Hello all!
Just a quick update: Tonight I arrived in Paris after spending the afternoon at the Cathedral in Chartres. What a place! I left Belgium this morning, and was in Amsterdam over the weekend. Before that, spent two days in Belgium following my time on the Rhine in Germany.
Its been a lot of travel in not a lot of time... and Im tired! Ill be in Paris for two or three days and then head north to London. I should have time to really catch up on the blog once I get there, so hopefully can post all the pictures Ive been promising. Thanks for your patience!
Please be well wherever you are... and happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
On to Germany
Hello and my apologies for not posting in awhile. My life has been an absolute whirwind in over the last 5 days. On Thursday I took a day train from Bern to Barcelona. Leg two of the journey meant a trip thru the south of france on the speedy TGV train... think being in an airplane just before takeoff and thats about how fast the train goes on an open stretch!
Barcelona was fabulous. One day is not nearly enough, but I made the most of it. La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi´s most famous cathedral, was just stunning. I promise pictures in the near future. Barcelona is full of Gothic cathedrals... complete with gargoyles. A very artsy city, and one that will requires at least 4 or 5 days to properly visit.
Saturday was a day train back to Switzerland, where I stayed with my friend from college and his wonderful family. Sunday we toured Bern, and on Monday (yesterday) I was back up in the alps.
I will have to wait to try to describe the indescribable... Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau... the highest mountains in Europe. So I will wait until I can post pictures too.
Tonight I am staying in a castle overlooking the Rhine, just above the quaint German town of Bacharach. Dont ask me how I got here... it was mostly luck! This is actually a hostel, but instead of your regular building... it happens to be inside a medieval castle. Pics to come I promise. Got to run now but best wishes to everyone!
Barcelona was fabulous. One day is not nearly enough, but I made the most of it. La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi´s most famous cathedral, was just stunning. I promise pictures in the near future. Barcelona is full of Gothic cathedrals... complete with gargoyles. A very artsy city, and one that will requires at least 4 or 5 days to properly visit.
Saturday was a day train back to Switzerland, where I stayed with my friend from college and his wonderful family. Sunday we toured Bern, and on Monday (yesterday) I was back up in the alps.
I will have to wait to try to describe the indescribable... Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau... the highest mountains in Europe. So I will wait until I can post pictures too.
Tonight I am staying in a castle overlooking the Rhine, just above the quaint German town of Bacharach. Dont ask me how I got here... it was mostly luck! This is actually a hostel, but instead of your regular building... it happens to be inside a medieval castle. Pics to come I promise. Got to run now but best wishes to everyone!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Switzerland - Oct 12 thru 15
Greetings! I've updated my blog thru Venice, but I can't stop without putting up just a few pictures of Switzerland. I arrived 3 days ago and have been staying with a Swiss friend from college; how nice to see a familiar face after 5 weeks! I've been able to catch up on some much-needed sleep (great to be in a room all by myself) as well as get a healthy dose of some serious mountains.
I will add more thoughts later, but I need to get to sleep... tomorrow I take the TGV (fast) train thru France to Barcelona for a day, then back to Switzerland before heading to Germany.
Swiss countryside on the way to Zürich
Zürich
Fall in the mountains on the way up to Zermatt
Swiss Chalet, satellite included
The Matterhorn, as seen from Zermatt. And as in my home state of Oregon, the mountain only comes out when it wants to... I was lucky to catch a glimpse! What a sight!
Zermatt is basically a high-altitude base town for all sorts of outdoor activities. Skiing and boarding are staples, but the summer months also see many hikers, climbers, bikers, etc. The infrastructure here is beyond anything I could have imagined... Gondolas whisk passengers up thousands of feet over some of the most extreme terrain I've ever seen... There are ski lodges, chairlifts, and gondolas on top of the most improbably difficult mountains... if the sky is clear one can literally look the Matterhorn face to face... at almost 13,000 feet! I was humbled just to be here.
Gondolas, going up up up up up.... and looking down on actual glaciers
At the very top of Kleine Matterhorn ('little matterhorn'), the Swiss have carved a tunnel and series of rooms so that one can actually walk inside a real glacier, at about 12,000 feet!!!
I really should photoshop the Matterhorn into this one... sans clouds it would be right behind me!
More mountains!
Looking down at Zermatt. You have to see this place to believe it! Even still.... it's pretty much unbelievable.
I will add more thoughts later, but I need to get to sleep... tomorrow I take the TGV (fast) train thru France to Barcelona for a day, then back to Switzerland before heading to Germany.
Swiss countryside on the way to Zürich
Zürich
Fall in the mountains on the way up to Zermatt
Swiss Chalet, satellite included
The Matterhorn, as seen from Zermatt. And as in my home state of Oregon, the mountain only comes out when it wants to... I was lucky to catch a glimpse! What a sight!
Zermatt is basically a high-altitude base town for all sorts of outdoor activities. Skiing and boarding are staples, but the summer months also see many hikers, climbers, bikers, etc. The infrastructure here is beyond anything I could have imagined... Gondolas whisk passengers up thousands of feet over some of the most extreme terrain I've ever seen... There are ski lodges, chairlifts, and gondolas on top of the most improbably difficult mountains... if the sky is clear one can literally look the Matterhorn face to face... at almost 13,000 feet! I was humbled just to be here.
Gondolas, going up up up up up.... and looking down on actual glaciers
At the very top of Kleine Matterhorn ('little matterhorn'), the Swiss have carved a tunnel and series of rooms so that one can actually walk inside a real glacier, at about 12,000 feet!!!
I really should photoshop the Matterhorn into this one... sans clouds it would be right behind me!
More mountains!
Looking down at Zermatt. You have to see this place to believe it! Even still.... it's pretty much unbelievable.
Venice - Oct 11
A magical place! I fell in love...
A wonderful maze of winding cobblestone streets and alleys, shops of all kinds selling goods to the many visitors. Arching footbridges reach over a thousand canals plyed endlessly by gondolas and local transport. Colors, water, architecture, smiling faces, people everywhere... Venice is a romantic spot.
Sometimes you gotta just jump in with the locals. I prefer the point-and-nod method, seeing as my Italian is, well... I don't speak Italian. But the croissants are fabulous, as are the calzones.
St Mark's Square, above. I was very excited when I realized that the opening scenes from The Italian Job were filmed right here
What a place... I'll be back, I promise.
A wonderful maze of winding cobblestone streets and alleys, shops of all kinds selling goods to the many visitors. Arching footbridges reach over a thousand canals plyed endlessly by gondolas and local transport. Colors, water, architecture, smiling faces, people everywhere... Venice is a romantic spot.
Sometimes you gotta just jump in with the locals. I prefer the point-and-nod method, seeing as my Italian is, well... I don't speak Italian. But the croissants are fabulous, as are the calzones.
St Mark's Square, above. I was very excited when I realized that the opening scenes from The Italian Job were filmed right here
What a place... I'll be back, I promise.
Patras to Rome - Oct 8 thru 10
Leaving Greece was nothing short of miraculous; the Athens metro system as well as the statewide train network went on strike almost without warning. By sheer luck I was able to purchase a Eurail pass and make my out to the port of Patras. Below you see the night ferry loading up its heavier cargo. Some drivers are pro and get it the first time, others go back and forth, back and forth.
Looking back at Patras; the bridge connects Peloponesse with the mainland.
More Islands, and another sunset. For this leg of the journey I travelled with two Americans... from San Diego in fact. One had recently returned from an army tour in Afghanistan, the other is a general contractor. Nice guys, and I enjoyed the company of Americans.
Unloading in Bari, Italy
Above, a view of Southern Italy's wine country, as seen from the afternoon train to Rome. Finding lodging in Rome that night was a bit of a desperate search... its never fun being lost in a new city after dark! But the next day more than made up for the hardship...
St Peter's Square, The Vatican. Yes, it'll take your breath away!
The Basilica
The Altar above the tomb of St Peter
The basilica was designed in 1503 by Bramante. Michaelangelo assumed control of the project in 1547 (at age 72) and was responsible for the design of the grand dome, below. He died before the basilica was finally completed in 1590.
Below, works from the stunning Vatican Museum...
Yep, a real Roman chariot
The Galleria delle Carte Geographiche -Map Gallery. One of my favorite rooms.
Its funny, but sometimes it isn't the most famous work that hits you the hardest. I saw frescoes by Raphael, and Michaelangelo's greats in the Sistine Chapel. It was the painting below, however, that I could not tear myself away from... I can't say why, nor can I tell you who the artist was... but for some reason, this image just wouldn't let go.
After the Vatican, a mad dash across Rome. Below, the Parthenon
And finally, the Colosseum.
Looking back at Patras; the bridge connects Peloponesse with the mainland.
More Islands, and another sunset. For this leg of the journey I travelled with two Americans... from San Diego in fact. One had recently returned from an army tour in Afghanistan, the other is a general contractor. Nice guys, and I enjoyed the company of Americans.
Unloading in Bari, Italy
Above, a view of Southern Italy's wine country, as seen from the afternoon train to Rome. Finding lodging in Rome that night was a bit of a desperate search... its never fun being lost in a new city after dark! But the next day more than made up for the hardship...St Peter's Square, The Vatican. Yes, it'll take your breath away!
The Basilica
The Altar above the tomb of St Peter
The basilica was designed in 1503 by Bramante. Michaelangelo assumed control of the project in 1547 (at age 72) and was responsible for the design of the grand dome, below. He died before the basilica was finally completed in 1590.
Below, works from the stunning Vatican Museum...
Yep, a real Roman chariot
The Galleria delle Carte Geographiche -Map Gallery. One of my favorite rooms.
Its funny, but sometimes it isn't the most famous work that hits you the hardest. I saw frescoes by Raphael, and Michaelangelo's greats in the Sistine Chapel. It was the painting below, however, that I could not tear myself away from... I can't say why, nor can I tell you who the artist was... but for some reason, this image just wouldn't let go.
After the Vatican, a mad dash across Rome. Below, the Parthenon
And finally, the Colosseum.
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