Sorry for the short post yesterday, the compter keyboard is lame here in Cologne. I'll have more updates from Großenwiehe and hopefully more pictures in the next day or so.
Toay we're going to the chocolate museum here and then head on a 5 1/2 hour drive to Großenwiehe with a quick stop in Bremmen to stretch our legs and have lunch.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Spring again
So the US changed when the clocks moved forward but the EU didn't so Matthias and I got to "spring forward" twice. I'm now even more tired in the morning! :-) But, along with the clock the weather finally feels like spring as it was in the 60s yesterday.
The black forest was nice. I bought a cuckcoo clock. Heidelberg was nice and we are now starting our day in cologne
The black forest was nice. I bought a cuckcoo clock. Heidelberg was nice and we are now starting our day in cologne
Saturday, March 29, 2008
We made it to the black forest
This morning we left Munich quite early to head to the castle. The area where the castle is is very country and not much is there. The castle itself has beautiful views of the area. The castle was never finished but is pretty anyway. Ludwig had it built to honor Wagner and each room features a different work of his.
After the castle we headed for the Bondensee. A huge lake that borders Austria and Switzerland. The lake is very pretty, surrounded by mountains, and quite the resort area. We had lunch there and enjoyed the views. We took a quick walk into Switzerland but didnt do much there.
Now we are in the black forest and headed to bed.
After the castle we headed for the Bondensee. A huge lake that borders Austria and Switzerland. The lake is very pretty, surrounded by mountains, and quite the resort area. We had lunch there and enjoyed the views. We took a quick walk into Switzerland but didnt do much there.
Now we are in the black forest and headed to bed.
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Zugspitze
Today we headed out of Munich to Garmish-P about an hour and a half south of Munich to travel to the highest point in Germany, called the Zugspitze. It was almost 3,000 m above sea level. It was windy but not terribly cold. The highest point in Germany shares a border with Austria so I got to wander into Austria today and have lunch. We didn't do much up there other than check out the view.
Early tomorrow morning we're heading out to Neuschwannstein castle (the Cinderella castle) and then heading towards the Black Forest.
Early tomorrow morning we're heading out to Neuschwannstein castle (the Cinderella castle) and then heading towards the Black Forest.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Munich
We made it to Munich after sleeping in this morning and a quick 2 hour drive. We spent a few hours this afternoon at the Residenz. A HUGE building that housed many generations of Bavarian royalty. We saw quite a bit of royal treasures including a lot of crowns and jewels. They said that the average tour gets to see about 70 rooms and I'm pretty sure we got close to that number. After about 2 hours of walking around we were totally exhausted. A lot of the rooms were similar to any castle-type place...old furniture, old pictures....but some were quite amazing. There was a room with religious relics that included bones, a wing of Residenz where most of the room was made from stone, a grotto, and several ornate chapels.
After the time in the Residenz we headed to Marienplatz to watch the Glockspiel. It went on for over 5 minutes and I got a video of it. After that we headed to the Hofbrauhaus for dinner. Matthias got a huge mug of beer and we had a variety of wurst and some dessert. Now we're back in the hotel (not a hostel today, it was full) relaxing, doing some laundry, and watching German tv.
After the time in the Residenz we headed to Marienplatz to watch the Glockspiel. It went on for over 5 minutes and I got a video of it. After that we headed to the Hofbrauhaus for dinner. Matthias got a huge mug of beer and we had a variety of wurst and some dessert. Now we're back in the hotel (not a hostel today, it was full) relaxing, doing some laundry, and watching German tv.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Dresden and Nürnberg
Today! I'm finally caught up now!!!! Yeah!
This morning we were up at 6 in Dresden to take in the sights on a very quick tour with the goal of being in Nürnberg by 2:30 so we could get a tour of the castle there before it closed at 4. Whew!
In Dresden we watched to Zwinger and then around town taking a lot of pictures of old buildings. We also found the Frauenkirche and a nice statue of Martin Luther.
By 9:30 we were on the road to Nürnberg. Matthias drove first and then about halfway I took over to drive the rest of the way. My first driving experience on the autobahn was pretty good. We ended up renting a Mercedes because the rental car place didn't have the Volkswagon we had requested. It's still a pretty small car but cool. I drove about 130 km/hr max. Matthias got the car up to 99 miles/hour but for some reason couldn't get it to register higher than that. Kind of funny. Anyway. As soon as I took over driving from Matthias it started snowing again. Oh yeah, it's been very cold here in Germany. Snow and hail at least for a little bit every day we've been here. It was supposedly the coldest Easter here in the last 18 years. Lucky for us!
We arrived safely at the hostel in Nürnberg and went on a tour of the Kaiserburg Castle. The tour guide only spoke German. Matthias translated some stuff for me here and there but otherwise I just got a close look at everything.
After that we walked around town and checked out a famous statue (who's name escapes me right now) and a giant Glockenspiel and did some shopping.
We're both totally exhausted (2 days without taking a nap!). It's about 9 pm now, I think Matthias is already asleep and I'm heading to bed shortly. Tomorrow we're off to Munich.
This morning we were up at 6 in Dresden to take in the sights on a very quick tour with the goal of being in Nürnberg by 2:30 so we could get a tour of the castle there before it closed at 4. Whew!
In Dresden we watched to Zwinger and then around town taking a lot of pictures of old buildings. We also found the Frauenkirche and a nice statue of Martin Luther.
By 9:30 we were on the road to Nürnberg. Matthias drove first and then about halfway I took over to drive the rest of the way. My first driving experience on the autobahn was pretty good. We ended up renting a Mercedes because the rental car place didn't have the Volkswagon we had requested. It's still a pretty small car but cool. I drove about 130 km/hr max. Matthias got the car up to 99 miles/hour but for some reason couldn't get it to register higher than that. Kind of funny. Anyway. As soon as I took over driving from Matthias it started snowing again. Oh yeah, it's been very cold here in Germany. Snow and hail at least for a little bit every day we've been here. It was supposedly the coldest Easter here in the last 18 years. Lucky for us!
We arrived safely at the hostel in Nürnberg and went on a tour of the Kaiserburg Castle. The tour guide only spoke German. Matthias translated some stuff for me here and there but otherwise I just got a close look at everything.
After that we walked around town and checked out a famous statue (who's name escapes me right now) and a giant Glockenspiel and did some shopping.
We're both totally exhausted (2 days without taking a nap!). It's about 9 pm now, I think Matthias is already asleep and I'm heading to bed shortly. Tomorrow we're off to Munich.
Tuesday - Last day in Berlin
Today Matthias was off to the U. S. Consulate to get his work visa renewed and I ventured out on my own. I prayed all morning that noone would try to talk to me. I seem to blend in here because people assume I speak German, but that's also the downside too. Anyway, after a failed attempt to blog in the morning, I headed out to find some pieces of the Berlin Wall and the U.S. Embassy. I wandered around the street where my travel guide said there was a good portion of the wall decorated by some artists after the wall fell but I couldn't find it. So, I headed off to find the embassy which turns out is heavily guarded by at least 6 German police and the street is closed off to cars...and no photos are allowed. Fun stuff.
So, after that fun morning I headed back to the hostel to wait out Matthias and, by chance, landed at Leipzig Platz where I found a nice display of the wall. That's where I learned that the wall was actually 2 walls with a large area in between called the 'Death Strip' that was booby trapped and watched by guards in watch towers. Today the area of the death strip at Leipzig plaza is a busy street with office buildings and home to the Candadian Embassy.
After the visit to that area and a phone call from Matthias we met at Charlottenberg Castle and went on an audio tour of the house. Most of the castle had been rebuilt after the war but it was still interesting, none-the-less.
After an Italian lunch, we headed out to pick up the rental car and drove to Dresden.
So, after that fun morning I headed back to the hostel to wait out Matthias and, by chance, landed at Leipzig Platz where I found a nice display of the wall. That's where I learned that the wall was actually 2 walls with a large area in between called the 'Death Strip' that was booby trapped and watched by guards in watch towers. Today the area of the death strip at Leipzig plaza is a busy street with office buildings and home to the Candadian Embassy.
After the visit to that area and a phone call from Matthias we met at Charlottenberg Castle and went on an audio tour of the house. Most of the castle had been rebuilt after the war but it was still interesting, none-the-less.
After an Italian lunch, we headed out to pick up the rental car and drove to Dresden.
Another Day in Berlin
After an early morning start and some breakfast at the hostel we managed to stay awake and headed for the Reichstag. The Reichstag is like the capital building. We waited in the cold for 45 minutes in a long line to get into the building. We didn't see the Bunderstag (like congress) since Easter Monday is a holiday. They built a huge glass dome on top of the building that has a beautiful view of Berlin so we enjoyed the sites for awhile.
After the Reichstag we headed for the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate). We took some photos and that was about it. There was an organ grinder playing in the streets. Nearby was a newly installed Jewish memorial that we walked through. We then headed for Checkpoint Charlie and checked that out. I paid for a stamp in my passport - I figure it's the only way I might get one!
For lunch we had some greek food and then took a long Nickerchen (nap).
In the evening we went to Alexander Platz where they were having a spring festival complete with some live music, a bullriding machine, and where we bought some bread. We also checked out the tv tower but decided to save our Euro and no pay to go up it. For some evening fun we took the bus along Kurfürstendamm to check out the expensive stores, like Hermes, and then it was time for bed.
After the Reichstag we headed for the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate). We took some photos and that was about it. There was an organ grinder playing in the streets. Nearby was a newly installed Jewish memorial that we walked through. We then headed for Checkpoint Charlie and checked that out. I paid for a stamp in my passport - I figure it's the only way I might get one!
For lunch we had some greek food and then took a long Nickerchen (nap).
In the evening we went to Alexander Platz where they were having a spring festival complete with some live music, a bullriding machine, and where we bought some bread. We also checked out the tv tower but decided to save our Euro and no pay to go up it. For some evening fun we took the bus along Kurfürstendamm to check out the expensive stores, like Hermes, and then it was time for bed.
Ostern
Happy Easter!
Matthias and I woke up early today and had breakfast in the hostel. I found a church nearby (called St. Matthias, actually) and we decided to go to the 11 am mass. Since we had awoken so early and Matthias wasn't feeling too well we thought we'd hang out in the room for a little while and rest. Three hours later we woke up, missed mass, and lost our early morning start.
So, then it was time to make up for lost time. We headed for the zoo. The Berlin Zoo was very nice. We saw Knut the polar bear who was a huge hit. There were people everywhere! (Knut was born at the zoo about 2 years ago and highly prized. He's like the pandas at the national zoo. The Berlin Zoo actually has a panda but virtually noone was watching him. The 2 new baby tigers got a good bit of attention and we actually watched the wolves get fed dead chickens and hens. Kind of crazy, but amazing too.
After the zoo we got on the local bus that they say gives a good oversight of the city. We drove around and saw the major sites we planned to visit tomorrow and then got off to explore the Sieges Säule. This was the first time I noticed damage from the war. There were bullet holes in the sides of the building and in the decoration.
After that we headed to Potsdammer Platz and visited the Sony center ...just some cool newly constructed buildings and, according to Matthias, the largest construction zone in Germany for quite awhile.
For dinner we went to a German restaurant. Matthias had some wienerschnitzel and I had the Puten ge schnitzeltes. The other view for the evening was the street lined with prostitutes in thigh high plastic boots.
Matthias finished Box 1 of the milchschnitte and we headed to bed.
Matthias and I woke up early today and had breakfast in the hostel. I found a church nearby (called St. Matthias, actually) and we decided to go to the 11 am mass. Since we had awoken so early and Matthias wasn't feeling too well we thought we'd hang out in the room for a little while and rest. Three hours later we woke up, missed mass, and lost our early morning start.
So, then it was time to make up for lost time. We headed for the zoo. The Berlin Zoo was very nice. We saw Knut the polar bear who was a huge hit. There were people everywhere! (Knut was born at the zoo about 2 years ago and highly prized. He's like the pandas at the national zoo. The Berlin Zoo actually has a panda but virtually noone was watching him. The 2 new baby tigers got a good bit of attention and we actually watched the wolves get fed dead chickens and hens. Kind of crazy, but amazing too.
After the zoo we got on the local bus that they say gives a good oversight of the city. We drove around and saw the major sites we planned to visit tomorrow and then got off to explore the Sieges Säule. This was the first time I noticed damage from the war. There were bullet holes in the sides of the building and in the decoration.
After that we headed to Potsdammer Platz and visited the Sony center ...just some cool newly constructed buildings and, according to Matthias, the largest construction zone in Germany for quite awhile.
For dinner we went to a German restaurant. Matthias had some wienerschnitzel and I had the Puten ge schnitzeltes. The other view for the evening was the street lined with prostitutes in thigh high plastic boots.
Matthias finished Box 1 of the milchschnitte and we headed to bed.
I found internet!
Okay so it's been a little while. The internet in Berlin was slow and crashed on me while I was typing up my latest update. I'm using German keyboards which is similar but the Y and Z keys are switched so that slows me down. So the next posts will be Sunday through today in the right order even though I'm posting 4 days late. Still no way to upload photos, but rest assured we've taken plenty!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Across the Pond
We made it. I don't know why they call it a pond, it takes forever to get across. We didn't sleep much on the plane. It was packed. So we were quite tired by the time we arrived.
Customs was a breeze. In Paris we asked a security guard where gate 34 was, he asked to see our boarding passes, looked at my passport and said something French that sounded like "special", looked at Matthias's EU passport and you could tell he was thankful and then let us through. In Germany, we decided we had nothing to declare, walked through the green sign, and were off. Which is all fine and good but i have no stamp in my passport. boooo.
After we arrived at the hostel, we walked around the area and found the bank, the grocery store, and some italian food. The menu was in Italian and German...which was kind of helpful as i could recognize enough italian words and enough german words to order. Of course I ended up ordering Hawaiian pizza, which was pretty easy to read.
At the grocery store, Lidl, matthias found his milchschnitte and has been eating it every 2 hours ever since.
Given our lack of sleep we didn't do much yesterday other than shopping, sleeping, and a quick trip to the Hauptbahnhof (a new train station in Berlin).
We'll see what today brings.
Tschüss!
Customs was a breeze. In Paris we asked a security guard where gate 34 was, he asked to see our boarding passes, looked at my passport and said something French that sounded like "special", looked at Matthias's EU passport and you could tell he was thankful and then let us through. In Germany, we decided we had nothing to declare, walked through the green sign, and were off. Which is all fine and good but i have no stamp in my passport. boooo.
After we arrived at the hostel, we walked around the area and found the bank, the grocery store, and some italian food. The menu was in Italian and German...which was kind of helpful as i could recognize enough italian words and enough german words to order. Of course I ended up ordering Hawaiian pizza, which was pretty easy to read.
At the grocery store, Lidl, matthias found his milchschnitte and has been eating it every 2 hours ever since.
Given our lack of sleep we didn't do much yesterday other than shopping, sleeping, and a quick trip to the Hauptbahnhof (a new train station in Berlin).
We'll see what today brings.
Tschüss!
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Euro is Falling! The Euro is Falling!
Yippee...stretching that dollar a little more the Euro looks like it's coming down some ....from 1.56 to 1.54! It's very exciting.
In other news, I was up today just after 5 a.m. (brutal) and took the metro to work (the first time ever). Taking the metro to work was pretty cool. Work has been hectic this morning but I've only got an hour to go!!
And as Ms Heidi Klum likes to say, "Auf Wiedersehen!"
We're "auf" (hahahahahaha)
In other news, I was up today just after 5 a.m. (brutal) and took the metro to work (the first time ever). Taking the metro to work was pretty cool. Work has been hectic this morning but I've only got an hour to go!!
And as Ms Heidi Klum likes to say, "Auf Wiedersehen!"
We're "auf" (hahahahahaha)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Berlin Transit Strike...
We've been closing monitoring a transit strike in Berlin this month. Berlin is the only place we don't have a rental car and of course the subway and bus drivers and maintenance workers went on strike! The drivers went back to work this week on a holiday operating schedule but the maintenance workers were still on strike. Today they decided that everyone will work over Easter weekend though so we should be okay for the most part. Thank goodness! After we leave Berlin they can feel free to fight for their cause.
Thanks Berlin BVG!
Thanks Berlin BVG!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Phone Calls to Germany
Yesterday Matthias made a few calls to Germany to settle up some details. He also called home and talked to his Oma who asked him if I spoke German. Matthias told her I knew how to say a few phrases. She told him that she felt bad that she couldn't speak English. That totally floored me!! Of course it's totally understandable that she doesn't speak English!! Matthias told her it was fine and that we'd spend our time playing Yahtzee. Matthias supposedly told her that when we come back in December I'd be fluent in German. I seriously hope he was kidding!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Packing
I did a preliminary pack this weekend. It went better than I thought. I'm taking the same suitcase I took to Ecuador. Thank goodness we're planning to do laundry along the way. When? I have no clue. For this trip I'm taking an extra carry-on bag that will be mostly empty except for a gift for Matthias' Oma and electronics. That means I'll have PLENTY of room to bring things back!! Knowing Matthias he's likely to insist that my carry-on bag be filled with licorice and chocolate. We'll see how that negotiation goes. I'd at least like to sneak in some gummy bears and a postcard or two.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Germany - The German Language
Confusion - it's German!
The word for cookie is cake, the word for cake is kitchen, and the word for kitchen is cook.
The word for pan is lid.
The word for on is off.
Things have genders. I imagine it's 1900 and a room full of old men are sitting around discussing whether a word should be male, female, or neutral. It often works and I get the article in front of the word right. Sometimes the logic is slightly off. For example, a blouse is feminine (die Bluse) but a skirt is neutral (das Hemd). Why? Well women wear the skirt, but men love looking at women in skirts. All items in a kitchen are masculine but the kitchen itself is feminine. Why? Because men make the machines and women use them. UGH! Things don't have genders. They don't reproduce, they don't have organs. It makes no sense.
But some things are also funny to me (or at least I make them funny so I remember them):
a fork is die Gabel ( which makes me think of a turkey or people gobbling up their food)
the word for through (as in through the door) is durch - which sounds to me like someone running into a door
the word for train is Zug...which I say as "zug! zug!" to sound like a train whistle
The word for cookie is cake, the word for cake is kitchen, and the word for kitchen is cook.
The word for pan is lid.
The word for on is off.
Things have genders. I imagine it's 1900 and a room full of old men are sitting around discussing whether a word should be male, female, or neutral. It often works and I get the article in front of the word right. Sometimes the logic is slightly off. For example, a blouse is feminine (die Bluse) but a skirt is neutral (das Hemd). Why? Well women wear the skirt, but men love looking at women in skirts. All items in a kitchen are masculine but the kitchen itself is feminine. Why? Because men make the machines and women use them. UGH! Things don't have genders. They don't reproduce, they don't have organs. It makes no sense.
But some things are also funny to me (or at least I make them funny so I remember them):
a fork is die Gabel ( which makes me think of a turkey or people gobbling up their food)
the word for through (as in through the door) is durch - which sounds to me like someone running into a door
the word for train is Zug...which I say as "zug! zug!" to sound like a train whistle
Germany - Lists, Lists and more Lists
List #1 - Food that Eli must try while in Germany
List #2 - Food that we must buy in Germany
I don't maintain this list but it's a long list of chocolate and licorice for the most part plus a plot to try to bring back lots of the Milchschnitte (which to me sounds like a mess waiting to happen).
Coworkers found a link to a product you can order in Germany called "Cheeseburger in a Can" that was made for hikers. The review of it is that it's disgusting. They want me to buy it and bring it back anyway.
List #3 - Products to buy
the topper on the list includes a Eucerin shower, which Matthias is convinced will help my dry skin. The rest are a variety of products that Matthias uses and can't seem to find an American equivalent of.
List #4 - Fun stuff to buy
Cuckoo clock
Gnome
others I can't think of at the moment
List #5 - the Packing List
It's an ugly, ugly list. I refuse to type it. I have no clue how we're possibly getting there and back without breaking our backs carrying everything we need. I believe we plan to do laundry at one of the hostels about half-way through the trip which should help. See lists #2-4 above for the amount of space we need to leave for things we're bringing back (plus stuff Matthias is getting from storage at home).
- Milchshnitte - which sounds to me like "Milk Sh#@" yeah, can't wait (apparently it's the ice cream/chocolate bar Matthias looks for everywhere in the US and can't find)
- Maulwurfs Kuchen - well "maul" sounds like 'bad' to me and then there's Kitchen - something bad in the kitchen...awesome. (apparently it's also chocolate...okay, I'm in)
- Germany bakery - now that I can do
- Schokocrossies - it sounds sacriligious - Chocolate crosses...we tried to make them with limited success and they're not crosses they're crispies I guess, or something like that
- Nappo - no clue; reminds me of a hair product for some reason
- Applesauce - I've never had it before and can't wait to try it....hahaha...something about how it's different in Germany. I don't understand. Applesauce is mushed up apples, how can it possibly be that different?
List #2 - Food that we must buy in Germany
I don't maintain this list but it's a long list of chocolate and licorice for the most part plus a plot to try to bring back lots of the Milchschnitte (which to me sounds like a mess waiting to happen).
Coworkers found a link to a product you can order in Germany called "Cheeseburger in a Can" that was made for hikers. The review of it is that it's disgusting. They want me to buy it and bring it back anyway.
List #3 - Products to buy
the topper on the list includes a Eucerin shower, which Matthias is convinced will help my dry skin. The rest are a variety of products that Matthias uses and can't seem to find an American equivalent of.
List #4 - Fun stuff to buy
Cuckoo clock
Gnome
others I can't think of at the moment
List #5 - the Packing List
It's an ugly, ugly list. I refuse to type it. I have no clue how we're possibly getting there and back without breaking our backs carrying everything we need. I believe we plan to do laundry at one of the hostels about half-way through the trip which should help. See lists #2-4 above for the amount of space we need to leave for things we're bringing back (plus stuff Matthias is getting from storage at home).
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Germany 08 - The Big Plan
Planning for Germany had been quite the adventure. Basically, if you can imagine it in Germany then we're probably going there. Our apologies to the fine people of Frankfurt...it just didn't make the cut. Here's what we've got:
Yep, I'm exhausted just typing it!
So far we've got the list of places to visit, a place to sleep every night we're in Germany (often we're not the same place more than one or two nights), flights, and a rental car. Yep, we're driving! I've even got my international drivers license, which sounds fancy but is nothing more than a translation of my US license.
- Berlin - 4 days of sightseeing including the Reichstag, Zoo, Brandenburg Gate, Alexander Platz, Deutsches Technikmuseum, the new Bahnhof, Schloss Charlottenburg, Potsdamer Platz, and who knows what else
- Dresden - quick stop for sightseeing
- Nuremberg - Kaiserburg Castle
- Munich - Hobrauhaus, Marienplatz to see the giant Glockenspiel, the Residenz, Nymphenburg gardens
- Zugspitzeplatt - A day trip to the highest point in Germany
- Schloss Neuschwanstein - the Cinderella Castle
- Bodensee and the Black Forest - our day with German nature (and some cuckoo clocks)
- Heidelberg - a half day stop to see the castle and the sights
- Cologne - the cathedral, zoo, and the Rhine
- Bremen - a quick stop for lunch and the sights of the town square
- Northern Germany - visits with family, side trips to Flensburg and Sylt, cows
- Kiel - visits with family and friends
- Lubeck - viewing the sites of this beautiful old city
- Hamburg - a giant model train, some half-timbered houses
- Berlin - catch the flight back
Yep, I'm exhausted just typing it!
So far we've got the list of places to visit, a place to sleep every night we're in Germany (often we're not the same place more than one or two nights), flights, and a rental car. Yep, we're driving! I've even got my international drivers license, which sounds fancy but is nothing more than a translation of my US license.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Jan, Feb, Mar 07
Not much traveling going on right now, but LOTS of planning!!!
We're planning for Germany and in the negotiating stages for future vacations - an Alaska visit to see my friend Karla, hiking the Grand Canyon, and a second visit to Germany are on the list.
We're planning for Germany and in the negotiating stages for future vacations - an Alaska visit to see my friend Karla, hiking the Grand Canyon, and a second visit to Germany are on the list.
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