CRAIG BAY TRAVELLERS A newsletter for the enjoyment of Craig Bay residents. ISSUE # 7. February, 2019: EUROPE PART 2

I hope the January issue of this newsletter gave you a taste of what Europe has to offer. It’s tough to do anything more than scratch the surface of such a diverse continent but, with any luck, this issue will give you a few more interesting insights … and a couple of downright weird suggestions at the end.

Once upon a time, the “Grand Tour of Europe” was the realm of the wealthy and aristocratic. Fortunately, getting around Europe today is easier than ever: technology helps us plan and stay connected; currency has become much simpler with the ubiquitous Euro; you can sometimes visit three countries comfortably in a weekend and, in major cities, you can find enough English speaking people to get by. According to Wikipedia, Europe has about 225 indigenous languages … just 24 are considered “official”. Most of us (I think) feel suitably humbled by Europeans who routinely speak 3 or 4 languages fluently.

If you are longing for the end of the Canadian winter, browsing these articles might bring you a reminder of sunnier days or memories of your own wonderful experiences across Europe.

Mandy Trickett

Editor’s Note: Because I am travelling, this issue has had its challenges. If there are any errors or misplaced photos, I apologize. The fault is all mine and not that of the authors.

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Exploring Germany, Austria, , and Switzerland

By Rick & Dawn Stewart

Last month, you read about Dawn and Rick’s river cruise along the . Their adventure continued…

We left the Emerald Sun only to board another boat moored a short block away, this one docked permanently as a hotel. The location was convenient, across from ’s parliament and near the train line, but the room was even smaller than the cabin we had on the Emerald Sun. We spent our first afternoon exploring Budapest on foot and by train and getting a feel for the layout of the city.

The next day we toured the city by Segway. We have done this in the past, in Prague and Copenhagen, and have learned that it’s an ideal way to see a city. Segways are not difficult to learn to ride and you are able to get above the crowds to see sites that would otherwise be obscured. We had a private guide for the two of us who led us through the streets of Pest and Buda. He gave us plenty of time at each stop to take photos and shared the history of each stop with us. We both felt that we had a much better sense of the layout of the city after this Segway tour. Afterwards, we visited the memorial (the on the Danube Bank), a monument to the Jewish women and children who were shot by the Nazis and thrown into the river.

On our second day on our own, we enjoyed a countryside wine tour of some of Budapest’s small boutique wineries. The tour included lunch at one of the vineyards and we enjoyed Hungarian food prepared for us by the winery owner. By now we were feeling quite confident about finding our way around Budapest so we hopped a train to go in search of the “Ruin Bars” which were created in the vacant areas where buildings were destroyed by bombs during the war.

We left Budapest by train for the next day. Train travel is the best way to see Europe: trains are comfortable, clean, roomy, convenient, and run smoothly at 235 kph! We were able to find excellent hotels near the train station in all our destinations. It was so nice to sit back and relax with a good book as we sped to our next stop.

We returned to Vienna, as we felt that the one-day tour of Vienna we had while on the river cruise was not enough. We stayed at a hotel that was walking distance from the train station

2 and took a hop-on, hop-off bus, which was an excellent way to see the city in the short time we had. In hindsight, if you want to see Vienna properly, you need to plan on a week there and book ahead to get tickets for concerts.

Once again, we were relaxing on board another ultra high-speed train, this time bound for Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and overshadowed by an old castle which looms from one of the hills overlooking the city. Our first tour was the Sound of Music tour. We joined the other tourists singing songs from the Sound of Music as we visited familiar sights from the movie. This tour also took us to places within the city, as well as the surrounding countryside. The next morning, we toured around the city on our own including visiting Mozart’s home and taking the funicular up to the old castle which overlooks the city.

That afternoon we took a tour a couple of hours south to Hallstatt, a charming little village that was established over 2,000 years ago by Celts who were mining the local salt. The houses cling to the edge of the lake and until recently, the only access was by water. We took another funicular up the mountain to view the village from above.

Our final train trip took us to Munich just in time for Oktoberfest. We spent the afternoon visiting two of the infamous Oktoberfest tents and downing two liters of beer each! We slept well that night! I was particularly enchanted by the number of people in traditional dress. It was a fun and friendly crowd, but one afternoon of this revelry was enough. I was glad we had arrived early enough to spend the afternoon at the beer garden and were back safely in our room by evening.

Our last stop on this tour was Zurich. We had decided to fly to Zurich. In hindsight, we wished we had taken a train. It probably wouldn’t have taken any longer to get there by the time you factor in the time it takes to get to and from the airport and allowing the extra time for check in and security that’s needed when you travel by air. Zurich was my favourite stop (with Salzburg stealing a close second). It’s a beautiful, friendly and safe city. Our small boutique hotel was minutes from the river, overlooking a busy courtyard and above the best fondue restaurant in Zurich.

We left Zurich the next day for a day tour to Mount Riga and Lucerne. We truly felt as if we were in Switzerland with this tour. We travelled by bus to the bottom of Mount Riga, then took a gondola to a beautiful mountain meadow where we stopped to listen to the cowbells and

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admire the view. From there we continued by cogwheel train to the summit. From the top we could admire the lake-studded countryside and even see down to Lucerne where we would finish our tour. I wish we had had more time to spend in Lucerne. The highlight of the city for us was the wooden covered bridge that spans the river.

On our last day in Zurich, we enjoyed a free walking tour of the city. The guide did an excellent job and it gave us a very good idea of the layout of the old city. Later we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the banks of the river, just minutes from our hotel.

Finally, it was back to Munich to catch our return flight to Vancouver. We left with many fond memories of a beautiful area of Europe. I would definitely like to return to all the places we saw on our trip. As usual, I’m always astounded by the history that surrounds you everywhere you go in Europe.

ROAMING AROUND ROMANIA By Contributing Writers Shereen & Bruce Matheson

“Why Romania?” I asked my husband when he suggested we spend a couple of weeks there. It was spring 2016 and we were looking for somewhere new to explore before we began six weeks of travelling in Turkey and Greece. Bruce talked about Romania still being off the beaten path for many travellers, about the medieval walled towns in the Transylvania region, and that, for Europe, it was still a relative bargain. Romania seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

As we flew into Bucharest, I was both excited to explore this part of the world and still a little unsure of what we would find. My first vivid memory is roses – block after block of beautiful roses that filled the medians between the airport and the city centre. The jumble of colours was a sight to behold and I could almost smell their sweet fragrance through the bus windows. Romania had made a wonderful first impression.

We spent three full days exploring Bucharest and were very pleasantly surprised by it. We expected the typical drabness of a country slowly recovering from decades of socialist dictatorship, but Bucharest was much more attractive and interesting than that. The people were generally friendly, though some tended to be little standoffish, no doubt a legacy of being encouraged to inform on each other for two generations.

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There are hundreds of historic churches and buildings in Bucharest. We spent hours meandering through the Old Town, exploring inside colourful ornate orthodox churches, searching for interesting architectural details of historically significant buildings, and strolling through parks, admiring lush flower beds and pondering modern art installations. Despite its repurposing by the Romanian people, we found it hard to enjoy the Palace of the Parliament, the former palace that Nicolae Ceausescu built for himself by demolishing 7 square kilometers of the old city centre and relocating 40,000 people. At over 3 million square feet, it is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon.

The highlight of our time in Bucharest was a visit to the outdoor National Village Museum. On a 9-hectare property in the middle of the city, it has a collection of well over 200 rural homes, sheds, windmills, and churches from villages across Romania. It was an excellent hands-on way to gain a better appreciation of traditional village life. We enjoyed regional folk dancing and singing from troupes of enthusiastic people of all ages dressed in their colourful traditional costumes; it didn’t matter that we could not understand a word of it – the joy on their faces, in their voices, and in their movements was completely understandable. We also noticed a wedding party having their photos taken and loved the juxtaposition of a modern bride and groom with her beaming traditional grandmother dressed completely in black, including her kerchief.

From Bucharest, we traveled by train into the heart of the Transylvania region, home to seven walled citadels built by German settlers, known as Transylvanian Saxons. We visited three of these walled citadels: Sibiu, Sighisoara, and Brasov. While these towns varied in size and age (they date from the 12th or 13th century), they had certain elements in common. All had beautifully preserved Old Towns which are still guarded by sections of medieval walls, dotted with surviving bastions and towers. The historic areas were full of narrow cobblestone streets, centuries-old buildings, and church-dominated squares. They were all perfect for exploring by foot. We roamed around the walls, climbed towers and bastions, meandered through mazes of streets, rested in squares in the sunshine and chatted with people, explored churches, ate in small local restaurants, and read our books by the walls.

Our first stop was Sibiu, one of the most important cultural centres of Romania. We first noticed the striking “eyes” in a number of roofs on buildings throughout Sibiu, watching us from above – they are small attic windows hooded by curves in the roof and are found throughout the region. One elderly gentleman stopped us by the wall and spoke passionately about … well, we’re not sure. He spoke in Romanian and smiled the whole time, kissed my hand a few times, and shook Bruce’s hand. We took it all as a hearty and heartfelt welcome to his hometown.

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We then continued on to Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula. Fortunately, the town didn’t make too big a deal of the Dracula connection, so it was not full of vampire or goth kitsch. The house in which he was born is still there and his bust stands next to one of the main churches. (He is considered a patriot for his resistance to the Ottoman Turks.) Also unique to Sighisoara is the Scholar’s Staircase, a covered wooden staircase of 175 steps built to provide protection to those going up the hill to school or church. We climbed the staircase to visit the Church on the Hill. We had the understated church almost to ourselves and lost track of time admiring 500-year-old frescoes, a gothic altarpiece, and historic wooden sculptures.

Our final stop in Transylvania was Brasov which is spectacularly surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. Legend has it that when the Pied Piper enticed the children from Hamelin in Germany, they vanished underground and emerged near Brasov’s main square, which is enormous. Bruce hiked to the top of Tampa Mountain, where the original defensive fortress was built, and was rewarded with incredible views of the whole city. (When Vlad Tepes attacked Brasov in 1458- 60, the citadel was destroyed and 40 merchants were impaled on top of the mountain.)

While in Brasov, we made a day trip to Bran Castle, a famous, well- preserved 14th century castle. It was initially a defensive fortress, became a royal residence in 1920, was seized from Princess Ileana by the communist regime in 1948, and ownership was transferred back to her heirs in 2006. It was also the inspiration for the castle of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was unlike any castle I had seen before. Instead of vast opulent rooms, it was a bit of a maze of small, cozy rooms connected by narrow staircases and hallways that seemed to go every which way. It would have been an excellent place to play hide and seek.

As for logistics, we found it easy to get around this part of Romania on our own. Having a few phrases (hello, please, thank you, etc.) in Romanian was helpful and enough people spoke some English, ranging from a few words to fluent, for us to get by. We travelled by train within the country and stayed in small guesthouses or hotels where the hospitality was excellent. The hearty food was tasty; we particularly liked to snack on olive-filled soft pretzel sticks and our favourite lunch specials included cabbage rolls or roast pork that tasted like grandma was in charge in the kitchen. We enjoyed roaming around this part of Romania and were especially happy to do so before it becomes part of the beaten path.

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TOURING SPAIN by Connie Charlton & Julie Gibler

We did a self-drive tour of Spain in June 2018, and over the course of three weeks, drove approximately 1800 miles and walked 110 miles (176kms). We picked up our rental car at Madrid’s Atocha Train Station: it’s a huge, extremely busy place but the interior is beautiful, just like a forest, and must be seen. You can get onto the highway and out of Madrid easily from this point if going south, as we did. Along our route, we saw historical evidence of the Romans, Moors, Christians, and Jews.

PREPLANNING

Touring the way we did it is much easier with a bit of preparation. We arranged the basics prior to leaving Canada (European SIM card, Garmin GPS, “What’s App” for contacting friends and family, and a travel dual voltage power strip with three-pronged inlets, USB ports and European adaptor). But most importantly, we ordered and printed on-line reservation tickets for the Prado in Madrid and the Alhambra in Granada. By doing this, we avoided waiting in very long line-ups at those attractions.

DRIVING

The highways in Spain are very good with lots of toll roads that you can actually avoid by taking secondary roads. We drove through a variety of countryside … hills, mountains, farm areas and flat lands as well. Having said that, be prepared to do some walking because I recommend that you do not drive in the UNESCO towns of Cáceres, Arcos de le Frontera, or Toledo. Parking is available at the base of these towns so take a cab up to your hotel. These towns are on hilltops with very narrow winding roads and driving a manual transmission car is frightening to say the least. Most likely you will get lost and end up on a one-way street going the wrong way, as signage and GPS readings are poor. Parking is almost non-existent within these towns and not offered by most hotels. We usually drove early in the day, arriving by noon, which allowed us to see each city’s sights.

ACCOMMODATIONS

We used VRBO and booking.com and chose an average of 3½ to 4 stars. All our accommodations had air conditioning, sometimes parking, sometimes an elevator and always internet. The apartment in Madrid where we spent a total of eight days was in the La Latina district. It was in front of the Metro subway, had an elevator, A/C, two bedrooms and was fully equipped including washer/dryer. It was on the second floor while a grocery store was on the

7 first, which was very convenient. Nearby were a Mercado, several bakeries/cafes, and many restaurants and tapas bars. The location was a very safe, vibrant area but luckily quiet at night. We used a mix of hotels, apartments and B&Bs, all of which were comfortable and well-located for sight-seeing. For example, in San Roque (near Gibraltar), the hotel had a restaurant, bar and grocery store nearby. It even had a view of the Rock of Gibraltar. Our fully equipped apartment in Arcos de la Frontera had a rooftop terrace and night-time view of the church of Santa Maria and the village.

FOODS

To start your day, find a place that serves “churros y chocolate” (elongated strips of fried dough dipped in thick chocolate) and enjoy breakfast like a Spaniard. In small, quaint Mengibar, we ate with the whole town at the only bar/restaurant open. A very colourful afternoon. In Arcos de la Frontera, near its famous church, there is an alcove where the cloistered nuns have a one- way mirror with a spinning cupboard. Push the buzzer to the left, place your order for fresh cookies, cupcakes or magdalenas and, once you have paid, you will receive your goodies. Jerez de la Frontera is the birthplace of sherry so we indulged in the Tio Pepe Sherry Wine Tour and Sandeman Sherry Tour. Next door is The Royal Andalusian Equestrian School and tour for any horse lovers.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

There are so many cultural sites and wonders in the parts of Spain, we didn’t want to miss a single one. We enjoyed the cultural overload of places like Seville’s Cathedral and its Royal Alcazar, Archivo de Indias; Granada’s Alhambra palace and fortress; the walled, mediaeval city of Cáceres up on a hilltop; the ancient city of Toledo with its Gothic cathedral, synagogues and mosque, and the ruins of the Vitruvian Roman Theatre in Merida.

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A DAY IN NORTH AFRICA

We went by ferry from Tarifa (Spain) to Tangiers (Morocco). This is a large, comfortable car ferry needing reservations. When you arrive in Tangiers, we recommend hiring a guide with a van for the day and these can be found at the dock on arrival. On our tour we saw ancient salt caves, the old town, markets, the Kazbah and many outlying areas where the elite live in their estates. A wonderful, tasty, traditional Moroccan lunch was enjoyed in the village and afterwards we were entertained by a snake charmer. Then, we were driven to a beautiful beach where Julie rode a camel and discovered it’s not quite like getting on a horse! We returned that evening enjoying the sunset ferry ride to Tarifa.

TIPS & SUGGESTIONS

o In mid to late June, when we visited, temperatures ranged from 22 to 39 C. o Walking is moderate to difficult as it’s very hilly but charming. o We suggest parking at the base of the town and taking a cab to your hotel. o Many cities have Hop On – Hop Off bus tours, which we recommend as an easy way to see all the highlights. Madrid, Granada, Malaga, Jerez de la Frontera, Toledo and Seville all have this service. o Note: it is advisable to brush up on your Spanish because unlike most other European countries it is difficult to find someone that speaks English.

CONCLUSION

If you like tapas,olives,sherry,Spanish wines,chocolate all kinds of fresh fruits, ham “Jambon”, and seafood, Spain is the place for you. With its many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, enticing beaches and flamenco dancing performed on the streets (near tourist areas), then you will have plenty to see and do in Spain.

Should you wish further information or have questions, you can contact me by phone 250 951 0192 or by e-mail [email protected]

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72 hours in Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires by Mandy Trickett

Gothic, Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Roccoco, Baroque … prepare yourself to be overwhelmed by the grandeur and sheer amount of fine architecture in this, the capital of the Czech Republic. More than 6.5 million international visitors each year can’t be wrong.

CURRENCY Czech koruna. At time of writing, $ 1 CAD = 17 Czech koruna.

TRANSPORTATION

24-hour and 72-hour passes are available for the metro, trams and buses, and currently cost 5.20 Euro and 13.80 Euro, respectively. You must validate them before travel and the time runs from then. You can book the passes on-line, but the seniors’ rate only applies to Czech seniors!

If you are mobile and can walk for 2.5 to 3.0 hours, the best way to explore Prague is on foot, and several of the walking tours are free. www.freetoursbyfoot.com provides an overview, including times and meeting places. Of course, donations are welcomed by the guides! After a tour, you can decide where you want to explore in further detail.

MUST SEE ATTRACTIONS

PRAGUE CASTLE If possible, walk up to this massive complex to get a sense of its huge scale and enjoy expansive views out over the city as you ascend. The castle complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a town within a town. In fact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m². (http://www.hrad.cz/en/prague-castle/prague-castle-tourist- information/visit-of-prague-castle.shtml)

CATHEDRAL The cathedral’s construction has been a labour of love dating from the 10th century: even today, there are constant ongoing renovations and repairs. The Golden Portal, the chapel of St Wenceslas, the royal crypt and the stained glass by Alfons Mucha are all must-sees, but expect long line-ups to get in. Worth the wait!

THE JEWISH QUARTER We felt that our private tour was expensive but we now know that it is absolutely worth every koruna. Without a guide, we would have understood perhaps an eighth of what we were seeing in the five synagogues and the cemetery. Highlights include the Pinkas Memorial Walls (it’s impossible to remain unmoved by

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this: most people shed tears, whatever their faith) and the Spanish Synagogue. ca.viator.com provides lots of information about various tours.

OTHER OPTIONS

The MUCHA MUSEUM is excellent. It’s a special treat to see so many of his works -- so recognizable, the epitome of art nouveau -- and to learn more about the man.

DINNER CRUISE on the Vltava. www.viator.com /Prague- tours/Dinner-Cruises will show you about a dozen dinner cruise options … buffet, a la carte, with music etc. It’s a lovely way to spend an evening. Boats are generally full and are like the Tower of Babel, with all manner of languages swirling around. Sit up on deck to make the most of the riverside views and the evening weather, but get downstairs if your cruise offers a buffet or you may miss out. You have to make your choice between food and sightseeing!

Last but not least, take a look at the famous DANCING HOUSE, nicknamed Fred and Ginger. More formally called the Nationale-Nederlanden Building on the Rašínovo nábřeží, only the top floor is open to the public, at one of the city's leading restaurants: aptly called the Ginger & Fred Restaurant.

EATING

Hotel breakfasts tend to be based on over-sugary pastries and cookies. Authentic Czech food like syr (fried cheese), knedliky (dumplings made from bread) or ‘Svíčková na smetaně’ (sirloin of beef in cream sauce with bread dumplings, garnished with cranberries) tend to be heavy on meat and light on vegetables – tasty, but more filling than healthy. But it’s only for a few days and you’ll be doing a lot of walking!

For a cheap, cheerful and filling dinner, try MALOSTRANSKA PIVNICE (Cihelna 3, in the historical center of Malá strana Na Kampě, not far from Charles Bridge and near the France Kafka museum. www.malostranskapivnice.cz). It seats about 265, so you’re likely to get in without a reservation: in fact, everything is super-sized here, even the soft pretzels which hang from wooden racks on each table. They do a good, hearty goulasch and offer local draft Plzeňský beer.

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Will you be in Prague in May? So will the Czech Beer Festival (Český pivní), the largest beer festival in the Czech Republic, held for 17 days every year in May. Ale aficionados can taste more than 70 brands of Czech beer. Apparently, Czechs drink more beer per capita than any other country in the world (yes, even more than Germany) so when the Czechs have a beer festival, it’s worth paying attention.

SHOPPING

PARIZSKA is Prague’s most expensive shopping street, littered with stores like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Gucci, Burberry, Prada. It’s nice to look, but if those prices are a bit beyond the budget, perhaps try BOTANICUS (Týn 3 in the Ungelt courtyard in Old Town, open daily 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.) specializing in Bohemian lavender: lotions, oils, skin creams and shower gels. And if lavender isnʼt your favourite, just follow your nose to the dozens of other creams, oils, soaps, candles and fragrances in the store.

Marionettes are big business here in Prague – a craft dating back to the Middle Ages. You’ll find puppets in stores everywhere: princesses, dragons, and all manner of fairy-tale characters that are sometimes so life-like, it’s downright spooky. A smaller one makes a great gift for a grandchild, though.

If you like Art Nouveau, Prague will be like a gourmet smorgasbord: salivate over elegant brooches, pins, necklaces, bracelets, earrings as you celebrate this enduring style. So easy to pack, too! One place where you can count on quality jewellery (i.e. not cheap) is the gift shop near the grand staircase inside Municipal House (náměstí Republiky 5, open daily 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.) Even if you don’t buy anything, the building itself is an absolute Art Nouveau gem.

And finally, there are those oh-so-appealing hand-painted Easter eggs called kraslice (pronounced krass-leetsa), which are also easier to pack than the marionettes.

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TID BITS WEIRD EUROPE

If you ever yearn for something really different, check out the book Weird Europe by Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus (available on Amazon). There is definitely a bizarre side to Europe and this book captures an awful lot of it, featuring attractions dedicated to dog-collars and deformities, wizardry and wallpaper. Here are just three examples:

THREE COUNTRIES MAZE (Labyrint Drielandenpunt) Viergrenzenweg 97, 6291 BM, Vaals, The Netherlands

Built just where the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium meet, this maze is no cake walk. But never fear: there are a couple of bridges from which you can look over the hedges and get your bearings.

MATCHSTICK MUSEUM (Museu dos Fosforos) In the Convent of St Francis, Tomar, Portugal

Wow. A private collection of 43,000 matchboxes with another 16,000 matchbox covers assembled in scores of books. It’s a huge and fascinating collection, from the world’s smallest to the world’s largest matchboxes.

THE MUSEUM OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC (MWM) Located by the harbour in Boscastle, Cornwall, England (Boscastle is on the north coast of Cornwall between Tintagel and Bude)

No, it’s not Harry Potter. Spend an hour or so discovering the secrets of all things genuinely occult, from spell casting and shape shifting and if you’re there on the right night, attend the All Hallows Dark Gathering. If you dare …

THE MARCH ISSUE OF THE CRAIG BAY TRAVELLERS NEWSLETTER WILL

FEATURE AFRICA. PLEASE SEND YOUR ARTICLES AND REMINISCENCES

TO [email protected] before FEBRUARY 20th, 2019.

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