Sam and I visited Budapest between our stays in Vienna and Salzburg, and we both count the Hungarian capital as our favorite stop on our trek so far.
The food was outstanding, the architecture was old as always yet different and the people were friendly.
After arriving in the main train station, Sam and I had to take the subway to get to our hostel but couldn’t find where to purchase a couple of one-way tickets.
We were standing at the top of a long escalator and thought we needed a ticket before going down. In London, for example, you have to have a ticket validated before going on any escalators.
So as Sam and I were staring at a subway map trying to decipher Hungarian, a young man walked up to us and simply asked if we needed help.
We explained that we wanted to buy subway tickets, and he told us there would be a ticket counter at the bottom of the escalator.
At first glance we wondered why this guy was approaching two obviously lost Americans, but he just wanted to help.
We probably would have gone down the escalator at some point, but it was nice that the guy helped us out.
Once we checked into our hostel and got a map, we walked down a main boulevard and found a small square with several outdoor cafés.
We chose one on the end and had some traditional Hungarian fare. I had Hungarian goulash and Sam had a Hungarian mushroom soup, both of which had a healthy dose of paprika.
My goulash wasn’t like the Hungarian goulash that’s served outside of Hungary’s borders. That dish is more like a stew with a thick, opaque broth.
The goulash I had was a soup with a thin broth that had chunks of potatoes and beef. It’s not the Hungarian goulash I’m used to, but it was delicious nonetheless.
Sam’s mushroom soup also was exceptional as well. Mushrooms and paprika definitely make a good combination.
After lunch we strolled around the city and found a huge cathedral and a large open square. We snapped a few photos and continued our walk.
Not far from the cathedral we discovered another large square with a large park.
The park wasn’t empty, though, because the city had set up World Cup fan park with a giant television screen and several food and beer vendors.
We got a couple of beers, 0.5 liters apiece that were selling for 400 Hungarian forint — or about $1.80 — and watched the first half of the Mexico-France match that had just started.
We only stayed for a half since there was nowhere to sit on the huge lawn, but it looked as though there were more Mexican fans than French ones in the crowd.
I, of course, can’t root for Mexico being a U.S. soccer fan, but it would have been cool to see the place erupt when Mexico finally scored in the second half.
The next day there was a light drizzle, so we bought two 24-hour subway tickets and took the subway to Budapest great market.
The market sits next to the Danube in an enormous old building that has two floors.
The bottom floor’s vendors sell mostly produce, meats and cheeses while the second floor is reserved for souvenirs, clothing and food stands.
We ate lunch there — more goulash, only this time served over barley-shaped pasta, and a sausage — and then walked down a pedestrian-only street lined with more souvenirs stores.
Because it was still raining, we walked across the city’s main bridge and took pictures of Parliament and the Budapest castle.
The weather was perfect the next day, so we took a subway to the castle.
Budapest is actually two cities — Buda and Pest — that are separated by the Danube. The castle is located in older Buda whereas most of the city’s sights are in Pest, which is also where we were staying.
The castle area in Buda is extremely large and is encompassed by a medieval wall. It also contains one of the most beautiful churches we’ve seen on our trip.
In most churches we’ve seen up to that point, the actual stone walls and spires were left bare.
That’s not the case in Matthias Church.
Every inch of that church is painted, creating an interior that is more stunning than the impressive exterior.
Old flags from the 1800s were also part of the décor of the church, which was the site of the crowning of the Hungarian kings.
It was like stepping back in time, something we’ve felt often on this trip, but never more than walking through that church.
From the church we gazed out over the Pest skyline and then walked to the palace part of the castle grounds.
Budapest was a special place for me to visit because my Grandma Draper was 100 percent Hungarian, making me a quarter Hungarian. Her relatives came from Budapest, so it was doubly interesting walking the same streets my relatives likely walked.
The palace in the castle also was called Sandor Palace, which happens to be my grandma’s maiden name.
Who knows, maybe we are royalty.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Vienna and Salzburg
To save some time and to hopefully get this blog more up to date, I’m combining Vienna and Salzburg into one post even though we didn’t visit the two cities back to back.
They’re both Austrian cities, though, so it works.
Sam and I instantly loved the architecture in Vienna, but we hated the rain.
In fact, we hated the rain in Salzburg, too.
We’ve had really great weather up until Vienna, but then our luck ran out. The rain didn’t stop for the two days, June 16-17, that we were there.
Because of that, Sam and I feel like we missed out on really walking around Vienna’s city center.
We weren’t, however, stuck in our hotel room both days.
When we arrived, we took a subway to the museum area and saw the natural history museum and the art museum, two gigantic buildings that face one another and are separated by a monument of Maria Theresia, a figurehead of the Hapsburg dynasty.
From the museums we walked by the Austrian Parliament building and then came up to the massive Vienna Rathaus, or city hall.
In German, Rathaus is the name for the city hall.
What a perfect name for the place where politicians meet—Rathaus.
After the Rathaus, we strolled to a former Hapsburg Palace that has now been turned into a library and museum.
With the rain still pouring the next day, we picked some inside activities and took a subway to the middle of town to see the Gothic-styleed Stephansdom, or St. Stephan’s Cathedral, which was built in the 13th century.
The stained-glass windows were stunning, as were the numerous sculptures that lined the hallways of the cathedral.
From there, we took a subway to Schloss Schonbrunn, the summer palace of the Hapsburgs.
The palace has 1,441 rooms, but tours only go through 40 rooms or 22 rooms, depending on how much you want to pay.
We did the 22-room tour and could only imagine what it must have been like to live in a place so big.
After the palace, we went back to the museum area and spent a few hours inside the museum of natural history.
The museum had a very interesting interactive display about how the earth was formed and an impressive rock collection, which included a golden nugget the size of a footstool. There also were numerous rooms full of stuffed animals, though not the cuddly kind. From monkeys and gorillas to birds and reptiles, the museum displayed thousands of animal species.
That night we ate at a Pakistani place frequented by college students—probably because there was no set price, just pay what you want—and then indulged on some sweets from a corner bakery.
Sam ordered a piece of chocolate cake and I had a Napoleon with banana and vanilla crème.
We both concluded the Napoleon was the best.
***
Salzburg is a beautiful city in the Alps, and luckily we got a glimpse of them the second day we were there as the rain finally let up.
We toured the ancient castle that overlooks the city and went into a couple of the many churches that dot the town.
Sam and I both had a better feeling about Salzburg than Vienna, probably because we got to spend some time actually walking the streets of Salzburg.
Even though it’s only a town of about 160,000, there are two large pedestrian-only areas where you’re free to stroll without worrying about oncoming traffic. Small shops and cafes lined the pedestrian-only streets. Some shops were full of jewelry and clothes while others were full of specialty stores selling “Motzart chocolate.” Sam and I didn’t try the chocolate, but figured it tasted the same as all the others… great.
Large parks are everywhere, too, including a nice flower garden surrounding Schloss Mirabell, a former palace that now houses the city’s administrative offices. We walked through the city all day and decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant for dinner. You don’t think of Chinese in a place like Vienna, but we had had enough of Schnitzel.
Because Sam and I were taking the night train to Venice, which left at 1:34 a.m., we spent a couple of hours in a place called Afro Café, which is decked out in retro furniture and has, you guessed it, afros everywhere.
In the city of Mozart’s birthplace, the Afro Café is the last thing you’d expect in Salzburg.
But the service was great, as was the wine, coffee and tea.
Sam and I were glad we came upon it.
They’re both Austrian cities, though, so it works.
Sam and I instantly loved the architecture in Vienna, but we hated the rain.
In fact, we hated the rain in Salzburg, too.
We’ve had really great weather up until Vienna, but then our luck ran out. The rain didn’t stop for the two days, June 16-17, that we were there.
Because of that, Sam and I feel like we missed out on really walking around Vienna’s city center.
We weren’t, however, stuck in our hotel room both days.
When we arrived, we took a subway to the museum area and saw the natural history museum and the art museum, two gigantic buildings that face one another and are separated by a monument of Maria Theresia, a figurehead of the Hapsburg dynasty.
From the museums we walked by the Austrian Parliament building and then came up to the massive Vienna Rathaus, or city hall.
In German, Rathaus is the name for the city hall.
What a perfect name for the place where politicians meet—Rathaus.
After the Rathaus, we strolled to a former Hapsburg Palace that has now been turned into a library and museum.
With the rain still pouring the next day, we picked some inside activities and took a subway to the middle of town to see the Gothic-styleed Stephansdom, or St. Stephan’s Cathedral, which was built in the 13th century.
The stained-glass windows were stunning, as were the numerous sculptures that lined the hallways of the cathedral.
From there, we took a subway to Schloss Schonbrunn, the summer palace of the Hapsburgs.
The palace has 1,441 rooms, but tours only go through 40 rooms or 22 rooms, depending on how much you want to pay.
We did the 22-room tour and could only imagine what it must have been like to live in a place so big.
After the palace, we went back to the museum area and spent a few hours inside the museum of natural history.
The museum had a very interesting interactive display about how the earth was formed and an impressive rock collection, which included a golden nugget the size of a footstool. There also were numerous rooms full of stuffed animals, though not the cuddly kind. From monkeys and gorillas to birds and reptiles, the museum displayed thousands of animal species.
That night we ate at a Pakistani place frequented by college students—probably because there was no set price, just pay what you want—and then indulged on some sweets from a corner bakery.
Sam ordered a piece of chocolate cake and I had a Napoleon with banana and vanilla crème.
We both concluded the Napoleon was the best.
***
Salzburg is a beautiful city in the Alps, and luckily we got a glimpse of them the second day we were there as the rain finally let up.
We toured the ancient castle that overlooks the city and went into a couple of the many churches that dot the town.
Sam and I both had a better feeling about Salzburg than Vienna, probably because we got to spend some time actually walking the streets of Salzburg.
Even though it’s only a town of about 160,000, there are two large pedestrian-only areas where you’re free to stroll without worrying about oncoming traffic. Small shops and cafes lined the pedestrian-only streets. Some shops were full of jewelry and clothes while others were full of specialty stores selling “Motzart chocolate.” Sam and I didn’t try the chocolate, but figured it tasted the same as all the others… great.
Large parks are everywhere, too, including a nice flower garden surrounding Schloss Mirabell, a former palace that now houses the city’s administrative offices. We walked through the city all day and decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant for dinner. You don’t think of Chinese in a place like Vienna, but we had had enough of Schnitzel.
Because Sam and I were taking the night train to Venice, which left at 1:34 a.m., we spent a couple of hours in a place called Afro Café, which is decked out in retro furniture and has, you guessed it, afros everywhere.
In the city of Mozart’s birthplace, the Afro Café is the last thing you’d expect in Salzburg.
But the service was great, as was the wine, coffee and tea.
Sam and I were glad we came upon it.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Prague
I’ve only heard glowing reviews from people who have visited Prague, so my expectations were high as Sam and I boarded a train for the Czech Republic capital.
Those expectations were met, although not at first.
The main train station in Prague, a gorgeous old building with twin towers, is being renovated, so passengers exit from the rear to a small park.
It’s a bit run-down looking and kind of dirty, so my initial impression was “welcome to eastern Europe.”
Once you walk away from the train station, though, and into the heart of the old city, everything changes.
Streets wind and curve down narrow passageways and there are seemingly gigantic churches with tall steeples everywhere you turn.
And those are just the normal streets in the city’s “Old Town” area.
When you make it to the Vltava River, the enormous Prague castle with its huge gothic cathedral looms on a hill overlooking the city.
What a view.
Sam and I did another free walking tour that took us all through the city and included the following sites: the Tyn Church, Jan Hus Monument and the Old Town Hall with it’s astronomical clock, which are all located in Staromestke nam, or the Old Town Square. We also saw Wenceslas Square, the Prague Opera House, the last remaining gate of the old circular wall that used to surround the city and a basilica that had the most ornate altars Sam and I had ever seen.
We also were told about the Charles Bridge, the oldest of Prague’s bridges, and the thinking behind the construction of its many statues.
Since we were in Prague from June 19-21, Sam and I did a lot of walking and even more backtracking, as I could never quite get my bearings.
I’m fairly good with directions and knowing which way to turn — thanks Domino’s — but Prague proved very difficult for me to navigate. Sam on the other hand, strangely, knew roughly where we were. She joked it was because this is where her family is from. She did in fact find some Zvolanek’s in the phonebook. As soon as we passed a Phone booth she was in there thumbing through the pages.
We never got totally lost, but we rarely walked straight to our destination.
There are worse places than Prague to take a detour.
Along with the local culture, Sam and I made a point to sample the local cuisine as well.
The Czechs know what they’re doing when it comes to beer and goulash.
We found a restaurant off the beaten path and had traditional Czech garlic soup, goulash and beer for dinner.
It was fantastic.
Those expectations were met, although not at first.
The main train station in Prague, a gorgeous old building with twin towers, is being renovated, so passengers exit from the rear to a small park.
It’s a bit run-down looking and kind of dirty, so my initial impression was “welcome to eastern Europe.”
Once you walk away from the train station, though, and into the heart of the old city, everything changes.
Streets wind and curve down narrow passageways and there are seemingly gigantic churches with tall steeples everywhere you turn.
And those are just the normal streets in the city’s “Old Town” area.
When you make it to the Vltava River, the enormous Prague castle with its huge gothic cathedral looms on a hill overlooking the city.
What a view.
Sam and I did another free walking tour that took us all through the city and included the following sites: the Tyn Church, Jan Hus Monument and the Old Town Hall with it’s astronomical clock, which are all located in Staromestke nam, or the Old Town Square. We also saw Wenceslas Square, the Prague Opera House, the last remaining gate of the old circular wall that used to surround the city and a basilica that had the most ornate altars Sam and I had ever seen.
We also were told about the Charles Bridge, the oldest of Prague’s bridges, and the thinking behind the construction of its many statues.
Since we were in Prague from June 19-21, Sam and I did a lot of walking and even more backtracking, as I could never quite get my bearings.
I’m fairly good with directions and knowing which way to turn — thanks Domino’s — but Prague proved very difficult for me to navigate. Sam on the other hand, strangely, knew roughly where we were. She joked it was because this is where her family is from. She did in fact find some Zvolanek’s in the phonebook. As soon as we passed a Phone booth she was in there thumbing through the pages.
We never got totally lost, but we rarely walked straight to our destination.
There are worse places than Prague to take a detour.
Along with the local culture, Sam and I made a point to sample the local cuisine as well.
The Czechs know what they’re doing when it comes to beer and goulash.
We found a restaurant off the beaten path and had traditional Czech garlic soup, goulash and beer for dinner.
It was fantastic.
Berlin
After being in the countryside of eastern Germany for a few days, Berlin felt gigantic and a little overwhelming at first.
It is a huge city, after all, with more than 3 million inhabitants. But Sam and I quickly felt at ease since Steph speaks fluent German. Deanna came with us too, so we had a pack of Americans touring Berlin. Plus we were meeting up with some of Steph’s friends to make a total of 7.
We arrived at the main train station in Berlin and easily found a connecting train to the Charlottenburg area where we were staying.
After settling in to our hostel and taking a rest for a couple of hours, the four of us went back to the main train station and then walked toward the Reichstag, which houses the German Parliament.
At the Reichstag, we took an elevator up to the top of the building where there are great views of Berlin as well as a free audio tour describing the various buildings and monuments seen in the distance.
Berlin is an impressive city with so many interesting historical stories everywhere you look.
It’s hard to imagine that the city was divided for so long and that people were forbidden to walk from the Tiergarten under the Brandenburger Tor to the eastern part of Berlin.
We got a full lesson in Berlin history the next day when we participated in a free, three-hour walking tour that led around the main sites in the city.
We saw part of the Berlin Wall and the famous Checkpoint Charlie.
I’m glad we did the walk, mostly because of all the history and the stories we heard about what life was like in a city divided.
The best tale our tour guide, George, from Missouri of all places, told us about was people from the east trying to cross to the west.
A couple of guys from east Berlin dressed up in a cow costume, one as the head and another as the tail, and walked, slowly, across a field in the outskirts of the city to their freedom.
Simplicity usually is the best policy isn’t it?
After the tour we met up with Anna and Felix, who arrived in Berlin a day after we did, and had some lunch while watching the opening match of the 2010 World Cup.
Unlike the U.S., Europeans go crazy for the World Cup.
At the main train station, a couple of nearby restaurants set up huge outdoor screens and offered special drink specials for people who wanted to watch.
And outside of almost every restaurant or café we passed on the street there was a placard with the schedule of the games that day.
It’s awesome.
After our lunch we just strolled around the city and looked at all the old buildings. For dinner that evening Sam and I had a doner kabab and the Berlin staple currywurst, which is a basically a hot dog covered in ketchup with some curry powder sprinkled on top.
We had to try one since we were in Berlin, but I doubt we’d ever get another one.
Since that was the last night in Berlin for all of us, we headed to a riverside bar area where we partied until 2 a.m.
We had a great time, although not as good as a couple of fellows in the same area.
After drinking what appeared to be several beers, two guys walked to the middle of a 20-foot high walking bridge across the Spree River nearby, yelled out loud a few times and then jumped into the river.
Crazy Germans…
It is a huge city, after all, with more than 3 million inhabitants. But Sam and I quickly felt at ease since Steph speaks fluent German. Deanna came with us too, so we had a pack of Americans touring Berlin. Plus we were meeting up with some of Steph’s friends to make a total of 7.
We arrived at the main train station in Berlin and easily found a connecting train to the Charlottenburg area where we were staying.
After settling in to our hostel and taking a rest for a couple of hours, the four of us went back to the main train station and then walked toward the Reichstag, which houses the German Parliament.
At the Reichstag, we took an elevator up to the top of the building where there are great views of Berlin as well as a free audio tour describing the various buildings and monuments seen in the distance.
Berlin is an impressive city with so many interesting historical stories everywhere you look.
It’s hard to imagine that the city was divided for so long and that people were forbidden to walk from the Tiergarten under the Brandenburger Tor to the eastern part of Berlin.
We got a full lesson in Berlin history the next day when we participated in a free, three-hour walking tour that led around the main sites in the city.
We saw part of the Berlin Wall and the famous Checkpoint Charlie.
I’m glad we did the walk, mostly because of all the history and the stories we heard about what life was like in a city divided.
The best tale our tour guide, George, from Missouri of all places, told us about was people from the east trying to cross to the west.
A couple of guys from east Berlin dressed up in a cow costume, one as the head and another as the tail, and walked, slowly, across a field in the outskirts of the city to their freedom.
Simplicity usually is the best policy isn’t it?
After the tour we met up with Anna and Felix, who arrived in Berlin a day after we did, and had some lunch while watching the opening match of the 2010 World Cup.
Unlike the U.S., Europeans go crazy for the World Cup.
At the main train station, a couple of nearby restaurants set up huge outdoor screens and offered special drink specials for people who wanted to watch.
And outside of almost every restaurant or café we passed on the street there was a placard with the schedule of the games that day.
It’s awesome.
After our lunch we just strolled around the city and looked at all the old buildings. For dinner that evening Sam and I had a doner kabab and the Berlin staple currywurst, which is a basically a hot dog covered in ketchup with some curry powder sprinkled on top.
We had to try one since we were in Berlin, but I doubt we’d ever get another one.
Since that was the last night in Berlin for all of us, we headed to a riverside bar area where we partied until 2 a.m.
We had a great time, although not as good as a couple of fellows in the same area.
After drinking what appeared to be several beers, two guys walked to the middle of a 20-foot high walking bridge across the Spree River nearby, yelled out loud a few times and then jumped into the river.
Crazy Germans…
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Eastern Germany
On Monday, June 7, a group of nine piled into two cars and headed east from Nottuln to the remote and sparsely populated eastern Germany.
Sam and I rode with Hubert, Magdelena and Anna’s college friend Steph while Anna, Felix, Anna’s mother Mary Ann and Anna’s other college friend Deanna rode in the second car.
Our destination was the tiny village of Zinzow.
Zinzow is the home of Hubert’s relatives, who turned a castle into a hotel and distillery, and is also near Hubert’s more than 1,000 acres of farmland.
Zinzow is roughly two hours north of Berlin by train and about an hour south of the Baltic Sea.
The trip was about six hours by car, but we got to see a lot of the northern German countryside and ride on the autobahn, where there are no speed limits.
One of the more interesting aspects of the autobahn is that in eastern Germany there are “land bridges” across the highway that link farm fields. The bridges aren’t for farm equipment, but for deer.
The Germans planted trees on the bridges and put food out so the deer would feel comfortable crossing.
Hubert and Magdelena said the bridges have worked great and the number of cars hitting deer has dropped dramatically.
You can definitely see where old West Germany ended and where East Germany started.
There are still remnants of communist-era buildings in eastern Germany. It’s almost impossible to imagine a time when people weren’t allowed to move from one side of the country to the other.
The place we stayed in at Zinzow is called a castle, but it really resembles a great estate with its square shape and four stories.
We stayed on the fourth floor in a suite that could have doubled as a ski lodge. Sam and I shared a room while Steph and Deanna each had their own room. We also had a full kitchen and a living room.
On Tuesday, we set off for another small village nearby for a three and a half hour canoe trip.
Even though it’s June, the water was too cold for swimming. We still had a great time and enjoyed a lazy day on the slow moving river.
The next day we drove an hour north to Usedom, a large island bordering Poland on the Baltic Sea.
Usedom is called the “king’s island” because it’s where Kaiser Wilhelm and other people of that ilk came to vacation.
It truly is a resort area with long, sandy beaches and numerous waterfront shops. Usedom resembled Gulf Shores, Ala., or Pensacola, Fla.
You don’t typically think of sandy beaches in Germany, but we had a wonderful time walking along the sea.
There was no swimming that day either as the Baltic Sea was quite cold.
Sam and I already want to go back to Usedom again someday.
Sam and I rode with Hubert, Magdelena and Anna’s college friend Steph while Anna, Felix, Anna’s mother Mary Ann and Anna’s other college friend Deanna rode in the second car.
Our destination was the tiny village of Zinzow.
Zinzow is the home of Hubert’s relatives, who turned a castle into a hotel and distillery, and is also near Hubert’s more than 1,000 acres of farmland.
Zinzow is roughly two hours north of Berlin by train and about an hour south of the Baltic Sea.
The trip was about six hours by car, but we got to see a lot of the northern German countryside and ride on the autobahn, where there are no speed limits.
One of the more interesting aspects of the autobahn is that in eastern Germany there are “land bridges” across the highway that link farm fields. The bridges aren’t for farm equipment, but for deer.
The Germans planted trees on the bridges and put food out so the deer would feel comfortable crossing.
Hubert and Magdelena said the bridges have worked great and the number of cars hitting deer has dropped dramatically.
You can definitely see where old West Germany ended and where East Germany started.
There are still remnants of communist-era buildings in eastern Germany. It’s almost impossible to imagine a time when people weren’t allowed to move from one side of the country to the other.
The place we stayed in at Zinzow is called a castle, but it really resembles a great estate with its square shape and four stories.
We stayed on the fourth floor in a suite that could have doubled as a ski lodge. Sam and I shared a room while Steph and Deanna each had their own room. We also had a full kitchen and a living room.
On Tuesday, we set off for another small village nearby for a three and a half hour canoe trip.
Even though it’s June, the water was too cold for swimming. We still had a great time and enjoyed a lazy day on the slow moving river.
The next day we drove an hour north to Usedom, a large island bordering Poland on the Baltic Sea.
Usedom is called the “king’s island” because it’s where Kaiser Wilhelm and other people of that ilk came to vacation.
It truly is a resort area with long, sandy beaches and numerous waterfront shops. Usedom resembled Gulf Shores, Ala., or Pensacola, Fla.
You don’t typically think of sandy beaches in Germany, but we had a wonderful time walking along the sea.
There was no swimming that day either as the Baltic Sea was quite cold.
Sam and I already want to go back to Usedom again someday.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Germans sure know how to celebrate a wedding
Part of the impetus behind this European journey of ours was to attend the wedding of Sam’s childhood friend Anna.
By Saturday, June 5, that day had finally arrived.
Sam and I traveled north by train from Cologne to Nottuln, a small town next to the city of Munster in western Germany.
Nottuln is the hometown of Anna’s husband-to-be Felix Frie. Since Anna is American and Felix is German, the couple decided to plan two weddings, one in America and one in German, with the German wedding coming first.
German weddings typically consist of two ceremonies, a state ceremony and a church ceremony. Anna and Felix decided they would save the church wedding for Weston, Missouri, in the fall, but their ceremony June 5 didn’t have much of a governmental feel.
The service started at 11 a.m. and lasted an hour and a half, likely due to the English translation of what was being said in German.
The German state marriage officer discussed the importance of marriage, how Anna and Felix met in American and how they moved to Singapore together.
It was a touching service, with Anna crying as the talk turned to love and devotion.
The wedding made me think back nearly a year ago to Sam and my wedding in St. Joseph.
Once the ceremony was over, Anna and Felix were greeted in the town square by dozens of friends and family members. We all drank Champaign to toast the new married couple.
Then we walked a block to Felix’s parent’s house for lunch, where we had open face sandwiches and split-pea soup with sausage.
Anna said she wanted to serve split-pea soup for lunch on the wedding day because that was the first meal she had with Hubert and Magdelena, Felix’s parents, on her first visit to Germany.
With lunch finished, everyone had a couple of hours to kill before the wedding reception started at nice restaurant in another small village about 10 minutes from Nottuln.
Sam and I decided on a nap since Anna informed us that a typical German wedding ends at dawn.
I’m glad we got in that nap.
The wedding reception started at 6 p.m. in the garden area of the restaurant with more champagne, pictures and an ice-breaking game.
Germans love doing games at wedding receptions as a way to get guests into a festive mood.
For the first game, each person was given half of a note card with information about Anna and Felix on it. The idea was to locate the person who had the other half of your card, introduce yourself and make a new friend.
Sam found her partner right, but I never found mine.
The four-course dinner started at 7:15 p.m. and didn’t end until about 11:30 p.m. because a variety of different games and speeches were conducted between courses.
The mean was excellent.
We started with a simple soup, and then had a plate with eight different portions on it. The main was chicken with cheese and spinach wrapped inside, white asparagus and fried potatoes. Several different selections were offered for dessert. I had what I think was huckleberries with vanilla crème.
Then the real party started.
Anna and Felix performed their first dance as man and wife, then the dance music started and didn’t stop until 4 a.m.
Throughout the night we had champagne, wine, pilsner and shots of schnapps, a German favorite.
Sam and I made it back to our hotel room at 6 a.m. the next morning, closed the curtains and didn’t wake up until 1 p.m.
That’s definitely one wedding reception we’ll never forget.
By Saturday, June 5, that day had finally arrived.
Sam and I traveled north by train from Cologne to Nottuln, a small town next to the city of Munster in western Germany.
Nottuln is the hometown of Anna’s husband-to-be Felix Frie. Since Anna is American and Felix is German, the couple decided to plan two weddings, one in America and one in German, with the German wedding coming first.
German weddings typically consist of two ceremonies, a state ceremony and a church ceremony. Anna and Felix decided they would save the church wedding for Weston, Missouri, in the fall, but their ceremony June 5 didn’t have much of a governmental feel.
The service started at 11 a.m. and lasted an hour and a half, likely due to the English translation of what was being said in German.
The German state marriage officer discussed the importance of marriage, how Anna and Felix met in American and how they moved to Singapore together.
It was a touching service, with Anna crying as the talk turned to love and devotion.
The wedding made me think back nearly a year ago to Sam and my wedding in St. Joseph.
Once the ceremony was over, Anna and Felix were greeted in the town square by dozens of friends and family members. We all drank Champaign to toast the new married couple.
Then we walked a block to Felix’s parent’s house for lunch, where we had open face sandwiches and split-pea soup with sausage.
Anna said she wanted to serve split-pea soup for lunch on the wedding day because that was the first meal she had with Hubert and Magdelena, Felix’s parents, on her first visit to Germany.
With lunch finished, everyone had a couple of hours to kill before the wedding reception started at nice restaurant in another small village about 10 minutes from Nottuln.
Sam and I decided on a nap since Anna informed us that a typical German wedding ends at dawn.
I’m glad we got in that nap.
The wedding reception started at 6 p.m. in the garden area of the restaurant with more champagne, pictures and an ice-breaking game.
Germans love doing games at wedding receptions as a way to get guests into a festive mood.
For the first game, each person was given half of a note card with information about Anna and Felix on it. The idea was to locate the person who had the other half of your card, introduce yourself and make a new friend.
Sam found her partner right, but I never found mine.
The four-course dinner started at 7:15 p.m. and didn’t end until about 11:30 p.m. because a variety of different games and speeches were conducted between courses.
The mean was excellent.
We started with a simple soup, and then had a plate with eight different portions on it. The main was chicken with cheese and spinach wrapped inside, white asparagus and fried potatoes. Several different selections were offered for dessert. I had what I think was huckleberries with vanilla crème.
Then the real party started.
Anna and Felix performed their first dance as man and wife, then the dance music started and didn’t stop until 4 a.m.
Throughout the night we had champagne, wine, pilsner and shots of schnapps, a German favorite.
Sam and I made it back to our hotel room at 6 a.m. the next morning, closed the curtains and didn’t wake up until 1 p.m.
That’s definitely one wedding reception we’ll never forget.
Down the Rhine
Even though we were out late in Cologne, we awoke at a reasonable hour, 10 a.m., had breakfast and then set off for Andernach to meet with Heinz-Josef.
From there, we took a regional train along the Rhine and stopped at Marksburg Castle, one of the few castles along the river that is still completely intact.
The castle sits on a high hill overlooking the swiftly moving Rhine.
It’s easy to see why the castle was never damaged by battles in the Middle Ages. The slopes are steep on all sides of the castle and would be a nightmare for opposing to climb, let alone fight.
We took a tour of the castle — thankfully aided by English books since the tour guide only spoke German — then trekked back down the hill for a weisbier from Bavaria.
The pub we chose was erected in the 1500s, and didn’t look like it had changed much since it first opened.
The sheer history of Europe continues to amaze me.
The Germans living near Marksburg Castle think nothing of going to a bar built in the 1500s for an after work drink whereas in the United States, mention a building from the 1880s and the oohs and aahs last for minutes.
After the weisbier, we continued our ride down the Rhine and saw castle after castle along the way.
We probably saw 15 castles from the train during the whole trip.
Our destination that afternoon was Rudesheim, a small town that is the site of a monument commemorating a German victory over France.
The monument sits on a ridge overlooking the Rhine and is accessible by foot, car or chairlift that goes over vineyards.
We decided on the chairlift to get great views of the river and the grape fields, which are used to make Riesling.
But before we did we stopped into a little wine bar to sample some local Riesling. I’ve always liked Riesling, and the wine was excellent.
After touring the memorial we ate dinner at a restaurant to have some famous German white asparagus.
White asparagus, or spargel in German, is only available for a handful of weeks in the late spring.
It was delicious.
From there, we took a regional train along the Rhine and stopped at Marksburg Castle, one of the few castles along the river that is still completely intact.
The castle sits on a high hill overlooking the swiftly moving Rhine.
It’s easy to see why the castle was never damaged by battles in the Middle Ages. The slopes are steep on all sides of the castle and would be a nightmare for opposing to climb, let alone fight.
We took a tour of the castle — thankfully aided by English books since the tour guide only spoke German — then trekked back down the hill for a weisbier from Bavaria.
The pub we chose was erected in the 1500s, and didn’t look like it had changed much since it first opened.
The sheer history of Europe continues to amaze me.
The Germans living near Marksburg Castle think nothing of going to a bar built in the 1500s for an after work drink whereas in the United States, mention a building from the 1880s and the oohs and aahs last for minutes.
After the weisbier, we continued our ride down the Rhine and saw castle after castle along the way.
We probably saw 15 castles from the train during the whole trip.
Our destination that afternoon was Rudesheim, a small town that is the site of a monument commemorating a German victory over France.
The monument sits on a ridge overlooking the Rhine and is accessible by foot, car or chairlift that goes over vineyards.
We decided on the chairlift to get great views of the river and the grape fields, which are used to make Riesling.
But before we did we stopped into a little wine bar to sample some local Riesling. I’ve always liked Riesling, and the wine was excellent.
After touring the memorial we ate dinner at a restaurant to have some famous German white asparagus.
White asparagus, or spargel in German, is only available for a handful of weeks in the late spring.
It was delicious.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Cologne
After taking an hour-long boat ride through the canals of Amsterdam, we boarded a train destined for Cologne.
The first thing you notice outside of the train station is the massive Cologne Cathedral, which towers over the city with its Gothic-styled twin towers.
The church is humongous.
Because it’s in the center of the city, we passed by it several times, and each time we found something new on the building that we hadn’t seen before.
Another thing we saw a lot of in Cologne is Kolsch-style beer, which is the specific beer brewed in Cologne that comes in 0.2 liter glasses.
In Cologne we met up with Paul’s German friends—Daniella, Bjorn and Heinz-Josef—that were in town to show a couple of Americans a good time in Germany.
Boy did they ever.
Heinz-Josef took us to a traditional German restaurant where we got our first taste of German food.
For starters, we ordered the following appetizers: blood sausage, liver pate, aged gouda cheese, a huge semi-sweet pickle and raw pork sausage topped with onions served on a halved roll.
What you’re thinking now is exactly what Sam and I were thinking when the raw, open-faced sausage sandwiches arrived.
Raw sausage for an appetizer? There’s no way we’re eating that.
But when three Germans tell you it’s OK and nothing bad will happen to you later, you have to try it.
The verdict: delicious.
I never thought I’d eat raw pork, but I’m glad I did in Cologne.
Our main course was even better though.
Because the plate was so big, Sam and I shared an oven roasted, 4-inch thick pork chop covered in sautéed onions with a huge helping of French fries.
That also was superb, though not a meal you’d want to eat while on a diet.
I’d shutter to think how many calories were in that main dish.
After dinner, we walked back to the main part of Cologne, and entered another couple of bars for some more Kolsch beer.
The night ended at about 2 a.m. back at our hotel, which doubled as a bar on the ground floor.
What a night.
The first thing you notice outside of the train station is the massive Cologne Cathedral, which towers over the city with its Gothic-styled twin towers.
The church is humongous.
Because it’s in the center of the city, we passed by it several times, and each time we found something new on the building that we hadn’t seen before.
Another thing we saw a lot of in Cologne is Kolsch-style beer, which is the specific beer brewed in Cologne that comes in 0.2 liter glasses.
In Cologne we met up with Paul’s German friends—Daniella, Bjorn and Heinz-Josef—that were in town to show a couple of Americans a good time in Germany.
Boy did they ever.
Heinz-Josef took us to a traditional German restaurant where we got our first taste of German food.
For starters, we ordered the following appetizers: blood sausage, liver pate, aged gouda cheese, a huge semi-sweet pickle and raw pork sausage topped with onions served on a halved roll.
What you’re thinking now is exactly what Sam and I were thinking when the raw, open-faced sausage sandwiches arrived.
Raw sausage for an appetizer? There’s no way we’re eating that.
But when three Germans tell you it’s OK and nothing bad will happen to you later, you have to try it.
The verdict: delicious.
I never thought I’d eat raw pork, but I’m glad I did in Cologne.
Our main course was even better though.
Because the plate was so big, Sam and I shared an oven roasted, 4-inch thick pork chop covered in sautéed onions with a huge helping of French fries.
That also was superb, though not a meal you’d want to eat while on a diet.
I’d shutter to think how many calories were in that main dish.
After dinner, we walked back to the main part of Cologne, and entered another couple of bars for some more Kolsch beer.
The night ended at about 2 a.m. back at our hotel, which doubled as a bar on the ground floor.
What a night.
Amsterdam
I didn’t quite believe the story about a Heineken tasting different in Amsterdam than anywhere else, but it’s definitely true.
When I had my first Heineken in the U.S., I decided not to have another because I really didn’t care for the taste.
Not so in Amsterdam.
After Sam, Paul and I arrived in the capital city, we took a cab to our hotel, dropped off our luggage and took a cab back to the main train station. Then we walked around for a bit to get a feel for the city and eventually stopped at one of the many canal-side cafés.
A tall glass of Heineken hit the spot.
We also indulged on some chicken satay, French fries and salad.
Paul said the chicken satay would be superb because of the long-standing Indonesian influence in Amsterdam, and it didn’t disappoint.
After we finished eating and had a couple more beers, we started walking along streets and canals of the central city.
The architecture is quaint and gives off a relaxed vibe, which is very similar to the mood of the people. In all likelihood a majority of them are walking around high anyway, so anything different would seem strange.
Amsterdam, of course, has a reputation as a sex and drug capital. The sex part isn’t readily apparent, but the marijuana part definitely is.
As soon as you step out of the train station and begin walking, the smell of dope is everywhere. The signs for “coffeeshops,” or places where you can buy weed, are all around, too.
The most notable aspect of Amsterdam, however, is the number of bicycles, both those parked along the canals and others moving swiftly up and down streets.
Our cab driver told us that in a city of about 750,000 people, there are more than 1 million bicycles. And about 80,000 of those bikes are stolen each year.
On the main roads close to the main train station and the café where we decided to eat for dinner, there is a flurry of activity, with people, cars, buses and bikes zooming along in several different directions.
So we decided to walk away from the busy thoroughfares and found peaceful, homely neighborhoods that would be a joy to live in.
We stopped at a bar for a couple more drinks, caught the last half of a World Cup warm up game for The Netherlands and then headed back to the busy streets.
During our walk we noticed the sex aspect of Amsterdam.
Some apartments used by prostitutes exist along the main roads on the outskirts of the red light district, identified by the trademark red light outside the door and a scantily clad woman sitting patiently in front of a basement window.
But if you look down a side street, you’ll see rows of red lights.
We took a walk down one of those streets and found that there’s not a whole lot to the entire red light district operation.
The women in the windows don’t show any nudity and don’t point or wave at you when you walk by. They just sit on a stool and look out the window, patiently waiting, it seems, for their next customer to walk in.
After the red light stroll it was about 11:30 p.m., so we headed into another bar for a last couple of beers.
You can’t visit Amsterdam and head home before midnight.
At that bar we met a local named David who was really into 70s rock music.
After talking for a few minutes and explaining to David how we were only going to be in Amsterdam for one night, he tried to come up with a few late night things to do.
But when he realized it was Tuesday night, here was his assessment of our prospects for the night: “You’re f*cked.”
Well then.
If a local says there’s nothing to do in Amsterdam on a Tuesday night, why argue, especially when you have a trip to Cologne, Germany scheduled for the next day?
So we finished our beers and went back to the hotel.
When I had my first Heineken in the U.S., I decided not to have another because I really didn’t care for the taste.
Not so in Amsterdam.
After Sam, Paul and I arrived in the capital city, we took a cab to our hotel, dropped off our luggage and took a cab back to the main train station. Then we walked around for a bit to get a feel for the city and eventually stopped at one of the many canal-side cafés.
A tall glass of Heineken hit the spot.
We also indulged on some chicken satay, French fries and salad.
Paul said the chicken satay would be superb because of the long-standing Indonesian influence in Amsterdam, and it didn’t disappoint.
After we finished eating and had a couple more beers, we started walking along streets and canals of the central city.
The architecture is quaint and gives off a relaxed vibe, which is very similar to the mood of the people. In all likelihood a majority of them are walking around high anyway, so anything different would seem strange.
Amsterdam, of course, has a reputation as a sex and drug capital. The sex part isn’t readily apparent, but the marijuana part definitely is.
As soon as you step out of the train station and begin walking, the smell of dope is everywhere. The signs for “coffeeshops,” or places where you can buy weed, are all around, too.
The most notable aspect of Amsterdam, however, is the number of bicycles, both those parked along the canals and others moving swiftly up and down streets.
Our cab driver told us that in a city of about 750,000 people, there are more than 1 million bicycles. And about 80,000 of those bikes are stolen each year.
On the main roads close to the main train station and the café where we decided to eat for dinner, there is a flurry of activity, with people, cars, buses and bikes zooming along in several different directions.
So we decided to walk away from the busy thoroughfares and found peaceful, homely neighborhoods that would be a joy to live in.
We stopped at a bar for a couple more drinks, caught the last half of a World Cup warm up game for The Netherlands and then headed back to the busy streets.
During our walk we noticed the sex aspect of Amsterdam.
Some apartments used by prostitutes exist along the main roads on the outskirts of the red light district, identified by the trademark red light outside the door and a scantily clad woman sitting patiently in front of a basement window.
But if you look down a side street, you’ll see rows of red lights.
We took a walk down one of those streets and found that there’s not a whole lot to the entire red light district operation.
The women in the windows don’t show any nudity and don’t point or wave at you when you walk by. They just sit on a stool and look out the window, patiently waiting, it seems, for their next customer to walk in.
After the red light stroll it was about 11:30 p.m., so we headed into another bar for a last couple of beers.
You can’t visit Amsterdam and head home before midnight.
At that bar we met a local named David who was really into 70s rock music.
After talking for a few minutes and explaining to David how we were only going to be in Amsterdam for one night, he tried to come up with a few late night things to do.
But when he realized it was Tuesday night, here was his assessment of our prospects for the night: “You’re f*cked.”
Well then.
If a local says there’s nothing to do in Amsterdam on a Tuesday night, why argue, especially when you have a trip to Cologne, Germany scheduled for the next day?
So we finished our beers and went back to the hotel.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
We’re back online
We’ve been without the Internet so long it’s hard to know where to begin.
The hotel we stayed at in Amsterdam for one night charged for Internet access, as did the one in Cologne, so we planned on hitting a coffee shop or bar to update this blog.
We were so busy, though, that it didn’t happen.
Even though this blog has been stuck at a standstill for the past week and a half, we have been on the go each.
We’ve taken a stroll through Amsterdam’s red light district, experienced some classic German food and drink in Cologne, partied all night at a traditional German wedding reception, driven from western Germany to eastern Germany on the autobahn and wandered along the white sandy beaches of Usedom, or the King’s Island.
We’ve had an outstanding trip so far, and it’s hard to believe we’ve been out of the United States for a month.
With us back online, here are a couple of posts I did at the beginning of this month that I wasn’t able to get online.
I plan on getting up to date later…
The hotel we stayed at in Amsterdam for one night charged for Internet access, as did the one in Cologne, so we planned on hitting a coffee shop or bar to update this blog.
We were so busy, though, that it didn’t happen.
Even though this blog has been stuck at a standstill for the past week and a half, we have been on the go each.
We’ve taken a stroll through Amsterdam’s red light district, experienced some classic German food and drink in Cologne, partied all night at a traditional German wedding reception, driven from western Germany to eastern Germany on the autobahn and wandered along the white sandy beaches of Usedom, or the King’s Island.
We’ve had an outstanding trip so far, and it’s hard to believe we’ve been out of the United States for a month.
With us back online, here are a couple of posts I did at the beginning of this month that I wasn’t able to get online.
I plan on getting up to date later…
England impressions
Maybe it’s the similar language, the northern location or Sam’s wonderful family and friends, but you can’t say enough about how nice everyone is in England.
I say similar language because even though Americans and the English share the same language, the vocabulary is much different in Britain.
There are, of course, the easily understandable words like “mate,” but others like “nackered” and “mucked” take a bit of getting used to.
For example, nackered could mean extremely tired — “I’m nackered after that trip to York” — or destroyed — “I nackered that tire (or tyre in England) after running into the curb.”
Getting used to the language is just part of the fun and makes for a more enjoyable trip.
Another reason why our trip has been more than we could have hoped for so far is because the English love to laugh.
Whether it’s making jokes or poking fun at one another, the mood is usually relaxed and amiable.
Who wouldn’t love that?
The mood is a little less relaxed on England’s motorways. Not for the English drivers, but the Americans in the passenger seats.
It’s pretty disorienting with everyone driving on the left side of the road, especially coming around corners and approaching oncoming cars.
For the first few trips in a car, my first instinct was shock and a little fear as approaching cars look like, at least to me, to be driving on the wrong side of the road.
Speed probably has a lot to do with it.
The English drive fast.
I thought the fastest drivers were either Texans or Nebraskans driving as fast as they can out of Missouri.
But they have nothing on the English.
The posted speed limited on regular roads is 60 mph and 70 mph on motorways or “dual carriageways.” It’s pretty common, though, to go 85 to 90 mph on the expressways and 75 mph on smaller, tighter roads.
Passing is pretty much allowed on any stretch of road, so you constantly have to look out for oncoming traffic all the time.
You get used to that after a while though.
I say similar language because even though Americans and the English share the same language, the vocabulary is much different in Britain.
There are, of course, the easily understandable words like “mate,” but others like “nackered” and “mucked” take a bit of getting used to.
For example, nackered could mean extremely tired — “I’m nackered after that trip to York” — or destroyed — “I nackered that tire (or tyre in England) after running into the curb.”
Getting used to the language is just part of the fun and makes for a more enjoyable trip.
Another reason why our trip has been more than we could have hoped for so far is because the English love to laugh.
Whether it’s making jokes or poking fun at one another, the mood is usually relaxed and amiable.
Who wouldn’t love that?
The mood is a little less relaxed on England’s motorways. Not for the English drivers, but the Americans in the passenger seats.
It’s pretty disorienting with everyone driving on the left side of the road, especially coming around corners and approaching oncoming cars.
For the first few trips in a car, my first instinct was shock and a little fear as approaching cars look like, at least to me, to be driving on the wrong side of the road.
Speed probably has a lot to do with it.
The English drive fast.
I thought the fastest drivers were either Texans or Nebraskans driving as fast as they can out of Missouri.
But they have nothing on the English.
The posted speed limited on regular roads is 60 mph and 70 mph on motorways or “dual carriageways.” It’s pretty common, though, to go 85 to 90 mph on the expressways and 75 mph on smaller, tighter roads.
Passing is pretty much allowed on any stretch of road, so you constantly have to look out for oncoming traffic all the time.
You get used to that after a while though.
We’re off
Tuesday, June 1 marked the second leg of our journey.
We drove from Paul’s house in Caistor to the Doncaster airport to board a plane bound for Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is the first stop of a nearly 20-city tour Sam and I are taking around Europe.
We’re going to Cologne, Frankfurt, Munster, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Salzburg, Venice, Florence, Rome, Cinque Terre in Italy, St. Raphael in France, Interlaken in Switzerland, Paris, Angers, Bruges and Antwerp.
It’s exciting and very surreal at the same time.
A year ago Sam and I were making the final preparations for our wedding. Little did we know a year later we’d be spending our first anniversary in Europe.
To get around, we purchased a train pass that’s called a Eurail Global Flexi Pass.
The pass allows us to travel during any 15 days within two months, all in the first class cabin. So, for example, when we take our first train to Cologne, we will have used up one day of our 15.
We could have spent a little more and purchased a two-month pass that would have allowed us to travel any day within a two-month period, but those passes are meant for people traveling everyday.
That’s not us.
We’ve scheduled our trip to take a train to a city, stay there at least two nights and then leave for the next one.
This strategy will allow us to spend more of our time in various cities and less time on trains.
That’s not to say that the trains in Europe aren’t nice.
They definitely are.
As I’m writing this blog post, I’m sitting on a German Intercity Express train in a nice leather chair with acres of leg room.
You can’t beat that, especially if you’re used to the cramped space that comes with coach air travel.
We drove from Paul’s house in Caistor to the Doncaster airport to board a plane bound for Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is the first stop of a nearly 20-city tour Sam and I are taking around Europe.
We’re going to Cologne, Frankfurt, Munster, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Salzburg, Venice, Florence, Rome, Cinque Terre in Italy, St. Raphael in France, Interlaken in Switzerland, Paris, Angers, Bruges and Antwerp.
It’s exciting and very surreal at the same time.
A year ago Sam and I were making the final preparations for our wedding. Little did we know a year later we’d be spending our first anniversary in Europe.
To get around, we purchased a train pass that’s called a Eurail Global Flexi Pass.
The pass allows us to travel during any 15 days within two months, all in the first class cabin. So, for example, when we take our first train to Cologne, we will have used up one day of our 15.
We could have spent a little more and purchased a two-month pass that would have allowed us to travel any day within a two-month period, but those passes are meant for people traveling everyday.
That’s not us.
We’ve scheduled our trip to take a train to a city, stay there at least two nights and then leave for the next one.
This strategy will allow us to spend more of our time in various cities and less time on trains.
That’s not to say that the trains in Europe aren’t nice.
They definitely are.
As I’m writing this blog post, I’m sitting on a German Intercity Express train in a nice leather chair with acres of leg room.
You can’t beat that, especially if you’re used to the cramped space that comes with coach air travel.
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