Where have you been? Pin it!

I am getting sidetracked on things, but thought this was fun to pin my destinations onto Tripadvisor's map. I hope to some day blog about what I can remember for some of my fave places, even if I went at a time when emailing didn't exist! Those were some of my most adventerous times and I know I have bits and pieces of these memories lying around all over the place, it would be nice to consolidate them before my memory goes blank.
Anyway, here's the map, and I believe it will post some of my selected 'favorite' destinations, although there are still several, even of my favorites, that have not yet been pinned on the map. But its a start..

I see that all the destinations below link to Tripadvisor site (no surprise) but I do use the site quite a bit for research, taken with a grain of salt for the reviews.

1. Siem Reap, Cambodia


2. Paris, France


3. Halong Bay, Vietnam


4. Ortisei, Italy


5. Barcelona, Spain


6. Limone sul Garda, Italy


7. Tel Aviv, Israel


8. Destin, FL, USA

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a Marseille

A friend told me she didn't particularly like Marseille but I couldn't figure out why once I was there. Yes, its a little rough-y on the edges, but french and on the coast, what's not to like about that? Cool harbor, cool little shops and restaurants (once you get away from the harbor), french and North African food...sunshine..water..boats..cool sights..

ok, its not all as vivid in my mind anymore since I was there last May but I did want to jot down some places and restaurants of note before too much time has passed (still have about 30 days left of this year to get to it!)

One restaurant that still stands out is "Mina Kouk" in the 6th arr. near the "Notre-Dame du Mont" church I stumbled upon (and have yet to find on TripAdvisor). I peeked in like a shy outsider (that I am) into a warm and welcoming, adorable neighborhood spot. After discussing in my best franglais (and her's too) I decided on a delicious couscous avec poulet et legumes with a yummy sauce that all came in a copper pot for about 15 euros pour dejeuner. Also had the best fresh-squeezed lemonade I think I've ever gulped down! She is half Algerian and half French and her adorable and delicious restaurant has only been open since September. It was pretty full for lunch and the people seem to know and like her, and the neighboring tables all kind of pitched in to help me decide. Its also a patisserie and she serves great tea (I don't even drink tea usually!) It was such a nice break from the tourist restaurants near the harbor. In case you can't read the french site, and are looking for a more in-depth review look here.

I had no problems in Marseille on my own, in fact I quite enjoyed exploring, and people always seem to chat with me, which I enjoy and feel more like I'm getting better acquainted with a place.

One tiny excursion I did was take Bus #83 from Vieux Port along the coast and walked the corniche (it was a hot, somewhat crowded ride but short and only cost 1,50 euros each way). Beautiful coastal area along the highway while alongside the sea and with places to stop and sit to admire the gorgeous views. I just had to prolong my excursion by plopping down at Dauphins Corniche which was perched right above the cliff and I splurged a little bit for the salmon entre and lemonade (not as good here as at Nina's) but the atmosphere and ocean views help compensate- very relaxing and refreshing. There's also a large indoor pool tucked underneath just about at sea level, but all enclosed.

I must mention my favorite shop, I still get excited thinking about it and wish I could pop in anytime I like bcs they had so many cute little things...but I can't..cuz its not here..pooey. "Choukatam" uses a hand-cut, hand-written high-quality business card which just added to the cuteness. Her site (Katherine is the artist) only shows her paintings but they had lots of other neat little items like a pretty cloth bracelet I bought for myself and a friend with a tiny little silver charm on it (in a variety of colors, patterns, and charms). Just 1 little charm on each bracelet, not like those bulky, clingy ones. Her shop is also in 6th arr.

Some shots from the neighborhoods:



"I am a Virgin...but this is an old shirt"

'Sipp'ing along the Route du Vin -Alsace Region

After a snowy adventure (click here) that took up more than half our day designated for wineries (but nonetheless a fun-filled adventure and a happy ending to that:)...my girlfriend and I finally make it on to our planned winery. We could hardly stand the anticipation after wondering if we'd even make it there. Finally at 6 pm, we screech in to L'Agape, our soon to be paradise of Vin d'Alsace.

I love the Route du Vin, this is my second trip but I still haven't seen, or tasted, enough of it. Its so beautiful, set among the foothills of the Vosges Mountains with so many quaint little villages dotted along the 170 km route (106 miles). True, tourists know it, and love it, for good reason. Get yourself a car and drive it, or be more adventerous and take it by bike - you certainly don't have to do the whole stretch. I've been told the villages in the southern part of the route (Ribeauville for example) are the nicest. I can also attest to Colmar and Kaysersberg. The people have always been friendly, welcoming and down to earth (even at the wineries where they'll happily show and tell you whatever you want to know, and more!) But you definitely need your own transportation (and a designated driver because there's lots to taste!)

Our visit to L'Agape was just what we needed. The friendly and easygoing Vincent Sipp has been in the business of making wine for ages, separating from his brother to do his own thing. We sat for a couple of hours with him and then some of his friends after he had to leave. Great people and great wine.

Just for my own reference later, we tried (and bought)
- Pinot Blanc (from 'Auxer', priced at 6,80 euros/bottle)
- Riesling (8,70 euros)
- Gewurztraminer, 2008 - one of my faves for an Aperitif (9,50 euros)

Also tried:
- Rosacker Grand Cru - wonderful! (17,40 euros)
- Pinot Noir, the only red made in the region (18 euros, available this August)
- Muscat - yum! (but not yet bottled - 9,50 euros)
- Gewurztraminer, 2007 (13,60)

Vincent, I'm told, is quite adventerous with his creations and mixing of grapes. One loyal friend, who took over 'hosting' us after he had to leave, told us he has very unique blends and isn't afraid to try new things.

I can't wait to go back, and this time stay on the Wineroute, possibly even at his guest apartment on the beautiful winery, in Riquewihr (in the February it was available for 3 nights for total of 105 euros, but I don't think they anticipate many visitors this time of year). Also wouldn't mind taking a cooking class at his (ex?) wife's, Isabelle, cooking school in Colmar called Cardamome (her favorite spice).

How cute is Colmar?

Off-roading the Wine Route (Route du Vin)

What d'ya know, we're stuck!
I guess our sporty little BMW, equipped with snow tires, is still no match for 'off-roading' the Route du Vin. Our attempt to find a recommended, family-run restaurant for lunch called (Auberge) St. Alexis, in Kaysersberg, forced us to do the hike we only half-heartedly mentioned doing, but didn't seriously mean it. The restaurant, if you can get to it, is situated in an opening in the forest about 6 km to the north west and about 350 meters higher than Riquewihr, the nearest town. I still really want to try it and it would be nice to do a (planned) hike up to it! We also heard it is approachable from the top too so you don't have to go all the way up this windy, hilly road (but what fun would that be?)

I forgot how to say 'We're Stuck' in German or French, but thought it would be nice to leave a note since we were blocking the only road down..

There's my friend.. in charge of finding help up the mountain, while I scope out the deserted home across the way..see her...the little spec in the middle.








The only signs of life around us as we sat pondering just how we would even make it back down the same road we'd just come up let alone make it anywhere for lunch, were 2 barking dogs, a mule and a cute, spunky sheep! Luckily we were prepared for a hike, although I don't think we fully intended on actually taking one, we had no choice but to wander back down the several kilometers or so to seek help. I'll let the pictures tell the story..










Signs of human life finally approach, some nice older men on their daily 5k walk..we recruit them to help push the car out (and a 3rd even though he walked with a cane..what the heck)









I'm nervous.. getting orders in french and german by old men (another was blocked by our car and came out to offer his assistance too, also assisted by a cane...aren't there any men under the age of 70 around here?!)









Success! 4 very nice, old men and Carole push me out of the snowy ditch and I managed to back down the hill in reverse (not an easy feat for me, as a few friends who have experienced my 'skills' would attest to!) Unfortunately, none of them were winemakers (Never hurts to ask!)
One of my happiest days (now)...









So back to that Wine Route... 'Weinstrasse'... Route du Vin... whatever I just wanna get on it at this point!

Strasbourg Highlights

Oh how I love the Alsace Region, I can (somewhat) easily communicate with the locals as they speak both French and German. Although I've almost given up on my french, even though I love the language still, my mind only seems to accommodate one other language. But I still love hearing it and remembering the days when I could have a broken conversation. But that's not all I love, the people of this region are incredibly friendly and warm, I really enjoy the rich foods available (we stocked up at LeClerc supermarket on our way out of town too to bring some of that goodness back home to Munich!) And of course, there's the Route du Vin, which I've yet to completely explore as we had a little snafu this trip and last time I was in the region with my husband we only stopped in one little town for lunch and a winery.

So, to be more specific, here are some of this trip's highlights (and many thanks to my gal pal Carole, who thoroughly researched accomodations, restaurants, and other highlights for the trip!)

Accomodation:
"Appartement Sonnenschein." We loved our cozy little apartment in La Petit France, about a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral and right across from a school (don't worry, we didn't hear all the hoopla just saw all the cute little kiddies in their classrooms) in a charming, cobblestone neighborhood. A cheerful woman named Bettina owns this renovated apartment in a 17th century typical Alsatian half-timbered house, called "Appartement Sonnenschein." There was even free WiFi which was a must for us! She speaks about 5 languages too, including English (native language is German). We actually found the place at this site There are parking meters around the apartment, but a short walking distance away (towards the Modern Art Museum) is a relatively inexpensive parking garage where we paid about 7 euros/day. More info can be found this very helpful site: www.parcus.com

- Other places we considered but did not stay at in Strasbourg are: Hotel Diana Dauphine (3-star, 69 euros/night, 'in the heart of Strasbourg', not incl. breakfast, Parking costs 12 euros/day) -- Ibis Hotel (which was right near our parking garage but didn't look nearly as nice as our apartment, even though we weren't inside), cost 72 euros/night, and the Hotel Royal Lutetia (65 euros/night, not incl breakfast). I think we got real lucky with our place!

Culture:
- Musee Tomi Ungerer - the locals, this includes Betinna and Christoph from the restaurant we visited 3 times, raved about their local artist/hero Tomi Ungerer. Bettina had several small books at her apartment of his work, which ranges from children's illustrations, to uh.. 'adult' themes, sometimes quite perverse, but never boring! After growing up in and around Strasbourg, he eventually moved to New York and became an immediate hit in the advertising world. Quite a range of illustrations and definitely worth a look. A big inspiration for him was Romanian-born artist, Saul Steinberg, whose work was also exhibited while we were here. Corbusier once wrote to him, "You draw like a king". He's considered a master of drawing and I loved his stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed perusing his work which ranges from graphic symbols and satirical cartoons to calligraphy and a sort of 'visual writing', and much more. The museum was just the right size to not feel overwhelmed, or obligated to stay too long.

Sights:
- About the only official 'site' we saw was the Strasbourg Cathedral (de Notre-Dame), originally built in the Romanesque style, fire destroyed most of that and by the 12th century building continued but in the Gothic style. But really strolling through the entire city and along the River Ile (don't miss La Petit France and the half-timbered houses too) is all the 'sights' I need. Inside the cathedral, take a look at the astronomical clock in the back corner, there's lots of neat things going on in and around it - mini statues, different stages of life passing before 'Death', interesting clockwork and a big, loud rooster. On my first trip a couple years ago, I climbed to the top for some pretty great views (it was too cold this time!)

I was waiting around outside the cathedral and liked this clock too:












These darn beautiful rose windows never seem to disappoint: