A few more nights in the North

To the North Sea

Tuesday, 7/19

After a brief visit to the breakfast buffet (and constructing a back-up sandwich for the train), it was time to head back to the station. Today we would be traveling to Wilhelmshaven near the North Sea. I've been looking forward to this seaside vacation. While in Berlin, Winnie warned Greg,"Did you tell her about the town, so she won't be disappointed?" I'm pretty sure she was referring to the small size of the town and the total lack of anything to do there. At this point in the trip, having nothing to do for a few days sounded pretty great. Depending on the weather, we may spend some time on the strand, or simply enjoying the view from our hotel. We shall see. During our train ride today the clouds were high, white and billowy over the fields of wheat and corn, rain did not look imminent but we were hours from our final destination. On the first leg of our trip from Hamburg to Bremen, we found seats in a nice compartment in first class. Today we are without reservations but our pass allows us to sit in first class if there are open seats. The benefit to traveling with reservations is you have a seat with a number and you know you'll have a place to sit. The down side is you must travel on a very non-flexible schedule. Today we have flexibility but no guarantee of our seating arrangements. We were a bit nervous about that because yesterday Greg saw pass holders sitting in the aisle in second class, because they didn't have a reservation. (We did because our travel consultant had urged us to get them for that train). Today it was suggested that reservations were not needed, so we are going on her word and hoping for the best. I am really proud of Greg's German language skills. Today he had a conversation with an older lady in our compartment and seemed so at ease conversing. I could only comprehend tidbits of their conversation, so when he translated for me I was so impressed by how clearly he had understood her. So the trains moved quickly, just 45 minutes to Bremen, another 30 to Oldenburg, then just under an hour to Wilhelmshaven. (We had no trouble getting seats on each leg of the journey!) We arrived around lunch time and didn't even have need of the emergency sandwich. Instead we stopped at a restaurant just outside of the train station and had some pasta and pizza. We had looked at the map and expected about a 20 min. trek to the hotel. Luckily we had paused for that lunch pit stop because when we reached the bridge to cross over to our hotel, 20 min. later, it was out. While most of the bridges in this area are drawbridges and this one was not an exception, it was not just merely in it's swiveled state to let a boat pass. A large chunk of the bridge was dismantled and locked in the open position in the middle of the channel. Greg asked a passerby about another way to cross the water, she explained there was another bridge but it was quite a hike (apparently the bridge we were at had been in this construction stage for over 2 years already, but Google maps doesn't know that). So we walked, backpacks and all, along the strand, over the bridge, along the opposite shore to arrive at our hotel another hour later. (Reminding each other along the way to enjoy the sights of the bay and ignore the weight of our bags.) Though we did stop for 2 short back breaks, we were fairly tired and sore when we arrived. Soon after we dropped our bags in our room, all of the tribulations of the trip were forgotten. Our room is bright, luxurious, and we have a beautiful view from our balcony. The uniqueness of this particular town at the North Sea is that several miles out to sea there are a ring of islands. For some reason the tide creeps in past them filling the bay area between the shore and the islands very slowly and then emptying slowly. Each day the water should be full up to our shore line and then ebb out leaving solid earthen paths to the islands and then refill. These tides supposedly complete their cycle every six hours. I was doubtful as it was high tide when we arrived near 6pm. But as we watched, sure enough more rocks appeared, slowly ripples of land emerged, just like someone pulled the plug in a really big bathtub! Dinner was a unexpected as well, even though we are pretty good at figuring out the basic idea of the items on a menu, there are often misinterpretations on our part leading to surprises. For instance, Greg ordered crab and eggs. While he knew he'd get scrambled eggs, we were surprised when tiny reddish shrimp covered the plate. Apparently the word for crab refers to all sorts of crabs and this tiny shrimp like creature in this region. So what to do after dinner, yet another walk? Yes, we had mostly recovered from our backpack walk several hours ago and were able to enjoy a slow stroll along the shore, watching crabs scurry on the rocks and birds dive into the water to retrieve their own dinner. After our stroll, back to the room to peek out the balcony and watch the waters recede until midnight, when the whole process will begin again.

Wilhelmshaven

Wednesday, 7/20

This morning we got to observe what good weather is in Wilhelmshaven. Our hotel owner had bragged we would have good weather today, so we were excited. Maybe we would layout, go for a swim, rent a Strandkorb (literally, a beach basket; a North sea equivalent to a lounge chair for two with a canopy). Well, it turns out good weather simply means a lack of rain. It was still overcast, cold, and breezy. So instead of a beach day, we settled for a museum morning. We went to the Wattenmeer museum to learn more about the tides, sea birds, fish and other sea creatures of the area. We learned how crabs were historically harvested here. We also got to see a cuttlefish bury itself in the sand (there were many aquarium like displays). There was also a great view of the beach (a panorama walk on the roof and huge windows inside) so we got to see more of the tidal magic while staying warm. It was a fun and educational morning. We grabbed a quick fish lunch at our hotel. After lunch and a brief rest, I felt the urge to go for a run. I had to question why this was the first time I was really feeling like running since we left Italy. It is true that it is sometimes hard to find a safe place to jog away from traffic when you don't know an area well, but more than anything I think I've been too physically exhausted to consider it. Austria was a whirlwind for us 3 cities in 3 days and lots of walking with on and off rain. We also walked our butts off in Munich and in the small towns that followed. In Berlin, we walked constantly and it seemed like the stairs were never ending (up and down 4 flights to the apartment, on and off the U-bahn). We took our long hike in Denmark and then our hour plus trek to find this place while hauling the luggage just yesterday. So I guess I've been getting way more exercise than I usually get at home. Nonetheless today I had some energy to spare and a long paved sidewalk along the shore. At first I felt like I got strange looks from the walkers and bikers I passed like, "Where are you running to, what's the hurry? Why so fast?" It is true I didn't see many other joggers. I did pass a soldier who tipped his hat at me and one other lady taking a jog, which made me feel less strange. It seemed that the majority of people out for a stroll, were doing so for pleasure, not for exercise. The only exercise I did see happening were a group of older Germans (ages 65-85, would be my guess). I called them the swimming cap brigade. They all gathered (men and women) at an outdoor shower near the water. Waded into the sea and swam slowly between a few buoys for about 15 minutes, then reconvened in the showers to chat and rinse off. No modesty in this group either, one lady of at least 70 had worked off the straps of her one piece and was chatting away with her friend as she absentmindedly put on a dry t-shirt. Still modest myself, I looked away before she removed the bottom half. All I could think was good for them! Finished with exercise for the day Greg and I got an ice cream and being that it was still pretty chilly out, returned to the room to warm up. The sun began to timidly shine through the clouds calling us to the sea side, just bits of blue sky penetrated the thick layer of white clouds. One more fish dish for dinner (this time with rice and tomato sauce, oh long forgotten rice!) and our first gay server in Germany. Oh man, that made me homesick, other than clandestine big city sightings, we've been really missing the LGBT community here in Europe. When our waiter learned we came from California his eyes lit up, "Oh, the state of the sun!" he declared. "I need to go there." He explained that he dances ballet and had traveled with a group to Michigan. Only two days by this murky but delightful cloud ridden sea side and we understood why the thought of LA could put a gleam in his eye. I realized comparing German ice cream to Italian gelato was just not working out in the German's favor, so perhaps we should try something else for dessert. Apricot cheesecake with cream, possibly the most amazing cheese cake I've had thus far in my life! Now the German's are leading the dessert game! Our waiter returned, "Any more wishes?" I loved the phasing of this and Greg explained that's just the direct translation in German for ,"Do you want anything else?" But isn't the former far more poetic? Alright, no more wishes for tonight, I've already had my fill of deliciousness for the day. Now it is time to retire to our room, snuggle in deep beneath warm comforters, search for patches of blue sky out the balcony window, and watching the water retreat to reveal fingers of shore that were not there an hour before. Sweet dreams from Wilhelmshaven!

Amsterdam bound

Thursday, 7/21

We awoke on the early side knowing we needed to eat breakfast, pack, travel back to the station, and visit an ATM before our train left at 10:45. After yogurt, cereal, eggs and coffee had fortified us we considered walking back to the station (the buses weren't running during the 9 o'clock hour so our choices were few). Knowing the walk would take us at least 40 minutes and leave little time to visit the back and grab some lunch to take on the train, we opted to call a taxi. We had made it thus far in our trip without the aid of a taxi, as we had mostly been avoiding them because of the high cost compare to public transit. However we were very pleased that for only 8 Euro we were whisked to the station in under ten minutes, saving us an exhausting walk and giving us plenty of time to prep for the train. We stocked up on Euro and grabbed a sandwich for the train. Since it was our last morning in Germany we also permitted ourselves some pastry for second breakfast. I finally got to try a Berliner (the famous jelly donut, well know throughout the north). Our first train took us from Wilhelmshaven to Osnabruck in about two hours. We easily found 2 seats and space for our luggage. Greg is devouring book 3 of our series on the Kindle, so I napped and caught peeks of more cow pastures and farm land out the window,while polishing off our pastry. In Osnabruck, we had about an hour to wait for our connection to Hilversum, which would take us across the German border. This time our trip was slightly over two hours, but this leg of our trip had a reservation, so our spots were in 1st class. This seemed a long hall, but we did notice the German accent of the conductor switch after a short stop, and we were getting Dutch, German, and English translations all with a very different drawl. So we must be in the Netherlands. No passport check, but we started to spot the occasional straw thatched roof on the farm stead, different cows, goats, pigs, sheep, and horses made appearances as we neared our final transfer to Amsterdam. When we spilled out of the packed station onto the tourist clogged streets, I felt a bit short of breath at first. We had just come from a city that was so uncrowded and now the reverse was true. I was experiencing sensory overload; so many cars, so many bikes, strange people, lingerie ladies in windows, the sweet and smokey aroma from the corner coffee house mixed with the overwhelming oder of so many puffing cigarettes cut only by the stench of trash from bags lining the streets, YIKES! Plus, we have been a bit anxious about our accommodations. Our original accommodations had been to stay in a different apartment, but during the course of our European tour we received an e-mail from the coordinating company through whom we had made the arrangement letting us know that "Fred" had been leasing out his apartment without the knowledge of the city, he was in trouble and had to stop renting, but they had another apartment available for us. A little sketched out by Fred's irresponsible renting, we hoped the other apartment would be as affordable, centrally located and well appointed as the one we had originally rented. The company, Amsterdam Stay, sent us a link with photos, the price was the same, the neighborhood the same, so we decided to go ahead with the new rental. Very glad we did, it is a cozy little den on the basement level, no windows, except for the front door. The owner, Daniel, was very helpful, letting us know the low down on our neighborhood. We truly are in the heart of the city, we are on the canal, only steps from all Amsterdam has to offer. The apartment is the perfect place to hideaway from the bustling city, then when you want it you just pop out of your little hobbit hole and there it is. Daniel bragged that people have excellent sleep down here because they don't know if it is day or night outside. The furniture is comfy, the walls are purple and yellow (but it works), we have a kitchenette, nice bathroom and big ol' king size bed in this studio apartment. We stowed our bags and braved the city again to find some breakfast items to stock our mini kitchen with. Then we circulated through the city central to find some dinner. We found a cafe with daily specials and ordered a bowl of minestrone and the shrimp pasta that was beautifully spicy with garlic (an aromatic I really missed in Germany). From the safe, second story perch of this cafe, the city started to grow on me. I could filter all the new input and sort it. Look so many different types of bikes crowd the canal, that is cool. Such a diverse spill of tourists walk the streets, again cool. Ah, two street sweeping vans and humans who dismount to physically sweep the streets, perhaps the roads won't seem so dirty after dinner. Now home to enjoy peaceful sleep in our tomb like room.

Sleeping in, then Exploring

Friday, 7/22

We did sleep like the dead in our warm little basement room. We awoke, like hibernating bears, groggy and hungry. Greg figured out how to use the odd coffee press and we enjoyed a slow paced morning of Dutch dubbed TV. We crawled out of our hole in search of some sights and were greeted by another frigid overcast day here in the north. I had to see the Anne Frank house, though I knew we wouldn't wait in the line to actually go in. It was wrapped around the block and down an alley, but we did see the building. Along the way we encountered a cheese shop, a chocolate shop and a bakery. We looked at wheels of Dutch cheese, some of my favorite Gouda varieties were there, but they were only selling them in huge chunks, nothing that Greg and I could consume alone in the next few days of travel. The chocolates were also beautiful to look at but expensive. The pastries won out, we found a corner store that was selling small pancakes (these turned out to be more the shape and size of doughnut holes but did have the consistency one would expect of pancakes and were served with syrup and butter). After more walking through the town center we had crossed Dam square and witnessed many street performers perfecting their art. Our first pancakes were just a snack, so we were seeking lunch... more pancakes! This time savory with mushrooms, bacon and cheese. Our walk home led us through the red light district and amid sex shops, video arcades, and live shows were the typical girls in the windows, advertising their wares. We were both surprised that we popped out the next alley, we were back on our street. The whole time we had been less than a block from the famed district, with no clue we were so close. What a difference a block makes in this town. After a brief rest, we were ready for dinner. This meal was a cheese lovers dream! We had fondue with soft bread, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and French fries for dipping. I was in cheese heaven! While I am usually the one to push for an after dinner walk, Greg was the one taking the reins tonight. He wanted to check out a nearby island. This was a nice walk because as we headed out of the city center, the crowds thinned, the sidewalks cleaned up, the city even smelled better even! We crossed many bridges and basically walked to the end of the line, until there was only water to look out upon. A long walk back wound us around past the train station, past a few more prostitutes and finally home to our cozy apartment, which is nicknamed "The Snug". My feet are throbbing from all the walking but I think we saw a great amount of this city over the past day and a half. When we slipped of our shoes and flipped on the news we learned about the attacks in Norway. If anyone at home is worried about us being in Northern Europe, please rest assured we are fine. Norway is quite a space away from us. Tomorrow we head to the countryside and start our journey south. We will be out of touch for a few days, as we doubt the farm house we will be living in has Internet. Hopefully we'll enjoy some quiet and relaxation after all the hype of the big city.

Stop-over in Hamburg

Monday, 7/18

This morning was about finding what we American's call a Danish. We found small shop with fresh pastry in many varieties and deemed ourselves successful at eating a Danish made by Danes while in Denmark. Before we knew it, it was time to saddle ourselves with those familiar backpacks once again and hike to the station. As we waited for our train to arrive, we watched local children play with a model train set in the center of the waiting area. We are not sure if our perception of this is correct, but Denmark seems to be very child centered. It seemed like every third woman you passed on the street is expecting and new parents pushing prams are just as numerous. This led us to wonder if there is some sort of amazing state aid for parents or maternity/ paternity leave that is standard in this country. We have had a great deal of fun people watching on our trip and Denmark has been no exception. In a sea of dark clouds, the white haired Danes stood out even more brightly than usual perhaps. We were in awe of how many blondes we saw who had that platinum, nearly translucent hair. (Reminded me so much of my cousin Nicolle's hair when she was a kid, white as the driven snow). Another thing to mention about Denmark is the language. There were pieces we could understand using German as a guide but mostly it was totally foreign to us. Greg had found a Spanish to Danish dictionary on the shelf in our room but that only managed to provide us with our pleases and thank yous that we are pretty sure we said incorrectly. Greg was fascinated by the language and would love to learn it but feels it would be pretty difficult.

Anyhow saying so long to Denmark, we boarded our train for Hamburg. We were pretty certain we could get some pasta for lunch on the train, poor quality microwave pasta, but a warm meal anyhow. So this is where I warn all future European travelers, do not trust the train to provide similar concessions on rides of similar length. All that was offered on this train were chips and muesli bars. It is because of this inconsistent unpredictable supply of food on the train that I have taken to making sandwiches from the breakfast buffet when we have one available the morning before a trip. I cut open a roll and smear it with some marmalade or jam, insert a few slices of cheese and presto, instant free lunch! Unfortunately there was no buffet this morning in Denmark, but luckily we had a apple and some cookies in our day bag to round our lunch of potato chips and a grain bar, but it was barely enough sustainance to get us through our four and a half hour journey. Fortunately with some good books to distract us (I now have Greg hooked on reading the Overlander series as well, he's already on book 3!) and more beautiful scenery than one can measure, our time went by relatively quickly. We were also entertained by the fact that our seats were in the first car only a stone's through from the conductor. (We could have thrown stones at him from where we sat but he kept closing his door to navigate in private. Too bad; we'd have liked to see more of the equipment, bells, and whistles that he uses... though it was sometimes disconcerting to hear a cell phone ringing, distracted driving?, and then lots of laughter coming from behind those sliding doors. How many people fit up in that area anyways?!). On this trip we had seats that were facing forward which was nice, because on the way up to Denmark we were riding backwards the whole time. This resulted in me feeling like I was being dragged backwards while sitting at dinner that night, a rather disorienting feeling. Happy to be facing the right direction, we enjoyed encountering pockets of pouring rain and staying completely dry and later witnessing a gigantic rainbow.

When we finally reached Hamburg it was nearly 7pm, relatively warm and dry! Our hotel was a short five minute walk from the station, a basic three star with clean modern decor. Depositing our bags in the room, we went in search of dinner. We found a simple pub that served hearty food. I was feeling thrilled that after spending two days in a country where I had to ask for an English menu to understand what was offered, back in Germany I could understand at least half of the words on the original menu. I was feeling relieved, comfortable, and at home. Greg was delighted that he could communicate with the waitress without having to resort to English. He enjoyed a plate of seasoned potatoes and fried eggs and I had the spinach auflauf (an augratin style baked dish). After finishing our meals, we wanted nothing more than enjoy some much needed grooming in the large bright white immaculate bathroom that was conveniently in our room, rather than down a steep flight of stairs as it had been for the past few nights. Sleep came quickly to the tired travelers and yet another day in our journey came to a close.

Demark Bound

Saturday, 7/16

Morning came way too quickly and it was time to pack our backpacks and leave beloved Berlin. After grabbing one more cappuccino in the cafe at the base our apartment tower, we were loaded up and headed for the S-bahn. Only two stops away, we were at the giant main train station once again consulting departure boards and finding our gate. Our train departed by 11:30. We found our reserved seats on the train and instead of being side by side, we are one in front of the other in a single row by the window. While this is good for reading and catching up on the blog, not the easiest way to chat with your hubby. We noticed for the first hour of the trip the seats behind us faced each other and were not reserved, so we borrowed them to share our lunch and a chat. When the train stopped in Hamburg, we moved back to our original seats. I've done quite a bit of reading on my Kindle this trip, I wish I could say I was reading a classic, or even a romance novel, but always a teacher at heart I've been reading the Overlander series (a book you'd find in the young adult section). I have to say I'm quite hooked. I've just finished book 4 of 5 and I'm trying to linger over book 5 for these next few long train rides. (Today's trip will be about seven hours when all is said and done). About an hour outside of Hamburg, the north Germany landscape started changing from forests with thin trunked Aspens and Pines to more farmland and even suburban areas. There was one particular vantage we had, atop a steel bridge where we looked down on an adorable little town where all the houses were tiny but had elaborate and neatly kept gardens. Circles of planted flowers, rows of lettuce, and neatly trimmed grasses and shrubs painted a charming picture of how the inhabitants of this town must spend a fair amount of time in their fenceless gardens chatting with neighbors and toiling in the soil. Then we were back in the countryside again, with vast stretches of green grasses and immature corn crops dancing in the breeze with modern white wind turbines spinning in the distance. Somewhere along the way we noticed the flags that flew near rustic farm houses changed their colors and after a very long train ride we arrived in Aarhus.

We wove our way through city streets, pedestrian zones, and finally a sleepy neighborhood, where we found our room. As instructed we rang the bell at house number 48 and in time a man appeared and showed us our room next door in 50. We entered from the street and our bathroom is at the base of very steep and narrow stair case. Our room is perched above the stairs with a tiny bed in an alcove, book shelves, chairs and table and a desk right under our dormer window looking down on the cobbled street below. We have a kitchen, which I fondly refer to as a coffee closet. It is a sloping storage room with a sink (cold water only), mini-fridge, and a tiny counter top with a coffee machine. Back in our room, black and white family photos decorate the walls and the high pitched ceiling contains a loft that no doubt used to house an even smaller mattress, but the ladder to reach that loft complete with skylight is wedged behind a bookcase. (Of course I'm already thinking about how I can climb up there and read, and perhaps if the rain continues I shall). Another note is that since the train arrived in Aarhus, we've had sprinkles. After settling our tab, as the owners are leaving for their summer home by the sea and hoping for better weather, Greg and I wandered off to find a bank machine and retrieve some of the local cash, Danish Kroner or crowns. (Luckily our host let us pay him in Euro). Denmark is one of the few places we are traveling where we need to get a different currency and being that we are only here for two nights, we didn't want to get too much and have leftovers we could not use elsewhere. Though different kinds of money can be cute and fun keepsakes, they are also expensive and useless souvenirs. Taking into account that our room cost was either 1000 DK or 135 Euro (and we thought the Dollar was doing bad!) we figured 300 DK was a good start. However as we walked along the waterway, checking out menus at local cafes, the price conversions began to dawn on us; 25 to 38 DK for coffee, 55 for a sandwich, 85 for a burger, and 200+ for a meal... 300 DK was little more than 30 Euro. In addition, the general price of things even after conversion is quite expensive. So I guess we'll be withdrawing some more, luckily many restaurants take credit cards so I think we'll manage. We found a cafe that served traditional Danish food with a modern twist. I am finding Danish food to be truly unique and am having a hard time comparing it to anything familiar, but I will try. We ordered an open faced fish sandwich. It was basically rye bread piled high with a pan seared fish, mountains of bay shrimp, lettuce, white asparagus, curry mayo and a dollup of caviar. We also tried the mussels in cream sauce, which were the freshest we've ever had and delicious. For desert we sampled the apple trifle. If you imagine the best homemade chunky cinnamon apple sauce you've ever had (think Marie Calendars times 100) then layer it with whipped cream, crumbled cookies and a drizzle of hazelnut sauce in a tall parfait glass, then you've got it. Dinner was super and our waitress was the best, bringing us tastes of local specialties like marinated herring on rye bread with curry mayo (she told us this type of sandwich is very typically Danish, so we could taste it but not have to order the whole thing, as it is an acquired taste). She also went out of her way to write down suggested activities and bus routes to help us get around tomorrow. After our lovely meal, Greg was regretting that we only have two nights in this delightful country as he had already discovered two delicious local beers!

It was 21:50 and 21 degrees when we left our cafe. I'm getting used to the military time in Europe but the Celsius temp is harder to adjust to, it makes it seem way colder than it is. Greg says that 21c is a cool, but quite comfortable temp, as that is around where he set the thermostats in the car and our rooms that have had A/C. Among wide spread, slow falling raindrops, we circulated through the town. It is slow to get dark this far north so by 10pm it was just starting to get dimmer. We saw an amazing church with a roof top that had turned a greenish blue, probably once bright copper, and impressive spires. The rise and fall of the roof peaks step up and down in a jagged, squared off manner instead of the usual straight diagonal lines. Greg compared them to a pixilated digital image, which caught him off guard at first when reviewing the photos we took. Stumbling across to the theater, whose great stained glass windows shone with warm light from inside, we wished we were going to be here in September for their showing of Hamlet. Atop the highest apex of the roof was a creature that I'd call a small dragon but Greg called a demonic gargoyle. We really enjoy debating architecture in light of our degenerating eyesight. After hearing a bit of music from the last day of a Jazz festival (that just happened to be in town) and some from local pubs, we realized night life might be a bit limited, especially as we saw a man selling tickets to a dance party in his back garden off the main alley. Needing some breakfast groceries for our fridge, we stopped by the 7-11 (first one we've seen in Europe). One of the few places that was open aside from bars and restaurants, this place proved to be the most happening joint in town. So much so that a bouncer-type security guard formed a line at the door and not until a few guests filtered out would he allow the next throng to enter. Juice and yogurt in hand, it was back to our room in the roof to share the tiny bed and hope we don't bump our head on the sloping ceiling if we wake with a start.

Denmark in a Day

Sunday, 7/17

A gentle rain fell this morning, as we lingered in the strangely comfortable little bed. Our waitress from last night had warned us that most everything in Aarhus would be closed on Sunday, but we were armed with her list of the few exceptions and headed off to see the surrounding area. There was a steady rain falling as we left our room, but by the time we had crossed the waterway a wicked wind was blowing. Then the torrential rains began. It seemed to be raining sideways and blowing directly into our fronts, soaking our jeans in a matter of moments. Our umbrellas were threatening to turn inside out from the powerful gusts so we ducked into a coffee house to take cover. We decided to regroup, going into the forest in this weather was not going to be wise. What could we do in Aarhus on a rainy day? It was just then I remembered that Ruby, a former student of mine who lived in this town for nearly a year, had mentioned that one of her favorite museums was nearby. We checked our small map and sure enough it was only a few blocks away. Warmed by the cappuccino and chocolate croissants, we were ready to brave the pouring rain once more, knowing that a dry destination was in our future. The ARoS museum proved to be the perfect place to spend a rainy morning in Aarhus. (Thanks Ruby!) We actually got to see the entire museum, all 7 levels, in about 2 hours. We hung our wet coats and umbrellas in the cloak room and when we returned they were not only still there, but warm and dry! (We hoped it was safe to leave our outer garments unattended but being that I've rarely seen a bike locked up here and bikes clutter every sidewalk, we figured it was safe.) The art work was mostly modern, which we really enjoyed. I think by seeing the world through the eyes of artists we are really privy to how strange, beautiful, and complicated we are as human beings. It has been a long time since I have walked in the world of modern art and was really impressed at how multi-media is being used to its fullest by today's artists. For instance we walked into one room that was just full of white steam, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, which was illuminated by slowly changing colors. It created a feeling of claustrophobia and wonder all at the same time. Then there was the room of mirrors which were on the floor, ceiling and walls and gave you the impression that you could fall into infinity and find yourself on each level. Creative and funny sculptures, films and murals, photos of men and women ages 0-100 in sequence, I can't begin to tell you all we saw. There was also this panoramic walk on the roof of the museum. It was like a circular covered bridge, glassed in, but as you walk around the panes of glass change color gradients creating a rainbow spectrum effect on the view of the city below and your fellow art lovers inside. However, of all the exhibits we saw, I was most impressed with a sculpture called "the boy", which the museum is kind of famous for. It is the crouching figure of a pubescent boy, completely to scale but enlarged to a GIANT sized proportion. The details are so realistic, like the veins in his legs, human-like hair, shining eyes, creases in his elbows, and the toes bent at the joints as if he is gripping the floor to hold his balance. It is almost frightening how real he seems. I wanted to stare at it forever and figure out how the artist had that idea and actually brought it to fruition.

Sufficient to say we had a marvelous time at the museum, and when we emerged the rain had nearly stopped. After walking through the whole museum, we were hungry, so we headed back to our favorite cafe to grab a bite. Right before we arrived, a down pour started up again, but while we were inside enjoying another open faced sandwich, the clouds actually parted and sun emerged. Having seen a weather forecast while having our coffee that morning, we knew that the afternoon clearing was supposed to lead to no rain in the evening. So we decided to brave the forest after all. Ruby had spoken so highly of the forest near this city, that I have to credit her with this idea, as well. Since we didn't know exactly how to get there though, it was our favorite waitress who directed us to take the bus to Moesgard museum, which has a forest surrounding it. After about twenty minutes on the bus, we were neatly deposited just up the road from the entrance to the museum. This time we decide to skip the entry fee and the displays and just enjoy the grounds, after all we needed to take advantage of the partial sun to dry our jeans. We found a beautiful meadow behind the main building and followed a path from there to some ancient burial grounds. We occasionally met horses, cows and goats in fields and even came across a restaurant with a working mill wheel. For the next two hours we enjoyed purposefully getting lost in the woods of Denmark. Don't worry, we didn't go off trail, nor did we not know how to get back to where we had come from, we just didn't know what our destination was and didn't much care. There were Beech trees (and I think Birch and Alder), ferns and foliage galore, wild strawberry plants and raspberry thickets. I saw a type of giant black slug (and brown ones too) that I've never seen before. They were up to four inches long and half an inch think, their necks were smooth and slimy but their tails were bumpy and striated, looking sort of like a morel mushroom. They had a star like structure on their tail near where they secreted their slime trial. You might think slugs are gross (usually I do) but these were quite majestic. Really the whole experience was magical, the songs of birds unfamiliar to me, new breeds of beetles, new textures of mud. We finally headed back to the bus, but not before Greg snagged a ride on the zipline in the abandoned playground. Once back on the bus, we realized how thoroughly exhausted we were. What a full day we had enjoyed here in Aarhus! We were so proud that we had managed to see so much, despite the weather. More exhausted than hungry we shared a salad and some bread for dinner and headed home to rinse off the mud and fall into a clean dry bed. As sleep tugs at our eyelids, I think we really need to give Ruby credit because if it wasn't for her insisting that we should visit Denmark on our European tour we would have most likely missed this city completely. Thanks again, Ruby. Hopefully next time we are here it is with you by our side as our tour guide. For tonight, we are going to bed with the sun, to hopefully awake well rested to travel back to Germany for a few days.

Spoiler alert!

The Deathly Hallows

Thursday, 7/14

The day dawned under dark and ominous clouds. So far we had avoided the rain predicted to plague Berlin this week except for a few sprinkles here and there, but if this morning's sky is any indication of the day to come, we will get wet. So it seems the perfect day for a movie. Yesterday, while at the Sony center, we had picked up two tickets for today's 1:30 showing of the newly released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I don't mean to rub it in, but that means Potter fans that we will see the movie at about 5 am your time on the day before it premiers in the U.S. and even the most hard core fans who see it at midnight will not surpass us in seeing it first. Yes, I am very proud of this silly detail, it is the little things, people. Anyhow we took the U-bahn to Sony Center and arrived in plenty of time to peruse the snack bar. The beverages seemed most appealing, beer and cider in hand we found our reserved seats, dead center. Very pleased with our seats, we enjoyed watching the mix of English previews and German ads. After a few ads the film stopped and the lights came back on. Greg remembers that in earlier days ice cream salesmen used to circulate at this time and give you one last chance to select a treat from your seat. It seems the pause stayed in place to allow folks to get up and return to concessions before the film starts. After a few more previews, the movie began. Now of course I'm not going to reveal a thing, even though you know what is going to happen if you read the book. I will say it was a strong conclusion to the series and we were pleased as we left the theater two hours later. When we emerged, we were surprised to see scattered clouds and the sun peaking through. No rain after all? However we were buffeted about by bursts of wind and as if the dementors were trying to throw us off course, then we ducked into an S-bahn entrance when we meant to find an U-bahn and nearly hopped on a train going in the wrong direction. Quickly recovering from our disorientation, we were on a train back home. We stopped off at the Apotheke to replenish some toiletries, this is the second time we've needed to replenish some of the scant supplies that were allowed to be in our carry on liquids, I'd say we've stretched them pretty far. Hair gel, lotion, and ibuprofen in hand we headed home for some late afternoon leftovers. Despite the threatening clouds and howling wind, we haven't had much rain to speak of. The cool breeze through our open third floor windows had done wonders for drying my laundry, so Greg is attempting a sink full of his essentials, hoping that he'll have equal luck in the drying department. We have one more full day in Berlin tomorrow, before we depart for Denmark on Saturday, so here's hoping the weather will cooperate and the clothes will dry before we need to pack again! Chores behind us (for now) it was time for some fun. Greg has also been in contact, the second half of the Berlin equation and we arranged to have him meet us at our cafe after work. After Greg misidentified every young man who walked around our corner as Jan (time to wear those glasses more regularly?), the real Jan arrived and gave us a warm welcome. Jan drove us to the next neighborhood where we found nice cafes and restaurants. We settled into a patio at an Indian restaurant (still no rain!) and enjoyed catching up. Jan had many interesting tidbits to share with us about Berlin. For instance, did you know it is rumored that their are Japanese gods living in at the top of Sony Center, protecting it? He also pointed out to us the restaurant that Bill Clinton ate at when he was in town. After dinner we walked the charming neighborhood and found another cafe for beers and cappuccino. Jan has a very fun and playful sense of humor and it was enjoyable to see he and Greg together, being silly guys. While Jan tried to convince Greg to move to Berlin and start a band or a magic show with him, you'll be relieved to know we have no plans to move in the immediate future (though it would be fun to see what these to free spirits could dream up if they had more time together). The highlight of the evening for me was when they tried to recall the lyrics to a German folksong (or was it a drinking song...I'm not quite sure) the topic of which is a crazy man who goes on a journey loses his son, gets in a brawl but still he is having an amusing time. As you can tell, we had a very fun visit with Jan and now it is very late, bedtime in Berlin!

Friday, 7/15

Another lovely overcast morning, perfect for sleeping in! (Most likely our last day to do that for a while, as we'll be on the road again tomorrow.) After another breakfast from our own kitchen,we took a shopping trip around our neighborhood half looking for some new clothes and looking for a new hat for Greg, but to no avail. (Prices are very high for garments, at least in the trendy shops in our urban neighborhood). It was very cold out today, so we grabbed curry wurst and a veggie burger and headed back to our apartment for lunch and a chance to warm up. Soon we were back out in blustery Berlin, but more bundled up this time. Our final day in Berlin, Greg wanted to show me everything he could remember that he had seen on his last trip here that he hadn't shown me already. This made for a busy afternoon! We took a combination of S-bahn and U-bahn to get to Charlottenburg. Greg showed me the neighborhood he'd lived in with Jan and Winnie when he was here ten years ago. We got a glimpse of Funkturm, a huge metal radio tower, sort of a landmark for the region. Then we took a walking detour to see the palace, which instead of the spires we had seen in castles, was a sprawling building that reminded me more of a university or museum more than a place, but I guess that is more typical of the palaces in this region. We stopped into a rather dingy pub for a small beer, some aspects of it, smoky and strange, reminded us of the Black Watch at home. Back to the subway to travel in the direction of the zoo and emerge near Gedaechsniskirche, which was a church tower destroyed during the bombing and left as-is for a memorial. However even desimated war memorials need up keep, so the whole thing was under reconstruction for the deconstructed. While the tower was being heavily renovated and was covered from public view, we did see a very cool band from Dresden playing on the street. A trio of guys from Dresden, head banging to the music produced by their violin, cello, and drum kit. Right across the street was an H&M having a sale. Many items for 3-5 euro, now this was in our price range. We each got a new t-shirt to liven up our limited wardrobes and Greg found a new hat! Satisfied with our shopping we headed back to our neighborhood and grabbed a pizza on the way back to our apartment. I've got one final bath to look forward to, then we'll be packing to leave the country in the morning. It will be hard to leave Berlin and even harder to leave this lovely apartment, but we are hopeful Europe has more delightful surprises in store for us.

Walking the walk & Talking the talk

Walking the Walk

Tuesday, 7/12

With no need to make it to the breakfast buffet before it closes or catch a train, we slept in! Blissful and much needed sleep, we did wake up a few times in the night as some sort of party had erupted from the bar on the corner across the street, but such are the joys of big city living!

We enjoyed our yogurt and corn flakes at our leisure and headed out to explore our sector of Berlin on foot. Walking toward the Fernsehturm (TV tower), a large ball on a spire in the sky, was an easy place to start. From here we easily found beautiful Marien church and the Berlin Cathedral. We also found the neighborhood of Alexander Platz, whose unique architecture made a nice backdrop for a cup of coffee and Greg's favorite pflammenkuchen (plum cake, a local specialty). We wandered through museum island, admiring the facades of the buildings rather than the artwork inside. Late afternoon landed us back at our apartment, I didn't realize how much we had walked but I was beat. We took a rest and then I delighted in making us a simple dinner. The dried truffle pasta we had been packing with us since we left Tuscany made for a nice meal with some tomato sauce procured at the corner store and the bread we had bought from the bakery on the way home from our sight seeing. We did decide to leave the nest once more for an evening walk to an ice cream shop only five or six blocks away, as they boasted the best ice cream in all of Berlin. While it was good, I'm going to keep looking! (For me nothing has compared to the gelato we had in Rome, but I'm keeping an open mind and an open mouth to see what the rest of Europe has to offer in terms of frozen treats.) Completely walked out, we dropped into bed and were not awoken by any party goers. Peace in the big city!

Talking the talk

Wednesday, 7/13

Today we were excited to be reconnected with an old friend (and a new one). When Greg last traveled to Germany (ten years ago) he stayed with his friends, Jan and Winnie, for a month in Berlin. Greg had met Jan through an exchange program when he had come to home-stay at the Jackson residence for a summer program in the states, about fifteen years ago. His girlfriend at the time, Winnie, had also come to California often, so we had a chance to meet her and visit back then. Since then they have both gone their separate ways, but somehow ended up back in Berlin again. So it was a joyful reunion when Winnie rode up on her bike to find us in front of our cafe. We were introduced to her current boyfriend, Tammo, a very friendly gentleman. As we proceeded on foot to the closest U-bahn, we began the process of getting caught up on each other's lives, a process that would punctuate our sight seeing time together (there is plenty of catching up to do after ten years!) Winnie and Tammo were taking us on a Spree river cruise where we could see some of the main sights of the city, from the comfort of a slow moving barge and drink beer at the same time. Sunshine penetrated patchy clouds, making for a lovely day for a boat ride. We saw the Reichstag (the parliament building with it's glass cupola), the wall victims memorial consisted of crosses chained to the gate on the river front, and many more architectural and historical sights. Mostly we enjoyed chatting with our friends. Winnie is a very confident English speaker and she did a great job translating things into English for me and translating our conversation into German for Tammo who spoke English a bit more tentatively than Winnie. After the cruise we walked to the Brandenburg Gate and saw Pariser Platz. We also stopped to walk through the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. This is basically a sea of concrete slabs, like coffins in shape and size rising up out of the square at different heights creating a labyrinth of sorts. Interestingly the monument is meant to be somber but the layout invites visitors to climb and perch on the markers, guards discourage this, but they are clearly out numbered. We briefly walked through the Sony Center to get to Potsdamer Platz and then back to the U-bahn. When we parted ways with our friends, believe it or not, it was only about 2pm. Greg and I were in need of lunch, so we returned to our favorite Asian place. Today's specials; a mango curry coconut milk soup with rice and a salad with rice noodles and ginger dressing. We headed back to our apartment for a brief nap and decided that since we had a U-bahn pass for the day, we may as well use it. We decided to head in the direction of Check Point Charlie. This is the sight of the boarder checkpoint between the previously American and Soviet sectors. We saw blocks of the old wall laid into the actual street that wind a path through the city, signifying where the wall used to be and we got to read quite a bit about the history of the wall. While in this neighborhood of Berlin we hopped back on the U-bahn to see nearby Gendarmenmarkt whose twin churches frame the concert hall and the German cathedral in a quaint little square. We braved the U-bahn one last time (I have to say Berlin has a very clean underground compared to some other cities we have seen!) returning home to attempt some bath tub laundry. Using bath water mixed with tide packets, we managed to get some clean underwear, socks and few shirts. Drying them would be the challenge. In the mean time, it seemed my spicy curry lunch was presenting me with a bit of a tender tummy and I was craving a bland baked potato to even things out. Greg, my hero, found the only baked potato only shop in Berlin only a block or two away, but they were closing in five minutes. He ran the distance to arrive just in time, coming home with two gourmet baked potatoes for our supper. He is the best husband! We enjoyed our calming meal while the laundry dried in a cool evening breeze tied to a line we strung between a pillar and the wall radiator by an open window.

Berlin baby!

Monday, 7/11

We are now happily installed in our apartment in Berlin. I must say it is super cool. We are on the 3rd floor overlooking a happening but relaxed neighborhood very near Hackeschermarkt area. You know those movies where you see the independent young twenty-something drinking wine and listening to jazz in her New York studio apartment (you know like the first scene of every romantic comedy you've ever seen?), well the room is kind of like that! I've always wanted to stay in a place like this, but I know I could never LIVE in a big city long term, so this is like a dream come true. I get to play house and try on this hip life style for a week. So how did we get here? This morning after a more relaxed breakfast buffet in Köln, we departed for Düsseldorf, where we saw a tad of the city as we returned the car and walked ten minutes to the train station, stopping along the way to stock up on snacks for the train. The nearly five hour train ride seemed to go by quickly from our first class seats. We read our e-books and snacked happily, pausing occasionally to look out the window and observe the changing countryside of middle Germany. At one point, Greg pointed out, "Were on the prairie!" And truly the sparce and occasional trees that punctuated the yellowing grasses over relatively flat lands did resemble a prairie. We observed quaint towns with ancient looking arches and spires, as well as suburban looking clumps of newer homes. Despite the occasional cries of unhappy toddler in the adjoining car, our trip was fairly relaxing. When we arrived at the Berlin main station, we were impressed by the huge scale and stunning architecture of the place. Glass windows looked out on the parliament building (Reichstag) and an impressive skyline of the city, the station itself was five times the size of biggest mall I've ever visited and had more stores than you can imagine. Getting over our disorientation at being in the big city, we found the S-bahn platform and found our stop on the map. We were only two stops from our station and just a five minute walk from the S-bahn stop to our apartment. After getting the key at the cafe/ bar downstairs, we climbed three flights of an ultramodern stairwell made of concrete and reinforcing cables for a hand rail to open the doors to our spacious room. We have a huge bed, a couch, a flat screen TV, two closets (count 'em 1-2!), a dining nook with four chairs, a kitchenette (hurray, I can cook!), a desk with a fifth seat, a large bathroom with a big and long bath tub, and tons of windows, giving the whole place a light and airy feel. Greg was thrilled and I was pleased that I had booked us such a nice place at such an affordable price. The best part, we get to stay here for five nights! I actually unpacked and put my backpack away instead of using it as my dresser as I have since we left Tuscany. We walked to the end of our street and found a well stocked corner market and filled our fridge with breakfast items and cold beverages. We also bought some groceries so we can cook a few nights this week. But not tonight, because we were hungry immediately. Having an expansive diverse city at your fingertips, we knew we could find something we hadn't had since arriving in Europe, ethnic food of the non-traditional variety for the region. We settled on a Vietnamese restaurant that provided an effusion of veggies and tofu with just the right amount of spice. Oh how I had missed my precious tofu (clean protein) and delicious mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, onions, and more! Plus that wonderful heat that makes your nose run just a little...heaven! After dinner we wandered the neighborhood finding cool local hangouts, cafes, innovative and artistic graffiti on some buildings (always with a message, usually anti-establishment related). Back in our tower of spacious joy, a hot bath was calling my name, all knots from backpack hauling dissolved and I began to feel quite at home in this big city so far from home.

deTOUR

Sunday, 7/10

Whether or not the city of Köln was able to clean up after itself in a timely manner, we'll never know, because today Greg and I decided to take a detour from our plans. The thought actually formed last night. We had already seen what we'd come to see and we had a whole day left here. Greg got out the map, "Did you know we are only about an hour from Belgium?" I did not! We do have two days scheduled in Belgium later in the trip, but in the south. We both wondered what there was to see in the east of Belgium and more over Greg wondered if he could get a good Belgian beer. On one of our travel guide maps, we saw a note about an open air folk museum. I had read about these type of places that maintained some houses in the old style and re-enacted life in earlier times. After a quick trip the breakfast buffet, which was packed with hung-over but still chatty festival goers, we were on the autobahn headed out of the country. Within an hour, we crossed over to the Netherlands for a few minutes, seeing the countryside level out and spotting many slow moving channels of water, even a few modern day windmills. Only ten minutes later we saw the sign indicating we had entered Belgium! Off the freeway, we found ourselves in a beautiful forested area, tall fir trees crowded together with various ferns thriving in their shade. Soon we had arrived at Bokrijk, offenluchtmuseum (which we think means open air museum). There were droves of parents and kids here, we figured this must be a very popular place. Through the entry gates, we spied fields of sheep, thatched roof homes, and even our first authentic old time windmill! There were blacksmith, breadmaking, and various other demonstrations of life in the olden days. Children walked on stilts and made wooden stick horses to ride. Greg chased the sheep herding dog and the horse drawn wagon around the the main courtyard seeking the perfect photo. When we reached the outdoor cafe, it was completely packed. We were in desperate need of refreshment so we watched from the sidelines to wait for a table to open up. At this point we were beckoned by a friendly Belgian woman, who invited us to share a table with her husband and son. We soon learned that Catherine and Rudi were gardeners and seed savers. They have an amazing garden in Belgium (probably we would think of it as more of a farm because of the size of it). These wonderful friendly people said if we were in the area again we should visit them. They also enlightened us as to why the park was so busy today. They had brought their son Ben (and most of the rest of the children his age were also there) because a famous comic was being featured. We then realized many of the children had been dressed as this character...and here we thought Belgian children just favored blue and white shirts! The character "Jommekes" is featured in a comic book series that apparently are extremely popular with Belgian youths. A book signing and various kid friendly activities were happening all around us. After our beer and frites break (and yes they do put mayo on them in Belgium, but our new friends instructed us that if you mix the ketchup and mayo it creates even a better sauce, of course they were right!), we were off to explore more of the grounds. Gardens were everywhere, so I got to get my fix (I have been missing my garden!) We also got to see pigs, goats, sheep, horses and cows. Time for another snack break. (Of course more beer for Greg, and we shared a pancake with brown sugar and ice cream with caramel, sinful, I know!) The Belgian beer is sweet and rich, so far my favorite of the trip! We finally headed back to Germany where we ordered some simple sandwiches from the motel for a late dinner. While we hadn't planned this excursion in advance, we both shared so much fun and entertainment today. This unexpected trip was one of my favorite days in Europe!