July Part 2: Cinque Terre, Verdun, and Brussels

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a national park on the Italian Riviera; it literally means “five lands,” and it’s comprised of five towns that are all connected by walking trails. We spent 4 nights (travel day, 3 full days, then another travel day) there, and it was my own personal heaven.

We took the train from Geneva and stayed at an Airbnb in Riomaggiore, which is the easternmost town of the five. There are plenty of places to stay in all five towns, but I was happy with our decision to stay in Riomaggiore - plenty of restaurants, very walkable, and easy access to the harbor.

We spent our three days hiking between the towns, soaking up the sun, and consuming as much Italian food as humanly possible. There is an extensive trail network with many different routes to all of the towns, but the main trail is called the “Blue Trail.” It’s a gorgeous hike/walk with constant views of the coastline and the ocean. Some sections are more difficult than others - there are pretty steep stairs going into and coming out of each of the towns - but overall, just a very enjoyable hike. The portions connecting Riomaggiore and Manarola and Manarola and Corniglia are currently closed for repairs, but we hiked from Corniglia to the other 2 towns and loved it.

When we weren’t hiking, we were sleeping in, laying out reading on some giant rocks near the water, or eating calamari and gelato. Overall, an extremely relaxing and wonderful trip. I highly recommend Cinque Terre!

Verdun, France and Brussels, Belgium

Andy is a bit of a history nerd (specifically military), so it was important to him that we see some of the many significant historical sites while we were in Europe. Conversely, I’m an avid Beyonce fan (opposites attract, right?) so we decided to kill two birds with one stone. Brussels is about a 7-hour drive from Geneva, and Verdun, France is right along the way, so we took a roadtrip.

For those of you (like me) who don’t know much about the Battle of Verdun, it was fought from February 21 to December 18, 1916 and was one of the largest battles of World War I between the German and the French. Casualties are estimated between 976,000 - 1,250,000, making it one of the longest and most costly battles in human history. If you’re interested, this page is a good summary of facts about the battle: http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-battle-of-verdun

We spent the drive to Verdun listening to 4 hours of podcasts on the subject - one of Andy’s favorites, Hardcore History with Dan Carlin - which I found a bit excessive, but whatever.

We visited several of the memorials and museums in Verdun, including:

The Douaumont Ossuary - basically a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, this is where the remains of unidentified French and German soldiers are kept. Designated a national cemetery, the memorial houses the bones of approximately 130,000 unidentified bodies.

Memorial de Verdun - a great museum on the battle and World War I in general.

Several of the still-standing forts;

Montfaucon American Monument - commemorating the American victory during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in the Fall of 1918; and

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery - the largest American cemetery in Europe, approximately 14,000 American soldiers are buried here.

American Monument

American cemetery

I can’t say that I loved our day in Verdun, but I also didn’t hate it. It was very educational - and eye-opening to think about just how many lives were senselessly lost during World War I.

From Verdun, we continued on to Brussels, Belgium. Andy had to work his last shifts this weekend, so I spent Saturday with some of my work friends taking a day trip to Bruge, a charming little town about an hour’s train ride away. It was a rainy day, but we had a nice time walking around, eating frites and poking our heads into shops.

Bruge

The next day was the main event, and I have to say - Queen Bey did not disappoint. This was the best concert I’ve ever been to, hands down. She’s a world-class entertainer, but on top of that, the production value of this show is just amazing - the lights, fireworks, dancers, videography - the whole package makes for an incredible concert experience. If you have a chance to see the Formation Tour somewhere before it ends, DO IT. You will not regret it!

We drove back to Geneva the next day, which commenced a 7-day waiting period; we had shipped all of our things back to the US, both of us had finished our jobs, and we had 7 days to kill before our final European trip. We tried to spend the week doing things we knew we would miss: going to our favorite pizza restaurant, getting a coffee and croissant at our local place, and hanging out with Shannon and Nick; I also had a handful of preliminary job interviews. Finally, we left on August 10 for our last adventure: Bosnia, Montenegro, and Croatia!

July Part 1: Pamplona, Norway, and Copenhagen

Pamplona 

You may have noticed a theme of “bucket list items” throughout this blog – running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain pretty much tops the list for Andy. We scheduled this trip months in advance, but as it got closer, we went back and forth whether or not we should still go. I wasn’t crazy about the idea, and we had a lot going on in July anyway, being the last full month of our time in Europe. In the end, we decided to go through with it, and I know Andy was really glad we did; I was just really glad when it was over.  

The Festival of San Fermin is held every year in Pamplona from July 6 to July 14 in honor of Saint Fermin, the patron saint of Navarre (the region where Pamplona is). It’s a lot of partying in the streets, concerts, fireworks, and of course, the encierro, or Running of the Bulls. Some background information, slightly adapted from Wikipedia: 

“The encierro involves approximately 2,000 people each day of the festival running in front of six bulls and six steers down an 825-metre (0.51 mile) stretch of narrow streets through the old town of Pamplona. The run lasts about 3 minutes and ends in Pamplona's bullring, where the bulls are held until the afternoon's bullfight.  

Runners must be inside the route by 7:30 am, when the fences along the route are locked shut. Policemen walk around beforehand, checking for appropriate footwear and throwing anyone out who appears to be drunk. Just before the start of the run, the runners ask for the protection of the saint by singing a chant three times before a small statue of San Fermin: “To San Fermin we ask to be our patron saint and to guide us in the running of the bulls, giving to us his blessing.” The run begins at 8 a.m. when a first firecracker announces the release of the bulls from their corral. A second firecracker signals that the last bull has left the corral. A third firecracker is lit once all of the bulls have entered the bullring, and a fourth firecracker indicates that the bulls are in their bullpens and the run has ended.  

The event is dangerous. Since 1925, 15 people have been killed during the event – most recently on 10 July 2009 - and every year, between 200 and 300 people are injured during the run, although most injuries are contusions due to falls and are not serious.” 

So yeah, I wasn’t super into the idea.  

We flew into Madrid instead of Pamplona (cheaper) and then rented a car for the 4 hour drive to Pamplona. When we got to our hotel Friday evening, the first thing we noticed was that absolutely EVERYONE had on the traditional outfit – all white, with a red bandanna and a red sash. I was under the impression that only the runners wore this, so I hadn’t brought anything. Luckily, every single store is selling these clothes during the festival, so it wasn’t hard to find something for me to wear. We went out to dinner and hung out in the streets for a bit; there is live music everywhere, and everyone is dancing and celebrating.  

We got up early the next morning to get in our places for the encierro. I had purchased a ticket to watch from a balcony – during the festival, apartment owners who live along the route often grant access to their balconies and provide a small breakfast (and I think make a ton of money doing so).  

I could see Andy from the balcony I was on, and I waved nervously at him several times before the run. I was in an apartment with several other Americans who had come to see the festivities, and I chatted with them while we waited. We spent about an hour waiting, but the actual run was over in just a few seconds – the bulls are so fast and the crowds so thick that no one runs for more than maybe 100 meters before peeling off and getting out of the way.  After the last bull had passed the building and all of the runners had passed, I went downstairs to find Andy and let my heart rate return to normal. We went back to our hotel and took naps to recover, enjoyed the festival later that evening, and left Pamplona the next morning.  

If you’re ever thinking about doing this:  

1. I will tell you that as a spectator, it’s pretty awful to watch - not only because you will definitely see someone get hurt and it’s terrifying, but also because it’s cruel to the bulls. I would recommend searching "San Fermin encierro" on YouTube so you know exactly what to expect.   

2. Andy will tell you that it’s an amazing experience, incredible adrenaline rush, and totally worth it. Do it.  

Before the run

He survived 

Andy is down there somewhere

Watching the fireworks

Copenhagen and Norway 

Just like Pamplona, our trip to Norway was very much for Andy: all about hiking and camping (don’t worry, the next two trips are “my” trips :) ). As we planned to camp in Norway, we spent one night on either end of the trip in Copenhagen, just to give us a chance to shower and regroup. Our flight to Copenhagen ended up being about 6 hours delayed, so we didn’t have much time to explore that day; we just checked in to a hotel, had dinner, and went to sleep. We took an early flight the next day to Stavanger, picked up our rent car, and headed out to the wilderness! 

There are several very popular hikes in Norway, but Trolltunga is the one with the most recognizable (and spectacular) view: 

Trolltunga

So cool, right? Had to do it. The trailhead is about a 4-hour drive from the Stavanger airport, and the entire way is sooo beautiful.  

Picture stop during the drive 

Another picture stop

We got to the trailhead around 3:30 pm, got our backpacks situated, and started hiking at 4 pm. It’s 11 kilometers one way (about 7 miles), and the first 2.5 kilometers are brutal – practically straight up. The people who do this hike roundtrip in one day are crazy! It took us about 5 hours to get to Trolltunga, and the whole hike is just breathtaking (literally and figuratively).

Getting started

About halfway up

Gorgeous!

We set up camp about 500 meters from the viewpoint. We had some fellow campers take some pictures of us on the "troll's tongue," and had a picnic dinner (read: bread, cured ham, chocolate, and wine) with a fantastic view.  

Not scary at all to pose for this picture 

Pretty sweet spot for a picnic

It stays light in Norway until around 10:30 pm, so we fell asleep with the sun barely shining through our tent. When we woke up the next morning, it was a completely different scene: the thickest fog I’ve ever seen and spitting rain. We stayed in the tent for a while to see if it would pass, but no luck. The hike back down was not my favorite thing I’ve ever done - very steep, very muddy, and windy rain blowing in our faces. I may have cried a little, and I was very happy 4 hours later to get in our heated car and take off my hiking shoes.  

From Trolltunga, we drove back to the Stavanger area to camp near Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock. This is an even more popular hike, because it’s a bit easier/shorter, and it’s very close to Stavanger. And of course, this view: 

Disclaimer: found this on Google. Explanation below.

We chose to stay in a designated campground this night - with our car parked right next to the tent and toilets a few feet away, it was a welcome luxury. We even went into town and had Chinese food for dinner. 

The next morning was another foggy one, but we left for our hike early in hopes that it would burn off. But then it didn’t.  

Our view of Preikestolen

Bummer.

Unfortunate. It was still a nice hike, and thankfully only 1.5 hours each way. Lesson learned for anybody planning to visit Norway - if it’s a foggy day, your hike might not be what you had in mind. 

We flew back to Copenhagen that night and checked into a hotel right in the middle of the city. We found the coolest place for dinner that night, Copenhagen Street Food: http://copenhagenstreetfood.dk/en/ 

This warehouse had over 30 stalls selling all kinds of street food. We had Moroccan flat breads, sushi, Brazilian barbecued pork with chimichurri sauce, chicken tacos, and panna cotta. Oh, and specialty gin & tonics. It was a feast, and I absolutely loved it.  

Earned it

Copenhagen Street Food

Our flight home wasn’t until 9 pm the next day, so we slept in, had a huge breakfast, and went to Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world. Unlike most American amusement parks, it’s actually a really pretty place, with lots of flowers, trees, and exotic birds walking around. Also different, the roller coasters and rides aren't really the main focus; there are rides, but it’s also so many treat shops, great restaurants, stages with performances, an aquarium… We stayed for 3ish hours and had a really nice time. Then we went to see this (apparently) famous statue of the Little Mermaid in the harbor: 

Not sure what all the fuss is about, but there was a HUGE swarm of people taking pictures of this.

This on the other hand, was spectacular.

Next trips: Cinque Terre, Italy; Verdun, France; and Brussels, Belgium!