Belgium and Switzerland

It was a pity to have only a few hours to spend in New York City before our departure from JFK to Dusseldorf. But we were very excited to be headed for Europe to visit our friends there, all of whom we had not seen for some time, and to visit some wonderful European cities. After an uneventful flight, we hopped onto the wonderful German rail system headed for Antwerp, Belgium. There we would visit and stay with Sofie, a friend of Kristen’s through connections in Quincy, and her boyfriend Jan. We were thankful to stay for several nights in their spacious, castle-like abode, complete with a large backyard/garden area. The beautiful spring weather with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70’s made for a complete package.

After a day of recovering from jetlag, we visited Antwerp several times over the weekend. The first visit included visiting a nice bar/café on the margin of a plaza, and watching Jan perform with his band at a standup comedy/open mike night. Jan is a great keyboardist/pianist who has toured with Zap Mama and been involved with some well-known acts over the last several years. For the next two days Sofie arranged some bikes for us to use, and we rode into town, gliding over the reddish-orange bike paths the entire six miles along with folks young and old, business people, families, and many other Antwerpens riding and enjoying the spring weather and beginning of Easter Break. The transportation infrastructure for bicycles, as well as the use thereof, was truly inspiring to see and participate in. Perhaps one day areas of the US will have this as well. How expensive is gas over there now?

Antwerp was glorious in the sunny weather. The train station is an incredibly impressive structure. We spent several hours walking around the city, and experiencing the contrast of different neighborhoods, including the Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods and the red light district, and their features, such as the various green spaces (botanical garden, city parks) and impressive baroque architecture. There were also newer architectural features that caught the eye, such as the new courthouse. After touring the city by day, learning its history and becoming familiar with its contours, we prepared an “American style” hamburger BBQ dinner for Sofie and Jan out in their expansive backyard. It was great to be in the city by day and retire to their “country estate” by evening. One afternoon we had the pleasure of enjoying good Belgian beer with another of Kristen’s friends from Quincy, Kaley, who happened to be visiting Antwerp that weekend with his girlfriend. The weather turned showery the last day we were there, so we took a break to regroup and plan for our next adventure. We said goodbye to Sofie and Jan, thanking them for their much-appreciated hospitality and welcoming them to visit us in the US whenever they get the chance… perhaps on Jan’s next big tour abroad with a band or as a quest for studio recording equipment! 

The train ride from Antwerp to Baden (outside of Zurich), where we would visit Ansgar and Patricia, took an entire day and involved several transfers (Brussels, Cologne, and Basel), but traversed some beautiful country, especially in the south of Germany and in northern Switzerland. We arrived in the evening and met Ansgar, who took us to their apartment minutes from the station that overlooks the Limmat River. It was great to see the two of them, especially since we last saw them at our wedding and Patricia was now ~26 weeks pregnant! We enjoyed wandering the streets of Baden the next day, from the medieval walls of Ruine Stein, to the hotsprings that give the town its name and draw many tourists. The hotsprings have been in use for millennia, and there were ongoing archaeological excavations into the “Baden Kultur” from the Romans through the Medieval Era to more modern times.  We walked around the area that was open to the public and could see some of the unearthed remnants of bathhouse structures long since past. 

The next morning we departed Baden for Calancatal, a rural valley in southern Switzerland where Patricia’s family has a mountain cabin. The drive was visually stunning, passing through the beautiful Vierwaldstaedte See, through the Gotthard Tunnel, and up into the mountains. Calanca Valley is simply beautiful, with steep glacially-carved valley walls, rushing creeks, picturesque small villages, green forests, and livestock (mainly goats, but also cows) grazing in the flatter grassland areas. Their cabin is a really amazing “Steinhaus”, built mainly of native stone in the early 18^th century (and possibly earlier) as shown by the date on the fireplace. The short doors hinted of a time when people were shorter, and the blackened walls made us wonder about the horrendous indoor air resulting from the constant attempts to warm the house. After a short walk around the village, we enjoyed a scenic view of the green valley and a delicious meal from the grill: sausages, salad, bread, and bacon wrapped bananas for desert.

 The first full day in Calancatal we went on a long hiking traverse high on the west slopes of the valley, skipping the teleferique ride at the outset that arrives in the village of Landarenca, which is not accessible by car. The village was very quaint and compact, with narrow cobblestone alleys for roads that were traveled as much by goats as people. Continuing above the village, we came to see that most flat-ish spaces on slopes above the main valley were occupied by some structure or another- many in various stages of decay. The following day we hiked up to a few small cabins that are also part of Patricia’s family’s property (visiting some beautiful cascades along the way) but are perched high on the steep slopes of the eastern side of the main valley. Here we ate a simple lunch while our eyes feasted on the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. 

We were sad to depart Calancatal, but we were happy to see some of Zurich the next day after returning to Baden. We rode into Zurich on bikes – a ride of about 25 km one way – and enjoyed a beautiful day visiting Zurich Lake and some of the sites of Zurich, including the Grossmuenster Church and the narrow cobblestone paths of the old city. Such urban sites made for a nice transition to our next destination and another European gem with great heritage: Prague. We left Baden the following morning, grateful for such a wonderful time and incredible hospitality, and wished Ansgar and Patricia the best in the upcoming expectant months.

East Coast Travels

We left my folks house in Meadow Valley in a snowstorm!  Five feet of snow had fallen over the previous two days.  We enjoyed the simple life with no power…melting snow for water on the wood stove, checking in on neighbors, helping with shoveling, and waiting for power updates.  It was beautifully calm and quiet.  

  

My folks had already left for Washington D.C. and we flew from Reno to join them there a few days later.  Graham and I and my Dad had never visited our Nation’s Capital and Mom hadn’t been there since the 70’s.  Along with plans to visit the Smithsonians, monuments, capital, and family in the area, the cherry blossoms would be close to their peak. 

We landed in D.C. and had our first D.C. Metro experience.  An amazing system that makes it so easy to get around!  Over the next few days we visited the many sights of the city.  Highlights included the mineral exhibit in the Natural History Smithsonian, the Monuments and Memorials engulfed in cherry blossoms, the Wright Brothers’ exhibit in the Air and Space Smithsonian, Julia Child’s kitchen in the American History Smithsonian, our Nation’s founding and defining documents in the National Archives, the Gutenberg Bible and Thomas Jefferson’s original library in the Library of Congress, orchids in the National Botanical Garden, sobering and reflective exhibits at the Holocaust Museum, and the Obama’s vegetable garden on the White House lawn.

 Graham and I spent a couple nights with my cousin Joel, his wife Nita and their kids Adrian and new baby Alyissa in Dunn Loring just outside of D.C.  We enjoyed catching up with them over good food and a fantastic hike along the Potomac to the impressive Great Falls.

 We wrapped up our visit in D.C. and rented a car along with my folks to travel south to North Carolina to visit family there.  Travelling through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, we wished we had had more time to visit historic towns, battlefields, and natural features along the way.  Mid-way through the journey we stopped for a short visit at Polyface Farms, featured in Michael Pollan's writings, films, and Joel Salatin’s own books.  They have a completely open farm policy.  We walked around checking out the large hoop houses housing happy chickens, pigs, and rabbits. Crossing over the Appalachians near the Smoky Mountain we again wished we had more time and vowed to someday make it back to that part of the world.  One night in Asheville didn’t leave much time to explore the vibrant bluegrass, outdoor recreation, and craft brew culture.

 Driving out of the mountains and down into the Piedmont region of North Carolina it was amazing to see the change in climate and subsequent vegetation.  The landscape was very green and felt much more of spring with dogwood and red bud a bloomin’.  We had a fantastic visit with my Uncle Patrick, Aunt Sue, and Cousin Eric at their home outside of Charlotte in Waxhaw.  Sue gave us an informative tour of the JAARS (Jungle Aviation And Radio Service) center, their home base for many years as missionaries in Central America and Africa.  We learned a great deal about the role and inter-workings of the organization and their efforts to bring language to cultures around the world.   Visiting with Eric during spring break of his senior year in high school we learned about his plans for the future and the big decisions that were ahead of him.  Wish you the best Eric!  Sorry to have missed Cousin Joy, though glad to hear she is doing really well during her first year in college.  With Pat and Sue we traveled to visit the site of historic revolutionary era Bratonsville that was filmed and featured in the movie the Patriot.  It was fascinating to walk around the original homestead buildings, slave quarters, revolutionary era homes, and civil war homes.  Our last stop with them was the Levine Museum of the New South where we explored exhibits about the transformation of the South from agrarian society based on slave labor to the post Civil War industrial society supported initially by tenant farmer labor to present day.  Also featured was a very though provoking exhibit on the local Clarendon County suit that comprised a portion of the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court Case.  

The next day my folks flew home from Charlotte to Reno and on to face the snow back in Meadow Valley.  We really had enjoyed traveling with them over the last couple weeks!

Graham and I continued on with the car and returned north to Baltimore to visit my college friend Jen and her fiancé Ryan.  On the way we stopped to visit Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate.  Really impressive!  The estate was in fantastic shape thanks to ongoing restoration efforts.  We took a tour of the home and also of the gardens and grounds.  We were amazed to learn about Jefferson’s thoughtful and intricate design details - double pane windows and doors on the North side, a wine bottle dumbbell, rain water catchments, and a weather vane connected directly to a compass installed on the porch showing the wind direction (from inside he could look at the compass to check the wind direction) – all built beginning in the 1780s.  We were especially intrigued by the large garden space and ongoing work to restore the garden to as near a Jefferson-day planting as possible.  Jefferson subsided on salad with meat as an accompaniment and enjoyed the miracle varieties of spinach, garlic, and kale!  

 We arrived in Baltimore that evening and enjoyed a great visit with Jen and Ryan in their aqua row house built in the late 1800s as cotton mill housing.  We explored Baltimore and the surroundings by car, foot, and bus.  Fascinating city with much history, though the grit was somewhat alarming.  As we followed Google Map’s recommend route to their house at 10pm on a Friday night we drove through one particular neighborhood with flashing blue lights on posts at every block.  Looking closer we realized that they were cameras filming our every move for blocks on end.  Learning later about the city crime statistics we realized the reason for the cameras. 

Though not to deter you from a future Baltimore visit…we had a great time walking around most of the city and particularly enjoyed the historic parts – Little Italy, the Phoenix shot tower (where molten lead was dropped from a platform at the top of the tower through a sieve and into a vat of cold water at the bottom), the homes of Betsy Ross and Francis Scott Key, and the beautiful Johns Hopkins campus where Ryan and Jen are both working on their PhDs.    

We left their place after enjoying great food together, thanks to Chef Ryan who created incredible dishes - Harrisa chicken, Okonamiyaki, and Matzo ball chicken soup. Yum!  And how could we forget…a visit to Rita’s (Italian ice and ice custard).

 We were soon off to New York by bus for our flight to Dusseldorf and the beginning of a European adventure! 

California/Winter wrap up

It’s been over a month since we’ve posted, so there’s a lot to cover and this and the following post will be a little less detailed (I can hear the collective digital sigh of relief!!!). We left Joshua Tree in late February, headed for points north both in the Mojave Desert and eventually on to the Sierras for some skiing. First stop after Joshua Tree was the Kelso Dunes, a massive dune field that stretches for miles and reaches about 600 feet in height. We spent several nights here, enjoying the short-lived beautiful weather and hiking around the dunes. Strange vegetation in these parts… a primrose called devil’s lantern was particularly alien looking. 

The weather took a turn for the worse as we continued our northward journey, but not before we soaked in the scenic Remington Hot Springs on the Kern River, taking in some amazing backroads and history along the way, passing through the hamlet of Havilah, an old mining town and the original Kern County seat. As the storm rolled in the next morning and the cold rain started to loudly pelt the roof of our bus, we decided to spend a night in Bakersfield in the Walmart parking lot before heading up to China Peak ski area outside of Fresno. Why Bakersfield, you ask? Some of the best Basque food in the west can be found there at the Noriega Hotel, the oldest continuously operating Basque boarding house still in operation in the US. We were stuffed by the time we arrived at Walmart. As the storm cleared the next morning, we headed up to the Sierras around Huntington Lake for both China Peak downhill and Nordic ski touring. China Peak was a really mellow mountain resort, complete with happy, smiling lifties. We spent several nights at the Tamarack Sno-Park in our bus, touring on marked trails from that location. The weather was fantastic, with sunny skies and light winds, but unfortunately not for long. Several inches of snow had fallen and covered our bus the morning we left- with more on the way.

Once again, we ducked out of the high mountains and took in some beautiful backroad scenery, travelling from Prather towards Sonora, where we could shelter and visit with Kristen’s Uncle Jim and Aunt Mary Anne. After about 5 winding and rainy hours of backroad travel later, we arrived and were treated to a delicious dinner, a hot shower, a warm bed, and great company.

As the storm cleared the next morning, we resupplied and headed for the mountains yet again- this time for Bear Valley ski area on Highway 4. It was humbling to have the tempo of our lives and travels so dictated by the rhythm of Pacific storms dumping on the Sierras. It had snowed big this time… several feet in the Bear Valley area and as a result the skiing was absolutely incredible. Even more incredible was the deal we got… $27 each for two days of skiing as part of their March madness deal- just in line with our budget! And the nice folks at Bear Valley were cool with us parking our van in the lot and enjoying the view for the night.

After some incredible skiing we headed for another of our favorite Sierran hot springs, Grover, near Markleeville over Carson Pass. To our complete disappointment and despite calling ahead, they were closed, so we camped on the beautiful Carson River and enjoyed a down day. Continuing northward, we were happy to visit and stay with friends in Tahoe. Particularly nice was Molly’s baby shower, and visiting with some of our Reno friends as well. On occasion, when we pine for our previously sedentary life, we usually think of our incredible group of friends that was once so easily visited before we began traveling.

We made a trip over to Carson City to visit with Adam, Angela, and their two boys (thanks for the great dinner!) before heading to Reno and eventually to Kristen’s folks’ place in Meadow Valley. There we began preparations for the next leg of our travels… to the east coast and on to Europe. We were happy that we, including our hardworking bus Goldi, had made it through 2500 miles and 6 weeks through a range of weather conditions in a variety of terrain- mountains, desert, valley, etc. This bodes well for our planned Alaskan adventure this summer- STAY TUNED!!! 

Thanks for your love and support everyone!