I'm Back!

Did I mention I have a terrible memory? We just spent a month in Europe. When I went to open my blog to write as we travelled, I forgot my password and was left blog-mute! Of course I keep a hand-written journal, but it's not the same as writing for others.

A week in Paris; one-bedroom condo in the Bastille neighborhood. Our windows overlooked the weekly market at Richard Lenoir, where we sampled fabulous cheeses, olives and fruit. The weather in September was so much warmer than expected, and stayed sunny for almost our entire trip. The Eiffel Tower continues to dazzle, and for two of those warm, starry evenings we picnicked on the lawns in front of it. We are not big spenders when we travel, preferring to eat humbly about half the time. We did find a lovely little restaurant in the Marais (the only one whose name I did not record in my journal!) where I had a beautiful lasagna and Michael had steak tartare. Daughter Maggie met us in Paris and spent several days with us before heading for the Camino de Santiago in Spain. My childhood friend Liz lives just in the shadow of the ET, so we had a built-in expert to give us helpful hints and to introduce us to cheeses and pates that we otherwise never would have tasted. One evening she cooked a gorgeous and elaborate dinner for us. Her tiny balcony had space for two tiny chairs and a table, so Michael and Maggie, who'd never been to Liz's apartment, got to enjoy the view and all the delicious food while Liz and I sat nearby. (When I stayed with Liz two years ago, I breakfasted every day on that gorgeous little balcony!)

Next came a week in the tiny town of Schliersee, in the Bavarian Alps. (I am not yet up to speed at this blogging thing, and can't get my photos to appear at the appropriate paragraphs as I write, darn it!) Schliersee, and its surroundings, looks like something out of a Disney production; I half expected to be dressed in the mornings by little bluebirds and mice, or to get a wake up call from Mickey himself! Green rolling hills full of cows with their bells ringing, colorfully painted houses with impatiens and geraniums tumbling out of window boxes. We have an American friend, married to a German, who lives a couple of valleys to the west of Schliersee. He toured us around Munich and then later in the week invited us to their house for dinner. So so lucky to have local friends -- it changes the way we see places considerably. A gondola ride up to the top of the Wendelstein gave us a panoramic view of the Alps all the way to Italy. (Lunch at the top was two hot dogs and fries, came to $21.00!) Road trip to Salzburg, taking all the little back roads in order to see as much of the countryside as possible, joined by a lovely lady from Massachusetts we met at the condo.

Of course I looked up rowing in Schliersee, and found a rowing club in Tergensee, about a 45 minute drive from Schliersee. Their boathouse was full of lustrous old wooden singles, but the most interesting thing was that they had an agreement with the gondola companies in Venice (about 2 hours away), and were able to train gondola pilots on a gorgeous black gondola they were taking out as we arrived.