tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317885152024-03-07T07:13:50.912+01:00LIFE IN KURTISTANREPORTS FROM WHEREVER KURT MAY BEKurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-22964366800971528312010-11-21T22:30:00.000+01:002010-11-21T22:30:10.921+01:00A new site!There are some changes afoot in the online world of Kurt!<br />
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I've created a new site which will be the focus of the majority of my web publishing. Don't worry though, it's got an address that I'm sure all of you will be able to remember: <a href="http://kurtmuehmel.com/">kurtmuehmel.com</a>.<br />
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Why a new site? I found that the purposes of this site and <a href="http://eandus.com/">eandus.com</a> were starting to get a bit mixed. Eandus was supposed to focus only on energy issues, which I now find too limited. On the other hand, this site was supposed to collect other interesting thoughts as well as provide more personal updates to family and close friends.<br />
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The new organisation will be as follows:<br />
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<ul><li><a href="http://kurtmuehmel.com/">kurtmuehmel.com</a>: Environment, energy, economics, politics, etc</li>
<li><a href="http://kmuehmel.blogspot.com/">kmuehmel.blogspot.com</a>: Personal updates, funny things</li>
</ul><div>Furthermore, to allow me to comfortably post more personal information, <b>this site will no longer be publicly accessible</b>. If you'd like to continue to have access to this site, just <b>send me an email</b>. If you don't have my email address but you think I have interesting thoughts on various subjects, it's best to direct your attention to <a href="http://kurtmuehmel.com/">kurtmuehmel.com</a>. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I plan to make the change around the New Year. Let me know if you have any questions!</div>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-3486027973978278462010-09-04T19:09:00.000+02:002010-09-04T19:09:03.406+02:00Greetings from Berlin!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_HG0_7TJ1pP525c55ESKNldq4IcnH_NoJ1CuKPL6Uv0xhg44sRMo6CdEPRcr0_qa340zEFD8TpNV6RV0v1ftUBQz9NDRu4TTrCtPcFJJJh2QdsxlHdo35OxpC4XJ6zvcDALeZg/s1600/DSC_0728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_HG0_7TJ1pP525c55ESKNldq4IcnH_NoJ1CuKPL6Uv0xhg44sRMo6CdEPRcr0_qa340zEFD8TpNV6RV0v1ftUBQz9NDRu4TTrCtPcFJJJh2QdsxlHdo35OxpC4XJ6zvcDALeZg/s400/DSC_0728.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Currywurst at Checkpoint Charlie, 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0Checkpoint Charlie, Friedrichstraße 44, 10969 Berlin, Deutschland52.5074496 13.390438252.4943891 13.361255700000001 52.5205101 13.4196207tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-22630182848851210932010-07-25T16:18:00.000+02:002010-07-25T16:18:47.459+02:00Apartment sought, apartment foundFollowing about six weeks of searching and four visits, we've found a new apartment! It's the first time that we've gone through this process and from what everyone tells us, we got off easy. That said, the quantity of documentation required to rent an apartment in France is worthy of its own post (to be written shortly).<br />
<br />
The new apartment is about 50% bigger than our current place, is in a better situated neighborhood and, most importantly, has a balcony along its entire length. The entire process went extremely quickly, with Esther calling in response to an ad on Thursday morning, her visiting Thursday afternoon, me visiting Thursday evening, the owner choosing our <i>dossier </i>on Friday afternoon, and us signing for it on Monday evening.<br />
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It's entirely empty (except some cabinets in the kitchen and the bathroom) so we're very quickly going to be in full furnishing mode, doing our best to avoid IKEA and to bring some character into the house. Given that it's a typical 1980's construction, "charming" doesn't come to mind when viewing the building from the outside, but it's well laid out inside and has wonderful views on the Haussmannian buildings across the wide, tree-lined boulevard. We will have plenty of space inside to organize it intelligently, it's just going to take some time to fill it all in.<br />
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Naturally, pictures will follow as soon as I have the chance to take some!Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-24163390562779067832010-07-14T22:13:00.001+02:002010-07-14T22:13:42.497+02:00Hiking in the VosgesA little behind on this one, but better late than never. In mid-May, Esther and I took a long weekend to go hiking in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vosges_Mountains">Vosges Mountains</a> in eastern France, near the border with Germany. It's a beautiful part of the world, though not always known for its beautiful weather, an aspect that we got to experience first hand. Despite getting lost in the fog on one of the days, it was a great few days hiking around and experiencing the local culture (an enjoyable mix of French and German).<br />
<br />
Here is a brief collection of photos:<br />
<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="background: url(http://picasaweb.google.fr/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left; height: 194px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/kmuehmel/HikingInTheVosges?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TD4YoviyMJE/AAAAAAAAdPs/JX79NKMl8e4/s160-c/HikingInTheVosges.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0 0 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/kmuehmel/HikingInTheVosges?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Hiking in the Vosges</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-16190587098183566842010-06-23T09:49:00.000+02:002010-06-23T09:49:26.241+02:00How bad is BP's disaster in the Gulf?Having a hard time imagining the scale of BP's disaster in the Gulf? Nothing like a few images to give you a better sense.<br />
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Here's the spill superimposed over Paris (and reaching from Le Mans to Belgium):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s5hSZE4u1hFY_h8ZVx_FazOb_OOwb0zvnX0uZKrYNwilc4Ro6Dbm2iY910BV4ATdOgbJq8CyCIIUU8OKW5WaY20VFM7Yp8Ri8hBKrSWAKKkyeiMoZKqfbt8yvncpwf5mHBOUEg/s1600/Paris+oil+spill.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s5hSZE4u1hFY_h8ZVx_FazOb_OOwb0zvnX0uZKrYNwilc4Ro6Dbm2iY910BV4ATdOgbJq8CyCIIUU8OKW5WaY20VFM7Yp8Ri8hBKrSWAKKkyeiMoZKqfbt8yvncpwf5mHBOUEg/s640/Paris+oil+spill.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here's the spill over Rochester, MI, reaching from Illinois to Toronto:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3yuy7ubJI91cRr29-EJ5wsg1bAKfT66aYv6Y09x3YIOSZ7m8TkPkVdM-RXjK-2UbIe34Q9wvaDtTPwT_GfZzxDVbflk2HN7-GIllAIoBCJPZClBHiaMPRB4tQEf5ibLFB_MDUg/s1600/Rochester+oil+spill.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3yuy7ubJI91cRr29-EJ5wsg1bAKfT66aYv6Y09x3YIOSZ7m8TkPkVdM-RXjK-2UbIe34Q9wvaDtTPwT_GfZzxDVbflk2HN7-GIllAIoBCJPZClBHiaMPRB4tQEf5ibLFB_MDUg/s640/Rochester+oil+spill.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Beyond words, really. Have a try for yourself at <a href="http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/">http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/</a>.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-1796566605669323262010-06-22T00:17:00.000+02:002010-06-22T00:17:12.992+02:00Le MansI had the opportunity to take in the spectacle that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans again this year. Unlike last year, I was able to stay throughout the entire weekend.<br />
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The noise, the scale, the drunken Europeans, it was everything that it could possibly be. As usual, the pictures tell the story the best. Of the nearly 600 photos that I took, the most illustrative 115 are in the album below.<br />
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Here are a few samples:<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/lh/photo/TG0CS0T75qTn1EPTSZWS5A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TB_Ww1DsBWI/AAAAAAAAcww/5I6svAKeJkA/s800/Le%20Mans%202010%20%2824%20of%20115%29.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/lh/photo/x5oIeTvi3VyV1UZyJ7er8A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TB_XUd0H6DI/AAAAAAAAcyY/acrRqEWTycI/s800/Le%20Mans%202010%20%2831%20of%20115%29.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/lh/photo/wHyJfgjPt2kHELOaaDEQVQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TB_ZcYG52FI/AAAAAAAAc3c/eHe3MyQ9FSg/s800/Le%20Mans%202010%20%2853%20of%20115%29.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/lh/photo/eteHSlxHSN8zHZoAbsjbIw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TB_bEaGtGhI/AAAAAAAAc9A/w6iWMOMjMzU/s800/Le%20Mans%202010%20%2877%20of%20115%29.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/lh/photo/r7xdxIgJQjtk1DG8FLS9ZA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TB_buiBJ4JI/AAAAAAAAc_M/gK5wYeGhDok/s800/Le%20Mans%202010%20%2887%20of%20115%29.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/lh/photo/l0TwmudBPTqlDJT5XqQwkg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TB_dRVq7M8I/AAAAAAAAdEQ/GT-_XOjCJFE/s800/Le%20Mans%202010%20%28109%20of%20115%29.jpg" /></a><br />
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<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="background: url(http://picasaweb.google.fr/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left; height: 194px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/kmuehmel/LeMans2010?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/TB_Ux_8pJtE/AAAAAAAAdGQ/p7Ka9E1hoPM/s160-c/LeMans2010.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0 0 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.fr/kmuehmel/LeMans2010?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Le Mans 2010</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-3381281436018576672010-03-01T15:47:00.002+01:002010-03-01T15:48:41.279+01:00Economists: Stay away from my car!I'm reading an article by an economist about how consumers incorporate fuel economy into their vehicle purchasing decisions. I was first skeptical when I read this:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"a. Model<br /><br />Automobiles are purchased for the travel services they provide."</blockquote>Really, is that all? What about style, image, fun?<br /><br />Then I read this:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Performance is measured by turning circle..."</blockquote>That was it. Her one measure for "performance" was turning circle. Wow. It's no wonder that real-world buying decisions haven't been exactly what (most) economists have predicted.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-36968756444797000952010-02-07T18:45:00.000+01:002010-02-07T18:45:16.473+01:00A New Job! (February 2010 Edition)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsDmvOFlrkebJzA3hUcONnNH5T91JERpvXmcJi5m4sKkkDoCx7kgGXcjilScKNOGTmkXPYRNV6tW7bkGICr8E8_7jam1TTtzo-JOYYSuuk6mp8ZHupgpwUOmh6wQA6UTom4QMaA/s1600-h/biois-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsDmvOFlrkebJzA3hUcONnNH5T91JERpvXmcJi5m4sKkkDoCx7kgGXcjilScKNOGTmkXPYRNV6tW7bkGICr8E8_7jam1TTtzo-JOYYSuuk6mp8ZHupgpwUOmh6wQA6UTom4QMaA/s200/biois-logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>I'm very hopeful that this is the last time that I'll be posting that title for a <i>long </i>time. After about 8 months, my time with UNESCO has come to an end and I'll be starting a new position tomorrow as an environmental consultant at<a href="http://en.biois.com/"> BIO Intelligence Service</a>. Very briefly, BIO helps public and private sector clients make well-informed decisions about new products, services and policies by analyzing the relevant, environmental factors. As a consultant with them, I'll be doing research, writing reports, and generally geeking out on all things environment. Needless to say, I'm excited.<br />
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In all, my time with UNESCO was a very positive experience, though it certainly had its ups and downs. The United Nations System certainly needs competent, motivated (and young) people to fill its ranks, but there are a lot of barriers which prevent it from being an attractive option. That would be too much to get into now, but suffice it to say that I take my current professional transition as a positive career step.<br />
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Time to choose my socks for the big first day tomorrow...Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-87936925645720230662010-01-16T18:12:00.000+01:002010-01-16T18:12:55.415+01:00DisturbingFor over a month, this poster has been plastered all over the Paris metro:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1Ckz61CHmx8NhPZr0N-cl5-ATvmQ2yaW41KKGuuRvK0BL2hkAzWS5s0jtKpflHrYcihKhyphenhyphenPQLKdLxeBZWItmNBscgg2rivak7gHooPlpGJesUfG_qmanqyZJXUs5z6da08jLUQ/s1600-h/25122009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1Ckz61CHmx8NhPZr0N-cl5-ATvmQ2yaW41KKGuuRvK0BL2hkAzWS5s0jtKpflHrYcihKhyphenhyphenPQLKdLxeBZWItmNBscgg2rivak7gHooPlpGJesUfG_qmanqyZJXUs5z6da08jLUQ/s640/25122009.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div>Needless to say, it was pretty unsettling to see that every morning, especially when the review blurb on the right-hand poster reads "We love to hate Esther." Hey, that's my wife you're talking about!<br />
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Thankfully, they're now all but gone, only a few stragglers remain, waiting to be covered by a poster for Alvin & the Chipmunks 2.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-68028387702294372722010-01-10T14:55:00.000+01:002010-01-10T14:55:04.572+01:00Catching UpThe bad news is that it's been a few months since I last posted anything here. The good news is that ti's been a pretty busy period meaning that I've taken plenty of photos. Let's do this chronologically:<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Thanksgiving in Michigan</b><br />
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<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/ThanksgivingInMichigan2009?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/S0nNvGLqLUE/AAAAAAAAbo0/Z2YWSmAUqDg/s160-c/ThanksgivingInMichigan2009.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/ThanksgivingInMichigan2009?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Thanksgiving in Michigan 2009</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Esther and I went back to Michigan for Thanksgiving and enjoyed not only ten (more or less) relaxing days but also several gustatory delights including Thanksgiving dinner (of course) as well as <a href="http://www.lazybonessmokehouse.net/">Lazybones Smokehouse BBQ</a>. Hands-down, the best BBQ I've ever had. It's enough to turn a vegetarian.<br />
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<b>Christmas in Paris</b><br />
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<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/ChistmasBreakfast2009?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/S0eDkvEvGbE/AAAAAAAAbX0/-Qh_n90Q1Tk/s160-c/ChistmasBreakfast2009.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/ChistmasBreakfast2009?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Chistmas Breakfast 2009</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/NormandyDecember2009?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/S0nJpyriWOE/AAAAAAAAbds/Q39BqFToP0I/s160-c/NormandyDecember2009.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/NormandyDecember2009?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Normandy - December 2009</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It was a quiet Christmas in Paris this year. Esther and I enjoyed a delicious brunch at our house (first album) before heading out to Normandy for a few nights. In the larger town (Deauville) near the village (Villerville), there was something of an inexplicable parade. It had to do with the 150th anniversary of Deauville, but I have no idea why there was a guy riding a giant carousel horse. It made for interesting pictures though.<br />
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<b>Day Trip to Strasbourg</b><br />
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<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/TravelsStrasbourg2009?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SzupOfjZyaE/AAAAAAAAa20/nnuwLAHdmkw/s160-c/TravelsStrasbourg2009.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/TravelsStrasbourg2009?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Travels - Strasbourg 2009</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
While I had the week between Christmas and New Year's off from work, Esther did not so I had to keep myself busy. One way of doing so was to enjoy two of my favorite things about France, the high-speed trains and the diverse regional cultures. I booked a round trip ticket to Strasbourg (on the border with Germany) leaving early in the morning and returning late in the evening. The two-hour train ride was blissfully uneventful and much quicker than the four-hour drive (and with my young person's reduction card, a wash in terms of cost). I really enjoyed the city and the photos are all fully captioned, telling the whole story.<br />
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<b>Into 2010</b><br />
The new year has started without much change though it has been the occassion to think about my mid-term plans. As those develop, certain aspects will certainly be shared here. I'll do my best to keep this updated more often and wish everyone a very Happy New Year.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-45870047333043167162009-09-12T21:50:00.000+02:002009-09-12T21:50:48.638+02:00Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u26/old%20couple-743330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u26/old%20couple-743330.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>I got old, and I noticed the moment when it happened. It's when, all of a sudden, there is a practice which is common among the youth of the day, that you find <b>completely incomprehensible</b>.<br />
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Here's what happened:<br />
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Reading a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html">NY Times</a> article a few weeks ago about teens and Twitter (by the way, do you all know that <a href="http://twitter.com/kmuehmel">I tweet</a>?), they mentioned the case of Kristen Nagy, 18, to illustrate the case of a teen who sends a lot of text messages, but doesn't use Twitter. How much does she text? Let me tell you. She sends <u><b>500 text messages per day</b></u>!<br />
<br />
What???<br />
<br />
500 texts per day? Over the 16 waking-hours of a day, that's a little more than one text every two minutes. For 16-hours straight! If it takes you 15 seconds to send one text, that's more than two hours spent sending 15-second text messages, not including the time it takes to read the messages you receive.<br />
<br />
Trying to understand this, I compared this to my experience. Esther and I have unlimited texting included in our plans to go along with our text-friendly phones. Sometimes, when we get really crazy, we might send 15 texts per day. But 500? That's simply incomprehensible. I can't even imagine why someone would ever want to do that. It's stupid. It doesn't make sense. It makes me a little mad. I just don't understand.<br />
<br />
And that's it, now I'm old. Kids are doing something and I, despite all my blogs, Twitter feeds, RSS subscriptions and social networks, simply can't wrap my head around it. Does not compute.<br />
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I think it's only going to get worse from here.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-15522077857612651432009-08-14T19:24:00.000+02:002009-08-14T19:24:55.539+02:00Ravenchase, in the NYT!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ravenchase.com/images/events/revenge-raven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ravenchase.com/images/events/revenge-raven.jpg" /></a></div>The company that I used to work for, Ravenchase Adventures, just had an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/business/global/15spot.html?_r=1&ref=global">article published about them in the New York Times</a>. It focuses on the trouble that such a company would have in this economic climate, but has an overall positive tone. I have a certain, extra measure of pride in this because, before I left the company, I was put in touch with the reporter who I in turn put in touch with the company president. It's like I'm almost famous!<br />
<br />
My shallow pride aside, it's a really great company and I hope that this brings them some more well-deserved attention!Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-55638387770110102572009-08-10T22:29:00.000+02:002009-08-10T22:29:25.817+02:00Promoting Corporate ExcellenceVia <a href="http://www.kottke.org/09/08/how-to-build-a-long-lived-culture-of-excellence">kottke</a>, I came across a stack of slides from Netflix on developing a corporate culture, embedded below. <br />
<br />
Some highlights:<br />
<ul><li>Slides 24-29 on building a strong team. </li>
<li>Slide 33, on the difference between efforts and results.</li>
<li>Slides 41-55 on the relationship between employee freedom, business complexity and the percentage of high performance employees in a company.</li>
<li>Slides 76-84 on the responsibility of managers to create a context where high performance employees can thrive.</li>
</ul>And many others on compensation, an innovative vacation policy, etc... I encourage you to look through them all. In short, I'm impressed. It strikes me as the sort of environment where high performance individuals will thrive in a cohesive and coherent way, leading to great results.<br />
<br />
What frustrates me, though, is the outcome of all this incredible performance. After all this work, all this effort, how is the world different? Someone in Minnesota gets a DVD one day earlier than they would have otherwise. While the global energy challenge remains unresolved, while one billion people get by on less than $1 per day, etc...<br />
<br />
The real challenge going forward is building a system wherein this level of performance can be sustained while providing benefit where it's most needed. I understand that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Bank">Grameen Bank</a> has had some success in this respect, but I want to see more.<br />
<br />
Of course, I have nothing against Netflix, I wish them nothing but continued success. They're providing the world with an excellent organizational model, let alone a lovely DVD rental service.<br />
<br />
Enjoy the slides!<br />
<div id="__ss_1798664" style="text-align: left; width: 425px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664" style="display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0pt 3px; text-decoration: underline;" title="Culture">Culture</a><object height="355" style="margin: 0px;" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=culture9-090801103430-phpapp02&stripped_title=culture-1798664" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=culture9-090801103430-phpapp02&stripped_title=culture-1798664" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br />
<div style="font-family: tahoma,arial; font-size: 11px; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" style="text-decoration: underline;">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001" style="text-decoration: underline;">reed2001</a>.</div></div>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-91323973213428193882009-08-05T23:58:00.000+02:002009-08-05T23:58:49.121+02:00To Versailles, FinallyThanks to college friend Adam coming to explore Paris, I finally had an excuse to go see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles">Versailles</a>. Esther and I were thinking about going when I first visited her in 2005, but I had already seen another <i>château </i>and was getting frustrated with the ridiculous displays of wealth.<br />
<br />
My impression after having seen the palace and its grounds is that I made a good choice in 2005. It is a pretty incredible on the part of Louis XIV to have responded to social unrest due to the injustices and excesses of his government to build an even bigger, less sustainable palace outside of palace. The guy had already been living at the Louvre, how much more can you want?<br />
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Apparently much more. Here's some photographic evidence:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UjIOpI4XQfc-zhY9U8L91w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/Snn-DalYRpI/AAAAAAAAZws/qCC5fLxY-x4/s800/Versailles-14.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kjE37hk_EB6UfgWe2qowNQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/Snn-S0KDWBI/AAAAAAAAZyo/FirMJnwjPFs/s800/Versailles-24.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uDt1jhaXXCvTWUK9bZqZww?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/Snn-VkHJ4YI/AAAAAAAAZzM/ds8jHwT0Rm8/s800/Versailles-27.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YsbEK0mEYp_6pEToO2sr8A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/Snn-ZD8BVuI/AAAAAAAAZzk/dx19xs6j5_s/s800/Versailles-29.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
It was, understandably, extremely luxurious, but it left me wondering what the ultra-wealthy are doing these days. There, at Versailles, the floors creaked, there was no impressive technology on display, it was all very <i>traditional</i>. What are the moderns doing with their disposable income? <br />
<br />
More than anything, it made me want to go to Las Vegas to see what that example of excess and unsustainability looks and feels like.<br />
<br />
Here's the full album:<br />
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/VersaillesWithAdam?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/Snn9hEM-ihE/AAAAAAAAZ0Y/S6ErtoDM_VM/s160-c/VersaillesWithAdam.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/VersaillesWithAdam?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Versailles with Adam</a></td></tr></table>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-1829721938075027922009-07-23T14:42:00.000+02:002009-07-23T14:42:09.451+02:00Never in America, or, The French and TaxesAs part of the economic stimulus package that the French government has put in place in the wake of the global recession, part of it was the reduction of the VAT (a sales tax, almost) from 19.6% to 5.5% for restaurants. <br />
<br />
Naturally, most <i>restaurateurs </i>were ecstatic and went to the trouble of printing up new menus with the "Before" and "After" price. Not bad marketing all things considered, consumers like to know how much they're saving.<br />
<br />
One evening while sharing a bottle of wine with a friend at a bar in the Marais called Les Philosophes, however, I noticed something curious. They had indeed printed up new menus, or at least a new front page, but it wasn't what I was expecting. The title read, "<i>Restaurant contre la baisse de la TVA</i>", or, "Restaurant against the lowering of the VAT."<br />
<br />
What followed was a full page diatribe (Garamond, 10pt. type) on why they thought the lowering of taxes was a bad idea. I was already a bit too far into the bottle of red to be bothered to read the entire thing, but it really struck me as uniquely French: the government lowers the taxes and the citizens refuse.<br />
<br />
Just like home, right?Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-35552991641680086602009-06-29T23:55:00.001+02:002009-06-29T23:55:37.986+02:00New LayoutIt's not just your eyes, I just updated the layout of the blog. Everything should be the same, just centered better on your screen which should allow the large pictures to display better on smaller monitors. Let me know what you think!Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-38188669271259293992009-06-29T23:23:00.000+02:002009-06-29T23:23:30.059+02:00Le Mans!So it's been a while since I've been back, but other things have been keeping me too busy to post here. That said, a brief review of an American at Les 24 Heures du Mans:<br />
<br />
Le Mans, the city, is like most other provincial French cities, full of little squares and narrow streets:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JAnGYaGdXa5ACPK2g-99Rg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjVh3pzIhTI/AAAAAAAAWzo/Hy4tdozzAGs/s800/le%20mans%202009-4.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
That said, some things stand out:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1vmlAxuVe44w_11dMSaObQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjVh78IOxVI/AAAAAAAAW0Y/KgQInoZweI0/s800/le%20mans%202009-8.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Not the least of which being the British. Here they are camping out of the back of a Bentley. How quaint:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dZLVdGvr_iikRNhL6oq8ww?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjVh7BFec2I/AAAAAAAAW0M/q2gvdYmzd2M/s800/le%20mans%202009-7.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Then there is the track itself. It's a world apart from the narrow, Medieval streets of the town. In fact, it would be downright familiar to anyone who's been to a major speedway in the US. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DFXrNmCqP80i0i-__mKOsg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjViBAElS9I/AAAAAAAAW1U/YNY-CrM4rig/s800/le%20mans%202009-13.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Then, finally, there are the cars. Living in Paris, I've gotten accustomed to thinking that 45mph was fast. That quickly changed once the cars started going by.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XID3hCichEDK3S2_pukkWw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjViJYcPjaI/AAAAAAAAW3g/exgexaKmFLw/s800/le%20mans%202009-23.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Perhaps even more striking than seeing the cars fly by was hearing them. Specifically at Le Mans, you have four classes of cars running against one another at the same time on the same track. And even within those classes there are many variations. In short, the variety of exhaust notes was pretty incredible. The Peugeots that would ultimately win, for example were extremely quiet (for a race car) being turbo diesels.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3jW3QUvpWF1-OYwH9XbpFg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjViGZBmEwI/AAAAAAAAW2s/ucz1w8-dIJw/s800/le%20mans%202009-19.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The Aston Martin LMP1 cars, on the other hand, screamed like Tie Fighters. Literally.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8youzW9sXvl2l07ZWoykIg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjViILWZeaI/AAAAAAAAW3I/-dLTS60JWwc/s800/le%20mans%202009-21.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The award for most incredible auto-aural performance, however, goes absolutely hands down to the Corvettes. My God, they shook the Earth when they went by, nothing sounded as amazing as those American V8s. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZxLFh0cFtJAvcaDnhFOO0A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjViOIKuFEI/AAAAAAAAW4c/MgT-hjbz0fI/s800/le%20mans%202009-28.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I may be a Detroit boy at heart, but there was still a certain appreciation for how the Europeans get around.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x6rx422921U18S_AgcHUGg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjVisj8L22I/AAAAAAAAW-I/5LA7LH2lWXE/s800/le%20mans%202009-58.jpg" /></a><br />
Rarely do three characters mean so much as they do in RS6.<br />
<br />
In short, it was a great time with the friends, I highly recommend it. It is one of <i>the </i>motorsports experiences to be had, hands down. <br />
<br />
Alright, that's enough car-obsession for the time being. Those true-fans who want to see more can check it out in the full gallery:<br />
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/LeMans2009?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SjVdaRcI2nE/AAAAAAAAXBQ/Jj9xMioinMQ/s160-c/LeMans2009.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/LeMans2009?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Le Mans 2009</a></td></tr></table>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-59622536861932251572009-06-17T23:52:00.000+02:002009-06-17T23:52:05.130+02:00A New Job!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKp6g9b-b1P3J7DH80QmZ9VzZtCWWj5qmcxBhjv-GU_y8L7AFJKUDrRC00uVDoY9vZXzN2hu-yOPFBzTj2eZkn6YMYNnCeiXJK8dBocjgTpwAgkoVujN1qeWzrFT2o4CLslEZDg/s1600-h/unesco.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKp6g9b-b1P3J7DH80QmZ9VzZtCWWj5qmcxBhjv-GU_y8L7AFJKUDrRC00uVDoY9vZXzN2hu-yOPFBzTj2eZkn6YMYNnCeiXJK8dBocjgTpwAgkoVujN1qeWzrFT2o4CLslEZDg/s200/unesco.png" width="139" /></a></div>That's it! I've signed my contract, received my badge and should be getting my email address tomorrow: I've started working at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO">UNESCO</a>!<br />
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UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It's headquartered in Paris and works on those above-mentioned subjects; in general promoting science and education, protecting the environment, and preserving culture. <br />
<br />
I am part of the Natrual Sciences Sector, in the Basic and Engineering Sciences Division, and part of the Renewable Energy Programme. My title is "Consultant" which is the do-all, limited-term contract that they give to someone with my level of education and experience. I'll be supporting all aspects of the Programme's work which mainly focuses on using renewable energy technologies to build capacities in developping countries. A big part of it is training the technicians to take care of the systems that we and other organizations install (which fits nicely with the 'Education' part of UNESCO's mandate).<br />
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I haven't been working there for very long so I can't give any deep impressions, but so far it's fascinating. I'm meeting a lot of interesting people, I spend my days reading about energy in general and renewable energy in particular (which sounds far more boring than it is for me), and it's now a lot easier to explain what I do when people ask.<br />
<br />
All in all, I couldn't be happier with it. To new adventures!Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-86329907302322370922009-06-07T23:22:00.000+02:002009-06-07T23:22:12.852+02:00It's About Time<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_EJowGIPh6ELu2DaEljO8VCi2gNG1uCYfYwV8RWJKUn6DUz6gR12sg4VjMhohesqUIFI87YEu1ly3Bj3G2_LSagNolCKsA6vXK8GN02CeLSj93zuvkpgAIcmRxzY7_7uNJCsTQ/s1600-h/090607_230353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_EJowGIPh6ELu2DaEljO8VCi2gNG1uCYfYwV8RWJKUn6DUz6gR12sg4VjMhohesqUIFI87YEu1ly3Bj3G2_LSagNolCKsA6vXK8GN02CeLSj93zuvkpgAIcmRxzY7_7uNJCsTQ/s400/090607_230353.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>What, dear reader, is this shockingly sub-par photo a representation of? Indeed, it is a train ticket for the French TGV. You see at the top that it starts at "Paris Mont 1" (that would be the Paris Montparnasse 1 station) and ends in two little words, indicated by the red arrow. What nice words indeed.<br />
<br />
Yes boys and girls, it's time. It's been nearly three years that I've been in France and I've not yet made to the mecca of French motorsports events. It is time to rectify this rather serious oversight. Next weekend, two friends and I are off to Le Mans, to enjoy all of the insanity that a 24-hour auto race has to hold.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, I'm going with a seasoned veteran who will be able to lead us around. I'm anticipating something like the Daytona 500 crossed with the Paris Metro during rush hour: pure insanity, so it will be good to have a guide. I will take plenty of pictures and, undoubtedly, bring back plenty of stories.<br />
<br />
And yes, I do recognize the tension between my passions for <a href="http://eandus.com/">renewable energy</a> and for <a href="http://www.peugeot.com/media/633513/peugeot-24h-du-mans-2.gif">cars which get 6 mpg</a>. It's just the way I is.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-50924819910766173802009-05-21T19:07:00.000+02:002009-05-21T19:07:19.493+02:00Pictures from the Phone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSdVM2CujHoIqK0s4GpbwOa3pSfHZRwX2I74c_42VAxZ3guBVq7MP8yDQyfd4eO3vEisqLtqS0IdDNcTyoJNgeQe4pzeu1U1se4BkPq-GEEE2vABlCPe1Ybi5v7_JrMOue93JPA/s1600-h/090425_203756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSdVM2CujHoIqK0s4GpbwOa3pSfHZRwX2I74c_42VAxZ3guBVq7MP8yDQyfd4eO3vEisqLtqS0IdDNcTyoJNgeQe4pzeu1U1se4BkPq-GEEE2vABlCPe1Ybi5v7_JrMOue93JPA/s400/090425_203756.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Living in modern times is nice, my phone can make pictures! Enjoy a view of Paris as the sun sets. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-45543280334575862892009-05-20T12:49:00.000+02:002009-05-20T12:49:18.542+02:00Hidden Paris NeighborhoodsI've taken to running in the early morning. It allows me to run in the streets without constantly having to stop for old ladies with their shopping carts or having to inhale the exhaust of countless diesels. As such, I've been running without a set destination or path, exploring different neighborhoods. Here is a good example of what I've found (it's Google StreetView, you can drive around and have a look for yourself):<br />
<br />
<iframe width="700" height="394" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/sv?cbp=12,180.62,,0,0.92&cbll=48.866612,2.408155&v=1&panoid=&gl=&hl=en"></iframe><br /><small><a id="cbembedlink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?cbp=12,180.62,,0,0.92&cbll=48.866612,2.408155&ll=48.866612,2.408155&layer=c" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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It's not far from where we live, but I've never seen anything like it in Paris. The stairs to the houses, the gates, the style of the buildings, it all looks like something from Amsterdam or maybe Brooklyn. I'll have to go back to see if there is a plaque somewhere explaining the history of the area.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-35764593622864009332009-05-16T11:59:00.000+02:002009-05-16T11:59:57.643+02:00Corsica: ImpressionsFirst, a bit of background. Corsica is part of France as much as Hawaii is part of the US. It just happens to be an island and, as such, has a unique culture. Here's a map:<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Corsica,+Corsica,+France&sll=48.869316,2.223087&sspn=0.005243,0.013947&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=FTR5gQIdnYaJAA&split=0&ll=46.13417,5.009766&spn=10.659683,18.676758&t=p&z=5&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&q=Corsica,+Corsica,+France&sll=48.869316,2.223087&sspn=0.005243,0.013947&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=FTR5gQIdnYaJAA&split=0&ll=46.13417,5.009766&spn=10.659683,18.676758&t=p&z=5" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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Given Corsica's strategic location in the Mediterranean, it's been controlled by many different empires and countries. Over the millennia, it has only had a brief period of sovereignty. (For the full rundown, have a look at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Corsica">Wikipedia's History of Corsica</a>.) That said, the people remain very independently minded which is seen in the island's motto, "Often conquered, never subdued." Unfortunately, this independence of mind has given rise to an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Front_for_the_Liberation_of_Corsica">armed separatist movement</a> which has, at times, resorted to violence. <br />
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That said, we found the island and it's inhabitants extremely warm and welcoming, really it was a fantastic place. <br />
<b><br />
People and Language</b><br />
Like I said above, everyone that we met was absolutely fantastic. Maybe it's because we're tourists and are contributing to the economy, maybe it's because we were there early in the season, but whatever it was, the people were great. <br />
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People spontaneously offered us directions and local history. It was a bit like walking through some educational "period town" where people wearing funny clothes tell you, "Blacksmiths were an important part of the 18th century economy..." Except, in this case, they were wearing normal clothes and told us where we could buy food, where we could find the trail, and the history of the town.<br />
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The official language is French (of course) and everyone we met spoke it natively. That said, we also heard a lot of Corsican both spoken and on the radio. The language itself is very close to Italian, with its own variations. <br />
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Food</b><br />
We ate really, really well on the trip. In the gîtes, it was a family-style meal, often with meat, pasta, and/or potatoes. Many of the ingredients were local, from the cheese (brucciu is one local favorite, it's somewhere between feta and ricotta, though it's only available in the spring and early summer) to the meat (goat, mutton, and wild boar being particularly popular). <br />
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The island is known for its charcuterie, the best of which comes from the aforementioned wild boar. I ate my fair share, rationalizing that it would really be too bad to miss out on this opportunity. We still have quite a bit in our refrigerator waiting to be eaten...<br />
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They drink a lot of wine (red, white, and rosé) which is all locally produced. I don't think that I saw a bottle of wine from the continent on a single restaurant menu. They also have surprisingly good beers, especially Pietra, a brown ale made from chestnuts.<br />
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The cuisine of the coasts is different from that of the interior, despite the small size of the island. In the mountains, they eat a lot of meat and cheese (including hard sheep and goat varieties) whereas the cuisine of the coasts includes that as well as plenty of seafood. The Mediterranean influences are clear throughout.<br />
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One disappointment was the bread, it was just nothing compared to what you get in Paris.<br />
<b><br />
Hiking on the Trail</b><br />
The trail itself was usually a narrow path cutting through the forests and scrub land that we crossed. It was marked, usually well, with orange stripes of paint. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7IqwYfRrz2F8dgLKYR1nmA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLZ-o32WI/AAAAAAAAWLE/OI8AO3bSQVk/s800/corsica%202009-98.jpg" /></a><br />
We had topographical hiking maps with us, but only ever used them for confirmation of the route and estimating distances. <br />
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Life in the gîtes was quite nice. Though it wouldn't satisfy your needs if you were looking for a wilderness experience (I don't think anywhere in Western Europe would...), it is a really civilized way to hike. Your food is prepared for you, you have a bed and a shower every night, really it's quite nice. There is even a service that will transfer your bags from one gîte to the next so that you would, conceivably, never need to carry anything more than your lunch and water while hiking. That seems to defeat the purpose a bit, but it's nice to have the option.<br />
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It was also an opportunity to meet other hikers. We met a Swedish couple, a French guy (who had never lived in France) and his German friend, and a bunch of other nice people. There was only one somewhat strange, though even he was quite nice. <br />
<b><br />
The Other Tourists</b><br />
May is still rather early in the Corsican tourist season which, like most areas in France, peaks in July and August. That said, we were far from the only tourists on the island. It seems to be a popular destination for Germans and Swiss, as well as the French. It is especially popular with motorcyclists. Given the endlessly winding mountain roads, nice climate, and beautiful sights, this isn't much of a surprise. At an ice cream parlor in Porto Vecchio, we shared the terrace with 20 members of a German biker club.<br />
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<b>The Roads</b><br />
Narrow and winding, and all two lanes (or less). There's no highway on the island, and most of the major surface streets follow the coasts. Since we were there early in the season, traffic and parking were never a problem, but I can only imagine how bad it would be at the peak. Entering the popular town of Bonifacio, for example, is done by one, narrow road, in and out. According to the guidebook, it's common to have to wait several hours to be able to enter. Thankfully for us, it wasn't the case.<br />
<b><br />
The Car</b><br />
Having decided to rent a car for the second half of the trip, I got to drive a Renault for the first time. It was a new model, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Modus">Modus</a>:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PoJSZ4QTKbz42JgvzGCZRw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLgn1F8NI/AAAAAAAAWMU/-jVHgzPsdfU/s800/corsica%202009-101.jpg" /></a><br />
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It had a 1.5L common rail diesel with a mere 85hp but 147ft-lbs of toque. For the driving conditions (narrow, winding mountain roads with plenty of corner exits) it was plenty competent to get around. What's better, it's rated at 52mpg and was averaging 47mpg in the mountains. Not bad at all.<br />
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<b>Final Conclusions</b><br />
In the end, it was one of the best pure vacations ever. Certainly it's nicer to visit family in the US, France, or Israel, but for simply discovering a new place, this trip was really wonderful. The combination of the <a href="http://kmuehmel.blogspot.com/2009/05/corsica-hiking-mare-mare-sud.html">difficult period</a> at the beginning and the more <a href="http://kmuehmel.blogspot.com/2009/05/corsica-south-by-car.html">relaxed period</a> at the end was really ideal. <br />
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I hope that it won't be too long before we get back to Corsica...Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-7942525534944095702009-05-15T20:19:00.000+02:002009-05-15T20:19:36.802+02:00Corsica: The South by CarFollowing up on the previous post about <a href="http://kmuehmel.blogspot.com/2009/05/corsica-hiking-mare-mare-sud.html">hiking the Mare a Mare Sud</a>, here's the chronology of events for the rest of the trip. <br />
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<b>Thursday, May 7</b><br />
We woke up slowly in the tent, did laundry, and made our way to Porto Vecchio. We saw the sea (thereby officially ending the hike) while we had lunch in the port. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QBt65Wh3-mrH0PAslNjlqA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLHSlH6eI/AAAAAAAAWH8/kMkeipFxWdE/s800/corsica%202009-88.jpg" /></a><br />
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The town is full of interesting old buildings, walls, and gates. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OZjz00e4ukebh_vzCpgSdA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLNRgWg-I/AAAAAAAAWI4/-nFUynWw4l8/s800/corsica%202009-91.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2I5BwyHmJ916vQUXcaiqXQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLJR5x1-I/AAAAAAAAWIQ/MevY1OAwDOA/s800/corsica%202009-89.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WzetjwFt7xFBbAU8nYqa3g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLLeDWq0I/AAAAAAAAWIk/WX7h0jaL4L4/s800/corsica%202009-90.jpg" /></a><br />
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We decided it would be best to rent a car to be able to explore more of the island, as well as to have a place to lock up our stuff (since we were staying in campsites). The first thing we did with the car was to drive to an out of the way beach and lay out in the sun for a while. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MzeYX95LDowbu8E0O1D8DA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLO7dAgOI/AAAAAAAAWJM/aT9zOrawa68/s800/corsica%202009-92.jpg" /></a><br />
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The view out to sea was quite impressive:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iiBeZU0BctQsdaWfngzHAw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLTNstaxI/AAAAAAAAWJ0/bzUhfCRbC6g/s800/corsica%202009-94.jpg" /></a><br />
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While on the beach, we chose a restaurant from the guide book and drove out there. It's called Le Passe Temps (The Pass Time, obviously) and was really delicious. Esther had grilled pork and I had a pizza from their wood-fired oven. We were quite lucky because they had only opened for the season that night. It was clearly popular with the locals, the owners were a bit distracted as their friends kept pulling them aside to talk to them.<br />
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<b>Friday, May 8</b><br />
We drove around quite a bit, passing many of the towns that we crossed while hiking and seeing others that we couldn't quite get to. I've traced our route on the map below. Leaving from Porto Vecchio, we saw L'Ospedale, Zonza, Levie, Santa Lucia, Sartène, and finally Bonifacio. <br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f6f53f07041cfe7&ll=41.607228,9.003296&spn=0.71878,1.167297&z=9&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f6f53f07041cfe7&ll=41.607228,9.003296&spn=0.71878,1.167297&z=9&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Drive 1</a> in a larger map</small><br />
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As one can imagine, there were plenty of wonderful sights. A sampling:<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NvYm1Oiup3_OEOm3CKWVGg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLlZcWLVI/AAAAAAAAWM8/eDP3xAe1gt8/s800/corsica%202009-103.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l60DJaPBwig-1lBTe3lT_g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxLrLDhhiI/AAAAAAAAWN4/bvWxGXmCkas/s800/corsica%202009-106.jpg" /></a><br />
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Sartène was particularly impressive with its narrow, convoluted streets and passageways. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0VGEYxHMvPObSPYcELhqsA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxMX7RWELI/AAAAAAAAWUw/Uk8zQuVJbu0/s800/corsica%202009-128.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QmHjNh9487xnWDwJy6CI1w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxL79ZxEBI/AAAAAAAAWQY/Vf98j_bs8gQ/s800/corsica%202009-114.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RZ3tpgiD4RWcbxnasR35ZQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxMMyWuR6I/AAAAAAAAWTM/vbDjwCFaV1Y/s800/corsica%202009-123.jpg" /></a><br />
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We arrived in Bonifacio, our final destination, in the late evening. It is another impressive city as it's built onto the white cliffs that overlook the southern tip of the island. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GzXXIaEcA8dlmwT_qJT7BA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxMf4Wy6BI/AAAAAAAAWWU/mBjqOfe1v5U/s800/corsica%202009-133.jpg" /></a><br />
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The geology forms a nearly perfect natural harbor, in which a marina has been built which has become popular with mega-yachts. (Fun fact! The natural harbor of Bonifacio is believed to have been visited by Odysseus during his travels in The Odyssey, given how closely it matches the description.)<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eO8uomVt6ph3s43NKqkAiw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxMtBkI1PI/AAAAAAAAWZI/0QXReRIW38g/s800/corsica%202009-141.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/puYfDplNRM4bii1cSxxCQw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxM5AxQmZI/AAAAAAAAWbU/9Knj7t2_Xyo/s800/corsica%202009-148.jpg" /></a><br />
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The city, like Sartène, also has beautiful, narrow streets, full of intriguing details.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ftSCVkN6piG2pAT_XHdBaQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxM1kXmveI/AAAAAAAAWas/0rYkodUuUj8/s800/corsica%202009-146.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KlgW50o3_W7ECcbF5pAE_Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxMyDom4CI/AAAAAAAAWaE/w1vssbWgtAg/s800/corsica%202009-144.jpg" /></a><br />
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Night fell, we had dinner on the port, and made our way back to the campsite, exhausted once again.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5RftNsphKGKiiPmM_zuEEQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxM-b4w7KI/AAAAAAAAWcQ/g3FxptHcPFk/s800/corsica%202009-151.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>Saturday, May 9</b><br />
On our last full day in Corsica, we started by walking out to the lighthouse outside of Bonifacio. The view was incredible.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1PIj-U8QizAMVuf02VszLA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNBND2TfI/AAAAAAAAWc4/CYCZ_6cZrQk/s800/corsica%202009-153.jpg" /></a><br />
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Coming back in, we took a boat tour of the cliffs and the lagoons around Bonifacio. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N3A_ydE6SeSZWPw0VcAVKw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNGktFNfI/AAAAAAAAWd0/o86_K1GyBIs/s800/corsica%202009-156.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x1Qt2bDUNk-LtyaYWHbysQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNNoZxAtI/AAAAAAAAWfE/md4n1EsrDog/s800/corsica%202009-160.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OPDk3qIk04kLWYez8QI78w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNS8y-NAI/AAAAAAAAWgA/wCE4mVxmQwk/s800/corsica%202009-163.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2AWZBmJprJhnwRa0--ikCg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNW1VRcuI/AAAAAAAAWgo/cTTw78_7eo0/s800/corsica%202009-165.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YlIYrhlfXHFowrCbqteEGg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNbbWsosI/AAAAAAAAWhQ/76Y64gSPzqg/s800/corsica%202009-167.jpg" /></a><br />
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We continued our explorations, making our way up to the archaeological site of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filitosa">Filitosa</a>. The site has been inhabited for about 7,000 years by various tribes, one of which built many (rather phallic) statues which apparently depicted their enemies. It was impressive to be on such an old site.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nxH3VMN7CLdgr5_MUu7IDQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNgboeAeI/AAAAAAAAWiM/NZkwZPHmwrI/s800/corsica%202009-170.jpg" /></a><br />
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Everything was old there, even the big olive tree in the center of these statues is thought to be 1,200 to 2,000 years old. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-gefYG3gqm4F5p2Y1zbEiQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNisur6oI/AAAAAAAAWig/1ii5FxZN50I/s800/corsica%202009-171.jpg" /></a><br />
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Finally, for our last dinner in Corsica, we decided to explore the small town of Campomoro. It required driving out on a harrowing road. You may have images of "dangerous road" in your mind; this must be the model. It was a strip of pavement about one and a third lanes wide, with no lane markings, no guardrails, and no shoulders stuck to the side of the cliff. Oncoming traffic (which there was thankfully very little) meant coming to a near stop and narrowly brushing by. To make matters worse, there were often cattle and sheep on the side or in the middle of the road. In short, quite an adventure. <br />
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<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f775291d4ca914c&ll=41.639822,8.847771&spn=0.089802,0.145912&z=12&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f775291d4ca914c&ll=41.639822,8.847771&spn=0.089802,0.145912&z=12&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Untitled</a> in a larger map</small><br />
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The effort however, was well worth the beach and the dinner. The beach was just about perfect and the dinner (at the nice hotel in town) was fantastic. Bonifacio-style eggplants (<i>aubergines à la bonifacienne</i>) may be the best food I've ever tasted. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8El33XeumDKDRTwjcuMRPw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNrS8IFlI/AAAAAAAAWkE/DBswNEcQbxc/s800/corsica%202009-176.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2j8c6vxAqxqR85HQC7QdIA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNqIcxyMI/AAAAAAAAWjw/OwbLqEHOiAo/s800/corsica%202009-175.jpg" /></a><br />
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We said goodbye to the sea and the mountains, and made our way back to the campsite. (Back along the same road, now in the dark.)<br />
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<b>Sunday, May 10</b><br />
We were supposed to get up and leave, but little did we know, Corsica had one last surprise for us. <br />
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We had some extra time so we decided to have a coffee up in the old city of Bonifacio. We went to the first, cheapest-looking place that we saw, ordered our coffee and croissants (it's still France, after all), made our way to the back of the cafe and were greeted with the following sight:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/59lI7vqsplqfvCz13M-F2A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxNui8QE7I/AAAAAAAAWks/C_rHE7I05J4/s800/corsica%202009-178.jpg" /></a><br />
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We had our coffee and croissants (technically, Esther had a <i>pain au chocolat</i>) overlooking both the sea and the cliffs. A wonderful surprise, and a wonderful end to a fantastic trip.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com4Corsica, France42.0396042 9.012892641.0197202 7.1452166000000013 43.0594882 10.8805686tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-51830845203650152242009-05-15T19:27:00.000+02:002009-05-15T19:27:40.000+02:00Corsica: Hiking the Mare a Mare SudRather than posting one massive "Our Trip to Corsica" post, I think it might be a bit easier to split things up. First, you'll have a "Just the facts, ma'am" chronology of the hike which will then be followed by a chronology of our other travels. I'll finish off with our more subjective impressions. This (of course, given the title) is the chronology of the hike. <br />
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There are, of course, plenty of photos in the album, nearly all with captions that add some details to the story.<br />
<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/TravelsCorsica2009?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxCjv7pc_E/AAAAAAAAWlM/MUqrnlcy4KQ/s160-c/TravelsCorsica2009.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kmuehmel/TravelsCorsica2009?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Travels - Corsica 2009</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>Saturday, May 2</b><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Figari,+France&sll=41.690348,9.002266&sspn=0.092167,0.22316&ie=UTF8&ll=41.533254,9.07608&spn=0.359802,0.583649&z=10&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Figari,+France&sll=41.690348,9.002266&sspn=0.092167,0.22316&ie=UTF8&ll=41.533254,9.07608&spn=0.359802,0.583649&z=10" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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From there, we were supposed to take a bus to Propriano (see map below) but it came about 30 minutes late. The driver took it upon himself to make up time on the winding mountain roads, around blind corners, in the rain. I took the opportunity to remind Esther that tour bus travel is one of the most dangerous forms of travel. Amazingly, we arrived in Propriano on time. He made up 30 minutes of delay on an 80 minute trip. Suffice it to say that he was pushing it pretty hard.<br />
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In Propriano, we found a restaurant that was serving and had some salads and our first taste of Corsican beer. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nDuE92hIFV03Juh4iGO8rg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxIup7pyfI/AAAAAAAAVu8/Q9mUlb4PrZE/s800/corsica%202009-10.jpg" /></a><br />
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From there, we hiked to our campsite, pitched the tent and went to sleep.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h6FBuWNb6Q5mM5D4bFgkNQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxI7E1zNfI/AAAAAAAAVxc/pV50PmVWFhY/s800/corsica%202009-18.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>Sunday, May 3</b><br />
Our first day hiking, and perhaps the hardest day of my life physically. We decided to hike all the way from Propriano (blue dot, below), bast the first stop at Burgo (yellow), all the way to Santa Lucia di Tallano (red). <br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f625e43ac43355b&ll=41.705216,8.98613&spn=0.179422,0.291824&z=11&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f625e43ac43355b&ll=41.705216,8.98613&spn=0.179422,0.291824&z=11&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Sunday, May 3</a> in a larger map</small><br />
As you can see from the terrain, the hike to Burgo is relatively easy, just up a valley. It took us about 2.5 hours. The hike to Santa Lucia took another 6 and it was very mountainous, with some stretches of the trail at the limit of what you can go up using only your feet (not climbing with your hands). Fortunately, there were some beautiful sights along the way.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OeM1KUMSE-Gs19SRnVezyA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxJCnn5rbI/AAAAAAAAVys/LNCaeu9mXGY/s800/corsica%202009-22.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ve21RrxoiJJdhRrsSyck_Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxJe3BPQVI/AAAAAAAAV2w/GeDebmwlbPU/s800/corsica%202009-34.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gZK6dPq5EkqPp8dlvk5V6A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxJnmCxYkI/AAAAAAAAV4A/sE4waO8-yOA/s800/corsica%202009-38.jpg" /></a><br />
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That night, we stayed in our first <i>gîte d'étape</i>, which is a sort of bunkhouse along the trail that, in addition to being a place to sleep and shower, also serves breakfast and dinner. It cost about 35€ per person, which made it a bit more expensive that we liked. <br />
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Here's our room:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Up3Y-vUHd7oPduOtRf9EJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxJtCyTQpI/AAAAAAAAV48/QlsN6pemL2E/s800/corsica%202009-41.jpg" /></a><br />
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And here's the exterior of the building:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-ObmVsH6tqSqEN6o_BCgfw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxJvBPOo0I/AAAAAAAAV5Q/GlyPxvDzeu0/s800/corsica%202009-42.jpg" /></a><br />
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In any case, I was very happy to be off my feet, it was a real mental struggle to make it up the last hill to the gîte. <br />
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<b>Monday, May 4</b><br />
This was a much shorter day, only hiking from Santa Lucia di Tallano (green) to Serra di Scopamène (red).<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f64fb7e5aade144&ll=41.728537,9.086723&spn=0.089678,0.145912&z=12&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f64fb7e5aade144&ll=41.728537,9.086723&spn=0.089678,0.145912&z=12&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Untitled</a> in a larger map</small> <br />
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The trail here, like most other areas was really beautiful:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_cY_XcyOYPf-onCuycZVtQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxJ4s_nigI/AAAAAAAAV6g/6tIku0P80Os/s800/corsica%202009-46.jpg" /></a><br />
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Serra is a nice, but small (pop. 122) town. Here's the gîte:<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jKX_cm5j4w5XOLLeGPy54g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxJ9RJbM7I/AAAAAAAAV7c/lvNsKjRMIXo/s800/corsica%202009-49.jpg" /></a><br />
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We were also able to visit an old olive oil mill. Corsica is still known for its olive oil so it was interesting to see the old method of producing it. <br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-PEBhI6DDLhftrxzqsJeAQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxKBsh19pI/AAAAAAAAV8E/eQ4XbRlfYKM/s800/corsica%202009-51.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wZ2YwzIhnTVKibGtuSDaGw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxKGPJgOUI/AAAAAAAAV9A/HOQ8ukcLvxw/s800/corsica%202009-54.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>Tuesday, May 5</b><br />
This third day of hiking took us from Serra (green), north to Jallicu (yellow), through Quenza and into Levie (red). <br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f669366ba59b5b3&ll=41.74775,9.129982&spn=0.179303,0.291824&z=11&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f669366ba59b5b3&ll=41.74775,9.129982&spn=0.179303,0.291824&z=11&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Untitled</a> in a larger map</small><br />
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It was a longer day, and the only one in the rain. Also, it was the only time that I had to stop because of pain (A blister that I hadn't seen grew to enormous proportions and required treatment on the side of the trail. Thankfully our first aid kit had a needle...)<br />
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Spirits were high, despite the rain. It gave a nice atmosphere to some of the forests that we hiked through.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qQ2M918z-OGSeEgfY8Gfxw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxKXp7femI/AAAAAAAAWAc/HOfRHEI56c4/s800/corsica%202009-64.jpg" /></a><br />
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We arrived in Levie considering whether we wanted to continue further that day, or not. We couldn't make it to another gîte and camping along the side of the trail is forbidden (though easily done if you're discrete about it). We bought some sausage and cheese in preparation for the hike, but the continuing rain (and the smell of the soup from the gîte) convinced us to stay the night.<br />
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Shortly thereafter, the weather cleared and we enjoyed a sunny evening in Levie (pop. 1200).<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UutKnqkaLjw3j4Gt53QKcQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxKbufWcUI/AAAAAAAAWBE/vxGKw7k2O78/s800/corsica%202009-66.jpg" /></a><br />
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We resolved, however, to make a big push the following day and make it all the way to Porto Vecchio, our destination.<br />
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<b>Wednesday, May 6</b><br />
Indeed, it was a big day. We started hiking in Levie (green) around 8:30am and didn't arrive at our campsite in Porto Vecchio (red) until 7:30pm.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f6906c3c678f73f&z=11&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=104431679076304509055.000469f6906c3c678f73f&z=11&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Untitled</a> in a larger map</small><br />
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Not only was it long distance, but there was considerable elevation change as well. We started at 900m, went down to 200m, climbed to our peak at 1100m, and then walked down to 0m at the sea. Ouch.<br />
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We walked quickly in the morning to separate ourselves from a group that we'd been stuck with from the beginning. We arrived in Carbini (see photo) 45 minutes earlier than expected, taking abot 40% off of the posted time.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gvHnep6nbPfE21HvBMBWIA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxKqfljohI/AAAAAAAAWDk/d7Yr1s1OlYo/s800/corsica%202009-74.jpg" /></a><br />
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Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the Punta della Vacca Morta (Dead Cow Peak) and climbed to the top. The views were amazing.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PSeA1owvLrTwSesJN9cOmg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxKwXuozII/AAAAAAAAWEg/o5RsP3vwFLA/s800/corsica%202009-77.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bowVmqollOfU0XNHbByEig?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ALrb7xU2JoY/SgxK6wSPyzI/AAAAAAAAWGE/4zfkQBzqsf4/s800/corsica%202009-82.jpg" /></a><br />
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We then began our descent, after taking water from the gîte in Cartalavonu, where other people normally stop. <br />
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We started hiking down rather slowly, until we realized we would need to pick up the pace. We hurried, but the flat part at the end, especially the last five miles on the road, really killed us. We arrived in the campsite totally exhausted. We didn't have the energy to go to a restaurant so we ate the ramen noodles that we had with us.<br />
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<b>Conclusions</b><br />
We hiked the trail in only four days, rather than the more normal five or six. It was more difficult on the first and last day, but it left us a lot more time to explore and I'm sure it was the right decision. <br />
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In the future, if I were hiking it again, I would resolve to stay in the gîtes along the way. That would absolve me of the need to carry a tent, stove, and sleeping bag, cutting the load in our packs by at least half. It's a bit expensive, but hugely convenient. <br />
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It's not exactly an easy trail, but full of wonderful sights and great little towns. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking to discover southern Corsica, off the beaten path.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788515.post-16517874162543581422009-05-01T13:47:00.002+02:002009-05-01T13:49:02.505+02:00Corsica PreparationsEsther and I will be spending the next week in Corsica. A few weeks ago we took the suburban train out to a forest to get some mud on your boots. I couldn't help but make stupid faces for the camera.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkmuehmel%2Falbumid%2F5330815670409983793%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />I'll bring back plenty of pictures from Corsica, expect updates the week of May 11th.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833530457005730819noreply@blogger.com0