Rüdesheim am Rhein.......

I arrived in Rüdesheim am Rhein about 2:00 PM today after about a four hour drive from Heidelberg.  The hotel that I stayed at in Heidelberg, the Hotel Kurpfalzhof was one of the best I have stayed out so far on my trip.  The owner, Volker Mampel, was extremely helpful in every aspect, from suggesting places to visit and eat, etc. It was refreshing to talk to him, since he spoke perfect English, and is extremely educated and would talk about every aspect of the world, including politics, economics, etc.  The physical facility was phenomenal......the room was as modern as you can expect and the breakfast was more than anyone would expect from a "European Buffet Breakfast".  I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the Heidelberg area, and would surely stay here again if and when I return to the area.   The ride today was quite pleasant as it winded a bit along the Rhine River, and the weather has been excellent.  There is always a lot to see and I have a hard time keeping my eyes on the road, with everything that is going on around me.  I passed through the major cities of Manheim, Worms and Mainz as well as some smaller towns before reaching Rüdesheim.  Rüdesheim is a very popular tourist town located directly on the Rhein River.  I easily found my hotel, Hotel Rüdesheimer Hof, checked in and immediately headed out to explore.  I walked around a bit, but it was so hot today that by about 4 PM I returned to my room to get out of the heat, relax and grab a quick nap.  By 6 PM I went out again, and found a very nice outdoor cafe for dinner.  This place was recommended on the Internet and it was very good.  I had a salad, chicken dinner & potatoes and a few glasses of the local Riesling Wine, all for under $20.  The wine here is so good and produced locally, and is also quite inexpensive.  At the restaurant, I met and chatted a bit with a very nice retired couple from South Carolina.  They were on a Viking River Cruise, and the boat stopped here in Rüdesheim for the night, so they got off the boat to explore the area and have dinner.  It was actually nice to chat with some Americans for a change and discuss and compare our travel experiences.
 As I always say, travel is great and the opportunities and experiences that one encounters cannot be duplicated by just staying home.  Unfortunately, life is short and making the most of it,  in my opinion, includes traveling the world and constantly living new experiences.

Tomorrow I am off to Bad Münstereifel to meet my friend Peter (who I have know for over 30 years) and look forward to spending a fun and exciting week with him.  Peter and I might spend some time camping at Lake Zulpich, so do not expect to see many updates to the blog over the next few days.

Another great day.......

As usual, woke up early, had breakfast and was on my way.  Today I had a "free" day to do what I wanted in the Heidelberg area.  Based on the recommendation of the hotel owner, I took a few side trips into the suburbs of Heidelberg.  My first stop was the town of Schwetzinger...... a small quaint town with a very nice pedestrian walking area with many shops.  There is a famous castle here and huge gardens around the castle, but I did not take a lot of time to visit these though....... I was more interested in spending time in the town of Speyer.  Speyer is known for its Technik Museum, which has both indoor and outdoor exhibits of old cars, planes, boats, motorcycles and other "technical" advances in science.  I spent most of the afternoon here,
checking out all the exhibits.  I loved looking at all the old cars, dating back into the1920s.  Outdoors, there were airplanes that you could actually go into.  The highlight for me was a Lufthansa 747, that was way up on some kind of platform and you could actually go inside and see all the components and how it was built and operates.  There were also WWI and WWII planes and even a Russian Space Shuttle.  It was a great museum to visit and well worth the time I spent here.  After leaving the museum I went into the city of Speyer, walked around a bit, saw the cathedral, town hall, etc.  By 4:00 PM I left Speyer and stopped back at the hotel for a bit.  I rested here for about an hour and then went downtown to the Heidelberg Altstadt for dinner.  I walked around the pedestrian area, with hundreds of people, students, tourists, etc.  I settled on a place for dinner, called the Zum Roten Ochsen, or the Red Ox Inn.  I had some roasted beef, red cabbage and a potato dumpling with a Hefeweizen bier. The food was excellent and the place was packed, mostly with students.  After dinner, I headed back to
the hotel.

Heidelberg, Germany

This morning I was off to the city of Heidelberg..........having been there twice before, in 1982 and 2007.  After breakfast, I hopped in the car, and as usual took the "back roads" to my destination.  The first major point along the way to Heidelberg is the city of Baden Baden.  Baden Baden is located in the northwest section of the Black Forest and is a famous international health & spa resort.  The road from Freudenstadt to Baden Baden, known as Die Schwarzwaldhochstraße, or the Black Forest High Road is a panoramic road with many fantastic views. I took many photos en route, but unfortunately the sun was not in the most cooperative place to get great pictures.  One stop along the "high road" was the Mummelsee, which is a small lake, resort.  Continuing on toward Baden Baden, the road was quite winding, as most other roads in the Black Forest.  When reaching Baden Baden, I ran into my typical scenario in the German cities;  "Umleitung" or detour.  The GPS is worthless in situations like this, so I had to figure my way out of the city.  After losing a bit of time, I decided to get on the Autobahn for awhile as I headed north to Heidelberg.  Many BMWs, Audis and Mercedes were flying by in the left lane, at speeds that had to top well over 125 mph.  At one point, I decided to join them in the left lane and pushed my BMW to approx 200 km/h (124 mph).  I reached Heidelberg about 2:00 PM, checked into my hotel and was on my way into the Altstadt (old city).  I walked around a bit and went up to the Philosophenweg (Philosopher's Walk) which is an opportunity to see Heidelberg from high and above the Neckar River.  It actually offers the best views of Heidelberg.  After a strenuous walk up and down, I returned to the Altstadt for a fresh seasonal bier (Märzen) at the Vetter Brauhaus.  By 6:30 PM, I met one of my former students from Rhinebeck High who is attending a university here in Heidelberg. We had dinner and a bier, chatted a bit and the by 9:00 PM I was on my way back to my hotel for some well needed sleep.

Be sure to click on any of the photos to see them in a larger size!
                      

Strasbourg, France

I awoke early today and was again off to France, this time to the city of Strasbourg.  The distance is about 55 miles, but through the winding roads, hills, and small towns it would take about 1 1/2 hours.  The drive was actually very beautiful as I headed west from Freudenstadt.  The drive was similar to that of the past few days, in that it took me through small towns and villages of the Black Forest.......which is always a treat for me.  After crossing the Rhine River and reaching France, I arrived in Strasbourg about noon (Strasbourg is about a 10 minute drive from the German/French border).  I found a convenient parking garage for the car and then walked over to see the famous Gothic Strasbourg Cathedral.  I could see the towers of the cathedral as I was approaching Strasbourg.  The cathedral is a fascinating piece of architecture and fit in my mind with some of the other classic cathedrals I have seen over the past few years, such as the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, the York Minster Cathedral in York, England and the Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln, England.  And of course, the most famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  After taking many photos of the cathedral and the square, I walked over the section of Strasbourg called Petite France, that is a popular area of half-timbered houses, outdoor cafes and many souvenir shops.  After checking out this area I decided to have lunch.  I chose a restaurant right on the Ill River, that which was recommended in many articles I had read, as well as at the Frommer's Travel website, Brassserie de l'Ancienne Douane.  I was seated on the outdoor patio overlooking the river and had a fixed three course lunch and a carafe of Riesling Wine.  After an excellent lunch, walking a bit more around the center of Strasbourg, I took a ride to see the European Parliament, which has its official seat in Strasbourg.  After visiting this rather interesting building, I bean the trip back to Freudenstadt.  It was the same route I had taken in this morning, but getting out of Strasbourg was a bit difficult..........there was a lot of construction and traffic in the lanes that were leaving France for Germany. Perhaps the fact that it was a Sunday evening was a factor for the many cars on the road.  I arrived back in Freudenstadt by 7:30 PM and had some apple strudel and ice cream for dessert at my hotel's restaurant.........excellent way to end the day.  Tomorrow I am off to the city of Heidelberg, passing through Baden Baden along the way.

Freudenstadt and east........

After breakfast this morning, I was headed east to the university town of Tübingen.  My plan was to drive to the city of Böblingen first and then over to Tübingen, Reütlingen, the castle at Lichtenstein and then work my way back to Freudenstadt.  By 9:30 AM, I was on my way.  Initially, the ride was quite beautiful and typical of the back roads in the Black Forest.  The closer I got to Böblingen, the more traffic I began to encounter, and I hate traffic.  I tried to relax and went with the flow.  As I neared Böblingen, I saw a huge sign that said "Mercedes Benz".  I was somewhat near Stuttgart, and I know that is the headquarters of Mercedes, so I thought this was one of their factories.  In my true fashion, I immediately turned off my planned route and drove into and around this huge facility, that I assumed was one of their factories.  I thought they might have some type of tour I could take.  Shortly, I found out that this was their Research & Development facility in Sindelfingen.  This place was huge, with building after building, surrounded by gates, and all kinds of security.  I took a few photos and go out of there before I was apprehended for something. After driving through Sindelfingen and Böblingen, I was finally on my way to Tübingen, so I thought.  I saw a sign for "Outlet City" in Metzingen, so naturally, I had to check that out too. I drove to the outlet center, and after seeing mobs of people and more traffic, I got the hell out of there without spending any time.  So, now it was on to Tübingen, again!  After driving for about 8 miles, there was a major detour with road construction.  I had no idea what the signs said, the GPS units where not able to deal with any of this, and obviously I was not too happy.  I pulled off the road, took out a map and found a city east of Tübingen that I thought would work, so I programmed the GPS for that and thankfully I was on my way to Tübingen again, ........but a good two hours later than I expected.  I finally arrived in this lovely, old university town.  I walked around for about an hour, had a bratwurst, took some photos and was on my way.  I had to cut the rest of the day short, as I had lost so much time this morning.  I set the GPS for the city of Lichtenstein, where there is a very old castle, Schloss Lichtenstein.  I arrived here, to many crowds, took more photos and now set the GPS to take me back "home" to Freudenstadt for some dinner and relaxation.  By 7:00PM I was back at the hotel where I had a nice relaxing dinner and some wine.

 Click on any of the photos to see them in a larger size.

Black Forest..........

Today my days journey will be over to the Swabian Alp region, a bit east of the Black Forest.  Yesterday I left the area of Freiburg to venture through some of the hills and countryside of the southern Black Forest.  I had laid out my plans in August using Google maps.  It was a real adventure, because I found it difficult to find some of the roads I was looking for.........even the GPS units had no idea where I was going part of the time. When I found the roads I wanted, they were well worth finding. The BMW handled superbly as I wound up and down through the hills and small towns of the Black Forest. I stopped and took a lot of photos of the rolling hills, beautiful homes, roaming cows, sheep, etc.  By late afternoon I reached the town of Triberg, famous for the cuckoo clocks.  The town had many tourist shops, obviously selling many cuckoo clocks, among other typical Black Forest souvenirs.  I did go to Shaefer's Cafe for my Black Forest cherry cake.  It was good, but not as good as I had expected.  They definitely should have used more cherries......perhaps their notoriety has had an impact on their quality.  After having my cherry cake and a cup of coppuccino, I walked around the town a bit before heading north to my final destination of the day, Freudenstadt.  The trip continued along the winding small roads and I reached Freudenstadt by about 6 PM.  I easily found my hotel (thanks to the GPS), checked in and had a very nice trout dinner......... one of the recommended specialties of the area.  After dinner with a very nice local seasonal beer (Alpirsbacher) I perused the town a bit before heading back to the hotel for some rest and sleep.

Alsace Wine Route

Yesterday, Thursday, was another outstanding day.  After leaving the "hotel" in the morning I was on my way to France......which is only about a 20 minute ride from where I was staying.  Along the way, before reaching France, I had driven into some vineyards to take some photos and explore the area.  As I do so often, I just drove down some small roads and there I was in the middle of some vineyard.  There were all varieties of grapes waiting to be picked, from yellow to various shades of red, pink and black.  Of course I  had to have a taste......they were not bad, but these were the variety for making wine, not eating.  I took a lot of photos and enjoyed the scenery.  There were people with tractors and barrels, picking, loading and moving the grapes to various wineries.  Very interesting for me..........  Next I was on my way to France.  After crossing the Rhine River, I was in France.  To my surprise, there was absolutely not customs or control at the German / French border;  a lot different than many years ago.  As soon as I crossed the Rhine, there was a large sign:  FRANCE.I now drove along what is known as the Alsace Wine Route.  My first stop was in the city of Colmar, where I walked around a bit and took many photos.  Prior to reaching Colmar, I stopped into a supermarket and picked up a baguette, cheese, and some prosciutto to have for lunch.  After leaving Colmar, the terrain was just covered with fields and hills covered with grape vineyards.  This went on for miles and miles.  My next stop was in Kaysersberg, a rather medieval town, which is the birthplace of Dr. Albert Schweitzer.  Kaysersberg was rather touristy, but very interesting with many wine stube. I did not try any wine yet, since I was driving.  Next along my journey up the wine route was the medieval town of Riquewihr.  This was my favorite stop of the day.  This town seemed to still be in the middle 1400s.  All the roads, the buildings, seemed untouched from hundreds of years ago.  Here I sat down for some superb Riesling wine, which the area is known for.  I relaxed for awhile at a wine stube, drinking the Riesling and eating a crepe.  It was now getting toward dusk and I had a lot more I wanted to see along the route, but unfortunately, I only made one more stop in Ribeauville for some more Riesling and a plate of salad and quiche before heading back south to my "hotel".  Perhaps on my next trip with Gail, after her retirement, we will make it back here and I can go the places I missed further north on the way toward Strasbourg.  I arrived back at my room by 9:00 PM, checked up on some emails, made a few Skype phone calls and went to bed.

Click here to see:  Slide show from todays Alsace Wine Route

It is now 9:45 AM and I am on my way to Freudenstadt, in the middle of the Black Forest.  I have planned out a rather interesting route for the day, with a stop in Triberg, the famous cuckoo clock town, to try some of the schwarzwaler kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake).

Until next time............

Settled in Freiburg....for two days

Arrived yesterday in Freiburg and picked up the rental car........a black BMW 118i, not too bad for one person to cruise around Germany!  When I picked up the car, I was surprised that it had a GPS system built in, since I had not ordered this with the vehicle.  I brought my own trusty Garmin that has the European maps, as well as the U.S.  When I turned on the car, the GPS began speaking to me in German, which was of no value, so one of the attendants at Sixt Rental Car, changed the system over to English, the temperature readings to Fahrenheit, etc., etc. and I was on my way.  I set both GPS systems to my destination, Rebstock-Landgasthof, which is about 7 miles outside of Freiburg.  I will be spending two nights here and exploring the surrounding area, which includes the Alsace wine area of France.  After checking in at the gasthof, I drove around the area, exploring the small towns, etc.  Eventually I headed over for dinner to a small winery that Gail and I had visited in 2007.  It was a very quaint place and I remembered that they also had a small restaurant that served dinner.  I arrived about 5:30 PM and the place was rather crowded.  I found a single seat and had a lovely smoked pork and fresh potato salad dinner with a .25 liter carafe of their special red wine..........an excellent Pinot Noir. There was only person here that spoke English, and it was a young woman who was one of the owners.  I remember her from our stop here in 2007, but she did not recall our visit, obviously.  It was quite interesting for me, as I sat here in this small "tavern" by myself and everyone around me was chatting away in German.  I was in no way intimidated by all of this.....actually I enjoyed it and found the whole scene quite refreshing.  This is one aspect of international travel that I always find enjoyable......being totally immersed into the culture of the country I am visiting.

After dinner, I walked around the small town of Gottenheim, where the winery is located.  For about an hour I just walked around looking at all the half-timbered homes, small shops and visited the rail station.  These small towns are what I always enjoy when traveling in Europe. When Gail and I were traveling in Europe four years ago, we always set the GPS for "local roads" and made sure we stayed off the highways.  After driving around the area again and even heading into downtown Freiburg for a bit, I retired back to the "gasthof" by about 9 PM, quite tired from a long day of travel.

Today, I just finished a typical European breakfast, which was included in the price of the room.......an assortment of cereals, cheeses, meats, eggs, breads, and coffee.

Now I am off to France to explore the Alsace Wine Route.  I will cross the Rhine River as I head over to France and go north toward the city of Colmar, France.  Should be an exciting day.

I hope to post more photos soon, but uploading and posting pictures is rather time consuming.  I would rather spend my precious time in Europe exploring rather than sitting at the computer.

Just arrived in Freiburg, Germany

Posting this from Starbucks (free wifi) in Freiburg.......just got off of the train.

Well, here I am sitting on the train from Zurich to Freiburg, Germany.  The first week of my journey, to say the least, has been outrageous.  From the moment I arrived in Zurich last Wednesday and meeting Seraina, till I left the Giger’s home this morning has been more than I could have expected.  The Giger family took loving care of me from day one on arrival, until leaving their very welcoming home this morning.  They had the entire weeks itinerary planned out, including all the reservations for the train ride to Munich for the Oktoberfest, the reservations in our hotel, etc. etc.  Additionally, Eliane’s cooking and preparing all the meals while I was at their home in Gossau, was just great.  They made my dream to attend the Oktoberfest a reality……Thank you!

As I had posted earlier, the Oktoberfest was an absolute blast.  Seraina and Eliane stayed for one night, and Ivo and I stayed over for an additional day.  Ivo  has a great sense of humor and the two of us drank beer, laughed and enjoyed everything that was going on around us…… and there was a lot going on!  I needn’t say more!! It did rain, but that did not stop us from sitting in the various tents and partying with everyone else.  The entire stay in Munich and the Oktoberfest is something that everyone must experience in their lifetime.

Yesterday, Eliane, Seraina and I took a very long hike up one of the local mountains.  The scenery in Switzerland is breathtaking.  Going up the mountain was quite strenuous and tiring, at least for me, but once we arrived at our destination we stopped at a small restaurant for some hot chocolate and some ice cream and sweets.  The walk down the mountain was a lot easier than going up, but also made me “schvitz”.  We returned to their home, where Eliane & Seraina prepared another great meal and then we all relaxed and chatted for the remainder of the evening.  We even had a chance to video chat with Gail for a bit, when she arrived home from work.  As the evening drew to a close, it was rather sad for me, because I knew I was leaving their hospitable home tomorrow. But, I also was excited as I was continuing on to the next phase of my exciting journey.

As I sit on the train now I am enjoying all of the scenery as we leave Switzerland and shortly cross into Germany. A short time ago we passed a trainload of new Audis, all wrapped in their white “covers” with the Audi symbol on the outside. The train is actually slowing down a bit now as we are making our last stop in Switzerland, in Basel. 

Back in Switzerland

  
All I can saw is "Wow".  The Oktoberfest was just incredible.  I have been thinking of attending this "party" for years and years, and it was more than I could have imagined.  I cannot even put into words what it was going on.  Everywhere people were just partying, singing, eating, smiling and having a great time.  We arrived in Munich about noon on Saturday after a 3 1/2 hour train rides from Gossau.  As soon as we got on the train, people were already drinking beer and getting ready for the party.  There was even a "food" cart on the train, going up and down the aisle selling draft Heinekin. The scenery along the way through Switzerland and Germany was great and the weather was fantastic.  Once we arrived in Munich, we headed over to our "hotel", put away the bags and walked around Munich a bit before going to the Wiesn, which is the location of the Oktoberfest. For awhile, we just walked around to see everything, before settling down for some food and drink.  I was like a "one eyed cat in a fish store" as I walked around taking in all of what was going on, and taking many photos.  There were people of all ages and all ethnicities enjoying the entire atmosphere.  Most people were dressed in the traditional German clothing, men in their Lederhosen and women wearing various styles and colors of Dirndls.We visited many of the "tents" that were sponsored by the breweries, to see what was going on.  On the first day it was difficult to get into some of the tents, since reservations are a must on opening day and many times thereafter.  In all the tents the music was playing and people were just drinking, laughing and having a great time.  The entire atmosphere was just phenomenal, going from place to place.  There were many types of food stands for meals & snacks, and even small kiosks for a quick bier.  We finally settled down in one of the Paulener Bier Gartens for a few Maß (mugs) of beer.  Great stuff!!  I will post a few photos now, but when I have time, I will put a link to some more photos.  Click on any of these or the above photos to see a larger size.
 

Check these out!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2038481/Oktoberfest-2011-Beer-flows-freely-ultimate-drinking-festival-gets-underway.html?ITO=1490


http://www.bild.de/video/clip/oktoberfest/oktoberfest-start-agvideo-20016984.bild.html

Oktoberfest

I cannot even describe the entire scene here in Munich. It is more than I could have imagined. So glad to have finally made it here. Party, party, party!! All I can say is Wow! Hate to leave. Photos will be posted soon. Totally outrageous. I have never seen anything like this.....ever.

In Munich at Oktoberfest

Arrived by train a few hours ago.....superb weather. Having a great Hacker-Pschorr Weissbier with lunch. Headed over to Wiesen where Oktoberfest is held. So many people dressed in traditional German outfits for the occasion. So glad to be here.....been a long time in planning. I'm taking many photos to be posted in a few days when I have my computer and better access & bandwidth.

Good Morning from Gossau.....

Up early this AM, as Seraina and I are on our way to various parts of Switzerland for the day, by rail.  Seraina was able to procure an all day rail pass for me, which enables you go travel on the Swiss Rail System all day for a very reasonable price.  Seraina has her student pass, which enables her to do the same.  So, today we are off to  Bern and then on to the city of Lausanne.  Bern, the capital, is in north central  Switzerland and Lausanne is in the far western section of Switzerland, on Lake Geneva.   Lausanne, on Lake Geneva, is near the French border and is in the French speaking part of Switzerland.  It should be a long, but lovely day as we travel through the beautiful and charming country of Switzerland.  I am sure to take many, many photos which I will post in the next several days, time permitting.

Yesterday was a slow day as I tried to recover from the jet lag.  We spent the day walking around the town of Gossau.  I had been to Gossau in 2007, but did not have the chance the see the town, so yesterday it was a pleasant day seeing the town and then taking it easy in the afternoon.

Well, tomorrow, Saturday is the 17th of September and a day have looked forward to for 40 years.........the opening day of the Oktoberfest in Munich.  We we get up at 7 AM and get an 8 AM train to Munich!!  I will not be posting anything over the next several days, as I will not be bringing my computer to the Oktoberfest, nor will I want to take a break from all the festivities.  I will have my iPod Touch and will perhaps find some wireless and therefore be able to give a quick update through Twitter.  Well, until next week.......Auf Wiedersehen!

Hello from Gossau, Switzerland

Just waking up this AM, about 10:30 after a well needed sleep.  Yesterday was a fun day walking around Zurich, in the morning by myself and then in the afternoon with Seraina.  I had not been to Zurich since 1977, so it was exciting to see some of the places I recall from being here in 1970 and 1977.  Many jewelry & watch shops among
 boutique clothing stores ......... very pretty, clean and modern city.
 As I walked around I was drawn in by the smell of a bratwurst shop..... so that became my lunch today.  Nice bratwurst, hot mustard (senf), and a piece of fresh bread, hit the spot and was one of the things I was so looking forward to on my visit to Switzerland & Germany.   Shortly after, I washed it all down with an Eichoff Bier, again, something I was  looking forward to on my visit to Switzerland.  After meeting up with Seraina and then her dad later in the day, we took the train from Zurich to their home town of Gossau, where we had a wonderful dinner and great conversation.  It was great seeing the Giger family again, since Gail and I last visited here in the summer of 2007.  Shortly thereafter, I went to sleep.  Overall, it was a great first day of my excursion.  {You can see any of the above photos in full size by clicking on the photo}

To see more photos from my day in Zurich on September 13, click here.

Up, Up and away.......and now in Zurich!

Well, here I am approximately 35,000 feet in the air on a United Airlines nonstop flight to Zurich, Switzerland, drinking a cold Heinekin, and typing on my new MacBook Air.  After months and months of planning, it is hard to believe this day has finally arrived and I am on my way to Europe.  Everything today went very smooth, from returning the rental car at EWR, getting through security (without even being groped) and finally boarding the plane with no issues.  Believe it or not, we actually took off almost on time, which is a rarity from EWR.  Before takeoff the flight attendant even brought me a complementary copy of the Wall Street Journal to read onboard.  Now, this is what retirement is all about!  To my amazement, the flight is not totally full, and that actually works out to my advantage; the seat next to me is vacant!  That is really a score, since on this Boeing 767-300, the seat arrangements are 2-3-2, and I happen to be in a window seat, which affords me the pleasure of my own little “cubby”.  To make the situation even better, I have a United Economy Plus seat, that is normally a $100 upgrade (but no cost to me, since I utilized the suggestions at the website www.seatguru.com in choosing my seat).  I therefore have more space & legroom than a normal economy seat.  Everything so far is going great and I can only hope that this is how the next five weeks will be.  The flight attendants will bring “dinner” shortly, and then I hope to get somewhat of a nap.  I am hoping to get some sleep so I am not totally exhausted when I arrive in Zurich tomorrow.  I will spend most of my day in Zurich, meeting Seraina at the Hauptbahnhof midday, and then we hook up with her dad a bit later when he gets out of work.  Perhaps we will stop for a refreshing Swiss bier before we take a train to their home in Gossau where I will spend the next few days with the Giger family.  Then on Saturday we are off to Munich for the opening day of the Oktoberfest.  

I am currently in the Apple Store in downtown Zurich, where they have free wifi, so I was able to post this message that I wrote on the plane last night.  BTW, I did not get much sleep!  Europe is great..... I love just walking around and seeing all the signs that I cannot read, and listen to all the people that I have no idea what they are saying.......it's great and quite refreshing.


I am now editing this post again..... I am now sitting in a Starbucks overlooking Lake Zurich, and I have no idea what anyone around me is saying!  People are speaking mostly German and I hear a bit of French once and awhile.  It is rather cloudy today and a bit chilly, but that does not damper my enthusiasm and excitement of being in Europe again.  I am headed out for a walk around the city ...... and then on to meet Seraina in a few hours.  Life is good!

Wow.... Five days to go!

It is hard to believe that in five days I am leaving for this long planned journey.  I have been reading, thinking,  emailing back & forth with friends in Europe, and trying to get everything organized for this trip ...........and now the departure day is less than a week away.  I believe I have everything necessary and ready to go, but as long as I have my new MacBook Air and trusty Nikon D200 camera, I am all set for the five week trip.  My mind is spinning in many directions as I think about all the places I will visit and experiences I will have as I travel from Switzerland to the Oktoberfest,  the Black Forest, Rhine Valley & Teutoburger Wald in Germany, and then on to Amsterdam, Belgium and Paris.  Be sure to check back regularly to see updates and photos after I depart on Tuesday.