Well, I guess it wasn't quite that dramatic. Because of the transportation strike in Italy and because we had to be re-routed away from Bratislava, Colleen and I spent New Years walking around downtown Vienna (with all our stuff) looking for a place to spend the night. Unfortunately, there was no room in anyone's inn. As it got colder and as the New Year's parties started to get wilder, we decided to take a taxi to the north part of the city and spend the night at the airport McDonalds. Neither Colleen nor I have very fond, warm or restful memories of our New Years in Vienna.
It was at about 3:30 in the morning while we were eating our second euro burger that Colleen figured out why we were stuck spending the night with Ronald McDonald. We had swindled the Almighty and this was our punishment. In Venice the day before, Colleen and I had an extra day to wander through the town. We decided to stop at one of the many Catholic churches in Venice and light a candle for travel blessings for our journey back into Austria. As I lit the prayer candle, Colleen dug in her purse for the 40 cents that was requested for the candle. When she could only find thirty cents, I shrugged, "Don't worry about the last 10 cents," I told her. Famous last words.
I will never cheat Jesus out of ten cents again.
The next day, I was supposed to go to Frankfurt, Germany to meet Hope Brown (a very dear friend who I have grown up with)and Colleen was heading home to start school again. As I sat in Westbahnhof (the West Train Station in Vienna) waiting for my train, I kept myself awake by trying to decide who smelled worse - me or the guys sitting next to me who were clearly just beginning to suffer the effects from last night's party. This will give you an idea of how poor New Year's was: I considered it a success that the test as to who smelled worse was a toss-up.
I arrived in Frankfurt about an hour late, but ready to see someone from home. Hope and I stayed with Christine, one of our friends from college. It did my heart good to see a face from home. We spent our first few hours together hugging, crying, and eating real German schnitzel.
The next day, Christine and her boyfriend chauffeured us into Frankfurt ON THE AUTOBAHN. We got up to 145mph! (Don't worry, Mom, we didn't go that fast for very long.) Then, we spent the next day exploring the city. This is the square where we spent most of our time.
On Sunday, we got up early so that we could go to Eisenach and worship at the church where Martin Luther grew up.
Here is Martin himself, keeping watch over town square in Eisenach.
This is Georgenkirche where Luther sang as a choir boy. This is also the church were Bach was baptized.
After worship, we hiked to Wartburg Castle. Luther was hidden here by Frederick the Wise who had "kidnapped" him for his protection after Luther had refused to recant his beliefs at the Diet of Worms. He lived here in disguise as Junker Jorg (Knight George). It was in this castle that he translated the New Testament into German.
Here is the view of the castle at the beginning of our hike:
This is my friend Hope : )
This is the castle as your are walking up the trail to the drawbridge.
The view from the castle gate:
This is the castle grounds as you enter through the gate.
We were delighted to see that doves had nested on the window ledges.
Hope and I were freezing by the time we got back to the train station. Unfortunately, we had serious train delays on our way home because of the snow storm. Hope got to experience what life is like in Europe --- walking, waiting for a train and then running to make your next connection when your first train is late. Still, we made it home with no real problems.
On Monday morning, we left Bad Nauheim on the commuter train that would take us into Frankfurt. We were going to Brugges, Belgium. We couldn't have been more excited - even if it was 5:30 in the morning. Then, our train had to be re-routed because of a medical emergency on the tracks the next train stop over. Because of this, we had to race to our next connection from Frankfurt to Brussells. We made it by about 30 seconds.
When we got on the train, I realized immediately that something was off. The train we were on had a different number than the one on our ticket; however, the destination and platform numbers were the same. I wasn't sure what to make of this, and there are never people around to help when you need them, so Hope and I sat down and caught our breath. Within thirty minutes, the train conductor came by to check our tickets. He immediately realized that we were on the wrong train, and somewhere in the midst of threatening to fine us fifty euros, I reminded him that we had a Eurail pass which allowed for unlimited travel on any train in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Unhappily, this man explained to us that there were actually two trains connected together at the platform in Germany. They would be traveling together until Brussells and then they would split and go to separate destinations. Then he angrily "advised" us to get off as quickly as we could in Brussells so that we could "try to make it" to the correct train. (In Slovakia, which is not a serious travel destination, there is only one train at each platform, so this "connected train" issue was new for me.)
In Brussells, Hope and I hopped off the train and sprinted straight down the platform to catch our train to Brussells. Regrettably, we were only on this train for twenty minutes when the conductor announced that the train had lost traction on the tracks because of the snow and ice. We had been operating at 25% traction, and they did not want to risk an accident. So, we were taken back to the Brussells train station. This was disappointing news for Hope and I because it meant that we missed our train connection from Brussells to Belgium.
After an hour, we left on a train at the same platform and on the same set of tracks as those we had been on before. Thankfully, on our second try, we were able to get to Brugges from Brussells with no other problems.
Brugges is a beautiful city in the northern part of Belgium. Because it is not far from the United Kingdom, it is a popular holiday destination for the British. I have heard some people compare Brugges to Venice because it too is situated on the water.
Like Prague, Brugges is known for its red roofs.
We spent our first day in Brugges getting acquainted with the city. We did some window shoppping and some real shopping - something I hadn't done since I left home. We grabbed dinner and enjoyed frites - French fries! (Belgium is the real home of french fries.) We also had a Belgium chocolate truffle.
This is view of Sint Salvatorskathedraal from our night walk:
The next morning, we took a city walk through Brugges. We saw bicycles everywhere we looked. Most people in Brugges do not drive cars - instead, they ride their bikes everywhere. This is the "parking lot" outside the train station in Brugges.
These are some of the things we saw on our walk:
This is Sint Salvatorskathedraal in the morning:
Our walk led us through "Blind Donkey Alley."
We saw Lake Minnewater (also known as the Lake of Love):
There were swans nesting at one end of the lake:
Then, to my delight, Hope and I stumbled across a monastery.
This was a scultpure by the monastery gate:
See - even the swans can walk on water just outside the monastery!
After our walk, we had real Belgium waffels for lunch. Then, we caught the train to Paris. We held our breath - but we had no travel catastrophes. Thank God.
After dropping our stuff off at the hostel, Hope and I set out to explore Paris, the city of lights!
Our first stop was Notre Dame Cathedral.
I was thrilled to catch Epiphany vespers at the Cathedral.
These are the long corridors on either side of the main sancutary.
This is a frescoe of the Last Supper.
And here is the outside of the Cathedral after worship was over.
After vespers, Hope and I enjoyed a real French meal sponsored by my parents. Thanks mom and dad : ). Then, we saw the Eiffel Tower at night.
Here's the belly of the Tower:
When we got back to the hostel, we discovered that power had gone out. In fact, power was out on the whole block. This didn't even break our stride, we were too tired to do anything. After about an hour however, we realized that no power meant no heat. I didn't think Hope was ever going to travel with me again. It's a good thing she loves me!
The next day, we went to the Louvre.
I was excited to learn that, because I have a visa in a European Union country, I could into the Louvre FOR FREE. I believe this means I am about as European as I am ever going to get.
This is a typical hallway in the Louvre. Most of them were very, very long and artfully decorated.
As with the Vatican, we learned to look UP, down and all around. Here are some of the ceilings we saw:
I really liked this painting.
After about thirty minutes, Hope and I set off to find Mona. For me, this was one of several bucket list items that I was able to cross off on this European adventure. Item number 73 says: "Walk across the room in front of Mona Lisa and see if her eyes really follow you."
This is Mona:
I walked (tip-toed, actually) across the room from right to left and back again. Her eyes followed me the whole way! I think she liked me.
We also saw this headless angel. She took my breath away. Her name is "Winged Victory" but she is also known as "Nike of Samothrace."
In the Egyptian Wing we encountered a statue of Ramses II that dated about 1200 years before Christ. Ramses II is the Pharoah of the Exodus, the guy to whom we sing along with Moses, "Pharoah, Pharoah! Oh baby, let my people go!"
We saw the Great Sphynx of Tanis.
In the Mesopotamian Wing, we saw THE CODE OF HAMMURABI.
Here are Aphrodite and Cupid and Psyche.
This is Michelangelo's Rebellious Slave.
This is his Dying Slave.
I could have happily spent the next year of my life in the Louvre, and I left wistfully wishing for more.
After the Louvre, Hope and I visited the Arch du Triumph and the Eiffel Tower so that we could see both in daylight. We stood in line at the Tower so that we could see the view from above. For those of you who know me well, you probably know that I am terrified of heights. I don't even like riding escalators at the mall. I have no pictures of the view from the Eiffel Tower because I was too busy holding onto the railings with both hands. On our ride up the elevator, Hope and I watched as the people on the ground grew smaller and smaller. Hope looked at me and said, "Do you know what this reminds me of?" "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?" I asked, thinking of how the elevator on the Eiffel Tower is on a diagnal track. "No," Hope said, "the Tower of Terror! I keep waiting for us to drop." I think that was the point at which I was done with the Eiffel Tower.
Before long, we grabbed our bags from the hostel and left for the train station. We arrived at the East Train Station in plenty of time to eat lunch, do some window shopping and relax. It was -11 degrees Celcius in Paris on that day and we were looking forward to some time spent in a heated area.
About twenty minutes before our train was due to arrive at the station, I mentioned to Hope that we should check the overhead monitors to see at which platform our train was due to arrive. At first, our train from Paris to Frankfurt was not listed, but I was not worried. About ten minutes later, I noticed that our train was second on the list. The first line on the list said that that particular train was "ritard." Hope and I both knew what that meant - late. The third line on the list said that that train was "a l'huere." We guessed that meant at "at the hour" or "on time." The monitor told us that our train was "supprime." This one was beyond Hope and me. I optimistically guessed, "Hope, do you think supprime means early?" Still, we were not worried. We made our way over to the main part of the station assuming that before long we would have more information regarding our train. Unfortunately, no information came. With about ten minutes before our train's arrival, I suggested that while I get in line at the help desk, Hope wander around and see if there was anyone who could help us. Not even two minutes later, I realized that all the people in line in front of me were passengers on the same train I was supposed to be on. It was from them that I learned the situation regarding our train. I yelled out across the train station to Hope who was half a football field away, "Oh crap, Hope! Supprime means CANCELLED." Needless to say, the people in line with me thought this was hilarious.
Supprime is now my least favorite word in the French language. Our train, which was supposed to be a straight shot to Frankfurt, had been cancelled due to a major snow storm on the border between France and Germany. The help desk told Hope and me that we had three options:
1. Catch a train to Stutgart leaving in five minutes, and take TWO OTHER CONNECTIONS (with only ten minutes in between each one) to get to Frankfurt.
2. Wait to see if the next straight shot train to Frankfurt leaving at 9 was going to run. (They were doubtful.)
3. Spend the night in Paris and catch a train in the morning.
Hope and I opted for the first choice. We took off at a dead run for the platform our new train was at. Unfortunately, our train was connected to another train (like in Germany) and the train we needed was the second one. We barely made it on the train. Within about a minute, the train doors closed and we were on our way. Then, five minutes later, the lights flickered and the train stopped. The conductor announced on the intercom that they were experiencing "technical difficulties" with the train. No kidding, I thought. Twenty minutes later, Hope and I had missed our connections to Frankfurt, and we were still sitting on the tracks just outside the Paris train station. At this point, I didn't think that Hope was ever going to leave the United States again. Thankfully, the train started - in full technical order - within half an hour. Our evening then got a little brighter when we learned from the ticket conductor that they were holding all connections for the displaced passengers on their way to Frankfurt. We were able to make it to home after all.
Hope and I said good-bye to each other the next day. She was heading home to her second semester of grad school, and I was heading home to Tisovec for my second semester of teaching.
From beginning to end, my stomp through Europe lasted 17 days. Regardless of whatever difficulties and snafoos I experienced, I can say with the confidence and after the reflection of time gone by, there is nothing that I would change.
Thank you to everyone reading my blog for bearing with me while I recount my adventure weeks after it has happened. I not only use this blog to share with you all what I have been up to, but I also use it as a kind of online "journal" to keep track of the memories I am making.
Oh yeah - and in the spirit of recording memories - I need to mention that on my 22 hour trip home from Frankfurt to Tisovec, the bus I took from Praha to home broke down in Brno (Czech Republic) at 1 in the morning. I think, now that about six weeks have passed, I can say with good humor, The travel gods smote me on this trip.
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