Heaven in Portes du Soleil

Our group (12 of us in total) stayed at a private chalet with our own chef, a hot tub, sauna, and was walking distance to some slopes.  We commonly started our skiing at another resort nearby, so the chalet owners drove us over to another starting point and went skiing themselves.  Sometimes the ice sheets in the parking lots would melt during the day, leading to unintended collisions!

Car collision due to melting ice

During the days we sampled the local cuisine by eating lunch on the mountain.  This dining style was quite different than the cafeteria-style eateries I’m used to at West Virginia ski resorts.  While the weather was nice, we sat outside enjoying the sun and taking a few hours break to eat and drink.  We sampled local French dishes, ate delicious croutes, warmed ourselves with gluhwein, and even drink wine poured out of a keg.

Literally, this was probably the best meal I've ever eaten

They told us the snow we were skiing on would eventually become Evian water

The croutes were delicious omelet-type things

Gluhwein is warmed wine with spices, served here in the sweet little mug

The skiing conditions were very good, just not fantastic.  There was a decent amount of snow when we got there, but it warmed up during the week and didn’t start snowing significantly again until the end of the week.  We found some places at lower elevations that had dirt exposed on the runs, while other places higher up, hidden in the valleys had fantastic powder.  Everyone was saying that the whole year hadn’t been a fantastic snow year, but we still had a blast with what we got!

One of the fantastic powdered valleys near Avoriaz

Avoriaz - cool town with no driving. Only walking, skiing, or horse drawn carriage.

Self photo at Les Tetes du Midi

Lindsey kicked butt (and made it down this whole run without falling)

Apres ski was filled with rest and relaxation after a tough day of skiing.  This usually involved some combination of the following: a book, alcoholic drinks, the sauna, and a long time in the hot tub.  After our relaxation came the 4 course dinner which was prepared for us by the loving Czech couple.  Every night had something different and the meals were delicious.  My favorite part was the nightly local cheese sampling that came after dinner.

Part of the group, relaxing in the hot tub

Nice view from the hot tub

Some nights we stayed in and relaxed.  Other nights we went out on the town.  The town, Chatel, was a good size - not too big, not too small; and it seemed like every night had a different “spot” to be at.  We managed to find a pretty cool local music festival, an abondance cow, and some interesting drink containers..

Local folk music

The famous cows of the region - Abondance

More efficient than a pitcher

All in all we had a great trip and really enjoyed the area.  Can’t wait to go back!

Next year?

March was an especially fun trip since Courtney and Eric were able to join us!  We decided to go to Prague while they were visiting us in Den Haag since neither had been and it seemed like a really cool city (and we had heard such great things about it).  We were not disappointed!

We arrived in Prague late Wednesday night checked into our awesome apartments - I would recommend to anyone staying in Prague as they were very spacious and affordable!  We were able to go to a pub for some delicious grub and beer that night - Prague beer, I must say, is quite delicious.  A great way to help us get to sleep that night ;).

On our first day of site seeing we walked over the Charles Bridge on our way to Prague Castle.  It was really neat with all of the statues lining the bridge, but unfortunately, like many other famous landmarks in Europe, there was scaffolding all over it in order for the city to do restoration work on the bridge.  Either way, each statue on the bridge was really unique and it was interesting to try to figure out the meaning behind each of the statues.  After we fought our way through the crowds on the bridge, we headed to our next stop, Loreto Palace.

Entrance to the Charles Bridge

Statues on the Charles Bridge

Loreto Palace is a beautiful religious building quite near the Prague Castle.  While I would like to say that we went there to see the history of this Catholic site, we really went there to check out the painting of a bearded woman hanging on a cross. The painting is of St. Starosta, or Vilgefortis, who, after taking a vow of virginity, was forced to marry the king of Sicily. The story is that God, taking pity on the woman, gave her facial hair to make her undesirable.  Again, all very fascinating, but we just wanted to see the picture I must say it was not all that interesting, and unfortunately pictures were not allowed, but we were able to snap a few shots of the inside of the Loreto which was very pretty.

Inside the Loreto Palace

We finally made our way to Prague Castle, home of the Czech government leaders (including the President - who we saw!).  It is also the location of the famous St. Vitus Cathedral.  The entrance to the castle was much like the architecture of the rest of the city - very ornate with lots of gold mixed into wrought iron.  Once inside the castle walls, we were able to get lots of great views of the city along our walk on the grounds.  We visited the Golden Lane, which had lots of little shops and historical information on the torture chambers that used to be inside the castle walls, and finally the grand Saint Vitus Cathedral.

Looking out a window on the Golden Lane

Saint Vitus Cathedral was as beautiful as everyone promised.  The gothic architecture was incredible and the stained glass windows were stunning inside the church.  Matt was able to get some great shots of this!

Outside Saint Vitus Cathedral

Stained glass

After the Castle we went to a great couple of really cool pubs that we found in our guide book - one was like a German beer hall that served its own brewed beer and the other was a local place that we would NEVER have found unless we were given the address.  It was really fun to hang out with the local old men at the bar :).

After a long day, our last stop was the Astronomical Clock in the heart of Old Town Square (where our hotel was).  We had seen this clock many times, but each hour all of the figures surrounding the clock are animated and accompanied by live trumpets and chiming bells.  The clock consists of 3 parts: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; “The Walk of the Apostles”, a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.  A huge tourist trap each hour, but very fun to watch.

Astronomical Clock

Courtney and Eric in Old Town Square by the Astronomical CLock

Me and Matt watching the show

That night we went to dinner at Kolkovna, which is the “official” Pilsner Urquel restaurant.  It definitely had some great Pilsner, but also had delicious food of cabbage pancakes, goulash, and pork.  Fantastic!

The next day we toured the Jewish Quarter in Prague (Josefov).  This was very interesting as we were able to see Old Jewish Cemetery.  The Jewish Cemetery was in use from the early 15th century (the oldest preserved tombstone, the one of Avigdor Kara, dates back to 1439) until 1787.  There are ~100,000 burials on the site, which is incredible as the size of the cemetery is only about the size of one square block.

Gravestones in the Old Jewish Cemetery

We were also able to tour several of the synagogues inside the walled quarter, including the Maisel, Pinkas, and Spanish Synagogues which provided a chronological history of the jews in Prague.  I found the area to be fascinating and certainly learned a lot.

Our tour of the Jewish Quarter only took the first half of the day so we were able to relax and enjoy the city in the afternoon.  We saw lots of statues and outdoor sites (include a statue of Kafka which Courtney and I naturally had to imitate), Wenceclas Square, and for our final stop, a bar that you can compete against other tables for the number of beers you consume - we said it was an excuse to watch March Madness, but we certainly got into the competitive spirit

At the Kafka Statue

At the bar - blurry picture but someone else took it!

We finished the night at a traditional Czech restaurant with live music for entertainment.  A very fun day!

On our last day in Prague we did some more strolling around the city and saw some other interesting sites including Powder Tower, St Agnes of Bohemia Convent, and some other random churches.

Powder Tower and the Municipal House

Inside the convent

It was a nice way to end our trip, but unfortunately it meant we had to go back to the Hague and Courtney and Eric had to go home.  We had so much fun with them here and look forward to their next visit (hint, hint )!  Check out the rest of our pictures of Prague here!

At the beginning of April Matt and I had had enough of the cold Dutch weather and we thought going to Spain would be a good idea to get us out of the winter funk.  Boy were we right!

We arrived in Barcelona on a Friday afternoon and were very hungry so decided to stop to get some tapas.

Tapas!

You can’t tell me you aren’t looking at that picture and drooling.  They were SO good!  We checked into our hotel which was right on the harbor and decided to take a stroll to check out some of the city.  Our first stop was the beach.  The beach was manmade but either way it was nice to sit in the sun and check out the, um, interesting sites.

Please notice the fully nude guy in the background near the bicycle

We then continued our hike up to Montjuic.  Montjuic is a hill overlooking Barcelona that has a large castle, several gardens along the hike, and a great view of the city.  We were hot and tired once we got up there, but it was well worth the views (see the picture at the beginning of the post).

We then hiked down to the Catalan Museum of Art to see the “Magic Fountain”.  It was essentially a light show on the fountain but it was really neat to watch.  Kind of like Barcelona’s version of the Belagio fountain show.

The Magic Fountain mid-show

After getting a good night’s sleep, the next day we ventured out for more site seeing.  We went to La Boqueria which is Barcelona’s farmer’s market.  The fresh veggies, meats, and fish looked incredible but it was too early in the morning for a meal so we just stared at it all for awhile

Starting to drool....

Almost there....

Drooling

Next we went on a tour of all of Gaudi’s famous architecture.  We started with La Casa Mila and Casa Batllo along the Passage de Gracia.  They were incredibly interesting from the outside although we didn’t go in because of the very long lines.  But they were great to just admire.  He was building these in the early 1900s which makes me appreciate them even more.

Casa Batllo

Casa Mila

Next we went to see Gaudi’s most famous work, La Sagrada Familia.  This was probably one of the coolest things we saw in Barcelona and it was worth every minute of the 2 hour wait to see it!  La Sagrada Familia is a cathedral that Guadi began building in 1882 and it is still under construction. He designed it to have 18 towers, 12 for the 12 apostles, 4 for the 4 evangelists, one for Mary and one for Jesus.  There is a huge amount of symbolism in every nook and cranny of the cathedral (the audio guide was very helpful!).  Currently the cathedral development is set to finish in 2026, the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death.  All funds from the entrance fee go towards building the church.  It was fascinating to see this cathedral in progress, and I don’t think I will ever see another one like it again.  If you ever go to Barcelona, this is a must see.

Outside of La Sagrada Familia

Details on the outside of the church

Inside the church; the columns were designed to look like trees as they reached the ceiling

After a bite to eat in Placa del Sol, we went to the park that Gaudi built - the Parc Guell.  This was also very cool and quite relaxing after a lot of walking around Barcelona.  The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site but Gaudi used it to be a bit of an urban getaway.  The park is full of Gaudi architectural influences and there were lots of people just hanging out, listening to music, and enjoying the sun.  The best way to enjoy the sun was in the ergonomically designed park benches that were perfectly contoured to your back!

Inside Parc Guell

Another view - the park was huge and there were lots of interesting things to see

After touring through the park we wandered to get some churros con chocolate, rested, and had a lovely seafood dinner along the harbor.  It was a great way to end our quick trip to Barcelona!  As always, feel free to check out all of our pictures here!

Since Matt was going to be in Lisbon for work for a week, we decided it would be the perfect opportunity for the both of us to go  (Matt’s travel paid for by work!) and see a city we had heard wonderful things about.  Not to mention, it was a great chance to get away from the winter weather in the Hague and go to much more “spring-like” climate!

We arrived Friday night and took a taxi to our B&B where we were met by the best host we could have ever had in Lisbon - Luis of Zuza Bed and Breakfast.  He showed us our room (which had snacks and port for us to try!) and sat down with us to talk about our plans.  He also gave us a cell phone so we could call him in case we had any questions while in Lisbon (he was true to his word-  I can’t rave enough about this place). It was relatively early (around 9pm) and he recommended a place to try Portuguese cheese and port in Barrio Alto - it was SO good!  After that we ran into Luis and he treated us to a drink at a bar outside the B&B.  It was a great first night in the city!

The next morning we ate breakfast and ventured into the city.  We walked through Baixa and Alfama (the historic area - all of the streets are tiny and the houses are lined with tiles - very cool) and went to a flea market where we picked up some pottery at a great price.  We then walked to the Castle St. George which sits on top of the highest hill in Lisbon.

One of the many tiled houses in Alfama...

...and very narrow streets!

The views from the castle were great and we could see many things that we couldn’t while walking through the city, including the Cristo Rei - its a big statue of Jesus (looks like the famous one in Brazil) and overlooks the city of Lisbon from across the river.  It was pretty foggy on the river the day we went to the Castle so we got some interesting shots of it.

View from the top of Castle St. George

Cristo Rei over Matt's left shoulder

Inside the Castle - so pretty

After the Castle, we grabbed lunch at a great spot in Chiado (A Brasileira - apparently a gathering for Portuguese literati) where we got salted cod (a Lisbon specialty) and another fish dish.  We then decided it would be a great time to do some port tasting- we went to the Instituto Do Vinho Do Porto - or the Port Wine Institute - to taste all sorts of different ports for 1-5 euro per tasting.  It was a great way to figure out what we liked - we even picked up a delicious 10 year tawny.  This is the port we realized we really like and was in our price range - we may be new port drinkers!

We rested a bit at the B&B after the tasting and then had a great dinner at a restaurant at Barrio Alto recommended by Luis.  We filled up on great portuguese dishes and then made our way back to the B&B to get some well needed rest.

Sunday was rainy, but we decided to go to Sintra which was about a 45 minute train ride outside of Lisbon.  Then entire town is a UNESCO Historic Site so we knew we would have a lot to see.  We got there late morning and hiked up to the highest point in the town to see Pena Palace. This is apparently one of the most beautiful castles in the world, with an amazing view - unfortunately we could not even see the outside of the castle because it was so foggy!!! Nonetheless, the inside of the castle was extremely pretty and very interesting - we thought it was a better interior than any of the castles we saw in France.  After viewing the castle, we took a bus down as the rain had really picked up.

View during the hike up to Pena Palace

Lots of fog at Pena Palace

Our next stop was Quinta da Regaleira - a very neat Harry Potter-esque castle just outside the center of the town.  There were mystical gardens and hidden caves (which you needed a flashlight to traverse) all throughout the grounds of the castle - we had a great time exploring!

Quinta da Regaleira

Hopping stones to get into one of the caves!

A small church on the grounds of Quinta - there were caves underneath!

After feeling like wizards at Hogwarts (well at least Lindsey did :)), we went back to Lisbon and settled in for a quiet night of portuguese sausage, wine, and cheese.  It was raining REALLY hard and although we felt bad about not going out, we were not motivated enough to brave the weather.

Monday morning we slept in and I had to go back to Den Haag, while Matt got to stay in Lisbon for the rest of the week for work.  I was extremely jealous as Lisbon was such an awesome city - we would both go back in a heartbeat.  Check out our pics here!

The next day we got up early and made our way to the bus station to visit Blarney.  Along the way, Matt got a fantastic shot of the River Lee which runs right through the middle of Cork.  Looks like the camera is paying off!

Cork and the River Lee

It took about 20 minutes by bus to get to Blarney so we were able to see some of the countryside.  When we arrived, it was VERY foggy, a bit rainy, and cold, but we decided to brave the weather and walk around the grounds of the castle for a bit.  There were many interesting things, including an “enchanted” forest, and some beautiful gardens and waterfalls.

Matt in the Enchanted Forest

We finally made up to the castle and walked through the building and up to the top where we got to kiss the stone and per legend, get the gift of gab!

Blarney Castle

Lindsey kissing the Blarney Stone

Matt kissing the Blarney Stone

After walking around some more we the fog finally lifted and we were off to a great start of the day.  Our next stop was the Jameson distillery in Midleton.  We took a very interesting tour, and even got to do a bit of whisky tasting!

Lindsey doing some whiskey tasting

After the Jameson tour, we made our way back to Cork and had a delicious Irish meal and another great night at a local pub where they were playing traditional irish music, fiddles and all

The next day we wandered around Cork a bit before got on the train to our next destination - Dublin.  We saw many of the historic sites in the city and also went to the English Market which was a huge indoor market full of fresh meats and veggies.

After the market, we spent the rest of the afternoon on the train to Dublin. As soon as we got there we checked into our hotel and started exploring.  We walked and saw the Molly Malone statue (big boobs and all) and grabbed dinner in the Temple Bar area.  At that point it was fairly late so we decided to go back to the hotel and rest up for our next big day of siteseeing.

Matt admiring Molly ;)

Sunday we started the day by viewing St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The church was absolutely beautiful and was actually the site Handel played The Messiah for the first time in Ireland.

Handel's Messiah

Inside St. Patricks Cathedral

We looked around the church and then walked to Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells.  The college itself was interesting as it was completely gated so you could only enter the campus from certain points along the street. Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures of the Book of Kells or of the Library where the Book is held (which was incredibly impressive with books stacked what appeared to be 4 or 5 stories high), but if you ever go to Dublin it is a must see. Very interesting!

Entrance to Trinity College

Our sightseeing continued after lunch where we saw Christ Church.  This is the “state church” where the Irish government attends Mass.  We were able to explore the inside of the church as well as the crypts below the church.  The crypts were very cool and had some very old, interesting things in them-  even had some gallows from the 1600s!

Inside of Christ Church where the choir was practicing

Lindsey inside the crypt

Our final stop for the day was the Guinness factory.  This was pretty typical for a brewery tour but the Guinness you got at the end was the best Guinness you will ever taste.  It was divine - AND it came with a 360 degree view of Dublin!

Outside the Guinness factory in Dublin

Tasty Guinness with an awesome view!

After a long day of touring, we were starving so we stopped in the oldest bar in Dublin for another tasty Guinness and some well needed rest.  We then went to the Temple Bar area again for a tasty dinner of Irish meats and cheeses and some local brews.  Overall a very successful day!

The next day was our last day in Ireland so we did a bit more wandering- we saw St. Stephen’s Green which was a beautiful park in the middle of the city and also saw some of the local shopping areas.  By late morning, we unfortunately had to catch a plane back to Den Haag, but despite the weather, we really enjoyed Ireland and would love to go back again!  If you’d like to see all of our pictures, check them out here and here!

Traitor's Gate in the London Tower

Beefeater giving a tour in the Tower of London

The Beefeater gave us a tour of the grounds, showed us the Inner Ward, the famous ravens, and an old church.  After this, we went into see the crown jewels, which was impressive, especially with no other tourists around to share them with.  We also viewed an exhibition, “Dressed to Kill”, on the history of armor which was very interesting.

Inner Ward of the Tower of London - Anne Boleyn stayed here

Tower Bridge - much more appealing than London Bridge!

After the Tower of London, we walked around the town to see some of the major sights.  We walked on the London Bridge and checked out St Paul’s Cathedral.

London Bridge is falling down! (Lindsey made me take this picture)

St Paul's Cathedral - remind you of a building in the USA?

We ultimately made our way over to the Government section of town to see the PM’s house at 10 Downing Street (not too impressive, the Parliament building and Big Ben (very impressive), and Westminster Abbey (excellent).

Lindsey in the phone booth - mandatory tourist shot

Lindsey in front of Big Ben and the Parliament

Westminster Abbey - just getting out of the tube

We spent the better part of the afternoon in Westminster Abbey.  We started off with getting a tour by one of the Abbey vergers.  The Abbey has a number of vergers that are non-religious positions used to support the church and its operations.  The verger took us around the entire church, showing all of the great people that are buried there, including Darwin, Dickens, and William & Mary.  The verger recommended we stay for that night’s evensong and saved us a seat in the pews nearby the young boys who sing there - the service was exceptional. We topped off our night with a visit to a Cornish pub recommended by our friend Rob, which did not disappoint - offering a good selection of tasty cask ales.

The next day we started off with a walk through Hyde Park.  This large park was quite nice and was just nextdoor to Harrod’s Department store, which we went to after the walk.  The department store was amazing - unlike any other department store we’ve been to before.  They had a huge Wizard of Oz display in the display windows and outside the store.

Birds in Hyde Park

Harrod's Christmas display of the Wizard of Oz

After Harrod’s we went over to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.  The place was packed with tourists, but we stll managed to get a decent spot nearby a statue in front of the palace.  The show itself was interesting, but probably something we don’t need to do again.

Statue in front of Buckingham Palace

Guards at Buckingham Palace

Next we went to check out some of the shopping areas in the middle of town, including Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.  There was a lot going on around these areas, as there was a shopping festival being held to get people out shopping for Christmas.

Green Man on Piccadilly Circus

Lindsey in front of the trademark sight in Piccadilly Circus

That night we went to dinner and a show at one of the theaters around Leicester Square.  We saw 39 Steps - a comedy play adapted from the Hitchcock film.  It was in a quaint, old theater, so we felt like we got a good experience.

Lindsey with our theater tickets - 39 Steps

On the last day we went to the British Museum before we left town.  The highlights of this were the Assyrian, Eqyptian, and Greek exhibits.  On really cool part was the special exhibit on the pieces from the Parthenon.  In the early 1800s, Lord Elgin legally obtained the pieces from the Greek government, because they were unable to care for them.  The whole exhibit is a controversy now, as Greece maintains it’s able to care for the marbles now, but the British do not want to give them back.

Cool atrium in the British Museum

A pretty important stone - the Rosetta Stone

No trip to London would be complete without seeing some Harry Potter fanfare.  We saw the Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter novels, which is the start of the track for Hogwart’s Express.

The 9 3/4 track from Harry Potter

We ended our trip with a nice Sunday meal, taking advantage of the many Sunday roasts available.  The food in this country was perfect for cold weather food that will warm you up!

Loved the food in London - finishing off the weekend with a Sunday Roast

Click here for a link to all of our pictures from London!

In mid-November we joined four of our friends to explore the city of Istanbul!  We were very excited about this trip as we had heard such great things about the city and its culture.  We arrived on a Friday evening after a long day of traveling and decided to explore the city by foot before we grabbed dinner.  We were able to get some great pictures of the major sites at night, and it was a good primer since we were going to tour many of these sites during our trip.

Blue Mosque at Night

After sightseeing we got to have one of our many delicious meals during our trip.  Mediterranean influences meant we had lots of stuffed grape leaves, lamb, hummus, and other amazing things.  The first night we had food that came in clay pots which were broken to reveal the meal.  Its was SO good (although you did have to watch out for the bits of clay!).

Our food came out in these clay pots. They broke open the pot to serve us the meal

We went out for a few drinks after our meal and then went to bed to prepare for our first day of real touring.

On Saturday morning we arranged a boat cruise along the Bosphorus Strait.  We began by taking a bus up to Pierre Loti, which was a lookout point that was name after a French novelist who used to write there.  We had great views of the city, although it was very foggy so it could have been better.  Definitely unique to have Turkish coffee atop the hill though (little known fact:  if you can read the pattern leftover from your grinds in your coffee to tell your fortune)!

Matt and Jeff having Turkish coffee atop Pierre Loti

After taking in the view we began our boat tour.  We started by touring the European side of Istanbul and then turned around and made our way down the Asian side (first picture in the post is from this tour). This was really neat because we got to see a lot of the city that we wouldn’t have gone too except for this cruise.

In the afternoon we made our way to the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar.  The spice market was incredible-  so many colors and so many different spices!  We ended up getting some Iranian saffron and some Turkish Delights there.

Spices in the Spice Market

In both the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar the shop owners constantly stopped you and asked you “You want to spend your money?  Come into my shop.  I can help you.”  Haha  This was a bit annoying, but it was worth it to be in that atmosphere for a bit.  In the Grand Bazaar we did a bit of rug browsing-  we saw some absolutely beautiful rugs there, but did not end up buying one (although we probably should have).

Later that afternoon we decided to try some Hookah at the local bar.  No worries- only smoking dried fruits but it was a great experience.  That night we ventured to Taksim Square which was the center of much of the nightlife in Istanbul.  We had fun exploring some of the different bars and restaurants in the area (one in particular had a drag queen singer!).

The next day was our final day of sightseeing and we went out in full force.  We hired a tour guide who provided us all of the history and interesting details of each of the sights.  We saw the inside of the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome area, Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, and the Cistern.  So many places and so much history!  Out of all of these I think Hagia Sophia (or the Eye of Sophia) was the most interesting.  It was originally a Christian church, but when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, it was converted into a Mosque and most of the beautiful mosaics were plastered over.  This plaster is now coming off today and revealing many of these mosaics.  It was fascinating!  We took many pictures at each of the sites and all can be found here.

Egyptian Obelisk

Inside the Blue Mosque

This is an example of the christian art in the Hagia Sophia- it was all gold crusted mosaics covered over by plaster from the Ottoman Turks

That night we had another delicious dinner down by the harbor.  It was incredibly fun and seemed very traditional.  We were served Raki (a digestif/appertif very popular in Turkey) and had musicians playing for us in the restaurant.  We then went to our favorite bar right near our hotel (the bartender/owner was actually from Richmond!).  A great way to end our trip!

Overall I think Turkey was one of the most interesting trips that we have done so far due to the cultural differences that we experienced.  The call to prayers went off every day, five times a day which was something most of us had not heard before.  The food was very different but extremely delicious!  And the city was beautiful.  What more can we say-  we need to go back to Turkey another time!

View atop Topkapi Palace

The whole group - Jeff, Matt, Lindsey, Erik, Katie, and Chris - outside of the Hagia Sophia

Ad for Altenahr Wine Festival

In October, as the leaves started turning from green to brown in the Netherlands, we decided to leave the country to find some good old fashion fall colors.  We took the train from Den Haag to Cologne, and from there took the regional train down to the Ahr Valley.  The Ahr Valley’s main attraction is the wonderful “Rotweinwanderweg”, or the Red Wine Hiking Trail.  This 35 kilometer (21 mile) long path winds through the vineyard terraces and connects the winegrower’s villages in the “Valley of the Red Grape”.  The plan was to start in Altenahr, at the westernmost point of the trail, then hike our way eastward until we reached the town of Ahrweiler.

Lindsey looking at the trail map for the Red Wine Hiking Trail

We found a hotel in the town of Mayschoss, which happened to be having a wine festival that weekend.  This small town, with a population of 1000, must have tripled in size that weekend for the numerous tourists coming to taste the wine.  They had plenty of wine caves and tasting rooms to accommodate the wine purchasers.

One of the many wine cellars around the region

Upon arriving late Friday night we headed out to grab dinner at a local restaurant, but forgot to bring our German dictionary.  The menu was entirely in German and the waiter didn’t speak any English, which made the experience that much more interesting.  The next morning we got an early start in the town of Altenahr, then began hiking eastward.

A typical view in one of the many small villages we explored. This one is Altenahr.

The trail took us high up on the ridge lines, down to the local towns, right through the middle of the vineyards, and through wooded forests.  Every turn surprised us with another fantastic view of a little town.

Many of the villages we passed through were small, picturesque villages. This one is Mayschoss.

We stopped plenty of times to take scenic pictures.  Working on my modeling career here.

Posing, amongst the vines

There were plenty of stops along the trail, with the local wineries offering tastings for cheap prices.  We often stopped to try out the Spatburgunder and Fruhburgunder wines.  They always asked if you wanted the trocken, halbtrocken, or suss wein - translation: dry, half dry, or sweet wines.

They had wine tastings set up along the trail, and let you buy the bottles directly from them.

We found the quality of wines in the region to be fantastic, especially the slightly older and more expensive wines.  We ended up buying (and hiking with) 6 bottles, most of them Spatburgunder trocken wines.

This wine is called "Spatburgunder", which basically means a late harvested burgundy grape. Delicious!

The colors throughout the hikes were gorgeous.  The red grape leaves had started turning color to red, while the white grape leaves had started turning color to yellow.

The colorful changing leaves and delicious grapes

We ended our trip by hiking into the beautiful walled city, Ahrweiler.  This town had plenty of areas to explore with numerous restaurants and shops.

We ended our trip by hiking into the town of Ahrweiler, an old walled city.

This was a fantastic trip, there might need to be a repeat next fall!  Click here to see the entire album of pictures!

After a great time seeing Buffett in Paris, it was time for our first Oktoberfest experience.  A friend at work, Matt, is German and graciously set us (and a group of about 30 others) up with tickets to the tents and hotel reservations.  We left Paris by taking a flight from Charles De Gaulle airport to Munich.  Upon arrival in Munich, we decided to go check out the city before heading down to our hotel.  After figuring out the metro system, we went to the center and walked around town.

A nice park in Munich

We got close to the Englisch Gardens, but never quite made it there.  A friend was there the day before, and got some pictures of people surfing the river that flows through it - pretty cool!

Surfing in the Englisch Gardens, Munich

After our tour around the city, it was time for some beer and German food, so we headed to the famous landmark - the Hofbräuhaus.  This restaurant / beer hall had a great atmosphere, with a full 6-7 person traditional band, picnic table style seating, and delicious food and drink.  We got our first liters beers and pretzels of the trip.

Beer and pretzels at the Hofbrauhaus

Liters of beer

The next day a small group of us took a trek to the Kloster Andechs, an abbey on the western edge of Munich that brews fantastic beer.  After an hour metro ride, we had to hike for about an hour in the woods uphill to reach this place.  Fortunately, it was a beautiful day, so the hike uphill was a welcomed excuse to be outside.  The abbey itself was beautiful from the outside, and although we never thought to go inside, we found out later that it’s even better from the inside.

Andechs Abbey from the outside

The abbey also had a large deck area for hikers - a perfect place for a few beers and some food.  We purchased some excellent haxen (pig’s feet), potato salad, and beers and sat down to enjoy the view.

View from the Andechs Abbey

After spending a few hours relaxing, it was time to head back and buy some Lederhosen and a dirndl before heading out to the tents that night.

Bill's lederhosen

The first night, we went to the Hacker tent, and met up with our British friend Rob and a bunch of his British friends.  They had been at tables outside the tent for about 5 hours by the time we met up with them (and it showed), but they were nice enough to share their limited seating with us.  We hung out with these guys for a while, until we decided to venture into the tent.  Great night overall.

Prost! (Cheers!) A toast with the Brits

Inside of the Hacker tent

This chicken was a bit salty, but delicious

The next day we had to get an early start for the next tent reservation at noon.  Unlike the previous night, this time we were able to fit all 30 of us together at adjacent tables in the Hippodrome tent.  The group made it there on time and started the fun all over again.

The tent on day #2 - Hippodrome

We started off with some traditional Bavarian appetizers placed at the table.  This food was delicious, although I was a little startled when I learned that one of the “spreads” was lard…

The Bavarian spread awaiting our tables

The live band was right in front of us, and each member chugged a full liter of beer before they played a note.  Never seen that before, but it definitely set the mood for the rest of the day.

Simmisamma band, die Oktoberfestband!

It was great day all around, and we all enjoyed each others company and the music/entertainment that the band provided.  I’ll definitely be coming back next year…

The waitresses can carry lots of beers!

See below for a video of the song “Ein Schoner Tag”, which means “A beautiful day”.  This song was a fantastic sing-a-long song and by the end of the day, the entire audience was doing the hand motions that go with the chorus.

Pre-gaming at the Chat Noir

Next we met up with Bill and Maura.

Bill and Maura!

All of us together at the show.  We were 30 feet away from stage and the venue only had 1000 people in it.

The group at La Cigale

The concert was great.  Of course “Fins” was played.

Fins up!

We were really close up!

Signing autographs

We saw this guy throughout the show, so I had to talk with him afterwards.

The ultimate Buffett fan

Walking from the show.

Moulin Rouge

Next up - Oktoberfest.  The next post is coming soon!