Ed in Europe - Part 7

"Ah, La Bella Italia!"

The Bay of Naples w/ Mt. Vesuvius Beyond  (from our Bus Window, obviously!)

As the photo shows, we flew to Naples then a bus to Sorrento on the Italian "Almalfi Coast." We enjoyed several days in this gorgeous locale.

That evening, we all walked to a Gelateria (where they make and serve Gelato) in town and met MARIO. 

Mario has hand-made this wonderful "Italian Ice Cream" for years! He guided our teams thru our next Challenge: To figure out the recipe and then make/freeze our own Strawberry Gelato.

Mario in his kitchen.  Hans (w/ hat) & other Competitours folks behind him.

Needless to say, our gelato's, while not too bad, were not up to his quality. We learned that his own strawberry gelato has only three ingredients: fresh strawberries, sugar, and water/ice. The exact proportions? Ahh, he wouldn't say.... We really did enjoy him ...and his gelato!

That day & evening we enjoyed wandering abound Sorrento... a beautiful town.

And Italians are creative transporting their pets...

And again, we 'scored" when it came to the view from our hotel balcony!

...especially at sunset that night...

As I said before: "Ahh, la bella Italia...!"

Ed In Europe - Part 6

"Switzerland: Light and Dark"

After breakfast in the Loft of our hotel in Andermaat ---

--We boarded a Narrow Gauge Train for an amazing ride across the Swiss Alps along a Route the U.N. calls a "World Heritage Site."

 And for the next couple hours, we came to (literally) see why...

...even the farm livestock seemed especially scenic...

When we left the train, we bussed up to an Alpine Coaster.

And what exactly is an Alpine Coaster?  .....Similar to a more familiar roller coaster with some big differences:  1) You're alone in a small roller-car.  2) There are no 'uphill' sections to slow you (it's all down!). Instead,  3) you have a hand-brake to pull (optionally); and  4) It's a lot lo-o-onger!

From the top looking down. Note the blue roller car starting down.

Our Competitour Challenge: a simple race to have the fastest time. 

The winner? ...A woman in our group who later confessed she propped her leg so the brake was always 'off.' Hans and I didn't have the 'cajonas' for that.

Also: Hans ended up hitting his head requiring First Aid...!.

(...Uh... it's a long story... bottom line, he was OK.)

That night, we did a Competitour Challenge, again one-of-a kind. We went out to Dinner in Zurich: a wonderful restaurant operated by the Blind....

  And THIS is what we 'saw' during our 3-course dinner...

No joke or error.  The dining room is intentionally pitch-black dark. (We had to check all our i Phones /watches /etc. before entering,  we were then led inside.) The idea is to experience a meal as those who are blind do. Our servers were blind as well.

Our Challenge was to guess the specific ingredients of what we were eating.  All I know is that the salad had slimy stuff (anchovies?) but the fish was delicious. We guessed salmon, turned out to be Bream, a freshwater fish in Europe

Well, the next day, it was off to Italy...!

Ed In Europe - Part 5

"Climbing the Alps!"

The Next Challenge meant flying into Zurich, then taking a delightful
train ride up into the Swiss Alps to the village of Andermaat.

(I took this photo of Andermaat from the train window.)

We were thinking how we liked being in the Alps, when our Competitor Guide said:

          --  " Today, we're going to climb a Via Ferrata. " 

                   --  " Climb a what...? "   we all asked, naively.

          --  " The Via Ferrata Salbit-Kettenweg, that's what. "

                    --  ? ?   (...nonplussed...)

          --  " We're doing some non-technical Alpine climbing.  Everyone please go to

                  the Alpine Sports Rental Shop in town; they're ready to set everybody up

                  w/ the needed equipment, then bus you to the foot of the Via Ferrata."

So with other reassurances(?), off we went... knowing that we had signed up for a trip filled with unique adventures, but somehow feeling the prescience of a coming...(?)

Hans & I arrived at "the foot" of the Via Ferrata after most others had already begun. This view greeted us:

(Those who've started climbing ahead of us are CIRCLED.  "X" is where WE start)

Needless to say:  "O M G !"  (...a prayer, not an expletive)

Turns out it is a "non-technical" climb, technically: all the way up there is a steel cable firmly attached to the mountain's face. We were taught how to attach our safety cables onto it using carabiners (metal clips). 

 Here we're attached w/ carabiners to the steel cable.  This photo was taken looking straight UP. Note the metal steps in the face of the cliff, over my shoulders.

Wherever the face is too steep (most of time), there are steel pitons (metal bars) that have been pounded into the face of the cliff. One uses these as steps to make the climb.

Turns out that in the Alps there are dozens of via ferrata ("iron road"). The original ones were built by the Italian Army in World War I for their troops to travel over the mountains and outflank their Austrian enemy.

I'll let photos tell the story---

 Checking my camera while waiting for those ahead to move on.

Partway up, Hans looks back down at where we started --the bldg by highway.
  

My fat fanny climbing up. Note the metal bar steps in rock face below me.

Hans looks pleased to have made it thus far. The scenery was amazing!

For the Competitour Challenge, I made this Video of Hans "Hanging On."
- Enjoy!
  

After a 400 meter vertical climb (that's just over 1,300 feet), We made it to the top! And yes, we climbed through the clouds and were above them.

True... I am smiling, but my legs were killing me!

Returning to Andermaat was "only" a matter of a 2-mile do-o-wn 53 switchbacks (I counted) the backside of the mountain. Needless to say, bed felt really fine that night!

But before turning in, I managed to take this photo from our window --

I think I actually fell in love with Switzerland...

More to Come...  --Ed

 

Ed in Europe

Part 4 - Crawling in Dutch Tunnels 

 

We're still in The Netherlands at the town of Maastricht, squeezed between Germany and Belgium. This has put it in the way of many European armies over the centuries.

200+yrs ago the towns-people hand-dug fortifications in earthen bunkers to resist Napoleon's armies. Since then, both German and French invasions caused them to expand the defenses until there are now several miles of bunkers and connecting tunnels!

Our teams of 2 were sent out separately to wander through the underground maze with only small floor-markers to guide us. ...Yikes!

Over the course of a couple hours, we had to look for wall signs giving us various military-intelligence puzzles/riddles to solve. The first 2/3rds of the walk was by flashlight alone, the last part by electric lights (above ...though they were a not as bright as they are in that picture!).

 Hans in a Maastricht Tunnel

Overcoming any latent claustrophobia, Hans and I managed to solve all the challenges correctly, earning each of us a "medal."

Outside the Tunnels-Battlements, many of us gathered for a group photo--

 That afternoon, we went a little stir-crazy trying to find our way through the next Challenge: a Dutch Hedge-Maze (aerial view, below).

The fastest time was about 20 min, some never did get out and had to be "rescued"! (FYI - Both Hans & I got through it ...eventually...)

 At least I had some great sausages to eat that day!

 Before leaving Maastricht, we learned that it is Andre Rieu's home-town.
He's the Dutch Violinist-Conductor you see a lot on American Public TV. 

Here is Hans and our youngest group-member, Stephanie, with Andre.
She and her Mom, from New York City, were teamed together on our Competitour.

...Next Challenge:  Climbing a 1300+ ft cliff in Switzerland!

--Ed

Ed  in Europe

  

Part 3 - Belgian Chocolate and Dutch Swords

 

Still in Brussels the next day, we walked to to a local chocolatier where we faced our next "Competitours" Challenge: Making real Belgian Chocolates, complete with artistic and taste judging. (That's some of the group above, wearing hairnets).

After seeing how chocolate is made from the cacao, we had several tastings to guess added flavorings; they included peppers, chiles, and various spices. ...My personal favorite chocolate turned out to have cardamom.

We made various decorated chocolates from:

" ---Yum-m! "

 Here is our hollow chocolate "Bambi" we made and decorated:

 

Maybe my eyes were closed ...meditating on the taste of chocolate (?)

After several hours there, none of us ate any more chocolate the rest of the trip!

Afterwards, we took a train across the Dutch border to the town of Maastricht. We went to a local Fencing Club (as in sword-fighting). You see, in America we have Tennis Clubs and Yacht Clubs; in the Netherlands, they have Fencing Clubs.

Our Fencing Master demonstrating a sword... that's some of our group on the floor.

The Fencing Master gave us a brief intro to Fencing, then showed us some basic moves. After more instruction, our teams paired off for our next Challenge: a judged Fencing Competition!

As it turned out, Hans and I did a duel. I'm the one on the Left, Hans on the Right:

 To the surprise of us both, I whupped him...!

The next part includes underground fortifications and 1300-ft high cliffs...

--Ed

ED IN EUROPE

Part 2 - Ghent, Belgium

Ed & Hans at the 12th century  Gravensteen Castle, Ghent, Belgium

In Belgium, we took a train to Ghent and met the leader of our "Competitour."

Note: I've received no remuneration from "Competitours," nor was I asked to write about them.)

Very loosely based on TV's "Amazing Race," 20 folks in 10 teams compete in a variety of pre-arranged 'Challenges' over 10-days. ...Details at  Competitours.com 

Unlike the TV show, there are no eliminations and the competition is much friendlier. Like the show, upon signing up we did NOT know in advance where we were headed; only the beginning and ending points (Brussels and Venice).

In Ghent, we found ourselves in a Medieval festival centered at Gravensteen Castle (above). We met costumed characters and toured the "Torture Museum"(!) where we saw a real 'Iron Maiden', a Guillotine and a Rack, plus other stuff we don't even want to describe.

We did our first day's Challenges, viz. A 'Scavenger Hunt'!

1st) ...Find a cafe serving a food illegal in US. Turns out it's a sausage made with horsemeat... didn't taste that bad.

2nd)  Find a pub serving Belgian beer in a glass requiring drinker to give a shoe as a deposit! They put all the shoes in a basket suspended from the ceiling...

The beer was really good, according to Hans (Were his tastebuds distorted from horsemeat?)

"By the way #1" while in Ghent--  We checked about seeing the famed "Ghent Altarpiece" at the local cathedral. Turns out the church displays a facsimile in the sanctuary; the real item is locked away, seen only by paying for a pricey ticket!  We passed...

The Ghent Altarpiece was featured in recent George Clooney Film,  "Monuments Men."

 "By the way #2, while in Ghent--  Hans saw this in the window of a used bookstore. He considered buying it as a self-help book for his career.  ;)

...but passed it up, instead taking this photo.

Check back soon!  We'll keep adding stuff about the trip  ...Next: Belgian chocolate and Fencing duels.

---Ed

Ed in Europe! - Part 1    (Thanks to Hans)

Yep, for the first time in my 68+ yrs, I actually made it to Europe. Our son Hans shared his "airline miles" making it possible (what a son, eh?"). We two shared a very unique two weeks together. (More on its uniqueness later)

Part 1 - London
 
 
Ed at Buckingham Palace  no sign of William & Kate

I flew a "red-eye" to London where I joined Hans who was finishing up a business trip in England ...yes, his work paid his flight over and back...

 We stayed in a 'very English' hotel 

Note Hans in red cap standing in Hotel doorway 
 

Among other things, we went to Greenwich Naval Observatory and Museum... 

...where we saw Admiral Lord Nelson's uniform he wore when fatally shot

at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar...

 

  Note the bullet-hole of Nelson's fatal wound on left shoulder
 
And up the "London Eye' - the massive ferris wheel that's 450 ft high at the top!

 Note Westminster Abby and Big Ben, on opposite bank of the Thames River

By a stroke of luck (blessing?), we were included in the "Champaign Guided Tour,"
even tho we had only paid for the standard ride(!). Portent of a great trip!

After two days, we left London via the Express "Chunnel" Train to Brussels.
We boarded at Paddington Station, seeing the 'Paddington Bear' Statue 
of children's storybook fame...

Arriving in Brussels, we immediately embarked on our VERY UNIQUE, 10-day "Competitour" of the continent.  We weren't sight-seeing, we were 'sight-doing!'

For some background, go to Competitours.com

(Note: I've received no remuneration from "Competitours, nor was I asked to write about them.)

  ---More to follow in subsequent Blog Posts---  Come back for more later!

--Ed