Cartman

Aunt Yvette named her wheelchair after Cartman from Southpark because of an episode involving a wheelchair. I can't remember the details or I would try to find the episode and put it on here. Maybe Aunt Yvette can let me know again and I will try to find it. 

We put her wheelchair through hell and then some. It survived the trip over pretty well, but its first test came when we arrived in Paris. It took them awhile to get us off the plane on that one and long story short we ended up with 10 minutes to take the train from terminal 1 to terminal 2, get our fast train tickets, find the train platform, locate our train a

nd then our train car, and get on. This was all at Charles De Gaulle which is no Heathrow, but about equally confusing. 

We made it, but this was where the wheelchair recieved its first war injury. I'm not real sure why (I assume it has something to do with the blind after observing at another train station.), but there is a section of the platform right up next to the tracks that 

is yellow and designated as the line you are supposed to stand behind when the train pulls in to avoid being hit. Unfortunately, it also has little knobs poking up. I observed a blind person making his way along the platform by hitting those knobs with his stick at another station. 

Anyway, we were running at full bore (not an exageration at all) and Caren was pulling the luggage while I pushed Aunt Yvette in the wheelchair. When you are g

oing that fast, it is next to impossible to bring the wheelchair to a stop on a

 dime. We came to an area where a support pillar was which narrowed the platform to such a degree that the only way a wheelchair would fit through there is to push it half on the bumpy part and half off. We hit that at a dead run and Aunt Yvette threw her arms in the air and started yelling WAHOOOOOO!!!!! We ran over a plastic piece of something and it didn't click until much later that it was one of the buttons that lowers the wheelchair foot rests.  We made our train with seconds to spare. 

Our next indication of what was to come was wandering through Belgium. There were no major catastrophes here other than nearly dumping her in the middle of a busy street trying to get around a lamp post, but it was here that I learned a lot of what got us through the rest of it. 

About halfway through the trip, we discovered that the front left wheel was rubbing against the frame and in fact rubbing a flat spot in the metal. Rubber rubbing a f

lat spot in the metal frame?!? At first we ignored it and as a result my left arm got a lot stronger. After awhile it got to the point that it wouldn't function. At first we thought it was because the airlines on a different trip bent the frame. However, I soon discovered that wasn't the case at all. The caster wheel had recieved such a beating that it wore itself loose around the shaft that connects it to the wheelchair frame. That was just enough give that it was rubbing against the frame. I tipped the wheelchair up on its side in the airport and pulled as hard as I could and bent the whole works back to a position that worked, but the wheel was st

ill wobly. 

That lasted for most of the rest of the trip, but on the way home the airlines smashed the crap out of it and bent one of the brakes to the point that it no longer functioned and the handle for it was missing. 

I think it got its worst beating in Athens though. There is no such thing as a smooth sidewalk in Athens. It is all cobblestone and patchwork concrete. Athens is so much like Seoul in that regard only worse because at least the Koreans use bricks. In athens they use incredibly irregular rocks. I guess my best comparison would be the streets in Tijuana, Mexico. After Athens, the front wheels were pigeon toed and bent in. It looked like a person walking with their toes pointed towards each other and basically walking on ankles they w

ere bent so much. However, I got her to the top of the Acropolis. There is no reason a wheelchair should be considered a hindrance. We did everything and then some. It does take a little extra work, but there are perks as well. 

The moral of the story is....If you need a wheelchair in Europe, definitely bring your own. The airlines and everything are so much better with a wheelchair. Most of the time, they brought out a special truck like those they use to load the food in the airplanes (scissor lift trucks) and we got a private ride into the airport and a guide t

o get us to the front of the line at all of the security checks and customs places and around the airport. All of them were really nice except a particularly bitchy one in Seattle on the way home. Other than her, it was nice. In addition to that, at nearly all of the museums and monuments, Aunt Yvette and I as her helper got in for free. We only had to pay for Caren. Next time Caren and I go, I'm totally going to kick her in the leg and throw her in a wheelchair. Just kidding of course. ;-)

My advice is this though....The wheelchair we had worked pretty well. The only thing I would change is the front wheels. I think we would have been better off with one that had bike wheels in the back and at least 6 inch fat tires on the front. But then you are getting into the higher price range and make no mistake, it will get beat all to hell. It is a toss up. Harbor freight sells one for $120 on sale and only $20 more not on sale. It will take some doing, but it would work over there. I think I would chop that one before I go and add some better wheels. 

Here is a link:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45735

 However, the biggest problem wasn't the wheelchair itself. The biggest problem were inconsiderate rubber neckers. Many a person got run over on this trip by a mad woman i

n a wheelchair with a mad man in the drivers seat. LOL....the only one I actually feel bad about was plowing through a class of litte kids. That little girl will probably never forget her trip to the Notre Dame Cathedral when she got run over by some crazed Americans and their wheelchair. Caren tells me the teacher was screaming at me, but I didn't hear any of that. It got to the point after awhile that I was like the janitor in the movie The Terminal. Nobody paid attention to his wet floor signs in the airport and he would sit there and laugh when they fell on their but. I could always see when I was going to run someone over, but by that time it was too late to do anything about it. So, I just enjoyed it I guess. Call me cruel or whatever, but if they are too enthralled with the limp dick ferry to watch what they are doing, then they can go ahead and feel the sting of metal on shin. 

The ones that I have no sympathy for are the deliberately inconsiderate. The bus at the Athens airport being the prime example. We were first in line with a wheelchair at the wheelchair doo

r of the bus. This one woman insisted on shoving us out of the way and crowding. So, we beat the hell out of her legs with the wheelchair. Caren bashed her good with the luggage and Aunt Yvette and I ramed the wheelchair foot rests into her legs multiple times. That didn't stop her. I guess you can't fix stupid. Fun times. Insert maniacal laugh here. 

Here are some pictures of the aftermath at the Seattle airport on the way home. 

This one is of the metal worn away on the frame from the wheel rubbing on it. 

You can see on this one how much the front wheels got bent. Also not the brake handle on the left compared to the one on the right. 

Another view of the front wheels.

Cartman and the pigs.

Around Europe in 20 Days

I've decided that I must be a masochist or something. This last trip to Europe was a logistical challenge to say the least. Here are the stats:

10 Airplanes (this is 4 short of last years trip)

45 Train Rides (Including long distance, metro, suburban, tram, etc...)

10 Land Buses

9 Water Buses

6 Cars

1 Paddle Wheeler Steam Ship

2 Water Gondolas 

2 Air Gondolas

1 Horse and Buggy

It is hard to say how many cities and towns we visited, but the number is at least 30 major cities. 

10 countries including the U.S. and 9 without. 

All in 20 days. Eat your heart out Phileas Fogg. You've got nothing on a Joe Mitchell experience. If you know what that last part is in reference to, then two gold stars and my admiration to you. ;-) 

I think the only one I'm missing is a bicycle and a Segway which we came close to doing in Paris. What is absolutely phenomenal to me is that there was not a single hitch in the entire trip with the exception of a bomb threat on the airplane out of Athens which was a non-issue since I programmed in some cushion time. I guess 9 months of planning paid off. What is even more amazing to me is that we did all of this for just over $2,000 per person when the smoke clears. 

My GPS log files are on my little computer which is with Caren in Moscow at the moment. I will put the tracks on the blog when I have a minute.

My next major adventure is a toss up between Egypt and the Philippines at the moment. Right now I'm leaning more towards the Philippines, but I could be talked into Egypt if the pigs are eating well and getting fat. 

My more immediate horizon shows a major train trip across the United States. I'm looking to hit all 50 states before I turn 30. I have just over half of them left and a year plus a month to do it. For $380, I can get a US Pass from Amtrak that is good for 8 segments over 15 days. The question is, can I hit the remaining half aside from Hawaii with 8 segments and 15 days? That sounds like a challenge that is right up my alley after this last round. The kicker is that it has to be a precision strike much like the last round because I also want to do some family history stuff over in the Northeastern and Southeastern states. In addition to that, I have two other goals that I intend to meet with this trip. First, to ride the route of the Mormon Battalion to complete my major western trails trips. Second, to ride the City of New Orleans just because I love the song (all versions, but especially Willie Nelson) and every time I hear it I want to be on a train. My nerdly senses are tingling. Good thing I don't like having hair because this one will be a task as well. ;-) 

Athens/Paris

We got back to Hayden at about 11pm last night and I haven't slept so good in some time. We had a great trip and are now ready to turn around and go back. Aunt Yvette's wheelchair is in shambles and I lost 12 pounds on this trip, but we are in good shape and had a great time. 

I already posted the pictures for Athens, but here are the descriptions in case you didn't already figure them out:

The first three are at Keramikos. We found a lot of turtles there. The one with me in it is of some ancient tombstones. 

The fourth picture is of Zues' temple. 

The fifth picture is of Hadrian's Arch. 

The sixth picture is of all of us taking a carriage tour of Athens. 

Number 7 and 8 are of Caren and Aunt Yvette respectively with different views of the Temple of Athena. 

Number 9 is of Dyonisos (or something like that)'s amphitheatre. 

Number 10 is of the Parthenon.

The final picture is of Caren and I with Athens in the background from on top of the Acropolis. 

My greatest achievement on this trip was getting Aunt Yvette to the top of the Acropolis uphill on a cobblestone road in a wheelchair. It was a great time and I'm glad we got to see all that we did. 

Now for Paris........

Caren and I at the Alexander the 3rd bridge. 

Aunt Yvette at The Eiffel Tower.
The Sacred Heart Church. 
Caren and I at the Notre Dame Cathedral. 
Caren on the other side of the Notre Dame Cathedral. 
The Eiffel Tower and Paris from on top of the Arc De Triumph. 
The Arc De Triumph. 
Caren and I riding the water bus up the River Seine. 

Aunt Yvette and I with the pigs at the Louvre. 
Caren on one of the bridges across the River Seine. 
Caren and I at the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

Paris from on top of the Eiffel Tower. 

The Mystery City

Sorry for the delay, we've just been enjoying Paris too much. Here are the pictures of the mystery city. See if you can guess where it is?

We are starting the long trip home tomorrow morning, so I probably won't get pictures of Paris up until I'm home. It is so surreal. We have been wandering all over the place and everywhere we go, we pass by the eiffel tower on the way to and from home like it isn't anything. 

We went to Notre Dame Cathedral yesterday as well. It was pretty neat. The Louvre was interesting. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the time, talent, and thought invested into art, but I guess I just don't get it on some things. For example, Michaelangelo's statue of the dying slave. I'm sure he and others see a dying slave in that, but what I see is a man with his wang hanging out that likes to play with his nipples. Or Aunt Yvette's favorite was the statue of Mercury, otherwise known as the limp dick ferry. I guess I need less logic and more imagination. It was basically a huge exhibit of ancient porno. After seeing that many naked paintings and sculptures, we had to just step back and have a sense of humor. Plus, after hours of trying to get around that maze, all I could do to keep from punching out the first frenchy I saw was to laugh at it all. All in all it was a good experience though. 

So far my favorite part of Paris has been the Eiffle Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and riding the boat around the river Seine. 

We are having a good time and sad to be going home tomorrow. 

Enjoy.

Days 9 and 10 - Barcelona

We flew from Geneva and rode a train into Barcelona from the airport. We then switched to the metro and if Aunt Yvette ever recovers from that experience it will be a miracle. Needless to say, we took a taxi back to the airport. ;-) We got to Barcelona relatively late and wandered it a little and then had dinner and relaxed. The next day we got tickets on the hop-on-hop off bus and rode three different routes throughout Barcelona and hopped off at a place where we rode a gondola up to a castle with views of the city and the sea. We rode back down and hopped back on and rode to the beach and catalunya plaza. It was very nice there. The second night, Barcelona won some sort of soccer game and the whole city erupted in cars, horns, high speed chases, massive explosions, and what not. It was pretty exciting, but we didn't sleep much that night. Caren and I went to the Arc De Triumphe the last night we were there and there were some crazies out, but we lived. Riding the metro there isn't much different than Seoul, but all the same somewhat new. 

We are currently in and enjoying the Mystery City and head for Paris tomorrow. We have seen a lot of neat stuff here and it has been quite the adventure. We will see much more before the day is through. 

I will relate the trip from Barcelona on here for now. We flew into the Mystery City airport and rode the bus to the city center. It was like a mob because the Metro is not operating due to construction. Caren shoved on first with a bag in each hand bashing people the whole way. Aunt Yvette and I hopped on afterward gouging people's legs (literally) because they were crouding us on. One lady wouldn't get the hint even after we ramed her with the wheelchair. LOL...What fun! Anyway, we are having a great time. 

I'm not revealing the mystery city just yet because I want to test your "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego" skills. I will post some pictures minus the words once we hit Paris and you can guess from there. 

Here are a few pictures from Barcelona. Enjoy. 

Caren at the Arc De Triumphe

Aunt Yvette at the Sagrada Famillia

The Sagrada Familia

Joe at the Mediterranean Sea

Caren at the Mediterranean Sea

The Columbus Monument

Caren at a castle we rode a gondola up to. 

Caren and Joe at the castle with the Mediterranean Sea in the background. 

Joe at one of the guns at the Castle. Seems a little out of place?

Aunt Yvette and her true love. 

Caren at the castle. Mediterranean in the background. 

Aunt Yvette, Joe, and the Pigs with Barcelona in the background. 

Aunt Yvette at a cathedral we visited. 

Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona

Catalunya Plaza in Barcelona

Mystery City

I will write a post about Barcelona probably tomorrow night. I just wanted to start a post to take in guesses on where they mystery city is?

There have been many rumors flying around about the significance of the mystery city. Hmmmmm......no comment. ;-) That one was for you Heidi.

Joe

Some Pictures

Here are just a few of the 500 or so pictures we have taken. In theory you should be able to click on them for larger pictures. Enjoy.

They are in order:

- Fallanden, Switzerland

- Dinhard, Switzerland

- Aunt Yvette at Saint Mark's Square in Venice

- Caren at Herzongenrath, Germany

- Caren and Joe on the Gondola in Venice

- Aunt Yvette and Joe eating Belgian waffles at Liege Guillemins Train Station

- Caren at the church in Maur, Switzerland

- Joe at the lake in Maur, Switzerland

- Train ride in the Swiss Alps

- Joe on the steam paddlewheeler crossing Lake Zurich

- Joe and Aunt Yvette on a Gondola in Venice holding up a picture of the pigs.

- A fountain on Lake Geneva

- Aunt Yvette enjoying the views of the Alps on the train from Milan to Zurich.

Days 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8

Day 4 - Netherlands, Germany, Italy

This day was a day for bragging rights. It was spent almost entirely traveling and viewing the countries on the go. On this day we rode a train from Liege, Belgium to Maastricht, Netherlands, a train from Maastricht to Heerlen, Netherlands, a train from Heerlen to Herzogenrath, Germany, a train from there to Rheydt, Germany, and from there a train to the Cologne Airport. From there we flew to Venice and rode a bus from Marco Polo airport to Venice, Italy where we met with a lady who walked us to our apartment. It was a very tiring day, but a good one. Thanks to Caren's good language skills and ability to solve problems we avoided a few crisis this day.

Day 5 - Venice

Ohhhh.....Yeahhhhhh!!!! This was a day of days. It was incredible. It is just like in the movies, only better. It truly is awesome. We highly recommend it if you ever have the opportunity. We began with breakfast at a little cafe across the canal. We then walked down to Piazzale Roma and took the water bus up the grand canal to Saint Mark's Square. That was one amazing boat ride, but it gets better. After viewing the sites, Caren and I took a ride up the smaller canals in a Gondola. The Gondola driver was singing and all. It was choice. Then we wandered back through the square and road another water bus out around the perimeter of Venice and back to Piazzale Roma. At this point, Aunt Yvette got to go on a gondola ride as well. The driver let us go with as well. We then ate dinner and returned to the apartment. Caren and I went out later and road the water bus through the grand canal again. It really was a wonderful day.

Day 6 - The Alps

Just when I thought it couldn't, it did get better. We took the water bus from Piazzle Roma to San Lucia train station and boarded a train for Milan. We didn't have a lot of time in Milan, but the views of the Italian country side were indeed amazing. At Milan we changed trains and headed north and soon arrived in Switzerland. I didn't think It could be better, but it was. The train ride through the Swiss Alps was stunning. We arrived in Zurich and had dinner before boarding another train out to Dinhard. Dinhard is the land of my Mom's ancestors from the 15th and 16th centuries. I was happy to find out that there are still families there with the last name. We stayed in an old wooden type house/bed and breakfast.

Day 7 - Maur, Fallanden, Zurich

I am not one to plan a sub-par adventure, and this day truly lived up to being a Joe sized adventure. First we took a train to Suezach and switched trains and took another to Stattenbach. From there we road a bus out to Maur passing through Fallanden along the way. These are both towns of my Mom's ancestors from more recent times and more direct lines, the Hoffmans and some of their branches. The story is passed down that Hans Heinrich Hoffman came to Utah and after a long journey saw where he was to live, Randolph, and he sat down on his wagon tounge and cried because he had given up his home in Switzerland in exchange for Randolph. I have now been to his hometown and now know why he sat down on his wagon tounge and cried. It is truly beautiful there. We then rode the bus back to Stettbach. From there we rode two trams to Burkiplatz which is right there on Lake Zurich in the heart of the city. From there we road a steam paddlewheeler that was built in 1919 to Rapperswil. From there we road a train to Winterthur, a train to Suezach where we ater dinner, and a train to Dinhard.

Day 8 - Geneva

Today we rode a train from Dinhard to Winterthur, a train from Winterthur to Geneva via Bern, Loussane, Frieberg, and a train from Geneva to Versoix. We dumped our luggage and then rode a train into Geneva, and a tram out to Rive where we walked around Lake Geneva and took in a few things and then a tram to Geneva and a train to Versoix. We are staying the night in a nice bed and breakfast here.


I'm too tired to post any pictures, so you will have to settle for words for now. I will likely post pictures when I return to the states or maybe when I have a little more time down the road.

Tomorrow we are headed to Barcelona and then after that to the Mystery city. The final stop before heading home is of course, Paris. We will slow things down a lot in Paris and spend the final 4 days there before flying back to Spokane and Boise respectively via Copenhagen and Seattle.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Joe, Caren, and Aunt Yvette.

Day 3 - Liege/Ougree/Seraing

Today we wandered the Liege area and went out to see the statue that has my ancestor on it. After that, Caren and I went into Liege to the St. Lambert's area. Here are a few pictures. The internet connection here is less than wonderful, so I had to use some smaller pics. You should be able to click on them and get them a bit bigger, but even then they are semi-small. Hopefully I will be able to upload larger pictures in the future. Enjoy.

1) This first one is actually on the fast train yesterday of the French country side. The windows weren't that great for picture taking.

2 & 10) These are both at Liege Guillemins station. Number 2 is from the hotel room window.

3) Caren and I standing at the statue with my ancestor on it.

4) Yvette and I at the river Meuse.

5 through 9) The St. Lambert's area with Caren next to a fountain there on number 9.

Europe Days 1 & 2

Well, things got underway with a hitch or two, but overall, things we really well. Aunt Yvette's flight went well, but Caren and I arrived at the airport in Spokane to find out that our flight was canceled. Fortunately, we arrived early enough that they just put us on the early flight to Seattle. Her parents were kind enough to take us to the airport, so we had less stress there. As a result of the earlier flight, we were abe to meet Aunt Yvette at the gate and then grab a bite to eat before heading to our gate out in the international building. The flight from Seattle to Copenhagen and the subsequent flight from Copenhagen to Paris were excellent. I have flown a lot, and as far as international flights go, I would highly recommend the Seattle to Copenhagen flight on SAS. I read all sorts of bad reviews online about SAS and was kind of worried, but they could not have been more helpful. It was at least 100 times better than the flight on United last year through Chicago. We had to learn to speak Danish, but we got it figured out. The flight into Paris was equally good, although by that time we were exhausted so we slept through most of it. Somehow, we managed to get into Paris without going through customs, and in true running of the bulls fashion, we even managed to catch our train with seconds to spare. It really was quite a site. Caren was running like mad in front dragging two suitcases behind her and I was pushing Aunt Yvette in a wheelchair at speeds that are probably not safe in a wheelchair (essentially at a dead run). When we went over the bumpy parts, she put her hands up and started screaming for joy. It was a moment of moments. We stopped and grabbed a bite to eat in Brussells before heading on to Liege which is where we are now. It was hard to keep our eyes open, but we did see some incredible country out across France and Belgium while riding the high speed train. We have all be going non-stop for 24 hours and we are exhausted. We are staying at the Best Western Hotel near the Liege Guillamens train station. We have no set schedule for tomorrow and our only real goal is to ride a bus out through Ougree and into Seraing. However, we have no intention of waking up terribly early tomorrow and probably not the day after either. Beyond that it turns into a bit of a whirlwind. I don't have any pictures today because we were all just too pooped to take any and we were just enjoying the ride today. We have had a great time so far.

Bon Voyage

After 6 months of intensive planning, I think we have things all worked out. We depart for Europe tomorrow afternoon. All three of us are flying out on Alaska Airlines and will meet up in Seattle before heading for Copenhagen and on to Paris. We will hit 9 different countries and 30 or so cities all in 2.5 weeks. This is a new personal best for me. ;-) Last year was 6 countries in 2 weeks. I haven't even bothered to count the number of trains, flights, buses, and ships for this go, but it is enough that I have a hard time keeping it straight in my head. Last years trip book was about 1/4 inch thick. This years trip book is about 5 times that. I dare say we are going to have a good time. Here are the stalker pages for anyone interested in tracking the flights. I will add the flight from Copenhagen to Paris tomorrow. We are riding the train from Charles De Gaulle Airport to Brussels, Belgium and then another to Liege, Belgium where we will spend the first two nights. I will try to add pictures and update this each evening as time and internet access allows.

Hope all of you are doing well. More from Europe. 

Joe

Joe and Caren Spokane to Seattle:

http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do?id=158883280

Yvette Boise to Seattle:

http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do?id=158883383 

All Seattle to Copenhagen:

http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do?id=158864055 

All Copenhagen to Paris:

http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do?id=158953048