Continent Hopping

I was moving faster through Europe than my original plan and blew through my rail pass so when it came time for re-planning, I decided the last 2+ weeks of my travels would be in the US visiting friends and family.

Me and my goddaughter Lauren

After two days of travel, during which I discovered that 4 flights in 2 days is the limit of what my nerves can handle, I landed in Houston to visit friends I consider family. I got in all my Texas trip requirements: brisket, fried pickles, stuffed grape leaves, pool time, chats over cocktails with my best friend and a tickle fight or two with her adorable kids.

It was great to be back in the US and in places where people assume I'm American. There weren't many US backpackers - mostly Australian and Canadian and most people thought I was from Toronto. Interesting that my lack of any specific accent seemed to place me squarely outside the country!

After Houston, I headed to Denver to visit my awesome cousin Collin - the best part of which what seeing him perform live. Check out his album "Waiting in Bolivia" on iTunes or Rdio and also now on Spotify!

He was kind enough to let me borrow his car and I drove out to Rocky Mountain National Park one day for a gorgeous 10 mile hike. It started out above 9000 ft so it took a few minutes to get used to the altitude, but I found a good rhythm and had some good conversations with other folks on the trail.

Lunch Spot at Black Lake (elevation 10,620ft)

I spent the next afternoon at Garden of the Gods...

Then, two days later, I drove out from Seattle to Snoqualmie Falls and Mount Si. I am seriously overwhelmed by how beautiful Colorado and Washington are.

I have no idea where this will lead us. But I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange. -Dale Cooper

 

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Hey there, Paris!

A few years ago when I went to Italy I was nervous about going to Florence because I had been there when I was in high school and absolutely loved it - the food, climbing to the top of the duomo, a crowded, smoke-filled dance club and then running back through the streets to get back before the hotel curfew. I had such great memories and was worried it would not be as wonderful returning years later when I was older and a different person than I was at 15. I had the same feelings about Paris having visited almost (but not quite) 10 years ago for my 25th birthday - late dinners in small cafes, a couple great concerts, wandering through rain-covered cobblestone streets in the early morning hours with a bottle of champagne - and I when I left Boston I wasn't planning to come to Paris at all.

Luxembourg Gardens

Well, my plans for this trip have changed every few days based on what I wanted from the next town (city? mountains? ocean?) and on recommendations from fellow travelers (Ljubljana, Strasbourg) and somewhere along the way Paris made it onto the list. Florence the second time was amazing - running along the Arno with my friend Lori (for exercise this time, not to make curfew), seeing Michaelangelo's David, eating prosciutto and drinking Gaja in the back room of a wine shop - so why not give Paris another go?

Rats!

I am so happy I did. Balanced somewhere between the complete (and yet oh so fun) debauchery of Berlin and the super civilized (and yet a little too clean) persona of Vienna, Paris is, to me, a perfect balance of history and progress, beauty and grit, civility and lewdness. It is a city that is palpable with life and one can't help but just wander and watch the world go by.

A street in Montmartre

Le Place de Vosges

In the Marais is the elegant Place de Vosges where Victor Hugo lived before being exiled. His house was a great stop as was the Musée Jacquemart-André, a mansion formerly owned by wealthy art collectors that had assembled during their travels an incredible art collection that includes a couple Botticellis, a few Renoirs and a bronze sculpture by Donatello.

The crowd at Sacré-Coeur

I stayed in a beautiful apartment in Montmartre, just steps from Sacré-Coeur. It's a wonderful area of cafés and fun shops - touristy, but full of locals as well. Out for a drink with my airbnb host, multiple people from the neighborhood stopped to chat.

Strolling along the Seine

Should have stayed here!

There was a moment when I was walking down Rue L'Opera with the enormous old opera building in front of me and I was listening to music (trick to keep me going when my feet get tired). The sun was shining on my shoulders and as I bit into a vanilla macaron, I smiled because I realized that at that moment all my senses were happy. Beautiful city, great tunes, warm sun and the crunch of the cookie then smoothness of the filling with the delicious flavor and scent of vanilla and sugar. Perfect!

 

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Relaxing in Alsace and the Black Forest

When I was in Berlin, I was chatting with a woman originally from the US who had been living in Berlin for 4 years. We were discussing the fact that I was looking for a town in Alsace for the 2 days between when I wanted to be in Geneva to visit friends and my already booked spa time in Baden Baden and she recommended Strasbourg - a great recommendation!

 

 

It's a bit of a sleepy little town, especially on a Sunday, but has a great mix of French and German architecture and culture.

In the hills above Baden-Baden

Trail through the Black Forest

The two spas in Baden-Baden are beautiful, modeled after the Roman spas and the Friedrichsbad spa boasts the only steam room in existence that uses only geothermal energy for heat. I do believe that in 3 days I tripled my shower count on this trip as a couple hours at the spa goes something like this: Shower. Warm sauna. Hot sauna. Shower. Massage with soap and brush. Shower. Steam room. Shower. Thermal pool at 38C. Whirlpool at 32C. Mineral bath at 28C. Shower. Cold bath at 18C (really cold!). Massage with lotion. Resting room where they cocoon you up in a big fuzzy blanket for a half hour. Then they give you a nice warm cup of tea before you leave.

 

 

 

 

 

Baden-Baden casino

There is also a casino in town that is amazingly opulent - rooms with beige and gold paneling and huge ornate gold mirrors that reflect the golden light from elaborate crystal chandeliers, golden andirons in the fireplaces that have the head of an eagle and a serpent's tail, alcoves with velvet settees and embroidered damask curtains in red, gold and green, a black and bronze walled bar with palm trees and cream leather seats. It seemed straight out of a Bond movie and I felt like I should have a revolver and a poison dart somewhere on my person. Roulette was king, plus a couple blackjack tables.

Night falls on Baden-Baden

 

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The Checkboxes

Now a month into this trip, I know I've been overusing a few adjectives - amazing, beautiful, gorgeous, incredible. It all is and I would recommend a trip like this to anyone. However, for the sake of honesty, I'll highlight a few of what I call the checkboxes - those moments and experiences in life that you go through and at the end, all you can really say is "Well, I can say I've done it. Check!" Like a colonoscopy or being shit on by a pigeon. So, here we go...

Seeing the manequin pis? Check. He was dressed as a garçon.

Checkpoint Charlie. Er...check. It was the most crowded and touristy place I saw in Berlin and yet I fail to understand why this is a thing.

Note the McDonalds and Souvenirs & More (in English) in the background

Heat rash because it is so damn hot, everywhere, all the time? Check.

Roommate that snored so loudly I only got 3 hours of sleep? Check.

Paid 20€ at a kiosk in a train station for a SIM card that lasted all of 12 hours? Check. I've only purchased them from proper phone stores since.

Rude waiters? Check. Though I really have to say that they aren't rude, they just aren't trying to butter be up or upsell me to get a better tip. I think in the end I'll prefer it.

Rude Americans? An embarrassed check. One lost guy I'd stopped to help give directions to then got mad at me because I wouldn't give him my map to take with him. That was funny.

Demonic vermin bastards that suck your blood in the dark of night (aka bedbugs)? Gross...and check.

But then there mornings like this...

0,70€ espresso in Ljubljana. Cheapest I found and delicious!

Crèpes à la Mike

And views like this...

Croatia in the distance

Lac d'Annecy

Innsbruck

Outside Vienna

Slovenia

Hiking in the Black Forest

And meals like this...

Pork chop and potato pancakes in Ljubljana

Local wine, cheese and prosciutto in Slovenia

Rabbit leg at Leo's in Baden Baden

Margherita pizza in Berlin

And conversations with fellow travelers that leave you so glad you met them and so excited for the next place you're headed that you cannot wait to wake up and see where you will be this time tomorrow, knowing it will be amazing, beautiful, gorgeous and incredible.

 

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