My EF plus 30 day adventure in Western Europe or traveling with teenagers can be a different experience especially when they're not yours, by Baldworth
Aug 12th, 2006, 10:50 AM
#101
This was a totally fantastic report but dare I say that it is a relief to see the end of it, especially without mention of prison time, irreversible comas or the FBI awaiting the arriving planes back in the US?
Aug 12th, 2006, 12:44 PM
#105
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,860
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks a lot, baldworth - I still think you are a saint. And it's nice that others on your trip appreciated you, too.
I'd love to hear about the rest of the trip, but I'm sure you're tired of writing trip reports by now. And it must be time to prepare for another school year. So, thanks for sharing these adventures!
Linda
I'd love to hear about the rest of the trip, but I'm sure you're tired of writing trip reports by now. And it must be time to prepare for another school year. So, thanks for sharing these adventures!
Linda
Aug 12th, 2006, 12:54 PM
#106
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 37,416
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Very fun read. So now you can rest up for the next one!!!!!! Hope you could relax at the end after you had rid yourself of all the "little darlings". Thanks for posting..a very "different" kind of trip.
Aug 12th, 2006, 01:05 PM
#107
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 2,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Count me in on those who would have liked to hear about the rest (or private portion) of your trip - especially as this seems to have lead you more towards my neck of the woods.
Thanks for an entertaining read anyway - and best wishes for a speedy recovery from all those nerve wrecking episodes!
Thanks for an entertaining read anyway - and best wishes for a speedy recovery from all those nerve wrecking episodes!
Aug 12th, 2006, 01:11 PM
#108
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, it appears that I now have some time on my hands as my oldest just left for college again, took my youngest and their mother with them to unpack, and my other child will be going out for the evening in a while. I should have time to write the rest of it in a while if anyone is still interested.
Baldworth
Baldworth
Aug 12th, 2006, 01:33 PM
#110
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 6,003
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am sad to see this tale come to an end.
Any chance you have it consolidated in a form you could e-mail to some of for reading in another format and venue?
I really appreciate you sharing this with us.
MvK
Any chance you have it consolidated in a form you could e-mail to some of for reading in another format and venue?
I really appreciate you sharing this with us.
MvK
Aug 12th, 2006, 02:27 PM
#113
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 37,416
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yea, I'd LOVE to hear the rest. I didn't push it because you sort of sounded like you were done, and I certainly can't blame you but if you have the strength LOL, I'd love to hear the "rest of the story".
Aug 12th, 2006, 04:05 PM
#114
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The response is positive so I guess I'll continue.
This would be the rest of day 23.When we left off we were on a plane headed from Madrid to Barcelona and were now down to five, myself, daughter S, N, L, and R. We touched down in BCN at 7:15 after an uneventful flight and with me still feeling the effects of the night before. I don't think that I ever got untipsy and didn't have any coffee or anything else to help with the effects. When we got to the airport in BCN we tried to locate an information desk and figure out what to do next. We took out the last of our money from the ATM and had some coffee. S and I established a new pattern of parking the group and locating our next pathway because L had started to show major signs of fatigue and heat related issues in Madrid and did not look like someone who was happy to be on another adventure. I found a guy who gave me the instructions to take us to the center of the city and S helped me interpret them.
It turns out that we were to go to the train station which was across the way from the airport, where the trains did not run anymore, and catch a bus that would take us to Sans Station. There we could catch the metro and get to the Barceloneta area where our hostel was supposed to be. It sounded simple but like most things they are never as simple as they seem. We grabbed our bags an headed out.
The station was about a half mile walkaround the outside and over tha ramp and down to the bus stop. We climbed on and filled up half of the bus with our bags. We each had two bags and N had a backpack and another shoulder bag with S carrying two in addition to her two checked bags. We were not traveling light. Fifteen minutes later we arrived in the station, bought a BCN city map, and talked to the people at the information desk. The metro was down and to the right. L was already showing signs of fading and we weren't even to the subway yet. I had read somewhere (Rick Steves I think) that metro tickets were only 5.70 euro for ten so I bought a book which turned out to be one ticket with ten turns. Everyone else had to by tickets as well but this one would serve me well later. Just to get to the first train we had to go up and down several flights of stairs. It was now 10:00 and we had touched down at 7:15. When we changed lines to get to the one that would take us to Barceloneta, we had to walk at least a quarter of a mile between lines and again I wasn't sure if L was going to make it. This was the other parent in the group and she was fading fast. We finally got on the correct line and rode it with our luggage to the correct stop. I'll never look strangely at people rolling suitcases through subways again as long as I live. I think I lost five pounds that day between the airport and the hostel. When we got out of the metro there were two women fighting across the street, with one of them wailing away on the other for about 45 seconds before two guys who knew them showed up to pull them apart. Welcome to Barceloneta!. We crossed carefully and found some benches to rest on before proceeding. We could see boats and smell the water but didn't know where our particular place was. We asked two police officers but they didn't know either. We parked L and R her daughter and went off in search. We found someone who knew where it was and pointed us in the right direction. Fifteen minutes later we asked again and were pointed further in the same direction. We finally got to the end of the peninsula that jutted out into the Mediteranean and there it was, The SeaPoint Hostel at Plaza del Mar. I went in to talk to the manager and confirm our reservations and was told that it would be a few minutes. I told him that we would be back in a few minutes as we had to collect the rest of our party. It took us twenty minutes to get there and collect them and twenty minutes to get back. By the time that we had checked in it was after noon and we had spent three and a half hours traveling through BCN. I decided then and there that when we left it was going to be by cab, not the same way that we came. We got a room on the first floor that was made for seven and crashed for a while. I went down to the beach for a little while and confirmed that it was at least a topless beach as I had thought from everything I had read on Virtual Tourist. It was a little overwhelming at first after being raised in the south where such things go against the grain of the Bible Belt. I adjusted. Most of the day was pent catching up on sleep that we hadn't gotten the night before. I knew why EF didn't include BCN on its tours.
The next day most of us woke up somewhat refreshed if not as rested as we could have been. The girls next to us were rather noisy and there was only a half wall between us and them. We heard every silly comment they made before they went out on their own pub crawl and every one they made when they got back at 2:00. Anyway, S, R, and I were ready to go walk Las Ramblas and try to meet LaClaire who was supposed to be at The Hard Rock on her bicycle at 12:00. We walked down the block away from the Plaza del Mar and then toward the statue of Christopher Columbus looking out to sea and then up Las Ramblas. N hadn't wanted to get up and L was not feeling well. She might have had a virus or she might have never gotten over the combination of heat and back pain medication she was taking but either way she never left the hostel the whole time we were there. We adjusted.
Las Ramblas, for those who have never been to BCN, is quite overwhelming. It is wide and it is long and it is filled with every kind of street vendor, souvenir shop, and market you can think of. It also has the best fish market I have ever seen. My cash was running low and so we stopped at a Burger King, bought a cke and used their rest room. I had also saved some fruit and crackers from breakfast at the hostel that would soon become my lunch. For now though we saw more of the people dressed as statues along the street than I have ever seen in one place. There must have been 50 before we got to the Plaza Catalunya at the end of Las Ramblas At this point I need to explain something.
We were supposed to have met LaClaire the day before but we were barely checked into the hostel and half dead the day before and so I had used a borrowed email site (I couldn't access my own) to send her an email trying to change the day that night. We arrived after waiting at the fountains for a while and waited for about 45 minutes before deducing that she wasn't coming. You see, she had also had problems getting there except hers was not receioving her confirmation for travel until very late so she didn't make it until after the meeting date as well. WE tried and I would really liked to have met her and picked her brain about BCN. It was not to be.
We moved on to the Gothic Quarter and found a street musicain who played a stringed instrument that I hadn't seen before. The music reminded me of the Godfather. It set a wonderful mood. We moved on from there to head to Barcelona's Arch of Triumph and then went on to La Sagrada Familia. It was without a doubt the most amazing church I have ever seen from the outside with the spires and scenes depicting very different images on the facade. There were also many cranes and much work being done to it but I am sure it will be amazing when it is completed. The back side is much older and gives an idea of what is to come. We finally headed back to the hostel.
N had awoken at some point and wandered out to the beach to discover that he was at a topless beach, a nineteen year old guys dream. We informed him that yes we knew it was that way and it really didn't matter that much but I don't think he ever got completely over it. We played cards on the beach that night and found a convenience store where there were lots of different things for very reasonable prices, including cheap Spanish wine. The first full day in BCN was a success even though we were not able to hook up with LaClaire and L never left the hostel. In some ways the next day, our last, would prove to be the most interesting. At least we didn't have the drama queen or BE the Jekyll/Hyde drunk to deal with. All, or most all of the drama was over and we could relax. We still had Hamburg, and L and R had Dublin, to look forward to.
Baldworth
PS - I'll try to finish this in a little while.
This would be the rest of day 23.When we left off we were on a plane headed from Madrid to Barcelona and were now down to five, myself, daughter S, N, L, and R. We touched down in BCN at 7:15 after an uneventful flight and with me still feeling the effects of the night before. I don't think that I ever got untipsy and didn't have any coffee or anything else to help with the effects. When we got to the airport in BCN we tried to locate an information desk and figure out what to do next. We took out the last of our money from the ATM and had some coffee. S and I established a new pattern of parking the group and locating our next pathway because L had started to show major signs of fatigue and heat related issues in Madrid and did not look like someone who was happy to be on another adventure. I found a guy who gave me the instructions to take us to the center of the city and S helped me interpret them.
It turns out that we were to go to the train station which was across the way from the airport, where the trains did not run anymore, and catch a bus that would take us to Sans Station. There we could catch the metro and get to the Barceloneta area where our hostel was supposed to be. It sounded simple but like most things they are never as simple as they seem. We grabbed our bags an headed out.
The station was about a half mile walkaround the outside and over tha ramp and down to the bus stop. We climbed on and filled up half of the bus with our bags. We each had two bags and N had a backpack and another shoulder bag with S carrying two in addition to her two checked bags. We were not traveling light. Fifteen minutes later we arrived in the station, bought a BCN city map, and talked to the people at the information desk. The metro was down and to the right. L was already showing signs of fading and we weren't even to the subway yet. I had read somewhere (Rick Steves I think) that metro tickets were only 5.70 euro for ten so I bought a book which turned out to be one ticket with ten turns. Everyone else had to by tickets as well but this one would serve me well later. Just to get to the first train we had to go up and down several flights of stairs. It was now 10:00 and we had touched down at 7:15. When we changed lines to get to the one that would take us to Barceloneta, we had to walk at least a quarter of a mile between lines and again I wasn't sure if L was going to make it. This was the other parent in the group and she was fading fast. We finally got on the correct line and rode it with our luggage to the correct stop. I'll never look strangely at people rolling suitcases through subways again as long as I live. I think I lost five pounds that day between the airport and the hostel. When we got out of the metro there were two women fighting across the street, with one of them wailing away on the other for about 45 seconds before two guys who knew them showed up to pull them apart. Welcome to Barceloneta!. We crossed carefully and found some benches to rest on before proceeding. We could see boats and smell the water but didn't know where our particular place was. We asked two police officers but they didn't know either. We parked L and R her daughter and went off in search. We found someone who knew where it was and pointed us in the right direction. Fifteen minutes later we asked again and were pointed further in the same direction. We finally got to the end of the peninsula that jutted out into the Mediteranean and there it was, The SeaPoint Hostel at Plaza del Mar. I went in to talk to the manager and confirm our reservations and was told that it would be a few minutes. I told him that we would be back in a few minutes as we had to collect the rest of our party. It took us twenty minutes to get there and collect them and twenty minutes to get back. By the time that we had checked in it was after noon and we had spent three and a half hours traveling through BCN. I decided then and there that when we left it was going to be by cab, not the same way that we came. We got a room on the first floor that was made for seven and crashed for a while. I went down to the beach for a little while and confirmed that it was at least a topless beach as I had thought from everything I had read on Virtual Tourist. It was a little overwhelming at first after being raised in the south where such things go against the grain of the Bible Belt. I adjusted. Most of the day was pent catching up on sleep that we hadn't gotten the night before. I knew why EF didn't include BCN on its tours.
The next day most of us woke up somewhat refreshed if not as rested as we could have been. The girls next to us were rather noisy and there was only a half wall between us and them. We heard every silly comment they made before they went out on their own pub crawl and every one they made when they got back at 2:00. Anyway, S, R, and I were ready to go walk Las Ramblas and try to meet LaClaire who was supposed to be at The Hard Rock on her bicycle at 12:00. We walked down the block away from the Plaza del Mar and then toward the statue of Christopher Columbus looking out to sea and then up Las Ramblas. N hadn't wanted to get up and L was not feeling well. She might have had a virus or she might have never gotten over the combination of heat and back pain medication she was taking but either way she never left the hostel the whole time we were there. We adjusted.
Las Ramblas, for those who have never been to BCN, is quite overwhelming. It is wide and it is long and it is filled with every kind of street vendor, souvenir shop, and market you can think of. It also has the best fish market I have ever seen. My cash was running low and so we stopped at a Burger King, bought a cke and used their rest room. I had also saved some fruit and crackers from breakfast at the hostel that would soon become my lunch. For now though we saw more of the people dressed as statues along the street than I have ever seen in one place. There must have been 50 before we got to the Plaza Catalunya at the end of Las Ramblas At this point I need to explain something.
We were supposed to have met LaClaire the day before but we were barely checked into the hostel and half dead the day before and so I had used a borrowed email site (I couldn't access my own) to send her an email trying to change the day that night. We arrived after waiting at the fountains for a while and waited for about 45 minutes before deducing that she wasn't coming. You see, she had also had problems getting there except hers was not receioving her confirmation for travel until very late so she didn't make it until after the meeting date as well. WE tried and I would really liked to have met her and picked her brain about BCN. It was not to be.
We moved on to the Gothic Quarter and found a street musicain who played a stringed instrument that I hadn't seen before. The music reminded me of the Godfather. It set a wonderful mood. We moved on from there to head to Barcelona's Arch of Triumph and then went on to La Sagrada Familia. It was without a doubt the most amazing church I have ever seen from the outside with the spires and scenes depicting very different images on the facade. There were also many cranes and much work being done to it but I am sure it will be amazing when it is completed. The back side is much older and gives an idea of what is to come. We finally headed back to the hostel.
N had awoken at some point and wandered out to the beach to discover that he was at a topless beach, a nineteen year old guys dream. We informed him that yes we knew it was that way and it really didn't matter that much but I don't think he ever got completely over it. We played cards on the beach that night and found a convenience store where there were lots of different things for very reasonable prices, including cheap Spanish wine. The first full day in BCN was a success even though we were not able to hook up with LaClaire and L never left the hostel. In some ways the next day, our last, would prove to be the most interesting. At least we didn't have the drama queen or BE the Jekyll/Hyde drunk to deal with. All, or most all of the drama was over and we could relax. We still had Hamburg, and L and R had Dublin, to look forward to.
Baldworth
PS - I'll try to finish this in a little while.
Aug 12th, 2006, 06:19 PM
#115
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
OK, day 25 and our last day in Barcelona.
We got up and had breakfast before worrying about what we were going to do that day. L was still under the weather and not going anywhere and R thought she should stay with her for a while. N didn't want to get up until he had to so S and I struck out on our own for a tour of Park Guell. This park was one we had seen pictures of and I had heard about from a friend from Idaho who has done these tours for about 12 years. It was a must see. ON the way out we had stopped at the front desk and talked to the manager, Nikko, who told me about several places that he would recommend in BCN. The first two that he mentioned were Park Guell and something called the Magic Fountain that would be better seen at night. We proceeded to go to the park. The night before had been interesting for a couple of reasons. We were only five in a seven person room so about 1:00 or so two more people were put into our room. These turned out to be a really nice couple who were near the beginning of a two month trip backpacking all over the place. They fit right in. The other wasn't as pleasant. At about 2:00 a group of Spanish speaking girls had gotten in to the next room on the right of us. They were blabbering and making no attempt to keep their voices low. Time passed and they went to bed. When they started up again at 6:30 am however I couldn't take it anymore. I said something to the effect of "...for the love of god can't you be quiet?" and the noise stopped immediatly. Either they understood English or they sensed my tone and realized that it was too early and everyone could hear every word like they were sitting next to us. Whatever!
We rode the metro to the corrct stop, using my 10 stop pass and handing it back and forth for both to use. It was still a long way for us to go up the steps and funicular to the top and the back entrance. There were some spectacular views and areas to investigate throughout the park. We wandered into the area where an overhang raised above an area with musicians and vendors near Gaudi's home. The mosaics alone were worth the trip. We finally left through the front entrance and walked back toward the metro. A fellow laid down his motorcycle almost next to me and the guy in front of me dropped his water bottles to help out and pull the bike off of him. I stopped the water bottles from rolling away down the hill and stacked them for him for when he was through being of help. The rest of the walk and ride was fairly uneventful.
When we got back I arranged the cab rides for the next day with Nikko so that we wouldn't have to struggle just to get out of the city on time. We rested for a while and decided we wanted to work our way up toward what was the magic fountain. N, R, S, and I went to the area near the waterfront and slowly worked our way up. We went by the old Port of Barcelona and slowly walked toward what we thought to be a Disneylike fountain hopping from place to place Boy were we wrong. I didn't even bring my camera as I had been having low battery problems and it just didn't seem worth it. When we arrived after taking a small short cut it was much more than we could have hoped for. The fountain itself was only part of a series of cascades and water plumes that ran from the building up on the top of the hill past many Embassys and Government buildings to the main Plaza on the road down below, about 700 to 800 yards. The "Magic Fountain" was actually the size of a cul de sac in a neighborhood. The whole driving area. It had to be 100 fet across and had plumes of water coming from all different parts. Then it would shift and turn into a mist rising from the outer part,and then it would shift again and come from the inside parts outward. We thoughthis was great but there was supposed to be a show so we staked out seats and settled in. When it got dark we were treated to a 20 minute light show to go with the shifting fountain waters. By now there were over a thousand people gathered to watch the show and more were coming all the time. I leaned over to S and said "Wouldn't this be great with some classical music?" Not ten minutes later the next show had a series of classical tunes to accompany the lights and fountain waters. It was worth the entire trip to Barcelona! They supposedly do this every night during the summer and three or four nights a week all year long. We left after the third show and caught the metro back to the hostel. The next morning we had breakfast (I was actually getting used to instant coffee by then) and waited on the cab to arrive. I had gotten up at 7:00 to make sure that the cab would come for R and L and then waited until S and N got up and waited with them. The cab came right on schedule at 10:00 and we were on our way. The ride took about 20 minutes and cost us about 36 euro split three ways. It was well worth it!
We were back at the same airport we had come in from three days before and headed for Hamburg. This flight was on AirBerlin and would be three and a half hours. Soon we would be spending time with the Tour Director from our original EF tour. This guy believed in doing things both day and night and was lawys with us when we went out into whatever city we were in at night. We were looking forward to this greatly. The rest of day 26 and Hamburg to come.
Baldworth
We got up and had breakfast before worrying about what we were going to do that day. L was still under the weather and not going anywhere and R thought she should stay with her for a while. N didn't want to get up until he had to so S and I struck out on our own for a tour of Park Guell. This park was one we had seen pictures of and I had heard about from a friend from Idaho who has done these tours for about 12 years. It was a must see. ON the way out we had stopped at the front desk and talked to the manager, Nikko, who told me about several places that he would recommend in BCN. The first two that he mentioned were Park Guell and something called the Magic Fountain that would be better seen at night. We proceeded to go to the park. The night before had been interesting for a couple of reasons. We were only five in a seven person room so about 1:00 or so two more people were put into our room. These turned out to be a really nice couple who were near the beginning of a two month trip backpacking all over the place. They fit right in. The other wasn't as pleasant. At about 2:00 a group of Spanish speaking girls had gotten in to the next room on the right of us. They were blabbering and making no attempt to keep their voices low. Time passed and they went to bed. When they started up again at 6:30 am however I couldn't take it anymore. I said something to the effect of "...for the love of god can't you be quiet?" and the noise stopped immediatly. Either they understood English or they sensed my tone and realized that it was too early and everyone could hear every word like they were sitting next to us. Whatever!
We rode the metro to the corrct stop, using my 10 stop pass and handing it back and forth for both to use. It was still a long way for us to go up the steps and funicular to the top and the back entrance. There were some spectacular views and areas to investigate throughout the park. We wandered into the area where an overhang raised above an area with musicians and vendors near Gaudi's home. The mosaics alone were worth the trip. We finally left through the front entrance and walked back toward the metro. A fellow laid down his motorcycle almost next to me and the guy in front of me dropped his water bottles to help out and pull the bike off of him. I stopped the water bottles from rolling away down the hill and stacked them for him for when he was through being of help. The rest of the walk and ride was fairly uneventful.
When we got back I arranged the cab rides for the next day with Nikko so that we wouldn't have to struggle just to get out of the city on time. We rested for a while and decided we wanted to work our way up toward what was the magic fountain. N, R, S, and I went to the area near the waterfront and slowly worked our way up. We went by the old Port of Barcelona and slowly walked toward what we thought to be a Disneylike fountain hopping from place to place Boy were we wrong. I didn't even bring my camera as I had been having low battery problems and it just didn't seem worth it. When we arrived after taking a small short cut it was much more than we could have hoped for. The fountain itself was only part of a series of cascades and water plumes that ran from the building up on the top of the hill past many Embassys and Government buildings to the main Plaza on the road down below, about 700 to 800 yards. The "Magic Fountain" was actually the size of a cul de sac in a neighborhood. The whole driving area. It had to be 100 fet across and had plumes of water coming from all different parts. Then it would shift and turn into a mist rising from the outer part,and then it would shift again and come from the inside parts outward. We thoughthis was great but there was supposed to be a show so we staked out seats and settled in. When it got dark we were treated to a 20 minute light show to go with the shifting fountain waters. By now there were over a thousand people gathered to watch the show and more were coming all the time. I leaned over to S and said "Wouldn't this be great with some classical music?" Not ten minutes later the next show had a series of classical tunes to accompany the lights and fountain waters. It was worth the entire trip to Barcelona! They supposedly do this every night during the summer and three or four nights a week all year long. We left after the third show and caught the metro back to the hostel. The next morning we had breakfast (I was actually getting used to instant coffee by then) and waited on the cab to arrive. I had gotten up at 7:00 to make sure that the cab would come for R and L and then waited until S and N got up and waited with them. The cab came right on schedule at 10:00 and we were on our way. The ride took about 20 minutes and cost us about 36 euro split three ways. It was well worth it!
We were back at the same airport we had come in from three days before and headed for Hamburg. This flight was on AirBerlin and would be three and a half hours. Soon we would be spending time with the Tour Director from our original EF tour. This guy believed in doing things both day and night and was lawys with us when we went out into whatever city we were in at night. We were looking forward to this greatly. The rest of day 26 and Hamburg to come.
Baldworth
Aug 13th, 2006, 05:38 AM
#116
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Day 26 continued from Hamburg, Germany
We had tried unsuccessfully to reach Y our former tour director while in Germany early in the trip. We had also emailed him but seemed to be getting no answers. While on the beach one evening in BCN I had tried again to call him. For some reason this time I got through. He too had been trying to contact us through S's email, which was full and not taking any new incoming messages, my email which was unavailable to me at the moment, and my international phone which was acting strangely. The point is we finally made contact and he would be waiting for us when we got off the plane in Hamburg. He told us he would be the one with blond hair and blue eyes in the airport (like no other German would look like that).
He was truly a sight for sore eyes when we cleared the check in and got our luggage. I wasn't completely sure how Y and N would get along but N found out that Y was a snow boarder and they were immediatly fast friends. When we traveled with Y as our TD two years ago there was an instant connection and we enjoyed wandering the different cities with him both day and night. I have three teenage girls so the joke has been that Y is the German son that I never had. It was really good to see him again and we picked up just like we had seen each other regularly for the past two years. His English was about the same, pretty good in most situations but lacking for the right expression or selection of words at times, and so we could poke fun at each other the same way we had before. We took the 25 minute ride from the airport to Blankeneser where he had a flat near the River Elbe, unloaded our bags and walked down the hill to the river. There was so much to talk about that it went in rapid fire form from all directions. He had been working for Corona, the Mexican beer company, but had recently left them and gone to work in a management program with a bank that only caters to businesses. We caught up and decided to see some of the town. It was the 104 birthday weekend of Harley Davidson so there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 to 40,000 motorcycles and at least 50,000 bikers in town for the weekend. Hamburg is a port city that has done business by the sea for a long time, including its history with the Hanseatic League, and so has many things very particular to port cities. Sailorts have been coming here for a long time and it has a very well developed and large adult area known as the Reeperbahn. Basically, everything you want can be found in a 10 block area and most of the nightlife is there. The Beatles played the famous Cavern Club there and got their start. We wandered among the bikers and in and out of clubs for a couple of hours before giving it up and driving back to the flat. It was an experience unlike any other. It put Amsterdam's red light district to shame. It was much larger and more in your face. We slept well. By the way, we ate dinner at a place called Valpiano's that I have to tell you about. This was an Italian restuarant where you pick your pasta, sauce, salad, wine, and/or anything else from a buffet like line and they make it fresh in front of you, kind of like the Japanese places where they prepare it in the center. It was the freshest Italian food I have ever had and not too expensive either. Pasta was about 7 or 8 euro. If you ever see one of these places try it. You won't be sorry. I could see this becoming a hot thing in many cities and could even already be. More later if anyone is still reading.
Baldworth
We had tried unsuccessfully to reach Y our former tour director while in Germany early in the trip. We had also emailed him but seemed to be getting no answers. While on the beach one evening in BCN I had tried again to call him. For some reason this time I got through. He too had been trying to contact us through S's email, which was full and not taking any new incoming messages, my email which was unavailable to me at the moment, and my international phone which was acting strangely. The point is we finally made contact and he would be waiting for us when we got off the plane in Hamburg. He told us he would be the one with blond hair and blue eyes in the airport (like no other German would look like that).
He was truly a sight for sore eyes when we cleared the check in and got our luggage. I wasn't completely sure how Y and N would get along but N found out that Y was a snow boarder and they were immediatly fast friends. When we traveled with Y as our TD two years ago there was an instant connection and we enjoyed wandering the different cities with him both day and night. I have three teenage girls so the joke has been that Y is the German son that I never had. It was really good to see him again and we picked up just like we had seen each other regularly for the past two years. His English was about the same, pretty good in most situations but lacking for the right expression or selection of words at times, and so we could poke fun at each other the same way we had before. We took the 25 minute ride from the airport to Blankeneser where he had a flat near the River Elbe, unloaded our bags and walked down the hill to the river. There was so much to talk about that it went in rapid fire form from all directions. He had been working for Corona, the Mexican beer company, but had recently left them and gone to work in a management program with a bank that only caters to businesses. We caught up and decided to see some of the town. It was the 104 birthday weekend of Harley Davidson so there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 to 40,000 motorcycles and at least 50,000 bikers in town for the weekend. Hamburg is a port city that has done business by the sea for a long time, including its history with the Hanseatic League, and so has many things very particular to port cities. Sailorts have been coming here for a long time and it has a very well developed and large adult area known as the Reeperbahn. Basically, everything you want can be found in a 10 block area and most of the nightlife is there. The Beatles played the famous Cavern Club there and got their start. We wandered among the bikers and in and out of clubs for a couple of hours before giving it up and driving back to the flat. It was an experience unlike any other. It put Amsterdam's red light district to shame. It was much larger and more in your face. We slept well. By the way, we ate dinner at a place called Valpiano's that I have to tell you about. This was an Italian restuarant where you pick your pasta, sauce, salad, wine, and/or anything else from a buffet like line and they make it fresh in front of you, kind of like the Japanese places where they prepare it in the center. It was the freshest Italian food I have ever had and not too expensive either. Pasta was about 7 or 8 euro. If you ever see one of these places try it. You won't be sorry. I could see this becoming a hot thing in many cities and could even already be. More later if anyone is still reading.
Baldworth
Aug 13th, 2006, 10:35 AM
#118
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There were only three of us now as L and R left BCN for Dublin when we went to Hamburg. He had a very large sectional couch where S and N took opposite sides and I slept in his second bedroom. We were quite comfortable.
There is still at least one good adventure left in this story if anyone is still interested other than Mollie. If not, I guess I'll just finish it for her. Later.
Baldworth
There is still at least one good adventure left in this story if anyone is still interested other than Mollie. If not, I guess I'll just finish it for her. Later.
Baldworth
