eurotrip 2006

After 8 days of European traveling its good to relax back in my room, but it was one awesome time. Check out photos here.

The trip began last Friday (3.3.2006) when Tom and Mike arrived from the US here in Duesseldorf. They got back to Dortmund just in time for the German dining hall, which Tom says was his best meal of the trip - Potatoes, Beef, and Vegetables... This is making me hungry writing this!

That afternoon we managed to see Dortmund's privately owned castle (see past blog) before we enjoyed seeing VfL Bochum against Kickers Offenbach with a friend Pavil from Poland. Drinking beer in the trains and seeing crazy soccer fans was a good way to start experiencing German culture.

The next morning we met Bart in Cologne in front of the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. We checked out Cologne quickly and then set off to pick up Sarah from the airport. The only problem - Sarah never came out of customs... Where the heck was she?

We looked all around, but she was nowhere. Finally we got a call and she wouldn't be arriving until 11:00 pm that night, so we had to waste 9 hours. The rest of the day we came back to Dortmund, relaxed, ate some Dönor Kabab, checked out the city, hung out with some people at the bar and then brought an arrival crew on the hooligan ridden train to pick up Sarah.

Sunday morning we were off to Amsterdam. Just a quick 2.5 hour car ride with Bart and we made it. It must be one of the coolest cities I've seen with canals going all over the place.. Be careful not to fall in because it was COLD outside with the wind!

Monday we rode with Bart to Ghent, Belgium and we quickly walked through the city and grabed some dinner before heading off to a club of Barts. (www.carre.be) They were holding a 15 year anniversary so we enjoyed a modeling show and a newly renovated place. Bart dropped 400 euros on the night backing up his high rolling reputation!! Definitely one great birthday experience!

Tuesday we slept in late after the long night and then were able to check out the castle in Ghent and later the Monastery. It was a relaxing day and an early evening to catch up on some sleep. Wednesday morning, we would be heading to Paris and Bart would have to go to work.

After a few hours in the train from Ghent to Brussels and from Brussels to Paris, we met up with Gregor, a friend from Dortmund, and went to his house were we stayed for the night in Paris. That afternoon and evening we had the most efficient tour of Paris possible! I think we saw everything including the Louvre, Mona Lisa, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concord, Monmartre, le Sacre-Coeur, Notre Dame and the City Hall among others.

Thursday morning, Tom and I went to pick up our rental car, a VW Golf 5. The car was nice but the Parisian driving was awesome! Flying through the small streets and going around the traffic circles is what driving should always be about. After packing up the car, we headed to Versailles and checked out Louis XIV's palace before going to the Loire Valley in the afternoon. On the way, Tom decided to wake up from a nap and puke out the passenger window, covering the entire side of the car in his vomit - It was a horrendous site that I dont think can ever leave my memory.

For the record - Tom was not drunk, but he got sick because he didn't wear a warm enough clothes and we got wet in the rain. At first he blamed a Dönor Kabab, but that must be false because they taste so good. The poor guy ended up missing our time with Philippe in Chambord, but managed to nurse himself back to good enough health for castle day.

I must say that before visiting our host at Chateau Chambord, Tom Mike and Sarah were very skeptical of the couchsurfing.com idea, although now they can't complain anymore! Our host Philippe dined us with catered food and gave us free entry into the castle the next day along with a few hours of good chatting. His house is right next to the castle since he was appointed general manager two years ago by the French President!

Friday was Castle Day. We started with Chambord and then went to Cheverny, Chenenceau, and Amboise. On the way back, we stopped at Chartres to see the Cathedral although Tom, Mike, and Sarah had had enough so they stayed in the car. We then drove back to Paris to Charles de Gaulle and got ready for our plane ride back to Cologne on Saturday morning. All travel home went smoothly and now its back to the daily routine of Dortmund...