Best of Europe Awards

Time for a blog hiatus. But before taking a break from the blog, Jen and I wanted to throw together our best (and worst) of Europe list. So here we go!

Best hidden gem:
Greg: "Gotta be Murren (see pix to the right). This is a town high in the Swiss Alps that was stunning. I remember opening up my window in my hotel room and having a panoramic view of Jungfrau mountain. The next day Reagan and I hiked the entire day through this charming area. A close second would have to be St. Wolfgang in the Austrian Lakes District (Salzgammergut). On a smaller scale, Frankfurt's Palmengarten is a place that I will never forget and is awesome on a freezing day in Germany"
Jen: "Lakes region in Austria. Also, the entire country of Belgium. Belgian people were very friendly and the food was great. This is quintessential europe. Finally, Lucca in Tuscany. It seemed unaffected by the tourists. Primarily locals in this place"

Best Food:
Greg: "Loved the jaegerschnitzel anywhere in Germany. Zum Storchenest, our town restaurant, made the very best. I've tried the dish here in the US and no one so far has come close to what they serve in Germany. I also had goulash in Hungary and loved it. Not too spicy, not too bland...perfect"
Jen: "Chocolate croissants at Netto (our neighborhood store). They melted in your mouth...flaky and soft in your mouth all at the same time"

Biggest surprise:
Greg: "The Italian food in Germany was wonderful! Without exception it was made by Italian immigrants/expats who were probably looking to escape some of the insanity of Italy."
Jen: "How much Germans are like Americans culturally. After visiting places like Spain, France, Greece, it was clear that Germans (and somewhat the Irish) are like us. We eat meals at the same time, don't take siestas, like fireworks, etc.
Also, naked people. Europeans in general are not prude. It's not sexual to them...it seems normal. In America, they would be arrested.
Finally, I was surprised that cops didn't issue tickets. Speed cameras gave out all the tickets"

Place that lived up to the hype:
Greg: "Venice. It was even better than I imagined. Touristy? Absolutely...but for good reason. The canals, the confluence of architectural styles, Dogges Palace, and Saint Mark's Square; not one thing disappointed. I recently got back to Vegas and went to the Venitian trying to relive the authentic Venice experience and it wasn't even close.
A close second would have to be Capri. A lot of travel writers now urge their readers to skip this touristy mecca but they're doing their readers a disservice. So long as you go in the shoulder season and stay away from the high season, Capri is perfect; otherwise, you're screwed."
Jen: "Amsterdam. 24-7 energy plus the sheer beauty of the city. Also, Brugges in Belgium is lot in time. Definitely up to the hype"

Biggest "Glad I did it but won't be doing that again" Moment:
Greg: "Running with the Bulls in Pamplona. Chance of a freaking lifetime. Especially since I ran with my dad and cousin, it's an experience that would be impossible to top."
Jen: "Riding the trains...not for pleasure but just for basic transportation. Also, using Italian pit toilets"

If I had to live somewhere in Europe, it would be:
Jen: "Vernazza in Cinque Terre or anywhere in Ireland (see pix to the right) or Amsterdam"
Greg: "Bann. But Southern Italy would be nice too"

Biggest disappointment:
Greg: "Oktoberfest (the second time). Bringing your family to Oktoberfest is a recipe for disaster. Mix in some rain and a lot of obnoxious drunks you can see why this was not a trip for the ages. That being said, I had a good time the first time I went with a colleague from work. We had better weather and since it was on opening day, no one was drunk (yet). Still, it was croweded and I was really lucky to even get inside one of the bierhalls.
Much like Oktoberfest, Naples was a big disappointment with the family. The place seemed very sketchy and dirty. A year later I returned to Naples and ventured past the area around the train station and did have a much better time.
Finally, the Autobahn is overrated. Much of it is speed restricted and is often riddled with traffic. But when it's unrestricted, it's great"
Jen: "Torino. Not picturesque. Full of immigrants. Also, Disneyland Paris (Greg disagrees). Employees were rude/characters left with kids still waiting for them/not well maintained..."

Worth the splurge:
Greg: "The London Eye. We'll probably be paying interest on the amount we shelled out to ride but the view was awesome. Hey, it's London! Everything is expensive."
Jen: "Stockholm. Expensive but worth it. Also, the room in Vernazza that overlooked the main square/church/marina"

Biggest cultural struggle:
Jen: "Nothing open on Sunday and no one takes credit"
Greg: (See previous post)

Best Souvenier:
Greg: "Our German gummi bear, Luke. We also came home with a ton of wine and beer"
Jen: "Luke."

What would you change about the time we spent in Europe:
Jen: "Spent more time in Italy and learned a foreign language so we could have chatted with the locals more"
Greg: "I would have liked to visit Calabria (more than from the deck of a ship), the French Riviera and Denmark."

Best advice to other travels:
Jen: "Get outside of the cities and go to the smaller villages. Get to interact with the locals."
Greg: "Jen's right. The cities are overrated. As for meeting people, act as if you are a temporary local"

What I miss most about living in Europe:
Greg: "British TV, Netto, good jaegerschitzel, ryanair, our village and neighbors, the crew at TPMRC, Christmas markets."
Jen: "Chocolate croissants, slower pace, drinking wine in a public park, fests, pretzels"

Pictures from top to bottom: Swiss Alps, Jen in Dublin, and our backyard in Bann

Culture Shock Moments

Looking back on our time in Europe, we always get a chuckle out of the culture shock moments we endured/suffered/enjoyed. Hey, we're American! We're bound to commit and occasional cultural faux pas. For example, when Jen and I were in England in early 1997, we were aghast at the slow and inattentive service. I mean, what was it going to take for our waiter to pay attention to us! We were fuming. Come to find out that Europeans generally believe it's rude for their waiters and waitresses to "hover" over you. To a couple of nineteen year old Yanks, we thought they were snotty and rude. Joke was on us. Truth be told--customer service expectations are WAY different in Germany and the rest of Europe compared to that in the states. I wonder what they think when they come to the US.

Speaking of Jolly olde England culture shock, open a newspaper and turn to page 3. You'll thank me later. If you're a guy--

I also remember the first time I saw a dog in a restaurant in Germany. Perfectly acceptable! Wasn't prepared for that one. Back in the states, I remember getting kicked out of an El Pollo Loco in Encino one time when I was holding our dog Reagan and ordering food to go. Maybe we can find a middle ground and achieve perfection!

Public urination is the easily the biggest culture shock moment I had in Europe. A couple years ago we headed over to Annweiler near Burg Trifels for New Years Day and I was so shocked by this hung over guy relieving himself in a parking lot. I had to take a picture because no one would believe me otherwise. Back home, taking a leak in the bushes is a thing of last resort. In Germany, not a big deal. After living there for a while you realize they HAVE to do this because there are so few public restrooms. And if you do find them, be prepared to to shell out a euro for the privilege.

The culture shock in Germany was nothing compared to that we experienced in Italy. I won't go into detail but that place is insane--wonderful, but insane. Germany, of all the places, was most like America in my opinion.

Fall 2006 Rewind: Latin Livin!

Trieste

So our first attempt to get to Italy didn't turn out so well. In fact, it didn't happen at all. We were scheduled to fly into Milan, tour around, and then head over to our friends' place in the Veneto. Didn't happen. To say that we "missed our plane" is factually incorrect. Not to get too longwinded but after we were halfway to Hahn airport (about 30 minutes into our drive), we pulled a dumb American and realized we forgot our passports. Now you can't really blame us...we were still in the America state of mind where you don't need a passport to fly around.

What kills me is that we SHOULD have made that flight. Even after hauling ass back to our house and getting our passports, we made it back to Hahn with about a half hour to spare. "Sorry, sir. We cannot let you on." What! "Yes, we closed the gate with 45 minutes of takeoff" But the plane hasn't left! People are just now starting to board! "You will have to buy a ticket on the next flight...at full price." This was one of my first experiences with crappy treatment on Ryanair. Don't get me wrong, it's a great airline so long as you play by their rules. By the time we left there, we had it down to a science. We had it timed down to the minute and used the hotel parking lot saving us time and money. Not this time.

Not to be denied my Italian immersion, I told Jen that we were going to visit our friend for Thanksgiving. My friend Brent from Aviano had floated the invitation and we took full advantage. Not to bore you with the details but it was about as good as any holiday gets. I'll write about the actual holiday some other time but Italy itself was incredible. Northern Italy is magical in the fall. Since it is on the sunny side of the Alps, it provided us a welcomed respite from the gloom in Germany. Sure, there was some snow on the Dolomite Mountains down in Aviano, the weather was perfect.

View of Aviano from Brent and Maria's house

Italy has a funny effect on one's memory. Ten years prior, Jen and I visited Rome and Florence and we definitely made some wonderful memories then. Sure, I have some faint memories the hassle of Italy such as abundant graffiti, disorganization, etc. But lookin back, it's the fond memories of gelato, Rennaisance architecture, and fun loving people really stand out. So once we arrived in Italy, all these memories came rushing back and I was thinking to myself, "What too you so damn long to get back here?"

Much like Italy, Spain had a lasting impact on our family. The pace is very much the same and one couldn't escape the feeling that this place was so "Un-German". In the fall season, this is definitely a good thing. What really struck me about Spain was how much it reminded me of California. I returned to Spain three times (a different region each time) and these trips reinforced this impression. Let's face it, the temperature is nearly identical, everyone speaks Spanish, and it looks so much So Cal.


Calella

Unlike Italy, Spain was simply a place to kick back and enjoy the good life. Italy has so much to see and do while the big attraction in Spain was chillin' on the beach. After seeing a different city each weekend for four months straight, this was a welcomed relief. Travel author Rick Steves reminds his readers to take it slow. "Remember, you WILL be back. No sense in trying to see it all in one take," he says. So true! Finally, we slowed down, ordered some sangria on the beach, and took it all in for the next few days. This is what Spain is all about.

Summer 2006 Rewind Pt 2: Encountering Teutonic Charm

Charming isn't a word that many people would use to describe Germany. In the fall and winter, this is VERY true. However, once the sun shines and the flowers bloom, this place really is breathtaking. Even the people seem to get out of their six month rut during this time of year.

Fortunately for us, we arrived in Europe just in time for this amazing transformation. We wasted no time and logged some serious kilometers on the Autobahn. We were literally going every single weekend. In August alone, our family visited Munich, Salzburg, St. Gilgan, Rhein and Mosel Valleys, Vianden, Heidelberg, Paris, and a few others. Of course Jen's folks were in town who were just as eager to see Europe as us. Here are some of the photographic highlights:

Prost! -Heard many times in Munich's legendary Hofbrauhaus

Triumphant at Paris' Arc d' Triumph

Hamming it up on the way up to Cochem Castle...Amazingly I made it through my 3 years without ever passing out from too much hefeweisen and pils

Ginger-hair Jen in the Mosel Valley: Enjoying the best part of Europe!

Summer 2006 Rewind

So this blog started about one year after we first moved to Germany so I figured I would revisit our early days in Europe.

Cochem walkplatz

I flew directly to Frankfurt from Maxwell AFB, AL where I was attending Sq Officers School. Jen and Julia stayed back in California while I got things together in Germany. In retrospect, this was probably the best thing we could have done. Those of you who've been assigned to USAFE can attest to the fact that the initial few weeks are fun but REALLY stressful.

Not only is there a new language to learn and cultural bugaboos to be aware of, but you have to do all the normal things like wait for your car to be shipped and find a place to live. To make matters worse, I was rediculously sick when I checked into my billeting on Kapaun AB. Thank GOD I didn't have to drag everyone around with me while getting everything together. All the while, all I wanted to do was hit the Autobahn (BTW, huge disappointment) and see Europe.

The girls on the Hamburg waterfront

Once Jen, Julia, and Reagan did arrive, we had a house with all of our furniture there, I'd purchased a piece of crap Opel to get around, and I'd gotten off to a good start at my job at TPMRC. It made life so much easier! I was so excited to begin our three year European vacation!

A few days after landing in Germany, we headed down to Kaiserslautern (aka "K-town, downtown, little America, etc"). Now at the time K town was one of the host cities to the 2006 World Cup and as we soon discovered, these guys loved their soccer! The altstadt (old town) of K-town was bustling with revelers and I thought to myself, "hey, these germans get a bad rap. They seem like fun luvin folks and really cut loose. This assignment is going to be alright." Come to find out that most of these people were from places like Italy and Spain who's national team was playing in Kaiserslautern. After the world cup left, downtown seemed so dead for the next three years.

Downtown during the World Cup (Drinking in public=perfectly acceptable!)

Sadly, America didn't do so well during this event so we quickly started to root for our new "home team", Germany. I do remember going downtown after work with my my buddy Donnie and we watched the Germans play Argentina on a big screen setup in one of the platz's. Germany, who were probably three point underdogs, pulled off the win in a shootout and the crowd erupted with euphoria! Beer was flying, people were shouting, girls were hugging, and the guys where chanting, "Berlin! Berlin! We're going to Berlin!" in German (the finals were held in Berlin).

Julia in K-town on 4 July 06

A few days later Germany advanced to the semifinals where they were slated to play Italy. Friends from Aviano were nice enough to come up and stay with us during this time so for a time we were a house divided. Like us, they were pulling for their newly adopted country and who could blame them! The Italians treat the sport as a religion. Anyhow, the game was close and the tension was really building in our place but Italy was triumphant and would go on to beat France in the finals (Thank God!). Whatever. We were in Europe--doing what Europeans did--and getting paid to do it! What a great start to our three years.

Our friend Maria with JJ in K Town.

More Blasts from the Past

Greg at Edwards AFB airshow in 1982Luke at Randolph AFB airshow in 2009

Hopefully Luke will have better luck becoming a pilot than me. Let's all hope he gets his mother's good vision.

Europe Then and Now

After class one afternoon in our apartment in Lubbock, Jen and I impulsively hatched a plan to take a trip to Europe. It was 1996 and we college students on the rice and ramen budget but I had a few bucks from selling my truck. We decided if not now, when? And so a few months later we boarded an AA jet from LAX to Heathrow Airport. Here are a few pix of our trip then compared to modern day pix:

Then: Jen in Paris 1996...Now: Jen in Paris 2008Then: Piazza del Poppolo 1996

...Now: Piazza del Poppolo 2009

Then: Greg in Piazza del Poppolo, New Years Eve 1996

...Now: Greg (and my kiddos in pix 2) in the same spot in 2009

Bringing a bit of Europe to Texas

Europe withdrawal. I'm not sure if this qualifies as a clinical diagnosis but I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from it. To ease the transition, I put a few European touches in our Texas home. First is the Talavera tile kitchen table. These handpainted tiles originated from a small town in central Spain (although I'm guessing many of ours came from Mexico) and bring much needed color into our kitchen.

Outside is a different story. South Texas is the land of oak trees and grassland. To remind us of our time in Italy, I planted a "pasta garden" of sorts. Our humble farm consists of eggplant, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, lettuce, and some other stuff for good measure. Before long all of this stuff will be on our table for an Italian dinner.

Finally, here are our kiddies at the Frederickburg Oktoberfest!

And the Final Tally Is...

16. This is the total number of countries we visited as a family during our 3 year European Tour. These countries include Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Vatican City, Sweden, Ireland, UK, Greece, Croatia, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg.

+5 for Greg. These include: Hungary, Portugal, Dubai, Turkey, Djibouti (Saudi and Ethiopia don't count since I never left the airport)

The total number really should have been at least 20 now that I think about it. We were about 3 kilometers away from Slovenia when we visited Trieste, Italy. Also, we came within throwing distance of Poland when visiting Berlin. Same is true for Lichtenstein and Denmark. The good news is that we will most definitely be back.

Oktoberfest aus Kalifornia

What a party! We wanted to bring a bit of Oktoberfest to our friends back in Kalifornia. The result? Wunderbar. Thanks to all who came! Check out a few pix:\

Julia's Memories of Europe

As crazy as it sounds, the memories of Europe are fading fast in the minds of our kids. In an attempt to capture what we can, here is a brief list of favorites from our daugther, Julia:

Best Friend: Dylan Naglic who lived in Vogelweh
Favorite City: Brugges, Belgium
Favorite Museum: Imperial War Museum, London (Dad is beaming!!!)
Favorite Place to Visit: "Dinosaur Park" aka Gartenshau in Kaiserslautern
Favority Thing to Eat: Macaroni and Cheese at our house in Bann
Funnest Thing she did: Play at the Playground at Donnelly Park at Ramstein
Coolest Purchase: Anything from H and M in Downtown K-town
First Thing I Remember in Germany: Eating at Aurora restaurant in Sorrento, Italy
The Wettest I've Ever Been: Was actually in Florida..."It was a torrential downpour"
I Remember These People from our Village: Norbert and Luzia (our neighbors)
Favorite Shop in our Village: Netto!
Favorite Treat from Netto: Donuts & Cheese Pretzels from the Bakerei, Kinder eggs from store
Favorite Outfit in Germany: Long sleeve dresses and tights
Favorite Memory in Garmisch: Going for a swim in the pool and the jaccuzzi
Animals I Remember in our village of Bann: Dogs and Goats
What Luke Looked Like When He Was Born: A little old grandpa (she's right!)
Best Part About Volksmarching: Getting a "prize" at the end esp in Rothenberg ob der Tauber

Europe Revisited...sort of

Just when we thought this blog was dead...we're back for some more! Now that we are settled here in San Antonio, we've had a chance to get out there and see some stuff. Some of the sights and sounds around here instantly conjure up memories of our time in Europe. For example, we stopped in Solvang on our way up to Santa Cruz and it was just like a sunny version of a Nordic country. Check it out:

A few days before Santa Cruz my folks threw a welcome home party for me. We supplied a lot of the alcohol from our stash that we brought back from Europe. Not only did it taste European, it looked it too. My folks let me put up some stringed lights which instantly turned their patio into a scene ripped right out of Italy. Take a look at the aftermath shot:

We also had the chance to visit a biergarten in my new favorite town of Fredricksburg. This town may be in the middle of Texas but its all German down to its soul. Ah, it was really nice to be back in one of Europe's best gifts to the world: the Biergarten. Here is a couple pix (and yes, Luke stole my nearly empty pils bier):

Finally, here is a Germany flashback pix. This particular picture is of a guillotine urinal. I tried to explain this thing to my Dad and others and they couldn't believe it. So here is some proof. Too bad I wasn't able take a video...the blade dropped once you flushed. Only in Germany.

Auf Wiedersehen, Germany. Howdy, Texas

We're home! After three years (and change) in Europe, it feels great to be back.

So what does this mean for the future of this blog? Not 100% sure. I do plan on uploading additional retrospective posts since we've been away from the internet a lot lately. Also, we didn't start the blog until one year into the assignment so we would like to revisit some of that year as well. After that, we will see what happens.

Ugly American? Not Quite!

"What happened to the Ugly American, the one with the loud shirt and the loud voice, expecting the natives to speak English? Has he been shouldered aside by the Arrogant French?
That’s the conclusion one could draw from a survey this month of 4,500 hotel owners around the world who rated the French the world’s worst tourists, bad at foreign languages, arrogant and tight-fisted. Spaniards, deemed noisy and messy, came second in a field of 27. Americans ranked 9th on the list of the top 10 best."

Read the rest of the article here:

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2009/07/16/the-ugly-american-and-other-stereotypes/

I knew we Americans got a bad rap. The Ugly American stereotype is one conjured up from ignorance. Honestly, almost all Americans we came across in our travels were anything but the loud and obnoxious bumpkins we are portrayed as. In fact, most of our fellow countrymen seemed eager to immerse themselves in a new culture and tended to be very mellow. For example, we encountered many cheap and loud foreigners in Pamplona last year that spoke English. Problem was they weren't Americans; they were Aussies. In the streets of Madrid there were plenty of drunk bubbas stumbling about in English. Yanks? No, they were Brits on a bender with their mates. Maybe in the non English speaking parts of Europe people assume all people who speak English are Americans thus we are guilty by association. Who knows.

Boom Boom for Bam-Bam

It's official: Luke loves fireworks! We headed to Kapaun AS last night to celebrate the 4th and our son (aka Bam-Bam because he likes to take objects and whack them over and over) was

riveted by the fireworks. This was his first time watching fireworks since last year he was stuck in Brugge, Belgium. Anyhow, God Bless America! We will see you very soon!

Tuscany, The Eternal City and Eternal Travel Truths

Happy Independence Day my fellow Americans! It's the fourth of July, the sun is shining here in Germany, and we're back from our Italian Blitz...It's great to be alive! Time to light the grill as well as some fireworks today.

So, our last hurrah here in Europe took place in the land of vespas and pasta. Our travels took us to Tuscany (including Pisa, Lucca, Tireannia, and Camp Darby) and Rome, the Eternal City.

One of the highlights included a wonderful dinner in the heart of Rome. Keep in mind that leading up to this dinner, our Italian culinary experience had been super disappointing. Overpriced food that tasted like crap was pretty much the norm. And then we found an inviting ristorante while wondering the streets near the Piazza Del Poppolo in Central Rome. It didn't look like anything extraordinary from the outside but it definitely had character. As we sat under an umbrella and began to feast on our pasta, we were amazed! Not only was the food unbelievable but the kids behaved and the weather cooled off significantly. Oh, did I mention the wine? I had the best vino rosso I've ever had!

We also had a blast in the Tuscan town of Lucca. This place is off the map of many foreigners which made it that much better for us. It really had an authenticity about it which was such a welcomed contrast to tourist trampled Pisa. We decided to set off on bikes and pedal the city walls. Later on we headed to the Piazza San Michelle (Saint Michael Square) and do what Italians do best: peoplewatch. From what I read, Italians head to the town square for nearly every reason. Need to get the latest gossip? Head to the piazza. Need to check out the ladies/fellas in their latest clothes? Head to the piazza. Need to take a hit out on your enemy? Head to the piazza. For Luke, the piazza was a place to pick up chicks. As you can see in the pix, a couple of Italian cuties had their sights set on our little guy.

Another high point was the American Beach in Tirhennia which is just west of the American Army base at Camp Darby. Of all the beaches we visited, this was most like a SoCal beach anywhere in Europe. It was hard to leave. If I were to have done it all over again, I probably would have skipped everything else and hung out at this beach all week. The kids loved it and so did mom and dad. It's hard to please everyone but the beach does it to us every time.

Okay, so we had some good times on this trip. That being said, this trip was ROUGH! Between insane Italian pace, the searing heat, the tricky logistics, the blown budget, etc, etc, we were glad to be home when our plane landed at Frankfurt Hahn early this morning. But the biggest struggle we encountered was traveling with our little ones. This reinforced one of the enduring travel truths: Travel with small kids is tough business! Every day they get older, travel becomes that much more difficult. It was easier for them and us when they were smaller and easier to cart around/entertain/feed/please/etc. My parents definitely learned this enduring truth a long time ago. I remember my parents took my brothers and I on a six state, Western US tour-de-force when we were all really young. A few years ago they told me what a pain in the butt that trip was and I think they vowed never to do it again. I can now relate after this trip!

Don't get me wrong, I know how lucky we are. We have two wonderful kids who put up with three years (a little less for baby Luke) of hard-core European travel. Now that they are getting older we find ourselves transitioning to a new, more stable lifestyle in San Antonio. I am convinced that this will be better for all of us. The timing couldn't be better. Julia is going to Kindergarten next year and Jen is planning to return to work while we're in SA. Gone are the days of visiting a new village/city/country every weekend. It's been fun but we anticipate a lot of exciting weekends chillaxing in our backyard with our little ones as we set up shop in the Alamo City.

Here are some pix from our trip:

Tuscan Sunflowers

Amore!

On the steps of the Piazza del Poppolo (same steps where Jen and I celebrated new years in 1996)

Riding the Statues

Swiss Guards at the Vatican

Hadrian's Column across from the Forum

Saint Luke at Saint Peter's

Link to Jen's snapfish page for all of our photos

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=871965017/a=8867595/