Tales from February

WARNING: This is a long blog.

So, lots has been happening over the past few weeks. Let’s start at the beginning.

In early February, Aggie had a few crazy days of running around Europe with her cousin, Teresa. Their adventures covered the time span of February 5th- February 13th. Teresa had flown into Paris to visit with a friend on Saturday and then came to meet us on Sunday. The nonsense began when Ag and I went to pick Teresa up at the train station on Sunday night. That evening we just grabbed Chinese and hung out…the girls talked about their upcoming trip and I worked at the living room table and watched the Super Bowl.

The next day they caught a bus from the Lux train station to Hahn Airport in Germany (where we fly out of when we use RyanAir). They rented a car from there because they were going to be going back to Hahn later that week to fly to Italy. (Plus it’s much cheaper to rent a car in Germany vs. Lux.) So, the car they got was a 4 door Peugeot, in metallic blue. It was the same color as the Shiat (please see previous Tuscany blog for the definition of a Shiat) but Agnes assured me that it was a definite upgrade.

After picking up the car, they drove about 45 minutes further North of Lux to Koblenz, Germany. Koblenz, also Coblenz, is a city in west central Germany, where the Mosel and Rhine rivers meet. The town owes its name to the Romans who occupied the land around 9 B.C. The city has since been taken over by the Franks, Germans, conquered by the French and then the Prussians. After World War I Koblenz was the headquarters of the Allied Rhineland High Commission and was occupied for a time by American and French troops. Because of its importance as a rail and manufacturing center, the city was heavily damaged by bombing during World War II. Obviously, lots has happened in Koblenz, making the city an interesting place to see!

They walked around that afternoon, took in the sights and enjoyed a late lunch. Apparently, the walkway along the rivers is really pretty and the view of the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (high above the Rhine and across the river) was pretty impressive. Where the rivers meet was one of the largest statues the girls have ever seen! (They thought Lincoln in DC was big…but this German dude on a horse might have him beat!) The statue was facing out toward the rivers and around the whole thing , along the river path, were flags of all different countries. This whole area was built in commemoration of German unification from princely states.

On Tuesday, the girls headed to the Alsace area of France. This was Aggie’s second time there (see previous blog: Aggie’s Family Adventures) and Teresa had read about the area and wanted to see it. Having a car this time around actually gave the girls a slight advantage to visit the Wine Road where lots of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, etc is produced.

They got in just before noon and Ag said it was still just as quaint and peaceful as she remembered a few months ago. They went straight to the tourist office but to their disappointment, the office had just closed for a 2 hour lunch….typical French! They enjoy their lunches over here, that is for sure….

Agnes remembered most of the main things to see and they got around just fine. They then took off at 2pm but stopped at the tourist office right before their departure for a map of the towns/villages in the area. It was worth waiting for the map and the tourist people showed them all the main villages to see….Off they went through the vineyards to the villages of Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, Ribeauville, and Bergheim, to name a few.

Random fact: storks are a symbol of Alsace. Therefore, lots of the pottery and such have storks designed on them. Well, as they were heading down one random vineyard road, Aggie commented to Teresa, “Look at those huge birds’ nests up ahead!” As they got closer, they realized it was a designated area for storks and the storks were just all over and hanging out in the trees. Sadly, there were no babies dangling from their beaks…

The villages were very small and easy to drive through. There were quite a few places to stop for wine tastings as well. Most of the villages were just maybe 20-30 homes and a grocery store, a few shops and a few cafes. One house had just tons of wine bottles along the side of the street…the bottles were ready to be filled with refreshing wines!

They ended up in Strasburg which is the main city of the Alsace area. I forgot to mention in the blog of “Aggie’s Adventures” that there is a very massive gothic cathedral, Cathedral of Our Lady, in the city center. Inside, there is a famous astronomical clock that takes up one whole area of the church. The pictures on our site (linked to the blog) do not do this cathedral justice. The thing is HUGE! In fact, it’s ASTRONOMICAL!

On Wednesday the ladies went to the “Romantic Road” of Germany (oohh la la!). This area consists of some of the most scenic views of Germany, and it’s the prettiest way to go from Frankfurt to Munich. The girls didn’t go that far, but just hit a few towns to get a feel for the area. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the main village to visit on this Road. It’s a completely walled town and has all cobble stoned streets and sidewalks. Apparently Christmas time is a great time to experience this city because of the awesome markets they have. Last year, Agnes and I actually had reservations at a hotel in this town (when she visited for Christmas and New Years), but the weather was too bad to drive through and so we ended up going to Paris by train instead. Ho hum…

The girls walked around and checked out the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum (ouch!), St. Jacob’s Church, visited the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop, etc. They tried the local pastry specialty, a Schneeball (not to be confused with the ingenious Chuckee Cheese’s game, Skiball) which is basically a pastry made out of leftover dough. It’s harder than a donut, softer than a brick, but a great treat and wonderful with coffee! …and it’s probably just as nutritious as a donut too! (The girls brought one back for me to enjoy.)

After Rothenburg they just drove through the rolling hills and countryside to a few of the other villages. They managed to jump back on the highway later that late afternoon and came back to Lux for a relaxing evening.

Chapter 2: Where the wine flows and Shiats roam….

On Thursday, the girls left for the Hahn Airport in Germany. There, they returned the car and jumped on a flight to Pisa, Italy which is just outside of Florence (and home to a famous off-balance building). Teresa was introduced to RyanAir which was very uneventful Aggie said. (At least for a Thursday afternoon…Friday nights must be when the crazy’s come out!) They got to Pisa and after renting another car….off they went to Siena (about a 2 hr drive). BUT, not before Teresa visited the Leaning Tower.

Apparently the hotel they stayed at in Siena was awesome. It was just outside of the city, giving them easy access to both the Tuscany area and Siena’s city center. Plus, the food in the restaurant there was really cheap and some of the best Italian food Ag said she has ever tasted. It must have been pretty good because they ate there every night after a full day of sightseeing! Even better, they had the same server every night! He must have been a hunk.

Friday they went into Florence and Ag said it was 110% different then when we went in October. The markets were very accessible and there were no lines to get in and out of the museums. They walked right into the Galleria dell’ Accademia- home to Michelangelo’s David. David is just an amazing piece of art to see and when you walk into the David “room”, it’s like, “There you be, D-Train!” What is so cool about where the David statue is is that you walk into this long hallway and then David is at the end of it in a larger, open area. In this hallway are stone sculptures that Michelangelo had started but never completed. One stone would have part of a head and foot chiseled out but nothing else, etc.

They spent the rest of the day visiting the Galleria Degli Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, etc. And, rumor has it, they had a great time shopping too! (I did get a nice tie out of the whole thing.) That night they did some fine dinning at the restaurant, enjoying refreshing wine, cheeses, pasta, etc.

On Saturday they drove all over Tuscany and went to all the small villages throughout the land. The weather was beautiful, in the 50’s and sunny. They went through the vineyards and countryside to Monteriggioni. It was a extremely small walled village with about 2 cafes/bars, a church, a restaurant and maybe 3 hotels inside. It sat up on a hill and looked really pretty from afar.

San Gimignano (“subs so fast, you’ll freak!”) was the next village which was also walled. It’s actually known for the “towers” along the city walls (which, luckily, are all standing up straight). The city used to have 72 of them that soared above the land. Now only 14 remain. There was one main walkway that led from one end of the town to the next. Along this street were some shops and restaurants. Of course, there was a decent sized church in the center as well.

Castellina in Chianti was next. Being a Saturday the town had its Saturday market going on, and the girls said it was buzzing! Aggie said there was an area where all these cute little old men were gathering and talking while their wives shopped (cute, and smart!). This city was not walled in but had a designated area for pedestrians to walk. It was pretty small as well and Ag said there was an awesome wine shop where you could do tastings, etc.

Radda was next village and then Siena! In Siena they walked and shopped, took in the sites, etc. It’s a completely walled city too and Agnes said that they had a few issues “finding” the way in. (I remember when we were there and we had problems getting inside!) She said it was actually a really hilly city. I didn’t remember that when we went there for dinner with Steph and Pete but Agnes said they made some surprisingly steep climbs up a few streets.

They grabbed some sandwiches for lunch in Siena but of course had their yummy dinner and refreshing wine back at the hotel restaurant…..

Chapter 3: Hungry??

On Sunday the gals drove to Rome (about 3 hours) and flew out to Budapest, Hungry. It was another beautiful day which made driving just fine. Note to self, when in Italy, be sure to fill your gas tank on all days except Sunday. Apparently, they had about ¼ of a tank left and tried to stop at 3 stations along the highway before finally finding one that was open. Then, when they tried to fill up at the airport, the gas station there was closed. They only needed about ¼ of a tank to fill the thing full again but still….no gas station at the airport? Plus, the fact that so many were closed on Sunday was kind of crazy.

Now, their flights to Budapest were on WizzAir…holla! WizzAir is pretty much the sister to RyanAir. The airline runs the same way: extremely cheap flights, no assigned seats, no meal or drink services that are free, etc. From what Aggie said, the crazies were out in full force. Line cutting and pushing just to get through the check-in and be put on a bus to take you to the plane! What animals!

They had rented an apartment instead of a hotel room in Budapest (thanks to Jacob and Annette Cooper’s suggestion) and said it was awesome! First off, Jacob and Annette’s friend, Eszter (you don’t get more Hungarian than that…) gave them a few suggestions on places to see, things to do, etc. Well their friend is from Budapest and of course gave great ideas!

The apartment people picked the girls up at the airport and had Aggie’s name on a card, like a cheauffer, so they thought that was really fun. They drove to their apartment and the apartment owner just came down, gave them the keys and they were set! The place was really nice, just built and cheap (in $$). Plus it had a doorman and everything so they felt very safe.

The owner must have just bought a bunch of apartments in this building, furnished them with Ikea basics and voila! He had a business. We think he is an American too so calling and asking him questions was super easy. The apartment was also located in the VII district, which is just North of the downtown area.

Budapest is comprised of Buda and Pest (strangely enough), two different cities separated by the Danube River and connected by several beautiful bridges. Buda is more of the residential area and Pest is where most landmarks and shopping areas are located. Both sides credit themselves as the “Spa Capital of the World”. Budapest can call themselves this because it’s the only large city in the world which abounds in fountains of healing water. Apparently up to 70 million liters of 21-78 Celsius warm thermal water spring forth daily from its 118 natural thermal springs. (That fun fact was taken from the girls’ pamphlet.)

So, by the time the girls got in and settled, it was 7-7:30pm. They wanted to go grab a drink and a bit to eat so they checked out Eszter’s list. Well, one of the places that Eszter suggested they go for dinner and nightlife was a place called Poor Man’s Pub. Conveniently enough, it was seriously across the street from their apartment!

The girls went in and said you had to go down some stairs which let into a big room with a bar and some tables and chairs. Kind of a typical bar setting. Then you went around the corner to a whole other area with another bar and more tables, etc. There was only one other couple in the whole place besides the bartenders and servers so they questioned the “hype” this place got.
Anyway, they ordered their food and drinks and as they sat there, more people started to show up. By 9pm the place was packed, a live jazz band was playing in the front room and it was a good scene! (The bar has different live entertainment every night of the week.) One funny thing, Hungry is part of the EU but hasn’t adopted the Euro currency. Therefore Teresa whipped out 10G’s for dinner….yes, 10,000HUF to cover the 8,300HUF dinner….which is roughly 30-35 bucks. High rollers….

The next day the girls were up early and covered all the sites: Parliament, castle quarter, market square, the Dohany Synagogue, St. Stephen’s Basilica, etc. Aggie said the basilica was one of the most beautiful churches she has ever seen…and we have seen our fair share of churches living over here!

Unfortunately pictures were not allowed but this is the best description she could offer:

It was huge, the floors were cream and black tiles, lots of earth-tones on the walls, maroon and cream marble pillars throughout the space, the statues were all in white and gold trim was on everything. It was also very bright which is unusual for many churches because they are usually kind of dark. Obviously, her description doesn’t do it justice but I’ll believe her, it’s impressive!

The market square was an indoor 2 floor shopping center. On the first floor, there were fresh fruits and veggies for sale, plus bread and butcher stands. The second floor had little vendors selling odds and ends. (Teresa got some sweet wine glasses here.) They did have the pleasure of seeing a small butchered pig just hanging out next to the bacon in one butcher’s stand….I’m not quite sure how one would get that home…in a box? We see pigs feet, heads, etc a lot in the stores, but I can’t say I have seen the whole body very often. Kind of gross.

Also, at the market there were food stands on the 2nd floor. Ag said the food there was very interesting. She didn’t know what type of sausages they were cooking but apparently they were not only huge but like a black color…definitely not a met or brat….Of course I just turned this comment into a funny joke….

So, instead of eating there, the girls headed to a local grocery store close to their apartment since they had a stove and fridge at their place. Plus, as funny as it sounds, checking out grocery stores is a great way to really experience the culture. There are lots of similar things but lots of different things as well.

They grabbed food for lunch and dinner and headed back to the apartment to feast. Then they went back out to explore and ended up going to one of the spas. Of course they went to one of the most prestigious baths in Budapest, the Gellert Spa which is located at the foot of the Liberty Bridge in Buda.

The spa offered many bath and treatment options. They didn’t have any special treatments done but just enjoyed the warm water and relaxation. The inside was beautiful with sculptures, ornate tiles and decorations, etc. Aggie said that once you got a ticket you go through to the center area and people direct you where to go. Well, “directing” is a bit different over there! Nothing is really marked and if it is, it’s not in English. Long story short, they were waiting to come around a corner and see a naked man standing there! Thank goodness for them…he was not eating a big black sausage (I can’t let it go!).

But, they eventually found their way and ended up relaxing in the huge thermal bath (what we would consider a hot tub) behind the swimming pool. The tub could fit up to 50 people or so; It was huge. They then wandered into a room where they saw others going because they knew there were a few more tubs…. So they ventured into this room which had high ceilings and lots of little rooms divided by cloth walls. The little rooms had white beds in them too. Where were they?!

Aggie said they felt like mice in a maze! They figured out that this is where they must do the massages, facials, etc. They eventually found the sauna room which also had two huge hot baths and the air was very steamy and dim. The walls were just beautiful with colorful tiles and statues.

After that adventure, they walked back to their apartment completely relaxed and satisfied. They made dinner, had some wine, packed, watched some bad MTV and went to bed.
The next day, their car driver took them to the airport and Aggie came back to me and Teresa went back to Paris.

Few things they noted about Budapest:

- Lots of people had blue eyes. Random.

- The drive from the airport into the city is kind of disturbing and not pretty at all. There is a section Ag said where there were apartments like the ones in Cabrini Green (basically the slums of Chicago) and there is a wooded area next to these apartments. In the woods were just tons of tents where homeless people were living.

- Also, not many people spoke English there. You can tell that the people who probably visit Hungry are more Western Europeans verses Americans. Hungarians second language is probably French, Italian, etc.

So, that is that!

Stay tuned, because next week we’ll blog about my trip to Dublin this past weekend to witness an epic rugby battle between Ireland and England. And if that wasn’t enough, we’ll also reveal the nature of the “other developments” in our lives, which were commented on in a previous blog.