Dharamsala

From Sarah's Blog


We just came off of a three-day weekend where we traveled up into the mountains of Dharamsala, India and had a lovely time. We stayed in a hotel up in the mountainside, full of beautiful views of the town and countryside - although it is now rainy season, so the afternoons were quiet foggy and rainy. From the balcony of our hotel, we were actually able to see the residence of the Dalai Lama which was only about 150 meters away. One day we walked over the residence and walked around to see the grounds where the Dalai Lama lives, works, and prays. He happened to be in Belgium this weekend, so we unfortunately could not see him, but it was still need to see the home.

The biggest highlight of the trip was our hike to the Baragsunag Waterfall. We walked for about two miles through the winding mountain roads and up a path to get to the site. Along the way, we came across lots of stray dogs, monkeys, and enormous cows. Once we got the pathway, a couple of goats walked alongside us, and the girls were able to pet them as they went. We finally made it to the waterfall, and it was beautiful. We all took off our socks and shoes to stand in it, and the girls even wore their bathing suits and attempted to swim. The water was absolutely freezing, so there wasn't much swimming involved, but Taelyn was daring enough to go under for a second. After drying off, we hiked up to the top of the falls and then made our way back to the hotel.

During our last morning in Dharamsala, we also hiked to St.John's of the Wilderness - an old, gothic-style Catholic church tucked into the mountains, surrounded by the forest. On the church grounds was a very old cemetery with graves covered in moss. The entire property felt like it was straight out of the beast's castle in Beauty and the Beast.

When we weren't hiking and seeing sights, we spent the rest of our time shopping and hanging out on the balcony of our hotel restaurant. The shopping was amazing: lots of small tourist shops with jewelry, scarves, Tibetan-style items, and outdoor gear. We ended up buying a lot of North Face items at a fraction of the cost in the US. The girls also got some very cute sweater tops and hats. After shopping, we went to the restaurant balcony for meals and played a lot of Farkle as we looked out over the beautiful mountain view. It was a lovely weekend!

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Jordan

Our last hoo-rah in the Middle East was marked with a trip to Jordan, which is on nearly everyone's list here. Although we are more than capable of going it alone, this time, like our trip to Egypt, we opted to go with the full-service package and have a driver and a guide at every site. In this region that is sometimes very worth it. We don't speak the language, we want to learn the history, and we avoided local hassle.

Arriving in Amman we headed right to the Kempinski hotel for, what else, bowling. The next morning was a full-day trip starting with a visit to the ancient city of Jerash. We walked the Roman ruins among sheep and learned of the way of life from 2,000 years ago. An amazing amount of the city still lay underground.  And while it is all a sight to see, nothing quite compares to Arab men in traditional costumes playing Scotland the Brave on bagpipes in a two century old amphitheater.  A drive back saw camels on the sides of the road before when arrived in the city again and up a hill to the Citadel. Much of it was like Jerash, but these ruins have a history of 6,000 years and a museum. We then hiked the Roman theater at the bottom of the hill before calling it a night.

The next day we rolled out of town to Bethany on the River Jordan, the site of Jesus's baptism.  A long wait for the tourist bus finally got us to the river and we walked a half-maintained trail to the site. It has clearly been kept up for tourism as the river naturally doesn't flow though this location any more. But we did climb down to the river and dip our feet in, 6 feet from the opposite shore of Israel. Armed gunman stood on either side of the creek to secure the boarder.  We next headed up to the top of Mt. Nebo where Moses saw the Promise Land. While the misty air made seeing clearly impossible, it was still an impressive layout.

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The next morning we awoke in Petra with a clear day and cool air and started a walk down into the canyon. The winding dirt road soon narrowed into almost a slot canyon (The Siq) and we were met with amazing tall walls with light jetting in when possible. The curvy walkway continued and within 20 minutes we were at the famous site of the Treasury.  All fans of Indiana Jones know this as the shot for the final segment of the Lost Crusade.  It was a site. At 2000 years old, it was still well preserved, minus the bullet holes. Since we arrived early, our photo is without obstruction, save the two camels lying in front.

Our guide took us down toward the canyon and to the Roman road, but instead of following the obvious path, we jetted hard right into the foothills.  It was the best thing we could have done. Caves (former tombs and homes) were our playground as we hiked and climbed all over the mountain. The rocks were splashed with brilliant purple and pink coloring. And the carvings continued, just as impressive, along side of the canyon.  Near the end we rented mules and proceeded down near the Roman road and onto the track.

An often overlooked piece of the Petra landscape, but not to be missed, is the Monastery. Our mules took us up a precarious ridge, risking life as a small slip of a hoof would have spelt disaster. But they were sure footed (the guide just said, "Do not ride them down!") and we made the top. The Monastery was also as impressive as the Treasury, if not more so due to its height and obscure location.  Our kids had lunch and a drink and we turned to hike out.  By now, hoards of tourists coming up from Aqaba on buses had been let out and were swarming the sight. As we walked the road back against the flow of tour groups I couldn't help but look to the hills and realize just how special this place was, yet how horrible it was down on the canyon floor. Propositioned for a mule, donkey, or camel ride back up about 1,000 times, I hated the tourist trinket crap shops that had no place in a historic site. Once we hit the Treasury, I was done. That peaceful morning picture I captured would turn into the scene of a rock concert, with hundreds of slobs unable to appreciate this view.  We hurried up the Siq, again fighting foot traffic, dodging ignorant folk with stickers with numbers on their chest so they could identify their group.  It was a poor way to end what I otherwise consider one of the most amazing places in the world. Just don't go at mid-day.

A nice dinner and ice cream greeted our family that hiked 8.5 into and out of the canyon. The next day we were off again, this time to the desert of Wadi Rum.  Made famous as the filming site of Lawrence of Arabia, the sandy plains meet the towering masses of rock in a landscape not duplicated elsewhere in this world.  We popped into the back of a pick up truck and bounced around the area for two hours, stopping to climb sand dunes and run down or overlook a valley from on high. After we got back to the tents, we decided to do some rock climbing on the mountains behind camp.  Then we boarded camels and did a leisurely walk at sundown on the backs of beasts.  A dinner of meat (buried deep in the sand with a fire on top all day) filled the void.  Our beds for the night were in tents permanently pitched in the sand.  Needless to say, breakfast was cold.

Off again to the coast where we parked in Aqaba on the Red Sea.  Looking across, one can see Egypt and Israel, and to the left, Saudi Arabia, all while in Jordan. Our view was spectacular (though the Radisson Blu hotel left a lot to be desired).  Our afternoon consisted of a boat ride.  With its glass bottom we were carted along over a shipwreck and across a reef, sighting fish and jellyfish along the way.  Taelyn and Justin snorkeled a bit, but the water wasn't too warm.  Back on shore, a BBQ lunch awaited.  The next day was a full beach day, though the water proved a tad too cold to enjoy. The girls played with kittens and we stayed warm in the sun. Our final day took us from Aqaba up to the Dead Sea where we went down to the water and floated.  The girls were reluctant and stings from the salt water proved to be too much for them to enjoy it, but we did get to cover ourselves in the mud.

Jordan proved to be a wonderful place to visit, full of history, and very different than the rest of the Middle East. 

Barcelona

Not many trips have been as hyped up as Barcelona for us. Every time someone asked where we were headed, they said said. "Ohhh, you are gonna love it!" And we did.

Opting to stay in El Born, the cultural neighborhood of small alleyways, bars, museums, and just steps from the Picasso Museum, we were in a great location.  The beach was a short stroll away, and while the water was too cold for a swim, the beach was full of sea glass and the girls wadded in anyway.  This beach would be amazing in the summer months, full of eccentric people and lots of sun.  We also were next to a great park and the Barcelona Zoo, which made for great walks.

Perhaps the pinnacle of the trip (or the underlying purpose) was to hit up the absolutely phenomenal brew pubs in the city.  Brewdog (the UK brewery) has a home here and served up many exciting brews for mom and dad and provided fun games for the kids to stay busy.  Best of all, the bartender will pour you a shot of Tactical Nuclear Penguin, a brew clocking in at 32% ABV. For the price of a bottle, you will be glad to just try this in small doses.  Another fine establishment is the all-vegetarian food-serving place called Ale & Hop. With a nice combo of Spanish products and imports, the friendly staff was always ready to find the next gem.  But the star was BierCab which we frequented multiple times. Delicious tapas backed up 30 beers on tap from some diverse and unique places.  But the real plus was the bottle shop tied to the pub. For takeaway, one can purchase a wide-range of beers from some of the world's best breweries, including The Lost Abbey, Mikkeller, Stone, Rouge, Ale Smith, and The Bruery.  The catch was Westvleteren 12, often rated the world's best beer, and to my knowledge, sold only at the Belgian monastery where it is brewed in small packs with an advanced reservation.  They also had Samuel Adams Utopias, but at 300 Euros a bottle I just couldn't pull the trigger. The staff was amazing, took great care of us, gave our girls shirts and key chains, and me a bottle opener. It is the best beer place we have been to.

With the beer done, we move on to the rest. Of course, there is sangria a plenty here, and this interesting drink called tinto verano which is red wine with a mix of soda, like orange pop. It that doesn't tickle your fancy, have a Gin Tonic, which the city is passionate about. Forget about that garbage you pull out from the dusty cabinet once a summer, blow off, splash with something you bought at Wal-Mart, and add lime to. No, this is an art form. You must select your gin and your tonic, and the varieties of each are overwhelming, and the two are mixed delicately and deliberately. It is quite refreshing, and had it been warmer out, we may have had them all of the time.  But what we did frequent many a time was Ma Mai Ne in the Passeig del Born. With 40 kinds of hand-made mojitos on site, you cannot go wrong, Certainly have the traditional lime and mint, or roll with a Kiwi to try something new. But if you want some fun, try the Spicy Mango or, the absolute best of all time, the Cookie. Ya, that's right. Cookie mojito. Amazing.

By now you are seriously lubed up but don't forget, this place is passionate about food.  With some top-end restaurants, you can't go wrong, unless a budget is in your vocabulary. Tapas are everywhere and I must say that most places are reasonably priced.  The menu del dia will greet you with a main, beer, and desert for about 7 Euros, a steal.  Recommended to us was Tlaxcal in El Born which served up beef tongue tacos that were the bomb. Then we caught wind of a Mexican place named El Pachuco, a hole in the wall place with epic drinks and the best food outside of Mexico, though you wouldn't know it by looking.  The nachos are extreme and should win some kind of award.

We didn't just eat and drink the whole time. There were some sites spliced in. The free-to-visit 13th century Cathedral of Barcelona is a splendid site but everyone knows nothing holds a candle to La Sagrada Familia. 120+ years in the making, this shrine to the heavens continues to climb higher in the image of Gaudí. Like the Taj and Angkor Wat, you can see as many pics as you want, but this site cannot be felt until you stand in its shadows.  And while the outside is unarguably spectacular, the inside is amazing as well. The colors of stained glass reflecting off the walls cannot be duplicated.

Speaking of Gaudí, we headed to Park Güell, though we opted not to pay to walk among the artistic benches. Rather, we hiked up the mountain for a gorgeous view of the city from on high. Great trails lead up the peak and it was amazing to be free in nature in the middle of a modern city. This was, perhaps, our most enjoyable day, though we walked more than we probably ever have there.

Justin headed to the famous Camp Nou to see FC Barcelona, probably the world's best soccer team, win a game. But to complete the tour, the family all came back to visit the stadium during a non-match day as part of the Camp Nou Experience. With everything from Champion's League trophies to fake pictures with Messi, this place has it all. You can spend as long as you like admiring all of the awards this club has garnished or you can move on to see the visiting locker room, press areas, and the field. For fans and non-fans alike, it is a really well-done production worth spending an hour or two of your city trip. 

While the nightly Magic Fountain show did not appear to be a thing when we visited, we did spend some time on Montjuic to see the 1992 Olympic venue. A trip into the stadium and around the grounds offered some unique architecture and views of the city. It is amazing that the Olympics took place on this hillside. 

Barcelona did not disappoint. We hope to be back, perhaps in the warmth of summer. 

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Christmas in Poland

We arrived in Krakow, Poland after an overnight flight with our friends, The Jettners (from South Africa/Saudi/Michigan). As a special Christmas treat, Justin hired a limo for a surprise and the group drove around town in style, sipping champagne. We ended at the Christmas Market in the main square, a village of stalls basked in Christmas lights across a square smelling of roasted meat, mulled wine, and with every trinket imaginable. After getting our fill of food, drink, and shopping, we headed out for a Mexican dinner, perfect for Poland.

Day 2 dawned with a trip to Park Wodny, an indoor waterpark.  We then celebrated Ari's birthday by going to a natural history museum (some live animals), and dinner at the recommended Del Papa. The next day we visited the Rynek Underground, a museum of a partially preserved medieval city under the town square. Our evening capped off with a trip to Maze Krakow, an exciting role-playing game where you are locked in a room.  You have 1 hour to find a bomb, disable it, and get out of the room. Using clues and items in the room, you must unlock doors, enter codes, and find secrets. It was like being in National Treasure.

Auschwitz was a haunting day. Sarah and I left the kids back and went on a tour, learning all about the atrocities of what people can do.  We saw whole rooms of luggage, shoes, pots, glass, and combs collected from victims.  The most disturbing was the one with human hair (no pictures allowed). More than a million people were killed at Auschwitz, and many of those at the largest camp Birkenau.  We elected to skip this second and more graphic portion of the tour having been distressed enough by what we already had seen. As the Nazis destroyed all of the gas chambers hoping to cover evidence in the final days of the war, we only saw a reconstructed crematorium.  Many women, children, and the elderly all arrived by trains after days of cramped, cold travel and were told they were going to shower. Instead they were gassed to death.  After walking around, we decided that these people were perhaps the lucky ones, as the survivors were subjected to horrible work conditions, malnourishment, medical experiments, and torture before eventually scumming to conditions, disease, starvation, or execution. Pictures shows people surviving perhaps 2-3 years like this, but many dying within 1-3 months. It was an atrocity never to be repeated.

Aside from many trips to the Christmas Market, we also found some great places to enjoy a beverage.  Beer Gallery is a fun little place with lots of Belgian beers.  Another amazing place we found was the House of Beer with a display wall of bottles acting as a menu. On a chance, we passed by the T.E.A. Time Brewery which sported a fun bar above an underground tavern. For another taste of the microbrew scene we headed to C.K. Brower, a cool looking bar with about 5 beers of their own.  I have to say, we were quite impressed with the level of craft brews in Poland. Another exciting option is the Wodka Cafe Bar. With more than 100 types of vodka on hand, you can sample any number of them for very cheap. Good luck.

On the way out of town we checked out the Wieliczka Saltmine, an underground network of caves carved out by 100+ years of mineral mining. While the history was exciting, perhaps the highlight was the girls being able to lick every wall in the place. We headed south to the mountains to visit Zakopane, Poland's Winter Capital.  Unfortunately, there was no snow. That did not stop us from doing everything we wanted, just a bit abridged. Our base was the beautiful Aprtament Glaumor 1, one of the better places we have found on booking.com.  Hitting the outdoors, skating is skating, and public rinks have bad ice no matter what. But when you get to do it with the mountains as a backdrop, it really doesn't matter the weather.  We also went dog sledding. With no snow, we actually went dog carting.  After meeting the dogs and getting to play with them a bit, we learned all about them. Then the dogs were hooked up to a cart and we took turns going around a small track with them pulling.

A similar experience was our trip on a horse-drawn sleigh. Large carts were pulled by horses and we ventured into the woods at night, Many stars glistened overhead and we stopped at the halfway point to have a drink - tea with vodka. We carted back, sipping wine from bottles and keeping warm, until we reached a lodge.  Nestled into a wood cabin with sausages roasted over a fire, we were entertained by traditionally dressed men playing instruments around the fire pit.

Skiing was in serious jeopardy with the weather but bits of machine-made snow coated the lower slopes of the hill, enough for a few days of ski lessons for the girls.  By the final day, Taelyn was going up and down on her own.  We also found some sleds and hit the slops for good winter fun.  While it wasn't ideal to miss out on snow at Christmas, we really lucked out by not having weather that was too cold to stop us from doing outdoor activities.

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On the way home we had a long layover in Berlin.  We embarked on a whirlwind tour, heading over to Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate, and the Berlin Wall.

Germany - Oktoberfest

Would you believe it? Another trip to Germany. This time it was for the marathon. It just happened to be a big coincidence that Oktoberfest was going on at the same time!

We arrived in Nuremburg, the closest point for the race and spent a few days at Five Reasons Hostel & Hotel, situated within the walled city and overseen by the Imperial Castle. Hikes around town were greeted with great food and drink, especially at Hausbraurei Altstadthof, Café Wanderer, and BarfüsserBrauhaus.  We ventured deep into the underground caves to see the city below the city.  We also headed out to the Nazi Rally Grounds and Memorium of the Nuremberg Trials to get a taste of the significant history of the city. Such amazing and horrible things happened here and it is good to see that these sites haven't been destroyed. We learn more from being able to walk around than from stories or books.

The weekend concluded with an ill-advised marathon in a small, neighboring town. It was one of the prettiest races I have done.  But soon we were headed to Munich, with the running behind us, and a new kind of marathon looming ahead.

Oktoberfest is one of the world's most amazing events and we were drawn back. With kinds in tow this time, we opted for daytime visits on weekdays, making it easy to get a seat and less likely to run into any problems. Of course, we all showed up in authentic lederhosen and drindl. Arriving on Monday morning around 11, we had our choice of tents. Opting for a place that is famous for chicken, we rolled in and sat down to the butter and herb roasted goodness that is Bavarian Hendl. Of course, we had to spot some pretzels as well as a great litre of brew. Seeing no reason not to bounce around and check out the other atmospheres, we went on to the next tent and the next. From Spatan to Hacker-Pschorr, to Hofbrauhaus we roamed.  The girls stopped for a gingerbread cookie which they demolished.  We lost Sarah for a bit but she resurfaced and we made our way home, job well done.

The next day we headed back for round 2, but this time meeting a couple we worked with in Doha. It was family day so the rides were half price.  With the promise of carnival rides, we got the kids back in for food and alternated rides with another tent and so on. Even at half prices the rides were expensive (and cheesy). But some tents had kids' areas and all had music so we were all entertained. Towards the afternoon we decided that Justin would go to the Bayern-Munich football game with Mike. We went and witnessed a historic game with Lewandowski scoring 5 goals in 9 min.

With Oktoberfest done and dusted, we rolled south into the Bavarian gem town of Fussen.  This is fairy tale kingdom and on the following day we went to Neuschwanstein Castle and
Hohenschwangau Castle and learned the history of King Ludwig II. These castles are amazing to see and provide great views.  After the castles we headed to a brewery.  Dinner and a few lead to a fine game of putt-putt out in the fields below the castle. Our base was the lovely Hotel Fantasia, a repeat stay and one of our favorite lodgings in the world. It is like its own fairy tale castle and garden at the base of the real castles.
Our final stop on the way out was Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a German town in northern Bavaria known for its medieval architecture. Half-timbered houses line the cobblestone lanes of its old town. The town walls include many preserved gate houses and towers, plus a covered walkway on top. One of our favorite sites in this town is a medieval crime and torture museum, complete with swords, masks, and other devices. At night we joined the famous Night Watchman tour. A guy dresses in a holocaust cloak and wields a giant ax-like weapon as he wanders through the streets describing life as it was in medieval times. It is really a fun addition to a great, classic city.

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