Ruby Tuesday - Koln/Cologne Germany

No, I am not in Koln at this moment, however, when visiting this past March I saw these "Red" trains and had this meme in mind.  Just took me awhile to finally share them!

I will write a story soon about our train ride from Brussels to this amazing city once things settle down around here!  I promise!

Get your "Red" fix by visiting "Ruby Tuesday"

Our Last Day in France

It was a wonderful three days in France, but sadly, my birthday present to the "Alsace Region" came to an end this past November. But the party wasn't over yet!

Our trip back to Brussels on the 14th included a stop of a few hours in the beautiful city of Strasbourg. "Strasbourg" sits right on the border of France and Germany and is where the Alsace region begins. Which by the way is very evident by the typical architecture with the half timbered buildings and cobblestone streets.

I had been to Strasbourg once before in 1998 for a very brief moment. And I mean brief. My sister and her family and I arrived late at night while driving from Italy to return back to her place in Germany. We saw this massive church tower lit up and peering over the city. So we found a place to park and took a look. We were there for probably about only 30 minutes. I've always wanted to go back and explore this city, and that is why Stijn made sure that I would see Strasbourg again.

But we must first find a place to park! I have to share with you that I think sometimes Europe has so much more going on then the US when it comes to, let's say, convenience, organization, planning. There are these signs that tell you where parking is available and how many parking spots they have left! What a concept! So you are not blindly choosing a parking garage only to find out that it's full.

The main thing I want to see is that Cathedral! But I'll tell you this, you don't need a map to find your way there because you can see it from everywhere as it rises above Strasbourg some 466 feet. (142m).

We began our trek through the cobbled streets of "La Petite France". This is a picturesque neighborhood that looks like it came right out of a storybook with it's quaint buildings overlooking the Ill River.

As we walked over bridges it made me feel like I was in Venice again. We continued to walk along streets passing shops and bakeries. And then there it is....Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg. From here on out our heads are in a back tilt position.

This Cathedral is so magnificent with all of it's carvings, statuary, and stained glass windows. I will just tell you right now, that if you want to see more pictures of the details of this Cathedral you will certainly get your fill by going to "Where's Debbie". But here are a few pictures to entice you.

And as luck would have it, we were at the Cathedral to hear the bells ring at 12:00pm.

As we made our way around to the side of the Cathedral we got to see a live demonstration of a working farm as it would have been centuries ago.

It seems our day turns out to just be filled with little surprises. And I love surprises!! We need to start heading back to the car because we still have a long drive ahead of us back to Brussels. While on our way we discover our first surprise. An outdoor market! I just love these things. Full of vendors selling fresh fish, vegetables, fruits and crafts right along the river.

Well today seems to be the day for outdoor markets. Because we stumble upon yet another market. But this one is full of people selling antiques!!! Oh now I am in heaven! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to leave behind these fabulous blue crock jugs?

Okay, let's eat! Since we had arrived in this region Stijn had been wanting me to try the "Flammenkucke". If you don't know me by now, I will tell you that I will try anything! We decide to have lunch at a little restaurant/pub called "Academie de la Biere" where they just happen to serve this flaky crust pizza like dish. Yes, this one is MINE!

I can't think of a better way to end my birthday surprise in the Alsace then with a birthday "Flammankucke". Sure beats a birthday cake!

If you would like to see more pictures of our time in Strasbourg just click here "Where's Debbie" and then click on the album "Brussels via Strasbourg".

Europe In 30 Days - Are We There Yet?

It was so great to see Tennille again, we just couldn't seem to stop hugging each other good-bye as Stijn and I were leaving this morning.

So we are off to Provence France to a little town called Venterol for our home exchange. Now there were some time lines set last night for our trip today. Stijn asked what time I would like to arrive in Venterol and we decide together that arriving before dark would be very beneficial. First because I'm not big on trying to find my way somewhere in the dark and we know that when we arrive we need to find the power box, flip the switches on and turn the water on. Remember, this is a vacation home so it's not used all the time and it's COLD in Provence in the middle of January! With that in mind, Stijn gets out the "trusty" TomTom (GPS), enters our desired destination and it is determined that the drive will take us about 10 hours or so including stops. Departure time is then set for 8:00am for an estimated arrival time of 6:00pm.....before dark.

Our journey begins, but I'm not leaving Kaiserslautern until after we stop in a bakery. I must have some German pastries and Stijn needs a coffee.

It's January 10th and it is an absolutely beautiful day for a drive and TomTom takes us through France via the A31 and A6. I have only been to France once before and it was to Paris by train from Ider Oberstein Germany. So to be able to drive through places like Nancy, Dijon and Lyon was a real thrill for me. No time for stopping though, we need to be in Venterol........before dark.

TomTom now tells us to take the A43 towards Grenoble. I am a little puzzled by this. Of course we do not have a good old fashion "map" with us, so we are in trusted to TomTom. However, I do have my books on Provence that Stijn bought me for my birthday back in October, and they have maps! And I have directions to Venterol printed out from an email sent to me by my exchanger. So I question this sudden detour from the written directions and Stijn surprises me with "I put in for the scenic route option". COOL! I love taking scenic routes. He is so sweet and thoughtful.

It was a great choice as this route took us through the Haute-Alps de Provence and we did see some amazing scenery.

Driving through little villages on narrow winding roads while stopping every now and then to take pictures of these incredible snow covered mountains was certainly an unexpected treat. But Stijn reminds me that if we are going to get to our destination before dark, I need to stop taking pictures. He's right, because the sun is slowly setting and just the tops of the mountains are showing the last signs of daylight.

I'm still a bit puzzled though. I have not seen a sign for Venterol in a very long time. I continue to try and compare where we are in relation to the very limited map and direction resources that I have. And I continue to voice these doubts to Stijn who at one point is very happy to assure me that I need not worry and that I certainly do not need the book anymore because TomTom will get us there. Okay then, away with the book with the map and the only directions that we have and I sit back and enjoy the ride.

Well, it's dark now and we are somewhere in France, not Venterol, but somewhere. We start a descent from our mountain drive and see the lights of a village down below. Yeah!!! We are nearly there. As TomTom directs us through this cute little town, which by the way is NOT Venterol, we see a market and decide we better stop and buy some groceries. Now I have to stop here and tell you something that I was very impressed with while doing a little shopping. Stijn got us a grocery cart because we were going to need quite a few things for our stay in Venterol. We unloaded our goodies into the car and Stijn asked if I would return the cart and he would pick me up from there. And then he said something about "don't forget to get the money back". Okay? So I am now in front of the cart return which has a canopy over it and I am looking for some sort of box or something where I'm supposed to take money from? Then I notice that there is a coin inserted in this little box that is on the handle of the cart. So I proceed to try to pull it out. It's not coming out! What the heck do I do? Then I see a chain dangling from another little box on the cart behind mine. Okay, I probably have to put this chain into the back of my box and..........COOL! The coin releases and I'm just in time to jump in the car.

Well we have certainly missed our target time of 6:00pm, it's dark and TomTom directs us to, Journey On! We drive up and over more mountains and with every village that we see illuminated in the dark in the distance we are hopeful that it would be the one, Venterol! Still no signs though reading "Venterol" with maybe a clue of how many more kilometers we need to go. Then it happens. We are in the town of Tallard and after a short drive through the narrow streets TomTom directs us to take a right and behold.......a sign with the name Venterol on it!!!! We high five each other and we are ecstatic that we are nearly there and Stijn is very proud of his TomTom.

Up another mountain we go, and go, and go. The lights below becoming smaller, and smaller, and then just disappear. I am looking as far ahead as I can after each corner that we turn in hopes of some sort of indication that the village of Venterol is just ahead. Lights? Maybe another vehicle would be nice? The road up this mountain becomes very narrow, steep and icy. And then it happens! We pull into this little village and TomTom annouces "You have reached your destination, Good-Bye". Hmmmm. So here we sit in the dark on top of a mountain and Stijn asks "which way do we go"? "Well I don't know honey because this doesn't look anything like the pictures that were sent to me" I reply. So we decide to take this street that is just ahead of us and make an attempt to continue to "climb". But we are now dealing with some more ice and we are both not comfortable with this decision. So we back up onto a side street and Stijn decides to walk back down the hill to the Town Hall we had passed on our way up and hopes to ask someone "Where are we"?

He returns to the car with no answers. So I told him that I noticed some lights on in this little house here to our right, "maybe you could go and ask them", I suggested. So he does just that and when he returns he shares with me that this is indeed Venterol, however there are two Venterol's and this isn't the one we want. Hmmmm. So he turns TomTom back on puts in Venterol again and indeed there are two Venterol's listed. He just happened to choose the Venterol in the Hautes-Alpes de Provence as opposed to the Venterol Drome. Who knew? I did ask though, but you said you put in for the scenic option. This is when I learned there is no such option. Funny guy!

Before we leave this mountain top village Stijn re-programs TomTom and our directions are set once more. But, he asks if I would get the book out with the "map" and see if I can tell exactly where we are and which way we should go to get to Venterol. Hmmmm. Capitol idea!

We make it back down into the valley and TomTom and I are in agreement with the direction we should take. I must tell you though I am ready for a potty break! This would only be my second one during this entire 14 hour trip. So when we come upon a rest stop Stijn stops and I run to the restrooms only to find this.........

Okay, well do I really have to go that bad? Luckily there was another stall with an actual toilet in it, just missing the seat though.

We are absolutely starving now so we pull some bread, cheese and meat from our groceries and enjoy eating it while heading to Venterol, which is about another hour or so away. We actually thought about even opening one of the bottles of wine we had purchased to have with our meal. It was a fun thought but we decided against it. And thank goodness we did. As we came upon another small village we notice up ahead that there is a road block. Of course we just thought this was because there might have been an accident or something. We are stopped by the police officer and Stijn is asked to do a breathalizer test. Turns out that tonight happens to be the night they want to do spot checks for drunk drivers. All we could say was "Thank goodness we didn't open that bottle of wine"!

Now we're seeing signs! I am a happy girl. We arrive in the town square and park the car and take a walk to try and find our house. We actually only had to turn one corner and we were there. I unlocked the door and we fumbled our way in the dark to the power box based on the directions I was given. A flashlight would have been real handy for this, but we persevered. Then down to the lower room of the house to turn on the water and we are set! After we unloaded the car, Stijn started the fire that had already been set for us and all we needed to do was strike a match to it.

It's now about 10:00pm and we are settled in and exhausted. But we can't help but look back on our day and laugh together about what we had to go through to get here. And from what I can see so far, it was worth it!

If you would like to see more pictures of our drive through France go to Wheres Debbie and click on the album "On Our Way"

Europe In 30 Days - Off to Provence via Germany

Well it's January 9th and we are headed off to Provence for our home exchange!

But we are stopping in Kaiserslautern Germany to stay the night with a dear friend of mine before making the long drive to Provence. Tennille and her husband Pat are from Las Vegas and are now living in Kaiserslautern and they have invited Stijn and I to stay the night to help break up our trip to Provence.

Tennille and I met at the gym in spin class this past year and we became very good friends. And then go figure, she ups and moves to Germany.

Right after Stijn and I arrive bearing great Belgium beer and chocolates for our hosts, we all head out to dinner. Hmmmm, where shall we go? Italian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican? I am in Germany people, I want German food in a German restaurant! But you probably already guessed that, huh? So Tennille being the great friend that she is and Stijn who just always wants to make sure I'm happy agree with my theory. Pat and Tennille suggest a restaurant that they have been to before and had really enjoyed. So without making any reservations we head to St. Marteen, a traditional German restaurant in the St. Martin Platz. This is a perfect typical German restaurant with low wood beamed ceilings, wooden floors, pictures all over the walls and a great bar as soon as you walk through the door. Now the downside to not having reservations is that we had to wait well over an hour to be seated. The upside was we got to sit in the bar and have some German beer and catch up with each other.

Two beers later, we are finally seated for dinner. Knowing how much I love to try different types of food, Tennille is emphatic about (in her words) the "anything but typical" onion soup as an appetizer. Oh my gosh! This was a great twist on a French Onion Soup. A whole lot more cheese and a lot less bread. Well we all order our dinner and I think that I am the only one who orders a typical German meal. Pat had a curry chicken dish, Tennille had pasta with salmon, and Stijn also had a pasta dish. So here comes mine. Meat, potatoes and gravy.....of course the name of my meal escapes me now. I know what you're thinking, Debbie, you don't even like to eat meat, potatoes and gravy. I say "When in Germany, eat like the Germans"! Now another must have is some Apfelstrudel (apple strudel). So who has dessert? The girls.

Our day comes to a close back at Tennille and Pat's apartment, sipping on some hot Gluhwein and sampling the Belgium chocolates.

If you would like to see pictures of our German night out just go to Wheres Debbie and click on the "Germany" album.