After returning from our Christmas trip to Gibraltar, Becky and I began thinking about what we wanted to do during the summer and where we wanted to go. In the end we decided to do "the trip of a lifetime" which became European Road Trip 2013! As the plans became more solidified and reservations were made we were so excited (not to mention a tad bit anxious and daunted) by the scope of what we were about to undertake - renting a car and driving for 21 days though 9 different countries/territories/enclaves. Wow! On top of that, Becky's mom was coming to visit us in Morocco for a while before joining us on the first leg of our European trip. Well, we worked hard, did extra tutoring, stayed home in Casablanca during Spring Break, and saved, saved, saved. And then school was out and it was time for the adventure to begin!
Then it was time for the road trip to begin. In an attempt to create some sort of semblance of order and to keep me from rambling, Becky had the wonderful idea to group the photos by country. So without further ado...
MOROCCO
As the time for vacation drew near we realized that we may have packed too much into our first day - taxi to train station, 5 hour train ride to Tangier, taxi to port, ferry to Tarifa in Spain, bus from Tarifa to Algeciras, picking up of rental car before the midday siesta and then a drive around the bay to Gibraltar. Even writing that makes me tired so the thought of actually doing it seemed exhausting. In the end we decided (with the kind chauffeuring assistance of a co-worker) to drive 3 hours to Tangier and then stay the night near the port. What a great decision. It allowed us to ease into our trip and not exhaust us from the get-go. It was so fun to walk along the Tangier waterfront and take a refreshing dip in the hotel pool. On a funny note, unbeknownst to us the poolside table area gets turned into quite a happening nightclub so we fell asleep to the gentle THUMP, THUMP, THUMP of bass.
For Morocco pictures click HERE.
GIBRALTAR
In the morning we woke up and caught the ferry to Tarifa, Spain. Then after the 30 minute bus ride to Algeciras we found the rental car office and picked up our rental car. Initially we were going to get a decent sized Skoda, but the kind gentlemen at the rental office gave us an upgrade and we drove out of Algeciras with a less than 1 month old 2013 Ford S-Max whom Becky christened Smax and who, during the coming weeks, would become a very dear friend to us. We then waited in the ridiculously long customs line (thank you Spain) to enter Gibraltar and then set about enjoying the 2 days we had there.
What can be said about Gibraltar that we haven't said already in our previous trips. Let's just say that it's the most magical 3 square miles in the world and we can't wait to go back - again.
For Gibraltar pictures click HERE and HERE.
After 2 days in Gibraltar it was time to leave and begin our trek northwards. This day was a driving day as we had to get from Gibraltar to Burgos, Spain - a 10 hour drive. Along the way we passed some amazing cities, villages and scenery. As we drove over the gigantic bridge in Sevilla that spanned the Guadalquivir River it was amazing to think of all the history that had happened there and all the explorers that had departed for or returned from the New World from that very place. There were the fields and fields of sunflowers. The barrenness of the scenery that can be described as Spanish. The sadness of so many dead or dying little villages along the way. The beauty of the mountains near Béjar. As we spent so much time in Spain, after our return I began to read For Whom the Bell Tolls. It was so amazing to read that the book takes places in these very mountains. Upon arriving in Burgos we went to our hotel ready to relax for the night. Unfortunately, our hotel wasn't open. Becky spoke with the bartender of the bar next door and it appeared that the hotel had changed ownership in the weeks prior to our arrival and that it wasn't currently hosting guests. Luckily we found a great hotel right down the street. We then crashed for the night and prepared for our drive through the Pyrenees and on into Bordeaux, France the following day.
For Spain pictures click HERE.
FRANCE
As we left Burgos we encountered a completely different Spain that the one we had driven through the day before. It was lush and green and the closer we got to the Pyrenees (the mountain range separating Spain and France) the more beautiful it became. It was then on into France and a few hours later we arrived in Bordeaux.
Now let's just get this out now - the most beautiful cities in the world are French. We absolutely love Paris and Bordeaux was amazing. Such beauty. Such history. And such a fun and lively atmosphere. It is amazing what we were able to see and do in only 2 days though we could have easily filled our days for 2 weeks. I could write paragraph after paragraph about Bordeaux, but I'll refrain myself and let the pictures speak for themselves.
After 2 days in Bordeaux it was time for another driving day which ended in the beautiful village of Autun in central France. The French countryside was lush and beautiful with forests and fields and rolling hills. I only took 1 wrong turn during the day (though it was on a toll road that we couldn't get off of for 30 minutes). Autun was beautiful and after an amazing dinner, Becky and I climbed up through the streets to the magnificent Autun Cathedral. As we stood on the steps of the cathedral looking up at the hauntingly beautiful tympanum a quiet peace descended upon us. We were sad that the cathedral was closed, but thankful for the moment we had been given. Then, as we stood there, we heard a great creaking sound and the gigantic wooden door of the cathedral opened and the priest ushered us in. As we walked through the cathedral that until a few years ago housed the relics of St. Lazarus, we were profoundly moved.
For France pictures click:
HERE for Bordeaux Day 1
HERE for Bordeaux Day 2
HERE for Autun
SWITZERLAND
After our night in Autun we drove 4 hours or so to Switerland and then around 2 more hours to our bed and breakfast, Heidi's Guesthouse, outside of Bex. An interesting side note - though we call it Switzerland technically it is called Confoederatio Helvetica. Along the way we drove by the city of Lausanne and then alongside Lake Léman to Montreux before heading into the Alps to Bex. As we drove up and up the valley we began to wonder if we would find our B&B, but as we came around a bend in the road, there it was in the distance. It was so quaint and so beautiful and the scenery surrounding it was breath-taking. As the proprietor was currently out mountain climbing we went back into town for a bite to eat and then headed back. Inside, Heidi's Guesthouse was even more amazing. The building was over 100 years old, but had been completely refurbished while at the same time keeping as much of the original as possible.
We sat down with Laurent and told him that though we had been looking forward to Switzerland and were excited to be there for the next 2 days, we didn't really know what to do. He then gave us some suggestions based on our time which we took and couldn't be happier with. That first evening we drove further up the valley to the Pont-de-Nant Natural Reserve which was stunning. Never in our lives have we felt such cold water as we felt in the icy blue streams that tumbled down from the Alps. And the forests, crags, cliffs and glaciers.
The following day we drove into Montreux and took the 50 minute cog train to the top of Rochers de Naye. Again I could write forever about this experience, but I'll leave it to the pictures. That evening Becky and I went back up to Pont-de-Nant and had a drink and a hike before heading back to Heidi's and breaking out our baseball mitts for a quick game of catch.
For Switzerland pictures click:
HERE for Bex Day 1
HERE for Bex Day 2
GERMANY
It was then time to head to Germany. If Gibraltar is the greatest 3 square miles and France is the home of the most beautiful cities, Germany may very well take the prize for the most amazing country in the world. Beautiful, breath-taking, friendly, clean, organized, and steeped in history. What more could one ask for.
That first day we left Bex and drove up through Switzerland - passing Bern and Basel along the way. We then entered Germany and after getting off the main roads we soon found ourselves in the Black Forest! We stopped in the town of Triberg (birthplace of the cuckoo clock) where we had lunch and visited the world's largest cuckoo clock before purchasing a cuckoo clock of our own. It was then back to the main roads for the drive up to Frankfurt. After an hour or so it dawned on me that this was an autobahn we were on and I was driving on it - a childhood dream come true. Wow! I checked my speed at 160 km/hour (100 miles/hour) but the lane to the left was passing us like we were standing still! After a crazy time trying to find our hotel near the Frankfurt airport we checked in and prepared to see Becky's mom off the following morning.
On the morrow, after our waves good-bye as Franchon headed to the airport and back to the United States, Becky and I set out for the Rhineland-Palatinate region to the west of the Rhine River. This day was a very special day for us. In 1889, Becky's great-great grandfather, his wife and their son left the small town of Buch, Germany and immigrated to the United States. As far as we know Becky was the first Philippsen from that line to have returned in the over 120 years since their departure. Our time in Buch was very special and intimate and really impossible to put into words.
After we left Buch we checked into our hotel in the beautiful town of Kastellaun - the Badische Kellerey. As we've said so often since our trip - we would plan a whole vacation around Kastellaun and the Hunsrück region and we would stay the entire time at Badische Kellerey. It was that special of a place. In the afternoon we went to Burg Eltz which was our favorite castle of the trip. It is truly a fairy tale castle and the pictures we took really don't do it justice.
The following day we headed off for Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. Rothenburg was so beautiful and picturesque. And, yes it is a very touristy place, but like all things German it was real and honest and our 2 days there were amazing. It definitely lived up to it's description as a fairy tale village, but it wasn't a facade. It was a real town with a lot of history.
After Rothenburg it was off to Füssen and the fantastic castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Becky and I have each had a place that, since childhood we have wanted to see. For Becky it was the Sagrada Família in Barcelona that we were able to visit in Spring '12. For me it was Neuschwanstein Castle. Though relatively new (commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1869 and inspired by his love of Wagner's operas) it is a fantastical and magical place. And though definitely opulent it is much more understated than one would think (a motif we found throughout Germany). We then drove on to the small town of Nesselwang where we spent the night at a charming little hotel before setting off on the biggest driving day of the trip.
For Germany pictures click:
HERE for Frankfurt
HERE for Buch and Kastellaun
HERE for Rothenburg Day 1
HERE for Rothenburg Day 2
HERE for Füssen
ALPS DRIVING DAY
It should be noted that prior to our drive to Füssen we had navigated our entire trip minus GPS. On the way down to Füssen Becky was playing around with Smax and lo and behold we had GPS! Well, as we set off from Nesselwang Becky typed in our final destination of Albertville, France and we found out we could be there in 5-6 hours! We had a few stops to make on the way and I had really wanted to drive the length of the Alps so off we went. Bless Becky's heart! Even though she watched her 5-6 hour day turn into a 12 hour day she stayed positive and when it was all said and done and we were in our bed in Albertville we were glad for the adventure.
Leaving Germany we drove first into Austria for all of 15 minutes (10 of which were in the longest tunnel ever) and then into Switzerland. It was at this time that we turned on a Swiss radio station only to find ourselves soon listening and singing along to Starship's "We Built This City" - thus the blog title. We then took a quick detour and stopped off for lunch in the tiny country of Liechtenstein. It was so exciting to be able to visit such a tiny country that most people don't even know exists. It was then back into Switzerland and into the heart of the Alps! We climbed up and down mountains and past lakes and through valleys and into the town of Andermatt where we stopped to make sure of our directions and to verify that the upcoming roads were open. They were. And then the real climbing began as we drove up to the Furkapass. Never have we seen such twisting and winding roads. And what breath-taking and awesome views. But boy those roads are narrow! And when you've got a wall of rock on your right and a Ferrari coming toward you on your left you really need to concentrate. At this point in time I adhered to Becky's rule that I could not drive and take pictures at the same time. A rule which I have promised to follow in the future. As the sun began to set we passed from Switzerland into France and then through a bunch of French ski villages (passing Mont Blanc along the way) to our hotel in Albertville where we promptly fell asleep.
For Alps Driving Day pictures click HERE.
FRANCE: PART II
The next day we headed out for the small Spanish enclave of Llívia located in France in the Pyrenees. To be honest it was a rather uneventful day and upon arriving in Llívia we were not impressed. It was a beautiful town and it was so fun to be in Spain while being in France, but the people just weren't very friendly and we were glad to only be there for one night. We left early the next morning.
For Llívia pictures click HERE.
SPAIN: PART II
Leaving Llívia, we drove back into France and then into the small country of Andorra in the heart of the Pyrenees. The scenery was beautiful, but as the cities are crammed into tiny valleys within the mountains they were a little claustrophobic and it made for some of the most intense driving of the trip. We stopped in the capital, Andorra la Vella, for breakfast and then headed back on the road and into Spain. After 2 long days of driving and a big drive ahead of us we decided to not take back-roads, but rather the most direct route offered by Smax. To our surprise this route took us to Barcelona where we passed Montserrat before heading down the same roads we'd driven with my parents in Spring '12. At Valencia we turned inland and after passing kilometer after kilometer of olive tree farms as far as the eye could see we began to wind our way into the Sierra Morena and to the tiny town of Santa Elena and our hotel - El Mesón de Despeñaperros! After so many days on the road, I think we were starting to run out of steam when we arrive in Santa Elena. But the friendliness and hospitality we encountered there rejuvenated us for the remainder of the trip. It was truly a highlight of our vacation. Eating dinner outside on the terrace and taking in the scenery while we talked (in Spanish) with our waiter José was a simple pleasure beyond words. Becky and I have talked about it so much since then and to us it was one, if not the, most memorable dining experience of our lives. We went to bed very happy and thankful that night that we had stumbled upon such a hidden gem.
The next day we drove a short 3-4 hours to the over-hyped town of Ronda. Yuck. In our mind it's just a tourist trap and we have no idea why people go there. Furthermore, we found it to be an oppressive place given its history. It's the home of bullfighting which we find abominable. It was a major seat of the Spanish Inquisition. And during the Spanish Civil War it was held by both sides with prisoners pitched out the window of the room inside the bridge to their death nearly 400 feet below. Supposedly Hemingway based chapter 10 of For Whom the Bell Tolls on events that happened in Ronda - one of the most horrifying chapters I've read in any book. Needless to say we weren't fans of Ronda.
The next day it was time to drive the 1-2 hours back to Algeciras where we had to say good-bye to Smax. We then took the bus to Tarifa where we spent the night at the Hostal Alameda on the plaza. Though we've passed through Tarifa many times on our trips to and from Spain and/or Gibraltar we had never stayed there. We're so glad we finally did. What Ronda wants to be, Tarifa is! It was vibrant and happy and just the perfect ending for our trip. We toured the castle of Guzman the Good that we've seen every time from the ferry. Such history on the very spots where we walked. In the evening we set out to explore the medina, winding through the streets and stopping into an old church before stopping off at Moby Dick's bar for a quick drink and a snack before heading back to our room. We went to bed that night amazed at all we had seen and done in the previous weeks - happy to be heading home, but sad to be leaving Europe.
For Spain: Part II pictures click:
HERE for Santa Elena
HERE for Ronda
HERE for Tarifa
MOROCCO: PART II
Much like our first day, the though of all the steps and stops along the way back seemed a little overwhelming so Becky had the great idea to just take the ferry over and stay in Tangier for the night. After sleeping in and enjoying a delicious late breakfast we took the 1:00 PM ferry back to Tangier and then holed up at our hotel, venturing out to McDonald's (about the only place open as came back in the middle of Ramadan) for a quick bite to eat. The following day we took the train to Rabat where we got off and then caught another train which deposited us at the Casablana Port station. After a quick taxi ride we found ourselves back at home very tired, but very happy and very thankful for our European Road Trip 2013!
For Morocco: Part II pictures click HERE and HERE.
What a start to our summer - busy, wonderful and full of memories!
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