Travel and Adventure Abroad

It’s nearing time for my familie's (nearly) annual trip to Quebec City. For the past 5 years we have been camping in Quebec on the American Labor Day weekend. This place means a little extra to me in particular. The first of my Family name to land in the “New World” landed in Quebec City in the late 1600’s. The city has a long and rich history. In fact, it’s the only walled city in North America. With narrow cobble streets lined with quaint shops, it is New France indeed.

Quebec City is located on a bluff overlooking the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The geology of the site made for a near perfect location to build a frontier colony. It is substantially inland, close to the fur trade, yet the St. Lawrence is still wide enough to tack a large sailing vessel. Unspoiled natural areas abut the urban center, with Scandinavian like Fjords just an hour north along the river and unending snowmobile trails in the winter.

Nearby natural attractions include the Chute Montmorency, or Montmorency Falls.

This spectacular waterfall is only minutes by car from the city center. There is an extensive staircase from the river bank or a gondola for a quicker ride to the top. A little further up the road is Les Sept Chutes, or the Seven Waterfalls. This is actually the sight of an old Hydroelectric Power station. Wooded trails wander down the hillside along the river giving scenic vistas of several smaller falls. Even further still is the Saguenay Fjords. Kayak tours of the Fjords are sometimes greeted by Beluga and Finback whales feeding on the rich outflow of the estuary.

In the winter, there is the Carnaval de Québec, or winter carnival. Usually held in late January early February, this is a chance to get out and enjoy the cold weather. There are also several large ski resorts nearby including the famous Tremblant, Massif, and Mt. St. Anne. Snowmobile trip companies abound featuring multiple day trips across the areas many trails.

Downtown is about as European as it gets. At the center is the Chateau Frontenac.

Once a castle, now a Fairmont Hotel with the finest of appointments, it towers above the city. It is perched at the top of the bluff with a commanding view of the harbor and the river. Arround it’s base is the busiest part of the old city. A long wooden boardwalk runs across the hilltop, Terrasse Dufferin is often speckled with ice cream and candy vendors.

Looking down from the Terrasse, you will see Le Petite Champlain. This very quaint alley is lined with shops selling ware of all kinds including live glass blowing.

Restaurants and souvenir shops abound.

Up the hill from the Terrasse is the old fortress. Tours are available and you can learn about the shifting tides of ownership of the new world as most of the major battles were centered here in Quebec. Over in England, you’ll find a statue of General Wolfe at Greenwich commemorating his triumph here over the French whose king brushed off the defeat saying “We fight not over barren plains of snow”. This area has traded hands several times, at one point pushing my ancestors (the Acadians) south to the USA. Some of these peoples ended up following the seaway all the way to Louisiana where they became known as ‘Cadians or Cajuns.

Quebec is a French speaking province and Quebec City is perhaps the most French. However, in the city limits you will not likely have any problems speaking English. Should you wonder further to some of the smaller towns, you may find yourself doing a lot of hand waving if you don’t speak any French.

Perhaps better known as “Vulgaria” in the screen adaptation of Ian Flemings’ Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang, Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber is an amazing little mid-evil town north of Nurnberg. One will find the town still looks like it does in the movie with cobblestone streets and a city wall surrounding it all.

Perhaps one of the more interesting facts about Rothenburg O.D.T. is that it is a living town. People still live and work here. This give the place a soul not found in historic recreations like the Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. Granted, the inhabitants don’t all dress in historic garb and carry old word accents, but it is easy to imagine the old city in those days. Cars are prohibited from the old town most hours of the day and you must park outside the city wall. Fear not, because the town is really quite small and can be seen in a long day.

The town is a well know tourist spot along the “Silk Road” and you will find many web pages incuding the town web page at : Rotheburg O.D.T

We recommend these tour books:
Rothenburg O.D.T.

Eye Witness Guide to Germany

Dresden is the seat of the Saxon empire. Once home to the Saxon kings, Dresden was and is a cultural center for the former East Germany. I spent about a month in Dresden in 2000, my hotel right in the old city, or Altstadt. I’ve returned several times and the city has grown tremendously in just this short time.

Dresden may sound familiar to some and notorious to others. A review of your modern history books from high school will remind you of Dresden’s recent dark years. The allied incendiary (fire) bombs of WWII flattened this beautiful city and killed far more people than one likes to think about. This devastation is still visible today, although less noticeable. The last major city structure to be rebuilt was the Frauenkirche. Once the jewel of the city, the church took direct hits during the bombing campaign and was left as nothing more than a pile of rubble. When I visited in 2000, there was still a small pile of rubble where this church once stood. At that time, pieces were being lifted from the ruin and cataloged on industrial shelving 100’ long in several rows in the adjacent park area. Today, the Frauenkirch is fully open and sitting atop the spire is a gift from the Queen of England, a gesture of apology, a recreation of the original golden orb that once adorned the original church.

Dresden was the center or Baroque era arts. The Semper Opera is world renowned and is now refurbished to spectacular glory. The Zwinger is part of the royal palaces, now a museum of art, gems, and armor. A vast central park also boasts a summer palace for the Saxon kings, a zoo, an outdoor theater, and runs near the newly built Volkswagen factory, covered entirely of glass.

Summertime is best in this city. At dusk, one can dine on the bank of the Elbe and watch hot air balloons take flight. On some nights, one can enjoy outdoor movies projected on a giant screen on the north bank of the river. A short drive will take you to the Sächsische Schweiz. Translated, it means the Saxon Switzerland. There is a national park there called the Bastei. This rocky outcropping features absolutely jaw dropping views over the Elbe river valley looking south toward the Czech Republic. In fact, the Euro-rail line that services Prague from Dresden runs along the bank of the river some hundreds of feet below the cliffs witch segue to the next section.

Day trips from Dresden are endless as in most European cities. There are so many quaint towns and villages in Europe; it’s hard to choose where to go. From Dresden, I can recommend a few that I have tried. The first might be a surprise, or maybe just a product of my prejudice of the city. Berlin is about 2 hours drive from Dresden. I recommend this as a day trip because I did not find the city to have much of a draw for my taste. There are certainly the famous gates of the Berlin Wall and the few pieces of the wall that are left standing (now inscribed with Drew Carey’s autograph) to see. But the city is very, very modern and sprawling, not the kind of unique environment that draws me to Europe.

Another great day trip is only minutes north along the Elbe. Meissen was once the European center for ceramics. Once a technology closely guarded by the east, ceramics took many years to develop in the west. Artisans in Meissen are credited with uncovering the secret ingredients and process to make this fine “china” as it is still called today in respect to its inventors. Meissen is built along the banks of the Elbe river (a trait that I find marking most of the destination spots in Europe for good reason). Also of note for Meissen is that it is not only built on a river, but in a mountainous area. The city cathedral is perched high on the mountain top looking down through the town to the river bank below. The cobblestone streets are filled with shops of all kinds, but especially fine china.

Another nearby attraction is the “Hunting Lodge” of Moritzburg Castle. This castle, more palace than fortress, features a great hall adorned with the heads of hundreds of game animals and chandeliers of deer antlers. Outside is a storybook moat and gardens. This is a very short drive and easily visited in a single afternoon.

Where to stay? I recommend staying near the river, particularly near the Altstadt as opposed to the Neustadt (new city). My favorite happens to be the Radisson SAS Gewundhaus. This hotel features brilliant brass work and very comfortable rooms throughout. A very memorable stay for me was one of the suites on the back side of the hotel. Double windows opened out to the alley behind with views of a church tower and sidewalk cafes.

Typically I like to recommend the DK Eye Witness guides. There isn’t one specifically for Dresden yet, but there is one for all of Germany. For Dresden try thisDresden Guide Book
For a more broad guidebook, try the DK Guide to Germany

Munich has to be my favorite travel destination to date. I’ve been there many times and at different times of the year as well. The charm hasn’t worn off yet.

Best time to go:
Summer – lots of outdoor Beirgartens and green spaces to walk.
Christmas – From the last week of November and all of December. Christmas markets with hot mulled wine on every corner

Worst time to go:
Oktoberfest - (last week of September and first week of October) – Way, way, way, too crowded. We tried on two different days to get into a festival tent with no success. It’s nice to say you’ve been to Oktoberfest but don’t make it your first trip to Munich.

Munich is on pace with Paris for how to experience this city. You need to relax and soak it in, literally. There is a touristy spot called the Hofbrauhaus that is frequented by the locals just as well. Set aside an entire evening to just drink, eat, and be merry. We’ve met some of the nicest people at this “bench-and-table” restaurant where you seat yourself and will likely be elbow to elbow with strangers.

Munich is an old world city by design. After being leveled by allied bombs in the 1940’s, Munich was rebuilt by careful city planners. The old city was rebuilt faithfully from old plans and modern structures are prohibited from the city center. The skyscrapers of modern industry and commerce are all located on the outskirts, mostly to the north e.g. BMW motor cars and their museum. This foresight has created a cozy city center of cobblestone streets that bustles with pedestrian traffic at all hours of the day. But, don’t take this to mean there is nothing in the downtown. There is shopping, shopping, and more shopping from Cartier to Bavarian folk clothing. There are countless churches, cathedrals, museums, galleries, restaurants, bakeries, bookstores, you name it.

There are plenty of museums and royal palaces to satisfy that need when necessary. For the gear head, perhaps the ultimate museum is the Deutches Museum. Located on an island in the Isar river, this museum will easily take 2 full days to explore in detail. It took me about 8 hours to casually walk through the entire museum only briefly reading the major plaques and descriptions. They don’t skip on the displays. Just because they have a satellite in the Space section, doesn’t mean they won’t have more in the communications section. Cars, trains, planes, ancient steam engines, and modern jet engines; everything science and industry is represented here including an entire submarine in the basement.

The English Garden is another fine afternoon. You can wonder this immense green space on foot, rent a bicycle (recommended), or horse drawn carriage. There are two biergartens, one at the center next to the Chinese Tower and a second on a large pond at the northern end where you can rent small boats for a paddle with the geese.

As for where to stay, I would say anywhere is fine. Some may like to be stumbling distance from the Hofbrauhaus while others won’t mind a short train ride. If you’re staying downtown proper, get as many stars as you can afford. I’d recommend at least 3 stars for a comfortable stay. We’ve stayed at the Kings Hotel near the main train station and were pleased with the Bavarian hunting theme. If you don’t mind a 20 minute train ride and walk, I recommend the NH hotel near the Reim train stop. It’s a very modern styled business hotel, but they most always have rooms and you won’t find anything this nice downtown for the same money.

Getting around the city is best done by foot, subway, or bicycle. Taxis are available, but the city center really isn’t that big unless you have a physical need for motorized transport. The subway and trains can take you anywhere you need to go including the airport. It’s about an hour by train to the airport and the trains run very frequently.

Day trips from Munich are many. You can visit the famous castles of crazy King Ludwig in Fussen. Or, visit the ski villages of Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the base of the German Alps. Beautiful Bavarian lakes abound and Saltsburg Austria is also only a few hours drive. Car rentals are easily accessed at the main train station downtown. Since Germans also drive on the right side of the road, drive is fairly simple as well. Just watch out for fuel prices. Gas costs about twice as much in Europe as the USA. Don’t be fooled by the small number on the pump. It’s priced by the liter (just about a quart) as opposed to gallons like we do in the states.

For more info, I recommend the DK Eyewitness guides.