Trip Home

Some pictures from our trip to Florida in April. We went home as a part business, part vacation trip. Shelly had a handful of interviews lined up from Saint Augustine to Bonita Springs, which added to the usual Tour of Florida. We did get to see a lot of friends and family, but with almost an interview per day, the relaxation opportunities were less than optimal. Shelly and I were happy to be home, so happy that we didn't think to take a lot of photos; most of these come from our personal photographer Cheri.

Saint Augustine...



Shelly and Madison at Saint Augustine Beach. Madison had not been to a full-on beach with lots of sand and waves. It took Madison a little while to warm up, but once she got used to the sand she was OK. Madison was not into the water though, it was still a bit cold for her liking.


Madison enjoying her finger.




Jackson and Reese playing in the water




The McAvoy's enjoying the sun.



Our group having lunch at the Beachcomber.




Cape Coral...


Shelly and Madison on Mo's boat with no name. We spent the middle weekend of our trip in Cape Coral visiting with Mo and Julie, and Regan, Cheri and Jackson and Netzer drove over from the east coast to hang too. It was a nice, relaxing weekend of sun and boating. Madison, as usual, was a trooper and took right to boating; she loved being on the bow of the boat in the breeze watching what was going on.



Captain Mo!!!



The Stradtmann's enjoying the ride to Tweenwaters




Mo and Julie - our gracious hosts. They did a good job trying to recruit us to Cape Coral/Ft. Myers. We are still waiting for a cash incentive, however. :)



Madison, Shelly and I enjoying the pool at Tweenwaters.




Captain Mo's piloting school.



Two tired little ones




It is Game-On after nap time.

Malaga and the Costa del Sol

Saint Patrick's Day weekend and we are on the road again, and again without Madison. I could get used to this. Thank you, Tracy - again. This time we are off to a sunnier and warmer destination: Malaga, Spain. Malaga is in the province of Andalusia in southern Spain and the capital city of the Costa del Sol.

This is our third time visiting Spain, and three times has not been enough. We found Malaga a much larger city than we anticipated, but that was not a negative. It was also less touristy, and that was a definite positive. I am finding it difficult to describe our experience in Malaga. You have a large, clean, fun, unassuming city on the blue waters of the Mediterranean. So I guess that is my description. This area of Spain has something for everyone - water sports, laying on the beach, hiking, skiing (yes, you can hit the slopes in just an hour drive), and plenty of history and sightseeing.

This shot of Shelly is at the Castillo de Gibralfaro that rises over the eastern end of the city. The castle was built in the 8th century, and while nothing much remains of the castle, the gardens and castle walls provide excellent views of the city. We really liked the Moorish influence on the buildings and gardens.



Here I am in just such a garden within the Alcazaba - a palace/fortress built in 1057 for Malaga's Muslim governors.

We spent the first two days strolling around the city and enjoying the leisurely Spanish lifestyle, the distinctive architecture and views of the ocean. Malaga was in the midst of a renovation/reconstruction of the Paseo del Parque - the city's main drag which is lined with what is essentially a 50 yard wide park/jungle that runs the length of the city. Since it was being refurbished we were unable to enjoy walks through the park, but the fact that it was there, instead of beachfront condos, was impressive enough.











Tilt one back, it is St. Patty's Day!! Buy two Guinness and get a free hat. Shelly isn't a huge Guinness fan, but she put down her half (two - with help) so that we could each get a hat. Funny how you can always find an Irish pub.









Here is our hotel - The Cohiba Hotel. The patio is right on the sidewalk that borders the beach, and at night was the most happening place on the beach. The picture on the right is the view from our room (our room is the one in the middle with the window open). The hotel is located in the El Pedregal section, about 5k east of Malaga central. We took advantage of the seaside walkway and walked into town a couple times, but for the most part we used the bus system. El Pedregal seemed, for the most part, to be local and there was a variety of restaurants to choose from nearby. We would definitely stay here again, for no other reason than the free popcorn and nuts at the bar.

We rented a car our last two days so that we could get out and explore the Costa del Sol and the surrounding countryside of central Andalusia. As you drive north from the coast you get into mountains very quickly, and just as quickly you come out the other side into plains filled with olive groves. Southern Spain is dotted with small white-washed towns that were built in traditional Muslim style. We passed this town, Olvera, during our drive and found it the most striking.



Here we are on the coast again and yes, that is the rock of Gibraltar; it is amazing how the rock is just there all alone. An impressive sight it was. In case you didn't know, Gibraltar is a British colony, and very happily so, much to the dismay of many Spanish. As soon as you cross into Gibraltar the scene is fully English from the red phone booths to the traffic cops. However, they do drive on the right side of the road which I was very happy about. We stopped in on our way to Tarifa so we didn't say long, and had no desire to spend money on the Pound.



Did you feel that? Did you get a sense that someone was waving to you? It was Shelly on the other side of the Atlantic waving hello. Gibraltar may have the strategic location, but Tarifa is actually the demarcation between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The town has become a hotbed for surfers of all kinds (board, wind and kite) and as a result has a very laid back lifestyle.







Most of the Mediterranean coastline is rocky or a sand/rock mix; while this beach in Tarifa is actually on the Atlantic, it is one of the few wide sandy beach we have seen, but it isn't technically a Mediterranean beach however. There are rocks on the other side of the jetty so if you wanted a more Mediterranean flair it is available.



Atlantic on my left (notice the sand) and Mediterranean on my right (notice the rocks).

There are ferries from Tarifa to Tangier, and we fully intended to take advantage of the chance to step foot on African soil. However, when we reached the ticket window we realized we left our passports in the car (we had to get them out going into and out of Gibraltar) and by the time we made it to the car and back we had missed the last boat. Crap!!




We didn't get to go to Africa, but we could see it; that is Morocco across the water over my left shoulder. On the drive to Tarifa you could not see the African continent due to haze, but on the way back it could be clearly seen. Pretty cool!! OK, we have seen Africa. Next.







Now we are in Ronda in front of the Puente Nuevo spanning the El Tajo gorge; which separates the old town, La Ciudad, on my left and El Mercadillo on my right. Ronda holds the distinction as having one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, and is the place where bullfighting on foot instead of horseback originated.

In the early 1900's cave paintings from the Palaeolithic era were discovered just 5k from Ronda; these paintings are some of the finest ever discovered from the era. Also, it was in the area around Ronda that Julius Caesar battled Pompey during the Punic wars. Basically, Ronda has had an important place in European history for a long time.

Alas, Ronda was our last stop before we had to make our way east along the Costa del Sol to Malaga, the airport and home.

Krakow

We went to Krakow over the President's Day weekend - and we went without Madison. Woohoo! Madison got dropped off in Holland and spent the weekend with Aunt Tracy and the kids. It was definitely nice to have a weekend to ourselves so we were very grateful that Tracy offered to take Madison. While we were in The Netherlands over the holidays we couldn't find any martini glasses so that my dad could make a proper cosmo. So Shelly and I picked up a set of cut crystal martini glasses, and some vodka, to repay The Ballards for their willingness to give us a weekend away.


Here is a shot of the main city cathedral - Saint Mary's Basilica. There is a story about two feuding brothers explaining why the right tower is shorter than the left, and that one brother killed the other then jumped to his own death out of remorse. How this explains one tower being shorter than the other is unclear. The real reason is that the left tower was built as a watchtower while the right was built to support the church bells.

There is a true, or at least somewhat true, story involving the church towers: In the 13th century, legend has it, the town bugler was felled in the middle of his warning call; it is for this reason that to this day the bugle call stops abruptly during the hourly ritual.







Ahh, a warm mocha (we were in Krakow in February after all) at Tribecca just off the town square. We escaped into the coffee shop often to warm up and plan our next stop.







The square, called Rynek Glowny, is one of the largest and nicest we have seen in Europe. Rynek Glowny is ringed with shops and restaurants, and in the center is Cloth Hall; built in the 14th century for cloth merchants (go figure) and today houses a variety of stalls.



In this shot you can see Saint Mary's on the right and on the left is Cloth Hall. This picture doesn't capture it very well, but the city was still decorated in the holiday spirit.

The old town, and the immediate surroundings, were very nice. As we would find out later, some of the other areas of Krakow have not recovered from Communism as quickly.




We took a day-trip to Auschwitz and hired a private tour guide that was recommended by a friend. Going to the camp drove home the horror of the Nazi regime more than any movie or book could. You don't enjoy the tour, you take it in and say "how can people do this?"













Three displays at the camp are particularly shocking: the piles of hair from prisoners that the Nazi sold to make clothes, the piles of confiscated shoes, and the rows of prisoner photos indicating the date of arrival and date of death - many prisoners lived less than 3 days once they reached the camp.







Auschwitz is actually two camps: Auschwitz and the sister camp Birkenau. There isn't much left of Birkenau, however the great size of the camp gives the visitor the realization of the scope of the Nazi's crime.

This photo captures about 1/4 of the camp; it is massive. If for some reason you don't know about Auschwitz-Birkenau, visit the link above for a brief history lesson.






Here I am back in Krakow in front the the Schindler factory. I mentioned before how some areas outside the old town were still struggling to shake off the gloom of Communism; the Schindler factory is in just such an area. This part of town felt a bit scary; I don't know that we had reason to be ill at ease but we were. Once we found our way to the factory a security guard let us and three Japanese tourists in for a short tour.











This is how Communists think you should catch a train: in complete darkness, on a crumbling platform with no route map or schedule indicating when, or if, a train will stop. Nice. We came up to the platform once and were convinced that this stop was no longer in use, and of course as soon as we were a couple hundred yards away a train came. We returned, not wanting to repeat our long walk to this area of town, and after 20 minutes a train passed and actually stopped. Woohoo, civilization - sort of.

Holidays 2006

Trying to get caught up...Thanksgiving:

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Shelly, Madison and I went up to my sister's place and spent the weekend visiting the Christmas markets in Valkenburg and Aachen. We also did a bit of eating, just a bit, and watched Florida beat Florida State - again.


Here are Madison and I taking a load off in Valkenburg, stopping for a cafe (for Shelly and I) and Madison's lunch.

The markets in Valkenburg are held in caves that have been used throughout the years by the locals to take shelter from invading forces; and also by U.S. soldiers during WWII. The markets are more flea market than many of the other Christmas markets, but the writings and drawings left on the cave walls make for an interesting tour.

I thought I had more pictures from the market in Aachen and the incredible feast that Tracy made, but I guess not. I guess you will just have to check out Tracy's blog.

Christmas...
My parents came over for Christmas and New Years. It was great that they made the trip over, and pretty cool that the family could get together in Europe for the holidays.



Here my mom and dad get their gluehwein fix at the Frankfurt Christmas market; gluehwein is mulled wine and tastes best in the cold at a Christmas market. It was pretty cold in Frankfurt this night so the gluehwein really hit the spot.







This was the third Christmas season we have been in Germany, and this was the first time we have made it to the market in Frankfurt - all of 20 miles away. We were pleasantly surprised and found the Frankfurt market to be one of the best we have visited. This was our last holiday season in Germany so we tried to hit a few local markets that we had not visited in the past.

My parents and I did a couple of road trips before we all headed to The Netherlands on the morning of Christmas Eve.




A Christmas Eve ritual - the reading of The Night Before Christmas. Madison had a private reading earlier in the night before she headed off for bed.



The kids were soon sent off to bed and the adults broke out the egg nog (with bourbon, of course) and finished preparing the house for the arrival of Santa Claus.











Madison of course cleaned up, not that she was interested in more than the wrapping paper.








The Ballards and the Germany McAvoys (that would be Shelly and I) got together and put together a picture collage for my parents.

We left the middle spot in the frame blank to fill with a family portrait...







...and here we all are: Mom and Dad McAvoy in back, me, Shelly, Madison, Sean, Chris, Maryn, Tracy, and Will sitting on the floor.

We took this shot at least a dozen times trying to get Madison and Maryn looking at the camera and not fussing; this was the best we could do.

You've got the right place

Hi, there!! You have the right blog. Things look different but it is still us - Ed, Shelly and Madison. Blogger has upgraded and they are slowly assimilating those of us with older accounts. After I completed our Belgium post I decided to go ahead with the upgrade; which meant I needed to go through the template selection again. I had customized our previous template and I didn't feel like going through and making all the changes again so I picked out a new style. It was time for a change anyway, and I kind of like the new look. I hope you like it too.

--Ed

Belgium

Continuing to get caught up... Way back in October for the long Columbus Day weekend we made a road-trip over to Belgium. We were still a bit hesitant to fly with Madison so we opted for an excursion in the car, and we hadn't been to Belgium yet so what the heck. Our first day we drove into Brussels - the capital of Belgium and administrative center for the EU. We found Brussels to be a nice city, clean with a very pretty square and an ample supply of pubs and good restaurants. All in all, nice but not really remarkable - except for the chocolate and beer.

The next day we packed up again and headed to Brugge; which I knew nothing about but that Shelly had heard was a neat city.

Indeed, we found Brugge to be a pretty neat place. The city has a small series of canals that are reminiscent of Amsterdam, while also maintaining a quiet old Europe feel. Come to find out, Brugge is known for their chocolate and beer, and we found them much to our liking.

In this picture Shelly is standing in the main square; just off the square we found a cafe where we could duck out of the cold to rest and feed Madison, and continue sampling the local brew.

We also found a small chocolate shop that had the best truffles ever, and I mean ever. The chocolate at this shop was the most expensive ever too; I thought we were buying gold when I saw the price per pound. We had planned to stay the night in Brugge but we couldn't find reasonably priced rooms so we called my sister who welcomed us to stop over at their place on the way home. So, of course, we had to buy my sister a few of the golden truffles. There was nothing in it for us of course. Riiight.






Here is a shot of the main canal in the city. This is the same picture you might see when Brugge is referenced; not surprising since there were a fair amount of people lined up taking this same shot.






Finally, what you have all been wanting - a picture of me. No?!? Well then, Madison perhaps?

We are back in the main city square now and getting towards the end of the day. From here we searched around a bit for a grocery and loaded up on beer - some for Chris, some for Marcus (the guy that runs the kennel where the dogs stay) and some for us. After loading up we made our way back to the car, where I somehow found space among all our (Madison's) stuff for the two cases of beer, and headed to my sisters place in The Netherlands.

Steph and Wade's European Adventure

Everyone can relax, we're still alive. As evidence I am posting (finally) pictures from Steph and Wade's European Adventure. S&W came over at the end of September. We spent a couple days in Hanau and then headed out on a road trip to Munich and northern Italy.
















Here are Shelly and Steph at the Heidelberg castle. Our weather during the first couple of days wasn't very good - light rain and foggy.

















Again, Steph and Shelly as they enjoy a Radler after we ducked into the Beer Bretzel to get out of the increasing rain. After the first two days the weather got MUCH better; I don't think we had a cloud the rest of the trip. Notice the Stephie-sized beer :) It was early in the trip; later Stephie would super size. Shelly has obviously been in Germany for a while.






Here's Stephanie standing by the brass monkey at the old bridge in Heidelberg. Rubbing the mirror brings luck or money or both; you would think I would remember since we've been there a dozen times. Oh well, all you really need to know is that Steph and Wade rubbed the mirror so if you need some cash give them a call.

We took other day-trips to Rudesheim, where we all discovered New Wine - a first press wine, sort of like a bubbly wine with mild alcohol content, and Rothenberg ADT before we left for Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest 2006

Our first stop on the trip was in Munich for Oktoberfest. We pretty much skipped the sites - well, the sites in Munich anyway - and went straight to the beer tents.


This is one of many beer wagons we saw; I think we need at least a dozen of these along University Avenue on Florida football gamedays. This was actually pretty cool, no metal kegs, the beer is brought in real wooden kegs on horse-drawn wagons. Every tent/beer vendor had wagons coming and going (at an increasing rate as the day turned to night). It was neat to see for sure.



We tried to get reservations - as a side note we actually did, but the notice came to our physical address and we only open the mailbox at our house maybe once a month and since we never "received" the reservation, we didn't call to confirm.


Anyway, since we were there early in the day (we're parents now and even though we exposed Madison to Oktoberfest we did go early; we're not complete lowlifes) we didn't have any trouble finding tables. The only issue really is that most of the tables are reserved in the evening so it is likely that if you're at a table during the day you're going to have to move along around 5 PM when the reservations kick in.
We checked out a few tents, the Hippodrom (this is where we had the unconfirmed reservations), Hofbrauhaus, Augustiner and Lowenbrau. All the tents are cool, and they all redifine 'tent', but we spent the majority of our time at Lowenbrau where most of their tables are not reserved during the day.

You can see here that Madison and Shelly are ready for a beer as we check out the scene around the Lowenbrau tent.





Here's the inside of the Lowenbrau tent. All the tents are essentially the same - lots of tables, a band and stuff hanging from the roof. The only difference is the brand of beer served, the location of the band and the colors inside. As I said before we were there early, and left around 5 PM so we didn't see Oktoberfest at its full strength, but I guess they get pretty rowdy later in the evening. While we were there, the scene was fairly tame; the coolest part was when after a certain song, sung about every 20 minutes, a member of the band chugged his liter of beer. In this shot you can see the crowd toasting the soon to be chugging memeber of the band standing on the edge of the podium.



Speaking of chugging, check out Stephie getting ready to pound a liter of beer; I'm sure Wade is only helping to lift the beer not drink it. The other two at the table are Kristen and Kasey, friends of Steph and Wade that just happened to be in Germany during O'fest. Imagine that.

This crew stayed around for a few hours after Shelly, Madison and I headed back to the hotel. Word has it that the place got pretty lively (lots of prosting, standing on tables and singing) as day turned to night. You'll have to check out Steph and Wade's blog for any evidence, that is if they ever update it. Maybe next year Shelly and I can make a second trip before we make the big move home. Anyone up for baby sitting in late September of 2007?