Salzburg, Visiting the Blanchards, Avignon and Now Madrid!

It's now Monday, June 8, and I am terribly behind on this blog.  I last wrote from Graz, a place where we wished we could have stayed longer.  However, this trip is like a sampler of Europe, and we keep moving on.  We are staying three nights in Madrid, so we don't have to unpack and pack up again every day!  As soon as Katya is ready, we will be leaving the hotel for the Prado Museum and the street life of Madrid.  However, I will get a start on this installment and add to it later.

As the train travelled through the Austrian countryside, we were able to have great views of fields, copses, forests and villages, with a rich variety of shades of green everywhere.  Rain seems to have been abundant in Europe (as opposed to California!)

Austrian countryside from the train

We arrived in Salzburg before midday on Tuesday, June 2, and made our way on foot to the old part of the city, south of the Salzach River, and our hotel, the Hotel Goldgasse, where we left our luggage.  We then set out to find food because we were hungry.  Using another bridge, we crossed the river again and walked to the Mirabell Gardens, but we couldn't find anything that appealed to both of us.  (Making decisions seems more difficult when we are hungry.)  We crossed the river yet again via another, pedestrian bridge, found a grocery store and bought some food to eat in the park.  In the park, sitting in the shade, for it was already getting quite warm, we enjoyed our lunch and were re-energized.

We then spent some time walking through the formal Mirabell Gardens.  The view from the far end, out over the gardens toward the old city and the fortress on the hill behind it is wonderful.  The formal rose garden was in full bloom, with mostly velvety red flowers accentuated by yellow and orange varieties.

Mirabell Gardens with churches and Festung Hohensalzburg fortress behind

Katya in Mirabell Gardens

After strolling through the gardens, we rambled around the streets on the north side of the river, stopping in churches and cemeteries.  (At one convent church, we had great difficulty opening the heavy door to exit and feared we were trapped in monastic life!)  The cemetery of Saint Sebastianskirche contains the graves of Mozart's father and wife.  In the center is the ochre-colored Gabriel Chapel, the mausoleum of Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich.  A powerful figure in Austrian history, he had the Mirabell Palace and Gardens constructed (for his mistress) and commissioned the plans for the Salzburg Residenz (which was the home of the bishops for centuries), the adjacent Residenzplatz, and the reconstruction of the cathedral after the original structure was destroyed by fire in 1598.

Mausaleum of Wolf Dietrich

(Katya is ready, so much more will have to be added to this later.  We are alive and well, in case anyone was wondering!)

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(We are back at the hotel resting after exploring some of Madrid, so I will continue where I left off.)

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Katya enjoying another ice cream cone

After exploring some of the streets on the northeast bank of the river, we went back to the old city (Altstadt)  and our hotel.  The hostess was exuberant and helpful and showed us to our beautiful, large room, furnished with new and modern fixtures but reflecting old world charm in the delicately painted scenes and borders of the ceiling.  There was a box of goodies including delicious chocolate as well as free drinks in the ultra-modern red refrigerator.

We relaxed for a short while and then set out to explore more of Salzburg.  Our hotel was only a very short distance from one of the main squares, the Residenzplatz.  We strolled across it and entered the Baroque Salzburg Dom (Cathedral), a majestic structure in early Baroque style.  Above the entrance are three years:  774, 1628 and 1959.  In 774, Abbot and Bishop Virgil from Ireland consecrated the first cathedral on the site.  This burned in 1598.  Thirty years later, the new and grander Baroque structure commissioned by Wolf Dietrich was consecrated in 1628.  During WWII, an aerial bomb destroyed the dome of the cathedral.  After 15 years, the cathedral was re-opened for Roman Catholic services.

Interior of the dome of Salzburg Cathedral

In front of the church is the Domplatz, dominated by the large Maria Immaculata column.  Unlike figures of Mary found on other columns in front of many European cathedrals, the figure of Mary in Salzburg faces away from the facade.  When one stands at the far end of Domplatz facing the column and the cathedral behind it, it appears that the two angels holding a golden crown on the front of the church are placing the crown directly on the head of Mary.

Our next stop was the Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church), one of the oldest church structures in Salzburg.  Architecturally Gothic, the interior was redesigned in the 18th century.  The loftiness of the gothic arches draws the eye more, I think, than the Baroque ornamentation.

Altar in the apse of Franziskanerkirche

From that church, we climbed up winding streets to reach the Festung Hohensalzburg, the fortress atop the steep, forested hillside towering behind the old city.  This massive fortress and its castle withstood attempted sieges and was never overcome by enemies.  It is considered the largest preserved medieval fortress in Europe.  Unfortunately, because of our limited stay in Salzburg, we did not have time to explore the interior of the fortress and the castle.  However, the views of Salzburg from the hill are impressive.

Festung Hohensalzburg

View from Festung Hohensalzburg

Getriedegasse

Returning to the old city by another winding route, we walked around a bit and settled on a little cafe for dinner.  After our meal, we strolled over to Getreidegasse, the most famous historical street in Salzburg.  The narrow street--lined on both sides by narrow, tall houses interspersed with courtyards and little alleys--has for centuries been a shopping area.  Hanging above the storefronts still are medieval wrought-iron guild signs.

Back in our hotel room, we enjoyed the lovely ambiance and fell to sleep quickly, as we have almost every night, filled with vivid impressions from the day.

The next morning, Wednesday, June 3, we reluctantly departed from Salzburg and caught a train at 8 a.m. to Frankfurt, transferring to another train to Liege, Belgium, in order to take a third train to Verviers, where our former Rotary Exchange student Sam and his mother Domi met us at the station in the late afternoon.  They took us to their lovely home in the small village of Xhendelesse in the Pays de Herve.  Fortunately for us, Domi is fairly fluent in English, as are all of the Blanchard children.  Her husband, Francis, understands English and, despite his denial of his abilities, speaks well also when he chooses.  Francis, a general practitioner, has his office in a building in front of the house, and he joined us when his work day was over.  Sam's oldest brother, Lionel, also lives at home, and he arrived home from Liege a bit later.  We all enjoyed great conversation and food.

Sam is in the middle of semester exams at school, so he was not available the next day, Thursday, June 4.  Katya and I slept until almost noon (although we had intended to get up earlier).  After eating some fresh, delicious crepes which Domi had made for us, Domi, Katya and I left for an afternoon of exploration.  First we went to La Fagne, a natural area in southern Belgium and northern France close to their home.  (The name is from the local Walloon language and translates into English as "fen" or marshy ground.)  From a viewing tower, we could see the surrounding countryside, fields and villages.

After our short walk in this natural area, we drove into the town of Spa, a town famous since at least the 14th century for its cold mineral springs.  We stopped in a jewelry shop owned by a friend of Domi's.  While passing by a cafe, Domi noticed her cousin and her cousin's husband sitting at a table, so we stopped to talk with them.  While there, a man came up behind Domi and tapped her on the shoulder; it was her daughter Celene's partner, Sam, who was in the town for business.  (To avoid confusion, the family calls him "Big Sam" and our Sam "Little Sam.")  After that, we did some shopping to select a present for Emilie, Little Sam's new girlfriend, since she would be with us at dinner that evening and it was her birthday.

Formal gardens in Spa

Since we had enough time, we went back to the Blanchard's home to meet up with everyone in order to go out to a nice restaurant in the town of Aubel.  There were eight of us:  Domi and Francis, Sam and Emily, Sam's good friend Sofia (whom we had met briefly the night before), Lionel and Katya and me.  The food was excellent, and we all had a great time eating outside and enjoying the warm weather and companionship.  People who knew the Blanchards came to chat with us; they seem to know people everywhere!

Lionel, Katya, Sherri, Sofian, Sam, Emilie, Domi and Francis at a restaurant in Aubel

The next day, Friday, June 5, Francis had arranged to take the day off from his practice to join us in exploring the area.  Our first stop was the city of Maastricht in the southeast part of the Netherlands, one of the oldest cities in the country.  It is famous for its Friday market.  We arrived at the market square after wandering along streets and alleys, passing by an old but still operational water wheel powering a flour mill formerly used by a religious order.

Water wheel in Maatstricht

The market was colorful and bustling, with vendors selling fruits and vegetables, meat, prepared food, textiles, leather goods and many other items.  Since the whole family would be together at the house that evening, Domi and Francis were shopping for food to serve as well as food for lunch in the park.  In addition to vegetables, they purchased ready-to-fry calamari and chicken nuggets.  Indoors in the shopping center, following advise from an outside vendor, we found a shop selling Turkish food and purchased a wide variety of items including mildly spicy rolls made with red lentils, avocado dip, and hummus.

After our shopping, we stopped at an outdoor cafe for refreshments, which seems to be something Europeans do much more than Americans.  We walked to the Meuse River, from which we could see some of the ancient fortifications of the city, and then to a park to eat our sandwiches and other food.

Maatstricht

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(Time for Katya and I to venture out onto the streets of Madrid to enjoy the nightlife and find a bit of food.  To be continued. . . .)

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With the Blanchards, our next stop was Vaalserberg, the highest point in the Netherlands and also the place where the borders of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany meet.  We went to the top of a tower for a panoramic view of the area.

View from the Tri-Border tower

After that, we stopped at the Henri-Chappelle American Cemetery and Memorial outside of Hombourg, Belgium, where 7987 American soldiers who died in two campaigns during WWII are buried.  The first soldiers were buried here in September 1944, after the U.S. First Infantry liberated the area.  The subsequent battles in which buried soldiers lost their lives included the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes (the Ardennes Counteroffensive), in which the United States incurred the greatest number of casualites during the war.  In this battle, my great uncle Bydie (William) Long, my maternal grandma's brother, was killed.  (He is not buried at Henri-Chappelle; his remains were returned to the States and he is buried with the family in the cemetery in New Cumberland, WV.)  The rows of white crosses spread across the vendant, green grass behind a tall column with a bronze statue of the Angel of Peace atop.

Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery

After some quiet moments at the cemetery, we continued on to the Abbaye du Val Dieu (Abbey of the  Valley of God), a former Cisterecian monastery in the Pays de Herve.  Still occupied by a Christian community (though not monks), the abbey brews its namesake beer in the tradition of the monks.  Francis and I took the opportunity to have a glass!  After our refreshments, we went into the abbey's church, where a pianist was practicing for a concert later that evening.

Stained glass windows in the church at Abbaye du Val Dieu

After our day of sight-seeing, we went back to Xhendelesse.  With the food that had been purchased in Maastricht, Domi and Francis and other members of the family spread out a feast of hors d'ouerves on the patio of their home.  The weather, which had been unusually warm, was becoming cooler as a rainstorm approached the region, and Katya and I had the opportunity to enjoy an hour or two of companionship with all six Blanchards--Domi, Francis, Celene, Lionel, Antoinne and Sam--plus Big Sam and Antoinne's girlfriend Helene.  (Emilie had already left earlier that day.)  With the abundance of food, dinner was not necessary.  After cleaning up, Domi, Katya and I set out on a walk around the village (It had not started to rain yet.) and were joined after a few minutes by Francis and Lionel.  During our stroll, I learned from Lionel about the various levels of government from Lionel, who is an elected official as well as a government employee.

Big Sam, Antoinne, Lionel, Celene, Helene, Sam, Francis and Domi

Because most of Europe is much farther north than central California, the days are much longer in the summer.  Katya and I have often been surprised to discover that it is 9 or 10 p.m. when it seems much earlier in the evening to us because of the height of the sun in the western sky.  This was the case that evening, so it was time for bed when we returned.

The next morning, Saturday, June 6, we arose around 6 a.m. in order to continue on our journey to our next stop, Avignon, France.  Unfortunately, I neglected to make reservations in advance for the TGV from Brussels to Avignon, and at the station in Verviers I learned that all seats were taken.  Nonetheless, Katya and I boarded the early morning train for Brussels and figured we would work out plans once we arrived there.

At the large Brussels-Midi station, we found our way to the international ticketing office and were able to book seats on a train to Paris Gare de Nord and seats on a TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Avignon, scheduled to arrive only a couple hours after I had intended.  However, this meant that we had to navigate our way from one station in Paris to another using the Metro, which I had hoped to avoid.  In reality, it was not as much trouble as I anticipated, and our journey went smoothly.

Katya sleeping on a train

Our hotel, which was not one of our favorites (and there have been some which we absolutely loved), was in the city walls of Avignon, within easy walking distance from the station.  Because we arrived later than anticipated, however, we did not have time to go inside the Palais des Papes (the Palace of the Popes) or any museums.  We stopped to sit down for dinner in the park above the cathedral.

Palais des Papes

As usual, we strolled around the streets and walked on a bridge across the Rhone.  From the undeveloped banks on that side, we had wonderful views of the old walled city and the remains of the Pont Saint Benezet, originally constructed in the 13th century using 22 stone arches.  Several times over the ensuing centuries, flooding of the Rhone River damaged the bridge, and after the 17th century, attempts at reconstruction were abandoned, leaving a romantic piece of medieval architecture jutting out over the water, with only four arches remaining.

Pont Saint Benezet and the Palais des Papes from the banks of the Rhone

We did not find Avignon to be as charming as the cities we visited in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, and we were surprised at the amount of litter not only in the streets but on the walls and around other structures that are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  That and the fact that our hotel room on the ground floor was musty, with flies and mosquitoes and only intermittent Internet service (although the beds were comfortable and the room was clean), made us not too sorry that we had so little time in Avignon.

We arose later than we should have.  Walking as fast as we could to the train station, we still missed the 7:52 a.m. shuttle train from Avignon Central to the Avignon TGV station 5 minutes away.  There was a train in the station which we thought might be it, so we hurried down the stairs, went under the tracks, and panted up the steps to the platform.  We boarded the train, but there was no one else around or on board and there was no destination listed on the car or the platform sign.  After the time passed 8:00 a.m., we were sure that it was not the right train and rushed back down, across and up to the station.  Someone was then available in the information booth; he told us that the next train would leave from the furthest track.  We trudged back down, across and up to that platform.  The train had not arrived (The train we had mistaken for ours was still sitting on the next tracks.), so I rushed back over to the station and bought croissants and Coke Light for breakfast.  (Choices were limited!)  The next train was scheduled for 8:27, so I was quite anxious that we would not make it in time to board our 8:40 TGV train to Madrid.  I went to information again to get exact information about what platform we would be arriving at and what platform the TGV would be departing because I did not think we'd have the time to find signs and directions.  After the panic, things went smoothly; we arrived at the TGV station and had plenty of time (minutes to spare!) to get to our place on the platform for our car on the train.

The train passed farm fields, some castles and ruins on hills, small villages and marshes before getting to the drier planes of northern Spain.  When we arrived in Madrid, wielding my limited fluency in the Spanish language, I was able to get instructions on how to catch the Metro to a stop near our hotel and how to get to from the stop to the hotel.  (Unlike the time we were in Puerto Rico, I now understand the difference between "derecho" and "derecha" so I can follow directions!)

Our hotel is a basic but clean and comfortable place just south of Plaza del Sol and east of Plaza Mayor.  After checking in, we set out to explore.  First, we walked to Plaza Mayor, a enormous retangular space surrounded by earth-toned, three-story residential buildings with hundreds of balconies, constructed in the late 17th century.  Now it abounds with outdoor cafes and shops along its perimeter and hundreds of people strolling and relaxing.  In the past, it was the sight of bullfights, markets, religious celebrations and public executions, including the "autos de fe" of the Spanish Inquisition, which were enormous public spectacles.

Plaza Mayor in Madrid

From the Plaza Mayor, we walked to the Puerto del Sol, a few blocks away (but not along straight streets arranged in a grid), admiring the various architectural styles of the facades.  This large plaza was also teeming with tourists and locals enjoying the warmth of a summer Sunday afternoon.  We stopped to eat; I had a piece of pizza, Katya had a donut.  (Our good dietary habits have been neglected while traveling.)  Obviously still hungry, we stopped at a small Chinese restaurant along the Calle del Huertos, where we enjoyed nutritious vegetables and noodles and Katya ate a large portion of potstickers.

balconies of Madrid

Our final stop of the day was the Real Jardin Botanico (Royal Botanical Garden).  The garden dates from the late 18th century.  Not only a peaceful place for strolling, the garden is used to explain and study botany.  Part of the garden is a taxonomic collection of plants phylogenetically arranged from the most primitive to the most highly evolved, starting with ferns and cicada and progressing through gymnosperms and angiosperms.  Another part of the garden features plants with special uses, including decorative, medicinal and aromatic.  There is a section of endemic plants as well as a large greenhouse with succulents and other plants from the Canary Islands, equatorial forests and other tropical regions.  At the highest part of the gardens is a special area for the large bonsai collection, including plants not just from the Iberian Peninsula but from China, Japan, Canada and South America.  The gardens were lovely, although we would have liked to see more plants in bloom.

A plot with blooming flowers

More of Madrid to come in the next post!