It was unusually hot in Ireland in early June. Almost 30º! Sunbathing seemed kind of out of place... :) It was more like a pre-Spain sun for me I guess.
A few posts ago, there was Madrid and my night photo walk - the group was arriving in less than 2 days...
So here it started my month away through 5 countries, 17 day tour with 40 people, 16kg suitcase, my Canon, and its great 50MM lens!
One never knows a city in full, the way things change... so it's exciting to travel there again - even for work reasons. Madrid was 30-35º in early June and no sign of rain...
Toledo was extremely hot too, but beautiful than ever, all streets "dressed up" with flowers and symbols for the religious festivities starting the next day :)
I think I dreamed of pickpockets so much on this trip, that they were one of the big topics of these 2 weeks of intensive information giving, coordination and travels through Spain, France and Germany!
A teacher got robbed, me and another teacher had hands quite close to our bags in the Madrid metro and a few days later my whole bag was softly taken away in central Barcelona in what it seemed like 1 second only. There was 1 hour wait at the closest police station to make a complaint about theft!! Pickpockets here are true professionals and it seems a very profitable job...
With not much time to deal with the loses, it was time to move on with the trip and to dedicate to the group schedule. Without money, phone and tour papers, the essential came by memory and the night was long... It was time to leave to France for the next 6 days.
From west to east, the Pyrenees marked the border line and for the 3rd time this year I was in the beautiful and relaxing south of France.
We stopped in the beautiful medieval town Carcassonne, the Roman Nîmes, which was also the main denim supplier for mister Levi Strauss in its early days. A 2000 year old bridge - Pont-du-Gard -, was our stop before Avignon. Between sun and rain we headed east into Nice for a few days for a mix of Belle Époque and modern trends, a pebbled beach and good food!
The day-trip to Monaco was the highlight of the Riviera. We stopped at a perfume factory around the area where most perfumes are produced, and went on a very interesting journey of scent - and sneezes :))...
The cliffs, the turquoise water, the yachts, the houses, the cars, the stunning views in each curve... all was beauty on the way to Monaco. We even drove through the formula 1 circuit, still with the marks painted on the floor from the last race.
Extremely expensive and with country entry tax, but definitely worth visiting on the way to/from Italy, either for the tax free haven it is, for being the world's second smallest country, for the Jacques Cousteau museum and submarines, well... for all these reasons!!
A TGV train trip "teleported" us in Paris in just 5 hours. We were then away from the relaxation of the south into the big city feel once again. A river cruise, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Louvre Museum, the Versailles Palace, La Madeleine, Les Invalides, all these icons were now out of the list of must sees.
No matter how many times one is in Paris, there will always be a "Must See" list, either for monuments, shows, designer shops, Sunday dancing local shows by the riverside, the charming Montmartre or the student's cheap and trendy Latin Quarter.
After 3 days in Paris and 13 on the road with the group, it was time to head into Germany. Despite this long and fast paced trip, together with a disastrous bus company service and the unusual low temperatures, it was still great place to be for the final part of the tour.
Heidelberg and Munich were our main highlights. The first, a picturesque town with the oldest university in the country and academic traditions similar to other old and prestigious universities around Europe. The Nekar river is the main orientation and from where one can have pleasant cruises and amazing views of the castle and the "Altstadt".
On the way to Munich, going through Stuttgart, one passes by some of biggest car manufacturers in Germany as the number and quality of the cars around shows... Audi, Mercedes Benz, Porche, BMW.
In Munich the rain followed us the whole way... We had one of the best guided tours ever, with John taking us into a journey of history and modernity, making the rainy day much more interesting. The Glockenspiel show is worth seeing too. A group of dancers and knights start a parade and it's like being a kid again somehow... Easy enough to explore walking, Munich has also great cycleways and metro system. Especially if one wants to go a bit of the beaten track and explore the beer halls where the locals go and practice a bit of German...
After 17 crazy days, it was finally time to relax, meet new friends, meditate...
Exploring Bavaria
I love trains and all the unpredicted situations related to them... Like this trip that took 5 hours instead of 2, and this (illegal) walk on the rails after entering a train heading to a journey into out-of-service :))) The other passenger had inline skates instead of shoes, spoke little German, and Italian with a funny accent - he was from Romenia! :) I ended up translating between Italian and English with the train driver that guide us back to the station... somewhere in the south east of Germany!!
The landscape is so much nicer from a train than beside the highways, it's possible to walk around inside, it's ecological and a kind of romantic type of journey, where you can take time to enjoy it...
It was a great privilege to travel through this green landscape, with friendly people, beautiful wooden houses, good food, cycleways, lakes and mountains.
In 1 week I almost forgot about time and that I had to leave again soon... if only we could bring our lives to all the special places we experience in life... It was definitely like a rebirth, a new stage, a step ahead in life.
New and great friends came, together with a feeling of home and wanting to come back sooner than later. With an open heart, each day is like an exciting discovery of life inside and around ourselves, each moment we live in full seems to last forever...
Bis bald meine leibe freunde :)
Bis bald EC :)
2 comments:
Despite the problems, we did have a lot fun, didn't we? When the stress and pressures of school come raining down on me, I will think back to the dancing at the Moroccan Dinner in Paris, the quizzes on the bus, and your good company. Hope to travel with you again.
Aaaah! What a surprise, thank you! Yes, it was very fun :)
Enjoy your reading...
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