Superior & Duluth 2021

31 March 2021 - After over a full year of COVID-19 social isolation, cancelations, telework and virtual school, we decided we needed to get out of our house for a few days. Nick and I were vaccinated 10 days ago, so we feel slightly more comfortable about putting ourselves in social situations - but not entirely, which is why I planned a waterfall-hunting trip centered around Superior. Nick and the kids have never been up here, and I was a sophomore in college the only time I visited (and that was only overnight). I found a nice two-bedroom Airbnb apartment and started planning from there. I asked my parents (now fully vaccinated and fully immune) if they'd like to join us, and they rented a hotel room nearby for a few nights. 

We got everything packed and left Rapids about 10:30 Wednesday morning in Nick's Tesla. Low 30s, but mostly sunny and smooth sailing to Eau Claire. Our plan was to supercharge while eating lunch, then get to Superior around 3-3:30. The supercharger had other plans... What should have charged at ~75 kW/h charged at 10, meaning we had to stay well over an hour and a half to get enough charge to make it to Superior. (To kill time, I took Iris on a walk to the nearby mall, buying a pair of leggings and gum for her, and a 5-pack of face masks for me at Old Navy.) It turned out that the charge we got was barely enough. We found a 13+ mph wind from the northwest the entire way, which cut into our power. Initially, we were concerned we wouldn't make it (which made Felix (and us, if I'm honest) nervous), but Nick dropped our speed and we pulled into the Duluth supercharger at 5:20 pm with 8% charge remaining. Whew! We walked a little ways downtown to a quiet Iris pub (the Dubh Linn). The kids played darts and my folks joined us for dinner and a beer. This was our family's first time eating indoors at a restaurant since March 6, 2020. Felix kept his mask on, but it being a large, mostly empty space made us feel better about sticking around and chatting. We left ~7:30, made our way over to Superior, and got into our quaint apartment in a house built in 1911. Got ourselves settled, then relaxed for an hour of MST3K on Netflix. Got us all to bed.

Chilling in our Airbnb apartment

1 April - Never a great night sleeping in an unfamiliar place, but got enough. Woke around 8 am. Attempted to make breakfast (fried eggs, turkey patties, toast), but the electric stove and nonstick pans thwarted us a bit. Made do. Mom and Dad came over and we all got ready and left around 9:45 to start today's adventure. Felix picked Amnicon Falls as our first stop. It was chilly (below 30°), but pure sunshine. We put on our hiking boots and took in the covered bridge and roaring falls. Beautiful! 

Upper Falls at Amnicon Falls

We walked the loop to see the falls, including a fall of ice in one area. The kids were impressed. We could walk on the rocks and be inches from the rapids. Gorgeous to see. Deafening to hear. Mom and Dad brought their walking sticks (forgot ours...). We spent about an hour and a half walking, exploring, taking pictures. Cool to see the ice formations hanging like chandelier crystals above the rushing water.

Family by the Upper Falls

We drove on quiet county highways to Pattison State Park. Our first stop was the Little Manitou Falls. Nice little hike down and around. They were bigger falls, which perked up progressively grumpy Iris. (Nick carried her, which helped warm her cold legs.) 

Next, we drove to the parking lot for the Big Manitou Falls (highest waterfall in the state). Wow, very high and impressive (even for Iris). We saw it from the far side first, then walked over the bridge and to the near-side lookouts. Felix made my heart sing, telling me how amazing he found the waterfalls. :) It warmed up to the mid-30s. We placed an order for sandwiches for lunch(since we were done looking at the waterfalls around 1 pm), then drove up to Duluth to pick them up from the Northern Waters Smokehaus. We took them back to the folks' hotel room, where we ate while watching the Brewers' opening day game versus the Twins. Iris got impatient, so after 5½ innings, we all went down to the pool. We had fun spimming and playing with the kids in the little pool Even Mom and Dad got in briefly. We got out and back up to the room in time to watch the Brewers rally and win the the 10th. Woo! After a quick Kwik Trip stop for butter, we headed back to our apartment. Mom and Dad joined us to watch the UW volleyball team win the Big Ten title, have a snack dinner and play many hands of sheepshead. We also put on some MST3K. Nice evening.

Big Manitou Falls

2 April - We were up and eating breakfast by 9 am (butter today made everything better). We headed over to Duluth for a charge. We had to wait a bit, but got some coffee and split a doughnut while we waited. We were finally ready to go around 10:30. We headed north on highway 61 to Tettegouche State Park. It was in the 40s and windy. We all decided to hike to the High Falls. 1.5 miles from the parking lot. So much mud! It took forever (nearly 2 hours) to walk a mile. Nick and Iris didn't want to go so far, so they went to the Twin Falls instead. 

Twin Falls

We trekked the 0.5 miles to High Falls. It was nice to see, but given the trail conditions, I'm not sure it was ultimately worth the interminable hike. We got slowed so often by mud or ice-covered areas, and there were many, many elevation changes. Drier conditions would have made it easier on all of us, I think.

High Falls

Mom and Dad (who were such troopers) rested at the top of the stairs. Felix and I went up more stairs to the the top of the falls. A little further on, we found a swinging bridge over the river. No one else was around, so it was cool being up there, just the two of us. 

Swinging bridge above High Falls

It was drier on the way back, so we made much better time. We did the return hike in 40 minutes. There was a very cold wind blowing off the lake as we ate a hasty lunch on a picnic table outside the visitors center. My hips ached, but I wanted to see the shore, so Felix and I walked along another path down to a rock-strewn beach. We found some interesting pebbles for souvenirs and I took some pictures. 

View of Shovel Point from the beach access

We joined Nick and Iris back at the car, where they had been watching Netflix while the car was charging (hooray for destination chargers!). We left Tettegouche and headed back toward Duluth. We stopped at Gooseberry Falls State Park with low energy and expectations. Boy, were we amazed. it was very busy (good tip-off). We took the easy walk from the parking lot to the spectacular Middle Falls. From there, we broke into three groups to do the falls loop (a 1.0-mile hike). It was easier with much less mud. Nick went ahead with Iris. Mom took Felix back to the bathrooms before doing the loop, and I hiked with Dad. It was such a nice hike with great scenery that it really lifted our spirits despite the many miles on our legs today. 

Middle and Lower Falls

We ordered pizzas to pick up at 6, then headed back. We took the two-lane scenic route hugging the coast on the way back. Mostly trees and cabins to be seen, but got nice (hazy) views occasionally. Felix is captivated by freighters. We made a quick stop for lotion to ease itchy skin, then got pizzas and a growler of their beer (souvenir!). [While I was waiting, I was approached by a 30ish man in a beret who asked if I was a farmer. I said, um, no. He said that it was kind of hard to tell with our masks on, but I looked like a mushroom farmer with whom he's been communicated. Okay... I told him I was just a tourist and never raised a mushroom in my life, though it would be interesting to try. When I told Nick, he said he was expecting this to end with a cheesy pick-up attempt.] Mom and Dad met us at our apartment and ate with us. We put on MST3K's Mac & Me, which the kids love. They left around 8:45, and the kids went to bed. We didn't stay up much later. I'm going to be moving slowly tomorrow...

3 April - I didn't sleep well, and everyone else rose early too. We made breakfast and relaxed for a while. Shortly after 10, we made our way to the touristy area in Duluth by the harbor. We looked in a few shops in the DeWitt Building. Iris picked out a stuffed animal for a souvenir (no surprise there), while Felix got a little keepsake box with things that we saw on the trip on it (freighter, lighthouse, Gooseberry Falls). We treated the kids to some sweets at a candy store (ordered through plexiglass, no one allowed in the store). Mom and Dad met us there and did a little looking of their Mom's own. She bought two waterfall prints to frame and hang. Once we were done there, we drove over the lift bridge and along the island. We stopped at the park at the end of the road and let the kids run across. It was partly sunny, mid-60s, light wind - pretty nice. It was about noon, so we made our way back t a nearby restaurant away from the touristy ones (The Silos Restaurant). We had some local beers and everyone found something reasonable to eat. And it wasn't very busy, which was nice. Mom and Dad left to drive home after we ate. We headed inland to Enger Park to take in the views. The park was still closed for the winter, so we parked on the shoulder near the park entrance and hoofed it from there. We weren't alone - many other people had the same idea. We saw some nice views of the cities, harbor and lake. 

Enger Park views

We each rang the Japanese bell and we climbed up by the tower. Felix noticed a freighter going from the river to the lake, so we headed back by the rocks to watch it. Over the course of 20 minutes, we saw the lift bridge rise, the ship pass under, and the lift bridge lower. I took a time lapse video to show Nick and Iris (who headed back to the car to get out of the sun). From there, we went to the charging station to fully charge in preparation for our trip home tomorrow. I walked to a nearby game store and bought a new family card game and a variety of dice. Once we were done, we headed back to our apartment. It was about 4 pm. We spent a quiet rest of the day there. The kids played in the backyard, we tidied up, and we played a round of the new card game (Guillotine). We ate leftover pizza for dinner and watched the Brewers game before bed. 

4 April - We got up around 7:30 am, got ready, got our car packed and were on the road by 8:10. After a quick coffee stop on the way out of the area, we had an uneventful drive to Eau Claire. Nick dropped Iris and me off at Walmart so I could get some groceries, and went to supercharge, which worked much better today. It took only about 30 minutes to charge enough to get home and pick us up. It was fair and warm (mid-70s). We should be home shortly after 1. We're all looking forward to seeing the kitties. 

What did the kids think about the trip:

• Iris: It was one of the best trips because we spent more than two days there. The only thing she didn't like was our apartment was old. "It felt like sleeping in the '90s."
• Felix: It was great. He liked seeing the views of the lake and the waterfalls.

2020 Badger Rose Bowl

30 Dec 2019 - When the Badgers lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game earlier this December, we really didn't think we would be getting a trip to the Rose Bowl as a result. Lo and behold, we got the selection. Because it had been so long since Nick & I went to a bowl game, and because it WASN'T Florida, we made plans to go. My parents had already started their own plans and included us in their ticket order. That's how we found ourselves waking at 4:30 am in Green bay this morning. We drove up to Green Bay yesterday (Sunday) morning, and did Christmas with Nick's parents after watching the Packers-Lions game. We were up and ready by 5:15 am. Steve drove us to the airport as it rained. West of GB, the area was under a winter storm warning (Rapids was projected to get 6-8"). No issues in the airport, getting through security quickly. We were on a tiny plane, and were buffeted heading over the storm to Minneapolis. We actually landed a bit early and waited for my parents (who had driven over the night before) to arrive. We had to go from one side of the airport to the other, but we had at least 3 hours to kill. We decided to kill some of that time getting breakfast at the Stone Arch restaurant. We ordered a round of Bloody Marys to celebrate the trip and kick it off in style. These bloodys were garnished with huge fried chicken wings. :) After eating (I got the eggs benedict w/lox and arugula), we joined the throng at the gate. Lots of Badger fans on our flight. Since my folks checked bags, we gate-checked our carry-ons, too. Our flight remained on-time at the gate, so we got on it ~11 am. The wind was howling, snow blowing, visibility poor. Ideal flight conditions, right? It took about an hour to get the plane deiced and finally off the ground. It was nerve-wracking for sure. But it was uneventful once we were airborne. I spent most of the flight trying to sleep. We got so little sleep the night before (thoughts, uncomfortable bed, Steve snoring) and had to get up so early. My system didn't care too much for me trying to sleep and also drinking coffee. We had some nice views over Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California. We landed ~2 PST. It was nice to see palm trees & feel 60° temps. We waited for our bags, got on the shuttle to the rental car place and eventually made it out of the LAX area. My folks rented a Jeep with room for all of us. We got to experience the fabled LA traffic as it took us an hour to go ~17 miles. We were on the 405 and the 101 heading to our places in Burbank. I caught a beautiful sunset as we arrived at our Airbnb at 1402 W Victory Blvd. We were dropped off ~5, relaxing and showering before we were picked up again ~5:45. We drove to Pasadena, where we had been invited to a Badger party for player's families and friends. An acquaintance of ours invited us, as she is the aunt of a player. She was the first person we saw when we arrived at the Brookside County Club. We talked with her, met her sister and got a picture with her nephew. Nice food, expensive beer. Spent ~2 hrs there talking, eating, watching old and current bowl games. Maybe 100 people there? Feeling beat, we headed back to Burbank and to Walmart for some provisions. Despite being after 8, it was so busy! Waited a long time to check out, then for the one manager who could scan our beer purchases. So frustrating, but eventually that trial was over and we headed back. Stayed up just long enough to get ready for bed.

30 December

31 Dec - We slept in until 7, woken by the sunrise and gusty winds. We fixed ourselves eggs, toast and coffee, then the folks picked us op ~8:30. We showed them our apartment and we decided on our first destination for the day: Hollywood. It was nice, so we drove down there and found a place to park. None of us had been down there, so we spent some time taking in the classic sights and looking at all the Hollywood Walk of Fame stars. Some areas were super busy, which got old quickly. We managed to kill over an hour down there before we'd had enough (we also ran into a guy who told us he'd lived in Rapids for 4 years. Small world). We headed back to the car and got ourselves on Mulholland Dr (Nick's idea). He seemed to enjoy all the switchbacks. The rest of us were glad we didn't get sick. There were some overlooks and we stopped at one looking north. Pretty clear day for LA. Also a guy smoking weed there. We finished that drive heading to Ventura Ave for lunch. We left my parents at one restaurant while we walked across the street to get delicious Poke bowls. Mmm. We washed those down the a beer by Mom & Dad. We decided to try our luck at a place listed as a Badger bar in Santa Monica. The Brü Haus wasn't very Badgery and the German beers were pricey. We didn't stay long there. It was ~3, so we headed to Pasadena, which took ~1 hr. Found a place to park, then took a walk up Fair Oaks to Colorado Blvd. There was a carnival atmosphere with people camping out for the Rose Parade, people in classic cars cruising, and people like us walking around. Mom wanted to show us a place called Barney's Beanery. We walked in and saw an empty table... between 3 tables of Ducks fans. We sat and admired the decor (so many license plates on the ceiling!). I got a NA beer, since I wasn't feeling another and I would be driving us home. People from all those three tables chatted with us. I took a picture of "Ben" and Dad. I got a picture with "Jed", who showed us a 2015 Rose Bowl Championship ring he had. They were fun and nice. When we finished our beverages, we walked to Beer & Claw, where I had made reservations. We had a drink at the bar and were joined by Natalie and their aunt Joanne and uncle Clarence. We had a good time talking with them, Nick especially. We sat down to eat at 6, ordering huge platters of Cajun shellfish. The food was excellent. I was concerned about traffic getting out of Pasadena and got irritated at Nick.We said goodbye and left ~8. I managed to drive us out, no problem. It was a mostly silent ride back. Back at our place, Nick and I got into a heated argument about stupid stuff. That, plus sleeping in a strange room with a snoring man and a wonky belly and fireworks randomly going off has me up and writing this at 11:30 pm when I should be sleeping since we need to get up early... {Got freaked out 10 minutes later when our host's cat sitter came by unexpectedly. She did not know our host had guests...}

31 December

1 Jan 2020 - I learned that shooting off fireworks to mark the New Year is a thing they do here, since I was till awake then. Fell asleep sometime after, only to have the alarm wake me at 5:45. We got ready and had some breakfast. Mom & Dad got here ~6:30, then we headed to the Rose Bowl beneath a beautiful sunrise. We easily got into a lot. It was a bit nippy, so we threw on some extra layers and walked up to the Rose Parade route. Nick and I talked through our argument last night and came to a place of understanding. That greatly eased the tension under which we had been operating. Beautiful day, so the over 2 mile hike wasn't awful. Found an alley (Big Bang Theory Way) that wasn't very crowded. I hoisted myself up on an enormous planter box set back from Colorado Blvd that gave me a good sight line. We watched ~20 floats/bands/equestrian units to see the Badger float and band. After that, we turned around and walked back to the country clubhouse. We had signed up for this morning's Badger parents/family/friends tailgate, too. Many more people than on Monday. Had some food & coffee ~10:30. Found a nice spot on the patio to sit, so we stayed there for a while. We smuggled in our won beers (the car was close) and played some 4-handed sheepshead. Decided to make one last trip to the car before heading into the stadium. We joined the masses only to realize we were better off going in near where we were parked. Once back there, got right in with no problems. We found our way to our seats - 18 row A 113-116... Three freakin' rows from the field. Great for ambiance, but terrible for actually watching the game. There was a stealth bomber fly-over. About the game... well, we lost 27-28 against Oregon. It was a close, back-and-forth, exciting game, but turnovers hurt us in the end. Good things - lots of energy in the stands (through I was exhausted), beautiful sunset, our band's much better, and it wasn't too cold by the end. {Also, courtesy of Nick's cousin's wife, we found we had been on TV. :D} Alas, we lost, so we didn't stick around the stadium long. Nick and Dad bought hot dogs off vendors outside the stadium. I nibbled back at the car. We listed to post-game radio and had a beer as the lost struggled to clear. After about an hour, we were able to get out of there without much difficulty. Got back to our apartment around 7:30. Did a load of laundry, reheated leftovers, caught up on the day. It'll be an early night for me.

1 January

2 Jan - Finally got a decent night of sleep. Woke up ~6:35 to another beautiful sunrise. Had plenty of time to pack up and eat some breakfast. The folks picked us up at 8 and we checked out of the apartment. We had a Warner Bros Studio tour at 9. We found parking and got in line. Didn't take us too long to get on a tram. Our tour guide was Miranda W and she did a great job. There was also a group from Florida with 5 moderately annoying 15 or 16 year-old boys. We saw costumes from Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Harry Potter. We drove through "jungle" sets and set-making departments. We saw batmobiles and oodles of props (so many chandeliers!). We got to walk into a set from Shameless and sat in Conan's audience's seats. Last, we got to see some recreated sets from Friends and The Big Bang Theory. Still an interesting tour, through we didn't really watch the shows they highlighted. After the tour, Nick drove us toward the Griffith Observatory. It was very crowded, with parking far away. If we hadn't walked over 5 miles yesterday, we might have considered the hike, since the weather was nice. Instead, we just drove the switchbacks before deciding to head to the Miracle Mile area for lunch. I found a taco place that looked good on Wilshire Blve (El Cartel). Quick, inexpensive (considering...) lunch. We snuck a couple of beers to drink while we dined al fresco. Our next stop was supposed to be the La Brea tar pits (Mom's idea), but the lot was marked as full. As we tried to drive around and find a different place to park, we spied the Peterson Automotive Museum (not that it was hard to miss with that red and silver facade), and decided to go there instead. We spent 1.5 hours looking at the collection of classic roadsters, prototypes, and vehicles from TV/movies. That was interesting for all of us. Dad like the Porsches, Nick & I liked the 1st Shelby Cobra. From there, we walked up to a pub called Molly Malone's. Despite the good ratings, it was rather lackluster. There was one other patron there when we arrived. The bartender wasn't very welcoming, so we departed after finishing our pints. We decided to head toward the ocean. We ended up parking close to the Santa Monica Pier. We moseyed down the Pier, took in the views of the waves, beaches and distant mountains in the late afternoon sun. There were a lot of people doing the same thing. We parked ourselves at the restaurant at the end of the Pier (Maria Sol). We each got a tropical drink (delicious pina colada in my case). Mom & I darted in and out several times to capture a gorgeous sunset. We decided to stay there for dinner. I got shrimp ceviche tostadas that were excellent. It was busy and the restaurant understaffed, so it took a while, but our waiter Juan was friendly. We also called the kids from the Pier to say hi. We picked up personalized license plate keychains for the kids and a magnet for ourselves. It was dark by the time we left. It was so nice to sit outside with a musician playing and the waves crashing and the heaters heating. Once back in our vehicle, we departed and headed to LAX. We got there a little before 8, saying goodbye to Mom & Dad. Security was very quick, through my carry-on did get flagged (again for snacks...). We made our way to the noisy, multi-gated mess in Terminal 3 and hunkered down for a wait. Our flight leaves at 11:40 pm and we fly this first leg to Detroit.

2 January

3 Jan - We boarded our plane and departed on time. I put on my noise-canceling headphones in an attempt to sleep. That was made difficult by the unhappy toddler in our row shrieking and crying every 10 minutes or so it felt like. Also a fair amount of jolting from turbulence. But I must have slept a bit because the flight overall felt short. (It was also unnerving to be warned about "significant rough air" but that didn't really happen.) We got into Detroit ~6:30 am EST. After deplaning, we walked the quiet concourses to our next gate. We got some coffee and joined the two other passengers already there. We were both still tired, so we took about an hour nap, walking as the sky brightened (cloudy, so no sunrise) and the general airport noise increased. We boarded our 9:55 am flight on time and got going. Had the most turbulence on the trip on this leg, but only in a few sports. In about an hour, we touched down in Green Bay. We left Steve know we'd arrived as soon as we could. Since we were in row 5, it didn't take long to get off the plane. Steve picked us up and we headed back to their house. The kids were as happy to see us as we were them. We chatted and had a light lunch before packing up and leaving. Kind of depressing to have to put our winter coats back on. It was gray and in the 30s the entire way home. I know I struggled to stay alert on the drive back, so it was better Nick was driving. We got home around 1, unloaded and greeted our three kitties: Roary, Amy & Robin.

Plates: 35 states, 2 Canadian provinces, 5 Mexican states.
Total trip cost: $4,252.12
{transcribed 2/3/2020}

Barcelona 2019

11-12 Oct 2019 - Nick and I started our trip to Spain by leaving the house on Friday morning, then returning a few minutes later because we forgot the I-pass. Oops. I had packed and double-checked, packed for the kids, gotten a haircut, dropped off the kids' stuff at Mom & Dad's, and given them details. Nick got the kids fed and on the bus for school, and got the house cleaned up. A brief delay to return, but we were back on the road before 11. Chilly, gray, windy, drizzly day. We drove to Rockford, where we stopped for lunch at an okay Indian lunch buffet. There was a Tesla supercharger nearby and we both rested while charging. After that, we headed towards Chicago. It was ~3:30 when we got to Ikea, where we killed an hour but, amazingly, didn't buy anything. We next went to the "Entertainment District" in Rosemont. There, we found a cute Irish pub, each had a beer and a light dinner. It got really busy before we left. There was another supercharger nearby, and we finished charging up to full. The, to the airport! It was ~7:15. Got a great spot in the economy parking lot, waited a while for the shuttle bus to the terminal, and finally got off at Terminal 3. Endured the security line, found our gate. Waited. When we checked it, we got assigned seats that we're together. They were able to get some together for us. Woo! Then we waited some more. A mechanical issue in the cargo hold delayed our departure from 10:05 to 10:45 pm. Oh well, no rush. On the plane, once at altitude, we were served dinner and I watched the movie Booksmart. Nick & I both tried to sleep. I mostly just rested. We got a bit of breakfast as we went over Portugal. I watched an episode of Fleabag, then wrote all of the above during the descent. Since we were sitting in the last row of the plane, it took a while to deplane. Then we joined the interminable line for customs & passport checks. Joined the line at 2:25. Got our passports stamped at 4:22. Apparently, interminable equals 2 hours or me. {landing late + landing at lunchtime + several international flights landing at once + only 2 passport checkers when we finally got to the point where we could see what was causing the delay... there were 8 passport checkers by the time that we got through.} After that frustration and endless walking, it was a relief to make our way to the bus to take us into town. Less than 5 minutes and we were on our way. Basked in the sun and pleasure of no longer being in that line. Took in our first views of Barcelona on a nice, low 70s, partly sunny day. We walked from Plaça Espanya to our Airbnb at Carrer de Margarit 53. We were shown in by the host's friend and we were pleased with the accommodations. We enjoyed our first bit of privacy in a while and a warm shower each. Our dinner reservations weren't until 7:30, so we relaxed and killed some time trying to see how we can watch the Badger football game when we return after dinner. We left and walked the 10-15 minutes through the intriguing Poble Sec neighborhood on our way to Bodega 1900. We were seated at a small table adjacent to the cold tapas prep counter. We started with the tasty house vermouth. We took the waitstaff's option of a surprise menu - they'd keep bringing us different plates until we cried uncle. So many tasty things! My favorite was the grilled squid with onions cooked in ink. So good. Pricey night (~€150 + €15 tip), but worth it. Left ~9:15. Walked back to our apartment, stopping for some beer (Estrella) and snacks. Gave up trying to watch the game, but found we could stream the radio feed, ~10:30 pm local time. Trying to acclimate ourselves to the time zone. Time to wind down. Listened to the game until midnight.

Many of our courses at Bodega 1900 (and a few others)

13 Oct - We slept in past 8 this morning, then took our time getting ready. We made our way to Plaça Reial on foot, stopping for tiny coffees and a chocolate croissant. We got to the Plaça early for our tour and walked around. We signed up for a Runner Bean Walking Tour of the Gothic Quarter with our tour leader Jessie (from Australia) and ~20 other English-speaking people. The tour look ~2.5 hours and we learned a lot about the Gothic Quarter and its history. The tour finished ~1:30. We popped into Santa Maria del Mar, then went looking for Jessie's recommended places for lunch. Meandered Born a bit, but found La Borna Sort. Food was good, but the service was bad. Took for.ev.er. to pay after we ate. Shook off our irritation and walked through the Parc de la Ciutadella. Another lovely, mid-70s day. We walked southeast along the waterfront. It was time for gelato and found some. I had hazelnut and Nick had tiramisu. We walked along the Passeig de Colom, then headed back to our apartment. We had a video chat with the kids, and heard about their day. We grabbed beers after and headed up to our terrace to relax. We decided to head up to Montjuïc. It was a pretty steep, off-route climb... Got up to the castle ~ 7:15, but it was too cloudy for a sunset. We went down quickly, trying to reach the streets below before it got dark. We ate dinner at a place along Carrer de Blai we saw earlier (Agusto). Had 20 pinxos and cava sangria between the two of us. We bought a few provisions, then headed back to the apartment. Did a load of laundry and watched some BoJack Horseman. The apartment's power went out at one point but, miraculously, I figured out how to reset the switch. Got to bed ~11.

13 October sights

14 Oct - Woke up at 8:15 and got ready. We ate some granola with thick milk and coffee before leaving ~9:25. We had our first Metro adventure, taking it to Sagrada Familia. Our ticket time was 10 am, and we arrived just before. No issues going through security or getting our audio guides. The tour started outside and were so many people, either on audio guides like us or part of a tour group. Way too crowded for me, and I got impatient with Nick staring at details while I waited. But I recognized this was likely the only time we are here, so I tried to temper my impatience with marginal success. It was better when we got inside and I could marvel at the light coming through the myriad stained glass windows. Don't get me wrong - the intricate details of the Nativity facade were amazing, but glass gets me every time. We spent about an hour inside. I got lots of pictures. I've been inside many cathedrals in Europe, but this one stands out in its complete uniqueness and the contradiction of fluidity and angularity. We finished up our tour on the Passion facade, then made a circuit of the building as we decided what to do next {mocking the people taking ridiculous selfies}. We decided just to walk and headed down Carrer Arago. It was about noon and we were hungry, so we stopped at a small restaurant for small ham sandwiches and tiny coffees. Feeling refreshed, we kept walking until we got to Passeig de Cracia. Police had closed several streets around Plaça Catalunya. Lot of Catalunyans and bystanders like up were making their way toward the Square. The atmosphere seemed tense, but not dangerous. [Nick was very uncomfortable, so we stuck to the edges and watched. I didn't see much that would flag this as a bad situation - few police among the protestors, no people throwing this, just a lot of whistles, clapping, bullhorns, and signs.} They were gathering because the leaders of the Catalan independence movement were being sentenced today. While we watched, thousands of people starting making their way to the airport and elsewhere. We decided it was time to leave, too. We walked down Ronda de Universitat and popped into "Alt Heidelburg" for refreshments. Nick found three German/Belgian beers to try. I got the hefeweissen. We walked about languages and dialects. Once sated, we pressed on and got to Mercat Sant Antoni. About half the shops were closed, but among the open ones, I found my souvenir for this trip - a necklace with a pendant shaped like so many paving stones in the city for €12. We also got a loaf of bread, some thinly-sliced ham, and some goat's cheese to eat for dinner at our apartment. We finished our walk back . It was ~3:30 and we were very hungry. I had a craving for ramen, so we walked back to Paral-lel and a nearby ramen restaurant. That really hit the spot. We got gelato nearby for dessert, then walked back up Carrer de Margarit. And, with that, we relaxed after another long day of walking. It's currently 5:30 pm and rain is moving in. We stayed in tonight, having our mega ham pinxos and drinking vermouth on the rocks with an orange slice. Classy. To bed ~ 11.

Sagrada Familia (14 Oct)

Passeig de Grassia (14 Oct)

15 Oct - There were thunderstorms overnight. I didn't sleep very well. We got up and got ready to go around 10. We wandered our way through El Ravel to Mercat le Boqueria. Such a cool, busy market. We took the Metro up to Lesseps and began our uphill walk to Park Guëll. Up, up, up. We got there ~ 1, which was our scheduled time slot. It was a beautiful, mid-70s clear day. We spent a couple of hours wandering all around the park. Some things were being refurbished, so not all was open. The views were great and so clear! Saw enough and walked a ton. Super hungry when we left the Park. Wandered around until we found just the right place called Stuzzicini, where we got beers and a flatbread. We walked back down Passeig de Gracia, then made our way to the Arc de Triomf, getting gelato on the way. Mmm. We walked back to the Gothic Quarter, stopping for pints of Stongbow at an Irish pub (Dunne's). We walked and walked to our dinner spot - L'Amfora. Had delicious seafood paella and a bottle of Catalunyan white wine and Creme Catalan. So good and so full! We walked back home in the dark past the Magic Fountain, which, sadly, wasn't running. We got home and I checked in with Mom & Dad. We watched a couple episodes of BoJack Horseman before bed. Also today - we saw a gigantic cat sculpture, ate breakfast (split a sandwich) with americanos at a 365 cafe, walked past more Gaudi stuff (I'm good now - no more, thanks), the Arc de Triomf has sculptures of bats on it!, and we've smelled a good amount of weed here.

15 October sights

16 Oct - Today was our first day walking up with the sunrise - 7:45 am. It rises "late" and sets "late," compared to where we are in our time zone in WI. We got ready and ate our now-typical breakfast of granola with creamy milk and Nespresso coffees, americano-style (with lots of water to dilute it). We left the apartment and headed to the Metro ~8:45. I was a little testy, not knowing where we had to go. It was also chillier (mid-50s), so I'm glad I had a light jacket along. We made our way to our tour meeting spot at Plaça Catalunya with plenty of time to spare. We had booked a "Castlexperience Wine Tour" for ~$75/each. We familiarized ourselves with our tour guide Agnes (who called us "my family") and our other 12 tour-mates from all over (US, Canada, Australia, Denmark). Another group was doing the same tour with a different guide (Pol). As we left the city via coach bus, Pol gave us the history of Barcelona and Catalunya until now. Interesting stuff. We relaxed as we headed to our first stop, Montserrat. It was ~11 am when we got there, already getting crowded with tourists. Agnes stopped at several places to give us history and facts about the monastery. Then we got ~ 1.5 hr of free time. We first peeked in the church to see the Black Madonna (too far away to see clearly and too long a line to touch it (ew)), some art and glass. Then we went to the snack shop where we bought a set of mini-bottles of the spirits they make on-site. We also picked up a pair of souvenir tins for the kids. Since it was a nice, sunny day and we had time, we hiked our way up and along the mountain to the Cross of St. Michael across from the monastery. Along the way, we shared the little bottle of "Aromes," of which we got two in our bag. Tasty, warming stuff. We had to meet our group at 1:20, so after taking in the gorgeous, albeit hazy, view, we walked back and made use of the bathrooms. Once all of us were back together, we got on a different bus and headed to the winery. It because clear that we weren't going to the winery listed in the tour description, but it did say they work with other local wineries. We ended up at the winery Can Bonastre around 2:30. Agnes took us straight to the cellar for our tapas (2 pieces of bread with tomato sauce, charcuterie and cheese) and 3 small glasses of wine. They were tasty and conversation flowed more as people drank and ate. We learned from Liv and Henrik from Denmark that an unmarried person who turns 25 can be tied up by friends and doused in cinnamon (it was Henrik's 25th birthday today). We talked/joked about the drinking culture in Wisconsin. After finishing our meal and our wine, we got a tour of the facilities and courtyard/wine garden. We also tried a glass of the winery's cava, while talking about giant spiders with one of the Aussie women. Too soon, it was time to go. Back to Barcelona, where we were dropped off at Plaça Catalunya ~5:30. We decided to walk back. Along La Rambla, we popped into La Boqueria for European drunk food, fried tiny fish and fried baby squid. We munched these until full as we walked back to our apartment. It wasn't long after 6 pm. We relaxed, had a cup of nespresso, did laundry, just generally relaxed... until I received an email from our airline saying there's going to be a strike on Friday {and they wanted to preemptively reschedule our flight out of Barcelona. We had tickets initially going from Barcelona to Madrid to Chicago}. We called the airline and the earliest they could give to depart was Sunday {with a direct flight from Barcelona to Chicago}. Too late... Argh! We searched and found we could take an overnight bus {to Madrid}, so we wouldn't have to worry about finding a hotel in Madrid. I'm holding our breath that the strike won't affect the bus. We're going to be so tired. To decompress, we ate our cheese/Iberico ham/bread tapas and watched BoJack Horseman.

Montserrat (16 Oct)

Can Bonastre (16 Oct)

17 Oct - I woke around 8 and felt to restless to sleep in. I got ready and Nick got ready shortly after. Once we were ready and had eaten, we set off on foot to the Barcelona Cathedral. We went in and wandered around for a while. It seemed pretty dark and stagnant inside. It was almost a relief to exit. We walked from there to Mercat de Santa Catarina, where we bought a magnet for our fridge. From there, we walked back toward La Rambla. We found a bar with many beers on tap. We each tried a local beer (black currant hefeweissen for me - good!) and had some bread w/tomatoes and fried almonds as a snack. Nick had a second beer (an Abbey) before we walked back to our apartment. It's another beautiful mid-70s day. Once we got back, we contacted the airline to make sure everything is okay with our flight plans for tomorrow. Unfortunately for our peace of mind, we aren't able to check-in online yet. Argh! We rested a bit, then headed up to explore more of Montjuïc. We walked past gardens, fountains, museums. We walked up to the Olympic Stadium and walked a little inside. Outside, we found an interesting walk of fame showing the show/foot imprint of 1990s famous athletes. We walked back to our apartment ~4:30. There had been more demonstrations and protests. I can hear a helicopter overhead and don't know what its doing near Poble Sec. It's rather unnerving and I'm crossing my fingers we'll be able to leave Barcelona tonight as planned. I rested for a bit, then we packed, and watched more BoJack. Shortly after 6, we walked down the Carrer de Blai. Had tapas (pinxos) and vermouth. After dinner, there was a lovely sunset starting, so we went up on the terrace/roof and got some nice views between buildings. We both finished packing and took showers. Watched more BoJack, and shared a little bottle of the liquor we bought at Montserrat. Killed time until it was time to go. We bid our apartment adieu, and walked down to the Parel-lel Metro station. We were expecting some potential trouble due to the protests, but didn't encounter any slowdowns on our way to the Arc de Triomf station. We got to the bus station around 10:15 and joined the throng of travelers bound for Madrid. There were two coaches leaving at 11 pm and, with some waiting, we got on and into our assigned seats. Chatted briefly with Mom about our progress so far. Relieved to be on a bus and headed to Madrid.

Cathedral & Montjuïc

17 Oct headlines

18 Oct - We both managed to sleep a bit on the bus. It brought us to the Madrid bus station at 6 am. Once off, we refreshed ourselves and caught the airport-bound city bus right before it departed. We got to our terminal ~6:30. It was still pitch black, so we didn't see anything on the way. We checked into our flight and made it through various checks to arrive at our gate. The terminal out of which we're flying is nearly deserted. Kinda surreal. I changed and bought us "XXL americanos" from a vending machine (turned out to be ~6 oz). Ni ( both rested on the uncomfortable seats until the sky brightened enough to show us it's a gray day. I don't mind. We're out of Catalunya without today's general strike causing us too many headaches. Only a few. It's now 8:45 am, and the gates around us are still deserted. We waited and were the first through the gate passport check. As such, we got to go through a "random security check." Yay! We were taken in a group of 10 and called individually to open our bags. No problems for us {grumbling from Nick, though}, so back to the gate waiting area. They are boarding around 10:55, in ~15 min. We got on and had to wait for others to get through their security checks [seriously, I think about a third of the plan was "randomly selected."] Our 11:35 am flight was only a few minutes late pushing off from the gate. We were in row 52 of 54. There was some major BO on the plane near us. Ugh. It was a long flight. I watched Toy Story 4, rested, watched Bohemian Rhapsody, rested, watched Lego Movie 2, and rested or stared out the window the remaining 2 hours. Landed and got to our gate ~2:30 pm. Off the plane and through all the check points, waited for a bus and got to the car only an hour later (impressive!). We paid for parking ($119) and headed for some coffee. Fought, then talked civilly about miscommunication and other things. Stopped in Madison to charge and ate some pizza at HyVee. We called Nick's parents to let them know we were back. We then called mine to talk to them and the kids, letting them know when we'll be home. Drove out of Madison to a lovely sunset, that, unfortunately, my eyes are too blurry to see well (allergies? cold? infection? don't know, just started today). We got home safe and sound to Roary, Amy and Robin, and Mom & Dad brought Felix & Iris to us shortly thereafter.

On the way home, I read that protesters blocked the entrance to the Sagrada Familia basilica today, our flight from Barcelona to Madrid had been cancelled, and there were ~500,000 protesters wrecking havoc across Catalonya today. We were lucky that our trip was only minorly inconvenienced, unlike others trying to come in to the city today.

random sights

Beverages

Market offerings

Textures

Painted shop doors

Total trip cost: $2,782.45
{transcribed 2/3/2020}

Chicago 2019

27 March 2019 - We decided to stick a little closer to home for the kids' spring break this year. We left at 11 am on this Wednesday, taking Nick's Tesla, Felix (9.5) and Iris (6.5) to Chicago for the first time. We stopped in Madison to take a break and get a short charge. The weather was good and the traffic was as expected. Iris needed a bathroom break approaching Milwaukee, so we made a quick stop. Our interim destination was Oak Creek. We stopped at a super charger and killed time with nachos and beer at the Water Street Brewery across the street. Traffic picked up approaching Chicago. We got to our thole (Hampton Inn in N Skokie) around 4:15. Nick and Iris swam briefly. After they came up to the room [2 room suite] and god ready, we drove to Wheeling to visit with Kyle and Delphine and 2.5-year-old Louison. It was so nice to visit with them. Kyle & I (and Nick) reminisced about our college days, talked about our lives now (esp. Delphine & me) and politics, of course. They ordered Lou Maneti's Chicago-style pizza for dinner. Had an aperitif before dinner while chatting. We left around 9, when the kids petered out. They were very good playing with Louison before she went to bed. Got back to the hotel with a game plan for tomorrow. All to bed around 10:30.

Cara, Delphine, Kyle, Nick

Iris, Louison, Felix

28 March - I've had a cold for a week that's turning into a sinus infection. That led to me getting only a few hours of sleep (that, and a wiggly Iris in the bed). We got up early-ish, ate the hotel breakfast and drove downtown, arriving at our parking spot at ~9 [reserved via app the night before]. It was a nice day, good for walking around. Our lot was down by the river, so we walked from there to the Hancock building. Iris wanted to lead the way, but it was unnerving, as we didn't trust her to stop at intersections. We were among the 1st people going up to the 94th floor (360Chicago tickets). It was hazy, but we could still see a lot. The kids liked the view, although Iris didn't have the patience to stay there long. We were up there about an hour before we left. I made the mistake of presenting my photo ticket and felt guilted into buying a $25 family green screen photo. Cute, but not worth the $. Rooking mistake - I obviously need to travel more. :D We walked back down Michigan Avenue to the river and down to Millennium Park. Felix wanted to see the Bean while we were here. It was busy, but we got some good pictures. It was 11:30, so we headed to find lunch. We stopped a very French cafe nearby. Felix & I got savory crepes while Nick and Iris got sandwiches. At least we also got 2 macarons each for the $70 the meal ended up costing us. It was delicious, but I guess I have yet to learn my limits on foods now that I don't have a gallbladder.. The kids were done with the trip downtown after lunch, so we walked back and retrieved our car. We stopped at a supercharger in a parking structure for ~30 minutes and "watched" the Brewer's Opening Day opening innings. We drove past Wrigley Park, just to, then headed to the hotel. I was very glad to get there. Once I felt a little better, we all went down to the pool. We had it all out ourselves to start. Iris and Felix were doing flips off the edge. After about an hour, Iris flipped a little too close to the edge and whacked her head. She seems okay, but they were done swimming after that. We all cleaned off and spent some time relaxing. We drove across the highway to the outdoor mall there for dinner at Noodles & Co. Yeah, it's a chain, but I wasn't feeling well and the kids would eat it. It worked out. It also got chilly as we walked through the mall. The kids played in the kids' playground while Nick and I looked at some housewares. We purchased some awesome crystal cordial glasses at Crate & Barrel, which we put to use back in our hotel room with the bottle of port we brought. We all relaxed - everyone's a bit tired.

Looking South

Looking North

Bean-y Family

Teslas are pretty cool

Claiming dragon heads at the mall

29 March - We had a better night. We slept in a little bit, then headed downtown. We got there and parked ~9:45. It was chillier today (high ~50°). It took about 30 minutes to walk from our parking spot on E Madison to the Shedd Aquarium. We walked along the quiet lakefront. We were glad the wind was at our backs and the sun was out. It didn't take long to make our way in the building, but it was already pretty crowded - so many strollers! We took our time and walked through most of the exhibits. Iris had less interest than I thought she would. :/ We took a brief lunch break, watching the dolphins swim. That helped Iris get a second wind, as did playing by the penguin exhibit. We went into the Underwater Beauty exhibit, where we ran into the Bronsons (minus Rachel). Had a nice, brief chat, buffeted by passersby. Saw a couple tanks of jellyfish (my highlight). Nick was partial to the Amazon tanks and watching the diver feed the Caribbean reef fish/sea turtle/rays.The kids proclaimed nothing was their favorite, because they liked everything. Well, that's good. We finished up there after shutting down the kids' requests for overpriced-yet-worthless souvenirs. We picked their spirits up with doughnut holes and our energy level up with coffee from Dunkin' Donuts on the way to get our car. It was ready & waiting, so we got out of downtown. I asked to make a stop at Target, where I bought cold medicine and replacement shoes. We were back in the hotel ~3. I rested and read while Iris watched American Ninja Warrior. Nick and Felix watched some sports. We went back to the Westfield Old Orchard Mall for dinner, this time at Epic Burger. The kids enjoyed the play area again, and after dinner, Nick and I went back into Crate & Barrel. No purchases today, though. Got back a little before 7. We all took it easy. I even took a bath. Too many aches and pains! Nick and I relaxed with port while Felix started reading Harry Potter #4 and Iris went to bed.

Outside the Shedd, looking north

Jellyfishies!

Waving at dophins

30 March - We slept in until nearly 8 am. We ate breakfast and drove straight to the Museum of Science and Industry. Hooray for "lighter" Saturday traffic! We got to the museum and parked ~ 9:45. The Bronsons were the first people we saw when we entered the main area (ha!). We got our tickets and headed in. It was pretty quiet to start. we went through the Science of Storms and transportation exhibits first. Iris loved all the hands-on stuff. Felix was entranced by the giant model train. We walked through the Streets of Yesterday, then made our way to the Giant Dome Theater, where we saw a 20-minute show about Tornado Alley. After that, we took in a few more exhibits: planes; an exhibit about bodies; ships, race cars & bicycles; a cool whispering gallery; glaciers/ice. Then it was time for us to go through the Mirror Maze. That was pretty cool. I got separated from the others and got some cool pictures. The exhibit was ultimately about patterns, and pretty cool. We exited in the design lab, where we let the kids get a top that was assembled on a conveyor belt in front of us. Iris's failed the quality control check (broken top) and we had to restart. It made for a cool souvenir with their names and today's date etched on it. It was 2 pm, they'd seen enough, and we hadn't had lunch. We left, driving to a supercharger in Skokie. Only ~40° and windy - brrr! We ate lunch at a Buffalo Wild Wings while the car charged, then picked up some dinner for later at a nearby supermarket (frozen pizza for Iris, sushi for the rest of us). Headed back to the hotel ~4. The kids played with their tops, Nick & I packed up for tomorrow and relaxed.

Enthralled

Future Iris/

Which way to go?

Motion capture of my kids who don't stop moving

31 March - Iris & I were up around 7. We got ready and got a bite of breakfast while the boys got ready. Once everyone was ready and fed, we packed up and left Chicago for Milwaukee. We stopped in Oak Creek to charge. The kids were a bit squirrelly. After enough sipping coffee at the Meijer and trying to distract them, we got back on the road and headed to Miller Park. We parked ~11:15 and found Mom & Dad, who got there earlier. It was only in the 30s and very windy. Brrr! We were forced to tailgate until they opened the stadium at 11:40 (oh no, not a bloody mary!). After we finished our beverages, we joined the line of others desperate to get out of the cold. We picked up our Jesus Aguilar bobbleheads and found our seats. It was early and fairly quiet, so we got our lunches. The once who served me was very new and it showed. Oh well. We had seats in section 223, row 11. Nice view. Christian Yelich hit a home run in his first at-bat. Kind of quiet for the Brewers until the 8th, when we pulled to 3-4 against the Cardinals. In the 9th, Yelich drove in 2 runs to win! Woo! We took both kids to a Brewers game last summer. This time, we 1) saw a Brewers home run, 2) saw a Brewers win, 3) stayed for the whole game, and 4) let the kids do the base-running afterward. Since we had to wait for traffic to clear anyway, we waited in the long line that snaked through and outside the stadium. Felix had to be talked into it, but ultimately did it. Looked like fun! We went back to Mom & Dad's car as traffic continued to disperse, until a policeman on a motorcycle encouraged us to leave. :D We got on the road and should make it home by bedtime (hope I'm not jinxing us by writing this).

Chilly tailgating

Dad, Felix, Nick, Mom, Iris, Cara

Iris's new buddy, Bernie

Kids rounding 3rd

Total trip cost: $1,559,51
{transcribed 2/3/2020}

Europe 2018

16 Aug 2018 - Things fell into place to allow Nick & I to travel to Europe: enough in savings, grandparent availability, buying tickets back in January and waiting/planning. We were all up, packed and out of the house by 9 am this Thursday morning. We drove to Green Bay, where the kids will be staying with Steve and Vicky until Tuesday. We visited with Steve, ate lunch, said good-bye to the kids, then drove down to Chicago. Had a brief panic when it seemed like all the economy lots were full and we were only 2.5 hours before takeoff. Found a lot open and a spot! Then many lines & much waiting - check bags, check IDs, check bodies & carry-ons. Once we were through all that and in the terminal, we celebrated the start of vacation with a beer at the Berghoff Cafe. After that, we went back to the gate to wait. Our plane was a bit late to the gate, but we weren't in any rush. Felix would be interested to know it's a 777 with 3-3-3 seating. Got our seats in the central section right in front of the bathrooms. No problems taking off ~ 7 pm. They served dinner (I got veggie manicotti; Nick got Indian butter chicken).

Cheers to 10 years!

17 Aug - Both of us tried to sleep on the flight, but without much success. Yay for coffee with the croissant and yogurt breakfast. I did watch Pitch Perfect 3, just because I could (and I thought I might fall asleep in the middle of it). I've written all of the above on the plane as we descend over Germany toward Munich. It didn't take very long to go through customs and get our bags. It was a beautiful, sunny, mid-80s day. We took the S-Bahn to our closest stop {to our apartment}. We walked from there, checking out the quiet neighborhood on Prinzregentenstraße. We were too early to check in by the time we reached 93, so we back-tracked to a small restaurant nearby. It was 11:30, so we got Augustiner beers and schnitzel for lunch. I got to use my very rusty German... A mistake when she brought us each a schnitzel when I thought we'd share. Oh well. My belly won't love it... We checked in, cleaned up and rested. Then we went via U-Bahn to the old town area. Nick's first real German experience. I wanted to see about getting a Dirndl, which I've wanted for years. I got a silver silk one that looks lice. €65 with blouse and apron. Next, we (increasingly annoyed) wandered until we found a place where we could get a drink and use the bathroom. I got mineral water and Nick got a beer. He was bugged by a bee which took a liking to him. We left there ~4:15. Since it was close, we walked down to the Asamkirche. So much gold leaf! Once we had our fill of Baroque splendor, we headed back up to the Marienplatz, making a quick stop for a postcard on the way. We killed 10 minutes waiting for 5 pm and the Gockenspiel show at the Neues Rathaus. Many other tourists from all over had the same idea. Over 6 minutes of listening to the bells and watching the figures, we'd had enough. On our way to find a bite, we found a store where we bought Felix's requested souvenir - a Germany soccer jersey (€30). We decided to go to the Hofbrauhaus for dinner. The place was packed, but we found a table inside. Nick got a liter of Dunkel. I got a half liter of their alcohol-free wheat and shared a cold meat sampler. We tried two varieties of of headcheese for the 1st time and agreed the red was better than the white. We were joined at our table by two German couples who got massive joints for dinner. Oh, we also got a giant Brezn from one of the Dirndl-clad girls. After eating and drinking our fill, we made a quick stop across the street to get Mom a Hard Rock Cafe pin, then headed back to Odeonsplatz in the gold hour. Took the U-Bahn back to our station. Picked up a few provisions at a nearby Edeke, then headed back to the apartment. It's been a long continuous day. It's 8:20 pm & Nick's asleep next to me. One thing that Nick & I both noticed is how little confidence I have in speaking German. It's only been 17 years since I was last here and had any use for it other than to amuse myself or teach a few phrases... Having some wine, then I'll read before falling asleep, too. Steve & Vicky got Skype set up, so even despite a poor connection, we were able to talk to them a bit. Asleep ~9:30.

First been in Germany!

Asamkirche

At the Marienplatz

Hofbrauhaus

Polka band!

18 Aug - I slept until 7, Nick until 8. We got up, dressed and made breakfast. Nick realized müsli doesn't taste as good as it may look. We took the U-Bahn up to the Olympic Park. I had to use the restroom, so we went into BMW Welt. Nick & I looked around there for a bit. We then walked a bit to get a better view of the Olympic Stadium, but since Nick had other interests today, we didn't walk t it. We took the U-bahn to the Museum Quarter. Nick wanted to see the Glyptothek, because he'd never seen marble statues in person. Now he's seen many! We caught a bite to eat at a cafe on the way to the Alte Pinakothek. We spent a while looking at the paintings there - many variations on the same religious themes and a few others thrown in for good measure. From there, we took a tram to Karlsplatz and got on the U-bahn to Odeonsplatz. We went to the Residenz next. We enjoyed looking at all the amazing jewels/crowns. So much intricate work from long ago! So cool. Next, we wandered through the labyrinthine Residenz rooms. So much walking - I'm sure people get lost in there all the time. It was about 4 pm when we got done there, so we walked over to the Spatenhaus restaurant for refreshments. It was pretty busy (lovely Saturday afternoon) and our waitress was slow to serve us. That didn't make thirsty/hungry me too happy, so I insisted we order some dinner right away, not knowing when she'd get back. Nick got "meatloaf" (more like a slice of a gigantic hot dog) and I got spatzle. It was pricey, but we felt invigorated afterward. We took a tram toward the English Garden. I showed Nick where people surf (yes, really) and we went up to the biergarten at the Chinesches Turm. We were running low on cash and there was a €20 minimum credit card order, so I ended up with a liter of beer, too. So much beer... We enjoyed ourselves playing Pandemic on my phone and drinking while listening  to the band play. So many people here! We decided to take out some cash from the ATM and that's where the evening (hopefully not trip...) went off the rails. We realized we don't have the PIN for our credit cards and Nick didn't want to risk losing our debit cards. I, idiot that I can be, forgot that a debit card is HOW YOU GET CASH. It was a split-second packing decision. I wanted to get back to where we had WiFi so we could figure out what to do. Nick wanted to drink more. Cue argument. We talked through it and walked back to the apartment (with a little bit more arguing). All ok now. Unfortunately, we have no PIN at home (Mom & Dad checked) and we have to wait until Monday before trying to get cash from a bank using our credit card. I'm not sure that's going to work - we'll see. I'm actually nervous/anxious/self-loathing about the whole deal. Ugh.

At BMW Welt

Near the Olympic Stadium

Found a doppelgaenger

Nefarious-looking painting

At the Residenz

At the Biergarten within the English Garden

Sunset over Munich by the Friedensengel

19 Aug - My mind was whirling and felt anxious and so I couldn't fall asleep until at least 1 am. 7:30 came too early! I was dragging, but we still got out the door on time to take the U-Bahn to the Marienplatz. Both of us are stiff and sore from all the walking and standing yesterday. We arrived at the meeting point [for our Mike's Bikes tour] under the Toy Museum arch with plenty of time. We are part of a group of 13: a middle-aged couple from New Zealand, a young couple from Louisiana, a father/son pair from Toronto and a family of 5 from DC. Our tour guide, Kevin, was from Ireland. We walked to get our Mike's Bikes and started our tour heading through the "most expensive shopping street on the continent" (Maximilianstraße). Our first stop was Max-Joseph-Platz, where Kevin told us about previous incarnations of the Nation Theater, destruction by WWII bombing of much of downtown Munich. Next, we biked into a courtyard of the Reidenz, where you can see that most of the facade was painted, not cut stone. From there, we biked to the Hofgarten. A few words about the Bayerisches Staatskanzlei. They (the citizens of Munich) decided to make it a government building with glass walls (transparency) instead of a beer garden. There is one monument to WWI soldiers but none for WWII in Munich. Charlie Brown and the Chocolate Factory was filmed in Munich (some nearby). We got our picture taken in the Hofgarten, then we biked to Odeonsplatz. Here, Kevin told us about the statue in the Feldherrnhalle (apparently, you don't have to do much to warrant a statue); Leopold expanding the city north; a "gentlemen's agreement" not to bomb churches. We went inside the Theatinerkirche to see the white Baroque interior, found the monument to Nazi resistors (gold-painted bricks on Viscordigasse) and rubbed a lion's nose for luck. From there, we biked west on Brienner Straße past the obelisk to the Nazi documentation center. Kevin spent 45 minutes talking about Hitler's rise, the Nazi party & actions, and what the buildings around us were to them. I didn't know that BMW used forced labor in WWII and the Quandt family has never apologized for it. From there, we biked all the way to the English Garden. Kevin explained how the beer garden is the 2nd largest in the world, but serves more people annually. We got lunch (potatoes/meat for Nick, a salad for me and beers, of course). Had a nice lunch eating and chatting. A giant wasp (murder hornet!) came by - 1.5" long! After we ate, we biked down to see the surfers. Lots of people there since it's a beautiful Sunday. Next stop by the Friedensengel, where we saw the sunset last night. Fun fact - government buildings in Munich may have gold mosaics on the est side. Helpful for orientation! One last stop along the very-low Isar, then back to the Mike's Bikes shop. I was feeling pretty beat, so we headed back to the apartment to rest. Roused ourselves ~6, got ready and headed out to find dinner. Not many places open which take credit cards. Ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant called Thao. Good food & mojitos. I wish I had more of an appetite (still nervous about the money situation. And my reaction is bothering Nick, I can tell). Finished dinner ~9, headed back to the apartment and collapsed. So many aches! It's now 9:30 and I'm feeling sleepy.

At the Hofgarten

Viewing the Isar River

20 Aug - I slept much better last night. We were up, fed (scrambled eggs in our kitchen) and out ~7:40. We got to the Hauptbahnhof around 8. We went to the bank there... and were shot down in our attempt to get cash. We got on our train to Mittenwald, which left promptly at 8:32 am. Pleasant journey south. Nick enjoyed the changes of scenery. We played Pandemic to pass the time, then stared out the window as the foothills became mountains. We arrive around 10:30 am in Mittenwald. We were shot down twice asking for credit card cash advances. Oh well... We walked rather quickly through their quaint, painted pedestrian zone, and out of town. I wanted to see the Ghost gorge (Leutasch Klamm). We hiked on a flat trail for ~15 minutes, then up a very steep trail for about 20 min. Good thing it was cooler - 70s. Once we reached the crest of the hiking path, we descended a bit down toward the gorge on catwalk-type structures with clear views of the sheer drops below us. We made it to the panoramic bridge suspended high over the chasm. I probably would have crossed it, but there was a big group doing pictures about halfway across. My palms were so sweaty, I was terrified I'd drop my phone over the rail. Managed to hang on! We scurried back to the path and back to civilization. Thankfully, neither of us fell on all the loose gravel on the path. It was 12:30, so after checking that credit cards were accepted, we had lunch and refreshments at the Brauerei Mittenwald. I had the unfiltered "cellar" beer. Nick had their Oktoberfest and Dunkel. He had pretzel soup and weisswurst. I had a mushroom omelet. Next, we walked to the cable car station. €59 for both of us to go up and come back down - so worth it! We were the only tourists in the car on the way up to 2244 m. What a view! For a while, we could see in all hazy directions. We hiked on the path around and crossed the border into Austria at one location. It got cloudier as we hiked and Nick got a bloody nose 2/3 of the way around, unfortunately. The climb/hike wasn't easy, but we made it. There were also sheep with bells up there - constant bell ringing made for an interested atmosphere. It was also much cooler - glad I had a jacket along. We were packed into the gondola down like sardines; more of an adventure with more people. We got down to the start a little after 3, so we walked to the train station. We hoped they'd let us take the 3:30 return instead of our reserved 4:30 time. It didn't see to be an issue (our tickets were checked twice) and the one change we made in Garmisch was easy. We got back to Munich ~5:30. I went on a quest to buy stamps and postcards. Once both were acquired, we took the U-Bahn back to our apartment. We picked up provisions at Edeke, then Nick cooked us pasta in the apartment. My appetite is returning. Quiet evening packing up, cleaning up, catching up. My mom saved our trip by sending money via Western Union which we will pick up tomorrow in Prague. Hooray! We also Skyped with the Kids & Steve and that made us very happy. :)

Mittenwald

The Leutasch Klamm bridge

View down from the bridge

Getting lunch

Warm welcome to 2,244 meters!

Looking toward Austria at the border

21 Aug - Another good night. Nick & I were up, dressed, fed and packed. I put the travel locks on the suitcases to keep our belongings safe. Right before we left the apartment building, Nick wanted to get his sunglasses out of the clothing suitcase... and the lock wouldn't open. I swear I set both locks to the same combination! He wasn't happy, I wasn't happy, but we caught the next train to the Hauptbahnhof anyway. When we arrive, we used up the rest of our Euros on coffee, sandwiches for the trip and candy for the ids. We had scoped out where the train should be when we were there yesterday. Went to the track 30 minutes early - and the wrong train was on the track. Information informed me that there was no 8:43 train, despite what the timetable said. She directed me to the Travel Center. There, the man told me we couldn't catch a train today, but there was an express bus at 10:15, and, as it was our only option, we reserved seats. Cue cranky Nick. Lugged our suitcases 10 minutes to the bus terminal and proceeded to wait. At least we had a problem to solve. Fortunately, I managed to get the combination right and open the suitcase! (The 1st number was 1 off where it should have been - fixed that!) The bus came at 10 and we got on. I think we scored the last two available seats. Whew! It was a direct bus to Prague that only made 1 stop to change drivers. Beautiful countryside. Passed the 4.5 hours reading, playing Pandemic, doing word searches. Got a quick into to Prague as our bus approached the train station. We got our suitcases and headed straight for the nearest Western Union. We were surprised by the beautiful cobblestone patterns of the sidewalks. I stopped to take pictures of tome of the patterns. A few noisy blocks later, we got our cash! Hallelujah! We caught a tram shortly thereafter to our Airbnb apartment at Sokolovska 43/53. Easily got inside! Unloaded! Hooray! After getting settled and starting to wash some clothes, we headed out to get my Prague souvenir. We walked toward the edge of the old town which started off sketch, but was vibrant when we turned the final corner. The shop was busy, so I made an appointment for 6 pm. We headed out in search of beer to pass the time (it was 4:30). We went into a very small, very local pub which served craft beer (Pivovar Hostomice at Pivnicev Sourenike Hosto on Souvenika). They had 3 progressively darker beers on tap, and we tried them all while playing Pandemic as old guys watched a soccer commentary show. We headed back to Tribo at 5:40, where, shortly thereafter, I got my nose pierced. I've wanted to do it for a while, and I'll remember it more having done it here. It stung for a second, but didn't hurt much. Only 650 czk (~$30). We went in search of dinner. After a few false starts, found an Italian restaurant. We each got pizzas & drinks. Really hit the spot! My appetite is returning! :D We walked back toward the apartment, stopping at the market set up in Namesti Republiky. We bought Iris a wooden musical carousel, a print of the Charles Bridge & a magnet for us. It was such a pleasant evening. So many people out for a Tuesday evening. We walked back, stopping at the Billa grocery store for provisions. This apartment is on the 2nd floor facing the street, so it's warm (but there's a good fan) and there's a fair amount of city noise, but it's not too bad right now.

First beers in Czechia

Nose pierced!

Namesti Republiky

22 Aug - Tossed and turned most of the night with the heat, noise and light. Bed was comfy, through. We got up at 7, both showered and had a breakfast  of ham & cheese on rolls with instant coffee. We walked down to the Florenc station to buy 3-day transportation cards. We rode the tram up toward the Prague Castle and, once near the grounds, overwhelmed by the number of tour groups there. Yikes! We quickly (amazingly) bought our tickets for 250 czk each (~$10) and headed straight for St Vitus Cathedral, with every other tour group in existence, too. We made our way in and marveled at the stained glass within. We took a loop of the nave, each ogling our own interests (me, stained glass; Nick, any reference to Bohemia). My left pinky toe has developed into a giant blister, so we didn't move too fast. After seeing all that interested us inside, we headed out into the courtyard. We passed on the old palace (too similar to what we saw at the Residenz), but went into the basilica for a short time. We left the castle via the golden lane, took in the sweeping view of Prague, then headed down the slick cobblestone steps toward the tram lines. We caught the #22 and rode it through the new town and across the river. If was 10:30, so we found a nice little cafe at which to rest (SmetanaQ on Smetanovo nabr). We started out with coffees, then we had fresh crumpets with sour cream & fresh fruit. Nick had a beer as well. Once we were completely rested, we walked up to the Charles Bridge. It was crowded and hot, but we walked all the way across and back. We didn't have a plan for today other than the Castle, so the rest of the day we're winging it. We decided to walk in the Jewish Quarter. The line to buy tickets was pretty long, so we passed. We walked through the area a little bit, then headed toward the old town square. It was slightly disappointing to find the astronomical clock being repaired. Oh well. We walked on to a recommended restaurant for lunch - Havelska Koruna. I had a traditional Bohemian potato soup with Gembrinus beer. Nick had beef goulash with bread dumplings with Kozel dark beer. It was a cafeteria-style restaurant that was pretty inexpensive. Once again, we set out. I bought some fresh berries for ~$10 (yikes! oops...) at the market nearby. At least they're tasty. We walked back up to Namesti Republiky and caught the next tram to our apartment. We stopped in the Lokal next door and made reservations for dinner tonight, then headed up. Turned on the fan and relaxed. We had a nice video chat with the kids. After that, we rested, read, played cribbage. Right before we left to go to dinner, I whacked my knee hard on the footboard. Ow. We went to the Local Hamburk across the street for dinner. Nick had chicken schnitzel and 3 Kozel darks. I stepped out of my comfort zone by ordering the beef neck in horseradish sauce with bread dumplings. Actually pretty tasty. The place was very busy. People were taking beers to go (?!) or drinking them on the sidewalk. Interesting. Since we're going to be walking a lot tomorrow, we headed back to the apartment (or in my case, limped...). Spent the rest of the evening relaxing and checking on the Brewers score.

Stained glass in St Vitus

Old town Prague behind us

On the Charles Bridge

23 Aug - We didn't set an alarm for this morning. I woke up ~6:30 anyway. I guess I'm acclimated! This morning, after getting ready and eating pizza leftovers for breakfast, we took the underground train to Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti). We walked away from it first and saw the relatively new kinetic Franz Kafka's Head. Pretty cool how the the shiny silver "slices" of the head move separately. We could have watched that move and changed for a long while, but we didn't. We headed back to the Square. Again, so crowded. I picked up some postcards and a souvenir pen at a bookshop, then Nick & I wandered the streets looking for a reasonable place to have a morning beverage so I could write my postcards. We found the perfect tiny cafe (Veget on Stepanska). Our server spoke in very good English about how hot the summer has been here. We finished our beverages, then continued on to the Square. We walked up to the statue of Wenceslas. It was about 11. am and already hot. We walked back northwest along the Square and onto Jindrisska to the main post office. It took a few minutes for my number to be shown, but we got our postcards started on their journey to the kids. From there, we walked around the block to the Mucha Museum. Nick & I enjoyed looking at the small collection of prints and paintings, photos and sketches on display. We picked up postcards of prints as souvenirs. Next, we walked back toward Namesti Republiky. with a quick stop into the Municipal House. Nick was interested in an overpriced drink at the Americky Bar, but I needed food first. We walked up to Sisters, where we ended up getting five different types of chelbicky (Czech-style open-faced sandwiches) which were highly recommended and quite tasty (Dlouha 727/29). Nick was a bit frustrated afterward that I turned down the Americky Bar and picked where we ate. He said he just wanted to try more beers. So, I led him to the Pivovarsky Klub on Krizikova, where he could choose from 250+ beers (literally). He had four of the six on tap. I tried one of the other two. That satisfied both of us. We walked back to the apartment with a quick side-trek for pistachio gelato for me. Headed up to our warm apartment and relaxed with our phones. Nick didn't want to wait to eat as late as we did yesterday, so we picked one of our host's recommendations and set off towards the heart of Karlin (so many young professionals around here!) to Restaurace Salandy on Saldova. We tried a new type of brewery (Krusovice) with our entrees (beef goulash for Nick, calamari risotto with peas for me). That was tasty. We headed back towards Sokolovska and popped in the Billa for a few items. We took the tram back to the apartment. It's early (~7), but it's so hot & busy out. We just had a quiet night on our phone, calling it a night ~10:30.

Kafka Head

At Wenceslas Square

So many beers

24 Aug - I woke ~ 6 am, then red/dozed for a while. We ate ham & cheese sandwiches again for breakfast. Big difference in the weather today - cooler and rainy. We left the apartment ~8:45, then took trams & the Metro to the main train station. Today, we are taking a day trip to Plzen (Pilsen). About 9:15, we learned where our train was and headed to the track/platform. I bought the tickets with seat reservations. On our way there, we had a Hogwarts Express-like compartment all to ourselves. So nice, quiet and easy! The countryside was beautiful Lots of rolling hills. The trees, however, look very stressed from the lack of rain here.) We got to Pilsen at ~11. We found a place to eat lunch (Bistrouska on Koterovska). Nick got the chicken schnitzel and I got cod with mushrooms. interesting combination, but good. We ate in the garden behind and made friends with a little cat. :) It was noon when we finished eating, so we walked back to the train station to go on the other side. Granted it was overcast and cool, not the bright sunniness we've had in Prague, but, frankly, Pilsen looks pretty rough around the edges. Much more industrial and run-down where we were (though downtown may look very different). We were too early for our 1 pm tour, so we scoped out the gift shop, then had a beer in the bar area. It started to rain, so it was good to be indoors. We finished our beers in time for our tour to begin in the Visitor's Center. We learned the history of brewing in Pilsen and at Pilsner Urquell (forgot to mention this as the brewery of which we were getting a tour). We saw the bottling plant, the old and new brewhouses, and were treated to beer straight from the barrel (made only for tour groups...) in the underground tunnels. We ended up in the gift shop, where we got a few souvenirs. Apparently, we were the first tourists to take the beer sign off the way to buy it. Hey, if you don't want that to happen, put the stock out where people can find it! We left ~2:55. We had reservations for the 4 pm train, so we found a cafe to kill time. Got a reminder that Turkish coffee isn't great when I ordered something "different." Our trip back to Prague was far less pleasant: the train was packed, there was a very lout and unhappy 1-year-old that yelled nearly the entire 1.5 hour trip, it was rainy and we both faced backwards. It was a relief to get back to our apartment ~5:45. One of our first orders of business was to make reservations for Saturday night. Once that was done, we set off without a plan, looking to find a place for dinner. Ended up deeper in Karlin at Restaurace Globus at the corner of Krizikova and Brezinova. Nick had a burger and fries (fancy, though) and I got a cheese sandwich (also fancy). On our way to/from, I picked up a pair of superfluous cobblestones for souvenirs. :D Once back in our apartment, relaxed. Bed ~10:30.

Made a friend in Pilsen

Trying beer at Pilsner Urquell

Czech provisions

25 Aug - It was loud outside for a long time, so neither of us slept well. Friday night, eh? A cold front must have come through, putting an end to the heat wave and ushering in 60s and winds. Nick liked the temp. After breakfast, we made our way via Metro to Vysehrad. Since it was early for a Saturday morning, there weren't a lot of people around. We walked around the high-walled fortification, taking in the views of the city. We spent some time in the amazing cemetery next to the church. Many beautiful mosaic-encrusted shrines and tombs. Many famous Prague elite were buried there. After finishing our walk, we headed back to the Metro station. We decided to get some brunch (it was 11 am), and got off at I.P. Pavlova. We didn't find much to interest us in that area, so we walked down to the river by the Dancing House and walked until we came to the cafe at which we ate on Wednesday. Got our brunch & coffee and a break for our feet. After that, we headed toward the Charles Bridge and the Prague Beer Museum. We each tried two different kids of beers at this pub which had 30 on tap. From there, we meandered through the old town until we came to Namesti Republiky. Caught a tram back to the apartment ~2 pm. We relaxed and video chatted with the kids a little bit, then took a side trip to exchange some of our Koruna back to dollars. We picked up some food for breakfast tomorrow at Billa, then headed back to the apartment again. We got ready and headed down the street to Gate for dinner. [While we ate, Nick reminded me about something that happened earlier today. While we were at the Vysehrad cemetery, we suddenly heard orchestral music coming from the cell phone of an older Asian man. It took us a second to realize that he was jamming to a Dvorak song in front of Antonin Dvorak's grave. A funny, fitting tribute.] We had a nice dinner, though pretty heavy in my case (potato dumplings filled with smoked meat with a side of cooked cabbage and caramelized onions. Nick had a giant burger.) We decided earlier today that our original plans of going to the Cloud 9 bar and having exorbitantly expensive cocktails for the hell of it wasn't "us." Instead, we walked down Sokolovska/Karlin to the Krizek wine bar and had a liter of burcak between us. This yummy, cloudy, pale yellow wine is half-fermented with Czech or Moravian grapes and is only available mid-August until November. The bar at which we got it just got it in on the 21st, so nearly everyone there was drinking this year's offering. Sweet, slightly fizzy, definitely dangerous. On my already full stomach, I dared not have anymore. The sky threatened rain as we made our way back to the apartment ~7:30. I packed up a few more things. Since it's going to be an early morning tomorrow, we're taking it easy tonight.

Dvorak's tomb

On Vysehrad

SO MANY TOURISTS

Trying burcak

26 Aug - We woke around 5:30, finished packing, ate a bit and got ourselves on the public transportation. By tram, metro and bus, we got to the airport ~7:30. It was pretty quiet, so we breezed through check-in and security. We had some leftover Czech Koruna, so we bought some plum brandy to take with us, two coffees and two macarons to share. Left with 7 czk. : ) We leisurely sipped our coffee, then made our way to the gate for our 10:25 am flight from Prague to Zurich. The weather was good in Prague. We sat at the back of the small connector flight. Pretty quick and uneventful. When we got to Zurich an hour later, we were dropped off on the tarmac and loaded on to a bus. We were concerned with how far we were from our next departure terminal. We hurried through the terminal, only to find we had to go through passport control. Waited..., finally through. Took the underground metro to the E terminal. After using the facilities, went through yet another passport check before joining the line to board our flight to Chicago. Didn't get a moment to sit from landing until boarding. Oh well - no time to be bored. Nick and I got a row of 3 to ourselves. Unfortunately, there is a loud toddler across the aisle. Our 12:55 flight left ~1:20. After a while, we were served lunch. I got gnocchi; Nick got chicken and pasta. I watched the movie Lady Bird, then tried to nap. The little one could use one, too. Spent the remainder of the flight reading, resting, watching The Good Place, watching our plane's progress. No delay when we got to O'Hare! Huzzah! Went through all the customs/security checks, claimed our baggage (double huzzah!) and headed to our car. Picked the lane without an attendant (unbeknownst to us...) and we needed one to leave the lot. $174 to park in the economy lot of r 10 days. Yikes. Anyway, drove homeward. Missed by the storms in the area. Made good time, even with a quick stop. Talked quiet a bit about our personality styles and parenting. Got home ~8. Mom, Dad, Felix & Iris got here just after us. We were so happy to see them! Good to be home. The kitties are happy we're back, too. And now, since I've been awake since 5:30 am Prague time/10:30 pm here time and now it's 9 pm, it's bed time!

All of our pictures are here. If you're interested in where exactly (and I do mean exactly - trains, trams and all) we went, I made this Google map. Videos I took on the trip are here.

The beers were big, but I persevered. 

Total trip cost: $4,201.05
{transcribed 1/30/2020}