Europe '09: 2009

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Website addresses for Photos

Sorry for the delay in making a closing post. Variety of reasons for it but don't need to go into that. Part of it was that I wanted to gather information and my thoughts on the past 6 weeks. First...some of the numbers of the trip. It totaled 37 days I believe and took me to 10 countries (if you count Northern Ireland and Scotland as separate from the U.K.). When I got back, I had lost 10 lbs and my best guess is that I walked between 400-500 miles. If my counting is accurate, my methods of transportation included: 68 trains, 24 buses, 5 airplanes, 4 ships, 4 subways, 3 cars, 1 riverboat, and a bicycle that broke down on me.
Looking back on the trip, I'm so glad that I took it. It's not only the adventure that takes place as you travel to the various places, but there's also an adventure that takes place from within. You get a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you're able to navigate your way around the various places and figure your way out of some of the situations that always seem to arise. I felt a great sense of accomplishment a number of times along the way. Getting to Avoca, Ireland by walking was probably the first one. Using what little French I know to board the correct buses to both St. Mere Eglise and Carentan was another. Riding that bike to Normandy, hiking to Eltz castle, and getting to Bastogne were others. The research I did in advance proved to be pretty valuable to me. Those 75+ maps that I copied from the internet were a big help, though I wish I had a few more in some cases. Recent research also brought my attention to a few things that otherwise I doubt I would have experienced. That restaurant in Cesky Krumlov and the Lipizzaner stallions come to mind. Other experiences, I'd researched along time ago so have known about for some time like the "Jack the Ripper" tour and the chance to raft the Vltava river at Cesky Krumlov.
It's hard to come up with single answers to some questions that I might be facing when I get to the classroom, but I think I'll try right now with what might be a few:

Highlight of the trip: Getting together with Bill and then going to the British Open those 2 days.
Favorite Country: Probably Ireland.
Favorite City: Probably Prague. I was also very successful in Paris this trip.
Favorite People: Ian, Darrah, Dirk, and Angela, everyone that worked at the Dublin hostel.
Most stress: It's always stressful finding a place to stay...I experienced it finding the Glasgow
hostel on that Saturday night after the golf tourney.
Low moment: My roommates in Prague?
Luckiest moment: When we found the room in Troon, Scotland to stay in.
Least favorite place: Hard to say...Munich wasn't that great this time around so guess I'll go
with that.
From rags to riches days: From the one hotel in Prague to the other.
Worst days: The rainy Sunday in Vienna...I kind of just waited for hours for the train.
Grand Slam Days: Scotland, Normandy, the castles in Germany, Avoca, and Bastogne.
Most beautiful place: Naturally it's either the Rhine river or the Austrian Alps
Most beautiful city: I think Prague edged out Vienna on this trip.
Most scared: Wasn't really scared anywhere to be honest. Maybe when I was trying to
find the campground in Metz, France not knowing if they'd let me in.
Worst luck: That bike breaking on me in Normandy wasn't the greatest luck.
Failures of the trip: Not getting to Zell am See cuz I didn't get off at the right stop, and missing
the World War I tours in France.
Most fun: The British open, Dolphins, crawling through tunnels, and the Austrian toboggan.
Wierdest place I slept: The alleyway on the night train from Berlin to Paris.

Generally speaking, I'd say I was over 95% successful in seeing and doing what I had hoped to when I first went over. I did have some injuries but that was to be expected. All the walking took a toll on my legs. I had a terrible case of shin splints in one leg from Bastogne to Prague which was like 7-9 days. My knees also swelled up some so was glad I had packed some ibuprofen. Otherwise, I stayed pretty healthy which I was very thankful for. Oh, I did get some "face time" at the British Open also I discovered. My brother DVR'd it and I picked myself out pretty easily. If you copied it, you need to watch Stuart Cink play the 18th hole. Right after he hits his approach shot into the green, they show him walking down the fairway. I'm right along the fence as he passes by.
I brought back a few souvenirs this time which I haven't done much of in the past. I liked buying refrigerator magnets because a bunch were very creative and they also pack pretty light. I did bring back quite a bit of stuff from the British Open which really blew my budget....oh well. I also brought back some miniature, Medieval weapons from Castle Eltz. Included were two "sword" letter openers, and a tiny, Medieval maze. Since getting back to Broken Bow, I've been spending alot of time uploading, organizing, and labeling the many photos I took on the trip. I took over 1300 photos and have over 9 hours of video I think. I'm not sure but I might be able to include some websites to go to so that you can see them even if you're not a member of Facebook, so I'll check into that and if I find out that it works, I might have to publish one last blog with those address...we'll see.
One post trip experience has been my dreams. It's kind of funny actually, but I'm still travelling in my head. About four nights ago, I dreamt I was somewhere in Russia looking for the correct ship to take me somewhere. Another night, I was looking for a place to stay. Two nights ago, I was in Scotland again going to the British Open again, though this one was at St. Andrews instead of Turnberry. There was more last night also, though I can't remember what it was now. In closing, I'll just say it was a great trip!!! I've got lots more information that will make me a better teacher and I'm looking forward to sharing it with my students this next year and years beyond. Simply speaking, it was a great adventure and just tons of fun!!! I'm very glad I did it!

God Bless Always,
SNorris
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Experiencing "the lasts"

I only have one night left now in Europe. I can feel myself on the back end of a trip when I start noticing the "last" of things. My last moment in a country that wasn't English, my last time at wondering whether I was going to find the place I needed to stay at (Glasgow, Scotland), my last time of struggling with the transportation (probably yesterday morning going by train from Glasgow to Stranauer and then catching the ferry across the Irish sea to Belfast), spending my last English pounds and cents (I don't like carry money that I can spend anymore so I just kind of buy anything and everything on the last day), riding my last train (that was yesterday in Scotland), checking into my last "new" hostel (that was Glasgow), and checking into my last hostel (that was this morning in Dublin). After checking into the Belfast hostel yesterday, I went out souvenir shopping and also went to the "Avoca" cafe right next to the Belfast main square. Spent some down time then back at the hostel cleaning up and got a pretty good night's sleep. Since I had "pounds" to spend this morning, I went to the grocery store first and bought stuff for my 3-hour (without a toilet) bus trip from Belfast to Dublin. Of course, I had to make sure that after my shopping spree I still had 13.05 GBP (British pounds) to pay for my bus ticket. It was raining when I got to Dublin (just like it was when I arrived the first time) but it cleared up the rest of the day. It was funny coming back to Dublin and very nice because I had gotten so familiar with the city only 1 month earlier. I think that I take familiarity with things for granted most of the time, but not so on a trip like this where almost everything seems new. I spent today just walking around Belfast mostly and making sure that things are set for tomorrow. I've got to catch an early bus to the airport so that I'm there in plenty of time before my 9 am flight. With the time change and everything, I believe I'm supposed to get into Omaha sometime after 3:00 pm which includes like a 3 hour layoff in Newark. Have been buying some souvenirs and getting rid of my extra Euros (less the cost of the bus fare and some extra money to buy food/liquid for the plane ride. Not sure when my next post will be...just know it will be done from the computer at my folk's farm most likely. I'll save my final thoughts for then. That's it. Hope everyone is well.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Sunday, July 19, 2009

So close....

I forgot to mention yesterday that while in Troon, Bill and I drove out to see Royal Troon Golf Course. On the way from there into town, I got to drive on the left side of the road (legally) and in a car with the wheel on the right side for the first time. Thought I did ok...at least the pedals and 5-speed shift was the same...that helped. I got up early this morning to head to the train station. Kind of got lost but recovered quickly. Caught the earliest train out to Gervin and found myself in Turnberry for Championship Sunday at about 9:00 or so. I went to the back nine first, and eventually settled in on a spot on a hill between the 10th (incredible hole next to the see and right beside the light house) and the 12th. I was able to watch approach shots from both fairways and saw alot of big names pass by. Probably stood up there for an hour and a half before moving on. I saw most of the big names today that were in the tourney hit at least one shot. Watson's tee off time was around 2:20 so I went up and lined the fairway about where I'd figure he'd hit to. Then I tried to make my way up to the green as he approached. I followed him around til after the 5th hole. By then, the traffic of people was so bad that I figured I'd spent most of the time walking and I wouldn't be able to see any golf, so I decided to go find a spot where I could see the approach shots to the 18th green clearly. On numerous occasions, their tee shots were within 25 yards of where I was. If they went a bit right into the rough, I was almost in their back pocket. I would mention that the best way to watch golf is on the t.v. The cameras are everywhere and they get in the way of the spectator (as do other spectators, the t.v. people, the marshalls, volunteers, etc. etc. etc.). However, there is no replacing the electricity that was in the air when Watson was up 1 and he put his drive in the fairway on 18. People around were saying "I can't believe he might do this!" I was right behind him on his approach at 18, staring down his line of flight and it looked perfect. He just "juiced" it a little I guess. Plus, he did have a strong wind that I thought was directly behind him. Too bad what happened in the playoff to him, but I was also happy for Stuart Cink. I stuck around and was able to watch him lift the "jug" and give his acceptance speech. Then I did pretty much the only jogging I've done on this trip. Back to the bus to take it to the train station in Gervin. I did make all the connections but I didn't get back to Glasgow til past 10 pm and then I had about a 40-45 minute walk to the hostel. I hate walking that late at night in unfamilar surroundings. Fortunately, that's the last time I'll have to do that. I've found the "Scots" to be wonderful people (but of course!!!!) and it is so nice that English is the language again. To quote Steve Martin, "it's like those French people have a different word for everything!!!!" and that does add a significant degree of difficulty to things when you are travelling. I'll move on tomorrow morning from Glasgow. Hard to believe I've only got 3 more nights left in Europe. Time to get.

SNorris
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Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Luck of the Irish...in Scotland.

Bill and I found each other. Ends up I was on the computer as he was arriving in Belfast so he just drove right to the place I was staying and stayed there. Yesterday morning, we embarked on a bit of an adventure to try and get to Scotland. After seeing a bit of Belfast, we took a bus to Larne, Scotland which is north of Belfast. From there, we got on a ferry across a very rough, Irish Sea to Troon, Scotland. Bill had rented a car so it was waiting there when we arrived. We decided to stop at the Anchorage Hotel right next to where the ferry came in just to see what prices were. The guy at the reception told Bill there were no rooms available in the area period. However, he said someone had called earlier that had rented some rooms there. So he returned the call and it ends up that the guy cancelled one of his rooms, so we were in....very fortunate. Today, we took the train to Ayr. Fortunately, we ran into some nice people from Georgia who told us how to get where we were going. At Ayr, we took a train to Gervin. And from Gervin we took a bus to.....Turnberry Golf Course!!! It was absolutely awesome!!! Despite Tiger not making it, it was such a great time. We just walked all over the course. We followed Stuart Cink and Lee Westwood for a while and Jim Furyk and Angel Cabrerra a little also. I also saw Tom Watson bogey the 15th....we had to leave so didn't see him come back with his birdies on 16 and 17. Presently, I'm in Glasgow, Scotland. Had to walk to the place I'm staying...about 2 miles but I did find it and will soon get to bed. I left Bill at Troon as he had to get down to Manchester, England tonight as his flight leaves tomorrow morning sometime. Not going to tell you what I'm doing tomorrow though I bet some of you can guess. Here's a hint.....mom/dad, Steve, Dave, somebody.......will you tape it for me???? Hope you're all well.

SNorris
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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Have arrived in Belfast

Not alot to report on really but since I don't know how the next few days are going to work and if I'll be making a report for a few days, I thought I'd add a quick one. Left the hostel around 7:15 a.m. this morning in London, walked to the Cannon Street "tube" station and got on a train to Heathrow airport. Navigated Heathrow pretty well though I was glad that I got there early as there was quite a line to check in bags. I had to check in my backpack at a special place cuz of all the straps but after a 1 1/2 hour flight, I picked up my pack at baggage claim and it all seemed to be intact. Caught a bus to the Victoria train station and then began my walk to the hostel. My map ended up sending me about an extra 1/2-1 mile in the wrong direction which I blame on the internet having the place in the wrong location. We checked on it here at the hostel and that seems to be the case. The rest of the afternoon will be doing exciting things like: shaving, showering, laundry, and hopefully getting a hold of Bill. I just left an email for him so hopefully he'll be in touch soon that he's board a flight soon. That's about it. Not sure when I'll be blogging next. It might not be til next Monday when I'm back at this hostel before traveling down to Dublin. Later everyone!

God Bless,
SNorris
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

France's parting gift

France didn't want me to leave...let me explain. Yesterday was July 14th...France's "Liberty" day or Bastille Day. As a result, the 6:27 train I wanted to get on, didn't exist. In fact, I had to get to another station in Lille in order to catch a 9:12 train that "kind of" took me to the town of Calais, more accurately the countryside outside of Calais. From there it was a bus into the town, and then another bus to the ferry. Then it was across the English channel. So good to just speak English. I don't have to think now before I say anything which is so nice. From Dover where the ferry docked, I got a bus to London and I arrived at around 4:00 p.m. yesterday. I walked to my hostel because they wanted about 6 bucks for a ticket. Once checked in, I went to the Globe theater and bought a ticket for the 2:00 show today. Later last night then, I went and met up with 150-200 other people to go on the "Jack the Ripper" walk. It was very interesting as we walked around London's east end learning about the autumn of 1888. Creepy story and I will admit I didn't sleep all that great last night. Today, I walked...and walked....and walked. My pedometer read 7.32 miles when I left this morning....it now says 29.87 miles. I hit most of the tourist sites of London, and walked through some rain in the process...not downpours at least, more moderate to light. At around 1:00 p.m. I headed to the Globe theater which is a remake of Shakespeare's theater. I paid 5 pounds which is around $7.50 to be a groundling. That's pretty much a "peasant" and I stood for around 3 hours watching the show. Besides the toil on my legs, I enjoyed it. I couldn't understand all of that old English stuff but I still enjoyed it. The show was "Troilus and Cressida." After that, I walked across Tower Bridge, past the Tower of London and then back here. I also got some information about what I need to do tomorrow which is get on the Tube and get to Heathrow airport so I can fly to Belfast. Big plans for tomorrow in Belfast....shower, shave, laundry, maybe a nap?, and try to get ahold of Bill. That's about it. Hope all is well.

God Bless,
Scott
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Monday, July 13, 2009

...back to rags.

The Berlin to Paris train was interesting to say the least. With 6 people in the cabin facing each other, there wasn't much sleep going on for me. At around 2:00 a.m. I noticed some people that had sacked out on the alleyway outside the cabin, so I decided to join them with my sleeping bag. Suprisingly, despite the noise of sleeping on the train floor, I got about 5 1/2 hrs of good sleep. Traveled to Lille, France yesterday and then headed out to Arras to catch a tour of a WWI battlefield. And it was here that I made my first, research error of the trip I feel. There was no tour!!! Not sure how I messed that one up but I did. So I was left in the position of trying to find something to do around here for today. So I ended up travelling to Rouen, France. This is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431? Ended up being a pretty good trip. Of course, I had a tough time catching a train out of the town and ended up having to kill about 4-5 hours but that was o.k. Tonight is my last night on the continent and it is a bit of a relief. From now on, I'll be dealing with the English language. I'll catch a train to Calais, France tomorrow and then take a ferry from Calais to Dover, England. Then to London for a few days before flying to Belfast, Ireland....where they also speak English. I did save alot of money by not having to pay for any of the World War I tours I was originally planning on taking. I think I have an idea of how I can spend that extra money toward the end of the trip....any guesses out there??? I'm sure there's more but there's a line developing to use the computer so I'm going to sign off. It's hard to believe that my trip is winding down so quickly. It's been enjoyable and the next week should be alot of fun as well.

God Bless,
Scott
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Saturday, July 11, 2009

From rags to riches...

Sorry for the delay but I've got reasons. I'm in the main Berlin train station right now and it's around 12:30 p.m. here. Last time I wrote was Prague so I'll try to pick it up from there. After meeting up with a friend at their hotel, I decided to stay with them since they had an extra bed. Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse. My first night in Prague I was waking up to a bunch of drunken roommates showing up at about 1:00 in the morning....my next two nights, I'm staying where Pres. O'Bama stayed while he was in Prague a few weeks ago....just a tad bit of a difference there! My second day in Prague, I took a train to the town of Kutna Hora to see the Bone Church....google it. It was interesting. Upon getting back, I just walked around Prague. I was able to find so many things. I went to the church where the final showdown happened in the WWII mission, "Operation Anthropoid." (also worth googling). The next day then, I took a trip down to the beautiful little town on Cesky Krumlov where I ate in an old Medieval dungeon, and rafted down the Vltava river for 15 kilometers. Unfortunately, after about the 1st kilometer it began to rain and it poured then beginning with the 2nd kilometer. The sun came out again just as we got finished. Fortunately, I had extra clothes and I'm not feeling any effects from getting wet and cold...it just made me paddle faster is all. I left Prague yesterday morning and rode 6 hours to Berlin. I stayed in the town of Wittenberge about 50 kilos/miles ? south of Berlin. It is where Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he nailed his 95 theses to the doors of the church there. The place I stayed was right next to the church. Today, I have been out to Potsdam to see Frederick the Great's "Sanssouci" which means "without a care" I think. To me it should mean, "without a golfcourse" because I can't believe how much land is there without a fairway in sight. I walked about 6 miles around it, to it, and to the train station after it so it's been a long day. Oh....I've booked a night train to Paris that leaves at 7:30 p.m. Til then, I've got lots more things to see in Berlin. Oh, I'm sorry about not writing the last few days, but that real nice hotel I stayed in......they wanted 12 dollars to use the internet.....for only 30 minutes. Oh, and I've been doing something different here lately. I've been using the net to book rooms so that takes some stress out of things. I'm already booked for the next two nights in Lille, France and then the 2 nights after that in London. Hard to believe this trip is winding down but it really is. Well, time to go. Hope everyone is well.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Night train to Prague

Got up yesterday morning and travelled to Vienna again. Stowed my pack in a locker at the train station and headed out on the town. Was able to find a church that contains the remains of some of the Hapsburg emperors, and on the way I found an apple streudel to enjoy while sitting in the park by a Mozart statue. After that I just walked around Vienna alot. I ended up having both a sashatorte desert and also one of those fancy cups of coffee that I don't even know what it was cuz I'm not a coffee drinker. But it was good and just something I felt like I needed to do in Vienna. Had some other thoughts of things to do with a very free afternoon, but that was stopped by a downpour of rain that lasted a long time. So an awful lot of yesterday, I spent in the train station waiting for my 10:22 p.m. night train to Prague. Surprisingly, I got some pretty good sleep last night. Though there were three beds in the cabin I was in, I was the only one in there so I was happy about that. I'm here in Prague now and they have free internet here!!! Spent this morning finding the place in the northern part of town where a World War II assassination took place. Had no idea how far away it was when I first began walking, but I did find it and then took the subway for part of the trip back. After checking into the place I'm staying (the same place in Prague I stayed 12 years ago), I went downtown, got lost of course (the streets curve), but eventually found Jenny at her hotel. I had just sat down on a couch at the reception desk, when she walked around the corner, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect. We visited for about 2 hours before I left to go find something else in town I wanted to see. Now I'm back here and I really need a shower and shave so think I'll give that a try and then maybe turn in early again. I got good information about some trains for where I want to go tomorrow so I'll look over them as well. Guess that's it.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Sunday, July 5, 2009

Vienna....awesome again!

Early rise at 5:00 this morning to catch an early train to Vienna. Everything has gone so well today! Found a place right away within 5 minutes of the station. Then I managed to use the subway and get to the Spanish Riding School Visitor Center early enough to get a ticket to see the Lippizauner stallions. It wasnt a regular show but I did see some of the 3 year olds and some of the mares & colts, along with watching them pull some of their coaches. Also went so a museum way south in town to see some of the stuff that began World War 1. I then made it to another museum and then just walked around Vienna for quite a while. Such a beautiful city....one of my favorites!! It truly was a very good day! Tomorrow, I'll spend the day in Vienna.....I want to eat a Wiener Schnitzel, Apple Streudel, Sashetorte, and also have a coffee/espresso, etc at one of those Vienese coffee houses. Then I plan to catch a night train to Prague. Oh....I had to wait, but tonight the internet was free at the place I'm staying at...yeah!!

SNorris
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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Austria

It's been a tough couple of days. Yesterday, I headed up into the mountains outside Salzburg to try my hand at "sommerrodelbahn." Basically, it's a tobaggon run. Weather made me wait a few hours to do it as they won't go if it is raining. Finally, I got to give it a try but only once as the weather came back. Played it conservative the first time down, and was hoping to open it up the 2nd but that didnt happen. I did get some fun footage with my video camera going down it. Today, I took a train to Branau am Inn which was Hitler's birthplace. I wanted to symbollically do something to make the guy roll over in his grave, so did an incredibly American thing while in the town....ate at McDonalds. Had a Big Mac, pomme frites...that's fries, and a coke. Even made some of my fries into a swasticka before eating them. I think it's great that there's a McDonalds now in the town he was born. I had hoped to get to another place out in the country but didn't get off at the right stop which prevented me from catching the next train, etc. Concerned that I might get stuck out in the country and not make it back to Salzburg, I decided to play it conservative and just get back to town where I am now. It's about 6:30 pm here now and am not sure what I'll do the rest of the evening. Maybe just lounge around and turn in early as I have to be up early to catch a train to Vienna. So far by the way, I think I've been on some 35 trains, 6-8 buses, 2 cars, and 2 boats. I think I've walked around 197 miles according to the pedometer which is likely not that much since it records even little steps as going 3 feet. Guess that's it for now.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Head in the Clouds...literally.

I left the castle along the Rhine two days ago to travel to Munich, Germany. Found a place to stay after being turned down at a couple others, and after getting settled in, I went to find the "3rd Reich Tour." It lasted about 3 hours....lots of information but not much seeing the sights. The guy giving it sure did know lots of things and confirmed many things I had heard before. This morning then, I headed from Munich to Berschtesgaden, in the Alps of southern Germany. The big thing here was to see Hitler´s Eagle´s Nest which was his 50th bday present from the Nazi party. It was a very expensive busride up but since it was THE reason why I came down here, I decided to take it. Once we got up there, we had a decent view early and then the clouds came in....hence the title of this particular blog. Still, I´m glad I went up to the top. After this I decided to head to Salzburg, Austria to get lodging for tomorrow and the next day. Weekends can be kind of hard to find places to stay so thought this was best. Good thing I did as I had a tough time finding a place. Looks like I´ll have to adjust my agenda again as a result of transportation logistics. Not sure I´ll be able to get out to Hallstadtt, Austria now. But I have some pretty good substitutes that I´m looking at. Wanted to make sure that I wrote again tonight as I´m not sure when the next entry will be coming. After Friday and Saturday in Salzburg, I´ll go to Vienna, Austria for a few days. From there, it´s in to the Czech Republic. Happy 4th of July to everyone. I´ll be spending the 4th in Salzburg, which ironically is the 2nd time I´ve spent the 4th in Salzburg since this is where I was at 12 years ago. Oh, I´ll be staying in the same hostel that I stayed in 12 years ago as well. Hope all´s well. I plan to get in a shower tonight (maybe shave), sleep in a little later tomorrow (something you can do when you already have the next day´s lodgings taken care of), and eat a hearty breakfast here at the hostel tomorrow morning before leaving. Oh, last thing. On the walk back about a half hour ago, a critter came out of the woods to the middle of the road. I got it on tape and asked for confirmation of what it was from some people here at the hostel....European version of a badger. Time to go.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Got my lesson plans for World History done!

So many things went right today. Caught a 6:20 am train to Koblenz and then another to Moselkern on the Mosel river, arriving around 8:00 a.m. From there I hiked about an hour back into the woods to Eltz castle....the most intact Medieval castle around. Got there about 10 minutes before it opened. Since I was the only one there who needed an English tour, I got a private tour. It was really impressive and I really wished I had students there to experience it. I gave in to temptation at the souveneir store and also had myself a bratwurst and fries with curry sauce at their little restaurant. So I kind of splurged today which is okay cuz I really havent done it all that much. The 2nd castle I visited was Rheinfels at St. Goar. This one was in ruins as it had been destroyed by the French Revolutionary army. I had printed off a tour from the internet and it worked well. It even led me through the underground passages beneath the castle which required a flashlight....I only made one wrong turn. I got envious at this castle as their were a bunch of school groups there that were doing all sorts of activities....sword fighting, crossbow shooting, archery, etc. and then were given a tour. I knew the kids I teach would love something like this and I couldnt help but think if they showed any Fenskes I know (or some of their friends), that they would have it mastered within 5 minutes and then could have defeated the instructors and taken over the place. What Louis the 14th's army couldn't do, I think Fenske and friends could have. By this time, it was around 5:00 pm with storm clouds looming overhead, I hopped on a boat to ride up the Rhine river from St. Goar to where I am staying at Bacharach.....beautiful trip. Tomorrow I will be off to Munich (Munchen) with maybe a stop at Mainz before. I thought it would be an easy walking day today but I ended up puting in another 10 plus miles I think. My pedometer turned over again which is the 3rd time now....it turns over after 50 miles. Gotta get.

SNorris
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Monday, June 29, 2009

As a wise man once said...

it's the Lone Wolf that runs farther and faster. Normally, I think I would rather be travelling with someone but the last couple of days it is probably better I was by myself. I spent Friday morning and afternoon in Paris. Visited a couple of museums, took the Paris "Sewer Tour", and went to the top of Notre Dame. Went back to the hostel then to get my pack so I could catch a train out of town. On Friday evening in Paris, the tracks had a power outage. Don't know how long they were out, but there were people all over the place in that station. Don't know why it didn't stress me out that much, but it didn't. Even the thought of spending the night in the train station didnt bother me that much. Anywaz, I finally caught a train out of town and arrived in Metz, France arriving around 9 30 pm. A local helped me across town in the direction of the campground which closed at 10 p.m. I arrived around 10 30 pm but they still let me in. Yesterday morning then, I travelled to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and then tried to figure out how to get to Bastogne, Belgium. Cant believe it, but no trains go to Bastogne so I had to take buses. I walked so much yesterday around Bastogne...a total of around 12 miles I think with my pack. But I did make it out to the forest where the 101st defended the northeast part of Bastogne and ran around for quite a while in the trees looking at the old foxholes. Then I went down to Foy, Belgium and finished the trip walking back to Bastogne. Met a nice guy from Denmark named Michael in the Bastogne campgrounds. We visited for a long time last night and I showed his son a few of the magic tricks I brought with me. Woke up early this morning before 6 a.m. and decided to look for a bus out of town...got lucky and found one. The bus took me to Ettelbruck, and from here I caught a train to Luxembourg City. I hoofed it out to the American cemetary at Hamm, Lux and saw General Patton's grave, and then made my way back to the station to catch a train to Trier, Germany. There I caught a train to Koblenz, Germanz and from there to Bacharach, Germany where I am writing from now. The trip today has gone fairly smooth. I'll be staying two nights here at the Bacharach castle. See if you can get some pictures from Google Images as it is pretty neat. I have just been walking around town since arriving. I got in around 3 pm which was too late to check in and then do anything.....alot of the sites close up at 6 p.m. Oh....the place I am stazing in is overrun with school kids and they are going absolutely berzerk....hopefully, I'll be able to get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow, I am hoping to visit two castles...one is just up the Rhine river...Rheinfels castle at St. Goar (by the way, I have a great view of the Rhine river from the castle) and the other is a ways away on the Mosel river at Moselkern called Eltz castle. Hopefully, I can get them both in tomorrow. If possible, I would also like to get into Mainz, Germany and see if my friend the cop is working....I might be able to do that on Wednesday I guess also. Cant think of a whole lot else to talk about so I will close again for now.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Friday, June 26, 2009

Day #2 in Paris

Good breakfast this morning at the hostel. Today went by without much a snag. Found a post office to mail a couple cards thanks to a local who was incredibly friendly in helping me. Then headed to the Louvre...the museum of all museums arguably. Arrived about 20 minutes to game time which was great. Once in I beelined it for the Mona Lisa....about 10 people there when I arrived so it was great. Later in the morning when I found the Venus de Milo the crowd was stacked. I got lost in the place but managed to find some of the major things that I wanted to like Hammurabi's Stela and a few paintings. I did it in about 3 hours and know I missed plenty. From there it was to a place called the Conciergie or something like that. It was an old palace that became the prison during the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette and others were housed here before they met the business end of the blade. Next was the Hotel Invalide and the church connected to it....Napoleon's tomb. About 2-3:00 p.m. by this time so found a market and bought a sandwich, mac salad of sorts, and some water and then had my own picnic next to the Eiffel Tower. Some girls came up to me and asked me to take their picture...college students from Rice. One from Mississippi I think and the other from Castle Rock, CO. Mentioned how familiar I was with the area because of Mike and Laurel in Elizabeth...small world. Next went to the Arch de Triumph and went to the top this time. Finally the Concorde area and the monument where the guillotine used to be during the Revolution days. Walked then to another place that I wanted to see but it was under construction. Was a full day but got alot accomplished. I think I've already made back the money for the two day museum pass that I bought and I still have another day on it. Buying an all day Metro (subway) pass allows me to hop on and hop off whereever I want and I clearly understand how they work, so that helps. Don't know what I'll do tonight for sure...maybe shave??? Tomorrow I'm going to stowe (?) my pack here at the hostel and then come back and pick it up before catching a train that will take me into eastern France....tomorrow night I plan to camp, and again for the next few nights so it'll be awhile til I'm back on this. I think that's it...can't think of much else.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Almost a "grand slam!"

I made it to Carentan from St. Mere Eglise the other day by bus. A little girl helped me get off the right stop so I gave her one of the buffalo nickels I brought as gifts. Tourist office closed when I got to Carentan but a map there showed me where the campground was. Camping when fine. Yesterday morning then, headed to the tourist office to see if there were buses to St. Marie du Mont and Utah beach...NO. There were tours but I think these were really expensive....so I rented a bike. After about the first mile, I realized it had gears (the pedalling had been pretty rough up to that point), in the 2nd mile I figured out how to operate the gears. I got to St. Mare Du Mont (6-7? miles) and then tried to find the road for Brecourt Manor which I couldn't. Fortunately, my maps showed me the back door route so I took it. Ended up meeting the farmer who owned the place. I told him I was a history/geographer teacher and the son of a farmer so he told me about the events during the war on his land and where the big, German 88mm guns were at that the 101st took out in one of the early episodes of Band of Brothers. He let me on the land so I could walk the hedgerows where it was at. From there I biked to Utah beach where I took tons of pics of the memorials and went down to the beach and put my toes in the English Channel. I messed around St. Marie du Mont on the way back and then started pedaling back to Carentan. A little west of Vierville I was changing gears when something (on the bike) popped. Something broke on the gearing so after getting the broken parts off the spokes, I ended up pushing the bike the last 4? miles back to Carentan (except for the hill past Dead Man's Corner that I coasted down). Because of the breakdown, I won't call it a grand slam day....but I did go for extra bases. I'm sore and a little swollen today from that bike seat. While riding, I thought abit about the last time I rode a horse...Frank's "Roni." Yeah....some of the same muscles involved. Camped in the same place last night and got up at 5:15 am to take down my tent and catch the 6:26 to Paris. Arrived around 9:00? and got turned down the first place I tried to stay. Got in at the second. First stop was to try to buy a museum card which took a while. Fortunately, the subways are easy for me to navigate so that helps. Finally got the card and then went to find Lafayette's grave....it's like they are intentionally hiding the thing, but I did find it and found it interesting. Back to the hostel then for a tad and then off to do a bit of my own walking tour (with the help of Rick Steves...he's a travel, TV host) which started at Notre Dame. Last was the Sacre Coure church and the area of Montmarte. Tomorrow, I'll try to get to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, Hammurabi's Stella, and the Venus de Milo among other things. The museum card lets me go almost anywhere so have lots of options...just depends on how quick I want to get through it all. Can't think of much else I guess.

God Bless,
SNorris
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

FRANK....I MADE IT!!!!!!

Actually, I am having a tougher time with this french keyboard than I did getting to St. Mere Eglise. Listening to the French tape paid off. I cant understand the French well but I can get them to understand me. I got on the ship from Rossalare Ireland to Cherbourg France yesterday around three thirty. The ride was really smooth....Mike and I could have skiied it. I saw some dolphins on the ride over also which was great to see. We also saw the air and water from a whale that surfaced though I didnt see it. I managed to find a bus to this town and have been touring the Airborne museum. Looks like I can also catch a six thirty bus to Carantan where I plan to camp for the night. Until then, its off to see a little more of the Airborne landings.

Scott
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Sunday, June 21, 2009

My Lucky Rabbit's Foot

I made a big mistake last night....leaving my wallet in the shower. Fortunately, a German police officer from Mainz brought it to me. It scared me thinking it could fall into "dishonest" hands, so should serve me well. There is a learning curve to this traveling thing and the quicker I relearn it, the better. The police officer's name was Dirk Hassenfusse (that might not be correct, but I think it's close) and in German, that means "rabbit foot." I told him how he sure had been lucky for me!!!! Had a great visit with him and his girlfriend Angela talking about all sorts of things. There was a campfire last night out at the castle where many gathered included Jack the owner of the hostel. Later into the evening, he got to telling us how the castle we were staying at had a couple of ghosts...no visitors for me though. The next morning, Dirk and Angela gave me a lift into town which saved me about $24 in taxi fares. On the way in, I learned that Dirk was indeed very lucky. He said he always wins concert tickets when he calls into the radio, and even won a German game show called "Mr. Perfect" where 400 women viewers vote for men (maybe it's vote them out) as they do different things like dancing, answering questions, etc. Anyway, he and Angela were definitely a Godsend to me and I'll be forever thankful. I got a train back to Dublin where I'm staying at the 1st hostel I was in the first, two nights. Maria was at the desk when I walked in. I like Spanish girls...they like to flirt even with old men like me. I asked her if she'd fit in my backpack as I went back to America. I told her that she could come back to America for a little while, and then we'd visit Madrid together the following summer so I could meet my future in laws. The rest of the day, I spent visiting with my new roommates, 18-19 year olds from Spain and older gentlemen (not as old as me) from Australia, and walking around Dublin. The pedometer now reads 90,656 steps and 51.4 miles. So if that's accurate (which I'm sure it's too high), that's around 12.5 miles/day. Tomorrow will be alot less strenuous, except for the getting up. I HAVE to catch a 7:26 train that heads down to the south coast to the town of Rossalare where the ship leaves for France at 3:30 p.m. I believe. Then it's a 16-hour trip over to Cherbourg, France. France will be a different kind of challenge, mostly because of the language but if I'm successful, this will be one of the absolute highlights of the trip. Oh, the Irish people are great!!! They remind me alot of rural Nebraskans. Guess that's all. It'll be a few days now as if I get where I want to I'll be on a boat the tomorrow night and camping the next two.

God Bless,
Scott
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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Still in Ireland

Did I mention that good times in Ireland is called "craic" (pronounced "crack"). I've been having fun asking people where I can find the best crack, I need some crack, etc....you get the picture. Yesterday was interesting...not what I'd consider the most successful days but still good. I barely caught a 7:10 a.m. train west to Galway. Once there, I discovered the tour bus for the "Cliffs of Moher" left at 10:00 a.m. Well, I had arrived by train at 9:55...fortunately the bus was late and I made it. The tour was expensive and a little too much for what I felt I got. We only got to stay at the cliffs for about an hour, but it was long enough for me to eat and have my picture taken with my box of Lucky Charms. Met a nice family from St. Louis (Cardinal fans) and when the dad saw his daughter (Katie) taking the picture of me he said I should market it. Just like an attorney I said (that's what he was)...anyway, I tried to profit yelling that anyone could take a picture with my Lucky Charms box but didn't have any takers, even when I lowered it to 50 cents. Incredibly windy on top the cliffs...."knock you off balance" windy. We also went inside some limestone caves in the area. West Ireland is incredibly rocky. This is where you see all of the stone fences that separate peoples' fields. Oh, I did have my first bowl of seafood chowder at a pub on the way to the cliffs at Doolin. Blistered my mouth terribly but it was good. Since I didn't have time to get a place in Galway before the tour left, I decided to go back to Dublin which took a while since we had to change to a bus due to some repair on the tracks. Anyway, I got into Dublin late and when I went to a different hostel they told me it was 32 Euro...I said too much and they went down to 26 I think. Again, I turned to leave and then they said "what would you pay?" and I replied, "the guide book says 17." So they said they'd take it and then said, "Man, you're a really good haggler." Told them there was no haggling to it, I just wasn't going to pay that much. Anyway, good night sleep and then up to catch a 7:30 train to Kilkenny. Again, repair work forced us to take a bus first. For the first time this morning, I called someone "mate"...some guy at the train station. I got to Kilkenny and it's been a great day. Found the tourist office and then just walked the town. I decided to keep my pack with me today which killed my shoulders until I adjusted the straps to put more weight on my hips....Much better! My pedometer is now up to over 41.5 miles so I've put on about 12-15 today. I've decided that I will be able to make that 9? mile/day hike in France in full pack though I still don't think the 20 miler is possible. Had a good time walking around Kilkenny. Found an interesting group of trees that really looked like a place you'd see a Leprechaun, or knome, or Frodo Baggins maybe. Also learned about hurling and even got to try my hand at it a little. For lodging tonight, I'm staying at a 16th century castle tonight about 12 km to the north of Kilkenny. Cost me 4 Euro ($5.60) to catch a bus close to the place and have been offered a ride into town tomorrow morning by a German couple which will save me cab fare. Tomorrow it's back to Dublin and the place I've stayed a couple nights already. That's alot and I need to go.

God Bless,
Scott
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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Simply amazing day!

As so often happens, my itinerary has to be adjusted on the fly. Today, I decided to head down to Avoca, Nebraska. I really wanted to get there to see the town and see what it was like and bring gifts from Avoca, Nebraska. I got up early and got to the station for the 7:30 train. From there it took around 1 1/2 hrs to get to Arklow. I found out there...no bus to Avoca within the near future, so I hoofed it....10 km. Arrived around 11:40 and when I asked who I should talk to, a few people said "Tony" who owns the local pub. He was excited to meet me and said he was planning a "festival" for the Avoca's of the world in 2011. He gladly accepted my T-shirt from the Avoca duck races and gave me a shirt in return. Then he sent me off with Liam and Darragh. These two guys took me around the area of Avoca, showing me the town church, the cloth mill, an incredible view of the valley (it reminded me of both Switzerland and Boulder, CO), the place where Thomas More wrote "The Vale of Avoca," (that's close), copper mines, etc. Then we headed back to the pub where I had some Irish stew which was great! They shared so many other things about the town, etc. that I can't recall them all right now. I did right many of them down while sitting at the station in Rathdrum, where Darragh gave me a ride to so I could catch the train to Dublin. I couldn't believe what a great (lucky) decision I had made to go to Avoca. It will make me adjust some things over the next few days but worth it. I really felt like I was getting a flavor of local Ireland instead of just the big city, touristy places. Just got back to the hostel tonight around 9:00 pm so it's been a long day. Tomorrow, it's off west to Galway and hopefully to see the Cliffs of Moher. It's a 7:10 train so I'll need to again get up early. I hope everyone is doing well.

God Bless,
Scott
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I have arrived!!!

I have arrived in Ireland and have made my first night's lodging here. The flight from Omaha to Newark was smooth. I sat in the anchor seat with the engine right out my window. It was also right by the bathroom and I tried charging people 50 cents to use it but nobody was going for it...at least I tried. The turbulence wasn't too bad. Kind of like riding in the old, red pickup on a country road....I thought it was kind of fun. Tried to sleep on both flights but never could sleep in the air. I even tried acting like I was a student in one of my classes (ie. Kirby, Rebecca) but even that didn't help me get any sleep. I did visit with a couple of gals that were backpacking for the first time and offered some advice. One gal graduated from Palmer a few years ago and we knew people in common. The other was a teacher in Des Moines. Visited with another person who was on his way to rural Russia to work in an orphanage for the summer. Managed to navigate both airports alright also. Airline food stinks by the way....it's just terrible. My backpack arrived in good shape as well. I was planning on getting out of Dublin quickly and heading west but it's pouring ran right now and I got pretty wet finding this place to stay. Just felt it was better that I get a bed quick so I can be assured of turning in early. Oh, I watched "Mall Cop" and a couple of episodes of "Ice Road Truckers" on the flight from Newark to Dublin. Typing on this keyboard is slow by the way as a bunch of the symbols are in different places. Right now, I'm just hanging out here at the hostel as I can't actually get into a room until 11:00 a.m. (it's 8:15 a.m.) here right now. I'll warm up here, get settled in, and then head out on the town this afternoon. Some of the locals said it's supposed to clear up by this afternoon. Thought that it would be a good thing to write while waiting for my room to open up....2 Euros for an hour (that's about $3.00). If things go according to plan, it'll be a while before I write again...possibly 3 nights or so. That probably depends on how much it's raining and just how well the trains/buses will allow me to get through my schedule.
God Bless,
SNorris
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Monday, June 15, 2009

Night before

It's the night before I leave and I've been trying to cut down on how much my pack weighs. Originally, it was around 40 pounds without the tent. Now it weighs somewhere around 28 pounds but with all other stuff will be around 32 I'm guessing which is much better. I think I've got all of my bases covered and whatever else happens I'll have to just adjust on the fly. Mom and Dad will take me up to Eppley tomorrow morning. We'll get to the airport around 2 hrs before takeoff which is at 11:45 a.m. I'm not looking forward to going through security. Hopefully the flight will go well and I can get some sleep. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I don't get stuck sitting next to someone like the kids I teach (ZING!!)....HAHA!! Don't know if I'll be in a place the first few nights where I can update things or not. We'll have to see. Oh, I fly to Newark, New Jersey where I'll have about a 3 hour wait before boarding my plane to Dublin, Ireland then. Talk to you all later!!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Tentative Itinerary

2009 Europe:

June 17th-Dublin, Ireland. June 18th-Doolin, Ireland. June 19th-Killarney, Ireland. June 20th-Cork, Ireland. June 21st-Kilkenny, Ireland. June 22nd-Rossalare, Ireland ship to Cherbourg, France. June 23rd-Carentan, France. June 24th-Carentan, France. June 25th-Paris. June 26th-Paris. June 27th-Paris. June 28th-Luxembourg. June 29th-Bastogne, Belgium/Luxembourg. June 30th-Bacharach, Germany. July 1st-Munich, Germany. July 2nd-Berchtesgaden, Germany. July 3rd-Hallstadtt, Austria. July 4th-Salzburg, Austria. July 5th-Vienna, Austria. July 6th-Vienna, Austria. July 7th-Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. July 8th-Prague. July 9th-Prague. July 10th-Potsdam/Berlin, Germany. July 11th-Potsdam/Berlin, Germany. July 12th-Arras, France. July 13th-Arras, France. July 14th-Take ship from Calais, France to Dover, England. London. July 15th-London. July 16th-Fly to Belfast, N. Ireland. July 17th-Belfast. Travel to Glasgow, Scotland. July 18th-Turnberry, Scotland. July 19th-Glasgow, Scotland. July 20th-Travel to Belfast. July 21st-Travel To Dublin, Ireland. July 22nd-Fly to Omaha.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Back in Broken Bow

Just got back from a hike that took about 2 hr 15 min...about 8.3 miles. My training needs to intensify these last two weeks which includes the hiking and lifting. I've done quite a bit of shopping here lately both in Broken Bow and back in eastern Nebraska. I'm real close to getting everything I need (I hope anyway). Still working a little on my "French" and spent alot of time yesterday doing more research and hashing out the fine details of things. That's probably what the rest of the day will be also, along with some lifting and possibly an afternoon hike also. That's it for today!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Eastern Nebraska training

Hmmm....well, I haven't been as regular training, as I probably should be but I am getting some things done back here. On Friday the 22nd, I took off on a 8 1/2 mile walk around the countryside and scared up a couple deer in the process. Later in the day, it was a trip to the state track meet to watch the Sargent and Wauneta-Palisade kids compete. A good training day, as it included alot of walking and just being up on my feet. Saturday, it was another trip to Burke stadium and the track meet. Again, alot of time on my feet. Yesterday, it was planned to play 18 holes of golf. Personally, I think that the walk and carrying my clubs is a good way to train. Unfortunately, rain kept us from playing so I went shopping with a friend picking up alot of extra things I need for my trip. This morning, I walked around 6 miles in the rain, again around 4 mph pace. It brought back some memories as I did get rained on alot when I went to Europe in 1997. The other part of my training that has gone well has happened while in the car, and that's listening to my "French" tape. I've made four trips to Omaha and back in the past week so have listened to it alot while driving. It seems to be coming along o.k. That's about it for now..."au voir."

SNorris

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Training continues!

Went on another walk on Sunday morning...this time for 6 miles. It took me about 1 1/2 hours so it still was around 4 mph pace. I took Monday off to do some errands the most of important which was to order some "Euro" money. Was glad to get it done when I did as the dollar has been losing ground since I ordered them. Who knows, getting it early may have saved me all of $5 when it's all said and done. Yesterday (Tuesday) I decided to walk up to where "Round Valley Road" intersects with 5th street which is the road that goes north out of Broken Bow. Wasn't sure how far it was but according to "map my run" .com, it was 4.2 miles up and back. This walk was a bit of a grind, but was glad to make it in good shape and decent time which was 2 hours and 10 minutes. I'm beginning to get confident in being able to handle all the hiking. Tomorrow, I'll leave for the farm in eastern Nebraska and the State Track Meet. Training now will be done around Avoca, Nebraska. Oh, I've managed to discover some more neat things to do on my trip!!! I'd tell you, but that would kind of ruin things for later. That's it for now.

SNorris
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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Training Day #1

Just got back from my first, training "walk." I found out I can walk at around 4 mph which is pretty good info to know. I plan on my first day in France to have to walk about 7 miles between towns and now I'll know about how much time that will take. Of course, I didn't have on my full pack so that could make it a bit slower. I'm trying to plan out everything else I have to do before leaving. My plane and train tickets are taken care of, and I purchased my backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and camera earlier this spring. Also have my passport and hostel membership ready to go. Getting in shape is probably the most pressing thing right now. That's about it.

SNorris
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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Testing 1,2,3

As the title says, "This is a test" to see what this posting thing is going to look like. That's all...there's nothing else.

SRNorris
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