Marvelous Maastricht

I was starting to feel antsy to get out of Bonn so we took a day trip to Maastricht, Netherlands on Saturday. I don’t know how we picked Maastricht. I didn’t really know anything about it other than someone on a tour in Luxembourg was from Maastricht and said that there was good shopping. It is now my new favorite day trip from Bonn.

We didn’t really have any sort of an itinerary for the day. Our plan was to simply wander the streets, shop and eat some good food.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to Maastricht until about 2:30. Jim wanted to ride before we left and then needed to stop at Decathlon on the way for some bike stuff. So I’ll just have to go back sometime soon to see more of the town.

We parked near the train station which was a good base. The street from our parking lot to the pedestrian center of town was lined with cute boutiques and funky restaurants.

The main part of town was across the bridge to a maze of cobblestoned streets for pedestrians only. The streets were packed full of shoppers on a Saturday. Like most of Europe, the shops are closed on Sunday so Saturday is the big shopping day.

Maastricht is surprisingly about half the size of Bonn, but feels so much more cosmopolitan. It also feels a lot cleaner than Germany. I’m not exactly sure why.

I have come to love the Netherlands. I’m sure that part of it is the fact that every Dutch person speaks English and also probably German and French. Their ability to switch between 4 different languages is amazing. You never have to ask if someone speaks English, they all do. Plus they can figure out your language based on your accent and switch to that language within seconds of speaking to you. The main reason for their language ability is that their TV programs aren’t dubbed so they are hearing French, English or German TV shows in the original language with subtitles in Dutch.

One of my favorite finds in Maastricht was a bookstore. It was an old church that had been renovated to a bookstore. I loved the combination of old world architecture and modern bookstore. There was even a café in the front of the church where the alter would traditionally be located.

Jim and I were both successful in acquiring a few new purchases so after the shops closed at 5:00; we went to the various squares to get a look at the non-commercial side of Maastricht. Of course, we both said that we’d love to come back in the summer when the trees lining the squares have their leaves. We seem to say that a lot here.

While wandering the streets, we happened upon a restaurant that Jim’s coworker had recommended. We decided to have dinner there- http://www.rest-beluga.com/. It was too early to eat dinner and the restaurant was empty so we decided to go get a coffee somewhere and come back.

While Jim was looking for the perfect café, it started to pour. After wandering around in the rain for 45 minutes and refusing to share my umbrella, Jim was soaked and freezing. We decided to scrap dinner and simply go home.

Of course as soon as we started walking back to the car, the sun came out and a huge rainbow appeared.

Chillin' in Edinburgh

On the train heading to Wigan Sunday night, I met an older gentleman while we were both waiting for the bathroom. When he found out I was going to Wigan, he simply asked “WHY?” I think that pretty much sums up my trip to Wigan. He was from a small town near Wigan and said they only thing Wigan has going for it was that they had a good rugby team. Thankfully, I wasn’t expecting much for my day in Wigan.

When we arrived in Wigan, Jim was opposed to calling the hotel for directions. He decided to use Google on his blackberry which has never worked out for us despite the several times we’ve tried it. When we finally arrived at the hotel according to Jim’s blackberry Google, it was actually an abandoned lot. We did finally find the hotel after Jim called and asked for directions. All I can say about the hotel is that if you ever find yourself in Wigan (although why would you?), don’t stay at the Wigan Oak Hotel.

While we were walking through the town lost, we were surprised to hear loud music coming from every bar and dance club we passed. We looked at each other, thinking the same thing: It is Sunday, right? I guess everyone was getting a head start on their St. Patrick celebrations a few days early.

The next day while Jim worked, I wandered around the town and did some shopping. There weren’t really any sights to see so I ended up buying a book and hanging out in a coffee shop.

That afternoon we drove up to Edinburgh so we were able to have dinner in Edinburgh rather than Wigan. We stayed at the Roxburghe Hotel which was a beautiful hotel and a really good value for an upscale hotel. . http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/roxburghe/accommodation/index.htm

After settling into our hotel, we went in search of food. Based on a recommendation from an employee of another restaurant, we ended up at The Dogs. http://www.thedogsonline.co.uk/. The restaurant had a laid back French bistro feel to it and true to its name had a huge picture of a dog behind the bar. The restaurant was reasonably priced and had an eclectic menu. I think they considered themselves a gastro-pub. Looking back, it was the best meal we had in Edinburgh.

The next day, I was lucky enough to have another beautiful, sunny day. I walked around the town while Jim was in his meeting to orient myself with the town. I walked up to the Edinburgh castle and along the touristy Royal Mile. I stopped for lunch at a healthy, vegetarian restaurant called Always Sunday. I would recommend that place to anyone looking to avoid the traditional Haggis or fish and chips prevalent in the touristy areas.

Jim and I met up after his meeting and walked up to the Edinburgh Castle. It was too late be able to see the entire castle so we planned to come back the next day. We walked down to the Palace of the Holyroodhouse along the Royal Mile before heading back to the hotel. We made reservations at Atrium which was close to the hotel but it was a disappointing dining experience. The menu looked good but the restaurant wasn’t able to pull it off. I had the feeling that they hadn’t quite grown into their concept just yet. They were like a little boy wearing dad’s suit coat. Unfortunately, the majority of the fine dining options are located out by the Leith Docks which require a cab. The next time we go, it would be worth a cab ride to check out the restaurants in that area.

The next day we took a tour of the Edinburgh Castle which was definitely worth the 10 euro. It had a few different exhibits on the history of the castle, the history of military service and battles throughout Scotland’s history, and also the history of the crown jewels. We had an afternoon flight so weren’t able to see any of the area’s museums or other sights.

We ended our trip by sitting outside in the sun at an Italian restaurant on George Street and having a relaxing lunch.

I’d love to visit the countryside and some of the castles outside of the city if I get another chance to spend some time in Edinburgh.

Weekend in London - March 13 - 15

Jim had some business in Wigan, England and Edinburgh, Scotland so we decided to make a trip of it and have ourselves a mini break as they say in England. We spent the weekend in London before heading to Wigan and then Edinburgh.

Jim’s friend, Zarko, was kind enough to let us crash at his place and acted as a local tour guide for the weekend. It was really relaxing and in a strange way felt a little like being home.

We flew in on Friday night and went to Zarkos to get dressed for dinner. A partner at Zarko’s firm who has done some work for Jim’s company wanted to take us out to dinner. He had recently become a member of the Reform Club (www.thereform.com) which is one of London’s Gentleman Clubs (no, not that kind of Gentlemen’s Club). The club requires jacket and tie and only recently allowed women, but of course our bathrooms and cloakroom were in the basement. I guess it is like a country club but without the golf course and pool. I’m not sure I understand exactly why someone joins one of these clubs. I guess it must be for entertaining, prestige of being accepted and the extensive library they have.

On Saturday, Zarko took us to a farmers market. The Borough Market is located on Borough High Street near London Bridge, and is one of the largest markets in the world, known for its gourmet and international items. I was in heaven. They had truffles, specialty coffee, every kind of mushroom known to man, fresh seafood, and freshly baked goods along with prepared foods like paninis, empanadas, spring rolls, north African salads, or burgers. They even had a guy selling fresh oysters. I was tempted to get one but the line was too long.

Even better than the huge variety of options were how free every vendor was with the samples. It was like Sam’s Club on a Saturday but with good food. I could have wandered around for hours sampling all the different things. After circling the entire market to see what was offered, we got some Middle Eastern salads and had a little picnic right outside the market next to the Southwark Cathedral.

After our picnic, we walked along the Thames and soaked up the sunshine stopping at St. Catherine's Warf for a coffee. I'd never been to before I decided that I needed some retail therapy. We headed to Oxford Street so that I could go to Selfridges for a little shopping while the boys went for some tea and shisha at a Middle Eastern restaurant.

For dinner that night, we headed to the upscale Mayfair area for dinner. We ate at a cute French bistro called Le Boudin Blanc (http://www.boudinblanc.co.uk/) which I highly recommend for anyone looking for reasonably priced French food in London. We had an excellent dinner.

The next day was even sunnier and warmer than the previous day. We took a boat down the Thames to Greenwich in South London where the prime meridian, National Observatory, National Maritime Museum and Royal Naval College are located. We walked up the hill to the Observatory and stopped for a coffee before heading down to wander around the village of Greenwich.

The boat ride was entertaining and pleasant on such a sunny day. The driver/ tour guide had a thick cockney accent and combined some history with stuff he obviously made up on the fly. At one point he talked about someone "the Great" which spurred a conversation about why we don't have names like Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great or Vlad the Impaler (Jim's favorite). I suggested that Jim should call himself Jim the Complainer and he in turn named me Alison the Uncomfortable.

We took the boat back to central London and then headed back to Zarko’s area, West Hampstead. We stopped for dinner at a Thai restaurant and had a great dinner before packing up and heading to catch the train to Wigan.

Germans and their Ice Cream

Last summer I saw millions of Germans lining up at the gelato shops all over Bonn to get their ice cream fix. Of course then it was sunny (well maybe not exactly sunny but not raining) and warm-ish. Knowing that the winter would bring cold and rainy weather, I thought to myself that it must be hard for all of these ice cream shops to stay in business since most of them did not have indoor seating.


Germans, however, do not seem to be phased by the cold in the least. They ride around town on bikes without hats and gloves, while I am bundled up in wool sweaters, hats, gloves and countless scarves.

All winter long, I saw people eating ice cream walking around downtown. When I was craving hot chocolate, hot tea or soup, they were strolling around with frozen treats. It is such an odd sight to see someone in a hat and gloves eating an ice cream cone outside. You just don't see it in the US. Sure, someone might go to Baskin Robbins and sit inside and eat ice cream in the winter, but they aren't wandering around in the cold.

Has growing up in America made me soft? What happened to my hearty German genes?

Annecy, France - Alps trip continued

Our next stop on our Alps trip was to Annecy which is a town just south of Geneva, Switzerland. Jim had been to Annecy in the summer and said it was a beautiful town located on a pristinely clear lake surrounded by mountains. Annecy was also equidistant to two cross country ski places we planned to check out.

Our first afternoon in Annecy, most of the shops were closed so we just wandered around the town and went out by the lake. It was still pretty bright out so we were able to get some decent pictures before the clouds rolled in for the rest of the trip.

While we were there, Jim was on a mission to find a café that he spent a lot of time during his last visit. Around every corner he identified a café as that being THE ONE, and then would add, “No, this is really the one”. Of course it wasn’t until our third day in Annecy that he actually found it.

For dinner that night we got recommendations from the concierge. She recommended a place called Contrasens which we had seen on our walk. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a reservation until after 9:00. We hung out in the room before going over to a bar next door to the restaurant for a glass of wine. Dinner was good, but I wasn’t able to enjoy it as I should have. For some reason, earlier in the day I started feeling sick so had a bad fever by the time we sat down to dinner. Jim thought the food was very good, but I couldn’t really taste anything.

The next day, I still had a fever but was feeling better than I had the night before so I agreed to go skiing. We decided to go to Le Saises. According to the GPS it was only about 35 km away. I’m not so sure how they determined that measurement because it was a lot farther than that. It was raining in Annecy but it didn’t take long before that rain turned to snow. We started rising in elevation and in the span of about a mile there was suddenly 3-4 feet of snow along the road. We passed a bunch of people putting chains on their tires but figured they didn’t have all wheel drive. The road was pretty sketchy. For some reason all over Europe, they just love the hairpin turns. Jim loves to bike them in the summer, but driving them on steep, narrow roads in a blizzard is something else entirely.

We finally made it to Le Saises in one piece after considering bailing on a few instances. After a visit to the tourist center, we found the cross country trails which didn’t look very groomed. Jim asked a skate skier how the trails were and she didn’t give them a very glowing review. Since it was already late in the afternoon and the snow was still really coming down, we decided it might be safest to scrape skiing and get down before all the traffic from the ski hill got on the roads.

Five hours later with no skiing under our belt, we were safely back in Annecy albeit somewhat frustrated at how the day’s events had played out. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at L’atelier Gourmand. It was a great meal and made our earlier skiing debacle sting a bit less.I’d definitely recommend the restaurant. It was good service in a relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant chairs were big comfy leather ones that you just sunk into. I was reticent to leave after we had paid our bill.

The next day we headed back up to Le Seises and the roads were much better. It was a busy bunch of trails with a lot of skiers. I was hoping for some sun but it was completely cloudy all day. We both had a decent ski but it paled in comparison to our skiing the next day at Le Ferclaz. The trails were great there and they even had a small lodge which I’ve found is not all that common in Europe. Unfortunately, it was another cloudy, cold day but we both had a good ski on almost empty trails.

After our hard ski, we decided to pamper ourselves and got a couples massage. The hotel had a deal with the spa next door. It was Jim’s first professional massage so he was a bit uncomfortable and it was good that we did it together. It was incredibly relaxing and was a great way to end our trip.

French Alps - Samoëns

Due to a lack of planning combined with instability in the area, we decided to scrap our Egypt trip and plan a last minute trip to the Alps for some sunshine and shushing.

Our plan was to spend three days snowboarding and three days cross country skiing. After researching the areas to ski in Austria, Switzerland and France, we ended up picking the Gran Massif ski area. Our decision was based mainly on the fact that we prefer French food and because we had friends vacationing there and our trips would overlap for 2 days.

We arrived in Samoens 1600 at 9:30 pm after getting lost in Switzerland for a little while. For some reason the little English woman living in our GPS system has something against Switzerland.

We had reserved a room at a guesthouse right on the mountain called Chalet L'Aéro http://www.aero1607.com/. When we arrived, we were surprised to find the road to the Chalet completely snowed in. We made the smart decision to hike down rather than attempt to drive down to the Chalet. Since there was a bar and restaurant advertised on the website, I figured that our late arrival wouldn’t be a big deal. However, on a Wednesday night all the lights were off and the door was locked. While we were contemplating the unappealing option of sleeping in our car, we found someone on the balcony smokeing a cigarette and they alerted the owners we were there.

The family who owns the Chalet was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The husband had a snowmobile with an attached sled to help us cart our luggage and gear down to the Chalet while the wife put together a cheese plate and fruit soup for us to eat.

The next morning we rented a snowboard for me and got our lift tickets for two days. I couldn’t believe how cheap the skiing is in comparison to the cost at Colorado Ski Resorts. We paid 41euro for a full day of skiing. I think it is around $97 for a day of skiing at Vail in Colorado.

However, the French do have some interesting lifts which might contribute to the reduction of price in the lift ticket. One of the gondolas was a standing room only situation; they herded us in like cattle. Another was a two person lift that looked like those buckets used to fix power lines. And then you also have the complete chaos of the lift lines, which are less like a line and more like a heaving mass of people stepping all over each others' skis and boards.

We met up with Jim’s friends Andrew and Matz to ski. I had a bad feeling about skiing with these three adrenaline junkies who push every sport to the limit. Unfortunately, I pushed my hesitations aside and consequently had one of the worst days snowboarding. I had a bad fall on the first run and jammed my finger. It swelled up instantly, but I could bend it slightly so figured it wasn’t broken. The next run I tried to board in deep powder and ended up with a screwed up neck. I couldn’t turn my head without turning the rest of my body. Since I figured I’d be in pain no matter what I did, I kept snowboarding but took it easy.

When I finally decided I had enough, I realized that we had skied so far from our original starting point that we’d have to do another 3 runs and another 3 lifts. So after another hour of skiing in pain and negotiating the chaotic French lift "lines", I had myself a little mini breakdown. Skipping lunch might have been a contributing factor to the breakdown.

That night we had dinner with our friends from Paris at a traditional Savoie restaurant. I had read a lot about Tartiflette which is a traditional Savoyarde dish so was excited to try it. You had to place your order ahead of time so we ordered while still on the mountain. Jim ordered the Tartiflette while I went for the Raclette Fondue. The Tartiflette was disappointing. It ended up being very similar to ham and scalloped potatoes and was quite bland. The fondue however was delish. Although, how can you screw up melted cheese and bread?

The next day after not sleeping much the night before, I decided against snowboarding and watched a movie in the room while Jim snowboarded. Nothing is better than a few muscle relaxers and the Sound of Music. I thought being in the Alps that would be a fitting movie.

It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the ski so I couldn’t stay in the room very long and ventured out to walk around the resort in search of lunch. I ran into Jim just as I was about to sit down at a restaurant so we had lunch outside in the sun on the side of the mountain. The food was crap but the view was spectacular.

We went snowshoeing after lunch on a pretty short loop on the mountain. It wasn’t a great place to snowshoe but I needed to get some exercise and wanted to be outside so it worked.

Although my first trip to the Alps was a bit disappointing, it was a beautiful place and the ski resorts of the Alps are definitely more scenic than the Colorado Rockies. However, it did make me miss our life in Colorado.