They are comically old cars, some you have to open by flipping a lever down with a snap (and from inside you can actually open the door before the train comes to a complete stop).  And they are color coded in weird secondary colors like light yellow and slightly darker yellow as well as a light green yellow line. I am talking of course about the Metro which whiz below Paris with open windows that alllow for an impressive breeze.  We had our struggles today and a couple times the train let us down (note: not every connection is clearly marked). But oh the places it took us.  Paris for us was not love at first sight but we are now officially smitten. 

Locks sold by street vendors and no more room on bridge for them

On the man made beach banks of the River Seine

That is a lot of people looking at the Mona Lisa!

Part 1:

Our first airbnb was followed by our second train trip (Chicago to NY and now Luxembourg to Paris). For those  not in the know Airbnb is a do it yourself bed and breakfast kind of thing (but usually without the breakfast ). Someone, anyone, opens their place up and you spend less than you would at a hotel but more than a campground. Last night was great but hot night plus no AC (Europe has so very little of this) and windows that open only a maddening crack and then no screen (and this is like every window in Europe) which meant a restless night. 

In thr AM we readjusted our packs, rode the city bus to the train station and then ate another croissant with espresso with the bags resting by our feet.

Part 2

The train ride was smooth and on time. Another espresso woke me up and finding the bus to our new Parisian home was easy. And then the bus broke down. So we waited mostly with women wearing saris or beautiful African head wraps or hajibs or fashionable dresses and then together rushed the next bus our crazy large backpacks a serious cog to the system.  At our stop it is time to play The Amazing Race with a few scribbled notes for clues (for example “at the bank go right.”) We manage to pick the right apartment (we know it’s the right one because the code opened the front door) but are then unsure which apartment to ring. We ring two. One door opens and our hostess, Nicole, who has rented a room to tourists for less than one year, shows us our amazingly perfect digs. A window that opens wide, comfortable beds, and an inviting place filled with snapshots taken in the U.S. and Canada.  Nicole is fun, generous (she let’s us use her washing machine), and knowledgeable. With clothes drying now in her living room (yep, undies too) we plan our next few days.

Part 3:

Took a nap. It was a great one and the first in over a month. Woke up feeling groggy but rested and we took a short walk for sushi (excellent and not too expensive) then Minions. During the previews the fire alarm came on. Not hysterical but a definitive push out the door in the city recently rocked by Islamic terrorists. We milled around outside the theater before being let back in (the alarm was just one of those things). Not sure we could have followed the Minion plot even if it was in English.

Part 4:

After the movie we discover the Paris people come too. A short steep walk leads to Montmartre Basilique du Sacre-Coeur and the view as well as the approach are spectacular. We mill about, get lost several times, and then stop to pick up wine and a few groceries on the way back to the apartment.  Corey and Henna play cards while I write these words, cigarette smoke and voices wafting in from below.

How many famous Luxembourg citizens can you name. I mean of course besides champion water skiing champion Sylvie Hülsemann.  Per Wikipedia they have had a couple of solid artists but this nation of half a million (with about  100,00 living in Luxembourg City) are really defined more by what surrounds them than by whom they are.

1960s era fire truck repurposed as a camping vehicle

We have been here two days and have seen lizards, teenage toughs at the train station, streets named after U.S. presidents, and the calmest European plaza so far. A fun one too with a large orchestra playing marching songs and people politely clapping when they are done. We also have camped under a highway bridge, talked to a fellow camper from Spain while she machine sewed aprons to sell at the market, and were confounded by historic sites that lacked English signage (this in a country where almost everyone speaks English along with French, German, and Luxembourgish – yes Luxembourgish is a real language). So we made up what we thought the history of Luxembourg was. It involved dragons. Lots of dragons.

 Hey, it’s Corey here. We are camping tonight in Luxenbourg, which was a last minute call after having been rained upon two nights in a row. We had beautiful days but rain soaked us each night and morning so we thought we would gamble against the weather one more night. The way we travel can be kind one moment and a nasty wench the next. I guess most travel can, but we learn by doing. We didn’t come with guide books, good maps or a list of “to do’s”. Noel and I often play a game of, who do we know who would enjoy this? Meaning who in their right mind would think this is enjoyable besides us? We stumble through quite a bit but always seem to have a good time. European road tripping also has been very interesting and has made some aspects for us challenging. For instance they do not sell ice for coolers which has made our cooler a storage unit rather than a make shift refrigerator. We have pieced together many a quick lunch of salami, bread and cheese…..which is a plenty here. Also on Sunday’s all stores are closed except for a few random ones that seem to have nothing we need. This past Sunday we rolled into a small Frenh village because Noel saw a sign reading “thermal” thinking we would find a hot spring, which we did not. Instead we found a lovely campground nestled within this old village. Everyone was so friendly and did their best to navigate the language barrier, making sure our bread order was in for the next morning. Bread order! I know crazy right? We strolled into town hoping to find a grocery store open….remember no ice for cooler so no back up food. All stores were closed…..the town was a ghost town. No one works on Sunday so I have pictured everyone In their house reconnecting or doing something very European. The only eating establishment open was a fast food place that oddly was very similar to another famous fast food joint that can be found everywhere. No one spoke English which made the whole experience a comedy routine. Off the tourist path we are seen as novelties and as soon as we tried to order a cheeseburger, to which the very nice French teenagers had no clue, it seemed all eyes were upon us. Noel pointed, pantomimed, spoke slowly and what the hell he threw in some Spanish words to help clarify, to no avail. The giggly teenagers grabbed anyone from the back room to try to help decipher our order, which seemed to make things worse. Cheeseburger was all we wanted. Fromage. Number #1. Point. Point. Finally a savior came and translated to them “cheeseburger”, exactly the way we had said it. For some reason now they understood. We took our food and made our way to our table wishing people would stop staring. Back at the campground, we had a delightful night having a beer, talking to locals and enjoying the closest to American camping as we have had. Today we drove away, after more rain, enjoying the house music that plays on every radio in Europe heading toward Luxenbourg. We got off the road and toured a castle built in 1460 and then Rehabilitated in 1944. Pure wonder. Tonight we followed out gps to what we thought was a movie theater hoping they were playing the minnions in French only to find a Spanish artsy movie was playing. Foiled. We headed back to our home and since campgrounds all have a restaurant/bar we drank local beer played cards and games until we got sleepy and headed to our tent hoping for no rain.

I often wonder what henna truly makes of all of this. As we walk through various places she is usually talking about her love of Greek mythology, different kinds of beetles, quizzing me, or having me guess a tune she is whistling. I am unsure of what she will take away, what will stick, does she enjoy the unplanned chaos of it all? I am not sure. Upon visiting the Anne frank museum, Otto Frank said something that really struck a chord with me of his daughter Anne and all the thoughts that she wrote in her diary. He said, “You really never truly know your children”. All I know is that my most favorite thing about our trips, on any continent is that I am with my two most favorite people. Spending this much time together gives me back all the time we are not together during the school year. I may not fully know what Henna is thinking or making of all this, but I do know that we laugh harder, talk more….and not all about what we are learning or seeing….and reconnect. So here’s to the unscripted journey……let us learn nothing but gain everything.

After Copenhagen we left Scandanavia for the continent. There we finally met some of the stereotypes of European travel. First the Autobahn (terrifying) and then the tight winding village roads (even more terrifying). In The Hague we had a very rude waitress and people have long since stopped greeting us with a friendly “hey hey.” At the same time we still make friends and when lost (which is frequent) there is always someone willing to help us out.  

We have had some rain too but also many memorable experiences like the Anne Frank Museum. Not enough time to discuss here but this was very moving. Now we are camping in a 5 star resort on a Netherlands beach that includes a bar, game room, pool and planned activities. Last 3 nights were at a place rated a few less stars. There we had to provide our own toilet paper. But they still had espresso and warm croissants each morning for purchase (this is Europe after all).

Henna’s first roller coaster was followed up the next day by her first trip to an open air drug market. This quaint leftover hippie community has just 3 rules; no running, no photos, and everyone has to have fun. Honestly the same rules as most day camps.

I have to say we were just one of many tourist families milling about pot plants and handmade jewelry. Jazz fest was going on in the city and in Christiania it was a real blast. Drug dealers tapped their feet to the rhythm, their face masks casually drooping below their chins. Whereas the rest of the city clapped politely, here it felt more like the way Kerouac described it in On The Road with wild hoots, the pungent smell of weed, and a lot of good vibes. After a little bit we got the hell out of there but it was a fun trip while it lasted.

A short walk from our campground through a forested path (a path we shared with dog walkers and, to Henna’s great delight, a lot of slugs) and a twenty minute train ride brought us to the world’s second oldest amusement park.  

 First opened in 1843, Tivoli Garden reportedly was favored by King Christian VIII as a way to distract the people from the messy business of politics. Given all of Chicago’s worries, I can see King Rham soon creating his own amusement park.

   Tivoli Gardens is really a whole lot of fun and a must stop for amusement park aficionados (among other things it was Walt Disney’s inspiration for his own parks).  Key attractions include the Rutschebanen roller coaster which has been operating since 1914 . To keep the car at a safe speed the coaster includes ride operators that apply hand brakes at key junctions. This was Henna’s first and, judging from her reaction, maybe last ever roller coaster ride. 

 Besides the thrilling, Tivoli also includes gardens that are lit up at night, concerts (like Snoop Dog who is rapping there in two weeks), carnival games, and the occasional firework display. You are also welcome to do what we did which was stand under the wilder rides to gawk at the riders being twisted upside down and then back again. Maybe next time that will be us.

So much to say about Copenhagen but let us start with our digs there. After losing a lot of land to Germany in the mid to late 19th century, Denmark encircled the crown city with forts. After WWI they decommissioned most of these forts and people now camp, bike, and picnic in the cannon shadow. Very cool place to stay in Copenhagen.

Felt guilty that the cannons were pointing toward Sweden

Looking for "quakers"

After thanking our Swedish hosts one last time we headed to Denmark via a short ferry. On the Denmark side is the almost mythical Kronborg castle which among other things was the setting for Hamlet.

Kronborg Castle

Rebuilt after a fire in the mid 17th Century the castle is a sprawling museum of tapestries, minimally lit crawlspaces some so dark you need a flashlight, and a statue that supposedly comes to life whenever Denmark is threatened. It even has a moat (how cool is that?).  With all that it is hard to imagine a Medieval Times doing well anywhere in Denmark.

After the castle we stumbled south toward Copenhagen. Like a fed bear we have lost most of our gathering instinct so it might take a few nights before we are able to feed ourselves. Until then does anyone know of any Danish relatives we can crash with?

In between eating, laughing, joking,  being treated like royalty (no, actually like close family who have been away for a long bit) and then more laughing we did a bit of sight seeing. Höganäs is truly a lovely, peaceful place with a bustling harbor, a small downtown and  a fun beach.  There used to be a lot of coal mining here and that produced a significant amount of clay which is now used for pottery.  Almost everyone here has a Höganäs made vase or flower pot. Some live in century old houses with straw roofs. Most have bikes and enjoy riding on the trail running parallel to the sea.  The people living here are all very nice and the ones related to us are even nicer.  Today our hosts Christer and Astrid asked if we should go swimming first then eat ice cream or the reverse. This was the most stressful thing we have had to contemplate since arriving here. We very much like Höganäs and love hanging with our Swedish family.

Höganäs

Peter of Kullabygdens Keramik at work

Berit, Hasse, Corey and Henna

Hasse holding a memory

Alice showing off her masterpiece

Traditional home with straw roof

"Heaven"