TravelStream™ news feed for member dancer_alison on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/dancer_alison en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:20:43 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251668888/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251668888/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251668888/tpod.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:20:43 -0400 Europe 2009

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Delft, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

After breakfast, we programmed our GPS for the next destination -- Bruges -- but we weren't happy with the route it suggested.  Bruges and Haarlem are on a similar latitude, but the GPS kept trying to divert us South to Antwerp.  So... we fiddled around with the settings and preferences until it gave us the route we wanted -- straight West through Delft and the islands of the Netherlands.The Netherlands is remarkably flat.  I haven't been to Saskatchewan so I can't compare, but I know that it is flatter than Alberta.  No wonder everyone cycles... there're no hills!Our first stop was the blue city of Delft.  With no real sight-seeing agenda, we wandered the town, admiring the blue porcelain and watching the assembly-line of weddings taking place at the Town Hall (at least five that we counted).  We enjoyed a lunch of pannenkoeks on a canal-side barge and continued on our way.We drove through Rotterdam and headed for the islands.  We made an impromptu stop on a cute little island.  Well, it's sort of an island.  It is attached to two other islands via land bridges but I believe they are man-made so I'm going to call it an island!  Anyway, on the North side of this little island is a beach that stretches it's length.  We parked the car, rolled up our pants, and dug our flip-flops out of the trunk.  As we stepped out of the car, we were immediately hit with a blast of wind -- sand blast actually, as the wind picked up sand from the beach.  The tide was out so we walked down to the water, fighting to stay on our feet in the strong wind.  There were several others on the beach... kite-surfers, walkers, and people on wind-powered dune buggies.  The wind was so strong, however, that even the wind-lovers were packing up their gear.  We made it down to the shore and the water was remarkably warm.  We started to notice some rather ominous clouds on the horizon so we made our way back to the top of the beach where we stopped for a drink at the kite-surfers' canteena.  We shook the sand out of your clothes and hair and headed back to the car.On the road again, we continued on to Bruges.  We found our B&B, parked the car, and went in search of dinner.  We found a bar right across from the parkade, and Rick recommended their spaghetti so in we went.  There were no tables available but a local couple invited us to share their table as they were leaving soon.  After they left, we started chatting with the other couple at the table.  We made some new friends and she asked if she could write us when we got home.  We exchanged addresses on the backs of beer coasters and said our good-nights (however one says that in Flemish).However, before we had a chance to leave, the sky opened up and started to pour rain.  There was thunder and lightning that shook the covered patio that we were sheltered under.  There was no way we were venturing out in that mess, so we settled in for dessert and coffee.  After a while, the downpour petered off to a light drizzle so we paid our bill and made a mad dash for our B&B before the deluge resumed.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251671047/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251671047/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251671047/tpod.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:01:40 -0400 Europe 2009

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Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium

Our first day in Belgium was to be a day of side trips.  Our first stop was the town of Ypres.  Ypres was hit particularly hard in WWI and is the home of a very good museum -- In Flanders Fields.  It is a typical museum, with visual displays, videos, and interactive areas, but the difference is in the audio experience.  As you tour the museum, there are random audio tracks played above you.  The most notable was the sound of a low-flying aircraft which drops a bomb that rattles the bones and shatters the ear-drums.  It was meant to demonstrate the experience of ordinary civilians living in Ypres during the attack.  Although I knew it wasn't real, it was terrifying and thought-provoking.  The second audio experience was at the display for the Christmas truce.  There was a statue of four men, dressed in winter uniform shaking hands.  The soundtrack was a chorus of rowdy men, singing Christmas carols and shouting, "Hey Fritz!  Got any more sausages?"  "Hey Tommy!  Got any more tea?" and "Merry Christmas!"  It was very moving and brought me to the verge of tears.  The museum on the whole was very informative and a valuable experience.Our next stop was Hill 62 where there is a small privately-owned museum.  The museum itself was uninspiring (a random collection of debris collected from local fields, I imagine), but the trenches out back were in remarkable condition.  There was a large section of trench intact, with the steel walls and wooden platforms.  Some of the original trees were even still standing (only the trunks remain, and they are blasted to splinters).  It's difficult to imagine dozens of men sleeping, eating, pissing, living, and fighting in these trenches for weeks at a time.  After we left the museum, we made a brief stop at the Commonwealth Cemetery and planted a few Canadian flags on the graves of Canadian soldiers.Next we drove to Vimy Ridge, near the town of Arras, France.  Vimy Ridge is the home of the Canadian WWI Memorial.  In April 1914, the four Canadian divisions banded together and took Vimy Ridge.  This event gave a sense of unity to a nation of individual regions, and a sense of accomplishment for a mission that was unlikely to succeed (it was originally supposed to be a diversionary tactic while the British forces prepared their another offence elsewhere).  The memorial stands high on the ridge -- two tall white pillars reaching to the sky.  As you walk to the Visitors Centre, the fields around you are pock-marked with the remnants of trenches and shell craters.  The free tour at the Visitors Centre (conducted by Canadian students on Work Visas) was very informative, taking us through the reinforced Canadian and German trenches, as well as through the subway tunnel systems below the surface.  As we walked back to the car, we came across a single poppy growing on the boulevard.  It was touching.With little time to spare, we rushed back to Ypres for the nightly laying of wreaths and playing of the Last Post.  The ceremony is held in the Commonwealth Memorial (a large arch in the town centre).  Considering this event is held every evening, I was surprised at the crowds.  We were packed into the arch, close enough to feel the body heat of your neighbours.  At first I was uncomfortable, but as the ceremony progressed with the playing of the Last Post, God Save the Queen, and several hymns, I found comfort in the proximity of my neighbours.  Here we were, Canadians, Americans, English, Germans, Belgians, Dutch, Spaniards, Italians... all gathered together to remember the human victims of warring nations.After the ceremony, we circled the square (squared the square?) in search of dinner.  We settled on a restaurant with a cat on its logo.  We had omelettes and fries with waffles for dessert.  It was a most memorable day.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251500528/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251500528/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251500528/tpod.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:38:39 -0400 Europe 2009

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Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

I spoke too soon when I complained about the subdued atmosphere at Haarlem.  Amsterdam is a total zoo.  We arrived on the train mid-morning.  As we came out of the station, it was starting to rain and there was a mob of people looking for shelter or transportation.  We ignored the shower and admired the bicycle parkade.  Again, I've seen pictures but they do not do justice to the size of the structure.  There are so many bikes in Amsterdam!  They have their own traffic lanes, traffic lights, and traffic cops (giving out tickets too).  Nobody wears a helmet, doubling is commonplace (and with variety... side-saddle, straddle, or handle-bar), and kids either ride in a jumps seat on the front or back, or in a special cart attached to the front wheel.  I didn't see anyone smoking while riding (like in Quebec) but we did see many people talking on their cell phones while biking.  It is quite amazing actually... I don't think I could do it!We followed the hordes of people up the main drag and started the first of our Rick Steves walking tours.  As if the tourist crowds weren't enough, the University was hosting some sort of orientation day so all the new students were taking tours of the city as well.  It was complete chaos.After lunch, we walked over to Southeast Amsterdam to see the Dutch Resistance Museum and the Theatre Memorial.  Both were good and well worth the trip off the beaten track.  Actually, the fact that these two sites are off the main drag are a considerable benefit as we lost the tourist crowds for an hour or so.Our plan was to visit the Anne Frank Museum in the evening (having purchased our tickets online previously) but they don't have a baggage check and don't allow backpacks... so we walked down to the station to check our backpack in one of the station lockers.  En route, we did a little souvenir shopping.  It proved to be a difficult task as the majority of the shops were selling souvenirs of the Red Light District (X-rated), or of the cafe scene (pot leaves galore).  I bought the first G-rated T-shirt I found (with a bicycle graphic) and we stashed our bag at the station.  We were in for a bit of a surprise when we tried to take the tram to the Jordaan District -- it seems the city of Amsterdam has changed their transit options (effective four weeks ago) and the rates listed in our book were no longer current... instead of 1,6oE we had to pay 2,60E!  That's quite an inflation rate!We strolled through the Jordaan District and savored the relative lack of tourist crowds.  Our final stop on the walk was the Anne Frank House, a museum located in the same building in which Anne and her family hid in the 1940s.  The rooms are relatively empty (as per her father's request), but there are models showing the original layout of the rooms.  It is very eerie climbing the staircase behind the bookcase, knowing that Anne Frank herself climbed those very stairs some 65 years ago.Our last site in Amsterdam was the famous Red Light District.  Um, interesting.  There are more tourists in that area than legitimate customers (the busload of American senior citizens made me laugh... "What did you see in Amsterdam, Gramma?")  Beyond the sex shops and theatres there are narrow alleyways lined with red-lit picture-windows.  In each window there is either a curtain (busy) or a scantily-clad girl (open for business).  The girls try to entice the passing crowds (the males anyway) to come to their window for a little one-on-one.  We saw a few takers, but most were just looky-loos, reading the menu without any intention of ordering.  It was an eye-opener but I have to say that after all the hype, it was not the big deal that I was expecting.At the end of the day we were both exhausted and tired of tourists (and the crap that goes with them... tacky souvenirs, overpriced food, irritated locals, and pushy peddlers).  I was so glad we decided to stay in small-town Haarlem instead of big-city Amsterdam.  We hopped on the train and headed back to sanity.  Been there, done that.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251499844/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251499844/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251499844/tpod.html Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:53:15 -0400 Europe 2009

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Haarlem, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Our destination for today was the city of Haarlem, with two stops along the way.  Our first stop was the Canadian Cemetery at Groesbeek.  There are some 2300 Canadians buried at this cemetery, and another 1200 listed on the Commonwealth memorial.  The site was beautifully cared for, and workers were diligently repairing the broken headstones and cleaning the marble memorials.Our next stop was the Open-Air Museum at Arnhem.  Rick described this park as the best open-air museum in the Netherlands and we could see why.  This was a great facility.  There were numerous authentic buildings throughout the park with staff dressed in costume playing the part of old-time citizens and workers.  We climbed inside a windmill, watched a windmill powered washing machine (very clever), toured a 1950s hospital, and suddenly realized how thankful we are that we don't live in an era where we have to share our living quarters with livestock.It was a relatively short drive to Haarlem from Arnhem.  After we checked in at our B&B, we walked to the centre to check out the Old Town.  The town square was pleasant, though not terribly clean.  There seemed to be quite a bit of litter around (unusual for European tourist areas which are generally well-maintained).  We hummed and hawed over our choices for dinner, ultimately deciding on an Italian restaurant.  After dinner we wanted to check out the Red Light District... but had to settle for one bored-looking lady of the night in a red-framed window.  Oh well.  Perhaps Amsterdam will be more exciting.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251498914/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251498914/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251498914/tpod.html Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:48:51 -0400 Europe 2009

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Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

On Monday evening we arrived in Aachen at the home of Carmen, an exchange student from my school.  She and her family graciously welcomed us into their home and offered to show us around their city.  Unfortunately, our first night in Aachen did not go as planned: Attila has been nursing a rib injury since we left Canada and it seems that carrying the suitcases up the stairs aggrevated the injury.  He was in so much pain he couldn't eat and he kept calling out in pain.  I decided to take him to the hospital to make sure his ribs weren't broken.  Carmen's mother, Martina, drove us to the hospital and offered her services as a translator.  The hospital is quite unique.  It was designed in a "modern" style, with all the ducts exposed on the exterior of the building.  The inside is green.  Very green.  Green walls, green carpet, green ceilings.  And not some nice, soft pastel green.  Oh no.  It's green green.  The nurse handed us a form and told us to go through the green door, down the green hall, to the green desk where we handed the green form to a nurse dressed in green.  Yikes.  Anyway, Attila did not have any broken ribs but he does have a large hemotoma between his ribs which is causing the pain.  They gave us a prescription for Ibuprofin and sent us on our way.In the morning Carmen had to go to school so Martina took us into the city of Aachen.  She showed us the Town Hall, Charlemagne's Cathedral, and the church treasury, where the golden bust of Charlemagne (and in it, his skull) is kept.  It was really cool to see it in person after seeing it in textbooks over the years.  She showed us the baths, the market, several fountains and statues, and we did some souvenir shopping en route.  On our way back to the house, she asked if we would like to stop at the Lindt factory.  I should have taken the shopping carts at the entrance as a warning of what was to come.  In this store, Lindt sells their usual chocolate bars, boxes, and truffles at a greatly discounted price.  Not only that, but they sell the "defective" bars (broken, mislabelled, etc.) at ridiculously cheap prices.  We bought a cloth bag full (really, full) of chocolate for 18 Euro... and that included the cost of the cloth bag!  I am so glad I don't live there!  I would have a serious problem!After dinner with the family, Carmen's parents took us to the highest mountain in the Netherlands (300 feet) and the point where Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands meet.  Afterward, we went for ice cream.  Martina had told us that it was the best ice cream in town -- and it did not disappoint.  It was delicious.  While savouring our ice cream, we wandered the old town and Carmen's dad pointed old some more landmarks and shared some unique stories of their town and its many statues and fountains.We had a wonderful visit with Carmen and her family and quite enjoyed the city of Aachen.  In the morning, we said good-bye and headed for the Netherlands.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251498011/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251498011/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251498011/tpod.html Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:22:34 -0400 Europe 2009

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Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Today we had two stops scheduled on our way to Aachen: the Mosel Valley and Koln.  Two years ago we toured the Rhine Valley, but we didn't make it to the Mosel (other than Burg Eltz near Cochem).  As we left Trier, we started southward through the Mosel Valley, winding our way through steep hillsides covered in grapes and cute little towns and villages.  We stopped in Beilstein (Rick's recommended stop) and wandered through the tiny village and up to the castle ruins on the hill.  At the castle cafe we shared a "wurst mit pommes" (that's fries, not apples).  After lunch, I climbed up to the top of the castle keep.  It's difficult to imagine a single family, let alone multiple generations living in that tiny space.  We wandered back through the town to our car and wound our way through the rest of the Mosel Valley to Cochem where we rejoined the autobahn.Speaking of the autobahn... although we came across many construction sites, we didn't encounter any accidents this year.  That is amazing considering the speed at which these people drive.  We would be cruising along at 160-170 km/h and cars were whizzing past us as though we weren't even moving.  For anyone who hasn't travelled over here I know that is difficult to believe, but I assure you it is the truth.Our next stop was Koln.  Our only real priority here was to see the cathedral.  I would have liked to visit the Archaeological Museum but it is closed on Mondays so I was out of luck.  The cathedral is... well... massive.  It is absolutely huge.  The more of these behemoths I see, the better I understand the Reformation.  We went inside and stared up, up, up...  It was just so BIG.Leaving the cathedral, we walked around the perimeter, popping into a couple of way-too-touristy souvenir shops and instead opting for ice cream, which we enjoyed under the shadow of the cathedral.  We fled from the tourist crowds and hopped into our car for the town of Aachen.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251496747/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251496747/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1251496747/tpod.html Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:01:40 -0400 Europe 2009

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Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

We left Munich mid-afternoon and arrived in Trier at 8pm (that's 20:00 in Europe).  We checked into our hotel and settled into our room with an amazing view of Trier.  Trier is the oldest city in Germany (home to both first the Celts and then the Romans), and the site of the oldest Christian church in Germany (built in the 4th Century).  From our hotel on the hill we can see the whole city.  Breathtaking.After a long day of driving, we needed to stretch our legs so we walked down the hill to the city centre.  It was Saturday night and in a university town, that means party night.  There were several stag and stagette parties going on, and a number of people just looking for a good time.  We found a little beer garden (8 tables) and Attila wound down with a Bitburger beer.  As we were leaving the beer garden, we were approached by two young people who offered us candles and invited us to "Nightfever" at the church in the market square.  We followed the crowd into the candle-lit church, lit our own candles and sat in a pew to enjoy the sound of the choir echoing off the stone walls.  The candle-light and music was beautiful and very peaceful.  We left the church and walked around the centre until we felt sleepy and ready for bed. In the morning, we awoke to the sound of Sunday church bells.  It was a lovely sound.  We enjoyed a big breakfast at the hotel and hopped in the car for a day of touring.Our first stop was the city of Luxembourg.  For some unknown reason, Rick Steves doesn't have a Luxembourg city guide, so we went to the TI to get a map and some basic info.  They gave us a DIY walking tour, but it was not the quality of walking tour that we have come accustomed to with Rick Steves.  Still, we enjoyed the sites; particularly the valley park with its miniature railway, beautiful green spaces, and huge overhead bridge arches.  Unfortunately being Sunday, almost all businesses were closed and our options for activities were limited.On the advice of our hotelier, we drove for Wiltz.  Wiltz is a small town at the north end of Luxembourg.  It was a nice town but it offered even less options on Sundays than did the city of Luxembourg.  On the way out of town, however, I noticed a memorial that had some familiar insignia on it -- it was a statue dedicated to Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Guiding and Scouting movements.  Apparently, Wiltz is the European base for many Scouting events.Our next stop was the town of Vianden.  This town was much more alive than the other two we visited.  There were tourists everywhere, and the main road through town (cobblestoned with two narrow lanes and no sidewalks) was buzzing with cars, bikes, motorbikes, and pedestrians.  We down the hill to the bridge where we found a brasserie where we could get a bite to eat.  The food was a little disappointing but it filled the void.It was starting to get late and we wanted to get back to Trier while there was still daylight, so off we went.  Back at Trier, We wandered through the town centre, checking out the Porta Negra and the Cathedral.  The Cathedral (the first Christian church in Germany) is massive.  I didn't realize how massive it was until I asked Attila to stand at one of the doors so I could take a picture of the whole building with him as a scale.  Wow.  He looks like an ant.  I can see why the townspeople were so ticked off at the bishop for building such a monstrosity.  Talk about overkill.We followed Rick's walking tour through the centre, over to the Basilica and the Roman ruins.  As we started to lose our daylight, we settled into a street-side cafe for coffee and dessert before heading back to our hotel on the hill.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1250897605/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1250897605/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1250897605/tpod.html Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:42:25 -0400 Europe 2009

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Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Since we left Hungary so late, we decided to take the freeway to Munich instead of the scenic route along the Danube.  Our next destination is Trier but we needed a stopover along the way and I wanted to see Dachau, one of the camps I missed during our first trip to Europe.We arrived early in the evening and checked into our hotel.  With rain in the forecast, we decided to forgo the English Garden and went to the Augustiner Beer Garden instead.  It is the favourite of Munich locals, with seating for 5000!  Attila had ein mas and I had some apfelsaft along with our roast chicken and fries.  We shared a table with a local resident and we talked global economy and European politics while we chugged our drinks.  A very "Back Door" experience (thanks Rick!)  The rain never did materialize and we had a lovely evening under the Linden trees.This morning we got up and after a huge breakfast buffet at our hotel, drove out to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.  We have visited several other camps (Auschwitz-Birkenau, Terezin, and Mauthausen) but this was our first visit to Dachau.Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp, and was established in 1933 as a work camp for political prisoners, dissidents, and anyone who threatened the progress the Nazi regime.  Prisoners could be arrested and sent to Dachau without a trial and held indefinitely.  Priests, Jehovah's Witnesses, Communists, homosexuals, career criminals, immigrants, and gypsies were all imprisoned at Dachau.  Each group was assigned a colour-coded triangle so they could be identified; Jews were given two triangles to form a Star of David.  Dachau was not an extermination camp like Auschwitz, but between 1933 and 1945, over 30 thousand men were worked to death, executed, or died from malnutrition or disease.  Thousands of others were sent from Dachau to other camps like Mauthausen or Auschwitz where the death rates were much higher.  Dachau was also a training centre for the SS and a model and test site for all other Nazi concentration camps.After the war ended, prisoners who had nowhere else to go stayed at the camp.  It was later used as a refugee camp for people escaping the Communist bloc.  Over the years, the camp was transformed from a military-style concentration camp to a small community, with apartments where the barracks had once stood.  As time passed, veterans and survivors returned to the camp and pressured the local government to convert the site into a memorial.  The apartments came down and the memorial society built a museum and a reconstruction of an original barrack.  On the site of each of the other 29 barracks there is a concrete foundation and a number.  The administration buildings, watch towers, gas chamber (never used for mass extermination), and crematoria are still standing in their original locations.We watched the short film in the museum and took the English tour.  Our guide was excellent but the tour was a bit long (2.5 hours).  The weather was drizzling but it seemed apppropriate for such a somber visit.Each visit to a concentration camp has been a different experience for us.  Perhaps because Dachau is so accessible compared to the other sites (you can take the city bus right to the site), the visitors at Dachau seemed to be a different sort than the visitors we have seen at the other sites.  The majority of visitors at the other sites we have visited have been people who know the history of the Holocaust and want to see the sites for themselves; the majority of visitors at Dachau seemed to be learning much of this history for the first time (or at least for the first time since high school).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1250896624/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1250896624/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dancer_alison/20/1250896624/tpod.html Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:31:34 -0400 Europe 2009

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Szomód, Komárom-Esztergom, Hungary

Today was Saint Istvan Day in Hungary -- their national holiday similar to Canada Day but without the national pride apparently.We started the day by visiting some of Attila's old friends.  They were lovely people and typically Hungarian... even though I kept refusing more, they kept refilling my glass with homemade wine!  We had a great visit.  It was nice to talk to people who adapted their speech to accommodate someone who is new to the language.  They even tried some English (bull...sheet.... bullsheet!  haha!)After our visit, we went back to Szomod to pick up Bela and from there we went to the new water park at Tatabanya.  It was nice (great if you have kids) but the one at Egerszalok was nicer.  I was starting to come down with a cold so the chlorine was a little agrivating.  Anyway, we got good and soggy and left feeling refreshed.I wanted to see how Hungarians celebrate their national day so we went down to the park at Tatabanya.  There were food booths, carnival rides, and vendors, but not a single Hungarian flag in sight.  After seeing the plethora of Canadiana at our Canada Day celebrations, it was a little surreal to see all these Hungarians celebrating... what?  A day off?  It was disappointing so we went back to Tata for some langos and palacsinta before bed.Friday morning it was time to say good-bye to Hungary.  Attila ran a few errands that we couldn't do when the stores were closed on Thursday (we can't go home without our 8 kilos of paprika!) and we went to the cemetery to see his dad and grampa.  We said "Vislat!" to Bela and his mom and left for Germany.
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Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Heads Baden-Baden, tails Bern...  Attila wins with Bern.  Party Pooper.  He just doesn't want to try the nude spa.  Coward :)So today we're off to Bern.  We had a late start as our hostess, Beate had some students over this morning for some English practice.  So but noon we were on the road.  Once again we chose to go off the beaten path.  This route took us through some lovely villages and hilltop castles.  And a small piece of advice: when stopped at a stoplight in Switzerland, do not use that particular moment to comment on how green the Swiss countryside is... it may cause your driver to jump the gun and run the light.  Oops.We arrived in Bern shortly after two.  We parked at the Bahnhof (Rick advised that although it is not the cheapest option, it is the most convenient for a quick tour of the town... he wasn't kidding either -- $15 for less than six hours.)Having missed lunch, our first goal was to find something to eat.  It proved to be more difficult than I thought.  The Swiss Franc is almost at par with the Canadian dollar so it was easy to see that everything was WAY to expensive.  $8 deli sandwiches, $6 slice of pizza... and I have never in my life seen a McDonalds menu in the double digits.  No lie.  Extra value meal (HA!) for 12.49 SF.  We settled for the Swiss version of a hot dog: wurst in a croissant (a deal at 3.50 SF).  A much better deal than the hotdog we saw listed on the riverview terrace for 16SF!!!As we usually do when we get to a new town, we followed Rick's walking tour through the sites.  We were lucky to visit on market day but the prices there were also very high and the merchants did not seem very friendly.  Attila tried again to get a coffee but decided that 6.50SF for a small coffee at Starbucks was too much.  Do these people know what we pay for the same food in Canada?  It seems almost criminal.Undaunted we continued our tour.  The highlight was watching the local children (in their scivvies) enjoying the fountains in front of the parliament.  Quite entertaining.  The blasts of water appear and disappear, with varying levels of intensity.  It keeps the kids guessing and their reactions are priceless.We strolled along the river and through the old town, but were underwhelmed by the sites and the city itself.  We've visited several European capitals and Bern seems to have the least visitor appeal.  It's odd considering how beautiful the country is.  Once again, Rick is right... why spend time in Swiss cities when you can enjoy the mountains?Our last stop was the famous Bern bear enclosure (aka a big concrete pit), but it too proved disappointing.  The bears were either hiding or not in their pen as we could find neither hide nor hair of them.  We hustled back to the car and decided to leave Bern before finding dinner.When we finally arrived back at Beate's house, she had a little surprise for me: a Black Forest Cake.  Turns out that she went to six different bakeries in search of a cake for me but each one told her that it was the wrong season for it -- the cream doesn't last in the heat.  But, she managed to track someone down who had one in their freezer.  It was very yummy.
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