The Final Day: Paris!

Disclaimer: This post is being written after we had returned to Canada, so we can blame or thank Jim Dickey, Dickee, Dickie for this post.

When you reach Paris, it is all about the steps. That image below is after we returned to the hotel, but before we headed out to dinner. Gotta love technology!

Questions: How early can I leave the hotel? How long can I stay out seeing the city? How much mileage can I get in and how many sites can I see in one day? You are never certain when you will be back, or if you will be back, to Paris so you need to make it worth your while. In order to fit in some items you will need to cut others. Hence, I have yet to go up the Eiffel Tower. Maybe one day, but not on this trip or the previous one!

First step (pun intended) is to investigate what you would like to see. When I first came to Paris in 2009, a colleague loaned a tourist book to me which was a great help. From that, I started to decide what I wanted to see and in what order. For this trip, I offered up to the group to take them where they wanted to go and see what they wanted to see. The five participants were very agreeable to my suggestions.

So we started by taking the Metro to Arch de Triomphe. This is a great monument to see in person and is almost overwhelming. 

We then walked down Champs Elysees towards Place de Concorde. 

From there, we walked over to the Louvre and around the grounds. 

Although we did not enter, I did take the time in 2009 to go in where one of my favourite paintings is displayed. I am not an art major, but I do know what I like!

After the Louvre, we walked over to Notre Dame and took a quick walk around inside. There was a service taking place, so it was neat to see this monumental church in action.

And now, a quick stop for lunch!

We then proceeded to walk north to Montmartre. This takes about 45 - 60 minutes to walk to from Notre Dame, but you get to see some of the city on the way, get in some steps, and enjoy the city. From Montmartre you can view the entire city of Paris. The view is breathtaking and, most importantly, free. Calories I got to spare! 

After this, what was remaining of our group walked a bit further north, and then took the Metro back to the hotel. We then cleaned up, headed out to our final dinner, and afterwards made our way to the Eiffel Tower to watch the lights. Since we were required to leave the hotel by 7:00 the next morning.

So this is the last blog post. Anthony, Karen and I will be meeting the week of May 16th to discuss Eurotour 2017, so stay posted for more information. Thank you all for following our adventures and have a safe and fun summer!

Day Nine: Freiburg

We started today in Engelberg, and some of us started earlier than others. Despite the weather forecast for rain starting at 4:00 am, some of us headed out from the hotel early this morning and there was not rain, although it was overcast. The goal was to take one of the hiking trails up part of the mountain and view the sunset over the ridge.  Failing that, we would at least get a great view of Engelberg and the valley.

We were not disappointed! We wound up at a plateau above the village where a small farm restaurant was located and were provided with a great view of the valley and mountains as the light increased. We were able to watch as the clouds came over one ridge and enveloped some of the peaks, and then cleared past them again.

We had a tour of the cheese manufacturer Schukaserei, a former monastery that produces authentic Swiss cheese. The unique feature of this tour is that one of our students was involved in the process of  making a small quantity of cheese in front of our eyes. This gave a great appreciation of the cheese making process! Thank you Sandra for the great explanation and product sampling!

After some free time in the village, we boarded our bus on our way to Freiburg. Martin served as our driver and performed an excellent job in giving us details along the trip. Thank you Martin! We did drive into some rainy weather about halfway into the drive, but made good time on a comfortable ride with a great driver.

In Freiburg, we checked into our rooms and then took a tour of Victoria Hotel, the world's most environmentally friendly hotel. This is a hotel that was started in 1847 and has been in the same family for four generations. In the late 1980's the hotel owners took it upon themselves to make the hotel environmentally sustainable, even though at the time no one else would want to do so. 

After the tour, we headed to a local restaurant and brewery to sample some local fare and hold some great conversation. Tomorrow, we will have our last formal tour and then head out to Paris via the TGV!

Day Eight: Lake Como to Engelberg

Lake Como is a sight to behold. An Italian lake surrounded by alpine mountains. 

Several members of our group woke early to watch the sunrise over the mountains, some took a walk after breakfast. As for myself and Tom, we went for a run. Jog. We went for a jog. Running gives the impression of speed, whereas jogging is quick enough to disqualify as walking. It was nice. We had a chance to watch some of the real estate and the surrounding landscape.

We loaded onto the bus and traveled on the main road towards the Swiss border (note the sad eyes and crocodile tears). 

Now when I say main road, I mean larger than the side roads leading to the properties. Don't think of a highway 400, or highway 48, even line 3 in Oro-Medonte. Think single to single and a half lane lined by stone buildings and walls. And then you come head to head with an industrial rig hauling a trailer. Thankfully, our driver demonstrated his skill and prowess. 

We drove the three hours to Lucerne Switzerland, The sights are incredible! This is where you get into MO - Mountain Overload!If you have been to the Rocky Mountains, think of the same scenery but with villages all over the place. It is a sight to behold!

We arrived in Lucerne and had two hours of free time. This city is known, for other things, the Stone Lion. The expression of sorrow  on the faith is profound.

After Lucerne we headed over for a quick jaunt over to Engelberg. 

If you try to find this village on a map, you need to really really zoom in. I am not certain why exactly, but this is my favourite municipality on the tour. Nestled in the Swizz Alps, the village appears to sit at the bottom of a bowl made out of mountains. Everyone settled into their room, and at seven we headed up to the mountain cabin Fluhmatt for a traditional Alplermaggronen-dinner.

Afterwards, we were given torches to enjoy an evening walk back to the town. 

Tomorrow - off to Freiburg!

Day Seven B: Domaso

There are moments on a trip when you think to yourself "This is all worth it!"

We wound up at the end of today at Azienda Agricola Sorsasso, a local vineyard run by Daniele and his wife Roberta. This is the real deal! People ask why they would go on this trip, and then this visit is the keystone to the answer.

We left in the bus to drive to Domaso, part of which took us past Milan. Normally, we would need to struggle past the traffic through Milan on this five hour drive. However, since today is a national holiday this is a good news - bad news type of deal. The good news is that with the reduced traffic we flew past Milan and made great time in the drive. The bad news was that there were no rest stops open for a biological break. However, our crew were great about this and never complained. Giovani, as always, got us there on time and in style. Thank you Giovani!

In Domaso, the bus in unable to take us up all the way to the winery, so we needed to walk up the last 10 minutes. Sylvia was gracious enough to call us when we were about 90 minutes away.

"Hello, this is Sylvia from Domaso. Do you know what time approximately you will arrive?"

"Hi Sylvia, we should be there in about 90 minutes depending on traffic."

"Great, can you call me when you are ten minutes away and I will meet you where you park the bus with my car. I can drive some of you up if needed.'

True to her word, Sylvia met us and gave us directions. Since some of our crew had rather full bladders, she drove them up while the rest of us walked. The scenery was spectacular! Once at the winery, Daniele met us. This location serves as both his house and operations centre. Daniele's family has lived in the area since the 1700's, and he started formal operations in 1998.

We were invited into a stone lined chamber dug out of the mountain where we sampled local cuisine made at Azienda Agriocola Sorcasso by Daniele, Roberta, and their family.

Sylvia and Daniele gave us explanations on each course and answered our questions very graciously.

So, this is a key stone visit on the trip. I had previously visited this winery in 2008, and Daniele remembered me from that visit (hopefully for good reasons!). His family was gracious and hospital, and it opened up fantastic conversations with our participants. We were able to enjoy the company and scenery, and reflect on what we had experienced so far on the trip.

Tomorrow - Switzerland!

Day Seven: Bologna to Lake Como

We woke up this morning to a wet day in Bologna. As the country song lyrics go, “How can I miss you if you won’t go away?” But Bologna, we will miss you! We had a lovely breakfast in the hotel with a full European spread. Double Espresso Karen? Okay!

We piled onto the bus with Giovani and headed out for Madonne Caseificia dell’Emilia, a Parmesan cheese production facility in Lesignana. 

Pamela, our expert tour guide, met us and brought us to the observation room where she explained how Parmesan cheese is produced. This is a coop which purchases milk from local dairies and must follow strict guidelines in order to produce real Parmesan cheese. Yeah, about that stuff we all purchase at the local supermarket? That's not real Parmesan cheese.

Real Parmesan cheese must be aged at least 12 months once produced, and the manufacturing process must follow strict guidelines in order to receive the official seal. I have been on a tour before of a Parmesan cheese production facility, and the reaction is always the same when the storage room door is opened – amazement! The wheels of Parmesan cheese are stacked in a large room on shelves, row after row after row. Each wheel must be periodically turned and cleaned and inspected as they age on the shelves.

After we parted ways with Pamela, we headed out to Salumficio La Perla in Langhirano. 

This is a traditional Parmesan ham production facility, family owned and operated. Sylvia explained to the group how rear legs of ham are received, cured with salt, and aged for at least 12 months, and needs to be 24 months for the Parma designation by the official inspectors. After touring the facility we were given the opportunity to sample some of the product while sitting on a picturesque enclosed balcony overlooking the valley.

Day Six B: Bologna

Bologna is an incredible city. It has an abundance of rich history and living architecture. I have only been here once before in 2008 and had fond memories from my previous visit. To give a North American comparison, think of the old city of Quebec, and multiply it by 1000.

The city has a main Piaza from where you can orient yourself to any part within the walled city. 

Our hotel was a five minute walk from the square. Now when you look at a map ofBologna, you can get confused by the pattern of the streets because the city and architecture is very old (as in 12^th century). Anthony, however, pointed out that the streets generally run in outward circles away from the square. So if you are ever uncertain of where you are, turn left and left again and you will most likely wind up in the central square.

Bologna also has a series of towers in the city. 

These were built by the original families before the surrounding buildings. The families would sleep in the towers at night, fortified against potential invaders. The surrounding buildings were added as the city grew. These provide great to the scenery and, as an added bonus, can give you reference as to where you are in the city.

That evening we went to TrattoriaAnna Maria, a quant restaurant that was about 200 metres from our hotel. Anna Maria has operated this restaurant since 1983 and provided our crew with terrific service and fantatic food. Julia described each course which came out and coordinated the service staff. It was unbelievable how well coordinated everything was, especially when serving our whole crew. Everyone will remember this evening!

At the end of the evening, we expressed our appreciation for Anna Maria, Julia, and their staff.

Tomorrow, three tours are we work our way to Lake Como!