To David for getting us safely up and (more importantly) down the Pyrenees, and figuring out how to take 4 trains to Cannes
To Nancy and Bob, our friendly West Coast traveling companions on the train to Florence, for offering us seats
To the Leaning Tower of Pisa, for being only a 25 minute walk from the Pisa train station
To Maria, who helped us find our way to our Florence Hostel Villa Camerata, and told us it was safe to drink the fountain water in Rome
To our Lonely Planet guidebook, for providing maps of Rome (where was the tourist office???)
To Sharon, for maximizing our short time in each country by her careful planning, background research, newly discovered navigating skills, and desire to experience everything
To Theresa, for recommending the Scavi Tour in Rome (it was incredible!)
To Eurostar Italia, for providing a luxurious ride (free food and drink!) to Venice
To the country of Italy, which was one of our favorite backpacking destinations
To Brooklyn Pizzeria in Venice, for giving David a taste of home
To ALL the Italian gelaterias we patronized (THE BEST!!!)
To Camping Fusina, for cleverly describing a shack as a "bungalow"
To our bunkmates on all our overnight trains (friendly, quiet and trustworthy)
To Gertrude and Pension Mailberg, for their beautiful accomodations we highly recommend
To Art of Life, our vegetarian haven in Austria
To all the bewigged Viennese concert hawkers ("A concert tonight perhaps?"), for trying to sell us concert tickets we already had bought on the Internet
To Haus of Music - one of the best museums EVER!
To Hundertwasser, for his incredible art, architectural concepts, environmentalism, and Austrian pride
To Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for his music
To Dunkin Donuts in Berlin, for providing David with 2 jelly donuts and the opportunity to reenact history
To the HI Hostel Ernst Reuter, for its friendly staff, breakfast buffet, laundry facilities, and free Internet (with special props to Deiter, the proprietor)
To Mike of the Fat Tire Bike Tour Berlin, for educating us on Berlin history with his deadpan humor
To all the European trains and metro lines, for being prompt, clean, and efficient (why can't the NYC subway get it together?)
To Rob and Keith, our American cycling buddies on L'Alpe d'Huez, for their love and knowledge of cycling
To Manny and Stefan, our German camping neighbors, for their passion for the T-mobile cyclng team and Jan Ullrich, and for keeping us Lance Armstrong fans safe from the other partying Germans
To L'Alpe d'Huez, whose beauty is indescribeable
To the McDonalds in Geneva, for actually having Veggie Macs!!!
To our huge tub of peanut butter, for providing us with 1 meal a day, needed protein, and David's muscles
To Lance Armstrong, for giving us the privelege of seeing him win the L'Alpe d''Huez stage and a historic and record-breaking 6th consecutive Tour victory on the Champs Elysees (our hero!)
To US Postal for representing the United States and backing up Lance in a selfless manner
To Lance Armstrong, for giving us our new jogging mantra: NO CHAIN!!!
To David's internal GPS tracking system, for finding a Parisian vegetarian restaurant with no address or phone number
To Hotel de Turenne, for its optimal location near the Champs-Elysees
To Charles and Renée, the fittest septuagenarians we've ever met, for their lively company on the Champs
To Ryan Air, for a super fast flight from Paris to Girona (we got in a half hour early!)
To David's father and Daniel, for putting up with 2 backpack-weary travelers in Spain
To Nick, for treating us to lunch, providing us with the shortest ever exceptional tour of London (world record), paying for our Wales cab, and being a great friend
To the friendly and hospitable Irish folk, for an affability unmatched by any other Europeans
To Cork, Ireland, for being a significant European city both past and present: first, as the home of Sharon's ancestors, and in 2005, as Europe's Cultural Capital
To Crawford House, for their highly anticipated jacuzzi, yummy breakfast buffet, tea service (with brown sugar), and cheerfully acceptance of a call from some confused backpackers about their location (we were only a few yards away)
To Quay Co-Op, for their delicious vegetarian breakfast and dinner FEASTS, an unexpected surprise in a carnivorous country
To Ky's Kafe, for their use of K's (meeting David's approval) and for considering 7 pm as a closing time 'very late'
To the Blarney stone, for being such a challenge to kiss and for blessing Sharon with eloquence
To Cornucopia in Dublin, another unexpected veggie haven
To the cheerful Irish woman who gave 2 backpackers a ride to their castle (the ONLY time we hitchhiked on this trip!)
To David, for trusting Sharon's ability to navigate a bicycle through the streets of Dublin when the bike lane ended
To the St. Anne's Rose Garden in Ireland, with its gloriously beautiful roses...a hidden gem
To Killiney, Ireland, for its seaside beauty, uncorrupted rich folks, named estates (Bel Aire cottage), and serving as the perfect setting to celebrate our 2 year anniversary
To Plan B, which always supersedes Plan A when traveling
To our Gregory backpacks, for standing up to 45+ lbs of weight without a single tear
To ourselves, for possessing the sense of adventure, fun, and trust necessary to thoroughly enjoy every moment of this backpacking trip together
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Two Year Anniversary!
Today is our 2 year anniversary! It is appropriate that we should spend it in Ireland, as we spent our 1 year anniversary in Spain last year. My paternal relatives were from Ireland, and David's paternal ancestors lived in Spain.
We enjoyed a breakfast of pastries on the beach in Killiney. Ireland is so much colder than all the other European cities we have visited on this trip; even David has been chilly on the beach! I have taken my warmer clothing out of the bottom of my backpack (David's still in shorts). Today, though, was unusually warm and sunny; the Irish clouds parted to reveal a brilliant sun on our anniversary.
Our original plan was to rent bikes locally and ride around Killiney, though once again we had to resort to Plan B. We could not reach anyone at the local bike shop, so we had to go into Dublin to rent bikes. It was an interesting language and cultural exchange at the bike rental garage, due to the fact that the guys working there were Italian and spoke no English. I got a brand new silver bike from the rental shop, necessary for the novice rider. David sought the advice of the bike shop owner of where to ride our bikes (glad he didn't listen to me). Based on the recommendation, we made our destination coastal Howth.
Getting there was the challenge. Dublin professes to be a cyclist-friendly city, with cycling lanes in the heart of the city. However, I don't think anyone informed the buses and taxis that they are there. The buses came within inches of me, and David swears one bus brushed his sleeve. This freaked me out since I, unlike David, have never been riding in inner city traffic. David, on the other hand, regularly rides to work and in Manhattan. I eventually found my cycling legs, though, and trusted David, my bike, and most importantly, myself.
We rode out to Howth (guided by GPS). There was a really picturesque park there that reminded us of the Hudson Greenway in our Washington Heights neighborhood. Best of all, it has a BIKE path! So I got out of traffic and felt a lot happier. We followed the bike path along the water out to a pier. Despite the fact that it had a sign showing a line through a little cyclist, we followed a few cyclists out onto the pier. We saw a cute little beach area, religious statue, lighthouse, as well as mountains rising in the distant sea. We rested a little at a bench on the end of the pier, and then it was back on the bikes.
From the pier we headed further North, where David spotted a park. We decided to stop there, and were so thrilled we did. The park is named St. Anne's Rose Garden, for the gorgeous roses that fill it. This was the most incredible rose garden David and I have ever seen...beyond beautiful. Miniature roses, red roses, tall roses, yellow roses, rose trellises...every type you can imagine. This hidden gem did not appear in any of our guidebooks...glad we were out on the bicycles and discovered it!
Eventually we cycled back to Dublin and returned the bikes. For dinner we got veggie takeout from Juice, a veggie restaurant in the trendy Temple Bar district. We had a mini-picnic in St. Stephen's Green, under sunny skies. We sampled many different veggie dishes, including Indian veggie kebabs and veggie sushi. David's favorite part of the meal was the 1.5 liter Orange Fanta! Our vegetarianism brought us together originally at Columbia, and now, as we each celebrate a decade of being vegetarian, we continue to share so many things (vegetarianism among them) in common. Including our love of backpacking!
We enjoyed a breakfast of pastries on the beach in Killiney. Ireland is so much colder than all the other European cities we have visited on this trip; even David has been chilly on the beach! I have taken my warmer clothing out of the bottom of my backpack (David's still in shorts). Today, though, was unusually warm and sunny; the Irish clouds parted to reveal a brilliant sun on our anniversary.
Our original plan was to rent bikes locally and ride around Killiney, though once again we had to resort to Plan B. We could not reach anyone at the local bike shop, so we had to go into Dublin to rent bikes. It was an interesting language and cultural exchange at the bike rental garage, due to the fact that the guys working there were Italian and spoke no English. I got a brand new silver bike from the rental shop, necessary for the novice rider. David sought the advice of the bike shop owner of where to ride our bikes (glad he didn't listen to me). Based on the recommendation, we made our destination coastal Howth.
Getting there was the challenge. Dublin professes to be a cyclist-friendly city, with cycling lanes in the heart of the city. However, I don't think anyone informed the buses and taxis that they are there. The buses came within inches of me, and David swears one bus brushed his sleeve. This freaked me out since I, unlike David, have never been riding in inner city traffic. David, on the other hand, regularly rides to work and in Manhattan. I eventually found my cycling legs, though, and trusted David, my bike, and most importantly, myself.
We rode out to Howth (guided by GPS). There was a really picturesque park there that reminded us of the Hudson Greenway in our Washington Heights neighborhood. Best of all, it has a BIKE path! So I got out of traffic and felt a lot happier. We followed the bike path along the water out to a pier. Despite the fact that it had a sign showing a line through a little cyclist, we followed a few cyclists out onto the pier. We saw a cute little beach area, religious statue, lighthouse, as well as mountains rising in the distant sea. We rested a little at a bench on the end of the pier, and then it was back on the bikes.
From the pier we headed further North, where David spotted a park. We decided to stop there, and were so thrilled we did. The park is named St. Anne's Rose Garden, for the gorgeous roses that fill it. This was the most incredible rose garden David and I have ever seen...beyond beautiful. Miniature roses, red roses, tall roses, yellow roses, rose trellises...every type you can imagine. This hidden gem did not appear in any of our guidebooks...glad we were out on the bicycles and discovered it!
Eventually we cycled back to Dublin and returned the bikes. For dinner we got veggie takeout from Juice, a veggie restaurant in the trendy Temple Bar district. We had a mini-picnic in St. Stephen's Green, under sunny skies. We sampled many different veggie dishes, including Indian veggie kebabs and veggie sushi. David's favorite part of the meal was the 1.5 liter Orange Fanta! Our vegetarianism brought us together originally at Columbia, and now, as we each celebrate a decade of being vegetarian, we continue to share so many things (vegetarianism among them) in common. Including our love of backpacking!
Monday, August 02, 2004
Dublin, Past and Present
Our final destination on this backpacking trip is Dublin. We've visited 8 countries in 4.5 weeks, which has given us a taste of each place we've visited. In so many cities we've wished we had more time, though the snapshot we have gotten of each place has enabled us to visit a variety of places in both Western and Central Europe, showing us the similarities and differences between them and compared to life in the United States.
We decided to take a bus into Dublin instead of a train, since we had already used up our 10 trip Eurail train pass. By taking the bus, we saved 70 euros! It was about a 4 hour bus ride, though the time passed quickly as we gazed at the lush green rural Irish countryside. While on the bus, I was reading the 'Dublin and Surrounding Area' section of our Lonely Planet Ireland book. I was reading about this picturesque wealthy seaside town called Killiney (south of Dublin), where the Irish elite like Bono of U2 and Enya live. I was telling David that we would defintiely have to visit Killiney during our stay. Turns out that the hotel we are staying at IS IN KILLINENY! I did not even realize that when I made the Internet booking! Everything has just fallen perfectly into place on this backpacking trip...
Upon arriving in Dublin, our first stop was dinner at Cornocopia, another veggie buffet. David thoroughly enjoyed it-especially the portion sizes! We walked along Grafton Street, south of the River Liffey, and from there we decided to embark on our Southern sojourn to Killiney. We were happy to learn that the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) had a stop at Killiney, though we had to station hop to actually find a DART station with trains departing. Thank goodness we chose southern lodgings instead of northern ones, because it turns out that the DART has no northbound weekend service this summer. Our Irish luck continues!
The DART ride was really gorgeous; we traveled right along the coast and got a lovely view of the Irish sea. David and I both spent our childhood summers seaside, so we both love being in close proximity to the sea. The train dropped us off in Killiney, and then it was like, so where do we go from here? The hotel we were planning to stay in is actually a CASTLE (we decided to live it up the end of our backpacking trip and for our 2 year anniversary), called the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel. As such, it has no address, so we were a bit stumped as to where it was located in Killiney. We exited the train station, headed up the hill (which seemed logical), and took in our surroundings (named estates enclosed by high walls!) David took out the GPS unit, which had only limited success up to this point in the trip. It did find the castle though, and we headed in that direction. Not trusting advanced technology, we decided to ask a passerby, who ended up turning us around and leading us to a dead end! So much for human technology! We stopped a car, and spoke to the woman driver...we must have made quite a sight with our backpacks strapped on, asking for directions to a castle! She offered us a ride, so we ended up hitching a ride to the castle! (kinda like when we took the cab to our campsite!)
The castle has perfect accomodations for the end of our European backpacking trip...our room is enormous, equipped with tea service and a modern bathroom. The best part, according to David, is that it is PRIVATE...no sharing bunks with hostelmates or bathroom facilities with fellow campers! Sharon's favorite part is the balcony with a view of the Irish sea. We both went out on the balcony and witnessed a beautiful Irish sunset.
The next day we spent touring Dublin. Our first stop was Trinity College, which was founded by Elizabeth I in 1592 to spread Protestantism, though her efforts in that regard can be considered largely unsuccessful because 88% of the student body at Trinity is Catholic. The main attraction at Trinity College is the Book of Kells, which contain some of the oldest writings in existence, dating from around 800 AD. We got to see the illuminiated manuscripts from the gospels acoording to Luke and John. We also saw the Long Room of the Old Library, which houses 250,000 of the Library's oldest volumes. The Long Room's length, adt 65 m, makes it the longest library in the world. A midafternoon rainshower greeted us while we were having a picnic lunch at St. Stephen's Green, though we found a bench under a tree that kept us dry. From there we snuck into some churches (for free!) at closing time and joined a tour of Dublin Castle (13th century), where we saw the remnants of a moat. Dinner was at Taste of India, where David was brave enough to try the very spicy vegetable madras (the waiter kept coming over to check on David and make sure steam was not coming out of his ears!) David always loves to spice things up a bit!
We decided to take a bus into Dublin instead of a train, since we had already used up our 10 trip Eurail train pass. By taking the bus, we saved 70 euros! It was about a 4 hour bus ride, though the time passed quickly as we gazed at the lush green rural Irish countryside. While on the bus, I was reading the 'Dublin and Surrounding Area' section of our Lonely Planet Ireland book. I was reading about this picturesque wealthy seaside town called Killiney (south of Dublin), where the Irish elite like Bono of U2 and Enya live. I was telling David that we would defintiely have to visit Killiney during our stay. Turns out that the hotel we are staying at IS IN KILLINENY! I did not even realize that when I made the Internet booking! Everything has just fallen perfectly into place on this backpacking trip...
Upon arriving in Dublin, our first stop was dinner at Cornocopia, another veggie buffet. David thoroughly enjoyed it-especially the portion sizes! We walked along Grafton Street, south of the River Liffey, and from there we decided to embark on our Southern sojourn to Killiney. We were happy to learn that the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) had a stop at Killiney, though we had to station hop to actually find a DART station with trains departing. Thank goodness we chose southern lodgings instead of northern ones, because it turns out that the DART has no northbound weekend service this summer. Our Irish luck continues!
The DART ride was really gorgeous; we traveled right along the coast and got a lovely view of the Irish sea. David and I both spent our childhood summers seaside, so we both love being in close proximity to the sea. The train dropped us off in Killiney, and then it was like, so where do we go from here? The hotel we were planning to stay in is actually a CASTLE (we decided to live it up the end of our backpacking trip and for our 2 year anniversary), called the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel. As such, it has no address, so we were a bit stumped as to where it was located in Killiney. We exited the train station, headed up the hill (which seemed logical), and took in our surroundings (named estates enclosed by high walls!) David took out the GPS unit, which had only limited success up to this point in the trip. It did find the castle though, and we headed in that direction. Not trusting advanced technology, we decided to ask a passerby, who ended up turning us around and leading us to a dead end! So much for human technology! We stopped a car, and spoke to the woman driver...we must have made quite a sight with our backpacks strapped on, asking for directions to a castle! She offered us a ride, so we ended up hitching a ride to the castle! (kinda like when we took the cab to our campsite!)
The castle has perfect accomodations for the end of our European backpacking trip...our room is enormous, equipped with tea service and a modern bathroom. The best part, according to David, is that it is PRIVATE...no sharing bunks with hostelmates or bathroom facilities with fellow campers! Sharon's favorite part is the balcony with a view of the Irish sea. We both went out on the balcony and witnessed a beautiful Irish sunset.
The next day we spent touring Dublin. Our first stop was Trinity College, which was founded by Elizabeth I in 1592 to spread Protestantism, though her efforts in that regard can be considered largely unsuccessful because 88% of the student body at Trinity is Catholic. The main attraction at Trinity College is the Book of Kells, which contain some of the oldest writings in existence, dating from around 800 AD. We got to see the illuminiated manuscripts from the gospels acoording to Luke and John. We also saw the Long Room of the Old Library, which houses 250,000 of the Library's oldest volumes. The Long Room's length, adt 65 m, makes it the longest library in the world. A midafternoon rainshower greeted us while we were having a picnic lunch at St. Stephen's Green, though we found a bench under a tree that kept us dry. From there we snuck into some churches (for free!) at closing time and joined a tour of Dublin Castle (13th century), where we saw the remnants of a moat. Dinner was at Taste of India, where David was brave enough to try the very spicy vegetable madras (the waiter kept coming over to check on David and make sure steam was not coming out of his ears!) David always loves to spice things up a bit!
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Cork, Future European Capital of Culture
David and I took the ferry to Cork City, Ireland. Cork, you ask? You MUST know Cork!!! It will be the European Capital of Culture in 2005!!! Actually, the reason David and I decided to visit Cork was because my paternal relatives lived in Cork. A brief history of the Collins name...there were 2 main families from which the Collins name is derived: the O'Coileans from Limerick and the O'Cuilleains from Cork. Both families eventually settled in Cork, so I wanted to see it with my own Irish eyes.
So anyway, we arrived in Cork early in the morning, as people were starting to head to work (blissfully not us!) We did the walking tour recommended in the Lonely Planet book, culminating in some freshly baked scones (delicious!) and smoothies in Bishop Lucey Park. Cork has a very small town feel to it; the walking tour alone gave us a very good feel for the city. Plan B once again became necessary when we found out we could not check into our B&B until 14:00!
We decided to have 2nd breakfast (more like brunch) at Quay's Co-op, this awesome vegetarian restaurant in Cork. It is a very spacious restaurant occupying the 2nd and 3rd floors of the store. There, I enjoyed a full Irish (vegetarian) breakfast, and David had some potato cakes and fake sausage. I began enjoying the custom of drinking Irish tea with breakfast, a tradition I extended to most of my other meals in Ireland!
With our backpacks on, we walked down the famous St. Patrick's Street and then Grand Parade, where we discovered Prince Street indoor market. David bought some delicious homemade Cork fudge there. We noticed lots of construction going on around Cork, which David figured out was Cork City getting ready to be the European Capital of Culture next year. We also walked by the Opera House (very modern and small, though probably a necessary element to be deemed a cultural capital), and I spent some time in the Municipal Art Gallery viewing some Irish landscapes by Helnwien. Meanwhile, David sat outside babysitting the backpacks, while enjoying the music of the bagpipe player right around the corner.
Eventually 14:00 came and passed, so we started the scavenger hunt along B&B row to find Crawford House. Lonely Planet misguided us, and we ended up having to call Crawford House to get directions. The proprietors must have been laughing at us, because we were literally just a few yards away. We splurged on our B&B after our month of hostels and camping, and got the room with a jacuzzi (I think that's what kept me going in the Pyrenees!)
After checking in, we headed to St. Anne's Church, which is famous its Shandon Bells. The proprietor bragged about the view at the top of the tower, saying we would be able to see clear to the Statue of Liberty (!) When we got inside we actually got to play the Shandon Bells. David played 'Happy Birthday' and 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina', I played 'You Are My Sunshine', and working in concert we played 'Three Blind Mice'. So all over Cork City they could hear us playing the Shandon Bells...hope it sounded melodic! The view at the top of the tower was impressive; David joked with the proprietor that he could actually see all the way to California!!!
Dinner consisted of veggie options at Ky's Kafe (chosen by David for its great use of the letter 'K'). The place actually closed after we left at around 19:00, which we found difficult to believe because the menu said they were open "Very Late". Since when is 7 pm very late??? One thing New York City has on every other city we have visited thus far on the trip is that nothing closes; it is truly the city that never sleeps.
So anyway, we arrived in Cork early in the morning, as people were starting to head to work (blissfully not us!) We did the walking tour recommended in the Lonely Planet book, culminating in some freshly baked scones (delicious!) and smoothies in Bishop Lucey Park. Cork has a very small town feel to it; the walking tour alone gave us a very good feel for the city. Plan B once again became necessary when we found out we could not check into our B&B until 14:00!
We decided to have 2nd breakfast (more like brunch) at Quay's Co-op, this awesome vegetarian restaurant in Cork. It is a very spacious restaurant occupying the 2nd and 3rd floors of the store. There, I enjoyed a full Irish (vegetarian) breakfast, and David had some potato cakes and fake sausage. I began enjoying the custom of drinking Irish tea with breakfast, a tradition I extended to most of my other meals in Ireland!
With our backpacks on, we walked down the famous St. Patrick's Street and then Grand Parade, where we discovered Prince Street indoor market. David bought some delicious homemade Cork fudge there. We noticed lots of construction going on around Cork, which David figured out was Cork City getting ready to be the European Capital of Culture next year. We also walked by the Opera House (very modern and small, though probably a necessary element to be deemed a cultural capital), and I spent some time in the Municipal Art Gallery viewing some Irish landscapes by Helnwien. Meanwhile, David sat outside babysitting the backpacks, while enjoying the music of the bagpipe player right around the corner.
Eventually 14:00 came and passed, so we started the scavenger hunt along B&B row to find Crawford House. Lonely Planet misguided us, and we ended up having to call Crawford House to get directions. The proprietors must have been laughing at us, because we were literally just a few yards away. We splurged on our B&B after our month of hostels and camping, and got the room with a jacuzzi (I think that's what kept me going in the Pyrenees!)
After checking in, we headed to St. Anne's Church, which is famous its Shandon Bells. The proprietor bragged about the view at the top of the tower, saying we would be able to see clear to the Statue of Liberty (!) When we got inside we actually got to play the Shandon Bells. David played 'Happy Birthday' and 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina', I played 'You Are My Sunshine', and working in concert we played 'Three Blind Mice'. So all over Cork City they could hear us playing the Shandon Bells...hope it sounded melodic! The view at the top of the tower was impressive; David joked with the proprietor that he could actually see all the way to California!!!
Dinner consisted of veggie options at Ky's Kafe (chosen by David for its great use of the letter 'K'). The place actually closed after we left at around 19:00, which we found difficult to believe because the menu said they were open "Very Late". Since when is 7 pm very late??? One thing New York City has on every other city we have visited thus far on the trip is that nothing closes; it is truly the city that never sleeps.
Friday, July 30, 2004
London, in two hours or less
Yesterday was a crazy transportation day, in which we spent the early morning hours in Spain and by late evening we were in Irish waters. You see, we were traveling to Ireland by super ferry from Wales. Adding a boat to all our other modes of transportation rounded out the already long list: train, bus, zipper train, metro, U-bahn, walking, hiking, biking, taxi, S-bahn, overnight train, plane, and now ferry.
Here is the jam-packed transportation schedule we followed:
6:30 Ryan Air Flight to Paris
13:04 Eurostar (Chunnel) ride to London
17:00 Eurail ride to Swansea
21:00 Swansea Super Ferry to Ireland
The ride through the Chunnel was interesting. First off, we rode on the Eurodisney train (Mickey and Minnie went with us across the English Channel!) Secondly, we got discounted passes based on our Eurail pass, which entitled us to ride in the noisy luggage car (what a rip-off!). This meant we had to sit on the flip down seats...we tried to get the 'good' seats, but the train was packed. Quite a contrast to the 1st class comfort we had gotten used to!
We took a brief break from this day of traveling to meet up with our friend Nick in London, who is working there now. We had slightly under 2 hours, so Nick gave us the lightning speed tour of London. We saw and photographed the major sights: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and Parliament Square. It was great to see a friendly face in the midst of the backpacking trip; we had a lot of fun having lunch and hanging out with Nick.
We barely made our train to Swansea; the ticket guy had closed the door to the nearest car, which he thankfully opened up again when he saw us. We hopped on, and literally before we took our seats, the train started moving! Our trip to Ireland was almost postponed! A friendly London businessman David sat across from us, and gave us advise on how to get to our super ferry. He said we could walk, though it was raining cats and dogs when we got into Wales. So we hopped into a cool, spacious cab (lots of room for bodies and backpacks!) and made it to the ferry as boarding began. It was cool to travel to Ireland by boat, and the rain stopped just in time for us to see a beautiful sunset on deck.
Our intense travel day was exhausting; we slept well in our cabin last night. We were probably dreaming of Ireland, our final travel destination on this backpacking trip...
Here is the jam-packed transportation schedule we followed:
6:30 Ryan Air Flight to Paris
13:04 Eurostar (Chunnel) ride to London
17:00 Eurail ride to Swansea
21:00 Swansea Super Ferry to Ireland
The ride through the Chunnel was interesting. First off, we rode on the Eurodisney train (Mickey and Minnie went with us across the English Channel!) Secondly, we got discounted passes based on our Eurail pass, which entitled us to ride in the noisy luggage car (what a rip-off!). This meant we had to sit on the flip down seats...we tried to get the 'good' seats, but the train was packed. Quite a contrast to the 1st class comfort we had gotten used to!
We took a brief break from this day of traveling to meet up with our friend Nick in London, who is working there now. We had slightly under 2 hours, so Nick gave us the lightning speed tour of London. We saw and photographed the major sights: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and Parliament Square. It was great to see a friendly face in the midst of the backpacking trip; we had a lot of fun having lunch and hanging out with Nick.
We barely made our train to Swansea; the ticket guy had closed the door to the nearest car, which he thankfully opened up again when he saw us. We hopped on, and literally before we took our seats, the train started moving! Our trip to Ireland was almost postponed! A friendly London businessman David sat across from us, and gave us advise on how to get to our super ferry. He said we could walk, though it was raining cats and dogs when we got into Wales. So we hopped into a cool, spacious cab (lots of room for bodies and backpacks!) and made it to the ferry as boarding began. It was cool to travel to Ireland by boat, and the rain stopped just in time for us to see a beautiful sunset on deck.
Our intense travel day was exhausting; we slept well in our cabin last night. We were probably dreaming of Ireland, our final travel destination on this backpacking trip...
Friday, July 23, 2004
Relaxing in Lake Geneva
After being stranded in the Alps till around 17:00, we arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, after 23:00 (our train car only contained us in 1st class and a nun in 2nd class). Due to the late hour, we ended up taking a taxi to our campsite(!) Thank goodness David speaks French fluently; he was able to communicate to the clubber cabbie exactly where we wanted to go above her loud house music. We had to put up our tent after midnight in complete darkness. David is the expert camper, so it got put up very quickly. All our attempts at quietness in this family campground were foiled when drunk German kids arrived back at their tent (right next to ours!!!)
We spent the next day in Geneva relaxing by the lake, which was much needed therapy after spending time in L'Alpe d'Huez for Le Tour. We were thrilled that the campsite had shower and bathroom facilities, after using a Port-a-potty for 3 days and going several days with no shower! We had breakfast by the lake (cereal bars and soy milk), Sharon went swimming, David watched another Tour stage on TV, and Sharon read some Kate Chopin short stories lakeside. Relaxation was priceless...Our picnic dinner was once again...peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! We have been eating them almost every day of the trip, and David has been carrying around a huge tub of peanut butter! Sharon can't wait to eat real food in Paris-she doesn't know if she can stomach another PB&J sandwich. In the evening we played chess on a huge life size chess board at the campsite.
Our trip has shown us at so many turns that Plan B must be put in effect. It happened the next day, when we were supposed to depart for Paris by train in the early afternoon. We could not get a reservation for the earlier train because it was booked (everyone heading to Paris to see the last day of Le Tour), so we were stuck in Geneva until late afternoon. It was fine with us, though, because we still had Swiss francs to spend and touring to do. Our first stop was McDonalds, and we were THRILLED to find the first McDonalds we went to in Europe that had Veggie Macs!!! It tasted like a curry burger and was delicious! We then walked across the Pont Mont Blanc; saw the Jet d'eau, famous flower clock, and St. Peter's Cathedral. We then took a long walk along the lake to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Breathtaking, in a word...a great way to spend an afternoon in Geneva! Before departing by train for Paris, we stopped off for some famous Swiss chocolate and a McFlurry for David!
Switzerland delivered the right dose of required relaxation...now, off to Paris, the city we have visited every summer since our honeymoon!
We spent the next day in Geneva relaxing by the lake, which was much needed therapy after spending time in L'Alpe d'Huez for Le Tour. We were thrilled that the campsite had shower and bathroom facilities, after using a Port-a-potty for 3 days and going several days with no shower! We had breakfast by the lake (cereal bars and soy milk), Sharon went swimming, David watched another Tour stage on TV, and Sharon read some Kate Chopin short stories lakeside. Relaxation was priceless...Our picnic dinner was once again...peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! We have been eating them almost every day of the trip, and David has been carrying around a huge tub of peanut butter! Sharon can't wait to eat real food in Paris-she doesn't know if she can stomach another PB&J sandwich. In the evening we played chess on a huge life size chess board at the campsite.
Our trip has shown us at so many turns that Plan B must be put in effect. It happened the next day, when we were supposed to depart for Paris by train in the early afternoon. We could not get a reservation for the earlier train because it was booked (everyone heading to Paris to see the last day of Le Tour), so we were stuck in Geneva until late afternoon. It was fine with us, though, because we still had Swiss francs to spend and touring to do. Our first stop was McDonalds, and we were THRILLED to find the first McDonalds we went to in Europe that had Veggie Macs!!! It tasted like a curry burger and was delicious! We then walked across the Pont Mont Blanc; saw the Jet d'eau, famous flower clock, and St. Peter's Cathedral. We then took a long walk along the lake to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Breathtaking, in a word...a great way to spend an afternoon in Geneva! Before departing by train for Paris, we stopped off for some famous Swiss chocolate and a McFlurry for David!
Switzerland delivered the right dose of required relaxation...now, off to Paris, the city we have visited every summer since our honeymoon!
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Off to the Tour!
The trip to l'Alpe d'Huez was to be check-mark on the "things to do in life" list for David. Perhaps the Tour de France's most feared climb in recent years was to be the site of an uphill time trial for the first time ever. So this is the year to go!
Starting in Berlin, though, was not going to be easy.
An overnight train to Paris put us at the Gare du Nord with all of an hour and ten minutes to travel across town to the Gare de Lyon for a train to Grenoble (closest city to l'Alpe d'Huez). While in New York, a glance at the Paris subway map made it look quite possible.
From Berlin, with the overnight train leaving late... it looked a little different!
Fortunately, the train made-up the time so we arrived in Paris as scheduled. We were further enheartened when informed by one of our cabin-mates, a very Parisian young film director, that the trip across town not only could be completed in time, but time would remain for a croissant breakfast.
David had wisely reserved seats on the train to Grenoble -- this Tour stage was estimated to have over one million spectators! On the train we met two of those one million: a couple of American cycling nuts named Rob and Keith. Former bike racers living in Arizona, they too were pursuing a life-long dream by going to l'Alpe d'Huez. Rob and Keith were very happy to meet us, because we not only had experience attending Tour stages (last year), but also had some good information about what to expect when we arrived in Grenoble.
What we had in mind was to take a bus to Bourg d'Oisans (at the base of the Alpe) or to l'Alpe d'Huez itself, and find a place to camp for the next two nights. David's French was very handy in arranging the bus, but the ride was much longer than expected because of the insane number of cars, RV's, motorbikes, and bicycles on the road, both stopped and moving. Countless amateur and semi-pro cyclists were attempting the very same climb the pros would suffer on the next day, and even more fans were already settled in for the event (for as long as three days before we arrived, as we soon discovered!).
In the end we took the bus (with Rob and Keith) all the way up to l'Alpe d'Huez itself (which, by the way, is a very popular resort with skiing available through August (!) ). We walked down to the 3km-to-go mark and found a (mostly) flat spot next to the road which became our home for the next two days.
Lance Armstrong's greatest rival, Jan Ullrich, is German. Our little campsite was surrounded by Germans -- Ullrich fans! Fortunately, Manfred ("Manny") and his son Stefan, two of the people who had been there for three days already, befriended us so all was good. The night passed uneventfully, though noisily (Germans ==> much beer and singing).
The next morning began with a sense of anticipation more so than any other of the trip, and before we knew it, the famous Tour publicity caravan arrived, complete with free souveniers, water bottles and snacks tossed to the crowd. Soon after, the first of over 150 riders rode past us as we stood by the side of the road. Others followed at approximately two-minute intervals (they begin two minutes apart but rarely finish that way). The quality of riders increased as the day wore on, as they begin the time trial in inverse order of placement.
It is impossible to describe the atmosphere on the slopes of the Alpe. Seeing the suffering and the emotions on the faces of the best bicycle riders in the world on this legendary climb was an incredible experience. It more than lived up to expectation. In fact, it was so far past David's level of expectation that he doesn't remember what he had hoped to see. The stage ended (for us) in spectacular fashion, as our man Lance flew past us, moments before catching his two-minute man Ivan Basso.
With the excitement of the stage past us, reality eventually set in, as the challenge getting off the million-fan mountain presented itself. Apparently, the first bus to leave the slopes was schedulded to do so roughly 24 hours after the end of the stage. We passed the time quite pleasantly chatting with our (disappointed) German nieghbors and our good buddies Rob and Keith. Also, Rob and Keith went with us on a little hike the next morning which put us high above the ski resort, offerng spectacular ("scary" -- David) views of the feared 21 switchbacks up to l'Alpe d'Huez and the surrounding mountains.
Eventually we caught our bus, and began our curiously long trip to our next stop, Lac Léman, a.k.a. Lake Geneva.
Starting in Berlin, though, was not going to be easy.
An overnight train to Paris put us at the Gare du Nord with all of an hour and ten minutes to travel across town to the Gare de Lyon for a train to Grenoble (closest city to l'Alpe d'Huez). While in New York, a glance at the Paris subway map made it look quite possible.
From Berlin, with the overnight train leaving late... it looked a little different!
Fortunately, the train made-up the time so we arrived in Paris as scheduled. We were further enheartened when informed by one of our cabin-mates, a very Parisian young film director, that the trip across town not only could be completed in time, but time would remain for a croissant breakfast.
David had wisely reserved seats on the train to Grenoble -- this Tour stage was estimated to have over one million spectators! On the train we met two of those one million: a couple of American cycling nuts named Rob and Keith. Former bike racers living in Arizona, they too were pursuing a life-long dream by going to l'Alpe d'Huez. Rob and Keith were very happy to meet us, because we not only had experience attending Tour stages (last year), but also had some good information about what to expect when we arrived in Grenoble.
What we had in mind was to take a bus to Bourg d'Oisans (at the base of the Alpe) or to l'Alpe d'Huez itself, and find a place to camp for the next two nights. David's French was very handy in arranging the bus, but the ride was much longer than expected because of the insane number of cars, RV's, motorbikes, and bicycles on the road, both stopped and moving. Countless amateur and semi-pro cyclists were attempting the very same climb the pros would suffer on the next day, and even more fans were already settled in for the event (for as long as three days before we arrived, as we soon discovered!).
In the end we took the bus (with Rob and Keith) all the way up to l'Alpe d'Huez itself (which, by the way, is a very popular resort with skiing available through August (!) ). We walked down to the 3km-to-go mark and found a (mostly) flat spot next to the road which became our home for the next two days.
Lance Armstrong's greatest rival, Jan Ullrich, is German. Our little campsite was surrounded by Germans -- Ullrich fans! Fortunately, Manfred ("Manny") and his son Stefan, two of the people who had been there for three days already, befriended us so all was good. The night passed uneventfully, though noisily (Germans ==> much beer and singing).
The next morning began with a sense of anticipation more so than any other of the trip, and before we knew it, the famous Tour publicity caravan arrived, complete with free souveniers, water bottles and snacks tossed to the crowd. Soon after, the first of over 150 riders rode past us as we stood by the side of the road. Others followed at approximately two-minute intervals (they begin two minutes apart but rarely finish that way). The quality of riders increased as the day wore on, as they begin the time trial in inverse order of placement.
It is impossible to describe the atmosphere on the slopes of the Alpe. Seeing the suffering and the emotions on the faces of the best bicycle riders in the world on this legendary climb was an incredible experience. It more than lived up to expectation. In fact, it was so far past David's level of expectation that he doesn't remember what he had hoped to see. The stage ended (for us) in spectacular fashion, as our man Lance flew past us, moments before catching his two-minute man Ivan Basso.
With the excitement of the stage past us, reality eventually set in, as the challenge getting off the million-fan mountain presented itself. Apparently, the first bus to leave the slopes was schedulded to do so roughly 24 hours after the end of the stage. We passed the time quite pleasantly chatting with our (disappointed) German nieghbors and our good buddies Rob and Keith. Also, Rob and Keith went with us on a little hike the next morning which put us high above the ski resort, offerng spectacular ("scary" -- David) views of the feared 21 switchbacks up to l'Alpe d'Huez and the surrounding mountains.
Eventually we caught our bus, and began our curiously long trip to our next stop, Lac Léman, a.k.a. Lake Geneva.
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