Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt! That’s right, friends. I went to the U2 concert in Gelsenkirchen. Ever heard of it? Me either, but apparently 60, 000 other people know where it is cuz they were all there too. I’ve never been in a stadium that big in my life. That in itself was an experience. One thing that was different from the stadium shows I’ve been to back home was all the people who go out to the stadium early to hang around the grounds for what seemed like a big tailgate party. I thought that was neat. The [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello Happy People! Here I am in Vienna; the last stop on my big holiday. By this point in the trip the cold I had woken up with back in Prague is taking its’ toll and I'm really not feeling well. I'm certain I did not get as much out of my Vienna stop as I would have if I had been feeling better. All things considered, I think I got a taste of the city. Dinner in the Vienna Woods where we sample the Heurigen (wine from the last grape harvest), a visit to Schonbrunn Palace and it’s gardens, a [View Full Entry]

---

---

I’ve been accused of sounding like Rick Steves in my blogs so I’m attempting to find a new writing voice. Bear with me…. This is absolutely my favourite stop! Budapest just feels good. And I’m so sorry I didn’t have/make time for one of the bath houses that it is so famous for. Then again, visiting one of those may have ruined me for the other spa I frequent. Maybe this was a good thing…no…it wasn’t. My first night in town I took advantage of an after-dark tour of the city. This included a trip to the top of Gellert Hill [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello Friends, Just the trip from Berlin to Prague was an eventful one. We made a lunch stop in the beautiful city of Dresden before heading for the Czech Republic boarder crossing. Upon arrival at the boarder we heard that an accident just on the other side had closed the highway. Rather than wait we turned the bus around and headed for another boarder crossing. This ride took us through narrow and winding roads in the Eastern German countryside. It was an added treat to our journey. Now that I’ve been to Prague I understand why it’s one of the most [View Full Entry]

---

---

Finally I take a real vacation! And what better way to spend it than on a bus load of new friends. First stop, Berlin. I arrive by train shortly after lunch. I have a few hours to fill before I meet my group so of course I go shopping. First purchase of the trip...orange shoes. :-) After dinner with my group we take a night time tour of the city that included a stop at Checkpoint Charlie. The next morning we embark on a city tour with stops and Brandenburg Gate, Pergamon Museum and the Berlin Wall among other sites. An [View Full Entry]

---

---

My latest travel adventure takes me to Lucerne, Switzerland . I seem to be destined to see all of Europe in the clouds and rain. This weekend was no different. But despite the weather Lucerne still gets high marks. And since tourist season has finally started in Europe there are lots more interesting people to meet along the way. I made friends from Canada, Australia and Dubai. Lucerne is surrounded by mountains and water which make it one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. My first day was mostly getting aquainted wi [View Full Entry]

---

---

One thing the Germans do well is car making. BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes…and of course, Smart! The Smart ForTwo is what I’ve rented for my last 6 days in Heidelberg before my 2 week visit home to Ottawa. First I drove it from the Frankfurt airport to Heidelberg reaching speeds up to 130km/h on the autobahn (it’s maximum speed is 140km/h). The next day I drove the smaller highway along the Neckar River southwest to Heilbronn. Along the way are many vineyards, castles and fairy-tale-looking towns. After 7-8 hours of driving it was ti [View Full Entry]

---

---

Easter is a 4 day weekend in Germany so I took advantage of having an extra day off and headed for Amsterdam in The Netherlands. It’s a city filled with canals (165), bikes (600,000) and tulips (sorry, too many to count). I arrived in Amsterdam by train on Good Friday a few hours before the tour group I was meeting was due to arrive so I headed for the Van Gogh Museum. The museum has the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world as well as works by other artists. I bought myself a poster in the gift [View Full Entry]

---

---

I just spent 2 days in Cologne. It is another fabulous German city. It’s most famous as being the home of the Cologne Cathedral (a UNESCO world heritage site). After having visited I can appreciate why. Construction on the gothic style cathedral began in 1248 and was completed in 1880. It didn’t actually take 632 years to build; the construction took place in stages. Inside the cathedral you’ll find the shrine containing relics of the 3 Magi. This is why the Cologne Cathedral has been a pilgrimage church. If you ever visit I highly recommend the guided tour. Anothe [View Full Entry]

---

---

Just spent 3 nights in Munich and it wasn’t enough. What a fun town. There is so much to see and do. We (did I mention Claude is here? YAY!) managed to pack in a lot of sightseeing during our short stay. We visited Nymphenburg Palace where the Wittelsbach family spent their summers. There is a canal that divides the boulevard leading to the palace and there were people actually curling on it. Of course we also took in the Glockenspiel “show” at the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) at Marienplatz. Every day at 11AM this glockenspiel performs a tournament story [View Full Entry]

---

---