Hi Everyone, we are back and unpacked. We have uploaded all of our pictures from our trip to Picasa online:
Monday, August 17, 2009
Pictures are now available!
Hi Everyone, we are back and unpacked. We have uploaded all of our pictures from our trip to Picasa online:
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Frankfurt to Detroit
We woke up at 7 at the Frankfurt airport Sheraton and got ourselves together for the trip home. Before we left we stopped back at the lounge for breakfast and mimosas! We grapped our bags and had to go to the tickedt counter because Tony couldn't get all of us checked in online. Going to a ticket counter at a international airport is typically a pain and this one was no different. After the ticket counter we had to go through a customs screening and then through a security screening. When Tony went through the metal detector the alarm went off but he had no metal on him. We joked that he got stopped because of the 2 day "terrorist beard" once he got wanded and patted down, which he kind of enjoyed we headed to our gate for yet another line and another screening.
We got in line to board the train and just as we where handing over our boarding passes our name was called over the intercom. We were advised to go to the counter which was yet another line. The good news is that Tony got upgrade however he couldn't get Shelly upgraded. We thought this would be ok because it would open up a seat in the row we were reserved for but they ended up assigning Tony's seat to a big German guy. The plane left on time and arrived on time. We got in line a US customs but we were behind and Asian family of 6 which took forever. We eventually made it out of the airport and we are officially back!
Koln stop
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Paris Nord Train Station
This means we are leaving Paris. We only scheduled a couple of days in Paris but we wish we had a week, or more. We thought we could get by with just seeing a few sites but we really like it here. Its definately one of the nicest cities we have traveled to. We will be looking forward to return one day soon. Au Revoir Paris.
Eiffel Tower
We left the tower and headed toward the Musee Rodin to see "The Thinker". We stopped along the way and had breakfast a sidewalk cafe and ordered some coffee, baguette and eggs. After breakfast we found the Museum Rodin and checked out some of his impressive sculptures. After the Museum we caught a cab back to the hotel to pack and check out. More to come later
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Paris
We headed back to the boat but we came across a small fair that had bunge jumping with a trampoline and we sat in the shade while the kids jumped around. We got back on the boat and head to Notre Dame. Mass was going on with incense and everything but they were still letting people tour the church. We went in and listened to a few songs and looked around. The church looked and actually sound incredible. It was one of the coolest we had been to on this trip. Gina wanted to know where the adoration chapel was since we went to one at St. Peters but it was too crowded to try to find it.
We were walking around the Kilometer 0 point or lle de la Cite and we had to stop at a bar to use the restroom. While we were there we ordered a crepe with fresh lemon and sugar, it was really good. After our snack we went to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore and bought the hunchback of Nortre Dame and a couple others. We left the lle de la Cite and caught the tour boat to the Eiffel tower and then to the subway. By the time we got back and showered it was too late for us to head out for dinner (11ish) We decided to go to bed and get up early so we can see a few sites before catching the train (bahn)back to Germany.
More come later. Until then au revior!
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Friday, August 14, 2009
Bonjour Paris
We grabbed a light breakfast at a nearby cafe and then went back to the rooms to freshen up. We went to the metro to catch a ride to the Eiffel tower, and it is truly incredible! After looking at the tower we headed down to the Seine River to catch a Batobus tour. We are on the bus now so we will send another update later. Until then... Au revior!
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
Goodbye Cinque Terre
Today we got up early and had breakfast again on the Terrace of our hotel. We saw the friends that we met last night from the bay area and chatted with them while we had coffee. Afterwards we packed up all of our stuff which was harder this time in that we picked up a few things. Shelly went to the train station and reserved our seats to Milan and Tony and the kids packed the last few items. We took our bags downstairs to be stored while we spent the day in the towns of the Cinque Terre (CT).
We decided to go to the first town of the CT which Riomaggiore. We met a "buckeye" on the train who was traveling with her friends. We learned that one of the was robbed which was good to be reminded. Once we got Rio. we grabbed some foccacia pizza and something to drink. We hung out for about an hour and caught another train to the next town; Manarola. We walked around for a while and window shopped and then watched the cliff divers. Shelly met someone who knew someone we know from Grand Rapids...its a small world. We were thirsty so we stopped at a cool little bar (8 tables). They gave us a menu and based on the food we saw being served around us we decided to get some. We ordered bruschetta and salad and we were glad we did because the salad was one of the best...ever! Tony put on the olive oil and white wine vinegar but the vinegar was incredible. All of us agreed that it was awesome.
Our next stop was Corniglia. This town is different than the rest because it sits up on a plateau. The only way to get up there from the train station is to walk UP or take crowded bus (like how many can we fit into a bus crowded) full of tourists. We decided to scrap it since the kids really wanted to get back to Monterosso to swim. Both towns were nice to visit and had something unique to offer and both were quieter than Monterosso however we were glad we chose Monterosso!
We got back to our hotel and changed into our bathing suits. We rented 4 chairs and hung out at the beach until about 6. We rinsed off at the beach and changed back into clothes at our hotel. We took the short walk to the train and picked up a few snacks for the road. Our train was on time and we found our compartment that had 6 seats but 2 of them had younger guys in them which was fine. The train rolled along the coast and the views of the sea and the small towns is helping the time go by. The train will be heading north (toward Switzerland) to Milan shortly and then we will get into the sleeper car where we will sleep for the night.
The next morning we will be in Paris and our next post will be from there. Until then...ciao.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Beach & Hiking
We left the beach and picked up a couple of items for our hike. We decided to do the toughest leg of the 5 town hike which is also the most scenic. The trail was tough (1 1/2 hrs) but it was worth it because the views of Monterosso and Venazza were incredible. The views were so overwhelming and we were so tired that I forgot to get a picture with my phone but Shelly was "ripping film" so we will have lots to share later. We all worked really hard but I think Gina worked the hardest she said "she never worked so hard".
We instantly fell in love with Vernazza! We asked a couple sitting near the beach for a recommendation for pizza. We stopped to the shop "5 doors down" from the beach. We ordered margharita, red sauce with pesto, 4 cheese pizza and a couple cold beers. We finished dinner, checked the train schedule and shopped around before boarding the short ride back to Monterosso (1 stop) Once we got back we noticed a few kids playing soccer and John decided to join them. They were really friendly and Tony sat and watched while the girls cleaned up back at the room. The sun is setting on another beautiful day in the Cinqua Terra. We have to check out by 11 tomorrow but we have a night train to Paris so we will have a interesting day tomorrow afternoon...Until the Ciao!
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Monterosso al mare, con't
We stopped for a light lunch...which include a salad with tuna that was excellent! We picked up a couple of things and headed for the beach. Since we arrived late we were not able to buy beach chairs but we were able to go to the public beach next door. The Ligurian Sea was warm and we all took a swim and caught some rays. As the bell tower struck 6 we decided to leave and go back to our hotel. We stopped at a small store and shopped for a sundress for Shelly and Wine...like you do in Italian Riviera. Back at the hotel Tony and John went on the rooftop terrace and looked at the sea while Shelly and Gina got ready.
Shelly made reservations at Ciak and we sat on the sidewalk eating prawns, seafood pasta, gnochi with pesto and of course Chinque Terre vino. We sat by 2 couples from Milano who spoke very little english but were fun to dine with. We had lots of fun try to talk to each other. To top the evening off Gina sang a song for all of us form "The Aristocats". Everyone clapped and we said ciao to our new friends. After dinner we stopped in the local church and the kids lit a couple of candles. We shopped around to walk off our meal and Shelly bought another dress from a shop near Ciak. All of us laughed when she came out with the dress because the wrapped it up like a loaf of bread. We got back to our hotel climbed the stairs and climbed into bed. We had to move the queen since the AC was slightly dripping on it but it was no big deal.
The next morning Tony woke up first and headed up to the terrace for coffee and to blog.
Today we hike and go back to the beach. We will send a few updates along the way.
Until then...Ciao.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monterosso al mare
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Arrivederci, Roma!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-prQ8AE_nvY&v=-prQ8AE_nvY
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Monday, August 10, 2009
St. Peters
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Caldo Roma!
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Sunday, August 9, 2009
Roma Day 1
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Roma!
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Saturday, August 8, 2009
Firenze Day 2
We slept in today because most of us didn't get to bed until midnight. This was either due to the naps on the train or due to Johnny wanting to watch soccer on television until late. We decided to skip the hotel brunch and find a cafe on the way to Ponte Vecchio and the rest of our walking tour we planned. The cafe was just what we were looking for with fresh pastries, fruit and lavazza coffee. The girls in the shop were great and were off for the day. Outside it was starting to get hot but still nice considering we are in Florence in August. Once we got to Ponte Vecchio we looked down at the river and were reminded just how beautiful Florence is! We walked past dozens of gold and silver shops and joked about getting Shelly a big ring. We then headed over to the Uffizi courtyard to look at the statues and fountain of neptune. We continued onto the Palazza Vecchio and the Piazza della Signoria and soon found ourselves at Orsan Michele Church. We looked at all of the statues outside and the gothic architecture inside. John ask a bunch of questions about presence of God in church and we appeared to of answered them to his satisfaction. He and Gina lit a candle and prayed which was actually pretty heavy. Later that evening John and Gina both said that this was one of their favorite stops of the day!
We then walked down Via de Calzaiudi towards the Cathedral of Florence (Duomo) and the Baptistery. We stood in line to go into the Baptistery and studied the bronze doors while we waited. Once we got in we did a 10 min audio tour which was interesting and just enough information. All of us marveled at the mosaic dome and other art inside which once again spurred more questions and more attempts at answers. After that tour we went into the Cathedral and looked at the fresco s and marveled at the massive space inside. It was after 1 pm and we had 2:30 reservations at Accademia (to see David and other works of art) We decided to grab a light lunch near the Accademia. Surprisingly there were not a lot of options but we found a small place with tables on the side walk and some shade. We had a pannini, pizza and some cold drinks.
After lunch we went to Accademia and since we had reservations we were able to get right in. We immediately went to view the statue of David and Shelly said "he's still got it". We looked at the other works of art which led to questions from the kids about the what the paintings or sculpture depicted. We were happy that the kids were pretty interested in most of the art here. After the Accademia we stopped for cappuccinos and ice cream bars and relaxed are aching feet (and legs) After a short rest we took some time to shop around a pick up a few things.
It started to get close to 7 pm and it looked like it was threatening to rain. We heard that there was a good restaurant on the same street as Mama Gina's so we headed in that direction. We believe we found it: Tipica Cucina Toscan is now one of our new favorites here in Florence. We were given a table tucked into a little cove towards the back of the restaurant. We had a variety of crostini, fresh mozz with truffles, arugula with parm, fresh grilled veggies, pasta with pesto and pasta with fresh cherry tomato's and yes Vino. We finished with strawberries over marscapone, tiramisu, ice cream cake and creme brulee. After dinner it was raining but it soon stopped and we walked home. Once we got home we all took showers, watched more soccer and discussed train options for tomorrow. We are sad about having to leave tomorrow but we are also looking forward to our next stop. Until then...Ciao!
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Friday, August 7, 2009
Firenze
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Venice Day 2
Venice is a special place where everywhere you look its like a postcard. We enjoyed visiting there and the kids enjoyed it too. They especially like the gondola ride last night which they said was cool going through the back alley canals and that it was relaxing and quite. Ciao.
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Venice Day 1 continued
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Thursday, August 6, 2009
Venice
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Austria & Italian Alps
We decided to get something more to eat and the kids had muffins and we had a euro breakfast including breads and spreads. The guy at the dining car helped us with all of our items. Back in our car there is a seating area that has a table that folds out so we dined there. Hopefully this will hold us over until we get to Venice. After our little snack we played some games with the kids however they were a little "slap happy" so we went back to our seats. Despite the kids wackiness they are actually holding up really well.
Back at our seats the ticket collector checked our tickets and determined that we didn't have a reservation so he made us pay 16 €. He gave us the same price that we would have paid at the station and did not charge us for the kids. We learned that you have to pay when traveling "international" or between countries. Shortly there after we had to change trains in Bolozano and catch a train to Verona. This train was much smaller than the other train we were on but we all found a seat. Now everyone is reading their books to pass the time...except me obviously.
Our next stop we will have to catch the train from Verona to Venice (track 4). We are getting more and more excited as we roll down the tracks! We will send another update once we get to Venice.
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Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Munich Bike Tour
Marienplatz
BMW World & Museum
Our train arrived Munich and we took a short ride to our hotel. Our rooms were ready so we dropped our bags and headed out to the the underground (subway) We needed smaller bills to use the ticket machine so we had to take to a cab instead. The kids, especially John are enjoying all the different types of cars here. We arrived at the BMW campus and had lunch at their cafe. We parents had salads and the kids had Wiener Schnitzel. After lunch we walked around the BMW World and Museum both of which were very interesting. We are now on the subway (we had smaller euro's) headed to Marienplatz (city center). The kids are holding up well considering what little sleep they have had.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Train from Frankfurt to Munich
We made it to Frankfurt a little earlier than expected. All of us got a little sleep on the plane which was good!
Once at the airport we only had carry-on bags so we went straight through customs and then to the train station. After we got our railpasses validatee we went to Track 4 to wait for our train. Along the way we stopped for a couple of crepes with nutella and banana and a couple of coffee's and juice. Our train arrived 10 mins late and we boarded first class for Munich. First class is much like first class on a plane so it was a good choice for 2 weeks of train travel. John and Tony went to the restaurant car for something to drink and everything there looked delicious. We came back to our car and tried to rest a little more.