Category Archives: Travel: Europe

Madrid Days

by

Post by Lauren

This past weekend we met up with some great friends from Charlotte, Ferdinand and Isabella, as they were in Madrid for his work. Gabe and I (as well as Andreas who was visiting us) had never been to Spain before so we were pumped about meeting them in Madrid. A bonus was that Isabella had spent 3 summers in Spain, so she had a lot of insights into what would be the best to do in a long weekend, as well as she spoke fluently in Spanish. An amazing combo and I was lucky enough to travel in a few hours early to get some girl-time before the guys arrived.

In short, here is my summary about day-time in Madrid:

-It’s a beautiful city. We stayed near the old part of town so benefited from being surrounded by gorgeous fountains, perfectly landscaped gardens, pastel stucco buildings in classic Spanish style, and an elegant light that flooded the streets in the early evenings.

-It’s hot. Really hot. Gabe and I commented it was similar to our time in Greece when the sun was just relentless and scorching. We feel that it is just a different sun in this Mediterranean region than we are used to.

-Everyone siestas. This is really three-fold.
One, the nightlife is vibrant. Dinners don’t get started until 10 or so. On a light night, you get in at 12:30 or 1pm. On a average night, its 4 or 4:30am. Thus, naps are needed to recover from the night before and to prepare for the night coming.
Two, you eat amazingly, delicious Spanish food for lunch. You typically eat a lot and after a morning walking, your body gets full and tired and craves a bed.
Three, the sun, mentioned above. It’s almost uncomfortable in summer mid-afternoon. It’s really best to be under a shade tree or taking a siesta.

-World class museums. We visited Prado and Reina Sofia.

More to come on Madrid night-life and eating, but wanted to provide a description and a few visuals to paint the picture:

 

 

 

 

Monday Funday in Lausanne & Evian

by

Post by Lauren

On Monday, we took a little day trip. Andreas and I knew we were going to venture somewhere (Gabe unfortunately had to work and couldn’t play). But, luckily discovered that friends S and A were up for an activity, as well as they had another visitor C who wanted to join as well.

We took off for Lausanne, not completely knowing what the day had in store. Lausanne is a beautiful city on lake Geneva, just about 40 minutes north of Geneva. When Gabe and I first toured Switzerland, we immediately fell in love with Lausanne but it was too far to live from Geneva. I love the architecture and rolling hills. It has a similar feel to San Francisco, and our legs definitely got a work out exploring as well.

After climbing to the cathedral, we decided it was time for a lunch break. We stumbled upon Via Veneto right behind the cathedral and it turned out to be a great find. The owner was so open and welcoming and we also enjoyed chatting it up with the patrons next to us about Italy who shared their cheese plate with us. We all had plats du jour – everything was amazing, including the wine. When in Lausanne, we’d highly recommend this place.

After lunch, we strolled back down to the coast of Ouchy and enjoyed a drink on the deck of the Laclustre before boarding a boat for Evian, France. Yup, Evian, like the water. It is right on Lake Geneva, on the French side. The boat ride was quite nice and we split a bottle of wine and played games to pass the 30 minute journey.

We took a quick tour of the Evian “hall of information” but quickly found it to be quite boring, so we moved on to explore the town.

Highlights were a nutella crepe from the cafe and an interesting stop at the evian casino. I’ll let you wait for S’s post on that to explain the humor.

It turned out to be a really enjoyable day.

I can’t count to 100 anymore

by

Post by Lauren

One of the most frustrating things about speaking French in Geneva has to be the numbers 70-99. See, in French, once you get to 70, you have scary numbers that are math problems in themselves.

For example, 70 is 60+10 or soixante dix. When you progress to 71, 72, you add by a number already in its teens. So for 71, its 60+11, so soixante onze. And then for 72, its 60 + 12 so soixante-douze. And so on….

However, then for 80, its 4 x 20. And for 81, 82, you add by one, two, etc. So, for 81 it is 80+1, so quatre-vingts et un. 82 is quatre-vingts deux. And so on….

When you get to 90, it is 4 x 20 + 10. Back to the number in the teens. So, for 92, for exampe, its quatre-vingt-douze. And so on….

Why in the world don’t they use the same system? Why different names and different things to add, like 1 sometime and 11 sometimes?

And, this might be enough to give you a headache. Especially when you are at a store and they spit out numbers really fast.

However….enter…..solution!! I found out that in Switzerland, they use septante and nonante for 70 and 90. Then add by 1‘s. Ingenious. Those are easy!!! I was pumped I wouldn’t have to remember the really hard France French way.

In Lausanne, one town over, they use huitante for 80. Even better!! I started wishing I lived in Lausanne.

I made this chart for this blog post to help explain. I realize this may have been 15 minutes I’ll never get back as you are likely just skipping through the nonsense on this post.


But, alas…..when you go to different stores in Switzerland, they use a combination of all the above numbers. It’s unpredictable. So, not only do you have to know the really hard numbers, but you have to know all 3 versions.

Just imagine giving out a telephone number or even writing one someone gives you. It goes like this….

+41 079 589 78 92

You could be standing in one part of Switzerland. Imagine it…..

–5 miles away in France, one would say: plus quatre-vingt / zero soixante dix-neuf / cinq cent quatre-vingt-neuf / soixante dix-huit / quatre-vingt-douze

–5 miles away in Geneva territory, one would say: plus quatre-vingt / zero septante-neuf / cinq cent quatre-vingt-neuf / septante-huit / nonante-deux

–Yet, in Lausanne territory, where you are standing, you’d say: plus quatre-vingt / zero septante-neuf / cinq cent huitante-neuf / septante-huit / nonante-deux

Got that #?

Lyon, France

by

Post by Lauren

As you read from the post about Aix-les-Bains, we did a quick road trip to Lyon, France this weekend. We traveled with A & A and the four of us literally pulled together the details (including deciding to go) on Friday before we left.

The main choice to go to Lyon was driven by its culinary scene. However, we were really enamored by all the city’s charms and it ended up being a great overnight trip from Geneva. Below are a few photos from the weekend in France:

A picnic in Aix-les-Bains, France

by

Post by Lauren

This weekend, we did a quick overnight trip with A & A to Lyon, France.

Since we knew dinner would be an “experience” in Lyon, the culinary capital of France, we opted for a picnic to stop on the way.

We ended up in Aix-les-Bains which was a cute little French town on beautiful lake, Lac du Bourget.

Not a bad place for a picnic!

Gabe confirmed the water was frigid, just like Lake Geneva.

Yvoire, France

by

Post by Lauren

We had heard from our friend A that Yvoire was a really cool medieval town on the lake to check out. He had traveled there on a co-worker’s boat for dinner one evening. We personally think his way was the best way to travel. However, since we were in Northern Geneva countryside so that Gabe could attempt to teach moi how to drive a stick shift, it was only a 15 minute trip.

It was a cute town and I can’t wait to bring my Mom back to see the beautiful flower covered buildings. But, as A had noted, a bit crowded so we might choose to go back in the evening or when it isn’t the middle of summer.

Another small world story – we bumped into a lady Gabe works with in Yvoire. So, two days in a row, we have collided with people we actually know while we were out and about. Switzerland is starting to feel like home!

Gratitude Friday: Witnessing Something Truly Majestic

by

Post by Lauren

Some of you may recall the movie The Bucket List. A few years ago, my church did a series playing on the theme of movie – related to being a good friend, a good spouse, a good parent, being a good employee, etc. and not putting those things you wanted to improve before life suddenly “ran out”. I loved the series and ended up seeing the movie in the theatre with my friend Pamela. I specifically remember coming out of the theatre with faces tear-stained and bumping into mutual friends. They were laughing at how hard we must have bawled during it to get faces looking like ours! Nevertheless, we both took lessons from the movie.

At the time, we had lived in Charlotte, along with our friend Randi, about 8 years and always had a list of things we wanted to do but never did. Her’s consisted of hiking Crowders Mountain. Mine was going to Lazy 5 animal ranch. Amongst other things along those lines. We were all off from work the week after Christmas and staying in town so we ended up doing a Charlotte “Bucket List”. We crossed something off every day:

Bucket List Week / Charlotte, NC 2009

At the end of the week, we had always wanted to host a neighborhood bar crawl in the little part of Charlotte we lived in (Dilworth) and that culminated the week. My favorite part of Bucket List Week is that a certain gentleman joined us on the bar crawl and that was the night that led to us dating (and you know the rest of the story) and we moved to Switzerland and that leads us to….

Bar Crawl / Bucket List Week / Dilworth, NC 2009

…..today’s gratitude post. The movie, Bucket List, included a theme where the two main characters who both were dying of cancer created list of things they wanted to do before they “kicked the bucket”. Morgan Freeman’s character had written “witness something truly majestic”. Witnessing something majestic had always sounded really intriguing, and this past week, I think I hit it when we were on the top of Mont Blanc on Sunday.

According to wikipedia, Mont Blanc is the highest peak in Europe, (on this side of Russia) and is the 3rd most visited natural site in the world. We visited in the middle of summer, and it is still snow-capped and amazing. The contrast to the surrounding mountains that are adjusting to their summer climate while Mont Blanc still is glacial, is simply mind-blowing. And, I had never thought I would actually ever see a glacier that close in my life.

So, this week, my gratitude Friday is dedicated to witnessing majestic Mont Blanc and being grateful for the beautiful majestic things we have on this Earth. Bon weekend, everyone!

All photos courtesy of Henry Birmingham

A fantastic 4th of July with Henry Birmingham

by

Post by Lauren

Sorry for the tardiness of this post, but Gabe and I have been trying to recuperate from the weekend and it has taken us some extra time to get back in the swing of things, due to its epic proportions.

As most have caught on, we give our friends abbreviated names often times to protect their privacy. So, instead of a simple abbreviation, our fun-loving guest chose his alternate name as Henry Birmingham. It is a combination of the street he grew up on and his first pet or middle name. Some of you are catching on….

Anyhow, Henry was in Europe for work and we were quite excited when he announced he was coming to see us at the end of his trip for the 4th of July. We had so much fun, we have dedicated this post to…..

Top 10 reasons why we love to travel with Henry Birmingham

#10 – The flower clock reads 3:30 on Friday July 2. Gabe would normally be at work at this time but motivated by his buddy being in town, he took off and we were able to have an incredible Friday afternoon spent exploring Geneva and lake-bar-hopping. Awesome!

#9 – He is always up for Donor Kebabs and trying new beers!! Exactly what Gabe likes to do best so I am glad he had someone to do it with wholeheartedly!

#8 – Ingenuity – I mean, who else can create a cup-holder so resourcefully in a country known for no cup-holders in cars!?

#7 – His appreciation for art – he got some amazing shots at Jazz Festival

# 6 – Love of adventure. I mean, this guy just had knee surgery like 3 weeks ago and he scaled the wall for this photo. However, along this same theme, I may need to deduct some “awesomeness” points in this category as his encouragement of a third bottle of wine on the train may have given the author a headache the next day and prevented the timely posting of this entry.

# 5 – It would have been anticlimactic if Gabe and I saw T’s doppleganger by ourselves

#4 – We haven’t made late night food in a long time. Thanks for re-igniting the magic.

# 4 – We couldn’t have justified ordering both raclette-for-two AND fondue if there weren’t three mouths to feed.

# 3 – We finally have photos of both Gabe and I in Switzerland, not just one of us taken by the other one. Thanks for all the incredible shots 🙂

# 2 – His interest in snow & ski led us to pick this 2nd day trip to Chamonix / Mt. Blanc which is only 45 minutes from our house. Keep in mind folks, this is June. Outrageous!

# 1 – It was just awesome to see a great friend and have the luxury of spending a nice weekend catching up and making new memories. Thanks for coming — we had a blast !!

Gratitude Friday: Curiosity and Learning

by

This week’s gratitude post goes out to curiosity & learning.

This is top of mind because we traveled to the U.K. this week. So, after 3 jam-packed days of absorbing everything we could culturally, visually, and culinary about London, I did what I always do when we go on a trip that involves a historical destination….search for all possible books, movies, wikipedia articles, etc. to learn even more about where we just were.

When Gabe and I went to Greece last May, even before arrival back to the US, I was watching Alexander in our hotel room, shortly followed by 300 and Troy. Much to my happiness, my bible study group was also starting a study on the book of Esther the week I returned and so that whole 2 month study included more snippets and context about Xerses & the Persian Empire around the Grecian times. I think I may have driven the ladies crazy trying to encourage them to watch 300 & Alexander to get a better picture in their minds of that day & age!

Exploring Greece, 2009

So, in London this week, we learned a ton about the monarchs, particularly Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Lady Jane Grey. So they are on my list to absorb all literature, information I can about female monarchs and the wives of Henry III. Last night, I watched Elizabeth for the second time – it put our Tower of London visit and the story about her time in captivity there into vivid picture vs. my first viewing. I also need to re-watch The Other Boleyn Girl…its been a few years.
Also, another fascinating area for me was the devastation to London during The Blitz and the stories from those who lived through it. This was started in the US, when my book club read The Postmistress and The Gurnsey LIterary And Potato Peel Pie Society last year. We had also read Sarah’s Key that shed some light on that horrific time. Reading historical fiction helps me have more empathy and understanding for what the people who lived through that time went through. Both Gabe and I really wanted to go see the Churchill Museum (recommended by our friend Nick) but we didn’t have time this trip.

I also added Oliver Twist and The Canterbury Tales to my must read list too based on seeing some of the streets in our touring. I particularly felt more compelled to read some of Dickens work since Gabe and I enjoyed a few beers in the pub basement which he frequented. Just kidding…but still, its time to re-read some of these classics, especially since many times the classics are free on Kindle.

Seeing a show at the Globe was a highlight for me. I must re-watch Shakespeare in Love as it provides a fun look at this Elizabethan era, while not historically completely accurate.

Also, for more regarding the last century, Notting Hill, Alfie, Love Actually and Bridget Jones Diaries. Mainly, just so I can continue to hear more British accents (love them!) and potentially see familiar scenery from London.

Anyhow, back to gratitude:

-I am just very fortunate to be able to go on these trips to historical sites to inspire me to keep learning more and more.

-I am grateful for living in a day and age where travel & the quick dissemination of information is possible. Building on that, I am thankful for Wikipedia, iTunes and Amazon for letting me feed my habit from Switzerland. If it wasn’t for that technology, I’d be impatiently waiting for my first trip back to the US to stock up on knowledge in the English language. And I’d have less room in my suitcase for enchilada sauce.

-I am grateful for still having the love of learning. I love being a “sponge”.

-I am also grateful for my husband putting up with my habit and not minding too much. Thanks, babe (didn’t you want to see Young Victoria this weekend??)!

-A bonus “shout-out” to my book club ladies in Charlotte, NC for contributing by recommending these great historical fiction novels!

Book club at my house, circa 2008

My last Book Club @ Tara’s April 2011

So, what do you love learning more about??

Loving London

by

Our London weekend was quite lovely. Here are a few highlights from our trip that we wanted to share:

The Tower of London

We really enjoyed seeing the Crown Jewels and the Beefeater Tour

Pubs & Pub Fare

We loved Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese – it was rebuilt the year after the great fire, in 1667. We happily noshed on fish & chips in the 700 year old wine cellar, and tried to imagine what it was like when Dickens, Mark Twain, Alfred Tennyson, Sir Arthur Conon Doyle were there.

We also hit up a few pubs in Mayfair and I got to try a Pimms.

Evensong service at Westminister Abbey

This was a really cool experience.  We sat and enjoyed the Evensong Service and the magnificent choir of Westminster Abbey.  We sat right next to the altar where William & Kate were married just a month before. 

Shakespeare’s Globe

We thoroughly enjoyed Alls Well that Ends Well in the replica of Shakespeare’s Globe, as he intended his shows to be displayed – open air (yes, it was raining) and without acoustics.  We imagined what is was like in the original, just yards from the new version.

General Site-seeing

It was nice just to see some of the beautiful landmarks of London and true to form against the stony grey sky!

Lauren ventured off on her own on Monday when Gabe’s conference began and here is the quick recap:

Buckingham Palace (Guard rainout!!)

The Tate Modern Art Museum ( I was in heaven and I think Gabe was too that he didn’t have to stay 4 hours with me here)

 Abbey Road (Beatles studio site and scene from their famous photo.  Quite funny to watch all the tourists almost get hit by cars and buses not amused by the traffic hold-up.

 Regent Park & Queen Mary Rose Garden, recommended by friend Andreas who went to school in the park

The British Museum – I saw the parts of the Parthenon that were “saved”.  We heard in Athens last year that the British stole these artifacts from them in a bailout and refused to give them back. Quite interesting to hear both sides of the story.  Also, the Rosetta Stone was a highlight.

 

Thanks to all our friends for the great tips!