Lake Geneva: Hiking the 23-mile Trail

Surrounding Lake Geneva (the body of water, not the town) in Walworth County, Wisconsin, is a narrow footpath, used by Native Americans since probably around 2500 BC until the forced removal of the Potawatami tribe in 1836.   It remained as a path for the workmen who used it to access the summer estates built by some Chicagoans following the great Chicago Fire in 1871, and continues to exist as a hiking trail that cuts through public and private land with a mandate that "the twenty feet leading to the shoreline be preserved as public domain".  Today this makes it an incredibly unique hiking path that literally cuts through the backyards of mansions and along the beaches of summer camps.  It's also one of "my places".  

Throughout my childhood, my family participated in an annual retreat in Williams Bay, about 45 minutes from my hometown, and we spent as many hours as possible (or as many hours as my Dad had free to come walk with me, at any rate) walking the mile or so in either direction from the retreat center.  I grew up, my parents moved away, and my number one "bucket list" item, dating from before the term "bucket list", was to hike the whole lake.  This week marked my third circumnavigation in the past 11 years.  I'm not exactly a frequent hiker here, but 3 times isn't bad, especially considering that I haven't actually lived anywhere near Wisconsin since 1993.

On previous hikes my companions and I took mental notes on ways to improve the walk.  This time I used what I had guessed about in the past, and I think I nailed it.

The visitor's bureau tells people that the path is between 20 and 26 miles long, although I'm pretty confident with the 23-mile number, which not only agrees with what my Dad used to say, but also corresponds nicely to calculating my pace, current GPS data, Google Maps, and my friend's pedometer app.  The visitor's bureau also tells people not to attempt to hike the path in one day, and to plan on a 10-hour hike if they do, but I'm here to tell any prospective hikers that if they want to hike it and know they can hike 20 miles, to go for it.  Everyone else, do some shorter treks.  It definitely is worth walking.  

Begin by parking at Big Foot Beach State Park, which not only is across the road from a public access point to the trail, but also has both water fountains and bathrooms, complete with flush toilets and sinks.  Also a vending machine full of a variety of live bait, but that doesn't have much to do with the quest to hike around the lake.  

From the park entrance, cross the road and head to your left so you can walk around the lake in a clockwise direction.  There is a narrow public access point right at the "corner" of the lake, marked with the "You are entering private property" signs that actually are the trail markers.  It's kind of a funny system, but at least the trail remains open.  The lake will remain on your right, although sometimes there are trees or houses in between you and the water.  Now keep going for 23 miles until you find your car again, very simple.

There is bit more to it that that.  For most of the hike, you are literally on private property, with the 1-3 foot wide path being the only legal way to cross it.  Some of the home owners have gotten into the spirit of the trail and offer drinking fountains, art, and even a "magic mailbox" containing a journal to sign.  Some people have beautifully maintained paths with benches, boardwalks, bridges, cedar bark, or flagstones, and some people offer muddy grass.  But the lake is pretty, and the houses give you something to look at when the nature isn't enough.  It's not often that I walk through the backyards of the 1%, after all.

The rest stops are few and far between, however, which is how I've hit upon the idea of a clockwise walk beginning from Big Foot Beach.  It seems to place the picnic areas and bathrooms in relatively convenient spots, and puts the ice cream in downtown Lake Geneva after 20-ish miles where its most needed!  It also leaves the worst of the path for the very end: the last half mile or so isn't actually on a path but on a shoulder of a road.  But by then you are home-free.  There are a few opportunities to purchase food, but take a picnic and some snacks, and plenty of water with you.

We joked that if we had actually been doing a marathon, someone would be handing us a medal, a beer, and some pizza at the finish line, and here we were with just our car air conditioners to look forward to, but that's ok.  We took 8.5 hours, including stops.  No t-shirt, it's true, but no entry fee, either.  And one of the few "marathons" I've done where I know I'll be back...someday.

** Free public parking is available in Williams Bay and the town of Lake Geneva.  My suggested parking area, Big Foot Beach State Park, charges an entry fee for those who don't have an annual pass.  In 2017, it's $8 for cars with Wisconsin plates, $11 for out-of-staters.  Bring cash if you will be arriving before the ranger station opens.**

Gains & Losses

It's been two weeks now since we've returned to the US, although we still haven't made our way home yet.  The kids are off at camp, and I've been puttering around in Wisconsin, staying with my in-laws, trying to make myself useful and attempting to get back into shape.

Hans and Miriam want to make a "best of" list to post, so I know I'll be back with at least a few more mentions of Australia, but in the meantime, it's well past the time I debriefed the trip, or did a post-mortem, or used some other metaphor to go back over this epic journey we took.  Considering just the losses and gains...

Lost:

• 2 water bottles
• 2 containers sunscreen
• 1 retainer
• 1 sweater
• 1 towel

Replaced:

• 1 pair shoes
• 1 bra

Gained:

• new countries for our list (4 new ones for the kids, 2 new ones for me)
• alot of frequent flier miles
• so many new experiences
• a new appreciation for my bed and pillow
• the realization that even with what little we took, we still over-packed
• 10 pounds (that would be me, not the kids...)

Tokyo

From Hiroshima, we took the bullet train from Hiroshima up to Tokyo, a distance of some 500 miles, and which took only 4 hours.  I had pre-purchased the tickets and they were waiting for us at our hostel when we checked in, so at least that part was easy. Nothing in Japanese train stations is all that clear, but we did manage to find the correct platform without too many problems.  So many bullet trains pass through, though, and they go so quickly, that we accidentally got on the 7:58 train rather than the 8:01.  This was only problem because our reserved seats were taken, but after about 20 minutes we were able to get off at a stop and reboard the correct train a few minutes later.  Once that was done, it was nice to relax in the airline-style seats.  On the train, there isn't anything about it to underscore the "bullet train" aspect, but it does go fast, so fast you really can't see much scenery.  And the stops are quick, too:  We timed a few, and they were only in stations for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

In Tokyo, we found our hostel and set out for LEGO Adventure Land, a small LEGO park, but fun for a few hours.  When we first arrived, it was pretty empty, so we had the rides and attractions to ourselves.  By the time we left it was getting busy, but one thing in its favor is that it is indoors -- and air-conditioned!

In the Ueno district we visited the National Museum of Nature and Science which features a dinosaur, alot of fossils, and some beautiful gemstones.  The coolest exhibit there is a 12-minute film shown in 360 degrees.  Viewers stand on a clear glass floor and so are completely immersed in the movie.  It was all in Japanese so we aren't exactly sure what it was about, but it was a neat effect.  We also visited not only the "Statue of Liberty", but also the International Library of Children's Literature where we recognized some familiar book covers.

The Tokyo Skytree claims to be the tallest observation platform in the world, and we bought tickets to the 350th floor, 350 meters high. The day was pretty clear, and Mt Fuji was visible through the haze.  I enjoyed the view, and tried not to think about earthquakes.

We continued exploring and found both the Japan Folk Crafts Museum and a nice playground.  The slide wound from on top of a roof down to the playground, with a spiral stairs to run up to the top.

Also in the neighborhood of our hostel was the ancient Buddhist temple of "Senso-ji", which includes several shrines and a 5-story pagoda.  The temple opened in 641 A.D., although was bombed during WWII and later rebuilt and dedicated to peace.

  

After walking many more miles and soaking up more of Tokyo's ambience, including popping into a few stores, we visited the Edo-Tokyo Museum, an interactive exhibit illustrating Tokyo (originally known as "Edo") through the ages.  The original castle was built in 1457 and during the Edo Period (1603-1868) grew into onto the the largest cities in the world.

On Wednesday evening  in Japan, or Tuesday night in the United States, we boarded the plane for the trip back across the Pacific.  We landed in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon and caught a bus up to Wisconsin. Now to re-set to right time zone! 

Old Friends, New Places

Back in the day, 1993 to be exact, I attended an intensive university program at the (unfortunately now defunct) Institute of German Studies in rural northern Minnesota.  It was a very small program, and all the students, faculty, and even staff together numbered fewer than 50 people.  Although it was a pretty tight-knit community, after all these years, I'm in touch with only a few of my classmates.  But some of them are better communicators than I am, and are better at social media and all that, and when I was planning this trip, one of them told me that one of our old crowd is living in Hirohsima.  Eric, along with his wonderful wife and beautiful little girl had us over to their home for an home-cooked, authentic Japanese, but specially for us vegetarian, feast.  We had the most fantastic time!  Eric met us at our hostel and led us on a brief bicycle tour of the city on the way to their apartment.  He pointed our several of the hidden gems of the city we certainly would have missed without him, and told us some more about the city's history.  He even took us to Sadako's school (see prior post about the paper cranes) and showed us the statue there, and pointed out her home.  Thank you for the wonderful hospitality and for bringing Hiroshima and Japan to life for us. 

 どうもありがとうございました

Thank you very much!

Hiroshima: Paying Respects, Praying for Peace, and Leaving Paper Cranes

All travel is, or at least can be, educational, in its way.  On this trip, we've learned about about the environment, global climate change, and the local flora and fauna of the places we've visited.  We've also created a bit of an overarching theme of world peace, especially in looking back at the second World War.  One of our first stops was in Honolulu, where we paid our respects at Pearl Harbor.  We are now in Japan, where we've come to Hiroshima, to mourn at the memorial for the victims of the atomic bomb.

The memorial is a very powerful place, and has been created as an eternal prayer for the souls of the victims of the bomb, WWII, and a prayer for peace in general.  The thought of all of the innocent people killed in an instant by the atomic bomb is heartbreaking.  As is the thought that the war itself was horrific with no end in sight and something needed to be done to stop it.    

The book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes tells a fictionalized version of the true story of a young Hiroshima girl who survied the war but became ill with leukemia as a result of the radiation from the fallout from the bomb.  There is a legend of the idea that if someone folds a thousand oragami cranes, whatever they wish for will come true.  Despite folding more than 1,300 paper cranes, Sadako still passed away as a young teenager.  Sadako came to symbolize the stolen childhoods and all the young victims of war, and a memorial is included in the Peace Park in Hiroshima.  People from all over the world fold cranes to leave here, including President Obama when he visited a few years ago.  Miriam made cranes for us, and she and Hans each left one in the memorial this morning.

  

One of Those Days (even on vacation)

So, today was one of those days, and in the interest of full disclosure, I will write about it, too.  This really has been a fantastic trip, but when writing, I'm focusing on the good, which sometimes makes it sounds like everything is perfect.  And even the best planning in the world can't solve the problem of just having "one of those days", and I don't claim to have done the best planning in the world!  We made it to Japan, and all the way to Hiroshima, but it's been rather an icky day. 

Anyway, the day began before sunrise.  I had the alarm set for 4:45 in order to allow plenty of time to get to the airport early because when I checked in the for the flight, I discovered that the three of us weren't seated together for the 7-hour international flight.  So the alarm went off and I jumped out of bed and got our stuff organized and mostly ready to go.  Miriam was doing her hair, but Hans was still asleep as he doesn't have much to do to get ready in the mornings so I let him sleep.  Then I put my watch on and discovered that it wasn't 5:05, but 3:05...I hadn't changed the alarm clock onto Singapore time before I set the alarm clock!  Miriam's hair was a disaster from spending the afternoon before at the sprinkler park, so we had to finish combing it out and braiding it before we went back to bed.  We had the light out for about 90 more minutes after that, but neither of us got much more sleep (Hans did succeed in sleeping through it all, at least).  

We made it to the airport in plenty of time, but had a frustrating time checking in, and the seating situation didn't get solved until most of the plane was boarded.  The flight was ok, a bit rough, honestly not too bad, just alot more turbulent than I'd prefer!  Then we got to Tokyo, which had always been stressful because our flight to Hiroshima wasn't technically connecting, and I didn't know how difficult it would be to change planes and terminals.  Customs/immigration went fine, although one of our suitcases was pretty much the last one onto the belt, which made me more tense.  I already had a migraine that would not go away, on top of it all.  We made it to the domestic terminal, and like all the other airports nowadays, everything is self-serve.  The problem now was that the only confirmation number I had was alpha-numeric and it didn't go into the system they had set up to look up the reservation, nor did it like my credit card, and none of the other options worked either, so we had to go find some other desk to get our boarding passes.  Finally got that taken care of, and I began looking for an ATM.  I hadn't done that back at the international terminal when I should have because I didn't want to take the time, wanted to be able to relax about having the boarding passes in hand.  And I never did find a cash machine, so I gave up and we got some dinner and were on time for our plane to Hiroshima.  

We landed in Hiroshima around 7:45pm, and we're all already exhausted.  Now I really need to find some cash, but the only ATM that accepts foreign cards is closed for the day. How and why does an ATM close, and if it does, why at 5pm?  Only option was a currency exchange place, which would open in 10 minutes (at 8pm).  The bus ticket machines don't take credit cards, and the airport is so far from the city (45+ minute bus ride) that a taxi would've cost more than $100, even if I could have found a driver who would take a credit card.  Anyway, I had $40 US in my wallet yet, which I exchanged, and our 3 bus tickets cost something like $36 of that, and the driver waited while the machine spit out our tickets.  Thankfully the hostel accepts credit cards.

Anyway, we got off the bus at 9pm, still have to get to the hostel, which is supposedly a 10 minute walk from the station.  They have directions on their website which are decent, but they aren't great, and the walk is more than 10 minutes, closer to 30, at least from where we started them.  I've come to suspect that our start point was not the same one as the directions'.  Especially when it's after bedtime and you are dragging suitcases and trying to ignore the blisters which Miriam inexplicably got in Singapore after walking how many miles in those shoes?  Oh, and I didn't have the address written in Japanese anywhere available.  Finally found some hotel and went in and had the desk clerk write down the address for our hostel in Japanese, and we found a taxi to drive us the last bit.  Turns out that was a good thing because I'm not sure we would've found it in the dark from the directions we had, and anyway, it was getting late and we would've had at least 10 more minutes to walk.  And as it was we checked in only about 30 minutes before check-in closed for the night.

So finally get into the hostel room and trying to get the kids to bed because it's almost 10pm...pull out the retainer cases, which Miriam and I both wear overnight.  I handed Miriam hers and then notice that my case doesn't rattle.  Nothing inside it.  That morning Miriam had gotten the bathroom stuff all organized for us, but she didn't put it in the suitcases, just stacked it up on the counter.  The pile fell on the floor and she picked it up.  Apparently she didn't notice the retainer had fallen out of the case, and it's tiny and clear and I didn't see it either,  and now I'm without my retainer, which not only will be a pricey ordeal to replace, but since it prevents me from grinding my teeth at night, I may be in for more migraines for the foreseeable future.  

So that's the day.  Technically we arrived where we wanted to go, safe and sound, but it wasn't pleasnt and was incredibly stressful. Things will be better tomorrow!

Singapore

We left Australia for Asia early on Wednesday morning on a Singapore Air flight to Singapore.  The kids both moved Singapore Air to the top of their rankings lists (to be posted next week) because not only were the meals (two of them) pretty good, we also received ice cream bars.  Yes, our loyalty can be won fairly easily.  You’d think some of the U.S.-based carriers would learn some of these tricks…for the want of a popsicle…

I ran a marathon in Singapore several years ago and had enjoyed my stay there.  I had also told the kids about some of the amenities in the airport, such as a 4-story slide and the beautiful gardens, and they had been looking forward to seeing it.  In fact, I even won a book from The Washington Post’s travel section by my rave of the Singapore airport in a chat this past spring.  At any rate, after we cleared customs, we bee-lined for the slide rather than the exit.  The first part was a bit confusing:  rides are free if you spend $10 at the airport stores, and it took us a bit to figure that out, plus find something to spend $10 on, and then learn how to turn the sales receipt into slide tickets.  Turns out that you exchange the receipts for the tickets at the information desk, something that is not written anywhere that we could find.  But we managed all that and the slide was great fun.

It was pouring rain, so despite the fact that Singapore also has a fantastic public transportation system with both trains and busses coming to the airport, we jumped into a taxi and made our way to the hotel.  It’s summer again.  After a month in the Australian winter, I had almost forgotten what hot and humid feel like! We spent the first afternoon wandering around the neighborhood near our hotel, and enjoyed a supper of fresh fruit juice and made it to bed at a reasonable hour.  And good thing, too, because everyone was awake and ready for the day by 5:00am Singapore time!

We spent Thursday at a few of the main attractions of Singapore, including the Gardens by the Bay with their giant metal trees and cool-weather greenhouses.  We went into the “Cloud Forest”, which took us up a “mountain” and behind a waterfall to see the different types of plants that grow in varied climates.

We spent a brief amount of time at the “ArtScience” museum, and enjoyed the electronics exhibit there.  They had some fun things like a slide with lights on it that changed when touched or slid over – the bubbles exploded, the music changed.  And the pit full of huge balls that lit up and changed color, and the coloring stations where once you made your picture, you could scan it in and it joined the huge flashing, moving mural on the wall.

In the afternoon we made our way out to the Science Centre, another place where we were able to use the reciprocity of our museum membership back home for free admission.  We enjoyed our time there, and realized after we left that there was still an outdoor section we hadn’t seen at all!  Our favorite section there was one of optical illusions:  one memorable one was a funny-shaped LEGO creation that was on a rotating pedestal with a light shining on it, and as it turned, it made different shadows on the wall, all completely different, from a pirate ship to a knight on horseback with a cape flowing out behind him.  My favorite picture of the day is the one of gigantic Miriam and tiny Hans, and that is a complete illusion, they are both posing next to each other.  The docent told me to take a photo, and I didn’t quite believe him that it would actually work!  Among other great exhibits, we also want to give a thumbs up to their hall of mirrors.  Apparently halls of mirrors are “in” this year, and we’ve done 4 pretty good ones in the past month, all at different price-points and with different special effects.  The one at Singapore’s Science Centre, Professor Crackitt's Light Fantastic Mirror Maze, is definitely the best one.

I can’t write about Singapore without mentioned the “Kaya Toast”, something that somehow I did not eat last time I was here and for which I need to thank The Washington Post’s travel section for introducing me to.  Yummy!  I won’t disclose the number of servings we ate over the two days we spent there, but we are considering opening up our own Toast Stand at home.  Now to find the perfect recipe – if anyone has a good one, please forward it to me!

We relaxed on Thursday and wandered more around the city, with stops at a beach on Sentosa, a park listed in multiple websites as the best playground in Singapore (and a good one, too, but it doesn’t rank on our GOAT list), and another park and playground which included a fantastic sprinkler park.  After all that, we went up to the tops of those gorgeous metal trees for a view of the city.  It really is a beautiful one.

And now on to Japan!

                                        

Canberra, the Capital

The drive from Sydney to Canberra takes about 3 hours, although they are through some of Australia's less photogenic locales.  Still, even with stops we made good time and were checked into our hotel and out to dinner before sunset.  For those of you in the middle of summer, I know that seems funny, but we've gotten used to sunset being around 5pm.  That and the chilly weather.  I love wearing sweatshirts in July!

Monday was the first day of the winter school holidays for much of Australia, and we had to share the attractions with quite a few families, but they were worth sharing.  The National Mint was an interesting start to the day, with all sorts of shiny gold coins to look at and history to learn about.  

The highlight of the day was a trip to Questacon, Australia's National Science and Technology Centre, the national children's science museum.  We are already fans of such museums, and Questacon is definitely a contender in the "best ever" category, and certainly makes the top 10 list.  In fact, after spending several hours there on Monday, we returned Tuesday morning!  One reason we could do so is that it is a memboer of the Association of Science and Technology Centers and has reciprocity with a museum we have joined as members.  A quick shout-out for joining your local museum!  Our trip to Questacon literally paid for our annual membership, and it isn't the only museum we are visiting this year.  We've also found that it's easier to really enjoy musuems and go more often when you don't have to worry about getting your money's worth -- they are great even when you only have an hour to spend.

At Questacon, Miriam remarked again on her desire to be an astronaut (while in the space section), but continued honing her engineering skills in several of the other departments (and Mick, you'll be happy to know that water remains a huge draw for her.).  I'm sure she'll figure out something over the next 8 years or so.  One of the highlights of the museum is a zero-gravity slide.  Participants put on coveralls and climb up the stairs where they take hold of a chin-up bar.  After hanging from the bar, arms outstretched, they drop down and experience free-fall for a split second, before being smoothly caught by the slide for a ride to the bottom.  This requires a huge amount of bravery, and we watched quite a few people back out, some of them even after hanging from the bar. It was fun to watch, but none of my videos is worth posting.  I also wore out my pitching arm using the radar gun to clock my throws (I topped out at 54 km/hour, so I won't be making any big league debuts any time soon).  Hans had some good throws, too, and he isn't sore today.  Youth!

We stopped at the National War Memorial to pay our respects there, noting that Australia has been a major military ally of the United States, and also enjoyed the National Museum, situated in a beautiful location in the lake in Canberra's center.  

After two nights in Canberra it was time to retrace our path to Syndey, for the last time.  Our month Down Under has come to an end, and we're heading off for Asia.  Until we meet again, Happy Birthday, USA.

Bondi Beach and Luna Park -- A Day in Sydney, Part II

Our time in New Zealand was spent in the company of the approximately 25,000 Brits who were there as rugby fans of the New Zealand vs England/Scotland/Ireland/Wales matches.  The number 25,000, while spread  out, means that while we were travelling in the slow season, we were always surrounded by tourists, most of them wearing matching red jackets and discussing the first match defeat, and preparing for the second match.  We also managed to time our trip so that we all began in Auckland, and spent the week en route to Wellington.  We left before the second match (a win for Britain), so we missed some of the excitement, but we can safely say that the pubs were doing a booming business.  There was a bit of a scandal due to the high prices on everything in Wellington.  Either an example of the law of supply and demand, or and example of price gauging, depending on your point of view.

At any rate, we enjoyed our week in New Zealand, but didn’t find any job prospects and didn’t seek asylum (can't say I wasn't tempted!), so we returned to Australia on Friday afternoon, following a morning at the national museum.  Saturday was our last full day with Jake, who had to return to work, so we spent the day seeing more of Sydney’s iconic sites.  Despite it being mid-winter, we ventured out to Bondi Beach, where the surf was up, but the only people in the water seemed to be tourists and their instructors.  The best part of the beach was the farmer’s market nearby, truly one of the best markets I’ve been in.  It was only about 10:45, and we had already eaten not only breakfast but also a mid-morning snack, but that didn’t stop us from buying both lunch and provisions for supper, as well as both cocoa and a sugar cane juice drink.

Our next stop was Luna Park, a historic amusement park that gets its inspiration from Coney Island.  We were amused by the winter break ice rink, a sheet of sloppy ice absolutely packed with people who can’t skate, and roughly the size of half of a basketball court, but didn’t waste much time there.  We actually didn’t go on any of the regular rides (roller coaster, bumper cars, etc.), but spent most of our time actually in “Coney Island”, a warehouse-sized building filled with fun-houses, slides, and pinball machines, and actually dating from 1935.  The machines have been retrofitted to accept dollars instead of pennies, and it has all been refurbished, presumably multiple times, but it is more or less to its original specs, down to the artwork:  next to several are posted signs warning that the cartoons and caricatures would not be considered “politically correct”.

“The Coney Island” amusement barn is my sort of place – I love fun houses and slides!  We spent an hour hauling our burlap sacks up the steps and sliding down on the polished wood, over and over again, besides negotiating the hall of mirrors, the moving steps, and the hamster wheel.  One of the funniest rides is for kids where they sit in a circle on a cone-shaped island.  The operator makes the island spin, and the kids come sliding off the cone and down onto the mats.  Once they are out of the way, the island spins again, faster and faster, until everyone comes falling off.  Makes me dizzy just writing about it, but all the kids seemed to be having a wonderful time, our own kids included.  I will admit that I also enjoyed the fun house mirrors, too…but only the ones that made me tall and thin!

We topped off our day with a huge cone of “fairy floss” (known as cotton candy on our side of the ocean), and a walk back across the Sydney Harbor Bridge at sunset.  (For more on the bridge, see my previous post of “A Day in Sydney, Part I, which now includes a video clip from the top of it.)

Sunday morning we attended church at St. Phillip’s Anglican church, built in 1789.  It was a beautiful church, and icy cold, despite the warm reception we received.  But not only did they have portable heaters in the pews of the sort that outdoor cafes have between the tables, but also a large basket of fleece blankets to borrow during the service, so we kept sufficiently cozy.

Jake had to flew back home on Sunday afternoon, so we returned him to the airport before wishing Sydney good-bye, getting another rental car, and heading off to Canberra.    

The Best Playground in the World!

While we have not actually been to every playground in the world, or even all of the really good ones we have been to an awful lot of them, and the Adventure Park of Levin, New Zealand must rank in the top ten, at the very least.  It is a large park with several different areas of play equipment, all in excellent condition.  There is a separate fenced-off area for toddlers, and the grass is green in between all of the other sections.  There are swings, slides, monkey bars, a zip line, obstacle courses, and all sorts of other fun things, and even an exercise area for adults.  The bathrooms were indoors, and the sinks even had hot water.  And all for free, in a public park, on the main road through town.

Our journeys generally involve tours of playgrounds, bakeries, and ice cream stores, with a few museums and other major attractions thrown in for good measure. Our "official" best playground list includes only free public parks, and does not include places like Playmobiland, as much as we have loved them. Germany is full of great parks, and we love Toronto for all of its fantastic playgrounds as well. The playground near the zoo in Madison, Wisconsin is very good, and Portland, Oregon has some nice parks, too.   Our previous award for best playground had gone to the big city center park in Brussels, which I still remember fondly.  We were last there in, I believe, 2007, and I hope it has aged well.  As for now, congratulations to the good citizens of Levin, you've earned our award!

Taupo, New Zealand

I've been enjoying this New Zealand winter!  We've been wearing our light coats in the mornings and evenings, and the world has been sparkling when we get up, but the car's de-froster has been able to clear off the windows without any difficulty.  After leaving Rotorua, we drove south to Taupo, a crystal clear lake near beautiful green mountains and in a cute town (with one of the best bakeries ever!).  We had a strenuous hike through a forest up to the top of a mountain for some gorgeous views, and a surprisingly quick hike (or run, in the kids' case) back down, handily beating sunset.  And the sunset was spectacular!  It will be forever be remembered as absolutely perfect about one minute before we took the photo.

We also discovered that Taupo is the home of Ironman New Zealand, which we had already been vaguely talking about as we made our way through this beautiful place.  After hiking the area and standing on the gorgeous mixed black and white sand beach, we were sold.  Not next year, although the registration is still open, but I'm ready for Ironman New Zealand in March of 2019.  If it begins with the haka I'm sure I'll take at least 30 minutes off my best time!

Rotorua and Maori Culture

Our next destination was Rotorua, a small town famous for its hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, and mud baths.  We visited Whakarewarewa, still a living village of the Tuhourangi / Ngati Wahiao peoples, and a place used by their tribes as a tourist attraction for many generations.  Among other famous visitors, Eleanor Roosevelt, as first lady, created a stir by touching noses with a Maori woman in the traditional greeting.  As our guide pointed out, they had in-home heating and hot running water as well as thermal steam ovens and hot water cookers centuries before it was the norm.  We enjoyed a traditionally cooked (steamed and boiled) dinner, walked around their geothermal landscape, and had a fantastic time watching the show of traditional Maori singing and dancing.  Watching the Haka, the traditional dance and chant using the whole body, mind, and spirit, it is easy to see why New Zealand's sports teams are winners!

We haven't been lucky enough to see a kiwi (bird) in the wild, but did manage to see three of them in a sanctuary.  We went into the enclosure at night and basically waited silently until they woke up and hoped they would walk toward us.  Not quite as magical as the penguins in the wild, but still pretty fun. We ended our stay in Rotorua with a trip to Hell's Gate, a geothermal area with bubbling mud pots, a gorgeous hot water waterfall, and a mud bath.  We also got to try our hands at some traditional wood carvings, and now have some authentically "Made in New Zealand" magnets depicting Maori symbols for our refrigerator.  According to the guides, with our dip in the mud bath, we will look a good ten years younger... The soft, silicone-filled water feels so nice and leaves regular bubble baths jealous.  Take me away!

Middle Earth: Arachnocampa Luminosa and Hobbits

On Saturday morning we boarded an Airbus 380 flown by Emirates Airlines (a terrific airline and a great jet as well) and added a new country to our list:  New Zealand!  Just entering the country is a pretty unique experience as we got off a fancy jet, full of people, came through strict security making sure we weren't harboring any invasive species or germs, and then exited to an airport roughly the same size of Madison, WI, or Boise, ID, if not smaller.  We rented a car but didn't see much of Auckland besides the airport.  We've learned through experience that while we do visit cities (we weren't about to skip Sydney, and obviously Paris, Manhattan, and Washington, DC, shouldn't be missed), we much prefer to spend the majority of our time further afield.

After stopping in Matamata for dinner, we made it to the Mount Tutu Eco-Sanctuary Eco-lodge (http://www.mount-tutu.co.nz/).  The selection of this hotel truly made our adventure in New Zealand.  It is a small guest house, privately run, situated on a breathtakingly beautiful property.  After getting settled in, we were all lent rain boots and head lamps, and we set off into the night.  Tim and Debbie, the proprietors, led us on a hike, showing us some of the native plants like the silver back fern, pointing out some bird calls, and culminating in one of their creeks.  There we waded in and turned off our head-lamps, and stood with our mouths open.  Along the banks of the creek were hundreds of tiny lights, shining like stars: Arachnocampa luminosa -- glowworms!  Unfortunately we can't show you how wonderful it is to be in a bubbling creek on a mountain in the night and see these points of light.  The three brownish pictures on the left side of the collage show you what they look like under a light, and Google brings up a bunch of great photos.  We took a lot of "memory pictures"!  Imagine a yard full of lightning bugs, but staying in place.  Or even simply looking up into the night sky.  In fact, once we came out of the forest and back to the house we did look up at the night sky -- it was a cloudy night, but we still could see the Milky Way.  (The pictures below are a collage of our time at Mount Tutu and then Sunday afternoon at Hobbiton.)

After serving us a nice breakfast the next morning, Tim took us for another hike around their property, pointing out the unique flora and fauna.  They raise chickens and sheep, and we fed treats to both, and we looked at the kakarikis (native parakeets) they breed.  The woods was full of birdsong in the morning, and the air was so fresh and clear.  The water in the inn is from their own creeks, filtered, but also testing pure just naturally.  It was really a shame to have to leave so soon, but unfortunately we only have so much time to spend in New Zealand.  Miriam has been agitating for a move here.  Anybody hiring?

From Mount Tutu, we continued our drive through Middle Earth, and out to the enchanted land of Hobbiton, the ranch where The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were filmed.  A working sheep ranch, after the first movies were filmed, they originally erased the set from the farm and returned it all to as it had been.  As pilgrims made their way to the former set, the rancher realized that he had a special place on his hands, and when the filmmaker returned to make the next movies, they decided to keep the area as it was.  Today, it's on it's way to being more of a village than just a movie set -- the pub is in operation and the staff keeps the gardens looking good.  It's pretty funny, really -- neither of the kids have seen any of the movies, although Miriam has read and enjoyed J.R.R. Toliken's stories (we laugh about the fact that not many people have read The Fellowship of the Ring all in one sitting as she did), and Jake and I last watched the first trilogy in 2002, and possibly didn't realize that a second one was made.  So I was pretty hesitant about booking this part of our trip.  But still, it was a great side trip!  Even full of tourists and in the rain, it's such a pretty village that it truly was a joy to visit.  There really is no place like Middle Earth.

A Day in Sydney (or, "The Climb of Our Lives")

We returned to civilization via VirginAustralia arriving on Thursday evening in beautiful Sydney.  With the train line running through the airport, the trip to our hotel was a breeze -- train downtown to harbor, and then a ferry across the water and a short walk up the hill, all with views.  Friday morning we got even better views.  After walking across the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge, we climbed to the top of it!  For the bridge climb, we donned coveralls with little leashes to keep our sunglasses, gloves, hats, and handkerchiefs attached, stashed everything in lockers, and strapped on harnesses.  The Sydney Harbor Bridge is the biggest single-span steel arch bridge in the world (still the widest and heaviest, although no longer the longest), and the summit is more than 440 feet above the water.  We weren't allowed to take our own camera, and we didn't purchase any of the pictures they took of us, but we took pictures of other climbers later to share the general idea of what we did.  In the picture on the bottom left, which shows the summit of the bridge, between the two flags, you can see a group of people.  The tour does include a short video clip, though, which I've included here. We climbed 1332 steps and covered almost a mile as we learned about bridge architecture (one of Miriam's current interests) and the history and some trivia about the building of the bridge.  The picture in the middle, with the sunset, shows a person climbing down one of the sets of ladders we used to get to the top.  In the afternoon we admired the Opera House and wandered through the botanical gardens before ending our exciting day with some gelato and a walk back across the bridge and home to the hotel.



Kata Tjuta -- Uluru's Quieter Sister

I had never heard of Kata Tjuta before we flew over it on Tuesday morning, but it is another huge rock, about 25 miles away from Uluru, and sharing its national park.  The shape is different from Uluru, and the rock itself is different which means there were many exciting disoveries to be made and pictures to be taken.  On Wednesday morning we were up well before dawn so that we could be at the park gate when it opened in order to make it to Kata Tjuta before sunrise.  We were 4th in line at the gate, and the first car to reach the Kata Tjuta parking lot, and we set out on the trail as dawn was breaking over the horizon.  

The Valley of the Winds trail winds around and through Kata Tjuta on a 5 mile hike through some of the prettiest rock and countryside you've ever seen.  As the sun began to rise, the rock began to glow.  Every minute brought changes to the light, and with it, changes to the colors and even the atmosphere of the place, and as we hiked we moved from barren rock to tree-filled plain.  The sky slowly changed from star-spangeled black to gray to white to azure, almost but not quite rivalling the perfect cobalt of the previous day.

We had the trail to ourselves for almost 2 hours, until we were almost back to the parking lot. So many people don't go much further than the closest lookout point.  Those who wander aren't necessarily lost, but those who don't wander definitely lose out.

My collage-making software still isn't cooperating, but I've posted some of our favorite pictures below.

The Sacred Rock -- Uluru

On Tuesday morning, we left Cairns and the tropics for the Big Red Center of Australia and flew to Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock.  The pictures are ubiquitous, but really do not do it justice.  It is just immense, and sitting in the middle of the scrubby desert as it is makes it even more amazing.  We arrived in mid-morning (gaining 30 minutes with the time change), and after sorting out our hostel room (2 bunk beds, a window, and an A/C & heating unit) and rental car, as well as buying some groceries, we set out on our pilgrimage to the rock.

Following a stop in the visitors' center and a picnic lunch, we hiked all the way around the rock, a distance of not quite 7 miles, and took in the views from all sides. The weather was beautiful and the temperature comfortable, but the flies were annoying.  They didn't really bite, or seem all that interested in our food, but they swarm!  Jake had about 30 of them just sitting on his hat, and I used my scarf to cover my face.  Stopping to take pictures -- and having to uncover for that -- meant that they were all over you in a second.  There's a reason the gift shops all had fly nets for sale (but as a tip, they cost $7 less if you buy them at the supermarket!)!

We had strategically planned (I wish I could take the credit!), so we didn't have too long to wait to watch the sunset, the magical moment when the light seems to make the rock glow.  While we were watching and waiting, Hans kept busy by drawing a lizard in the sand, doing his best version of the Aboriginal art we had been looking at.  

Uluru is considered a sacred place for the Aboriginal people, and it is explained that they read the rock as we read Scriptures: apparently the law is clear by looking at the marks in the rock if you understand what to look for.  It's also explained quite clearly that the the rock is not really for climbing.  Climbing is only a special piligrimage for some initiated Aboriginal elders, and climbing never been the point of going to the rock.  However, since they understand that outsiders will climb it, despite their pleas, there are actual open hours for climbing, and a designated place to do so in an effort to avoid accidents.  For most of the time we were there, the climbing path was closed, but it did open for awhile late in the afternoon.  We were disgusted to watch so many people crawling over Uluru, so many of them joking and messing around.  We decided that we should feel sorry for them, perhaps they don't hold anything sacred enough to understand what it means to desecrate something that others care deeply about.

In between our philosophical discussions and our hiking, we did take plenty of time to enjoy the sheer beauty of the place.  We had planned our stay to give us two sunsets and two sunrises, and we didn't miss any of them.  We also enjoyed the solitude of being in the middle of nowhere.  The main parking lots and viewing platforms did fill up pretty well, even now during the off season, but once we hiked a mile, we had the place to ourselves.  We also went out in the dark to admire the stars -- not only the Southern Cross and alot of other constellations we aren't familiar with, but the millions of stars in the sky!  It's been awhile since we've seen the Milky Way shine so brightly, and I'm not sure it's ever been as clear as it glows over the Outback.  

We had alot of fun taking pictures, and while they may speak a thousand words, they can't do the place justice.  While I still try to "save film" by chosing the perfect photo, Jake and Hans both took scores of  shots.  They didn't seem to be deterred when I pointed out that out of the few hundred pictures they took I was only going to be able to share about a dozen of them, and we'd probably only print 2 of them.  My collage-making software is not cooperating, so I'm going to post them separately.  Here are a few of our favorites:

Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation

On Monday, we did something we don't do very often.  We took a day tour.  I must have been getting tired of trip planning, and the ads made the trip sound so nice.  A "small group" with "knowledgeable guide" and access to "places that most tourists don't get to see".  We did see a lot, and we left the driving to them.  It wasn't a bad tour.  I just spent the day regretting that we were in a mini-bus instead of driving on our own for half the price.  Remind me that I really don't care for group tours next time I'm trip planning, will you?  I'm not complaining, really...other than about the fact that the advertised "morning tea" involved exactly one cup of tea and a cookie, which was a little less than I had been led to believe.  But I digress.  It was a good day.  We were picked up at our hotel a little after 7:00am, and after a few more stops for pick-ups proceeded up the beautiful Queensland coast, stopping for a boat ride along the river, where we saw plenty of the promised crocodiles.  We continued into the rainforest for a short walk along a boardwalk, and were served lunch at a wildlife refuge, where we were given sweet potato slices to feed the wallabies. 

In the afternoon we were served "billy tea", a local tea boiled over a fire, and a selection of exotic fruits, and had time for a dip in a chilly freshwater swimming hole (no crocs there), before driving to Cape Tribulation for a quick look-see.  The whole time we kept our eyes peeled for cassowaries, a huge and endangered Australian native bird, but did not catch sight of any in the wild, unfortunately.  On the way home we were given an opportunity to buy some gourmet ice cream, an offer we did take them up on, as well, so we certainly can't complain!

Tjapukai Night Fire -- Aboriginal Culture

As we walked into the Tjapukai center, we were greeted by several people of Aboriginal heritage wearing traditional dress and offering to paint our faces.  We were assigned to people groups, Jake and the kids were people of the wet season, and I was from the dry, since husbands and wives need to be from opposite peoples.  After some singing and an introduction, we listened to the didgeridoo and followed the dancers outside to an amphitheater for more singing and dancing, and hearing several traditional stories.  By this time, all of the spectators (about 40 of us) were also singing and dancing, and we were given rhythm sticks to beat in time as well as we then made our way to the fire pit.  Some lucky audience members (none of us, unfortunately) were chosen to conjure up some fire using dry sticks, and after much effort, traditional prayers, and plenty of assistance, some sparks landed on the dry grasses, and they were able to blow that into a proper campfire.  The fire ceremony culminated with a bang as an arrow was lit from our campfire and shot across a lake to explode into a fire ball for a pyre there. By now it was about 8:30pm, and finally time for dinner…kangaroo, crocodile, and emu, served with some “bush” seasonings and sauces (and a delicious vegetarian dinner for Miriam and me), as well as several yummy salads, fruits, and desserts.  The food was wonderful, and the cast was very cheerful and welcoming, ready to pose for pictures and answer questions.  As far as learning about the Australian Aboriginal culture, while it was definitely an event staged for tourists, it was very well done and informative, and we left with a much more nuanced and colorful idea of the history of Australia.