Eurotweets
I couldn't believe our luck when Randy told us he would have to take another trip to Europe this year, and for a longer time than before.
Our itinerary was fly from Beijing to Barcelona via Frankfurt, then continue on train to San Sebastian, Brussels (via Paris), Euskirchen (via Köln and with a side-trip to Bad Münstereifel), Salzburg, Gorizia (with side trips into Slovenia), Dielsdorf (with a side trip into Regensberg), and finally München from where we flew back to Beijing. The destinations aren't necessarily ones we would choose if we were regular tourists, but rather are determined by their proximity to meetings Randy had across Europe. And since this was May, instead of July and August, we were able to keep to a much saner schedule.
All along our trip I updated my twitter with some tweets and pictures of places we traveled. I've pasted the tweets from May. They appear after the jump and are in reverse chronological order. There will be more detailed blogging, too, but here's a taste.
More after the jump
@ambrosejen 2 Jun
Got in yesterday before 6 am, raced home, napped, went to baseball & Shunyi errands. Now at soccer, then Mass w the Koreans. Kicking jetlag
@ambrosejen 31 May
@lantaumama real one is much bigger of course ;-)
@ambrosejen 31 May
Our search for voXXclub CDs has come up empty :-(
@ambrosejen 31 May
Sure kids. We saw where FC Bayern plays. (we did drive past) http://twitpic.com/cugm95
@ambrosejen 31 May
One last German breakfast before we go.
@ambrosejen 31 May
Two last Aperol spritzes:'-(. Unless, of course, they're available at breakfast
@ambrosejen 31 May
Hey Beijing-people ( @beijingboyce ?). Can I buy Aperol in BJ, or should I load up here in Germany? Thank you!
@ambrosejen 31 May
@eyevolution thanks, Iris. It has been too much fun! Exhausting, but fun.
@ambrosejen 31 May
@CKapaun Danke schön! bright side has been all the cold & rain has kept the crowds at bay. No lines!
@ambrosejen 31 May
As much as I enjoyed Switzerland again, I was so happy to be back in Germany where I can find food & drinks that are preiswert
@ambrosejen 31 May
@CKapaun short visit in the cold & rain. Back to Beijing tomorrow
@ambrosejen 31 May
Saw a group of people in lederhosen tonite in München. Myles, hopefully: Do you think they are on their way to a voXXclub Flashmob?
@ambrosejen 31 May
Wenn der Maibaum wieder am Dorfplatz steht..... http://twitpic.com/cubpgo
@ambrosejen 30 May
Family seating on Swiss train, with built-in board games http://twitpic.com/cu9gc1
@ambrosejen 30 May
It was so cold and wet, I was hoping to find fondue even tho it's not winter. Blocks from our hotel a yr-round fon http://twitpic.com/cu4ag2
@ambrosejen 30 May
@helengrantsays particularly liked in this region Maibaum is an actual Baum, not a pole
Jen Ambrose @ambrosejen 29 May
Not all those who wander are lost #switzerland http://twitpic.com/cu1qo4
@ambrosejen 29 May
How expensive is Switzerland? We spent over 7 euros just to use the restrooms at the train station last night
@ambrosejen 29 May
Changed trains at Milano Centrale today. Another fantastic station. http://twitpic.com/ctwm4a
@ambrosejen 28 May
Our family was mistaken for Germans in Gorizia tonite. YES!
@ambrosejen 28 May
This is Gorizia: Italian/Slovene dictionary needed http://twitpic.com/ctorzr
@ambrosejen 28 May
In Slovenia and Italy at the same time http://twitpic.com/ctntbe
@ambrosejen 27 May
10:30 am. First latte stop of the day. WE'RE IN ITALY
@ambrosejen 27 May
Rain follows us! Rainy Salzburg, sunny skies seen from train after Innsbruck, then a hail storm as we neared Gorizia
@ambrosejen 27 May
Ordered pizza for supper without shame or embamassment because WE'RE IN ITALY
@ambrosejen 27 May
A sight to behold this morning at the Salzburg Hbf: 2 men, one in a Bayern jersey, the other in Dortmund. Both in lederhosen.
@ambrosejen 27 May
Just, you know, majestic snow-topped mountains above Innsbruck station. http://twitpic.com/ctg5ot
@ambrosejen 26 May
Leaving Salzburg. With any luck we'll be in Italy tonight
@ambrosejen 26 May
Look mom. This duck is wearing Rubberhosen http://twitpic.com/ctak0p
@ambrosejen 26 May
RT @Marian T. Wirth @mtwirth 26 May
Either way: Germans in tears. #UCLFinal
@ambrosejen 26 May
Wow RT @JoeDepto: Wow. Bayern.
@ambrosejen 26 May
@JoeDepto my kids still pulling for Barca. They just have to settle for La Liga champs
@ambrosejen 26 May
I'm watching this, and not at some weird hour RT @si_soccer: GOAL BAYERN! IT'S MANDZUKIC! 1-0
@ambrosejen 26 May
This band is playing on the street near our hotel http://po.st/obkNyu
@ambrosejen 26 May
Dude! Salzburg! http://twitpic.com/ct62j4
@ambrosejen 25 May
All you can drink Champagne on the breakfast bar at this hotel? How much Salzburg do I really want to see?
@ambrosejen 25 May
Checked into our hotel in Salzburg. On the same street is a Dirndl store. I *might* have a look around tomorrow
@ambrosejen 25 May
Spoke Spanish w a Romanian woman on a German train today. After she said her German wasn't so good because she lived in Spain, we switched
@ambrosejen 24 May
Karlsruhe Hbf. Cavernous.
@ambrosejen 24 May
Occasional snowflakes falling from the sky here in the chilly Schwarzwald
@ambrosejen 23 May
We come all this way just to spend our days looking at old walls and towers http://twitpic.com/csnbdc
@ambrosejen 23 May
Der Narro, Villingen's Carnival Fool http://twitpic.com/csn9h7
@ambrosejen 23 May
I did it again. One of these days I am going to remember that Difang is not a German word. Platz! Gibt es eine Platz.... NOT Difang.
@ambrosejen 23 May
@AuntSnoozie well, yeah. But goodness cold & wet follow us.
@ambrosejen 23 May
@AuntSnoozie Black Forest!
@ambrosejen 23 May
My Deutschsprechen is still halting & hesitant. Southern Italian waiter at a Black Forest restaurant tonight asked me if we were French
@ambrosejen 23 May
Wanna guess what I had for supper? #Spargelzeit
@ambrosejen 23 May
New favorite cocktail, Prosecco Aperol http://twitpic.com/csg7i9
@ambrosejen 23 May
"Aperol to be sold in Germany has an alcohol content of 15% to avoid German container deposit legislation regs" http://po.st/YczCQP
@ambrosejen 22 May
Trying to convince my kids standing tickets are the most authentic way to go. Reserved seats are for rich tourists (or the better organized)
@ambrosejen 22 May
Today's new word, reflecting my coffee based worldview: Deckel, meaning "coffee cup lid"
@ambrosejen 22 May
Keeping Brigid motivated for another day of trains. We're going to the area where @Crumbsey grew up!
@ambrosejen 22 May
One more view of Bad Muenstereifel before we go http://twitpic.com/csc4pc
@ambrosejen 22 May
I was going to gush about how much I love how organized everything is in Germany, but then I went into a discount grocery store tonite. Ugh
@ambrosejen 22 May
Spargel! It's what's for every meal http://twitpic.com/cs8mpw
@ambrosejen 21 May
Spargelzeit! Only had 2 courses of asparagus dishes for dinner tho. No asparagus on the desert menu so I had rhuba http://twitpic.com/cs13w5
@ambrosejen 21 May
Of all we did in Germany 2 yrs ago, this is what the kids talk about most & ran to when we got to Euskirchen http://twitpic.com/cs12a3
@ambrosejen 21 May
It's Spargelzeit!
@ambrosejen 21 May
@mtwirth unfortunately our travel plan today was very loose. Leave Brussels when we got around to it, then leave Köln sometime later.
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth it was only 2 hours. Dom and Starbucks.
@ambrosejen 20 May
Always a little nervous w my kids around Roman ruins. Can something that has survived 2000 years survive them? http://twitpic.com/crz2i9
@ambrosejen 20 May
Yes, those are my kids singing Viva Colonia like a couple of Fastelovend fools as we pull into Köln today
@ambrosejen 20 May
@blackChinahand impossible to make bad choices in Brussels, I suspect!
@ambrosejen 20 May
Kids last night: That's a lot of people coming just to watch a statue pee
@ambrosejen 20 May
This makes me wonder, though, what accent my French has that does not immediately reveal I'm an American who has not studied French
@ambrosejen 20 May
One more thing I like about Brussels: after I apologize for not speaking French, I get asked if I can speak English
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth aren't you on Pentecost holiday? You should come down to Bad Münstereifel Tuesday. What the kids hope we do Tuesday
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth it's close-ish, but yeah
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth after Euskirchen, Black Forest, then Salzburg, Gorizia, Zürich, München
Jen Ambrose @ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth euskirchen tomorrow sometime.
@ambrosejen 20 May
Speaking of Tintin.....brilliant day at the Herg Museum http://twitpic.com/crsphs
@ambrosejen 20 May
Last two beers of the Brussels part of our trip: Chimay black label and Cuvee des Trolls.
@ambrosejen 20 May
Look Mom! A real Brussels flea market like in Tintin! http://twitpic.com/crsm0f
@ambrosejen 20 May
@marykaycooper really? Which part?
@ambrosejen 20 May
Mass in Polish this morning at Notre Dame La Chapelle http://twitpic.com/crrmix
@ambrosejen 19 May
@emmanuel959180 hope we do this. Hergé Museum was our big destination in Belgium
@ambrosejen 19 May
Hergé Museum. Can't get food or coffee at 4:30, but can still get beer.
@ambrosejen 19 May
@sanverde merci. Gracies! Gracias!.Danke Schön. Whichever
@ambrosejen 19 May
@sanverde thanks. I've had a few twitpics up. And there will be more. Trip lasts to June 1..still have Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland
@ambrosejen 19 May
A good start to our Belgian weekend http://twitpic.com/cristx
@ambrosejen 19 May
@MaybeLaterSon tomorrow night we will have to do this. Turning in soon because big day tomorrow! Mass then Hergé Museum!
@ambrosejen 19 May
Crossing the street outside the Brussels train station & Brigid is bumped by 2 women conversing in Chinese. They are also from Beijing! 海淀区!
@ambrosejen 19 May
Brussels. I think I might have to get a beer
@ambrosejen 19 May
@pdemarte bad words in Chinese may have escaped my lips
@ambrosejen 19 May
Ok Paris. That was a fun two hours. Thanks for the cidre and avocat vinegrette. Brussels tonite
@ambrosejen 18 May
And just when we get to Gare du Nord, it's evacuated for a "situation." I mean, they announced an evacuation. Most just stood in place
@ambrosejen 18 May
@sarahplusone how did you know I called him *****?
@ambrosejen 18 May
Exactly what I needed on this trip. British guy reading the Economist sniffing at my inability to speak French.
@ambrosejen 18 May
Raps in bloom in France. http://twitpic.com/crgvud
@ambrosejen 18 May
@Beaup33p google it. A station that makes you feel you are arriving somewhere special.
@ambrosejen 18 May
Of course the very professor looking guy wearing a shakerknit cardigan sitting across from us is listening to Rigoletto on a Sony Discman
@ambrosejen 18 May
Bordeaux. This is what a train station should look like. And we continue onwards
@ambrosejen 18 May
Train to Paris. Hendaia to Biarritz car had other families louder than us. Then they got off. Since Bayonne, it's quiet as a funeral parlor
@ambrosejen 18 May
Once again, speaking Chinese is very helpful in discussing delicate bathroom matters w the kids in loud crowded places
@ambrosejen 18 May
At the border exchanging the joy I feel at speaking Spanish with the panic I feel at not speaking French.
@ambrosejen 18 May
This morning a taxi ride to a French town across the border to catch train to Paris, then Brussels.
@ambrosejen 18 May
Watched a nonviolent demonstration earlier tonite in San Sebastian tonite. Now googling to figure out what it was about
@ambrosejen 18 May
Just rode the Monte Igueldo funnicular up & down. Saw the beaches from above. Watched rain storms roll across the mountains. Wow
@ambrosejen 18 May
Maybe the Inclines in Pittsburgh should be called Funniculars. http://twitpic.com/cr8vp2
@ambrosejen 17 May
Right now I almost have Myles convinced that learning spoken Chinese easier than Spanish. No conjugations!
@ambrosejen 17 May
@LC2552 not the most historically significant stop on our trip, but so, so espectacular. Love coming here
@ambrosejen 17 May
He doesn't care it's only 14 degrees. Es la playa, Mom! La playa. http://twitpic.com/cr6t5w
@ambrosejen 17 May
Squeezed a few more chilly hours on the beach before it started to rain. Yea!
@ambrosejen 16 May
So beautiful here. Donostia. http://twitpic.com/cqy2gb
@ambrosejen 16 May
German ladies next to us wondering aloud if they shouldn't speak Spanish w ea other for practice. (Please. I need to stay in Spanish gear)
@ambrosejen 16 May
Cold and drizzly in San Sebastian. But it is still beautiful.
@ambrosejen 15 May
@Anguche incredible.
@ambrosejen 15 May
Basilica in the clouds at Montserrat http://twitpic.com/cqoxb9
@ambrosejen 15 May
Good thing I'm 40 & married 1st time in Barcelona. Had I come when in my 20s I would have married someone in a hurry just to stay #love
@ambrosejen 15 May
It's rainy & cool so the beach is quite empty. Few here but us and three young ladies, one of whom wearing a Beijing Guoan sweatshirt
@ambrosejen 14 May
Got a new Spanish SIM card today. Rules changed since our last visit. I can no longer recharge my German SIM w American bank card
@ambrosejen 14 May
@Crumbsey like everything else, pictures don't do it justice. Unbelievable
@ambrosejen 14 May
La Sagrada Familia http://twitpic.com/cqib59
@ambrosejen 13 May
Met a Chinese woman on the Frankfurt flight who was also going on to Spain. To shop then go home. She's already been to Paris to shop
@ambrosejen 13 May
Thirty minutes of free Internet at the airport. So of course I check Twitter
@ambrosejen 13 May
@Crumbsey so far so good. Danke!
@ambrosejen 13 May
@Beaup33p surprised how much I liked it
@ambrosejen 13 May
So groß. http://twitpic.com/cq73jh
@ambrosejen 13 May
Beijing-Frankfurt-Barcelona: I get to speak 3 languages badly today http://twitpic.com/cq6swb
Our itinerary was fly from Beijing to Barcelona via Frankfurt, then continue on train to San Sebastian, Brussels (via Paris), Euskirchen (via Köln and with a side-trip to Bad Münstereifel), Salzburg, Gorizia (with side trips into Slovenia), Dielsdorf (with a side trip into Regensberg), and finally München from where we flew back to Beijing. The destinations aren't necessarily ones we would choose if we were regular tourists, but rather are determined by their proximity to meetings Randy had across Europe. And since this was May, instead of July and August, we were able to keep to a much saner schedule.
All along our trip I updated my twitter with some tweets and pictures of places we traveled. I've pasted the tweets from May. They appear after the jump and are in reverse chronological order. There will be more detailed blogging, too, but here's a taste.
More after the jump
@ambrosejen 2 Jun
Got in yesterday before 6 am, raced home, napped, went to baseball & Shunyi errands. Now at soccer, then Mass w the Koreans. Kicking jetlag
@ambrosejen 31 May
@lantaumama real one is much bigger of course ;-)
@ambrosejen 31 May
Our search for voXXclub CDs has come up empty :-(
@ambrosejen 31 May
Sure kids. We saw where FC Bayern plays. (we did drive past) http://twitpic.com/cugm95
@ambrosejen 31 May
One last German breakfast before we go.
@ambrosejen 31 May
Two last Aperol spritzes:'-(. Unless, of course, they're available at breakfast
@ambrosejen 31 May
Hey Beijing-people ( @beijingboyce ?). Can I buy Aperol in BJ, or should I load up here in Germany? Thank you!
@ambrosejen 31 May
@eyevolution thanks, Iris. It has been too much fun! Exhausting, but fun.
@ambrosejen 31 May
@CKapaun Danke schön! bright side has been all the cold & rain has kept the crowds at bay. No lines!
@ambrosejen 31 May
As much as I enjoyed Switzerland again, I was so happy to be back in Germany where I can find food & drinks that are preiswert
@ambrosejen 31 May
@CKapaun short visit in the cold & rain. Back to Beijing tomorrow
@ambrosejen 31 May
Saw a group of people in lederhosen tonite in München. Myles, hopefully: Do you think they are on their way to a voXXclub Flashmob?
@ambrosejen 31 May
Wenn der Maibaum wieder am Dorfplatz steht..... http://twitpic.com/cubpgo
@ambrosejen 30 May
Family seating on Swiss train, with built-in board games http://twitpic.com/cu9gc1
@ambrosejen 30 May
It was so cold and wet, I was hoping to find fondue even tho it's not winter. Blocks from our hotel a yr-round fon http://twitpic.com/cu4ag2
@ambrosejen 30 May
@helengrantsays particularly liked in this region Maibaum is an actual Baum, not a pole
Jen Ambrose @ambrosejen 29 May
Not all those who wander are lost #switzerland http://twitpic.com/cu1qo4
@ambrosejen 29 May
How expensive is Switzerland? We spent over 7 euros just to use the restrooms at the train station last night
@ambrosejen 29 May
Changed trains at Milano Centrale today. Another fantastic station. http://twitpic.com/ctwm4a
@ambrosejen 28 May
Our family was mistaken for Germans in Gorizia tonite. YES!
@ambrosejen 28 May
This is Gorizia: Italian/Slovene dictionary needed http://twitpic.com/ctorzr
@ambrosejen 28 May
In Slovenia and Italy at the same time http://twitpic.com/ctntbe
@ambrosejen 27 May
10:30 am. First latte stop of the day. WE'RE IN ITALY
@ambrosejen 27 May
Rain follows us! Rainy Salzburg, sunny skies seen from train after Innsbruck, then a hail storm as we neared Gorizia
@ambrosejen 27 May
Ordered pizza for supper without shame or embamassment because WE'RE IN ITALY
@ambrosejen 27 May
A sight to behold this morning at the Salzburg Hbf: 2 men, one in a Bayern jersey, the other in Dortmund. Both in lederhosen.
@ambrosejen 27 May
Just, you know, majestic snow-topped mountains above Innsbruck station. http://twitpic.com/ctg5ot
@ambrosejen 26 May
Leaving Salzburg. With any luck we'll be in Italy tonight
@ambrosejen 26 May
Look mom. This duck is wearing Rubberhosen http://twitpic.com/ctak0p
@ambrosejen 26 May
RT @Marian T. Wirth @mtwirth 26 May
Either way: Germans in tears. #UCLFinal
@ambrosejen 26 May
Wow RT @JoeDepto: Wow. Bayern.
@ambrosejen 26 May
@JoeDepto my kids still pulling for Barca. They just have to settle for La Liga champs
@ambrosejen 26 May
I'm watching this, and not at some weird hour RT @si_soccer: GOAL BAYERN! IT'S MANDZUKIC! 1-0
@ambrosejen 26 May
This band is playing on the street near our hotel http://po.st/obkNyu
@ambrosejen 26 May
Dude! Salzburg! http://twitpic.com/ct62j4
@ambrosejen 25 May
All you can drink Champagne on the breakfast bar at this hotel? How much Salzburg do I really want to see?
@ambrosejen 25 May
Checked into our hotel in Salzburg. On the same street is a Dirndl store. I *might* have a look around tomorrow
@ambrosejen 25 May
Spoke Spanish w a Romanian woman on a German train today. After she said her German wasn't so good because she lived in Spain, we switched
@ambrosejen 24 May
Karlsruhe Hbf. Cavernous.
@ambrosejen 24 May
Occasional snowflakes falling from the sky here in the chilly Schwarzwald
@ambrosejen 23 May
We come all this way just to spend our days looking at old walls and towers http://twitpic.com/csnbdc
@ambrosejen 23 May
Der Narro, Villingen's Carnival Fool http://twitpic.com/csn9h7
@ambrosejen 23 May
I did it again. One of these days I am going to remember that Difang is not a German word. Platz! Gibt es eine Platz.... NOT Difang.
@ambrosejen 23 May
@AuntSnoozie well, yeah. But goodness cold & wet follow us.
@ambrosejen 23 May
@AuntSnoozie Black Forest!
@ambrosejen 23 May
My Deutschsprechen is still halting & hesitant. Southern Italian waiter at a Black Forest restaurant tonight asked me if we were French
@ambrosejen 23 May
Wanna guess what I had for supper? #Spargelzeit
@ambrosejen 23 May
New favorite cocktail, Prosecco Aperol http://twitpic.com/csg7i9
@ambrosejen 23 May
"Aperol to be sold in Germany has an alcohol content of 15% to avoid German container deposit legislation regs" http://po.st/YczCQP
@ambrosejen 22 May
Trying to convince my kids standing tickets are the most authentic way to go. Reserved seats are for rich tourists (or the better organized)
@ambrosejen 22 May
Today's new word, reflecting my coffee based worldview: Deckel, meaning "coffee cup lid"
@ambrosejen 22 May
Keeping Brigid motivated for another day of trains. We're going to the area where @Crumbsey grew up!
@ambrosejen 22 May
One more view of Bad Muenstereifel before we go http://twitpic.com/csc4pc
@ambrosejen 22 May
I was going to gush about how much I love how organized everything is in Germany, but then I went into a discount grocery store tonite. Ugh
@ambrosejen 22 May
Spargel! It's what's for every meal http://twitpic.com/cs8mpw
@ambrosejen 21 May
Spargelzeit! Only had 2 courses of asparagus dishes for dinner tho. No asparagus on the desert menu so I had rhuba http://twitpic.com/cs13w5
@ambrosejen 21 May
Of all we did in Germany 2 yrs ago, this is what the kids talk about most & ran to when we got to Euskirchen http://twitpic.com/cs12a3
@ambrosejen 21 May
It's Spargelzeit!
@ambrosejen 21 May
@mtwirth unfortunately our travel plan today was very loose. Leave Brussels when we got around to it, then leave Köln sometime later.
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth it was only 2 hours. Dom and Starbucks.
@ambrosejen 20 May
Always a little nervous w my kids around Roman ruins. Can something that has survived 2000 years survive them? http://twitpic.com/crz2i9
@ambrosejen 20 May
Yes, those are my kids singing Viva Colonia like a couple of Fastelovend fools as we pull into Köln today
@ambrosejen 20 May
@blackChinahand impossible to make bad choices in Brussels, I suspect!
@ambrosejen 20 May
Kids last night: That's a lot of people coming just to watch a statue pee
@ambrosejen 20 May
This makes me wonder, though, what accent my French has that does not immediately reveal I'm an American who has not studied French
@ambrosejen 20 May
One more thing I like about Brussels: after I apologize for not speaking French, I get asked if I can speak English
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth aren't you on Pentecost holiday? You should come down to Bad Münstereifel Tuesday. What the kids hope we do Tuesday
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth it's close-ish, but yeah
@ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth after Euskirchen, Black Forest, then Salzburg, Gorizia, Zürich, München
Jen Ambrose @ambrosejen 20 May
@mtwirth euskirchen tomorrow sometime.
@ambrosejen 20 May
Speaking of Tintin.....brilliant day at the Herg Museum http://twitpic.com/crsphs
@ambrosejen 20 May
Last two beers of the Brussels part of our trip: Chimay black label and Cuvee des Trolls.
@ambrosejen 20 May
Look Mom! A real Brussels flea market like in Tintin! http://twitpic.com/crsm0f
@ambrosejen 20 May
@marykaycooper really? Which part?
@ambrosejen 20 May
Mass in Polish this morning at Notre Dame La Chapelle http://twitpic.com/crrmix
@ambrosejen 19 May
@emmanuel959180 hope we do this. Hergé Museum was our big destination in Belgium
@ambrosejen 19 May
Hergé Museum. Can't get food or coffee at 4:30, but can still get beer.
@ambrosejen 19 May
@sanverde merci. Gracies! Gracias!.Danke Schön. Whichever
@ambrosejen 19 May
@sanverde thanks. I've had a few twitpics up. And there will be more. Trip lasts to June 1..still have Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland
@ambrosejen 19 May
A good start to our Belgian weekend http://twitpic.com/cristx
@ambrosejen 19 May
@MaybeLaterSon tomorrow night we will have to do this. Turning in soon because big day tomorrow! Mass then Hergé Museum!
@ambrosejen 19 May
Crossing the street outside the Brussels train station & Brigid is bumped by 2 women conversing in Chinese. They are also from Beijing! 海淀区!
@ambrosejen 19 May
Brussels. I think I might have to get a beer
@ambrosejen 19 May
@pdemarte bad words in Chinese may have escaped my lips
@ambrosejen 19 May
Ok Paris. That was a fun two hours. Thanks for the cidre and avocat vinegrette. Brussels tonite
@ambrosejen 18 May
And just when we get to Gare du Nord, it's evacuated for a "situation." I mean, they announced an evacuation. Most just stood in place
@ambrosejen 18 May
@sarahplusone how did you know I called him *****?
@ambrosejen 18 May
Exactly what I needed on this trip. British guy reading the Economist sniffing at my inability to speak French.
@ambrosejen 18 May
Raps in bloom in France. http://twitpic.com/crgvud
@ambrosejen 18 May
@Beaup33p google it. A station that makes you feel you are arriving somewhere special.
@ambrosejen 18 May
Of course the very professor looking guy wearing a shakerknit cardigan sitting across from us is listening to Rigoletto on a Sony Discman
@ambrosejen 18 May
Bordeaux. This is what a train station should look like. And we continue onwards
@ambrosejen 18 May
Train to Paris. Hendaia to Biarritz car had other families louder than us. Then they got off. Since Bayonne, it's quiet as a funeral parlor
@ambrosejen 18 May
Once again, speaking Chinese is very helpful in discussing delicate bathroom matters w the kids in loud crowded places
@ambrosejen 18 May
At the border exchanging the joy I feel at speaking Spanish with the panic I feel at not speaking French.
@ambrosejen 18 May
This morning a taxi ride to a French town across the border to catch train to Paris, then Brussels.
@ambrosejen 18 May
Watched a nonviolent demonstration earlier tonite in San Sebastian tonite. Now googling to figure out what it was about
@ambrosejen 18 May
Just rode the Monte Igueldo funnicular up & down. Saw the beaches from above. Watched rain storms roll across the mountains. Wow
@ambrosejen 18 May
Maybe the Inclines in Pittsburgh should be called Funniculars. http://twitpic.com/cr8vp2
@ambrosejen 17 May
Right now I almost have Myles convinced that learning spoken Chinese easier than Spanish. No conjugations!
@ambrosejen 17 May
@LC2552 not the most historically significant stop on our trip, but so, so espectacular. Love coming here
@ambrosejen 17 May
He doesn't care it's only 14 degrees. Es la playa, Mom! La playa. http://twitpic.com/cr6t5w
@ambrosejen 17 May
Squeezed a few more chilly hours on the beach before it started to rain. Yea!
@ambrosejen 16 May
So beautiful here. Donostia. http://twitpic.com/cqy2gb
@ambrosejen 16 May
German ladies next to us wondering aloud if they shouldn't speak Spanish w ea other for practice. (Please. I need to stay in Spanish gear)
@ambrosejen 16 May
Cold and drizzly in San Sebastian. But it is still beautiful.
@ambrosejen 15 May
@Anguche incredible.
@ambrosejen 15 May
Basilica in the clouds at Montserrat http://twitpic.com/cqoxb9
@ambrosejen 15 May
Good thing I'm 40 & married 1st time in Barcelona. Had I come when in my 20s I would have married someone in a hurry just to stay #love
@ambrosejen 15 May
It's rainy & cool so the beach is quite empty. Few here but us and three young ladies, one of whom wearing a Beijing Guoan sweatshirt
@ambrosejen 14 May
Got a new Spanish SIM card today. Rules changed since our last visit. I can no longer recharge my German SIM w American bank card
@ambrosejen 14 May
@Crumbsey like everything else, pictures don't do it justice. Unbelievable
@ambrosejen 14 May
La Sagrada Familia http://twitpic.com/cqib59
@ambrosejen 13 May
Met a Chinese woman on the Frankfurt flight who was also going on to Spain. To shop then go home. She's already been to Paris to shop
@ambrosejen 13 May
Thirty minutes of free Internet at the airport. So of course I check Twitter
@ambrosejen 13 May
@Crumbsey so far so good. Danke!
@ambrosejen 13 May
@Beaup33p surprised how much I liked it
@ambrosejen 13 May
So groß. http://twitpic.com/cq73jh
@ambrosejen 13 May
Beijing-Frankfurt-Barcelona: I get to speak 3 languages badly today http://twitpic.com/cq6swb
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