I came to Chamonix to hike the Walker’s Haute Route, 116 miles from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. (Walker’s is not a name, it means ‘to walk’. There is a winter ski version of the Haute route also) The Haute route passes by some of the most noteworthy peaks in the European Alps, including Mont […]

Chamonix is a resort area about an hour’s drive east of Geneva, Switzerland. It is in a deep valley surrounded by some of the European alps highest peaks, including Mont Blanc (15,777 feet high). In winter, it is a major ski destination. It is also the gateway to the Haute Route, a reknowned circuit around […]

Prague is a city with a long history and many dramatic buildings. Prague Castle, up on the hill [vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/179448455″] I’m pretty sure that is live music, as they closed the windows when it finished. Perhaps a daily opening ceremony? That’s old Prague. On the Charles Bridge, this is the new world: All strings rock […]

Munich is in the southeastern corner of Germany. This area is called Bavaria, or ‘Bayern’ in German. It has exceptionally rich farmland areas, and is the home of ‘Octoberfest’. I stayed a week near Munich in the small town of Karlsfeld, at the home of a friend. This post is of this area, including Munich, […]

Ah, Berlin. I first visited Berlin in 1970 while a student at Stanford-in-Germany (Beutelsbach), on our spring field trip. There were then two Berlins, West and East, and on May 1st, the big communist holiday, I visited both. You could get a day pass to the east side, but woe unto you if you failed […]