How We Avoided Dog Poop: A Letter from Tour Members
As many of you know, we embarked upon a European jaunt for our long-awaited "official" honeymoon courtesy of a Rick Steves' Europe Through The Back Door package tour that whisked us away through France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Italy with a group of twenty or so fellow adventurers on a brand new, fancy schmancy tour bus...and adventurers they were! An amazing band of rogues that we'll never forget... Here is an oh -so brief run-down of our trip.
Our first stop...Paris! That beautiful, breathtaking romantic city of lights. A place where the Eiffel Tower reaches to the sky, accordions play softly in the night, the smell of sweet crepes fill the air, and a place where 200 people per month have to go to the hospital after slipping on dog poop. Ahhhh Paris! **long sigh** Of course we escaped Paris without one French Poodle related incident. However I did manage to fracture the very tip of my left small finger while sleeping. Don't try and read into this...I was in fact sleeping!
During our 3.5 day stay we hit all the major sites, indulged in fine Parisian cuisine (and killer sushi à la the Buddha Bar), cruised the Seine River at night, and drank our collective weight in French wine. Ooo La LA!!! We also hit the Louvre, Notre Dame (the Hunchback was on holiday so we missed him), and the Orsay museum where Olga finally discovered Monet and the Impressionists, complete with goosebumps on her arm. My goosebumps came earlier when we completed a mission I've had for many years...to search out a certain restaurant in Paris where my #1 painting of all time was painted (Renoirs "Boating Party") on the outskirts of Paris...and have dinner "in the painting" so to speak, where the picture was painted. And we did!!! Wooo Hooo! Goosebumps.
Then it was off to Beaune, France deep in the Burgundy wine region for a night. Beaune, a tiny, quaint, countryside town built on agriculture (in other words...wine). We stayed at a medieval hotel that was part of the original city wall. While in Beaune we did a wine tasting at a winery that dates back around 700 years, toured an ancient haunted monastery, flirted with old French ladies, and ate snails. Beaune was definitely a contender for us relative to where we may just settle down someday. Especially due to the fact that we found a killer beer bar...although that part of the trip was a blur. After that we were off to Switzerland!
After driving through mind-blowing Southern France past many-a-chateaux, and through the Swiss/French Alps, we arrived into a small sleepy mountain village just outside Interlaken within the Berner Oberland, and under Europe's highest mountain peak...the mighty Jungfrau. Complete with countless waterfalls over high cliffs, snow covered peaks, goats, gingerbread Swiss chalets, cheese, and plenty of yodels to go around. Definitely one of the most peacefully pristine spots on earth. Besides hiking through an amazing mountain valley, our highlight had to be getting Olga to the top of the Shilthorn peak (2nd highest in Europe...and she doesn't like heights), and the site of the final scene of the James Bond flick...Her Majesty's Secret Service. There are still scratch marks on the side of the building where Olga was clinging to. And I think the snowball fight our group had on top of the cliffs was freaking her out a bit.
Next stop...Austria and Germany...achtung baby! We stayed at a two hundred-year-old farm right on the border, complete with livestock, horses, and plenty of Heffeweisen. Besides doing a bit of bike riding through a quaint Bavarian village, hiking through mountain trails, drinking Heffeweisen, we toured Mad King Ludwig's castle which was the inspiration for Disney World's castle, and where the composer Wagner used to hang. Beeeeautiful. And drank more Heffeweisen. We also shot down a Bavarian hillside on a Louge...without losing our Heffeweisen. And then...it was on to Italy...Venice, Italy.
But first, our group stopped off in a small Italian village on the Austrian border for a pizza-fest, and freaked out the locals a bit I'm sure! Just in time for "May Day" where everyone dresses in Lederhosen and dances around May Poles...a tradition not only held in Germany. But after that...it was on to AMAZING Venice, where there's no Heffeweisen. There are no cars or vehicles of any kind in Venice, only boats. The antiquity of the buildings abounds as does 110% romantic beauty all around. Venice IS all that you can possibly imagine. Intense museums and art, gondolas everywhere, endless small confusing pathways and winding streets leading to countless bridges...and plenty of street (or piazza) performers crooning old Italian classics for adoring crowds...ah Solio Mio!!!
While in Venice we did it all, including a moonlit gondola ride complete with a singer and accordion player (and me on vocals at one point...seriously! Tried to do Like A Virgin, but the boys didn't know it...), had lunch under the Rialto Bridge, waltzed in St. Marks Square, relaxed with gelato on a lazy piazza (square), and avoided the endless piles of dog poop speed bumps. After surrendering to the charm of Venice...we were off to Tuscany, and Florence! The notorious city of the Medici empire...and endless art.
We stayed just outside town at a quaint Agritourismo (farm/vineyard) which was perched way up on a rolling Italian hill next to an age old village, surrounded by vineyards. Ahhh Vino! This place also had some of the absolute finest Italian cuisine we've ever sampled...simply surreal. Not only did they have their own home grown wine, honey, and varied produce/meats...but the place had a swimming pool and crazy swing ride within a playground that was do die for...especially after several bottles of wine. Ug. But this was all simply an amazing backdrop for...Florence. We had one day to hit that art heavy town...and we did. Everywhere from seeing "David", to the bridge, the Medici chapel, Baptistery, etc...and of course making time to hit the Emporio Armani store, just for kicks. After conquering Florence and the Tuscan region...it was off to Rome...the grand end to a surreal tour! Friends, Romans, Countrymen...lend me your ear...I mean, a beer..no, wine!
Our tour group stayed in Rome only a few days, but we stayed on an extra two in hopes of showing Olga as much as possible in this awe inspiring city. For anyone who has yet to hit this intimidating wonder, you have no idea just how intense it actually is...historically, architecturally, relative to art, religion, and cultural overload. Fortunately I've done Rome on a few other occasions, but for Olga, this was heaven. Besides hitting all the usual spots...the Colloseo, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheon (intact 2000 yr old Roman building), Vatican, Castelo Angelo, Sistine Chapel, Spanish Steps, etc...we also hit the sacred steps (12 steps Christ climbed at Pontius Pilots palace), we shopped, ate far too much gelato, and best of all...spent our last night sipping drinks on the Campo Di Fiore (flower market piazza)...watching tourists both avoid and step in dog poop. Romantic...eh?
Bitter sweet irony really...as we avoided Europe's most notorious shoe soiler the whole wonderful trip, we spent our last remaining moments reflecting on how we emerged victorious per our vacation...as we watched other not-so-lucky-souls tread upon canine landmines hoping the trip would never end. Not simply due to the fact that we avoided the poop (unlike the others we were chuckling at that last night), but because we had the great fortune of seeing things that many will never see in a lifetime...all within three weeks. Amazing... Europe truly is spectacular, enchanting, and perfection in so many ways. A lovely place to escape the real world that exists back home.
We had the time of our lives, and wish we could book another tour and bring all our family and friends. But you never know...anything's possible, eh? If that happens, just make sure you watch where you walk...we did.
Best,
Chris and Olga Lausch
Rehoboth Beach, DE