Travel Tips & Local Secrets for U.S. Military Stationed In and Around Germany
Explore Europe
Claim This Podcastby Michelle Purse & John Sweeney
5.0(11 reviews)
16 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Travel Tips & Local Secrets for U.S. Military Stationed In and Around Germany
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Publishing Since
6/5/2018
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Recent Episodes
December 7, 2018
[016] Christmas Markets
Explore Europe Christmas Markets Podcast Episode Show Notes <p>Here are the show notes for this episode of Explore Europe brought to you by <a href='/exploreeurope/episode/update/id/usedcarguys.net'>Used Car Guys</a>.</p> <p>Is there anything better than living in Europe and especially Germany at this time of year. Nothing says Christmas quite like the traditional Weihnachtsmarkt that you will find in every big city, small town and even the tiny villages.</p> <p>We’ve recommended our favourite Christmas markets throughout this episode, but I’ll bet once you have visited a few, you will have your own. Everyone is unique and each one is worth a visit.</p> Here are the links from our Explore Europe Christmas Markets episode: <p><a href='https://www.kaiserslautern.de/miadi/view.php?event=104267-359109'>Kaiserslautern Christmas Market</a></p> <p><a href='https://www.rheingalerie-ludwigshafen.de'>The Rhein Galerie Ludwigshafen</a></p> <p><a href='https://www.mannheim.de/de/kultur-erleben/veranstaltungsorte/weihnachtsmaerkte'>Mannheim Christmas Markets</a></p> <p><a href='https://www.heidelberg-marketing.de/en/events/highlights/christmas-market.html'>Heidelberg Christmas Market</a></p> <p><a href='https://www.trierer-weihnachtsmarkt.de/en/'>Trier Christmas Market</a></p> <p><a href='http://www.saarbruecker-christkindl-markt.de/programm'>Saarbrücken Christmas Market</a></p> <p><a href='https://www.mosel-wein-nachts-markt.de'>Traben-Trarbach Christmas Market</a></p> <p><a href='https://noel.strasbourg.eu/en/accueil'>Strasbourg Christmas Market</a></p> <p><a href='https://visit.baden-baden.de/en/events/baden-baden-christmas-market'>Baden-Baden Christmas Market</a></p> <p><a href='https://www.deidesheim.de/de/feste-veranstaltungen/deidesheimer-advent.html'>Deidesheim Christmas Market </a></p> <p> </p> Podcast Conversation Timeline <p>00:01 - Welcome to the Christmas Markets episode of Explore Europe</p> <p>01:14 - John’s tells us about his local Christmas Market - Kaiserslautern</p> <p>2:00 - Where is the Kaiserslautern market?</p> <p>2:35 - Try the highly recommended drink of the markets - Feuerzangenbowle</p> <p>3:43 - Michelle delves into not one, but THREE Christmas Markets in her local area of Mannheim</p> <p>4:34 - John and Michelle are amused with the items that are on sale at the market. A little hint - it’s not quintessentially Christmas</p> <p>7:39 - Getting to Mannheim - Especially, where should you park?</p> <p>09:01 - All the information about the beautiful Heidelberg Christmas market</p> <p>10:01 - What’s the best form of travel to get to Heidelberg?</p> <p>11:22 - John divulges some great tips for smaller, local markets around other areas in Germany</p> <p>12:35 - Trier Christmas Market - all the information you’ll need for a successful visit</p> <p>13:51 - Saarbrücken Christmas Market - including some great tips from John</p> <p>15:09 - You won’t believe the highlight of the Saarbrücken Market! Find out here…</p> <p>15:57 - What currency should you take? Do they accept credit cards at the markets?</p> <p>16:21 - Do they serve german or french food at Saarbrücken Christmas market?</p> <p>17:02 - Michelle tells all about the best Christmas market she has visited - Strasbourg</p> <p>18:38 - John has a fascinating fact about Strasbourg for your next pop quiz</p> <p>19:01 - How do you get to Strasbourg Christmas market?</p> <p>22:09 - If you’re an adventurous explorer, Michelle explains how to visit an array of markets in one day.</p> <p>25:39 - Traben-Trarbach Christmas Market - Weather and dog friendly</p> <p>27:49 - Deidesheim Christmas Market - lots of nooks and crannies in this part!</p> <p>30:55 - John and Michelle’s podcast challenge for you</p> <p>31:18 - The practicalities of visiting the markets - Parking / Is it safe? / Cash vs card / Child-friendly?</p> <p>33:39 - Michelle’s Christmas Market round-up</p> <p>34:20 - Sustainable Travel Tip with Jen Gale</p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next time, Explorers. </p>
November 25, 2018
[015] Dresden
Explore Europe Dresden Podcast Episode Show Notes <p>Here are the show notes for this episode of Explore Europe brought to you by <a href='/exploreeurope/episode/update/id/usedcarguys.net'>Used Car Guys</a>.</p> <p>Dresden is the capital of the German state of Saxony. It's situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the border with the Czech Republic and was part of the former East Germany until reunification in 1990.</p> <p>The city has experienced dramatic changes since the early 1990s. It still bears many wounds from the controversial <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_bombing'>bombing raids</a> of 1945, but it has undergone significant reconstruction and the buildings have been mostly restored to their former glory.</p> <p>Dresden is once again a cultural, educational and political centre of Germany and Europe. </p> Here are the links from our Explore Europe Dresden episode: <p>The Indian restaurant that John raves about: <a href='http://www.littleindia-dresden.de/'>http://www.littleindia-dresden.de/</a></p> <p>The Fish restaurant: <a href='https://kastenmeiers.de/'>https://kastenmeiers.de/</a></p> <p>The Opera: <a href='https://www.semperoper.de'>https://www.semperoper.de</a></p> <p>The famous Frauenkirche: <a href='https://www.frauenkirche-dresden.de/'>https://www.frauenkirche-dresden.de/</a></p> <p><a href='https://www.seg-tour-dresden.de/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAxNnfBRDwARIsAJlH29DVu-axu_Ll2gjdfgRNPQkslqxQgkUf81gAcUhgu0bpqH6bQPKJBZ8aAqp2EALw_wcB'>Segway tours in Dresden</a></p> <p>Walking tours: <a href='http://www.dresden-cultour.de/de/fuehrungen/stadtfuehrungen.html'>http://www.dresden-cultour.de/de/fuehrungen/stadtfuehrungen.html</a></p> <p>The Palace with the lovely gardens: <a href='https://www.grosser-garten-dresden.de/de/startseite/'>https://www.grosser-garten-dresden.de/de/startseite/</a></p> Podcast Conversation Timeline: <p>00:01 - Introduction 1:00 - John gives us a brief overview of Dresden’s history 2:20 -What is the transport like in Dresden? How about getting to and from Dresden, and parking the car? 3:16 - Did John use booking.com for his hotel reservation? Find out here… 3:50 - John gives you more history about Dresden and it’s East Germany past. So, What did John and Ramona do whilst in Dresden? 5:10 - Did John eat the best indian curry he’s ever had in Germany? 5:59 - John tells all about his very sophisticated outing to the Dresden Opera house….and his star spotting experience too! 8:15 - A must see highlight of Dresden - The Frauenkirche 11:01 - Where is John’s Explore Europe favorite hop on and hop off bus in today’s episode? 11:24 - The palaces of Dresden 12:43 - Find out how to get around the city centre?….. Meanwhile, John makes a bold statement about Dresden! 15:23 - Do you have to pre-book tickets for the tourist attractions? 17:04 - John recommends an amazing fish restaurant to visit 17:59 - Michelle goes through the practicalities of travelling to Dresden: Visa to visit?/ Cash vs Card debt/ English speaking?/ Is it safe? 20:23 - Would John recommend Dresden with kids? 21:18 - The walking tour of Dresden 23:10 - The beautiful Christmas Markets - a must see during the holiday season 24:42 - Michelle’s overview of the awesome Dresden 25:23 - The sustainable travel tip with Jen Gale</p> <p>Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next time for another episode of Explore Europe!</p>
November 14, 2018
[014] The Mont Blanc Trail
Explore Europe Mont Blanc Trail Podcast Episode Show Notes <p>Here are the show notes for this episode of Explore Europe brought to you by <a href='/exploreeurope/episode/update/id/usedcarguys.net'>Used Car Guys</a>.</p> <p>The Tour du Mont Blanc is a unique trek of approximately 200km around Mont Blanc that can be completed in between 7 and 10 days passing through Italy, Switzerland and France. It’s one of the most famous and exhilarating treks in Europe. Hikers, climbers and mountaineers will love the authenticity of the overnights offered by mountain refuges and gites along the Tour du Mont Blanc.</p> <p>Our special guest, Kaiserslautern school music teacher Gretchen Lynch, explains that you do not need to be a hardcore mountaineer to do the Mont Blanc Trail. She shares her short version of the trail with us along with all of her tips that will ensure even total beginners to hiking can accomplish this unforgetful bucket-list trek. </p> Here are some detailed notes and links from our Explore Europe Mont Blanc Trail episode: <p>Website about Tour: <a href='http://www.autourdumontblanc.com/en/'>http://www.autourdumontblanc.com/en/</a></p> <p>What to bring - everything fits fine in a 30L backpack from <a href='https://www.decathlon.de'>Decathalon</a>. </p> <ul><li>fold up hiking poles</li> <li>lightweight gloves and hat</li> <li>sleep sack, sleep clothes</li> <li>poncho</li> <li>2 pairs of hiking shorts and shirts</li> <li>long sleeved micofiber shirt</li> <li>light fleece</li> <li>Sunscreen & bugspray</li> <li>toiletries, microfibre towel</li> <li>gallon ziplock bags to keep clothes dry in case it rains</li> <li>YakTrax or crampons if you hike early in the season for the snow crossings</li> <li>ear plugs</li> <li>good hiking shoes</li> <li>flip flops if you don’t want to wear the ones provided (I brought them but they were not necessary!)</li> <li>cell phone and charger, - get one that works in Switzerland</li> <li>hydration bladder or water bottles</li> <li>Pack light - you are carrying everything!</li> </ul> <p>Entire tour takes about 2 weeks. We did half of the tour, but took a bus through the mountain from Chamonix France to Courmayeur Italy to cut our tour to one week. The bus is just 15 Euro per person.</p> <p>We parked near the trail’s end in Chamonix. It was free and so nice to come out right near our car when we finished a week later!</p> <p>We put our kids in camp so we could do this as a couples trip (we went with another couple whose daughter stayed with family friends.) Germany’s sleepaway camps are very affordable compared to the United States. We have been very happy with Camp Adventure which offers one and two week sessions and is a bilingual camp, so everything is in both English and German. <a href='https://www.campadventure.de/en/'>https://www.campadventure.de/en/</a> </p> <p>Each day you hike about 6 hours and then stay in a refuge. Refuges are like hostels, but they are on the hiking route (many high in mountains and must be stocked by donkeys or helicopters!) and almost always provide breakfast and dinner. For about 10 Euros you can also buy a sack lunch for your hike. Price per night ranged from 41 (and that one was our favorite!) to 70 Euros per person. </p> <p>We hiked through three countries - starting in Italy, then Switzerland, and finished in France. The main language on the train was French, even in Italy. We didn’t hear German at all! The refuges all had English speaking staff and most of the hikers also spoke English.</p> <p>Other than lodging, our only costs on the trip were gas (we filled in Germany near the border and didn’t have to refuel til we got back home), the 15 Euro bus ticket, lunches (either 10 sack lunches from the refuges or purchased from grocery stores along the route), coffees along the route, and wine/ beer at the refuges. Beer was pricey compared to Europe - about 7 Euros for a half litre, 4 for .33 litre. House wine was about 8-12 for a half litre carafe to share at dinner.</p> <p>Make sure you take out both Francs (get at an ATM on the drive down) and Euros and have enough cash to pay for both your lodging - they almost always only take cash - and your lunches/ snacks/ drinks. You can pay in Euros in Switzerland but you will get a bad exchange rate - like Euro for Dollar.</p> <p>BOOK YOUR TRIP IN ADVANCE. We made the mistake of waiting too long and some of the refuges were full, therefore instead of having nice even 6 hour hiking days, we had one day that was 2 hours and one day that was 10! Dinner is generally served starting at 6:30 or 7pm, so you need to be at your refuge prior to that. Breakfast is normally at 7am.</p> <p>Check out the <a href='http://www.autourdumontblanc.com/en/'>website</a> and see if there is damage to the trails. If so you will have to amend your route.</p> <p>THE VIEWS ARE GORGEOUS. Just GORGEOUS. The entire way. </p> <p>You will never really be high enough up to get Altitude sickness. But you have views of higher mountains since you climb a loop around the Mont Blanc range.</p> <p>Our favorite refuge was Gite Le Moulin in Argentiere. The owner cooked the most AMAZING French cuisine. All the food we had on the trip was good, and specific to the country we were in. Pasta in Italy, baked Swiss cheese in Switzerland etc. I believe all of the refuges could cater to Vegetarians/ Gluten Free etc. if contacted in advance.</p> <p>It IS important to be in pretty good shape for the trip. You don’t have to be an amazing athlete, but definitely have good cardiovascular fitness. If you aren’t regularly exercising you might want to spend the three months before the trip doing some uphill treadmill walking or find some good trails in the area and use them. </p> <p>For the most part the trail isn’t dangerous, but there were a few snow crossings, stream crossings, and a couple places with steep drop offs. All of the drop offs had wire ropes to hold on to. There was a trail at the end with a long section of ladders and cables. I’m afraid of heights and found this scary, but it is possible to avoid that section by taking an alternate route.</p> <p>Best time of year to hike is July, August, or September. We did the last week of June which was still early and much of the snow wasn’t melted. You can’t really do any earlier than that. Early October would likely be chilly but still okay.</p> <p> </p> Podcast Conversation Timeline: <p>00:01 - Introduction to our wonderful episode on the Mont Blanc trail</p> <p>1:22 - What brings Gretchen to Germany?</p> <p>2:18 - How did Gretchen meet her Husband?</p> <p>03:54 - Where are we exploring today and why should we do it?</p> <p>05:23 - How dangerous is it to climb Mont Blanc?</p> <p>06:20 - Can you take the family to Mont Blanc?</p> <p>08:15 - Details of Day 1 of Gretchen’s Mont Blanc adventure</p> <p>10:42 - Day 1: Accommodation and tips on booking accomodation at different times of year</p> <p>12:32 - Food at the hostels and accomodation - what to expect</p> <p>13:15 - Were there any language barriers? How did Gretchen cope with so many different European languages?</p> <p>14:12 - Booking accommodation in Mont Blanc</p> <p>14:41 - How fast do you need to walk the trail?</p> <p>15:55 - Michelle is so happy with the idea of a packet lunch provided by your accommodation. Gretchen tells us more details</p> <p>16:57 - What do you need to take with you?</p> <p>18:50 - Information about the villages, trail incline and time taken to climb</p> <p>20:01 - Michelle delves into more detail about Gretchen’s favourite spot along the tour</p> <p>20:56 - Gretchen tells all about the ladder climbing</p> <p>24:14 - Is Gretchen brave enough to take the ladder route if she had to do it again?</p> <p>24:55 - What are the dangers of the hike?</p> <p>26:35 - Anything else to consider when planning a trip to Mont Blanc, Gretchen?</p> <p>31:03 - Are you able to keep in contact with your hiking buddies whilst on the trail via cell phones etc?</p> <p>32:24 - What did the final day have in store for Gretchen and Co?</p> <p>33:19 - Mont Blanc Cable Car from Chamonix</p> <p>33:35 - What currency should you carry and should it all be in cash?</p> <p>33:10 - Did you have to pre-order your meals when you arrived at the accommodation?</p> <p>35:28 - How about dietary requirements?</p> <p>36:36 - How much does a 5 night trip cost?</p> <p>38:35 - Would Gretchen recommend this trip for everyone?</p> <p>40:13 - Is the trail signposted or do you need to a great map-reader?</p> <p>42:39 - Michelle’s ‘Mont Blanc Trail’ overview</p> <p>43:17 - The sustainable travel tip with Jen Gayle</p> <p> </p> <p>A Massive Thank You For Listening!</p> <p>I am already planning to replicate Gretchen's Mont Blanc Trail trek next year - I love the way she makes it feel less intimidating! Would you try it? We would love to hear all about your trip and any tips you have for fellow explorers. Leave a comment below or tweet us at @explore_europe and use the hashtag #ExploreEurope</p> <p> </p> <p>Please leave a comment/subscribe/tell a friend</p> <p> </p> <p><a href='https://patron.podbean.com/ExploreEurope'></a></p>
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