Three-Course Meal at the Airport Lounge and Flight Experience

Stepping into the Air Canada Signature lounge, we immediately noticed it bore little resemblance to typical airport lounges. Rather than the sparse buffet tables and limited offerings we’d encountered elsewhere, this space offered full meal service – a complete three-course dining experience with attendants who actually served courses, paired with a selection of beverages.Beyond the seated service, a small buffet stood available for those who wanted seconds or something different. When our flight was delayed, we had no complaints – it meant more time in this pocket of calm before the journey ahead. We were comfortable, well-fed, and far removed from the chaos of the terminal.

I finally got to sit in seat 1A. All the time I flew, the seat would be something like 22F or something. Not this time. I got first seat on the plane, positioned at the absolute front. Settling into a lie-flat bed on an overnight flight, I enjoyed the solitude and space that seat 1A afforded, soundly falling asleep and waking up on the other side in the morning.

Arrival and Immediate Pleasures

We touched down in Málaga, Spain (a coastal city in the Andalusia region, known for its beaches and proximity to numerous white villages) in the early evening. Rather than heading directly to our accommodation, we sought out something to satiate our hunger. We found a Georgian restaurant and ordered their grilled prawns – the proteins had developed a charred exterior from high-heat cooking that added a complex, smoky layer to their natural sweetness. The meat remained tender inside whilst the exterior had taken on deep caramelised notes.

We also tried khinkali, which appeared enormous compared to what we expected. These Georgian dumplings are traditionally filled with spiced meat and wrapped in dough, but what makes khinkali special is the broth sealed inside. We ate them by hand as tradition dictates, and when we bit through the thin dough, the warm, savoury liquid inside spilled out. The meat filling was generous. We endearingly referred to them as “dalongbao” (a reference to their size compared to their Asian dumpling cousins).

Morning Light of Málaga and the Drive South

The next morning we walked along Málaga’s beachfront, where the Mediterranean stretched to the horizon under clear skies. After grabbing brunch at a seaside café, we headed south, driving towards our next destination: Tarifa.

Driving in Spain quickly proved to be an unenjoyable experience. The roads are peppered with roundabouts, which require constant attention and adjustment. Speed limits switch suddenly – from 60 km/h to 100 km/h and then down to 80 km/h within a short span of 30 seconds. This made it tricky on highways where some drivers slow excessively to keep within limits, while others try to accelerate but are thwarted by the frequent changes. It felt like an exercise in patience. It went on like this pretty much all the way from Málaga to Tarifa.

The Windswept Town at Spain’s Southern Edge

Tarifa sits at the southernmost tip of continental Spain, positioned precisely where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. This narrow geographic point creates something unique: the Strait of Gibraltar (the 14-kilometre-wide waterway separating Spain from Morocco) acts as a natural funnel for wind. When pressure systems align on either side of the strait, the air accelerates through this bottleneck with a phenomenon called the Venturi effect – wind speeds intensify dramatically as the air is forced through increasingly narrow space. On good days, wind speeds exceed 30 knots, which is precisely why Tarifa has become a destination for windsurfing, kitesurfing, and other wind-dependent water sports.

Our hotel embraced Moroccan design throughout its interiors. Ornate metal lanterns cast filtered light across the room, and swirling geometric patterns decorated walls and archways. The hotel even stocked the minibar complimentarily, an unexpected gesture that meant we could enjoy local beers, wines, and snacks without additional charges. This thoughtful detail transformed what could have been a standard hotel stay into something that felt genuinely hospitable and welcoming.

The town itself carries centuries of strategic importance. During AD 710, a Moorish officer named Tarif ibn Malik led an expeditionary force here, and the town was renamed in his honour, becoming the first Moorish settlement on the Iberian Peninsula. The most impressive remnant of this period is the Castillo de Guzman el Bueno, a Moorish fortress originally constructed in AD 960 on orders from Caliph Abderraman III of Córdoba to defend against raids from Africa. Its trapezoidal shape follows the contours of the hillside on which it stands. The castle’s name comes from Alonso Perez de Guzman, who famously defended it during a 1294 siege by the Marinids (North African invaders) in an act so selfless it became legendary. The castle now operates as a museum, and from its ramparts, visitors can see across the Strait to the Rif Mountains of Morocco.

We spent time walking through Tarifa’s old town, where narrow streets wind between whitewashed buildings. The historic centre still carries the imprint of its Moorish past in its layout and architecture.

One distinctive structure caught my eye: a tower by the waterfront resembling Lisbon’s Tower of Belém. Although visually similar, this tower is actually the Castillo de Santa Catalina. Its location offered strategic views over the Strait of Gibraltar and surrounding seas, serving various military and meteorological purposes through the decades. Beneath and around the castle, 20th-century bunkers and coastal defences are visible, highlighting the area’s long-standing importance in maritime security.

Beyond the town itself lies a remarkable feature: a man-made causeway connects Tarifa to the Isla de las Palomas (also called the Isle of Tarifa), a small island at the continent’s southernmost point. What makes this connection extraordinary is that on one side of the island, waves roll in from the Atlantic, whilst on the other side, they arrive from the Mediterranean. Walking across that bridge puts you at the official dividing line between two ocean basins.

Final Thoughts

The hotel stood out for its combination of good food and warm hospitality, making our stay comfortable and inviting. As for Tarifa itself, beyond the wind sports that define its character, I didn’t get a sense of a vast array of activities. The town serves largely as a launching point for those heading across the Strait to Tangier, Morocco, making it a practical gateway more than a standalone destination for exploration.

Photo albums here: Málaga, and Tarifa

A Contrast in Cities

The contrast between Vienna and Bratislava becomes apparent immediately upon arrival. While both cities share a Habsburg heritage, Bratislava’s economic situation differs markedly from its Austrian neighbour.

This disparity likely stems from Austria flourishing being a primary driver of European prosperity, while Slovakia being a part of another empires/kingdoms for centuries, and then spending four decades behind the Iron Curtain under Communist rule.

Christmas Spirit

Despite December temperatures hovering around freezing and biting winds sweeping through the streets, Bratislava’s Christmas markets created a warm atmosphere. Unlike Vienna’s markets, which balance merchandise and food, Bratislava’s focus heavily on traditional Slovak cuisine and glühwein.

We sampled a traditional potato pancake served with sour cream and various toppings. It tasted pretty much like a hashbrown with toppings. I also got to try glühwein mixed with absinthe, something I hadn’t had in years and isn’t common to find in North America.

Čumil the Sewer Worker

Among Bratislava’s most photographed attractions is Čumil, the “Man at Work” sculpture. Created by Viktor Hulík in 1997, this bronze figure peers out from a manhole cover. The sculpture brings a bit of character to the old town. While photographing Čumil, we noticed people observing tourists – a reminder to stay vigilant in crowded tourist areas.

The Opera House and National Identity

Our walking tour took us past the Slovak National Theatre. The Neo-Renaissance opera house, completed in 1886, was built during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The facade features busts of famous playwrights and composers, none of whom are ethnically Slovak. This reflects the historical reality that Slovak national identity was still forming during the theatre’s construction. The first Slovak-language play was not performed at the opera house until the early 20th century.

Slovakia’s path to nationhood was complex, involving centuries under Hungarian rule, followed by inclusion in Czechoslovakia after World War I. The eventual peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, known as the Velvet Divorce, marked Slovakia’s emergence as an independent nation. The Czech and Slovak languages illustrate this shared heritage, and are still mutually intelligible.

The UFO Bridge and the Memorial to the Jewish Quarter

A poignant stop on our tour was the site of a former synagogue. The Jewish Quarter was demolished during the construction of the UFO Bridge, officially known as the Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising, in the 1970s under Soviet rule. By that time, the area had been neglected for decades, likely due to the decimation of Bratislava’s Jewish population during the Holocaust. In its place, there’s now a memorial for where the old synagogue used to be.

The UFO Bridge itself has now become one of Bratislava’s most recognizable landmarks. Spanning the Danube without any supporting columns in the water, the bridge relies on suspension cables for structural integrity. Its unique design, with a circular restaurant perched atop, resembles a flying saucer, giving it the UFO moniker.

Christmas and Easter Traditions

Our guide shared some interesting Slovak holiday traditions. At Christmas, families often purchase live carp, allowing children to play with the fish in the bathtub for a day or two before it is prepared for dinner. Instead of Santa Claus, Slovakia’s version, Ježiško (Baby Jesus), visits children and brings them gifts. Easter brings another curious custom where boys pour water on girls they admire or value (romantic interests and female family members), a tradition thought to bring health and beauty. In return, the girls offer decorated eggs, booze or even money. The guide was completely aware how strange these traditions would sound to foreigners, and if you ask me, the Easter one seems a little bit one-sided.

Ascending to Bratislava Castle

The tour concluded with a climb to Bratislava Castle. Compared to grander castles in the region, Bratislava Castle reflects the city’s more modest resources.

Originally a military fortification, it achieved its greatest splendour under Maria Theresa’s reign in the 18th century when it was converted into a Habsburg residence. After a devastating fire in 1811, the castle fell into disrepair. During the communist era, reconstruction efforts were modest compared to its former glory, resulting in the simpler structure we see today.

From the top of the castle hill, visitors can see wind turbines in the distance. Interestingly, these turbines are located in Austria, as Slovakia does not yet have significant investments in wind energy.

See more of Bratislava here

Barcelona

Our journey began in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, where we enjoyed some classic seafood paella before boarding our ship. The rice had absorbed the rich broth, and the heat from the cooking created a nice crust at the bottom of the pan. Tender squid, juicy shrimp, and mussels mingled with the perfectly seasoned rice. The diversity of textures and robust flavors in each mouthful gave us a true taste of the region’s iconic cuisine. We scraped the final grains of rice from the pan. Maybe one day I could make a paella as good as this to recreate this experience.

With only a little time before our cruise departure, we took a quick stroll down the famous Las Ramblas to soak in the vibrant city atmosphere, even though it was difficult to navigate while carrying our luggage. This was okay though as we’ve visited Barcelona before.

Valencia

Our first port of call was Valencia, known for its impressive medieval old town. We started in the bustling central market, but found out it was closed on Sundays, and instead only saw people outside selling old junk from their houses. The only interesting thing there were Spanish Pokemon cards.

We then visited the 15th century La Lonja silk exchange, a UNESCO World Heritage site noted for its Gothic architecture. Though no longer a center of commerce, this historic building transports visitors back to Valencia’s golden era. This grandiose building with its colonnaded central hall and twisting columns was the center of Valencia’s thriving silk trade for centuries.

As we arrived at the Valencia Cathedral, we were treated to an unexpected scene. Groups of children and adults dressed in elaborate traditional costumes were flocking to the cathedral. We thought this parade might have been part of the annual Las Fallas festival, but it wasn’t that time of the year.

On the edge of the old town, we visited the Torres de Serranos, a part of the city’s medieval fortifications from the 14th century. The towers rise nearly 20 meters high on either side of the gates. They were originally linked by a bridge over the road, from which arrows and boiling oil could be rained down on would-be invaders. Despite some damage over the centuries, the twin towers have survived as an imposing relic of Valencia’s medieval defenses.

One of the more whimsical sights we a cat door built into the wall of a building, and it allows the city’s stray cats to come and go as they please. Another sight was visiting the outside of the bullfighting arena. Even though there was no bullfighting event happening at the time, it still allowed us to see this iconic part of Spanish culture.

We were only able to scratch the surface, and next time we go back, we’ll go to stuff we wanted to go to but didn’t have time for like the City of Arts and Sciences complex.

Ibiza

Another stop along the cruise was in sunny Ibiza, which offers a vibrant mix of beachside relaxation and exploration of historic sights. During our recent visit, we discovered some of the island’s cultural gems, the island’s famous walled old town of Dalt Vila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the window of our room on the cruise ship, we could see the Dalt Vila.

Strolling through Dalt Vila, the diverse architectural influences are striking, from the grand Catalan-Gothic Catedral de Santa Maria d’Eivissa to the humble whitewashed houses draped with vibrant flowers. We also spotted the 16th century Castell d’Eivissa perched atop the highest point. We could even spot our cruise ship docked at the port far below.

After taking in the impressive cathedral, we continued to stroll Dalt Vila’s labyrinth of narrow cobblestone streets. Flower-filled balconies and whitewashed houses flanked our path. The charming architecture and relaxed pace made it easy to imagine life centuries ago within these walls. Before heading back down the hill, we stopped at a cafe tucked within the city walls. There we sipped mojitos (albeitly overpriced), the perfect refreshing drink after ourwalk, and soaked in the ambience around us.

Our day in Dalt Vila provided a beautiful glimpse into Ibiza’s history and culture. Getting lost in its winding alleys while surrounded by medieval architecture was an unforgettable experience. We can’t wait to return to further explore this magnificent walled city.

See here for more of Barcelona, Valencia, and Ibiza

Within the historic city center, the Binnenstad (translates to “inner city”) still retains its architecture to create an atmosphere of old-world charm. Cobblestone streets wind through the district, leading to past centuries-old buildings adorned with ornate facades. City squares are surrounded by historic structures, bustling cafes, and vibrant markets, making them hubs of activity and culture.

The great thing is that the whole city center is a pedestrian zone. This is something I really enjoy about Europe in general that we don’t get back home. North Americans are so engrossed in their car culture that this would never happen.

One of the iconic buildings in the Binnenstad is the Boekhandel Dominicanen, which is housed within a 700-year-old Gothic church. The nave, once filled with pews and worshippers, now houses bookshelves and reading areas. The church’s original features, including its grand arches, columns, and stained glass windows, were preserved, creating a breathtaking backdrop that melds the spiritual and the intellectual.

Maastricht’s attractions extend beyond the old town streets and the picturesque Meuse River. Not far from the city center, and beneath the surface lies a hidden world that adds another layer of fascination to the city—the Maastricht Caves. These underground passages, some of which were carved by hand centuries ago, for mining limestone. The rock is so porous that if you poured water on it, and touched the rock immediately, it’d be dry.

As mining activity decreased in the caves, people started making works of art on its walls, which added to tourism in Maastricht.

In its recent history, the caves provided shelter during wartime, and were also used to hide valuable paintings from the Germans. The cave network is massive enough to easily hide this sort of stuff. Even if the Germans knew there were things hidden in here, it’s unlikely they’d be able to uncover every corner of this place. Even with a light, the place is tough to navigate – imagine having no light.

The area above the caves now has become a hiking trail with a viewpoint to a quarry that ceased operations in 2018, and an old military fort used to defend Maastricht in centuries past.

Look here to see more of Maastricht

We went back the next morning and got to see how tight it really was in the day. Each day’s driving was more challenging than the last. I felt like the trip so far stretched my driving abilities so much, and while it was a bit hectic, it only made our travel experience richer. The night life was actually quite lively but sadly we didn’t really get to experience much of it since we got in so late, and had to deal with the whole car thing.

Luckily, our AirBnB host was nice enough to let us check out at noon (he seemed like a college student who stayed up late anyway), and we took him up on it since we were so tired from the night before. In the day, we got to walk on top of the old Roman city walls to take in the view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea.

Originally, the plan was to hike La Garoupe, but it was too much to be in the sun and humidity the whole time. Besides, we had already woken up too late for that. Occasionally, we’d walk under an archway in the shade that channeled a constant cool breeze to cool us down – it was rough walking back in the sun though. Instead we just spent our short stay walking around the town.

Antibes is an immensely popular place for people with yachts. It makes a lot of sense – the water is super blue, it’s sunny all the time, and it feels super tropical without being too remote. I even saw a yacht with a helicopter on it – same as the ones I saw on the plane as we arrived in Europe. There’s millionaire yachts, and then billionaire yachts.

After visiting Antibes, we headed over to Cannes for a brief stop. Thus far in our trip, we hadn’t really noticed any sketchy spots until we arrived in Cannes. As we walked from where we parked (near the train station) to the main part of the city, we encountered a few shady characters standing on the side of the street seemingly with nothing to do but to people watch. We walked past them quickly and moved on. Still it was nothing like the sketchiness of the Paris metro. We walked through the main street and eventually reached the Les Murs Peints (“The Painted Walls”)

Not only is the mural showing a film being made, there are a bunch of easter eggs from classic films to look for. For example, there’s C3PO standing with R2D2, the “I’m flying scene” from Titanic, Batman/Joker, and Mickey standing with Minnie Mouse. Afterward, we walked up a hill to a viewpoint of the city.

On our way down, we noticed a quiet little courtyard, and when we went in, a person greeted us telling us that it was the Association of Beaux-Arts of Cannes, a local art school. They were very welcoming and let us wander about admiring their garden in the courtyard. Once we went back down, we stopped for a light pre-dinner snack at Astoux et Brun. We were completely enticed by the smell the aromas of the seafood as we walked past. The appetizer was quiet peculiar to me, but I’m sure was quite normal to the locals.

It’s basically an escargot, but much much smaller – I don’t even know what it’s called. A small toothpick is provided for picking the meat out of the shells. It had the texture of clam but of course much tinier. The rest was quite familiar fare – raw oysters and baked mussels Provençal style. People here love eating outside – it was hard pressed to find any restaurant that didn’t have primarily outdoor seating. The tough part is that when the wasps come, they never leave. We kept having to wave them away and after we finished eating, they started bugging the table beside us to the point that they lost their appetites – there’s no shortage of food for these wasps.

Check here to see more photos of Antibes and Cannes

I’m not a real F1 fan and I don’t have the patience to watch the cars go around the track 50 times, but I do like the idea of cars doing that. I’ve seen bits and pieces of the Monaco race – how they navigate the tight Monaco streets, especially the famous Monaco hairpin. All the souvenir soups all over town sell postcards that outline the Grand Prix track, and since it’s all on public roads, I got to do my own lap around Monaco. They even left the red and white racing lines on the road!

Monaco has a reputation of being a place for rich people, and we felt it. Every mall had all the luxury brands, hundreds of yachts were parked on the harbour, students in private school clothes walked in the street, and plenty of people drove fancy cars.

We wandered around town and eventually made it to the Monte Carlo casino. It looks really fancy outside with Rolls Royce cars parked outside, and it looks fancy on the inside too, but only people who actually gamble can go into the gaming rooms. The AC was a nice temporary escape from the heat outside though.

I saw two parts of Monaco: the rich posh part, and the traditional part. The traditional part is a small old town known as the Rock of Monaco. It’s also the location of the prince’s palace. I think the tradition is that if the flag is up, it means the prince is home. As we walked around the old town, there’d be motorcades going through, so I assume there were some local big shots going in and out.

We walked through a garden nearby the palace and saw an assortment of locale vegetation: tall/short, succulents/lush greens, flowers/trees with the bright blue ocean as the backdrop.

The toughest part about today was not only that the weather was super hot, but also the mosquito bites from the day before had swelled up and was itching me constantly. It almost felt like every 5 minutes I’d have to apply the anti-itch cream. Once we got back in the car and I started driving, I could at least distract myself from it while concentrating on the road. Later in the afternoon, we reached the small town of Èze.

It’s a picturesque town extending from the base of the hill to the top, with a view of the ocean. It was super tough finding any parking and I didn’t find any publicly accessible car roads leading up to the top – I mean that makes sense since the place was built before cars were invented. The only parking was at the local Fragonard perfumerie, but even then we couldn’t park there too long since they were about to close and we didn’t want them closing the gate on our car. We didn’t have time to visit both the hilltop and the perfumerie, so we opted to get a factory tour since that’s what we were there for. I figured we didn’t miss out on the hilltop – the view of the hill was probably better than being in it.

The factory tour itself was interesting. They showed us the giant vats for perfume distillation, how there are professional “noses”, the top top tier of perfumers, the different levels of perfume (it goes parfum, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and eau de cologne in order of most concentrated to least concentrated). An interesting thing I noticed was that the perfumerie had two Chinese salespeople, whom I assume were placed there to interact with the many Chinese tourists that come through, but since at the time we went, China was having it’s Zero-COVID policy so the only Chinese tourists had to come from elsewhere.

See more photos of Monaco and Èze

We spent the morning at the Cours Selaya market in the old town. Several websites described it as a combination of a flower market and flea market, and maybe we were in the wrong place or something, but we only saw the flea market. I’m not sure what people find enticing about a flea market because to me it’s as if the stuff that people are selling at the market is old antiques they’ve kept in their basement for decades. Occasionally, there were vendors selling art, but it was mostly antiques.

The vegetation here is very Mediterranean. It’s not temperate at all. There are palm trees everywhere, olive trees, and green spiny heat resistance shrubs.

For lunch, we visited a local Michelin star restaurant, L’eau de Vie. I’d say it was good, but not Michelin star good…

Later in the day, we visited the Marc Chagall Museum. Marc Chagall was an artist who live in Nice for some time. I’m not huge on art, but visited the museum upon the insistence of my travel partner. While the work was beautiful, it was difficult for me to appreciate it in more depth due to my lack of literacy in the fine arts. On top of that, the main theme of the art in the museum seemed to be scenes from the bible, which I’m not too familiar with either.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the city seeing other landmarks like the Hotel Negresco, and the Saint Nicholas Cathedral. The Hotel Negresco is considered a landmark in the city and appears on many postcards. It’s essentially a really fancy hotel with its own private beach for its guests. The interesting part of the Saint Nicholas Cathedral is that it’s Russian Orthodox. This raises the question of why there’s a Russian Orthodox cathedral so far away from Russia. By the end of the 19th century, there was a sizable Russian diaspora living in Nice, partly owing to the good relations built up by the Russian nobility. Another cool fact is that the cathedral belongs to the Russian Federation.

An unfortunate consequence of all the time spent outside resulted in many mosquito bites. I was honestly surprised and how relentless they were considering it was the middle of the day. I’ve only remembered them showing up at dusk.

Eventually we made it back to Place Garibaldi, the main city square in Nice. The great thing about European cities is the massive public spaces that are pedestrian only. It reduces the amount of car exhaust so much and gives ample space for restaurant patios. It’s nice to just sit at the patio and enjoy the colour scenery all around, from the colours of the buildings, the windows, the balconies, or just simply people watch.

We ended the day with a fantastic lobster dinner. It was even topped up with a flambé of Jack Daniel’s. It’s not the best whiskey in the world, but a flambé is cool, especially on a lobster. I wish I could remember what the sauce was made of…

That’s it for day 2 of our trip! Our packed itinerary only allowed us to have a short two day stay in Nice. Tomorrow we head elsewhere!

More photos of Nice here

Initially when I turned on the car, I couldn’t even figure out how to drive it. The car turned on, but I didn’t hear any engine noises, not even the noise of the engine starting. I was so confused and we had to ask one of the attendants, who told me that the car was actually a hybrid, and if the electric engine was being used, there’d be no engine noises. I’d never driven a hybrid car before, and certainly didn’t know a Renault Clio had a hybrid version, but now I know.

Since it was our first day and we needed to adjust for the jetlag, we took the day easy by walking along the beach, and the windy cobblestone streets of the old town.

We met our AirBnB host who showed us into the underground parking garage of the building. I mean underground parking garage very loosely. The spot itself had maybe about 30 cm of clearance on either side, and barely any space to setup. I knew driving in Europe would be more challenging than in North America, but this isn’t what I expected. I was more so expecting narrow streets and parallel parking, but not this. I’d say this was the toughest parking spot I’ve had to navigate in recent memory. Luckily I had help from the backup cam and people standing outside to guide me.

Our AirBnB host was super nice, asked us where we’re from and told about how she used to live in Montreal, but moved back to France because it was too cold there. As a greeting gift she gave us a bar of artisanal soap from Fragonard, a local perfumerie. After dropping off our bags, we took a brief nap to get over the jetlag, and then walked around town. For lunch at Le Bistrot de Jennifer, we had a giant bucket of grilled/smoked oysters, an octopus salad, and a truffle pizza with a panaché to drink. We walked along the beachfront and then up to the top of Château de Nice.

Walking through the old town of Nice, there are colours everywhere. There’s blue from the water, the green from the trees, and the buildings have all sorts of assorted colours. Even the street signs have colour – the signs aren’t always even in French – sometimes they’re in the local dialect called Niçard.

It’s a pretty big city and very very hot even when visiting in September. The sun is relentless, yet people sunbathe on the beach. People here refer to it as “bronzette” in French. Surprisingly, the beach itself is rocky instead of sandy – not what I expected.

The annoying part in Nice, like many cities in Europe, is how much people like smoking in public. We have this imagery in our minds of visiting the Mediterranean and feeling a nice breeze of fresh sea air, but this isn’t what happens. The heat is filled with cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and the occasional whiff of urine and it can be quite suffocating. At times, we just want to dunk heads in the water for some relief. However, the people have been very nice to us (they don’t have the stereotypical snobbiness of Parisians) and there is lots of things to see.

Along the beachfront, there are blue metal chairs (so called les chaises bleues) for people to sit in and soak in the sun. They’d be nice to sit on if there was a breeze to cool us down.

The blue chairs are so iconic, to the point that they’ve become part of its identity – to the point that there’s a monument dedicated to it.

That’s about it for the first day.

More photos of Nice here

We flew into Israel from Tel Aviv and boarded a train to Jerusalem. I totally expected the Middle East to be pretty warm in February, but nope, it was snowing tiny little flakes in Jerusalem. If it weren’t for the Europe trip before this, I would have actually not brought any winter clothes, so I definitely lucked out there.

The Way of the Cross

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is probably what Jerusalem is most well known for. The Way of the Cross (aka Via Dolorosa) in Jerusalem is what is believed to be the actual path that Jesus walked during his crucifixion – regardless of whether you’re religious or not, it’s still pretty cool to see. This was a key event in the establishment of Christianity. The crucifixion of Jesus is considered to be historically true even by non-religious scholars.

The Way of the Cross begins with Jesus’ encouter with Pontius Pilate, the man who orders Jesus’ crucifixion. The Church of the Flagellation is built on the spot where Jesus was flogged by Roman soldiers before he carries the cross.

It’s said he falls three times during his walk.

Along the way, Jesus encounters several people (although some of these encounters are disputed):

• Mary – his mother
• Simon of Cyrene – he helps Jesus carry the cross
• Veronica – she wipes the sweat off of Jesus’ face, and so Jesus’ image was then supernaturally imprinted on the piece of cloth, now known as the Veil of Veronica
• the pious women – Jesus stops and gives a sermon

Eventually he makes his way to the location where he is nailed to the cross. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built on the spot where it is believed he was nailed to the cross, and his subsequent death.

This is supposedly the spot where Jesus dies on the cross (below)

He is then taken down from the cross and anointed on the stone slab below. Anointing is a ceremonial ritual where a person’s body is smeared in aromatic oil to introduce a divine influence on the body.

Finally he is laid to rest in his tomb.

Of course his body isn’t physically in there, because supposedly after his ressurection, he ascended to heaven.

The entire Way of the Cross and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was extremely crowded and people lined up everywhere to pray in all the spiritual locations, like Jesus’ tomb, the home of the Virgin Mary, the Stone of Anointing, etc. People even touched all the surfaces that Jesus was said to have touched and I could see them in deep prayer.

Western / Wailing Wall

In Judaism, the Western Wall is one of its holiest sites. The actual holiest site lines behind the wall, the Temple Mount, but due to restrictions, Jews are not allowed to pray there, and thus the wall became the place where Jews went to pray.

Some Jews go on a pilgrimage to the Western Wall, some spend hours praying there. If you look closely in the video below, there’s a fellow running in circles and singing while people around him are rubbing their beards against the wall.

The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount is a flat plaza built on top of four retaining walls (the Western Wall among them). Although Jews are not allowed to enter for prayer (e.g. praying, singing, or other religious displays), people are allowed to enter the area as tourists.

The Dome of the Rock is one of the Islamic structures built on the Temple Mount. Unfortunately, non Muslims are not allowed to enter. Inside the dome is the Foundation Stone, and has religious significance to both Jews and Muslims.

Yad Vashem

This is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. The entire memorial consists of a museum dedicated to the history of Jewish persecution throughout Nazi Germany and the places it conquered.

The eternal flame honours the victims of the holocaust. In front of it is a stone crypt containing the ashes of the victims.

The Hall of Names pictured above contains the the names of millions of Holocaust victims. The shelves around the room contain the names, while the cone above display photographs of the victims. The people standing in the photo are all Israeli soldiers – Jerusalem had a huge police presence with a lot of them openly carrying assault rifles (I felt very safe). Even some men in public that I saw had buzz cuts – presumably they are/were in the military. A few days before we arrived, there was a terrorist attack where a driver rammed a car into Israeli soldiers.

This train car is an example of the cattle cars that Nazi Germany used to perpretrate the Holocaust.

The Garden Tomb

Some sects of Christianity don’t believe that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains the real tomb of Jesus Christ. They assert that the real tomb is actually elsewhere, which they dubbed the Garden Tomb

Outside Jerusalem’s old town

Because Israel has so many Jewish people, McDonald’s started a special chain that serves only Kosher food. Even though it’s kosher, it tastes the exact same as regular McDonald’s which is pretty amazing for what it is.

Oskar Schindler is famous for saving 1200 Jews during the holocaust. He is now buried in Jerusalem. Putting stones and pebbles on the grave is an ancient Jewish tradition to honour the deceased.

There are also a lot of stray cats everywhere! I didn’t see any dogs though, just lots and lots of stray cats everywhere. People must take care of them though because they all look pretty well groomed.

Photo album: here

Heidelberg

Heidelberg probably has the most picturesque old town in the entire Germany. Out of all the views I’ve seen in Germany, this is one of the best.

The view is from the ruins of a castle that was destroyed during the Thirty Years War (17th century). I believe the old town is mostly in the Baroque style.

For breakfast, we had a very traditional German pastry, known as a Berliner. It’s similar to a doughnut, but without the hole, and it has a jam filling on the inside and powdered sugar on top. They’re super delicious and not insanely sweet like a lot of American doughnuts.

For lunch, we had more traditional German street foods. The top of the bottom image is currywurst, cut up sausage with curry ketchup on top. The flavour is a very savoury sausage with a slight sweet and spicy zing of curry. The bottom of the image is a bratwurst in a breadroll with mustard. Everything about this is better than the American hot dog. Better sausage to bun ratio, better bread, better sausage, and better mustard. And of course, fries are seasoned with mayonnaise instead of ketchup.

After lunch, we drove up the hill across the river from the old town and visited an old ampitheatre. Why is this amptitheatre interesting, you might ask? It’s actually a relic of the Nazi period for holding propaganda performances.

The main allure of Heidelberg itself is its picturesque views both in the old town and up on Heidelberg castle. Visitors can easily enjoy this by strolling through the old town and making their way up to the castle (there is also a tram), which are main attractions of the city.

Zweibrücken

From Heidelberg, we drove to Zweibrücken. It was a slight detour from Luxembourg, where we were actually trying to go, but we had read about a cool observatory decorated like R2D2, so we thought we’d check it out! It would have been cool to look through the telescope – after all the sky was completely clear of any clouds.

Driving to the place was super scenic! Nice rolling countryside hills with towering wind turbines.

From there we continued our drive to Luxembourg.

Luxembourg

We crossed the border into Luxembourg at dusk and stopped by the town of Schengen. This is the place where the Schengen Agreement was signed – the agreement that removed the hard borders between its European member states.

Normally, it’s possible to walk across to the island to see the small exhibit that discusses the Schengen Agreement, but we were super surprised to see the river at such a high tide (it did rain a lot the past couple of days). On the right of the picture, there’s a little shrub, street signs and flagpoles poking out of the water.

By the time we reach Luxembourg City, it was nighttime. To our surprise, the city looked deserted even though it was only 19:00. People walking on the street appeared drunk. There was even a guy taking a leak in the street without even trying to do it in an alley!

We walked around a bit to check out the town, but otherwise, there wasn’t much to do at that hour on a weekday.

We didn’t stay too long in Luxembourg, and we continued our drive to Bastogne, where we’d stay the night.

Photos:

• Heidelberg
• Zweibrücken
• Luxembourg