Places

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I’ve visited dozens of European cathedrals. Here are my two favorites.

The Cathedral from the Plaza

The Cathedral from the Plaza

I’ve written before about European cathedrals and how awe inspiring they are. We generally make it a point to visit the cathedral in every town we visit. While all grand European cathedrals have certain common elements – such as 100 foot high ceilings, cool statuettes and gargoyles, ornate doorways, and enormous pipe organs – each also has its own unique “personality”. For some, its distinctiveness is revealed in the structure’s exterior, for others, in its interior. Therefore, I am compelled to select two favorites. My choices are: For best exterior… the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg, France. (Honorable mention: the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Clermont, France because it’s made of black basalt.) And for best interior… the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, France. (Honorable mention: Saint Peters’ Basilica at Vatican City because its really really huge.) Continue reading →

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Small is Beautiful. And Lichtenstein is definitely both.

Since arriving in Switzerland almost two years ago now, I’ve had this hankering to visit one of its neighbors: Lichtenstein. I didn’t have a particularly sophisticated reason for wanting to visit. In fact, my principal incentive was simply due to the fact that it would be so much fun to be able to tell my American friends, “yep, I’ve been to Lichtenstein.” Because who goes to Lichtenstein? Nobody, that’s who. But we did, and I’ll tell you this: Turns out there is a lot more to Lichtenstein than the fact that its fun to tell people you’ve been there. Continue reading →

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I go “winter hiking” in the shadow of the Eiger

I had a little alone time on my hands recently and decided it would be fun to make a solo road trip. Because I wanted only to be gone one day, I narrowed my options down to two choices. I could either: 1) drive the 4 hours to Lichtenstein, and see Lichtenstein or 2) I could drive the two-and-a-half hours to Interlaken for some snow-hiking. Considering the pros and cons of each, I decided that the shorter drive combined with the chance to be outside and to see the Eiger up close outweighed the appeal of being able to say, “Yep, I’ve been to Lichtenstein!”

So I packed myself a lunch and climbed into the car early one morning and off I went. Continue reading →

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We head into the Jura Mountains for our first cross country skiing outing!

Next time you’re driving on Route 1 along the north shore of Lake Geneva from Geneva to Lausanne, take a moment to look away from the lake and Alps out the passenger side – I know it’s hard – and look out the driver’s side window. Those are the Jura Mountains.  The Jura Mountains are best known for two reasons.  First, the Jurassic geological period takes its name from the Jura Mountains because limestone strata from the period (about 200 million years ago to 150 million years ago, give or take a couple million years) were first identified there. Second, the Jura Mountains offer some of the best cross-country skiing on the planet. Andrew Brenner, writing for the New York Times Travel section in 2014 described the area like this:

Imagine all the cross country ski trails in New England crammed into an area slightly smaller than New Hampshire. Now raise the base elevation to a plateau of 3,500 feet. Then bulldoze a 10-foot wide perfectly groomed boulevard of a cross country ski trail… and you’ve got something on par with the Nordic haven that is the Jura.>/em> Continue reading →

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A “bucket list” suggestion for hikers: Italy’s “Cinque Terre” trail on the Mediterranean coast

I consider myself to be a fairly experienced hiker. My parents took us on regular hikes and camping trips in my youth in California, and then after moving to the east coast, my dad brought us kids along on many backpacking adventures in the Appalachians and other state and national park destinations. I’ve maintained my love of the outdoors as an adult and have tried to pass it on to our own kids, including family hiking outings in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, Yellowstone, and repeats of my favorite childhood hike, Old Rag in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.

Living in the heart of Europe has afforded us many new opportunities to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Regular readers might recall an early post on my first real hike in Switzerland last year, up the Rochers de Naye. I recently discovered (along with my niece Laura who was visiting) an awesome short hike on the Le Selève – our local mountain here in Geneva – that offers one of the greatest views of the Swiss and French Alps one will find anywhere. These hikes were awesome, but I think I just topped them all with a hike in Italy’s “Cinque Terre” National Park along the Mediterranean seacoast in northern Italy. Continue reading →

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A Cure for Oenophilia: Wine Tasting in the Rhône Valley at Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Oenophilia: Greek for the love (philia) of wine (oinos). But oenophilia goes beyond a mere love of wine, it means a devotion to wine, how it’s grown and made and tastes. I enjoy wine. My brother-in-law Cliff and sister-in-law Ellen (beau frère and belle soeuer, en français) are true oenophilias. They recently visited us in Geneva, so we made a point of driving down to the Rhône Valley in southern France, home to one of the most famous wine producing regions in the world. Our destination: the vineyards around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape between the cities of Avignon and Orange. Continue reading →

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Roman Art, Architecture, Arches, and Arenas Are Arright!

One of the things I like about living in the heart of Europe is that so many beautiful and extraordinary European cities are just a short plane ride away. (See my earlier posts on Paris, London, Dublin, Budapest…) I have a list of cities that I want to visit during our time here, and a couple weeks ago, I crossed Rome off that list.

We spent a long weekend in Rome, and during our stay we walked from place to place, taking guided tours, visiting museums and other tourist attractions, Continue reading →

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If you’re planning to be near Annecy, France, bring your bike

During a discussion we were having about cycling in Switzerland, my friend Leo once asked me “Do you like to climb?”. I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Having done most of my cycling in my home state of Minnesota, I wasn’t aware that “climbing” on your bike was something that people routinely and intentionally set out to do. Finally, I muttered, “I’ll climb if there’s a hill in front of me, but I prefer mostly just riding.” Evidently, a lot of people seek out mountains to climb on their bikes, including my friend Leo. I still prefer a more casual ride, and we found an awesome one along Lac Annecy, near the town of Annecy, France. Continue reading →

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My father-in-law is really cool, and I love his place on Lake Superior’s North Shore

This post is dedicated to my father-in-law, who also happens to be one of this blog’s most avid followers. I first met Hal in 1981. In the 35 years that we’ve known each other, I feel like our bond has grown into more than a typical son-in-law / father-in-law relationship. We don’t see each other as often these days, but whenever we do, we always have fun conversations about current events, goings-on in the family, and other more routine matters (like how to make a good 7-Up and brandy). We enjoy cooking together (I shared my world-famous lasagna recipe with him!), taking walks in the state parks near his home, and sitting out on his porch – or better yet, down on the rocks along the shore.

Hal spends Minnesota’s warmer months at his home on the north shore of Lake Superior. I’ve probably been up to visit him a hundred times over the years, and I’ve never gotten used to how beautiful his place is. I was recently up at his home with his daughter (my sister-in-law) Ellen to help take care of a few things, and had the idea that it would be fun to write a brief post, trying to convey what it is I love so much about his place. Continue reading →