I haven´t posted anything in a long time, but a LOT has happened. It just gets hard to find computers in some places. Since my last posting, Kathy arrived in Frankfurt and we have been to the following places:
Rhein River cruise
Heidelberg
Rothenberg ob der Tauber
Munich
Neuschwanstein castle
Freiburg
Madrid, where we me the three girls
Alcala, where Sonya has been for two months
Almeria, on the Mediterranean, where Kristina has been for eight months
Basel, Switzterland
Zurich
Innsbruck, Austria
Brannenberg, Germany, where we were 35 years ago
Dresden, Germany
Görlitz, Germany, where Kathy got her maiden name.
Tomorrow we go to Prague to meet Elise, Kristina, and Sonya.
Tschuß for now!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Garmish-Partenkirchen and Regensburg
Thursday - 6-5-2008I am now in Regensburg, which means "Rain Town" in German. Very appropriate name, since the rain has kept me in my room most of the day today. At least it has given me time to catch up on my little blog. I had German TV to keep me company. Not the best company, since I only understand about half of it! There is the European version of CNN in English, but it is mostly a repeat of very shallow stories or else what seems to me to be almost anti-American stories about how unjust the US has been in detaining terrorists or how great Barack Obama will be for the country since he will change things! Oh well ... It is pretty funny to see Jimmy Stewart and Spongebob Squarepants speak German! There are a lot of American movies on, but otherwise there is not much more to German TV than American TV.
Before I came here I did change my itinerary a bit. I went to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, twin cities that are mainly a ski resort. The 1936 winter Olympics were held there and I went skiing there with some friends back when we were staying in Berlin. It looks a little different now and in the summer.
One of the cool things there is the nearness of Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze. It is not especially high (about 10,000 feet - shorter than Mt. Graham), but rises so dramatically from the valley floor that it s very spectacular. I found out that there is both a cable car and a cogwheel train that leads to the top (the cable car goes through a tunnel most of the way. The border with Austria is at the top and they say you can see Italy and Switcherland from the top. Did I want to go to the top? Holy cow, yes! The day I arrived, I could see it, just waiting for me! But there was a big thunder storm. The next day it was enshrouded in clouds, so it was hardly worth 45 Euros to pay to see fog! So, I gambled on the next day being better. It was worse! So, I never got to experience the Zugspitze! 45€ is way too much anyway. Oh well.
But, I did walk/hike about 15 miles or so across town and to the top of a small peak in the foothills on Tuesday, where there was a good view of the cloud-covered peaks. I hiked through a place called the Parthachklamm, or Partnach Narrows, where a river roars through a very narrow canyon. They have cut a trail through part of it and a tunnel through parts to let you walk right along he side of the roaring river. Pretty cool!
Also, wherever you hike in the hills, someone lives here and operates a little gaststatte, or guest place! At the top of my hike there was a little place and a bunch of people were on the deck eating and drinking their German beer. There are also small cable cars and ski lifts all over the lower parts of the mountain. I chose to go by foot, though. At least it didn't rain while I was hiking - it is very beautiful and green. There were cows and goats in the meadows, all wearing bells that you could hear from quite a ways away. People in southern Germany greet with not with "Auf Wiedersehen," but "Gruss Gott," which means "God's greetings."
I also visited a tiny little church that I remembered from years ago. It was built in the 1600s and is decorated in the Rococo style which, if you know anything about that, it means it is elaborately painted and decorated with pastel colors, gold, wavy lines and lots of Cherubim (or, what I call naked baby angels). You have to hike to get to it, but it is a real treasure. On the outside it also has a gallery of hundreds of homemade plaques affixed to the wall that memorialize the dead from World War I and WWII. Families have put them there and they have photographs, birth and death dates and where they died. Most of them were on the Russian Front during WWII, but a few died on naval ships or in France. Very, very sad to see how many young men from such a small area had to die for no good reason during wartime. So many unneeded sacrifices, in this case for the "Fatherland." For the US, many died, too. It reminded me of the memorials to soldiers at the cemetery in Ephraim. So sad and so needless.
I stayed a a cute little gaststatte, run by an older lady who served everyone breakfast individually. I think the owners of a lot of these little, inexpensive places just like having people to get to know. The man who owned the one in Weimar was so proud that he took an old farmhouse and rebuilt the whole thing, decorating all the walls and ceilings with hand-finished wood. It was really something.
Here in Regensburg, the little town has very narrow, old streets and another impressive, huge cathedral. I remember coming through here years ago. The Danube River runs through it. Remember the famous "Blue Danube" waltz by Strauss? I'd hum it to you if I could. It has some interesting street names like "Zur shonen Gelegenheit," which means "To a beautiful opportunity." I guess in the 1000s or 1100s it was the right way! The river with its bridge from the 1200s and some boats on it is beautiful, too.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Eisenach and south
Now, today, I stopped and hiked to the Wartburg, an old medieval castle at the top of a hill. Pretty interesting to see the way they lived hundreds of years ago. It is amazing to imagine a battle from that castle/fort with other soldiers assaulting it. There was a special "bath" - more like a fancily decorated small swimming pool for the knights. And a nice view all around. This is also the place - Eisenach - where they used to make one of the little underpowered cars they used in old East Germany. It has been long closed won. I think most people drive Japanese cars here in Europe now.
Well, it is now Monday. I decided to change my plans just a little bit. There wasn't really enough to see to spend a whole night and day in Eisenach, so I went on to Wurzburg and spent the rest of the day. The biggest thiing there was a huge castle/fortress overlooking the Main River. It gave me a second good workout for the day climbing the stairs to it and walking around. Wurzburg is in the former West Germany and you can really tell coming back that it is more up to date and there are fewer rundown places. I am almost thinking that Dad came through here during the war. I tried to find out just where the Rainbow Division went before I left but couldn’t find anything on the internet. I know that it is all in the books you have, Mom. Anyway, it is an interesting place. The old bridge over the river has about a dozen statues on it - of biblical figures, knights, catholic bishops, etc. You could see where it looked like there used to be a moat around the old castle.
When I left there, it was on a high-speed train, which got going up to 130 mph, according to the little sign at the front of the car. It really zoomed – and banked a lot on the turns. We passed fields full of hops, safflower and corn, of all things! That is pretty much an American thing, but they must be growing it for the ethanol.
I am going further south today, back to a place where some of us went skiing years ago, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. I decided I needed a little break from all the towns and needed to get out in the wilds - it is at the foothills of the Alps, so we shall see.
Well, it is now Monday. I decided to change my plans just a little bit. There wasn't really enough to see to spend a whole night and day in Eisenach, so I went on to Wurzburg and spent the rest of the day. The biggest thiing there was a huge castle/fortress overlooking the Main River. It gave me a second good workout for the day climbing the stairs to it and walking around. Wurzburg is in the former West Germany and you can really tell coming back that it is more up to date and there are fewer rundown places. I am almost thinking that Dad came through here during the war. I tried to find out just where the Rainbow Division went before I left but couldn’t find anything on the internet. I know that it is all in the books you have, Mom. Anyway, it is an interesting place. The old bridge over the river has about a dozen statues on it - of biblical figures, knights, catholic bishops, etc. You could see where it looked like there used to be a moat around the old castle.
When I left there, it was on a high-speed train, which got going up to 130 mph, according to the little sign at the front of the car. It really zoomed – and banked a lot on the turns. We passed fields full of hops, safflower and corn, of all things! That is pretty much an American thing, but they must be growing it for the ethanol.
I am going further south today, back to a place where some of us went skiing years ago, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. I decided I needed a little break from all the towns and needed to get out in the wilds - it is at the foothills of the Alps, so we shall see.
Gizmos and dogs
It is interesting that you see dogs all over the place - in trains and in fancy restaurants - everywhere. People seem to integrate them into their lives more here. I know most people also live in apartments and need to find ways to get their pets out.
I've seen some interesting gizmos, too. At one grocery store there was a cigarette machine where all you had to do was press a button for your choice of brand and it came out on a little conveyor belt. Then you paid for it with the rest of your groceries. At the Laundromats I've been to, you load your clothes into the machine and then go put your money into a control panel and pres the number for your machine. It even deposits a cup of detergent into a cup for you to take back to the machine. The same control panel controls the dryers, too. At one of the places I stayed, they gave be a key to my room and a little flat thing that looked a lot like a watch battery. To get into the building, to operate the electric door, all you had to do was press the little gizmo onto a spot outside the door that looked like a doorbell that you couldn't push and it opened the door! One other fancy device was a baggage rack by the stairs at one of the train stations. Instead of having to carry your bags up and down the stairs, you put it on this conveyor belt and press the button and it carried it up or down for you. Some pretty cool gizmos! Where I stayed last night there was an electric shoe polisher, too. Just press the button and put your shoes under the whirring brush!
I've seen some interesting gizmos, too. At one grocery store there was a cigarette machine where all you had to do was press a button for your choice of brand and it came out on a little conveyor belt. Then you paid for it with the rest of your groceries. At the Laundromats I've been to, you load your clothes into the machine and then go put your money into a control panel and pres the number for your machine. It even deposits a cup of detergent into a cup for you to take back to the machine. The same control panel controls the dryers, too. At one of the places I stayed, they gave be a key to my room and a little flat thing that looked a lot like a watch battery. To get into the building, to operate the electric door, all you had to do was press the little gizmo onto a spot outside the door that looked like a doorbell that you couldn't push and it opened the door! One other fancy device was a baggage rack by the stairs at one of the train stations. Instead of having to carry your bags up and down the stairs, you put it on this conveyor belt and press the button and it carried it up or down for you. Some pretty cool gizmos! Where I stayed last night there was an electric shoe polisher, too. Just press the button and put your shoes under the whirring brush!
Naumburg, Weimar, Erfurt
Saturday 5-31-08
Well, I guess it is about time I got some thing written down and posted. I haven't had much access to the internet until I finally found a place later last night.
Before I left Leipzig I visited the "people's battle memorial," a 30-story-high memorial built in 1913 to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon by the kingdoms that now make up Germany in 1813. It is all made of stone and has huge statues inside that signify sort of the spirit or dignity or origins of Germany - in a massive way. There was this strong but calm warrior-type music with men's voices playing in the background that made it kind of eerie. I got to walk the 30 stories to the top through narrow little passageways that were pretty eerie, too. This place was used by Hitler to promote the spirit of the fatherland and by the communists to promote the unity of worldwide communism. Very interesting place.
The next day I went to the smallest and cutest little town yet, Naumburg. It is lots like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which Kathy and Elise both know of, with its narrow little cobblestone streets, part of the town wall remaining, and most of the old moat that was just outside the wall, to discourage invaders. Much of it is just grassy area now.
Later that same day I went to Weimar, another one of the little towns that is big in German history for two reasons. First, it is where Germany's two most famous writers/poets are from Goethe and Shiller. Goethe is the one who wrote the story of the guy who sells his soul to the devil so that he can have all that he wants in this life. A lot of other stories in many languages have taken from that theme since then.
Weimar is also where Germany's first attempt at democracy started after WW1 in 1918, called the Weimar Republic. I found when I got there that where I was staying was about 3 miles out of town by foot in the countryside. A little bit of a hike, but a nice place. I had a good talk with the guy who runs it - about Nazism, Communist, etc. It seems like most people in "East" Germany are ready to denounce Nazism, but don't really want to talk much about life under communism. Maybe it is still too close or maybe they feel like the world is destined to some sort of socialism. I know there are a lot of people in the US who feel like that - like Obama and Hillary, for example.
I arrived in Erfurt the next day. It has a lot of the narrow little streets from medieval times, so I spent a long time just wandering around town exploring. In 90-degree heat! And high humidity! Aye aye aye! I found the monastery where Martin Luther spent a lot of his years.
The second day there, I was taking the streetcar back into the town center, since where I stayed was out a ways. There were police all over the place on the streets on my way in. There were hundreds of police cars, vans, water cannons and police. When I got to the train station, there were two rows of police, shoulder to shoulder, dressed in riot gear. The whole train station and street were blocked off. Mine was the last streetcar they let into town before they stopped them. And there were two helicopters flying around town all day long. Of course, I was wondering what was going on. Was there a bomb threat at the train station or the threat of a terrorist attack? Well, it turns out that they were all there for a soccer game! The pro team from Dusseldorf was in town to play the Erfurt team. The police were all there to prevent violence from happening! They really take their soccer seriously here in Europe! While I was there, a train of fans from the other team came and they started chanting a slogan for their team and shaking their fists. Some fans from Erfurt responded the same way. Anyway, it was a pretty interesting start to the day. I wandered around more and visited the cathedral before it started to rain. And, snice it was my birthday, I celebrated it with a doner kebab (kind of like a gyro) and good piece of German cake with chocolate frosting!
Well, I guess it is about time I got some thing written down and posted. I haven't had much access to the internet until I finally found a place later last night.
Before I left Leipzig I visited the "people's battle memorial," a 30-story-high memorial built in 1913 to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon by the kingdoms that now make up Germany in 1813. It is all made of stone and has huge statues inside that signify sort of the spirit or dignity or origins of Germany - in a massive way. There was this strong but calm warrior-type music with men's voices playing in the background that made it kind of eerie. I got to walk the 30 stories to the top through narrow little passageways that were pretty eerie, too. This place was used by Hitler to promote the spirit of the fatherland and by the communists to promote the unity of worldwide communism. Very interesting place.
The next day I went to the smallest and cutest little town yet, Naumburg. It is lots like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which Kathy and Elise both know of, with its narrow little cobblestone streets, part of the town wall remaining, and most of the old moat that was just outside the wall, to discourage invaders. Much of it is just grassy area now.
Later that same day I went to Weimar, another one of the little towns that is big in German history for two reasons. First, it is where Germany's two most famous writers/poets are from Goethe and Shiller. Goethe is the one who wrote the story of the guy who sells his soul to the devil so that he can have all that he wants in this life. A lot of other stories in many languages have taken from that theme since then.
Weimar is also where Germany's first attempt at democracy started after WW1 in 1918, called the Weimar Republic. I found when I got there that where I was staying was about 3 miles out of town by foot in the countryside. A little bit of a hike, but a nice place. I had a good talk with the guy who runs it - about Nazism, Communist, etc. It seems like most people in "East" Germany are ready to denounce Nazism, but don't really want to talk much about life under communism. Maybe it is still too close or maybe they feel like the world is destined to some sort of socialism. I know there are a lot of people in the US who feel like that - like Obama and Hillary, for example.
I arrived in Erfurt the next day. It has a lot of the narrow little streets from medieval times, so I spent a long time just wandering around town exploring. In 90-degree heat! And high humidity! Aye aye aye! I found the monastery where Martin Luther spent a lot of his years.
The second day there, I was taking the streetcar back into the town center, since where I stayed was out a ways. There were police all over the place on the streets on my way in. There were hundreds of police cars, vans, water cannons and police. When I got to the train station, there were two rows of police, shoulder to shoulder, dressed in riot gear. The whole train station and street were blocked off. Mine was the last streetcar they let into town before they stopped them. And there were two helicopters flying around town all day long. Of course, I was wondering what was going on. Was there a bomb threat at the train station or the threat of a terrorist attack? Well, it turns out that they were all there for a soccer game! The pro team from Dusseldorf was in town to play the Erfurt team. The police were all there to prevent violence from happening! They really take their soccer seriously here in Europe! While I was there, a train of fans from the other team came and they started chanting a slogan for their team and shaking their fists. Some fans from Erfurt responded the same way. Anyway, it was a pretty interesting start to the day. I wandered around more and visited the cathedral before it started to rain. And, snice it was my birthday, I celebrated it with a doner kebab (kind of like a gyro) and good piece of German cake with chocolate frosting!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Happy Memorial Day, Everyone!
Monday, May 26
Happy Memorial Day, Everyone! Remember, Kids, to think of your Grandpa A, since Memorial Day is really celebrated to remember our veterans (plus all of our ancestors who have gone before). I'm glad you - Mom, Jeanie, and Elise - were able to go to Ephraim this weekend. Wish I could have been with!
I haven't been able to post these last few entries since I couldn't get any of the USB drives on the computers in Poland to work. So here they all are at once.
I'm on the train to Magdeburg now. They did check our passports on the way back into Germany. It was the Polizei (police), though, not customs agents. They sell train tickets the old way there in Szcezcin - in person, instead of by machine in Germany. A kind of sad thing is that they are closing down all the little train stations all over Germany (not in the big cities) and just letting them sit boarded up and covered with graffiti, and replacing them with a machine. I guess it saves them money, but sure creates an eyesore and they are all such cute little train stations. (You kids know how much I like cute little places like post offices and stuff). Oh well.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
I spent a day in Magdeburg yesterday. I had bread and water for lunch on the train because I had no money and no time to get any at the train station. I had bought some groceries in Poland on Saturday (including a Polish version of canned spam) and that is all I had left over from Sunday. But the experience is alllll worth it! (Either my clothes are stretching or I am losing weight. And my shoes are wearing out!)
Anyway, Magdeburg was not at all what I had thought it was going to be. From the descriptions I had read, it looked like it was going to be a cute little medieval town, but it was basically a showpiece of big fancy buildings – now dilapidated – and wide boulevards that were build by the communists back in the 1960s.
It did have a beautiful old cathedral, though, and the Rathaus (town council building) played a very nice set of bells on the hour one hour. And it is on the banks of the Elbe River. I saw some old train cars and engines that were from WW1, WW2 and from the days when Kathy and I would travel on the trains (which has gotten to be along time now)!
I am in Leipzig now. It is a much bigger city than I had thought. My guidebook says it has the biggest train station in all of Europe, which I am sure is true. It must be four times the size of the huge one I sued to go through in Hamburg.
I went through here once on a bus trip from Berlin to southern Germany to go skiing. It seemed small and quiet back then, but big and bustling now. I guess the big difference is all the cars on the road now. Back then almost no one could afford to have a car. Now they are everywhere!
This is the home of Johann Sebastian Bach, the famous composer. I visited the church where he was the musician and where he is now buried. They have a big Bach celebration here every year.
Anyway, alles es gut bei mir! I´m doing fine. I love you all!
Happy Memorial Day, Everyone! Remember, Kids, to think of your Grandpa A, since Memorial Day is really celebrated to remember our veterans (plus all of our ancestors who have gone before). I'm glad you - Mom, Jeanie, and Elise - were able to go to Ephraim this weekend. Wish I could have been with!
I haven't been able to post these last few entries since I couldn't get any of the USB drives on the computers in Poland to work. So here they all are at once.
I'm on the train to Magdeburg now. They did check our passports on the way back into Germany. It was the Polizei (police), though, not customs agents. They sell train tickets the old way there in Szcezcin - in person, instead of by machine in Germany. A kind of sad thing is that they are closing down all the little train stations all over Germany (not in the big cities) and just letting them sit boarded up and covered with graffiti, and replacing them with a machine. I guess it saves them money, but sure creates an eyesore and they are all such cute little train stations. (You kids know how much I like cute little places like post offices and stuff). Oh well.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
I spent a day in Magdeburg yesterday. I had bread and water for lunch on the train because I had no money and no time to get any at the train station. I had bought some groceries in Poland on Saturday (including a Polish version of canned spam) and that is all I had left over from Sunday. But the experience is alllll worth it! (Either my clothes are stretching or I am losing weight. And my shoes are wearing out!)
Anyway, Magdeburg was not at all what I had thought it was going to be. From the descriptions I had read, it looked like it was going to be a cute little medieval town, but it was basically a showpiece of big fancy buildings – now dilapidated – and wide boulevards that were build by the communists back in the 1960s.
It did have a beautiful old cathedral, though, and the Rathaus (town council building) played a very nice set of bells on the hour one hour. And it is on the banks of the Elbe River. I saw some old train cars and engines that were from WW1, WW2 and from the days when Kathy and I would travel on the trains (which has gotten to be along time now)!
I am in Leipzig now. It is a much bigger city than I had thought. My guidebook says it has the biggest train station in all of Europe, which I am sure is true. It must be four times the size of the huge one I sued to go through in Hamburg.
I went through here once on a bus trip from Berlin to southern Germany to go skiing. It seemed small and quiet back then, but big and bustling now. I guess the big difference is all the cars on the road now. Back then almost no one could afford to have a car. Now they are everywhere!
This is the home of Johann Sebastian Bach, the famous composer. I visited the church where he was the musician and where he is now buried. They have a big Bach celebration here every year.
Anyway, alles es gut bei mir! I´m doing fine. I love you all!
(About the pictures: the first two are the place I stayed at in Magdeburg. They called my room the end room, but it was really the GREEN room, furnished with antiques. The second is a place by a guy whose name is Hundertwasser kind of like Gaudi what would do in Spain called the Green House, even though there is no green in it. Fressnapf is èverything for your animal`and the last one is some amazing work at the top of a Baroque church here in Leipzig).
From Poland, of all places!
Friday, May 22
One more thing about Hamburg - I didn't even know Kathy then, other than I had seen her in a couple of the preparatory meetings we'd been to in Portland before we left. Funny how things go.
Yesterday I went behind the Iron Curtain, or what used to be the Iron Curtain before Germany was reunited and the rest of Eastern Europe was freed from communism. I traveled to Rostock, which is in what used to be East Germany - the DDR. I didn't really know what to expect going back to a formerly communist country. But - it has been, what, 18 years since the Berlin Wall came down and the countries were freed from the communist dictatorship.
Is there much difference between a west German city and an east German one? Not very much, from what I can see here in Rostock! The old East German cars that sounded like big sewing machines when they drove down the street are long gone, replaced by Audis, BMWs, VWs, with some Volvos, SEATs (from Spain, Sonya and Kristina), Citroens and a few Fords and Chevs mixed in - just like in the west! There is more of a mixture of both brand new stuff and poorly maintained stuff in the East. The Commies let a lot deteriorate - and the people were too poor to maintain their property - and it either stays that way or a lot of money from the west has been poured in to fix things up. All the usual western retailers are in the best places in town for shopping. They have made sure of that. The chain stores all over the world have the money to drive out the locals.
Otherwise, what is new? Well, I couldn't find a place to stay here in Rostock - I searched the internet for hours, sent emails, etc., etc. So I arrived without any reservations and asked at the tourist office. They sent me to a place that rents private rooms. It is a place owned by an older lady and she rents a couple of her rooms out to travelers. It only costs 20 Euros and she is very nice. The room is huge - in a late 19th century old home and is quite comfortable. She has all her belongings all over and is, of course, very trusting of everyone. She was telling me she is 80 and has lived through World War II and through communism. The house next to hers was hit by a bomb in WWII and her brother died in a U-boat (submarine) in the war. Communism wasn't as repressive in Rostock as in Berlin. Quite interesting.
I traveled to Warnemunde today, a little town on the Baltic Sea (or the East Sea, as they call it here). There is a nice beach (but way too cold to go swimming) there and a little seaport town, where ships come into the harbor to unload freight or to unload sightseers from the cruise ships. Some of the ships are huge ferries that carry big trucks and cars and let the occupants stay overnight, like a big traveling hotel. Just beyond the horizon lies Denmark, home of our ancestors!
Well, I guess that is about all for now. It starts to get pretty lonely being alone like this without anyone to talk to or share things with. That is the BIG trouble with traveling like this - no one to share things with! So, I'll be calling soon. I'm off to another one of those places tomorrow that keeps changing nationalities over the years - this one from Germany to Poland and back and again. It is a historic place that used to be called Stettin, but now that it is part of Poland, just over the border, it is called Szcezcin. Try saying that one three times fast! It was made part of Poland after WWII to 'punish' Germany and I've read that people mostly speak both Polish and German. We shall see.
A couple of other observations: if I haven't said it yet, graffiti covers every square meter of blank space alongside the railroads and in train stations and on all the buildings even close to the rail lines. It is often around town, too. It is pretty ugly and disgusting. But, society seems to have given in to it and there it stays! Too bad. Also, every here and there from the train you see these 'managed' forests, where the trees are all harvested and then replanted in rows, ready to be harvested in another 30 or 40 years. Kind of takes away from the natural look to them, but there are plenty of other natural forests, too.
Saturday 5-23-08
I took a little side trip to a town called Schwerin yesterday, another small city much like Rostock, but less touristy. I ran into a couple of missionaries on the street there. When I asked them where they were from, one said Italy and the other said Indiana. They said the work was going so-so and they basically have one person they are teaching who is coming to church. I've heard from every missionary I've ever known who has gone to Germany that the Germans just aren't interested much in the Church. Basically, they aren't interested in religion at all these days. Churches are more museums than places of worship. I did get to see a wedding in the big cathedral in Schwerin, though. Tourists just sort of wandered around while the ceremony was being performed, even while the pastor was saying a prayer. But I got to hear the big organ being played, so that was pretty cool.
There is also a big castle there on its own little island on a big lake at the edge of town. It is huge and elaborate, but not very old by the standards of most real castles. It was built in the 1840s. I peeked inside, but decided I can't really afford to pay to go into many places to be able to afford this trip (I've still only eaten in a restaurant one time so far, so I've been saving money, making the whole thing possible).
I am in the train now to Szcezcin, passing a lot of little dorfs along the way (we stop at each one on this trip - the slow train). Each one seems to have a lot of old buildings that are unused and have fallen into disrepair, the result of modernization in the world and especially in the former Communist countries, where things deteriorated so much over the years. The train yards are especially empty and unused. This is a cute little train with only two cars. The conductor lady even gives us a guided tour along the way, telling us about the history and origin of the name of each little place we come to. So that makes it interesting. It has been an interesting trip for a couple of other reasons. There is an older couple up ahead who have been smooching away and a lady was arguing with the conductor about her ticket. The conductor also stated yelling that someone had left the on-board restroom in a mess and asked who was responsible. Otherwise, a smooth trip so far!
Sunday May 25, 2008
Sczeczin used to be part of Germany but is now in Poland. It is funny that there was no evidence of a border crossing and no customs to go through - all with the countries being part of the European Union now. Talk about culture shock - arriving at the station and everything is in Polish! Impossible to understand!
There are lots of kinds of cars here - from Japan and Russia and all over. There seem to be a lot of Fords. A lot of the words just seem to add a "y" to the end, like laptopy and computery. This country is definitely poorer and less well cared for than anything I've seen in Germany. Much more run-down and less commercialized. I know Poland is a much poorer country. You can sure see it. My hotel, though, is the fanciest by far I have stayed at - a real hotel - but on the edge of town for car travelers. I looked and looked on the internet for one but there are almost no hotels here, other than a couple of fancy ones. It's not a big tourist or business place so I had to take whatever hotel I could find. It's a half-hour bus ride from town plus a 15-minute walk, but is in a green area and has a nice view over the Oder River valley.
But, I have to tell you about my new friend Andre Niewada who took me in his car from the train station to my hotel! When I arrived, I had no idea what to do or where to go. And no ones seems to speak German. That probably died out with newer generations. So I asked a lady at a magazine counter if she spoke German. She just shook her head, but a guy - about 60-something - standing there said he knew a little. He spoke it quite well and we were able to communicate pretty well - me with my American accent and him with his Polish one! He actually thought I was German at first, after I told him I had just come from Rostock and lived in Berlin years ago. Anyway, we had a great conversation about the town, how a big car factory that had been around for nearly 100 years had recently closed down, putting a lot of people out of work, etc. He said I was lucky and actually took me in his car to the bus stop I needed to get to my hotel. I agreed!!! When he realized just where it was, he said, "You are double lucky" and drove me there, since it was an area where he took his family now and then to get out of the city. We kept talking about a lot of things and I was surprised how good a conversation I could carry on in German. We got there and I wanted to pay him for the gas and he said no, but that I was triple lucky and handed me a little bag with good Polish pastries in it. That was my dinner. We exchanged addresses and I'm for sure going to write him.
Well, I didn't go to church today - I didn't even try because I didn't think I'd get much out of a meeting in Polish. But, I did go into a church (in fact, two). Does that count? There is a nice big park and cathedral here, too. Like I say, it is getting pretty lonely. I can't even understand the TV, since it is in Polish. But there are a couple of channels in German and even CNN, European version, in English. But meeting people like Andre and seeing things that seem to be out of time, make it a tremendous experience. Especially interesting are the cathedrals, some of which were built 1,000 years ago!
One more thing about Hamburg - I didn't even know Kathy then, other than I had seen her in a couple of the preparatory meetings we'd been to in Portland before we left. Funny how things go.
Yesterday I went behind the Iron Curtain, or what used to be the Iron Curtain before Germany was reunited and the rest of Eastern Europe was freed from communism. I traveled to Rostock, which is in what used to be East Germany - the DDR. I didn't really know what to expect going back to a formerly communist country. But - it has been, what, 18 years since the Berlin Wall came down and the countries were freed from the communist dictatorship.
Is there much difference between a west German city and an east German one? Not very much, from what I can see here in Rostock! The old East German cars that sounded like big sewing machines when they drove down the street are long gone, replaced by Audis, BMWs, VWs, with some Volvos, SEATs (from Spain, Sonya and Kristina), Citroens and a few Fords and Chevs mixed in - just like in the west! There is more of a mixture of both brand new stuff and poorly maintained stuff in the East. The Commies let a lot deteriorate - and the people were too poor to maintain their property - and it either stays that way or a lot of money from the west has been poured in to fix things up. All the usual western retailers are in the best places in town for shopping. They have made sure of that. The chain stores all over the world have the money to drive out the locals.
Otherwise, what is new? Well, I couldn't find a place to stay here in Rostock - I searched the internet for hours, sent emails, etc., etc. So I arrived without any reservations and asked at the tourist office. They sent me to a place that rents private rooms. It is a place owned by an older lady and she rents a couple of her rooms out to travelers. It only costs 20 Euros and she is very nice. The room is huge - in a late 19th century old home and is quite comfortable. She has all her belongings all over and is, of course, very trusting of everyone. She was telling me she is 80 and has lived through World War II and through communism. The house next to hers was hit by a bomb in WWII and her brother died in a U-boat (submarine) in the war. Communism wasn't as repressive in Rostock as in Berlin. Quite interesting.
I traveled to Warnemunde today, a little town on the Baltic Sea (or the East Sea, as they call it here). There is a nice beach (but way too cold to go swimming) there and a little seaport town, where ships come into the harbor to unload freight or to unload sightseers from the cruise ships. Some of the ships are huge ferries that carry big trucks and cars and let the occupants stay overnight, like a big traveling hotel. Just beyond the horizon lies Denmark, home of our ancestors!
Well, I guess that is about all for now. It starts to get pretty lonely being alone like this without anyone to talk to or share things with. That is the BIG trouble with traveling like this - no one to share things with! So, I'll be calling soon. I'm off to another one of those places tomorrow that keeps changing nationalities over the years - this one from Germany to Poland and back and again. It is a historic place that used to be called Stettin, but now that it is part of Poland, just over the border, it is called Szcezcin. Try saying that one three times fast! It was made part of Poland after WWII to 'punish' Germany and I've read that people mostly speak both Polish and German. We shall see.
A couple of other observations: if I haven't said it yet, graffiti covers every square meter of blank space alongside the railroads and in train stations and on all the buildings even close to the rail lines. It is often around town, too. It is pretty ugly and disgusting. But, society seems to have given in to it and there it stays! Too bad. Also, every here and there from the train you see these 'managed' forests, where the trees are all harvested and then replanted in rows, ready to be harvested in another 30 or 40 years. Kind of takes away from the natural look to them, but there are plenty of other natural forests, too.
Saturday 5-23-08
I took a little side trip to a town called Schwerin yesterday, another small city much like Rostock, but less touristy. I ran into a couple of missionaries on the street there. When I asked them where they were from, one said Italy and the other said Indiana. They said the work was going so-so and they basically have one person they are teaching who is coming to church. I've heard from every missionary I've ever known who has gone to Germany that the Germans just aren't interested much in the Church. Basically, they aren't interested in religion at all these days. Churches are more museums than places of worship. I did get to see a wedding in the big cathedral in Schwerin, though. Tourists just sort of wandered around while the ceremony was being performed, even while the pastor was saying a prayer. But I got to hear the big organ being played, so that was pretty cool.
There is also a big castle there on its own little island on a big lake at the edge of town. It is huge and elaborate, but not very old by the standards of most real castles. It was built in the 1840s. I peeked inside, but decided I can't really afford to pay to go into many places to be able to afford this trip (I've still only eaten in a restaurant one time so far, so I've been saving money, making the whole thing possible).
I am in the train now to Szcezcin, passing a lot of little dorfs along the way (we stop at each one on this trip - the slow train). Each one seems to have a lot of old buildings that are unused and have fallen into disrepair, the result of modernization in the world and especially in the former Communist countries, where things deteriorated so much over the years. The train yards are especially empty and unused. This is a cute little train with only two cars. The conductor lady even gives us a guided tour along the way, telling us about the history and origin of the name of each little place we come to. So that makes it interesting. It has been an interesting trip for a couple of other reasons. There is an older couple up ahead who have been smooching away and a lady was arguing with the conductor about her ticket. The conductor also stated yelling that someone had left the on-board restroom in a mess and asked who was responsible. Otherwise, a smooth trip so far!
Sunday May 25, 2008
Sczeczin used to be part of Germany but is now in Poland. It is funny that there was no evidence of a border crossing and no customs to go through - all with the countries being part of the European Union now. Talk about culture shock - arriving at the station and everything is in Polish! Impossible to understand!
There are lots of kinds of cars here - from Japan and Russia and all over. There seem to be a lot of Fords. A lot of the words just seem to add a "y" to the end, like laptopy and computery. This country is definitely poorer and less well cared for than anything I've seen in Germany. Much more run-down and less commercialized. I know Poland is a much poorer country. You can sure see it. My hotel, though, is the fanciest by far I have stayed at - a real hotel - but on the edge of town for car travelers. I looked and looked on the internet for one but there are almost no hotels here, other than a couple of fancy ones. It's not a big tourist or business place so I had to take whatever hotel I could find. It's a half-hour bus ride from town plus a 15-minute walk, but is in a green area and has a nice view over the Oder River valley.
But, I have to tell you about my new friend Andre Niewada who took me in his car from the train station to my hotel! When I arrived, I had no idea what to do or where to go. And no ones seems to speak German. That probably died out with newer generations. So I asked a lady at a magazine counter if she spoke German. She just shook her head, but a guy - about 60-something - standing there said he knew a little. He spoke it quite well and we were able to communicate pretty well - me with my American accent and him with his Polish one! He actually thought I was German at first, after I told him I had just come from Rostock and lived in Berlin years ago. Anyway, we had a great conversation about the town, how a big car factory that had been around for nearly 100 years had recently closed down, putting a lot of people out of work, etc. He said I was lucky and actually took me in his car to the bus stop I needed to get to my hotel. I agreed!!! When he realized just where it was, he said, "You are double lucky" and drove me there, since it was an area where he took his family now and then to get out of the city. We kept talking about a lot of things and I was surprised how good a conversation I could carry on in German. We got there and I wanted to pay him for the gas and he said no, but that I was triple lucky and handed me a little bag with good Polish pastries in it. That was my dinner. We exchanged addresses and I'm for sure going to write him.
Well, I didn't go to church today - I didn't even try because I didn't think I'd get much out of a meeting in Polish. But, I did go into a church (in fact, two). Does that count? There is a nice big park and cathedral here, too. Like I say, it is getting pretty lonely. I can't even understand the TV, since it is in Polish. But there are a couple of channels in German and even CNN, European version, in English. But meeting people like Andre and seeing things that seem to be out of time, make it a tremendous experience. Especially interesting are the cathedrals, some of which were built 1,000 years ago!
Friday, May 23, 2008
From behind the Iron Curtain
Friday - May 2008
One more thing about Hamburg - I didn't even know Kathy then, other than I had seen her in a couple of the preparatory meetings we'd been to before we left. Funny how things go.
Yesterday I went behind the Iron Curtain, or what used to be the Iron Curtain before Germany was reunited and the rest of Eastern Europe was freed from communism. I traveled to Rostock, which is in what used to be East Germany - the DDR. I didn't really know what to expect going back to a formerly communist country. But - it has been, what, 18 years since the Berlin Wall came down and the countries were freed from the communist dictatorship.
Is there much difference between a west German city and an east German one? Not very much, from what I can see here in Rostock! The old East German cars that sounded like big sewing machines when they drove down the street are long gone, replaced by Audis, BMWs, VWs, with some Volvos, SEATs (from Spain, Sonya and Kristina), Citroens and a few Fords and Chevs mixed in - just like in the west! There is more of a mixture of both brand new stuff and poorly maintained stuff in the East. The Commies let a lot deteriorate - and the people were too poor to maintain their property - and it either stays that way or a lot of money from the west has been poured in to fix things up. All the usual western retailers are in the best places in town for shopping. They have made sure of that. The chain stores all over the world have the money to drive out the locals.
Otherwise, what is new? Well, I couldn't find a place to stay here in Rostopck - I searched the internet for hours, sent emails, etc., etc. So I arrived without any reservations and asked at the tourist office. They sent me to a place that rents private rooms. It is a place owned by an older lady and she rents a couple of her rooms out to travelers. It only costs 20 Euros and she is very nice. The room is huge - in a late 19th century old home and is quite comfortable. She has all her belongings all over and is, of course, very trusting of everyone. She was telling me she is 80 and has lived through World War II and through communism. The house next to hers was hit by a bomb in WWII and her brother died in a U-boat (submarine) in the war. Communism wasn't as repressive in Rostock as in Berlin. Quite interesting.
I traveled to Warnemunde today, a little town on the Baltic Sea (or the East Sea, as they call it here). There is a nice beach there and a little seaport town, where ships come into the harbor to unload freight or to unload sightseers from the cruise ships. Some of the ships are huge ferries that carry big trucks and cars and let the occupants stay overnight, like a big traveling hotel. Just beyond the horizon lies Denmark, home of our ancestors!
Well, I guess that is about all for now. It starts to get pretty lonely being alone like this without anyone to talk to or share things with. That is the BIG trouble with traveling like this - no one to share things with! So, I'll be calling soon. I'm off to another one of those places tomorrow that keeps changing nationalites over the years - this one from Germany to Poland and back and again. It is a historic place that used to be called Stettin, but now that it is part of Poland, just over the border, it is called Szcezcin. Try saying that one three times fast! It was made part of Poland after WWII to 'punish' Germany and I've read that people mostly speak both Polish and German. We shall see.
A coiple of other observations: if I haven't said it yet, grafitti covers every square meter of blank space alongside the railroads and in train stations and on all the buildings even close to the rail lines. It is often around town, too. It is pretty ugly and disgsusting. But, society seems to have given in to it and there it stays! Too bad. Also, every here and there from the train you see these 'managed' forests, where the trees are all harvested and then replanted in rows, ready to be harvested in another 30 or 40 years. Kind of takes away from the natural look to them, but there are plenty of other natural forests, too.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Hamburg - more than 30 years later
Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday 5-21-08
My first impression was how strange it seemed without fog and clouds - very unfamiliar, since that is mostly how it was during the January we spent there. It is not far off the coast of the North Sea and very far north, so its winters are mostly like that. The second thing was that it seemed so commericalized. Mönkebergstrasse, the main shopping street, used to have a little bit of everything. That is where I spotted my very first Konditorei, a specialized bakery that makes fancy cakes. Mm-mmm. Now it is just more like a fancy mall that has mostly expensive women´s clothes you can´t afford. Oh well, that is progress for you!
A few other impressions: so much is in English now - ads etc. Despite what people say about not liking America´s policies with the world, American English seems to be the cool language and people wear T-shirts with American slogans and buy American brands. It is quite a bit different in Germany now when even stop signs no longer say ``Halt!``
Everyone rides bikes, too. There are special paths all over and they take them on the subways and everywhere. It is interesting to see so many older people on bikes. We need to get one for you, Mom!
I think that, so far, I´ve only heard about 10 people speak English. I guess the low value of the dollar has something to do with it, as does the time of year - the vacation season hasn´t really started yet. The weather the past week has only been in the 50s, too.
One of the days I went back to the little town I lived in outside of Hamburg called Aumühle. I used to have to take the train into Hamburg for our classes and group meetings and to do other things. The train ride took about half an hour. It looks so different in the sunshine! The picture of Oberförsterkoppel is the street I lived on. The house is still there, but the trees seem larger. I debated whether or not to see if Frau Schönfeld was home - the lady who was my host ``mother`` but I decided against it. It was nice to see that little town was still there and very similar. One change is that they´ve added a high-speed train line through town to Berlin and parts east. It used to end only about 10 miles away, where it hit the East Germany border and stopped - not much train traffic then.
I tore something in leg on Monday - a muscle or ligament. It has made it harder to get my 5-10 miles per day in! But I´m doing it anyway. It just hurts. I guess it will be going away soon. I bought a 3-day train and subway pass in Hamburg, so I was able to ride a lot.
Hope everyone who reads this is happy and well. Tschuß! (By the way, it seems like Guten Tag (Good day) is being replaced by Hello here (said more like Al-low). More changes here in Germany toward a one-world world.
Bremen - rainy and cold
I guess it is time I got this updated, no? I stayed a couple of nights in
On my way back to my little room I saw a religious processlon ( a lot like those you send us pictures of, Kristina) and got fined for riding the streetcar without a ticket. Funny, huh? I tried and tried and tried beforehand to find how to buy a ticket, but there are only machines on the streetcars that take prepaid cards. Most people don't even use those. The plain-clothes crew who came through (I think they only checked the tickets of two othjer people) said that there is a machine that takes coins right up at the front of the first car (these streetcars are abiut four cars long). The driver is inside a closed booth and you can't even talk to him or her. Oh well, live and learn!
I was able to find a laundry and do my wash there, too. I'm not sure why, but self-serve laundries are a rarity in
Oh yeah, and here is apicture of one of the old´fashioned toilet, that has the water tank mounted on the wall. And one of a place called `Wormland` - a women´s clothing store!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
BY THE WAY, MY ITINERARY ...
Here it is, in case you were wondering. I tried to put it into a nice table, but the software wouln't let me. Oh, well!
Date-Day-From-To
5-9-Fri-Home-LV
5-10-Sat-LV-Chicago
5-11-Sun-Chicago-In the air
5-12-Mon-In the air-Frankfurt
5-13-Tue-Frankfurt-Trier
5-14-Wed-Trier-Trier
5-15-Thu-Trier-Koln
5-16-Fri-Koln-Essen
5-17-Sat-Essen-Bremen
5-18-Sun-Bremen-Bremen
5-19-Mon-Bremen-Hamburg
5-20-Tue-Hamburg-Hamburg
5-21-Wed-Hamburg-Hamburg
5-22-Thu-Hamburg-Rostock
5-23-Fri-Rostock-Rostock
5-24-Sat-Rostock-Stettin / Sczcecin
5-25-Sun-Stettin-Stettin
5-26-Mon-Stettin-Magdeburg
5-27-Tue-Magdeburg-Leipzig
5-28-Wed-Leipzig-Leipzig
5-29-Thu-Leipzig-Weimar
5-30-Fri-Weimar-Erfurt
5-31-Sat-Erfurt-Erfurt
6-1-Sun-Erfurt-Eisenach
6-2-Mon-Eisenach-Wurzburg
6-3-Tue-Wurzburg-Wurzburg
6-4-Wed-Wurzburg-Regensburg
6-5-Thu-Regensburg-Regensburg
6-6-Fri-Regensburg-Augsburg
6-7-Sat-Augsburg-Augsburg
6-8-Sun-Augsburg-Ulm
6-9-Mon-Ulm-Ulm
6-10-Tue-Ulm-Frankfurt
6-11-Wed-Frankfurt-Frankfurt
6-12-Thu-Frankfurt-Heidelberg
6-13-Fri-Heidelberg-Rothenberg
6-14-Sat-Rothenberg-Munich
6-15-Sun-Munich-Fussen
6-16-Mon-Fussen-Freiburg
6-17-Tue-Freiburg-Basel - Madrid
6-18-Wed-Madrid-Madrid
6-19-Thu-Madrid-Almeria
6-20-Fri-Almeria-Almeria
6-21-Sat-Almeria-Almeria
6-22-Sun-Almeria-Almeria
6-23-Mon-Almeria-Madrid and Basel
6-24-Tue-Basel - Zurich-Innsbruck
6-25-Wed-Innsbruck-Brannenberg
6-26-Thu-Brannenberg-Brannenberg
6-27-Fri-Brannenberg-Dresden
6-28-Sat-Dresden-Dresden
6-29-Sun-Dresden-Gorlitz
6-30-Mon-Gorlitz-Gorlitz
7-1-Tue-Gorlitz-Prague
7-2-Wed-Prague-Prague
7-3-Thu-Prague-Berlin
7-4-Fri-Berlin-Berlin
7-5-Sat-Berlin-Berlin
7-6-Sun-Berlin-Berlin
7-7-Mon-Berlin-Berlin
7-8-Tue-Berlin-Berlin
7-9-Wed-Berlin - Frankfurt-LV
7-10-Thu-LV-LV
7-11-Fri-LV-Home
Date-Day-From-To
5-9-Fri-Home-LV
5-10-Sat-LV-Chicago
5-11-Sun-Chicago-In the air
5-12-Mon-In the air-Frankfurt
5-13-Tue-Frankfurt-Trier
5-14-Wed-Trier-Trier
5-15-Thu-Trier-Koln
5-16-Fri-Koln-Essen
5-17-Sat-Essen-Bremen
5-18-Sun-Bremen-Bremen
5-19-Mon-Bremen-Hamburg
5-20-Tue-Hamburg-Hamburg
5-21-Wed-Hamburg-Hamburg
5-22-Thu-Hamburg-Rostock
5-23-Fri-Rostock-Rostock
5-24-Sat-Rostock-Stettin / Sczcecin
5-25-Sun-Stettin-Stettin
5-26-Mon-Stettin-Magdeburg
5-27-Tue-Magdeburg-Leipzig
5-28-Wed-Leipzig-Leipzig
5-29-Thu-Leipzig-Weimar
5-30-Fri-Weimar-Erfurt
5-31-Sat-Erfurt-Erfurt
6-1-Sun-Erfurt-Eisenach
6-2-Mon-Eisenach-Wurzburg
6-3-Tue-Wurzburg-Wurzburg
6-4-Wed-Wurzburg-Regensburg
6-5-Thu-Regensburg-Regensburg
6-6-Fri-Regensburg-Augsburg
6-7-Sat-Augsburg-Augsburg
6-8-Sun-Augsburg-Ulm
6-9-Mon-Ulm-Ulm
6-10-Tue-Ulm-Frankfurt
6-11-Wed-Frankfurt-Frankfurt
6-12-Thu-Frankfurt-Heidelberg
6-13-Fri-Heidelberg-Rothenberg
6-14-Sat-Rothenberg-Munich
6-15-Sun-Munich-Fussen
6-16-Mon-Fussen-Freiburg
6-17-Tue-Freiburg-Basel - Madrid
6-18-Wed-Madrid-Madrid
6-19-Thu-Madrid-Almeria
6-20-Fri-Almeria-Almeria
6-21-Sat-Almeria-Almeria
6-22-Sun-Almeria-Almeria
6-23-Mon-Almeria-Madrid and Basel
6-24-Tue-Basel - Zurich-Innsbruck
6-25-Wed-Innsbruck-Brannenberg
6-26-Thu-Brannenberg-Brannenberg
6-27-Fri-Brannenberg-Dresden
6-28-Sat-Dresden-Dresden
6-29-Sun-Dresden-Gorlitz
6-30-Mon-Gorlitz-Gorlitz
7-1-Tue-Gorlitz-Prague
7-2-Wed-Prague-Prague
7-3-Thu-Prague-Berlin
7-4-Fri-Berlin-Berlin
7-5-Sat-Berlin-Berlin
7-6-Sun-Berlin-Berlin
7-7-Mon-Berlin-Berlin
7-8-Tue-Berlin-Berlin
7-9-Wed-Berlin - Frankfurt-LV
7-10-Thu-LV-LV
7-11-Fri-LV-Home
Köln to the Ruhr Area
Thursday 5-15-08Koln
I arrived today in Koln. In English and French it is called Cologne. I suppose you can guess where it got its name? Yup, it is where Kolnisches Wasser was discovered or invented. In other words, eau de cologne, or just cologne. It was discovered there naturally and was first thought to promote good health and, later, just to make you smell better. The French pretty much took over the business and developed perfume for women.
The big attraction of Koln now is its enormous cathedral. A pretty amazing place! It is either the biggest cathedral in the world or the biggest in Germany, I'm not sure. Even though it was built from the 1100s to the 1300s, the towers are over 50 stories high! It had to have taken a lot of faith in God for those people to take on such a task! You can climb 300 feet to the south tower, which I did. A little tiring , but worth it! It just reinforces to you what an amazing structure it is, to have been built that long ago. It has dozens of little ornate towers all over it, about a dozen flying buttresses and lots of those little guys, what are they called?
Koln is right on the Rhein River, too, and there is all sorts of river traffic on it, carrying coal and chemicals and tourist boats.
I got to stay in a little hotel in a Dachzimmer, an attic room, one of my dreams come true! Pretty cool and with a nice view into the inner courtyard. If it is any indication about the places I am staing, the Marriott was right across the street! OK, well, that is no indication, since it wasn't even close to the same league. They even let cars drive on the sidewalk to drop people off at the Marriott. I jusat get to share the bathroom and shower with everyone on my tiny floor.
Friday 5-17-08
Essen - Duisburg - Dusseldorf
Friday 5-17-08
Essen - Duisburg - Dusseldorf
See below
Saturday 5-16-08
Well, here I sit on the train from Essen to Bremen. How do I write a "blog post" from the train? With my little Palm Pilot and keyboard gizmo. I'll take a picture of it and post it, too.
I slept late today. I guess it's one of those days that you need to catch up from the 5 to 10 miles of walking I've been doing. I just went around to a few local towns in the Ruhr area yesterday. It is not a touristy area, but us of great importance historically as Germany's big industrial area. It is where most of the arms for WW II were built. They are now less industrial areas, but, like the US, most of the industry has moved oversees. It seems to have become a shopping area and Essen's slogan, as you come out of the train station is "Germany's shopping city!" A lot of the old train stations and tracks have fallen into disrepair as their need has declined
Well, it was raining this morning. I guess that is pretty common weather for this time of year - or all times of the year, since it is so far north and so close to the North Sea. And, like it was in Hamburg many years ago, it is very foggy. Like in Portland, that is the price you pay for all the green! It IS gorgeous here.
I stopped in Munster (that's not MONster, but the name means cathedral) to see the famous Munster, but got soaked in the rain. My jacket was just as wet on the inside as on the outside. There was some sort of festival going on so people were lined up inside the cathedral - for what, I didn't have time to find out, or I'd have missed my train. On the outside was a huge open-air market selling mostly fruits and vegetables, but you could buy just about anything there in the rain! "Frische Spargel" is sold all over the place - everywhere I've gone. That is fresh asparagus and is not like ours in the US, but is white and very thick. I need to eat at a real restaurant one of the days and try it cooked. Also outside the cathedral there were outdoor cafes and people were eating, but, mostly, drinking. Good way to celebrate a religious holiday, huh? Now, the landscape is mostly flat, as we get closer to the North Sea coast and a bit foggy.
I am at an Internet Café right now in Bremen and, you know how there always seem to be little parades go by whenever we go to Mexico? Well, believe it or not, one just went by on the street right now! The cars were all sporting Turkish flags! There are a lot of Turks here in Spain. They were brought in as ‘guest workers’ after WW II to provide manpower that was badly needed to rebuild Germany. There are new generations still here. Anyway, there was just a Turkish parade. And, Kristina! They love their Döner kebaps here, too! They are all over the place!
I’ll write a little about Bremen tomorrow. I just need to try to get some pictures up here right now! Tschuß for now!
Saturday 5-16-08
Well, here I sit on the train from Essen to Bremen. How do I write a "blog post" from the train? With my little Palm Pilot and keyboard gizmo. I'll take a picture of it and post it, too.
I slept late today. I guess it's one of those days that you need to catch up from the 5 to 10 miles of walking I've been doing. I just went around to a few local towns in the Ruhr area yesterday. It is not a touristy area, but us of great importance historically as Germany's big industrial area. It is where most of the arms for WW II were built. They are now less industrial areas, but, like the US, most of the industry has moved oversees. It seems to have become a shopping area and Essen's slogan, as you come out of the train station is "Germany's shopping city!" A lot of the old train stations and tracks have fallen into disrepair as their need has declined
Well, it was raining this morning. I guess that is pretty common weather for this time of year - or all times of the year, since it is so far north and so close to the North Sea. And, like it was in Hamburg many years ago, it is very foggy. Like in Portland, that is the price you pay for all the green! It IS gorgeous here.
I stopped in Munster (that's not MONster, but the name means cathedral) to see the famous Munster, but got soaked in the rain. My jacket was just as wet on the inside as on the outside. There was some sort of festival going on so people were lined up inside the cathedral - for what, I didn't have time to find out, or I'd have missed my train. On the outside was a huge open-air market selling mostly fruits and vegetables, but you could buy just about anything there in the rain! "Frische Spargel" is sold all over the place - everywhere I've gone. That is fresh asparagus and is not like ours in the US, but is white and very thick. I need to eat at a real restaurant one of the days and try it cooked. Also outside the cathedral there were outdoor cafes and people were eating, but, mostly, drinking. Good way to celebrate a religious holiday, huh? Now, the landscape is mostly flat, as we get closer to the North Sea coast and a bit foggy.
I am at an Internet Café right now in Bremen and, you know how there always seem to be little parades go by whenever we go to Mexico? Well, believe it or not, one just went by on the street right now! The cars were all sporting Turkish flags! There are a lot of Turks here in Spain. They were brought in as ‘guest workers’ after WW II to provide manpower that was badly needed to rebuild Germany. There are new generations still here. Anyway, there was just a Turkish parade. And, Kristina! They love their Döner kebaps here, too! They are all over the place!
I’ll write a little about Bremen tomorrow. I just need to try to get some pictures up here right now! Tschuß for now!
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