Monthly Archives: January 2021

Posts from Base Camp

Germany – always incidental?

Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’ve recently posted quite a few blog entries about my 1999 trip to Bavaria and Bohemia. While most of the that trip was spent in the Czech Republic, it started and ended in Germany (today’s photos are primarily from Würzburg, our last stop before flying home from Frankfurt).

Würzburg, Germany: Haus zum Falken and Marienkapelle (1999)

This seems to be a common theme in my travel history. I’ve been to Germany six times, and changed planes there on a further five occasions. However, it had always been on the way to somewhere else. Three of those visits were with my family, when we were traveling between relatives in Switzerland and relatives in the Netherlands.

Würzburg, Germany: across the River Main (1999)

On my extended 1991 backpacking trip, I flew in and out of the Netherlands. I made it to Budapest (Hungary) and back, passing through Germany on both legs of the trip. However, it wasn’t the focus of my trip: I only spent a handful of nights there. It was even more fleeting in my 2014 travel odyssey: I walked into Germany from Luxembourg, but I was probably never more than a mile inside the country.

Würzburg, Germany: the Residenz (built in 1720, photo from 1999)

So, other than two nights in each of Erlangen and Trier in 1991, one night in Bad Honnef, and two nights in each of Würzburg and Munich in 1999, I haven’t had too much to report about this large country in the heart of Europe.

Würzburg, Germany: Flower and sausage vendors in the Marktplatz (1999)

In a fine example of synchronicity, I picked up a library book this weekend that I had reserved some time ago. It was about road trips in the German-speaking countries, and I signed it out to see what it said about driving in Switzerland. But when I started reading other parts of the book, I realized that there was a lot about Germany that I had never seen…and that I wanted to see.

Würzburg, Germany: a very old (from 1319!) restaurant

In particular, the extreme north and south parts of the former East Germany (DDR) are piquing my curiosity. I had never really thought about them as destinations, and they tend to be ignored by North American travel resources. But if I ever travel to Europe in the warmer times of the year again, I’m going to have to give serious consideration to one or both of those regions.

Plzeň, Czech Republic. We saw this hitchhiker on one of the platforms at the railway station (1999).

From visiting the location of the legendary East German beach movie Heißer Sommer, to exploring the natural wonders of “Saxon Switzerland” (Sächsische Schweiz), to museums documenting the oppressive East German Stasi (secret police), this could be a really unique trip. It just goes to show: even if you’ve been to a country many times, there is always something else waiting to be discovered.

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Bavaria and Bohemia 1999 (Part 4)

Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Today’s post takes us off to two off-the-beaten-path destinations in the Czech Republic. Our first adventure was a day trip to the town of Mělník, located 33 km north of Prague.

Náměstí Míru, Mělník – the main square

We took a very local bus from Prague and were dropped off in Mělník’s main square. Our main destination for the day was the town’s castle, which is also home to one of Europe’s most northerly wineries. You can see the castle in the photo at the very top of this post: the vineyards are on the terraced slopes below. We had a very enjoyable tour and tasting session at the winery, and emerged ready for some hearty Czech food.

Finding my way around Mělník – we’re going to the Zámek!

There didn’t seem to be a lot of dining options in the historic centre of the town, so we settled on the Hospoda u Beníšků (see photo below). This was no tourist trap: it was clearly a local restaurant. It was so dark inside that none of my photos turned out…but I do not think the decor had changed since the early days of Communism. Unlike every restaurant in Prague, there was a unilingual menu. No problem: I knew the basics like brambory (potatoes), knedlíky (dumplings) and palačinky (crepes)…what could possible go wrong?

Outside the Hospoda u Beníšků, in Mělník

Alas, even after a week in the Czech Republic, we saw absolutely no familiar words on the one-page menu. Attempting to get an explanation in German didn’t help. Somebody’s friend apparently spoke some “French”, but we didn’t recognize a word of whatever language she actually spoke. So, we ordered blind: pointing confidently to items in the middle of the menu, we prayed that we hadn’t selected anything too dodgy. For me, at least, it turned out okay: gravy, non-specific meat, a greenish selection of vegetables.

The long hike to Hrubá Skála

Our unusual day continued with a trip to the ossuary. Here, the bones of 15,000 people had been artfully arranged into various sculptures and displays. At one point, thousands of bones spell out the words Ecce Mors, which I believe is Latin for “Look, Death!” (You can’t make this stuff up!)

Finally – we make it to (slightly above) Hrubá Skála!

We returned to Prague for dinner, and two days later left for our second “off-the-beaten path” destination: Hrubá Skála. The “village” of Hrubá Skála (which is little more than a large castle) is situated near the top of a small mountain ridge in the Český ráj (“Czech Paradise”). It is a national park with extensive and often bizarre sandstone formations. Our hotel was located in the castle…it promised to be a unique adventure.

Hrubá Skála – Hotel Zámek

But getting to Hrubá Skála took quite a bit of effort. We tried to take a train to a nearby town called Turnov, but there was some kind of accident or washout (we didn’t want to know too many details). So, somewhere around Mladá Boleslav, we had to get off the train and take a bus for a while. Then, in Turnov, we had to catch another train to Hrubá Skála. The detour had cost us some time, so we were quite keen to arrive at our destination. Alas, Hrubá Skála (the train station) is a few kilometers from Hrubá Skála (the actual place). After a long walk, and then a steep hike through the woods, we finally arrived at our impressively rustic castle.

Main entrance to Hotel Zámek – Hrubá Skála

Sadly, the overcast skies and the disappearing daylight conspired against me in those pre-digital days of photography. I don’t have any impressive, or even half-impressive, photos of our hikes through the forest and the sandstone. But still – we stayed (and ate our meals) in a castle! And with it being late October, there were very few other people in the castle.

The pool was about to close for the winter (Hotel Zámek – Hrubá Skála)

After leaving the castle, we began to make our way to Frankfurt, Germany, and our flight back to Canada. You can expect to see some pictures from the final portion of the trip soon!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Skiing in Wengen (Switzerland) 2005

4 Comments

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

While tentatively musing about post-pandemic travel, I came across some photos from a highly enjoyable 2005 ski trip to Wengen, Switzerland. I’ve posted photos from other trips to the Wengen area (here’s a post featuring 1999-2002 photos; and here’s the start of a series of posts from a 2018 trip), but the 2005 trip was a special one.

The “James Bond 007” restaurant and cable car station at the top of the Schilthorn, high above the village of Mürren.

The linked resorts of Grindelwald, Wengen, and Mürren form a large and spectacular ski area in the shadow of three famous peaks: the Eiger, the Mönch, and the Jungfrau: these appear in the “cover” photo at the top of this post. As a base, I find Grindelwald a little busy: in addition to being the end of the railway line, you can actually drive to the resort…so there is a lot of car traffic. But both Wengen and Mürren are car-free: you can only get there by mountain train (for Wengen) or by a combination of lifts and trains (for Mürren). Both sit on impossibly remote alpine ledges, and there is no tourism sprawl.

Part of our group at the top of the Schilthorn (not sure why I opted for a headband)

As with all of my Swiss winter trips between 1992 and 2012, I was in Wengen for a ski camp organized by the Youth Division of the Auslandschweizer–Organisation (ASO – or “Organization of the Swiss Abroad”). 40 of us from around the world took over a youth hostel and spent a huge amount of time skiing and (in the evenings) participating in other Swiss activities.

The Birg cable car station, as seen from the Schilthorn

This trip was notable for two main reasons. Firstly, it marked my recovery from a complex concussion suffered the previous summer during a soccer game. I had to skip that hockey season and was only cleared for strenuous sports shortly before the trip. Being able to do “normal things” again (shades of the current pandemic situation!) was a long-awaited and very much appreciated development.

Wengen, seen from the cablecar on the way to Männlichen. Skating rink (and adjacent curling hall) at top left.

Secondly, our group leader Simon W. introduced us to the joys of off-piste skiing. Simon expertly assessed our capabilities, found us some amazing skiing, and taught us how to enjoy the “steep and deep” without unduly endangering ourselves. Not only did it make for an unforgettable 2005 experience, it prepared us for similar adventures in the future. One of my 2018 posts describes how some of us met Simon W. again in Wengen.

Our off-piste group “somewhere above Wengen”. Our guide at front right, in yellow jacket.

Many of the pictures in today’s post are from those off-piste adventures. I remember the first time I truly found the proper rhythm of skiing in very deep snow. It was both exhausting and exhilarating. Bouncing in and out of the powder was so much fun that a photo from that very run remains my Facebook avatar to this day.

I’m so glad there’s a picture of me enjoying one of my favourite ski runs ever! This is off-piste on the lower slopes of the mighty Eiger, which rises up to 3,967 metres (13,015 feet) right behind me.

However, one of my fondest memories was off the slopes. My very first time on skates for at least 6 months (since before the soccer injury) was on a snowy evening on an outdoor rink in Wengen. Even though I had to borrow skates and a hockey stick, I felt like a little kid again…giddy about being able to skate and stickhandle once again with no real rules or restrictions.

More off-piste adventures above Wengen

That evening on the ice, with dramatic mountains towering above me in every direction, made a profound impression on me. It was so memorable that it became the subject of an essay I submitted to the organizers of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Torch Relay. You can imagine my joy at being selected to run a portion of that Olympic Torch Relay in December 2009 (here’s a link to my post about that special day).

Stretching before a long day of skiing: Männlichen (above Wengen)

Alas, one of the conditions of the Olympic Torch Relay was that I had to more or less relinquish the rights to my essay. So I can’t share the actual essay with you, but I think you get the basic idea.

More “sick” off-piste terrain above Wengen

I’ve also included some group photos. I’m still in touch with many of the other participants, with several of us still organizing an annual ski trip together even though we are technically no longer “young Swiss Abroad”. We won’t be able to do that this winter, but I’m sure we will in early 2022. I’m already thinking about where I would like to go!