Travel chronicles — final installment

This marks the third and last of my three-part series on this year’s European family sojourn, an exhilarating land trip across selected cities in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France on board two iconic BMW luxury vehicles.

Our first stop was Munich where we experienced first-hand the official first day of the Oktoberfest celebration. Of course, the other highlight of the Munich leg was our visit to the BMW Welt and BMW Museum where, aside from the regular exhibition, we were able to catch the last few days of the special exhibit of the big BMW Coupe’ and Convertible. We could only salivate and join the throngs for photo ops beside these awesome models.

The BMW Welt is housed in its own modern building with an ultra high ceiling, a treasure trove of information on the evolution of the BMW vehicle, including their famed motorcycles, and a sensual feast for all BMW loyalists who come to ogle the latest of models. On a weekday, you could see families and tourists trooping to the Welt for a first-hand look. There is an exclusive shop that sells only BMW accessories — from shirts, bags, jackets, caps, belts and kiddie cars to toy editions of BMW cars. People were buying these collectibles which do not come cheap. First-hand, it is testimony to the worldwide appeal and the vastness of the fiercely loyal family of this much-loved brand across the globe.

Then it was off to the alpine valley of St. Moritz, then to Lugano, Milan and Lucerne for the next seven days. Our next stop: Strasbourg which borders Germany, the capital city of the Alsace region in eastern France, a comfortable 2-1/2 hour-drive from Lucerne over good roads and excellent scenery.  The landscape is enviably lush and green in the early weeks of autumn, the mountainside clustered thickly with pine trees. It was pleasant, smooth and easy riding on our BMWs.

Home for the next two days was the old and charming Regent Contades, which, at $269/night for a double room was well worth it. We went to see the famed Strasbourg Cathedral de Notre Dame, a huge gothic church first built in 1015, renovated in the 12th century because of a big fire and, over the next four centuries (!) became bigger and more grand. Strasbourg was only incorporated into France in the 17th century, and only then was it returned to the Catholics and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.

Inside, the grandeur is undeniable, high ceiling decorated with murals, its magnificent pulpit, its lofty transoms and altar magnificently luminous with vivid colors of European stained glass. Work is still in progress here, after several centuries, but people continue to mill around, craning their necks to watch the astronomical clock near the tower.

This has obviously become a tourist attraction, and across the street, a line of small souvenir shops are kept busy. My wife Babes found charming cuckoo clocks that did not cost an arm and a leg and we lugged boxes of them home.

The next day, we were off to see other sites in this city of canals, towers and footbridges. We opted for a 30-minute ride on a boat with a big glass top that allowed us to appreciate the panoramic view without the sun beating down on us, but missed out on the cold bite of the crisp autumn air. There were narrow passages, and in shallow areas, gates opened up to allow water to rush in. The bridge also opened up to allow our boat to pass through. All around us, luxurious villas peppered the landscape.

Then it was off to the village for an afternoon snack along the numerous sidewalk cafes, enjoying a hot bowl of onion soup to fortify us against the biting cold. In the plaza, some resident artists were doing brisk business making portraits and caricatures at 15 and 10 euros respectively. The tourists in us couldn’t resist the bargain and we gamely sat for 15 minutes and brought home our charcoal renditions which we all agreed set us back by 10 years.

Our next stop was Heidelberg, one of the highlights of which was our visit to the Rizal Park which I wrote about earlier. We also visited the large ruined Heidelberg Castle, originally a fortress dating back to 1400 with a vast courtyard and tower accessible by a short five-minute ride on an enclosed tram along a mountainside. It is one of the two most important buildings in German architectural history, a must-see for all tourists. The regal residence lies in the inner courtyard where one can imagine the opulence of living in a palace in the 15th up to the 17th century.

Then it was a whole lot of shopping, from shoes to beautiful patchwork linen and lavender sachets before we headed for Frankfurt, our last stop.

Home was the City Residence, and at $91/night, we shouldn’t complain about the austere lodging. Parking was in a public lot several meters away, and the counter lady barked that it was a three-star hotel when I asked if they had a porter or bellboy to help us out with our now super heavy luggage from days of crazy shopping, so we couldn’t expect much more. Still, the breakfast buffet was adequate, and it was in the heart of this city of skyscrapers, Germany’s financial capital. We didn’t get a chance to enjoy the Rhine River or its fabled castles because of the rain but would you believe we all agreed to drive back to Heidelberg, a good two hours away to buy more pasalubongs? It was a crazy, impulsive thing which we all enjoyed, but the carrying of over-stuffed luggage.

After two weeks on the road, living off our suitcases literally, it was time to head back home, tired but not weary, certainly exhilarated. The itinerary/lodging prepared for us by our trusted travel agent Ark Travel (thanks for the personal touch Paz!) was efficient and worry free, as it has been through the years that we have patronized them.

Of course, many thanks too to the highly-efficient and reliable Joy Villaflor of PGA Cars for helping us out (again!) with our Schengen visa requirements.

Our trip back through Etihad Airways was another wonderful experience. It felt great to fully stretch our tired limbs on their comfortable seat beds that fully reclined, enjoyed the champagne and friendly service, (many of their service crew were Filipinos), and of course the excellent, excellent cuisine. Even their all-day menu which you could request for free at any time, was gourmet. A pleasant surprise: the chef on board solicitously came out to ask if I wanted anything in particular.  It was only because I wanted to stretch out and sleep on their comfortable beds that I decided to postpone dinner, but it was very nice of him to seek me out. No way could I pass up on their Chefs-in-the-Sky cuisine.

Etihad’s famed lounge in Abu Dhabi lived up to its name — an all-day buffet of hot food, salads, Japanese sushis, desserts, free-flowing drinks, everything on the house. Excellent. They also have private rooms for napping and fantastic massages (I availed of both), all of these free of charge. Most of the service crew here too is Pinoy, from the restaurant to the Duty Free Shop. The lay-over was another great experience.

Till next year.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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