DAY 8 - Rhine Valley

Wednesday, 27 April 2005

Rhein-Main AB
We make a stop back at the base so that I can use my bank card and retrieve euros for us. Just outside the main gate, I pause to take a picture...big mistake. Some chief pulls over and starts to harass me for "unauthorized picture taking" BS. The German gate guards finally come over and I comply with their request to delete the picture (they were cordial about it). Interesting how my fond memories of this once bustling base come shattering down into a stupid moment like this.

Rhine Valley/Rhein Tal
We head about a 1/2 hour west and hit a local road that is on the western shore of the Rhine/Rhein River as it passes thru the Taunus Mountains. The mountains rise about 1000 feet on both sides and are lined with many medieval castles. Our first stop of the day is in the lovely town of St Goar/Sankt Goar.

Rheinfels Castle/Burg Rheinfels
Once the largest castle in this area, it was laid to seige by Napolean's French army and is just a shell of its former self. Still, Locke and I had lots of fun as we were the first customers in and had the entire place to ourselves.  Not a soul besides the cashier at the front entrance. We then shop in St Goar and upon returning to my car, a bunch of tourists from China surround my car and take pictures of it. Though I'm flattered, it's just an ordinary BMW...but they think otherwise – it's a celebrity! :)

Eltz Castle/Burg Eltz
We head over to the Mosel Valley which is the prime wine growing region for Germany. Nestled in the hills is a wonderfully kepted castle. But, to get to it you must navigate extremely tight alleys in Moselkern and then venture up a long climb. Locke and I were already beat from our Nieschwanstein climb. We decide to pass on this, head west and say Goodbye!/Auf Wiedersehen! to Germany.

Luxembourg
Luxembourg City is the capital of this small country and we first stop over at the Luxembourg American Cemetary to pay tribute to the many fallen heroes of WWII. Included in this burial ground is General Patton – sadly, he died in a traffic accident 6 months after the war ended. Afterwards, we head over to the city and browse around for a while.
We finally head north and through the countryside and Luxembourg's towns. While the freeways are excellent, they seem to end many times and we're sent thru the town centers way too often. Locke and I get to a point of begging to see an autobahn sign. We finally cross the border back into Germany, get onto an autobahn, and head thru Belgium towards our destination of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Car Mileage: 1000 miles @ Weert, Netherlands

-- Al

DAY 7 - Berlin II

Tuesday, 26 April 2005

West Berlin
Finally, the skies have cleared and we awake to clear blue skies – woohoo! Our mission today is simple: visit Berlin's palaces.

Parc San Souci
We head for Potsdam, about a 30-minute train ride southwest of Berlin. After several transfers and a bus ride (thanks to DB service help), we arrive at Parc San Souci. The first tour is of San Souci Palace, King Friedrich II domain during the mid-18th century. Lots of Roccoco architecture with gold encrusted framing (a little bit too over the top). As Locke quips, "If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!", and we laugh at our inside joke while the Germans look at us amusingly. Next stop is the Chinese House – a small house with statues completely decorated in gold-plate. This style reflects the royal European fascination with all-things chinese during this period.

Third stop is the Neues Palace – the highlight of the tour. One of the rooms is directed completely with seashells – amazing! The best spot is the marble room – it reminds one a little of the "Beauty & – he Beast" ballroom. Park is immense – about a mile from one palace to another. After a full day, we head back to Berlin and make a quick stop at the Schloss Charlottenburg for a few outdoor pictures. Then it's off to dinner and a relaxed pace until our train departs around 10pm for the overnight ride back to Frankfurt.

Charlottenburg Castle/Schloss Charlottenburg
An icon that personifies the former Prussian Empire...
-- Al

DAY 6 - Berlin I

Monday, 25 April 2005

The Train/Die Bahn
We wake up at 4am in the morning and head for the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. The train departs at 5:15am for a 4-hour ride to Berlin. Let us tell you – the German trains are a great way to go with comfortable seats and even a small dining car if you're hungry.

East/Ost Berlin & the Berlin Wall
After arriving in Berlin, we head straight for an S-Bahn train ride to the former communist East Berlin. Our itinerary includes: Topography of Terror (gallery of the Nazi terror), Checkpoint Charlie (the Cold War gateway between West & East Berlin), Alexanderplatz and Brandenburg Gate for our sightseeing tour of the former East Germany.

A story from the Cold War...
It was November 1987 at the height of the Cold War, and still 2 years before the wall would fall. According to the WWII Potsdam Agreement, the Allies – US, Britain and France – have access to East Berlin while in turn, the Soviets have access to West Berlin. So, we decide to drive 3 cars with co-workers and friends for a 4-day outing over the Thanksgiving holiday. At Checkpoint Alpha, the drivers – myself among them – step out and give the Russian guard our paperwork.
He then sends us to a small building to get our orders stamped. The process is to report back to the guard to verify the stamp (this is all taking somewhere around 30 minutes). Somehow, I forgot this last step and started walking to my car instead. With the Russian guard screaming at me, I turn and freeze in my steps – he's got a loaded rifle pointing directly at me and I have no idea what's pissing him off. For what seemed like an eternity, I stand there until another American figures things out and tells me,
"Come here now! He needs to verify your orders." With that information, my life was spared and we were able to proceed on. Once I get in my car, my buddy says, "Are you okay?" I mention that I'm fine, but indicate that I would need to change my underwear once we get to the hotel.


German Parliament/Deutsche Reichstag
Locke and I get to the hotel and crash for the afternoon – I think our jetlag finally caught up. Around 9pm, we head back out to the
Deutsche Reichstag and get in just prior to closing. The new atrium is an incredible architectural feat – with glass and mirrors and a double-helix ramp to access the top. Truly one of the few highly successful blending of old and new architecture into a single building. The long lines even at night indicates that the public agrees with this sentiment.

Brandenburg Gate/Tor
A united Germany's icon where "East meets West"...

-- Al

Some general observations and...Frankfurt

We've been surprised how easy it is to get web access so we decided to start this blog. It's a little tricky as the keyboard is German and the y & z are reversed as well as having other strange keys.

Al & I have noticed that Germans seem to like larger black dogs and smaller white dogs (at least what we've seen so far).

People here love to hang plants in their windows probably because tending a garden here would be tough in the wintertime.

As Al & I have been doing a lot of driving, we've noticed that there are a plethora of street signs that make it very confusing. Also parking garages have tiny spaces which can make it challenging. Austria & Switzerland have a lot of tunnels, many of which are many kilometers long. The autos here are different too. They are much smaller versions of US cars (like slimmed down minivans). Plus they use a lot of small one person Smart Cars (electric cars) which makes it easy for those owners to park on the street.

If you're in town on a Sunday, most establishments, except restaurants and cafes, are closed. You'd think that this would be a prime shopping day but most businesses do "rest" on Sunday.

Germans love to smoke – everywhere – in restaurants, hotel lobbies, etc. so it does take getting used to. That may also explain why the young people here are so thin compared to their American counterparts.

The elevators in the European hotels we've been staying in are not for the claustrophobic. It's like taking a ride 3 flights in a phone booth. Another thing to get used to is carrying around a lot of spare change to use the toilet/toiletten or "WC" for Water Closet. Almost all establishments charge for the use of the facilities, anywhere from .30 euros to 1.30 euros if you use the McClean washrooms in the train stations. Speaking of train stations they are more like airports here because the train system here is so extensive.

Frankfurt/Frankfurt am Main
We spent the night in Frankfurt a couple of nights ago near the Central Train Station/ Hauptbahnhof as we had an EARLY (5:15am) train to catch to Berlin. We were a little concerned since it was a red light district, but the hotel was great and there was inexpensive Chinese food only a block away.

The skyline in Frankfurt is beautiful. Big, tall, new buildings of glass and steel. Very different than other German city skylines. They have actually nicknamed Frankfurt "Main-hatten" because of its tall skyline.

Al's been having problems with his ATM card not accessing the German bank networks. Fortunately, Rhein-Main Air Base had an ATM that worked so if you are planning to do any international travel in the near future make sure you check with your bank before you leave. Same thing goes for your cellphone which we thought would work here but have yet to.

We've been fortunate in that a lot of Germans speak English so if we get stuck with a language barrier they're pretty quick to pick up on the fact that you are more comfortable conversing in English.

Frankfurt to Berlin
Since Berlin is way on the other side of Germany, we had plan to park the car and catch a train. The train ride to Berlin is about 4 hours from Frankfurt non-stop (it takes longer on the return route at night). We highly recommend that you buy your tickets online in advance. The S/U-bahn system can be incredibly confusing but efficient once you know how to use it. A couple of people have just come up out of the blue asking if we needed help with taking the right train.

Even with the dollar/euro exchange not being great there are still quite a lot of American tourists here.

The last thing I'll mention for now is that Germany is definitely not ADA compliant. Along with the elevator issues most places of business only have stairs entering the building. This is true for some of the train stations and most of the palaces/museums we've been to so far.

Bye!/Tchuß!

-- Locke

DAY 5 - Zurich

Sunday, 24 April 2005

Liechtenstein
Yesterday, we stopped over in Vaduz, Liechtenstein for dinner. Not much to see (confirmed twice now by Al), but dinner was a nice break. However, the bill was quite high – the price we pay for an expensive country. It was also interesting to note that there is a definite rush hour in this small country...a lot of folks commuting in from either Switzerland or Austria to work in the finance industry. On to Zurich and our first stop in Switzerland.

Zurich
We get out early and the first stop is a Starbucks! Nothing like a little cafe latte to start one's morning... :) Old town/Altstadt Zurich is quaint...lots of ethnic shops to reflect both Zurich's and Switzerland's international flavor. We also strolled along the city's riverbank – replete with a lot of bridges – and watch a couple of pairs of swans glide along. An interesting note...Switzerland was spared the bombing from World War II and thus has a lot of more historical buildings than most other European cities. However, there is almost a "clean sterility" to the Swiss cities – clean and functional, but lacking in personality.

Heidelberg Castle/Schloss Heidelberg
Since the weather was very rainy, we deleted Lake Constance/Bodenzee and the Black Forest/Schwarzwald from our itinerary and head straight for Heidelberg back in Germany. Schloss Heidelberg is quite interesting ...it has Roman influences, yet a huge tower can be seen breaking off – our assumption is damage from WWII. Old town/Altstadt Heidelberg is definitely THE social scene in Germany – it's a wonderful college town with an eclectic mix of people, shops and sidewalk cafes that allow you to relax and people-watch all day.

Rhein-Main Air Base
We also stop over at Al's old duty station of Rhein-Main AB. It's just a shell of its former self and will be formally turned over to the German government at the end of 2005. From the end of WWII thru the mid-90s, it was known as the "Gateway to Europe" for American troops arriving here. While here, we repack our backpacks for the 2-day diversion to Berlin, and leave all the rest of our stuff in the car trunk.

Frankfurt
The rain is coming down harder as we leave my car at a local train station and head for downtown Frankfurt. After a brief walk thru the red light district, we come upon our hotel and crash for a quick night's stay.

-- Locke & Al

DAY 4 - Bavarian Alps

Saturday, 23 April 2005

Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a beautiful town on the edge of the Alps. The snow on the Alps is right there in front of you. We saw the Olympic events area but the snow down at that level has already melted. We spent 45 minutes looking for a restaurant at a hotel. The roads are small and convoluted at times. We finally find the hotel but the restaurant is closed until May 15th. Oh well...

We find a pizza place but the pizza here is very different than in the States – thin, flat and not much taste. The breakfasts have been much more to our liking. We typically have a choice of breads, meats. cheeses, fruits along with coffee & juice. Juice here is all prepackaged and pretty blah. The California boys are spoiled. :)

Bavarian Alps/Bayerisch Alpen
Picture postcard perfect...
Hohenschwangau Castle/Schloss Hohenschwangau
We saw two related German castles today and heard the history of Ludwig II – very interesting. Beautiful paintings on the wall with many depicting Wagner Opera themes. It seems Ludwig and Wagner were close friends. We also hiked up a very steep hill to get a view of one of the castles from a bridge. Unfortunately, along the way we ran into German paramedics who were trying to revive a man who had a heart attack. They were not successful in their efforts which really got Al & me thinking of how hard that would be for friends, family and spouse if one of us died while on holiday.

Nieschwanstein Castle/Schloss Nieschwanstein
The castle that inspired Walt Disney's "Cinderella's Castle"...

We share a horse ride down the hill...well deserved rest for the day's hike. Well that's all for now. Heading off to Liechtenstein and Switzerland later today.

--Locke

DAY 3 - Munich I

Friday, 22 April 2005

Germany/Deutschland
Al is having a harder time adjusting to the time change than I am. He was wide awake at 4am local time while I managed to stay in bed until 6:15am. The local restaurant we went to last night, Lenz, was quite good. The one thing I wasn't prepared for was all the smoke! A group of young Germans laughed at me as they exited having seen me sniff the air with dissatisfaction as I walked in. I had to laugh as well. Another thing to get used to is people bringing dogs into the restaurants. The dogs are very well-behaved.

This morning I got a look at the local German television programming. Alf in German and the "Groovy Granny". CNN is about the only show in English. We pick up Al's car today and then we're off to the Autobahn heading for the German-Austrian border.

Did we forget to mention: our primary purpose in Europe is for a European Delivery of Al's new car – a 2005 BMW 325i!

Al's inspiration and dream...
When I lived in Frankfurt, Germany many years back, a co-worker bought a new BMW and requested that I drive with him to pick it up at the BMW Factory in Munich. Upon delivery, he handed me keys to his NEW car for the drive home. I was astonished, but he instructed me to keep up...which I did! After a 5-hour drive on the autobahn, I knew right there that I had to get a bimmer – and pick it up in Germany to fully realize the experience. It took 18 long years, but that dream I had as a young adult was finally realized today. :)

Picking up the car
Got to the BMW Delivery Center on Friday morning and picked up the car. It's a manual, titanium silver baby bimmer – the last one produced for the US market for the E46 generation. The new E90 model already started selling here as all the other customers were picking up the 2006 version. Unfortunately, Locke cannot drive a stick, so I will be doing 100% of the driving for our trip. After glowing for a few minutes, we head off for downtown Munich and the start of our European vacation. Woohoo – I finally got my dream car, with a European vacation to boot!

Car Mileage: 4 miles @ Munich, Germany

Residence/Residenz
This is the former residence of the Wittenbach family, long time rulers of Bavaria until the early 20th century. The antiquarium and golden hallway are the highlights along with the Skatzkammer, which is the crown and affiliated royal accessories.

Old town Munich/Altstadt Munchen
We then look for the world-famous Hofbrauhaus, the largest beer house in the world. Much to our disappointment, the establishment is undergoing a renovation and lunch is for a private party only. Thus, with a beautiful spring day, we choose to eat lunch across the alley at an open bierhaus/cafe and enjoy the scenery of downtown Munich. After our stroll, we head for the BMW main headquarters for the prerequisite picture. This is not an easy task, as there is no "designated spot". But we get the shot for the picture album and then head for Garmisch-Partinkirchen in the Bavarian Alps.

The German Autobahn
Once on the A95 Autobahn, I finally get a chance to open up the car. Though it is advertised with a governor (speed limiter) of 128 mph/206 kph, I chase after 2 Porche Carreras in the left lane and max out at 133 mph/214 kph. Wow, things are now going DAMN fast! Okay, with our goal achieved and the gas mileage dropping to 10 mpg (as indicated by a gauge) we drop back to a respectable 90-100 mph cruising range and head for the beautiful Bavarian Alps towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

-- Locke & Al

DAY 2 - Outbound II

Thursday, 21 April 2005

We take a non-stop 11-hour flight from San Francisco International Airport to Munich/Franz Josef International Airport on Lufthansa Airlines. Good food and service – all flight attendants/pursers are completely bilingual in English and German.

After getting our luggage, we head for the public transportation station. The ticket machines are just about as confusing as those at BART in the San Francisco Bay Area. After an eternity, we finally figure things out, make our purchase and board the S8-Bahn for Munich/Munchen. It's a great ride to Munich during sunset and after a transfer we get off at the Oktoberfest grounds. The hotel is fortunately only a 5-minute walk. After checking in, we head out to a local restaurant recommended by the hotel staff and enjoy our first drinks and German food. Locke and I can't believe we are finally here!

-- Al

DAY 1 - Outbound I

Wednesday, 20 April 2005

As the clock starts to wind down, I'm still frantically sorting and packing clothing and trying to decide what is too little vs too much for the month-long trip. A little voice pops up in my head with Rick Steve's voice saying, "That's too much stuff!" Locke is relaxed and has finished packing. He watches with amusement my last-minute circus act as I still can't quite decide...

It' now 5:35pm, and the shuttle arrives a little early for our 6pm pickup. I have 5 minutes to make a final decision and throw the rest of my items into my luggage and head out the door. At this point, I'm hoping that I didn't forget anything significant. Got all the important documents (passports, international driver's license, e-tickets) itineraries, maps, etc. Okay, we're going, but can't help feeling like I left something...

Once out the door, there's a little surprise – Locke got us a limo for the ride to the airport! What a way to start our tour – in a little style!

-- Al

Introduction

Welcome to our blog!

We are Al & Locke, and this blog is for our family & friends who want to share in our travelling experiences.

We're on a month-long tour of Europe from 20 April-19 May 2005. Al previously lived in Europe for two years a while back, but this is Locke's first time on the continent.

We planned, scheduled and booked the entire trip completely by ourselves using well-known guidebooks such as Frommer's and Rick Steve's Europe: Museum Strategies along with the internet as our travel agents. Yes, we're on an aggressive schedule that will provide the reader a good taste of Europe. Kind of reminds you of that movie, "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium", where they race thru 7 countries in 18 days, huh?!? Well, we intend to visit 14 countries in 30 days!

Our budget is fairly tight – about $325 per day for EVERYTHING! Transportation and hotels take up 2/3 of the budget, so we carefully planned our activities and meals – splurging only once in a while to savor the experience.

Sit back, relax, and read on – we hope you'll enjoy our blog as much as we'll enjoy the travelling experience. Also, feel free to comment on any of the chapters within this blog.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step," Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher

With that in mind, let's start blogging!

-- Al