Wadlopen

We woke up at 7am to catch an 8:20 bus from Groningen station to Lauwersoog. Alma delivered our breakfast of eggs, ham, cheese and bread at 7:15. We left with Jack at 8am for the short ride to the station. It was very nice of him to give us a ride and we felt lucky to have found such nice hosts (on the internet no doubt). The bus arrived promptly at 8:20 and we were off on our 45 min ride to catch the ferry. 

Once we got to Lauwersoog, it was not really clear which was the right ferry. So, we basically started walking around asking if anyone knew where we were supposed to go. We found another group who were going off for a 5 hour mud hike, and they invited us to go along with them if we didn't find our group. There was no way we were going with them. I was already beginning to doubt going on a 3 hour mud hike and adding 2 hours was definitely not in the plans. They did direct us in the direction that they thought our ferry would be so we set off there. 

After walking about another 10 minutes we spotted the only ferry with activity around it and were just hoping that it was the one since there was nothing else going on around the dock. We were in luck, it was our boat. There were only 4 people on at the time but it quickly began to fill up and soon there were about 20 of us ready to set off on the hike. The ferry took an hour to actually get to the dry sand bed so we could begin the walk. We were getting anxious but soon enough we were wading in waist-deep water off the boat to get to the sand bed. 

Once we got off the boat, each guide paired up with the hikers and we got a very enthusiastic guide (Johann) all to ourselves. Johann was clearly into Arlette and invited her on a night hike even before we got off the ferry. Johann led the way as we traversed over the dikes and were knee deep in mud at times. Three hours actually went by faster than I imagined. Many times I had to hush the voice in my head going, why are we doing this again!!?? I imagined a different experience - one where I would stand marvelling at the sight of the North Sea in the distance while walking on what would normally be the bottom of the ocean in high tide. 

It was pretty awesome once we were finished but for a couple hours there it was just mud , more mud, and us sinking deeper into mud. At one point, Arlette told Johann that we can't swim and of course he responded that we didn't need to unless high tide came back before the scheduled time. After 3 hours of mud walking we climbed back on the ferry which then took us to Schiermonnikoog (One of the Wadden Islands). Then, we boarded a bus that took us to the center of town and we followed Johann and the other guides to one of the local restaurants. We feasted on the local seafood and for dessert the Dutch pancake dish with Apple filing (Pannekoeken). It was delicious! 

After our meal, Johann and the guides said they were heading off to a lighthouse on the island to visit a friend. The lighthouse was not open for visitors but they invited us along so we headed off with them. Some of the other hikers were at the restaurant with us but they declined the lighthouse trip. There were some great views from the lighthouse and it was pretty neat after we found out that it is only one of two working lighthouses in all of Holland! After the lighthouse we went our own way back to the center of town to wait for the bus to take us back to the ferry and then begin our journey back to Amsterdam. We arrived back in Amsterdam at 11:30pm and basically just showered then fell into bed. It was a great day.  Here are some pictures.  

Groningen

We ate breakfast at a lovely outdoor restaurant about 20 minutes from Arlette's flat.  Once back home, we made plans to go on a mud walking tour (or "wadlopen") for the following day.  Arlette had described it to me and it sounded exciting, although I was still a little unsure of the details.  She said it was a walk in the Wadden Sea. During low-tide, the ocean recedes to create a land bridge between the mainland and several islands in the Wadden Sea.  The hikers have to sometimes fight their way through layers of mud, surrounded by nothing else but sea, sand and birds. All groups are accompanied by experienced guides.  It sounded like fun.

In order to get to the start of the walk we needed to take a 2 hour train to Groningen and then a 45 minute bus ride to town called Lauwersoog.  From there, a ferry would then take us to the one of the dikes along the sea where the walk would begin.  The tour left at 10am Sunday, so we decided to best to head out Saturday and stay at a Bed & Breakfast for the night. Unfortunately, there was a motorcycle grand prix going in the area and there was nothing available. We tried calling hotels but the price was now at 190 Euros a night (with exchange rate $300 US) - ridiculous!

We finally came across a B&B that promised a room with 2 beads, separate bath and breakfast for 70 Euros.  The owner also said he could pick us up at the station.  There were no pictures of the place online, so we were a bit skeptical.  But our options were limited, so made the reservation and took the 8PM train to Groningen.  We arrived two hour later.  Jack, the owner, met us at the station and drove us to his home.  We were relieved to find a lovely room in the attic.  It was perfect.  

The owner's wife, Alma, invited us to the block party that was going on on their block. It was the last day of school for the kids and every year ten houses on the block threw a party before everyone headed out to summer vacation.  We went to our room to change and then immediately headed over to the block party and met the neighbours. They were all nice, but after a glass of wine we left to see what the rest of Groningen was like.

Jack recommended a great bar with live music.  The band was really good. We enjoyed the music for a little while then left about 11:30 since we had to get up at 7am to make a 8am bus to the ferry. While walking back to the house, we happened upon a street party with DJ on a platform and dancers in the street. It was really good dance music so we stayed for 1/2 hour before heading back to the B&B to get some sleep.

Off to Amsterdam!!

I boarded a 12:25 flight to Amsterdam to visit Arlette today. I was very excited since we haven't seen each other for a year and half and it would be the first time that I am visiting her in Amsterdam. The only time we met up in Europe was in 2001 when she met Brian and I in Brussels.

Arlette met me at the airport and after grabbing a cappucino we headed off to her flat. She lives fairly close to the airport, so we were there in 1/2 hr. The plan was for us to go to the bike rental shop and rent a bike for my stay. At 10 Euros a day, it is the more economical way to see the city and get around. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we almost missed the 5:30 closing time of the rental shop. Once we got our bikes, Arlette led the way to the canals and to the trendy part of town. We parked at one of the outdoor cafes (not a regular coffee shop) for a drink before heading to dinner at a lovely restaurant where I had a delicious lamb shank dish. Arlette knew of a great place for dessert, but when we rode over there it was too crowded with diners waiting outside so we just headed back to her flat. We chatted and chatted then eventually fell asleep. I don't know what time.  Here are a few pictures from the first day in Amsterdam.

Breithorn

We eagerly gathered at 7:45 AM at the base station of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (formerly Klein Matterhorn) . We were greeted by our guide, Thomas, and the four other hikers in our group -- Anna, Michael, Phil, and Jason. We made quick introductions before boarding the cable car for the 40 minute ride up the mountain. Anna and Michael were a couple, both temporarily working at the UN in Geneva. Phil was a glaciologist from England. Jason was a geologist from Wales.

Jason's back story was the most interesting. He nearly died from a heart attack about a year ago. The experience forced him to re-prioritze his life; he had read about the Breithorn and decided to set a new goal: to someday climb the mountain and see the world from the summit 4,000 meters above sea level. He completely changed his lifestyle, started working out, and lost 40 pounds in the process. His wife and kids traveled to Switzerland with him to show their support. It was a really inspiring story. I didn't have the heart (no pun intended) to tell him we had spontaneously signed up the day before after checking the weather report online.

Anyway the cable car did most of the work for us, taking us 3,870 meters up the 4,164 meter mountain. The ride up offered exceptional views of the Matterhorn and vast glacier fields below. From the top, we could see over much of Switzerland, deep into Italy and even to France (with Mont Blanc 68km away). It was spectacular.

After taking in the view for a couple of minutes, we quickly refocused on the task at hand. We fastened our climbing harnesses, tied ourselves to a rope line, and headed off on our four hour tour. We walked along a flat ridge line before beginning the slow ascent. Found out later that the ridge crossed over several covered crevasses -- thus the need for the safety line. After about an hour, we stopped to put our crampons on and then we started the 35 degree climb up the snow covered mountain. Climbing at that angle at sea level might not be a problem, but factor in the altitude and the ice and it becomes quite a workout! My chest was burning. But Pam seemed unfazed. I was stunned to see how strong she was. She just marched up the mountain with her head down, dragging me and the rest of the group along with her. In our defense, we were all wearing a back-packs (she was not). But I don't think that made much of a difference. She was in peak form.

It was a beautiful day, if it weren't for the fact that the summit was covered with clouds. But not being able to see the summit had its advantages; it might have been a bit demoralizing to see how much further we had to go. The altitude was really starting to hit me. Just then, Thomas exclaimed "we made it!" It was hard to tell because the visibility was so low. But the wind was strong, and it wasn't long before a break in the clouds provided a clear opportunity to look down on the world below. It was truly exhilarating. Indescribable. We stayed on the summit for about 20 minutes before Thomas turned us around and marched us back down the mountain.

As much trouble as I had getting up, the trek back down was worse for me. I didn't have proper mountain boots, so I was stumbling all over the place (as Pam would describe it later: I was a "hot mess"). To make matters worse, one of my crampons came loose. Pam had to literally guide me back down at one point. But we made it without incident. I was completely exhausted. Back at Klein Matterhorn, I had barely enough energy left to climb panoramic viewing platform to take pictures.

We all met up for a celebratory drink before heading our separate ways. For us, that meant back to the hotel for our bags, a quick bite to eat, and then the train station for the trip back to Bern. Overall, it turned out to be one of the best experiences we've had so far. The sense of anxiety from the night before was gone. But the memories from this day will last a lifetime. See pictures or See video.

Zermatt

We left Bern this morning on the 9:07 AM train to Zermatt (via Visp). The leg between Visp and Zermatt actually forms part of Glacier Express route. But we had never seen this part because we took the Glacier Express heading East from Visp toward St. Moritz. In any case, the hour train ride between Visp and Zermatt is said to be one of the most beautiful in all of Switzerland. We can't argue with that. See pictures.

We arrived in Zermatt around 11AM and immediately went to the Alpine Center to book our guided tour of the Breithorn for the next day. Then we headed to a sporting goods store to rent the necessary hiking equipment (i.e., crampons, a climbing harness, mountaineering boots, and ski poles) before finally checking into our room at Hotel Couronne. We were so preoccupied we never really got a good look at the Matterhorn until we opened the doors to our balcony in our hotel room. It was absolutely awe-inspiring to see it in person for the first time. Except for muttering an occasional "wow," Pam and I sat there for some time in stunned silence admiring every detail. See more pictures or see video.

Our grumbling stomachs finally motivated us to get something to eat. We found a cute little outdoor restaurant serving traditional Swiss cuisine. We sat at a table with a great view of, what else, the Matterhorn. After lunch, we took the cogwheel train up to Gornergrat (3090m). See video. Our guidebook said it is the "highest open-air rail system in Europe." The observation terrace at the top offered wide open views of all great Alpine mountains in Switzerland's Valais region (there are a lot of them). Being surrounded by all those massifs was a bit dizzying, but that could have just been altitude sickness taking effect.

From our vantage point at Gornergrat we could also see the summit of Breithorn. I nearly s**t my pants. Breithorn is supposed to be one of the most easily climbed 4,000 meter Alpine peak, but it is still a 4,000 meter tall mountain. And from our angle there didn't look anything "easy" about it. We were both a little rattled. I was starting to wonder if maybe we had gotten in over our heads. Passing a cemetery on our way back to our hotel with a gravestone of a climber who died climbing the Breithorn didn't help matters. Coincidentally, the climber was from New York City. See even more pictures.

We had an early start the next morning, so Pam and I went to bed early. Our heads were filled with a mixture excitement, suspense, and fear as we laid there trying to fall asleep. It promised to be an exciting day ahead....

Weekend Plans

It was a rough week. I came down with a bad cold (or something) last weekend and was essentially out of commission for three days. The aches, sore throat, headache, stuffy nose, and chest cough finally started to relent on Monday, just in time for my birthday. Many thanks for the birthday greetings everyone. But there was little time to celebrate -- my eye became infected and I was back to being miserable. It was a mess. I decided to stop by a medical clinic on Tuesday for some eye drops, and that helped ease the pain.

Now I'm finally starting to like my old self again....just in time for the weekend. :) The forecast calls for nice weather, so we've decided to go to Zermatt. We leave tomorrow morning. It is Alpine week, which means lots of activities and discounts on guided mountain tours!! If all goes well, Pam and I plan to tour the Briethorn (4,164) on Sunday. The ascent to the summit is one of the easiest in the region. Better yet, the route takes us over a glacial plateau! We packed winter clothes just in case. We are both very excited and hope the weather holds. Hope to come back in one piece to share pictures. Stay tuned....

Happy Birthday, Brian!!!

It will be a very low key celebration this year (dinner at home) as Brian fell victim to the Euro 2008 celebrations and is now recovering from the flu. We spent the weekend watching the Keeping up with the Kardashians marathon...fun!!!

Bike Rides and Beer Baths

We had been so focused on soccer since Cathy and Lori arrived, I thought it might be nice to do something different. I proposed we rent bikes and head to Interlaken to see a little bit of the beautiful Swiss countryside. It was supposed to be a great day for it. There was a 12:35 PM train from Bern, but we had to hurry if we were going to catch it. I rushed ahead to buy tickets at the station, while Pam, Cathy, and Lori went to the bike rental shop. The plan was to meet on the train platform. I arrived first with just minutes to spare, but there was no sign of them. I stood there in agony as the doors closed and the train slowly pulled out of the station. Wouldn't you figure...as soon as the last car disappear around the corner I saw Pam, Cathy, and Lori walking their bikes up the ramp to the platform. Arrrgh, so close! No worries though. Another train was departing at 1:04 PM. So we patiently waited 30 minutes only to find out that train didn't allow bikes on board. As Lori would say: "Vas da Fuk!!"

We finally gave up and decided to take the 1:23 PM train to Spiez instead. Spiez is located about halfway between Bern and Interlaken along Lake Thunersee. Pam and I had been there before (see 5/11/08 post) and thought it would be a great setting for a leisurely bike ride. Turned out be be anything but! We had trouble finding a suitable bike path outside the station. We ended up perilously navigating along the shoulder of a highway before plunging down a steep hill with sharp switch backs. Lori wisely decided to ignore my lead. She got off her bike and walked it down hill. Needless to say, the day was not going as I had imagined it would.

After some searching we eventually found a nice, flat bike path along the water. I thought things were finally starting to look up, only to find out later that the path veered a little too close to the Lake for Cathy's liking. I felt terrible about dragging Cathy and Lori along for what was turning out to be the Swiss bike tour from hell. Frustrated and sweaty, we just decided head back home for some burgers and beer.  See pictures.

The day was not a complete loss, however. We made it back to Bern in time to head over to the Fan Zone in the Bundesplatz to watch Holland vs. Italy. The Fan Zone was packed with fans from the Netherlands; it was like a sea of orange. Pam found an intrepid stranger with a few too many drinks in him. He eagerly agreed push his way forward through the crowd so we could get closer to the screen. We were fully "in the Zone" by the time the game started. It was a great match. Holland demolished Italy 3-0. The fans were passionate, but respectful. Every time Holland scored, the crowd erupted with joy and beer went flying everywhere. It was fun.   

I was able to focus solely on the game. But Cathy and Lori seemed to be getting a lot of attention and had to fend off several suitors. Maybe it was just me....but they didn't seem to mind too much. :) Anyway, after the game we went to a bar with a group of fans we met at the Fan Zone before eventually heading back home. It was great ending to what started out as a rough day.  :)  See pictures.

Lausanne

After heartily celebrating the first night of Euro 2008 last night, I woke up a little disoriented. I was in a random hotel room with three people sound asleep on beds scattered around the room. It took me a second to realize I was not in a hostel. I was in Geneva -- Pam and I had crashed in Cathy and Lori's hotel room after the game. We had ordered an extra cot and Pam and I split a twin-sized bed. Half my body was still numb from sleeping on my side all night. With my head still ringing I wasn't sure if I should go eat something, go back to sleep, or throw up. I decided to head downstairs for some much needed coffee and what I thought was a "free" buffet. Found out later that breakfast cost an outrageous $56 per person. ouch! No worries though, the bill was automatically charged to the room under the name Caldeira. :) Pam joined me about an hour later, just as they were putting away the food. Cathy and Lori.... well, they made it just in time to check out, pay the bill, and catch our 1PM train back home.

On the way back to Bern, we decided to get off the train at Lausanne. Pam and I had been through the city several times before on our way to other destinations but we never actually got out to explore. Lausanne is a little less than half way between Geneva and Bern along the northern shore of Lac Leman (a.k.a. Lake Geneva). I could try to describe the city's beauty in words, but it would be no match for those of Victor Hugo: "Lausanne is a block of picturesque houses, spilling over two or three gorges, which spread from the same central knot, and are crowned by a cathedral like a tiara....I saw the lake over the roofs, the mountains over the lake, clouds over the mountains, and stars over the clouds." Yeah, ditto.  From the train station in Lausanne we walked (uphill) to the Cathedrale Notre-Dame. The views from the top of the church tower were breathtaking. If Victor didn't do it for you, here are some pictures to fill in your imagination. Or see this video.  

Anyway, after about an hour we decided to head back. It was Sunday, so most of the stores were closed. But on our way down we stumbled across a little bar called "The Great Escape." It was perfect. We watched the French Open final between Federer and Nadal while sucking down chicken fingers, french fries, and beer. The tennis match wasn't competitive. But we had fun anyway. We eventually made it back to Bern in time to catch the game between German vs. Poland.  I made a healthy serving of nachos (as if we hadn't gorged ourselves enough), we enjoyed a few more beers, and I ended the day the same way I had started it....disoriented.

Bern/Geneva

[Cathy, reporting from Switzerland] 

OMG!!!  Cannot believe I'm actually here!  It is so cool and of course everything is beautiful! :) 

Like Brian was saying about the 'Bailey's'..that was the coolest gift so we enjoyed that on Thursday and checked out Bern.  On Friday, we headed off to Geneva so that we could check into our hotel and see the city sights... the city was all prepared for the Euro so that was awesome!!  The fountain where they have the fussball is sooo cool!!  The Swiss clock in the shape of the fussball is also cool!!  Of course everything is cool!!!  :)  Here are some pictures from Friday.

Needless to say, Geneva is a blast!  Our hotel was 'verry nice' as Borat would say.. We went into Old Town and saw the Cathedral St. Pierre on Saturday then went to pick up our tickets for the match.  The city was getting geared up for the Euro and we had tickets to (Portugal/Turkey) 

OMG!!!  It was the best game ever since Portugal scored 2 and Turkey nil!  We were seated in the Portuguese area so that worked out.  They are soo crazy! :)  I picked up some Portuguese gear before so we participated in the chants and even took a few photos w/ some compadres..

Before the game, we were at the 'Fan Zone' in Geneva which was crazy but awesome!!!

Switzerland gave it a solid shot but Czech Republic scored 1 so that was a bit disheartening but that's just one game so we'll keep a close watch on La Suisse.  

After the game, we came back to meet Pam & Brian at the bar across the street from the hotel, 'Lord Jim's Bar'  

Sunday we just woke up and headed back out to Bern.  Au revoir Geneva! :(  It was fun!! :)

 

Visitors!!!

Cathy and Lori arrived today from New York!!  We were so excited to see them.    They are here for a week, splitting time between Bern and Geneva.  Coincidentally (or not!), the Euro 2008 soccer championships start this week.  In fact, Cathy and Lori have tickets for the Portugal vs. Turkey game in Geneva on Saturday night.  But more on that in another post...

I met Cathy and Lori at the Bern train station around 11:30AM.  They both looked a little weary from the flight, but they were eager to hang out.  I had just come from a business trip in London, where I had purchased some gifts at the duty free shop in the airport -- a bottle of Baley's for Cathy and a bottle of Jameson for Lori.  They apparently had the same thought, as they gave us a bottle of Bailey's.  Great minds think alike, I guess.  :) With so much goodwill going around, we decided to relax at the apartment and enjoy our new "gifts" before heading out to an Italian restaurant in Old Town for dinner.  It was delicious.  Cathy and Lori are so much fun to hang out with.  It has been a long time since I've laughed that hard.  Looking forward to a great week ahead.  Here are pictures from the first day.

 

Bike Ride Around Mt. Gurten

I was anxious to get an early start this morning. The weather in Interlaken was supposed to be nice and I was eagerly looking forward to going back there. The last time we were in Interlaken it rained (see 5/17/08 post), so we never made it to the Jungfraujoch -- Europe's highest altitude railway station (3454 meters). On a nice day, the views from Jungfraujoch reportedly extend as far as the summits of the Vosges Mountains in France and the Black Forest in Germany. You can also visit the Aeltsch Glacer, which means year-round snow and skiing.

Unfortunately, Pam was not feeling that well and wanted to sleep in. Junfraujoch would have to wait for another day. But I was still restless. I decided to jump on the bike and go to Mt. Gurten by myself. At a mere 864 meters, Gurten doesn't offer the same views as Jungraujoch. But it is close to Bern and any views of Switzerland -- no matter how high up -- are still pretty amazing. I didn't actually peddle the bike up the mountain. I opted to save energy and take the train.  :)  That gave me more time to ride around taking pictures of Bern and the surrounding area. I saw a lot of grazing cows, a few meadows, and (of course) the beautiful countryside with the Alps off in the distance. Here are some pictures.

Pam called me from home just as I started to head back down. We decided to meet for a late brunch at a nice little restaurant along the Aare River not far from our apartment. We had both wanted to go there since we pass it all the time when we go running. I decided to take the long way down the mountain, which provided the opportunity to take more pictures of the Aare River, the running path, and the wooden bridge where we turn around during our runs. 

Unfortunately, I didn't realize the Frauenlauf was being held in Bern today. The Frauenlauf is an annual woman's race with almost 13,000 participants. It is conducted in several disciplines, including nordic walking (i.e., walking with ski poles). Using ski poles to walk looks a little odd to me, but I guess it is supposed to be great exercise if done properly. Anyway, I ended up trying to maneuver my bike through a stream of angry woman on my way back to the restaurant to meet Pam. I heard a lot of German being mumbled as I slowly meandered my way past the nordic walkers. It was not a lot of fun. I was a little fearful they would turn their ski poles on me! But alas, I made it safely to the restaurant where Pam had been waiting for me. We enjoyed a nice brunch. Then we headed back home to prepare for the start of another week.  Here are some more pictures.