Val’s special find

Not me. I am pretty special but not in such a good way.

Gary started this yesterday – but is watching football and updating his fantasy leagues – bless him – so you are stuck with me.

Yesterday we started the day at the Imperial Treasury – in a palace once housing the Hofburgs. My crow eye for all that glitters and sparkles was rolling about every way and I flapped my crow wings in excitement and hopped all about the place. We viewed exquisite jewels, robes, crowns, scepters—trinkets as Alec calls them. We even saw a jeweled cradle and receiving blanket fitting for the coming attraction to our family, Little Yoyo.

From here we walked to the chocolate palace – Dremels – that is touted to have incredible chocolate displays – we didn’t see displays but we did see incredible pastries. The place was jammin’ and elbow-to-elbow with tourists so we went out for a sausage and Gluwein from a street vendor instead. Gluwein is a hot mulled wine drink that makes me such a jolly traveler!

We wove around the core of Vienna to the edge where we found our destination: Dominikanerkirche (dates from 1630). Of all the churches we have visited, this is the one I have fallen in love with. It is small and the outside is rather plain but the inside detail is jawdropping. After all the crowds of Vienna this was an amazing change – at most there were 10 other people inside of this church. We had time to sit and look and look and wonder. Lit a candle for Grandma Cecelia Rose.

It was hard to tear away but we left to find our way to Belvedere Palace. We took a few wrong turns but that is always part of the adventure and the more you walk, the more you get to eat! The Belvedere is another incredible museum with a large Klimt collection. If stripped of artwork the museums would still be worth viewing.

Three dessert day

Some days are just better than others and today was one of those days. Three desserts in one day and they were all low calorie. Dessert #1 was at the Sacher Tort Café. They have a famous café, hotel and cake that is simply explained as chocolate cake with some apricot jam, chocolate frosting and whipped cream. Val ordered it and I got a white hot chocolate with some sort of biscuit. They were good and the place was fancy but not too intimidating for a couple of hicks like us. Dessert #2 came at some place by Stephansdom Cathedral and mine was some sort or custard cream layered pastry thing and Val got a “apricot custard delight” both were excellent and I got a dainty cup of hot chocolate in a fancy cup.

Dessert #3 came after dinner and was something that looked like cheese cake but was made out of what we think was creamed cheese and whipped cream with a shortbread crust. It was delicious also. We walked plenty to make up for the added calories today.

On the tram ride in to town I was thinking to myself how much fun I could be if I had a ton of money. I could do this and bring friends along almost any time. Then I wondered if it would still be fun if you could do it all the time. Then I got sidetracked with the incredible beauty of the day and never got back to the question and now it seems pointless. Oh well.

The sun was out and it was brisk but not cold today. We say some incredible sights inside and out. The Albertina Museum had a impressionist display that was magnificent. All the painters I like and not too many I don’t. Can’t name them all but Monet, Manet, Chagall, Munch, Cezanne, Renoir, Degas, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Sisley and they had some cool modern art too. Then we went to Stephansdom Cathedral and it was spectacular inside and out.

We were able to visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum (great names they have over here and easy to pronounce too, aren’t they Dara?). It has lots of stuff but val wanted to see the really old paintings I hate. The building was incredible and they were getting ready to shoot some sort of movie or film. We went and looked at the Arcimboldos together then I sat down in a comfy spot and mapped out the rest of our evening. Vals was so thrilled to ditch me that she wasn’t able to make it back to me at closing. They shooed me out and as I came down the grand marble staircase with all the stage lights on and ballet dancers practicing Val was at the bottom of the stairs giggling. Mary, you should have come, you would have been able to hang around the set and meet famous people and who knows how your evening might have ended.

We went back through the downtown area and the lights of the buildings and the Christmas lights were absolutely amazing. I love that kind of stuff and was really enjoying the moment. The camera battery went out so we didn’t get any pictures but maybe we can make it back there again one of the next two nights for some photos.

At the end of the night we stopped off at what amounts to the local 7-11 with a small twist. It has a gas station and convenience store stuff but it also has a bar in it that is apparently frequented by a group of old men that I would guess are regulars. They rarely seem happy that anyone is getting gas or trying to buy some milk and complain to the one person manning the whole place. It’s kind of comedic but the whole place is a little seedy and all I am interested in is getting some milk and getting on my way without getting into a fight that Val might not be able to get me out of.

P.S. Sorry about the shitty Christmas Dara and Alec but we spent too much money on this trip to do much for you guys this year.

Merry Christmas

Sorry about missing the post yesterday. Once again Val picked up the slack. Seems like a theme is developing. How long has that been going on?

Val did leave off one observation from yesterday that we both found interesting. We came all this way, have seen incredible sights that can fill volumes of picture books but one lasting memory will be of some small child singing “Oh Taunnenbaum” (gsp) filling this tram that seemed like it was at least one block long with her youthful voice of joy. It warmed our hearts at a time when we were missing our own kids.

This morning we went out looking for an open grocery store (for some reason Val didn’t want “Eees goot meat” as she thought it might make us sick(er). As we were following the path of grocery bags to their starting point we came upon a lady with a dog. Well most of you know that part of the reason I come to Europe is because I’m not very good socially. Over here since I don’t speak the same language I can’t talk to most people so it’s somewhat acceptable. Now I can’t resist a dog so I give hand signals to the person asking if it is ok to pet. I think she says sure and start to pet the dog. She is talking to me in some language I don’t understand then I tell her I am sorry but I only speak English which doesn’t impress her much but when I say I have a dog she busts out the English and we exchange a few words while her dog licks my face. Bottom line is that I think dogs and kids speak the universal language and maybe if they were in charge we would all get along a bit better. Not sure it matters but the dog was a pit-bull and a good looking boy too Mia.

We went to Schounbroon (gsp) Palace today. Some say it is the Versailles of Austria. Not sure it reaches that level but it was spectacular and I loved the garden and the green house. Too much family history for me. I can hardly keep track of my own immediate family and these folks have lots of kids and marry them off the other countries to gain power, etc. Didn’t work so well for Marie Antoinette in this case.

Forgot to mention that I have very smugly been packing and having with me foul weather gear just in case it rained. Well when the day started it was around 55 and pretty clear so I decided to leave the stuff at the apartment (which is as nice as promised on the internet). So when we get out of the palace to tour the grounds the temp seems like it has dropped 20 degrees, it’s raining and the wind is blowing. Being from the northwest I am not going to let a little weather get in my way of a good time so we went out to tour the grounds. It was wet but not as bad as the trips with Dara, Adam and Alec. Now I will keep packing the gear and I can be sure I won’t need it.

Short story about Val and a Christmas center piece. We are walking along the street and see a Christmas center piece outside a florist shop with no price on it. I think maybe it’s free. Val goes in and asks the price. The shop owner says 15. Val says no thanks. The shop owner says he will take 10. Val give him 15 and says Merry Christmas. Now I say Val got the centerpiece for the 10 it was worth and gave the poor shop owner a 5 Christmas bonus and that is one of the many reasons I love her.

We had a great encounter on our bus ride today. Got on the right bus and came to the place we wanted to get off. For some reason the door would not open so we were standing by the door. The bus driver yells something. We thought he was saying not to go out that door but he could have been saying either Merry Christmas or YFSA’s . We went to the other door and it wouldn’t open either. The bus driver yells again this time maybe Happy New Year or AYSYFSA’s so I’m in a panic and push what I think is the stop button on the bus which turns out to also be the open the door button. We calmly get off and I am going to just assume that he was wishing us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

One last thought for this Christmas day. Viennese women should not be allowed to eat sausages in public they way they do. It truly is not fair.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Vienna - A city of wonder

Christmas Eve --Today’s blog brought to you by Val.

Gary has done an incredible job of chronicling our little journey but since I so generously shared my cold with him, he is taking the night off. I am the designated blogger.

We had an absolutely lovely train ride from Munich (Muchen) to Vienna (Wien). The train was called a Rail Jet and sped along at 200 km. There is an engine on each end of the train – they do not turn the train around on a turnstyle – the conductor just moves to the other engine and heads off in the next direction. This means all the train seats were facing backwards. I admit I was getting a bit queasy seeing where I had been.

Side note- apparently Gar isn’t as sick as he claims. He just had to interrupt and point out on the map where he wants to go tomorrow; Wienerburg. Really? Will my oldest “son” ever grow up?

After arriving it only took about 40 minutes to get our bearings, purchase tickets for the tram-rail-underground system AND find our apartment. Gary is navigating us around Europe like a pro. I can’t find my way out of a Safeway.

Another side note – I have never seen so many dead animals on women as we have during this trip. It is quite upsetting to see the Robinson rabbit friends and other little forest animals fashioned into adornments. Don’t think the ASPCA has a branch over here.

We were looking forward to stopping in some specialty shops and purchasing our Christmas dinner fixins’ but we were walking all over Wien with our mouths hanging open and lost track of time. This city is as elegant and classy as Audrey Hepburn. All the stores were closing early for Christmas Eve. We hurried down to a large outdoor market similar to Pike’s Place. Only a few stalls remained open – we went into one that offered a variety of meats and asked about turkey. The gentleman paused for a second then said, “Ya, I’ve got turkeeee.” Goes to a box and pulls out half a turkey with feathers still clinging to it and SLAMS it down on the counter. “Eees goot meat!” We are the suckers that purchased this noble bird without giving thought to one detail – an oven – we do not have an oven. Stewed turkey anyone?So today was spent on in child-like wonder strolling about Wien and visiting a Christmas Market. Our plans to attend a midnight church service are out because we are both hacking like smokers.

My lesson – Tomorrow we have six eggs, some milk, some bread, and a bottle of champagne for Christmas dinner. I feel that I am the luckiest woman in the world to be sharing this with a man that I have loved as long as I can remember. I am lucky that our kids pushed us out the door and said JUST GO! I am lucky to have the most loving and supportive family and friends. Merry Christmas every one!

Castles, Castles Everywhere

We went to see a couple of castles out by the town of Fussen today. I can’t get their names right but they were really very pretty castles done by a couple of Ludwig Kings. The later one done by Ludwig II is the one that Disney used to model their castle after. They were beautiful inside and out. Couldn’t take pictures inside so only have some from outside and those really don’t do them justice.

When we planned this trip I had specific agendas for each day. This is the first day we have actually followed that agenda. Not sure if that is good or bad but it is what it is.

A big part of today was the trip to and back from the castles. It involved getting a train ticket at the best available rate (not as easy as you might think), figuring out schedules, platforms, connections, where you should sit, etc. It may be easy for some but it stretched Val and Gary quite a bit. Happy to say we made it and are still talking to each other. One example of the difficulty. When looking for the town of Fussen there are apparently two letter u’s in the German alphabet one the regular way and one with a couple of dots over it. Use the wrong one on your search at the ticket machine and your city does not appear.

I do at this time have to offer an apology however to a whole country. I had previously made some disparaging remarks about Japanese tourist groups. Wouldn’t you know it that as life always seems to point out you should not make vast generalizations and be an asshole. We were having a bit of difficulty waiting for a bus back from the castles and this Japanese man asked me about the bus, etc. I told him I didn’t know much but thought this was the place to catch the bus. Well he finds a taxi asks us is we want to join him and then pays the whole bill. I said thanks and asked if I could take a photo of his family that I will include later. Suspect he didn’t know what he was teaching me but hope I learn it this time.

Well we should be leaving Munich and Germany tomorrow and I have a few thoughts.

Do they have any drinks that aren’t carbonated? Had carbonated water, apple juice and beer. Couldn’t find much without carbonation besides milk and they don’t keep that it in a cooler.

They have quite a bike system in Munich that includes bike lanes and even signals at intersections specifically for people on bikes. Their system seems more set up around their sidewalks than their roads. A lot of folks ride bikes and it seems not so much recreationally as just a function of getting to and from places. Lots of bike racks, etc.

Really looking forward to our trip to Vienna tomorrow.

Munich

What a day. Had things all mapped out when we left Anacortes but have had to adjust plenty. Did that today and we did it well. Basically just walked around downtown and looked at stuff. Had some idea what was there and some idea when to look for it but other than that it was pretty free form. Got tickets for the train trip to Vienna (Wien). If you haven’t been around it, it is easy to get the wrong tickets and get on the wrong train. We haven’t been around it much but hope we get it right when we go on Thursday morning. If not there are lots of cool towns around and maybe they will have a room. The train station was incredible with people coming and going.

From there we went to see the Glockenspiel(sp) at the new town hall go off at 12:00. It did and was fun to watch. Then we went up in the tower and had a good view of the town / area. Val took good photos and I hung on and stayed away from the edge. Got to see the Olympic Village even if we aren’t going to make the trip out there.

Next up was the Hofbrau House. Had lunch and a couple of beers. Both were good. I don’t particularly care for the sauerkraut I have had in the states but his stuff was good with the sausages and beer. Got a picture of a beer maid but not with full steins of beer. Best I could do as I didn’t see any carrying armloads of full beer steins and I didn’t want to stage one.

After that we went to an open air market that starts with a V and has a whole bunch of letters in it, two churches – one beautiful on the inside one beautiful on the outside. Then we walked around and looked at the outside of the Residence (a fancy palace) and the start of Englisher Garten a huge beautiful park that is too big to get around without a bike and no snow.

Planning on going to a couple of castles outside of town tomorrow if we can figure out the train and bus arrangements. If not, there is still plenty to do in Munich that will more than fill another day. Did some laundry tonight and hung close by our room.

Thought for the day for me. When we planned the trip we used Munich because it was cheap to fly to and had a castle close by. At one time we weren't even going to spend a day. It has turned out to be as good as any town I have been to in Europe as far as I'm concerned. What does that tell me?

Gars bad travel day

Rough travel day from London to our new hotel. Neither one of us slept much last night. I’m getting Val’s cold and she’s still not over it. The flight from London was delayed almost 4 hours after we got up at 4:00 am to get to the airport for the 7:15 flight. The flight finally left a little after 11:00 and we were not able to sit by each other. Maybe that was a good thing. The good news is that the flight was pretty short and we were in Munich at around 2:00 Munich time. Still plenty of time to get to our room and see a few sights.

Oh, I forgot a couple of issues. I didn’t put my man tool (micro Leatherman with scissors not pliers so my kids call it a girly tool) in my luggage so it didn’t get past inspections. Then I somehow forgot to get a map or directions to the hotel. Small mistake when you speak the language big mistake when you don’t. Had to get cash so we could use a phone since for some reason our credit card wouldn’t work in the phone like it was supposed to. Never sure how many numbers to dial on these international / local calls. Anyway it’s getting dark and we can’t find our room and I’, not sure if we are even with 10 miles of it. Val uses her cell phone and gets the place and good directions (we were close) and it all works out in the end. Val came to the rescue for me once again even if it did cost $1.50 per minute who cares at that point.

The room is a little short of what was advertised but we have stayed at worse and it was our cheapest stay.

We went to the Marianplatz Christmas Market tonight and it was spectacular. It was one of the reasons we came and it was well worth it. Hard to get good pictures but lots of lights, old buildings and good food. Val had a mulled wine and rum (she shared) and I had something that was like a deep fried potato pancake with sour creamy stuff (I shared a little). Both were delicious and the atmosphere was incredible. We tried to take some pictures but were too busy soaking it in. We will go back tomorrow night when we are a bit more rested. It was an incredible memory that will stick with me for quite some time to come.

While all that was going on little Alec got hired on fulltime with the City of Seattle. He did it all on his own and you can be assured that we are very proud of him.

So my lesson for today should have been to weather the storm and things will work out if you have patience and a great wife and wonderful children. Not sure I’m smart enough to figure that out so will probably take away something like don’t forget to put your mantool in your checked luggage. After going through all the history stuff in London I wonder if we ever really learn what we should.

I need some sleep.