TravelStream™ news feed for member jamierand on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jamierand en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:02:56 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1249099255/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1249099255/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1249099255/tpod.html Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:02:56 -0400 Jamie & Stopher's European Adventure

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Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

Last stop on the trip! After our quick peek of the Tour de France, we spent rest of the week relaxing in Lausanne. We were fairly travel fried so this won't be the most exciting post (and I’m writing from the US with jetlag so apologies for nonsensical ramblings). Lausanne is just across the lake and a bit East of Le Bouveret: the place we last stayed in Switzerland. A lot of the sights in the area that we would normally see, we already visited, which made this a very easy stay. Our plan for this leg of the trip was to wander the city of Lausanne itself.

One thing you can say about Lausanne is that it is on a BIG hill. It has phenomenal public transportation with a major train station (close to our home), metro lines to the surrounding areas, two new intercity metros, and lots of buses. There are even free bikes, but the BIG hill made us decide to just walk. Lausanne also has lots and lots of really pretty public parks and gardens and flowers. One that we visited had an aviary with lots of beautiful birds. Some of the parrots were housed with some chickens and had taken to imitating them. It’s strange to hear a parrot cluck like a chicken! The combination of these two makes it a very livable urban area. However, the real heroes of the city are our home exchangers. I think we mentioned awhile back that we had some home exchangers back out at the last minute. Our Lausanne exchangers were actually on vacation elsewhere and were kind enough to let us stay in their place. It was wonderful. It took a lot of will power to not take photos of every corner of their home and post them. Merci encore a vous deux!

We did make a special trip back to St. Maurice where we visited one of the many thermal baths of the area. Geothermal heat makes for some nice hot tubs! We went to Lavey les Bains near St. Maurice (home of the fairy caves) where you spend several hours frolicking in warm waters, hot tubs, saunas, cold plunges, etc. I say frolic because the main pool is pretty happening and not a quiet zen-like environment. There are mushrooms of water falling, jetted areas, and an area where they have made a fast current that spins you through a canal, around a Jacuzzi. It’s difficult to explain, but a lot of fun. You feel like you can swim really fast. Our home exchangers said this was the best thermal bath to visit. We can’t compare to the others, but it was a nice way to spend the day. Check out the website, and turn the volume down on your computer: www.lavey-les-bains.ch.

We also spent a lot of time searching for the Olympic Sport Track. Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Museum, and many other things Olympian. Along the lake shore, they have set up a 4km walking path with info stations all about the games, and different historical events. It took us a really long time to find the track which makes me think that maybe Amazing Race isn’t going to be our claim to fame, but we did find it. It made for a nice stroll along the lake and gardens. If you don’t read all the plaques, we learned they are all on the sport track’s website, which also has a nice map of the track (with no street names) www.sporttrack.ch.

The other big event of the stay was visiting a very dear high school friend. I spent most of my weekends with twins Karie and Nikki and haven’t seen either of them in ages. After traveling the world, Karie has settled in Geneva. It was too short of a trip for sure and we talked a mile a minute to try to catch up, but it was fantastic to see her. Big hi to Nikster, and the rest of the family. Sounds like you guys are doing great!

Stopher and I finished up our time wandering Lausanne’s city center and shopping area, stocked up on Raclette and Gruyere cheese, and packed our bags one last time. Sarah in Paris was kind enough to put us up again and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with her. I’m very proud of my little sis and all she has accomplished! Twelve hours of flying later and we were back in the US, stunned at how many people had electronic devices attached to their heads. Granted we landed in LA, but it was like cyborg city. All of our goodies made it through customs. We made it back to Seattle, and are now experiencing the tail end of the big heat wave. After waking up before dawn and sorting 2 grocery bags full of mail, we’re starting to get our feet back. It is good to be home. Many thanks for following along in our travel adventures. They’ve been wonderful and we hope you’ve enjoyed sharing them.

Peace Out,

-Jamie & Stopher
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Galway, Western Ireland, Ireland

Before I get into the latest blog entry, I'm pleasantly surprised to tell you that we got the photo of Stopher herding an unruly sheep on the farm. Please enjoy and know that the sheep is quite well, aside from a total lack of dignity for being wheeled to pasture. If there is such a thing as karma, I fear Stopher’s will be wooly.

Getting back to the travels, we are going with a bike theme for this entry. Why? Well we spent last week biking up the West coast of Ireland, and I am writing you today from Switzerland where the 16th stage of the Tour de France kicked off. Stopher and I joined up with a group of strangers (plus my dad and Lisa) in the town of Ennis and our trusty VBT (Vermont Bike Tour) guides loaded us onto a bus to visit the Cliffs of Moher. My mom came here last time we were in Ireland, but this was a first for me. They’re absolutely gorgeous. The wind was howling, and the waves crashing but we had sunshine and a stellar view. From there, we continued on to the town of Lisdoonvarna where we met our trusty bikes and took a short tour around the area.

The next morning, we woke to the pitter patter of not so little rain. Assured by our guides that it was clearing, we set out, looking like a pack of neon yellow puff balls. We rode out to the coast where the wind picked up, as did the rain. If you could imagine the place in better weather, you could see that it was beautiful. However, we had the soggy version. About a mile from our first rest stop, I blew my front tire. No harm, but walking in the rain takes longer. We met up with the group which was huddled in the bathrooms at a beach. The guides assured us that it was clearing though, so we continued on along the coast into the Burren to our lunch stop. That was the point that we realized that no one was truly waterproof. A short break in the rain allowed us up through the rocks to visit a megalithic tomb. After that, the rain was on again as we made the final push back to the hotel. So, the weather sucked, but honestly it was a beautiful ride and I’m happy to say that Ireland is lacking in "killer hills."

The next day, the weather cleared. Ahhh. We rode inland a bit, visiting an old church that had been reclaimed by the local flora. We had a short ride which ended at Corcomroe Abbey; founded in the 12th century. From the abbey, we transferred by bus to the town of Galway. We enjoyed an afternoon of wandering around, and a pint with Majbritt (the friend who met us in Dublin) who lives in Galway. My mom and I visited Ireland around 2004. I had a meeting for work and we spent about a week in Galway. It is a very pretty town, right on the coast.

Early morning departure had us on a ferry boat for the largest of the Aran Islands, Inishmoor. On Majbritt’s suggestion, my mother and I visited Inishmoor as well, and stayed in the same guesthouse as the bike tour. It is a beautiful island though (sun was even shining!) and seeing it by bicycle allowed a little more freedom to travel around. If you visit though, you only need one night… and now they have a zillion bike rental places at the ferry port so don’t feel like you have to join a tour. We rode up the island, visiting the seal beach (we only saw donkeys), and arriving at Kilmurvey House. Kilmurvey has gotten bigger since my last visit, but it still lovely and a good place to stay. One of the most popular sights on the island is Dun Aonghasa (pronounced Angus) fort. The fort consists of 4 rings on a cliff. You can’t beat the view. I did however scare poor dad who thought I was dangling my legs over the side, when in reality there was another slab of rock beneath my feet. He wasn’t about to come over to inspect. The rest of the day was ours to explore. Stopher and I rode to the sight of Seven Churches, and he and a few other brave souls took a swim in the icy ocean. On our way back to the ferry the following morning, he explored the old light house, and I hit the sweater shops.

We ferried back, and then hopped back on our bikes to head to Connemara. In this region, we discovered a new breed of head winds, but also amazing bogs that people farm for peat (no trees for wood), and more beautiful coastlines. We had a grunt of a ride to our next hotel, but got in early enough to enjoy the view over the water and the setting sun. I would like to note that there are sheep along the road, as in directly next to you with no fences. These sheep have horns.

Our last day of riding involved an absolutely ridiculous head wind. I used my granny gear on a flat road. But, it was well worth it because we got to visit Kylemore Abbey. Some thought it looked like Dracula’s castle, but Stopher and I decided we wouldn’t mind living there. It is run by nuns and houses a school, but the school is in its last years. There is also a renovated cathedral and some gardens. We missed the gardens, but heard good things. From Kylemore, we rode towards the coast. In the tiny town of Tully’s Crossing, we saw a rock with writing on it. The dashes on the edge are an ancient writing called Ogham. It is believed to be the earliest script in Celtic Ireland. The final ride back showcased gorgeous beaches and streams, but most notably, a tail wind.

As the bike tour group headed off to their homes, we stayed in Galway for the weekend with Majbritt. We did stumble into the farmers market where we discovered some of the best damn cheddar you’ve ever had. Good stuff. Why we don’t make that in the US is beyond me. So glossing over the incredibly long journey we had to Switzerland, I can now wrap up with a little Tour de France. Stopher and I are in Lausanne, on the last stop of our trip. The Tour started stage 16 in the Swiss town of Martigny, less than an hour away (remember all the St. Bernards? Same town). So, today we hopped back on the train, and joined the chaos at the start gate. At the start, you have to guard some space, so we spent a couple hours there. However, there was a parade of sponsors, team vehicles, and the occasional stray cyclist. At this point, Contador (Astana) was in yellow, Pellizotti (Liquigas) in polka dots, and Hushovd (Cervelo) was in green. Overall, our Astana boys are doing well, though we never saw Lance. The whole crew is out and past you in a matter of seconds, but it was still cool as hell to see the riders head off for the Alps. They had over 3000m of climbing ahead of them. Good thing we didn’t sign up for that bike ride!

So, we are going to chill in Lausanne for a bit and start thinking about our return to reality. We hope you are all well, and to see you very soon. As we wrap up, a big thanks to Majbritt for putting us up over the weekend, to Pierrik and Deborah for exchanging homes with us, to Gina and Brian for touring us around Ireland. And, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to my dad who still beats me up the hills.

Cheers,

-Jamie & Stopher
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Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Alrighty folks, this is going to be a quicky. Stopher and I spent last week in Dublin Ireland recovering from the farm and prepping for a bike tour. We found a great little BnB over a pub call O'Neills Townhouse (www.oneillsdublin.com). Gerry took excellent care of us, and we were free of bats, sheep, ducks, etc. The location was great, just a few steps from Trinity College and all the sights. I even had the pleasure of a couple of spin classes at a nearby gym. Couldn't understand a word, but it was fun to get on the bikes.

Our first day out, we visited the lovely Molly Malone (aka the tart with the cart). Well, we saw the statue and an impersonator. We spent a bit of time visiting Trinity and the Book of Kells. No photos allowed of the book, but it is a beautifully illustrated Latin book of the gospels as transcribed by Celtic monks. These are 7th century works, written on calfskin with lovely ornate lettering, Celtic knots, animals etc. You can find some good photos online.

Upon strong recommendation from my mom, we visited the passage tomb at Newgrange, as well as Tara Hill. Joining the Mary Gibbons tour we saw the hills where ancient civilizations used to live and rule over the surrounding countryside. The structures are dated to around 5000yrs old, making them older than the pyramids. The passage tomb is really a solstice marker for the winter solstice. When the sun is rising on the shortest day of the year, it is able to shine into the structure to illuminate it. No photos inside, but you have several of the exterior. It was really stunning. There are other passage tombs that coordinate with other solstice and equinox events. You can see the relative size with Stopher standing next to the stones. Imagine carting those things up! The huge entrance stone is elaborately decorated as were several other large stone on the periphery, and inside. A must see if you come to the area.

As is required, we made a trip to the Guinness factory. I’ve included here a photo of the deed that Arthur Guinness signed about 250yrs ago. He leased the property at a rate of £45/yr for 9000 years. He must have known he was on to something. For those interested in the history of your names, the men who built the wooden cask barrels used to ship and store the beer were called Coopers. Hmmmm…. (for those not in the know, that is my mother’s side of the family). Anyways, as always Guinness is a fun tour. This was my 3rd time and it just gets bigger and bigger each time. For those of you like myself who are not big Guinness drinkers, it pleases me to tell you that Bulmers (of cider fame) has a pear cider now. It is excellent, though a bit dangerous.

To wrap up the week, we had a special visit from my friend Majbritt (pronounced my-brit). We went to grad school together and when not grinding away at work, got in loads of good trouble together. She has since returned to her home of Ireland and is working on her PhD in Galway. Smarty pants. She came down to Dublin for the weekend to visit us, her main man Steve, and Bruce Springstein who was hosting a sold out show. So, for those of you who are curious, we did get a photo of Steve, and he seems a good guy. Sadly, Stopher tried to keep up with him in drinks and of course the Irishman beat him badly. No matter, it gave us an excuse for a relaxing stroll out to St. Patrick’s cathedral (conveniently located near a Laundromat). There is a beautiful little park on the grounds, and lots of interesting historical items inside. Author Jonathan Swift is buried there.

So, after a rather chaotic week of touring and visits, we headed off to Ennis in the west where we met up with a bike tour. We’ll be spending the next week riding along with around 15 strangers, my dad, Lisa, and two local guides. Currently, the weather isn’t looking too hot, so you may see some soggy photos. At least you won’t be able to smell us. Take care and we’ll catch you up soon!

Cheers,

-Jamie & Stopher
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Isigny-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

Sorry, this is really late. I was hoping to receive a photo from our last hosts that would have been fantastic for this entry, but it just isn't going to happen in a timely fashion. So, it’s time to send this out and the photo will be added when we get it.

After a lovely night with our friends Sarah and Nissim (and their kitty) in Paris, we headed to Normandy for a new kind of travel. We signed up with an international organization called WWOOFING where you volunteer to work part time for an organic farm, and in turn they house and feed you. Good deal right? Well, I quickly learned that you have to do your research. Some places are just getting started and may ask you to live in a tent. Some places are vegetarian only. Some have you wrestling goats for 5hrs a day. We luckily did our research ahead of time and landed ourselves in a renovated chateau. Chateau Monfreville has been British owned for over 20yrs. The family run chateau is an organic farm that also runs as a BnB, rents out family cottages, and takes in campers. We were probably luckier than the average woofer in that we had our own room and bathroom, and use of a car on our off days.

Inhabitants of the chateau include the original Brit owner June, her daughter Zoe, Zoe’s husband Paul, and their two kids Jake and Molly. Also living on the property was a potpourri of chickens, ducks, lots of baby ducklings, pigeons, 2 bunnies, about 40 sheep, and Bert the donkey. There was a swimming pond, which was home to some frogs, a couple of trout, and lots of algae. The food was excellent, fresh, and often from the backyard. In addition to the bounties of the farm, we enjoyed some new regional specialties such as apple cider (Calvados region), camembert cheese, and caramels. To be honest, it’s hard to beat Fran’s caramels in Seattle. These were good though.

We spent the first couple of days doing gardening project for June, which mostly entailed weeding, planting, and relocating her vast collection of plants. Our nastiest gig by far was mucking the algae out of the pond. It grows in carpets along all the surfaces. Using rakes Stopher and I removed about 4 wheel barrels full of pond scum. We barely made a dent. As the water drained from each haul, you could see the zillions of creepy crawlies swarming all over the algae, wondering what had happened to their homes. That was about all it took to know I would not be using the swimming pond. Paul signed us up for a few backlogged projects around the house. We sorted the basement, cleaning out lots of old forgotten storage items, and organizing the leftovers. Older windows had to get sanded and repainted, sheep had to be wrangled from field to field, Bert the escape artist had to be caught (he was chasing the campers), and Stopher used his engineering skills to rewire Paul’s workshop, probably saving him thousands so long as the place doesn’t burn down. Our only other truly nasty job was mucking out the barn that had housed the sheep over the winter. The poo pile was about a foot deep, wall to wall, and interlaced with straw; creating a very durable shit mesh. It took four of us about 5h to get the whole thing done (we had to stop for tea of course), and another couple of days to get the smell off. It was an excellent workout to say the least. One of our favorite projects involved trying to fix up all the bikes on the property. I technically wasn’t asked to do this (I think because I’m neither boy, nor engineer), but decided I would be involved anyways and traded my weeds for some grease.

For our off time, we had a real bounty of things to see. We were just off the coast of Northern France, and surrounded by amazing historical sites from the Battle of Hastings, to WWII. We visited the Bayeux Tapestry in the town of Bayeux. The 11th century tapestry, at about 70m (230ft) in length, is a massive embroidery project that was used to illustrate to a largely illiterate population, the Norman conquest of England, and the events of the Battle of Hastings. We weren’t allowed to take photos, so the one here is a recreation. We explored the town of Bayeux, enjoying the local cuisine and the low stress environment of France on a Sunday (i.e. everything is closed). We also visited the beaches. Omaha Beach, as a beach, is very beautiful. But, of course it is more than just a beach. It houses a large WWII memorial with a vast array of information about the American war effort. It was pretty heavy to see, but very interesting. It also is home to the American cemetery, where approximately 95,000 soldiers are interred. The cemetery and memorials are all on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Moving westward along the coast, we visited Pont du Hoc, where soldiers used ropes to scale massive cliffs to defeat German forces and further solidify the hold of the French coastline. Those large craters you see in the ground that make the place look like a golf course are actually from bombings of the area. To wrap up our time in Normandy, and to celebrate July 4th, we visited Utah Beach. There is another museum there, though it was closed at the time we arrived. There are still several items from the war displayed around the dunes though. The beaches have massive mud flats. We walked through several hundred meters of beach sand before actually reaching the water, and people as far as 100m past us still were not even waist deep. It is not hard to imagine what a sitting duck you would be during a low tide. Stopher and I shared a bottle of the local cider at Utah to toast the 4th, and the fact that we survived 10 days on the farm without being eaten by Bert or run over by the sheep.

Next stop was taking an overnight ferry from Brittany to Ireland. It sounded romantic at the time, but I couldn’t find my Dramamine, there was a storm, and mostly I hoped someone would bash me over the head with a rock to distract from the sea sickness. Suffice to say I was a happy camper when we saw the Irish coastline ahead. We’ll be in Dublin for about a week, then picking up our bike tour on the West Coast. We may be in for a challenge considering we’ve hardly trained for it. In the mean time, I hope the folk that did the STP this weekend had a good time, and that everyone is enjoying the Tour de France.

Chow for now,

-Jamie & Stopher
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Karlstad, Swedish Lakeland, Sweden

Hej Hej,

Forget your summer plans to Southern Europe. Just let it go. Sweden is the place to visit! This is a gorgeous country with lots of water, rolling farmlands, forests, and wide open spaces. You can enjoy much more than pickled herring if it's not for you. You have to occasionally remember that winter is another animal, but for a summer trip, worth a visit.

We used Ryan Air to make it up here, and then headed to the town of Karlstad; about 3h West of Stockholm. Our friends Lina and Johan, and their new baby Naemi took us to their home in Edeby, North of Karlstad. They found an old house on the river and have been restoring it for the past few years into a beautiful place worthy of a magazine. We were very excited for a week without any schedules or sights to check out. It was really nice to just relax.

Near the house is a bike trail (did I say relax?) that stretches for over 50mi through the Varmland. It puts the Burke Gilman to shame, but we remind ourselves that it’s probably covered in snow for half the year. Johan took us out on some "classic" cycles with brakes in the pedals for a tour of the area. We also visited the town of Karlstad where he works. We visited the local park which has lots of great features including a nature center. Stopher smelled the beaver (according to the sign), while we hunted mushrooms and learned about local fauna. Of course we had to visit the local H&M department store. H&M’s here are massive, dangerous stores. Luckily we have suitcase limits to control shopping.

In the village of Edeby is a small building that still houses the brick oven used to bake traditional Swedish flatbread. Back in the day, people would bake together rather than in their own kitchens. It is still available for use. Dainty key in hand, the boys headed over early in the morning to crank up the wood fire and get the oven heated. Joined by Johan’s dad Krister and his girlfriend Deborah, we spent the afternoon cranking out lots and lot of warm flat bread…. Good stuff! We were a mess, but loved making it. Krister and Deborah had us over to their beautiful lake side summer house for dinner where we learned about all the local fishies. Johan took Stopher out to fish later in the week and he managed to catch a pike. We’ll eventually track down the photo for that one.

Friday was the annual mid-summer festival in Sweden. I think it is similar to solstice in the US. The towns in the country side have a big festival where people wear traditional dress and erect a large green 'stong’ into the earth and dance around it. They also eat lots of excellent traditional food like pancakes with lignonberries, and drink the firewater that is aquaveet. We visited the barn of some friends of Lina and Johans where we learned the game of kubb. You throw blocks of wood to knock down the opponent’s blocks. Stopher and I cleaned house winning 2 games before trying to explain to the locals what a couple of Americans were doing playing kubb at a barn in N. Sweden. Everyone was a lot of fun and we had a great time. Finishing up our stay in the country, the Swedes took us just south of Karlstad to Kristineham where there is an enormous Picasso statue looking out over the water. We mostly took it easy and wandered around the delta, enjoying the sunshine and water.

Big thanks to Johan, and Lina for putting us up for the week. It was great to see you guys and the house is amazing. Hope you can make it back to Seattle again soon! Thanks also to Naemi and Leon (the cat who knows how to sit, lie down, and come on command) for tolerating the chaos. Good luck with the new feeding schedule and banging on the table.

To wrap up our stay in Sweden, we decided it would be easier to get to the airport from Stockholm which gave us an excuse to visit. We took a bus into town, and had about half a day to see everything. We walked through Gamla Stan, which is the ‘old town.’ It is almost all pedestrian traffic and cute shops. From there, we crossed to Djurgården to visit the Aquarium (www.aquaria.se). It was pretty small, but hosted a great rain forest and a pair of healthy looking black tip reef sharks. From there we continued to the Vasa museum (www.vasamuseet.se) which houses the buccaneer style ship Vasa. She was finished in 1628, and on her maiden voyage, sank before ever making it out of Stockholm harbor. After 333yrs, she was salvaged and reconstructed. The museum is excellent if you are interested in maritime life and salvage operations. It is dark though so apologies for the photos.

So now, I’m writing you from Paris. We are staying with Sarah and Nissim for the night, and then heading to Northern France to wwoof. Wwooffing (www.wwoofing.org) is an international organization where you work for a farm and they house you and feed you some of your meals. The work can be varied as can be the accommodations, but we should make out well. We will be at Chateau Monfreville for the next 10 days helping to take care of the animals, gardens, and who knows what else. Internet will be slow there, but we’ll do our best to keep up.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope you all had a great solstice. Don’t forget to check out the seattlepi.com photos of the cyclists from our solstice parade!

Hej Doh,

-Jamie & Stopher
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Venice, Veneto, Italy

Ciao Everyone,

We took one more short trip to Italy to visit the city of Venice. We really love Italy, but wanted to check out other countries on this trip, so Venice was just a 4 night visit to check out an infamous city. We rented an apartment that we came across through the home exchange website from a very nice retired couple. It was a simple place, but got the job done; and was only about a 5min walk to San Marco's square in the Castello district. Our hosts lived in the same building and were very kind, offering touring info and use of their internet whenever we needed. Luckily they both spoke French as our Italian isn’t too hot. Venice is pricey, and in the time we went, packed to the rim in tourists. Renting an apartment off the main route is really a great way to go to save some money, and to get some down time from the crowds.

Venice is small enough that you can cross the whole island in about an hour. You can only get around by foot, or by boat. The well known gondolas are for private tours, and the larger vaporettos, which run along the Grand Canal, are more like city buses. We spent most of our time just wandering the streets on foot. We walked across the Rialto Bridge to the Rialto district where we found the outdoor markets. That is where we did most of our shopping, and enjoyed some excellent dinners of homemade basil ravioli, and excellent fresh produce. There are also a lot of fish vendors selling pretty much anything you can imagine, but they don’t like having their photos taken. It’s a little tough to look at the waters around Venice and then go eat seafood. Not exactly the crystal clear seas we saw on the other side of the country.

During our stay, the Bieniale Art Festival was taking place. In addition to the larger art shows, all the smaller churches were hosting free exhibits. We saw a collection of 200-300yr old violins and other similar instruments which were beautiful (sorry, no photos allowed), a collection of bizarre paintings from a couple of Moroccan artists (no photos desired), and an exhibit of replicas of the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. It was actually a very large exhibit, but here are a few of the items we saw.

Our last day we signed up for a tour of the islands of Murano (famous for glass blowing), Burano (famous for lace), and Torcello (famous for being the first inhabited in the area, but currently not much to see). In retrospect, we should have bagged the tour and just taken vaporettos on our own. We arrived at Murano, and they told us we had 30min to visit, only at the glass factory. We saw a 5min demo of glass blowing, and then were ushered into the gallery to shop. We never saw the island and were pretty angry about the "tour." Torcello as I said was rather pointless. It has a church that supposedly has interesting mosaics, but was in service so we just waited for the allotted 30min in the shade. Burano was the same story: 30min to see a lace demo which largely consisted of trying to get us to shop. Stopher and I left to go look at the multi-colored houses and the small town and get away from the tour. It was nice to get out on the water, but certainly something we could have done on our own.

Our last night, we decided to out for dinner. We avoided it earlier as we were turned off by the hosts who will all but accost you on the street to come to their restaurants. However, each time we walked past our apartment, we noticed an off the road restaurant where the owners were speaking to all the customers, and everyone looked happy. Osteria Oliva Nera (the black olive, http://www.osteria-olivanera.com) has managed to retain its Italian charm, and the food was fantastic. Many of the people eating there come over and over again to eat with the wonderful owners. A table of Brits next to us told us that they’ve been coming to Venice for 10yrs, and always make a stop at the restaurant. Everything was excellent from the service to the food and we didn’t have loads of tourists jostling past. One of the owners used our placemats to draw the desert menu. My food photos were not great, but you can at least enjoy Stopher’s marscapone cheesecake.

If you go to Venice, enjoy it quickly and with good planning. Save your money on water transport and walk everywhere. It’s easy to get around. Cook your own meals, or eat off the beaten path in the Rialto district for the best food, and of course have a special night out at The Black Olive.

We’ve just arrived in Sweden (half way through our trip!) and are staying with our friends Johan, Lina, and their new addition Naemi. Sweden is gorgeous and a welcome cool down from the heat of Venice. We’ll update you on what is sure to be another fantastic adventure with our local guides. Stay well and enjoy the summer sun!

XOXO,

-Stopher & Jamie
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1244606400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1244606400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1244606400/tpod.html Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:16:51 -0400 Jamie & Stopher's European Adventure

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Bouveret, Switzerland

Bonjour/Gutentag/Yo!

Get comfortable because this is going to be a long one. While I normally edit for only the highlights, there are too many to name. If you are considering a trip, Switzerland is a really cool country. I mentioned before that it is pricey, but there are definitely tricks to softening the blow while seeing some spectacular places. One of the tricks we used extended the life of our train pass. We have a Eurorail pass for a specific number of days. I knew ahead of time where and when we would be heading, and added 2 'free' days to use towards exploration while in Switzerland. Well, it turns out that if you're not staying in a big city, and you hop on the second class cabin (which in regional rail isn't too different from first class), no one seems to check your ticket. Of course there is always a chance, but we got lucky. That allowed us to use our free days later in the stay and get a little more bang out of the pass.

So our first adventure involved taking three trains out to the town of Sion, home to Europe's largest underground lake. We joined a group of Germans, a couple of Dutch, and 2 dogs on a row boat tour into the cavern. There are a few lights which bring out the glow of the crystal clear water, and a few of the rock formations. Trout were also stocked in the lake, but live on a diet of fish chow and are pretty much trapped there to entertain the tourists. The photos of the lake don't do it justice, but hopefully you get the idea. It was pretty cool, even in German. Spelunking along, we took two more trains to the town of St. Maurice. Following the signs for the Fairy Caves, we soon realized we were in for another steep hike. We hauled our cookies up the side of a mountain, past a lovely fort, and finally reached the entrance to the Fairy Caves.... which I am pretty sure inspired the movie Hostel. To visit the Fairy Caves, you are given a plastic covered guide and sent down a long cavern into the mountain. This is the point where I realized that we were not going to look at bioluminescent bugs, but read old fairy stories about from people who lives in the mountain. My mistake. We only saw one other couple, but many interesting geological and man-made formations. After about 30min, the cave opens into a room where water falls into a pool in the middle. Again, not easy to photograph with an automatic, but it was a very beautiful, and I'm happy that nothing tried to grab or eat us along the way.

Our next day out, we pirated two more train rides to the very lovely town of Monteux. There, we rented a car, said a little prayer, and got on the highway. We headed North to the town of Gruyeres, land of many cows and stinky cheese. Really... everything smells like cows and cheese, even up on the mountain! We saw some of the traditional equipment used to make cheese old school style: in a massive cauldron over fire. Unfortunately we missed the demo. We headed to the town and decided that we were going to have a proper fondue experience. Now I've had fondue in the states where you get all sorts of fruit and veggies to cook, but this was another story. Imagine you live high in the mountains and can't garden too much, so need things that last and are filling. You get bread with the cheese, and if you want, potatoes, onions, or cornichons (mini-pickles). The waitress kindly explained that the fondues were for one person, so we ordered two and I will never forgive her. Stopher (about to embark on his first fondue) was like a kid in a candy store when that pot o'goo was brought out. It was an obscene amount of hot boiling cheese, bread, and potatoes on a sunny day... we didn't stand a chance, but tried our best to make a dent in it. Feeling fairly sick and horrified at a meal of cheese and bread, we walked up the hill towards the castle. The Gruyere castle has traded hands many times, but is now a tour and art exhibition space. It is very well done, so give it a look if you're in the area. Also next to the castle, is a small museum and bar dedicated to H.R. Geiger, designer of many spooky creatures such as those featured in Alien. You can't miss it... it looks like the 'Aliens' set up shop in The Sound of Music. As our stomachs began to recover a bit, we headed down the hill, to the town of Broc and to the Cailler (aka. Nestle) factory. It's no secret I'm a chocoholic, but after visiting the likes of Theo's in Seattle, I was a little skeptical. If nothing else, I now love Nestle because it provided a reprieve from the cow/cheese aroma. The tour is free and there is a well stocked tasting room, but you sort of feel the need to taste quickly and the pieces are big. I decided to avoid a second wave of nausea and went to the gift shop instead so I could sample leisurely. It is tasty stuff and but after Theo's, Fran's, etc.... no contest. To finish out the day, we drove to the city of Lausanne and met our future home exchangers, Pierrik and Deborah. They actually saved us from a home exchange that fell through at the last minute in the town of Aubonne (between Geneva and Lausanne), so we are grateful to them for that. They're going to be in Indonesia when we come through, so we'll owe them a stay in Seattle. However, they seemed great, the house is beautiful, and for now you can check out a photo of their wiley cat as he tried to escape outside to play. Yes... this is all one day!

A day of rest was in order, so we decided to not really do much, but did want to get to a town with a proper grocery. We decided to visit Martigney as it seemed to have some interesting sites (ruins, and a museum dedicated to the St. Bernard). We figured it would inspire a later travel date. Well, several of the roads were blocked and people were walking everywhere, so like everyone else we parked illegally and headed in to check it out. Next thing you know, there are massive, shaggy beasts panting all around us. Capturing their size in a photo was tough, but they were like drooling Shetland ponies. I think this was the point that Stopher threatened to leave me if I didn't stop playing w. the dogs. They were everywhere! As we wandered through town, we came to a street where two men were standing and realized there was a doggie parade approaching us. When I asked the men what was going on, they explained that it was a celebration of all the working dogs of the region.... And it only happens once every FIFTEEN years! Talk about timing. There were St. Bernards, Bernese, White Shepards, hounds, you name it. So, after a little dog worship, the rain kicked in and we kicked it out of town.... We never did find the grocery.

The next little adventure was definitely one of the coolest. Ever hear of a funicular? We had not. Imagine a train car that goes straight up the side of a mountain. It's sort of like an open air elevator that runs on a slant. We were in a region called Emossons where we took the world's steepest funicular (at one point 87% grade) up the side of a mountain. I am afraid of heights by the way, so spent the entire ride imagining my escape plan should the cable snap. We took a Disney style choo-choo around the side of the mountain where I graciously offered Stopher the side with the ledge, then a second funicular to the top, where you could look down on the dam, up at the glaciers, or at the restaurant. If not for the clouds, we would have been able to see Mt. Blanc as well. It was actually really cold and windy, so we decided it was time for more fondue... which by the way is much better on cold windy days that involve hiking, and only one order of cheese. The mountains were beautiful. We hiked around, checked out the dam, and eventually got rained back onto the funiculars from hell. Happy to say the cable never snapped!

On our way up the funicular, we were joined by a Swiss couple. I mentioned that I was afraid of heights (it was pretty obvious by the white knuckles), and they told us how the day before they hiked in this gorge over several waterfalls. They showed us photos of the little wooden trail, bolted into the side of the rock, hanging over the water. For some reason, we decided this was a good idea and that we should do it too. Thank you Swiss funicular riders! Actually the Gorges Durnard were very cool. Luckily no one else was there, so we could panic in peace, but you really do hang off the side of the rock. There are 14 little falls in all. Our route down was through the woods and on solid ground, and in all only took about an hour. It's a fun visit though not for those who tend to freeze half way up the trail.

To finish it all out, we returned the car, and hopped back on the train for a day trip to Geneva. Sadly we weren't able to meet up with Karie, but are hoping to when we come back in July. We mostly just wandered around the lake. It was a beautiful day, the various water fowl were chasing each other all over the place and the iconic water spout was blowing across in the wind. Lake Geneva is a beautiful, clear, turquoise color and as it empties out to continue the Rhone, it really moves! We stopped by the famous flower clock which changes all the time as it is replanted, and saw a free exhibit by the International Red Cross about the effects of war. Pretty depressing, but interesting. Our big highlight was finding a bookstore with some English texts, so we got a new book, and finally headed home.

Switzerland has been quite the experience and we're excited to come back next month. The longer stays in one place are definitely nice. That being said, we've got a short jaunt down to Venice (just 4 days) to see the place, then we're heading to Sweden to visit with friends. Per usual, no idea as to the internet options but we'll post as soon as possible. Enjoy your summers, and all the good weather we've been hearing about. Drop a line when you get a chance. If you don't want to write on the blog, you can always email us directly. Hope you're well and we'll talk to you soon!

-Jamie & Stopher
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1244053495/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1244053495/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1244053495/tpod.html Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:40:48 -0400 Jamie & Stopher's European Adventure

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Bouveret, Switzerland

Hey all,

We've made our way over the mountains into the Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) region of Switzerland. Our last days in Bramans took us up tiny twisty mountain roads with our hosts where we took photos of some of the local fauna and sites. We took several trains to our lovely new apartment in the town of Le Bouveret, just south of Montreux on Lac Leman. While the apartment is great, and seemingly ideally located for visiting the sites, the public transportation in and out of here is lacking so we're going to rent a car while we're here.

However, we have had a few adventures already. We learned that while everyone who lives here owns a bike, the only person who rents them runs the sailing school... and he only had 3 bikes. Taking the two without the baby seat, we headed along the shore and managed to cross back into France. A few Km from Evian, we stopped to buy some fruit. Packing produce and no passport, Stopher rode back into Switzerland. Luckily everyone takes long lunch breaks so there were no customs officers on our way back. We then headed along the coast towards Montreux, just south of Lausanne. We rode through farmlands, across the Rhone river, and out to a canal full of cute birds. We rode a beautiful spit that ran out into the lake and before we had a chance to truly enjoy the view, we realized that some sunbathers had already claimed the spot and were not about to be shamed by tan lines!

We're going to be in Switzerland for about 10 days so are using the posting to catch up on all the fuzzy animal photos. Switzerland is beautiful, but from what we can tell, shockingly expensive. Having an apartment and kitchen helps a lot. We are also maxing out our Eurrail pass and using it to get around where possible. On the schedule are trips to meet our future home exchangers in Lausanne (Lausanne is our last stop on the trip), and my high school friend Karie in Geneva. We are going to try to get out to the mountains to do some hiking. We had grand plans of biking, but paying for the crappy sailor bikes has us rethinking... Ireland will just have to involve sore butts. We are going to visit the Gruyere cheese factory and castle to sample some local fondue, and spent today visiting some of the many interesting caves in the area. More about that in the next posting!

So as always, enjoy some animal photos. Some may be repeats, but most are new. In about a week, we'll get you caught up with our Swiss adventures.

We miss you!

-Jamie & Stopher

ps: We just learned that one of the Cinque Terra photos was selected to be featured on Travelpod. Supposedly it will take a couple months, but we'll let you know when it happens.... 15s of fame here we come!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1243603980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1243603980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1243603980/tpod.html Fri, 29 May 2009 09:48:54 -0400 Jamie & Stopher's European Adventure

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Bramans, France

Bonjour a Tous!

We decided to head into town in search of an internet café or some free wifi in order to catch up with everyone, and to stay on top of our postings. You know I can't handle the guilt of being late! Our transfer from Italy back to France took nearly all day. We were supposed to have 3 train rides, but learned along the way that the leg from Torino to Chambery was actually a bus. Thank you train station for not mentioning that part! Once in Chambery, we picked up our trusty Pugeot, and headed for the hills. We rented from Europecar which one of my SMB spinners recommended... so far they've been great. Following Route A43, we headed back towards the French-Italian border and then split off for the town of Bramans. If you can find Modane on a map of France, Bramans is just past it, and is one of several tiny villages along a beautiful mountain valley. Our friend Yasmine's (of Charleston) family has been in this region for about 150yrs. Yasmine, if I get this totally wrong, my apologies.... I'm still not good with numbers!

Yasmine's mother and one of her sisters welcomed us to their lovely mountain home which is in the French Alps. The house is divided into 4 apartments, so we have our own little place here. They have since been showing us the abundance of local hiking trails, and teaching us about the regional foods and. Stopher might actually burn out on cheese! We are a little early for the summer season here, but can imagine some excellent biking and festivals. Sometimes the Tour de France even comes through!

I am going to keep this posting short because we've spent most of our time exploring the mountains and I think you might enjoy some photos more than a bunch of chatter. I will let you know that we drove the length of the valley, along which are several small villages. The older houses are made with stone and you can see some of the interesting roofs here. We also drove over one of the passes to the beautiful Lake Cenis. There is an old village submerged in it, but you can see some evidence of it as the water is still low. You can also see the Italian Alps at this point. We saw lots of grazing animals, a few ski areas, and a very simple, mountain lifestyle to enjoy. We certainly would not have known about this place without Yasmine's help, so a big merci to her and her family for letting us check it out!

A bientot,
-Jamie et Stopher
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1242919380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1242919380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jamierand/1/1242919380/tpod.html Sun, 24 May 2009 12:17:08 -0400 Jamie & Stopher's European Adventure

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Monterosso, Italian Riviera, Italy

Buongiorno Everyone!

It goes without saying that any friends we had before this leg of the trip are probably going to dump us. We just spent 3 days In the Cinque Terre (5 Lands) on the NW coast of Italy and they were spectacular. The Cinque Terre are 5 little coastal villages linked together by hiking trails, a regional railway, and a passenger ferry. No cars. We stayed as 'the honeymooners' in the town of Monterosso at the beautiful Porto Roca hotel which is high up a rock face looking over the ocean. I should mention that everything is high up a rock face and you will be burning your buns no matter where you go! Our first day, we struck out on the trail, which is marked by red and white stripes. It is very narrow and the Italians don't seem to believe in switch backs. They built stone steps straight up and down the mountainsides. We quickly discovered that the Eiffel Tower was just a training run! Hiking along with a group of French tourists (which I have a knack for finding when on vacation), we hauled our cookies to the next town; Vernazza. The hike covered about 150m vertical and we were very excited to head down into the seaport for a little gelato therapy. We then decided to press on and try to make it to the next town; Corgnilia. Corgnilia added another 270m of vertical and after all the stair climbing, we were toast. We could see the village of Manorolo from the train station, and the final village; Riomaggiore, was only 30min more by foot. At that point we were spent and took the very crowded, very fragrant train back to Monterosso for more gelato.

After our excellent hiking, and sampling the local seafood at our hotel, we decided the next day would be spent enjoying the ocean, and just chilling out. A little yoga on the terrace and we were off to the beach. The beaches here are stone, which is a little tough on the feet. The water is pretty cool; however, the weather is toasty and sunny so it all works out. The water is also amazingly clear and makes for some nice swimming. We planned on returning to a restaurant that we already tried once and liked very much. On request, I've included a few photos of the foods we had. I'm weak for a good caprese and they nailed it. We also enjoyed some of the local seafood, and the pesto that is made in this region of Italy. The waiter decided we needed to try some lemoncellos, but after all the prosecco, I forgot to photograph them!

Our last day, we decided to do something a little different. We got up early, threw back our caffe con lattes, and headed to the beach for some kayaking. It turns out you can get to Vernazza much more quickly by sea than by narrow stone stairs! We didn't bring the camera, but trust us that it was fantastic. There were lots of little caves along the rock face, and you could see everything beneath the boat, including a snorkeler who was towing 2 octopuses. Guess that's one way to get dinner.

Tonight is our last night here, and then we are heading back to France, to the town of Bramans. We'll be staying at a friend's mother's house, switching from the Riviera to the Alps. In the mean time, a few things we've learned during our first month away are that we will always be gelato junkies, eurorail passes are not as slick as we expected (but are doing the trick), women still sunbathe topless, though not necessarily the ones you would like, and hammer pants are making a comeback. I'm pretty sure we won't have internet access at our next stop, but on June 1 we'll be heading to Switzerland and should be able to find something. We love hearing from all of you, so drop us a line whenever you can either in reply to the blog posts, or directly to us!



Ciao ciao,
-Stopher & Jamie
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