Better living through modern chemistry

So, we leave Munich late, natch... seems they loaded the plane incorrectly and now they had to restow the bags. Late departure plus fog in Amsterdam put us in with 45 minutes b4 our flight. First thing we check is the departure board and we've been delayed two hours until 12. OK... now we've got a little while to stretch our legs, grab a bite and look at all of the overpriced shit in the duty free store. Remember when duty free meant WOW... look how cheap this shit is. Now it's 15% higher than in the states. It's kind of like Costco... mainly an illusion. We go through another security check, wait... get on the plane, wait... taxi out to the tarmac, wait... go to the end of the runway for takeoff, wait... 1 hour and 15 minutes later we take off. Shit. They serve us a pretty good chicken lunch and it's now time for drugs. The clock sez we have 8.5 hours to go. I can't find my Atavan, so sis give me two Clonopin...it was somewhere over the north sea that the drugs kicked in... got up once to stretch my legs... back to the seat and the next thing I know, the clock said 1.5 hours to go. 7 hours gone. Now, that makes this trip somewhat bearable... cuz lets say it folks, the romance of flying went out with the DC-3. Now its just one cattle call after another. So, if you can find yourself any medicinal relief... TAKE IT.
We arrived home, cleared customs (a non event), and now I'm home. We had fun and we learned a lot... jeez, that's sounds a lot like life, doesn't it. I'll give you a follow up on the Hertz situation, if there is one.
Ciao 4 now.

608… always late.

608 was the number of my company, back in '67, at USN boot camp. We always seemed to be late. So, our little diddy went like this… 608 – always late – hurry up and wait. So, here we are, in the Munich airport, up at the butt crack of dawn, trying to catch a flight to Amsterdam. Brother Dave sailed right through. Our e-ticket failed, so we had to go that special line. You know that line, where all the misfits and retards go… well that was us. “Have you changed your ticket?” … No. Finally, the big computer spits out two boarding passes. We check our bags (I’m tired of carrying that freakin bag!) then slice through security like a razor though Velveeta. Keep your shoes on and your belt too. Liquids, they never even asked. The Amerikans are WAY more uptight than the Europeans.
We were up at 4:00 this a.m. Flipped on the German TV… they were broadcasting the pres debate. Over on channel 14, they were showing a model taking off all of her clothes and writhing around on a bed… there are some things I like about this country! Then again, I wasn’t singing its praises yesterday, when the dipshit cab driver dropped us off at the wrong hotel. We had to schlep our bags a half mile to the correct hotel. Nothing that 1.5L of beer couldn’t fix.
Flying used to be so romantic. Now, its like a root canal.
Oh well, they’re calling us. Ciao.

Adolf's place

Just wrapped up a long day and I'm ready to hit it. Took the bus out to Berchtesgaden and took the Eagle's Nest Tour. Very informative, very interesting... rode in Hitler's elevator, stuff like that. Took the bus back and went out for our final Salzburg meal (steak in an Italian restaurant). Rained all day... sleet at the Eagle's Nest. Ugh. Catch the 9:57 to Munich tomorrow. Ciao

Rain

Woke up this morning to rain... real PDX rain... this is only our second day of rain in the entire trip. We're going to catch the 11:15 to the Eagles Nest Tour. Ciao

Expectations

Today was an out of town day. Following Rick Steves advice, we headed to Hallstatt, a mountain town pasted to the side of a mountain on a lake. It was swell and all, but after 45 minutes of wondering around and a wonderful trout lunch, we were ready to call it a day. Kind of like going to Long Beach WA. Takes two hours to get there, and you're through it in the blink of an eye. If you're lucky, you'll find a good place to eat, other than Mickey D's. A bit of a letdown...
Wandered home around 16:00... took a siesta... then Dave and I hit the town. Found out this is the last night of the Bach festival, so we had a beer to celebrate just being in Salzburg. Then we found a wonderful Italian restaurant. Lasagna and a jug... Dolcetto Alba... quite nice. Told Rosanne that she must join us there tomorrow night, as it's our last night in Salzburg. Ciao

Picture note

I know you guys are all tecno savvy, but in case you haven't figured it out, the pics I am sending are pretty small. Just double click on them and the7 should fill your screen. Makes for better viewing.

Clip Clop go the girls

The main town of Salzburg
Old town, with horses
Shopping in old town

Tuesday morning... after our coffee, we walked to the train station. We bot tickets for our Friday trip to Munich (our departure point) and tickets for a day trip tomorrow to Hallstatt, in the mountain lake region. We came back to the hotel, called and booked a Thursday day trip to the Eagle's Nest, Hitler's old hangout... speaking of zeig heil, the women here all seem wear blue jeans (tight) tucked into knee high black boots, with 2-3 inch heels. Wherever that walk, it sounds like a squad of SS storm troopers, jackbooting down the cobblestone streets. Kinda of sounds weird. Horse drawn carts, which you see in old town, offer the same sound... only you get the added smell of fresh horseshit. Ahh..... nothing like fresh shit in the morning to make your day.
The brats decided to rent bicycles (available at the hotel for 6E). I opted to walk. I realized that just about my most favorite thing to do in Europe is to walk down streets, window shop, people watch, look at the architecture and the colors, smell, listen, feel... I relish the fact that no one knows me and I know no one. So imagine my surprise when I wandered into old town, into the Bach festival, and hear..."Phil"......"Chvatal".... jesus, who knows me here??? I turned around to see my sister. She and Dave were doing the same thing I was doing... looking for some lunch. We grabbed a beer and a brat... now, let me tell you... they got some killer brats here. You can order them like a hot dog, but only touristas do that. They serve the weiner on one plate, with mustard. On the other plate, a large Kaiser roll. You eat the weiner with one hand, and the bread with the other hand. Damn good.
So I wandered through old town and slowly made my way back to the hotel. Weather is very comfortable... feels about 60... a dash of rain, with the sun trying to peek through the clouds. You would love this town... it feels a lot like Portland, only richer. The men and women are a mixed bag... just like our town, only thinner and taller. No muffin tops here. The people are good looking, in a healthy way. Not strikingly beautiful like the Italians or posh, like the French, but just wholesome. Most speak some sort of English, so no problem getting around. Now, if they would just give up the butts in public, this place would be a lot more tolerable. Ciao

Morning java

Tuesday a.m.... we were up at 8, chowed down on some hotel bkfast, then off for morning java. We found a great little coffee shop along the river, about a 10 minute walk from our hotel (Hotel Bergland, if you want to know). They have this thing called "coffee to go"... ya know, a paper cup with a plastic lid on top. This is a total novelty in Europe... I've never seen it before. But, if you can imagine your local Starbucks with 20 peeps inside, and 15 are smoking Camels, ya know it's not a very fun place to hang for more than 6 minutes, tops. So Dave gets his Americano (that's cuz he's an American), Rosanne ditto - only add some whipped cream and me... cappucino... ahhhhh..
So we walk... down a side street pointed out by Rick Steves. Two pictures follow. Dave & Rosanne under a sign... that sign shows us that a guy named Joseph Mohr wrote "Silent Night" at that house. The second pics shows D & R at the beginning of a street. Notice the gouge in the wall next to Dave. An American GI tried to drive his Sherman tank up that street. He did not make it. Years later, when the owner of the house redid the wall, he just left the markings. Why, you ask, did the GI try to drive a tank up this narrow street? Answer... to get to the brothel up the street. "Life during Wartime". Ciao

Dial 3 for breakdowns

After a so-so breakfast this a.m. I called Hertz. Took me a few times to get through, cuz dialing to Germany from Austria usually involves adding digits, subtracting digits and generally being a W.T.F. experience. Regardless, after a half dozen tries, a female answers…
Gookenspliel friedecane munchurass
I am broke down… can you help?
(Pause) yes… what is the license plate of the car?
I dunno… DN HN something er other
What is your contract number?
I dunno… the guy at the shop took it
You shouldn’t have given him that… it’s your contract.
Oh.
What is your name?
Shaw-va-tall… spelled C… H
(She interrupts) Oh yes… we know all about your car. It’s in Teisendorf. Do you need a replacement car?
No.
Ok then, be on your way.
Whoa, wait a minute, that’s all. I feel so stupid. You have no car. I did not live up to my end of the contract. I feel like an idiot.
It’s ok… it happens all the time. We will repair it. There is not problem.
Ok...Thank you.

So that was it. All of the grief, the second guessing, the what if’s (“If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle”), the “why wasn’t I paying attention”… you know the drill… it all vanished with one phone call. Oh yeah, I am sure I am going to get a bill, but at this point, I am just happy to be done with the situation. Feels like a large weight being lifted from my shoulders.
So, we hit the town of Salzburg. Stopped in a real coffee and had a cup of real joe. Then cross the river to old town, up the funiculare to the fortress on the hill. We toured the fort, enjoyed the magnificent view of the city, toured the museum and generally had fun. Wandered down, went to a cheap fish restaurant, on to Mirabell gardens and then we split up. I headed back towards the hotel… Ros and Dave went to Mozart’s house. I’m not a big fan (the cat hasn’t had a top 10 hit since before Elvis) so I skipped it.
We’re gonna take a siesta, then go out on the town.
It’s a great city… clean, historical… modern, yet dated. New, yet musty. You get the idea. Rained this a.m. so no pics today.
Anyway, it’s nice to be alive. Ciao

Nightmare, Part Deux

Well I guess it was my turn to screw something up. Here’s my story… sad but true. I have always rented diesel cars in Europe. For 10 years I’ve been doing that… one gets a little paranoid when you rent a diesel because you have to put DIESEL in DIESEL cars. So we rent this VW. It sounds like a diesel. It drives like a diesel – a gutless wonder, especially in the mountains. So, as we are down to 1/8 of a tank on our freeway trip to Salzburg, we pull off at a freeway gas station. No problem, fill it with diesel. 60 Euros worth. Cool… right? No problem. 2.5 klics up the road… putter, putter, putter… she dies. Pull over at truck rest area (trucks do not travel on Sunday… they are all parked). What’s wrong… temp is ok, check the oil… it’s OK. We put diesel in it, right. That’s right… that’s what it calls for. We flip open the gas tank door… “Use unleaded gas 90 Octane”. Oh fuck.
The sign says “Rest stop – 500 meters ahead”. Well, that’s ½ mile. Let’s go back. Half way back we realize it’s a lot longer than 500 meters to the gas station. Oh well, we’ve come this far. 2,500 meters later we arrive at the gas station. As we approach the telephones, we see a silver Audi station on the right. We think nothing of it. Out of the driver door steps a woman (28 ish) and she begins to speak German to me. On her left shoulder is a funny looking patch that says “POLEZIA”. Uh oh. On her right hip is a Glock 9mm pistol. A dude is riding shotgun… he steps out and approaches us. At that moment, an old man in a Benz overshoots the exit for the gas station, hits the freeway entry point and begins to back up the freeway entrance ramp. The dude wanders off to write the old man a ticket. The woman speaks enough English to explain to us that we should have walked forward on the freeway, not backward. Yeah, we knew that. She asks for my passport and asks it we are on holiday. Yes. She said it was very dangerous walking on the freeway (yeah it was… a foot sometimes separated us from the cars going 70). She told us to make our phone call and she would give us a ride back to the car, where my sister was waiting with the car (hood up). Dave called Hertz. As frantic as my brother can be sometimes, he was cool, calm and collected. Yeah, we need a tow. Highway 8, marker 124. Bad gas. The police drove us back to the car… they were very kind. They explained that we were still in Germany… just over the hill was Austria. In Germany, on the freeways, use the SOS phones.
30 minutes pass. The tow truck arrives. The dude speaks ZERO English. Nada. Zippo. Dave rides in the tow truck. Rosanne and I ride in the car, which is mounted on one of those AAA type tow trucks. We say Salzburg… no, he says. Wrong country. Have to keep it in Germany. It’s like breaking down in Vancouver and wanting to go to Portland, only the tow truck guy says you have to be towed to Camas. Ah shit.
So we arrive in a little town called I dunno. A kid in the office has enuf English to explain that he will call us a cab. He figures 70 Euro to Salzburg. Ugh. Or a train to a small town in Germany, near Salzburg. Freisling or something like that. 15 mins later the cab arrives. A wonderful man with white hair and a white mustache says “Hello”. I say… “we have a problem”. He says… “yes, you have a problem, but I do not”. We all laugh. He explains that it will cost 15 Euro to Freisling, but for another 15-20 E, he can take us directly to our hotel in Salzburg. All right ! I coulda kissed the guy.
So, now we’re in Salzburg. I’m more depressed that Vincent Van Gogh on a bad ear day. Only one thing will fix this… BEER. We walk 15 mins into old town and find a bar and sit next to an open window to avoid the smoke. Two (2) 500 ml beers later, the pain have vanished and we’re feeling better. Rosanne, hating anything with fizz, opts for Baileys on ice. We realize that it could have been a lot worse. It’s gonna cost me some $$$, but no one was hurt, no one died, no one is in the hospital.
The lesson learned is this: PAY ATTENTION. If you talking on the phone, don’t be chopping carrots with your kitchen knife… chances are you will cut yourself. If you are unsure of what to do in a situation, STOP, take a look around and apply a dash of reason. LIVE IN THE NOW. Don’t have your head somewhere into tomorrow, while you’re driving down Belmont St. BE on Belmont Street. Enuf said. I’m sure we’ll be laughing about this six months from now, but right now, I’m feeling pretty stupid. Ciao

Italia

Saturday
This morning was drove into Innsbruck. Parked, walked a mile or so to the old town, found some Illy coffee and a croissant. We found an internet cafe and emailed a hotel in Salzburg. We are leaving here tomorrow and heading to Salzburg for five nights. We side trip to Hallstadt and the Eagles nest. We grew tired of Innsbruck and decided to head to Italy, which is like driving to Salem. We drove over the Brenner pass, which is quite a highway. We ended up in a town just over the border called Vitipino. It was great being back in Italy, though it did feel quite Austrian. The best part of the day was spent taking a gondola up into the mountains. I'll send pics on the next post. Beauty beyond imagination. The greenery here makes Oregon look like the Mojave. Ciao for now.

Austria shots

Austria hotel
Bath
Shower
East view from hotel
North view from hotel
As promised, here are some shots of our Austria hotel and views from same. There is a huge "WOW" factor here... around every corner seems to be a beautiful view and a "wow" spoken out loud. Trying to get a hotel in Salzburg. Later.

Nightmare

Up and out of Ruette by 9:00, we took a short drive to our new hotel in Hall, which is 5 miles east of Innsbruck. Pulled up to our hotel... it's gorgeous. We go in and Rosanne says to the woman behind the desk... "We have reservations under the name Jacobs". The clerk paused and said "You HAD reservations". Come again... did I hear that right... HAD as in paste tense? Yup... HAD. Seems in all of the back and forth emails between Europe and Beaverton, some dates got confused. Rosanne had reserved Sept 17-19. We thought it was the 19-22. Oh shit. Then she talks on the phone and says that her boss wants us to pay the bill... it's 600 Euros. Double oh shit. Rosanne calmly says... "I will pay you for one night, but I am not going to pay the whole bill". The clerk immediately agreed. One night's deposit was fair, since they had held the rooms for one night, but then sold them. So Rosanne plunks down 200E. Ouch. Last trip, it was brother Dave leaving the train passes at home. C'est la vie. These things happen. The desk clerk was quite nice... she called another property in their family. The man came and we followed him to the hotel, which is in Thaur. An even more beautiful hotel, if that's possible. PLUS, free internet. I'll send pics later.
After checking in, we went to the bar and polished off a bottle of Sauv Blanc. That put us in a better frame of mind. We decided to stay just two nights in this area. Then we head to Salzburg, if can find a room. We'll day trip to the Eagles Nest and Halstatt, plus spend some quality time in Salzburg.
Today we drove up into the mountains and watched a paraglider jump off of cliff. Quite impressive. Then we drove to Hall, parked in an underground garage, and walked around the old town. Yep, underground garage. Oh shit. We go to exit and we owe 2.50, but where do you put the money? After swearing for 5 mins, a nice man told us that we needed to pay upstairs (like the PDX garage). A sign would have been nice. Ah, garages. Makes for interesting times. More later.

Ruetted

Ruette, Austria
Thursday, 20:50
Up for breakfast (included with hotel price – quite nice), then off to Ludwig’s castles near Fussen, Germany. We walked our rear ends off… first up the hill to the small castle and then to the large castle. As castles go, they were ok. If you’ve seen one, you’ve pretty much seen them all. They look great from the outside… once you go inside, there are a bunch of rooms full of old stuff. Kind of like going to an antique store. You have to take a guided tour, which was a lot of useless info followed by “Now we will proceed to the king’s reading room”. Oh joy. But I’ve always wanted to see these two castles, so now I can scratch them from my life’s “to do” list.
Tomorrow were off to Innsbruck, but actually were staying in an adjacent town called Hall. We’re booked for three nights, but we’ll see how it goes. Rain is in the forecast, which could limit our luge runs. That’s it for plans… after that we’re winging it. Maybe Hallstadt, most likely a few nights in Salzburg, no to Vienna… too far.
Driving is great… the roads are smooth as silk and the drivers are good, except for a few meatheads with a death wish. Along every road is a bike path/walking path. We see all sorts of people using these paths. Very well planned. One thing that has been difficult… cigarette smoke. Germany and Austria are still in the dark ages. The restaurants are full of smoke… not so in France, where smoking is banned pretty much everywhere except maybe your backyard or your bathroom. We were humping up a hill today to get to the castles and people are passing us smoking a butt. Jesus. Everybody here does so much outdoor stuff… skiing, hiking, etc, and they all rave about this great mountain air, yet they all smoke. I don’t get it. My clothes stink.
Hopefully I’ll have a good internet connection in Hall. More later.

O Dark Thirty

Reutte... in the wee hours.
My first night sans Ambien...a great drug, but there's always a "catch-up" factor. I fell asleep ok, but now I'm a bug eyed mantis. So... I write. Not much to say, but by popular request, here are some more pics of days gone by. I'll capture Austria later today.

Lunch in Eguisheim... salmon in reisling sauce, baby aspargus wrapped in bacon.... vino

Kayserberg and a restaurant in same. Below is Statue of Liberty... Bartholdi, the artist, was from Colmar. Also, our hotel courtyard in the early evening on a rainy day.

On the road to nowhere

Arrived Freiberg 14:00
Looked for the Hertz car rental location... not, the "car sharing"... wrong gate. Went to the info booth... man sez, it's too far from here to walk... take a cab... travel to Hertz...present my res..."STOP THAT CAB"... you're at the wrong Hertz center. Go back to the station. 25 Euros later, we're back at the station. Get the keys to the VW. Woman sez go downstairs and take a right and proceed to the garage. Stall #28. Go to garage. Stall #28 contains a Fiat Punta, the size of a postage stamp with two doors. What the f... Go down one level. Stall 28 contains a Benz. Back to Hertz. She points down... garage is underneath us. Go down the stairs and take a HARD right (i.e. a U turn). Go down an alleyway and voila, stall 28 with a VW. Jesus help me.
Start driving following the Garmin GPS (a godsend by the way) set on "scenic". 3 hours into a 3 hour trip, we're about 2/3 of the way. Stuck behind trucks that go 80 kmh. When you hit the freeway, everybody goes 160 kmh, which is way fucking fast. They blow by us like a Kansas twister. So we set the Garmin to "get our ass there NOW" and we make the trip in 4 hours total. Austria is everything they said it would be... BEEEAutiful, like Oregon, except greener, if that's possible. And way expensive... it's the taxes gang. Shit, our dinner tonight was 46E... total bill after tax 64E. Do people really earn that much more here? Gawd help us if they do, cuz the good old US of A is turning into a third world country.
Tomorrow is fantasy land... we are going to the castles that Disney copied for his theme park. Could be fun and then again, it could be a touristic nightmare. Dinner tonight was great... veal schnitzel and the beer is killer. Ciao for now.

Leaving Colmar

Wednesday 11:00

We’re on the train, heading to Freiburg, Germany, via Strasbourg. That’s like going from Portland to Salem via Hood River and Government Camp. There are faster ways, but who am I to argue with a French ticket lady.
There is something rather romantic about riding the rails… the warmth, the sway of the car, the feeling of security. The weather is partly sunny and there is a morning haze upon the countless vineyards to the west. Since the train left at 10:52, my travel partners have plenty of sleep under their belts, having drugged themselves into a nearly comatose state the night before. Sleep comes at a premium, folks. The train offers the opportunity for a quick catnap or a chance just to stretch out, feet up on the seat, American style.
Once we get to Freiburg, we rent another car (Hertz this time) and drive east towards Fussen Germany. Actually we have a hotel booked in Ruette, Austria, just across the border. For inquiring minds, we have our first three hotels booked. After Innsbruck, we’re on our own. That’s when the real fun begins… where are we staying… I dunno… where is it… I dunno… how do we get there… I dunno. But that’s what makes travel really exciting… living in the now, making plans in seconds, changing course in a momento.
So far, the trip has been fun. The Koenigsburg castle was fabulous, as were the Maginot line sites The food is great, the wine even better. We’re all still speaking… no meltdowns, no temper tantrums.
More later.

Amerika

Things I do not miss about Amerika...
Sara Palin, the election, the talking heads, Applebees, big cars, cheap gas, hatred of the French, crappy tv, Christian evangilists, us vs them, "time is money", now knowing that my high school principal, Fr Perri, raped more than one woman, (yeah, the same Fr Perri who always said ¨a word to the wise is sufficient¨... what a prick), and assorted other shit which I will think of later.

What do I miss... a decent fucking keyboard... and most of all YOU. Wish you were all here so we could go out and drink some killer reisling and eat well.

Talk soon.

P

The day b4 tomorrow

Tues 17 30
Long day. Cant seem to get internet at the hotel, so im stuck at this funky net cafe. Carrier pigeon would be faster than typing on this piece of shit.
Went to a great castle in Koenigsburg, which was rebuilt by kaiser wilhelm in 1905. Nice... well done and grandiose in a German way.
the food has been great, as is the wine. Even with drugs, sleeping has been difficult. It just takes awhile to get adjusted. Tomorrow we are off to Germany... rent a car in Freiburg, then drive to Ruette. There we take in the grand castle of Europe... then the trip is open. Italy... Vienna... who knows.
Ciao

Finally a connection !

Sunday 20:00
Reflections on a day
It’s late – I’m staying in a first class hotel with third rate internet service. It costs $1.50 an hour and the service is marginal. So I will write now, before the Ambien kicks in and will transmit tomorrow.
Wow – what a day. Left the hotel at 08:00… headed north towards Strasbourg, looking for the Maginot Line – something the French did so well but oh so wrong. We found lots of sites. The first was the casement esch near Hatten… just a big bunker. The next was a large complex in Hatten, which was full of military hardware and a huge bunker. I did not realize how intense the fighting was in Alsace. The Germans invaded in 1940… the people of Alsace fled to SW France. The men who stayed behind (125,000) were conscripted into the German Army. Towards the end of the war, the towns were flattened by the Americans and Germans. Pretty depressing to see what these people went through 70 years ago.
On to Fort Schoenenberg, which is a fortress buried 30 meters underground and is 1000 meters long (we know… we walked all 1000 meters). 600 men lived underground, until the French capitulated to the Germans in 1940. I thot about the money it took to build this monstrosity… what a waste of time and materials… and for what? Oh, the insanity of war.
Onward… headed back to Colmar, polished off two jugs of Grande Reserve Reisling (Huber & Bleger…7.90E each) and went out for Chinese. Ahhhh… Chinese food in Colmar… Amazingly good!
Tomorrow we hit the one museum in Colmar, then to the wine road. The weather is getting better, no rain today and cloudy/sunny weather. The wine is good, as is the food. Wish you were all here.
PC

Monday 11:30 am
Up at 8 after a good night on Ambien. Hit the big museum in Colmar… a lot of old shit and some Jesus art. After awhile, they all start to look the same. Went to Monoprix, which is the Fred Meyer of France. They don’t give their stuff away here. Around noon, drove south to Eguisheim, in search of a bite, a splash of vino and some free internet. The latter seems to be hard to come by in this neighborhood. Nothing like the USA, where free wi-fi is the norm. Oh well… I can’t wait a while longer to see if the Ducks won…then again, who gives a shit if the Ducks won… I’m having a ball 5k miles from home.
The afternoon plan is to head to Kayserville and or Turkheim… grab a bite and a glass and just relax in the sun. It’s sunny but cold… think I underdressed. But as I always say… one can always buy more stuff. Only problem is that I have to carry it, and that backpack ain’t getting any lighter.
PC
Monday 12:00
I left that stupid coffee/internet shop. I thot the owner was a bit of a prick. So I left Dave & Rosanne there hacking on some funky pc’s and I walked outside. I’m sitting in a small square, in the shade of a maple tree. The sun is bright, but it’s jacket weather. The streets are small, as are the cars. There always seems to be too many cars in these villages, weaving in and out between pedestrians, dogs, cats and kids.
France this time is nice. It feels like trying on an old coat… warm, comfortable and you know not to put your change in your left pocket, because there’s a hole in it. It feels like tourism is down here, though. A bit of a recession… something everyone feels, but no one wants to talk about. Most of the tourists are old geezers, like myself. The major babes have all gone home to their jobs in Paris, so I’m left checking out the blue hairs from the tour bus. Such is life.
I kind of miss Provence… I think I fell in love with it last year. It feels more like California… this feels more like Oregon. Nothing wrong with that mind you… it’s just that I want a bit more foreign intrigue… Alsace is meat, potatoes and reisling… Provence is fish and rose. Alsace is Hansel and Gretel, Provence is Sophia Loren.
Don’t know what Germany and Austria hold… probably more of the same… where people talk like they have a mouth full of hot potatoes. C’est la vie!
PC

Here, not there

Greetings... it's sunny there... here's it's Oregon... rained all day in Colmar. We arrived last night, easy flight, thanks to Atavan. Got 4 hours sleep. Amsterdam layover, then a flight to Zurich, then trained to Colmar. Here's a few shots of Zurich train...

Today we walked 5 kliks to rent the car.. Brand new Toyota Auris. Drove to Bergheim and a 3 hour lunch/dinner... pics

Did I mention the reasons I love to travel to Europe...
Yep, the food and the wine !!
Brian & Nic suggested that I try the Choucoutre... well, here it is. Wow... it was great, especially with the enclosed Reisling.

Later...pc

Picture test

The Nikon stays home on this trip... too much to carry... Brother Dave will haul his... I get the Canon 870IS, which fits in my shirt pocket. Will keep you all posted with lots of photos. Click on photo to blow it up. PC

Countdown

Standby...
Amsterdam, Zurich, Colmar, Ruette, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich await.
Outbound... 11 Sept.............scheduled return 27 Sept......
Travellers are:
Ciao 4 now.... Phil