Munchen

To begin, let's add to the list of people Gabe and I have met, by our unique naming system, of course. At the Wombat's Hostel, we had the pleasure of meeting and bunking with:

- "North Carolina," a 31 year old charter school teacher from ... North Carolina
- "William and Mary," North Carolina's 23 year old colleague
- Taylor and Paul, two 18 year old just graduated student of the aforementioned individuals
- "Aussie," a 20 year old aerodynamic engineer from Australia
- "Annada," 22 year old Anna from Canada

More to come on the social part in a bit...

Gabe and I arrived in Munich at around 12pm, and after quickly dropping off our bags at Wombat's, we hit the streets, walking from the Hautbanhof, through Marien Platz, and eventually to Englishergarden, a 1000 acre Cental Park-esq nature preserve in the heart of Munich. Given the size, Gabe and I explored for almost 3 hours, which included swimming in the many rivers, seeking out the tourist landmarks (Chinese Tower), and of course, lake-side libations.

In an act of impulsivity and at the recommendation of Gabe, we went to the HAUS DER KUNST MUSEUM to observe modern art from the Goetz Collection of Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller. The whole point of the exhibit was to mess with your senses, and to say the least, Gabe and I were thoroughly mind-f**ked after such works as "The Killing Machine." From the handout:

"The art strives deliberately for an impact upon the senses, especially upon the sense of hearing. They repeatedly encapsulate the viewer in detachment from his surroundings, literally absorb him into themselves, then thrust him into absurd narratives which come to no logical conclusion. He himself is assigned roles which he does not fully comprehend."

Pretty legit, right! After an hour of R&R back at Wombats, we went to the role famous Hofbrau Haus. That evening, we watched Italy defeat Germany at Wombats, and the stayed up until 4am, socializing with our new Munchen posse, shooting the shit and talking everything from Obamacare, Communist containment, and many less consequential things.

Wurzburg

 Phase II of my euro trip journey has begun, and Gabe and I, armed with the little bit of streets smarts that we collectively have (approx. less than the average person), split from my family, who is heading back to Nuevo Puerto, and travelled South to Wurzburg, a picturesque vineyard town along the world famous "romantic road" in Germany. For Gabe and I, this trip is one of firsts. Gabe has hitherto never been to Germany, I have never travelled solo, and neither of us have never stayed in hostels.

HOSTELS:

The hostel experience is new to both Gabe and me, as we both admittedly have led pampered lives. In Wurzburg, we stayed at the Babelfish Histel, a hip place only a few blocks from the Hautbahnhof. The best perks for the hostels has been 1) the price and 2) the diverse and interesting group of people that one meets. Pretty quickly, Gabe and I befriended a kid named Sung, a rising Junior who attends UC Berkley. With the exception of Sung, Gabe and I have referred to people by their hometown, since we're so bad with names. To that end, we have befriended individuals who we now and will always refer to as ... "Wisconson," "Canada," and "Oregon." There names will never be known, and we expect many more friends to follow!

Wurzburg is small enough to experience in a day, and so after lunch, we took the opportunity to explore this quintessentiall European town. We walked through platzes and cathedrals, and hiked all the way up to Marienburg Castle. We visited Wurzburg's mini-Versaiiles mansion, and after a long day, retired to the Babelfish for a brief nap. That evening, Gabe, Sung, and I went to dinner, and afterwards went to a bar to relax, and watched the Euro 2012 soccer game between Spain and Portugal ... IN ITS ENTIRETY! We retired to our bunks afterwards.

I finally would like to add that both Gabe and I are proud about how much money we have spent. At this point, we're averaging 3 euro at breakfast, 7 euro for lunch, and 12 euro for dinner, plus some goodies throughout the day. Who da think we could simultaneously thive and be so prudent!

Ich bin ein BERLINER

Berlin is really a city on the rise. From the ruins of WWII and the communist divide, the city has quickly transformed itself into a hip, fun-loving, historically interesting place. That's what I was told, and more important, that was what I experienced.

Let's be clear: Berlin is sprawling and massive and really hard to wrap your head around by just reading a guide book. Trip Advisor is no help either, so as with most cities, we just began walking, in order to get a sense of the city. As it happens, the east side is now the trendy interesting place to visit, and in our three days there, we never even ventured West.

 

Day 1:

My Dad stayed in Amsterdam for an extra day to take a course with Merriman, so my Mom, Sister, and I had the city to ourselves. We checked into our hotel -- THE HOTEL CIRCUS -- having read that it was the number 1 rated place to stay on Trip Advisor. Starting from Heckstermart, we crossed the River Spree over to Museum Island and took a quick glimpse of the Berlin Cathedral, which was just as impressive as the Florence Duomo, the standard by which I judge European churches. From there we went to Gendenmarkt, and had hot chocolate on the square. We went further South to the Topography of Terror exhibit and caught our first glimpse of the decaying wall, or at least what's left of it. After a brief walk to Checkpoint Charlie and Potadamer Platz, we meandered from the Brandenburg Gate down the Unter der Linden back to our hotel, after which we met my Dad, had fried chicken at a place called HENNA, and called it a day.

Day 2:

In the Reichstag

The next morning, Gabe flew in and met us at Breakfast, and the whole family plus Gabe took a cab to the world famous Berlin Jewish Museum. I have in the past commented on my views of Jewish-centered tourism in Europe, and the museum was no exception, as one would expect. Most striking was the architecture, designed my Daniel Liebeskind, which was modern and impactful. I found the actual exhibits confusing and overdone, but visiting that museum is really a must. For lunch we sampled CURRYWURST, and in the words of Rickey Stevey, the curry quickly got the worst of us. That afternoon we went to Reichstag dome, which in addition it's coolness for me, as a politics buff, was also really impressive architecturally. Please visit Wikipedia for my articulated thoughts. That night, we met a family friend, Sam C., and went to the Prater Garden, and though I broke my cardinal rule and had schnitzel, I must admit that it was really good.

Day 3:

We again hit the streets by foot early in the morning, and visited the New Synagoge in Berlin. We then went REALLY south to Kreuzberg to sample Berliner Turkish cuisine, and despite the fact that the waiter forget our entrees -- no joke -- we really enjoyed our meal. Gabe and I meandered back, planning our trip, and the whole family has Japanese food.

My final thoughts on Berlin: I really enjoyed Berlin for all the above it has to offer, and in part because the buildings and topography remind me a lot of Washington DC.

Coincidental run in with Sam C. in Kreuzberg

Amsterdam

WHAT a damn fine city! I really consider myself a country person net-net, so the prospect of visiting an urban area for multiple days could be problematic -- not in Amsterdam. With the exception of our drive in -- where bikers are unfamiliar with the English verbs "to break" and "to yield" -- everything about the city was attractive. Our hotel was great. Though steep and cramped, the location was excellent and the general vibe uniquely Dutch. Below is the breakdown of our trip.

Day 1: RIJSTAFFEL AND RED LIGHT DISTRICT

We arrived in Amsterdam late, and after our requisite happy hour libations in the hotel, we sampled Indonesian "rijstaffel," literally rice table, which consists of a lot of small plates, mother f***ing spicy, dishes of meat, vegetables, and tofu with a big bowl of rice ... Really tasty and not Germanic, which is always a plus. Afterwards we went to the Red Light District ... I'm sure you can imagine ... Girls in windows, divided in allies by ethinicity and fetish, beckoning you. No pictures allowed, lest you have your camera stolen! Day

2: ANNE FRANK HUIS AND VAN GOGH MUSEUM

The following day, we hit the two primary Amsterdam sites -- the Anne Frank House in the morning, and the Van Gogh Museum in the afternoon. The Anne Frank House was really a moving exhibit. It's difficult at times to explore the house and information center, when one knows the ultimate fate of the entire family. I actually didn't realize the whole house would be empty. As Jews, I think we rightly have a responsibility to visit sites like this, but ultimately, the story is neither uplifting nor ends well, which is unfortunate and depressing. After a great meal at La Perla, we went to the Van Gogh Museum (pronounced "van chockkk" in Dutch). As I get I older, I'm better able to "get it" and appreciate sites like this. It goes without saying, the art was beautiful and moving .... He def had skills that kills!

Day 3: DELFT

After we came, saw, and conquered Amsterdam and her canals, we day tripped an hour outside of town by train and visited Delft, a small Dutch town world famous for glass wear. I have the least to report from Delft, other than the town was more developed than expected and the factory tour was really cool. We ended our Amsterdam visit with anther great meal at La Perla -- again -- and prepared to move on to Berlin!

Alsace Lorraine: Little Germany in France

As a final chapter to our France expedition, the we spent two night in Alsace, a Germanic region in Northern France. We stayed in Colmar, the Rickey Stevey recommended home base from which to explore the tiny towns that dot the country side. The actual town of Colmar is gorgeous, housing a "little Venice," hatched and colorful Germanesque half-timbered houses, and world-renowned art.

Day 1:

We departed from our room, which sat atop to Martn Jund winery, to explore the town of Colmar. We walked through platz after platz, eventually arriving at the world famous Unterlinden Museum. On the whole, the Unterlinden was an really impressive museum, displaying everything from Renaissance era furnishings to Midieval weaponry. The real draw however was the Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, a series of paintings whose beauty and importance were obvious, even if their ultimate meaning was not.

Day 2:

As in Provence and Burgundy, we took to the roads to explore vineyards and small towns. Of particular note, we drove through Eguisheim and Kaiserberg, towns which, despite their falling prey to tourist driven commercialism, still retain their original charm. We continue to picnic, and surprisingly the wine and bread were really superior (except of course when compared to Burgundy ...). Even though we eventually will move east to Germany, we were schnitzeled-out upon arrival and ate pizza .... Go figure.

Biking through Burgundy: Beaune and the Cote d'Or

From Chamonix, we headed to Burgundy ... as in boeuf bourguignon Burgundy, the undisputed premier wine capital of France and potentially the world. I have to say, given the impressions of wine country I had formed from such films as SIDEWAYS and such regions like the Cote d'Rhone, which we recently visited, I was surprised to see that the outer parts of the Burgundy region are kind of dumpy.

No worries! Our hotel, 5 minutes from outer Beaune, was, as most of our hotels have been, lovely and picturesque. The night of our arrival, we had dinner at an upscale resteraunt in town, and the food, though good, was not the highlight. Enter MERSAULT, a Burgundy of great repute and import. I could actually taste what made this wine superior ... how smooth, buttery, and nutty (disclaimer: I am no pseudo-gormand/wine afficianado). It was badass.

The following day, we took the car through the Cote d'Or, and explored the scenic Burgundy wine country. I have no tastings on which to report, but can say that our lunch of boeuf bourguignon and noodles, in Pomard, was one of the best of our trip -- humble, not-fussy, and damn delicious.

Chamonix

From Provence, we headed to Chamonix, the valley town at the foot of Mt. Blanc. We did the Tour of Mt. Blanc a few years prior, so visiting the charming alpine town was déjàvu all over again. Our two days in the alps was really an opportunity to burn some calories, get the endorphins pumping, and for me in particular, get some recent field experience as I prepare for the Tour of the Jungfrau region with Gabe in a few weeks.

 Day 1: We took the Aguile D'Midi lift to the top of the mountain range, and were quite literally on top of the world. In addition to the scenery, we, at 13,000+ feet felt the effects of altitude, evidenced by our dizziness and shortness of breath. As per the recommendation of Rickey Stevey (I here his followers are called "RICKNICKS"), we did a 2.5 hour hike which ended with stunning views of the Mer de Glacé, Europe's largest glacier. We were pooped afterwards!

Day 2: We did a brief ... very brief ... portion of the TMB, hiking for four hours from Les Contamines to the Col du Bahm. The hike was fairly moderate, and we capped off our two days in the alps with a delicious lunch of omeletes and beer in a Mt. Hut below the Col.

Our experience in Chamonix amped me up for my future hikes through CH with Gabe, and the new addition to our group, Cullen.

An omelet never did taste so good ... @ a Mt. Hut restaurant