Week 5: Europe Part 3

This week has been a travel adventure - I am happy to tell you all about it!  On Tuesday we were still in Toulouse, having just returned from the Czech Republic.  We had a quiet evening recuperating from our travels, and watching the Big Bang Theory.

On Wednesday I went to the morning farmers market, solo again, and purchased pumpkin, apples, and eggs.  I made a hearty pumpkin-coconut soup from scratch and it was delicious.  Benjamin came home after work with a surprise for me.  We were going to the circus!  Toulouse is home to Lido, a professional circus school where students learn acrobatics, aerials, juggling, contortion, and other circus related skills.  Periodically, students will practice their acts for an audience.  I adore Cirque du Soliel, so I was excited.  We arrived a bit early, and were able to secure some decent seats in the middle of the 'theater'.  There were 13 acts in all - some were cool, others fascinating, a couple scary (one aerial artist fell, but she was seemed alright after), and many were a bit weird.  I wasn't sure what was going on much of the time, but I still enjoyed it!  My favorites included a woman with hand-written cardboard signs to communicate as she climbed onto then curled in and around a suspended hoop, a young man doing amazing things with a yo-yo, and a couple who demonstrated extraordinary yet terrifying feats of strength and balance as they supported each other.  To see their Promo video for this year, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XanqolpJqEo

Thursday was another quiet day of practicing my French, making potato soup, and then enjoying some games with Benjamin after work.  I have introduced him to Splendor, "a fast, tactical, and addictive game" published by Space Cowboys, and he quite enjoys it.  I have the digital version as an app on my iPad, and this is what we usually play on.  The game consists of gathering jewel tokens to purchase jewel cards and earn victory points as well as the favor of nobles.  The first player to 15 victory points triggers the end of the game and the player with the most victory points wins.  Quick and deceptively easy... lots of strategy and a little bit of luck involved - I highly recommend it!  To find out more (in case you'd like to purchase or play) check it out at http://www.spacecowboys.fr/splendor/language:eng

The morning went quickly on Friday as I put on my Seahawks gear and prepared to accompany Benjamin to the Netherlands.  He had a conference near Lieden, and I'd never visited that town before.  We packed and made it to the airport in time, boarded our plane, and sat in our seats at the gate for the next 4 hours while the crew tried to fix a part of the aircraft that was broken.  Many of you have heard the story of my adventure with my friend Jeremy returning from Las Vegas earlier this year, and compared to that - this was a mere inconvenience.  We played Splendor until my iPad ran out of battery, then Tsuro on my phone, and assembled a sort of dinner from the snacks I'd brought along.  We eventually took off, were served a complimentary beverage and snack, then landed in Amsterdam.  A quick train later and we were in Lieden.  We dropped off our bags then wandered around the city - it was beautiful at night and I was excited to see it in the daylight!

In the morning we headed to the Saturday Market.  There were amazing shops there - everything from fabric to notions, clothes to flowers, produce, cheese, meat and seafood.  I inadvertently tried horse meat while sampling at a sausage vendor.  One of Benjamin's favorite treats is fresh herring, so when we reached that section of the market, he bought one for us to try.  Traditionally it's served with fresh onions and sweet pickles.  He offered me the first bite, and I tried it.  It was... interesting.  I kind of liked it!  He finished it, and then sampled herring from two other venders.  He smelled a bit fishy afterwards, but he was content.  We paused in a beautiful little bakery and bought a gluten free treat for me, then  back at the market acquired some fresh fruits and vegetables and listened to a cute couple playing performing nearby.  He was playing harp, she was playing guitar and singing - they sounded lovely! We headed back to the hotel and played a bit more splendor, then ventured out for dinner at one of his favorite restaurants for Dutch ribs.  Leiden is a college town, and home to the Netherlands oldest university.  As such it has an active nightlife, and we were able to attend a live local concert of an American singer from Texas.  He was good - I quite enjoyed it.  Benjamin even got me dancing!

 

 

After a morning of work - Benjamin reviewing his presentation for the next days conference and I practicing my French to the point of frustration, he decided we needed a break and sent me a mystery location on my phone to navigate to.  On the way he had me attempt to guess our destination.  I was delighted to discover a board game pub, and we spent a wonderful rainy afternoon playing a variety of games.  He taught me Stratego, I taught him Machi Koru, we played the original version of Splendor, a round of Carcassonne, and super quick game called ___ as an intermission between each longer game, where we had to think and act fast.  The establishment was fantastic, with delicious beverages (I had a hot cocoa with the works while Benjamin had a pint of beer), and the owners were fabulous.  Then we went to the lovely Chinese restaurant next door and had a set meal complete with soup, appetizer, and 3 dishes for the main course with Chinese tea and dimsum, plus a bonus bag of coffee flavored candy as a gift. 

Monday morning I was on my own, as Benjamin was at his conference.  I studied French, then went for a tea at starbucks, studied some more, visited a yarn shop I'd seen earlier, wandered into some other interesting stores (one sold upcycled bags made from fire hose - I want one!!!), bought some meat, cheese, and other goodies for us to enjoy on our train to Paris,  enjoyed a gluten free bagel at a place called Bagels & Beans (which serves a Bug Bagel - complete with crickets, mealworms, and a grasshopper.  I didn't try that one....) then settled back down at Starbucks to wait for Benjamin and his boss.  Their meeting ran a bit late, but they arrived in time to make the train to Rotterdam, where we would connect with out train to Paris.  We had a lovely conversation, and then after we changed trains Benjamin and I enjoyed our picnic dinner before I took a nap.  We arrived at our hotel a few hours later, in the Montematre district of Paris.

Benjamin had a meeting bright and early Tuesday morning, so I was left to explore on my own again.  I left my bag at the hotel and climbed the stairs to the highest point in Paris, the Sacre Coeur Basilic, which is about to celebrate it's Jubilee in 2019.  I arrived in time to hear the nuns singing and one was playing a harpsichord.  It was beautiful, as was the basilica.  The day was gray and rainy, so I wasn't really able to see much of the city from the viewpoint in front of the church.  I walked around the corner to Lace du Tertre, where the artists usually set up, but due to the early hour and the rain, there was no one yet.  Instead I paused at the Starbucks for a coffee and to regroup before venturing out again.  On my way back, I found a lovely garden and covered stair leading me down to the street the hotel was on.   Benjamin's meeting was over so I met up with him at the metro and we headed out for Crepes, then drinks in a quite Parisian café, walked through the Luxembourg gardens, pausing to watch children push sailboats around the fountains.  Back at the airport we discovered why Benjamin was only half successful in checking us in online - the flight was overbooked and he was given the last available seat.  I had to wait standby, but at the last minute was allowed on the plane because boarding had closed and not all ticketed passengers had claimed their seats.  Our flight left on time and once back in Toulouse we took the metro to his neighborhood and walked the rest of the way to his flat.  We were exhausted, but gathered enough energy to watch the latest episode of Big Bang Theory.

Next week will be spent mostly in southern France, before I return to the USA.  I have loved my adventure and expect to be back very soon.  More to come... until then, a bientot!

Week 4: Europe Part 2 (Brno)

This week was spent mostly in and around Brno.  Benjamin, Papi and I went to a tea bar and met Papi's friend Tina on Tuesday evening to play Settlers of Catan.  The tea bar was amazing - there were board games everywhere!!!  They were all in Czech, but we already knew how to play Catan, so that didn't matter.  I ordered a lovely cup of apple and ginger tea, and then shared another one with Benjamin.  The tea was full of loose apple and ginger chunks floating at the top, served with a spoon and something I've decided to call a 'tea pipe' (which consists of a tea ball like strainer at the bottom, attached to a metal straw with a tip at the end).  I was so impressed with it, that I bought one to take home!  

On Wednesday evening, Papi and Benjamin took me to the ballet.  It was in the Mahen Theater built in 1882 after the Brno city theater Reduta burned down in 1870; Benjamin shared with me that it was one of the first public buildings in the world lit entirely by electric lights!  The building was beautiful, and our seats were excellent.  We were in a private box, at the back of the seating on the main floor, in front of the stage, with a fantastic view.  The ballet was Sleeping Beauty, and was very impressive.  My favorite dances were in the second half, during the wedding of Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming, where guests were celebrating with dances.  There was a couple of cats with a faux fighting and frolicking sequence; then a pair of swans with impressive leaps, spins, and lifts; before Little Red Riding Hood took the stage followed by the Big Bad Wolf with a cute routine where she runs and he chases her.  The dancers were lithe and graceful, the costumes beautiful, and the music from the live orchestra was wonderful.

Ben and Papi's friend Tony arrived on Thursday evening,  and we celebrated by having dinner at a delicious devil themed restaurant, where we shared a trough of different meats.  There was so much food that 3 full grown men and I could not finish it completely, so we took the rest to eat later.  Then we wandered through downtown Brno, walking towards a bar to play Carcassonne and enjoy some beverages.

On Friday evening we all went to watch an ice hockey match.  Our tickets were for standing room only, but that's the area where the biggest number of fans seemed to be concentrated.  There were so many people crowded in, but we managed to find space for all four of us.  It was very exciting and we all enjoyed it.  Every time they scored a goal the crowd went wild! Brno won 5 to 0.

On Saturday we experienced a wonderful comedy of errors.  We had thought to take a bike ride together, and as we were preparing to go for breakfast, Papi was putting air in the tires.  Unfortunately the tube in the bike tire burst, so we had to change our plans.  We headed outside the city, intending to take a boat to a nearby castle on the lake. We made it to the dock just as the boat was leaving.  So we decided to walk around the lake instead, and on the way we found a mini-golf course.  We played a round, and then kept walking around the lake.  We stopped at a little pub to have a few drinks and play some cards, and then headed back to Brno.  We ate dinner at the same Czech restaurant, and then to an absinthe bar where we played Catan, but many of the pieces were missing so I managed to make some new ones that worked.

Sunday morning we attempted our bicycle trip again, this time with great success!  We went to breakfast while Papi rented a replacement bike, then we met Anna at her flat before riding across town to the bike trail.  The fall colors were brilliant, and the weather was perfect.  We pedaled along a canal for a while, stopping to try out a mini zip-line and have a few pints, then followed a stream past lots of quaint homes.  We paused by a little lake and found a memorial where someone had left some mushrooms.  Then we headed back to Brno, stopping at the same pub for a few more pints along the way.  We ended up back at the Music Lab for Board Game night, only to learn that it was being cancelled.  We stayed and played cards anyway, before Benjamin and I left for a Zouk Party.  The studio was across town, but we eventually found it after getting only a little lost.  The music was a mix between Lamba-Zouk and the Zouk mixes I was used to, and we danced.  Ben worked with me on connection and I followed his lead, grateful for my patient and persistent partner.  After an hour or so be both admitted to being tired and returned to Papi's flat.

We began our trip back to Toulouse on Monday afternoon.  After a lunch of Indian food, we took the tram to the bus station, then the bus to Prague, then a flight to Toulouse and an Uber back to the flat.  The whole adventure took about 9 hours.  I spent a quiet Tuesday recovering my energy by sleeping most of the day.  Benjamin made Ch-Ch-Ch (chevre cheese, chorizo sausage, and champignons mushrooms) for dinner and we watched a couple of French movies - one about life and death, the other a love story.  It was a relaxing evening!

This week I'm looking forward to visiting the circus and a weekend in the Netherlands.  Have a wonderful time - I'll post again soon!

Week 3: Europe part 1

I arrived at the flat of my good friends Greg and Suzanne in Dusseldorf, Germany late on Monday night.  We spent a little time catching up before we all drifted off to bed. Tuesday was a German holiday, so the children had a day off school.  We ate breakfast together, then spent a lovely day playing games, watching shows, talking, and generally enjoying each other's company. Us girls went on an adventure looking for cake - which we found at a local bakery.  We also saw an awesome spider sitting in it's web, waiting to catch a meal.  Suzanne made us a delicious dinner, the children went to bed, and the adults laughed together while watching Scrubs.

In the morning we walked to school together, then went for coffee at a favorite shop and enjoyed interesting conversations in the cozy back room of the cafe, before visiting the toy store to check out the local selection of games and other toys.  I resisted the urge to buy a new game, but barely. There are weight limits on my future flights, and I need to be mindful of them!  Suzanne went to work, and the kids came home from school. We played boardgames after they finished their homework.  We went as a group to drop the kids off at karate then Greg and I went shopping.  I ventured out on my own and got a bit lost, but caught up with them again just before they returned home.  We had an interesting and delicious dinner of steak, pumpkin pancakes, and roti before the children went to bed and the adults enjoyed more Scrubs.

Thursday morning we walked to school again, and I said goodbye to the kids, then to Greg before I rode the metro to the train station with Suzanne.  It was a COLD morning - I've forgotten how cold autumn can be in Germany! We stopped by Starbucks for hot beverages before Suzanne went to work and I caught my train to Heidelberg to visit my cousin Kyle and his fiance Angela.  She was starting a new job, so for most of the day it was just Kyle and I.  He made me a cup of tea when I arrived, and we chatted for a bit before we went to lunch.  I told him all about my visit to Europe so far and then we watched an interesting show on Netflix.  When Angela arrived we went for sushi to celebrate her first day and she told us all about it.  Then we had some very interesting discussions about dialects and why I say things differently than much of my family (I say caramel as THREE syllables)!  Then we said good night, and how happy I was to visit with them.

I woke up at 5:15 am Friday morning and left as quietly as possible to make my 5:47 am train to the airport.  I was half asleep and boarded the wrong tram, only realizing it when I was across from the train station, perpendicular to where I wanted to be.  I got off the tram and found a place where I could 'parkour' down to the street that led to the far entrance, embedding some vegetation into my pants in the process.  But I stuck the landing and made it to the train station in time to catch my train.  I arrived the Frankfurt airport, bought myself a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, then went through security, boarded my flight, and landed in the Czech Republic.  Benjamin's flight from Geneva (where his work conference was held) landed 30 minutes before mine, so he was waiting for me in the baggage claim.  We worked together to figure out the public transit system and arrived in downtown Prague, where we met his friend Papi and Papi's friend Gilly, who was hosting us for the night.  We had lunch at a lovely Korean restaurant, where I discovered plum tea, and then went back to Gilly's flat where everyone else telecommuted while I took a nap.

I woke up in time for us to explore the city.  I found a gingerbread museum and Ben bought me a gluten free gingerbread cookie.  We saw the castle and churches, lots of swans and shops, saw the astronomical clock chime the hour, then paused for a drink at an Irish pub to wait out the rain. We met up with Gilly and her friend Hector from Spain, as well as Benben, Papi and Benjamin's friend from Paris who had just arrived, at a Mexican restaurant that served excellent mango margaritas and mole enchiladas.  After dinner we all went out to an underground bar.  It was a rad little place with live music and cheap drinks; so popular in fact that we waited outside for nearly an hour to get in.  But we didn't mind because we were in good company and the club turned out to be worth the wait.  It shut down around 3am, but we kept the party rolling at a different bar near Gilly's flat, where we chatted and discussed until 5:30am when we all finally went to bed.  We slept for a while, then Gilly made us eggs and served them with fresh fruits and vegetables.  So good!  Afterwards Papi, Benben, Benjamin and I boarded a bus for Brno - where Papi lives.  It was a short ride and we arrived in time to drop our stuff at the flat and then go out for some traditional Czech food.   It was delicious!!  After dinner, we meet Papi's friend Anna who gave us a tour of her favorite places in the city.  We had a few late night drinks before calling it a night.

      

We slept late Sunday morning and then went to rendezvous with Benben's friend Dana.  We had lunch at a local restaurant where I ordered mushroom soup and salad.  It's mushroom season here, and there are lots of fungal dishes to choose from!  Dana works at a bookstore, and had to collect some comics from an art event, so we joined her.  It was very intersting - all kinds of different styles of art from live painting to music, workshops on drawing and interactive art, as well as presentations by local artists.  We walked around the city and saw some very beautiful architecture.  As the next day was Benben's birthday, we decided to start celebrating with a mini pub crawl.  Dana took us to a little villiage with lots of art and charm.  They were finishing their harvest festival and we joined in.  Then we went to a few other pubs around the city taking in the scenery.  We had dinner at another traditional Czech restaurant, then discussed what exactly 'traditional' food is.  We ended the evening with some absynth at a bar near papi's flat.  As Benjamin had to work in the morning, he called it a night at midnight.  I was tired, so went back to the flat with him, while the others continued to celebrate.

 

Monday morning, while Benjamin stayed behind to work; I went with Papi and Benben to meet Dana for breakfast.  We decided to visit a few of Dana's favorite locations outside the city, including a swimming hole.  She went in, but we stayed bundled up on the shore.  We saw lots of different kinds of mushrooms all over - so many and such variety! We drove to an arboretum and soaked in the beautiful surrounding as we walked through nature, admiring the scenery and enjoying it with all our senses.  We visited an enourmous cathedral on the way back to Brno, and enjoyed the daily lunch specials at a local resturant close to the bus station.  We said goodbye to BenBen as he returned to Paris, then Papi and I went to collect Benjamin for a dinner of Pho and an evening of live Jazz music.

Tuesday has been a quiet afternoon of catching up on my french lessons and this blog, while both Benjamin and Papi telecommute.  Papi attempted Tom Ghai soup, and I quite enjoyed it.  I'm looking forward to an evening of board games at a little tea shop around the corner, and perhaps visiting the conservatory accross the street.  I will keep posting!!!