Seein' Green

So, i am here in Dublin, on what started out a rainy day, and has turned into a sunny one (of course, it has to be because i bought an umbrella...). i will fill you in on my first night in Dublin, as it was a great one, but i must give Madrid some love as well.

So i stayed with friends i met while in Prague, Sarah and Rob. It was really great to see the two of them again, and got to spend some good time with them, amidst their busy work schedules (both are English teachers).

Madrid is a nice city. Lots of really cool buildings, the people are fairly friendly, and the food quite good (what else do i need, right?). The beer isn't bad, and unfortunately, i didn't get a chance to taste some Spanish wine, but they did have Heineken on tap (sounds like your dream place, eh dad?) at the Irish Pub we went to, and we got to watch some really great soccer at that pub.

Met Hayden on Wednesday, as he was in Madrid for a conference in which he is presenting a paper. We walked around quite a bit of the city, and took some good pictures (which i'll post, someday, promise). There is a really nice royal palace in Madrid, and a somewhat modern cathedral across the street. The church is extremely bright inside, particularly for European churches, and has some modern looking stained glass windows.

So yesterday evening i left the sunny and warm Spanish culture and climate, and came to Ireland, where we landed in relatively cold and windy weather. The first thing i did when i got my bag from baggage claim was to pull out my sweatshirt.

The hostel was relatively easy to find, and after i arrived, i figured it might be good to grab a couple of Guinnesses and try to find some live music. The first place i went to wasn't bad, but the band they had took a set break not long after i arrived, and while it was nice, i went looking elsewhere.

The next place i ended up was exactly what i was looking for. i get in, go up the stairs, and hear a five person band playing guitars, a fiddle, a drum, and a pipe, and it was about as "authentic Irish Music" you could get. They even played a song (must be a folk song of some kind) that i had on my one CD of Irish Music i own. Everyone was laughing, singing, clapping, dancing, and having a great time. Within 4 hours of arriving in Dublin, i want to move to Ireland. We'll see what the remaining nine days do...

So yeah, that's it so far. Gonna do a bit more exploring in Dublin while the weather's nice. Hope all are well.

JC

Que Pasa, Amigos

i finally said good-bye to the silly French and their amazing cuisine, and took a train to Germany for a weekend with the Beckers. Peter and Gaby are a couple i got to meet while i studied in Germany, and they are family of a friend my mom used to work with (if you can follow that).

It had been nearly three years since we had last talked, and Gaby actually kind of forgot what i looked like (handy yellow hat saved the day...), but it was really great to see them again and spend a weekend with them. Peter, who speaks really no English, continued to force me to use what little German i had. It was a weekend of laughs, coffee and cakes, great food, and some beautiful drives around the German countryside.

i am currently in Madrid, and will fill in on details of my trip here, later, i´m afraid, as my internet time has run out, and i must catch a flight to Dublin this evening. Hope all are well!

JC

Third Time's A Charm?

Ahh, the French.

So, i've been able to relax quite a bit and see a good amount of Lourdes. It's been quite nice, actually. The weather's been warm, the sun shining, and the people pretty friendly. On Tuesday, i did some laundry and met a girl from Australia, Victoria. i told her of my woes at the "authentic" French restaurant, and she suggested we try it together, thinking that maybe she'd let us in.

In the afternoon, i went on a little tour around the town that focused on St. Bernedette, the girl who had the apparitions, and areas around town that were significant in her life. It was certainly informative, as i knew nothing about it before the tour.

It's quite amazing, actually, how many people come through this town. Something like six million every year, they say. My tour guide was a volunteer from Great Britain, and she comes several times a year, including a month to do tours. She seems very drawn to Lourdes, so much so, that she has no desire to really explore any other places in Europe where there have been apparitions. She said she's found all she needs here. Very nice lady, knew a lot about the area, to say the least.

i met Victoria at 7, and we headed to the restaurant. Seeing a few open tables (seating a minimum of three people), i thought we would be set. We get in, ask for a table, and the lady tells us no, but if we come back a half hour later, we might be able to sit. So, we decide to take a stroll around town for a while, and end up back at the restaurant. The same tables are open, and the lady, again, tells us no. She said to come back later again, but we decided to just find something else. Ended up at a nice cafe with outdoor seating and really good food. At the end of the night, i joked i would try the restaurant again the next evening, just for grins.

So, yesterday, before my valiant attempt, i walked around town, again. Went up to the castle, pretty much right in the middle of the town, atop a very tall hill. Awesome view of the entire town and some of the surrounding area. Felt good to see some mountains again.

Went to an international mass in the morning, offered by a Cardinal. Pretty nice mass. Took a while, as they read the gospel in four different languages, and sang a whole lot of songs. It was the first time i had seen a mass offered by a cardinal and several bishops, as well as a ton of priests. There were probably close to a dozen bishops there. Lots of brass.

So, last night, i tried my restaurant again. Expecting to get denied, i had a whole slew of other options in my head. i was actually really liking the idea of Chinese. But i had to try, just to say i did.

And, sure enough, the place was practically empty, and, she let me have a seat. i originally planned, if i got a spot, to just order a coffee or a wine and leave, but, i figured that since i was afforded this great honor of actually eating in this restaurant, i oughtta see if it was worth a damn.

Turns out, the food was actually quite good. The French never seem to fail in impressing me with their culinary practices. i don't exactly know what i got, i think it was a turkey leg, as it was too small to be a chicken (but smaller than the Thanksgiving turkey), but whatever it was, it was really, really tasty. i ate as much that was soft as i could. The salad i got to start wasn't bad, but i'd had better, but the dessert, some kind of cream puff thing with chocolate, was amazing. Honestly, i gotta say, it was worth the trouble. i was as shocked about that as anyone.

So, the moral of my French stories, so far, i guess, is that persistence pays off.

Tomorrow, i'm off to Germany for the weekend, then Madrid for most of next week. Is it really mid-September already??

JC

Ahhh, France

So, after spending a wonderful week in Germany tasting some incredible wines and meeting some amazing people, the three of us parted ways, and i am now in France. Friday i left Bad Krueznach for Lisieux, to see the former home of St. Therese.

In order to get to Lisieux, i had to go through Paris. Not only did i have to change trains in Paris, i had to make my way to another train station. Fortunately, i had two hours to do so. i had little trouble making my way to the next station, and only a few back and forth moments to different ticket windows to purchase my ticket. After an hour and a half train ride, i arrived in Lisieux.

The first thing you notice getting out of the train, if you look up at the top of the nearby hill, is a humongous Basilica. From a distance, it almost looks fake, especially against the blue sky that was present when i arrived.

Signs for an information center were hard to find when i arrived. i made my way to the Basilica, only to find that the info center associated with that closed about five minutes before i got there. Disappointed, i went looking on my own for a place to stay for the night. Part of my hope was to make a small retreat out of my three nights in Lisieux. i should have looked online for that stuff, but well, didn't.

i spent my first night in a hotel not far from the Basilica. It was simple, but fairly nice. After getting aquainted a bit with the town, i made my way back to bed.

The next morning i set out to try to find something that would fulfill my retreat desires, and the info place sent me to L'Ermitage, which i don't have a clue what it means in French, but it was a "spiritual center" run by the Carmelites for pilgrims. i never really considered myself a pilgrim, but explained that i had two nights left in Lisieux, and would really like to make a small kind of retreat out of it. They fortunately had a room available, and that afternoon i lugged my stuff from my hotel to my new accomodation.

Now, the Carmelite sisters (i'm pretty sure they were sisters), while not by any means rude, weren't exactly overly friendly, like other Carmelites i had encountered. The one lady, after showing me to the elevator, took the stairs up to the third floor. i admit, i probably didn't smell that great (the weather in France was much warmer, and i was still dressed in clothes fit for the weather in Germany), and i did take up most of the elevator, but there was certainly room. So, my goal, by the time i left Monday morning, was to get the nuns laughing.

Explored some more of the town Saturday, and took care of some stuff on the internet. There was a market in the main square of town, where you could buy almost anything you wanted. It was quite busy. People were friendly, and the man who made me my sausage for lunch, while he didn't speak any English, wasn't at all upset about my inability to speak French. He loaded me up with Frites (french fries), and sent me on my way. It was a tasty lunch.

Visited the Basilica, which is beautiful, and some other churches in town, including the one i guess Therese went to while living there as a child. In the Basilica, there was a very unique crucifix, one with Jesus off of the cross from the waist up, but still with his arms out-stretched. It almost looked like he was hippy-dancing. i really liked it, and would love to post a picture, but the internet place i am at won't let me plug my camera in. : (

My dinner Sat. night was similar to my lunch, and when as i returned to my room after picking up my key, the Asian sister who i swore did not like me at all that morning, had a hint of a grin. Ahh, success was coming.

Sunday i did mass at the Basilica. The bishop was in town, and a troop of old style french horn players did the music for the beginning and the end. By old style, i mean the ones with no keys, only a couple loops of brass. They certainly offered a new musical experience for me, but i must say, the modern french horn, from a sound and tone perspective at least, is a significant improvement. i had to hold myself back from laughing at first, but i couldn't keep the grin off my face. Not that it was bad, it was just funny. Ahh, the French.

After the long mass, i decided to head out of the main part of town to find the house that Therese and her family lived in while in Lisiuex. Well, it was well marked where to go, then the signs stopped, and i found myself at a round-about quite a distance from town. So, instead of going back the way i had come, i decided to go back towards town, but a little further north of town, kind of in the nearby countryside.

It was a nice walk, and i eventually ran into a trail that was a "sport trail" or something, that had stations you could do different exercies. i think i hit it towards the end, but followed it back to town. After grabbing some stuff for dinner and some postcards, i returned to the Carmelites, and asked to check out, given that my train left very early the next morning.

There were four African ladies behind the counter (and, for the most part, they were much happier), and, by the time i had left, i had them all laughing. Success!

Yesterday, i spent most of my time on a train to Lourdes. i had to go through Paris, again, and find a completely new train station, again, only this time i only had an hour to do it. Fortunately, i made it, and am in my second day in Lourdes. It's a very pretty town, with some pretty impressive mountains around it. Apparently some six million people come here every year. Last night, i had my first experience getting kicked out of a restaurant. i tried to sit by myself at a table, and the lady said that i would not be allowed to eat there alone, and told me to leave. It was supposedly the best "authentic" restaurant in town, so i was a bit disappointed. But, i found a Scottish restaurant that didn't mind my being alone, and had a good feed there.

Went walking last night, and stumbled across a ton of people with candles. Apparently, every night at 9pm, there is a candlelight parade of sorts (the correct word is escaping me right now). Basically, they say a rosary in about half a dozen different languages, and everyone walks around. It would seem a bit cultish, i'm sure, to an outsider, but it was a pretty cool experience. i might try it again.

The French experience, so far, has been eclectic to say the least. While i got kicked out of a restaurant, many people i've encountered on the street or in the shops have been incredibly kind and fun. Ahhh, the French.

Hope everyone is doing well out there.

JC

Bikes Gone, Movin' West

Well, it certianly has been a long time since my last writing, and much has happened. So, i will get started:

i last left you with us in Bulgaria, preparing one more ride to Russe, then across the border into Romania. Our 100km+ day to Russe was hot, but otherwise not bad, and we found a nice place to stay. The next day, we crossed the Danube on one of only two bridges that cross the river from Bulgaria into Romania, and made our way to Bucharest. It was something like 80 km, really flat. We made good time, and made it into Bucharest.

Bucharest, put simply, is huge. There are six lane roads that intersect with another six lane boulevard, and the intersections are humongous. There are many roundabouts as well. i hate the things in a car, and despise them even more on a bicycle, particularly considering i almost got a quick end to my trip while trying to go through one (thankfully, all i got was the sound of skreeching tires and a honk).

Greg left us after one night in Bucharest. His last meal on the bike trip was appropriately Pizza Hut, as he was always on the lookout for pizza throughout our trip. In his defense, though, it was the first (and only time) we settled for an American Pizza place. The rest were all European, of varying quality, of course.

Fitz and i spent two more nights in Bucharest. It was extremely hot, but good times. We hit the night life a bit harder than we had previously the rest of the trip, basically meaning we stayed out really really late, but for whatever reason managed to stay pretty sober. Our last morning in Bucharest, we awoke to rain, which was nice because it meant the 100 degree plus days were coming to an end, but was a bummer because in a 15 minute ride to the trainstation from the hostel, we got soaked.

We took a train to Brasov, which is on the edge of Transylvania. We got into town and found it actually quite cool. We were able to walk around with a long sleeved shirt for the first time in a while, and the weather felt quite nice. We spent two nights in Brasov, visiting two smaller towns not far away for their castles and landscapes.

We got up early to leave Brasov in preparation for our last ride, a 115km journey (according to the map) to Sighisoara, another quaint and pretty Transylvanian town, rumored to be the birthplace of Vlade the Impaler (more commonly known as 'Dracula' (insert deep, scary laugh)). The ride turned out to be just over 120km, and quite honestly, probably the best ride of the trip. Definitely my favorite. The weather was perfect: partly cloudy, not rainy, not windy, relatively cool, but not cold. The terrain, rolling, with some hills but nothing too terribly steep or overly long, also perfect. The scenery was Transylvania at its finest. The pace was great. The road was good, though a bit busy with traffic (and a bit unnerving with signs that plainly said no bikes. The cops didn't seem to care, though). We got into town much earlier than expected, and felt good about a really great ride.

Left Sighisoara, and made it to Cluj, where we met officially Fitzy's second cousin-once-removed or something like that. Her name was Lynn, and her husband's name was Jim, and they were two of the most fun people we met on our trip. Cooked us plenty of great meals, helped us sell our bikes (which made the rest of our travels so much easier), and let us relax, while sharing lots of good jokes and stories. They are both Peace Corp Volunteers, working with a variety of projects in Cluj ranging from prison ministry of sorts to work with stray dogs. It was great to enocunter again such great enthusiasm, and wonderful to meet such friendly people.

From Cluj, we trained it to Budapest, a city both Fitz and i had already visited during Christmas. The city was certianly very different with green all around, no snow, milder temperatures, and of course, no Christmas Market. We had a pretty good night, until the end, when we encountered some older ladies who really took us for fools and left us with a huge bill for only wine and schnapps. Was the most expensive bottle of wine i have ever bought, and certainly the least fulfilling. An unfortunate ending to our trip, but does little to shade the overwhelming light of kindness and hospitality we encountered throughout the Balkans by locals and ex-pats alike.

We made our way back to Prague to again meet up with Greg and help him move some of his (and our) stuff out of his apartment. Then, we took an overnight bus to Germany, where we are now staying with Christian, a friend of Fitz's from his winery days in New Zealand. Christian has hooked us up big time with an incredible place to stay and tastings all around the area. We have met some great people, very passionate about the wine they are creating, and tasted some great wine, not the least of which has come from our host's family winery. Greg left today for Ireland, and Fitz and i will leave tomorrow, i for France and Fitz for another short stint in Prague before finally returning home after a year abroad.

Fall is here, which is kind of nice. My travels are half over. The east of Europe has produced many great memories and experiences. We shall see what the west has to offer.

JC