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Alsace: Fairytale Villages on the river

  I’ve spent the last several days in the Alsace region of France. This area has flipped between French and German control several times in its history. Because of this, this area is equal parts French and German. All of the street signs are in French and German. You’re just as likely to find a Bretzel (pretzel) as you are a crepe.   I stayed in Strasbourg, at the Boma hotel. I chose the hotel because of its price and easy walking distance to the sights. When I entered my room, I knew I had made the right decision. The room was painted TEAL! My favorite color! The walls were teal, the ceiling was teal, even the phone was teal! I could have bought the phone for only 60€, but I don’t have a landline, and that’s a bit steep.  My first stop was Le Petit France. This area of town is what all the tourists come for. Centered around the river are fairytale, half-timbered houses. I felt like any minute, Belle was going to start singing about how her neighbors are always doing the same thing. Th
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Bordeaux: It’s more than just wine, but a lot of it is still wine.

  I’ve been to France before, on student trips, never by myself. I decided last year, while I was at Sarah and Nico’s, that I was coming to France this summer. So I switched my DuoLingo lessons from German to French.   The France portion of my trip already started with a speed bump. I was supposed to take an earlier flight, and arrive in Bordeaux in the early afternoon, but while I was waiting in the Madrid airport last week, I discovered that Iberia has cancelled my flight to Bordeaux, and I was booked on a later flight, one that got me into town around 5:30. Now this wouldn’t be a problem if I didn’t have train reservations at 5:25. Needless to say, I did NOT make that train. So I had to book another night in Bordeaux. After taking a taxi to my hotel for one night, The All Suites Bordeaux Marne, more on the hotel later, I took a walk to the train station. In the morning I needed to get to the train station, and drop my bag at the luggage office, so I could catch my train for my day t
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Spain, España, My home away from home, if only my suitcase liked my home…

  Buckle up peeps! This is a long one! Scanning my passport and leaving the country again. I started this trip, how I’ve never started any international trip by myself, I drove myself to the airport (well, the Park N Fly near the airport.) Mom and dad would be coming to get my car just 2 days later when they drove to Trevor and Ann’s to watch the kids while they went on their own adventure. Got to the airport about 2 1/2 hours before my flight, because that’s just who I am, even though I have TSA Pre-check. Well, the Air Canada desk wasn’t open yet. They didn’t open until 2 hour before the flight. I was hoping this wouldn’t be an indication about how my trip out would be but I think we all know, it was. Anyway, got my luggage checked in, finally, and made my way to my gate to eat my lunch which I’d picked up on the way to the airport. I tried to find somewhere to sit that was slightly air conditioned, because the gate area for my flight to Toronto was positively sweltering. While I was
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Salzburg - Alive with the Sound of Music…and heat

  🎶The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music🎶 Salzburg, the city that just about every American thinks of when they think of the Sound of Music. But it’s also a city of art and architecture, and music. I left Munich behind on Monday morning. I boarded my train to country #16, only to find this train didn’t have any luggage space. So for the entire 2-hour train ride to Salzburg, I had to sit holding on to my luggage. It wasn’t super uncomfortable, but it wasn’t comfortable either. But no matter, I made it to Salzburg in one piece and found my way to my hotel.  I’d booked this place on booking.com, but it’s actually 3 “apartments” that are rented out by a chain of stores. They have different departments of the store across several different locations around Salzburg. The lovely lady from the store shows me to the apartment. First down this long hallway, up to the 4th floor by elevator, down another hallway, around 2 corners, and up a set of stairs, then another short hallway, and her
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Munich - It took a while to get here

  It’s finally that time again. I get to use my passport and travel to a place I’ve never been. Where the food is “weird” and the people talk “funny.” Where I can’t understand the road signs, and all the prices have a different currency symbol.  The last time I left the country was July of 2019. I brought a group of students to Costa Rica. It was an amazing trip, and I loved it, but I think I took it for granted that it was something I’d be able to keep doing.  I originally planned this trip to Germany and Austria for June of 2020, but well, we all know how that went. Last summer, I planned another student trip to Ireland with my sister-in-law Ann and a group of students. But Ireland was still requiring a 2-week quarantine last June. It was only supposed to be a 10-day trip. So that trip got canceled as well. Which brings us to this summer. June 2022. Germany has always been on my list of places to experience. Knowing that it’s part of my history and heritage, I wanted to see where I c
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Cinque Terre - just how I’d remembered it.

The Cinque Terre, 5 little villages, clinging to the cliff side of the Northern Italian riviera. 3 years ago, I brought a group of students on a trip to Europe. We visited this little corner of Italy as our first stop. On that trip we visited 3 of the 5 villages in a half-day. I was excited to spend two full days exploring all five villages. I arrived in La Spezia, a town just outside the Cinque Terre, with much more affordable hotel rooms, in the afternoon on Friday. After getting lost with my too heavy suitcase, I finally found my hotel. It’s a very nice place, with 3 rooms, and a common area with a couch, and a fully stocked kitchen. The bathroom was is HUGE, it takes 4 steps to get across it! AND there is a place to put my shampoo and stuff in the shower! I don’t have to put it on the floor! It’s a miracle! Saturday morning I awoke when I wanted to, and took my time getting ready. This is supposed to be the relaxing part of my vacation. I walked the five or so blocks to the
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Spain, my home away from home

Last November, I ordered a DNA testing kit from Ancestry.com. It didn’t really tell me anything surprising, Scandinavia, East/West Europe (the overlap is Germany), British Isles. But there was one small surprise, 3% of my DNA comes from the Iberian Peninsula, ie. Spain. I’ve been to Spain a few times before; study abroad, El Camino de Santiago, and 2 different student trips. Spain and I are well acquainted. Well, now my best friend LIVES in Spain, and since I was so close in Italy, I had to go visit. I spent just about a week with Sarah and Nico in Muxia. Muxia is a very small town, on the ocean. It’s the end of the Camino de Santiago. When Sarah, Nico, and I walked the Camino, we took a bus to Muxia. Nico had been born there, and lived there until he was 8, so it was interesting to see it from his point of view. My trip to Spain started VERY early. My car to the airport arrived at my apartment in Rome at 4:30, because the car revive requires a minimum of 3 hours from pick-up to
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