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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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!!

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.

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!