Une petite morceau de la France, and Deutschland!

HELLOOOOOOOOOO

I'm currently sitting in Bratislava in 41 degree weather trying to catch up on some posts! Unbelievable but we're almost halfway through our trip!! It's so incredible, the things we've seen and experienced and yet it feels like we just left yesterday as well. Time really does fly...

So, when we last left off we were in Metz, France. We had a hilarious mix-up with the hostel (they sent us a confirmation email but apparently it was only a confirmation that they got my reservation, not that they were actually confirming that we could stay there). The super French hostel guy was like "it is not possible." so we got a little rattled, called his system stupid and went to sleep in our car that night. Even after covering all the windows and windshield with towels and clothes, it was still freezing cold and a pretty uncomfortable night. But thank goodness we had the car otherwise we would have probably froze to death on a park bench! (Grammy, if you're reading this, don't worry, we didn't actually freeze to death).

Our wondrous pink Peugeot 208 keeps us warm

After Metz it was on to Strasbourg where we met up with the lovely Franziska who took us around the beautiful city, introduced us to all her friends and helped us have an awesome night full of all you can eat and drink flammekeuche and beer! Flammekeuche is a local Strasbourgian specialty of thin dough with creme fraiche, lardons and onions put in the oven-yummy! It has been so nice to hang out with local people and the European generosity has no bounds! Hopefully Franziska will come back to Canada so we can return the favour and introduce her to some beavertails! 

"Soiree" in Strasbourg with Franziska and her awesome friends 

After saying au revoir to France and any ability to communicate in the local language, it was on to Germany! First up was Stuttgart, where Daniel drooled over the Mercedes museum and all the nice cars there. We also took a side trip to Baden-Baden to hike through the beautiful Black Forest. It's awesome how everything in Europe is so dedicated to getting around on foot or bike (or scooter). There are literally thousands of kilometers of marked and well-kept trails and you can literally hike from town to town, stopping in for lunch and beer on the way (which we did). 

Then it was on to Munich. Oh Munich, how we underestimated you. What can I say? 1L steins of beer, beergardens, huge gardens where everyone sunbathes nude, amazing meat and scnitzel and knodel dumplings, beautiful old churches and buildings, kind and generous people... it just doesn't end. I think this city and I could get along quite well. Our first day there, we went to a beergarden/beerhall  that can seat 3000 people and had AMAZING food. After getting our first few litres of beer out of the way, we met the most amazing 70-something year old couple, Hans and Helga Schlotter. Even though communication was sometimes difficult (Helga didn't speak any English but seemed to have an uncanny ability to understand everything), we had a blast. By the end of the night, they were family, bought our beer for us, and told us to come visit them in Frankfurt anytime. What a special experience! 

The next day, we wandered around the beautiful and huge Englisher garden, sunbathed and drank more beer and walked around the historical centre of Munich. We also experienced the joy of having knodel in a bowl of its own gravy...mmm!! And then, much to Daniel's enjoyment, it was on to the BMW museum and HUGE Welt, where you can look at and even get into beautiful new BMWs. 

Trying out a sweet bike in the BMW Welt. I think I could be a biker chick, ya?

Our last night in Munich was also memorable. We stayed at the Tent Hostel and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who's going there. It's basically a huge hippie-type commune in the middle of a park in the city, where they have huge circus tents set up with bunk beds inside to sleep 100. There's also a kitchen/restaurant where they feed you and give you beer. And of course, a huge campfire where you can sit around, talk and meet some amazing people. And volleyball courts, table tennis, fields to run around in, all in this beautiful park. It was like summer camp for grownups, and we met some awesome people and had such an amazing night!

The next morning, it was off to Dachau to see the first concentration camp ever opened in 1933, and also the one that all other camps were modeled after. Definitely a profoundly moving experience, and still seems so fresh even after so many years. Also personal for me since all the Jews from Sudenland, Czech Republic where my family is from went there. When you actually see the pictures and buildings where everything took place it definitely takes on a new meaning. 

After Dachau, it was off to Prague to meet up with my mom and travel Czech with her! To be continued...

Please comment or message me, it's nice to hear from all you special people :)

France!

Hello everyone and sorry if there are typos- I äm typing from a German Keyboard and it's verz confusing!!

It's been awhile: Daniel and I have been biking, Walking, driving and wine/cheese tasting all through France and Computers have been scarce!

After a very interesting drive through San Sebastian on the Spanish/French border (hail, torrential rain and 2 degree weather), we arrived in Bordeaux. Immediately after crossing the border (with NO Police or anything) we realiyed we were definitely not in Spain anymore! Bordeaux is beautiful, very quaint and cute on a river, but with enough of a student Population to keep things interesting. I would probably get dirty Looks from Frenchies for saying this, but Bordeaux felt like a mini Paris. We indulged in our first tastes of French wine, multiple types of cheese (tomme de montagne, delices de gorgogne and many MANY yummy types of chevre) and of course amazing fresh and warm Baguette. We were pretty happy, little did we know that the cheese would get even better...

Daniel enjoying fine cheese and Baguette in Bordeaux

On to the Loire valley, where we rented bikes for two days to explore the many incredible chateaus from the 15th-18th centuries. The guy we rented from in Amboise ambitiously thought we could bike 85km in 2 days and said it was 'very nice and flat'. False on both counts. After biking uphill in the rain for about 40 mins we decided to revise the plan and stay overnight in a tiny town called Montrichard. The Loire is beautiful: hills and farmlands and sheep and basically makes you realize why Catan exists. We saw Chenanceau, a beautiful Castle on a river, and tasted some local crepes and wine (in a cave).

 

Daniel in a field

Tasting some local wine in a cave

 

After the Loire was Paris, where my cousin was nice enough to put us up for a week, and my friend Sophia as well for a few days! Paris is amazing at any time and in any weather (luckily, because we haven't had a day of sun in 3 weeks). The locals even suffered through my French and we felt very much like we could fit into this lifestyle. Mary-Jane (my cousin) took us out for a typical Parisian meal and showed us where to buy good groceries: 'this boulangerie, not that one, that one's no good. this one!' We happily followed her advice and bought cheese from the fromagerie, meat from the bucherie, bread and multiple pastries from the good boulangerie and fresh vegetables from the ... vegetablerie(?). All were amazingly delicious and we ate like kings. We also saw the sights, climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, met up with Sophia in Montmartre, drank cider and lazed around the Luxembourg gardens and ate Falafel in the Jewish quarter (and bought lots of cool clothes).

 

Me and Mary Jane in a typical Parisian brasserie

 

Then, we met up with our friends Jean-Charles and Jordan in Chablis. We had met them in Barcelona and became fast friends and they invited us to see their town and sample some of the local 'vine'. We had an awesome day of sampling wine, eating local delicacies and more sampling of wine (in a huge Underground cave!). They are the nicest and most generous People, and even bought me a bottle of very fine cremont (champagne not from Champagne) as a present. I hope when they come to Canada I can return the favour somehow!

 

Our friends in the Chablisieng winery

 

After Paris was Metz and Strasbourg to visit my friend Franziska but People want to get on this Computer so those tales will have to wait!

 

Anyways, we're doing well. We LOVED France and it's definitely a place to come back to one day to see more of and spend more time in. I totally am down with the culture and lifestyle and my French improved so much over only two weeks! We're in Germany now, I will try to update again soon! Miss everyone!! Cant wait to see my mom in 4 days in Prague!

 

xo