Europe

Getting Acquainted with One Family Root – Isle of Man

British Isles, Europe, Isle of Man /

Getting Acquainted with One Family Root – Isle of Man I’ve never much gotten into searching for my roots but have nearly always been aware of Isle of Man because even as kids we knew that an ancestor came from there, in the 1700s, it’s true, but to me there was still the mystique of “being Manx.” By the time I came along, our Manxness was well-diluted, but the idea remained. So, finding myself with some free time during a stay in Ireland, I decided to take the short flight to Isle of Man and finally connect with the old turf. BBC Online cited Isle of Man as a place to go in 2025, with gorgeous scenery, self-guided and guided walks, and a density of ancient sites to explore. Committed stewardship is important to maintaining this beauty: the entire island and its surrounding waters have been designated a UNESCO Biosphere, for its natural beauty, stewardship, and rich cultural heritage. I’d like to do some of that walking and exploring, but in April 2024, I just wanted to see what I could on a weekend, sort of a get-acquainted trip. And although not searching for roots, I did want to learn more about our Manx family. To Town from the Airport – by Bus. When I got to Ronaldsway Airport after the half-hour flight from Dublin, I went looking for a taxi. None showed up, and I heard people say that it would be unlikely for a taxi to just appear. So, I piled on the next bus with the other Dublin arrivals, including a group coming for a fun weekend – they had clearly started having “fun” back in Dublin. As to bus stops in town, our driver wasn’t very talkative, but a grizzled regular rider knew where all the hotel stops were, so he announced enthusiastically to us plane passengers when we each got to ours. The bus stopped in front of my hotel, and it was so easy to manage that I bused back to the airport after my weekend. I stayed at the re-done Halvard Hotel on Douglas Promenade. The promenade is a couple of miles long, with blocks of Victorian facades that look a lot alike. So, if you choose to stay along there, get to know the visual clues that tell which one is home. There are names and numbers, sure, but some of us are very visual. Douglas from across the bay, Isle of Man. When I checked in at the Halvard, the upbeat guy at reception booked me into the hotel restaurant which was serving only me and a local couple early on that off season evening. While the man talked volubly on his phone, his wife turned around 180 degrees to talk to me until her dessert arrived. The sea view was pretty. A ferry was leaving the Sea Terminal on a bright, blustery evening. Otherwise, it was quiet in the harbor. A Diversion for Some History – The Tynwald. This isn’t a civics lesson, but it’s worth taking a moment to talk about the Manx parliament, The Tynwald, which is over a thousand years old. The Tynwald website says it’s the oldest parliament in the world that has been in continuous operation. Iceland’s parliament, the Althing, is slightly older but hasn’t “operated continuously throughout its history,” they say. Every July there’s an open-air meeting of parliament on Tynwald Hill in St. John’s; Manx law requires that each Act of Tynwald must be promulgated on Tynwald Hill within eighteen months of enactment, or it ceases to have effect. So, there’s that to do, then take petitions for redress, and complete other business. It’s a serious and festive affair with much color and pageantry. The rest of the time, Tynwald meets indoors in Douglas. First task: Getting to Know You, Isle of Man – Driving Around the Island with Guide Jane I knew that I wanted to see Maughold, from where my best information says our ancestor departed for North America. Then, I wanted to see some towns and historic sights. I got in touch with Jane, a local guide, who said that in half a day, we could drive around the north of the island, visit Maughold and Ramsey, then cross over to Peel, with frequent stops. We’d drive within sight of Snaefell and along part of the TT [motorcycle] Races route, too. Jane’s knowledge of Manx families and history also promised that I would learn a lot. The Great Laxey Wheel Laxey River by the woolen mill Laxey Woolen Mills King Orry’s Grave, Laxey King Orry’s Tomb Site, Laxey Laxey – A Big Wheel, a Woolen Mill, and an Old Tomb. The Great Laxey Wheel is Isle of Man’s most iconic landmark and the world’s largest working water wheel. At 72 feet and six inches in diameter (about 22 meters), it represents an extraordinary feat of Victorian engineering – it had to be big to pump flood water from the 2,200-foot deep, 4,000-foot long (about 671 meters deep and 1220 meters long) Great Laxey Mine. There’s a lot to see, including from a viewing platform 95 spiral steps up, and underground tours in season. It started to rain, sparing me the 95 steps. The wheel is a marvel, but to me the real story was the mining on the island, about which I knew nothing. The Great Laxey Mine, sunk in 1780, produced zinc, lead, and copper. At its height, the mine produced half of Britain’s zinc ore output. Accidents and miner deaths were common. The Great Laxey Mine closed in 1929, ending mining on the island. Laxey Woolen Mills was founded in 1881 to promote and preserve the weaving of traditional Manx tweed and worsted. The mill still operates and is the only mill in the world weaving genuine Manx Loaghtan cloth and tweed in pure undyed Manx wool. This visit was interesting for its social and industrial history, as well as its lovely location by the Laxey River. The

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Street Art City, Lurcy-Lévis, France

Europe /

Street Art City, Lurcy-Lévis, France Luscious, phantasmagoric, street art extravaganza in France’s countryside. Lurcy-Lévis is a smallish town in Auvergne, toward the top end of Allier, where the hills are gentle, cows graze, most every town offers a medieval church or local chateau, and pretty rivers are swimmable. Even so, foreign tourists are relatively few (so enjoy while you can). It’s a pleasant drive in the countryside even without a destination – we drove from Néris-les-Bains, just the other side of Montluçon, with stops at the lovely Hérisson (hedgehog) and at Couleuvre (grass snake) with its espaliered plane trees. But we had a destination! A knock-your-socks-off surprise awaits in Lurcy-Lévis! A few turns, and you arrive at the gate to Street Art City. Nothing along the way prepares you for this over the top, right now, luscious extravaganza of some of the best street art the world. What? Here? How?! An Abandoned Campus The short story is that France Telecom moved out of a major training center campus, with its assorted buildings and lots of space. Weeds took over the grounds. The buildings deteriorated – broken windows, sagging doors, collapsed wall board and ceiling tiles, invading damp, and a 128-room residence hall in advanced disrepair. Then came visionaries who saw an exceptional venue for street art. Initial invites went to some of the world’s best-known street artists, and the City is open, with monumental paintings on building façades, a wildly illustrated shed where the City’s food truck chef serves up meals, and installations in, at my visit, about half of the 128 rooms in the old residence hall, now called Hotel128. Stunning, freaky, outsider art but by invitation – wait! That sounds curated, mainstream, doesn’t it? No. Not really curated but invited and offered space. And street art – however you define it – has immediate impact. It’s cerebral, but I found it even more emotional. Minds wide open, come and experience an immersive art-crawl through a space where your lone presence becomes part of the artist’s conception. Stunning street art is everywhere to be seen A City with a Gate “Are we expecting you?” asked the woman who opened the gate when my friend from Néris-les-Bains and I drove up. No. Maybe she asked because there was a crew coming to film the send-off of a painted recycling bin the city of Montluçon had commissioned from the artist Snake. We watched a crane hoist the wrapped bin onto a flatbed truck, to be delivered to Montluçon for the reveal. The load-up made the 7 PM local news. But that aside, it wasn’t busy at the City on a sunny weekday afternoon with luminous white buildups that threatened showers. We saw maybe six other people. And yes, it did pour just before we left. My first thought was of all those forever-broken windows. Equipped with a map and “exhibition catalog,” we wandered around the campus to see the exterior paintings (and a couple of sculptures as well). The bunker is painted outside and in; inside, birds flitted around in the painted, echoey space. Other buildings have painted facades. A man told us to photograph one of them; subtleties could be seen only in a photo. In the old residence hall, Hotel128, about half of the rooms already had installations. Jail bullding Important to know – the building has been left broken. This is a street art venue, not a “sanitized” museum. And an allergy alert: there’s a lot of mold. Take tissues. But guided by the list of rooms and artists, I went into each room, alone as instructed. It’s important not to be distracted, and to be in each scene as an element of its concept. Open your mind, close the door, and be immersed. The rooms vary. Passé-Presént, Tetra Pack, La Chambre des Refusés, Pars Pro Toto and almost 50 others. I found some moving, some cute, a few serene, others troubling, puzzling, or unpleasant. One artist incorporated a leaking crack in the ceiling and the thick moss growing on a broken window frame. Men and women painters. And throughout, the mold. In some rooms, I lingered; a few were so disturbing that I left before becoming immersed. Street Art City While you’re visiting Street Art City, have lunch at the food truck. The chef did some great cooking in his truck-kitchen. It was harder for him to get a foreign connection on his credit card reader, so outsiders should have a cash backup handy. There’s also an exhibition space with temporary exhibits, and a gallery where these artists of the street sell more portable works that you can hang or install in a house. I found one piece I really wanted, an interior of a New York subway car. But it was way out of my budget. These artists can command high prices. Street Art City’s art won’t be static. In the spirit of street art, new artists will eventually paint over these first paintings, so the experience won’t be the same each season. A curator told us that there’s a waiting list of 900 artists who want to participate. Street Art City will be on-going, but always changing. Check out the website and be sure to watch the short video! The video is also on YouTube. And from YouTube, here’s a glimpse of Hotel128. Just to give you an idea. What a place! Street Art City dining shed Where is Street Art City? If you draw a not-quite square, with Bourges, Nevers, Moulins, and Montluçon at the corners, then Lurcy-Lévis would be near, but not quite in, the center. Trip date: 2018 Street Art City bug

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Prague in Winter

City Notes, Europe /

Prague in Winter I had been to summer Prague as a student when Golden Prague was the capital of communist Czechoslovakia. I’d walked in the green, sweet gardens and seen the city at its softest. Back then there were few tourists except from other communist countries, and seeing the sights, visiting coffee shops, drinking Czech beer were simple. They were dreary times, though, and a Czech-speaking friend traveling there called Prague the Golden City without the gold. Even so I found the city beautiful and mysterious, satisfying the Kafka in me. The Golden City Now the world has discovered Prague, and I understand that it’s packed in the nice months. So, I decided to make my return visit in late winter. Or you could say very early spring, late February into March. The good: I had quick access to all the major sights, and it was easy to get around walking and by tram. Apartment rental was cheaper than in the high season. Clubs, pubs and restaurants were open, and extra nice for their warmth and cheer. The not as good: I gave up the pretty gardens and a few sights that aren’t open in winter. The weather was mixed, with some bitter cloudy days and lovely sunny ones. It was usually cold but not intolerable. Just be prepared. Afternoon reflections It Was Never Lonely There are always tourists in Prague, strolling along with local people across Charles Bridge on cold, short afternoons, wrapped in puffy jackets. We tourists ascended Castle Hill and grouped up to watch the astronomical clock. But it wasn’t crowded. I stood alone in some magnificent places and generally had no trouble getting a restaurant table. I bought groceries, cooked at my apartment, ate out, went to the local Anglican church, and had two fine nights at the opera. I was also there for Masopust, the pre-Lenten festival (think run-up to Mardi Gras) that’s full of costumes, food, parades and events. That added texture to my winter wanderings. Staying there. I used TripAdvisor and other online sources to narrow down a list of likely places, and after more cross-checking, selected Prague City Apartments Residence Karolina. My apartment was close to the historic opera house and the river, walking distance to most major sites and just a short block from major tram lines. It must have been an elegant townhouse once – my foyer was enormous, as were my living room and eat-in kitchen. Some of the decorative plaster crown molding and rosettes remained, and there was a fine staircase to my apartment. The apartment was fully loaded with appliances, a concierge was available 24/7 (and they were efficient and friendly) and it’s not far from the My Národní department store, owned by Tesco, and with a Tesco supermarket downstairs. So I could have lived there indefinitely. Castle stairs in the afternoon Eating around. I did most of my meals at home courtesy of the big kitchen and proximity to Tesco. I ate out some, and had a nice lunch inside at the Lobcowicz Palace café while others ate bundled up on the slightly heated patio overlooking the city. The most fun was the Havelská Koruna restaurant. You can find it in the guidebooks. The inexpensive food was as good as I needed it to be. Go for the experience. A woman sat in a raised booth at the entrance and handed me a list ticket with her right hand while on the other side she toted up a departing guest’s bill with her left. As I went to each cafeteria-like station, no-nonsense servers ticked my choices on the list. The cashier adds it all when you leave, and it’s 500 crowns if you lose the ticket so hang on. The restaurant was full and I grabbed a small booth as a woman left. It pays to hover. Right away, a man asked if he could sit which he did and then hurried through his soup. As soon as looked ready to go, another man began to hover. Man #1 gathered his coat and hat, and man #2 slid into the booth. I finished my fish and cabbage before he finished his goulash, and handed over my place to another hoverer. As I left the restaurant, a woman stopped and asked me something. “Is it open? Is it good? Is it cheap?” Who knows exactly what she’d asked. But I guessed it was one of those questions. I said, “ano (yes)” and she went in. I made a second equally fun visit when I was the one who asked to sit with people. Top 10 and then some – no need to stay off the beaten track in winter. Grab your favorite guidebook and make your list. I stuck fairly close to mine because I could get to all of the top sights without crowds. Roam the streets and look at the beautiful buildings; climb the Old and New Castle steps if you’re able or take the tram; watch the castle guards in their fur-collared overcoats and commiserate with the guys who stand facing the setting sun’s glare. I saw the Old Town Square almost empty in early morning and lively later with mimes, buskers and umbrella-led groups, but not crowded. Watching the astronomical clock was easy. I revisited and lingered at all the major places I’d seen before, and looked for a list of places I’d made from a book of Prague photographs that I’d bought all those years ago. I also added on a few new sights (most all from the Lonely Planet guide to Prague & the Czech Republic). And if you’ve seen my post about shoes, I spent my first afternoon at the famous Czech shoe company Bat’a replacing old favorite traveling shoes that had decided this was the time to fall apart. Bat’a is even in the travel guides. Not bad for a shoe store. Of the top sights, only the Strahov Monastery was crowded when I went on a weekend.

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Warsaw, Poland

City Notes, Europe /

Warsaw, Poland City and local notes: Line on Travel’s vignettes of larger cities, well-known attractions, and short trips. You see the slogan “Fall in Love with Warsaw” with its cute logo all over town. And I did, for a lot of reasons. But when I first got there, I was curious instead of enraptured as I rode into the commercial center on a late summer weekday rush hour. What was the look? What kind of city was this? An architectural mélange where tall modern buildings overlook the enormous Stalin-gothic Palace of Culture and Science. Communist-era architecture sidles up to blocks rebuilt in the old style. There are big parks and Chopin’s music somehow figures into everyday life. All this in a city that had ceased to exist in 1945.There was so much to see and figure out, and I still have things that I’ve left undone. More to learn in this welcoming city that came back from World War II’s total destruction and depopulation. Warsaw Impressions This is an account of some of my experiences. It’s not a travelogue – there are loads of guidebooks, and a lot more things that I could include here. But I also want to share more than I might for a similarly well-documented city. That’s partly because while I’ve read plenty of articles about Warsaw as an up-and-coming destination, I still don’t know many Americans who think of Warsaw when it comes to picking European cities to visit. We should. Don’t speak Polish? No worries. English is pretty much a lingua franca, so with adequate English getting around is easy. Don’t think you’ll like Polish food? Well, it’s delicious and diverse and besides, you can find every cuisine you’d expect to find in any other city this size that has a growing food scene. And there’s no need to pack the kitchen sink. There are shopping malls where I found everything I needed but hadn’t thought about, like wool socks and tights when I came back in late October. Plus all the brands you know from wherever home is. Palace of Culture and Science What else to do? I found some great museums, good food, a good public transportation system and enough palaces and gardens to keep me happy for days. I heard two piano recitals by winners of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition. There’s lively night life, too, but night life for me was usually total collapse after a day roaming around. I do think it’s important to get into Warsaw’s history to some extent – it’s essential to know some recent history to appreciate what you see. But it’s not all about history class. Enjoy the flavors of Poland, stroll in the parks, visit museums, visit the shopping malls, and keep a list of things you want to do next time. There’s so much I still want to experience and learn. Some background and thoughts about a few of the top sights I suggest going early in your visit to the excellent Warsaw Uprising Museum, because it gives us visitors a context for everything we’ll see in Warsaw. I went near the end of my first trip and wish I’d gone earlier. Here’s a little background. In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland from the west. The Soviets invaded from the east not long after. Hitler broke his pact with Soviet “allies” and went on to invade the USSR and occupy all of Poland. After years of struggle, in 1944, Warsaw’s underground home army tried to seize the city from the Nazis. After 63 days of fighting the home army surrendered, and in revenge, Hitler personally ordered the city razed to the ground, leaving only about 15% of greater Warsaw standing. From a population of about 1.3 million in 1939, in 1945, there were only about a thousand people living in the ruins. The Museum covers the events leading to the uprising and its aftermath. Be warned. This innovative museum is a warren of galleries and gets crowded, so ask around (for example, your hotel’s concierge or local friends) about slower times, or just get there early. An audio guide (available in many languages) will help a lot. The destruction of Warsaw isn’t the whole story, but for a preview of what that destruction was like, you can watch “The City of Ruins,” Warsaw in 1945 on YouTube. It’s a montage of still photos made to look like a flight over the city. The 3D version that the Museum shows seems shorter and if I remember, spares you the music. Or you can also turn off the sound. Old Town and Royal Castle Everyone is probably drawn first to the Old Town and Royal Castle. I was. What you’ll see was scrupulously rebuilt according to pictures, photographs and documents. In the Castle, don’t miss the Rembrandts but also be sure to look closely around you in the Canaletto Room that contains 22 townscapes of Warsaw painted by Canaletto between 1767 and 1780. You can see what a fine city Warsaw was, and these pictures among many other resources informed the rebuilding of the old town. If your Castle Museum ticket includes the Tin-Roofed Palace, visit this too. I don’t know if everyone does. When I visited in August, there was only one other visitor there. This fine house has also been restored. The upper floor contains the apartment of Prince Józef Poniatowski which I found pretty and intimate, even cozy. I’d be happier living there instead of in the Castle, not that they offered. The helpful docent guided me back to a piano with knee levers that I’d missed seeing, and I likewise guided the other visitor to it. He tolerated my mini tour well but must have wondered, “Who is this woman and what is she saying to me?” Downstairs, there’s an exhibit of rugs and tapestries which I confess to skipping. Sigismund Column and Castle Square rooftops It’s important to understand Warsaw’s Jewish history, even if you’re not Jewish. The

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Discovering Poland

Europe /

Discovering Poland I wouldn’t try covering a whole country in one blog post, but I’ve enjoyed discovering the cities of Poland and I want to share a few experiences. I’ve also posted notes about most of the cities I’ve visited. As with all of my trips, the idea of visiting Poland was a sudden inspiration On a trip to Newfoundland in spring 2016, I met a man on a boat excursion whose parting recommendation for me was to visit Warsaw and especially, he said, Kraków. That put Poland in my head. A little later, when I was pondering a trip to commemorate a family member’s birthday, Poland turned out to be the perfect choice because of a thesis he’d written in grad school. It was a good trip. I left Poland after the first visit feeling like there was much more to see. Then, while I was in France in the fall, some travel plans changed and I had 10 days on my hands. So I quickly booked a trip to Warsaw with the intention to see more of that city and then go north to Gdańsk. After these two trips, I still have more to see in Poland. I feel like it’s about to be “discovered,” and before long I’ll find myself seeing more American tourists along with the Polish, other European and Asian tourists I saw. And, before I left I bought Polish Doesn’t Bite with the intention to double my Polish vocabulary (from, say, 20 words to 40) and learn enough sentences to check into my hotel in Polish next time. I got that challenge from a woman at my hotel reception when I came in with the book. I can’t wait to try. Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science Warsaw as a Base Warsaw is one of the easiest destinations to get to by air, and it’s pretty much in the middle of Poland. So, unless you have a targeted plan, such as Kraków or Gdańsk only, Warsaw is a great place to start and end a trip. And I enjoy being in Warsaw. I decided to use the train to get around on both visits. The intercity train system is easy to maneuver and the longest time I spent on a single trip was fewer than three hours from Gdańsk to Warsaw. Then, you conveniently wind up right in the center of Warsaw at the Warszawa Centralna train station. As for driving, it wasn’t a consideration because I planned to stay put in towns with relatively few days on the schedule to move from place to place. Besides, I read in the Warsaw In Your Pocket Guide that Poland has one of the leading rates of road fatalities in Europe. Enough said. It was the train for me. New Warsaw Food, lodging and getting around Food. After my first trip, a friend asked me if it was all cabbage soup. No! Although I like cabbage soup. Poland has by all accounts a thriving food scene and I had more recommendations than I could use. And I was seduced by the milk bar. Before I arrived, I’d looked at TripAdvisor and Like a Local where I found cascades of high ratings and recommendations. There’s such a variety of restaurants that you can go in almost any culinary direction. And if your bliss is pizza, it’s a great favorite, so no worries there. I didn’t worry much about food in Poland. I generally had good luck. All of the places I stayed offered breakfast and I usually alternated between cafés and bakeries for other meals. I dined from the grocery store, too, where I got mostly fruit and packaged salads. Some of these are not for the faint of palate. (I am known to eat “meals of desperation” now and then but usually stick to my café-a-day meal plan.) Without chronicling every meal, I’ll just say I ate very well when I wanted to. In Kraków I ate dinner out at three hotel-recommended restaurants (I got pierogis at one but the pricey pierogis in Warsaw were more luscious). All of the meals were good. I had a fair number of sandwiches from kiosks, too. In Gdańsk, I enjoyed a bakery / tea room and small café, plus the inevitable sandwiches. But my real surprise was at La Petite Fleur hotel in the smaller city of Toruń, where I bought room and board, and had three wonderful meals a day. Polish inspired with a French flair, prettily served in the hotel’s cozy Gothic-era cellar. Lodging. I like hotels for shorter stays, and the larger cities in Poland have all the big hotel brands. My home away in Warsaw is the InterContinental but there are other choices like apartments and Airbnb. In Toruń, hotels in the old town took some looking into and I was very happy with La Petite Fleur. In Gdańsk I chose the Mercure for its predictability and location. In Kraków, I stayed in the charming Cracowdays Hotel, just a short walk from the center of the old town. For this trip I looked at but didn’t choose Airbnb, and didn’t look for apartments otherwise. When I was picking up something for supper one evening in Gdańsk I met a woman from Taiwan who told me about the nice apartment she’d rented for a few days. Strangely enough, this woman and I had met earlier that day on the way to Malbork castle, an hour by train from Gdańsk. Imagine running into each other several hours later in a Gdańsk bakery. That’s one of the great things about travel. Getting around – train. Warsaw’s main train station, Warszawa Centralna, is easy to navigate, and it’s right in the middle of downtown. Skip the information window and the long queue at the ticket windows. The Intercity office is across the terminal. Take a number and an agent will help you. The two times I used the office my agents were helpful, spoke pretty good English and

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Néris-les-Bains: Some Things to do For a Short Stay

Europe /

Néris-les-Bains: some things to do for a short stay One thing I like about staying in the French spa town Néris-les-Bains is the “total immersion.” You go about your daily business along with people who live there or who are there for the cure. Stock up before you leave town Go to the grocery store. The homeopathic pharmacy (I’m a frequent visitor – they have all kinds of other products along with the meds). Breathe deeply while standing on line at the bakery – the aromas are delicious and very low calorie. The bread, pastries and cakes are delicious, too. Stop by the wine store (La Cave des Toqués) and have a chat with Marie that will segue from English to French and back (and don’t forget to buy some wine). Take walks in the countryside. Walk around town and see the architecture. Go to Mass at the ancient St. George’s church if you’re of a mind to. Take day trips to see heritage sights in France’s center. Start your stay at the tourist office. The last time I went, the staff were pleasant but no one working that morning spoke English. However, I got on fine. Visit the tourist office website here. Sign in Néris Around town in Néris-les-Bains In the center of town, there’s a theater, casino, a pretty little park, and Les Thermes and Les Nériades spas. I’ve been to both spas, and recommend a visit to Les Nériades which opened in 2014. Les Nériades is oriented to the general visitor rather than the curiste. Also in town there are tennis courts and a covered municipal swimming pool. I’ve never gone to the casino (which seems usually to be open) or used the pool and tennis courts. I walk by them a lot – that’s about it. I tend not to be in Néris during theater season, but you can also go to Montluçon for theater (it will help if your French is pretty good). The rail bed trail – walking and biking. For just a few years, a train brought people up to a grand train station for the town’s spas. Arched viaducts carried the tracks across deep valleys. The train service didn’t last, but now the rail bed has been transformed into a pedestrian and biking trail – about 4 miles (6.4 km) downhill to the edge of Montluçon. I’ve walked the trail on sunny days, rainy days, warm and cool days. From the viaducts there’s a view of Montluçon in one direction and farmland in the other. Depending on which field a farmer has opened for grazing, you might meet Charolais cattle close up across the fence, or see them as white specks on a hillside. The trail is part of the national trail system and is marked accordingly. It’s an easy walk. This cat speaks French The lake walk and town perimeter Another easy walk is along the trail around the local (artificial) lake and through the adjacent park. I’ve also walked around parts of the Néris perimeter. You can’t get really lost if you orient by the church tower. At worst, you have to retrace your steps, and that’s not at all bad. Another walk I like is going straight through town and out the other side. Walk away from the Visitor Center, then past Les Nériades spa and walk uphill for another view of town and the church. The countryside is so close on this walk that you’re soon out of town at a small farm where you can stop at the fence and say hello to the black and white cows. Lunching in Néris. During the spa season you can get a nice lunch at several small cafés and restaurants. I’ve enjoyed lunch at both La Brasserie and La Compté. There’s also Bistro Chic near the casino, but I haven’t been there. Check the Néris Tourism website or TripAdvisor for other recommendations and note opening hours which vary and don’t always coincide with your expectations. If you’re self-catering, there’s a small grocery store in Néris that meets almost all needs. You can also buy bread, cheese, meat, charcuterie and wine at the shops on the main street, which is one of the pleasures of being there. Montluçon has a lot of dining options and larger grocery stores if you’re down that way. Countryside from the rail bed trail Going to the Spa I have visited the spa in Néris. After all, that’s why the town’s there. I suggest Les Nériades which opened in 2014 and offers several massages and treatments along with a natural spring water pool, a Hamman and sauna. After an emergency run to Decathalon in Montluçon to buy a swim suit, I signed up for a gommage peel and a California massage. Plus 90 minutes in the pool. Les Nériades’ pool is not large, but pool sessions are timed so you won’t be crowded. The water was warm but I’d have liked it to be hotter. I expected to feel like a lobster in a pot. The 90 minutes in the pool went rather speedily. There are zones to try – the giant Jacuzzi, bubbly massage platforms, a shallow pool with underwater sound, and beyond some plastic verticals, an outdoor area that must be nice on the right day, and would have been nicer on a cold day if the pool water had been hotter. There is a Hamman and a sauna – I skipped the sauna and went straight for the black-tile Hamman’s hot eucalyptus-scented steam. The first couple of breaths were stifling, but once I could breathe again, it was sort of intoxicating to be immersed in vaporized eucalyptus.  Les Nériades spa Feeling very cleansed, I awaited my massage in a pleasant room that viewed the pool. Some guests relaxed and sipped flavored water. I practiced all the things I expected to say to the masseuse, like I was going to take a French exam. Both gommage and massage went well in spite of

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Néris-les-Bains, France: Patrimony and Architecture

Europe /

Néris-les-Bains, France: patrimony and architecture Néris-les-Bains, one of the spa towns of central France, is full of sights. Some, like the church, are right in front of you. Others take walking around. (For more on Néris, see my post “Néris-les-Bains: off the tourist trail in France.” The church of St. George I doubt that the town’s venerable church is in many – or any – guidebooks, but it should be. It has Roman roots (part of one wall is Gallo-Roman) and most of the building dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. The center aisle has been worn to a trough by a millennium of parishioners. Until 2015, I’d been inside a few times but had never really seen the inside well. It’s early Romanesque with tiny windows, and it’s pretty dim. Sunlight stops just inside the open doors the way it would stop at the mouth of a small cave. I’d walked around with an ineffectual flashlight, following an old guide, “Eglise de Néris-les-Bains” that I must have bought at the old Visitor Center or the church itself. Interesting, but the church’s history was still hiding from me. And then a parishioner told me to come for Saturday night Mass. (Mass is on Saturday night because the priest serves several parishes. I wonder who gets him on Sunday morning?) I could see the inside lit. What a transformation! The light made the ancient walls dance in gray and taupe the way water poured on stones makes them glisten. The sweetness of antiquity. People in the church made it seem bigger and happier. Worth going, even if you’re not Catholic. After Mass, the church goes to sleep again, so if you don’t go to Mass, take a bright flashlight. Church of Saint-Georges For something more modern, outside the church by the parking lot there’s a structure that looks like a baby version of I.M. Pei’s Louvre pyramid. This covers a modest, visible portion of the Merovingian cemetery. You can see a few sarcophagi carved out of stone blocks from the ruins of the Gallo-Roman city. Maison du Patrimonie – small but nice archaeological museum On the other side of the church from the pyramid, there is an interesting archaeological museum in a 15th century house. The museum collection is small but exhibits are well displayed and all locally connected, covering from Roman times to the Middle Ages. On my most recent visit to Néris, the museum seemed short staffed. The same friendly woman watched the doors, greeted guests and gave tours. When I arrived, there was a handmade sign on the door saying she was giving a tour. Two other patrons and I waited outside in the autumn chill until the tour finished. I think we all nearly gave up, but I’m glad we didn’t. The museum was pleasant, instructional, and warm. If you’re into motorcycles, you might recognize the name Labre. Paul Labre lived in the house from about 1920 until he died in 1961. Paul and his brother François were motorcycle pioneers, developing their first version in 1897. Paul’s daughters were the last to live in the house. The living spaces of the house (now the museum) seem cozy and relatively modern. A local artist was exhibiting in the cellar, which is where you can see the 15th century bones of the house. Other sites, ancient and modern Gallo-Roman pools. The three Gallo-Roman swimming pools behind the Visitor Center and modern swimming pool are from the 1st and 2nd centuries. Archaeology tells us that they were originally covered with marble and surrounded by porticoes. Amphitheater traces. Where there were Romans, there was an amphitheater. Across the road from the pools and Visitor Center, the streets run in semicircles and the terraced earth of a park recalls the basic shape of the 315-foot (96-meter) diameter building. Baths. Les Thermes baths aren’t Roman but they’re built on the site of Roman baths. The first stone of today’s Les Thermes was laid in 1826 by the Duchess of Angoulême. It’s here that the curistes go for the cure, and Les Thermes may also offer non-medical treatments. (I suggest going across the square to Les Nériades.) There is a small neoclassical Caesar Pavilion built over the source of the thermal spring but it’s not in use. Learn more about Roman Néris at the Maison du Patrimonie Gallo-Roman pools Casino and Theater The Belle Époque building was competed in 1898. Neris casino and opera houseThe 300-seat theater was restored in 1987 and offers a variety of shows during the season. But I seem never to be there when a show’s on so I admire the building from the outside. The adjacent casino seems like it’s always open, but I haven’t tried my luck. Train Station. The pink sandstone and granite train station with its colorful tile roof was built between 1929 and 1931. The idea was to provide for the influx of spa visitors. The rail experiment didn’t last long. Now, the impressive viaducts and bridges that carried tracks over the hilly terrain carry the rail bed walking and bike trail with its pretty views. Pretty Houses. Along with the train station, the town has appealing houses from the Belle Époque and later. There are a couple of odd houses, too (a kind of enormous Pyrenees chalet for one). A walk around town is pleasant; the houses are all different. One of my favorites faces a small flowery green space and in its back yard, there’s an enormous, breathtaking cedar, which I’m glad isn’t leaning over my house. Trip date: Most recent October 2015 Belle Époque building

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Néris-les-Bains: Off the Tourist Trail in France

Europe /

Néris-les-Bains: off the tourist trail in France The small towns and pretty countryside in France’s center have all the history, churches, cheese, wine and bread you desire, but most aren’t on prominent lists of places to visit. And yet you can have a lovely time, with plenty to do for a long weekend before you move on to your next stop. Or stay even longer if you want to settle into the rhythm of a place. One of my favorite towns is Néris-les-Bains, not right smack in the middle of the country, but close enough. Néris is three or more hours from Paris depending on where you start. Another four plus hours and you can be in Montpellier, after a drive through some beautiful, desolate country and across my favorite bridge, the Millau Viaduct. I probably wouldn’t have found Néris I probably wouldn’t have found Néris if friends hadn’t moved there from Nevers a long time ago. The first time I visited, I arrived at night after we drove from Paris. I’ve loved it since that first morning when I opened my shutters and looked across the park and rooftops to the mairie on the hillside opposite. As a foreigner, I felt unique back then. Even now, it’s likely that not many foreigners visit Néris. The French are another matter. Néris-les-Bains is a spa town that attracts people from around France who come for “the cure” during the half-year cure season. And while Néris might not be a major destination, it’s well worth a stop. The town itself has attractions and the area around Néris is loaded with sights that will entice visitors looking for more than the usual “must-sees.” It’s a quiet place to relax, go to the spa, and immerse yourself in France off the beaten trail. A fountain near the spa Néris-les-Bains – a thermal town in France’s heartland I find Néris pretty and unpretentious about its long history. For a start, the church in Néris-les-Bains is going on 1,000 years old. The little Romanesque church is across the street from the bakeries, charcuterie, butcher shop and wine store. A miniature of I.M. Pei’s Louvre pyramid covers Gallo-Roman graves by the parking lot next to the church. Down at the municipal swimming pool, there are Roman swimming pools alongside a pretty park. As the park continues across the street into the center, the Belle Époque theater and casino face small hotels, guest houses and shops. The park ends at the spa where people come for “the cure.” Néris is also in the midst of rolling farm country with walking trails, and day trips galore to places that will amaze, partly because you might not have heard of them. Get a list of all the Romanesque churches in the area and go for it! And driving south, you quickly start climbing until your ears pop, up through some grand wilderness scenery toward the Massif Central, France’s dramatic central mountainous plateau with its extinct volcanoes. Spa architecture There’s been a town here at Néris for over 2,000 years because of the hot springs. The water is 127 degrees Fahrenheit (about 53 Celsius) when it emerges from 15,000 feet down. Local Gauls settled around the hot springs a long time before the Romans showed up and built their baths. For a while, Néris was a prosperous Roman settlement. And while the town’s fortunes have cycled up and down over time, the town has never disappeared. Now it’s a pretty place of about 2,700.  Néris’ population grows during the April through October spa season when curistes come to the springs for therapies. There are spa options for recreation and relaxation along with the therapeutic treatments for rheumatology, neurology and anxiety conditions. Relax and pretend you live here. Sometimes I just sit in the park, and if it’s the cure season, a lot of curistes will say hello. They probably think I’m there for the cure, too. There are worse things to do on a pretty afternoon. But I have found plenty of other things to do, too. Getting to Néris and staying there – the basics If you’re driving from Paris to the Mediterranean down the middle, you might drive through Néris. And yes, you need a car to get here without taking a really long walk or an infrequent local bus. The train reaches only as far as Montluçon, 5 miles (8 km) downhill and the closest airport is a little over an hour away in Clermont-Ferrand. If you’re exploring France’s center or heading south, stop in Néris and enjoy the pretty countryside for a short stay, or use Néris as a base to see the lovely – and probably under-visited – sights in the area. Language. You don’t have to speak much French but it helps loads if you brush up on any French you’ve forgotten, or take an online or audio course. I was advised that while French helps, you can make yourself understood without it, although speaking French is part of the fun. But if you don’t know French, there are people in Néris with English skills, such as at Les Nériades spa and the wine store (La Cave des Toqués). I haven’t stayed in a hotel but I expect hotels have English speakers, as they appear from TripAdvisor reviews to have occasional UK guests.   Belle Époque theater If you need serious translation help, or want an English speaker to show you around, ask at the nice Tourist Office. A local English speaker may be available for a reasonable fee. On the subject of speaking French, I saw a short article in the Wall Street Journal about the power of “bonjour.” If you can say nothing else at least make a practice of greeting people. It’s the nice thing to do. (“From the Expat Blog: The Power of ‘Bonjour’”, Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2016.) When not to go. Locals say don’t come in November. I’ve been there in November, but I was staying with

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Eating and Sleeping in Warsaw

City Notes, Europe /

Eating and sleeping in Warsaw A lot of my travel meals are so basic that some of you might not call them meals. Still, I did go to some restaurants in Warsaw, most importantly for traditional Polish food. I didn’t seek out any vegetarian options although I’m sure they are available in the growing local food scene. At the recommendation of a young woman at my hotel reception, I joined both townspeople and other tourists at Dawne Smaki where I got sour rye soup and the best pierogis of both 2016 Poland trips trips and all the cities I visited.  Delish! I chose four pierogis, one each stuffed with cabbage, duck, veal and mushrooms. And the sour rye soup was loaded with potatoes and sausage. I also got a surprisingly good daily lunch special at the National Museum café one rainy day. But maybe I like the bar młeczny – milk bar – best. These are communist-era holdovers which I have read are disappearing. Too bad. For those of us without Polish grandmas, it might be as close to everyday Polish home cooking as we’ll get. At my local milk bar, I ordered at the counter, retrieved my food when it was ready and bused my own table. My local Milk Bar My “local” attracted all kinds of customers, and you can even reserve a table there as I saw by a homemade “reserved” sign one day. The food is plentiful, tasty and almost insanely inexpensive. The tricky bit is figuring out what to order since everything on the board in my milk bar was in Polish. I’m sure there’s a posh bilingual bar młeczny somewhere, or take a chance and point at the menu or someone else’s tray. Apart from that, I had nice sandwiches and pastries from bakeries and picked up salads and sandwiches from grocery stores (the bakery sandwiches were lots better). Check TripAdvisor, Like a Local, Warsaw in Your Pocket or your favorite travel guide – there are lots of restaurants with good ratings, and the lists include some milk bars. As for hotels, all the brands are in Warsaw and there are other lodging options including apartment rentals and Airbnb. Although it’s not a money-saving choice, my “home away” in Warsaw has been the InterContinental Hotel. I’m treating myself, of course, but I like the hotel, the location, the reception staff and concierges, and I can have the hot or cold breakfast of my choice (which costs extra) at the hotel’s superb buffet overlooking the Palace of Culture and Science. If that building doesn’t appeal, sit on the other side of the table. There’s usually a harpist playing at breakfast so all my days started well. (See my post “In defense of travel breakfast!”) To get around, I walk and use public transportation – buses and trams as well as intercity trains – and the InterContinental and other city-center hotels are a short walk to the Centralna train station where along with the trains, several bus lines originate. There’s a metro station close by, too. Depending on my plans, I bought day or multi-day transit passes from a machine at Centralna. Easy. The big Złote Tarasy shopping and entertainment center is in the next block from the hotel. I was there at least once a day to meet needs from wool socks to desigual tops to groceries, or to get to the train station via the indoor route. Handy. Across the expanse of the Palace of Culture and Science there are other familiar stores and a TK Maxx (TJ Maxx to us English speakers), another Marks & Spencer, and other stores which also came in handy. Use the underpass to get across the busy Marszałkowska Street.

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Gdańsk, Toruń and Malbork, Poland

City Notes, Europe /

Gdańsk, Toruń and Malbork, Poland City and local notes: Line on Travel’s vignettes of larger cities, well-known attractions, and short trips. I visited Gdańsk, Toruń and Malbork in a single 6-night trip from Warsaw north. That’s not nearly enough time to get a feel for Gdańsk in particular. I regret that in general and also because a young woman on staff at my hotel in Toruń gave me such enthusiastic recommendations for places to see. So, naturally I’ve been thinking of an itinerary to include Gdańsk on a future Baltic trip. Gdańsk Gdańsk is a big city with an “old town” that you can visit in a couple of days. But there’s a lot more to the city than that, and I gave myself too little time in Gdańsk to allow saying much about it. What I can say is that Gdańsk is a large Baltic-facing city that feels different from any other place I visited in Poland. It was a big, rich merchant city for centuries. Then for about 20 years after 1920, the oddly contrived Free City of Danzig. Then pummeled in World War II. The rebuilt city was the birthplace and heart of the Solidarity movement in the 1980s. And today Gdańsk and the nearby beaches and resorts are pretty and vibrant. Strolling along the Dlugi Targ I visited in sunny but chilly mid-October so saved the beaches for another trip. Reception staff at the Mercure Hotel told me to come again in early September when the weather is still nice and most of the tourists have left. But even on a cold October weekend, there were a lot of people strolling along the Dlugi Targ (the Long Market) which is both a square-like gathering place and a way to the river ports. The Gothic and Baroque merchant houses lining the Dlugi Targ have been restored to show the city’s historic wealth as a Baltic trading power. It’s the old town’s place to be. I read a tourist site that compares Dlugi Targ to Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Maybe. I didn’t exactly feel that. It’s Las Ramblas on the Baltic. Many of the sights of interest are along the Dlugi Targ or around a corner. When I visited, the Dlugi Targ was vibrant and crowded. Restaurants I looked into at lunch time were full, restaurant hawkers were still annoying passers-by, and amber sellers touted festoons of suspect jewelry. I visited the helpful Tourist Information Office near the Green Gate by the river (where staff speak good English), had an interesting chat about Gdańsk and the U.S., and bought a “deluxe” tourist map for about U.S. $1.50. This map was my guide to at least seeing the exterior of all the highlighted buildings in my short time there. As one must, I viewed the famous Gdańsk Crane. The Crane is a 15th century hoist for cargo upgraded in the 17th century, blown to pieces in World War II and reconstructed after 1945. It’s unique in Europe, but only takes a short while to visit. Brick Gothic buildings abound around the Baltic Sea with its dearth of available stone for building, and in Poland some of the buildings are the biggest of their kind. Just down the road in Malbork the Teutonic Knights built the biggest medieval castle in the world – perhaps the biggest castle in the world – all of red brick. In Gdańsk, the restored St. Mary’s Basilica is said to be the biggest brick church in the world. I could sense the vastness inside the bright, whitewashed nave. The Gdańsk In Your Pocket Guide says it holds 25,000 people. But it was mainly from my room at the Mercure with its view of the old town that I could see how St. Mary’s dwarfs everything else around. I also went into several other restored churches, including St. Catherine’s, the oldest church in the city. It was begun in the 1200s but badly damaged in World War II. It was restored but unhappily, the church was all but destroyed again in a 2006 fire and is now only partially re-restored. It deserves a visit because of its historic importance and lesson in persistence. The 19th century central market was nearby. There were vegetable stands outside which are always interesting to peruse (buy sunflower seeds still on the flower) but inside there didn’t seem much worth exploring (unless you want to check out the butcher shops on the lower level). I hadn’t gone to another historic church, St. Bridget’s, but decided to duck in on my last evening in town. Please visit St. Bridget’s. Like other churches, the ancient St. Bridget’s was destroyed in World War II. It was finally restored in the 1970s. One of the must-sees in St. Bridget’s is the so-called amber altar. I had envisioned something that looked like a Renaissance or Gothic altar, a table or a block, but this is different, modern, with several large figures carved from amber of different colors arranged among soaring steel bars. The plan is to add more figures. But even more than the altar, the history of the church and Solidarity engaged me. The church supported the striking workers, and murdered priest Jerzy Popiełuszko, who supported Solidarity, is buried in the church. There’s an ongoing video related to Solidarity. The Katyń memorial was also sobering. If you don’t know about the Katyń massacre, give it a quick search online, or for a wrenching and emotional film account, see the Oscar-nominated 2009 film Katyń. Sleeping and eating. The Mercure Hotel where I stayed was at the edge of the old town and I had a panoramic view. I watched the nearly full moon’s progress, the illuminated Ferris wheel and one night, fireworks in the distance. It was an easy walk to the sights and a real prize was a shopping center across the street with a grocery store, a book store and a variety of other shops. And, although I found this near the end of

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