October 2016 – A Broad Abroad

Boardgames for Mark, Sightseeing for Me: A Weekend in Essen, Germany. October 14 – 16, 2016

Living in Paris, one of our main goals for the weekends is to travel to places close enough for a weekend getaway. The question is: Do you go back to places you’ve visited and loved, or go somewhere new and different? I guess the answer for us is: do a little of both.

Mark, in his element :) — Mark, in his element 🙂

Every year, Essen, Germany hosts the largest game convention in the world, Internationale Spieltage. Approximately 100,000 visitors enter the convention center over the space of 5 days: people who design, publish, sell, and play games are all mixed-together, and it is a family affair for many.

Check out this short video for Spieltage:

Though boardgames are not as popular a hobby in the United States, Europeans are big fans of games, and this is why Spieltage Essen is like a mecca to many, including Mark and lots of his friends. In 2003, Mark and I took our first trip to Europe. In addition to the castles and cathedrals, the Internationale Spieltage in Essen was one of our stops.

This year, it was a no-brainer that we would take the train to Essen, a highlight for Mark to be sure: games old and new, things you can’t buy in stores yet (or in the US), catching-up with some California friends, and meeting people who are long-time listeners of Mark’s podcasts, Boardgames To Go, and Wargames To Go.

http://boardgamestogo.com

http://WargamesToGo.com

You can't go to Spiel without buying some games! — You can’t go to Spiel without buying some games!

I’ll play the occasional boardgame, but it isn’t my hobby, so this trip was my opportunity to explore a little bit of the town. I racked-up almost nine miles of walking each day (by choice). On Saturday, it was drizzling rain most of the day, but I visited the local botanical garden, Gugapark, just the same. There are acres of streams, flowers, ponds, and even a sequoia grove. The grey weather was great for photographing the flowers, which were still holding-on in the cooler Autumn weather.

Inside Grugapark, where it shares a road with the university hospital, is the Ronald McDonald House, Essen. There are more than 350 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide, “Keeping families with sick children close to each other and the care and resources they need.” If you eat at McDonald’s, you might notice the donation boxes at the registers and the drive-through windows. All of that spare change goes to support the Ronald McDonald House charities. I usually drop my change in there, and I’ve known several families who have benefitted from their services. This house was so interesting to see, and in such a wonderful location. The Essen house was designed by artist and architect, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, and looks more like the house of a child’s imagination than a real structure.

Essen Ronald McDonald House, "Hundertwasser Haus" — Essen Ronald McDonald House, “Hundertwasser Haus”

If you’re interested in the Ronald McDonald House charities, you can find more info here: http://www.rmhc.org

I also walked past the university hospital area, and through the bike paths and hiking trails to a neighborhood called Kruppsiedlung Margarethenhohe. This group of charming homes is named after Margarethe Krupp, who had housing built for the workers at the Krupp steel factories in the 1800s. Her husband, Alfred Krupp, paved the way for workers’ rights, offering benefits previously unknown to workers of that time, such as accident and medical insurance, social programs, care for widows and orphans and education. It isn’t company housing today, but these homes are still much in demand, and you can see why. . .

Sunday morning in Essen, and it was a gorgeous Fall day. I walked a couple of miles (literally over the river and through the woods!) to visit the Krupp Mansion.

I got all of the way there, only to find-out that the buildings were closed (the website had said it was open). I was pretty disappointed, and honestly feeling a little sorry for myself; I think just being alone was getting to me a little bit. Plus, I was tired from all of the walking, so it was frustrating to get to the end of the walk with nothing to show for it. I had hours to kill before our train, but now just felt like taking it easy. I used the MyTaxi app we’d seen in some info about Germany. Easy as Über, I had a taxi pick me up. The driver was a man about my age, from Syria. We had a nice conversation, and I learned that his daughter had recently finished university, spoke six languages, and was now working in Turkey for Turkish Airlines. He also had a son working on a business degree in Germany and another in high school. We shared photos of our kids. No matter where I’ve been in the world, I’ve really found that people are really more alike than they are different.

Back at the hotel, I grabbed my book, found a nice place to read, and ordered a coffee.

La Côte d’Émeraude (The Emerald Coast): Weekend in Saint-Malo, Bretagne (Brittany), France. October 7-9, 2016

When I spent a month in France in 2014 on the COC Study Abroad program, our group took a weekend trip to the Northwest of France, the region called Brittany/Bretagne. We stayed in the historic, walled port city of Saint-Malo, and I was excited for Mark and I to visit together.

walled-city-of-saint-malo — A view of Saint-Malo and its wall from the tidal island, Grand Bé. Poet Chateaubriand is buried on this island.

fort-on-island — One of the forts on the islands near Saint-Malo

mark-with-canon-on-wall — Mark and one of the canons atop the walkway on the city wall of Saint-Malo

Originally, this city on the English Channel was known for its privateers (pirates with the King’s blessing). Its strategic location on the Channel made it valuable for trade and transportation between Great Britain and the Continent. Centuries later, it was occupied by the Germans in WWII, and sustained heavy bombing by the Allied Forces at the end of the war. Once peace had returned, the old city of Saint-Malo was carefully rebuilt to bring it back to its historic charm.

Saint-Malo flag, Bretagne flag, French Flag and EU flag

Currently, Saint-Malo is still a busy port. It is also a very popular tourist destination, with its old world charm, delicious regional food, and pristine beaches.

The tides here are amazing. The difference between low-tide and high-tide is best illustrated with these photos of the enormous sea-water pool at La Plage de Bon Secour. In 1937, a smart businessman, René Lesaunier, realized that Saint-Malo would have better tourist trade if people could easily access the sea regardless of the tide. He had the sea-water pool built so that folks could swim any time of the day.

Directly on the Channel, seafood is found in most restaurants. Mussels, oysters, lobster, shrimp, and crab, are all popular, as are the smaller sea snails (bulots) and many varieties of fresh fish. Other regional specialties are the buttery, sweet pastry, kouign-amann, apple cider (with alcohol) warm and cold, crêpes and galettes (savory crêpes, made with buckwheat flour).

moules — Moules-frites (mussels and french fries) are on just about every menu. Yummy!

kouign-amann-and-coffee — Kouign-amann the best we found were at Boulangerie de la Cathédrale, when we were lucky to get them still warm from the oven. Heaven!

Outside of the walled city of Saint-Malo, there is more to see. We walked along the port to Tour Solidor, at the mouth of the river Rance. It was built in the late 1300s by John V, Duke of Brittany (Jean IV in French), to control access to the river.

Also outside the city walls is the Memorial 39-45. We visited this site as part of Mark’s Magical History Tour – it’s a WWII German anti-aircraft defense blockhouse, and you can see the effects of the Allied bombing here firsthand.

wwii-damage — Evidence of damage from bombing in WWII

Back in Saint-Malo’s old city walls (Intra-muros), there were some “everyday” sights to see. I’ve mentioned before that most French cities have at least one merry-go-round (manège), and Saint-Malo is no exception. I thought theirs was a particularly beautiful one.

Also, on Saturdays throughout France, you’ll often see weddings at the Hôtel de Ville (the headquarters of a city’s administration). French law requires that all marriages be officiated at the city’s Hôtel de Ville – a church service may take place at another time. It looks like the family and friends often accompany the bride and groom to the civil service, waiting outside to throw rice as the newlyweds exit the building. Just like in the U.S., you’ll see them being driven away in a decorated car, the party following in their vehicles, honking their horns in celebration.

candy-on-the-city-walls — Standing on the walkway of the city walls, the buildings are so picturesque!

Weekend in Leiden, Netherlands: 23 – 25 September

Mark had been in The Netherlands a some years ago for work, and when he had a few free hours before leaving, he visited Leiden – a college town, and a city rich in history. I had hoped to visit someday, and when we talked about going to Holland, we chose small-town charm over the bigger, busier tourist city of Amsterdam.

The high-speed (180mph) Thalys train to The Netherlands

Transportation

Our transportation to Leiden was a little trickier than we had planned, but it all worked-out. It was supposed to be an easy, high-speed Thalys train from Paris to Rotterdam, and then a regional train to Leiden. Shortly before we arrived at the Paris Nord station, tickets were sold-out! We scrambled to purchase tickets on another train, BUT WAIT, there had been a fire in a train tunnel, re-routing many trains that evening in Holland. Got the tickets, and a new itinerary, and were just told to change in Rotterdam on the first available train going to Leiden. This is what everyone else was doing, too. We were lucky to squeeze onto that regional train, together, and have standing-room-only spots in the aisle. This, my friends, is why it is so much easier to travel light (and bring a snack)! We arrived a couple of hours later than planned, but none the worse for the wear.

Mark on the regional train (Rotterdam to Leiden). Standing-room only!

This town, like the rest of The Netherlands, is all about public transportation. Trains and buses are easy to use, and one can get anywhere in town quickly. (As long as you get off of the bus at your stop. We were so busy looking at the sights that we passed our stop, and had to get off the bus to wait for another going the opposite direction, LOL). The KING of transportation here is the bicycle. All ages ride bikes along the safe, dedicated bike paths on main streets, as well as through the smaller streets next to the canals. Families have bikes with big wooden buckets in front, used to tote little kids, groceries, you name it! Smartly-dressed businesspeople commute to work, and retirees do their shopping – all on their bikes.

This is how you get your groceries (or your little ones) home!

Train station double-decker bike storage!

Mark and mass transportation: train above, bikes below.

College Town

The Universiteit Leiden, established in 1575, has educated heads of state and includes among its Nobel Laureates Albert Einstein. Tulips were first introduced to Holland in 1593 by professor Carolinus Clusius, who planted bulbs in the botanical garden he established in the University of Leiden. This cultivation of tulips led to the Dutch tulip industry.

Leiden's city symbol, keys, are everywhere. — Leiden’s city symbol, keys, are everywhere.

Saturday Market

Lots of people bring their dogs to the market.

Leiden’s bustling Saturday market has stalls in the street along a canal. There are vendors selling cheese, flowers, fish and meat, nuts and olives, freshly-made sweets, and clothing. I tried a local treat, a fresh stroopwafel: two thin waffle cookies sandwiched with a warm caramel spread.

One local delicacy neither of us tried: fresh, raw herring. They’re served at the market with their little heads removed, but the tail is still attached. Folks wait their turn to hold them by the tail, tip back their heads, open wide and drop ‘em in. Just like the trained sea lions at the aquarium! I’m sure they’re delicious, if you’ve acquired the taste, but I couldn’t get past their size (not easily swallowed, these require chewing), and the fact that everyone who ate them had to finish by picking the bones out of their teeth. PASS!

Fish of all kinds were for sale, including some really delicious-looking friend cod and shrimp. Smoked mackerel were also waiting to be someone’s dinner.

Not a fan of fish? How about a traditional Dutch pannekoek? These are platter-sized pancakes, thinner than an American pancake, but thicker than a crêpe, and they can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Mark had one with ham, cheese and mushrooms, and I chose sour cherries with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. YUM!

American Pilgrims Lived in Leiden Before They Sailed on the Mayflower

“But now we are all, in all places, strangers and pilgrims, travelers and sojourners…”

~ Robert Cushman, Pilgrim leader, 1622

Words just as relevant today as they were almost 400 years ago. America was settled by refugees, people looking for a safe place to worship, work, and raise their children. The Pilgrims fled England in order to be free to practice their religion. Before sailing for the New World (America), they lived for several years in Leiden, Netherlands. These religious refugees and their descendants were the building blocks of the country we have today. “A number of American presidents have had Pilgrims as ancestors, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Bush senior and junior and Barack Obama. Obama’s forefathers, the Blossoms, lived here, on Pieterskerkhof.” (from a plaque at the church)

One of the true highlights of this trip was to see the tiny American Pilgrim Museum, and Pieterskerkhof. The museum is located in two side-by-side homes which have not been changed since the Pilgrims inhabited the area in the 1600s.

The kitchen of a Pilgrim home. They cooked over a peat fire, and the little wooden contraption in the lower right is a baby chair!

This little alcove is the parent's bed. People believed it was unhealthy to sleep lying-down, so they sat, propped-up on pillows. — This little alcove is the parent’s bed. People believed it was unhealthy to sleep lying-down, so they sat, propped-up on pillows.

The American Pilgrim Museum is housed in this original 15th Century building. the lower two rooms are the museum, while the rest of the building is modernized and lived-in!

Nearby, Pieterskerkhof has a cluster of homes which were originally built for the Pilgrims by their leader, then became an almshouse, and still provides housing today.

Those Iconic Dutch Canals

The center of Leiden’s old town is threaded with canals, populated with tourist boats and the boats of locals who are just out for a picnic on the water with friends and family. And dogs! So many of the boats included the family dog – and they were clearly having as much fun as their skippers and crew.

I'm King of the World! — I’m King of the World!

The canals are a great way to sightsee: pretty, inexpensive, and no walking. We took a tour, which was well-narrated (in Dutch and English) by a Leiden college student. He gave us information about Leiden’s history, as we floated through the old town, past the university, historic windmills, and houseboats.

The houseboats ranged from modern places with floating terraces to old, run-down boats. Most, like this one, were very nice!

Leiden was definitely a great spot for a weekend getaway. I’d highly recommend it to people who want a taste of The Netherlands, but prefer to stay away from the larger cities. I think it would be perfect intro to Europe for Americans who have not traveled outside of the US, because just about everyone we met there spoke English. It is a friendly, safe, easy place to be – and everywhere you turn, a picture-perfect Kodak moment!