tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84708199256549052472024-03-05T22:42:32.218-06:00Wanderings and WalkaboutsWanderings: journeys in which you leisurely travel from place to place without staying anywhere very long.
Walkabout: a walking tourDevonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-1704335706060782162012-02-13T19:53:00.000-06:002012-02-13T19:53:41.854-06:00Wandering around the Great Barrier Reef<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6L54a-Ngw2Lmp4vlia9Mei-lBfgR-CdvbQsdjAFTJpAvXYWPkbj9E9GRALr8Jytho8R8hEQFsKe3mAKPaNytC8vs5609wYsZiqoAflPN0PiNjdWQDvGNWcCJzZpinkw1GD-cYlBpZZru/s1600/P1000643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6L54a-Ngw2Lmp4vlia9Mei-lBfgR-CdvbQsdjAFTJpAvXYWPkbj9E9GRALr8Jytho8R8hEQFsKe3mAKPaNytC8vs5609wYsZiqoAflPN0PiNjdWQDvGNWcCJzZpinkw1GD-cYlBpZZru/s320/P1000643.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">The last part of our trip was spent in Gladstone, an industrial town and port. T</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">he highlight of this part of the visit was an all day snorkel trip to Lady Musgrave Island at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. We rode out on a charter boat, docked at a pontoon float, and hopped into an aquarium of tropical fish.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-2x9RWH5VLAOWQujtVb1iP-xwI4jd3G2mQm6fp_taWlmmzFUFHOLBZWRwdkN-yUYFoEZ_-NNjb_Znep2Oh8GAY4YSbb0nXPtXuCvtKRq8JLNa4CO55Sq8ILbCt0qDorP3oZ5Dh8ygUGc/s1600/P1000538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-2x9RWH5VLAOWQujtVb1iP-xwI4jd3G2mQm6fp_taWlmmzFUFHOLBZWRwdkN-yUYFoEZ_-NNjb_Znep2Oh8GAY4YSbb0nXPtXuCvtKRq8JLNa4CO55Sq8ILbCt0qDorP3oZ5Dh8ygUGc/s320/P1000538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Australia is an AUsome place to visit! </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We hope you get to hop on over to see it sometime, if you haven't already. YOLO!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFes_Dd8ZJ_14bn3SgcfP46-1gJ8CQJxA0Igz5NH886hGgGGtP-Aq0DucAbqAP-onLqZG6UwOdBfZwXX4NIdGpJoWiuayxaSQEu5tEbQCoJZKi-_Zy2HdPwiZUXMMkOx7bZCEsdlnhPeVm/s1600/P1000779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFes_Dd8ZJ_14bn3SgcfP46-1gJ8CQJxA0Igz5NH886hGgGGtP-Aq0DucAbqAP-onLqZG6UwOdBfZwXX4NIdGpJoWiuayxaSQEu5tEbQCoJZKi-_Zy2HdPwiZUXMMkOx7bZCEsdlnhPeVm/s320/P1000779.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-91706387699228185872012-02-13T19:29:00.001-06:002012-02-14T22:13:52.997-06:00Wandering up the Bruce Highway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQLEzidxZs8fpFwitvCqUeJHpmQXB8R9BwvqzqFxPim_k_RKwnofrUNpfr9K1z5L3UtEM_ypbiN_7kyW3RO0_HHxfIK4_fDntBYdnH8ze8ZGuEdAlfzHNW6XHjtzAHwFZu2A9UrFrZSJ7/s1600/P1000239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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We left Brisbane and drove up the Bruce Highway towards Gladstone, taking two days to get there. We had to concentrate to make sure we stayed on the correct (left) side of the road, especially when entering the highway or turning onto another road.<br />
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Rural Queensland reminded us a lot of our southern states - lots of trees lining the roads, rolling hills, cattle ranches, melon and sugar cane farms, and open land.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWji_oz6bkW5IK2y-N3lznd8aYR-0X-NW2E0rVLfLrcGbZX5jsHy8k7SqhUyeopA8_YF3OJ13rnTFPNIF57gl2bhNYensCG9U4O2v1l45ygUlgRFnlFr5jC8Zk_eAIuCuYPSBFp6FOxOCn/s1600/P1000244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWji_oz6bkW5IK2y-N3lznd8aYR-0X-NW2E0rVLfLrcGbZX5jsHy8k7SqhUyeopA8_YF3OJ13rnTFPNIF57gl2bhNYensCG9U4O2v1l45ygUlgRFnlFr5jC8Zk_eAIuCuYPSBFp6FOxOCn/s320/P1000244.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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...the Australian Zoo (Steve Irwin's zoo)...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMRYRmQPYyde1mwclwj-KJI19DiZWHSrSQlxair_DG_p91VRVxqKKm_19m27Rgj_ZWSH275ePolFm2loVKRIHDNqipY3C-Nna8qtgw3ONCGjzmrIIWWX3VjaiSoYmIY7ZrDXJ8PcEWEPU/s1600/P1000258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMRYRmQPYyde1mwclwj-KJI19DiZWHSrSQlxair_DG_p91VRVxqKKm_19m27Rgj_ZWSH275ePolFm2loVKRIHDNqipY3C-Nna8qtgw3ONCGjzmrIIWWX3VjaiSoYmIY7ZrDXJ8PcEWEPU/s320/P1000258.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div>and the Sunshine Coast, which is Australia's Florida - the place pensioners (or retirees) go for the winter, summer or forever. Australia's beaches are beautiful and unlike most places we've been, uncrowded, sparsely developed, and not commercialized. </div><br />
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We ended our day in Bundaberg and with a trip out to Mon Repos, a turtle rookery, for an amazing nighttime experience where we... <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">witnessed loggerhead turtles hatching then digging their way out from under </div><div style="text-align: center;">18 inches of sand and scampering to the water.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqWtW_NT4Lj56T2PFzCbXEoyzrUcdLweuQvQkDRP_OuAcXGh1bwtELdpyCv04q1uZgUCjHW23co_rPJD33KDuWFyUcY_J4NrqRG0fIJSZ1LvE0YzIg885qAl8Xk9fvI8xrwpcONFSSD0B/s1600/P1000294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqWtW_NT4Lj56T2PFzCbXEoyzrUcdLweuQvQkDRP_OuAcXGh1bwtELdpyCv04q1uZgUCjHW23co_rPJD33KDuWFyUcY_J4NrqRG0fIJSZ1LvE0YzIg885qAl8Xk9fvI8xrwpcONFSSD0B/s320/P1000294.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjPiTV-ZCb2h2WffuuvQLu45EJyg3FcTj0aaY93vQa_ffdw7PsayaYfpsXQqC4Nfv3aXYbJ9QTn_5eNmwzrmQjQfO1d629P5Z-lN_gRSnz25Ch7dgP_1mQCA-L_g7L6OiMC4IKGvi_XiB/s1600/P1000296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjPiTV-ZCb2h2WffuuvQLu45EJyg3FcTj0aaY93vQa_ffdw7PsayaYfpsXQqC4Nfv3aXYbJ9QTn_5eNmwzrmQjQfO1d629P5Z-lN_gRSnz25Ch7dgP_1mQCA-L_g7L6OiMC4IKGvi_XiB/s320/P1000296.JPG" width="320" /></a>After the hatchlings dug their way out, the ranger dug out the nest and thoroughly sifted through all the egg shells to count how many had hatched and how many had not. She explained the whole procedure to us as she did her work and recorded the results for later research. The female hatchlings will swim around in the ocean, travelling great distances, for 30 years, then they will return to this same beach to begin reproducing, up to four times (nests) a season. The beach is imprinted into their memory during their dash to the ocean. Unfortunately, only one out of a thousand hatchlings survives to adulthood, so the chance that any of our hatchlings will return is very slim.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">We also had the opportunity to observe a female loggerhead who came ashore to dig a nest and lay more than 100 eggs. Our ranger guide told us we were very fortunate - we were the first group this season (November to March) to witness both activities; most groups only get to see one or the other (and sometimes neither) as, naturally, the turtles and hatchlings are unpredictable. It was amazing to watch all this activity in complete darkness - lights and flashes distract the females from their task so we were only allowed to take pictures when she was covering up the nest and moving the sand around so the area appeared close to how it did when she arrived, her attempt to disguise the nest and protect her future babies.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Mon Repos</i> is French for <i>My Rest</i>. Tom decided to rest while we were waiting for an "event" to happen.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div> We were out at the rookery for five hours that night and it was an experience we will never forget. YOLO!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-11194647892536674792012-02-11T22:44:00.074-06:002012-02-14T22:13:16.681-06:00Wandering around Brisbane, Queensland, Australia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr_oJoxpRSYBlhCt8K2JE-Nr7TXfD4_BNW4dMSS1ZIwCq2PqWyqH5NdU99GHeiDf_699_5GibUv4pPl1uuf2VNKSCqMxeB7LM-d4tHK2gngtc6nvU-S9F4wJVh2KdEWIV6mdjbarINOOz/s1600/P1000245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr_oJoxpRSYBlhCt8K2JE-Nr7TXfD4_BNW4dMSS1ZIwCq2PqWyqH5NdU99GHeiDf_699_5GibUv4pPl1uuf2VNKSCqMxeB7LM-d4tHK2gngtc6nvU-S9F4wJVh2KdEWIV6mdjbarINOOz/s320/P1000245.JPG" width="320" /></a>"Crikey!" (as in Wow!) Queensland, Australia is a cool place to visit.<br />
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I thought for sure we'd hear at least one person utter that phrase while we were wandering around Queensland, Australia for two weeks...but I guess only the person who is most associated with the expression "crikey," champion crocodile hugger Steve Irwin, used it on a regular basis. Sadly, Steve can no longer exclaim it. "Crikey" and Irwin's legend live on, however, at the Australia Zoo in Beerwah, an hour's drive north of Brisbane just off the Bruce Highway<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 19px;">.</span></span><br />
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Tom had some business meetings and work to take care of for his current project in Gladstone, Australia (construction of an LNG plant) so he took a few days vacation and flew over early and I tagged along for fun.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTojG6pv7nB9wjCaPlM5u7CjD15l8sT-etPgPPbjpjb_4h6owGHG62Uo8KKr8OZW18KR1Mm7GEWqf50b8tIVnJkuPtcYLGXPwGzYHX39GucI_FPHu6r6XRylmDiYb07BU9eEJdrbKxcAAy/s1600/P1000236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTojG6pv7nB9wjCaPlM5u7CjD15l8sT-etPgPPbjpjb_4h6owGHG62Uo8KKr8OZW18KR1Mm7GEWqf50b8tIVnJkuPtcYLGXPwGzYHX39GucI_FPHu6r6XRylmDiYb07BU9eEJdrbKxcAAy/s320/P1000236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We started our adventure in Brisbane staying at a B&B for two nights. <a href="http://www.lucerne.net.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Lucerne on Fernberg</span></a> Our hosts, Brian and Helen, were outstanding. They were so friendly, sociable, and helpful, by the time we left, we felt more like "guests" than customers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VNu-G-EdbhEh8FVYmMUTv7r0gVN-94-YSiopnpux4qOrRKh4kLQcNeTsz6fSlN7MVb3cqkD8PJq94d27jTXs5HAgkLdD5WIQqS4FvHPFE0bhEaknxMSYWgJvL9RukYUPJ1Q1dSjXnQfW/s1600/P1000049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VNu-G-EdbhEh8FVYmMUTv7r0gVN-94-YSiopnpux4qOrRKh4kLQcNeTsz6fSlN7MVb3cqkD8PJq94d27jTXs5HAgkLdD5WIQqS4FvHPFE0bhEaknxMSYWgJvL9RukYUPJ1Q1dSjXnQfW/s200/P1000049.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Our bed was in a separate guest house behind their historic Queenslander-style home, with a bedroom, living area, bathroom and a kitchen nook stocked with breakfast items and snacks. We were within walking distance of the Central Business District (CBD), many restaurants, and a fantastic walking/running/cycling trail. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2mPnel3eaZ8mIif9sKoV_8ZOtje4sXSTD6YGkc_DeXrGoqkGtJc8phw63k0nsr9HhEGN2bTlb88jkd99glq4DpefOcxtUX11AptG0t2s8_Ic0soSuiejzhSF_23-FgETKZg3gfs9FesK/s1600/P1000023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2mPnel3eaZ8mIif9sKoV_8ZOtje4sXSTD6YGkc_DeXrGoqkGtJc8phw63k0nsr9HhEGN2bTlb88jkd99glq4DpefOcxtUX11AptG0t2s8_Ic0soSuiejzhSF_23-FgETKZg3gfs9FesK/s200/P1000023.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Actually, the very first part of our adventure was renting a car and <i>driving</i> on the left side of the highway. What a weird sensation and experience that was the first time...and for the whole two weeks, actually. But we managed just fine once we got the hang of it...and with lots of concentration by both the driver and the passenger to always make sure we were on the correct side of the road.<br />
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Apparently, Australians have a hard time knowing which side to be on, too, as we saw signs like these all over the state.<br />
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It rained the first two days we were there, but from our Brisbane base and with umbrellas borrowed from Brian and Helen, we were able to blend in with the locals while we used our feet to explore the CBD, the south side of the Brisbane River, the local eateries and the new Bicentennial Bikeway and Walkway, which goes for miles alongside the Brisbane River.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brian kindly loaned us his GPS and even programmed it for our excursions out in the country to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Mount Coot-tha. <span style="text-align: center;">This is what Brisbane looks like on a rainy day from the top of Mt. Coot-tha.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We loved the koala sanctuary, especially having the chance to interact with the animals. Scroll down to see why and get your oohs and aawwws ready.</div><br />
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One of the first things we learned here is that koalas are not bears, they are marsupials, along with kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and the Virginia opossum. Marsupials are mammals but they are different because they have pouches in which their young finish developing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">There's a baby in there somewhere...see the extra legs?</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aren't they cute? Aawww. YOLO!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-88946985277431134142011-12-20T00:53:00.000-06:002011-12-20T00:53:29.004-06:00Wandering in the Western CaribbeanLast Sunday Tom and I put our Christmas preparations on hold and hopped aboard the Norwegian Spirit for the annual "Cousins Cruise." Joining us as we sailed to the Western Caribbean were 11 very special people: several of Tom's cousins with their spouses, significant others, college-age kids, a fiance and a friend, and Tom's sister and her husband. The Cousins travelled from Texas, Mississippi and Alabama to the port of New Orleans, eager to spend some quality time together, celebrate two college graduations, and escape the cold and dreary weather.<br />
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I can't share any intimate details about the trip because the Cousins have a rule: <i>What happens on the cruise stays on the cruise.</i> If Tom and I want to be invited to go on future Cousins Cruises, and we certainly do, (this was the first time we were able to join them) I have to follow the rules. Now, those of you who know me well are aware of how<i> difficult</i> that will be for me. So let me carefully say that we all had a blast and I haven't laughed so much in a long time and I have pictures to prove it. As far as I know, there are no Cousin rules about disclosing activities or pictures that Tom and I did on our own so I will share some of those with you.<br />
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I have to admit, the thought of leaving home two weeks before Christmas seemed a little crazy to me, especially since we were expecting a houseful of company two days after we returned. Would I greet them cheerfully, with the house clean, groceries in the pantry, sugar cookies baked and decorated, and presents wrapped? Or would I be stressed out from trying to finish everything, and failing to do so?<br />
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Then a cold front blew in to Houston. And then another. And the forecast for the next week was not much better - rainy, cold and dreary. I couldn't pack and get out of town fast enough. Our ship was going south, where it was warm and sunny and I could wear a bathing suit - in <i>December</i>. As soon as we boarded the ship, met up with the Cousins and had our first of many, many meals, all my worries slipped away.<br />
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We cruised down the Mississippi River Sunday evening and in the Gulf of Mexico all day Monday towards Costa Maya, a tiny Mexican town south of Playa del Carmen. When we arrived on Tuesday, Tom and I decided to take a cab to a local beach, any beach was fine, and relax for the day. At Tequila Beach, for $24, we had two lounge chairs, a shady palapa, a table with four chairs, some refreshing margaritas, and many beers. Life was good!<br />
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About three hours later, we saw all the other Cousins on the same beach, about 20 yards away, but don't tell anyone...<br />
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Our next port was Belize City. We decided to go cave tubing - a unique experience - tubing in a long, dark cave with head lamps, for about an hour. (No pictures of the cave because I don't have a waterproof camera).<br />
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After tubing, we stopped for lunch at Amigos, a very remote but apparently very popular hangout in Belize.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Some people like it so much, they never leave....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1hfK2kchQ7ztjmCpvOIhz7F1yMHfPCDmH7e1s535rYNw8qqyUTzYJmYYefdfg8cwkkJGqc9ipJ3qGXSvrviU1s0TWcrJGNXJJGK80u9OEjoJ-yZ36My6ANJDop_a_xLoNKj-5RzsMgS7/s1600/P1020176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1hfK2kchQ7ztjmCpvOIhz7F1yMHfPCDmH7e1s535rYNw8qqyUTzYJmYYefdfg8cwkkJGqc9ipJ3qGXSvrviU1s0TWcrJGNXJJGK80u9OEjoJ-yZ36My6ANJDop_a_xLoNKj-5RzsMgS7/s400/P1020176.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Some of the Cousins were on this excursion, too, but he was not one of them...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Our next stop was the island of Roatan, Honduras. We hired a driver to give us a tour of the whole island then he dropped us off at a nice but crowded beach on the West End for a few hours. Roatan is very pretty and reminded us a lot of Kauai. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vMCvvqVMMGkcwlTascNLBpH_1nsqfvjqsqWtYMcUXphv5U_kW1WHb-KHphmKPvh_Srs0Ed-nmyFKn8oASu5GSskm6kjdLEpIw3vAsv5H3HCD_hUU0HMyEqfN-RUu_I_fehZG_JLGId3-/s1600/P1020207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vMCvvqVMMGkcwlTascNLBpH_1nsqfvjqsqWtYMcUXphv5U_kW1WHb-KHphmKPvh_Srs0Ed-nmyFKn8oASu5GSskm6kjdLEpIw3vAsv5H3HCD_hUU0HMyEqfN-RUu_I_fehZG_JLGId3-/s400/P1020207.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The mayor's house...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Parrot Tree Resort</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">West End Beach</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhF-jlDczuX1MEZteUyjZO1Q4EYiuL3IWm3xIZMQGl-i-Agomro6ar_VZaiwrzrcprTIgmLGrjwOZqNOAkaP0Rsr5BUYLhpNVuIDTBJZESB8n_SRzN1S9NGQ7uSlU8BEKMm8DXon6E4JFj/s1600/P1020223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhF-jlDczuX1MEZteUyjZO1Q4EYiuL3IWm3xIZMQGl-i-Agomro6ar_VZaiwrzrcprTIgmLGrjwOZqNOAkaP0Rsr5BUYLhpNVuIDTBJZESB8n_SRzN1S9NGQ7uSlU8BEKMm8DXon6E4JFj/s400/P1020223.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHHmezFpJR6XKdn2bRezZGaG-3H5zg8J_prmxpKVu3iS9orTUeHS4NfIp8pQTwzpu5FuOGsIwt-IaW4t4w84vxD-PUchLBpjtTgoX6PgQbWuivMF8nhky7NzdYAXIXYtXz-6wR-KThXzl/s1600/P1020241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHHmezFpJR6XKdn2bRezZGaG-3H5zg8J_prmxpKVu3iS9orTUeHS4NfIp8pQTwzpu5FuOGsIwt-IaW4t4w84vxD-PUchLBpjtTgoX6PgQbWuivMF8nhky7NzdYAXIXYtXz-6wR-KThXzl/s400/P1020241.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">No, he is not one of the Cousins but they might've bought a Cuban cigar from him...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Our last stop was Cozumel, which seems to have grown quite a bit since we were last there nearly 10 years ago. After walking around town for awhile we decided to rent a car and tour the island on our own. They gave us the cutest VW beetle. We took the top off and away we went. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div>We headed to the east side of the island, which is unpopulated and has no electricity, and stopped at three really cool beach bars for a drink. </div><div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Shhh....don't tell the Cousins about this place. In fact, don't tell anyone. The beaches on this side are pristine, the waves are high, the water is gorgeous, and we want them to stay that way. We are going back to Cozumel for a wedding in June so plan to go back here, and we might bring our friends.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Another relaxing day at sea then we arrived in New Orleans Sunday morning, relaxed and refreshed, ready to jump back into all the upcoming holiday festivities. We said farewell to the Cousins and headed home. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">and Happy New Year!!!</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">YOLO!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-58012925361989433812011-11-03T10:01:00.000-05:002011-11-03T10:01:30.408-05:00Final Batam Walkabout<div style="text-align: left;">You'd think after spending five days at an Indonesian tropical resort with two pools and a beach, Tom and I would come home with golden suntans. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXwo5CnG0Rl958nMW_iEwYri-woTAN_6ktkEbKShMOFYzsbUTjfTvveLzmxYmO6AgGGSF9z-qVp7S-NMtjtda3jiDIq0aetdPSm41W3_FcwAHUvq6EvgaRp0DpTSdbHbc46uq12SPyh9P/s1600/P1010974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXwo5CnG0Rl958nMW_iEwYri-woTAN_6ktkEbKShMOFYzsbUTjfTvveLzmxYmO6AgGGSF9z-qVp7S-NMtjtda3jiDIq0aetdPSm41W3_FcwAHUvq6EvgaRp0DpTSdbHbc46uq12SPyh9P/s320/P1010974.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Alas, that is not the case. Tom was in Asia to work and I tagged along for fun. But once we got to Batam, we both spent three full days working - he out at the job site as preparations are being made for the project to begin next summer, and me and the two other wives who also made the trip gathering information for the families and single workers who will be moving there. It was an interesting and enlightening experience for both of us and we managed to squeeze some time out of each day to enjoy <a href="http://www.turibeach-batam.com/ppc/index.php">Turi Beach Resort</a> and its sister property, <a href="http://www.nongsapointmarina.com/">Nongsa Point Marina</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Our days began early, around 5:30 am, with views like this from our ocean-front Bali-style bed and "hut" and a long walk or run along the beach...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzHEB3X62uZmNsNiGv_jbCmTJ_osONeGTS99mEZ5T_KTqTZq9Sf5mijHQP2PfQYN0iaRUwTdwSdIr2RDT3l1qyiVFdZ0FpfbY1moTK7lPMF3EIUOsUHpgcMiKJFCzI6cPOUf__aGtl23y/s1600/P1010759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzHEB3X62uZmNsNiGv_jbCmTJ_osONeGTS99mEZ5T_KTqTZq9Sf5mijHQP2PfQYN0iaRUwTdwSdIr2RDT3l1qyiVFdZ0FpfbY1moTK7lPMF3EIUOsUHpgcMiKJFCzI6cPOUf__aGtl23y/s320/P1010759.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-8SpXyUoBsFdgQqJdszkOg5gAcIADBlFTAFm-UgYHtwOb8zBMZpuknAgF_jPlck62KUzDNW17XXoSHKQcS5qWiSd5HQZ1GYfDGRE36mDOiMUCHJYr1XsSJ52brPYhPORnv76sQZ2gPjm/s1600/P1010823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-8SpXyUoBsFdgQqJdszkOg5gAcIADBlFTAFm-UgYHtwOb8zBMZpuknAgF_jPlck62KUzDNW17XXoSHKQcS5qWiSd5HQZ1GYfDGRE36mDOiMUCHJYr1XsSJ52brPYhPORnv76sQZ2gPjm/s320/P1010823.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...to the Nongsa Point Marina...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZihYNlijdHDs2gMzWSRqkvLys9aj0jKDMgSVFXdl9vcpjc2ypbTFze4JHi7wH4QIHByYmqfUmcbgH1rr5xzjWdTSQhG86_068qlu_lgiHhgYjIbGC24YP-4vK0qgmV-UOCZtWp27gu0g/s1600/P1010888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZihYNlijdHDs2gMzWSRqkvLys9aj0jKDMgSVFXdl9vcpjc2ypbTFze4JHi7wH4QIHByYmqfUmcbgH1rr5xzjWdTSQhG86_068qlu_lgiHhgYjIbGC24YP-4vK0qgmV-UOCZtWp27gu0g/s320/P1010888.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...where we gazed at the gleaming Singapore skyline across the horizon...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilo2B0D6Hms6Lck3TNDCuUdL__SBYCUz7I4EWF_X-FexBYdd3tA2qFaQGInXyBzT6U7-9W9HEt5FnfWZ2MI9fGPoGnCD_wY3JZITHJFerqZ8s_j3Gb6nAfFldFc1UgoI7TO_SBEbs1MFzx/s1600/P1010889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilo2B0D6Hms6Lck3TNDCuUdL__SBYCUz7I4EWF_X-FexBYdd3tA2qFaQGInXyBzT6U7-9W9HEt5FnfWZ2MI9fGPoGnCD_wY3JZITHJFerqZ8s_j3Gb6nAfFldFc1UgoI7TO_SBEbs1MFzx/s320/P1010889.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">After breakfast Darlene, Carolina and I enjoyed touring housing developments, hotels and schools, meeting with real estate agents, shopping at grocery stores and malls, and lunching at fabulous Indonesian-style restaurants, all with the gracious help of our new friend, Karen. Naturally, I took lots of photos. Here are some of my favorite.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We toured a golf course neighborhood and homes in golf carts...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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One of the malls we shopped at...great bargains in Batam!!!!<br />
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When we arrived at the Harris Hotel, the staff was DANCING for us!<br />
Carolina, a Zumba teacher, jumped right in and danced with them.<br />
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The hotel staff also prepared afternoon tea just for us.<br />
This is a new hotel that is opening Nov. 5 and they definitely want our future business.<br />
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This was my favorite neighborhood, Nongsa Village, featuring Bali-style houses on stilts on the ocean.<br />
No cars allowed, walking and golf carts only.<br />
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I'm ready to totally redo my home - Bali style.<br />
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I love the Asian habit of taking off your shoes when you enter a home.<br />
I wonder if I could convince my guests to do that here...<br />
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A bedroom in one of the houses we toured while looking for rental possibilities.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, this is the type of housing most of Batam's citizens live and work in. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this is their typical mode of transportation...often carrying infants and small children in front of the driver, and whole families piled behind them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">We've seen similar sights in Cambodia, Thailand, and Mexico, where the average daily wage is $3 to $5 a day. The poorest of the poor in America live better than most of the citizens in these countries and have so many more opportunities. I wish they realize that and take advantage of their good fortune...to live in America. OK, I'll step off my soapbox.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Tom and I arrived home safe and sound with two weeks' worth of laundry, upside down body clocks, a mild cold for me, 50 degree weather, and internet that was not working, thus the delay of this post. Where will we go next? Stay tuned! YOLO!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-88348510605516768052011-10-27T09:06:00.000-05:002011-10-27T09:06:46.781-05:00Batam DiningSo, as I mentioned in an earlier post - we ate often - full breakfasts, lunches and dinners everyday. Below is a typical Batam meal - our lunch today at Rezeki Seafood Restaurant, situated on a pier in a remote area. The seafood was very fresh - we watched the fishermen wade out to catch more while we were eating.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">The fish is brought to these tanks until they are "ordered" for a meal.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Diners sit at these long tables...we sat out at the very end...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">No idea what this is called but it was like a tamale with a tasty filling.</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">A platter of scallops...yummy...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Platters of chili and black pepper crabs...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">A table full of food, shared by all...including boiled and sauteed shrimp, vegetables, fried and white rice, chicken nuggets (for Bo who doesn't eat fish), and a steamed fish, served whole with the sides sliced open so we could pull pieces off. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Most of this type of food is eaten with your hands so the restaurant has sinks lined up along the rails so diners can wash their hands...I washed mine several times.</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The fishermen wading out with spears and nets to catch more fish.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Dessert after every meal here is fresh fruit, many varieties and some we have never seen or tasted before. Today we were given two large plates of juicy papaya that disappeared very quickly. I'm sure I have gained at least 5 pounds on this trip. The gym will be my first destination on Saturday. YOLO!!Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-82136863628729702672011-10-27T08:42:00.000-05:002011-10-27T08:42:08.640-05:00Monkey Walkabouts in BatamOne of the first things we saw after arriving at our Batam hotel, and actually as we were walking to our room, which turned out to be a tiki hut, was this...<br />
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We soon learned there were many monkeys running around our resort, especially in the mornings. They played with each other, searched for food, climbed up on our porch rails for food, and were just too cute not to photograph.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The picture below is one of my favorites - I never thought I'd see a monkey walking along a beach...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Mother comforting her baby...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">YOLO!!</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-79750455049836365072011-10-27T03:17:00.000-05:002011-10-27T03:17:59.409-05:00Batam WalkaboutsWe have been "off the grid", so to speak, since Sunday afternoon after arriving in Batam, Indonesia. Batam is a small island near Singapore, accessible only by ferry. We are staying at the Turi Beach Resort, which is very nice, but the island of Batam itself is far from a "resort." Most of the people are very poor and live in what we would call a shed or a shack. There is almost no tourist industry or cultural sights, only the beach as an attraction. Food and household items are very inexpensive and the economy seems to be built on knockoffs of purses, shoes, wallets, watches, and sunglasses. The malls, we've been to three, are full of them. Nevertheless, we have had a wonderful time...the ladies that is...the guys worked for three full days and some leisure time today.<br />
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So, what have we done? Well, besides <i>eating</i>, which we have done often and in huge quantities, we have been wined and dined and spoiled by the company Bechtel has partnered with over here for Tom's project. One of Tom's counterparts in their company, Randy, and his wife Karen, are Texans who have lived in Singapore for years and recently moved to Batam to work on the project. Randy took care of the guys all week and Karen escorted us all over the place for three days. We toured housing developments, schools, country clubs, grocery stores, malls, and restaurants, gathering information to build a portfolio for the Bechtel families and workers who will be moving here next year. We've met the most amazing people and toured incredible private homes belonging to consulates, ambassadors and wealthy Singaporeans. We are all now BFFs! And I am ready to redecorate our house in the Batam/Bali decor!!!<br />
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I'll post pictures when we get to Singapore. YOLO!!Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-3363361565877140192011-10-22T21:51:00.000-05:002011-10-22T21:51:07.132-05:00Singapore WalkaboutsWe arrived in Singapore late Friday night to spend the weekend before a ferry ride over to Batam Island on Monday. The modules for Tom's current project, an LNG plant in Australia, are being built on that island, so he and his co-workers are going for the week to get things started.<br />
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We are on the 20th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel with a magnificent view of Marina Bay and the marvelous structures that surround it and have spent the weekend relaxing by the pool, gazing at the sights, and shopping.<br />
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A Singapore Walkabout is a feast for all the senses. For your eyes, there are stunning architectural buildings...some of which we can see from our hotel room...like the Sky Park (the boat-like thing) atop this hotel...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">And the Singapore Flyer, also as seen from our hotel room...a ride on this huge ferris wheel takes one hour to go around one time...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Boat Quay...a popular restaurant and nightlife area...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Chinatown...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">St. Andrew's Cathedral...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">...the famous Raffles Hotel, where I had a Singapore Sling...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">...the Arts and Science Museum...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dzu8sXXaGjEtv6uq1vWse2czc1aUxkG2mQtc0Rmglq2Z_mHkYOfRm9ibwj1m0EGNNwE9zgYdYB24nFe19EITsc8dJvFuTLEOifhScureXJ7DEeGlGYu1s2GDzKH_eSj2vo_eyB0igjx_/s1600/P1010709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dzu8sXXaGjEtv6uq1vWse2czc1aUxkG2mQtc0Rmglq2Z_mHkYOfRm9ibwj1m0EGNNwE9zgYdYB24nFe19EITsc8dJvFuTLEOifhScureXJ7DEeGlGYu1s2GDzKH_eSj2vo_eyB0igjx_/s320/P1010709.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...and this under-construction building we walked past this morning...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">...this is a mist park...to keep everyone cool on days like today, when the humidity is 94%.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">For the taste buds...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMt_uLBhUtNVh0341E8DHVe8E3Xyy7N9DRiuRGFuE3UhRpLqOPLkBjDcJTla6xw8M7JLStqnewJs4shnQkao4I_AJVdiHXEOm39pDe7QRAawc0xfgTiPiWQqdd2RBiR3ISQFdUXBfU2tT/s1600/P1010685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMt_uLBhUtNVh0341E8DHVe8E3Xyy7N9DRiuRGFuE3UhRpLqOPLkBjDcJTla6xw8M7JLStqnewJs4shnQkao4I_AJVdiHXEOm39pDe7QRAawc0xfgTiPiWQqdd2RBiR3ISQFdUXBfU2tT/s320/P1010685.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">there's beer, fried rice and chili crabs...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">...and drinks in Raffles' Long Bar...</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">...the smell of Thai and Chinese food in Chinatown follows you down the streets...the stalls are full of silk purses, linens, clothing, pillow covers and shawls...all at bargain prices...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhFHVIWGaCRb-E5Grk6FOwHkDWWTTtH41RsXvD2UfsTG-p8aCH28WuG838ToxSRhHMaoZXmsCM2Fv-n9TMHIBRLbr5riT7DEvxlcDQ0AYwWj_welC-yE6OUx-zkC9MRGgK4jxZwkojFDW/s1600/P1010691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhFHVIWGaCRb-E5Grk6FOwHkDWWTTtH41RsXvD2UfsTG-p8aCH28WuG838ToxSRhHMaoZXmsCM2Fv-n9TMHIBRLbr5riT7DEvxlcDQ0AYwWj_welC-yE6OUx-zkC9MRGgK4jxZwkojFDW/s320/P1010691.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And finally, the sounds of happy, contented people are everywhere. Singaporeans are out and about at all hours of the day...in restaurants, shopping malls, the parks, the casino, and on the water.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I guess we shouldn't be surprised about that...they live in a Disney World-type place, almost futuristic...a perfect place where there is no litter, no crime, no slums, no pollution, virtually no problems. A place where the worldwide recession seems to have skipped over. Singapore is certainly an interesting place to spend a few days. YOLO!!</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-3161703650351198382011-10-22T09:04:00.000-05:002011-10-22T09:04:16.600-05:00Nong Nooch Tropical Garden WalkaboutThe contestant grabs a dart, twirls it around to get a good grip, draws back to take aim, concentrates on the target, then flings the dart through the air - and pops a balloon. The crowd claps and cheers and the contestant, <i>an elephant,</i> grins and takes a deep bow.<br />
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Watching elephants throw darts, ride a tricycle, play soccer and basketball, and boogie down to pop music is quite possibly one of the most hilarious and unbelievable sights I have ever seen. If this isn't on your bucket list, add it now.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Elephant Show at <a href="http://www.nongnoochtropicalgarden.com/">Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens</a>, located just outside Pattaya, is unique, to say the least. I had no idea elephants could be taught to do so much, and they seem to actually enjoy their "work." Darlene and I had a great time feeding the elephants, learning about the Thai culture, and touring the gardens. The highlight of the day was our elephant ride - add that to your bucket list, too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">YOLO!!</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-57026831063481703472011-10-20T22:41:00.002-05:002011-10-21T00:08:22.099-05:00Evening Walkabout in Pattaya, ThailandPattaya is known for two things...its beachfront and, to put it delicately, its red-light district, called Walking Street. So, naturally, we decided to go for an evening stroll to check out the scene.<br />
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There are an estimated 42,000+ prostitutes or "working girls" here (no, that is not a typo) and most can be found hanging around up and down the beachfront and in the numerous bars and strip joints on Walking Street. And there are many, many, Caucasian men of various nationalities strolling along the sidewalk and down Walking Street. I guess the best way to describe the scene is that they are "shopping." There are lots of "lady boys" too, and they are pretty convincing women, until you look at their Adam's apple. <br />
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Picture Bourbon Street on steroids...that's the best way to describe Walking Street. Here's what we saw.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Darlene and I hadn't had dinner so we bought donors - Mediterranean style sandwiches. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">The other option was fried scorpions, crickets, roaches, and caterpillars from a cart. YUK! I tried to take a picture but the guy said "no pictures." </div><div style="text-align: center;">YOLO!!</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-15731431954539680242011-10-20T09:10:00.000-05:002011-10-22T21:50:43.961-05:00Daytime Walkabouts in Pattaya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While our guys were working, Darlene and I explored the streets and shopping areas of Pattaya. Next to our elephant-riding excursion, our favorite experience was our visit to a Fish Spa for a foot therapy session. Basically, you stick your feet in a huge fish tank and the fish attack your feet and shins, eating all the dead skin off. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The initial sensation is shocking...a combination of tickling and electrical static. We couldn't help but giggle the whole 15 minutes of the session. When we were finished, we were amazed at how soft our feet were...for only $3.00! You may have read about this in the US last year...some entrepreneurs opened up Fish Spas, only to be shut down by the FDA or some government agency as unsanitary. Not so, in our opinion! I'd do it regularly if I had the opportunity.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are some Pattaya street and beach scenes...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And some photos from our hotel...it has a really pretty infinity pool.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd4B2_-8viZH5gzzj_Wu_IAeBa6ZvNBCa2zRR7nKh-bj1rmTxZrQHBa6p1jkr3YjV64YA-t3-YHRbhUlpkz3kXlM-Fy3B31YEacIxzigypux9cyxKjTx6Z2bVphV8wXSGwfAjL178Huh3/s1600/DSCN2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd4B2_-8viZH5gzzj_Wu_IAeBa6ZvNBCa2zRR7nKh-bj1rmTxZrQHBa6p1jkr3YjV64YA-t3-YHRbhUlpkz3kXlM-Fy3B31YEacIxzigypux9cyxKjTx6Z2bVphV8wXSGwfAjL178Huh3/s320/DSCN2210.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">YOLO!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-58268923803878647742011-10-19T00:03:00.000-05:002011-10-19T00:03:54.852-05:00Wandering in Pattaya, ThailandWe've wandered halfway around the world - to Pattaya, Thailand - a large resort and industrial port city about two hours away from Bangkok. Thailand time is exactly 12 hours ahead of home (Texas) so it is 11:40 am here.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">This is one view from our room...</div><br />
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Consider this...we left home at 2:15 pm Monday and arrived here at 10:30 am Wednesday...about 32 hours door to door if my addled brain is calculating correctly. We flew Singapore Airlines (WOW! What a great airline.) from Houston to Moscow for 10 1/2 hours, had a one hour layover, then reboarded to fly to Singapore for 9 1/2 hours, another layover of about two hours, then a two hour flight to Bangkok, and finally a two hour drive to Pattaya.<br />
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I read three newspapers, watched two movies, three episodes of Modern Family and two of Two and a Half Men, and dozed off and on in the economy section while Tom was pampered and had a foldout bed up in first class. We are traveling with three of Tom's co-workers and another wife, Darlene; the guys for business, she and I for pleasure.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I have no idea what this sign says, but find Thailand's alphabet fascinating - and undecipherable.</div><br />
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Fortunately, everyone seems to speak English. And once again, I feel so ignorant, only speaking one language.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">We are staying at a Hilton highrise resort on the ocean. This is one view from the 16th floor lobby.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">And more from our room...</div><br />
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Our change of clothes and shower was refreshing and we are resting up a bit and enjoying the views from our room on the 31st floor before heading out for some sightseeing and shopping. Tom has a business meeting at 3 pm and a dinner at 5 pm. Tonight we are going to the famous Walking Street...to people watch. We were able to sleep a lot on the planes so hopefully jet lag will not catch up to us.<br />
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Tomorrow we have a driver to take Darlene and I shopping, to a botanical garden and somewhere to ride elephants!!! YOLO!!!!Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-75965039000427779802011-09-24T15:31:00.002-05:002011-09-24T23:12:25.336-05:00Wandering in Southern Kentucky CemeteriesTom and I are in Wildcat Country (Lexington, KY) to cheer on the Gators tonight. Since many of my ancestors are from this area, I decided to fill some of our free time by exploring the rolling bluegrass hills and countryside before the 7 pm game (tonight).<br />
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</div><div>One of my quests was to locate the gravesite of my American Revolutionary War ancestor, Capt. Charles Gatliff. Captain Gatliff was an early adventurer in Kentucky and led a colorful life. Born in Pennsylvania, after fighting in the American Revolution, he settled in Kentucky. But apparently, defending his country, family and adopted state was in his blood as he continued to fight in numerous wars against Indians for many years. He was also a spy in several campaigns. His wife and children were abducted by Indians and held for four years until they somehow escaped. According to historical records, the Indians viewed him as a deadly enemy whom they could never surprise. "He was of a penetrating mind, manly, hospitable and kind, and died as he had lived, much esteemed." </div><div><br />
</div><div>After learning all that, I couldn't pass up the chance to seek him out. I had a general idea of his whereabouts since I knew my family (on my mother's mother's side) could be traced to Corbin, KY and Whitley County. Research I gathered using www.ancestry.com and www.findagrave.com told me that his grave is in Williamsburg, KY, about 101 miles of south of Lexington. I had the name of a cemetery but no address, and a spot on a Google map to guide us. So off we drove early this morning to search for the final resting place of a hero who died in 1838 when he was 90 years old.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The Google spot and Find A Grave information led us to Maple Creek Cemetery, located on a narrow, hilly country road, behind an old wooden white church, outside of Williamsburg, KY, near the Tennessee border. What did we do without Google?!</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16_v8Qfgw-Fvalay-fp8-SGcFV6ne_W_cepphxx6P65RVVBFTxbAlT1D2aCiQjM-72fIompqbwcjxhAg9hbwM9tOf2kD_Vr3e22LT-4RMgmID_mqUCbbfCB2l6ZyfHdR5lVlbPcG_k65Z/s1600/P1010443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16_v8Qfgw-Fvalay-fp8-SGcFV6ne_W_cepphxx6P65RVVBFTxbAlT1D2aCiQjM-72fIompqbwcjxhAg9hbwM9tOf2kD_Vr3e22LT-4RMgmID_mqUCbbfCB2l6ZyfHdR5lVlbPcG_k65Z/s320/P1010443.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><div>We trampled up and down and around the wet cemetery grass for over an hour, searching for the grave - with no success. My records show at least three Gatliffs are in this cemetery, but we couldn't find them. Reluctantly, we finally gave up and decided to try the other "spot" we had on an Ancestry.com map that was even more vague (direction-wise) than the Google map.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Heading slowly back down that hilly, country road...we spied some headstones in a field behind a house...clearly private property. Did we dare trek in there to search? While we were considering this, a man came out of his house so we eased up to ask permission. "Y'all look lost," he said before I could speak. "What are you looking for/"</div><div><br />
</div><div>I explained our quest, and after thinking for a moment, he told us how there are isolated historical graves all over the place, but he thought the ones we were looking for were in the back of a field that his brother cuts for hay....about a mile or so away. He kindly drew us a map to get there and gave us his phone number in case we got stuck so he could come pull us out. Renewed with hope, we waved goodbye to our Kentucky Angel and took off to search again. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This white pole used to hold a historical marker for Capt. Charles Gatliff. </div><div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Our Angel told us thieves had stolen the sign to sell for scrap metal. I had a picture of the marker but no idea where it was. He recognized the picture and told us the story. We turned left here...</div><br />
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And drove as far as we could, passing dilapidated houses and sheds. The road changed from gravel to mud after about 300 yards. We parked and headed across this field to the edge of the woods that he'd mentioned.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Tom circled around and said, "It's in here!"</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHLtqCy6oJD8skW6_8H30wPuhhbGh5e-SfHFgguIjmioSq1yoYaotpqkxObgoLbYvjEqr1pAqodXVBPacpumuQcwwEhg3magtAxtxshD81dAounQ4DMSWt67x-1wOemhRn81TDN_tWR_5/s1600/P1010453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHLtqCy6oJD8skW6_8H30wPuhhbGh5e-SfHFgguIjmioSq1yoYaotpqkxObgoLbYvjEqr1pAqodXVBPacpumuQcwwEhg3magtAxtxshD81dAounQ4DMSWt67x-1wOemhRn81TDN_tWR_5/s320/P1010453.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">And there they were!<br />
Just the two of them, Charles and his first wife, Christina.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Surrounded by this clump of trees. </div><div style="text-align: center;">No one would ever find them without knowing exactly where to look.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3L15_KUUCoMqDO_rNPrWYUHx79XQodrenHncw-AfxaVCiMdk30fYviRJj_jYXha8gjbgKTgpRXTLz4KZvIwOrpI5TfuBzUROJZrDbH578YWNLMffqEeSLfKXC5eoR2_J6QD94SVsCClZ/s1600/P1010445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3L15_KUUCoMqDO_rNPrWYUHx79XQodrenHncw-AfxaVCiMdk30fYviRJj_jYXha8gjbgKTgpRXTLz4KZvIwOrpI5TfuBzUROJZrDbH578YWNLMffqEeSLfKXC5eoR2_J6QD94SVsCClZ/s320/P1010445.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">A look back at our car...no way we would drive through there...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPP0LoI0nmXvF1lndhc1X29cmjskPFJ2Nhz1KJT7WhkwZ65jIa5X197Lb-a9VFZ4LiRq1tDRpANqwgQtn-jOG9qn-ykb07v0IN-JfA7oKEADqMzojPIrw5Lr0e2b-kjxjY_FlDZeiuE1pc/s1600/P1010456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPP0LoI0nmXvF1lndhc1X29cmjskPFJ2Nhz1KJT7WhkwZ65jIa5X197Lb-a9VFZ4LiRq1tDRpANqwgQtn-jOG9qn-ykb07v0IN-JfA7oKEADqMzojPIrw5Lr0e2b-kjxjY_FlDZeiuE1pc/s320/P1010456.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mission accomplished! I was so excited!<br />
And so happy our Kentucky Angel (maybe the soul of Charles Gatliff) appeared to help us out. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I called and thanked him...and told him we didn't get stuck!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br />
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</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-4501062749961447432011-08-22T10:30:00.003-05:002011-08-25T13:50:54.015-05:00Wandering (Unexpectedly) to Gainesville, Fla.Now and then, life throws you a curve ball, upsetting your balance, knocking you off your path. I was hit with such a curve ball last Tuesday, a gut wrenching one. Thus, I find myself sitting in a hospital waiting room in Gainesville, Florida.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>I <i>love</i> Gainesville. I first arrived here in the fall of 1976, a scared 18-year-old, five driving hours from home, three months out of high school, not knowing a soul, but eager to begin the next phase of my life - college at the University of Florida. I jumped into college life with gusto, attending sorority rush parties (and ultimately deciding I was not the sorority type), dorm mixers, free outdoor concerts on campus, and little sister rush at several fraternities, all in the week before classes started. Before long, I made new friends, became a Fiji Little Sister, learned how to study, acquired a taste for beer, and gained the requisite "Freshman 15" (pounds).</div><div><br />
</div><div>Gainesville became home. I remet and fell in love with my husband here (we had met briefly twice before through a mutual friend), became a devoted Gator football fan (for life), gained valuable life and work experience as a part-time housekeeper for one of the university dean's family and as a clerk in the university's eye clinic, and, still uncertain about my future goals, changed my degree plan at least four times.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Gainesville is beautiful. Unlike flat, sandy, South Florida where I grew up, Gainesville is lush and hilly and wooded. There are thousands of mature, moss-draped live oaks intermingled with the palms, cypress, palmetto and pine trees. The university buildings and many houses are covered with red brick, (compared to cinder blocks in South Florida), giving the city a northern-southern atmosphere rather than the tropical locale most people associate with Florida. Ocean breezes ruffle the trees; the Atlantic Ocean is an easy one and a half hour drive east on two lane roads, the Gulf of Mexico is less than a two hour drive to the west.<br />
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Most of the year Gainesville is a sleepy medium-size city with the friendly feel of a small town. People wave and greet you with a smile, stranger or friend. Drivers, restaurant waitstaff and retailers are courteous. Traffic and the roads are easy to navigate. Rush hour lasts maybe 15 minutes. In summer, the city and campus sort of hibernate, waiting patiently for fall when more than 50,000 students arrive to begin the semester, and nearly a hundred thousand rowdy, tailgating, adoring Gator fans take over on football weekends.<br />
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I left here in 1978 to get married and move away with my husband, but Gainesville and the Gators, and now my parents, who retired and moved here in 2001, lure us back several times a year. I often consider moving back here someday, maybe part-time, during football season. Someday...</div><div><br />
I'm sitting here with my mother in a sunny (warm) corner of a second floor hospital waiting room. Outside, the sun is shining, fluffy white clouds are floating by, a flag unfurls then rests limply on its pole, cars and trucks pass by on the main highway through town. The world is moving on, but time has stopped for us while we wait to hear the results of my father's lung surgery. Cancer is the pre-surgical diagnosis. Surgery will determine what kind, what stage, the treatment options.<br />
<br />
Gainesville is one of my favorite places in whole world. But today, I'd rather be anywhere else but here.<br />
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</div></div></div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-21045755044222195292011-07-30T18:00:00.001-05:002011-08-19T00:37:25.940-05:00Bier Hall Walkabout Part 3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-MVzv9zn_z643QJbUaRKKXgKWscCv420jFsyvXnVuUcI8bBrhQH1Kuj9oQZV6ChKKKJgXa7VPHKLjySY5PIwHWFsIbRhP8gq0L_vE52TFxXnxVLXxdym2zZbmS7SkvWLyJ_jXcID4ZOI/s1600/P1000722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-MVzv9zn_z643QJbUaRKKXgKWscCv420jFsyvXnVuUcI8bBrhQH1Kuj9oQZV6ChKKKJgXa7VPHKLjySY5PIwHWFsIbRhP8gq0L_vE52TFxXnxVLXxdym2zZbmS7SkvWLyJ_jXcID4ZOI/s320/P1000722.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our final destination on our quest to find Munich's best beer and beer hall was the famous <b><a href="http://www.aviewoncities.com/munich/hofbrauhaus.htm">Hofbrauhaus</a>.</b> We had a feeling this would be our favorite and we were right.<br />
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Besides the never-ending array of tables as far as you can see in all directions and the jovial patrons, there are three things you immediately notice in the Hofbrauhaus that distinguish it from other beer halls:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">the racks of locked steins (for regular patrons)...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIUebxLxN-TfCmLqNDNrb8UnTnu0CLtJtJ-t74g2rpDKlOSGHiPqgmUqyyuSsY4ZlEdJvbVct3zgkbP8wOlHpo43h9dbaLONHzEmDnu5nj5nA56iZT5YpRwcgwCBbyGe_khR_bcudAvAX/s1600/P1000819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIUebxLxN-TfCmLqNDNrb8UnTnu0CLtJtJ-t74g2rpDKlOSGHiPqgmUqyyuSsY4ZlEdJvbVct3zgkbP8wOlHpo43h9dbaLONHzEmDnu5nj5nA56iZT5YpRwcgwCBbyGe_khR_bcudAvAX/s320/P1000819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...the lively oompah band playing and singing entertaining drinking songs,<br />
in German...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstXCzgjE3PyAxiGhU_MbVRGucnY_Cpyg6YJN8tLiondDkc2jaCHWFKyxXA4c7IqRm9rZvnduIdh5X9PUr8Vmh9gr2eepBs1OlBUPReYlKNinqrarashHC7thdTYxIczaNfUQq6j9FfwiR/s1600/P1000820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstXCzgjE3PyAxiGhU_MbVRGucnY_Cpyg6YJN8tLiondDkc2jaCHWFKyxXA4c7IqRm9rZvnduIdh5X9PUr8Vmh9gr2eepBs1OlBUPReYlKNinqrarashHC7thdTYxIczaNfUQq6j9FfwiR/s320/P1000820.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...and men and women attired in traditional Bavarian clothing - lederhosen, feather hats and dirndls...</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...enjoying their mugs of beer under their stammtisch (reserved) signs<br />
hanging above the tables where they meet <b><a href="http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/03/stammtische_en.html">regularly</a>.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefsl3GogO6QqDXEwuqTZ-1NgD2wQdEU_VBWv3nUQBiI_u634EEGqu-84E1O_UGeXpZnCb8nLNmPeDf-w8oNxs39oJcwEU9JPonjYZ5q0F85WQ0F-aj1lWod8uLo7dC4MiBCVPWFNw_VRO/s1600/P1000837+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefsl3GogO6QqDXEwuqTZ-1NgD2wQdEU_VBWv3nUQBiI_u634EEGqu-84E1O_UGeXpZnCb8nLNmPeDf-w8oNxs39oJcwEU9JPonjYZ5q0F85WQ0F-aj1lWod8uLo7dC4MiBCVPWFNw_VRO/s320/P1000837+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">At the Hofbrauhaus, you can only buy beer (except for their Weissbier) by the one-liter mug. </div><div style="text-align: center;">We didn't mind that at all. :))) We both gave the HB beer 5 points.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucdws56ODv0FegvnmQNhZYe4FL1URVgAvTaEuNxKB8Oqu3sznwZcqm69ySe5RzLTFQ2gjMHkWHz0Znry8ngEsF3GHfR_6I9d8cMq6M8pTha2maDqsYpUcPywCnc194SvE3JNPOFpSvrS-/s1600/P1000824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucdws56ODv0FegvnmQNhZYe4FL1URVgAvTaEuNxKB8Oqu3sznwZcqm69ySe5RzLTFQ2gjMHkWHz0Znry8ngEsF3GHfR_6I9d8cMq6M8pTha2maDqsYpUcPywCnc194SvE3JNPOFpSvrS-/s320/P1000824.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Naturally, the menu was all German...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCUZlCpb3lDibDmlXh8BLCzbYmtEM4EaFSdHIs2JJkEzO48rbTb57BvmeGxUOz6mqTxpTWqd-cQljEknmcpVbSlPSyy_0qlD9xaqlhdmCus7WkYq6TLJ18i6bQ2Nwp-i2XdvVdT8stox7/s1600/P1000828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCUZlCpb3lDibDmlXh8BLCzbYmtEM4EaFSdHIs2JJkEzO48rbTb57BvmeGxUOz6mqTxpTWqd-cQljEknmcpVbSlPSyy_0qlD9xaqlhdmCus7WkYq6TLJ18i6bQ2Nwp-i2XdvVdT8stox7/s320/P1000828.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">We challenged ourselves to decipher the food choices without our German/English dictionary. After all, we'd been in Germany over a week now, we should recognize many of these words by now, ja? Nein. Our server kindly explained the entrees in English...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisf4wKZvcwU2RNsBM2L1pWWmQcjGXJnpkIpHoS0Wt1-dkBwyM2Vyh-txlrx6LzKaFR-pyIjb9VA7jl55rb4jjk94xCSHhPITBTdM8xKLqHhC3YWt8IYKUIsCxKmySFReEdcpx4O6etCs6-/s1600/P1000829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisf4wKZvcwU2RNsBM2L1pWWmQcjGXJnpkIpHoS0Wt1-dkBwyM2Vyh-txlrx6LzKaFR-pyIjb9VA7jl55rb4jjk94xCSHhPITBTdM8xKLqHhC3YWt8IYKUIsCxKmySFReEdcpx4O6etCs6-/s320/P1000829.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...and Tom ended up with this delicious meal - a definite 5 points.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQxFyJOiwyw3QYxtiQXk8t3znspE8PBlCzKWIoj7NK8si1L9R2doi0gFlmrI8QIKVROXm1BFnIluS8ErcOoG5MQO0ZXQyR67F_aA_qiDqAC1ppbUbFzlJC_4dHRmqJ4qhITEupRxWKJh8/s1600/P1000830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQxFyJOiwyw3QYxtiQXk8t3znspE8PBlCzKWIoj7NK8si1L9R2doi0gFlmrI8QIKVROXm1BFnIluS8ErcOoG5MQO0ZXQyR67F_aA_qiDqAC1ppbUbFzlJC_4dHRmqJ4qhITEupRxWKJh8/s320/P1000830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Mine was good, too. Chalk up another 5 points.<br />
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I have heard and read that the beer hall servers can hold up to ten full mugs of beer at a time (five per hand). I struggled to hold three in one hand...including an empty one...hurry up and take the picture! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr9F8aksuL5ED1ZF0mYd30F82_Rd8nBbMUu7Clm5EOnLZz0zIQobgmDJJQTobZUVb7G4xhsLEVg5-e8yn9z2grGe_eIGQMJ4sAxd8qNY8YgehY0uqpZVuagDlQ-20HE7BTVnBKBwIduTE/s1600/P1000832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr9F8aksuL5ED1ZF0mYd30F82_Rd8nBbMUu7Clm5EOnLZz0zIQobgmDJJQTobZUVb7G4xhsLEVg5-e8yn9z2grGe_eIGQMJ4sAxd8qNY8YgehY0uqpZVuagDlQ-20HE7BTVnBKBwIduTE/s320/P1000832.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">FINALLY! A smiling picture of Tom - courtesy of Frau Buxom...Tom and Steve both enjoyed her serving skills; every time she leaned over the table to grab our glasses or deliver more mugs of beer and our food, their eyes widened as they waited expectantly for her ample bosom to pop out of her low cut bodice...alas, they waited in vain.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP2nkQSyV90AAl_WlZ-DXVz2iJfQB9QM5RQ4qD5D05w-XDyqOu4Pjfkt9GfqypnRxnxVx6TPDG8iwOpvxmrWrGlA4c8J67tvy0r3_bT3ux7QbDVkBqdorJWHU8Ch7NxESS7zAUdqf7lmj/s1600/P1000833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP2nkQSyV90AAl_WlZ-DXVz2iJfQB9QM5RQ4qD5D05w-XDyqOu4Pjfkt9GfqypnRxnxVx6TPDG8iwOpvxmrWrGlA4c8J67tvy0r3_bT3ux7QbDVkBqdorJWHU8Ch7NxESS7zAUdqf7lmj/s400/P1000833.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Before we walked back to our hotel for the night, we peeked into the upstairs festaal (fest hall?) where there is a nightly folk festival and all-you-can-eat buffet. The place was packed! Adolph Hitler reportedly gave his first speech before a large crowd was in this room.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWNvkzxSD8jjanTovkNmvVklP6iSTDS6SoXt-slPnCzP6wzTOwAZjSLrrn39uRopBst_Vmv9RACiF1pUfebTVNUwySQDZC7XL0oufxx9uMeoAfzqgM-G-Vl1iL4wawZDNP36iq3m1QHly/s1600/P1000836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWNvkzxSD8jjanTovkNmvVklP6iSTDS6SoXt-slPnCzP6wzTOwAZjSLrrn39uRopBst_Vmv9RACiF1pUfebTVNUwySQDZC7XL0oufxx9uMeoAfzqgM-G-Vl1iL4wawZDNP36iq3m1QHly/s320/P1000836.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you've been monitoring our points closely, you've noticed that Tom gave all the beers 5 points, showing that as far as he is concerned, beer is beer, they are <i>all</i> good. I, on the other hand, am a little bit more discerning, with very particular likes and dislikes depending on the flavor, after-taste, and tap vs. bottles or cans (preferably tap beer). The combination of the frothy beer, festive atmosphere, and reasonably priced and tasty food are what propelled the Hofbrauhaus to the top of the list and into the beer hall winner's circle.<br />
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But truly, all the beer halls are winners in their own way, and we discovered the Munchners have a great attitude about life and beer - YOLO!!<br />
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Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-88811283292414014642011-07-29T03:00:00.002-05:002011-08-17T23:16:03.591-05:00What Time Is It?A frequent thought or question. How do you find out the time, especially in public places? I check my watch all day long, and am so used to wearing one, I feel naked without one on my wrist. My adult sons seldom wear a watch; I don't think my youngest son even owns one. They consult their cell phones, iPad or computer for the correct time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TusCzGt57_8kALwpTiv1LeyLn8NkOEt06nS9HU3czEtWr2M21dOrD1sWAEaqUkPmJiJoFNhmpqPHACCSGe6nScCiWfzpGvU5TKZgB-EakD8xy_MkofEQLxFauOtAwQsy1Z-IPpt-kPS9/s1600/P1000135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TusCzGt57_8kALwpTiv1LeyLn8NkOEt06nS9HU3czEtWr2M21dOrD1sWAEaqUkPmJiJoFNhmpqPHACCSGe6nScCiWfzpGvU5TKZgB-EakD8xy_MkofEQLxFauOtAwQsy1Z-IPpt-kPS9/s200/P1000135.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Trier Cathedral</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I like the European approach to discovering the current time of day. We never had to wonder for long what time it was in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Everywhere you turn there's a clock - on city buildings, houses, banks, lighthouses, church towers, and hanging over streets. There are ornate clocks, plain clocks, cuckoo clocks, clocks with chimes, and clocks with bells. Some clocks have Roman numerals, others have English numerals; no digital clocks. As if that wasn't enough, church bells rang every 15 minutes, so if you couldn't actually see a clock, which was rare, the bells would tell the time. Here are some of the most interesting clocks we saw.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45iKKAb52AG62nqpYpR1D24hO2KMv2ljIzSBDuGhvUXwDjswUTiHcPIUvsRHydUQb10avYIkE2f-3aWbHlUghOplmQaOeL7kN9V7uazfIDEA2sVW_JrF70gSQFeH8xqdd6FMocMc3_y8w/s1600/P1000160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45iKKAb52AG62nqpYpR1D24hO2KMv2ljIzSBDuGhvUXwDjswUTiHcPIUvsRHydUQb10avYIkE2f-3aWbHlUghOplmQaOeL7kN9V7uazfIDEA2sVW_JrF70gSQFeH8xqdd6FMocMc3_y8w/s200/P1000160.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hanging off an Art-Deco building in Trier</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9WEf1Sj3N7QRevEAieMmOhyphenhyphenBq6FgbFZQEmXDEvlqXO3Jfqb-xlhqKJWpx05yRKSBbCOmQiq-jaX2c7t3UV0-Wwtc1sV75hc4mxEx0liPKsx06T2UsgZXm8cFZ4I3rPMD21q084bxWLQ9/s1600/P1000200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9WEf1Sj3N7QRevEAieMmOhyphenhyphenBq6FgbFZQEmXDEvlqXO3Jfqb-xlhqKJWpx05yRKSBbCOmQiq-jaX2c7t3UV0-Wwtc1sV75hc4mxEx0liPKsx06T2UsgZXm8cFZ4I3rPMD21q084bxWLQ9/s320/P1000200.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Baden Baden's Famous Casino</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pMPbtsTwZGScsW2DSWXZpDG1wGNZXs6-xzWad-op2fjXsKbZnxwY5qaHjG__YxTnz95jLWMzeRdlqX9ZE3OGZBtT4ArEf7Urvov9-EMGm5dyBofpLR6zwaYpM6FB_8Q51H-DfVkqgMIW/s1600/P1000291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pMPbtsTwZGScsW2DSWXZpDG1wGNZXs6-xzWad-op2fjXsKbZnxwY5qaHjG__YxTnz95jLWMzeRdlqX9ZE3OGZBtT4ArEf7Urvov9-EMGm5dyBofpLR6zwaYpM6FB_8Q51H-DfVkqgMIW/s200/P1000291.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb9Y-BGK8RPaaWjAS6KjcLtvY7KDG0k56UEPXt8IO07Zc6VBPCLF8-KNBjSJrYF4FlqeS2ihDVo27Nu7fCIebPoo4XZaHs6R8316a9NX_WjKhXESc87_tLNFalkfb9RInFoNcL05ZrT8m/s1600/P1000309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb9Y-BGK8RPaaWjAS6KjcLtvY7KDG0k56UEPXt8IO07Zc6VBPCLF8-KNBjSJrYF4FlqeS2ihDVo27Nu7fCIebPoo4XZaHs6R8316a9NX_WjKhXESc87_tLNFalkfb9RInFoNcL05ZrT8m/s320/P1000309.JPG" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Also from the Black Forest</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4uqAuRetOUJeqMO607KDqUrX3ywrWPDI3yPTJRGYL9AjnqXyaZwndkoEqvx-ZNQOGosCcmmucI9qdBb8ihQjTfQD8xxO76WXWbEtSkSLmtnhM0fm9-rjfAiT_tc6f_mwz8eTYyM4YrTo/s1600/P1000651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4uqAuRetOUJeqMO607KDqUrX3ywrWPDI3yPTJRGYL9AjnqXyaZwndkoEqvx-ZNQOGosCcmmucI9qdBb8ihQjTfQD8xxO76WXWbEtSkSLmtnhM0fm9-rjfAiT_tc6f_mwz8eTYyM4YrTo/s320/P1000651.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A building in Lindau with elaborate frescoes, and a clock on front...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHaZJ93vtljBTbNsR0GZ-nOyoklJYhd6x7UOCqtzWaEjX6XC0rnl6YMV9FPVnCI_zUpFmIfuV51LycSY4q9icEh5qllXwbWdg0BQUA2EXSPnRSwNsG0kD8FWnWkegqvHbNDCLo_vyx2x6/s1600/P1000652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHaZJ93vtljBTbNsR0GZ-nOyoklJYhd6x7UOCqtzWaEjX6XC0rnl6YMV9FPVnCI_zUpFmIfuV51LycSY4q9icEh5qllXwbWdg0BQUA2EXSPnRSwNsG0kD8FWnWkegqvHbNDCLo_vyx2x6/s320/P1000652.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Zoomed in view...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTdVrpo0TrIZSB5fVF96klgWRex2vlUcGlbfoZ-yL9Yxvio_mBZ_VHmuomfb2vwe01N-XVu5VhdNxGh_Zt1Ts9WC_1KTtOiF1VXDXEnLPGaYQyjWAU1uyWcaGhV1O_WmY7aPXERq58U0T/s1600/P1000655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTdVrpo0TrIZSB5fVF96klgWRex2vlUcGlbfoZ-yL9Yxvio_mBZ_VHmuomfb2vwe01N-XVu5VhdNxGh_Zt1Ts9WC_1KTtOiF1VXDXEnLPGaYQyjWAU1uyWcaGhV1O_WmY7aPXERq58U0T/s320/P1000655.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">...and just in case you missed the front, a clock on the back (above and to the right of the arched window)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkEUZaGRnO6Mzd3lzMbyOpYjtKyarjPaNnIMvRvJ_1RrQeGgjFDRW9MzXIdn9x6TlG7l0bfnl5BuiPZrnLEfylfq2NCsd1g8z52G_W1mSu8Na8dVja73XKOlxUKiWfMzN2-hdzf1WtbnC/s1600/P1000660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkEUZaGRnO6Mzd3lzMbyOpYjtKyarjPaNnIMvRvJ_1RrQeGgjFDRW9MzXIdn9x6TlG7l0bfnl5BuiPZrnLEfylfq2NCsd1g8z52G_W1mSu8Na8dVja73XKOlxUKiWfMzN2-hdzf1WtbnC/s320/P1000660.JPG" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Boaters and boardwalkers can find the time on Lindau's lighthouse</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNAHEg8AXN-pE9LQfC28eWDDQkNRCvwIy1b4igbY4HW1Qfqw-VXLP9_M3owZqr_NIiM3rx7I4HM3m_KXPW52QZB5fbW2iS_yJTSe7nM9sqYP1HBiHeSvRc2Hz5Geugv9VIjKVdGdO-TuG/s1600/P1000690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNAHEg8AXN-pE9LQfC28eWDDQkNRCvwIy1b4igbY4HW1Qfqw-VXLP9_M3owZqr_NIiM3rx7I4HM3m_KXPW52QZB5fbW2iS_yJTSe7nM9sqYP1HBiHeSvRc2Hz5Geugv9VIjKVdGdO-TuG/s320/P1000690.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Munich's City Hall Clock and Glockenspiel</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax-Ct_OGhNOp6fi3zDtovh2MHrUDHG7qCODna7EipBIY7RM7FEJEhAIOCcLqeL2MDRxjamLIHwYAGWDKC4QbwgC0eQtmREAAH23j70UvieGaUG1kwUsRpYfK1yZK664e57e7WKID5bww7/s1600/P1000706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax-Ct_OGhNOp6fi3zDtovh2MHrUDHG7qCODna7EipBIY7RM7FEJEhAIOCcLqeL2MDRxjamLIHwYAGWDKC4QbwgC0eQtmREAAH23j70UvieGaUG1kwUsRpYfK1yZK664e57e7WKID5bww7/s320/P1000706.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TWO clocks on one church steeple in Munich</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRykTbllnPMMb4MtXaZ3DPYSSWIuXqD7_CkGFSjYv_b4B1wwcI21xQxkiR7LCAxycio3gArEAv8q1uBTver9-OKlVj__YHWYnYIYMcU7vT66B1WzKvx3Ea46ygf_0sITyYjFQwZd5w7lm0/s1600/P1000922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRykTbllnPMMb4MtXaZ3DPYSSWIuXqD7_CkGFSjYv_b4B1wwcI21xQxkiR7LCAxycio3gArEAv8q1uBTver9-OKlVj__YHWYnYIYMcU7vT66B1WzKvx3Ea46ygf_0sITyYjFQwZd5w7lm0/s320/P1000922.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another Munich church</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5c4CgMoUwdqzhQR25-LqcWpz3FJMVz66XLdpy2aocbWXsptkH91z7-4N-irTZ_3yJR69-Yg6vsjdzSU6KTpPH8hiphEkW3M6ev0iXEywrYlbFrwDECpgzoCNUrpt7-LCcQfW4yJoxwOio/s1600/P1010073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5c4CgMoUwdqzhQR25-LqcWpz3FJMVz66XLdpy2aocbWXsptkH91z7-4N-irTZ_3yJR69-Yg6vsjdzSU6KTpPH8hiphEkW3M6ev0iXEywrYlbFrwDECpgzoCNUrpt7-LCcQfW4yJoxwOio/s320/P1010073.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This clock greets shoppers on colorful Getreidegasse, Salzburg's center of trade for hundreds of years</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrYuhypCW0B1eIAjNAHpCG5jofaaPh25ijQrqEOLVbjYVNUgwVXaWfpUqGUaIVlVTYzE6hLmSSX6I2Kif5DD5diDv0YZg7gBheQWAqAd12Z2BQR3IbzYiljZYcgGiQ1FgwNXkUiOCnEh1/s1600/P1010074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrYuhypCW0B1eIAjNAHpCG5jofaaPh25ijQrqEOLVbjYVNUgwVXaWfpUqGUaIVlVTYzE6hLmSSX6I2Kif5DD5diDv0YZg7gBheQWAqAd12Z2BQR3IbzYiljZYcgGiQ1FgwNXkUiOCnEh1/s320/P1010074.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And if you stroll down the same Salzburg street in the opposite direction, you see this pretty one </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7EEseJaojvyvsmDsPbKcJdidYPER8qhaFF7UnzYCWljQuG6aE8l2KbPTNJ-lUbRmQNz24sRhZ4-v3SiYs8AA6SmkT2I8LfD5hyjZsq3ZWVauhKhzpZLvJM18HbVLz9zrTu33_TwuBHQq/s1600/P1010116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7EEseJaojvyvsmDsPbKcJdidYPER8qhaFF7UnzYCWljQuG6aE8l2KbPTNJ-lUbRmQNz24sRhZ4-v3SiYs8AA6SmkT2I8LfD5hyjZsq3ZWVauhKhzpZLvJM18HbVLz9zrTu33_TwuBHQq/s320/P1010116.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hallstatt's Protestant Church, built in 1863, with clocks on the tower</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hallstatt's Catholic Church also has clocks on all four sides of the tower</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZqPfUgY1ioHHpZ_gW-lPIEioG1YiFl6d7XzLn8eO0MJofXdG1hCxRKSZ3U6TQYXrv1D4uW4BJvge8-K8U6kyazUI6exW08hh5HOEUqLzpLm8DHyA7rjDwUILSuXbbHUE8wjx7sMXVF7G/s1600/P1010320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZqPfUgY1ioHHpZ_gW-lPIEioG1YiFl6d7XzLn8eO0MJofXdG1hCxRKSZ3U6TQYXrv1D4uW4BJvge8-K8U6kyazUI6exW08hh5HOEUqLzpLm8DHyA7rjDwUILSuXbbHUE8wjx7sMXVF7G/s320/P1010320.JPG" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A church in Vienna</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFlHKPR2aBeYCmzRvTzXyBWvmLBQoyxgaxD-K4bNmpuZmwGwDQRBxT_Ixe_XwAyvxtgJ4hL4xOIYezxQ8cEAIj7UQ5aIsTr50qELqX735f_lQ5VCUy69nzfcbNfCSiQpWZ6OKhhH81Ba-/s1600/P1010411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFlHKPR2aBeYCmzRvTzXyBWvmLBQoyxgaxD-K4bNmpuZmwGwDQRBxT_Ixe_XwAyvxtgJ4hL4xOIYezxQ8cEAIj7UQ5aIsTr50qELqX735f_lQ5VCUy69nzfcbNfCSiQpWZ6OKhhH81Ba-/s320/P1010411.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Back in the U.S. I see outdoor clocks in only two places - on a courthouse and some city hall buildings. And I only hear the melodious ringing of church bells just before Sunday mass. I'm glad I have a watch or I'd never know what time it is. YOLO!Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-7013656401689557722011-07-27T21:31:00.000-05:002011-07-27T21:31:25.681-05:00How NOT to Shop and Pay for SouvenirsThis is my dumb blond moment of the trip...<br />
<br />
First, some background. I'm female. I was born to shop. It's hotwired in my brain. I think most females are wired that way. And it seems most men are not.<br />
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When we travel, along with exploring all the sites, seeking out all the adventures, and tasting the different foods and beers, I like to shop for a few souvenirs. Nothing big, certainly nothing expensive, just a few mementos here and there to remind me of the places we've been. Or something little to take home for family and friends. And I don't always have to buy something; most of the time I just like to <i>look</i>.<br />
<br />
I've learned over the years to buy <i>useful</i> things, items I will actually use and not just move around the house from place to place and then to a box and finally to a garage sale. Lately, I've been buying tea towels (kitchen, linen). Now those are certainly useful. I also have a large collection of shot glasses - small, cute and useful at parties. Sometimes I buy Christmas ornaments - <i>sometimes</i> because I'm very particular about what I want - handmade from the location I'm visiting - not made in China or Japan. I also like ceramics, made locally, preferably by the person selling them, and really have to restrain myself in those shops. Lately I've been buying local tea in their small grocery stores - my favorites of the ones I try during breakfast, flavors and/or brands that we don't have here in the U.S.. (I searched all over for two weeks for a certain brand of vanilla tea and finally found it at our last stop, Vienna.)<br />
<br />
Tom, meanwhile, does not like to shop. Anywhere. Anytime. Especially on vacation. However, he doesn't seem to mind sitting in a bar or cafe drinking a beer or two while I shop. So, we've found the perfect compromise: as long as I can find a good place to park him for a half hour or so, I can shop.<br />
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Now, back to the story.<br />
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One morning, our group went on a short excursion to Trummelbach Falls down in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We glided down on our gondolas, hopped on the bus, and Ronny, our driver, drove us a short way, maybe 2K, to the waterfall entrance. This is not your ordinary waterfall experience, where you hop out of your car, gaze up a cliff, take few pictures, and ooh and aah about the beauty and the volume of water gushing down from the Alps. This is a waterfall you get to experience - by going into, around, above and behind it. You <i>pay</i> to see this waterfall, and the experience begins with an elevator ride inside the mountain. (See <a href="http://thewardlows.blogspot.com/2011/07/trummelbach-falls-walkabout.html">Trummelbach Falls</a> post for further details.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYVUmyU-kGg7sRWI1tHxHNjKSdx9bLUmIYWRlJOvHov-mEu0qNeFOXLGR0Vub7H9ZfPieOG2rEUDEs8DF7LpSO7LS7b-KcBOzHvebly-o8iuGphmFePmeq5l9lAgrbtuUtMBaoAP7Qda7/s1600/P1000476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYVUmyU-kGg7sRWI1tHxHNjKSdx9bLUmIYWRlJOvHov-mEu0qNeFOXLGR0Vub7H9ZfPieOG2rEUDEs8DF7LpSO7LS7b-KcBOzHvebly-o8iuGphmFePmeq5l9lAgrbtuUtMBaoAP7Qda7/s320/P1000476.JPG" width="288" /></a></div>When we exited the bus, some members of our group, including Tom, made a beeline for the WCs (water closet/restrooms) while our guide went to buy our tickets. My attention was captured by something else - this cute little souvenir stand. Like a bee drawn to a flower, I headed over to "browse" and wait for the others.<br />
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Hmmm, here's some kitchen towels, but not linen, and too expensive anyway. Cute t-shirts, but again, more than I would pay. Postcards - don't need them (does anyone send postcards, these days?). I quickly scan over the smaller, typical tourist trap items - key chains, pens, toothpick holders, etc. Look, beer mug-shaped shot glasses - cute, but I'm not really in the mood to buy those.<br />
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Over to the racks - aha! This is what I want! I can't believe I found some. Just last night at dinner I told Tom it would be neat to find some to add to our collection out back - cowbell wind chimes. From the open window in our hotel room and everywhere we've gone in this area we hear ringing cowbells. The noise could be annoying, but the constant clanging amuses us. We could have the sound at home, anytime the wind is blowing, as a reminder of the fun times we've had here. No one else would have a wind chime like this. I check the price - $37 Swiss Francs (SF) - somewhere around $50 US, I guess. OK, I need to think about this for a bit, $50 for a wind chime...<br />
<br />
We go to the falls, then stroll back by the souvenir stand. By this time, I've decided not to buy the wind chimes - too big and bulky to carry in our limited amount of luggage. More than I should pay. And so on. I look at them again, and reconsider. I<i> really</i> like and <i>want</i> them. Then I spy something else on the rack. Something <i>useful </i>and not as expensive. Something touristy. A horseshoe shaped key holder. It has a small cowbell hanging on it, is decorated with Swiss scenes - an alpine horn, a farmer and cows, flags, etc. Everything we want to remember about the area is compressed in this one souvenir, even the paganistic horseshoe, still hung in homes to ward off evil. I know just where I'll hang it in the kitchen and which two keys to hang on it. And the price is not too bad - $21 SF. Tom moves on to wait at the cafe while I consider.<br />
<br />
Finally, we're at the dumb blond part.<br />
<br />
I take the horseshoe to the cashier. She doesn't take credit cards. I only have $5 SF. Tom has some but it's our last day in Switzerland, we're conserving what we have for meals, and don't want to withdraw anymore from an ATM. She asks if I have Euros. Yes, I do. $20 Euros and I have my horseshoe. I'm not sure about the exchange rate between Euros and SFs, I have a hard enough time converting between US and foreign currency, but it seems about right to me.<br />
<br />
Wrong! I head over to Tom to show him my useful souvenir and tell him how I paid for it. He and the few other guys sitting with him, all patiently waiting while their wives "shop" or go to the WC, give me an "Are you kidding?" look. Apparently, the clerk just swindled me, and made a nice profit. No problem, I'll just go ask her for my Euros back and give her some Swiss Francs. Tom says we have enough to do that.<br />
<br />
She's happy to do this, but wants the $2 Euros coin back that she says she gave me for change.<br />
<br />
"Huh? I don't remember getting $2 Euros back. You told me it was $20 Euros and that's what I gave you," I protested.<br />
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"No, no, it was $18 Euros and you gave me a $20 and I gave you back $2," she insisted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpnQXJziWbISpFyfJL0tcnzFujb82agmEdVgoEPLgt1wdm7m2WOnlmzwo67MdBqaQfOzl5vAOE0pzNmcyk21ydCERjk_bGlgkIo0AfDdORbUp7pK7kNf9IZX3d3tV5H-Pv00R5RuA69I-/s1600/IMG_7175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpnQXJziWbISpFyfJL0tcnzFujb82agmEdVgoEPLgt1wdm7m2WOnlmzwo67MdBqaQfOzl5vAOE0pzNmcyk21ydCERjk_bGlgkIo0AfDdORbUp7pK7kNf9IZX3d3tV5H-Pv00R5RuA69I-/s320/IMG_7175.JPG" width="224" /></a>I look in my coin purse, don't see a $2 Euro coin but can see she is not going to budge, so back I go to Tom and the guys, tell them this story, ignore their dumbfounded faces and silly grins, get a $2 Euro coin from Tom and go back, give it to her along with $21 SF and she gives me the $20 Euro bill. Now, I have no idea how much my horseshoe cost, but I have a <i>souvenir</i>. And a good story to tell.<br />
<br />
Back home, I've hung up the horseshoe where I'd planned and it's cute. And useful. But somewhat touristy. When I go out back by our pool, I wish I'd bought the wind chimes.<br />
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Moral of the story - if you like to shop while on vacation, shop. But first, understand the currency conversions. And finally, buy what you <i>really</i> want, so you have no regrets. YOLO!Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-1403432016067494932011-07-26T16:15:00.004-05:002012-01-21T22:15:22.919-06:00Munich WalkaboutBy the time we reached Munich late in the afternoon, we were tired and the sight of a bustling big city full of people was a bit of a shock after staying in peaceful Murren. But after we arrived at our hotel just steps away from the <b><a href="http://www.aviewoncities.com/munich/viktualienmarkt.htm">Viktualienmarkt</a> </b>(food market) and had our orientation tour with Tara and our group dinner and a good night's rest, we were refreshed and ready to explore Munich.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumvwK2yrU2e7tKz6M6byqLEjbvuREaq61ON7PjImddV-KR81iued_iF7pTW584Y7f4nq11a8A4QmCNHHqCakYBBiGdfAW8WD4PLWQSQlMBCoDBunIjAuh1MNCFQ-UPlWIwjOcS7Zu0i2z/s1600/P1000713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumvwK2yrU2e7tKz6M6byqLEjbvuREaq61ON7PjImddV-KR81iued_iF7pTW584Y7f4nq11a8A4QmCNHHqCakYBBiGdfAW8WD4PLWQSQlMBCoDBunIjAuh1MNCFQ-UPlWIwjOcS7Zu0i2z/s320/P1000713.JPG" width="124" /></a></div>Kathleen, our city tour guide, explained that much of the old city was destroyed by English bombs during WWII and when the war was over the citizens had two choices: start over and build new modern buildings (like Frankfurt chose to do), or preserve the past by restoring what they could and building the new to look old. The Munchners voted to restore their city. In the process, they kept the original street layout, built underground railways, and blocked off streets to make the city pedestrian friendly. The facades of many buildings are very ornate (sort of a combination of Gothic and Baroque) and decorated with statues, and the church steeples still look medieval. I think preserving the city's history was a good decision. The result is a cosmopolitan city with an old world feel that tourists love to visit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlZZXYXGImwkBCd5CDmOfvuATh_M_WziiNvqkC9eWAzaqQo3Pu2cCw6Y7fbJXvhPhKF9ln7MFJLyh-IS2ygD97acElSuUDeB2qWQ_tNzxvzA-ALCAUsFhqs6_scuZ__xmaeQeYQbMQ8Le/s1600/P1000708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlZZXYXGImwkBCd5CDmOfvuATh_M_WziiNvqkC9eWAzaqQo3Pu2cCw6Y7fbJXvhPhKF9ln7MFJLyh-IS2ygD97acElSuUDeB2qWQ_tNzxvzA-ALCAUsFhqs6_scuZ__xmaeQeYQbMQ8Le/s320/P1000708.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Standing in Marienplatz near the St. Mary monument gives a visitor a taste of all that is Munich. We had a panoramic view of the spires and domes of two huge Catholic churches and the cathedral. The old town hall and the block-wide Neo-Gothic<b> </b>new town hall with its famous glockenspiel are hard to miss. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn intersect underneath the platz. Contemporary stores fill the first and second floors of other buildings facing the platz and, of course, there are beer gardens and cafes scattered around on all four sides.<br />
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I think what I will remember most about Munich, though, (besides the beer) is that this is the place where I finally began to appreciate art. The last stop on our tour was the Alte Pinakothek, a large art gallery full of the Wittelsbachs' collection of European artists' paintings including works from Rembrandt, da Vinci, Raphael, Rubens and Durer.<br />
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I've seen paintings by these artists in other famous museums and galleries around the world, but frankly, I often just look at them, comment that they are pretty or unusual or whatever, and exit as soon as possible. Kathleen's intimate knowledge of the artists, their time periods, and their motivations was impressive. Her precise explanations about the techniques the painters used (i.e. symmetry and people arranged in pyramids) and the symbolism contained within the paintings opened my eyes and sparked an eagerness learn more. Here are several paintings that captured my interest.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDrWZhsPl2RVOl-DDTzrDZijE1e_CpL-8KdB-L5dlFLUy14sT9brLEVi-UxlyI42msVA_ZSAWFKsM7Zq60DHajfBrTaC7a7efrS_dUKSbTYEv4prMB2SfE4bdrcsZbYLMf-s8hKe_TMwQ/s1600/P1000736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDrWZhsPl2RVOl-DDTzrDZijE1e_CpL-8KdB-L5dlFLUy14sT9brLEVi-UxlyI42msVA_ZSAWFKsM7Zq60DHajfBrTaC7a7efrS_dUKSbTYEv4prMB2SfE4bdrcsZbYLMf-s8hKe_TMwQ/s320/P1000736.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The first is a collection of paintings depicting the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. The vivid colors and ornate framing of these Dutch masterpieces tell a story as beautiful as they are.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ47s5GzI7gp-MkRHkeYCAV1g2sWbERVNKGbhMF3c06Ip8Nal0X7wMNwSOTBUX7-qRS-QH1oSGa6FuAZBIMga2IEeIAmf9gOfh1Q_FPaF5AWYKeXBBGO3zOOYpPr2BHYH2rq1rlH5vHmo/s1600/P1000748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ47s5GzI7gp-MkRHkeYCAV1g2sWbERVNKGbhMF3c06Ip8Nal0X7wMNwSOTBUX7-qRS-QH1oSGa6FuAZBIMga2IEeIAmf9gOfh1Q_FPaF5AWYKeXBBGO3zOOYpPr2BHYH2rq1rlH5vHmo/s320/P1000748.JPG" width="251" /></a></div> In <i>Four Apostles, </i>German Renaissance<i> </i>artist<i> </i>Albrecht Durer, a friend of Martin Luther,<i> </i>painted<i> </i>Matthew, Peter, Paul and John as protestant saints - in plain clothes, and with real human features such as receding hairlines and wrinkles. These paintings are larger than life and dominate the room they are in.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCW_vpPRupkmKZBe7TKfpwCMsx3VB6husLFvGHOdJ19fuB4JsHW4W9oYhAUtbDcRaAmjMtoXwRwC8gt37zO8Ju-XsRB8PBuu2FF_taLb-HeE0UPMvPCB0IdgdmkwTbuxFmgFYyVl6eya_o/s1600/P1000751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCW_vpPRupkmKZBe7TKfpwCMsx3VB6husLFvGHOdJ19fuB4JsHW4W9oYhAUtbDcRaAmjMtoXwRwC8gt37zO8Ju-XsRB8PBuu2FF_taLb-HeE0UPMvPCB0IdgdmkwTbuxFmgFYyVl6eya_o/s320/P1000751.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Raphael's <i>Madonna Tempi </i>is an example of the Italian Renaissance "pyramid" style of painting. I collect Madonna (or Mary) trinkets so was especially attracted to this artwork. I love the tenderness she shows to her baby, Jesus, in her eyes, lips and expression, and the way her hands tenderly cradle and caress his body. Pressing his cheek on his mother's, his eyes convey contentment and safety.<br />
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For me, our hour in this amazing museum passed by too quickly. There were so many more rooms and paintings that we didn't get a chance to see. I <i>never</i> thought I'd think or say those words. Thank you, Kathleen (and Rick Steves). YOLO!!<span id="goog_845070191"></span><span id="goog_845070192"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-53615755372867992392011-07-26T15:30:00.000-05:002011-08-15T01:03:41.790-05:00Bier Hall Walkabout Part 2<div class="MsoNormal">The next morning (Saturday) we had a tour of Munich with a local guide, Kathleen. After seeing Munich from the perspective of a resident, we began to appreciate more than just the city's beer halls. (See <a href="http://thewardlows.blogspot.com/2011/07/munich-walkabout.html"><b>Munich Walkabout.</b></a>) Afterwards, we continued our beer hall quest.<br />
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Our next stop was the Schneider Weisse Brauhaus, suggested by Kathleen. Schneider brews wheat beer which Tom and I both like. This cute sign hanging out front welcomed us.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu_eds0kdu-x_pYX7-Kfsp_8UECOEYUzcHb7ns-ZEejD-3wCoYABQf0awvuXxrmnxKoyuIxB0yrERfRgTGnxnBVGwQJ5JzXvIgEbd1Y4Xvt_Mq6kTYRYF9nqTB26w-VwlP7hJ-oRqvwKf/s1600/P1000765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu_eds0kdu-x_pYX7-Kfsp_8UECOEYUzcHb7ns-ZEejD-3wCoYABQf0awvuXxrmnxKoyuIxB0yrERfRgTGnxnBVGwQJ5JzXvIgEbd1Y4Xvt_Mq6kTYRYF9nqTB26w-VwlP7hJ-oRqvwKf/s320/P1000765.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">We sat across from the bar area with its numerous taps that were constantly flowing...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAkXOwzS22C1h76fkPKNyO0ChIZ5KNRmsD570M3rFIFYhGIgmvnqLyxL1CKmJlmZs8NAXai5p60z1ZxNORPAaHelOw1GWJlSxh4uWZycPWicWSd1XHEQW0Cm_h-bV2wvg8bRvn0OFCS3u/s1600/P1000766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAkXOwzS22C1h76fkPKNyO0ChIZ5KNRmsD570M3rFIFYhGIgmvnqLyxL1CKmJlmZs8NAXai5p60z1ZxNORPAaHelOw1GWJlSxh4uWZycPWicWSd1XHEQW0Cm_h-bV2wvg8bRvn0OFCS3u/s320/P1000766.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...and laughed when Tom's beer, in a bottle, came with a <i>wine</i> glass. Both beers were very good and even in the middle of the afternoon, there was a good crowd of people enjoying a variety of wheat beers. Ratings: <b>Tom</b> - Beer, 5, Atmosphere 4.<b> Devoni</b> - Beer 4, Atmosphere 4.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hs8PubRRpYm9eSP55GOoY-iVOhaoZQuITqqdcx-tx9ZeZ3Yf9BcqH5v7VTZ1LUg90f5l8NgS0x2mn21ALecpI4QTttd5fyqvRbIt8JfRGAIWkuKbTYFY2GDzLuaGPKsNyUzADCjrUofw/s1600/P1000767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hs8PubRRpYm9eSP55GOoY-iVOhaoZQuITqqdcx-tx9ZeZ3Yf9BcqH5v7VTZ1LUg90f5l8NgS0x2mn21ALecpI4QTttd5fyqvRbIt8JfRGAIWkuKbTYFY2GDzLuaGPKsNyUzADCjrUofw/s320/P1000767.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMaeRVcSHR4vqYyGQnNZ7r9B2FKnto5qSVz1jtauZfxabVkBwBYcWobzh7NXgFnhX_Ew_4jH1OB6SrGIM3iJRsWnBCAgSNdAZFZynmpOzdTR2Wbt47gTGWkYMANKnvcnuTJxj_b3WUeMD/s1600/P1000794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMaeRVcSHR4vqYyGQnNZ7r9B2FKnto5qSVz1jtauZfxabVkBwBYcWobzh7NXgFnhX_Ew_4jH1OB6SrGIM3iJRsWnBCAgSNdAZFZynmpOzdTR2Wbt47gTGWkYMANKnvcnuTJxj_b3WUeMD/s320/P1000794.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Next we went to the Paulaner Beer Hall. The inside of this large hall seemed newer or recently updated compared to the previous ones we'd been to but there was no one inside. We decided to sit outside so we could "people watch" while we enjoyed our beer and french fries. </div></div><br />
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</span></div>Ratings: <b>Tom</b> - Beer, 5, Atmosphere 3, Food, 5.<b> Devoni</b> - Beer 5, Atmosphere 3. Food, 5.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>We took a break to go to evening mass at Frauenkirche, the Gothic, twin-domed cathedral that was Pope Benedict XVI's church (where he was an archbishop) until 1982, when he left for Rome to work with Pope John Paul II. It was a startling sight to exit mass into the plaza surrounding the church to see sidewalk biergartens filled with patrons.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqSfCI-cjVBR_3q4HetMEOYP-Qu9zht9qJVNhIVxmbXwI-AWVdc9kxoPyB-N6lOozLDsNoU_0BaDlTYKy6GIuex1-0odbEV4s8KqfdjXsuoycdLTIwD0-BB02IiWsmZ6D2NxK_EVr8PCa/s1600/P1000814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqSfCI-cjVBR_3q4HetMEOYP-Qu9zht9qJVNhIVxmbXwI-AWVdc9kxoPyB-N6lOozLDsNoU_0BaDlTYKy6GIuex1-0odbEV4s8KqfdjXsuoycdLTIwD0-BB02IiWsmZ6D2NxK_EVr8PCa/s320/P1000814.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">You don't have to walk very far in Munich to find a beer. YOLO!!</div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-14470945118195881642011-07-26T14:31:00.023-05:002011-08-19T00:39:59.006-05:00Bier Hall Walkabout Part 1<div class="MsoNormal">I haven't blogged about Munich yet because, at the time, our first impression wasn't so great. Arriving late in the afternoon during rush hour to a busy city with old buildings and palaces, huge churches, traffic jams, and people everywhere was a culture shock after spending three days in peaceful and scenic Murren. But it didn't take long for us to readjust our attitudes and immerse ourselves into the Bavarian lifestyle - especially since so much of Munich's culture is centered around<i> bier (beer).</i> Since we were here, we might as well enjoy it, right? So Tom and I decided to go on a quest to find the city's best beer and beer hall. We used a point system to determine a "winner."<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">First, I need to explain the concept of a beer hall. Like most everyone, we'd heard of Munich's beer halls (and Oktoberfest) but until you actually sit down to drink one of the local beers (and perhaps eat a meal) in a beer hall, you can't truly understand what the big deal is. When you pass through the tables set up outside and enter the front door of a beer hall and start walking past tables inside, and keep walking and walking and walking, past more and more tables, and notice tables stretching out on both sides as far as your eye can see, then go out back and see even more tables, and upstairs where there are more tables, and nearly ALL of them are full of people drinking beer, well you figure our real quick what the big deal is. Bavarians <i>really</i> like their beer.<br />
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Each beer hall sells only its own brand of beers. The beer is either helles (light or blond in color, not in calories), dunkles (dark) or Radler (half lemon soda, half beer. We don't understand why anyone would mix these two, much less order one.)<br />
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And while the decor in each hall varies, they are all essentially the same - very large buildings filled with numerous tables, bar areas with constantly flowing taps, and bar maids who can carry up to six full mugs in each hand to their thirsty customers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioG18_rOFpzUG43b7elYVS8ZMmTKJDitiBkhcZo32bsiRSCfCyUyeJoqVMhp07uHEZFHNgBTTBypYhi6S247Q4mHI-NmsY9W1kh226J9F7-86qIXi9LqZBvlmRaSYwNjHm5qVnhIxTdGgt/s1600/P1000693+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioG18_rOFpzUG43b7elYVS8ZMmTKJDitiBkhcZo32bsiRSCfCyUyeJoqVMhp07uHEZFHNgBTTBypYhi6S247Q4mHI-NmsY9W1kh226J9F7-86qIXi9LqZBvlmRaSYwNjHm5qVnhIxTdGgt/s320/P1000693+%25282%2529.jpg" width="134" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-95d_QIOs1-XBxJTfGk0dQktEFe38tQ7U-iWvC82mm_aHeG7f_7Xh8N_sZafXJQ4dOCeaVELhLVWaw8v244FnTkX1HFCXXHunuXfudwacpNO1qPjktyAXJK5SfT-OMz12T25kDDOIqqM/s1600/P1000700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-95d_QIOs1-XBxJTfGk0dQktEFe38tQ7U-iWvC82mm_aHeG7f_7Xh8N_sZafXJQ4dOCeaVELhLVWaw8v244FnTkX1HFCXXHunuXfudwacpNO1qPjktyAXJK5SfT-OMz12T25kDDOIqqM/s320/P1000700.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">We began our quest during a "Welcome to Munich" group dinner at the Augustiner Bier Hall, a place many Munchners consider to be the best in town (according to things we've read). </span>We both ordered a helles, Tom a large, me a small, with our meal.<br />
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I ate liver dumpling soup and spinach dumplings...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOz6MTcHVjpNbddCTPd0OlyXlEk8MoZpfgMmFlK03cmhonU9CWCGarm06AQqX-x9iWBOmOGmKtlRiUAQSffsUmbNxqGS3kt-oy5MDhDUBweQco2PChnPyVE3khUb8dCtdSOEJoypaJSGj/s1600/P1000694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOz6MTcHVjpNbddCTPd0OlyXlEk8MoZpfgMmFlK03cmhonU9CWCGarm06AQqX-x9iWBOmOGmKtlRiUAQSffsUmbNxqGS3kt-oy5MDhDUBweQco2PChnPyVE3khUb8dCtdSOEJoypaJSGj/s200/P1000694.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
and Tom had the schnitzel (the first of many we would eat over the next week).<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">We sat outside in the "garden" and thoroughly enjoyed the beer, the food and the experience. Ratings: <b>Tom </b>- Beer, 5, Atmosphere 4, Food 4. <b>Devoni</b> - Beer 5, Atmosphere 4, Food 4. That was it for the first night. YOLO!!</div></div><br />
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</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-92111129168014899832011-07-25T03:00:00.000-05:002011-08-09T23:07:13.996-05:00Wandering with Tour Guides and Bus DriversIn a <a href="http://thewardlows.blogspot.com/2011/07/group-travel-vs-independent-traveling.html">previous post</a>, I discussed the advantages of group travel vs. independent travel. Once again, we thoroughly enjoyed a Rick Steves' tour and two of the main reasons we enjoyed our vacation so much was our guide, Tara, and our bus driver, Ronnie.<br />
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First, I must disclose that Tara has two of my dream jobs - she works in Rick Steves' Edmonds, WA office and she also guides several group tours around Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GAS) every year. I can't imagine a more interesting and fun job!<br />
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From the first night our group met, it was apparent that Tara's sense of humor, motherly nature, fondness of the Bavarian region, and intimate knowledge of GAS would combine to make our trip fun and educational.<br />
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Throughout the two weeks we traveled together Tara revealed bits and pieces of her personal and professional life with us - her 10 years living and working in Bavaria after college, meeting her future husband in Garmisch, their three-year-old daughter Poppy (named for Germany's poppies and whom she missed <i>very</i> much for the month she was away), and their current life living outside of Seattle, WA. I could go into more detail but an interview with <a href="http://www.ricksteves.com/news/tournews/guides/tara.htm">Tara</a> that I found on Rick Steves' web site captures the essence of her personality and her zest for life. (Click on her name, above.)<br />
<br />
So what does a tour guide do? Generally, they<br />
<ul><li>post a schedule of each day's activities, starting with breakfast</li>
<li>provide historical information during bus rides of places you are about to visit</li>
<li>give orientation tours of each city/town and various modes of transportation</li>
<li>arrange for local guides to conduct city tours (some countries require this) </li>
<li>suggest free time activities and good restaurants</li>
<li>take care of hotel arrangements and assignment of rooms</li>
<li>arrange and pay for group dinners</li>
<li>coordinate scheduling and locations with the bus driver</li>
<li>purchase tickets for various attractions and museums included in the tour price</li>
<li>are on call and work 24 hours a day</li>
<li>answer a gillion questions</li>
</ul><div>Tara did all this and more, but it was the extra things that she did to introduce us to the local culture and customs that made her an excellent guide to share our trip with. For instance, she started off our bus ride through the Black Forest with a box of local chocolates.</div><div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXypI9GfyzQH8xoQgL0dKcZ-4xgSvaUqz8yL21wg99eefwxcnvtN28FZRh3D1Vxb9pOFTgbAIvfzaRgjzyOBX4Qd3t-zYstEhUdLd-KHHnmhz5UPykFFZiRYjoT0rpWibBnFCsiU61eVE/s1600/P1000277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXypI9GfyzQH8xoQgL0dKcZ-4xgSvaUqz8yL21wg99eefwxcnvtN28FZRh3D1Vxb9pOFTgbAIvfzaRgjzyOBX4Qd3t-zYstEhUdLd-KHHnmhz5UPykFFZiRYjoT0rpWibBnFCsiU61eVE/s320/P1000277.JPG" width="246" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Then after lunch, she gave us German schnapps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOwQOrDsmL3awsmk74AE7z0yFcKdB_qCEj8WxLKDmrvK3M5-hOhjejUIePx_t-g9P2Ce6_ncXdQAoFj_ABo6DYVGPXfPXhmldhlYzfJ4izakXn8uflQe_QSzbynAnz-OFaGnP1NAbk_D5/s1600/P1000338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOwQOrDsmL3awsmk74AE7z0yFcKdB_qCEj8WxLKDmrvK3M5-hOhjejUIePx_t-g9P2Ce6_ncXdQAoFj_ABo6DYVGPXfPXhmldhlYzfJ4izakXn8uflQe_QSzbynAnz-OFaGnP1NAbk_D5/s320/P1000338.JPG" width="132" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyehcytyuv2f1OjSxu1-8aJ3W2_6N_I3bkdiC188MNqk5din1H5Lt_gDyfbv-weAJJn6YSXaSRh5DjvxP82SfptCdvSI5pUeHtwStMwYN4PdqlSG08HbYRd7pGfopnJVomWgzAs7UV_xK-/s1600/P1000337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyehcytyuv2f1OjSxu1-8aJ3W2_6N_I3bkdiC188MNqk5din1H5Lt_gDyfbv-weAJJn6YSXaSRh5DjvxP82SfptCdvSI5pUeHtwStMwYN4PdqlSG08HbYRd7pGfopnJVomWgzAs7UV_xK-/s320/P1000337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> (which none of us liked)...<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">...and Black Forest Cherry Cake</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQ5kWU21-u9qw7y5-FX3h7p44mi39wIpZt01_AG2JxvFPIYm9XbhBk6oAbv_BTHtkkLBBa94I9yNe2EBb1Yr3dGqu2x2UsB53VGUU9AlH114OnzxKhpdIyIl1mo9qXfm25BKKnLwAsZLR/s1600/P1000334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQ5kWU21-u9qw7y5-FX3h7p44mi39wIpZt01_AG2JxvFPIYm9XbhBk6oAbv_BTHtkkLBBa94I9yNe2EBb1Yr3dGqu2x2UsB53VGUU9AlH114OnzxKhpdIyIl1mo9qXfm25BKKnLwAsZLR/s320/P1000334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(which we all LOVED).</div></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfN1FTsPRs5fPc-oMl-T5zoVPLPCWNBXiSEKwoIG4SiJxfcuxjcC_SKXAQzW-ka4Lq5bJsr965aAf7jFdhYNuPyfPxUvGSnbnfneKbE1qRzu_l873BEMonA-GaIw9RWOMIr2T0f8H-EI5h/s1600/P1000644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfN1FTsPRs5fPc-oMl-T5zoVPLPCWNBXiSEKwoIG4SiJxfcuxjcC_SKXAQzW-ka4Lq5bJsr965aAf7jFdhYNuPyfPxUvGSnbnfneKbE1qRzu_l873BEMonA-GaIw9RWOMIr2T0f8H-EI5h/s320/P1000644.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>She entertained us with special music on the bus - Mozart and other classical artists from the region, the Beatles singing<i> She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah</i> in German (we learned from her that they actually recorded one of their early albums in German), and my favorite, <i>The Sound of Music</i> soundtrack. She gave us German stamps for postcards, Lady Bug chocolate candy, and her favorite German brands of white chocolate and cookies. She arranged a picnic lunch for us in <a href="http://thewardlows.blogspot.com/2011/07/wandering-in-bavarian-alps.html">Neuschwanstein</a> featuring local meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">And she color-coded city maps for each of us, by hand.</div><br />
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Like us, Tara enjoys hiking and on our free afternoons she always told the group which hike she was going to do and invited us to join her, which of course we did, figuring correctly she would only go on the best trails wherever we were. This is a picture of us hiking in Hallstatt, one of our favorite places.<br />
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Tara joined us at an Irish Pub in Salzburg to watch the World Cup game and taught us how to travel in the Alps on various forms of transportation. She was a lot of fun, very patient, and she made each and every person on the trip feel special. We were so fortunate to have her as our guide, and we let her know that at our <a href="http://thewardlows.blogspot.com/2011/07/so-long-farewell-auf-wiedersehen.html">farewell dinner</a>.<br />
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I can't close without mentioning the other indispensable part of our tour - our bus driver, Ronnie. I think he is from Belgium but I also heard he was Dutch - maybe he's both. We didn't get to know him as well as Tara but Tom and I learned what a great driver he is while sitting behind him on the front seats of the bus several days.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn6f3KQveltlvGUUERYNuYoNuxx43oikeSR4F6rgJHdRx6YK0xjrYz3EmeJRydmQVdmjICfv_6yno6djCDfH46Z5ojgtsk5vA0HTUe8KynajLSRqTNTeYDf8kXsgVblCu5uvK0rbIZ0RN/s1600/P1000271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn6f3KQveltlvGUUERYNuYoNuxx43oikeSR4F6rgJHdRx6YK0xjrYz3EmeJRydmQVdmjICfv_6yno6djCDfH46Z5ojgtsk5vA0HTUe8KynajLSRqTNTeYDf8kXsgVblCu5uvK0rbIZ0RN/s320/P1000271.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ronnie skillfully navigated our big bus around winding mountain roads and through narrow village streets (some of which were construction detours from the autobahn and a bit tight), grumbled under his breath (in Dutch?) sometimes (very amusing to listen to) at the bad drivers in larger cities who tried to dart in front of him or ran red lights, but he was pretty calm about the van driver who cut us off in Vienna then shot Ronnie a finger.<br />
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Ronnie used his GPS to steer us away from autobahn traffic jams and accidents and took us on scenic country roads we otherwise wouldn't have driven on. In Neuschwanstein we were all amazed as he reversed our bus, squeezing it in a narrow space between two other buses, barely turning the wheel as he parked. And he waited patiently for us wherever he dropped us off no matter how long our tour or activity was. Most important of all, he delivered us safely to all our destinations.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Unfortunately, we didn't get to give Ronnie a proper farewell as due to more road construction and one way streets in Vienna, he literally had to stop on a trolley line to quickly drop us off on a street several blocks from the hotel. We had less than a minute, it seemed, to hop off the bus, unload all the suitcases and backpacks from under the bus, and wave goodbye when a trolley pulled up behind us, honking a horn. Later I heard that after dropping us off, Ronnie was heading down to Rome to pick up another driver, and he was getting married in a few weeks - we wish him well wherever he is traveling today.<br />
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Thanks Tara and Ronnie, for a great trip! YOLO!!</div><div><br />
</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-90531743750983778022011-07-23T20:26:00.001-05:002011-07-23T20:28:58.235-05:00Food WalkaboutsI'm seriously considering changing my diet - to three huge meals a day.<br />
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Breakfasts of sliced meats, cheeses, and vegetables, sauteed mushrooms, yogurt and cereals, pastries, buttered breads and croissants, scrambled and boiled eggs, bacon and sausage, carrot/peach juice and orange/pineapple juice, and hot tea.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Lunches with various combinations of brotwurst, gyros, ghoulash, pizza, weinerschnitzel, soups and french fries.</div><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Dinners of liver dumpling soup, broccoli cheese soup, spinach dumplings, potato balls, more schnitzels and french fries, Texas spaghetti (we didn't know there was such a thing either, but had a delicious plate full of it in Salzburg), and desserts - strudels, ice cream chocolate, and crepes with whipped creme. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And BEER - lots of it. Every day. More beer than water. And not that light, low-calorie or low-carb stuff, REAL beer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlTsG6GI8Ffv4OebghVv8EErT0niLyQZMUb5BNlgCkiY3bq3FP8VS6TcIrpsknOfJ3Vr4r3vcwWLb5Iq8uBq-I6hKXl2zA8D4YpJ3Rb9BiV42V4CEgXbjGrZDzC9zhWFRo4MSeYUvPP2R/s1600/P1000331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlTsG6GI8Ffv4OebghVv8EErT0niLyQZMUb5BNlgCkiY3bq3FP8VS6TcIrpsknOfJ3Vr4r3vcwWLb5Iq8uBq-I6hKXl2zA8D4YpJ3Rb9BiV42V4CEgXbjGrZDzC9zhWFRo4MSeYUvPP2R/s320/P1000331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPO20lvdkulhJPctY0tmABRUptgE2DknIDDdZkcdAoMsv9JEuNAP545AKFYXoEVxCkL0zsHjZWmZauSkRscLBzOOSgY-f7fqvyEKn3iNVly3ciZqY6jHP_mK6HLt3_jYdYqFISE3XM-EN/s1600/P1000663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPO20lvdkulhJPctY0tmABRUptgE2DknIDDdZkcdAoMsv9JEuNAP545AKFYXoEVxCkL0zsHjZWmZauSkRscLBzOOSgY-f7fqvyEKn3iNVly3ciZqY6jHP_mK6HLt3_jYdYqFISE3XM-EN/s320/P1000663.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Seriously, after eating all this, three huge meals a day, for two weeks, we were sure we'd gained several, if not many pounds. What a delightful surprise to timidly step on the scale this morning to find neither of us had gained a pound. Perhaps the result of all those calorie burning walkabouts. Or the Baden Baden spa kur. YOLO!Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-17331484110532176472011-07-21T14:49:00.217-05:002011-08-09T22:54:33.139-05:00So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xLk3ncG37UPvPlNI4V469NDRZxUCzIEq4tLwEObsuniIkiwImUwsslvXjhEp0t2x7FqYs-_6wbE19q2bhwjoVCUgZWL8OK0bpnd_NoGDHmXyb7WCmFKSJbj8Ubc5ZiBi20wYkhElzm5u/s1600/P1010427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xLk3ncG37UPvPlNI4V469NDRZxUCzIEq4tLwEObsuniIkiwImUwsslvXjhEp0t2x7FqYs-_6wbE19q2bhwjoVCUgZWL8OK0bpnd_NoGDHmXyb7WCmFKSJbj8Ubc5ZiBi20wYkhElzm5u/s200/P1010427.JPG" width="150" /></a></div> Like all good things, our trip has come to an end. Tonight we all gathered together at a small restaurant in the old part of Vienna for our last dinner.<br />
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Surrounded by our new friends, we ate in the dimly lit, cozy basement that was carved out of walls and arches built in Roman times.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB-xnn6o-7RVvwtmwPTDQvpPcocAw2dRhbbddnkKBAkjJ7VJ7T0A9sJ8y4A-QTlNMdrX-DjR-yV9RL63ayiv1eg5QYgDdebsUUGSuf9su-FmckOqYnJOP_nC2JeirZMujqaIJTIo7DxM8/s1600/P1010423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB-xnn6o-7RVvwtmwPTDQvpPcocAw2dRhbbddnkKBAkjJ7VJ7T0A9sJ8y4A-QTlNMdrX-DjR-yV9RL63ayiv1eg5QYgDdebsUUGSuf9su-FmckOqYnJOP_nC2JeirZMujqaIJTIo7DxM8/s320/P1010423.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">It was kind of eery eating with these guys watching us...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Tara ordered a special Viennese meal for us that included tender boiled beef, special dipping sauces, vegetables, something that I would describe as a rice dumpling, and dessert.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">After dinner we all gathered around Tara to thank her for a wonderful trip. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1O5-dFftPKQggITvLkOx85pOdY0Vcx_Wr04_9u374Sp6ZZ7pWftcY6N2Zj2awx0ofCbu5c00j5OY_84r2V88XLAZbP7V1ihd-EHcWGjOM0ImChMhIuayaaBzQ2pRCPMREMxi9BmGbC6R/s1600/P1010417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1O5-dFftPKQggITvLkOx85pOdY0Vcx_Wr04_9u374Sp6ZZ7pWftcY6N2Zj2awx0ofCbu5c00j5OY_84r2V88XLAZbP7V1ihd-EHcWGjOM0ImChMhIuayaaBzQ2pRCPMREMxi9BmGbC6R/s320/P1010417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">We had noticed that she loves scarves so we found some to give her as gifts. We also gave her a lady bug Christmas ornament (or toy) for her daughter Poppy. (Lady bugs are very popular in Bavaria.)</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Then, since we were in the city where so many classical composers and musicians had performed, we serenaded her with two songs: one we had composed to the Sound of Music tune <i>My Favorite Things</i> and another that I modified from our Turkey tour, the <i>Buddy Song.</i> We sounded almost professional while singing, even though we hadn't had time to practice, and she seemed to enjoy our impromptu concert.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdrxe_r-Kdkq8umeyaB_iTAYrMF_fjJ2LTs7IQBARMse852MTyVXpFlCEz2H0lYmP7EMEa8gNO_Zc7p5t6MkqnSTmabNL6FoPyvSC78v3kFPhrz0stoOpCSvcJm_yw_n7sJ3h6hjLnmvj/s1600/IMG_3604+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdrxe_r-Kdkq8umeyaB_iTAYrMF_fjJ2LTs7IQBARMse852MTyVXpFlCEz2H0lYmP7EMEa8gNO_Zc7p5t6MkqnSTmabNL6FoPyvSC78v3kFPhrz0stoOpCSvcJm_yw_n7sJ3h6hjLnmvj/s320/IMG_3604+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are a few of the verses we sang.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alpine horn blowers and Swiss BBQ<o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Neuschwantstein Castle and Salzburg Cathedral<o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Trier’s Basilica and Munich’s beer halls,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>These are few of our favorite things. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Fast sliding luges and hiking down mountains<o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Big German breakfasts and windows with flowers,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Choosing a buddy then forgetting who they are<o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>These are a few of our favorite things. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Traffic detours, dodging cyclists, no wake-up call,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We simply remember our favorite things,</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then we don’t feel so bad.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Tara surprised us with gifts, too, a wooden tree Christmas ornament and a packet of recipes that included many of the foods we had eaten during the tour.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Finally, it was time to say good night and good bye. Tom and I have to leave our hotel in the morning at 5:30 am to catch an early flight to Frankfurt. Some of our new friends are staying on for another day then heading back to the U. S. Others are continuing their vacations - going on their own to places like Prague, Berlin, London and Paris. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As Tom and I walked through the nearly deserted streets of Vienna back to our hotel, pausing to admire the historical buildings and monuments bathed in soft, amber lights, we concluded that the whole trip had been fantastic... then began discussing options for our next Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door vacation. YOLO!!</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470819925654905247.post-64437800032454547102011-07-21T14:00:00.000-05:002011-08-10T23:29:45.472-05:00Vienna WalkaboutThe rain has followed us to Vienna. We could hear it through our opened window (no AC in our hotel) early this morning. For a moment, I was tempted to skip our four hour city walk/tour but it's our only full day here and staying in the hotel room wasn't appealing either. So off we went with our group at 8:15 am to meet our local guide, Wolfgang.<br />
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</div><div>At first glance, Vienna appears to be just another European capital with a medieval core (old town center), urban dwellers and tourists browsing in the shopping district and lingering in cafes, auto traffic, huge monuments and buildings, road construction and noise. During our walk/tour, we learned that Vienna is so much more than that.<br />
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Wolfgang shared bits of Vienna's past and present and, with light jokes about the Swiss, Germans and Italians, tried to keep our minds off the steady rain that we shielded with our umbrellas. What we most enjoyed was learning how the citizens of Vienna and Austria live <i>today</i>, not just the long ago history of the city and country. For instance, he explained why Viennese cafes are such an important part of their culture and day to day life; how the local cafe essentially becomes their living room, a place where they order and linger over a coffee and pastry, since they live in small apartments and need a place to visit and entertain. And there's no rush to move on in these cafes so the waiter/waitress can serve another customer, earn more tips. The practice of lingering is accepted, and somewhat expected. Now, that's a charming custom. Actually, we found this to be true in most of the places we ate during our trip - very little intrusion from the wait staff, and they didn't bring the bill unless we asked for it.<br />
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</div>We also learned that Vienna is a city of museums - lots of them. Art. Music. Jewels. History. Paintings. Architecture. Most are housed in huge former palaces and buildings constructed by the Habsburgs, the last monarchy to rule Austria, when the country was a giant kingdom and very powerful. Wolfgang pointed many of the museums out to us and encouraged us to go visit them, but we had so little time here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_ohHyO2F_eB47QUEL9JBgEBtGWuAwGfJAZDt_vpDsRyOUvYlr0NomztvdzVKBgUB45LSVX6ry3nKkUyvAH_zRliPymQJ7mJ2FVPYTb3ZCOv6RIc3B9CyGSQEYsTq5DYNFi2EgbIAIjxZ/s1600/P1010345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_ohHyO2F_eB47QUEL9JBgEBtGWuAwGfJAZDt_vpDsRyOUvYlr0NomztvdzVKBgUB45LSVX6ry3nKkUyvAH_zRliPymQJ7mJ2FVPYTb3ZCOv6RIc3B9CyGSQEYsTq5DYNFi2EgbIAIjxZ/s320/P1010345.JPG" width="320" /></a>He escorted us through one of the best museums, the Treasury, which was filled with priceless artifacts commissioned and collected by the Habsburgs for hundreds of years, including crowns and sceptres, ceremonial robes, Charlemagne's sabre...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDl6LsvmiXNbc3v3hJPpdgx6C8_RQpVFyKNmC_3_bZ73QCAbZBGo1tAFcCq5gmvQKiUfjvZnsGzKh_7mT96G0UlonlX64S4pI5Z3LN5tP4sFmm4l1UjGgTvEudU7xU60nNWGfoVZYqezx/s1600/P1010372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDl6LsvmiXNbc3v3hJPpdgx6C8_RQpVFyKNmC_3_bZ73QCAbZBGo1tAFcCq5gmvQKiUfjvZnsGzKh_7mT96G0UlonlX64S4pI5Z3LN5tP4sFmm4l1UjGgTvEudU7xU60nNWGfoVZYqezx/s320/P1010372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKFZKwoS5scRgpDDeU1PkHrncrqWsNHOn8Jvk25WmR8u7nfWGRzGqXjQir7gAiPICVy2KnZp_EItjOGWHbPJYHF_SGvqQJMANTgmQrXs-slG163hO4BzqVv0EGrzXXD-ev6J8DwpDa-B3/s1600/P1010379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKFZKwoS5scRgpDDeU1PkHrncrqWsNHOn8Jvk25WmR8u7nfWGRzGqXjQir7gAiPICVy2KnZp_EItjOGWHbPJYHF_SGvqQJMANTgmQrXs-slG163hO4BzqVv0EGrzXXD-ev6J8DwpDa-B3/s320/P1010379.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>....and Christian relics (including John the Baptist's tooth, wood from Jesus's manger, a part of the cross he was crucified on, and a part of the loincloth he wore at the crucifixion). Shortly after noon the tour was over, the rain had faded away, and the city came alive. We found a restaurant to have gyros for lunch, backtracked to tour a few places that piqued our interest, went back to the hotel to rest up and pack, then met our group for our farewell dinner at a nice restaurant in the old city. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisa0ZDcvoJb9k6Ge_LCYET4ThyphenhyphenQBtwXSt4JnCI2OyKhw2eJ6UN43npP0ajqPQ5LT43djP9FF0qxJbRu8vzlwVnLknW3-thF3qEXyPbVzAAqOq64g6pUIPY7oYwaFMCJ1DVObVtO8JifMwK/s1600/P1010399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisa0ZDcvoJb9k6Ge_LCYET4ThyphenhyphenQBtwXSt4JnCI2OyKhw2eJ6UN43npP0ajqPQ5LT43djP9FF0qxJbRu8vzlwVnLknW3-thF3qEXyPbVzAAqOq64g6pUIPY7oYwaFMCJ1DVObVtO8JifMwK/s320/P1010399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
Wolfgang mentioned, perhaps jokingly, that Austrians love to stand around in the cold to eat their food. He pointed this place out to us, vacant early in the morning, as an example. When we came back by in the afternoon, when it was still raining, we could see what he meant.</div><div><br />
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</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8t4edMyIOlCPw_JivitA5Rb4D2bJhdc2rBGlXB-e84BJsrGMMhNmCJBvysWGvqsDTwSMjnCNZpes7NuH6OSz0Aiux8nKAsXhODHfaMB1Jcd5lkUtnf0RWOvaJ-wuVp9wVA-WWtXJzjuEU/s1600/P1010334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8t4edMyIOlCPw_JivitA5Rb4D2bJhdc2rBGlXB-e84BJsrGMMhNmCJBvysWGvqsDTwSMjnCNZpes7NuH6OSz0Aiux8nKAsXhODHfaMB1Jcd5lkUtnf0RWOvaJ-wuVp9wVA-WWtXJzjuEU/s320/P1010334.JPG" width="240" /></a>Our first glimpse of the Gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral and its signature spiral, in the center of the city. The exterior ornateness of this cathedral reminded us somewhat of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia. The inside was just as ornate, and dark.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiyyKZU4e_kzTWxdHdwTSqyeMOJ52Hn6_0vsRIm-3Y5UsluVV5zv2_KorRbmtRXjZoSFXwY9bAyZymVxbZz0QTwnjrrOM2pkrh1SsAvQiWI57SmUVYjSah6TGRFhjQGuVeLx-bJbN4z2E/s1600/P1010408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiyyKZU4e_kzTWxdHdwTSqyeMOJ52Hn6_0vsRIm-3Y5UsluVV5zv2_KorRbmtRXjZoSFXwY9bAyZymVxbZz0QTwnjrrOM2pkrh1SsAvQiWI57SmUVYjSah6TGRFhjQGuVeLx-bJbN4z2E/s320/P1010408.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>A memorial to Pope John Paul II, inside St. Stephen's Cathedral.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmp71EXfxQ2qnzg0zjR0WOnxBzmqsW35iuqYqQ_UGUWKmjIEDUTogXw-NYRrCR1aCX7GpKyASAKL-Vh6J4ZuMRNJjDLXp7ZWIZLeHpiGt0OyuSBuhIHVkIpiYRUYKC83XgVOlpEx-kHBc/s1600/P1010431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmp71EXfxQ2qnzg0zjR0WOnxBzmqsW35iuqYqQ_UGUWKmjIEDUTogXw-NYRrCR1aCX7GpKyASAKL-Vh6J4ZuMRNJjDLXp7ZWIZLeHpiGt0OyuSBuhIHVkIpiYRUYKC83XgVOlpEx-kHBc/s320/P1010431.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After dinner, on our walk back to the hotel, we found that Vienna is even more beautiful at night. The buildings and monuments were all softly lit and just gorgeous. And when reviewing the day, we realized what we had learned most of all, from Wolfgang and our own observations during our short visit, is that the Viennese and Austrian people take time to enjoy <i>life, </i>no matter what the weather is like.<br />
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</div><div>So lesson learned, don't let a little rain spoil your day. Get out there and learn and explore and enjoy life. YOLO!!</div>Devonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831407627020444476noreply@blogger.com0