Summer in Review

Now that the summer bike tour is finished, I thought I should recap. After all, this is supposed to be a travel blog…not just a place for my periodic musings/complaints (or is it?) Despite the less-than-ideal weather this year, I really enjoyed the trip and would do another bike tour in Europe in a heartbeat.

Just read through the blog entry I wrote just before our trip (Gearing Up) and realize that we actually followed our planned route this summer (and then some.) And the equipment carried by Matthias in the bike trailer really did make a difference – it was great to have the chairs for nights and mornings at the campsites, and the sleeping mats were, well, greatly appreciated. We camped almost every night, except for a few nights spent on ferries; the night we arrived in Bergen, Norway; Matthias’ birthday in Hamburg; and one really rainy night in Germany. The extra equipment helped us to endure the rain and cold weather, but the bad weather caused us to complete the route much earlier than expected – our dreams of finding an ideal spot by a loch or Fjord and camping for a few days were pretty much dashed. I mean, we saw lots of ideal spots, but it’s no fun when it’s raining or cold.

Here is sort of a summary of our trip – I’ve probably written about a lot of it already, but I wanted to get the story all in one place.

We spent 85 days on the trail and rode over 4,800 kilometers (about 3,000 miles.) We left Gommern on 18 May and rode on the Elbe River bike trail to Hamburg, through a section of Germany (the “Altmark”) known for growing Asparagus. Then we caught the North Sea Cycle Route, or NSCR, which took us further up the Elbe to Cuxhaven on the North Sea coast of Germany. We rode along the North Sea, through East Friesland (pronounced East “Freezeland”) where we came across some of the most friendly Germans we have ever encountered. The North Sea is interesting here because the tide goes way, way out and you can walk for miles in the mud to little islands off the coast. We continued on to Holland, where the route traveled along the dikes through Friesland (or I guess this would be “West Friesland”) I already mentioned the sheep – seemingly millions of them – grazing along the dikes. Apparently, they keep the grass growing and the dikes secure. But it did get a little tiresome pedaling through their poop and going through an endless number of gates (some areas had gates with openings for bikes (with grates along the bottom so the sheep couldn’t pass through) but others had swinging gates…quite annoying with bikes and even more so with the trailer.

About halfway through Holland we crossed the Afsluitdijk – a 32-km long dike to North Holland, where the landscape changed considerably. We were no longer riding along dikes, but through the dunes. The dunes and beach resorts surprised me – didn’t know they existed in Holland – and were full of Germans (funny, because campsites in Germany are full of Dutch.) As we neared the Belgian border, we stopped in towns that seemed more “typically Dutch” to me, such as Middelburg, with canals, cobbled streets and old buildings.

People following the entire the North Sea Cycle Route would typically take a ferry from the Hook of Holland to Harwich and then ride along the east coast of England to Scotland. But since Scotland was our original goal, we decided to ride on to Zeebrugge, Belgium and take the ferry directly there, skipping England altogether (turned out to be a good choice, given that while Scotland was cold and rainy, England was actually flooding!) From the border of Holland, it was a short ride to Brugge, where we spent two nights (arriving a day early for the ferry.) Brugge (or Bruges) is a really beautiful medieval town – chock full of tourists from all over - including many Americans (although I don’t know many Americans outside of those who have been there who have actually heard of it!) Our ferry left at 6pm, and the ride from Brugge was pretty fast and easy, so we made it with plenty of time to spare for grocery shopping (smart travelers brought their own food on the ferry as the food on board was expensive and probably not all that good.) We had booked “airline seats” for the overnight journey, but as usually occurs on these types of ferries, most passengers slept wherever they found space, such as in a sleeping bag on the floor or on one of the couches in the lounges. So, being able to lie down, I was able to sleep pretty well.

When we arrived in Rosyth, Scotland, it was already threatening to rain, and we decided to head north on the trail instead of going out of our way to Edinburgh (big cities- unless they are particularly bike-friendly – are kind of a pain anyway with the packed bikes and the bike trailer.) I had some trouble following the map at first, and the trail signs weren’t all that good, so we got kind of lost on the way to Kinross, our first destination. Good thing we only planned to ride about 15 miles that day! With some guidance from two local fellows who stepped out of a pub for a smoke (non-smoking law in effect in Scotland), we found our way. It started pouring during the ride, and having survived that and our first major hills of the trip, after arriving at the campsite we decided to visit a Scottish pub for comfort. This was to become somewhat of a trend.

We were blown away by the beauty of the countryside in Scotland (not just the wind) from the moment we arrived there. Following the trail became easier as the signage got better, I got better at deciphering the map, and we got used to riding on the left. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, as I’ve gone on and on about. After Kinross, we crossed through the Kingdom of Fife, with its beautiful rolling hills, to Dundee and then along the coast to Aberdeen, where we spent two days, not because we were particularly interested in Aberdeen, but because it rained like crazy. From Aberdeen, we crossed through the countryside, stopping at a cute little campsite run by a farmer in the middle of nowhere (Ythanbank – even Scots haven’t heard of it.) The campsite was recommended to us by a cyclist who was doing the NSCR trail in the other direction (she was from Holland and had already been through Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.) She said we should call first so that we were expected and so that we could get directions. I called from a pay phone, but was only able to leave a message (without a callback number, of course.) Then, as we got closer, I stopped a local to ask for directions, but he had not heard of the town or campsite, so we were about to look for another pay phone when a car pulled over and someone hopped out and said “Would you be the two who are looking for the campsite?” It was the owner of the campsite who happened to be passing by. He gave us directions and told us he’d be back in a few hours. What a relief, as it was quite a haul to the next campsite, and the weather wasn’t really conducive to wild camping. So, we camped in his field, next to the ponies, cows and chickens, and got to use his daughter’s playhouse for shelter while we ate dinner. Anyway, if you ever find yourself near Ythanbank, Scotland, I recommend the campsite.

The route took us back to the sea at Banff and continued along the coast, where we spent a few very windy evenings huddled inside our tent, to Inverness. Although we had technically been in the Highlands for quite a while, for us, Inverness seemed to be the gateway to the “real” Highlands. After Inverness, it was a short, but hilly ride to Dingwall, which I thought would be a nice typical Scottish town where we could go out. It was, which was a good thing, since the rain picked up and we ended up staying three nights at the campsite there. Besides visiting all the pubs, catching a concert of traditional Scottish music at the Royal British Lodge, and spending more than our share of time at the local 24-hour Tesco supermarket, I think we met just about everyone in town.

The next few days were probably the most scenic of our time in Scotland. We traveled through the highlands past Tain and Lairg and up through the hills through Altnaharra and back down to the northern coast at Bettyhill. This stretch is where we would have liked to have spent more time camping, fishing, hiking, etc., but the weather didn’t allow for it, so we pretty much rushed through so that we could get the ferry to the islands and beyond.

I kind of screwed up on the ferry thing. The plan was to take a ferry to the Orkney Islands, then another to the Shetland Islands and then a third across to Bergen, Norway. While this did eventually work out, it turned out that the ferry from Lerwick (Shetland) to Bergen went by way of the Faroe Islands (halfway to Iceland!) and then back to mainland Scotland before getting to Bergen. So, a week after leaving Scrabster on the mainland for the Orkney Islands, we were back it its port on our way to Norway. Still, though it was more costly, I don’t think I regret going to Orkney and Shetland because they were both beautiful, although we only spent a day in each (again, due to the weather.) I’m sure the Faroe Islands were beautiful, too, if only we could have gotten off the ship, or seen more of them through the rain and fog! So, the ferry from Lerwick to Bergen ended up taking three days (two nights). We had berths in a six-berth cabin in the bowels of the ship and, fortunately, on the second night, we had the cabin to ourselves. I slept quite well both nights.

When we got to Bergen, it was raining (of course) so we spent the night at our first inside accommodation of the trip – a cozy and cute B and B in a nice part of town. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go out on the town as the prices were outrageous. The next day we headed out of Bergen in the rain into the fjords. As I’ve written before, the scenery was gorgeous, but the bad weather didn’t allow us to stop, or take any good photos. Fortunately, when we finally arrived at the campsite, it turned out to be beautiful. The next morning was quite nice, but the route was so hilly that when we arrived at one campsite around noon, the thought of riding another 50 km was daunting and we decided to stay there, although there was nothing around to do and it started raining in the afternoon. The next day, we rode in the pouring rain to Haugersund, where we learned that the weather was not expected to get any better. So, we decided to ride on to Egersund (another 100 km) and take the ferry from there to Denmark, instead of riding all the way down the coast to Kristiansand. But the next day, my bike started to feel really weird, and about 25 km from town we notice that my back wheel was basically broken. I could ride on it, but it was incredibly wobbly. So, we decided to head back to Haugesund and get it fixed, instead of risk getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. We then also decided, based on our experiences so far in Norway, just to take the ferry from there to Denmark, where we could get south more quickly, and – hopefully – away from the rain and cold.

The overnight ferry to Denmark involved (once again) sleeping on the floor in the “reclining seat room” and waking up in Denmark, where the rain was light, but the wind was fierce. The NSCR trail was well marked, but I was dismayed that after riding about 30 km, we were only 12 km from where the ferry left us, because the trail winds through scenic areas to give a nicer cycling experience (when the weather is good!) Actually, we passed some really lovely areas, with nice facilities (shelters, toilets, water) for wild camping, but it was too early for us to stop. So we continued on to a campsite, where we had to buy a camping card, in addition to paying quite a bit for the privilege of staying there. We weren’t all that interested in seeing much in Denmark, but in making it back to Germany, where we could afford more comforts (food, drink, beds) so we rode pretty quickly through the country. Fortunately, the bike trails were nice and well-marked, and the weather didn’t’ treat us too badly, save for a couple days of horrendous wind and some light rain.

We arrived in Germany on July 14 and decided that once we found a campsite we would go out on the town, something we hadn’t done since Scotland. Unfortunately, the campsite in Dagebull was nice, but the town boasted exactly one bar (a hotel bar) and zero ATMs – we had forgotten that we had very few Euros on us. So, we ate a couple of Matjes brots (herring filets on baguette) at little snack bars and then had dinner at the only restaurant that accepted credit cards – a mediocre meal. Oh well.

For our next outing (Matthias’ birthday) we wanted to be sure we would be in a place where we could have fun, so we rode more or less directly to Hamburg, which took about three days (more details in the July 20 entry below.) Since at this rate we would get back to Gommern about a month earlier than expected, we thought of extending the trip by taking the train across Germany to the Austrian border and riding into Italy along the Via Claudia Augusta, where we thought there would be less rain and much warmer temperatures. But, when we got to the train station at Lauenburg (south of Hamburg) we both decided that it would be too much hassle – with the bikes and the trailer – to head so far south on the trains. Also, we weren’t sure our bikes/equipment would hold up, and didn’t want to get stuck so far away. Plus, the weather was had already improved in Germany. So, we decided to ride back down the Elbe river to Matthias’ parents’ house, recuperate, repack, and continue down the Elbe toward Prague. I was excited to have some different clothes to wear! Also, we figured that if it rained in the Czech Republic, we could more easily afford to get a hotel and go out for the evening. We spent two nights in Gommern and then headed out again.

We had a nice first day of riding…approximately 100km to Lutherstadt Wittenberg, where Martin Luther made his famous proclamations that started the reformation. After that, we had two days of horrible rain – pouring down virtually all day. At the end of the second day of rain, I had sort of a mental breakdown, and we eventually found a room for the night (35 Euros including breakfast…not bad!) When it cleared up the next day, we were able to enjoy the scenery of the Saxon wine valley on our way to Dresden and the Czech border. The ride was quite beautiful in Czech Republic, where we experienced our first taste of summer. The trails were pretty well marked, and consisted of a few rough, unpaved paths, some dedicated paved bikeways, and stretches along minor roads. We slowed down a bit, enjoying food and drink in the Czech towns where we camped. For the most part, the campsites in Czech were quite nice…we even found a good site in Prague, where we spent two nights.

After Prague, we decided to ride further along the Elbe (Labe, in Czech) river (the Elbe bike trail veers off along the Vltava river to Prague.) Unfortunately, the trail here got pretty rough – unpaved and very rocky trails along the river (thankfully it didn’t rain!) We made it to one campsite near Stara Boleslav/Brandys, which was “rustic” (like the campsites I remember in America) with pretty disgusting bathrooms, no showers, etc. So, we decided to head back to Germany, again taking our time to enjoy the ride on the way back. Of course, after one day back in Germany, the rain started again, so we rode a day in it, and then threw in the towel, so to speak, and took the train back on August 12.

So, that was our trip this summer. Now we are working toward the next (probably last) phase of the trip – to Asia. We are going to take the trans-Siberian train across Russia to Bejing, travel by rail around China, and head down to Southeast Asia (probably Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.) Then our plans kind of fall apart – hopefully we’ll meet some fellow travelers that will give us some ideas. It would be great if we could go to Australia and come back to the US over the Pacific, stopping off here and there along the way. But that will depend on a lot of things, including how much money we have left, how much it costs, how tired we are, etc.

Observations

Just can't seem to say enough about the bike ride. Here are some of our general observations from the trip....


Nature and Wildlife
Have I mentioned sheep? While everyone told us that in Scotland we would see tons of sheep, we saw many more in Germany and Holland. And when we did packaged lamb meat in the supermarket in the Shetland Islands (famous for sheep, I thought) it was from New Zealand! We also saw more Highland cows (the wooly ones) and Shetland ponies in Germany than we did in Scotland. Indeed, overall, we saw the widest variety and largest numbers of animals in Germany, from storks and partridges to cows and horses. We also saw more Belgian horses in Holland than in Belgium. Matthias likes these horses because they are huge and sturdy, or big and fat. I noticed that Belgian cows (actually seen in Belgium) are also big and fat. I wonder what, if anything, this means…

As for agriculture, there were countless cornfields dotting the German landscape (I noticed this during last year’s bike ride, too), but I have yet to be served corn (they call it mais) in Germany – it is a far cry from a German staple. Matthias says they feed it to the cows. We also didn’t see any oats growing in Scotland, though we were able to purchase Scottish oatmeal. Finally, it was interesting to note that Norwegian salmon, Danish cheese, and Dutch cheese are cheaper to buy in Germany than in their respective countries. Guess I should be grateful I didn’t marry a Norwegian dude!

Best and Worst of 2007

Best Campsites – Holland
While we stayed in good and bad campsites in all the countries we visited, we loved a concept that the Dutch had: Mini-Camping. The mini-campsites consisted of a small plot of land a local farmer (or just someone with extra property) would set up as a small campsite. Prices were low, facilities were good, and people were friendly. They were a welcome change from the traditional campsites where we might have to wedge in between RVs or find an open spot in a crowded tent area. Campsites in Denmark were quite posh – sometimes with swimming pools, free Internet and well-equipped kitchens – but we paid just a bit less than a bed and breakfast might cost in Germany, so we weren’t pleased with them.

Worst Campsites – Germany
Aside from one squalid campsite we stayed at in the Czech Republic, Germany tended to have the campsites we liked least, particularly along the North Coast. Basically, many were just open plots of land with RVs and tents lined up in rows. No shelter from wind or rain, and you had to pay extra for showers - which were clean and had hot water, as Matthias wants me to point out.

Best Bike Routes – Denmark
Denmark has a great cycle network and the best signage to keep cyclists on the route. I didn’t have a very detailed map of our route in Denmark but it didn’t matter – I don’t think we ever missed a turn, even though I didn’t have a very detailed map of our route. The signs and trails were also excellent in the Netherlands; in fact, their system not only told you what trail you were on (e.g., #10), but what direction you were going (A or B). However, now and then some signs were missing, and we needed our map to find the next point on the route.

Worst Bike Routes - Czech Republic
Our first answer in this category was Germany…not that the trails weren’t good, but there are so many routes that the signs would get confusing – you definitely need a map to know which town you are headed for as few signs had route numbers or names. But when we got to the Czech Republic, we learned what a crappy bike trail was. Actually, the route signs were great, but some of the paths were just awful – incredibly bumpy, stony or sandy – it’s a good thing that the Czech Republic is the one place we didn’t have a lot of rain!





Best Food – Germany
What the North Sea coast lacked in campsite comfort, it made up for in food – great fresh fish at decent prices. We also did better at German supermarkets, which had a wider variety of soups, cheeses and salads at affordable prices. And of course the bread in Germany wins hands down.

Worst food – Norway or Scotland
Ok, we didn’t go out to eat in Norway, so we really can’t say how the food is there, just that it’s super-expensive. So Matthias voted for Scotland in this category because he got tired of eating haggis (which we both liked) and fish and chips. We found the various meat pies to be pretty disappointing. And, Matthias doesn’t like Indian food, so that didn’t leave him much to work with.

Best People – Scotland!
Could these people be any friendlier? I don’t think so. I think I’ve mentioned a dozen times how outgoing, nice and helpful people were in Scotland. This went for the people in the tourist centers as well as people on the streets, in restaurants and supermarkets. Besides being helpful, people were also very interested in our trip – perhaps because Scotland is not one of the larger “biking nations” so they’re not used to seeing as many fully loaded bikes passing by.

Least friendly people – Norway
I couldn’t very well say “worst people” could I, as I didn’t get to know any. But there was a stark difference that we noticed the minute we got on the Scandinavian-run ferry from the Shetland Islands. Not only did no one talk to us (or smile back at me), but people weren’t all that keen on holding doors open either.

Prague and Back

Gommern, 4,810 km

We finished our bike tour with a trip down the Elbe river to Prague and back (or, almost all the way back), ending a bit early due to less-than-optimal weather and weariness of camping (otherwise known as a strong desire to not have to put shoes on to use the bathroom!) The trail along the Elbe was very nice, and apart from a few (truly crappy) rain days, the weather was pretty good, particularly in the Czech republic. I'll write more about the trip next week, as we're leaving today for some R and R in the Harz mountains - no internet, but plenty of time to write something for the blog and post it later. In the meantime, I have posted pictures (link is to the left.)

Changing Gears

Gommern, Germany 3,865 km

Well, we completed our journey on the North Sea Cycle Route quite a bit earlier than expected, as the cold and wet weather made us go more quickly through Scotland (dashed our dreams of wild camping by a "loch" for a few days, catching fish, and soaking up the sun) and cut out part of Norway. And, because the weather was so bad, we talked about completely switching gears and heading down to Italy (by train) for one more month of riding - we knew it would at least be warm there! But when we got to the train station, and realized how difficult it would be to lug the bikes, the trailer, our equipment, etc., etc. from train to train, we decided to bag that idea and ride back down along the Elbe river to the Czech Republic. Besides, the weather in Germany was already much better than in the countries farther to the north; it still rains a bit almost every day, but it's much warmer and there's much more sun.

So, we rode back the way we came and arrived at Matthias' parents house yesterday, where I immediately showered and put on "street clothes" (that now fit again, by the way!) Matthias is tinkering with the bikes, and I'm busy doing laundry, labeling photos and catching up on email. We leave tomorrow in the direction of Prague.

Speaking of photos, I've uploaded all the photos from the bike ride and included a link to the left.

Hamburger Birthday

Hamburg, Germany 3,447 km
We breezed through Denmark and arrived back in Germany on July 14, which gave us time to make it to Hamburg for Matthias' 38th Birthday. Hamburg is a great town in which to celebrate anything - lots of good food and bustling nightlife along the Reeperbahn (Germany's red-light district/street, and even more famous among Europeans than the one in Amsterdam.) We booked a nice hotel near (yet far enough away from) the Reeperbahn and rode into town and checked in before noon. We had lunch in a nice restaurant in the fish market area. I had to get used to the fact than "Hamburger" fish, or "Hamburger" salad had nothing to do with chopped meat on a bun, but meant that the food was a Hamburg specialty. Still, I kept thinking they served Hamburgers everywhere.

In the afternoon, we walked around the city and then hit the Reeperbahn area. We skipped a sit-down dinner and opted for evening snacks (most notably, Matjes (herring filets) on bread and Doner Kebap) and went from pub to pub. I am quite sure that Matthias enjoyed his birthday, as we didn't get back to the hotel until after 1AM, and as many of you know, it's often difficult to keep Matthias up past 9PM! The next day, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, and started off again on the Elbe river, where we planned to catch a train from the next town for points south....

LegoLand and Ugly Ducklings

Søndervig, DK 2,964 km

We have arrived in Denmark. I really wanted to avoid talking about the weather and prices in this entry, but that's all I can usually think of to write about. They are both pretty crappy here. I really should think of other things to write about such as the scenery, the people we meet, or the food or something, but instead of trying to come up with content for the blog while I'm riding, I'm always trying to think of 'cute' titles...today's runner-up was:

-Something's Rotten in the State of Denmark (the weather)

But I actually did see some ugly (swan) ducklings today and thought that Hans Cristian Andersen was right - swan ducklings are pretty ugly, but grow up to be so lovely! And I remembered that he is probably one of Denmark's most famous export, along with Legos. Thus today's title.

So, we took the ferry from Haugesund, Norway to Hanstholm, Denmark on Monday night and arrived on Tuesday morning (10 July). We immediately started off toward the south, with light rain and a very strong headwind. Still, we managed to ride about 80 km to a super-posh (and superexpensive, of course) campsite, where we had some good shelter from the rain. Tonight's campsite was more expensive, and not as nice, but there is free Internet, so I'm sure as hell going to get our money's worth, if I can just think of more to say...

We have met some interesting people in passing. As it turns out, if we had gone 'the other way' around the North Sea (Germany, Denmark, Norway, Scotland, etc.) instead of the clockwise direction we chose, we would have had better luck with the weather, or so said the people we met who went the other way. The people we met lately, though, have all been in the same boat with regard to the weather. A Swiss biker we met in Norway told us that one night in Denmark he woke up at 4AM with his tent flooded! He said he doesn't sleep very well anymore when it rains (and neither do I!) We also met a retired Dutch couple who were doing the whole North Sea Cycle Route (6000 kms!)

Okay, it looks like someone is waiting to use the Internet and I've been hogging it (ugly American!) So that's it for now...

Norwegian Cruise

Haugesund, Norway 2,774 km

Just had to laugh reading Sue's comment on the last post. We are high-tailing it out of Norway for various reasons. First, as Sue mentioned, it's REALLY expensive. Second, the weather is awful, and not that we're pansies or anything, but when it rains all day, we'd really like to be able to afford a place to stay - or at least a meal in a restaurant! Not that Denmark will be much cheaper, but I think we will just have about 10 days riding there and then back to Germany, where food (and lodging...and beer) is affordable.

The 180 (or so) kms we did in Norway were indeed gorgeous, but with the rain, we didn't get to stop much and enjoy the view. That really made me angry. But at least we got to see the beautiful Fjords, which pretty much resemble the Chilean fjords we saw last year.

Will try to do another update from Denmark. Keeping our fingers crossed for better weather there....

News of the Highlands

I suppose we are now technically out of the Scottish Highlands, being in Kirwall, Orkney. We are waiting for our ferry tonight to Lerwick, on the Shetland Islands, but we are not going to stay there. We have decided to get out of this wet and cold country - and on to Norway (but what makes me think it will be better there?) We are a bit nervous because we couldn't buy advance tickets on the ferry to Norway, and we've been meeting people who have told us that the ferry doesn't go there anymore. Well, the Internet says different, so I guess we'll see.

The weather in Scotland really kicked out our butts, but we still managed to have a good time and see a lot of great scenery (I don't think these pictures do anything justice, but I'm having trouble uploading at the moment.) The reporters have said that it's been the wettest June in Britain since the recordkeeping began - and this is for BRITAIN! Geez.

Anyway, the highlands were simply gorgeous, and the ferry ride to Orkney was beautiful (photo of the 'Man of Hoy' rock formation is included.) We were told there were lots of sheep in Scotland, and though there are certainly many, not nearly as many as we've seen in Germany and Holland. Or, maybe the space is just larger and they're more spread out.

So, I thought I would have tons to write about, but when I'm in front of the screen, I can't think of a thing to say. I always plan to write something out longhand at night, but then I'm too tired (or too lazy.) Perhaps a better update from Scandinavia...

Rain Day

It's raining again today and we decided not to move, since we have a nice campsite (with trees for shelter) and are near a nice town. Anyway, we have 'arrived' in our destination (scotland) anyway, so there's no need to rush off anywhere.

And, I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about what I love about Scotland (I think the last entry was a bit whiney...)

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
We love Haggis! It's the perfect meal when it's cold out, and goes great with Tenents beer. Neeps are turnips and tatties are mashed potatoes. All in all, a great filling meal. And, with all the exercise, it doesn't seem to be doing me any harm.

Friendly people!
We can't get over how friendly people are here. You can't be on line at a supermarket, on a park bench, or in a pub without someone striking up a conversation. Last night, we tried Scotch Whiskey - a treat from one of the friendly bartenders. I'm not one for whiskey, but this was pretty good. It was called Isle of Skye, from the island of the same name. I also could sit all day and listen to people talk with that great accent! A little hard to understand, but pleasing to the ear!

Fabulous scenery!
I've said this a million times, but it really is true. I was a bit doubtful upon coming here....can it really be that beautiful?? But it is. I'm trying to upload pictures now. This computer will only let me upload to ofotos, but I'll see if I can create a link here.

Roundabout 200 Miles Left

Dingwall, Scotland 2,192 km
Yes, here we are in Scotland, traveling in miles, on the left, and through countless roundabouts. Driving on the left isn't so difficult, except when it comes to intersections - I never seem to know where the traffic is going to come from. Also, now that I've gotten used to kilometers, it's a pain to figure in miles (plus, when a town is five miles away, it's a heck of a lot longer than 5km!) Nonetheless, Scotland is really beautiful, though quite hilly. But I guess you can't have beautiful scenery unless you climb (and descend) some hills.

Enter the Wind
While we enjoyed a great tailwind in the Netherlands, the second day in Scotland the wind, and the weather, got back at us. First, we had to climb hills into strong headwinds along the coast. Then, we've been faced with rain (or the threat of rain) and cold every day. The cold is probably the hardest...it's not so nice to sit outside your tent when the wind is howling. So, we've gone over the budget a bit by hiding out in pubs (what am I complaining about?!)

Everyone here is talking about how lovely it was in April - summer tempuratures. I swear, if I hear that one more time....

Wasted Light
Yes, it's the second lightest day of the year today, but it's been quite dark (cloudy) all day. When we're at a campsite far from a town, we generally go to sleep before it gets dark (because we're too cold to sit outside.) On the 'bright' side, however, I haven't had to use a flashlight while reading at night. Also, it gets light at around 3:30 in the morning and the birds start singing. Weird!

Cheap and Cheerful
I had heard that the Scottish were thrifty, but I don't know how they can be...the prices here are pretty outrageous. Basically, NYC prices and then some. Like £6 for takeaway fish and chips (that's 12 US bucks, folks!) And when I've asked people where I can find 'reasonably' priced items, they are quite helpful....'oh, you want cheap and cheerful right?'

Actually, enough complaining....it's a wonderfully beautiful country (haven't I mentioned that already) and the people are so, so friendly we can't believe it! Fantastic advice....whether we ask for it or not!

Okay, would like to write more as well as post some photos, but I have to go pick up my bike from the local bike shop (loose spokes making weird noises.) Take care and stay tuned for more...

Photos!

Brugge, Belgium 1,637 km

Was able to find an Internet cafe where I could post our photos. See the link to the left. We leave tomorrow on the ferry for Scotland, where the forcast calls for rain, rain, rain. Still, we're excited!

Wind Power

Middleburg, NL 1,500 (or so) Kms

Hi again. Well, now that we have been staying closer to bigger towns, and slowing down as we near our interim destination of Zeebrugge, Belgium (where we get the ferry to Scotland on Monday) I have discovered the Dutch libraries, where Internet is cheap and good (free coffee in Ouddorp!) So, I thought I would do another quick update and add some photos.

We just crossed the last long dike we needed to cross in Holland before we are in Belgium. And, fortunately, the wind was behind us all the way. And it was quite strong, too! I felt sorry for those riding in the other direction - pumping as if going up a huge hill (we'll get our share of those in Scotland, I guess.) Now I know why they have all those windmills and wind-energy-generators here!

Okay, so I finally have good internet access but can't think of a thing to say. To anyone reading this: I'm sorry I haven't been better about sending personal emails, but I always feel like I write everything here, so there isn't much else to say. Anyway, keep all those emails and comments coming!

Dike Riding

Zandvoort, NL 1349 km

Apologies to those who might have been searching for a different topic, but this is what we've been up to for the last two weeks or so...riding along the dikes of the Elbe River and North Sea in Germany and Holland. Although, today we rode along the dunes of Holland (didn't know they even had dunes! Looked and felt like Fire Island...with hills!) Except for a couple of days of bad weather, the trip has been fantastic so far. The scenery is beautiful, the terrain is (mostly) flat (only need to battle the wind and rain at times) and our equipment is holding up, save for two flat tires.

We have seen a lot of water, farmland, coastline, quaint villages, big towns and have seen and heard tons of animals - cows, horses, ponies, geese, swans, frogs (loud ones!), storks, rabbits and sheep, sheep sheep! Often, the trail goes through the sheep's grazing land...also on the dikes.

The north sea in Germany was pretty cool - the tide goes out really far (like many miles) and you can walk in the mud left behind at low tide. It's supposed to be healthy. But after we crossed a really long dike from one part of Holland to the other (cant remember the name right now), the sea began to resemble what I'm used to seeing - like I said, dunes and beaches.

We are about 200 km from Belgium where we plan to take a ferry to Scotland. Pictures to come later, when I can find an internet cafe where I can load them. Actually, internet cafes are pretty hard to find (or else I'm too exhausted when it's time to look) so updates and emails will be less often than I had hoped. But at least I was able to find a terminal on this special day so I can wish Uncle Lou a HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY! And I'll take the opportunity to wish cousin Susan a happy 60th in a couple of weeks.

Visitor from afar

Just got back to Gommern after spending 10 days touring around with Stu. It was great - a bit of a hectic itinerary, but we wanted to show Stu as much of the area as possible. So, when he first arrived, we drove through Gommern (stopping for coffee and cake with Matthias' parents, cousin, and Oma) to the house in the Harz, where Stu (pictured to the right with some bovine friends) was able to shed the jet-lag. The next day, we went to Wernigerode, an old town in the Harz mountains with a pretty castle (second picture to the right). We also took a short hike to a cave and ruins of an old monastery (circa 900 AD) near the house. Fortunately, we had great weather for this part of the trip.

On Sunday, when it began to get cloudy, we drove to Dresden, where we visited the Zwinger museum (at least the section with art by the old Dutch masters.) We also visited the FrauenKirche, a church in the middle of town that was destroyed in WWII on which restoration was just completed last year. We also walked quite a bit around town, admiring the scenery, and ate lunch in an historic keller (cellar) restaurant.

As the typical German weather (rain) set in, we left for Prague, stopping in Terezin on the way. Terezin, or Terezinstadt in German, was a town used in WWII as a Jewish ghetto and "transit camp" before prisoners were sent to extermination camps further east. We also visited the nearby prison camp, where Jews and non-Jewish "enemies of the Nazi regime" were held in unbelievably horrid conditions. It was a sad and distressing, but important, visit.

After Terezin, it was a short drive to Prague....or it would have been, if we didn't have to drive completely through the city (which doesn't mark routes very well) to our hotel which was so far out of town that it was off the map! Yes, the pension was nice, but a bit too far from the center, in an all-residential area. But hey, at least we got to live like the real Prague-ers. (Prague-ians? Praguens?) During our stay in Prague, we had some nice meals, and enjoyed touring the neighborhoods by the old town square and castle, as well as the Jewish quarter and old synagogues. Stu is pictured here on the Charles Bridge.

After Prague, we drove to Karlovy Vary, a Czech spa town located near the German border with a number of hot springs that have medicinal properties. It was a beautiful town, our hotel was lovely and central, and we had fun sampling the water from the springs. Pictured to the right is a view of the town from a nearby hill.

Finally we spent the last three nights in Berlin, where Stu met a friend from Italy. I really loved Berlin - despite the fact that Gommern is only about 1.5 hours away, I had never spent much time there (never more than a few hours at a time.) So, it was great to be able to stay for three nights. We went to the Bundestag (home of the parliament), Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Altes Museum, and Kreutzberg (neighborhood known for immigrants and young people....kind of east village-esque.) Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the charger for my camera battery, and Stu isn't much of a vacation photographer, so we don't have many pictures of our 10-day adventure. Then again, for those of you who are tired of sifting through my albums (is there anybody out there?), this may be a relief. Anyway, the photos are included at the end of the Germany 2007 album (link to the left.)

So, we're off in a few days....this Friday (18-May) unless there is a downpour that morning (not unlikely.) The next update will be from the bike trail, where I have decided not to take the laptop (major withdrawal is about to set in!) I guess the entries will be a little shorter, but perhaps more frequent. As a recap, we are planning to ride from here along the Elbe river to the North Sea, and then join the north sea cycle route through Holland to Belgium, then Scotland (by ferry and bike), Norway, Denmark, and back to Germany. Here's hoping for good weather and tailwinds!

Bremen, Becks, and Bikes

We are still waiting to start our next bike tour, and still awaiting Stu’s visit (this Friday.) Since the last entry we have been enjoying the unseasonably warm and dry weather in the Harz mountains (where I’m writing this now) and spent a weekend in Bremen visiting Katja and Thorsten. They were great hosts, showing us the best of Bremen – home of Becks beer and the Werder Bremen football club. We had loads of fun touring the old town, drinking Becks (regular, Gold, and Limon) at the riverside beer garden (and at home), riding bikes along the Weser and rowing a rented boat through the park. A highlight of the visit was our side trip to the Fish Market in Hamburg. Matthias has always talked about this market as something special, and it was. It’s only open on Sunday mornings (around 3AM until around 9AM), so we left at 5AM for the one-hour drive to Hamburg. Many of the people there were out all night – partying around Hamburg’s famous Reeperbahn (a red-light district) but there were also quite a few serious shoppers doing their grocery shopping for the week. They sell everything there, from fresh and smoked fish, to fruit, meat, candies and souvenirs. What makes the market really special (besides the live band in the market hall) is the way items are sold. Hawkers yell out to the crowds, making jokes and telling stories, as they fill up a bag or basket with loads of goodies and then offer it at a lump sum (cheap!) For example, the smoked fish guy would take a newspaper and load it up with smoked salmon, some trout, three eels, etc., etc., and then offer the huge package for 15 Euros and wait for someone to bite (kind of like the opposite of “fishing” I guess.) Then, the transaction wouldn’t be complete without ribbing the customer a bit. We ended up buying about 3 kilos (about 7 pounds) of fresh fish filets for 15 Euros – and cooked up just a bit of it for dinner the next night. Katja also bought a huge basket full of fruit and vegetables for 10 Euros. Great deals, and lots of fun!

After our three-day visit (after all, fish and visitors begin to smell after three days) Matthias’ parents picked us up in Bremen and we were once again off to Hamburg. We visited Matthias’ cousin Sonja in the afternoon and in the evening went to see the German production of Mamma Mia. It was a good thing I had seen it before, because the whole thing (including the Abba songs) were in German. Still, it was great fun! (Yes, Mamma Mia is still Mamma Mia in German. Same goes for Waterloo….)

We got our bikes back last week and have done a little bit of riding around the area – but unfortunately, we are far from being in shape for our ride. Hopefully all of that will work itself out once we start (as it did last year.) In the meantime, countdown to Stu’s visit….2 days to go! Looking forward to showing him the sights, and hoping the weather stays as good as it has been.

Gearing Up

Hello from Germany. We’ve been here with Matthias’ family for about a week and are staying until May while we get ready for the next portion of our travels. We spent Easter in Matthias’ family vacation home in the Harz area (a small mountain range with zillions of walking/hiking/biking paths, where we spent a few weeks last year hunting mushrooms.) They have two days of Easter here (Sunday and Monday), and since the family is not religious at all, we just used the holidays as an excuse to eat big meals. Also, on the night before Easter, all over Germany (or at least the region, as far as I know) they have Easter Fires – or bonfire parties – in each town. Again, this doesn’t seem to have anything to do with religion (welcoming spring/saying goodbye to winter as I’ve been told), and people just gather around the fire and talk, drink and eat. The fire we attended was for Eggeroder Brunen, a hamlet of about 80 people where Matthias’ family has their house. I was impressed with the size of the fire, but Matthias said it’s tiny compared to those of other “real” towns. Anyway, it was really fun. Links to photos (and video) of the fire and more are to the left under "Germany 2007" and I have added pictures from Portugal to the link below that ("Back in Tarifa")

We spent another couple of days in the Harz before coming back here to Gommern to continue planning our trip. As it stands now (of course, this is always subject to change) we are going to ride on the North Sea Cycle Route this summer. We plan to leave in mid-May and ride along the Elbe River through Hamburg to the North Sea, which we will then follow to Belgium where we will get a ferry to Scotland. Then, we want to cycle north through Scotland all the way to the Shetland Islands (by ferry,) where we would get a boat to Denmark. Then, down through Denmark and back to Germany.

With one bike tour already behind us, I’m looking forward to a “smoother ride” on this trip. First, we are going to do a bit more route planning as we need to book the ferries in advance (for example, the ferry from the Shetland Islands to Denmark only goes twice a month and (supposedly) gets pretty full.) So I’ve been working on planning our route to rendezvous with the ferries. In terms of making the ride more comfortable, we have ordered a bike trailer, in which we plan to tote various amenities such as chairs, a tent shelter, and sleeping mats. So, if it does rain a lot this time (did I say Scotland?) we should at least be able to relax and stay dry while camping. And, of course, Matthias is going to pull the trailer….

In the meantime, we are getting our bikes tuned up, ordering maps, checking on ferries, and shopping for supplies and equipment. The weather is getting pretty nice and the flowers are beginning to bloom (see photo of Matthias' mom's garden to the right) Also, we are excited to visit Katja and Thorsten in Bremen, as well as go to Hamburg with Matthias’ parents to see Mamma Mia later this month. Finally, we are working on an itinerary for Stu’s visit in the beginning of May. Should be enough to keep me busy at least for the next few weeks!

Isn't it Ironic?

Part of the reason for my new computer - which I love dearly - was so that I could more easily update the Blog, which I now see that I haven't updated in about a month! At least now I have a lot to write about.

We have left Tarifa and are now in Germany, where we will spend about a month getting ready for the next stage(s) of our trip. We need to buy new equipment to make our next bike ride more comfortable, and get our visas for Russia and China (for the fall.) But first, a little about our last month.

I took two additional weeks of Spanish classes in Tarifa before Matthias' family arrived. His cousin Katja, her boyfriend Thorsten, and Matthias' Aunt Ines came to Tarifa for a one-week holiday. We had lots of fun with them - going out for dinner and drinks, and touring the surrounding area. I was even able to get ready for the Easter season with a Cadbury Creme Egg from Gibraltar. It was fun to feel like tourists again in Tarifa, although I was also beginning to like the feeling of "living" there. Then we had to say goodbye to our new friends at the Circus Bar as we headed off to spend 10 days in Portugal.

On the same day Katja, Thorsten and Ines flew back to Germany, we left Tarifa on the bus to Sevilla. We spent the day there walking around the city and enjoying various tapas before catching the midnight (overnight) bus to Lisbon.

Though we were a little tired upon arrival, we found our lovely and inexpensive hotel quite easily - situated up high in a nice neighborhood near the Rato Metro stop. (Pensao Dinastia was the name, and I highly recommend it.) I also recommend Lisbon - a beautiful city built on seven hills, with lots of great architecture and churches. (Matthias: "Lisbon has about 100 churches, and I've seen them all!") We weren't too keen on the food at first (ever wonder why there are no Portugese restaurants around?) but then we got into the groove and found some tasty things to eat. Two of our favorite dishes were Fejoada (or what Matthias calls "hoof and beans") and Cocido Portugese (also interesting cuts of pork and beef along with veggies.) We also had some good grilled fish.

As far as the sights are concerned - we were able to fill a week by walking up and down the hills of the city and always seeming to find a new corner (and a new church) to explore. We also took some day trips, to the picturesque town of Sintra and Cascais, a nearby seaside resort. And, in the middle of it all, we went to Porto for two nights. Unbelievably, it was even prettier than Lisbon. I'll try to post the pictures soon.

Noting that a year ago today we flew from Argentina back to Florida, I've been thinking about what we've done for the past year. At first I thought that we haven't really done that much (mostly Europe), but then I realized that during this year I fulfilled two of my long-standing dreams: to ride a bike through Europe, and to learn Spanish in Spain. That, and visiting Russia, friends and family back home, and Portugal too. Not to shabby at all. Now I just have to get better at updating the blog....

We’re Baaaaaack

Back in Tarifa, Spain, after a long, but fruitful, few days of travel. Matthias and I were on different flights, because – as you may have read from previous entries – I needed to book on miles and it was too expensive for us to take the same flights. We both had hellish connections – me through Chicago and London, and Matthias through DC and Frankfurt – to Madrid. However, I was fortunate enough to get bumped, twice, before leaving Tampa, and besides making $600 in airline vouchers from American Airlines, I got to fly to Madrid via Miami. Much nicer!

Matthias and I met in Madrid the next day and took the overnight bus to Tarifa, where we moved into our rented apartment – actually a house – which turned out to be better than we expected. While we are no longer directly on the beach, we are on the edge of the old town (quiet so far…) with a roof terrace that has views of the sea and the town (you've got to click on the photo above to get a better look at the dog enjoying the same view as we are!) My only complaint is that the house is cold and damp…even when it’s warm outside. It must be nice during the intense heat of summer, but for now we’ve always got blankets around us when we’re here.

The new computer is great. I take it to school (started Spanish classes again this week) and can connect to the Internet from there as well as a number of bars/cafes in town. In addition, we listed to music and watch movies in the evening (while huddled under covers for warmth!)

I had planned to post this before this past weekend’s Carnaval and talk about how much I was looking forward to it, but the weekend has now passed, and I can now say how much I (we ) enjoyed it. Besides the street-festival atmosphere, I really enjoyed the local singing groups – men dressed in themed costumes singing about life and local politics (okay, I didn’t understand it all at the time, but I bought the “programs”, which included the song lyrics…) ¡Que divertido! (what fun!)

You can see more photos by following the link to the left. I´ve only got one more week of class and then another week before Matthias´ cousin Katja comes to visit. Then, I believe, we are off to see Portugal (finally!)

Mission Accomplished

I guess it's been while since I've written. I feel like we've been busy, but surely that can't be the case. So, here's the report on our visit to the USA - a link to photos can be found on the left.

We started in New York, where we spent the night at Stu's and then went up to my parents house in Highland Falls and visited cousins Susan, Harry and Charlene (thanks, Sue, for the transportation!) Then we headed back to the city to spend the week with Stu, visit other friends, and eat our favorite NYC foods. When we left, we were happy to have been able to visit with just about everyone (sorry to have missed you, Eleanor.) Thanks to all, particularly Stu for putting us up (or putting up with us), and Matt, Dean (pictured to the left),Lara, Barb, Harry and Charlene for feeding us. And, we are thrilled that Stu purchased tickets to come see us in Germany in May.

We left NYC on January 18 - it really wasn't all that cold up there (yet!) - and came to Sarasota, Florida, which was quite a bit warmer. We took care of some business first - Matthias got his permanent residency (green card) and his drivers' license, and I got more pages put into my passport. We took bike rides, and went shopping for things we needed (including the fabulous new computer on which I'm writing this blog entry.) We also got to spend quite a bit of "quality time" with mom and dad, and see other family as well - Josh and Andrew (pictured at left), Lou and Laurene, Marvin and Jane, and Harry and Charlene (again.) And, Matthias kept busy painting the interior of my parents' new house. Unfortunately, though, once again we missed seeing Jennifer and Brenda!

Finally, although Matthias (wisely) went on a diet during our first two weeks here, we were sure to endulge in yet more of that yummy American food we missed, including Matthias' monster steak shown here (he ate this and some of mine!) Now, we are ready to head back to Tarifa, where we will spend about a month (I will take more Spanish lessons and Matthias' relatives will visit in March) and then plan the next stages of our journey.

Holiday Fun, and a new camera!

I am writing this from Stu's apartment in NYC. We said goodbye to our ocean view apartment in Tarifa (where I took this great photo) and came to the US last Wednesday. We have been busy trying to reconnect with friends and family, as well as eating our way through NYC! But more on that in a later entry, since I haven't written about the holidays yet....

Matthias' family came to Tarifa for a week in December. During their visit, we did a lot of traveling around the area to places we have seen (like Ronda and Cadiz) and those new to us (like Bolonia and Tangier.) For both me and Matthias' grandmother (who's 92!), our day trip to Tangier, Morocco marked our first time in Africa. We had, more or less, a traditional Spanish dinner for Christmas; Matthias made shrimp, calamari and a huge fish, and we drank Spanish wine and Manzanilla while snacking on fancy Jamon y queso. Despite some cool weather, it didn't rain for the whole week, and we had a nice visit.

After the family left, the weather turned beautiful, and we enjoyed some beautiful sunny days as we awaited the new year and our trip to the US. We had a fun New Year's eve at the Circus Bar, which is owned by an American guy (one of the only bars that opened before midnight.) A few days later, we left Tarifa for Morocco, taking the train a few hours south to the city of Fez. The train ride down was nice, as we passed some great natural scenery mixed in with village scenes of people on donkey carts next to kids on bikes. Fez, known as the old imperial and cultural capital of Morocco, was great. We spent an entire day walking through the Medina - or old town - trying to navigate the narrow streets amid people selling just about everything (except, of course, alcohol or pork...it's a muslim country, you know.)

The ride back to Tangier from Fez was a bit more hectic, being that it was the end of the holiday season in Spain (many people returning to work) coinciding with a Muslim festival. So, as Matthias noted, we got our first taste of what a train might be like should we make it to India - standing shoulder to shoulder for the five hour ride. Fortunately, we decided to stay one night in Tangier, where we could rest up a bit for the following day's journey.

The next day, we stopped by in Tarifa to pick up some things and say goodbye to some friends before catching the bus(es) to Madrid. We encountered similar holiday-related travel horrors trying to get to our overnight bus to Madrid, but fortunately we had seats booked on the trip that mattered. Arriving in Madrid the next day, we had plenty of time to walk around, get our fill of tapas, and rest up once again for our flights to New York the next day. As you can see, this "resting" crap has become an integral part of our travel planning, as we've realized we're not in our 20's (hell, I'm not even in my 30s) anymore.

Now we are back in the States having a grand time visiting friends and family. But more of that, and pictures, to come.

Happy New Year!

Soon to be Stateside

After much ado, we have booked our tickets back to the US for a visit in January. We will spend about a week in NY and then head to Florida to visit family and take care of the final processing for Matthias’ green card (yay!) We fly into NYC on the 9th of January, when we will head up to the “Casa de Rose” in Highland Falls to get some warm clothes. We will probably be back in NYC on the 12th or 13th, and then fly to Florida on the 17th or 18th, where we’ll stay for about a month. Definitely looking forward to seeing people and visiting our favorite haunts!

For now, we are getting ready for a visit from Matthias’ family – his mother, father and grandmother – over the holidays. We plan to travel with them to Gibraltar – where I’m sure Matthias’ mother wants to practice her English – across the strait to Morocco for the day, and to Cádiz and surrounding villages. Then we’ll have dinner in our apartment on Christmas (because most of the restaurants will be closed.) We already bought some nice seafood at the market in Cádiz for Matthias to cook.

We enjoyed our little trip to Cádiz a few days ago. It has a beautiful old town with narrow winding streets, and is said to be one of the oldest cities in Western Europe (the Phoenicians were here some time before the Romans….) There are a couple of photos on the web album (link on the left side of this page.)

Since the lease for our apartment is up on January 4th, and we don’t leave Spain until the 9th, we are planning a little trip to Morocco after the new year. We haven’t figured out the details yet, but we’ll probably head to Fez, which I’ve heard is a very nice city, and not too long of a train ride from Tangier (where the ferry goes.) If anyone has any information about Morocco or Fez, please send it my way.
That’s all for now. Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!

More Photos

Just a quick note to share some pictures taken in and around Tarifa. I'm now using a new online album...let me know what you think. The link is below, and on the left of this page.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jrosenyc/Tarifa

The Graduate

All is well in Tarifa. Went to class for the last time today (I enrolled for four weeks of class – can’t believe it went by so quickly!) The class was really fantastic – great teachers and fun conversations – in addition to the language, I learned quite a bit about Spanish history and culture. It helped that it’s the low season now…for the last three weeks, there was only one other person in my class, and (as I believe I mentioned before) he’s quite young and didn’t show up for a lot of the lessons. Therefore, although I paid for standard group classes, I ended up getting a lot of private lessons. Met some nice people, too. A bunch of us went out to dinner this week (see photo).

Uh oh, I’m really struggling to write this thing, which I think means I better start practicing English again!

Matthias is away this week; he had to go to Germany to take care of some family business. I’m meeting him tomorrow in Malaga, where we plan to visit the surrounding area and go back to El Pimpi for seafood. Malaga is about 2.5 hours away by bus, so we’re planning to spend the night.

I suppose I don’t have many “adventures” to write about, except that today I did have a run-in with the authorities. Okay, it wasn’t a run-in…they came to rescue me from my balcony. Okay again, not really a rescue, it’s just that I went out to bring in the laundry and – without thinking – closed the glass doors, which lock automatically. What made the situation somewhat of an emergency was that I had some water and pasta boiling on the stove. I yelled for help, but there was no one around, really! Fortunately (por suerte!) I had my mobile phone in my pocket, and was able to call Bastian, my classmate. He got the police, who got the bomberos (firefighters), who came and let me in. What I sight I must have been, standing there on the balcony like some imprisoned princess! It could have been worse, though. At least I was fully dressed, and the apartment wasn’t a mess. But I did burn the saucepan beyond repair.

But then there is some good news. We received word that Matthias’ green card (the 10-year version) has been approved. The annoying thing is that they need him to appear in person in Tampa to obtain the new card. While we were planning to visit next winter/spring anyway, this means that we need to go earlier – in January. Of course we’re excited to see everyone, but reasonably-priced flights are proving difficult to find, and even the expensive flights have three or more connections. Nonetheless, we plan to be in Florida in January and then come up to NY for a week or so in February. Of course, I’ll provide details when I have them.

That’s all for this installment. Time to go to the nearby bar/café where I can use the Internet to check for flights, copy this text to the blog, and, well, have the obligatory glass of wine….

La Vida Buena

Not much exciting travel news to report, but I did get a computer sent from home (thanks Mom and Dad) so I have more time to write. Of course, nothing is perfect, and I can’t yet get the computer to connect to the internet in WIFI zones here, but it is wonderful to be able to sit on our terrace and write this while Matthias is cooking. Life is good.

I started Spanish classes this week; four hours per day, 9:30-1:30, Monday through Friday, and I love it. I have signed up for four weeks of classes, so hopefully, by the time I’m done, my Spanish will be much improved. There are not too many other students in the class, and they are all quite young. Next week, I’ll be studying with a German guy who’s 20 years old. That’s definitely young enough to be my son, right? The horror! (probably more horrific for him than for me, though.) Still, while they are young (most in mid-twenties) they are international (German, Australian, Swiss, Danish, etc.) and they have interesting lives and plenty to talk about. As I may have mentioned before, Tarifa is a pretty young town, due to it’s reputation for wind and kite surfing, while other towns in Andalucía have more older tourists and immigrants. It’s funny to be in my age category around here though – too young to be “retired” and too old to be “bumming around Europe.”

We have continued exploring the area. Gibraltar was nice, and somewhat different from the other towns around here, what with the big “rock” and fish and chips signs everywhere. We didn’t see the monkey’s this time, but Matthias’ parents are coming to visit around the holidays so we plan to go back then, when we will take the cable care to the top of the rock. We also visited some natural parks in the area and went for some lovely hikes through the surrounding hills and cork-oak forests. Matthias even found some mushrooms that he put in the freezer for use in Gulasch or some other dish to be prepared at a later date.

Tarifa is really great for it’s location right at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, with stunning views of the Atlantic and Africa’s Coast. One drawback about the location, however, when one is without a car (like us), is that you can’t hike any real distance directly from town. One way (east) along the coast goes through a military zone where access is restricted. We learned that this is because of the proximity to Africa and the relative ease with which immigrants (and smugglers) can access the beaches. In fact, I just read in the local paper that 26 illegal immigrants (or those intending to be illegal immigrants) were intercepted in the water nearby. Walking west, there is a boardwalk that goes along the beach through the dunes, but it is only about a mile long – after that, you have to walk along the main road, with cars whipping by and no sidewalk. So, we have used the bus to travel to areas where we can explore more on foot. If we were going to be here longer, we would get a car.

Okay, I must be boring anyone who is attempting to read this (I’m even boring myself a little.) So, I’ll sign off for now. Happy Birthday to Patrick and hooray on the congressional elections. I can now hold my head a little higher around here (and around the world.)