So sorry I mistakenly sent out a link to a depression blog on this site – I hit the wrong button when meaning to share another’s post via Tweet – wound up on my site – I deleted it but not before email notifications were sent out – my apologies!

Source: Tijuana Flats…not just good food but good people

Check out my latest Hypeorlando post and see where AARP thinks I should travel. Making sure my passport is up to date!

Black Dolphin Inn earns BedandBreakfast.com Top Ten Award.

Too Cold Toronto.

Sorry, my comments on Toronto haven’t made it to the blog yet…making a quick trip to Panama City to visit our son for a few days. Seeing as how it is spring break here, we decided not to stay in our favorite place on the beach, to avoid all the craziness. So, we chose a Holiday Inn Select which seems to be in a 60’s-70’s time warp. No complaints about the important stuff…clean, quiet, comfy bed…but the bathroom decor will wake you up in the morning…bright red shower/bath unit along with a red, push button, phone on the wall.

Charlie said he knows how Don Draper must have felt back in the day, sitting in the john with a red phone at his disposal!

Took a bit of a break from the blog as I picked up a stomach bug and been under the weather, ugh. We had a delightful Christmas Eve dinner with Helena and her godson, Philip, along with his parents, Anne and Patrick. It was a lovely time but, unfortunately a bug got the better of four of us. Charlie and Philip seem fine so far. Let’s hope it stays that way.

I can just now talk about the food we enjoyed…oysters on the half shell, salmon pie, foie gras, ham, a mashed root (kind of like turnip but not) and a bowl of chopped up carrots, beets and other things I’m not sure of. All of this was accompanied by champagne, bordeaux, chablis, more champagne and glog. The lovely Anne brought a trifle for dessert along with a special Christmas cookie that I can’t remember the name of. Helena is from Finland and included Finnish dishes in her menu.

The conversation was varied…they knew much more about the U.S. than we do of Switzerland…heck, they probably know more about the U.S. than we do. They had an interesting take on our country’s politics and we learned a lot about theirs. Anne was surprised that we were even interested in European politics. I think she thinks our idea of them is that they are all a bunch of “socialists”. Gee, I wonder where she gets that idea. They figured out that we were all on the same page in that department and so the conversation remained very civil. Traveling Europe makes one so much more aware that we might not be the smartest country on the planet.

After dinner we had a special surprise of a visit from Santa Claus (Philip mysteriously disappeared.) We were even included in the gift giving. Somehow Santa knew we would be there and I received a box of champagne truffles while Charlie was given a can of pate…both of which were apperciated and will be tasted when my appetite returns. At the moment I’m only consuming broth and water. Not a fun way to lose weight!

The Montezuma’s revenge didn’t hit til the day after Christmas so Charlie and I roasted a small turkey breast and skyped Jess and Ali soon after the boys had opened their Christmas gifts. They were all a bit preoccupied and Jess was fixing breakfast so we weren’t on the call long, but it was great to see all the happy faces. Later we skyped Patty and got to see mom and dad and the rest of Patty’s family. Dad was quite confused through it all but looked happy so that’s what counts. We were able to pan the camera over Lake Geneva and the Alps so they could get the gist of what our living arrangements are like high in the mountains. Patty mentioned that she didn’t realize we were so close to Lake Geneva…close but so far away…as it takes us about 30 minutes to get down there through winding roads and tiny villages.

We hoped to go to Lausanne yesterday but it wasn’t in the cards…hated to waste a beautiful day. Today is cold and rainy…not cold enough for snow though. Planning on going out some tomorrow, that is if this nasty bug doesn’t catch up with Charlie.

Hoping everyone enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to a fun New Year. We’ll be off to Paris on Sunday…

We are lucky travelers to enjoy such a hospitable neighbor in Helena. Her house is just above ours..and even though it is so close, it’s a bit of a challenging walk up the path and around to her driveway. The snow and slush have melted due to the ice and warmer temps but there is a stretch in the shade that remains slippery. Helena had us over for a fondue dinner on Saturday night starting with champagne and foie gras, then gruyere fondue with wine, followed by a salad, then an Irish coffee. We also just had to finish the champagne bottle so we were lucky we made it back to our chalet without taking a tumble and sliding down the hill.

Helena’s house feels so much like what you would picture a typical Swiss chalet, looking over Lake Geneva and the Alps. Very cozy with a warm fire and beautifully tasteful Christmas settings. Dinner and conversation were splendid. Helena has had quite the life and we heard stories of her driving a taxi in Jerusalem at the age of 17; taking a road trip from Finland to Bangladesh with a friend (before it was too dangerous to travel through Afghanistan); and, as a registered nurse, taking a trip to the states as part of a seminar to learn more about AIDS in the eighties. She is from Finland with three sons residing in Finland and China, has traveled the world and is full of knowledge, wisdom and humor. We are so happy to have met her.

The next day, Helena took us to a market in Divonne, France, which was full of cheese, meats, fruits & vegetables, textiles…just about anything you can think of.

The scents and sights were wonderful as we wandered up and down the streets filled with Sunday shoppers. A stop at a tea room gave us a break and a chance to try cafe au lait and a donut (unfortunately, they were out of croissants!).

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On the way home we stopped at a French grocery store where Helena and Charlie mulled over which wines to buy…at only 1 to 3 Euros per bottle. It's a secret place she's found to purchase her wines at a great price. We are allowed to take 3 bottles each across the French-Swiss border. Of course, on the path through the small towns back to La Chevrerie, there were no border guards to check.

This morning we woke up to another sunny day with the temps rising and the snow on the roof thumping and sliding to the ground. After enjoying a lazy morning, we drove down to Nyon where Charlie could get in a run along Lake Geneva.

Many of the shops were open, even though it is Christmas Eve, and I was able to find the perfect gift for Helena, as we are joining her for dinner tonight, along with her godson and his parents. A Christmas ham is on the menu and, if our previous dinner is an example, this one will be a culinary experience to remember.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Thursday morning we boarded the first train that would eventually lead us to Zermatt. One can always tell which are everyday passengers versus tourists. We are agog at everything we see and the locals just sit in boredom tending to their particular electronic device. We traveled around Lake Geneva with Mont Blanc in sight, through small towns and past snowy fields. Even though the trip took several hours, the time went by in a flash as there was so much to see.

Arriving into Zermatt, we walked to our hotel, The Phoenix, which meant scaling a bit of a hill but the hike was worth the result. Very happy with the hotel and Trip Advisor will receive a top-notch rating. Wonderful view of the Matterhorn, however, we never saw the cloudy peak til we were pulling out of the rail station the next day.

As we arrived late in the afternoon, there was not much time to waste and we managed to hop on one of the last gondolas up the mountain. Several skiers and snowboarders were trying to take one last gasp at the slopes. There are a series of gondolas heading up to a mountain lake, however, we didn’t get up that far. The wind was getting stiff and, at one point when we were changing gondolas, we got hit with a gust of wind and snow that turned us around to head back down to the town.

Breathtaking views that we are just not used to in Florida. The closest we’ve seen to anything like this in the states was Big Sky, Montana.
By the time we hiked back into town we were ready for supper and found a reasonable place that Rick Steves recommended. Turned out it served the best burger we’ve ever tasted…perhaps because we had worked up an appetite with the icy adventure we had just experienced. The cozy warmth of the restaurant coupled with a good burger and beer made for the perfect meal. We’d recommend the Brown Cow to any Zermatt visitors.

After dinner, we had just enough time to visit The Matterhorn Museum, located underground, below a glass dome. (BTW, our rail passes gives us free entrance to all museums in Switzerland.) A lot of the exhibits were authentic artifacts from the first successful climb which resulted in half the team losing their lives in a fall on the way back down. A short movie about the everyday life of mountain rescuers was enlightening. They risk their lives daily to save stranded climbers who might take on more than they can handle.

After walking the snowy hill back up to the hotel, we took advantage of the fireplace in the cozy lobby and enjoyed a Bailey’s coffee. We also were surprised to see three girls from California, who we had met on the train. Who’da thunk we’d be staying in the same hotel. They are studying in Spain for a couple of semesters through their Seventh Day Adventist college in southern Cal and take advantage of their breaks by visiting various parts of Europe. Very sweet girls who seemed to appreciate the beauty and diversity of this part of the world.

The next morning we caught the Glacier Express, which travels at low speed through mountains and valleys of the most overwhelmingly beautiful scenery you can imagine. It’s impossible to capture it with my little Nikon but the memories will last forever. This time we sat next to students from Beijing, studying in Nottingham, England. Their English was sketchy but they seemed to want to practice and were just as gaga over the sights as were we. The whole trip takes around 5 hours and left us at Chur, which is the oldest town in Switzerland. We learned that the man who started the Ritz Hotels had lived in one of the small villages along the way and actually was surnamed “Ritz”…thus the origin of the word “ritzy”.

After an hour in Chur we boarded a train to Zurich, then on to Nyon, then back to La Chevrerie and the snowy walk up to the chalet, which was warm and inviting. Saturday will be a day of catch-up with laundry and chilling out. Sunday we are dining with a neighbor, Helena, after a trip to a market just over the border in France. Toodleoo from snowy La Chevrerie! – More pics to follow – it’s taking a super long time to upload them to the blog, for some reason.

Each night of Advent, several villages participate in open-houses, with a different home hosting an event each evening. The lovely people living in La Chevrerie invited us to their party last night, complete with homemade pumpkin soup and hot wine, among other yummies.

Each time someone arrived, they greeted each person attending with a 3-point kiss…right cheek, left cheek, right cheek. I’ve seen the two-cheek greeting before, but was surprised by trois bussing. Very sweet people and such a diverse group. We stayed until our toes went numb as the gathering was held outside while snow was falling all around us. We have already been invited to dinner by another neighbor when we get back from Zermatt and an invite to be taken to a market just over the border in France. We definitely feel welcome.

Earlier today we took a short train ride to Nyon for some additional grocery shopping. Found a multi-story mall a short distance from the train station with Pere Noel wandered around greeting the children.

Shops were open along the street and the smell of something baking drew us to an oven baking something (we’ve yet to translate what was cooking). At one point the baker popped out and took a tray out, determined the items weren’t done and popped them back in, then returned inside the shop. We’ll definitely return to Nyon to spend a day and find out what was behind the oven doors.

Tomorrow we’re off to Zermatt for a night, then onto the Glacier Express on Friday. Bonsoir!

This is what we woke up to on our first morning in La Chevrerie.

We arrived after dark and were lucky that Mike, from the neighborhood, was on our train. He knew we were arriving and led us to Jesus and Polina’s chalet. So happy he was there and had a flashlight as it was pitch black outside and we would have had a difficult time finding the path to the house. We muddled through slushy snow and ice, dragging our luggage behind us, finally reaching #20 La Chevrerie.

A neighbor turned on the heat before we arrived but the house had not warmed up yet so we were shivering as we unpacked and found our way around the house. It’s quite rustic and this morning, looking out the window at a heavy snowfall, it’s everything we imagined Switzerland to be, in the middle of winter.

The train shows up hourly just below the chalet and we caught it this morning into St. Cergue where we enjoyed coffee, quiche and danish at a small boulangerie, a short distance from the train station.

We feel we are in another world, having left the Florida humidity for a snowy mountain retreat, where French is the spoken language. However, we did run into an English-speaking Irish woman at the train station in St. Cergue, who was on her way to Milan for an opera tonight. More later, as we heard there is an open house in the neighborhood to which we are invited. Au revoir!

Saw this on the beach the other day. It felt like an omen of our upcoming trip. Found out the little village in which we are staying has 3 feet of snow waiting for us. Suffice it to say we added more sweats to our baggage. The Christmas cookies are baked and now the deadline is near to have all the gifts wrapped and ready to go. The humidity was so high here today, I was sweating while wrapping. Then we got blasted with a super storm, the skies went black at 5 p.m. and we were on a tornado watch. Some 30 homes were damaged about 5 miles from us.  After wind and rain, the temp dropped a little but still in shorts and flipflops but we’ll be trading them for coats and boots soon. The rest of the week will be a blur of cleaning and preparation for our new friends, Jesus, Polina and little Francisco.

So glad there was a beach to walk on today. The north winds are fierce again and the waves are wild but the sun is finally out. Heading back home was a treat to see our neighbor, Sheila, with the doors open and music drifting out to the porch, while MacKenzie photographed her grilled cheese creations. Check out her blog, GrilledCheeseSocial, for some mouth-watering grilled innovations that aren’t your mother’s grilled cheese.

Time to get the rolling pin out and make the pie crusts…

Attempting my usual beach walk today was daunting. At first I reveled in the fact that I was the only one on the beach; and then I realized WHY I was the only one on the beach. The tide’s been up all week, limiting cars and visitors. The weather service says the higher than normal waves and tides are a result of a strong onshore flow, whatever that means. In my case, it means not much available sand on which to walk. Living close to the Atlantic ocean offers a changing shoreline almost every day. Sometimes the tide is so far out we have yards and yards of space to walk, the water might be as calm as the Gulf, and at other times the waves are moving as if driven by a washing machine motor. Today the waves were so far up the beach I could only make it about a half mile to the north before I gave up fighting the wind and water up to my knees.

A “normal” day at NSB

High tide leaving not much space on which to walk

But I did see one brave soul out in the water windsurfing. His strength and control of his craft was amazing, flying over the waves and sailing out so far I could hardly see him. Then he’d steer back to shore as if there were just a gentle wind at his back. My struggles were lame compared to what he was accomplishing out there in the wild waters. (No photos of him because my phone died).

Happy Thanksgiving to all…we’re gearing up for a family celebration at my sister’s place. It’ll be a pie baking marathon at the Young residence while watching the NYC Macy’s parade. Lots to be thankful for! Then some serious planning for our Switzerland trip. Tickets are purchased, plans are being made. All that’s left is a Christmas shopping, cookie baking and a major house cleaning and baby-proofing as our visitors have a newly-walking baby, Francisco. Can’t wait to meet them. More to follow…

This article from the Wall Street Journal sounds like a wonderful option for retirement…

Perigord

The wind gusts are fierce here in New Smyrna Beach, as Hurricane Sandy skirts the shores. Wondering how high the stack of palm fronds will go.  Who needs tree trimmers when all it takes is a windy weather system to do the job. At least we don’t have to worry about huge oak tree limbs crashing into our house…the bamboo and palm trees just sway in the breeze. We’re more worried about flying political signs turning into moving missiles…waiting to see if our Obama sign outlasts the Romney message across the street. Hope everyone stays safe and our neighbors to the north don’t get the storm of the century when a tropical system mixes with a snow event. Meanwhile, we’ll dodge the palm fronds down here!

After years of going to Fodor’s and Frommer’s for travel advice, I was turned on to Rick Steves and his travel books, radio and TV show. He’s extremely thorough in his travel descriptions, especially of Europe, and goes a step further by including out of the way places to visit when you need a break from the typical tourist destinations of a city. He also is not afraid to throw in some of his political views about the country he is critiquing. His recent post about the health system in France is worth checking out…I’ve included the text below.

A Tour Guide’s Experience with Health Care Phobia in France

I believe that, especially with a good guide, travel can be transformative and richly experiential…both a political act and a spiritual act. It forces people to grow, to deal with others who see things differently, to get out of their comfort zones, and to grapple with their own ethnocentricity and hang-ups. While people don’t generally sign up for a tour thinking they are investing in the growing pains of a broader perspective, I encourage my guides — like a loving parent who works to broaden a child’s palate — to thoughtfully set up experiences that can pry open a little wider the hometown blinders of an American traveler. Recently, one of our guides (who happens to be an American) shared this fascinating experience relating to health care in France. Here’s her report:

When I’m leading a tour in France, I always give a talk on the French tax, education, and health care systems. When speaking to a tour group — many of whom are relatively well-off, middle-aged Americans — these subjects can be a little controversial…even taboo. But I believe these issues are essential for anyone hoping to understand contemporary French society and culture.

The French pay lots of taxes for social programs. These taxes allow for “free” universal health care (not socialized medicine, but rather a quasi-private system overseen by the government — rated #1 in the world by the World Health Organization) and “free” education through the university level for all French citizens. Of course, health care and education are not free — they are paid for collectively by the entire society through taxes.

The French, in general, believe this is a good system. As is the case with other Europeans, they are not eager to pay high taxes (the French pay about 30 percent income tax, plus about 20 percent sales tax). But they have high expectations for the programs their taxes pay for, and they generally embrace the system. The French see their tax dollars at work each time they go to the doctor of their choosing and pay only a small co-pay (about $20); when they don’t have to worry whether they can afford their cancer treatment; and when they don’t have to ask, “How will I pay for higher education for my child?” No one in France is in debt because they have cancer or because they went to school to become a teacher.

When I explain this to my tour members, I let them know that I don’t think the French system is perfect, and neither do the French.  It’s expensive. There is abuse. And some people fall through the cracks. But I believe that when our tax, health care, and education expenses are added together, we Americans end up paying more for less. The French, by their communal nature, prefer the collective approach — life with more taxes and without the economic stress that we treat as normal. I graduated from the University of Washington owing $30,000, and my parents owed even more. My 30-year-old brother, who is self-employed with no insurance, fell off his bike and had to wait more than six hours to be seen in the emergency room. He was billed $7,000 for that visit. My underinsured father had quadruple bypass heart surgery and had to file for bankruptcy because he couldn’t pay his medical bills.

Rick Steves groups are filled with people of all political stripes, but nearly everyone is rational, open-minded, and willing to respect (if not agree with) the opinions of others. But on a recent tour, a few of my tour members were angered that I would “talk positively about socialism” (as they put it). One couple (I’ll call them Jane and John) said they vehemently disagreed with everything I said — not just my opinions, which I could understand, but even the facts and statistics I had cited, and the personal French accounts I’d collected. Jane insisted that no one could be happy living in a system where one is responsible for carrying the weight of their neighbor.

The next morning, when I went down to breakfast, Jane and John weren’t anywhere to be found. Finally John appeared looking like he’d seen a ghost — like he hadn’t slept all night. Turns out he hadn’t. Jane had suffered a severe medical problem the night before, but she wouldn’t let John come get me to help — she refused to see a doctor in France. I went to see Jane and convinced her to go to the hospital. When we got there, she was seen within two minutes of walking through the door, they were giving her tests within five minutes, and after ten minutes, she felt comfortable enough with the quality of care that she told me I didn’t need to stay.

I went back when it was time for Jane to be discharged. Fortunately, her condition had not caused long-term damage, and with medication she’d be able to return home to follow up with her own doctors. But John was struggling to sort things out with the discharge nurse. I translated the nurse’s explanation that she couldn’t accept their US insurance information — in fact, there was nothing to pay. John turned to me and said, “Do you know how much this overnight stay would cost in the US? This is crazy! Are you sure I don’t have to pay?” Determined to “pay their own way,” John and Jane took out their credit card. After some convincing, I persuaded the nurse to charge them a small “donation” of about $200.

I’m so thankful Jane was able to walk away from the incident. And I also hope that maybe their experience opened their minds a bit. We don’t need to embrace European social ethics. But we should be open to learning about them and respecting people who choose to design caring societies a little differently than ours.

Keep your fingers crossed! On our trip to Switzerland I may be able to participate in a free trial of a new WiFi system which is being offered internationally by XcomGlobal. While traveling we take our netbook and a Kindle Fire with us, taking advantage of free WiFi signals along the way. However, our recent experience in Germany, missing a train and having to stay overnight in Munich, forced us to pay for coverage so we could scout out a hotel and make reservations while en route. With XcomGlobal’s equipment, a traveler can access the internet anywhere, as long as they are in a country with access. Switzerland is on their list and they are looking for travel writers to test the system and report their assessments.

It will be a boost for the blog as I’ll be able to post while on the road (or rail) rather than waiting til we get back to our home base.

Still working out the kinks as their offer is for 2 weeks and we will be away for a month, but it sounds like they will accommodate us. The offer was made available through Travelwriters.com which describes XcomGlobal as “a leading provider of low-cost wireless internet access rental services for international travelers.”

More later…

So…we didn’t think we would be making another trip this year, especially to Europe again, but….we received an offer we just can’t refuse. A young couple are thinking about relocating to Volusia County…they have friends and family in Orange City. They asked if we would exchange homes for a month over the holidays. After much angst and feelings of guilt, we decided to take them up on their offer. (You only live once, right?!) Their place is just outside of Geneva, close to France (3 hours by train to Paris)…just a short walk to the train. So, we’re committed. We Skyped the other day and they’re lovely people with a 13 month old son. We’re also doing a car exchange so we’ll have a bit more flexibility and won’t be tied down to the trains for short trips. Night skiing is available within 15 minutes of the house and they’ve offered their equipment for us to use. More details to follow…

Finally home to report that our home exchange went smoothly with no problems or issues. Some commented, when told we were exchanging homes with a stranger, that they could never do that and aren’t we afraid of returning to a trashed house? Nope, didn’t happen. Everything was left the way we left it…with a few extras in the fridge. And we left Ruediger’s house in the same shape. The concept really works and the best part is staying in another part of the world for 24 nights free. We never would have taken on this experience if we would have had to dish out the extra dollars for lodging. It’s a win-win. Of course, you have to do your homework and stay in close “email” contact with your host prior to the trip and follow the rules laid out by homeexchange.com.  It doesn’t make sense that someone would pay the annual fee only to trick someone in order to ransack and steal items from your home. Maybe one might be paranoid if they had tons of gold lying around or expensive cars with keys available. But, common sense prevails and it is an adventure worth looking into.  It was only our second house swap but we’ll be pursuing more.

That being said, I guess it’s obvious we found Germany absolutely charming, in terms of countryside and citizens. Something happened to Charlie just days after we returned which might show a fundamental difference in American versus European attitudes.  He was jogging down Peninsula Avenue, as usual, and hugged the side of the road which was shaded; no sidewalk on that side, the sidewalk, on the other side of the street, was being baked in the sun. Not much traffic on that portion of the road and when he heard a car approaching, he drifted off the pavement onto the grassy shoulder. As the car (truck) passed, the drive yelled out…”The sidewalk’s on the other side!” (He was probably also calling Charlie an idiot under his breath.) Jess has run that route, only to be yelled at. I’ve even experienced it while walking on the sidewalk…kids yelling something stupid. We just accept this idiocy and move on; however, I dare say this would never happen in Europe. There is a lot more respect evident within that society. Just standing at a roadway waiting for the little green man to appear, letting us know it was safe to cross…my impulse was to go ahead and cross when I didn’t see any cars but the rest of the pedestrians just waited patiently until the red light turned to green. We saw a lot more respect for the law, for other people and for the environment. Not sure when our country took a turn toward disrespect and intolerance, but it’s made much more evident when traveling to other parts of the world. Does it make me “unpatriotic” to have those opinions? I would hope not…just wishing our country would learn from others in areas where we need improvement.

I know the saying “the grass is always greener” probably comes to mind and we did hear about heavy taxation. We were surprised to hear that each German is responsible for paying into a tax used for reunification after the events of 1990. Per Wikipedia “The “solidarity tax”, a 5.5% surcharge on the income tax, was instated by the Kohl government to restore the infrastructure of the new states to the levels of the western ones. The tax, which raises €11 billion a year, will be maintained until 2019 at least.” When asked how they feel about this, they just shrug their shoulders and say it’s something that needed to be done and they just pay it. I’m sure I’ll hear rebuttals from my far right friends about how we pay for the results of Katrina, etc., (bring it on)…but my point is that our country needs an attitude adjustment.

OK, enough politics…not sure if I’ll keep this blog going. You certainly don’t want to know what I have for breakfast every morning and most of you are not interested in my political rantings so not really sure what to do with it. I started it to document our journey with my parents and their aging issues. Now that they are ensconced into a lovely assisted living facility, our angst is eased. It’s not a perfect situation as mom is not 100% happy with it, but it’s certainly better than their previous situation and help is just outside the door if they need it. Of course, as the sandwich generation, we are all still involved with our kids and grandkids, and when one crisis is resolved, another one seems to appear, so we’re not off the hook yet. Let me know if you have any suggestions for furthering this discussion and/or what direction to take from here on out.

So long for now…

The Neuschwanstein Castle – traveling south to  Hohenschwangau, approaching the mountains, one might feel like breaking out in song…the hills are alive with the sound of music. Pristine green rolling hills with mountain peaks in the distance, windows open in the train car, it’s a beauty that might be individual to the region. The farmers keep those fields green with some pungent fertilizer, however, and occasionally we’d get a whiff that would wake up the nose hairs.

Reaching the town we just missed the bus to the castle and looked like we were going to have to wait an hour, while already on a tight schedule, but found a student from Taiwan who was in the same predicament and shared the cost of a taxi with us so we wouldn’t have to wait. We chose to walk up the wooded path to the castle, which is a bit of a challenge with the incline and takes about 30 minutes. Viewing the castle from the town below makes it look like an impossible climb but there were hikers far older and heftier than us so we figured we’d give it a try.  Much of the building was covered in scaffolding, however, as it takes constant maintenance to keep up, so the photo opps weren’t that great.

Arriving at the castle doors we were glad we made the trip. The vistas were breathtaking and the castle, itself, was a reminder of the Magic Kingdom since Walt Disney patterned Cinderella’s castle after King Ludwig’s design. This one doesn’t date back to medieval times, however, like the others we’ve seen, as Ludwig had it built in the mid 1800’s in his quest to be the medieval king about whom he fantasized. He was a bit unbalanced mentally, lost his monarchy and, in an effort to pretend he was still king of his castle, so to speak, used up all his money, was deemed mentally unstable and was put away by the state, which also took over his possessions when he could no more pay for them. Now it is a tourist destination and a must see if you’re in the region.

Another Radler, this one mixing beer with Coca Cola

Another lovely lunch in a lovely restaurant.

Details of the castle

My husband likes to live on the edge. Instead of spending 25 Euros on a taxi to take us to the Nuremberg rail station to catch our 6 a.m. ICE train to the Frankfurt airport, he’s put together a schedule which includes catching a bus at 5:20, to the underground system which, ultimately, gets us to the Hauptbahnof with 6 minutes to find Platform 7. If we miss the 6 a.m. train, we have to wait an hour for the next one which will put us in the airport barely an hour before our flight leaves…not a smart move with an international flight. So, the day before our departure we decide to have lunch in Nuremberg and practice a dry run of our bus/train combination. The first time we got to the rail station, we went the wrong way and would have missed the ICE by 5 minutes. Retracing our steps we found a more direct route to the platform and had 3 minutes to spare. Of course, the question is, how will this play out on the actual morning of departure? Well, I’m here on the ICE to tell you, yes it worked, even though the underground was on the opposite side of the platform when we arrived and it was just dumb luck we stepped on the train with 4 minutes to spare. Who needs a stress test to check out the status of your heart’s health? Just travel with Charlie.

So it’s goodbye Germany, time to go home. We’ll miss speeding across the countryside seeing fields of corn growing next to fields of solar panels with wind turbines in the distance. We’ll miss the bicycles and tiny cars on the roadways. We’ll miss the friendly people of Bavaria and their willingness to speak our language when we could not find the words in German to communicate. We’ll miss Ruediger and Andrea, Robin, Jason and Belana…our new friends. (Oh, and now we miss our luggage as it did not arrive in Orlando. After doing so much research and homework to make sure this trip would go without problems, we somehow missed the fact that, once in Dallas, we were supposed to pick up our baggage and re-check it in for the flight to Orlando. We were already running late as the flight out of Frankfurt was turned back on the runway due to a fuel pump problem…a bit disconcerting. So we just marched ourselves through customs and up to the gate, leaving our baggage behind. Of course, this was after being up 20 hours straight, so we’re not going to beat ourselves up about it. Happy ending, American Airlines is flying the luggage back to Orlando and delivering it to New Smyrna Beach.)

All in all this was a great trip and the memories will last forever. I’d like to return and visit the places we missed…and Ruediger sounds open to the idea of exchanging homes again.

Rothenburg…a purely Bavarian town that harkens back centuries and preserved in such a way that makes it easy to imagine life when the night watchman walked the protective wall surrounding it. The streets are narrow, lined with shops and restaurants, one of which made for a yummy lunch.

It was kind of hot the day we visited so a Radler beer hit the spot. These are wheat beers mixed with lemonade, sprite, coke, or whatever sounds good. Sounded awful to us at first but so far have tried all three and now we’re fans. The round dumpling-like things on Charlie’s plate are Kloss…a ball formed by cooked and raw potato, mixed with a special flour that holds it all together. Andrea fixed some for our dinner and they were tasty with gravy.

We found a pathway along the wall with tremendous views and walked upstairs to dark passageways with small holes in the wall, presumably to aim guns through, if needed. Another small space along the wall had a bench seat made from stone, with a hole in it to sit upon and take care of business, if you get my drift, which would drop approximately 40 feet below. As if that weren’t bad enough, there were actually two holes, side by side, so one could have company. I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go, even when you’re the nightwatchman.

Rothenburg is know for doughy cake balls called Schneeballen. Word is that they are still edible years after they are made. We opted for ice cream, instead. This town is a must-see if you’re in Bavaria and includes some of the prettiest photo-ops. These people were so creative with their architecture.  There isn’t a dull spot in the city.

I think a lot of the charm of this part of Europe, for us, has been the delightful weather…low temps and humidity. But since Ruediger has returned from NSB, the temps are hot and humid…ugh. Spent part of Sunday roaming the Zirndorf festival with Ruediger, Andrea, sons Robin and Jason, along with the neighbors upstairs, Peter and Aliya. We wound up at the major biergarten for beer, appetizers, beer, main course…and more beer. OK, the beer is finally getting old, but really refreshing on a hot day.

Now we’re up to a full liter!

Andrea, Alya and Peter

Ruediger paying the tab.

Salted radish slivers on the left. German form of steak tartare on the right…only it’s made with raw sausage. (I can imagine Ali and Jess gagging at this one).

On the far right, dark bread spread with cheese and chives. The white stuff on the bread in the middle, is the cold fat you scrape off from the top of gravy mixed with spices…I just couldn’t bring myself to try it and I’ll be looking at the Thanksgiving turkey gravy in a whole new light now.

After stuffing ourselves at the biergarten, we walked to Andrea’s house where she served cake made with fresh plums from a tree in her backyard. Andrea was born in Zirndorf, where her father had a business. That’s Jason on the far left, Andrea, Ruediger and Robin at the top. On the right Peter and Aliya (the tenants above us) and Charlie.

Andrea’s backyard includes a bird and rabbit sanctuary with 40 canaries…tried to get us to take some home but I don’t think customs would allow it.

Spending a couple of days again in Zirndorf, enjoying their festival weekend, beginning with a parade Saturday afternoon. It’s all about the beer here in Zirndorf, with a brewery just up the street (Zirndorfer) and another close by (Tucher). The bands were not made up of high school kids but of mixed ages from young to old.

This reminds me of our parades on Flagler Avenue…lots of candy thrown out to the kids. And in the tradition of The Garlic restaurant tossing out garlic cloves, the garden clubs were giving out vegetables. This lady got the mother of all zucchinis…

And, of course, after the parade, the festival starts with amusement rides, carnie games and biergartens.

Ruediger is back in town and will be taking us to one of the biergartens for a German feast later today. We look forward to trading stories of our discoveries and his experiences in the land of Disney.

A common sight at celebrations, and, also atop new home construction, is the Christmas tree with the lower limbs stripped and the top decorated with ribbons. The Tannenbaum, German for Christmas tree, was, according to some historians, started in Germany when Martin Luther started the tradition of decorating it with lights. This one is towering above the marketplace during the festival.

Notice blue skies without a cloud in sight…temps are rising, though, and might actually hit 90 degrees. When the mercury rises to that point the local weatherman puts out the following warning: “High disruption due to extreme high temperatures!” Ha! This is a respite for us. Low humidity and breezy…feels great.

We’ll be squeezing in two more trips before we leave on Thursday. Rothenburg tomorrow, probably, and not sure of the other. Ruediger is already hinting at exchanging homes again next year so if we miss something on this trip, we might just be back next year for more!

After two days of rest and relaxation, chilling in Ruediger’s house and exploring Zirndorf, we headed to Berlin early Friday morning, as in 6:15 a.m. When we finally got to Nuremburg, we hopped on an ICE directly to Berlin and arrived around noon. Enjoyed our coffee on the train, while watching the countryside speed by at 180 kilometers per hour.

Charlie found a walking tour on Tripadvisor.com which is how we spent the next several hours upon arrival to Berlin. Lunch on the river Spree, more beer, of course, then started our trek past ancient museums, sculptures and cathedrals, making our way finally to the Brandenburger Gate. Difficult to imagine that a few short decades ago this city was split in two. You’d never know now with the hoards of people bustling on both sides of the gate.

Yes, that’s an old VW bug parked picturesquely in front of our lunch spot.

Leek quiche…

Got beer?

Brandenburger Tor

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Europe for those who died in the Holocaust was amazing…so simple but so awe-inspiring, 2,711 slabs or pillars of concrete, in all sizes, representing each page of the Talmud. People wandered among them as if in a maze of remembrance for all those who were lost in another era not too long ago.

Went to snap a hot air balloon when this enthusiastic girl popped into the picture.

Across from the memorial park was the Tiergarten which was the main focus of the book In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larsen, one of my favorites. Didn’t have time to locate the house from which the stories were told, but one could imagine the events that took place here in the 1930’s leading to Hitler’s terrible reign.

Berlin feels like it’s in a different country from the Bavarian section of Germany, being a large, crowded city loaded with tourists. Interesting, though, that we still have not heard an English speaking American in Germany.

Now to board a crowded train to Hanover for our trip back to Zirndorf. Hoping the crowds subside on the longest leg of our journey back. Yikes, they didn’t! On the 2 hour trip to Hanover, the train was crowded and hot. Managed to get a seat but it wasn’t pleasant. It was the first time we had a not so good experience on the DB. Once in Hanover, however, we were able to hop on an ICE and travel in comfort. Good thing as we had another 3 hours to go to Zirndorf.

OK, time to get on the soap box…what the hell is wrong with our country in terms of utilizing renewable energy? Of course, I know what is wrong…big oil corporations getting huge tax subsidies and using their lobbyists to encourage legislators to vote their way and put the kabosh on any movement toward using the most natural resources of air and sun. But, regardless of your political preference, it just makes sense to use that which is free and abundant when powering our homes and cities. No matter where we travel in Germany, we are passing dozens of wind turbines in addition to the massive numbers of solar panels, both on house roofs and in fields. And this is a country with not near as many sunny and windy days as we have in Florida, especially along the coast. Not to mention the number of people we see on bicycles…bringing them on the trains or parking them en masse outside the stations. We have not seen one large SUV being driven on the streets. If they drive their own vehicle it’s a small, gas efficient car. The only  American auto we see here is Ford, and lots of them, Ford Focus as well as other small models I’ve never heard of. Add VW’s, Saab’s, Audi’s, Mercedes, all of which are small versions of the monster trucks we see in the states (BTW have not seen a truck yet). Of course, their system of trains, regional, intercity and high-speed long distance, are available throughout the country. Even though their diet is made up of mostly carbs and fatty meats, we don’t see too many chubby Germans, mainly because they are walking or pedaling their bikes everywhere. Our country tends to look at Europe as a region we do not want to emulate…perhaps we’re not ready for their socialist method of government but they are the smarter ones in terms of keeping the planet and their bodies healthy. End of soap box…

So after that debacle, we made the one hour flight back to Frankfurt Hahn and bussed to Mainz for the night. Stayed in the popular InterCity hotel, just a couple of blocks from the main train station and a one mile walk to the Rhein River cruise. We were pleasantly surprised with the accommodations and the buffet breakfast was delish but not free. The room was only 72 Euros, tho, so well worth it. Had to catch the boat at 8:45 so headed through the town to the river…beautiful place with vendors setting up a farmers’ market in the center of town next to a cathedral.

Boarded the boat for our 4 hour trek along the Rhein River with several stops along the way. Saw so many castles we lost count…what history this place must hold! The weather was chilly and needed our jackets in the morning, however, it got warmer in the afternoon and the sun forced us inside for awhile.

Made our way to Koblenz where we trekked another mile or so to the train station…another wonderful town…cobblestones, churches, unique architecture…had a great meal across from the station. (BTW, we pre-purchased 7 days worth of German Rail which averaged $59 for the two of us per day. Sounds expensive but it also got us on the KD Rhein boat and unlimited trains for each day…we’ve covered hundreds of miles each day we’ve used it and saved thousands of dollars versus paying per trip and much less expensive than renting a car.)

Arrived back to Zirndorf exhausted and overwhelmed. Need  a couple of days rest then off to Berlin on Friday.

Departing London we were introduced to the reason why Ryanair gets such bad press. They warn you about carry-ons – have to meet certain size and weight standards. I had carefully measured our luggage and it fit the requirements, except for the wheels at the base. Departing Frankfurt Hahn for London, there was a cage-like container where you could determine if it fit. We were told as long as it fit upside down, regardless of the wheels, we were good to go, and it did fit that way so everyone was happy. However, upon our departure from London, we were held up for an extra check of our passport, for some reason, and then told we had to put our bag in the cage to make sure it fit. Followed the previous protocol and placed it in upside down but the attendant insisted it didn’t fit. Of course, this was while we were supposed to be boarding so not much time for negotiating. They refused to let us board with the bag and charged us 50 Euros to check it. Later we wished we would have just emptied the contents into a plastic bag and left the suitcase behind. We paid less than 50 Euros for the damn thing at Marshalls and we didn’t have much in it. So that’s how Ryanair put the screws to us. We will be following up with written complaints but doubt we’ll get anywhere after hearing others having had the same problem. Chalk it up to experience!

Traveling to London was a daylong affair since we chose to fly out of Frankfurt-Hahn airport, which houses Ryanair, the cheapy airline of Europe (and we found out why…later). It takes a few hours on 3 trains, then a couple of hours on a bus to get there. Tiny airport and first come, first seated…one can always pay a few more Euros for priority seating but didn’t see the need so just got in line and duked it out, so to speak. Then they guide us out to the tarmac where we climb on board, front or rear. We’re so spoiled at OIA. Something triggered the scanner which led to Charlie being wanded and me being wanded and pat down. And, yes, it was a thorough pat-down but anything worth complaining about? No! It’s their job and I don’t care if I look like the furthest thing from a terrorist, I don’t mind it for my safety and everyone else’s. That was for you, Jack, end of TSA soapbox. So once on board it’s only an hour’s flight but they try to sell you everything from water to smokeless cigarettes, to handbags and perfume. Flying over the English Channel we saw dozens of wind turbines…can you imagine the power that could be generated off New Smyrna Beach? I vote no for oil drilling and yes for wind turbines off the coast.

Arriving at Stanstet Airport outside of London we borded a minibus and headed into the city where we were dropped off on Baker Street and bussed to Trafalgar Square. Northumberland Street was just off the square and our quarters for the next two nights were just down the street. These college kids have it made here, beautiful historic building in the heart of London and just steps from the Thames, Hungerford Bridge and The Eye. We opted for Sherlock Holmes’ restaurant, across the street as we were tired and hungry and not in the mood to search out something else. We think this is a chain but it fit the bill with comfort food and drink, walked down to the river and saw the lights, then off to bed. Our room was typical dorm fare with the tiniest bathroom I’ve ever seen, but it housed a toilet, sink and shower, which was all we needed. Checked out some Olympic coverage in the common room downstairs before hitting the sack. Why is traveling so exhausting when most of the time you’re just sitting there?

The London School of Economics and Political Science, our home for 2 nights

Next morning grabbed breakfast and found a spot along the race barricade in front of our lodging. The crowds didn’t start forming til around an hour before the start of the race, 11 a.m. Everyone around us was chatty. In addition to the Irish guy mentioned before, on our other side was a photographer from Holland who spoke great English and we had a jolly time with him. (Yes, I’m beginning to speak with an English accent…I’m sure the German accent will return when we get back to Deutchland). The race itself was just too cool. The runners made a total of 4 passes in front of us, the start of the race was only about 1/4 mile away so they were in a bunched-up group the first time, but by the third passing (11 miles) they were spread out and one of the American runners dropped out in front of us – hamstring issues. The crowd cheered every last runner as if he were the first…and there were some stragglers…the last one with a huge grin on his face until the last lap when he looked totally whipped.  We really thought the Kenyans would be 1 and 2 but the Ugandan just kept up and surpassed them in the end. Such a shamethat the last American standing came in fourth. But he said he was just glad he was fourth in the world.

Crowd management was handled beautifully and cheerfully. It was a difficult run with all the twists and turns and by the time it was over I felt like I’d run it myself…we were exhausted but walked the distance from Hungerford Bridge to the Tower Bridge which was an awesome sight. The Thames was so busy with boat traffic, lots of barges and definitely not a place to take a dip. Actually kind of gross on the river bed.

This guy’s sunbathing on the banks of the Thames (yuk) with a microphone, singing while playing the guitar. London’s answer to NYC’s naked cowboy?

London as a whole was a bit dirty. Comparing it to NYC, I’d choose NY. Granted we didn’t have time to visit all the museums, other than walk by them, but London just didn’t ring my bell. Perhaps, if we had more time to explore we’d appreciate the city more. We were ready to return to Germany. More later…

Not able to upload photos right now but lots to come. Got a lot of video of the marathon, up close and personal. These athletes are so amazing that they can continue a pace after so many miles. The made four passes down Northumberland and by the last lap the final runner was still receiving a much cheer as the first. Of course, the biggest noise went out for the British marathoners. One of our USA runners dropped out right in front of us.

Silly thing happened right before the start – a couple of security cars would make a sweep of the street before each lap and caught a guy jumping the barricade with a huge keyboard and suitcase…he plopped himself down on the street as if he were going to serenade the runners. They swarmed him and scooped him and his gear into one of the cars off they took him to a thunderous cheer.

All in all, though, it was a happy crowd…we met a 72 year old guy from Ireland who has run over 100 marathons since he was in his 50’s. He now organizes races for charity in his home town. Gave us an application form for an upcoming race. Nice people. But I’m not too impressed with the cleanliness of London, probably because of the crowds but didn’t appreciate someone urinating in the street in front of  me – too much ale I guess!

Now that the race is over, off to see the sights. Cheerio!

Today’s plan is to ride the Black Forest Railroad through farmlands, valleys and little towns full of great architecture, green grass and whatever else we might see.

We’ve even seen fields of solar panels, then you’ll see a wind turbine, or several, next to a cluster of houses, always with a church steeple peeking through. Ruediger told us about a “million roof initiative” with the end result of many more than a million homes with solar panels providing their electricity. Don’t know the details yet of monetary incentives for purchasing themand they are not only on the larger homes, but also smaller houses. Seems like a no-brainer – why aren’t we doing this? We have more wind and sunshine than Germany so why aren’t we utilizing it?

Our main route is from Offenburg to Singen then the Bodensee – beautiful Black Forest homes/farms. For Ali and James, we saw an Aldi. Must be 30 tunnels. We’re taking 9 different trains from 9 am to just after midnight. Every one on time, smooth , quiet and scenic. Between the larger stations are farmlands and homes with colorful flowers. Met a nice woman who spoke broken English – visited the states once before as her aunt lives close to Seattle. We originally meant to get off the train in Singen, hang out an hour or two, get a bite to eat and head back for the 5 hour return trip. However, she said Sengen was not a pretty town (she was actually getting off there to visit her daughter). She told us to go to the next stop – 7 minutes further – and we could check out the Bogensee then head back – we’ll see how that works out.

The Bogensee was beautiful, definitely worth the stop – huge lake loaded with boats of all kinds, hills on the other side and a cool little town with great restaurants. But we’re a little off kilter with our train back so we’re hoping against hope that we make the midnight train to Zirndorf from Furth. We might be spending the night in a train station!

OK, update on train situation…we did miss the train and wound up in Stuttgart at 10:30 pm with no train to Nuremburg. So Plan B has us heading 2 hours to Munich and staying overnight. We planned on getting there at some point and looks like it’ll be tomorrow. Good thing I brought the contact lens cases and cleanser. Of course, didn’t bring anything else, not even a comb. We’ll look lovely tomorrow. At least the hotel gave us toothbrushes and toothpaste. We managed to get online and find a place a few steps from the main train station..decent review in TripAdvisor and reasonable. Got there around 12:45 and dragged our butts up to the tiniest room I’ve ever seen. But the bed was comfy and that’s all that mattered. Couldn’t leave the window open because of partying on the street below so got a little stuffy but we were too tired to mind. The hotel advertised free breakfast adn we weren’t expecting much but were wonderfully surprised at the selection of fruit, yoghurt, mueslix, pastries, juices, coffee and a whole buffet of bread and lunchmeat and cheeses. Turned out to be a good choice and they were so sweet accomodating us when they found out we had missed the train and didn’t have any overnight stuff.

Got back safe and sound…tomorow London bound.