Hair Compare

This is in response to Prasti's comment... she said she almost didn't recognize me with long hair!

I almost don't recognize myself anymore! I haven't had a haircut on this entire trip, with the idea that in the wintertime I would wear braids, which are very convenient for skiing (don't get in your face or get too wet). This plan worked out well! But, since I've been almost always wearing my hair in braids now, I don't really have a sense of how long it really is! So when I saw this photo of me and my dad at the top of the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, I was a bit startled! (Plus, I'm really tan.)


Compare to this photo taken at the beginning of our trip (Feb 1, 2006). It's a bit fuzzy, but you get the idea.


Craig, on the other hand, just got a haircut.

Here he is at maximum length (about a month ago).


And here he is last week at the top of Pigne d'Arolla. (Notice how much shorter my hair looks in braids!)


I just hope that Jeff is still working at the New London Salon when I come back.

-SK

#1! and Best Cities

And finally! Steph and Craig's #1 European Tourist Site is ...

Stromboli! When all is said and done, nature prevails over man-made attractions on our list! On the island of Stromboli, you get the whole package... A boat ride from Sicily, a cute waterfront town, a hike up a volcano with excellent views, and the knockout punch: real volcanic explosions with lava! Enough to be actually a bit scary. Even with the plastic hard-hat they give you for the tour.

List o' the day: Best Cities in Europe

This was the hardest list for us to make! There were debates and compromises between the reviewers, and several cities that barely missed the list (Barcelona, Brussels, Porto, Palermo, Sevilla and Stockholm). And, of course, there are some major cities in Europe that we did not visit, so they're not included here... But with that disclaimer, here are our picks...

1. Paris, France
   Paris really does have it all! Knock-out sights, great food and art, beautiful architecture and public spaces, great public transit, and a population that confidently goes about its business. Somehow, Parisians just know they live in fabulous place, and they don't try to make it into anything else.


2. Rome, Italy
   Probably Europe's most romantic city, Rome does not disappoint. Full of magnificent piazzas, fountains, and ancient roman buildings, Rome is a wanderer's delight, even if you're not a history buff! Visiting the Ancient Forum still instills a sense of awe at the magnificence of the empire.


3. Vienna, Austria
   Vienna may be a bit stuck in the past, but with a such a glorious past, who can blame it?! In the city center, where it seems like every building was created to be fit for the Habsburg royalty, coffeehouses can be found next to chic boutiques, and Mozart look-alikes hawk concert tickets.


4. Berlin, Germany
   What we loved about Berlin was that (unlike Rome, in particular!) they city is not afraid to do something new! The Berlin Wall is virtually gone now, and urban redevelopment has gobbled up the former no-man's land. A giant civic project now spans the river. Still, funky neighborhoods can be found with active music, art and cafe scenes and a serious grunge culture. (Makes Seattle look mild.)


5. Budapest, Hungary
   ... and while Vienna ignores the Danube river, Budapest rejoices in it, making it a focal point for the city's most impressive buildings. What we liked best about Budapest though, was the slightly chaotic sense of optimism that seemed to drive its inhabitants and businesses.


6. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
   Amsterdam is, in a way, a town of extremes. Its highly organized system of concentric canals and bike lanes (where all bikes travel the same speed, because they all have just one gear!) gives way to hoards of chaotic partyers after dark. But, by daylight, they're all gone, and one can freely move among the canals and alleys, admiring the row houses and trying not to get lost!


7. Venice, Italy
   Venice grew on us a lot. At first, it seemed like a filthy, crowded tourist town. But that was because we were at a filthy, crowded, tourist destination (St. Mark's square). After the ugly initial impression, we wandered. And as we wandered, we found the real Venice, where people do their shopping and kids play in the squares. And perhaps the most amazing thing about Venice... it is truly and entirely a pedestrian city. Even bicycles are impractical for maneuvering on staircases over canals!


8. Prague, Czech Republic
   Prague is another city that grew on us. On the downside, Prague is too crowded with tourists. Of course, there's a reason it's crowded with tourists, and that's because it is a remarkable place, especially for its architecture, which is dominated by spiky towers. Off of the tourist track, Prague is both gritty and polished, trendy and worn.


9. Athens, Greece
   We went to Athens expecting the worst (smog, crowds, garbage) and were pleasantly surprised. There is a slick new subway system which immensely helps smog and congestion. Garbage can still be found (it's Greece, after all!), and entire neighborhoods are covered in (some quite artistic!) graffiti, but it feels like a city on the up-and-up, and has the best cafe culture we've found in Europe. Entire streets were taken over by tables around dusk.


10. Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copenhagen bucks the "neat, tidy and boring" trend of most Scandinavian cities. Its central square is lit with neon advertisements at night, and people flock downtown for the clubbing scene on the weekends; some even take naps on the street before their big night out. The downsides: smoking is allowed on the subway, and the entire city is dead until about 3:00pm on Saturday!

Want to see the photos? They're here.

The Haute Route (almost)!

Bob, Craig and I arrived in Zermatt yesterday evening after four days on the trail. Ski trail, that is. We altered our plans for the Haute Route, starting in Arolla, Switzerland instead of Chamonix, France after starting out in Chamonix and turning around there due to crummy snow and team sickness. This whole endeavor deserves a blog mini-series with photos, which I promise to get to when we get back to Les Brevieres (day after tomorrow), AND, of course I tell you what the number one tourist site in Europe is!

-SK
a Arolla, Switzerland

#2! And Best Relatively Unknown Cities

Steph and Craig's #2 European Tourist Site is ...

The Louvre in Paris. Yes, it makes both our "Best Museums" list and our "Best Sights" list. It's that good. What makes it so special? Well, the art collection is amazing. Most of what you studied in Art History 101 is here, and even if you've never never cracked an art book in your life, you'll still probably recognize the Mona Lisa. But, in addition to the art collection, you will be touring one of the French Royal palaces, which is worth the price of admission alone! Add to that an important piece of modern architecture (I.M. Pei's glass pyramid), and we're talking major bang for your buck. It was not overly busy when we went in November.

List o' the day: Best Relatively Unknown Towns in Europe

These are the places we enjoyed a lot that are not yet on the major tourist track.

1. Le Puy, France
   Le Puy feels like the French answer to the Tuscan hilltown, with winding alleys that work their way towards the Romanesque cathedral, which is the starting point of one of the most important pilgrimages in Europe and houses the famous Black Virgin. It is very picturesque, and hard to believe it didn't make it into all of our guidebooks.


2. Kotor, Montenegro
   Kotor is a fortified town spectacularly located on the Fjord of Kotor on the Adriatic. It is full of narrow streets, small plazas, homes and shops. You can climb the ramparts behind the town for a great view of the fjord over the city.


3. Nimes, France
   Nimes is a regional destination, but not yet one of the big names. It is a Roman town, well worth a visit for its amazingly preserved roman stadium (which still is used to stage gladiator demonstrations and bullfights), and its large pedestrian center.


4. Ohrid, Macedonia
   We rolled into Ohrid on a Friday night, when the lakeshore was hopping, and enjoyed strolling the marble-paved pedestrian streets with the locals who were out in force. Ohrid has the energy of a place on the verge of becoming very chic, but is still cheap!


5. Bamberg, Germany
   Bamberg is one of the stops on central Germany's "Romantic Road", but we had never heard of it! It is full of old half-timber buildings, including the town hall, which is built on an island in the river, and is home to a special smoked beer.


6. Split, Croatia
   Yes, this one probably makes the guidebooks on Croatia, but still isn't as big-name as Dubrovnik. We thought Split was more interesting because of its history; it was originally a roman palace that over the years was occupied by the town's residence and transformed into a city.


7. Bolzano, Italy
   A little bit of Austria in the Italian Alps, Bolzano is a lively place with a very outdoorsy culture where German is the first language of most residents, though all speak Italian as well.


8. Chania, Crete (Greece)
   OK, so the tourists have already discovered this one, unfortunately making it nearly impossible to navigate on a Friday night... but how can a city on Crete NOT be touristy? Chania is interesting because it has been inhabited so long that you can see modern buildings on top of Byzantine buildings on top of Hellenistic buildings on top of Minoan buildings!


9. Pecs, Hungary
   It's hard to say exactly what makes Pecs such a nice place to hang out... It has some old Turkish buildings, an impressive cathedral, and lots of those lovely Hungarian tiled roofs, but mostly, its residents just seem to really enjoy living there!


10. Ljubljana, Slovenia
    In a way, it's a travesty that this one makes the list. After all, it is a European capital city, so we all should have heard of it! But most of us haven't, and we highly recommend a visit to watch as Ljubljana transforms itself into a cosmopolitan regional center.

And, you can see photos of these places on our web site here!

Au revoir, McLouis!

Yesterday we sold our beloved camping-car, the McLouis. It is going to a good home with the Mignes, who live in northwestern France and took the train all the way to Chambery (the closest big town to us) to come pick it up. We're sad to part with what was our "home" for several months, but we are happy that we won't be in a major jam to get rid of it when we leave.

Which, by the way, we now have an official return-home date! We'll be arriving in Seattle on May 12 around 8:30 pm. We are flying from Geneva to Dublin, spending Friday night in Dublin, then flying from Dublin to New York to Seatle on Saturday. We're very excited to see you all!

Bob (my dad) is visiting us right now, and we expect to leave on the Haute Route (an 8-day ski tour from Chamonix to Zermatt) on Sunday. I might get the rest of the top ten lists published before then!

-SK

#3! and Best Villages

Steph and Craig's #3 European Tourist Site is ...

The Alhambra, in Granada, Spain. A beautiful site on a hill overlooking the town, the Alhambra is a masterpiece of Moorish architecture, and its grounds include beautiful gardens with delightful water features. You could easily spend a whole day! The biggest problem we had with this site was finding the ticket office. Yes, hard to believe, but somehow we entered through the back door..

List o' the day: Best Villages in Europe

You know, those quaint little places that don't seem to exist in the US...

1. Momenvasia, Greece
   This remote village is connected to the southeast corner of the Peloponnese by a causeway. It was a Byzantine stronghold that somehow got left behind in time and has been recently "rediscovered" by rich people who are rebuilding the old town.


2. Bard, Italy
   We found this tiny town in the Aosta valley because we were attracted by the nearby fortress on the river. It's a very sleepy place that it appears the tourists haven't yet invaded. (Visit soon)


3. Sintra, Portugal
   Located on a forested hillside, Sintra is home to windy pedestrian paths and old mansions of Lisbon escapees, and is the jumping-off point for visiting the crazy palace nearby.


4. Bergheim, France
   Bergheim is a walled medieval town in the Alsace region of France, near the German border. This area is dominated by the much more touristy village of Riquewihr so you will have the quaint streets of Bergheim to yourself. Don't forget to stop by the wineries (just outside the town wall) for a tasting!


5. Mali Ston, Croatia
   So this is what they're talking about when they say Croatia is "the Mediterranean the way it used to be"! Mali Ston is a fishing village on the Dalmatian Coast with pedestrian alleys working their way up the hill and a half-ruined, half-rebuilt city wall.


6. Monteriggioni, Italy
   It would be impossible to make this list without including a Tuscan hilltown. Monteriggioni is our favorite. There are no major attractions, just a little town inside an impressive wall. The wall has been recently reinforced so that you can admire the view and circumnavigate the town from the top.


7. Vyzitsa, Greece
   A tiny community on the forested Peleon Peninsula in eastern Greece, Vyzitsa is a collection of old mansions turned into guest-houses, and home to the biggest Sycamore trees we have ever seen!


8. Venosc, France
   This old stone village is set in a deep valley below the Alpe d'Huez ski area. Wandering around town on a winter evening, you'd think that time had stopped several hundred years ago.


9. Mattrei, Austria
   One of the gateways to the Austrian Alps, Mattrei somehow retains a village feel, with beautiful Tyrollean houses and gardens bursting with flowers in the summertime.


10. Kosmas, Greece
    This is probably the most authentic (ie lacking tourists) village that we found. It is very remote, reached by a long drive through the hills of the western Peloponnese. We stopped for a drink under the sycamore trees in the main town square.

... and, since you probably want to see photos of all these cute places, we've posted the list on our web site, visit now!