Europe Trip Day 11 (Oslo, Norway)

It was a dingy, rainy day in Oslo, and the city was quiet... too quiet. I know that sounds campy but it's the truth. The city was emptied out, devoid of people, completely unlike the bustling metropolis that it should have been. Most every shop was locked up tight, only a few bars remained open to service the scant few people who roamed the streets in small bands. It was a deeply creepy scene, like the zombie apocalypse had taken place. Though as it turned out it was only one zombie that was keeping everyone off of the streets. It was Easter, or at least the beginning of four days worth of observance of the holiday.
The good news however was that traffic was a non-issue, and we didn't have to deal with crowds to see the major attractions.

It was also a little early in the spring for Norway, and the flowers had not yet begun to pop. It made our first stop at the Royal Palace a little anticlimactic. The Palace itself was architecturally not much more than a box with windows, and the grounds still had the malaise of winter upon them.

We didn't spend long there before moving walking down the hill toward a really lovely domed building surrounded by statues. We had no idea what it was but knew that we had to check it out. It turned out to be the National Theatre, and at the front of it was the most notable statue of them all, that of Henrik Ibsen. It is interesting that I should come upon a statue of Ibsen so soon after reading one of his plays. I recently finished "An Enemy of the People" the tale of a community turning its back on scientific evidence when it learns a politically inconvenient truth. Making Ibsen as relevant now as he was in 1882.

From there we made our way down to the waterfront where we got some great views of the city and of the immense and imposing Akershus Fortress, which loomed over Oslo's harbor like an ancient gargoyle. Akershus looks altogether different from other fortifications that we've seen, mostly because it is so much older, dating back to the 1290's.
Near the fortress we were fortunate enough to find a place to eat that was still open on Easter weekend, and had a stellar meal at Café Skansen. Then it was back up the hill, in the rain to the hotel, with a quick stop at the Norwegian Parliament for some nighttime pictures.

Europe Trip Day 10 (Stockholm, Sweden)

GPS navigation is truly one of the greatest travel innovations ever. It has made cities more accessible than ever before to visitors. Navigating a new city is no longer the daunting, confusing, and intimidating task as it was in days gone by.

But even armed with our trusty Tom-Tom, Stockholm's motor ways were a challenge to get around. It was not uncommon to have the Tom-Tom's screen light up with a garbled mess of a tunnel below a city street below raised highway each with exit tunnels, side streets, exit ramps and other random confusion. Plus the Tom-Tom would lose its signal every time we entered another of the maze of tunnels below the city.
Once we finally got off the roads and checked into our hotel (a comfortable boutique hotel named Freys, right next to the city center) we found Stockholm easy to get around on foot.

As we set out to explore the city, we were amazed by the commitment to architecture, how through the centuries all the buildings remained architecturally beautiful, but not necessarily dedicated to a specific style. The only thing that remained consistent was the use of copper roofs and statues, which all took on a distinctive green color, giving the whole city a common color theme. It was a lovely effect.

As we walked past Stockholm's opulent opera house we reached the first of several bridges which linked together several small islands that the old city was built upon. The first and most prominent landmark that we came to was the Royal Palace. Because it was still in active use, it had ceremonial guards at its entrances. Though that post does not seem to be a very highly regarded position as that all the guards looked really young, as if anyone with any seniority has put it off onto the new guys.
Beyond the Royal Palace, the narrow, twisting avenues of the old city opened up, filled with hidden shops, cafés, and hidden treasures. One of those hidden treasures was the Nobel Museum, a celebration of all the past winners of the various categories Nobel Prize are enshrined. We sadly did not have time to go through the Nobel Museum, but it became a serious selling point for returning to Stockholm at some point in the future.

After exploring old town, we crossed another bridge to where Riddarholm Church whose gorgeous iron latticework spire could be seen throughout the city, and then down to the waterfront to get some excellent views of the city, including the city's rather imposing looking city hall.
At that point the sky was growing dark, and it was time to get some dinner and say goodnight to Stockholm.

Europe Trip Day 9 (Copenhagen, Denmark)

It was a damp but sunny morning as we set off on our road trip through Scandinavia. Our first stop would be Copenhagen, an 8 hour drive away.

We got into Copenhagen a little later than expected and were a little rushed trying to see all of the sights that we hoped to get to. Fortunately the sun would set rather late, around 8 o'clock, and that gave us the extra time that we needed, but left us eating dinner much later than we had hoped.
One of the first thing that we noticed around the city was the depth to which American culture had forced itself onto Copenhagen's shopping district. On the far side of the City Hall's square was a building that prominently held a Burger King, a KFC, crowning the top of the building was a McDonald's billboard, and across the narrow street from it was a 7-11. Forgive my crassness, but it really looked as though American economic imperialism had wiped its ass with Copenhagen's historic buildings. It was more than a little embarrassing.

Overall though, the rest of Copenhagen was a really lovely city, and it's historic landmarks were nothing short of amazing. Strangely though, the city had a curious mix of ancient and modern that was hard to put my finger on but aside from the landmarks, it seemed to have had much of the historic feel diluted out of it. It was very much a feeling that I got when exploring Montreal.

After a bit of a whirlwind tour of the city we sat down to eat a delicious dinner, accompanied by a couple of the local favorite beer, a Tuborg, down at the picturesque canal district called the Nyhavn. Where tall sailboats were secured along the edges of the canal, and local street musicians played as we ate.
It was an ideal end to the day. We had a nice evening stroll back to the hotel and got ready for the next leg of our road trip to Stockholm, Sweden.

Europe Trip Day 5 (Ghent, Belgium)

One of the best parts of where we are staying in the town of Eersel, Netherlands, is it's convenient location. within an hour and a half drive we can be almost anywhere in either the Netherlands or Belgium. So we have been taking a lot of great day trips to a variety of towns in both countries. Today we went to the city of Ghent.

In the heart of Ghent is the imposing figure of the 12th Century castle, Gravensteen. The name Gravensteen is a reference to the house of the nobility, but, in Dutch, can also mean "tombstone", and when you look upon the castle you can see that either translation might be well placed. This is very much the quintesential medevil fortress, with it's high, heavy stone walls, imposing archer towers, and impregnable gate. Flags flutter in the breeze over it's intimidating main tower.

Inside, the tour is very walkable, with only a few tight spiralling staircases to navigate and the effort well rewarded with stellar views of the city at the top. The highlights through the rest of the tour are the armory, great hall, the prison, the high vaulted ceilings of it's throne room, and a rather gruesome exhibit of medieval torture devices. Outside the main building you can walk the ramparts all the way around the castle walls and see the remains of Gravensteen's church.

When you are done with the tour, you can recoup at the lovely square right outside the castle gates, where you can have a snack and sample a selection of magnificent Belgian beers. This has bee the way of our tours throughout Europe, visit a local attraction then find someplace and sit down for a coffee/wine/beer and a local snack before moving on. These squares are also a great place to do some people watching. Then it's off we go to the next museum/cathedral/public attraction.

Sadly the city's main cathedral, Sint Baafskathedraal (Saint Bavo Cathedral) was under renovation and we were not able to tour it, but fortunately there are two other cathedrals in Ghent that are just as stunning.

There is Sint Michielskerk (Saint Michael's), and the more tourist friendly Sint Niklaaskerk (Saint Nicholas). Right next to Sint Niklaaskerk is another of the city's great landmarks, it's great belltower, or Belfort.
Mixed in and amongst all of these fantastic locations is a maze of fantastic shops, stores, clubs, eateries, and every kind of artisinal craftsman you can imagine (in particular chocolateers).
While this trek into Belgium was wonderful and rewarding, I will have to say this about driving in Belgium versus the Netherlands. Belgian roads are not as well kept, or laid out as their neighbors to the east. Two lane motorways intersecting with other two lane motorways; three lanes of traffic merging into a single lane tunnel... it seems as though they are actively trying to cause traffic chaos. Our Tom-Tom earned it's pay today!

Europe Trip Day 7 (Paleis het Loo)

It's been spring weather ever since we arrived in the Netherlands with the sun darting in and out of the clouds, each time taking us alternately from a little cool, to lovely sunny and warm, then back to cool every five minutes or so.
We have been rather fortunate though to avoid the rain, which we only caught one afternoon of. As far as

spring weather goes this has been about as good as one can ask for.
Our trip to the 16th Century palace, Paleis het Loo, fit this pattern of weather. But with spring weather comes spring flowers, and oh, what flowers they are! The gardens were resplendent with gloriously colored tulips and daisies. The garden's perfectly manicured hedges are the quintessential image of a European Palace.
Paleis het Loo served as the Royal Palace for the House Van Oranje for five centuries and is a spectacular reminder of the economic might of the Dutch merchant fleet going back hundreds of years.

The Dutch Monarchy recently experienced a change in succession as the much loved Queen Beatrix abdicated her throne to her son, the newly crowned King Wilem and his wife Queen Maxima.
Inside, the Paleis het Loo is broken into a seemingly endless procession of rooms designed and decorated for specific members of the Royal Family going back to the 1500's.
One such room was Prince Hendrik's Hunting Room. Prince Hendrik (1876-1934) was the consort of Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962). The hunting room was filled from floor to ceiling with skulls, antlers and various other hunting trophies.

Another amazing room was the sitting room for Mary II Queen of Great-Britain and Ireland, Princess of Oranje. The room is done in an eye popping sapphire blue and gold. Most of the rooms in the palace were bedecked with beautiful Delft porcelain.
I'm so glad that we made this amazing stop to see these beautiful and historically sygnificant residence. Long live the King!

Europe Trip Day 6 (Delft, Netherlands)

One of the things that the Netherlands, for centuries, has been famous for is its fine porcelain called Delftware,  (with the distinctive blue markings) crafted by the artisans in the city Delft.
Today we drove about an hour and a half north, to just outside Rotterdam, where we got the opportunity to explore this home of one of Holland's most well known exports.

As you pass through Delft's central market, the narrow lanes of stores eventually open into the city's main square. The square's centerpiece is Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). Built between 1383 and 1510, the Nieuwe Kerk serves as the family vault of the Dutch Royal Family, the Van Oranje Nassau family. Beyond the vault lies the Royal Family's Sepulchral monument of Prince William of Orange.

The more adventurous travelers may want to climb the very narrow and steep spiraling staircase to the top of the Nieuwe Kerk's massive bell tower which was built over the course of a century between 1396 and 1496 and offers extraordinary views of the city... And one hell of a workout.

After touring the cathedral it is a good chance to stop and grab a snack and recoup a little before pressing on. I would be remiss if I passed up any chance to order some bitterballen and a Belgian beer. If I had to describe the flavor of a bitterballen to someone I would say that the deep fried crust dipped in mustard might remind you of a corn dog, while the soft meat paste filling has a taste comparable to cream of mushroom soup.
The combination is out of this world. Particularly when paired with one of the many outstanding beers from arguably the world's greatest brewing region. Today I went with an Affligem, from Abdij Abbaye which has a brewing tradition dating back to 1074 AD.

From Nieuwe Kerk and the main square, it's a short winding walk through more antique shops and cafés to reach the Oude Kerk (Old Church). While the Nieuwe Kerk is more for special occasions, the Oude Kerk is more of the everyday cathedral (if indeed there is such a thing). The places of honor in Oude Kerk are reserved for famous Dutch Mariners such as Petrus Heinius, and Marten Harpertzen Tromp.
Put all together, Delft is a photogenic, walkable, shoppers paradise, and has an amazing amount to offer tourists.

Europe Trip Day 4 (Keukenhof)

On the outskirts of Amsterdam, lost amidst the spectacular, multicolored tulip fields, lies a botanical garden like nothing else in the world. The Keukenhof Gardens are only open for two months out of the year and attract visitors from around the world.

I am not fond of the name Keukenhof Gardens, because to call the Keukenhof a "garden" is like calling Disneyland a "fairground". It completely misses the mark. All across the sprawling gardens are a menagerie of eye popping arrangements, generally featuring the world famous Dutch tulips. The colors are so vibrant that I half expected that the visual cortices in my brain would fry out and leave me living the remainder of my days in a world of black and white.

Aside from the stunning gardens there are four large facilities stuffed full of astonishing flowers. A person can get lost for days browsing through the seemingly endless parade of color. And the smells. The smells of this entire place are simply otherworldly.
Nothing that I have ever experienced gave me a fuller and more complete understanding of the arrival of Spring. If the Keukenhof is not on your life's "bucket list" put it there STAT.

Europe Trip Day 2 (Abdij Postel)

Today we took a wonderful day trip into Belgium to the town of Postel, where we visited the Abdij Postel (Postel Abbey). It was a relaxing little jaunt to the idyllic countryside to visit an abbey where monks have been brewing beers since 1140 ad. And, trust me, over the course of the last 874 years they have learned a thing or two. Even in comparison to other, already legendary, Belgian beers, the selection at the cafe outside the grounds, Gasthof De Beiaard, are nothing short of exceptional. The cheeses that the monks make are also quite good.

The abbey itself has lovely grounds and is a great little walk to see not only the monastary, but also the quaint spice garden with a great view of the original 12th Century chapel. Just to give some context as to how old that really is: around this time blast furnaces for the smelting of iron were first imported from China, and the first records of windmills were made; the Knights Templar were founded to protect pilgrims in Jerusalem, and Henry II was crowned the King of England. 
This was a perfect little drive for us to make today, because we wanted to get out and see a few sights,  but are still adapting to the time change and don't have a whole lot of energy yet.

European Trip (Day 1)

One of my favorite things about traveling is the act of doing ordinary things in extraordinary places. This is especially the case when one travels to a country with a different language. Simple activities like driving, going to the cinema, and going to the market suddenly take on the feel of an adventure. 
Our flight landed in Brussels yesterday and with only a little trouble we picked up our rental car, a Mercedes Benz, which sounds very posh to an American, but is actually a very common auto maker throughout Europe. Ursa had pre-loaded our TomTom with the maps of western Europe, which made navigating the motorways much easier. Not that it was entirely necessary as that Belgium has pretty good signage, and we had a relatively stress free drive to Eersel, Netherlands, to Ursa's mother's house, where we will be staying. That night we had a lovely dinner and then got some much needed rest. As it turned out, the twenty hour trip to get here took a little out of us.

Today we slept in extra late, then went down to the grocery store to pick up some snacks and breakfast stuffs. The most interesting part of shopping abroad is finding items that you have no idea what it is but looks delicious. You never know how it will turn out. But for me what I was looking forward to the most was the licorice isle. Dutch licorice comes in three primary flavors: salty, sweet, and bitter; then there are a variety of textures, and also gummies that have a licorice coating, and licorice hard candies. I purchased some marshmallow soft sweet licorice with a salted coating. Unspeakably good!
The other snack that I never pass up while in the Netherlands is Stroopwaffel. Miniature, cookie-sized waffles filled with either honey or maple syrup. They are perfect for eating with coffee or tea.

Bay Area Trip Day 17 (Still more wine tasting)

We are at a point in our wine tasting extravaganza that we have pretty well settled into our tastes of specifically what we like and don't like, which makes it very hard to find exactly what we're looking for, while at the same time we have to find three more wines to fill the case that we will be travelling home with.

The first stop was at Black Stallion Winery, which had a really lovely property. I also appreciated that the staff was not into high pressure sales, most places try to keep you at their tasting bar and keep you talking, but Black Stallion encouraged you to take your wine, go sit outside or look around the property then come back to get your next taste. While I liked the atmosphere, and the property, I wasn't such a fan of the wines, maybe because I'm at a point in the trip where I've gotten very picky, or maybe because their wines were very tannen heavy which I'm not so keen on, but either way I was a little underwhelmed by their wines, which was too bad, because I really wanted to like their stuff.

(photo by Ursa Davis)

After Black Stallion, we went over to one of the oldest wineries in the area, Regusci Winery. Many of the wineries in this area are home to large, ornate visitor centers and tasting rooms, and this one had one as well but the feel of it was more inviting, more social, less presumptuous. This had the feel of a working farm, albeit an extraordinarily nice, new, and manicured farm, but a farm nonetheless. And their wines were quite good as well.
Our last stop of the day was probably the best, James Cole. It had a young, hip staff and great pours. The prices there were a little higher than we would have liked to been paying but we splurged on two bottles there anyway, their 2011 old vine red blend called Il Mostro. The second was a spectacular 2011 Merlot Icewine. One usually doesn't see merlot grapes used in a dessert wine but James Cole managed to do it to great effect. It brought the flavor back from the overly rich sweetness that many dessert wines are, to a milder flavor that was stellar.

(photo by Ursa Davis)

Bay Area Trip Day 16 (Wine, Wine & more Wine)

(photo by Ursa Davis)

The number of wineries in the Napa Valley region is really staggering. It's tough to even scratch the surface on visiting them all. But the good news is that it is hard to find bad wines around here.

(photo by Ursa Davis)

The best way that I have heard it described is that a winemaker is like a chef, he decides what he wants to make and the process and tools to make it with, but ultimately it is the ingredients that determine if the end product is good or bad. If you have the best ingredients, the odds are you'll cook a great meal. Simply put, Napa Valley grows great grapes and the wines of the region reflect that in their quality.

(photo by Ursa Davis)

Speaking of the quality of how the grapes are grown, Jarvis Winery takes particular care to manage their grapes in the field, spacing their rows farther apart than any other winery in order to keep the shadows of the other plants off of the grapes, keeping them dryer, and less prone to mildew. By doing this they sacrifice the quantity of wine that they produce for a higher quality.

(photo by Ursa Davis)

Of the many wine tours and tastings that we've been on since being here, the best tour, hands down, has been at Jarvis Winery. The entire winery was built underground in tunnels dug by a boring machine used to build the Chunnel. Their facility is really beautiful and their wines are amazing. I couldn't get past their Cabernet Franc which usually is a varietal that I don't like. I'm not a huge fan of really tannen heavy wines, and Cab Francs are some of the most tanneny, but Jarvis' was really drinkable. I won't go so far as to say that it was light, because it's not supposed to be, but it was mellow for such a bold varietal. All of their wines were stellar, they were crafted for quality and it showed in their flavor... and their price.

(photo by Ursa Davis)

Another tour that we took was to Silver Oak Winery. This is one of my father's favorite wines and we would be remiss if we didn't take his recommend. But that is the thing about wine, it is all so subjective. What is great to one person is not as good to the next. None of it is bad of course, but I found Silver Oak's cabernets to be rather average compared to the others that we have tried in the area. It was however a lovely facility and a tour well worth taking.

(photo by Ursa Davis)

For my money, the best wines we have tasted in Napa have been at Cliff Lede Vineyards. One after another were really dynamite. We bought two bottles there, the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc which may be the best sauv blanc I have ever had, and the FEL Chardonnay 2012 which was a fruit forward, non malic chardonnay that was outstanding. Our host, Art, was also extraordinarily helpful, and full of good recommends, and knowledge of all things wine.
Just down the road from Cliff Lede was Goosecross Winery. Goosecross is our favorite kind of farmhouse style wine maker that has a fun, friendly atmosphere. We laughed and joked and had generous pourings of some very good wines. They had only the problem of geography, because to try the wines at Goosecross so shortly after the amazing wines at Cliff Lede did them a disservice.
Last but not least was Girard Winery which had the funnest patrons of all the wineries we were at. Girard was a tasting room actually in town, so the place was a little more full with foot traffic than the other places strung out a little further afield. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, because, while we had more fun and fonder memories of the place, we paid much less attention to the wines and the host than to our fellow patrons.

(photo by Ursa Davis)