Fun in the Alps

In August, Joe and I rented a car and drove to Bavaria to go hiking in the alps for the weekend. It is something we've been talking about doing since we moved here and left all of Colorado's beautiful mountains behind, but just hadn't managed it yet. We played hooky with a Friday afternoon and drove the backroads through the Swabian Alb to Bavaria, along the way encountering the Zwiefalten Abbey. The church is a beautifully preserved example of German Baroque, and a good example of why we like living here: the luxury of exploring the region and finding places off of the main tourist itinerary.

We stayed two nights at the University's mountain cabin near the border with Austria. We've reported about our stays here in the past, but always in the winter. For some reason I wasn't expecting much because I love it there in winter so much, but the mountains are breathtaking in summer (literally!).

We spent an entire day hiking, probably 15-20 km, and summitted three different peaks. It's a very different experience of hiking somewhere like Colorado, with far fewer people especially as you go further away from the front range. In the Alps we can also stop for lunch at a mountain hut, only really an option at designated ski areas in the western US. But one thing is the same: cows. Fortunately we knew to expect them for a few km because they really do wear cowbells! In fact, every "herd" has a bell with a slightly different sound.

We summitted a few more (lower) peaks the next morning before hopping in the car. On the way home we got stuck in traffic on the Autobahn so again diverted to the backroads. It was a good chance to see another local attraction that has been on our list: the Blautopf ("blue pot") in Blaubeuren. It is a karst-fed spring with a beautiful blue color.

Italy

This year my main professional conference took place in Florence, Italy. So, Joe and I headed there a few days earlier. It was our first trip to Italy. We spent our first day touring town, and saw the Cathedral ("Duomo") designed by Brunelleschi. All of that colorful marble is sure a difference from the austere sandstone or limestone facades in Germany (and German churches are actually quite vibrant in comparison to those we saw in Benelux).

Then we spent two days hiking an amazing stretch of coastline called the Cinque Terra. It's a national park, notoriously crowded and it was August, when all of Europe was on vacation. We went anyway and had a great time. There were tons of trails to get lost on. All roads led to the town of Vernazza (for us, at least), which I thought was quite well situated. So I am posting pictures of it from all angles. We swam at the little beach on the left side of town, looking seaward. We hiked about 35 km in the two days, so really covered the coastline from one end to another.

We returned to Florence and went to the famous galleries, where we saw a lot of art. Joe flew back home and I went to my conference. I don't have any pictures of that. I had an extra day at the end of the week after the conference and before my flight back, so I took a bike ride through Tuscany with a colleague. We stopped at what is apparently one of the oldest wineries in Italy. Delicious! We ended our ride in Siena, which is a gorgeous town with a beautiful cathedral. Not to mention the mummified face of Saint Catherine of Siena. I love that gory stuff!

Chronicles of the Low Countries, or Benelux, Beer and Bikes?

We just returned last night from our big summer trip(s) and are hopelessly behind on posts. So I will start with a recap of our most recent trip, then see if I am ambitious enough to work through the summer backlog.

My friend from college (and bridesmaid) Liz and her boyfriend Pete are visiting us from Vermont. We rented a car and drove up to The Netherlands and Belgium for a week. We entered the The Netherlands from the triple junction with Belgium and Germany, which coincidentally is the high point (vertically) of the whole country.

Highest point in the Netherlands: 327.5m.

We had a wonderful first day in the town of Delft. It is true that Dutch people are friendly and nice. We took a walking tour of the city's canals, and learned the history of its churches, famous painters (Vermeer) and its iconic blue and white pottery. We also had a canal boat tour and ate fried fish and mussels. Joe was brave enough to try the local specialty: pickled herring sandwich.

Old city gate in Delft

We stayed at a beach house in the Netherlands, which we jokingly called the retirement home. But it had a thatched roof and was close to some awesome beaches. We had a picnic one night, drinking Belgium beer as the tide went out and the sun went down.

Beach, beer and 1 MW installations on a North Sea dike.

Joe contemplates what the tide left behind.

It turns out that the Netherlands and northern Belgium have some commonalities: people speak Dutch and their towns have a lot of canals. We stopped in Ghent for lunch and Brugges overnight. Don't let Rick Steves tell you that Brugges is overrun with tourists and not worth a visit - we loved it!

Canal in Ghent.

Canal in Brugges.

After all our time in the lowlands, we had really worked up a thirst. So we headed south toward the border with France to find some breweries and abbeys. We saw a local hops festival advertised, so we spent some time drinking the family's microbrew and got to experience our first hops-picking contest.

Afterward we stumbled through Thuines, which although off the beaten path, was worth a visit. We got to climb up the bell tower and hear the bells rung and carillon played. I took a short video of the carillon because it was amazing. The town is backed up by terraced paths separating private gardens and vineyards, where we goofed around for awhile.

We ended our tour of Belgium with a visit the Abbaye D'Aulne, which was destroyed in the 18th century. I always find it amazing that something in such disrepair can be so beautiful. If you're a photographer, put it on your travel list!

Our trip was so full that in the end we did not ride bikes, but I certainly did covet a number of cute single speed Dutch bikes. Alas, not practical for where we live. We did, however, come home with a trunk full of Belgium beer!