Tag: travel

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Bran, Romania – Mythical Eidolon

A drive of some distance from Buşteni lies the town of Bran. Somewhat nondescript, but having all the trappings of a typical tourist area, it is for sure a more relaxed atmosphere than the Prahova Valley.

Bran Castle – Interior

Its claim to fame is of course Castle Bran, the so called home of Vampires, Count Dracula and other Penny Dreadful, that Bram Stoker made so famous. It neither has the feel nor unearthly aura of a place where so many horrors could have ostensibly been committed by Vlad Tepes, or more noteworthy, Vlad the Impaler, as current folklore would have it. Overall, it was an interesting day trip, warranted by the excellent restaurant we ate at, and to finally put to rest in our own minds exactly what all the vampire fuss is about. Others will probably have similar epiphanies if they visit, just as I did.

Bran – The Town

Bran is an out of the way town which seems to enjoy some tourist traffic, but only because of its namesake. It lies on E574, which is on the west side of the Bucegi Range of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and about an hour’s ride from Buşteni, that is in good weather and when there is no bridge or road construction (something we were unfortunate enough to experience on our return to Buşteni).

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The rivers Poarta and Turcul run through the town, but they are hardly noticed due to their diminutive sizes. There are several places to park, a very large overflow parking area may be found on Strada Doctor Aurel Stoian, when the tourist season is in full gear. We parked in the Castel Parking place off of E574, right next to the restaurant we visited for lunch.

Castle Bran

The castle is perched on the side of a hill of the western Bucegi Range and commands a view of the entire countryside, as well as the valley below through which the river Turcul runs. One can hardly doubt that it is fixed to its position with the help of an outcropping of rock, for which Bram Stoker used against it to steal its reference from an illustrative book. It is of course a misrepresentation and artistic license that allowed him to do this, though some in this area would detail occurrences of Strigoi, evil spirits who wander the night between the hours of midnight and daybreak, in his defense. But one should not think them related to the castle, nor Vlad the Impaler, who, as evidence would suggest, has become a victim of his own success to levy tariffs and taxes on the German merchants who did not want to pay. The idea of money representing blood, blood money, etc., is not without parallel in our own history.

The castle has no doubt cashed in on the mythology of Dracula or Count Dracul, however, they are careful not to inflame any details regarding this myth. There are little to no reference to Count Dracula nor Vlad as an Impaler. However, there is a very good Torture museum on the grounds, which for about 10€ more will gain you entrance.

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The character of Dracula is often confused with Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad Dracul, who was a Walachian Prince who lived in Bran Castle. It is the only castle in all of Transylvania that can possibly fit Bram Stoker’s description of the castle that Dracula in his book lived in; hence, it is now known throughout the world as Dracula’s Castle. His novel described the castle as,

. . . on the very edge of a terrific precipice . . . with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm [of] silver threads where the rivers winds in deep gorges through the forests.

Bram Stoker obviously stole the appellation from an illustrated book that showed Bran Castle and then took it as his fictitious abode for Count Dracula. He used rather straightforward references to imply the he meant none other than Vlad Tepes, who was the Wallachian Rules from 1456 until 1467, and who, for political reasons, was labeled as a blood thirsty tyrant, as has already been previously mentioned.

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Nonetheless, in Bran and the villages nearby, one can still find the belief in the existence of evil spirits called Strigoi. There was and still a belief that there exist certain living people, or Strigoi, who lead an abnormal life at night, when during sleep, their souls leave their bodies and haunt the village tormenting people while they sleep. These evil spirits supposedly haunt their prey from midnight until dawn, when sunlight appears to affect their powers and their potential to do harm fades. The character of Dracula derives no doubt most of its power from these local myths, there is no other explanation for its endurance. Its power has however faded over time, that is, when exposed to the corrosive of the sunlight of education and scientific scrutiny, as most other things preternatural.

In the Fall of 1462, thirty years before Columbus visited the New World, an army of the Hungarian King Matei Corvin captured Vlad Tepes near Rucar. He was taken to Bran Castle and imprisoned there for at least two months. This could quite possibly be his one and only association with the castle. Where others have tried to fabricate, inveigle or obfuscate the narrative of Count Dracula from the Stoker book, history reveals the truth. Sleep well.

Restaurants

There are many restaurants in Bran, the most convenient one that we found was directly next to the parking lot we used. However there are several others that are without a doubt very convenient and good to use as well.

Casa di Bran

This restaurant offered a very cosmopolitan and Romanian based menu, one for which anyone could order something to please them.

Above are my choices for lunch which included wine, coffee and dessert, though all were served à la carte.

Our family had a very good lunch, while it rained for a while outside. Good timing before our visit to the castle.

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Buşteni, Romania – Ericka & Gabi’s Wedding – Castle Cantacuzino

On the 18th of September our daughter Ericka Rose wed Gabriel at the Castle Cantacuzino in Buşteni, Romania. Guests from the United States, Germany and Romania traveled for the occasion. We had a great time, the castle and other contractors did a wonderful job. Here are some slide shows to celebrate their wedding.

The Preparation

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The Ceremony

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The Cocktail Hour

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The Reception

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Buşteni, Romania – Carpathian Fresh Air

Buşteni, a small town nestled in the virtual center of Romania, sits below the Bucegi Range on the edge of the Carpathian Mountains and therefore enjoys the cool fresh air of the north, unlike the towns and cities south of it.

On the day we arrived in preparation for our daughter’s wedding, it was a bit cloudy and sprinkled a bit. We totally ignored this in the hope that the weather would improve and she would have a nice wedding day, a hope that would turn out to be very prescient.

The above photograph was taken on the 17th of September, the day of our arrival to the castle.

Buşteni is located in Prahova county, Romania; named after the local industry in which tree logs are harvested for the timber industry. Until recently, this was the only industry in this particular town, until several ski resorts were built and some of the local castles were restored. It is now a very active tourist destination, having many points of interests to warrant travel all year round.

The mountain range is on the southern most tip of the Carpathian Range and the tallest peak, Mount Caraiman, is in excess of seven thousand feet.

Buşteni – The Town

There is actually not much to the town itself, aside from a strip of N60 which runs north to south directly through it. This is the same road which takes you south to Bucharest and Otopeni Airport.

The Prahova River runs alongside the town as well as a line of the Romanian Railroad. Since any traffic is restricted to the N60 running north to south, traffic can be problematic at times, especially during rush hour. This can be exacerbated by construction and the occasional train coming through town.

Castle Cantacuzino

The castle is a fully renovated and a privately run venue that hosts weddings and other large occasions. It is able to provide these functions with a villa, a small lodge (known as the Hunter’s Lodge) and a very good restaurant and bistro.

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The villa is integrated into the castle proper and has immediate access to the grounds, castle and restaurant. Ericka and Gabi chose this as their apartment during the wedding, which made all the arrangements and coordination much easier; more on their wedding in the next edition of this blog.

Restaurants

Casa Magica

A Romanian restaurant hidden on the back streets of Buşteni which has good food is Casa Magica. It is frequented by locals and Romanian tourist who obviously seek it out. Gabi and his brother–in–law were able to pick this establishment out while investigating places to eat in this area. It has a good variety of food at very reasonable prices.

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Kronberg im Taunus, Germany – An Overlook

A small town in the Taunus Mountains north of Frankfurt mixes old and new in a quaint little package. Its main attraction, the Kronberg Castle, selfishly occupies the only hill in town. This town offers enough for a great day trip or even an afternoon getaway.

Kronberg Im Taunus – A Panorama – August 2021

Though there is not much to see from the high perch of the Kronberg Castle, the town below actually has several points of interest. There are of course several places to eat in the historic part of town, most serving the typical German food for this area, though Chinese and other cuisine can be found. Aside from its overlook of the countryside, here is a real overlook of what you will find inside the town.

The Town

The historic town is strangely laid out, but practical, given that there is a castle and a wall surrounding it. Many of the streets are typical for a hillside town and are paved in the Sampietrini or larger cobble stone. Many of the houses are built in the Fachwerk style and are hundreds of years old. Below are some of the sights to see ambling the streets.

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There is a modern part of the city as well and it actually represent the modern face of Germany. The houses, apartments and stores have a neat modern appeal to them and ample parking. Anyone wishing to visit these areas only walk as near the closest wall opening, where they may descend into another time in the same place.

The town is at the foot of the Taunus Mountains, which occupy this part of Germany. The mountains are just north of Frankfurt and lie in the state of Hesse.

The Hellhof

The Hellhof was a noble seat built by the Kronberg Knights in the fifteenth century. It now stands as part of a gallery, which was at the time of our visit, closed.

The knights were part of the Teutonic Order and belonged to a rather poor family associated with Walter von Cronberg, a Grand Master and resident of the castle and held the title from 1525, until his death in 1543. Since the building is intimately intertwined with the events and family of the castle, it makes sense that it can be found sitting just beneath a rather steep incline to it. There is a substantial Roman style paved road that one can imagine connected the two at one time.

The Castle

Tickets For Two – Kronberg Castle

Built around 1220, the castle sits atop the rocky hill of historic Kronberg im Taunus. It has a large main building, a tower and several chambers scattered around on the ground floor that must have served several purposes.

Kronberg Castle

The castle has a commanding view of the town and the countryside. It can also be seen quite clearly by its higher castle neighbors in the Taunus Mountains and also from the Main Valley below.

Die Aufrechten – Matthias Schmidt – 2018

In the ground floor of the Fünfeckturn, or five cornered tower, stand five wooden steles carved from a storm fallen 150 year old Beech tree called The Uprights. They were carved by Matthais Schmidt in 2018 to symbolize the knights and kings from the history of this old castle. For more on the history of this castle, visit https://www.burgkronberg.de/die-burg/geschichte.

I am ending this blog post with some additional, non-captioned photographs of the castle.

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Bacharach, Germany – Model Medieval Town

On a bend of the Rhine River above Mainz sits the small town of Bacharach. Nestled among the varied and many castles of the west bank, its row of buildings and high walls demonstrate historically how important this part of the Rhine was in the Middle Ages.

Bacharach – Above Burg Stahleck – August 2021

The walls of the Rhine River valley provide an ample perch for the many castles and fortresses that were built to protect the towns along its banks. The Stahleck Castle sits above this small town and extends it length of walls, turrets and towers around the small community like a net from above. The curtain of walls is formidable in both height and width, being its strongest at river level, where perhaps most of the attacks (if any) would probably originate.

The Town

There is no real center of town, since it is more of a stretch of houses and building along the Rhine. Points of interest include the main street called Mainzerstraße, where all of the shops are located, Blücherstraße which starts at Saint Peter’s church and continues up through the Steeger Tor, a smaller street called the Langestraße which parallels the main street and the beautiful park along the banks of the Rhine.

A main attraction here is the beautifully preserved Altes Haus. It is here where Robert Stolz wrote his operetta Wenn die kleinen Veilchen blühen, or “When the little violets bloom”, which was eventually performed in the Haag in 1932. Aside from that, it is an excellent example of Half-Timber, or Fachwerk framing.

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The hillsides in this area are dominated by vineyards, the area being a major wine producer for Germany. There are many Vintners here and many, if not all, sell directly to the public. Unfortunately after taking so long to eat, we were not predisposed to try and visit any of them.

Restaurants

There are several restaurants in town to choose from, all of which appear to serve a mixture of traditional German fare and some Mediterranean. It is probably preferable to find something on one of the side streets, since traffic is still allowed through the main thoroughfare.

Restaurant Burg Stahleck

We choose this restaurant based on its menu and amount of outside seating. Plus we were just lucky to get the last table with its advantage at being in a very strategic corner, in order to view the goings on in town.

Bacharach is indeed a great place to spend a day or afternoon. The combination of the town, the banks of the Rhine and Castle above it provide more than enough to do for anyone in the area looking for a day trip.

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Dreieichenhain, Germany – Fachwerkhaüser Allesamt

I considered a title in English, however none appeared fitting to me, or at least to my ear. The above essentially translates to Timbered Houses All or all of them. Most, if not all (I didn’t take a census) are built in this style, at least within confines of the ring wall.

Half-Timbered House – Dreieichenhain, Germany

The exemplary example shows all the features of a timbered or half-timbered house in this region of Germany. In fact, Dreieichenhain lays on a three thousand kilometer (appr. 1800 miles) long Deutschen Fachwerkstraße of timbered framed houses in Germany. This virtual road runs through Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Hessen, Thüringen, Bayern and Baden-Württemburg. This town lays on the portion from the Rhine to the Main and Odenwald.

As you walk along the Fahrgasse, the main street in Dreieichenhain, there are several signs explaining the history and method of this type of construction. In typical German fashion, each timber has its own name and in many cases they may have multiple names, depending on their actual purpose.

These include the Rähm or Rähmbalken for the top beams and Schwelle or Grundschwelle for the beams located on the bottom. Echpfosten, Eckstiel and Eckständer may all be used as names for the column posts used for the corners of the buildings.

Here are some additional examples of this construction practice, which many tourist find to represent the idyllic German town. All of them have very restrictive auto and driving rules, many of which require you to park outside the town and walk in. Though we parked outside the town and walked in, the walk was rather short, even though there were two small traffic circles that we had to walk through. While doing so we discovered the town also has its own parking area a few hundred meters from one of the town gates.

The Untertor Gate – Dreieichenhain

Aside from the interesting houses the town is surrounded by the typical Roman wall. This wall has only three gates, through which anyone approaching or leaving the town must pass. The rest of the wall is sparsely populated by lookout towers. The wall is also supplemented and takes advantages of some the buildings in the town to supply part of its construction. For example the church and several stone buildings that were incorporated and included in the wall in order to remain part of the town proper.

The Ruins

Near the Untertur entrance are the ruins of the Burg, or castle, which was rather small, but probably adequate for a town of this size.

The Castle Ruins – Church In The Background – Dreieichenhain

The castle has had a lot of work on it to stabilize its structure and to make it safe for tourists to enter. There is not much to see, but you can enter the ruins and discover the old main hall chimney and other construction items of interest.

Ericka And Patti – Dreieichenhain Castle – Dreieichenhain, Germany – August 2021

Below is another view from outside the ruins and one of the main hall with chimney.

Restaurants

La Table

Though actually a restaurant, it appears as a rather quaint little boutique coffee shop that sells amazing cakes and desserts. We stopped at La Table for some refreshment, after we had completely discovered what this little town had to offer, and what the local weather kind of forced us into sitting under some kind of cover. Our attempt to sit outside under the coffee shop’s awning was dashed, when what started out as a shower turned into a full blown thunderstorm. We persisted in our belief, along with another cute little old lady from town, that we would be able to sit it out under the awning. But soon enough it rained harder and harder and then the wind picked up and drove us all inside.

Gabi And Ericka – La Table – Dreieichenhain, Germany – August 2021

Luckily, most of the other guest had been driven home by the inclement weather so there was plenty of seating for the rest of us inside, including the little old lady who turned out to be quite the chatterbox. So we ordered up some glasses of Martini Rosso, Prosecco, and hot chocolates along with some cake and had a nice little Kaffeepause out of the rain and eventually hail.

The Burgweiher – Dreieichenhain, Germany

Above a parting shot of the castle’s water source from the nice little town of Dreieichenhain on the Deutschen Fachwerkstraße.

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Basel, Switzerland – Trams, Doors & Fountains

Basel – From The Top Of Hotel Märthof

The city that boasts the most museums in Switzerland must also operate and maintain the most streetcars or trams. At least that is my thesis. On closer inspection one will notice they are almost everywhere and if you spend any time in the historic area’s main Marktplatz, where our hotel Märthof was located, they even appear to outnumber the cars.

There are also many interesting doors in Basel. Each appear to be uniquely named and dated, some having historical significance, others more whimsical, all very Basel. All make for an increased desire in discriminating each while you walk around the city.

As one can imagine there are fountains all over Basel, all strategically located. Some obviously served as sources of water for the citizenry during older times, others are more decorative. All betray Basel as the water city that it was and in many aspects, still is today.

Our Hotel

The Basler Märthof hotel sits at the nexus of the grand portion of the historic city. Bordered by the Rhine, the Marktplatz and the hills around it, it sits central to life in this city. Surrounded by shopping and many different types of restaurants, one can find almost anything they want in this cosmopolitan city, where English is spoken as frequently as many other languages, the exception being German.

The Märthof Hotel

At the time of our visit, a newly renovated hotel with the most modern of amenities and very spacious rooms. This included access the terrace on the roof for our sitting pleasure or some very nice photographs.

Marktplatz And Rathaus – In The Evening – August 2021

The Trams

Trams are everywhere and give this city’s residence a freedom of movement that is seldom seen elsewhere. From the city’s historic center the network branches out like an octopus, occupying every denizen’s neighborhood within five kilometers.

Tram On Kohlenberg – Basel – August 2021

They can be somewhat of annoyance, making an inordinate amount of low frequency grinding noises, as well as stacking up when you are trying to cross the street. The latter forces you to wait the required time for them to leave, hopefully before more arrive and interfere with your travels across the street. But for the most part, they are a welcome addition to the city’s smorgasbord selection of commutation.

Tram On Mittlere Brücke Over Rhine – Basel – August 2021

The Doors

Entryways in the city of Basel have their own descriptive appeal, as seen below.

Just wandering through the streets an observer will see many examples of craftsmanship, old wrought iron hinges, locks, doorbells and doorknobs. Some of the doorbells are especially amusing, where the owner has carefully preserved the original design and function. Some are pulled, some are twisted and some pressed but all made from old iron that has been braving the environment for hundreds of years in some cases.

Old Wrought Iron Doorknob

The above example old world iron work was found on Martinsgässlein, on our walk down from the Gothic Cathedral Münster. It appeared to be fine example of blacksmith work on an obviously restored door. Here are a few more…

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The Fountains

A city historically close to and a heavy user of water, there is no doubt that there would be a plethora of fountains throughout. The most useful and convenient ones are in most cases built into the sides of buildings, whether apartment or governmental. Obviously strategically located in the past for the residents before indoor plumbing was available.

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The Rhine Boats

As an adjunct to all of the trams, buses, taxis, ferries and other forms of conveyance, Basel has a system of Rhine boats along the Rhine. When there isn’t a bridge around when you need one, look around, there may be a Rhine boat!

Rhine Boats – Münsterfähre – St. Johanns Ferry – Basel

Each boat has its own name, owner and distinguishing paint job. They are not motorized! By using a cable strung across the Rhine at strategic points, they use the power of the Rhine’s strong current and their rudder to propel them from one bank of the river to the other. The cabling system is not complicated and only requires the pilot to move a pipe on the boat the moors the cable and then direct the boat appropriately using the rudder.

For the modest fare of €1.90 per person you can climb aboard and be on the other side in a matter of a few minutes. We took the Sankt Albans Fähre or Ferry from Basel, Altstadt Kleinbasel on the east bank to the Altstadt Großbasel on the west bank, that was after we walked along the Rhine on the one side and wanted to cross to visit the Paper Mill on the other.

The Basler Papiermühl

One of the high points of our trip was a visit the Paper Mill Museum. One would think it would have not much to offer, but in this case they would be wrong.

Basler Papiermühle – Saint Albans Tal – Basel – August 2021

The city of Basel had done an excellent job of creating a museum from an old paper mill using a mixture traditional museum look and feel along with a hands-on approach for younger, as well as older audiences. The individuals performing the demonstrations are very informative, eager to demonstrate and skilled at explaining during the demonstrations any steps left out. In all cases this is shorten the format of each demonstration so that participants can actually take home what they have made.

I later talked to the man who ran the paper making demonstration and he related to me all of the inconsistencies in his demonstration, explaining that the process took days to complete, from actually pounding the materials to the dried end production. He was most informative.

Basler Papiermühle – Demonstrator Behind Covid Shield

As was alluded to before, participants actually get to create their own examples of paper using the old techniques. In my case, two sheets of rag based paper with the watermark of the mill, dried using a modern appliance, instead of the old method where they were hung on lines for a few days (as shown above).

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Restaurants

While in Basel we did not have to venture far from the hotel, since plenty are in an around the area of the old historic part of the city.

Rosario’s La Sputino

This tiny little Osteria is quaintly tucked into the side of a hillside street coming down from Saint Peters.

Rosario’s La Sputino

A traditional Osteria menu with local favorites, both the type you order and the ones that apparently visit (they seem to get their fair share of the local business crowd). We had the carrot soup and then I had the Gnocchi in sauce and Patti had the Scialatielli Fresoli, which actually are pasta in the shape of green beans.

Fiorentina

Continuing with our Italian cuisine indulgences in Switzerland we visited Fiorentina. An upscale restaurant with terrace seating with grand views of the Rhine. However, if you want the outside seating, reservations are necessary.

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We visited this restaurant just after we arrived in Basel and since we were both hungry, so we took a walk, found it, walked in and got seated. I ordered the traditional lasagna and had the panna cotta for dessert.

Ramazzotti

Our Pizza

Finally we found the Italian restaurant Ramazzotti which specializes in pizza. Since we were dying for a pizza, not having one for more than month, we ate here and ordered the Pizza Margherita. In fact the food and service was so good here, we ended up eating here a second time.

Ramazzotti Italian Restaurant

The second time we tried other fare.

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Lyon, France – Silk And Murals

If one were to think of two words that exemplify Lyon, besides being known for its culinary heritage, it would be as the city of silk and murals. There are other sights to see of course, but these two are the ones that you will not forget if you visit this city in the heart of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Lyon – Panorama of the city of Lyon, taken from the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

During the week of the tenth through the twelfth of August, 2021 we were fortunate to travel through Lyon. Our expectations were mixed, having known or read little of the city in the past. In fact, until we visited we had no idea of the impact that Lyon had had on the silk or weaving business in the world.

Lyon – Cour Des Loges

The Historic City Center

The historic part of the old city is backed up against the hill on the other side of the Saône below the basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Here you will find the old narrow streets paved in cobblestones and buildings fitting their age. The Place of the small college, right next to our hotel The Cour Des Loges, is an example of this as seen below. Though I must admit I am not a fan of walking on cobblestones and prefer the larger stoned walkways of Turin. Walking in one thunderstorm or shower will testify to their slipperiness.

Lyon – Place Du Petit College

Many of the old building date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and were deeply involved in the silk trade and fabric making. This included our hotel which has several stairwells within it similar to the one above. Though they are inside the hotel, they were customarily on the outside and almost always in the form of a helix.

Rue Du Boeuf An Old Staircase

Bordering the Historic City Center to the east is the river Saône. There are many bridges that span the waterway and will bring you to other old parts of Lyon in the district in and around Bellecour.

The Place Du Bellecour sports the traditional statue of Louis XIV on a horse. Aside from a well architected space around it that serves as a park, the space seems to otherwise be devoid of purpose, it is not even paved well.

Fountain Of The Jacobins

However, the area in and around the Fountain of the Jacobins seems more impressive and well designed. It is situated closer to the buildings, including a ring of trees with a beautiful fountain at the center. The only thing it appears to be missing are cafe tables and people.

Roman Ruins

There are several roman ruins spread across the city. Most are comprised of amphitheater that we used by the local population for amusement. Lyon has at least one example of twin amphitheater, which frankly I have never seen before, even in Italy. The two are adjacent to one another on the hillside overlooking Lyon and just below and to the south of the basilica atop the hill. Both still appear to be used for special events and have wooden stages carefully erected over them.

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We actually arrived at the amphitheaters quite by accident, trying to find our way up to the basilica. We both knew they were there, we were just both surprised that we happened upon them in that location.

Basilica Of Notre-Dame De Fourvière

Continuing our walk up the hillside from the roman ruins you can easily see the basilica, so groping for directions on your phone is not such a big deal. The basilica is impressive, both inside and out. However, it appears to have been place on real estate where they allowed residential houses to encroach upon it. This takes away from one’s ability to get an actual appreciation of the scale of the structure from outside.

Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Inside is a totally different matter. There are actually two churches within the basilica, one above (the actual basilica) and one below in the crypt. Though the directions indicate crypt, in fact there numerous persons buried below, it appears to also function as a full church with pews and all.

Inside Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Croix Rousse

Across the river Saône from the historic district lies the district on the hill called Croix Rousse. This area is known for its historical ties to the Canuts and those who established and made the silk trade famous in Lyon.

The Museum Of The Canuts

Anyone interested the history of weaving or silk, or anyone interested in old machines should probably put this somewhere on their list of places to visit. They have a small but authentic collection of old and rare machines dating back to the time the Canuts flourished in this area.

A canut was a master weaver of gold, silver and silk thread. The word has probable origins in the word canette, which in french means spool, for which they were responsible in changing out in order for the weave to be successfully finished. The start of the industry can be traced back to its start in and around the year 1536.

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The Fresco Buildings

There are several buildings in this area that have been frescoes painted on them. Some of them have been done numerous times over, in order to keep the appeal up and to changed the theme slightly.

Mur Des Canuts – Croix Rousse
Fresco of the Lyonnaise

Other Weird Points Of Interest

The are at least a few unusual points of interest, where artists apparently had a hand. Owing to a profound lack of graffiti in the city my wife and I thought them interesting. Here are a few.

Restaurants

Many of the restaurants here serve local food, or as close to traditional home cooking in these parts of France as you can get and are called Bouchon, it is sometimes spelled Buchon. They are similar to Italy’s Osteria or Trattoria and being in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes are very meat based establishments. Most menus include sausages from the region, both sliced as an appetizer and fully cooked served with a sauce or gravy. It is obviously interesting to try, but over the course of a few days can become tiresome.

Buchon Fiston

The second restaurant we tried with such fare was Bouchon Fiston, the first being of no particular note and right across the same street. Trying to mix it up a bit I went for a soup and salad. The onion soup came with a delicious filo dough top and the salad came with melted regional cheese on toasted bread. Patti ordered a lentil salad, which came as a combo of a lentil compote and green salad on the side.

Bistrot Des Cours Des Loges

Belonging to our hotel is a small bistrot that serves many good specialties from the region. Our second evening in Lyon found us visiting it, because the main restaurant normally served by a famous chef was closed for the holiday season.

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The bistro offers outside seating under the amazing trees of the Place de Petit College. We had a most enjoyable evening sampling many fine dishes and enjoying the wine.

Le Cabaretier

Our last evening in Lyon found us dodging raindrops to make it to the Cabaretier for dinner. After a rather warm afternoon the thunderstorms would not be denied, but neither would we.

Le Carabetier – Lyon

The place was vacant for the most part, possibly owing to the rain, since most other places appeared equally bare. The owner and ostensibly the cook at this is a real character and listens to American music all the time. Once he learned we spoke English and were from the States, he was constantly buzzing around trying to help or playing songs he thought we would like to hear. If anything it made for an interesting evening.

Yes, That’s Sausage, But I Had To Try It – Andouilette Sauce Moutarde

The inside looks as though it belongs as a Antiquariat and not a restaurant. But the eclectic furnishings did not take anything away from his authentic Lyonnaise food.

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Cuneo, Italy – A Piedmont Gem

We left Turin in a rain storm, just getting into our carriage before the rain really came down hard. It poured most of the way and we saw several instances of lightning as we traveled to Cuneo, giving us the foreboding feeling that perhaps we had made a terrible mistake.

Piazzale della Liberta – Cuneo Train Station – July 2021

When we arrived, it was still raining terribly hard and we were trapped in the train station for a little over fifteen or so minutes. But I checked my phone and the weather radar application on it gave every indication it was going to pass soon, and thankfully it did, though it would continue to threaten us for the remainder of the morning.

Cuneo appears at first sight to be a clean, very well kept city. In many respects, unlike its larger brother to the north Turin, it has every indication of being a very pleasant place to live. One rarely finds any graffiti and the number of animals seems much less than other cities in Italy, and Europe over all.

The Reading Man – Via Nizza – Cuneo – July 2021

As the man on Corso Nizza will suggest, sporting his shiny clothes and shoes, everything is just perfect in this little city.

The main attraction is Corso Dante Alighieri, which after the main piazza, Piazza Galimberti, turns into via Roma. It is a traditional historic center promenade, with its wide street and classic Sampietrini, it offers a great place to walk and many places to shop and eat.

The Bell Tower of Cathedral Santa Marie Del Bosco on via Saluzzo

Having only spent the day here, we carefully chose our place to lunch, after researching several opportunities prior to leaving. Fortunately, Cuneo provides many top places to eat, most of which open at or around 12:30 and will close by 2:30 to 3:00, in traditional Italian style. 

Restaurants – 4 Ciance

Our first choice was Osteria dei Colori, but it was no longer open for lunch. After that, it was the process of elimination and we finally ended up at 4Cinace.

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This restaurant is typical of today’s fine dining establishments, part art, part harmony, mostly excellent food. Paired with an excellent wine and you are in for a delicious time.

Piazza Galimberti – Panorama

Cuneo appears to be an excellent place to live. Very close to the Maritime Alps and the sea, one can easily get to the beach for a weekend get-away. Nestled close to the Alps it must be an easy drive to the mountains during winter for a quick ski holiday. Or, just stay home and enjoy the city itself, dining in one of its many excellent restaurants or Osterias.

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Ritten – Hiking Paradise

The plateau of Ritten is one of the great places to hike and enjoy the Alto Adige. Fresh air, sun and absolutely gorgeous fields and woods brought me right back to my own childhood. Their are tons of insects and birds here and I never got tired of hearing the constant whizzing, whining and chirping. Stress relief for one’s soul and probably one of the big reasons why so many come here to relax and enjoy life. I know we did.

Hiking Oberbozen And Ritten

Ritten is a fabulous place for hiking, with a myriad of trails for all levels, one can hike for days across this area and almost always find a place to stay, eat or hike, with proper planning of course.

View from Ritten Plateau – Oberbozen

Ritten Cable Car

The way up is easy, with your multi-day Alto Adige pass you can take the cable car!

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A good twenty to thirty minute ride with spectacular views, the cable car can be boarded just north of the train station. It climbs the nearby mountain and then across the Ritten Plateau to Oberbozen. Here, you can either start your hike, or continue to other points of interest using the plateau’s mountain train service.

There is also an Information Center just outside the cable car entrance in Oberbozen. So if you intend to hike, purchasing a map is a very good idea, the cost at the time of this writing was €3.50.

Since we went to the Oberbozen twice we actually have a short video of descending on the cable car as well.

Maria Himmelfahrt

Our first hike was a rather easy trek to the Church of the Assumption of Mary, or Maria Himmelfahrt.

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It is marked as a twenty minute hike, but we found that must be for a very fast walker. In fact, we would say that it is perhaps true of all the times that were posted (but then again, Schneckie was along). I would have preferred them to post the distance in kilometers, then try to guess how long it should take us to hike it!

Erdpyrimaden Oberbozen

One of the great geological oddities to see are the Earth Pyramids. Some of the rocks that you will see there balanced on the top of tiny pyramids of sand seem likely to have been intentionally placed, and yet it is all only a 25,000 year old geological oddity of a glacial domain and erosion. The process is somewhat shown in the chart below.

How the Earth Pyramids are formed

The hike to the Earth Pyramids from Oberbozen is not far, about a half an hour. However, there are several spots you can view them, which at the time can appear very confusing.

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The best vantage point we found was at the very end of the Erdpyrimaden trail by the farmer’s field. I would call this the Haupt Erdpyrimaden, and have so marked it on Google Maps.

There is another lesser set of Earth Pyramids further down the trail in a wooded area. But they are not as spectacular as the previous ones. Aside from that, it is rather technical and more dangerous to get any closer to these to take any better photographs.

Hiking Down To Bozen/Bolzano

We decided after the Earth Pyramids to continue our journey on foot, instead of walking the trail another half an hour to forty minutes to Oberbozen. This turned out not only to be adventurous, but very rigorous, as in the trail actually becomes quite steep and challenges anyone’s thigh muscles to hold on.

We can attest that it does NOT take an hour and fifty minutes to hike from Oberbozen to Bolzano, it is more like two and a half hours. Anyone who has done it any quicker has cheating, using roller-blades or other devices. It was also rather warm out, forcing us to pace ourselves somewhat in order to conserve what energy we had left.

Panorama on trail

The route is rather simple, taking Trail 23 to the Earth Pyramids first, you continue along down the mountain until you hit Trail 6, and then take that the rest of the way into the city. You will exit somewhere very close to where the cable car took you up the mountain.

Restaurants

Hotel Post Victoria

Situated along the trail of the Maria Himmelfahrt is the Italian Ristorante Post Victoria.

They have good Italian food at very reasonable prices and amazing views of the Alto Adige Alps. A great was after a hike to Maria Himmelfahrt to recharge those stomach batteries with food and wine to continue your journeys.

Der Schwarze Katz

The Black Cat or Schwarze Katz was a discovery after climbing off the mountain in pain and hunger. You will find it at the end of Trail 6 coming into the North of Bolzano.

It was actually rather busy when we got there which was around one o’clock or a little afterwards. Limping and tired we sat down ready for what ever they were willing to throw at us.

Salad with Turkey Strips