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Thanksgiving in Strasbourg
We walked into the Petite France section of Strasbourg along the river. Half timbered buildings mingled with traditional French and German architecture. Strasbourg is along the German border, and the Alsace region of present day France was part of Germany for long periods of its history. There are still Lutheran/Protestant churches in the city, and one of them, St. Thomas, had a noon day scripture and music devotional. The church was begun in the 700s and is very large. Its pipe organ was built by Silberman, the great pipe organ builder. Albert Schweitzer played on the instrument. The music was meditative and the pastor had chosen hymns that were definitely Thanksgiving in character. How appropriate for us! We were able to sing along since some sang in French, some in German, and some in English as the words of each language were printed out. It was a good moment in time as we thought of family and friends back home. We were thankful to God for our many blessings.
Our Thanksgiving meal was eaten in a striking restaurant all decked out for Christmas and in a quaint half-timbered building set along the river. Everything was quite French. I believe my Camembert fried in a sesame cream and Randy’s meat dish in a French pastry won the prize for great French cuisine. Not a typical Thanksgiving meal, but it was for us a memorable one. The local beer was also quite good.
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It is a grey day with intermittent rain, but the Christmas lights are bright and cheery. In the mid-afternoon Kathy and I returned to the apartment for a short rest while Randy and Melisa went on exploring. They returned to the apartment to fetch us because they had found the largest Christmas market in Strasbourg. It is one we had not visited. Lights and stalls abounded. It seems as if stores compete to see which can have the most festive display. All of this in a beautiful old town on its own right, festooned with Christmas joy. It is an almost surreal experience.
We ended our day with traditional gluhwein (a liquor and hot wine concoction) and a huge white bratwurst. We also called family to say, as I do to you, “Happy and blessed Thanksgiving.” WEG
The Part Cannot Define the Whole
Mighty cathedral bells, angelic choirs, Christmas lights of every description, Christmas Markets down every lane, street performers and happy people are descriptors of the Strasbourg Marche de Noel. We were immediately cast into the Christmas spirit. One picture cannot capture the whole experience. So very exciting.
The Strasbourg, France, Cathedral has a wondrous facade, the red stones taken from the local mountains. Once inside viewing the tapestry-laden aisles we heard a melodious choir singing. The sounds echoed through the chambers. We were inspired! The large and hand carved and painted astronomical clock in one of the side chapels chimed out the hour as carved figures moved in whimsical fashion.
Outside, streets in every direction were lighted in Christmas display. Large Christmas scenes adorned stores and shops. The river was decorated in lights and wreaths. Our apartment street has large crystal chandeliers encased in mesh boxes that light up beautifully at night. A humongous Christmas tree is the center of attention in a city square. The Christmas Markets (they spill down streets and lanes) are filled with small shops with a coordinated decoration plan—lights, wreaths, music. Really, it is experiential overload, but not in a negative way. The spirit is uplifted.
Randy and Melisa and we are sharing a spacious and wonderful apartment that has views of the cathedral spire and sits on the edge of the largest Christmas Market. We simply step outside into another world, a Christmas world. It is more than cool! This has been an aspiration for a long time (European Christmas Markets and Concerts). We purchased Alsatian Christmas cookies (some made with almond flour) and a local Riesling wine and enjoyed them in our apartment God has blessed us with the ability to experience this joy. WEG
Why did we choose Strasbourg, France, to visit at Christmas, we’ve been asked. The first traditional Christmas Market in Strasbourg, the Christkindelsmarik, the oldest in France, was held in 1570 when Alsace switched to Protestantism, giving the label, “Capital of Christmas,” to Strasbourg, a UNESCO world heritage site. KG
Tight Security
We have never stayed in a hostel, until now. (Oops—Kathy said we did once in an earlier time in life.) Our Jordan Tour left from a hostel and ended there. We were supposed to arrive after midnight, and we had to leave for our flight to Basel, Switzerland, early the next morning, so we decided, “Let’s stay there and not worry about a cab to a hotel at that time of night.”
So what was it like? Actually, a very pleasant experience. It was simple and we did have our own room with a restroom. No common facilities. The place had a great vibe, lots of millennial back packers having fun. The bar was abuzz and food was available. The lobby had a large print mural which stated: “Abraham was the Original Backpacker.” The dining area had a mural which said, “Abraham Always Shared his Food.” I wonder if Abraham made his guests wash their dishes? The Abraham Hostel did! Hot water was on a timer; no long showers here. The staff was most helpful and kind. At breakfast we found two couples who had been to Jordan with us. We had a great time together before Kathy and I needed to leave for the airport.
New friends with whom we shared the Petra journey
We were proud of ourselves. We took the tram in front of the hostel to the train and the train to the shuttle. All along the way there were helpful and kind people. All in all an hour’s journey. Then the security started. We went through four security checks. “Why were you in Jordan? Who do you know in Jordan? Why are you flying to Basel?” Thankfully, we made it through security rather quickly. We were told it could take three hours, but it was less than an hour.
Before we leave Israel for Europe, I want say that the country is impressive. To think that it was built from scratch from the 1950’s onward—infrastructure, cities, farms, industry, nationhood! It is beautiful and welcoming. It is peaceful—our fears are highly exaggerated by the media!!!!! I am impressed with the tenacity of the people who overcame negative odds to build such a society.
We arrived in Basel and made our way to the central train station for our short ride to Strasbourg, France. We are meeting up with our friends, Randy and Melisa. They arrived in Paris yesterday and traveled to Metz, France,I to visit the Christmas Market and see the cathedral. We look forward to our adventure for Christmas Markets and Concerts in France, Germany and the Czech Republic. WEG
China Time
Our journey from Houston was a long one, and we arrived in Shanghai in early evening, tired but excited. First impressions are these: the people are friendly and helpful; everything is well organized and efficient; Shanghai is beautiful and huge and there is no visible bureaucratic overreach. We got a great night’s sleep and arose in the morning to explore our surroundings.
Our hotel is located in “the Bund” waterfront district–the heart of Shanghai and the financial and commercial center/hub of China. The Bund runs along the Huangpu River and features European colonial style buildings from the past on one side and striking modern skyscrapers on the other. Right out the door of the hotel was an alley that led directly to the old Shanghai shopping market. The architecture was everything one imagines China to be: narrow passageways and intricately carved wooden buildings with pagoda styled roofs and red Chinese paper lanterns adorning the shops. It was fascinating.
We walked the promenade along the Huangpu River and enjoyed watching the ships gliding by the amazing architecture of the city. We noticed that, in spite of its immense size, Shanghai is dotted with parks, and streets are lined with trees–many stately sycamore with white pealing bark. We walked through one park with topiaries, flower plantings and expansive green lawns. On one side, under the trees, Chinese music wafted through the air and people were dancing in the middle of the day. It was delightful.
We ate in a Dim Sum restaurant for lunch. I followed the instructions of the server and picked two “small” portions from each category. Oh my! Overall, I picked foods I have never eaten, i.e., dates in plum sauce with water chestnuts, Chinese congee with ham, crayfish in chili sauce with ? (I have no idea, but it was crunchy). It was all very tasty, but it just kept coming and I could not eat all the food on the plates. At the seventh course they brought a bowl of vegetable fried rice. I was maxed out and this bowl was anything but small. Literally, it could have fed three people for lunch by itself. I felt so guilty leaving so much food behind on the plates–think of the irony of it all–my mom telling me to clean my plate as a kid because of all the starving children in China! Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough money to buy Kathy any food, so she just watched me eat. She said the wonderful smells soothed her hunger. (She ordered fried seafood with cheese and avocado.)
It was a relaxing first day and we are super excited for the ones to follow. WEG
Best to Last
We had no idea what would lie in store for us today on Lake Titicaca, South America’s largest lake that lies between Bolivia and Peru. The lake is beautiful with reeds growing in the shallows along the shore and ringed with low lying hills. At 12,500 feet above sea level, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is 103 miles in length and 27 miles in width and its deepest point is almost 900 feet. Big lake!
We took a boat ride on the lake from our hotel’s dock. We followed a channel cut through the reeds. Our destination was the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. We were immediately blown away when we approached the islands. They are indeed floating. In fact, they are anchored so that they will not float away into the deeper lake. When we got off our boat onto one of the islands, we were greeted by the inhabitants dressed in native dress and shouting out welcomes in the native language of the Uros people.
The best way to describe walking on the floating islands (there are many in close proximity) is to say it’s like walking on a soft mattress. Try doing that for several hours. The islands are covered in small homes built out of the reeds along the shore that our boat had passed through. Some have rounded and pitched roofs and others are “tepee” like. Everything is made of reeds–furniture, beds, flooring–even the island’s earth is of reeds. One of the women invited Kathy and me into her home where she insisted that Kathy try on some of her clothing. Fun! Kathy and I agreed that this was the most intriguing place we have ever visited in all our travels.
Why and how did these islands come about? Five hundred years ago the Incas were invading the lake’s native peoples in an attempt to bring them under the control of the empire. The people in this part of the lake realized that their future was threatened, and so they escaped by boat into the lake. After living in the boats and realizing they had no place to go, they noticed that mounds of tortora reed roots that had dried out in the dry season were floating in the lake. They tied the floating roots together and covered them with layers of reeds. Then, they constructed their housing on top using the reeds. This tradition has continued until today. However, maintaining the islands is labor intensive, and we were told that in the next twenty years, the islands will likely no longer be what we were able to experience today, since children are going to college never to return. The floating islands will probably become government maintained in the future with hired actors to welcome the tourists.
All of a sudden a large flock of flamingos flew overhead, portending the large migration of this bird from Chile to the lake. Lake Titicaca was an unexpected surprise that we enjoyed immensely. WEG
Sexy Woman
Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Cuzco, Peru
The day began with a Cusco city tour to the archeological site of the Temple of the Sun. Covered in pure gold, it was an instant attraction to the invading Spanish conquistadores, who took all the Inca gold (22 carat) and silver (pure) that they could find and had it shipped to Spain. The temples were often torn down to use the stones in other construction, and colonial cathedrals were built on top of the remains. An earthquake exposed the Temple of the Sun’s foundations, and now it is a protected site.
We arrived in Cusco on the major holiday in Peru, Corpus Christi. Huge parades had brought ornate, larger than life-sized statues of the Virgin Mary from churches in the area to the city cathedral. When we toured the cathedral, the statues were on display. We admired the altars clad in 22 carat gold. “Look, but don’t touch, and no pictures.” We gazed in wonderment at the massive painting of “The Lord’s Supper” by a Peruvian artist as he used the inspiration of Leonardo daVinci’s famous painting, but personalized it for a Peruvian audience using tortillas for the bread and roasted guinea pig for the meat in the Passover meal. Judas was portrayed as Fernando Pizarro, the invading Spanish conquistador.
Outside was a big party! Thousands of people–young and old–were parading in native Indian costume (do not think North American Indian–there is no comparison in dress or music) with bands playing native music. It was beautiful and an explosion of color. You really did want to dance along.
We had another evening of “dinner and a show.” Kathy and I had mountain trout, and we both thought is the best trout we have ever eaten–and we have eaten trout around the world! The music and dancers showcased the Peruvian art forms over time. It was fast-paced, colorful and entertaining.
Wayne and Kathy with the statue of Jesus as He watches over the people of Cuzco, Peru – June 16, 2017.
P.S. We could not post this blog yesterday. So, it is a day late. Today, we flew into Juliaca and then drove to Lake Titicaca, taking most of the day. This short note will suffice for today’s blog. There will be pictures and descriptions of the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake in the world in tomorrow’s blog as we get back on schedule.
Food
Traveling the mountain highlands at 13,000 feet above sea level, the farmlands stretched out further than the eye could see. Above them loomed the ever present Andes. At one point, I could count five over 18,000 feet peaks that were snow/glacier covered. It was breathtaking. One could think I would get used to the sight, but I am mesmerized every time. We boarded the domed PeruRail in the early afternoon in Machu Picchu Town for an almost two hour ride to Ollantaytambo. It was fun. The staff dressed in costume for dancing and also for a fashion show of native arts. Of course, the scenery along the way was fantastic, since we followed the river the entire way.
Once in Ollantaytambo, we boarded a bus for our ride to Cusco, the imperial capital of the Incas and now a city of around 500,000. We stopped along the way at a brewery named the best in all of South America. We had a tasting of five of their beers that have won major awards as the brew master explained each one. Really cool!
Peruvian beers brewed in South America’s best craft brewery
We have been treated to some excellent food along the way. Our hotel in Machu Picchu Town hosted a cooking class for us. We learned how to make Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru, as well as cerviche. We learned some important culinary tricks, such as, squeeze only 3/4 of the juice from the lime used in cerviche because, if you squeeze the lime next to the pith, it will sour the fish used in the dish. It was a great time, and we have an apron to prove we passed the class.
Our food has been excellent, and I did try the grilled alpaca. Delicious! One thing we have noticed is that much care is placed on appearance of the dish. The food looks good before you ever take a bite. Next, we have learned that only fresh and organic foods are used. Finally, Peruvian food is complex. The cerviche, for instance, had twelve ingredients, each used in a specific way at a specific time. I can say that Peruvian food is some of best looking and best tasting food I have eaten.
As we close out the day, we are encouraged and at rest. We have been blessed to have an adventure far beyond our expectations and, since it is fall of the year here in the Southern Hemisphere, the weather is gorgeous. WEG
Machu Picchu
This is the view the Incas had of the mountains from one side of Machu Picchu.
One mountain peak stacked upon another and another and another; deep valleys running in several directions with more mountain peaks, like ducks in a row; tropical foliage with bromeliads growing in the trees and colorful flowers, even orchids, adding color to the green landscape and then steep sheer cliffs adding drama. This was our amazing ride up from Machu Picchu Town to the World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the wonder city of the Incas, Machu Picchu.
We arose early from our mountain retreat and took the dome car PeruRail, itself known as one of the best train rides in the world, to Machu Picchu Town at the base of the mountains leading up to the famed ancient city. The sights were wonderful. First, we were in high country farm land, and all of the sudden, in the tropics along the river that is a tributary to the Amazon, which originates in Peru. Snow-capped mountain peaks could be seen here and there. We pulled into the handsome train station in Machu Picchu Town and walked across bridges above rushing streams to the bus terminal, with buses leaving every five minutes to take visitors up the mountains to the famed archeological site. What a ride! The bus drivers make those hairpin curves quickly.
And then, there it was, the mountain city of Machu Picchu. Only the leader of the ancient peoples was known as the Inca, the Son of the Sun, his wife, the Daughter of the Moon. The Temple of the Sun was clad in gold and the Temple of the Moon in silver. While the imperial city was in Cusco, the Incas loved Machu Picchu, and it was a royal retreat. I can see why–the scenery is stunning, overwhelming, impressive, captivating, astounding! It was a citadel, surrounded by imposing peaks, some snow-covered with steep cliffs. It was isolated, in fact, so much so that the Spanish conquistadors did not find it to destroy it as they did every other Inca city. Canals were built from the glaciers of nearby mountains to bring fresh water into the city for hygiene, irrigation and drinking purposes. Here in Machu Picchu, the astronomers developed the calendar that was precise. By watching the stars, through water plates that reflected the stars on the surface like a mirror, strategically located throughout the city, they mapped and chronicled the movement of the stars and created an accurate knowledge of the heavens, and their sun dials were marvels of time keeping.
Machu Picchu is a wondrous city. Its buildings climb up and down the hills. There was a place for the common people, with a farming area, with fabulous terraces built down the mountain sides for agricultural purposes. What human might it must have taken to carry the stones and build the walls on such steep inclines. And, there was a place for the Inca and the elite. Here the temples were built and the royal homes. There were gates to the city and garrisons for soldiers. It is a large archeological site. We walked up and down steps, marveling at the sites and listening to the history and explanations of the site given to us by our guide. You had to be careful in walking. It was so marvelous that you could easily forget your bearings. While we walked, in fact, two tourists had major accidents–one backing up too far to take a picture and falling over the ledge for a five foot drop, and another gazing in wonderment, not noticing the steps and breaking her leg in the fall. I held onto the rock walls to stabilize my path! What can I say about Machu Picchu but that it is a marvel of industry and might and ingenuity and science. It is breath taking!
Our evening is spent in a very nice hotel in Machu Picchu Town. We were greeted after our rather grueling day with iced tea and hors d’oeuvres. Hors d’oeuvres were also delivered to our room. The mountain stream passes by and the mountains rise up before us. My mind is and will be occupied at how these people built such a magnificent place for us to marvel over today. WEG
Pisco Sour is All You Need to Know
We entered the Sacred Valley of the Inca’s today. The ancient Inca’s were astronomers and they saw that the river in the valley seemed to go toward the Milky Way. They believed it was from the heavens; and, therefore, sacred. The valley is mystical and magical. It varies from only 1/4 mile wide to 1 mile wide, goes forever and has wonderful mountains on each side with the sacred river running in the middle. It is rugged territory and the Incas built their cities on the mountains so that the valley below could be kept for farming. Because the need for food was great, the Incas developed a system of terrace farming on the steep mountain sides that is still not only visible today, but in use as well. Kathy and I simply soaked in the wonderful scenery.
Our plane landed in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas, but we immediately boarded a bus for a six hour journey to our hotel into the Sacred Valley. Along the way we stopped at an Alpaca farm to get up close and personal with alpacas, llamas and vicugnas (the fiber from which is considered the rarest and most expensive on earth). Further along, we stopped in Pisac Village, a market village, where the finest Peruvian folk arts are practiced and sold. Colorful and active, Kathy shopped until she dropped or ran out of money–you choose. I found a woman cooking Inca corn (hominy) on the cob–white and tasty served with a mountain cheese and in its corn husk. I couldn’t resist! Finally, we stopped at a ceramic studio where the ancient Incan art form is kept alive. It was a most appealing setting and we watched native craftsmen and women practicing their craft.
We arrived at our outstanding mountain country lodge hotel. It is in the hills all to itself, and it is the image of what I would have expected a South American mountain lodge to look like. Tiered up the mountain side, with manicured green lawns and beautiful flowers and an open fire place in the lobby, the staff stands at attention in strategic places along the way. Our room is white washed, plaster and stone walls and timbered ceiling–white washed. It is rustic and comfortable and roomy and modern–a 65″ TV built into the wall. It is cool in the Sacred Valley. We are no longer on the equator, but have moved closer toward the South Pole. We will sleep well tonight after our long and wonderful day. WEG
P.S.–I forgot about the Peruvian national drink, the Pisco Sour. It is Pisco brandy, key lime juice and ice blended with egg white foam (with bitters) on top. You can add a simple syrup to sweeten it, if desired. It is delicious, but one will do ya!
Wayne enjoys a Pisco Sour, Peru’s national drink, with evening meal in the Sacred Valley of the Inca’s, June 2017
Lima is No Bean
Lima, Peru–where do you start? Historic, yet modern. Huge, yet intimate. Rich, yet poor.
Our first impression was that Lima was modern. Huge electronic billboards greeted us both in the airport and on the roads from the airport in the dark of the night. In the morning, the impression continued in our Hilton Hotel in Miraflores, an upscale suburb on the Pacific. We had time to stroll the area around the hotel and along the Pacific. We ate an early lunch looking out on the Pacific on a balcony cantilevered over the cliffs. Cool! Kathy and I agreed that the area reminded us of the Houston Uptown/Galleria area, with one big exception–there is an ocean! Indeed, the ocean side mall is called, “The Galleria.”
In the afternoon, we toured Old Colonial Lima. It was grand! Beautiful parks surrounded by majestic colonial era buildings/palaces/churches were abundant. We spent time in the UNESCO World Heritage Site San Francisco monastery and catacombs. Beautiful, with imported Spanish tiles and fine handcrafted wood features and frescoes on the walls, it has open courtyards and magnificent rooms and chapels. At one time 400 priests lived here, and it is still a working monastery today. The catacombs were discovered in the mid-20th century. The priests cleaned the bones and rearranged them with similar bones put together in rooms. What a sight!
Our guide was an 18th generation descendant of one of the thirteen Spanish explorers who came with Francisco Pizarro in the early 1500s. That was a treat. She showed us her ancestor’s tomb in the cathedral along with the mausoleum of Pizarro. The mosaic tiles are of 18 carat gold. What caught our attention was the beautiful woodwork in the altars. Then, we were told that they were gold, and the gold was painted over and then scratched away in the crevices to give it a unique look. Awesome.
We strolled the pedestrian streets and saw one beautiful building after another. We toured the oldest colonial mansion in Lima–started in 1535 and still inhabited by the same Aliaga family for 18 generations. It is a magnificent house and, if by chance a girl was the oldest child and next in line to own the home and family fortune, her husband would have to change his name to the family name or the inheritance would be lost. Lima is the capital of Peru and has a population of over ten million. While we saw the magnificent parts of the city, there are shanty town neighborhoods where we were told not to venture. Peru, while now stable, was quite unstable around 25 years ago.
With an ancient Inca culture and the Spanish new world exploration in 1535, Lima has a rich and long and proud history. WEG
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