The Running Thing

The faithful shoes taking a well deserved rest.

I started running again for the millionth time. I often take up running for exercise and then give it up because of sore knees or lack of motivation. This time I have good motivation. MW started the Couch to 5K program and I thought this might be just what I needed to get moving again. Not only would I have a slow build-up that would guard against knee pain, hopefully, and keep me from getting discouraged. Also, MW and I would keep each other on track. So far the program is working great and my stamina is better then I thought, I even did a 5K early on in the training. I will get done with the program just before I leave for Thailand and though I won't run a 5K organized run right then, I plan to do one upon my return and then start working towards a 10K. Another plus of running over biking is that it is a lot more portable on tour. Of course, then I just need to find time to run during those 12 hour days.

Thanks for reading.

Back on the Bike

...of course it may not last long since the rain is due to arrive any day but it had to be done. For some reason I have avoided my beautiful two wheeled living room decoration since early spring. It has sat under the stair collecting dust and mocking me while I sit on the couch and watch reruns. To avoid the guilt, I have done many things: drove tourist around the U.S., gone to Foresthill to be with the nieces, spent time in the Bay Area adventuring with friends and taken up running. So after spending the last few days thinking about what a waste of time my last month and half has been, at least while at my house, I decided I needed to start with more physical activity. I have been running but that is only 3 days a week and the beaches of Thailand are looming. So today I pumped up the tires, put on the spandex and headed out into the California sunshine. The sun wasn't as warm as it appeared but I was ready to go. It was a good ride even though technology let me down. First, I realized that my speedometer wasn't working, which I would have remembered if it hadn't been 9 months since my last ride. Second, my new toy, a heart rate monitor that I bought for running, is impossible to use while riding a bike. I should have listened to the reviews that MW read to me but I was so excited to find a heart rate monitor at Costco right when I decided I wanted one. I will be testing Costco's return policy soon. What did work for me was the one thing that is always consistent when I ride...the unbounded thinking that usually results in clarity on a topic that I wasn't concerned about. Today was no different. I also remembered how much I love to ride so watch out my lovely black and silver companion, I am back in the game. If the rain doesn't ruin my new found motivation.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I do not have memory loss, I realize that I have casually ignored the last nine months. I will do my best to update the blog before I head out on my next adventure.

Short Update

The switch to the new job this summer has been a great success. I have traveled throughout California, northern Arizona and southern Utah. There are times when I miss my friends and the adventures in Alaska but the benefits, both personal and professional, have been worth it. Click here to see a bunch of photos from the summer. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading.

Much Maligned Milan

So many people asked us why we wanted to go to Milan. Most say that it is just a big city that doesn't have much character, others say only go if you are interested in fashion. MW and I decided to go because...we could. Milan a was a mere 4 hours or so from Zurich and honestly we both needed some Italian food. Potatoes, gravy's and beer was getting very old, I needed pasta, sauce and wine. The early morning train from Zurich to Milan provided me with my first real views of the Alps on this trip and we couldn't have known that the beautiful snow covered scenery would take us all the way to Milan. Our first stop upon arrival was a restaurant recommended by PDP, so into the metro we went, emerging into 3 feet of wet snow and rain. Not a good combination. We easily found the restaurant though and were seated in the mostly empty dining room. The food was good and we were happy to relax and beat the lunch cutoff time since it was almost 2pm. We both had pasta but MW was the smart one and got a dish with the homemade pasta as opposed to me going for the sauce that sounded the best. No matter, the food and wine were still good. From lunch we headed out to see the heart of Milan, the piazza at the Duomo. The Christmas tree was still standing, at least for another 24 hours, and there was an exhibit on the Beatles in the piazza but it certainly didn't detract from the glory of the Duomo. For the rest of the day, MW and I did what we do best and wandered even though the wandering wasn't easy. Snow was piled up in the cutters and on top of the cars but it was sloushy due to the warming weather and the rain. After checking into our hotel, Hotel Ariosto, we headed back out to find some of the famous free food. Many Milan bars have free snacks during happy hour, we intended to make a meal of this but we never found anything that wonderful and we were visiting Milan for the food after all. Back near our hotel we found what we were looking for but you never would have known from the outside. We just happened to stop in front of a very unobvious restaurant that from what we could tell was empty. However, the proprietor was standing in the entryway and opened the door, we could tell then that this would be good. The restaurant was almost full and it seemed that everyone in there was a local, as the owner walked around and talked to each table. We tried about 4 different dishes that were all phenomenal and we left there truly happy.

The next day we packed up and headed to the train station to lock

up our luggage. We noticed that the earlier version of the train we would take later in the day was cancelled. We hoped that was not going to impact our trip later on. We headed back out to visit the

La Scala, the amazing theater that Milan is famous for. It was very

beautiful and truly impressive on the inside. From there we headed over to see the inside of the Duomo. The Duomo is an amazing church, giant in size and with the spires and ornamentation, it feels so much more gothic then any other church I have seen. It was also a great way.

to stay out of the rain for a bit. That was the end of our short time in Milan, but it was well worth the trip.

However, we didn't go straight back to Zurich, we made an afternoon stop over in Lake Como. Lake Como is a quaint little town that was pretty deserted the day we were there. We wandered about, enjoying the view of the lake, the hillside homes and the small shops. We found a small

local place to have a late lunch and continued the wandering. As night fell we headed back uphill to the train station to head home. We grabbed a quick snack and headed out to wait for the train.

The platform was empty and there was no information on the

arrival sign. We waited quite a while, almost an half hour before any information was put

on the sign. Finally, the train arrived, we settled in for our 3.5 hour trip to Zurich. As we pulled into the Lugano station there is an announcement saying that we are going to have to change trains. The tricky part was that it was said first in Italian, then German, then French and when they finally announced in English, everyone was jabbering away and MW and I couldn't hear the information. Of course, we had put together what was said using our knowledge of the first 3 languages, however, with something this important we wanted to be sure. Fortunately one of the train attendents took a special interest in us and was sure to inform us of what we were going to have to do, which was make 4 more train changes. The trip in the end only took about an hour longer then what had been schduled but it certainly was more exciting then a straight shot into Zurich.

Next: The final adventure - Prague.

Thanks for Reading.

Why is the Chapter Still Unfinished?

As I went for a run today, I started thinking about my blog. I regret that I have not been the writer that I wish I was. I often consider opening up the computer and finishing what I have started, namely the last few posts on an amazing trip. However, I then get stuck. Why?? It isn't like I didn't enjoy that last week, it may have been the best part, not that I am showing favorites. (Yes, France you are still my favorite, no need to get jealous.) Then I wonder if it is because finishing those posts, officially ends that adventure, and really, who wants to close that door. I also consider that maybe I don't actually remember the events after all this time all that well. None of those alone can be the reason, but together maybe and now I know how MW felt when her adventures were coming to fast for her to record properly. I promise myself that I will finish and I am sure there is at least one person out there reading that would like to know how the story ends. I also believe I have to do it so I can shut the door and move on to the events at hand.

Stay tuned for the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

Thanks for reading.

Loner in Luzern

My one solo day trip during this trip was a short day trip to the most popular city in Switzerland, Luzern. Set amongst the Alps on Lake Luzern with a long history and many sites to see, this city is often the first stop for tourists but ended up being my last stop in Switzerland. I squeezed the trip in between our trip to Germany and the overnight to Milan but I am very glad I went.
The short train trip delivered me into the heart of the city and from there I started my wandering.













Chapel Bridge is the most famous crossing of the Reuss River and was built in the 14th c. as a fortification and a bridge. This oldest wooden bridge in Europe is decorated with 17th c. panels depicting the life and history of Luzern. In 1993 the bridge burned but as quickly rebuilt, though not all of the panels were saved. The water tower in the middle has served many uses through the years and today it is a souvenir shop, of course.












The old town is well preserved. It is a maze of small streets and old buildings, now mostly occupied by modern chain stores. Another highlight is the many facades painted with murals depicting everything from hunting forays to angels.














My wandering took me to the edge of the old town and the old city walls. The section that is still intact is perched above the town with a small meadow on the backside. During the summer, you can walk the top of the walls but unfortunately it was closed while I was there, for safety reasons, I am sure. Also on the edge of town is the famous Löwendenkmal or Lion Monument. This huge lion carved out of rock is dedicated to the 700 mercenaries killed protecting Louis XVI in 1792, when the citizens stormed Versailles Palace, in order to take the King and Marie-Antoinette back to Paris.









Amid the Alps, beside a lake, church spires everywhere, city walls to storm and a bridge crossed by covered bridges, Luzern is truly a fairy tale town.

Germany, by car.

We now return to the rest of the European story...

7:30 am, January 1, 2009, Zurich Hauptbahnhof.

Thus began our four day trip into Germany and let me say Zurich never appeared more dead then then this day after the big New Years Eve party that took over the town. We saw more discarded alcohol containers then people that morning. We boarded a train to Freiburg in Breisgau, Germany and in 1.5 hours we arrived in a town even more dead then Zurich. Our first order of business was to get some coffee, which I am ashamed to say involved a well-known American chain with a green logo, but honestly, there was nothing else open at this point and we needed our coffee. We did have a chat with a young local, also having some coffee that admitted to us proudly that he had yet to go to bed. Ahhh, to be young (or stupid.) After getting our jolt of caffeine we took off to see the town, which was surprisingly beautiful, definitely a good place to spend a few hours and one the W's said they may try to get back to. Once we had obtained our rental car, a cute black Mercedes, we took off for the land of cuckoo clocks and Hansel and Gretel, the Black Forest. I see now why fairy tales were written about this region in Germany, it has hidden lakes, dense forests, winding roads and quaint villages. With a fresh layer of snow highlighting the sites, we headed north on a well planned route, with the help of Helga, GPS assistant. Conveniently there was a small brewery set amongst this backdrop for us stop into and have lunch and try some German beer. Continuing on we went encountered the "center of the Black Forest," or so it billed itself. The small town of Triberg is built along the walls of a canyon at the bottom of which was the "highest waterfall" in Germany. Though the waterfall was quite small compared to anything significant in the Sierra Nevada's, it was beautifully lit and for just a couple of Euro's we went up to view it. The town was easily out of a fairy tale, with small shops selling cuckcoo clocks, half timber houses, the small river through the lower center of town and white lights everywhere. Of course, this was just 7 days after Christmas so the spirit was lingering. After our short hike and coffee break we headed on to the Hotel Gasthoff zum Weyssen Rossle in Shiltach for the night. This inn was a perfect setting in the Black Forest; mom and pop run, amazing restaurant and inviting rooms. We really enjoyed our very German meal and our comfortable rooms for very few Euros. The next morning we took a walk around the village, which is billed as the "prettiest" in the Black Forest and I would have a hard time denying it.

Day two was centered around two cities, Baden Baden and Heidelberg. We took the high road through the north part of the Black Forest and it was breathtaking. We had clear skies and little traffic as we enjoyed the view of a snow covered landscape across the top of the mountains. Dropping into Baden Baden we had a couple of objectives, stretch our legs, have a nice lunch and get an impression of this famous spa town. The town was bustling compared to what we had seen the previous day but still slow to recover from the New Years events. It definitely has the aura of affluence and privilege but we certainly didn't feel out of place. We found a great little French restaurant for lunch (yes I was a happy girl, but so was MW since they had great flammkuchen) and then and even better place to get some Black Forest cake and coffee a little later. We walked by the casino, saw the remnants of their Christmas market and then it was time to move on. We took the autobahn to Heidelberg for our next stop and overnight stay. I visited Heidelberg for a couple of hours almost 2 decades ago and it was the one place in Germany that I remember really enjoying. I enjoyed it even more this time and would love to return for longer then 18 hours. We found The Hip Hotel, a great, affordable place right in the heart of Heidelberg and every room is themed after a world city. We had the difficult decision between the New York(MW's favorite city) or Paris (my favorite) rooms, Paris won out due to a better set up for the 3 of us and it was much cuter. With two local breweries available to us we set out to see the sights and enjoy the local beer and food. The city is beautifully lit up at night and the castle was a sight to see sitting atop the hill, but we could tell it was still recovering from it's celebratory hangover.

In planning this trip, we thought about heading towards Berlin but knew the 8 hour return train trip would be too much, so we continued up the western part of Germany along the Rhine River to see the castles. I also wanted to see this part of Germany again, but wasn't so sure since we knew it would be very quiet following the first of the year. We tried making reservations in a few of the small towns along the river for the night but were told they were closed or never received a response. I would not recommend this time of year for this region, since it is not at it's best but as always the three of us still had a great time. The storied part of the Rhine between Rudesheim and Koblenz is home to 30 or so castles that were built over the last 1000 years in order to levy tolls on this vital waterway. Most of the castles are in ruins but are quite a sight as you come across them, one after another, around every bend of the river. We stopped in Bacharach on the western bank to find some lunch, in the guide books this is listed as a busy tourist town but we found it almost deserted with just two places open for lunch. The village was still magical with it's tiny streets and city walls, the lack of people only added to this feel. We continued north, recrossing the Rhine on a car ferry, with a mission of arriving at Marksburg Castle before it closed. This is one of the few castles that is not in ruins and we were fortunate to catch the last tour of the day. Though the entire tour was in German, our guide did translate the information about the instruments of torture into English for us. The castle afforded us great views of the sun setting over the river and was very interesting inside too. We ended our evening in Koblenz, an unremarkable town along the Rhine and though the old town paled in comparison to anywhere else we visited we did enjoy our dinner. We ventured across town in the cold to an area noted as a "replica of a recreation," now housing restaurants instead of wines from throughout the region.

Our final day dealt with history and beer. (Shocking, I know) We drove the autobahn up to the former capital of West Germany, Bonn, just to have a look around. We walked through the old town which seemed very nice though it was hard to tell at 10 am on a Sunday. We saw the Beethovenhalle and Beethoven's home while living in Bonn along with a view of a completely different Rhine River from the day before. After our short stop we headed on to Köln (Cologne,) to return our car and catch our return train to Zurich later in the day. Last year, the W's made a stopover in Köln and enjoyed the city due to it's unique beer culture. The city has a 14 local breweries producing in the Kölsch style and similer to Champagne, only those in region may call their liquid Kölsch. In the pubs, the 0.2 liter servings are continuously brought to you and the server marks the coaster to keep track of how many glasses are dropped off. We stopped in at 5 different places to do some taste testing, have some lunch and pass the afternoon. In the evening we boarded the train for home.

The last minute trip was a great success and though many of the places were closed for January we did enjoy seeing sights without the swarms of people. Driving a Mercedes on the autobahn was an added bonus but the beer disappointed us; of course, we compared it Irish and Belgian beer (and stay tune for my assessment of Czech beer.) This journey ignited an interest in visiting the rest of Germany that I did not get from my trip 20 years ago.

Thanks for reading.