that actually being there is a somewhat unreal experience. There's so much to soak in, with ancient buildings rising from the water, gondoliers, market bazaar's, and pigeons. Thousands of pigeons. It's strange and fascinating how the canals have shaped the pedestrian city, where simply "crossing the street" is no longer a trivial matter.

Our night in Venezia was probably atypical of the average Venetian visitor. After dinner and after the throngs of tourists subsided, we sought out an Irish pub on per our waitress's recommendation. We followed the singing and chanting to a small Irish pub named, appropriately enough, Irish Pub. It was jam-packed as the World Cup final between Italy and France began. Beth and I managed to snag a choice spot at the end of the bar, in the back of the very hot and very muggy room.


The energy was electric as the sweat soaked inhabitants erupted in song and cheer for every crest and trough of the match, almost deafeningly so when Italy scored with a header to tie the game in the first half. Italy's ultimate victory closed out the most intense television spectating experience Beth and I have ever witnessed. In the following day, we have met quite a few very happy Italians quietly humming The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," which has seemed to become the unofficial theme song of the event.

After a thoroughly enjoyable train ride filled with Heinekens and great conversation with three Iranians on holiday, we're ready to see what Florence has in store for us. We're off to a guided day-tour tomorrow, which will be a welcome break from our self-guided meanderings through the cities we've visited to date.

La contattero!


Update: Added pictures!

Augustiner

Saturday, July 8, 2006


I had assumed that Austrian's would be supporting their neighbors to the north. I was very, very wrong.
It may have been wrong about that. After watching the Germany vs. Portugal match for third and fourth place at Augustiner Brewery, I believe that Germany has a sizeable and enthusiastic fanbase in Austria (or Salzberg, at least).

Augustiner is a great pub, by the way. We watched the match on a twelve foot wide screen at the far end of a large beer hall, sitting at one of three 75 foot tables aligned perpendicular to the screen, drinking the haus brau out of one-liter steins.

Das es goot.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

The Hills are Alive

Saturday, July 8, 2006



I really regret that Beth talked me into seeing "The Sound of Music" before we left for our trip. Now I can't get Julie Andrews out of my head whenever I look to the hills surrounding the city. "The Hills are Alive" indeed.

Salzberg is a quaint and proper city. The Old Town is made up of at least a dozen churches, connected by meandering streets chock full of high-end name-brand clothing shops for tourists with a few gems and attractions sprinkled in for good measure.

We've had some interesting experiences in this town. I'll probably flesh this post out later, but a list will have to do for now:

1. I burnt Beth's hair. Badly. I plugged her hair straightener into the wall without the voltage converter, which means that the iron had 230 volts pumping through it rather than the 110-120 volts it prefers. As a result, we figure that it was running at nearly 375° C (roughly 700° F) when she applied it to her hair. Smoke and the smell of burnt hair immediately ensued. Beth will survive, but with a slight iron mark on the top of her hair. She'll be parting it differently now, so you may not see it in the pictures.


2. Beth & I attended a dinner and concert in the Salzberg Fortress. Beth managed to sleep through half of the second set, so make sure to ask her what she thought of the show.

3. If you ever have a chance to order beef aspic, don't. The best I can surmise is that it's a fancy name for beef Jello. That's beef in neutral tasting gelatin. I'm not a picky eater, but I cringe as I recall the taste. Perhaps my palate just isn't sophisticated enough.

4. After the show, we headed down to Augustiner Brewery. Unfortunately, it was closed, but we met a delightfully drunken Austrian who filled us in on how excited he was that Italy beat the Germans in the World Cup. I had assumed that Austrian's would be supporting their neighbors to the north. I was very, very wrong.


We then headed out to an Irish pub down the street and enjoyed a Guinness or two as we watched an Austrian duo sing the first verse of the Pixie's "Where is My Mind?" three times in English before resorting to German. Soon after, there was a lot of commotion at the door. A number of police came in and ordered everyone out of the bar. That's nearly 300 people. The Polizei checked ID's and passports as we shuffled out the front door. As I got to the door, I found out that they were conducting a spontaneous "age control" check of the bar. Apparently, this is not very common here, so Salzberg TV was there to cover the event. As I got through the doorway, I was blinded by TV lights and had a large microphone stuck in my face. From what I could tell, the woman behind the mic was looking for comment. The best I could muster was "sprechen sie englisch?"

It seemed as good a sign as any that we should call it a night. Augustiner will have to wait for another day (which will hopefully be tomorrow).


Update: Added pictures!

Friday, July 07, 2006

Impressions of Prague - En route to Salzberg

Thursday, July 6, 2006



I'm writing as we begin the second leg of our trip to Salzberg via rail. We rush to catch the train for Linz after arriving late to České Budějovice (pronounced chesky boo-day-yo-veet-say), our last moments with our two feet in the Czech Republic slipping away as we board the train. We now know to check the placards on the car for their final destination (train cars are frequently detached from on train and attached to another with passengers inside) and we've double-checked to make sure that we're sitting in the second class car matching our ticket (which is printed in Czech and German - no English) after getting kicked out of the first class car on the first leg of our journey. Confident that we've finally figured rail travel out, we can now relax as the miles and hours peel away as Linz draws nearer, sharing our cabin with four backpacking Germans and a Brazilian student while watching two Austrians kick around a miniature football (soccer to you and me) in the hallway.



Rewind.

Prague is an exceedingly beautiful city. I know that statement cannot begin to convey the awe and wonder that is experienced each time we round a corner. Down each street is a hodge podge of architectural styles: Art Nouveau, Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern to name a few. Although they tend to be found in somewhat homogeneous clusters, no single rule can be applied to any single city block, which speaks to the age of the city and her many cultural and artistic movements.



Architecture aside, Prague's people have been gracious hosts. English is very pervasive here, and we've been able to communicate in a combination of broken English and the few Czech words and phrases we know in the other cases. Each meal has been a chance to meet new people, as tables are often placed close together. Meals often last two hours or more, with plenty chance to strike up a conversation with your neighbor. We have also made it out to neighborhood pubs and beer halls for the past two World Cup matches, making friends while knocking back mug after mug of Pilsner Urquell, Old Gott or Budvar while shouting at the TV screen.

Horni Dvoriste, our last stop in the Czech Republic, approaches. The Czechs have shown us a great time in "the golden city," and we hope to see them again. Until then, we bid Prague a fond "na shledanou" as we say "hallo!" to Salzberg.



Update: Added pictures!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Pictures from Prague!

Wednesday, July 5, 2006



We've figured out these durned Czech computers and uploaded a few pictures from our trip so far. Here's a link to our Flickr set:

Honeymoon in Europe

Check back every couple of days for more pics!

Here's a hint: You can always check the thumbnails on the right-hand side of this page for the latest five shots we've uploaded. (Scroll down a little bit if you can't already see it.)


Sunday, July 02, 2006

Arrival

Sunday, July 2, 2006



We arrive in Prague on a beautiful 24° C (75° F) day. Beth had thoughtfully set up a shuttle from the airport to our hotel in the city, knowing that we'd be a little culture shocked and jet lagged (both of which we were). We found our driver, a twenty-six year old Prager holding a sign for "Mrs. Cloud" after passing wordlessly through Czech customs. I nod to him.

"Mluvite Anglicky?" ("Do you speak English?") I ask.

"Of course!"

We arrive at our hotel, and I promptly undertip our driver and overtip the bell-boy. "Dekuje" ("Thank you"), I tell our driver, to which he responds kindly, "Many Americans have trouble with Czech words."

"Did I get it right?"

"It's the best I've heard in a while."

I'll take that as a compliment.

After settling into our cozy room, we decide to find the astronomical clock tower before sundown, using our recently acquired walking map as a guide. We promptly head in opposite the direction indicated on the map, and are baffled as to why none of the streets we cross are on it. At least we found the tram (streetcar) station.

We have pheasant and boar steak at the hotel brew pub, which was jumping for 21:00 (9 PM) on a Sunday. After copious amounts of the local Budvar, our waiter's eyes light up as we pay the bill, and I have the sneaking suspicion that we overtipped again.

We're off to explore the city in earnest tomorrow. This time, I'll make sure to hold the map right-side up.

Update: Added pictures!

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Au Revoir

Saturday, July 1, 2006


Beth and I are hitting the road and heading to airport in just a few minutes, officially beginning our trip.

See you on the other side!

Friday, June 30, 2006

T-Minus Uno

Friday, June 30, 2006


One more day of gathering papers, power adapters, language phrasebooks, and our wits before we hit the road (or jet stream, rather). Beth's itinerary has been printed and bound (seriously), and we're just about ready to go!

Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso pulled from Le Tour!

Friday, June 30, 2006


The Tour de France's two favorites, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, were ejected from the Tour in the wake of a Spanish doping scandal. The two riders, expected by many to finish in first and second (I have my own opinions of this as well), were suspended by their teams in the face of evidence brought to them by investigators for Operación Puerto in Spain.

This is big news. According to Velonews, the Tour has been "thrown into its biggest crisis since the 1998 Festina scandal." 51 other riders were named on the list, including other notables Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile), Joseba Beloki (Astana-Wurth), Marcos Serrano (Astana-Wurth), Roberto Heras (Liberty Siguros-suspended), Tyler Hamilton (Phonak-suspended) and Francisco Mancebo (AG2R). CSC's team manager Bjarne Riis says this:
I think it's a huge blow for everybody. I'd rather be here because Ivan has won the tour. Right now it's not the case. It's a hard situation for all of us, but this is life. But you have to stand up and face it. It's easy to sit down and cry, but you have to be responsible for your own life. The only thing I want to do is be responsible for my team.

I have no other choice.
The timing of this investigation is just uncanny. With just one day before the start of what could have been (and still could be) the most exciting Tour yet, this is a huge blow. The Tour organizers take these allegations very seriously, and so do the teams. Here's what a friend had to say about it:
But I hate this, and regardless of what comes out of this, Jan definitely had contact with that sleazy doctor, and Jan definitely lied about it. Innocent until proven guilty, but if you're T-Mobile, and staring at a very likely Tour de France victory, everything you've dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into for the last five years, you don't pull Jan out of the Tour unless you've seen some pretty hard evidence. And then for CSC to pull Basso AFTER Jan is already gone? Ivan Basso was nearly guaranteed a free ride to the Yellow Jersey with Jan gone, so don't tell me CSC didn't see something scary.
This Tour was shaping up to be very exciting now that Lance has retired. There was a feeling that it was wide open, that it was anyone's race to win. Now that some of the biggest players are now out, that feeling is stronger than ever.

Update: Francisco Mancebo has now retired!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

T-Minus Tři

Wednesday, June 28, 2006


That's three to you and me. I just realized that we'll be in the Czech Republic during Independence Day. We may just have to have a Budvar at Amigo's or Buffalo Bill's. What's with the Czechs and Tex-Mex restaurants?

Not to worry, I'm sure that we'll find a way to celebrate in our own way.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

T-Minus Four

Tuesday, June 27, 2006



I find myself thinking more and more about our first stop in Prague as I take care of last minute details leading up to our trip. Each stop will have something unique and special to offer us, but I can't help but to feel that "the golden city" will be the highlight of our trip. This multi-ethnic and storied city sits on the fringe between eastern and western Europe, straddling the line between the old and new worlds (and just about everything in between).

I cannot wait to experience one of the world's most pristine and varied collections of architecture virtually untouched during the World Wars, and take in the diverse culture of its four main boroughs: Hradčany (the Castle District, west and north of the Castle), Lesser Quarter (Malá Strana, south of the Castle), Old Town (Staré Město, on the east bank opposite the Castle) and New Town (Nové Město, further south and east).

Four short days cannot do this city justice, but we'll do our best to soak it all in.

Thanks, Wikipedia!

Monday, June 26, 2006

T-Minus Five

Monday, June 26, 2006




Welcome to our new travelog. Beth and I are mere days away from our adventure in Europe, and I thought that now would be a good time to get this thing set up. Our goal is to find an internet cafe in each city that we visit, so check back every few days for updates on our travels.

We're pretty excited about getting off the continent to explore Europe for the first time. Neither one of us have been, so I imagine that the whole experience will be an eye-opener. We can't wait to immerse ourselves in the languages, culture, customs and food!

Thanks for joining us on our journey. You'll hear from us again soon!