About Elaine-iaK's Travels

As a graduate of Recreation Administration, from San Diego State University, I have made recreation and travels my career and life’s passion. After graduation, I traveled solo for one year throughout the South Pacific, doing travel photography in a wide variety of settings. Upon my return, many of my photographs became the subjects of my newly created line of handcrafted photographic greeting cards, "Exquisite! By, Elaine", a business I have had since 1986. Check them out at: http://ExquisiteCards.fototime.com . In 1983, I began teaming up with my mom, Goldie, teaching arts & crafts to cruise ship passengers, aboard Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. In addition, I lectured on travel photography, as well as Australia and New Zealand history, aboard Princess Cruises. In 2004, I formed a new teaching team with my recently retired husband, Bruce, who serves as my "humble assistant" until 2010 when the cruise lines shifted the arts and crafts program to mostly being taught by their own staff. Currently, our favorite mode of travel is by river boat. Along the way, we enjoy poking around small European towns, meeting the people, seeking out interesting photo subjects, and always stopping at every chocolatier to make a purchase. Adding to my chocolate label and wrapper collection is a bonus! And, as a U.S. Masters swimmer, if I can find a pool to get in a swim with the locals, all the better! Cheers! Elaine-iaK ~ Believing in your dreams can be far more rewarding than living by your limitations~ -Karla Peterson

Excerpts From a Past Travelogue: South America, 2009 – Valparaiso, Chile

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Before starting my travel blog, I used to send travelogues of my journeys by e-mail to my friends and family. I saved some of those e-mails as a travel journal to look back on, so I thought I would share some of those with you.

The following are excerpts from travels in South America, in 2009:

…We arrived to beautiful weather; sunny and 75 degrees. And, Michael (Michael Arnold, “The German Pirate”; a tour guide who lives in Valparaiso. Find info. about him on www.tripadvisor.com and www.cruisecritic.com ) took us on an awesome tour from Santiago to Valparaiso, stopping at two wineries (very inexpensive and tasty wine!), a fishing village (very colorful and picturesque), a deserted GORGEOUS beach, and an interesting friends house and little museum. More on that later…

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First, I must tell you where we stopped for lunch. This place was a HOLE IN THE WALL in some out of the way little place. I have no idea how Michael found it! He is German and his lives here with his Chilean girlfriend, so he has met many interesting people. But, I just don´t know how he found this amazing little place.

The people running this tiny little restaurant didn´t speak a word of English, but they were so warm and wonderful! And, for about $5 a person we feasted on empanadas and a wonderful thick soup made from pumpkin, sweet FRESH corn, beans, basil, and I can´t remember what else… We also had a dish made from sween corn, chicken, and beef that was sort of like a casserole, but the corn made a corn cake crust that was delicious. The bread was aslo outstanding! I wrote down the names of these dishes, however, it´s too dark in this hole-in-the wall internet place I found around the corner from our B&B! I will make sure to include this info. in my photo show…

Anyway, along with lunch, we enjoyed a bottle of sparkling wine that I picked up for about $4.50 at one of the wineries. The food was fabulous, the sparkling wine was tasty, the laughs were abundant, and the charm of the cook was the crown jewel of the experience. What fun!

About Michael´s friend… He is an 84 year old gentleman who lives in this incredible house with a view down to the fishing village. After retiring, his dream was to spend the rest of his life building his dream house, building ship models, creating sculptures, and collecting interesting things from his travels. No words can describe it; you will have to see my photos… But, suffice it to say, it was an amazing place, very interesting, and this Chilean gentleman was a real charmer! Hugs all around when we said, Ciao!

So, for $65 U.S. each, Mom and I had an amazing tour that lasted more than six hours. And, we will never forget it! It concluded with us being dropped off at the Harrington B&B; a perfect place to end a wonderful day. Michael recommended this charming place, run by a Frenchman and his Dutch wife. It is SO cool; a place with very modern touches in an older building. They completely renovated it, turning the bathroom into a slick room with black slate tiles and white bowls on top of the black slate counters for the two sinks. The glass shower has two black slate walls. Very hip. And, the head boards behind the twin beds have huge close-up photos of flowers.

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The Harrington B&B is a very comfortable place up on the hill amongst many colorful homes and little shops. Each one is a different color; ours is yellow and the neighbors have all painted their places a different color. Very quaint, very colorful, very cool! It is really the best place to be in Valparaiso, because the city is built on many steep hillsides. So, walking in the area is very interesting with all the narrow streets, steep stairways, and funiculars built along the hillsides to carry you up and down when the stairs are too much! More on that later…

Last night, we took Olivier´s recommendation and walked to a tiny restaurant (six tables) for authentic Chilean food. The chef cooks in a tiny kitchen located write along the sidewalk, so we watched and took photos through the glass after we finished our dinner. The tables are located upstairs in the cutest little room looking over the street. Restaurante Antaño was such a quaint place run by a very charming gentleman. And, the food was delicious. After splitting two appetizers (empanadas and delicous Chilean sweet potatos that were sliced and fried), we each had a crab pie. A wonderful dinner and bottled water was enjoyed for about $16 each.

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Our night at the Harrington B&B was very restful and proved to be a great recommendation by Michael. And, our continental breakfast, this morning, of baked breads, fresh squeezed orange juice and hot unsweetened cocoa from Ecuador (delicious with just a little bit of sugar added), was a nice start to our day, today!

Today was another sunny, GORGEOUS day! We joined Michael and three other couples who will be on the ship for a walking tour, from 10-5pm. The tour only cost us each $20! And, Michael did a fabulous job teaching us the history, showing us the sights, getting us on and off the local transportation, and taking us to all the out of the way places for the best views. We took one trolley and two funiculars in between the walking and took turns paying for the group. And, we had a tasty salmon lunch in between at an authentic Chilean restaurant.

Now, about the funiculars. They were VERY steep and scary if you looked down! And, the little wooden cars looked like they were about to fall apart… The photo ops. were terrific, though, so we all just held our breath!

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It was a GREAT day with GREAT people! Two of the couples are American and one is Canadian; all very cool. We had so much fun together that we plan on meeting up, again, tonight. Michael is staying with his girlfriend who is a caretaker for a rich Chilean politician who is never at his house. So, he has invited us to come over this evening. He took us to see it at the end of our tour today. AMAZING! It would be the best B&B and has amazing views of the harbor and city below. AND, it´s only a ten minute walk from us. Now, granted, it´s a ten minute walk up stairs almost the whole way, but it is definitely worth going back to! Michael is going to pick up some wine, cheese, bread, and olives, and we will all split the cost. How cool…

EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE: PHOTOS TO REMEMBER IT BY

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

I have completed my photos from my European river cruise and would love to share it with you! Check out my photo-sharing website at: www.ExquisiteCards.fototime.com

Scroll down to the bottom of the “Welcome” page to view the last two albums. If you would like to read the captions, click on the first photo of each album, to view a larger image. Click through from there and enjoy!

If you prefer to view it as a slide show, click on the album then select “Start Slideshow”, under “Tools”.

I hope you enjoy the show!

CHOCOLATE HAUL: THE FINAL TALLY

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

So, now for the honest (yummy!) truth: I have tallied up my chocolate haul from Europe and broken it all down for you. I confess; I lived up to the last half of my nickname (think “maniac”, instead of “-iaK”) in my quest for chocolate. A huge thanks goes to my mom for following me all over the place as I stepped into every chocolatier and grocery store we encountered along the way. She was my true partner in the quest for new chocolates!

BY THE NUMBERS:

New brands collected: 47 in five countries

Pounds of chocolate brought home: Belgium 7.81, Netherlands 1.50, France 0.44, Germany 4.33, Switzerland 9.9. Total: 23.98 pounds

Chocolate purchased and consumed before returning home: 7 oz.

Chocolate consumed last night and not pictured: 3 oz.

Calories that will be consumed? Too many! But, who’s counting???

LABELS ADDED TO MY CHOCOLATE LABEL AND WRAPPER COLLECTION:

Belgium: Davinia, Delhaize, New Tree, Cachet, KC Chocolatier, Lucrotsaert, Union Edel Chocolade, The Chocolate Line, Jacques, Chocoholic Chocolatier, Stefs Chocolatier, Kathy Belgian Chocolates, Noble Chocolatier, Chocolates Keerman, Chocolaterie De Burg

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Netherlands: DeHeer, Price

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France: Monopix Bio!, Grand Jury. (I would have liked to have found more, however, the chocolatier I found in Strasbourg was ridiculously expensive!

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Luxembourg: Sadly, none; it was Sunday and all of the chocolatiers and grocery stores were closed!

Germany: Schwermer, Sarotti, Peters, Rausch, Café Hansen Confiserie Bernkastel, Fin Carre, Eszet Schnitten, Ja!, Coppeneur, Rudesheimer Confiserie Laden, Hussel, Omira, Trumpe, Choceur

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Switzerland: Sprungli, Alter Eco, M Classic (Migros Supermarket), Denner (Supermarket), Bachman, Max Chocolatier, OK, Minor, Choco CH, Chocolates Halba, Camille Bloch, CoOp (Supermarket), Swiss Lion Takova, Le Chocolatier Suisse

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Thinking back on my purchases and examining the bounty before me, I realize I was more drawn to milk chocolate, this time around. It was quite the opposite when I brought home a carry-on full of Belgian chocolate, after my Belgium & Holland river cruise, in 2002. But, my preference for savoring bittersweet chocolate is to pair it with a jammy zinfandel, vintage port, or tawny port. And, I have cut back on my alcohol consumption, since returning to competitive swimming. This year, until Nationals ended in early August, I probably consumed no more than a total of 5-10 glasses of wine!

Milk chocolate, on the other hand, is my comfort food, and I enjoy it all by itself.

Next up on Elaine-iaK’s Travels: While I was in Europe, I took a lot of photos of chocolate displays; something I really enjoy doing. Check back soon for a tour through the chocolatiers of Europe!

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Posted on September 14, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

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THE GRAND FINALE: A PERFECT DAY IN LUCERNE

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

My final post of this trip is a long one, but I hope you feel it was worth it in the end!

This was the view that greeted me as I stepped out on the balcony upon wakening on our last full day abroad. On our final day in Lucerne, we were scheduled for a group tour of the lake and Mt. Pilatus, so we were hoping for good weather. We had a wonderful lake cruise in a boat chartered just for our group of 40 Vantage Travelers. It turned out to be a gorgeous day, so the photographers opted for the top deck and enjoyed the fresh air and warm sun. The views were spectacular, including the top of Mt. Pilates, 7,000 feet up. There were beautiful white puffy clouds hanging about, however, so we were hoping they would stay put and not cause a white-out at the top of the mountain.

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It was a day of experiencing many forms of transportation. Following our one-hour boat tour, we disembarked at the railway station and boarded rail cars for our 30 minute trip up to the top of Mt. Pilates. It was a steep ride, often at a 25-30% grade and I was fortunate enough to get the spot right behind the conductor where I could either shoot photos out the front window or out the open side window. In many cases, I stuck my camera out the side window and pointed straight ahead where I was able to get some dramatic wide-angle (24mm) shots. FABULOUS! The conductor was a sweet man, too, pointing out everything he thought I should capture with my camera.

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The railway had quite an interesting history. We were amazed it was built 125 years ago and took 600 men four summers to build. They did a fabulous job!

When we arrived at the top of the mountain, we were in awe with the fabulous view. The facilities were quite nice at the top with a restaurant, self-serve takeaway, and wonderful walking paths with stairs leading up to view points or down through tunnels leading to the backside of the mountain. I hiked up the two main paths to the highest points of the mountain and down through two tunnels. In between, we were entertained by Swiss men playing haunting tunes on their traditional Swiss horns, as well as by three paragliders! Now, that wasn’t something I expected to see, but we sure were entertained, especially when one of the paragliders returned to buzz by the onlookers a couple of times, so we could get some good shots. I was so surprised at how close they came and how quick he flew by, I wasn’t able to get a good shot off. Instead, I cheered him on!

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After almost an hour and a half we were given to explore the hiking trails at soak in the beautiful picture postcard scenery, we boarded a large cable car that took us part of the way down the mountain. While we were boarding, a cloud enveloped our car for a complete white-out! We all just laughed, because we knew how lucky we were to have enjoyed perfect weather up at the top of the mountain, so we would have been asking for too much to expect it to continue any longer; especially since white-outs are common up on the mountain.

As we descended, we were ecstatic to drop from the cloud, back into bright sunshine, again! My Vantage travel mates, Mom and I were back to snapping away…

On the way down, we took in the scenery of gorgeous trees and cows happily grazing on bright green grass. We loved hearing the bells around their neck, but I wondered if the cows ever get tired of hearing them…

The remainder of our 20 minute cable ride was spent in smaller cable cars that seated four people, after transferring from the larger car, part-way down the mountain. What a breathtaking experience it all was! Again, I felt like I had lived in the pages of a photo calendar or coffee table picture book; the kind I loved to pour over as a kid (and still do).

After being transported by bus (our final mode of transportation for the day) back into town, we visited the Lion Monument. The dying lion of Lucerne, carved into natural rock, was created in 1820/1821 in memory of the Swiss heroes who gave their lives at the Tuileries in Paris, in 1792. As you can see, it is quite the stone carving! We were all in awe…

We still had a few hours to enjoy the gorgeous weather, so Mom and I stayed in town to do some (more!!!) photography. Needing to cool off from the warm sun, we also popped into Denner to write down some grocery store prices and pick up some (more!!!) chocolate. Prices in Switzerland are steep. A lake-front home will set you back 3-9 million Swiss Francs (which is stronger than our dollar). A Big Mac will cost you 12 Francs; $15 in our currency. Dine in a restaurant and you will go broke in a hurry. Main courses start at 25 Francs and shoot on up from there- even at small, casual restaurants in the city. (Something as basic as a bratwurst at a cart is 6 Francs.)

In Denner, these are some of the prices I noted (all are in Swiss Francs):

Yogurt- 175 grams (about 6 ounces) = 1.25

Bag of four small oranges = 2.25

Baguette = 2.20

6pk cans of Coke = 3.95

1 kg (2.2 pounds) of sugar = 1.95

100 g (3+ ounces) of Denner store brand chocolate = .45 (Wooohooo; what a deal!)

So, my conclusion was that some prices were comparable to prices in our stores (cereal and several other items were priced the same), however, others were steep. Basically, if you do all of your own cooking and avoid dining out, you would be ok in Switzerland. But, their standard of living and income is one of the highest in the world, so it is all relative. The lowest annual salary anyone makes there is 30,000 Swiss Francs.

As for how the prices affected me, I quickly learned to only photograph the chocolate in the chocolatier displays and admire their artistry. At US $60 per pound, on average, purchasing any was not an option. Instead, I stocked up at the three grocery store chains, mostly buying their store brand at bargain prices.

“Dining” on our own was stopping for to enjoy Gelati for lunch or eating a bratwurst at a cart in the square. One night for dinner, we found a back street takeaway and picked up a couple of falafels that we ate at the little café table outside. It wasn’t a bargain at 8 Swiss Francs, but it sure beat the ridiculously high price of dining.

Mom was determined to dine by the river just once, though, so she treated us to a shared Tarte Flambe and main course-sized Swiss salad (with Swiss cheese, sausage and mixed greens). Thanks Mom!

Our last night was lovely, dining at the Palace Hotel with a view of the lake. It was our included farewell dinner and we dined in style. What a wonderful way to end a spectacular trip on a high note! And, to cap it off, Mom and I took the funicular to the hotel up the hill from ours, so we could soak in this gorgeous view:

And, on that note, I will wrap up this marathon post by saying this trip was no less than PERFECT.

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Nico was a wonderful program manager (our guide for the 44 of us in the yellow group) and Vantage Travel was excellent. I feel completely comfortable highly recommending them, so please let me know if you are interested, so I can provide them your contact information to receive a catalog. Disclaimer: I do receive a $100 discount on future travel if somebody I recommend books a trip; however, that is not my motivation. Besides, whomever I refer ALSO gets $100 credit! Vantage Travel is fantastic, and, from what I hear from other passengers, a better deal than competitors and (almost) everything is included in the price.

Thank you for sticking with me and reading my posts; I hope you enjoyed them!

LOVELY LUCERNE

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

We were supposed to spend all three nights of our post-extension in Lucerne; however, there were no hotels available in Lucerne for the first night, because of a huge music festival. So, our first night was spent in Bern. Nobody was disappointed, because we all fell in love with Bern during our walking tour, before we even checked into the hotel. And, as an extra bonus, Vantage Travel booked us into the top five star hotel; the same place where heads of state stay, as well as the rich and famous. It was THE hotel in Switzerland’s capitol. We sure were spoiled…

Lucerne, however, was fabulous. The Palace Hotel wasn’t quite at the level of the Bellevue, but it was a top hotel located right on the lake and close to the city center. (I mean, when you are used to staying at Microtel Inns like I am, how could I complain? Don’t get me wrong; Microtels are the top-rated chain for their price, but they are far from the 4-5 star hotels we stayed at during our pre-extension and post-extension!) And, the weather was fabulous, once we got past the few drizzles we encountered our first day. Yesterday, however, the sun was shining and temperatures reached the mid-70’s; quite a bit above normal for this time of year.

The Palace Hotel

The Place Hotel in the distance.

The view from our hotel.

The first day, we had a walking tour after we arrived and free time on our own for the remainder of the day. It was very enjoyable, because Lucerne is such a great city for walking!

Lucerne is a gorgeous city, located on the lake and surrounded by mountains; Mt. Pilates being the most famous one. Since the city was built on both sides of the lake, there are several bridges connecting each side. But, the bridge that draws the most visitors (and photographs) is the famous Chapel Bridge, built in 1333. All along the bridge are beautifully painted gables. And, hanging along the exterior of each side of the bridge are loads of flowers of every color, in perfect bloom. It was so colorful and picturesque! And, since many of the locals and tourists come there with scraps of bread to feed the swans, the water was full of snow white swans hoping for a free handout. There were a few ducks though; outnumbered but a lot quicker, so they fought for their share- and won.

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The (very) old city center was quite attractive and interesting, because of the numerous buildings with beautifully painted facades. And, there were many outdoor cafes; a typically European feature. Along the lake front, there was one right after another; most with only outdoor seating.

After returning to the hotel to unpack and kick up our feet to rest for a short time, we were back at it, walking into town for a light dinner and some night photography. Most of the buildings were not lit up enough to photograph, but I did get one shot of this church, as well as one of our hotel.

BEAUTIFUL BERN

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

This will be a rushed post, because I will be walking back into town with my mom for dinner soon. We are in Lucern, now, but I have fallen behind with my posts, now that we are off the boat and are spending our evenings walking around these beautiful Swiss cities!

Yesterday, we were in beautiful Bern and got our first glimpse of the snow-covered Swiss Alps. This was the view from our hotel; not a good shot, I know, but I have no time to do any editing, so I am just throwing some photos up here for now as a teaser!

When I get the chance (perhaps not even until I return home), I will go back and edit this post to include more (or better) shots and tell you a little more about our last two stops: Bern and Lucerne.

For now, I will give you just a quick impression of our day and night in Bern. It’s a very unique city with the city center filled with 4 miles of covered arcades with arches, rather than just open sidewalks. They are full of one-of-a-kind shops and boutiques; all quite stylish and unique.

Since Bern dates back to 1191, it is VERY old and interesting! the architecture is fantastic and the coblestone streets are filled with interesting fountains, right in the middle of the street.

Bern is a great walking city and we enjoyed our day and evening there very much, before retiring to our gorgeous hotel for the night. The city is named after the bear and they are proud to have the bear as their symbol on their flag (and everything else). We visited the Bear Pit; a huge enclosure open to the public 24/7. It was located up on a hill overlooking the city and had three bears roaming the pit. This was the view from the stair way leading down from the pit to the river:

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The view from our hotel was fantastic!

Here are more scenes from our day…

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I wanted to swim in that awesome pool!

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IS IT “BAAASEL” OR “BaSEL”? NO, BASEL IS “BAHHSEL”!

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

We have left France and Germany behind (sort of) and are now in Basel, Switzerland, for the last day aboard ship, before departing for our post-extension in Bern and Lucerne. I say “sort of”, because Basel is in the northwest corner of the country, just across the river from France and next door to Germany. Each day, 30,000 commuters come from France and Germany to work in Switzerland, then return to their countries in the evening.

Although Basel, the third largest city in Switzerland has a population of only 90,000, it is quite a cultural mecca, with 30 museums, a symphony, and a large theater. It is also home to Switzerland’s oldest university.

In addition to being an important banking center, Basel is also known for its chemical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as publishing.

I found it interesting that Basel has three railway stations; one French, one German, and one Swiss!

What I wasn’t surprised about and definitely expected was the high cost of EVERYTHING. The Swiss Frey chocolate bars I bought at Migos, yesterday, in Germany, were actually cheaper than at the Migos, in Basel! And, a Toblerone bar that was on sale for 5.49 Euros (regularly 10 Euros) at the German Migos was priced at anywhere from 16-19 Swiss Francs (CHF), in Basel. Keep in mind that the exchange rate was 1 Euro = 1.20 Swiss Francs.

The small chocolatiers were outrageous, so I passed on making any purchases. One chocolatier was charging 26 CHF for 250 grams of chocolates; about one half pound. The exchange rate for U.S. $1 = .75 CHF, so do the math and those are some expensive chocolate!

How about paying 5.90 CHF for 100g of salmon? 100 grams is only 3oz.!

Rather than return to the boat for lunch, following our walking tour, Mom and I stayed in town to do more exploring, then took the shuttle back later in the afternoon. But, we passed on dining at one of the cafes. Instead, we split a bratwurst at the Market Square; a 6 CHF purchase.

After lunch, we continued our exploring of the downtown streets. The following are pictures taken during our morning walking tour, as well as during our free time.

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Although we enjoyed our day (and it was a beautiful one at that), Basel doesn’t rate at the top of my list for favorites on this cruise. The highlight, by far, was our day spent exploring the Alsace wine region’s quaint villages. My next favorite would be Bernkastel-Kuse, in Germany.

Overall, this was a fabulous cruise and we were lucky to have mostly terrific weather. The food was excellent on board and the service and friendliness of the staff was fabulous. Where else would the Executive Chef pick up special chocolates for a passenger, just because we had a conversation about it and he knew I was crazy about chocolate? I returned the favor by sharing my Bernkastel truffles with Chef and my mom, two nights ago, in a makeshift tasting session in the lounge, after he was finished with his dinner duties. And, during our tasting, he couldn’t say enough good things about Vantage Travel, their management, and the staff; his “family”. I agree! I will always choose Vantage Travel for my river cruises. There were several people on board who have traveled with Grand Circle, Uniworld, and Viking, however, they all preferred Vantage Travel by a long shot. And, in the end, it is less expensive. Everything is included with Vantage, however, the others nickel and dime you to death, so we were told. In the end, although the cruise was less expensive at booking time, by the time they were done, it had cost them more per day.

So, tonight, we spend our last night docked in Basel, and then depart for Bern in the morning. We will spend one night in Bern, followed by two nights in Lucerne. Originally, we were supposed to spend all three nights in Lucerne, however, there is a huge music festival, so none of the hotels were available for the 40 of us doing the post-extension.

I sure hope this gorgeous weather holds out!

FROM GERMANY TO FRANCE TO GERMANY: MONDAY IN FREIBURG

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Since one side of the Rhine is France and the other is Germany, it’s quite understandable that we would jump back and forth between the two countries. Tomorrow, we will be in Basal, Switzerland, very close to both France and Germany! Thankfully, everybody in this area of Europe speaks French and German, because I’m having a hard time remembering which language to greet the locals in and thank them! Everybody has been so friendly, though; they just smile and appreciate the effort. Besides, a smile means the same in any language and I am finding that my smile has gotten me far. The locals have been wonderful!

So, how amazing is it that in Switzerland, there are four official languages? French, German, Italy, and a local dialect are all official! Geez; in America, I know plenty of people who are illiterate in the only language they speak! Writing is another story, entirely…

Today, we were in Freiburg, Germany, a city that dates back to the 12th century. Their university dates back to 1457!

Geographically, Freiburg is situated at the foot of the Black Forest. And, one thing quite unique about Freiburg is their gutter system; quite different from anything I have ever seen. The purpose is unique, as well. Since Freiburg is the warmest city in Germany, the gutters were constructed to allow water to flow through and cool down the city.

The legend associated with this gutter system is interesting, as well. If you fall into one of these gutters, legend says you will marry a Frieburger! Hmmm… I made sure to steer clear; I’m already happily married, thank you very much!

A charming feature of the streets throughout the city were the designs made with stones.

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How is this for a beautiful street feature?

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Our visit in Freiburg began with a walking tour through the old city center, followed by free time, before our return to the ship. I bailed on the walking tour early, so I could spend more time at the open air market; a great decision, because the photo opportunities were wonderful and the vendors were so friendly and accommodating.

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After a leisurely stroll through the open-air market, I popped into the local department store to buy some chocolate bars in their supermarket, which was located in the basement; a common configuration in European department stores. On the way down, I passed by the men’s clothing department and couldn’t resist photographing this:

For 148 Euros, you could have a pair of these, too! They were suede and quite beautifully stitched.

Here are some other scenes around Freiburg:

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SUNDAY IN STRASBOURG

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Having docked in Strasbourg, France, again for the night, it was a convenient walk up the canal to meet our glass covered canal boat for our one hour ride through the canal that winds through the city.

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Like Brugge, Strasbourg is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Half-timbered houses are the typical architecture, however, there was one interesting addition not noticed on the half-timbered houses in other towns. In Strasbourg, some of the houses had beams that had numbers carved into them, because the houses either have been moved or will be moved to another location. The numbers help in reassembling the house correctly.

The city center of Strasbourg has a population of 274,000 and the wealthiest live in 1 million Euro homes along the canal. In addition, there are 70 consulates in Strasbourg along the canals, since Strasbourg is the seat of the Council of Europe, a human rights assembly linking 43 countries from Russia to the Atlantic. Since 1992, it has been the seat of the European Parliament.

Patricia was our guide again today and we learned from her what the meaning was behind the blue European Union flag. The blue represents hope and the circle of gold stars represents the circle of harmony of the people living together within the union. The stars are for perfection; the goal of the European Union.

After our canal tour, we had a leisurely walking tour through the Petite France, the picturesque old quarter, where we saw beautiful half-timbered buildings dating back to the 16^th and 17^th century. Again, there were cobblestone streets full of quaint charm; very photogenic.

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Since it was Sunday, mass was taking place at the Cathedrale de Notre Dame, however, we were able to slip into the back of the cathedral individually, unguided, during our free time. What a magnificent cathedral- and massive!

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The rest of our free time was spent exploring the old quarter of the city, before returning to the ship for the afternoon.

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Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools… and CHOCOLATE!

Author Archives: Elaine-iaK's Travels