Europe 2012 - Homeward Bound

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

We woke up at 5:30AM after being serenaded by many alarms. After quick showers we went down for breakfast, then boarded our shuttle bus for an uneventful ride to the airport. This time we arrived with plenty of time to spare, and were able to people watch for an hour in the international departures area.

We boarded our Swiss Air flight to JFK and were delighted to find that while we were in the next-to-last row, we had ample leg room and a well-equipped entertainment system. Swiss Air (motto: we are bad for your diet) insisted on feeding us every hour whether we needed it or not. We experienced delights such as baked chicken in gravy, potato cakes, veggies, kuchen, ratatouille, ice cream, chocolate and drinks offered at least 3 times per hour. When we got into JFK we had to wait for a healthy hour at immigration- the hall was filled to capacity when we left. However to our surprise getting through security at JFK was a breeze.

The rest of the trip into Cleveland was uneventful.

Trip Statistics:

• 13 Days of Travel
• 7 Countries Visited
• 6 Flights 
• 4 Air Carriers
• 7 Hotels
• ~2000 miles in the car
• 5 Unique Currencies

Berlin!

Monday, August 6, 2012

We woke up at our hotel in Prague, got ready and went down to breakfast. Our breakfast was decent, but definitely not the best of the trip. From there we packed up and drove to Berlin. Mark got the chance to take the Audi A4 on the Autobahn, and got to play a little bit.

We drove to the Berlin airport, parked, and took public transportation into Berlin. We stopped by the Berlin Zoological Garden for lunch at a traditional German Restaurant. We had Kartoffeln (Potato) Soup, Weiner Schnitzel, Kielbasa, and beer.

After that we took the u-bahn to Checkpoint Charlie and showed Abbey the location and parts of the Berlin wall.

Abbey at Checkpoint Charlie
Berlin, Germany

We had to hurry to catch our plane (or so we thought) when we found out there was construction on the u-bahn and the line we wanted to take was closed between several stations. After a hurried trip to the airport we returned the rental car and checked in, only to find in Berlin they have security right at the individual gates, and we ended up being there with 20 minutes to spare.

The flight to Zurich was uneventful- the Swiss Air flight was run by Eidelweiss Air, and they had some interesting things such as a portrait of cows in the first class cabin. Their unique in-flight magazine included articles in three languages, and unique things such as high-heeled flippers (Christmas present idea for Abbey!)

After landing we boarded our hotel provided shuttle bus, and drove half-way to Italy to get to our airport hotel. The driver seemed to have a prior F1 career, as he wasn't very gentle.

Czech This Out

Sunday, August 5, 2012

We finally had the chance to sleep in!

Our day started around 9:00 we left the hotel around 10:30 and headed to the Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge was initially constructed beginning in 1357AD, and has been continuously restored to the present day. There are many statues of historical significance to the Czech Republic lining the bridge.

Charles Bridge
Prague, Czech Republic

We also visited the John Lennon Wall and took in the layers upon layers of graffiti which grace it.

John Lennon Wall
Prague, Czech Republic

Our main destination for the day was the Prague Castle, which was constructed starting around 870AD. While it's called a Castle, it's really a compound which includes The St. Vitus Cathedral, the Basilica of St. George, The Old Royal Palace, and many other historic buildings. We toured the aforementioned highlights, took in the city from the top of the castle hill, and then headed down into town to do some shopping.

Abbey, Guard, Jen
Prague Castle
Prague, Czech Republic

St. Vitus Cathedral
Prague, Czech Republic

Great Hall of the Old Royal Palace
Prague, Czech Republic

View of the City
Prague, Czech Republic

We ended the day in the main square, which features the worlds oldest working astronomical clock built in 1410.

Clock
Main Square
Prague, Czech Republic

Prague Castle At Night
Prague, Czech Republic

Gorge-ous

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Vintgar Gorge
Bled, Slovenia

We had a great start to the day with a delicious breakfast of crepes, sausage, fresh fruit, fruit filled gnocchi, prune juice (for the girls, don't ask...), loose leaf tea and many other delicious Slovenian delights. 

After breakfast we packed up our belongings and headed to check out the Vintgar Gorge not far from Lake Bled.
Vintgar Gorge is gorgeous!  It highlights the crystal clear water, as it passes over many waterfalls.  The water is so clear you can see every fish even at the deepest depths.

Fish
Vintgar Gorge
Bled, Slovenia

Vintgar Gorge
Bled, Slovenia

Jenny'n'Mark
Vintgar Gorge
Bled, Slovenia

Abbey
Vintgar Gorge
Bled, Slovenia

We then drove for about 4 hours deep into Austria and had lunch in Salzburg.  While at lunch Mark and Abbey saw a bridal precession, each part of the party had their own horse drawn carriage.

From there we piled back in the car and drove to our next destination - PRAGUE!!

Natural Beauty at its Best

Friday, August 3, 2012

We left Venice after doing some shopping.  Traffic heading out of Venice was a little congested. Schloss hunting (see our post from 2009 for rules of Schloss hunting) did help pass the time.  We headed toward Bovec, Slovenia near the entrance of Triglav National Park.  Lunch was at a little restaurant called Martinov Hram.  We sat outside on the grapevine covered terrace in the shadow of the Alps.  Lunch was pork roast with gravy and prosciutto for Abbey and Mark, Jenny enjoyed wiener schnitzel with a caprese salad.  For dessert we shared a bowl of blueberries with whipped cream and a piece of tiramisu.  

After our amazing lunch we headed into the Julian Alps following the Soča River.  The water was crystal clear and ice cold.  The color appeared fake.  

Abbey & Jen
Soča River
Slovenia

The entire trip through Slovenia was breathtaking.  We stopped a few times along the way to take in the scenery.

Julian Alps
Slovenia

Julian Alps
Slovenia

Abbey & The Alps
Slovenia

After travelling through the mountains we made our way to Lake Bled (pronounced blade).  We stayed at the Best Western Premier Hotel Lovec.  Our room was upgraded to a two bedroom suite overlooking the pristine lake and had a wonderful view of the Church of the Assumption and Bled castle.

View from our Hotel Window
Bled, Slovenia

Our Room of the Suite
Bled, Slovenia

We took the opportunity to hike up to the Bled castle.  It was a tough climb in the Alps - unless you are half mountain goat like Abbey.  The castle was a nice representation of features a castle in the 1500's would have.   The original castle had been destroyed by a series of earthquakes.  

Abbey at Bled Castle
Bled, Slovenia

A highlight of our time at Bled Castle was when Abbey worked with a 'monk' (the term monk is used loosely) to bottle wine.  

Bottling Wine
Bled, Slovenia

The stroll down from the castle was leisurely.  We shopped at a local craft fair before heading to dinner at our hotel. This time Mark & Jen had Slovenian Sausage, and Abbey had weiner schnitzel.  Once again the food was great. 

Bled Castle in Twilight
Bled, Slovenia

Church of the Assumption at Night
Bled, Slovenia

Walking Through A Picture Book

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Venice, Italy

We got up early and made a quick exit from the hotel to head to Venice.  We stopped along the way to grab breakfast and find a bank.  Once again we failed in selecting the water without gas (co2), might be great for Europeans - but it's just not for us.

This trip we were successful in finding the train station that we had been unable to find on our previous visit to Venice.  Although it took sometime to find it.  The train ride was uneventful, we enjoyed our final minutes with air conditioning.  The temperatures in Venice were in the mid 90's and the establishments aren't equipped appropriately for cooling.  On the same note - the 90's were a welcome change from our weather in London.

Jen & Mark in Venice
Venice, Italy

Abbey's First View of Venice
Venice, Italy

We made our way to the Hotel Rialto on the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge.  The view from our room was the Grand Canal.  

Hotel Rialto Room View
Venice, Italy

After checking into our hotel we explored Venice and the various shops while sampling local Italian cuisine, including fresh fruit, pizza and gelato.  After that we took Abbey to see St. Mark's Square where we relaxed and people watched while enjoying some extraordinarily overpriced drinks.

Abbey & Jen in St. Mark's Square
Venice, Italy

Dinner for the evening was at La Porta D'Acqua.  The table shared an appetizer of zucchini blossoms and bruschetta.  We shared 4 dishes for the main course, shells stuffed with ricotta in a red sauce, mushrooms and sausage with pasta in a white sauce, grilled tuna and veal with mushrooms.  The proprietor of the establishment provided entertainment and top notch service.  For dessert we indulged on tiramisu, which was very good.

Grand Canal at Night
Venice, Italy

Rialto Bridge at Night
Venice, Italy

Playing Tourists

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Tower Bridge
London

We started the day off by Mark going to pick up our freshly laundered clothing while the girls packed up. We had breakfast and hurried out to tour the Tower of London.

Abbey with the Beefeaters
Tower of London

We showed Abbey all the fun things at the tower such as where King Henry the 8th killed his wives, the parts of the tower that are close to a thousand years old, and most importantly the crown jewels. (which of course you aren't allowed to photograph)

Jen and Abbey with Beefeater Mandeville
London

Next we went over to Buckingham Palace to tour the Staterooms. The staterooms are where the Queen entertains guests in grand style. We saw many rooms of the lavishly and ornately decorated palace and saw a special exhibition of jewelry for the Queens diamond jubilee. (You also aren't allowed to photograph these)

Abbey at the Abbey
Westminster Abbey
London

Following that, we went back to Westminster with Abbey and took her to tour The Abbey.
We picked up our luggage from the hotel and made our way to Gatwick via Victoria Station to catch our flight to Munich.

The Easy jet flight went without incident however there was a little drama with our car rental. Everything was resolved in our favor with us having an Audi for our Eastern European adventures.
We got into the hotel late and were impressed to find a fairly new hotel in a nice neighborhood. Our "room" was actually an upstairs/downstairs suite. We felt very spoiled.

 

Ole!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

We woke up on time again to a typically gray and gloomy London day. We had breakfast and then set out for our last swimming event. 

We saw the 4x200 Freestyle Relay where the US men did very well. 

Finish of the Mens 4x200 Freestyle Relay
Aquatics Center
Olympic Park
London

The other events we saw were:

• Mens 100M Freestyle
• Womens 200M Butterfly
• Mens 200M Breast-Stroke

Horse Guards Parade Grounds
London

Our final Olympic event for this trip was beach volleyball. We saw four matches, two men's and two women's. We saw Venezuela vs Latvia, Germany vs Netherlands, Netherlands vs Australia, and GB vs Italy. After intense personal analysis we unanimously agree that women's beach volleyball is much more fun to watch. (We agree with you, Dave Barry!) Anicdotally, the announcers would play a Spanish bullfighting cheer throughout the games, with the expectation of a response of a resounding "Ole!"

Netherlands with the serve
Horse Guards Parade Grounds
London

Aussies with the Point
Horse Guards Parade Grounds
London

Our Entertainment Between Games
Horse Guards Parade Ground
London

Netherlanders Really Get Into Their Games
Horse Guards Parade Ground
London

We went back to the hotel and dropped off our laundry at a Laundromat, then had a final dinner in a pub (complete with warm beer).

The Rich The Regal And The Famous

Monday, July 30, 2012

Aquatics Center
Olympic Park
London

We're adjusting well to the time change. We got up on time and had breakfast in the hotel, then left for the park via our fast train. Our first event of the day was Swimming at the Aquatic Center. We had good seats in section 311 sitting next to the parents of Caitlin Leverenz, a member of the US Swim Team competing in the individual medley. We saw:

• Womens 200M Freestyle
• Mens 200M Butterfly
• Womens 200M Individual Medley
  

Swimming - Olympics 2012
Aquatics Center
London

The Mens 200M Butterfly featured Michael Phelps, who would go on to get an Olympic Silver Medal in the finals.

Michael Phelps swimming the 200M Butterfly
Olympics 2012
London

Caitlin Leverenz came in first in the Womens 200M Individual Medley, and would go on to win a Bronze Medal in the final.

Olympic Stadium
Olympic Park
London

Aquatics Center
Olympic Park
London

After the aquatics center, we went to check out NBC's "Today Show", sandwiched between the Basketball Arena and the Athletes Village. The usual suspects were in attendance, Matt, Al, Savannah and Natalie along with some special guests. 

Matt Lauer and Shawn Johnson
Olympic Park
London

Visiting the set were the US Silver Medalists in Archery, the US Gold Medalists in Skeet Shooting as well as the US Synchronized Diving Silver Medalists Abby Johnston (from Upper Arlington, OH) and Kelci Bryant. We had the opportunity to talk to Abby and Kelci, and had the privilege to get up close and personal with their Silver Medals including touching them.

Abby Johnston
Olympic Park
London

We visited the Mega Store within the Olympic Park, and were not very impressed with its offerings.

Next, we went to visit the Houses of Parliament, and showed Abbey the difference between a Parliamentary Democracy versus the US Presidential Democracy.

Parliament
London

That evening we went to visit Harrods in Knightsbridge for a little shopping. It has really gone downhill with the new owners from Qatar took over.