Munich [July 5 to July 10, 2007]

Munich

After another early morning flight, this time out of Mykonos, and a connection in Athens, we landed in Munich (Munchen) - the heart of Germany's Bavaria. It is a nice size city, with a population of about 1.25 million. We were lucky enough to stay with our good friends Karsten and Meike, and their new baby boy Anton in their apartment near Schwabing, the student area. They were excited to show us the local culture, including foods, beers, and history.


Immediately upon our arrival, Karsten had us power-walking across the city on a speed sightseeing tour. We walked through the Marienplatz, by the Neues Rathaus (the old city hall with a huge glockenspiel - like a cuckoo clock with life size wooden and motorized people and knights), into a cathedral, and through the English Garden (one of the largest city parks in Europe). Unfortunately (not really), we missed the lunch-hour nude sunbathers that frequent the English Garden during the workweek when there is good weather. The next day, we paid a visit to Schloss Nymphenburg, which is the old summer villa (more like huge mansion and park complex) for the royal family. It was well preserved and had some great insights into the ways of old, royal Europe.

They fed us Weisswurst (white sausage made of some whitish meat), authentic pretzels (breze in Bavaria), Kaffeeklastch (afternoon coffee with cake), and a variety of other things. Karsten made it his mission to have me taste every beer made within a reasonable range of Munich, which wasn't a bad thing.

Whether we were assembling his new BBQ (America did have some impact on them!), relaxing in their dining room, or checking out the Hofbrauhaus, beer was one theme of Matt's Munich visit.



We paid a visit to one of the local biergartens - what a concept! They are generally like large parks, with lots of picnic tables (some covered), a playground for children, and an area that you can buy various food items and 1 liter beers. They are a place that works well for a family evening or afternoon as well as for a couple friends looking for a cold one (like Sebastian and Matt here).

Our gracious hosts took us outside of Munich, down part of the 'Romantic Road' on the way to a duo of very famous castles called Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. These are located a couple hours outside of Munich and are again related to the history of the royal family there in Germany. The landscape in rural Bavaria is beautiful. We took tours of both castles - both of which required a short hike (go girls!). The castles are very cool and elaborate - like you'd expect for real, European castles. You can see one from the other and they are within walking distance of each other. Hohenschwangau (the tan one) was built first. Neuschwanstein (the one with the five of us in front of it) was built second and was only half finished on the interior because the King went crazy and was either killed or killed himself (a controversial mystery).

Lastly, and on our way to the airport, we stopped at a place called Dachau, which was the main Nazi concentration camp. It was a very good thing to do. They have spent a lot of time creating a well-preserved and informative presentation of what the concentration camps were like. It wasn't the most uplifting finish to our Munich visit, but certainly a worthwhile reminder of the not so distant history of the world.

Germany to Greece and Back Again [July 1 to July 5, 2007]

The Autobahn to Cologne
Since there were several Europeans with us at the wedding in Roosendaal, and Germany was close to next on our itinerary, our good German friends drove us from south Holland to Deustchland. Neither Karen or I had been to Germany, nor had we been on the autobahn, which is basically any of a set of freeways that criss-cross Germany. We rode with our Doctor gone MBA pal Tibor in his folks' red BMW sedan, while Karsten, Meike and Anton followed in the Volkswagen Golf. It quickly became clear that our hosts were fairly excited about showing off both German automotive engineering skills and the standard driving privelages afforded to all Germans. As the red BMW hit 220 km per hour (more or less the top speed of the car....136 miles per hour), a look of satisfaction came across Tibor's face. It really wasn't that scary - we were buckled in, the roads were in good condition, and Tibor looked quite comfortable as he casually chatted and drove with one hand. Anyhow, we got to Cologne relatively quickly where we were fortunate enough to have dinner and catch a few hours of sleep at Meike's sister's house before we took off en route to Mykonos, Greece.

Mykonos
We went to Mykonos to meet our good old friend from Denver, the famous Reza. We caught an unfortunate 4:45 AM direct flight from Cologne to Mykonos, which put us there first thing in the morning. It had been extremely hot in Greece at that time, and it was still pretty warm. We made our way to our 'cabin' and took a sweat-nap in an attempt to recover from our very short night. That afternoon, we met up with Reza, who had already been there for four or five days and had somehow befriended everyone at his hotel. The first picture is of us on Reza's balcony. The next one is of our 'beach cabin' at the Paradise Beach Resort.

Reza is a bit of a regular traveler in Mykonos; this was his third consecutive year taking holiday there. He showed us around - took us to some interesting beaches and interesting bars. Check out the truly accidental picture of Reza and Matt at the beach (normally, photos of the pasty chubby guy in red shorts wouldn't be posted, but this one warrants it - go ahead click and blow it up). It was nice to see our old friend again and to experience the fact that he hasn't changed a bit. We'll see you somewhere buddy!


Mykonos is a great little island. It is small enough and warm enough that most everyone just drives around on mopeds. So we did as the locals and rented the orange hot rod you see in the picture. Plus, it was time that we did some landry and we needed some ground transporation. We thought we were pretty crazy with two of us on the crappy little scooter, with a huge bag of dirty clothes strapped to Karen's back. Our pride was squished a bit as we made our way east and saw truly insane moped tactics and loading (more to come later).





There is a nice little village area adjacent to the waterfront. One spot is called 'Little Venice' and expensive little boutiques and quaint restaurants abound. We ran into one of a few resident pelicans (I think these are endangered) as we wandered around the town. This shopkeeper lady is prodding it with a plastic hanger, trying to make sure it doesn't go into her store. It just strolled through the streets - Karen touched it on the head.

We really liked Mykonos. Our accomodations were very basic, but surprisingly OK. It was right off the beach with a laid back atmosphere and helpful people. Mykonos is amazing because once you get out of the town, it is as dry as a desert. There is essentially no green. However, the sea and the town have great views at every turn. We snapped tons of photos, but here are a few to show what a nice place this is.

The food is pretty good - we really enjoyed the Greek Salads - and prices are fairly reasonable (depending on where you stay and eat). Overall, the place has an excellent vibe (plus you pretty much have to rent a moped, which is almost guaranteed fun). We'll definitely go back sometime and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place to relax. Also, it is certainly gay friendly, but we didn't find it to be the gay-haven it is reputed to be.

The Netherlands: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Roosendaal [June 26 to June 30, 2007]

Amsterdam
We were excited to get to Amsterdam - a place where we would meet up with friends and finally get to see what this famous place is all about. Jaap and Jantine, our Dutch cohorts from Kellogg, met us at the airport and showed us the way. Within 15 minutes, we had left the airport and ridden the train to the central station in Amsterdam. You might expect that the city is something like Vegas, with hookers and drug dealers all over the place. This is far from reality - the first picture is of the royal palace located in the central part of the city. It is a little run down and apparently isn't used much by the royal family.

Jaap and Jantine showed us around, which was quite nice since Dutch is a bit of a strange language (although most everyone speaks some English). They introduced us to some Dutch food - frikandel, bitta balls, and of course 'French' fries with mayo. They also took us to a few different bars, one of which was a place that specialized in Belgian beer (see Matt peering through an empty beer glass). They have a different glass for every type of beer in this place. Also, the Dutch like their beer with two fingers of foam on the top - to the point where it could get sent back if it doesn't have proper foamage.


Of course, we also took a stroll through the Red Light District - including the 'coffee shops' and the alleys of glass doors with most every shape, size, and color of women you can imagine - all trying to get your attention.

One very noteworthy discovery in this great city was the outdoor urinal. Yes that is me smiling from behind the green metal screen with the pee wall in it. Gross yes, but wonderful and fun as well. The other picture here is a shot down one of the more 'illuminated' red light alleys we found. They are literally glass doors with curtains, above which there is a light fixture with a red bulb. Light on = open for business. When a customer is enticed to enter, the curtain is drawn and the transaction takes place in the tiny room immediately behind the door. Prostitution is legal in The Netherlands and is regarded as a profession with taxable income. According to Lonely Planet, 5% or so of the working girls in Amsterdam were born in the Netherlands - the rest are immigrants. Also, it says that a typical 'encounter' lasts about 15 minutes and costs about $65 for a 'full package'.


As a contrast to the above two paragraphs, we should say that Amsterdam is actually a really nice and beautiful city. Canals run all over and the architecture is great. Here is a shot of Karen and I on a bridge and another of some nice houses along a canal.


We took a boat tour through the canals with Jaap and Jantine. Then they understandably had to leave to go get ready for their wedding that was to take place in 2 days! Karen and I visited the Anne Franke house, which was very interesting (where she and her family hid during the Nazi occupation). We also paid a visit to the Amsterdam Sex Museum - worth the few bucks it cost, but it was pretty strange. During a moment of weakness, we made a stop at the U.S. 'embassy' of McDonalds - you can see Karen was pretty upset with our dining selection.


We passed the Heineken brewery on the way to walk through the Vondelpark - a huge park in the city. One of the most impressive and admirable things about the Dutch and Amsterdam, is that there are an unbelievable number of bicycles and bicyclists. Apparently there are over twice as many bicycles in the country as there are people (and there is about 16 million Dutch people). It is also noteworthy that you really need to watch where you are walking, because the bike lanes aren't alway so obvious and the bicyclists aren't always patient with ignorant tourists. The last picture is a little hard to see, but it is a multi story bicycle parking garage outside of the central train station in Amsterdam. We had a great time here. The city is beautiful, has a great culture and feel, and is a fun place to hang out.




Rotterdam
After spending an extra day in Amsterdam without Jaap and Jantine, we made our way south towards Roosendaal, where they were getting married. On the way, we made a planned stop in Rotterdam - a port city on the western coast of Holland. Rotterdam was apparently more or less destroyed during WWII, meaning it has virtually all been (re)built in the last 60 years. We walked around, took a ride up the Euromast (a cross between an elevator and a carnival ride, with a rotating and climbing observation deck), where we were able to take this picture of Holland's trendy port city.


Party in Roosendaal
After a little train confusion and some backtracking, we found ourselves in Roosendaal, again being graciously hosted by our Dutch friends who had more important things to do. We went to Jaap's parents' house where we had some snacks and drinks and Matt was introduced to a Dutch alcohol called 'Geneva' ("heneva") - which is something along the lines of strong gin (just a taste, by the way). Jantine's brother and sister-in-law put us up at their house and we attended the wedding the next day. The first picture is of the bride and groom after the 'city hall' ceremony, where the marriage officially happened, before they got into the Jag to drive the church where the 'church' ceremony was held. After both ceremonies were complete, we made our way to a restaurant where there was a great dinner. Soon after, the whole family showed up and it was a true Dutch party (they did not run out of drinks) into the night - complete with family skits and singalongs (check out the video clip at the bottom - it's all in Dutch, but Jaap's uncle wrote this song and the whole Backx family sang it at the reception), and some great dancing by the newlyweds. The next morning the Kellogg wedding attendees (almost our whole Kellogg crew) had a groggy breakfast farewell. Here we are, starting at the left: Henner (commonly known as Sebastian), Joris, Stephanie, Annika, Tibor, Matt, Karsten, little Anton (sleeping on the floor), Meike, Jaap, Jantine, and the lovely Karen - happy to be together, sad to not know when it will happen again.

London [June 23 to June 26, 2007]

London
Cheerio and welcome to London. We had a cheap flight in from Dublin to London - the total for Karen and I was just about $100. However, the baggage limits and our large suitcases upped the total by $64, which we paid just to keep bags on the trip with us.

So here I am in one of London's classic red telephone booths. What you can't see in this picture are the fairly pornographic flyers for prostitutes and the like that are stuck all over the back wall of this and every other red booth in London.

Although the cost of anything in London is insane and the exchange rate is dismal these days, we at least wanted to make a stop in the bustling financial center. To illustrate the financial woes that come with a visit to this great international city, a basic sit-down meal at a Thai restaurant with no drinks cost us about $60, a 30 minute train ride from central London to the airport cost us $30 each, and a quick ride on the Tube (subway) is $4 or $5. It is what it is....but, we were glad we didn't find jobs in London!

We wandered around the city - visited the Victoria & Albert Museum, strolled through Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus (see picture below), the Theatre District, and many other places.

Of course we made a stop at Buckingham Palace (also below, the symmetrical building with the gold statue up high), but we missed the Changing of the Guards and the crowds that come with it (oh well!). There is a short video at the bottom of this post that shows the standard march of a Palace Guard.

Given the persistent rain and our lack of enthusiasm in wasting a bunch of travel money, we used our time in London to relax, catch up on sleep, and hang out. Our hostel was a little strange. It was clean enough, but there were a bunch of younger people there who were all in town for auditions for some play or other theatrical creation. They were singing, trying to out-dramatize each other, and shooting crappy 'horror' movies on a Handicam in the basement.

The first shot below is of Big Ben (clock tower) with Westminster Abbey to the left and the Houses of Parliament to the right. The other is a picture of Saint Paul's Cathedral in the distant center, with the traffic and bridges over the Thames River. When the time came to zip off to Amsterdam, we were ready. However, it must be said that London is a cool city.

Departure & Dublin [June 19 to June 23, 2007]

Moving
The movers came and went, we sold some stuff, packed some stuff, threw some away, and put the rest in storage. Our flight left Chicago on June 19, 2007 for Dublin, Ireland. John and Nancy (Karen's parents) were nice enough to put us up for our last few days in the States, take us to the airport, and hold our 'important' boxes for our initial arrival in China. The shot of Karen is from June 19th when we were waiting to take-off in Chicago on our big world adventure.

Dublin
The shot of me is from June 20, when we landed in Dublin after flying all night. It was raining then, and more or less, it rained the whole time we were there (see pictures). We stayed in Temple Bar, which is the 'happening' neighborhood in Dublin where all the pubs are located. We had a couple relaxed nights in the pubs with the always thirsty Irish and lots of other European tourists. We also saw a bouncer use the sleeper hold on some surly Irish guy and kick him out - it actually works!

During the day we wandered around the city, through the Trinity College campus and some parks. We visited the National Museum, where we saw the human bog bodies (preserved in old swamps). We also went to Saint Patrick's cathedral (see picture below).

Lastly, we took a day trip out of Dublin into the countryside. We visited a place called Bru na Boinne, which consists of four large passage tombs that were built on top of hills over 1,000 years before Stonehenge by Neolithic peoples (this was about 600 years before the pyramids in Egypt). See the picture of one of the tombs (big green mound and what looks like a concrete wall around part of it); those small things to the right are people. This place was pretty impressive. The Neolithic builders were apparently pretty good astronomers because at 8:17 (?) AM the morning of the solstice each year, a beam of natural sunlight runs down the entrance tunnel to the middle of the tomb and hits the back wall where it illuminates the inner chamber.

There are also some shots of the Irish countryside (and us in it) where we were. You can see that all the rain is good for something - the place really is extremely green. Unfortunately, we only had a few days in Ireland, so we can't share any other information or pictures about the rest of the country. The last photo is one from downtown looking down the Liffrey River that runs through central Dublin.