OKTOBERFEST

I thought I could not leave Switzerland before I experienced the famous Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Cat and her friend Krista were visiting so thought it was a perfect time for us all to make the 6 hour drive up to Munich.That meant we would be driving on the autobahn. Of course since I am a control freak, I drove. I probably did not drive as fast as Marc would have, but I did hit a respectable 160km a few times. You have to be careful not to enter the fast lane until it is safe. We were passed by cars on our left going so fast it made our car shake as they passed. We figured some cars were going at least 130 mph. It really takes alot of concentration, but it is fun to experience it.
Once we arrived we had dinner with our good friend Hauns, who lives in Munich. He took us to a restaurant that used to be a monestary for our fill of pork knuckle, sausage, potatoe salad and sauerkraut.

The next morning, with Hauns as our guide we arrived at the fest. Hauns answered my request by wearing his traditional leiderhosen.

Once inside the gates it is like a carnaval with buildings (called tents) lining each side that house the different beer breweries. Some are more wild than others. We picked one that mantained some sense of sanity. We were a little worried since all of the tables were already full and they do not allow you to wander around drinking beer unless you have a table, and it was only noon! But Marc had full confidence in Hauns' ability to work his magic and sure enough we were squeezed into a table. First order of business, ordering a beer!

It did not take long for us to make friends with our neighbors and server. It makes it more fun when the dancing, singing and toasting

starts!

We enjoyed the craziness for about 5 hours until we were kicked out of our seats for a previous reservation. I decided after my first beer to be the designated driver and had long since switched to apple cider so Hauns could enjoy the fun. Good thing I did since the police were conducting a breathalyzer check point on the freeway.

Before we left we had to get our fix of local sausage! With tummies full and not too much beer consumed, Hauns hosted a walking tour around the old town of Munich. It was a good time for all to sober up a little so we could get ready for our dinner and more local beer of course!

ASSISI

It has been a dream of mine to visit Assisi since reading the book The Reluctant Saint. Assisi is the birth place of Francis of Assisi and where he lived and died. I was not able to get there when I visited Italy with my daughter Megan in 2006, so it was a must when Maureen and I did our Italy trip this past July.

We arrived via train from Rome on a very hot day, July 23rd. Once dropped off at the very small train station, we took Rick Steves advice and bought a bus ticket from the small newsstand for the ride up the winding hill to the town.

Once we arrived in town we wondered around until we came across our hotel which was a quiet villa tucked off the main plaza.Assisi is a beautifully preserved medeival town that spills downhill to its famous Basilica of St Francis. We spent our first day wondering the cobblestone little streets, shopping in the local artisan shops, enjoyed a glass of wine in front of the beautiful fountain and paid a visit to Cathedral of San Rufino where the original baptism font where St. Francis was baptized in 1182 and St Claire in 1194. Eighteen years later their paths crossed in this same church, when Clare attended a class and became mesmerized by the teacher - Francis. To this day the children of Assisi are still baptized here in the same font.

Our next stop was the Basillica of St. Clare dedicated to the founder of the Order of the Poor Clares. Inside the church we found the original crucifix that changed Francis' life. In 1206, an emaciated, soul-searching, stark-raving Francis knelt before this crucifix and asked for guidance. The crucifix spoke: "Go and rebuild my Church, which you can see has fallen into ruin." And Francis followed the call. (no pictures allowed) Once outside the church we enjoyed the view of the olive groves of the Poor Clares since the 13th century.

The next morning we met our local guide hired for the day. She walked us thru the village and then on to The Basilica of St. Francis.

The basilica is not one church but two. The Romanesque Lower Church came first (1228). The low ceilings and candlelit interior make an appropriately solemn setting for St. Francis's tomb, found in the crypt below the main alter. The Gothic Upper Church, built a half century later is strikingly different, with soaring arches and tall stained glass windows (the first in Italy). Inside, both churches are covered floor to ceiling with some of Europe's finest frescoes by the leading artist of the day: Cimabue, Giotto,Simone Martini, and Peitro Lorenzetti. The Lower Church is dim and full of candlelit shadows, and the Upper Church is bright and airy.

After visiting the beautiful church and much discussion, we headed off to the next town of Spello for a leisurely lunch at a family owned wine cellar. Our group tasted about 7 different wines while being served local fare cooked by his family, just for us!! All along with a great expert wine maker. Some of our food: Bruschetta, different Pates, Pasta with fresh grated truffle, Prosciutto and melon and local cheeses with local honey.

After lunch we did a short walk around the village of Spello and then on back to Assisi for a nice evening. Once in our room, I happened to open the window, which by the way looked out on to beautiful gardens, and heard what I figured out must be alot of people saying what sounded like the rosary in Italian. We ran outside to see that the whole town (men, women young and old, children, priests and nuns) were proceeding thru town reciting the rosary. We decided to follow. All of the shop owners came out to stand at their shop doors as we all passed. The prcession ended in front of the Basilica of St. Francis for Saturday night mass. What a great way to end an afternoon!

We ended a perfect day at a nice dinner at Ristorante Medioevo, suggested by our guide Rick Steves.

MAUREEN'S VISIT FROM S. KOREA

Note from Megan: I am also posting this "draft" since it seems to have been forgotten about as well and I will bug Mom to post.
Currently, Cat and her friend Krista are in Switzerland and the whole gang is in Munich as we speak enjoying the 200th Oktoberfest. I will remind them to post pictures.
Here you go for the older stuff-


My Maureen came for a three week visit on July11th. She overlapped her visit here with sister Megan by two days, so we managed to have some fun together in Lausanne before we put Megan on a plane back to Phoenix.

The first weekend we headed over to our favorite spot in Northern Italy, Stresa on Lago Maggiore. We enjoyed visiting "our wine shop" and spent an afternoon visiting with the owners drinking wine, tasting olive oil and the spreads of meat and cheese that they put in front of us. The next morn. we took the train into Milano for a full day walking tour of the city ending with a visit to the Last Supper. I have already seen and blogged about it, but it was a first for Marc and Maureen.

Maureen and I left Marc in Milano for business and she and I headed back to our apartment. We had two days to pack and it was off for our 8 day adventure to Rome, Assisi and Florence.

Vive Le Tour!

Hello...Megan here. I began posting about the Tour de France but never finished and forgot about it. Obviously no one ever finished it, so I am just going to post what I had here. This was all written back in July.


Well, tomorrow is my last day in Switzerland, then I am heading back to the states on Wednesday. But, at least I got to go out with a bang. I certainly had quite a list of things I wanted to do every time, knowing full well it is impossible to get everything in, but the top of the list was certainly the Tour de France. I had hoped to go last year, but couldn't stay that long thanks to the rules of the Schengen Zone. At least I made up for it this year, and I am pretty sure we were in a better spot than Dad was last year. (That was just his practice run to make this one a good one).









It was only Dad and myself headed to Stage 8 this year, as Mom really has no interest and didn't seem to enjoy it all that much last year. This was the first stage in the Alps, with two category 1 climbs. (Category 1 is the "toughest" but once it gets REALLY into the Alps you see several HC, or "beyond category" climbs which are even steeper and longer). You can watch a flat stage, but nearly all the riders will be in one main group with perhaps a small breakaway in the front, and they will be going so fast they will whizz right by you. Or you can watch at the finish line, and see the riders finish the stage, but there will be massive crowds and barricades and traffic and what not. But if you can get in a good spot in a mountain climb, the riders will be moving relatively slowly, the group will be split up, some riders will be alone, and there are no barricades, meaning you can literally touch the riders - some fans even give them a high five or pass them a water bottle as they ride past. Last year Mom and Dad went early only to discover the barricades went up after they got there. Dad realized for the last 2.5 km or so there are barricades, as well as at the top of a climb or a major checkpoint. The hardcore Tour fans camp out. This way they get to the route the night before (meaning before the roads are closed), park on the side of the road and camp. This way they have an established spot early on, with shade, food, and anything else you need, and they can ride their bikes up and down the climb all day until the Tour rolls in. (Or they can hike, sleep, wave their flags, or just drink beer). It really is a party and the crowd following the Tour is like a makeshift city, a whole culture of fanatics out for a good time.

Dad and I did not camp, but we were out the door before 6 am to drive over to the ski resort town of Avoriaz, the and of the final climb of the stage. Of course, we couldn't get all the way into Avoriaz. We parked a bit down the mountain and took the ski lift up to the top, then we hiked down the mountain about 3.2 km or so until we found a good spot to park it for the day. Believe me, it was far from empty even in the early morning. There were RVs, cars, and tents lining the streets all the way down the final climb. We took a day about 2-3 weeks ago to drive to Morzine (the bottom of the final climb) and follow the route up to Avoriaz. There were over 20 switchbacks of steep climbing (we drove it in extreme fog as well), so we knew that a spot relatively near the top would be great.

Of course, once you get there and stake out a spot you have about 5 hours to kill before the riders actually pass. The forecast said it would be rainy, but it was sunny and hot all day. Fortunately, there was plenty of shade and we had plenty of food and drinks. All morning long cycling enthusiast ride up the climb on their bikes, wearing the jersey of their favorite rider or team. Obviously, we had no television to watch the events, but eventually the cops come through and clear the roads and about an hour before the riders come up the caravan comes past, all the sponsors in floats and cars, tossing out candy, hats, water, and other goodies to the crowds before the riders come through. Dad had hos blackberry so we were able to get live updates on the status of the race as the riders approached.







Early on in the stage there was a breakaway of 7 riders, which was eventually reduced to just 3. The peloton was completely broken up, but riders do their best to stay in groups and share the workload up the hills. Riding in the slipstream of another rider allows you to exert 30% less energy, so a group of riders will take turns riding at the front setting the pace. The group just behind the lead breakaway included both Contador and Schleck, as well as several other top contenders for the yellow jersey. Lance Armstrong fell behind early, caught up in three crashes throughout the day and was unable to keep the pace with the elite group of riders. The yellow jersey also fell far behind, as well as all the sprinters, who thrive on the flat stages and struggle in the mountains.

Just 2-3 km before our location the Contador/Schleck group caught the breakaway, so we knew these would be the lead group. We were located at a turn about 3.2km from the finish. (Sorry Patrice, we watched the VS coverage when we got home, and right about where we were located they cut to Lance Armstrong, and then bring it back literally right after the spot we were located so you can't see us. But, you can at least get a good idea for our location). We were in a great spot on the inside of the turn so the riders came by literally right at the edge of the road in front of us. I felt as if I were in the way almost, but they don't flinch at all with all the crowds so near. Contador was the second rider, riding in the slipstream of his teammate, and Andy Schleck was just behind him. As they headed up the hill and under the 1 km mark, Andy Schleck made a move and attacked. Contador was unable to stop him, and Andy won his first Tour stage. The yellow jersey changed hands to the rider Cadel Evans, with Schleck now 20 seconds behind in second and Contador a minute behind in third. These gaps are quite small, as the mountain stages can open up gaps of five minutes or more. Anything can happen in the next few stages, but chances are those stages will be decisive in the yellow jersey competition for the Tour.

There was a long string of riders that kept coming up the hill, remnants of the first group which had broken up somewhat on the final climb, the Lance Armstrong group, the yellow jersey group, the polka dot jersey group, some groups very small or even single riders, some groups a bit larger. Lastly, the sprinters, a good deal behind the first group of the day. Lance Armstrong came past us about 6-7 minutes after the first group, but he went on to finish at 11 minutes behind that group, leaving him in a position he will not be able to recover from to win this year.