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.)

Connected!

Time is flying here in Tarifa - we are having fun getting to know the town and surrounding areas. And, I am exciting to report that we now have a mobile phone, after almost a year of being out of reach (except when I go to Internet cafes.) To call us from the US, dial
011 34 663 731 938. If you can't visit, at least you can call!

Not much else to report (so much for the excitement of world travels!) but we did visit one of the lovely "white villages" - called Vejer - nearby. Matthias also caught some fish - pictures (or proof) to come. This week, we plan to do some hiking. It has rained a bit here, and Matthias hopes to find some mushrooms. We are also going to Gibraltar this week - a pretty short bus ride away (and, it counts as a new country for me, right Jen??)

Will write again in a few weeks. Until then, feel free to write....or CALL!

More from Tarifa - and el Pimpi, too!

I know the last entry was pretty lame, but I really just wanted to get our address down and get out of the internet cafe. I'm writing this entry on paper first, while sitting on our terrace facing the sea and the coast of Africa (sickening, I know.) We signed a 3-month lease on a one-bedroom apartment here - we plan to stay for five months, be we were told that it wouldn't be a problem (or extra cost) to extend the lease, and, typical of me, I took the shorter option in case we find something cheaper and better in the meantime (but I can't imagine that we will and it isn't necessary anyway.) We've got a good kitchen - all pots and pans provided - a washing machine (a luxury for us), the tv gets about 10 channels for a variety of Spanish novelas, and the plastic patio furniture is more than adequate. We just bought a grill and fishing pole for Matthias...so we're all set.

So here we are at the southernmost tip of Spain (and perhaps of europe.) Matthias is very happy to get to relax, although his idea of relaxing - as I'm sure I've mentioned before - is hiking 15km into the mountains. And I'm already looking at little side trips: Morocco is only 15 km away (but the ferry is EXPENSIVE at 60 Euros r/t); Sevilla is about a two-hour bus ride away; and Portugal, well I haven't gotten that far with the research yet.

Being at the tip of the continent, at the Atlantic side of the strait of Gibraltar, it is always windy here and a haven for kite and wind surfers. I imagine that will make it pretty cold during the winter, but at least not when compared to New York or GErmany. and, I'm going to look into taking Spanish classes over the winter, so we'll see how that turns out.

Now a little about our trip here. We did take the bus from Germany and it wasn't all that bad. We both slept okay and enjoyed the view (from the highway) of the French countryside, the Pyranees mountains, and the coast north of Barcelona. We got to Barcelona on time, but when we went to buy train tickets, the tourist class seats were sold out. So we ended up in a sleeper car for two on the overnight train to Malaga. Not great for the wallet, but nice for sleeping, and we arrived in Malaga feeling good and refreshed.

We decided to look in Malaga for apartments, just in case Tarifa (which we both had our hearts set on) didn't work out. Unfortunately, since we arrived on Sunday, we couldn't get very far with the search. We saw a few signs, bought the newspaper and called a few phone numbers, but couldn't find anything to view that day. WE decided to leave for Tarifa the next day anyway, having found a couple of affordable listings we knew we could come back to. The only thing left to do was to visit my favorite bar/restaurant...El Pimpi, and to make Matthias wait up until 9:30 or so when it opened. He gave me a hard time, especially when we got there shortly after 9pm and he thought it would be open already (but I just wanted to get there early to be sure to get a seat at the bar.) Fortunately, at 9:25 other people showed up to wait, and although the doors didn't open until 9:50 by which time Matthias was fuming, all anger subsided when the olives, peanuts and beer were placed before us, the spanish music started playing, and we orded our fresh seafood - gambas al Pimpi and gambas a la plancha. I wasn't sure if it would be as good as I remembered (8 years ago!) but it was....even Matthias didn't want to leave until around 1am! He is also willing to take the bus back to Malaga one day just to go there.
(click on the link to see a photo at El Pimpi from 8 years ago: http://www.geocities.com/jrosenyc/pimpi.html)

But for now we are quite content to eat seafood from the supermarket, the fish market, or the sea (when Matthias goes fishing) and prepared by Matthias in our kitchen. We hope someone will come visit us here - either soon while the weather is stil quite pleasant or over the winter to help me celebrate the big 4-0. Until then, take care and I'll write again soon.

a few more pictures from our apartment and Tarifa at the following link: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jrosenyc/album?.dir=80e2re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jrosenyc/my_photos

Hola de Tarifa!!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we found a place in Tarifa. It's a one-bedroom apartment, right on the beach (yes, there's a sofa-bed in the living room....so please come and visit!) I fell in love with this town from the moment we got here. It's somewhat touristy, but mostly with wind- and kite-surfer types, so it doesn't have the high-rise resorts found in most towns outside of Malaga. And there's also a good local scene and an active fishing port. We can see Africa from our terrace and we are about 35 minutes from Tangier by ferry (or so the ads say.) We don't have a phone, but here is our address in case anyone wants to send us a snail mail greeting!

Calle Mar Cantabrico
Apartamento 16-A
Los Lances Playa 1º fase
11380 Tarifa CADIZ
España

Next update will have photos, I hope.

Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland

Today we leave for Spain - the long way. Our bus leaves from Braunschweig (about an hour from here) at 2:45, and we arrive in Lyon at 8am tomorrow morning. Not sure how much time we have in Lyon before our next bus to Barcelona. Fortunately, Matthias' mother has provided us with many yummy snacks for the trip. So, armed with food, a few Sudoku puzzles, some crossword puzzles and (the massive) Don Quixote, I should be fine. Matthias says he's happy to just look out the window, but I'm bringing a book for him (the German version of Lonesome Dove - my favorite) just in case. Next update from somewhere in Andalucia!

Back in Town

We had a nice three-week escape at Matthias' parents house in the Harz Mountains. The weather was great - atypical for Germany - plenty of sunshine every day. I should say the weather was great for hiking and sitting outdoors; it was less than optimal for gathering mushrooms (which, I have learned, requires the damp conditions more typical this time of year.) Fortunately, it had rained quite a bit before we got there, so we had a few good days of mushroom hunting. Here is a picture of Matthias preparing some stein pilz (Stone Mushrooms) considered (at least by his family) as the "gold standard" of 'shrooms. You can click on the picture to enlarge and get a better look.

Besides looking for mushrooms, we spent lots of time hiking to nearby towns and sights and firing up the backyard bbq. Matthias even used some hickory wood and sawdust (from a tree his parents chopped down) to smoke some spare ribs for a real southern American-style treat. Pictured here is a dam (we actually drove to) by a fish restaurant where we celebrated our third anniversary over a yummy meal. And, Matthias' parents came up for part of the time to enjoy the great weather in the wild.

Now we are getting ready to head to Spain for the winter. We couldn't find any of those cheap flights the Europeans are always boasting about (maybe because of Octoberfest or something.) so we decided to travel via bus and train. Now I'm thinking we were a little crazy to do that, but at least I'll get to see the part of France (albeit from the highway) that I didn't get to on the bike ride. Also, we'll be able to take more luggage this way (those discount airlines hardly let you take anything with you!) And, well, we do have the time.... So, we leave on Friday from Braunschweig (about an hour from here) and take the bus to Lyon, France, and then change buses for Barcelona, where we catch a train to Malaga.
 

Ho Hum

So, now I have plenty of time to write, but not a whole lot to write about. We have been staying with Matthias' family for about two weeks, mainly getting ready for Matthias' father's 60th birthday party, which took place last Saturday. The party was great - about 40 people, good weather, and lots of delicious food and drinks. It was held on their property, which used to be a brewery and beverage distribution center, so we were well-equpped for the festivities. Add to that Matthias' mother's decorating and cake-baking skills, catering by the local restaurant, and a cool DJ and we were ready to party! I think we are still recovering. (top left: photo of Matthias, his father, and grandmother before the party. Bottom left: later in the evening.)

Tomorrow, Matthias and I leave for the nearby Harz mountains, where we are going to spend some relaxation time in his parents' vacation home. No family, no obligations, and no access to internet (so no updates for a few weeks.) There is a telephone, though. Feel free to call us at 011-49-39454-43663. And speaking of phone calls, it has been great speaking to folks back home. And special thanks to Steve, Viv, and Eleanor for their call and update - it was great to talk to them! I really miss hearing about stuff back home so please email, leave a comment here, or call!

3,650 Kilometers by Bike - a recap

I finally found a way to trace our route on a map and upload it here, for those that might be interested in our route. Now that I look at it on the map, it doesn't appear all that impressive to me, but 3,500 kms (not including trains) is nothing to sneeze at, I guess. You can click on the map to see a larger image.

Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

Well, I thought I had seen most that there was to see in Central Europe in terms of natural beauty, but it turns out that I missed a spot not far from Matthias' parents. This week, Matthias' father took us to the Elbesandgebirge (Elbe (river) Sandstone Mountains) for a three-day
hiking holiday in these beautiful hills not far from Dresden and the Czech border. The mountain scenery was awesome, and now after all that biking, I was just about able to keep up with the guys. We spent a couple days hiking (or wandering, as they say in Germany) along some great trails, took a ride over to the Czech Republic to take a walk and boat trip through a pretty gorge, and stopped in Dresden on the way back to visit the newly (re)completed church. Not that Matthias and I needed to get away or anything, but it was a wonderful trip. Now we're back in Gommern ready to catch up with folks.