I know Jim had started a few entries that were magically (and frustratingly) deleted a few days ago. Our internet connection seems to be a bit spotty at times. He has now learned the concept of frequent saving just like the old days of term papers in college. I am not sure when he will get back to them. So you get me instead. The less entertaining, but more newsy half of this unit.
We have moved out of the camper and into our apartment in Hochstadt, Germany. Now, had we not spent two weeks living together in a matchbox camper, this apartment might seem small, but our perspective has changed since we left our 5 acre ranch in MN. We feel like we live in a castle! We have three bedrooms and a futon pull out in the living room so each kid has there own bed (if not there own room). We have a functional kitchen with a typical European refrigerator that is slightly bigger than a dorm fridge! Those of you who know me well (or even just a little) know my propensity to store enough food to feed 20 guests at a moments notice- well not anymore! Fortunately, I guess, I don't know anyone here so the chance of an impromptu drop-in is much less! (If you come, however, I will run to the grocery store for you! It is only a few blocks away!)
Speaking of groceries, I never imagined the grocery store being something I would have to learn how to navigate, but I do. Picture Aldi, it is just like that but with all kinds of dairy products, pickled things and salads I do not know what to do with. Of course I want to try everything, but I have no clue where to start. I was walking back from the bakery on Saturday and met an older gentleman who used to teach at a University in Washington state. His English was great and he was excited to talk to an American . I am thinking of walking by his place everyday to get to know him better and ask him to come with me to the grocery store and explain what everything is. Does that sound strange?
Well, Daniel knows that we are not in the United States anymore. For those of you on my FB page you may have read that 10 days into our trip Daniel said to me (with complete seriousness) "You mean to tell me we are not in the United States anymore?" I have since shown him a map of the continents and explained to him that he can tell when he is in the United States when we start using American dollars again! Goofy kid!
Speaking of kids, the boys are adjusting well. Somehow without any TV, video games and only the occasional movie, they have figured out how to entertain themselves. They have found food to eat almost everywhere, and are especially fond of the Pommes Frites (french fries) that come with the tiny plastic fork. Connor plans on taking these forks to school and using them in the cafeteria. I think he hopes it to be a status symbol. It could be possible with 8 year old boys.
Michael has been a great tour guide. He is good at directing us through the various castles and museums we have been to. He is patient enought to read all of the plac cards and write ups so we don't miss anything. He plays the role as older, "wiser" (in his mind) brother perfectly!
I think I am going to enjoy having very little house to take care. Nice to feel like when I am done with my basic chores (laundry, dishes etc. ) I am actually done. Maybe when we get back we will sell the house and move into town to an apartment (can you imagine Jim in an apartment!!???). We spent our weekend touring the Rhein valley villages and plan on heading to a lake district today. I love it!
Jim started work yesterday so I am on my own with the kids. Wish me luck navigating the streets of Germany alone. If you have been here you know how narrow the roads can be, in fact I added a little dent to the rental car yesterday- bummer! We started doing school in the morning and plan on exploring in the afternoon. I hope this schedule works out.
Love to you all- know you are missed! I will encourage Jim to finish his entries when he can.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Salzburg Camping (Jim entry)
Leaving the Neuschwanstein area, we drove to Salzburg and visited a couple campgrounds. Two were quite expensive (41 and 45 euros, or ~$60 and $67!) but we found a third that was 25 euros which was much more tolerable.
The boys were sick of driving and seeing things and it was drizzly, so we found a spot, plugged our camper in, started some laundry with the pay machines, and let the guys watch a movie on our laptop. We put on Benji and they initially protested vehemently. After all, there are no giant robots, gun fights, or explosions in the entire movie, just a story about a boy and his dog. Needless to say they enjoyed it a lot and mom and dad got two hours of peace and quiet. We had dinner in the campground restaurant with the boys and we indulged in a few bottles of Stiegl. As a point of clarity, the boys had dinner but no Stiegl.
Stiegl is the local beer of Salzburg, brewed on the edge of town, and when I was a student here in 1989-90 I think we derived about half our caloric intake from those half liter brown bottles. It has just a hint of a funny sweat sock odor when you take the first couple drinks but that goes away. (it's the cheapest beer in Salzburg, which is why is became our standard back in my study abroad days) The tiny hint of sweatsock odor only returns if you have way way too many Stiegls and overshoot the target, so to speak. In that event, the odor also comes with a taste... I'll leave it at that. Fantastic stuff! And I enjoyed having lots of memories percolate back through my little brain as we drank it. We otherwise did nothing that afternoon & evening but hang out and rebuild our supply of clean clothes.
The boys were sick of driving and seeing things and it was drizzly, so we found a spot, plugged our camper in, started some laundry with the pay machines, and let the guys watch a movie on our laptop. We put on Benji and they initially protested vehemently. After all, there are no giant robots, gun fights, or explosions in the entire movie, just a story about a boy and his dog. Needless to say they enjoyed it a lot and mom and dad got two hours of peace and quiet. We had dinner in the campground restaurant with the boys and we indulged in a few bottles of Stiegl. As a point of clarity, the boys had dinner but no Stiegl.
Stiegl is the local beer of Salzburg, brewed on the edge of town, and when I was a student here in 1989-90 I think we derived about half our caloric intake from those half liter brown bottles. It has just a hint of a funny sweat sock odor when you take the first couple drinks but that goes away. (it's the cheapest beer in Salzburg, which is why is became our standard back in my study abroad days) The tiny hint of sweatsock odor only returns if you have way way too many Stiegls and overshoot the target, so to speak. In that event, the odor also comes with a taste... I'll leave it at that. Fantastic stuff! And I enjoyed having lots of memories percolate back through my little brain as we drank it. We otherwise did nothing that afternoon & evening but hang out and rebuild our supply of clean clothes.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
From the Bodensee to Neuschwanstein (Jim update)
The lure of the deluxe camping place was very tempting but we only stayed one night. The kids played again in the pool the next morning as dad made a couple RV repairs, we got situated, and prepared to roll down the road. By this time we were getting pretty facile at the process of converting the camper from sleeping set up to driving set up and back. (lots of moving cushions, folding of sets & beds, and repositioning of stuff involved)
We planned on going to Garmisch and going up to the top of a mountain via a cable car. The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany so we thought we'd try that. Arriving late, we camped at a roadside gravel pull off on a mountain road (free camping!) but the next morning it was unfortunately foggy even at the top of the mountain. So we said to heck with it and drove toward Neuschwanstein castle in southern Bavaria.
Neuschwanstein is the disney-looking castle you see in lots of pictures of Germany. We parked at the bottom of the hill in a spot approximately 2 inches wider than our camper. Measuring it later, the spot is actually also 3/4" shorter than our camper but we made it fit. As I implied, we're really getting the feel for this camper van business!
The walk up is long and steep but the boys made it. As we had a couple hours to wait for our tour slot we dediced to hike up to a bridge over a gorge with really dramatic views of the mountains, lowlands below, and the castle. It was truly eye popping. My eyes also popped a bit more as I felt the wooden deck of the 50 foot footbridge bounce under the weight of a hundred tourists or more. Crossing the bridge we started on a gravel path around the mountain. Unfortunately it didn't have handrails in most parts but did sport some fairly steep seventy or eighty foot drop offs. In the end, Kathy and I started to have heart palpitations watching the boys on the 'Death Path' as I decided to call it later and we had to turn around. Even holding the boys' hands it felt way too dangerous. Clearly the krauts aren't as concerned about litigation as we are in the U.S.
We toured the castle which Kathy and I had visited before and the boys liked it.
We planned on going to Garmisch and going up to the top of a mountain via a cable car. The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany so we thought we'd try that. Arriving late, we camped at a roadside gravel pull off on a mountain road (free camping!) but the next morning it was unfortunately foggy even at the top of the mountain. So we said to heck with it and drove toward Neuschwanstein castle in southern Bavaria.
Neuschwanstein is the disney-looking castle you see in lots of pictures of Germany. We parked at the bottom of the hill in a spot approximately 2 inches wider than our camper. Measuring it later, the spot is actually also 3/4" shorter than our camper but we made it fit. As I implied, we're really getting the feel for this camper van business!
The walk up is long and steep but the boys made it. As we had a couple hours to wait for our tour slot we dediced to hike up to a bridge over a gorge with really dramatic views of the mountains, lowlands below, and the castle. It was truly eye popping. My eyes also popped a bit more as I felt the wooden deck of the 50 foot footbridge bounce under the weight of a hundred tourists or more. Crossing the bridge we started on a gravel path around the mountain. Unfortunately it didn't have handrails in most parts but did sport some fairly steep seventy or eighty foot drop offs. In the end, Kathy and I started to have heart palpitations watching the boys on the 'Death Path' as I decided to call it later and we had to turn around. Even holding the boys' hands it felt way too dangerous. Clearly the krauts aren't as concerned about litigation as we are in the U.S.
We toured the castle which Kathy and I had visited before and the boys liked it.
An update - Finally!
Hello All (from Jim this time),
So it's August 25, Tuesday, and we haven't made an update for over a week. Suffice to say, free wireless access hasn't been as prevalent at campgrounds as we were led to believe. I'll recap our travels a bit so far.
We left Keith & Missy's and Kathy decided that we should head south. (Germany & Austria, rather than France) Alsace, a wine growing area of eastern France looked to be pretty much on the way so we thought we would weave over the border for a night. Unfortunately, Gretta our GPS - for some reason Kathy always names electrical appliances - I don't know why - took us by a really lousy route through some mountains and it took twice as long to get there as it subsequently took to get back. The countryside was very beautiful with vineyards everywhere and pretty little villages. We saw no other Americans there.
The campground was okay, except for the centipede population which seemed to be concentrated in the shower rooms. European campgrounds are not like the U.S. where you're likely to enjoy real solitude and at least the illusion of nature. Over here, campers are about ten feet apart. Picture our house as the lodge with literally 250 campers occupying our land. It's a bit weird but we've gotten used to it. I figure the claustrophia is offset by the slight but real chance that I'll at some time inadvertently see through the tent flap the very fit looking 20-something german hottie in the bikini two places down (that's 20 feet) changing into a dry suit.
We stayed there for two nights and saw a quaint little wine town called Riquewihr in between. The kids were lukewarm on the beautiful timberwork houses and cobblestone street but were impressed by a well on a side street.
At one point it was really really hot and we decided that the kids needed to blow off some steam rather than just look at stuff so we found an indoor pool at a nearby town. All was well once we got the campervan parked but once we checked in, got out locker, etc. we were stopped before we could actually enter the pool. Apparently the French aren't keen on their very sizeable muslim population (shocker!) and are trying to regulate out burkas, headscarves etc. You might wonder "how is this relevant to your already dull vacation story?" Well I'll tell you.
The bottom line is, our normal size American swim trunks are too large... Anything that isn't Jacque Cousteau banana hammock sized seems to fall into wierdo muslim burka swimsuit territory and is banned. And I'm not kidding.
Our choice was therefore to not swim or buy and wear speedos. Now before anyone's heart goes aflutter, I did not go the monokini route but enjoyed the scenery in the sun bathing area outside, proudly flying the flag - a big baggy frickin' set of trunks that hang nearly down to my knees like God himself intended for men to wear. The French... The boys did looke really cute in their 13 Euro speedos but Connor made us promise that there would be no photographic evidence. He was really pissed but the allure of the pool was too strong. Good boy. All in all it was a fun diversion.
Anyway, Kathy drank a little wine which is very out of character for her, we lost none of the kids, we made no friends amongh the french people at the campground, and didn't dent our camper. So we were golden. Not wanting to push our luck we headback for Germany. (actually Germany, than Switzerland, than Austria, then Germany again) Damn I like parantheses - I think I'll use a few more. ((()))(()()()()))))))))) Yeah, that feels good...
Anyway again, we had a little navigation misunderstanding as we headed to a German town called Garmisch. Kathy thought Garmisch was before Lake Constance, a.k.a. the Bodensee or Lake Constanz or Lake Konstanz but it's actually east. We therefore tried to roam around lake Konstanz looking for a campground - which moderately sucked. Lots of europeans on vacation there driving RVs like retards. Just like us. Nothing more fun than skinny windy roads full of traffic and oblivious pedestrians while trying to drive an RV with a manual transmission with three boys fighting in the back and a wife who's annoyed when you ask where the hell we're supposed to be going! That's what I always say! In fact, you've probably heard me say that many times... The lake is pretty large and very beautiful which is why so many people are drawn there at peak season.
Eventually we said screw the built up area, headed up the hill out of town, and found a campground with everything! Pool, playground, restaurant, store, and a beer garden for dad. It was very good.
So it's August 25, Tuesday, and we haven't made an update for over a week. Suffice to say, free wireless access hasn't been as prevalent at campgrounds as we were led to believe. I'll recap our travels a bit so far.
We left Keith & Missy's and Kathy decided that we should head south. (Germany & Austria, rather than France) Alsace, a wine growing area of eastern France looked to be pretty much on the way so we thought we would weave over the border for a night. Unfortunately, Gretta our GPS - for some reason Kathy always names electrical appliances - I don't know why - took us by a really lousy route through some mountains and it took twice as long to get there as it subsequently took to get back. The countryside was very beautiful with vineyards everywhere and pretty little villages. We saw no other Americans there.
The campground was okay, except for the centipede population which seemed to be concentrated in the shower rooms. European campgrounds are not like the U.S. where you're likely to enjoy real solitude and at least the illusion of nature. Over here, campers are about ten feet apart. Picture our house as the lodge with literally 250 campers occupying our land. It's a bit weird but we've gotten used to it. I figure the claustrophia is offset by the slight but real chance that I'll at some time inadvertently see through the tent flap the very fit looking 20-something german hottie in the bikini two places down (that's 20 feet) changing into a dry suit.
We stayed there for two nights and saw a quaint little wine town called Riquewihr in between. The kids were lukewarm on the beautiful timberwork houses and cobblestone street but were impressed by a well on a side street.
At one point it was really really hot and we decided that the kids needed to blow off some steam rather than just look at stuff so we found an indoor pool at a nearby town. All was well once we got the campervan parked but once we checked in, got out locker, etc. we were stopped before we could actually enter the pool. Apparently the French aren't keen on their very sizeable muslim population (shocker!) and are trying to regulate out burkas, headscarves etc. You might wonder "how is this relevant to your already dull vacation story?" Well I'll tell you.
The bottom line is, our normal size American swim trunks are too large... Anything that isn't Jacque Cousteau banana hammock sized seems to fall into wierdo muslim burka swimsuit territory and is banned. And I'm not kidding.
Our choice was therefore to not swim or buy and wear speedos. Now before anyone's heart goes aflutter, I did not go the monokini route but enjoyed the scenery in the sun bathing area outside, proudly flying the flag - a big baggy frickin' set of trunks that hang nearly down to my knees like God himself intended for men to wear. The French... The boys did looke really cute in their 13 Euro speedos but Connor made us promise that there would be no photographic evidence. He was really pissed but the allure of the pool was too strong. Good boy. All in all it was a fun diversion.
Anyway, Kathy drank a little wine which is very out of character for her, we lost none of the kids, we made no friends amongh the french people at the campground, and didn't dent our camper. So we were golden. Not wanting to push our luck we headback for Germany. (actually Germany, than Switzerland, than Austria, then Germany again) Damn I like parantheses - I think I'll use a few more. ((()))(()()()()))))))))) Yeah, that feels good...
Anyway again, we had a little navigation misunderstanding as we headed to a German town called Garmisch. Kathy thought Garmisch was before Lake Constance, a.k.a. the Bodensee or Lake Constanz or Lake Konstanz but it's actually east. We therefore tried to roam around lake Konstanz looking for a campground - which moderately sucked. Lots of europeans on vacation there driving RVs like retards. Just like us. Nothing more fun than skinny windy roads full of traffic and oblivious pedestrians while trying to drive an RV with a manual transmission with three boys fighting in the back and a wife who's annoyed when you ask where the hell we're supposed to be going! That's what I always say! In fact, you've probably heard me say that many times... The lake is pretty large and very beautiful which is why so many people are drawn there at peak season.
Eventually we said screw the built up area, headed up the hill out of town, and found a campground with everything! Pool, playground, restaurant, store, and a beer garden for dad. It was very good.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Decisions, Decisions...
It is 6 am Germany time. This means most of you who are reading this are tucked snugly in your bed fast asleep, at least this might be true, it is 11:00 PM in Minnesota. We just spent a great night with our dear friends Keith and Missy Pritchard in a town near Stuttgart, Germany. The Pritchard's are stationed here for at least 3 years with the Army. As Jim stated so eloquently last night, coming here is like putting on an old, favorite shoe. It just makes you feel good. When we were in Europe 16 years ago, Keith and Missy were also here with the military. We spent many nights coming and going from their apartment in Baumholder. It was a great comfort to us as inexperienced travelers to have a "home base" and do a load of laundry now and then. True to form, I did get to wash 2 loads of clothes last night. The Pritchard's understand the meaning of the word Gemutlikeich (I cannot spell it however!) .
Decisions, decisions... Apparently, I made the mistake of complaining to Jim that he always decides where we go and what we do when we travel. Consequently, he wants me to decide where we go for the rest of the rest of our camping trip. The decision is between going South to Bavaria, Germany, or West to France. Nice problem to have, I know. Do we travel to a known entity in a land somewhat familiar to us (Germany, Austria) where Jim speaks the language or do we head West to France where we know very little about, don't speak the language, but can experience something new? I know, I know, nice problem to have. I'll let you know how it turns out.
So far, so good. The camper we have looks bigger on the outside than it seems on the inside. Isn't that always the case once you get all of your stuff unpacked? We had not arranged for bedding until last night, so the children (and us) have been using towels for blankets. Pretty funny. Such good parents we are! Fortunately, the Pritchard's are loaning us bedding so no more towels for us! The kids have managed to find food they like almost everywhere we have gone. The one exception is that Michael is completely dissatisfied with German ketchup! I think he will survive. What kid doesn't like sausage, Germany is a good place to find great smoked meats. It also happens to be a place to find great, great beers, we love that too!
We went to a department picnic with folks from Jim's work. The hospitality was wonderful and the kids had a great time. They played with a little German boy who liked doing cartwheels and handstands as much as Connor! They decided to draw pictures to communicate. Kids are amazing, I love how they are so uninhibited when it comes to making friends. I will post pictures when I can (I am borrowing a computer to write this...). The night of the picnic, we parked our camper in a nearby parking lot. Funny to wake to the sounds of people parking their cars around us going to church! For those of you who know about my "public sleeping" phobia, you will understand how I felt!
We also took the kids to one of our favorite towns, Rothenburg. A cool old town with a Medieval wall that we walked around. The kids had fun pretending they were stopping attackers from invading the city, again, I have great pictures... I will get them up here soon.
Well, I am signing off for now. I need to go plan my entire families future... oh the responsibility! I have to admit, it is kind of nice having someone else do all the planning and just complain a little to make my point. That darn Jim had to go and call my bluff!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ready, Set, Go!!!
I have never been ready early before! Wow! I am not so sure I like it though, I am much more accustomed to running out the door yelling "Go! Go! Go!" to the children. A whole new perspective for me. We'll see if it sticks.
So, our bags are packed (sing it!) and we are ready to go, the taxi is waiting (or the fully loaded Suburban), he is blowing his horn, already I'm so lonely I could cry (not really lonely, I have Jim and the boys to hang with...)- (all together now!) We are leaving on a jet plane, don't know when we'll be back again (really, it is Oct 31- Halloween, easy to remember!) , oh babe I hate to go...(who am I kidding, I am so excited to head over seas I couldn't sleep!) ...oh how I love a good song!
To all of my dear friends and family, we are really going to try hard to be good stewards of your time if you are bothering to read this blog. This means we are challenged to something interesting on a regular basis. I think we are up for it. Jim is a much funnier writer than me, so if I can convince him to write some entries, you all are in luck.
The boys are jazzed for the plane ride, that is about as far ahead as they can think right now. We should all be so good at living "in the moment."
Ok, my head start is diminishing, I better log off and go bark some orders at one of the 3 amigos! Which one should I choose?....
Auf Wiedersehen!
So, our bags are packed (sing it!) and we are ready to go, the taxi is waiting (or the fully loaded Suburban), he is blowing his horn, already I'm so lonely I could cry (not really lonely, I have Jim and the boys to hang with...)- (all together now!) We are leaving on a jet plane, don't know when we'll be back again (really, it is Oct 31- Halloween, easy to remember!) , oh babe I hate to go...(who am I kidding, I am so excited to head over seas I couldn't sleep!) ...oh how I love a good song!
To all of my dear friends and family, we are really going to try hard to be good stewards of your time if you are bothering to read this blog. This means we are challenged to something interesting on a regular basis. I think we are up for it. Jim is a much funnier writer than me, so if I can convince him to write some entries, you all are in luck.
The boys are jazzed for the plane ride, that is about as far ahead as they can think right now. We should all be so good at living "in the moment."
Ok, my head start is diminishing, I better log off and go bark some orders at one of the 3 amigos! Which one should I choose?....
Auf Wiedersehen!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
