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Little Spitler

I thought this blog was going to be 2 days worth of adventure, but we had such a long and full first day that’s all you get (for now)!

We started the day by biking to the Center of Berlin and taking a free walking tour.

First stop: the TV tower.  This was built by the Russians on the East side of the wall and is the highest building in the EU.  Modelled after the first satellite they put into space, I guess it was to show West Berlin how powerful and intelligent the communists could be.  As our tour guide said, “it was kind of like a big middle finger to the West”.  Ironically, the reflection of the sun in the sphere creates a cross, so the West Berliners (who supported the church and democratic government) nicknamed it ‘the Pope’s revenge’.

 

On the first day that Hitler came to power there was a group of student supporters who burned over 20,000 books (written by Jews or about ‘inappropriate ideas’) in a central square.  This was one of my favorite spots on the tour because of 3 memorials.  The first is an actual book market.  Second, there is a very subtle square of glass on the ground where underneath you can see empty book shelves, enough to hold 20,000 books.
Finally, there is this plaque:
It is a quote by a Jewish author who, about 100 years BEFORE Hitler came to power, wrote “First they will burn the books, then they will burn the people”.  Freaky.
Our tour also went to Hitler’s bunker, which is also where he killed himself.  We have no photos of this spot, because there (fittingly) is really no fanfare about it.  The bunker was filled in by cement and it is just a normal parking lot with a small sign.  Having spent the majority of this holiday learning WWII history and horrors, when we were walking along the lot I spat onto the ground.  It felt like the right thing to do.  Since then, RobO has been calling me ‘little spitler’.
Not by coincidence, the Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust is nearby.  This interactive installation is worth visiting for sure.
We ended the tour at the Brandenburg Gate.

 

After the tour, we wanted to see Berlin from above so took a trip on a tethered hot air balloon.  It took me a while to get over my ‘white knuckles’ on the railing.

Finally, at the end of this marathon day, we visited the Reichstag, which is the German parliament building.  It has an architectural genius glass dome (maybe symbolizing government transparency?) that is free to tour, it just has to be booked in advance.  RobO is so smart that he picked the 7:45pm slot, giving us prime sun for photos, as well as night views.

This is the actual parliamentary chamber down below.

Spoiler alert:

Day 2 was also great, so stay tuned for RobO’s next post!
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Łòdź

Welcome to the Łódź blog.  Pronounced “Wooge” (Rhymes with Scrooge), Łódź is located in the centre of Poland.  It is not a huge tourist spot which made for a welcome change in pace after we left Kraków.
 
We rented an amazing apartment on Piotrkowska Street, which happens to be the longest street in Europe.  It was full of outdoor patios and shops that were never short on charm.
So why were we visiting Łódź?  Two years ago when DawnO walked the Camino de Santiago, she did so with a group which included a Łódź local, Maciej (you can call him “Matt”).  When we told him we were going to be in Poland he insisted we visit him so he could show us his home city.  How could we resist?
The first order of business was to tour around all the local hotspots.  We told him we have a love of graffiti art so we got to see the following buildings:
Unfortunately you can’t go far in Poland without being reminded of the holocaust.  Maciej took us to the train station in Łódź where many people were sent to concentration camps all over the country.  The station is as it was in 1945, along with 3 original train cars that were used to transport the victims.
On day two, Maciej picked us up and took us out of town to a castle where we were transported to the Middle Ages.  Everyone was dressed in clothes from the days of yore.  There was a knight competition (not sure what that entailed as we did not get to see it), classic dancing to lute music, and an archery competition.  I felt a bit like Paul Rudd in the movie Role Models.  I kept akwardly calling people “m’ lady” and “kind sir”.
Sign translation: Talkative and Stubborn
Sign translation: He didn’t put the seat down
In the evening Maciej took us to his home where we met his wife and two kids.  They fed us so much food, including paella, which was delicious!
They kept giving Dawn surprises throughout the evening.  She received “real Polish Wodka”, presents from Maciej’s latest Camino, and a birthday cake!
To end the evening DawnO and Maciej retold stories about their time on the Camino and I could see how important their walk together was for them.  I was happy to meet another one of her group that walked with her in Spain.  I could tell she was in good hands.  I almost forgot… All of these stories we told while we drank mead from a horn flask.
This morning we got on a bus and headed for Berlin.  More to come…
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39 and feelin’ fine

Yesterday we got up early to tour Oskar Schindler’s factory.  No longer the enamel factory that it was during the war, it is now a museum depicting the history of the war: beginning, middle, and end, with a special focus on the workings of the Schindler factory and the countless other people who assisted the Poles and Jews.
I was naive to think that this would be a ‘pick me up’ after the horrors of the concentration camps the previous day.  In reality the people in the factory still lost their identities, freedoms, homes, friends, and families and had to suffer through horrible working conditions for no pay and almost no food.  The glimmer of hope that Oskar Schindler provided is that they weren’t starved, beaten, and tortured in the process.
We wandered the Jewish Getto where the Jews were forced to live during the war, then eventually evacuated to concentration camps.  There is a memorial in a main square.
We then crossed the river to the Jewish Quarter, where the Jews prospered prior to the war’s beginning. It’s now filled with neat little cafes and bars.

 

 

In the afternoon we took advantage of the cloud cover and rented bikes.  We cycled on trails along the river and, after about an hour, arrived at a monastery that has housed monks for over 900 years.  Over the years they have been perfecting the craft of beer brewing.

This morning I woke up to be 39 (and holding).  Don’t mention it to RobO, but it’s his official half birthday and 39.5 rounds up!
Our last day in Kraków was centered around food and drink!  I ran around the parks this morning, then we relaxed in a coffee shop.  As many of you Facebook followers know, I went ‘wodka tasting’ in the afternoon.  The breaks were filled with people watching, enjoying patios, and loving the culture of Old Town Kraków.
Tomorrow we’re looking forward to travelling to the center of Poland to visit my Camino brother Maciej.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau

Today we went to Auschwitz.  There.  I said it.  I have been toiling over how to even start writing a blog about one of the most horrific places I have ever visited.  Job one, done.
The infamous sign that greets you to Auschwitz I roughly translates to English as “Work shall set you free”.   It’s one of the many empty promises that were given to the prisoners of this concentration camp.

Originally, this was a Polish army barracks before Nazis took the camp over after they invaded in 1939. These are some of the only remaining pictures of concentration camp victims.

We toured around the outside of the camp and were taken into many of the buildings which were set up with displays of documents, photographs, and camp population/death statistics.  As the tour went on the exhibits became much more intimate.  Enormous piles of hair brushes, eye glasses, shoes, and even human hair were showcased to give us a sense of the countless number of human lives that passed through that miserable place.

Auschwitz I was known as a work camp, while a few kilometres away Auschwitz II-Birkenau was known as the death camp.
The first thing that struck me about Birkenau was the shear size of the camp.  Most of the structures have either been dismantled, like the wooden barracks, or destroyed, like the gas chambers.  The latter was demolished by the Nazis as an attempt to eradicate evidence of the mass killings.

 

When we decided to come to Poland it was obvious to me that we would visit Auschwitz.  I never gave it a second thought.  After we booked our tickets some people asked me why we would want to come here.  At the time I responded with the line that I’ve heard many times before.  If we don’t remind ourselves of the mistakes of the past, we run the risk of repeating them.

 

While that is true, I would be lying if I didn’t start asking myself that question.  It was hard to come up with an answer that didn’t feel like a cliché.  I was hoping that I would find my own answer once we visited the camps.  When prisoners arrived to the death camps all of their belongings were in the one suitcase they were allowed to bring with them from home.  These suitcases were taken to warehouses to be sorted and sifted though for valuables.  This section of the camp was referred to as “Canada”.  This was because they believed Canada was a land of plenty.  This story gave me my answer.  I visited Auschwitz-Berkenau to be reminded how lucky I am to live where I do in the time that I do surrounded by loving family and friends.  I hope reading this will encourage you to visit too.
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Dungeons and Dragons

Our favorite flight hack was successful on our flights to Poland, so we had 3 seats to share between 2 of us!  Of course no airplane sleep is ideal, so we arrived tired but have since used our ‘get-out-of-jetlag-*almost*-free’ card.  This true marriage test involves a vigilant spouse who can ensure that no naps are had in the first day and that we both stay awake until at least 9pm.  As you may imagine, the roles of good cop and bad cop shift between partners as required.

Our Air BnB is right on the edge of Old Town Cracow, so we’ve explored the beautiful area on foot.
At the top of the taller church tower a bugler plays a tune every 15 minutes throughout the day and night.  He stops abruptly, mid note, to represent a bugler who was alerting the city during the war and was shot in the throat.

The Center is surrounded by a park which we’ve enjoyed walking along to get some shade.  We brought the heat with us from home.  Today I saw a billboard that said it was 36.5 degrees.

We also visited the famous Wawel Castle.
What castle is complete without a fire breathing dragon below?
Today we beat the heat with a tour of the Wielizka Salt Mines.  We got as deep as 130 meters underground and explored the tunnels and monuments, almost all of which are made out of salt!  Check it out: huge caverns, salt gnomes, salt lick, a salty last supper, and a sweet but salty baby Jesus in the manger!

 

Here’s a Polish pierogi pic for Rocky B.  Delicious.

Tomorrow will be a heavy day as we’re headed to Aushwitz.  Stay tuned…

 

 

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Non-Stop! Chicago blog

Welcome to a surprise blog!  Well it was a surprise for me but DawnO has had this weekend planned for quite a while.  She somehow secured tickets to Hamilton the musical in Chicago back in November after many different attempts.  I found out her plan on Thursday morning before we made our way to the Calgary airport.  Along the way we had a minor setback when our airplane had to make an emergency landing in Grand Forks, North Dakota.  There was a wiring issue and they were worried it could start a fire after the burning smell wasn’t going away.  Luckily we were on Westjet and they were amazing with how they dealt with the situation.  They provided everybody with pizza while they sent us a new plane.

Guess which one was gluten free.

We eventually made our way to our friends’ place in Chi-town and we got to meet their newest family member.  The last time we saw Nick and Meg they had a bun in the oven.  Now they have Maxine to keep her big brother Lou on his toes.
Saturday night finally arrived and we ate some Thai food before heading to the show.

How was it?  It was the best show I have had the pleasure to witness.  If you ever get a ‘shot’ to see this, don’t throw it away.  DawnO even thought it was great.  She said she would love to go again.  That’s a pretty strong endorsement.

On Sunday we joined Nick and Meg for a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.  They destroyed the Brewers which helped the atmosphere.  Baseball crowds are always entertaining, but it certainly helps when they are drunk and happy.

On our last day we finally got a blue sky.  Nick and Meg were at work so we toured the city on some bikes.  We made our way along the bike trails that border Lake Michigan and eventually found our way to the giant bean!

 

All-in-all DawnO deserves the wife of the year award for planning such a huge trip.  If you are wondering, I have one planned for her in the coming months so stay tuned.

 

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A-maze-ing Fès

Fès is known for having one of the oldest and most confusing medinas in Morocco. Though I love the Lonely Planet guidebooks, their maps of Fez need some work. RobO and I wandered around trying to find the Royal Palace and luckily came across some self guided tour signs, which helped immensely.

When we reached the doors of the palace it was well worth it.

RobO kept making jokes about how many pictures I took of the knockers.
Our Next stop on our little tour was the Jewish Cemetery and Synagogue, followed by the refreshing Bou Jeloud Gardens.
Feeling confident with our route markers, we explored the winding medina, seeing workshops where they’re carving wood, clanging out copper bowls, and etching amazing decorative patterns into silver wares. Though it is busy and maze-like, we found it so much better to manoeuvre than the one in Marrakech.  We tried to barter for a few items (I say ‘tried’ because neither RobO nor I are very good at it). Here’s how it went:
Me (looking at 2 wooden carvings): How much for these?
Shop guy: 50 Dirhams each (about $5 US each)
Me: How about 80 Dirhams for both.
Shop guy: Now the price is 1000 Dirhams for both.
Me: (Completely bewildered. Like we’re not even on the same playing field anymore.) Ummm, never mind. (Then as I’m considering walking away) How about 100 Dirhams for both.
Shop guy: OK.
We pay, knowing that we actually didn’t barter at all.
I hoped to go to the oldest library in the world, but it’s currently undergoing a restoration, so we could only see the entrance.

I think I should have been a cultural anthropologist. I love seeing how different cultures actually live, not just what tourists see from the outside. This led me to try out going to a non tourist hammam, which was a culturally rich experience, to say the least! Women in Morocco are always very well covered in cloaks and head scarves, but it’s a different story in the hammam. Basically there are cavernous sauna like rooms filled with women wearing only panties who are washing themselves and each other while gossiping and occasionally yelling (I couldn’t figure out about what). I had to work up my courage to try this experience and overall my baby soft skin is glad that I did!

And, no, I did not take any pictures of any of those knockers.
We’ve continued our good eats; RobO having an average of 1.5 tagines per day, and me trying new stuff all the time.
Here’s a ‘splurge’ meal from a popular tourist Cafe. I had a plate of falafel, hummus, and tabouleh. RobO’s is a salad with capers, blue cheese, figs, and candied walnuts.
And this is pastille, which is a phyllo pastery stuffed with chicken, onion, and almonds. On top is a sprinkle of icing sugar and cinnamon. Sounds weird but it’s delicious!
We’re now in Amsterdam for 24 hours before our flight home. It’s so nice to catch up with our friend Jente and meet her growing family.
Next blog should be in the summertime when we plan to visit Poland and Berlin!

 

 

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For Fès Sake

A few days ago we made our way to Fès on a long bus journey followed by a personal taxi that our host in Fès set up for us.  As we pulled up to a large metal gate in a skinny dead end alley, our driver informed us that our building was a palace at one time.  Though this sounded impressive, we didn’t fully understand what we were about to see.

Above is a shot of our courtyard.  There are suites along either side of the courtyard, all varying in size.  We have a nice room with a private bathroom and even an upstairs kitchen.

It took me a while to get used to our winding streets so DawnO has taken the helm and has done a great job navigating.

Yesterday we joined up with some friends from home who happened to be in Morocco. We hired a taxi for the day to take us out to Volubilis, an old Roman city full of ruins and well preserved mosaics.

The next stop was Moulay Idriss, home to the tomb of Mr. Idriss, great-grandson to the prophet Mohammed and the founder of Morocco’s first real dynasty.  Every August it is the focus of a great pilgrimage.

We had our own pilgrimage trying to find the place where we could get a panoramic view.  We were determined to not use a guide and it ended up costing us about 30 minutes of unnecessarily walking uphill.  Eventually, a local “guide” showed us the way so we could get these shots:

Pictured above is the Mosque and the Mausoleum (green pyramid) of Moulay Idriss.

We have a couple more days in Fès before we make our way home.  Which will include a visit with our friend Jente in Amsterdam!
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White and Blue

After our few days in and around Marrakech we altered our travel plans to include a quick stop in Casablanca. As romantic as it sounds, Casa is actually off of the typical tourist circuit, which is a double edged sword. The positives are that we could be more anonymous, not constantly being harassed by people trying to get us to go somewhere or buy something. I also had a day of freedom from wearing the travel money belt (we lovingly refer to it as my ‘travel gunt’). The big con is that it didn’t have the tourist conveniences like restaurants or anywhere handy to buy a snack or drink. Our evaluation is when it comes to tourist infrastructure, ‘too much’ beats out ‘too little’.

Aside from having some downtime to do laundry, relax, and drink cafe nes nes (half coffee, half milk), we visited the main tourist attraction of the stunning Hassan II Mosque. It’s the 3rd largest mosque in the world, fitting 25,000 praying people inside and 80,000 outside.

Last night we took a train-bus combination to the blue city of Chefchouen. Everything in the medina (old town) is painted various shades of blue, making it appear like a beautiful version of the ‘bedrock’ area at Calaway Park. It’s cold and rainy here, so even my lips are matching the hues of the city.

In RobO’s last blog he was so busy describing me as a pink convertible that he failed to mention that he has transformed into a different loveable, funny, Canadian actor. During the goats in tree viewing, RobO got so excited that he clapped his hand to his mouth. His wedding ring hit his tooth at the perfect angle and velocity to give him a handsome Lloyd Christmas (from Dumb and Dumber) look.
Thankfully it is not painful (other than in aesthetics) so we’re not having to blog about his experiences with Moroccan emergency dentistry!
Tomorrow we will make our way to Fez, which is one of our last stops in our Moroccan adventure.
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Water buckets and bucket lists

We have spent the last two days doing excursions outside of Marrakech.  Yesterday we went to the coastal town of Essaouira.  It was a welcomed change of pace from the big city.  The weather was beautiful, the noise was minimal and we had room to walk along without dodging donkeys, scooters and shoppers.
When we got back to the city we had what I might call an awkward couples hammam.  If you are long time readers of our blog you may remember a post I wrote about a rather awkward, yet amazing Turkish bath experience…  See ‘Bloggle Bloggle” for the full story.   Consider this hammam experience to be along the same lines.  If you don’t already know, a hammam is when you, a consenting adult human, allow an adult stranger to wash and scrub your almost naked body until your top layer of skin comes off.  Sounds pretty normal so far, right?  Well, the place we are staying at has a hammam so we thought after a nice day at the beach, we would come home and get a good scrub down.  We booked it and at the time I wondered, if the hammam was in our place, does that mean one of the 3 staff members gets the lucky job of hosing me down?  Would it be bachelor number 1? The manager with a twinkle in his eye?  Bachelor number 2?  The guy that can’t speak English but is fluent in all things French? Or the lady that has been cleaning our room for the last 3 days?  I had convinced myself that they probably hired outside help for that job.  Well what a jerk I was.  Not only was it the lady that was up to the task, but she was taking us both on in the same room.  Now I’m not sure how a threesome is supposed to go, but I’m certain what I saw in that room was not a show I ever need to witness again.  When she was washing one of us, the other one was sitting on the smallest stool in the world I’d like to call the stool of the scary truth.  It was so hot.  Like temperature hot.  We were down to our underwear and she was wearing pants.  The most awkward moment for me was when I was getting scrubbed a bit too vigorously and I made a face, revealing my comfort level all while locking eyes with my wife of ten years who looked like a freshly washed hot-pink convertible with her top down.  And the most amazing part?  The lady didn’t even get her pants wet.
Today we took our clean selves to Ouarzazate, a city south of the High Atlas Mountains.  It has been featured in many films and even has its own movie studio.
We also visited Aït Ben Haddou which can be seen in Lawerence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones.

DawnO and I have a bucket list.  While Dawn adds things to it well in advance, I find it hard to add items to the list.  I usually see or do something and then afterwards say, “That goes on the bucket list! Check!”  What I saw on the way to Essaouira was put on the list once we knew it was a thing.  We actually only booked this trip because we heard we might see this mind blowing sight.  Ladies and gentlemen, we give you goats in a tree:

Props to Peggy Nelson for telling us that this was even a thing.

Apparently the goats climb the trees to eat the nuts that grow on them.  Bucket list item, check!