Wanted: Dead or Alive

So, now I'm a criminal in two European countries! I have my outstanding driving infractions in Italy and now, according to the police, I'm a criminal in Munich as well. When we first arrived in Munich, we bought a partner one-day transit pass from someone who had bought it to travel out to the airport. So we paid half the price, 10 euros, and used it to travel into town. So, of course, when we had to return to the airport ourselves, we thought we'd do the same. So, once we got out to the airport and checked in for our flight to Berlin, I hung out by the ticket machines looking for someone to buy our day pass so we could recoup some of our costs. I actually had to hang out for a while and was quite relieved to finally find a buyer. As soon as the  money exchanged hands, two plainclothes police approached, told me I was a criminal and pulled me and the poor couple who'd bought my ticket aside. They were extremely scary and in the end they let me off with a warning. I had to give the people back the 10 euros and they confiscated my ticket. I did work up the nerve to ask for their ID (and one cop said, "What do you think I am, an idiot?"). Surprisingly, I kept my tongue and didn't say yes.

So, Berlin. It's very different from Munich. It is shabbier and dirtier - took a bit of getting used to. But, it's history is so fascinating! And, of course, the main focus is more recent history, that of WW II and the Cold War. Life in that time frame would have been unimagineable. Berlin had the shit kicked out of it in WW II. Much of the city was bombed including its famous sites. The reconstruction of Berlin is extremely impressive as the united German government has worked very hard to restore the city. In doing so, it has racked up a huge debt. The city is a mishmash of styles since most of the building has happend in the last 20 years. I hadn't realized, but most of what I knew about Berlin such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Wall, the Reichstag, etc., are all in what was East Berlin. Our flat is in East Berlin and most of our time has been spent in the Eastern sector.

We spent the first day here just walking around and getting oriented to the place. We actually covered quite a bit of ground but without our own personal guides (which we had become accustomed to.....) half the time we didn't have a clue as to what we were looking at!! So, day 2 was spent on a 4 1/2 hr bike tour with a company called Fat Tire Bike Tours. We had a Canadian guide from Calgary and a hot, sunny day. Covered 10 lazy kms and most of the main sites of the city - a great way to get an introduction. Day 3, today, we were on our own again spending a good chunk of the morning at the Topography of Terror Museum which details the Third Reich.

Tomorrow is our last day and we plan on spoiling ourselves by not walking miles and miles. We do plan on going to the German History Museum and are still considering a side trip to Potsdam. Then, bright and early on Friday morning we will begin our journey home.

It has been a wonderful trip and we were blessed with terrific weather for much of the time. We've soaked up scads of knowledge and tasted countless excellent beers. Paul, I wish I could have bought (stolen?) all the mugs for you but, unfortunately, they aren't easy things to transport. Plus, with my current run of luck, I would have been caught and arrested for theft! Mark, thanks for the offer of the vacuuming. I accept! Make sure there is milk in the house! Daniel, rock Cape Town!

Love to all. Get ready to be awed and amazed by our pictures and accompanying commentary!! The pictures we're posting today are: the Reichstage (German parliament); the Brandenburg Gate (listen to David Hasselhof sing there); our travel gnome, Pinocchio, at the remains of the Berlin Wall, Rhonda at the awesome memorial to the Jewish victims of the war; and Checkpoint Charlie.

Rhonda and Laura

We Are Princesses of the World!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO OUR MOTHERS!! We are thinking of you and appreciating so much your love and support over the years. Thank you.

The weather has warmed up and we've had sun and heat. It has been beautiful and was perfect for our short side trip to Salzburg. What an enchanting city. It's surrounded by the Alps and is centered around a fortress built on a hill. Visually, it is striking. We stayed in a family-owned hotel conveniently located between the city centre and the train station. We spent our first afternoon wandering around the old town (but not climbing up to the fortress). We poked into shops, a cemetery, an exhibition on the making of the Sound of Music, a beautiful garden and finished off our day in the biergarten of a local brewery. It was massive and we can't even begin to imagine the amount of beer that must be consumed there. In these beer gardens, we are ordering our beers in the 1 L size! So, when we say we had one beer you know what we mean..... The second day, we took a lift up the Mönchsberg which is the hill the fortress, the Festung Hohensalzburg, is built on. The top of the hill affords a view of the Alps and the city on all sides. It was glorious and quiet up there. We are really impressed by the large green spaces both here and in Munich.Then, we treated ourselves to a full afternoon in the Alps. We bussed 45 mins out of the city and took a cable car up the Untersberg, a height of 1853 m. The view was absolutely stunning! We wandered around the peak of the mountain and then sat (with a beer, of course!) soaking up the sun and the splendour of our surroundings. We almost didn't want to come down but we had a train to Munich to catch.

Yesterday, we walked along the banks of the Isar, the river that runs through Munich. We started near the zoo and walked maybe 4 K into the centre of town. We certainly witnessed a slice of Bavarian life! Since the weather was so fabulous and it was a weekend, the citizens of Munich were out in full force. The river was lined with families, young people and old couples who were picnicing, swimming in the shallow river, BBQing, and sunbathing. Many people sunbathe in the nude. It's not sexual at all. It's just the way it is and it's fascinating because it's so different from the stuffy Canadians! We ended up back in the centre of the old town at an outdoor market and then Marienplatz. The whole area was teeming with tourists and 20 somethings enjoying the biergartens which were doing a booming business. When a couple get married here, they have a stag and bachelorette party where they may have to dress up and do crazy things like sell condoms in the square. We witnessed several groups of young people doing this. Returned to Steffi's for a farewell BBQ. The one younger neighbour couple joined us as well as Steffi's dad and his wife. Enjoyed a fire in the firepit and fell happily into bed after midnight.

This morning, we bid a fond farewell to Steffi as she left on a 2 wk business trip to Italy. We plan on spending the afternoon downtown at the Pinakotek, one of the most important art galleries in the world. We then see Ines one final time for dinner and tomorrow we leave for Berlin.

So, the pictures we're posting are of: nudist sunbathers; young guys in the biergarten getting drunk and dressed up like red-headed hula girls (stag party?); the city of Salzburg looking up to the fortress from a garden; and a hazy view from the top of the Alps. I haven't edited that last picture to sharpen up the image but at least you'll get an idea of how breathtaking it was!

Hi to you all (family, friends and workmates). We arrive home Friday dinner time. We will no longer have access to our own computer but will probably blog one final time in Berlin from an Internet Cafe.

Daniel, have a fabulous final week on your tour. Crossing that finish line will be an experience in itself. Well done!!

love,

Rhonda and Laura

The Many Sides of Munich

Three days have just whizzed by. It's 10 pm and we are bushed. We leave on the train in the morning for Salzburg, Austria, birthplace of Mozart and the city where the Sound of Music was filmed.

But first, things I have to write down before I forget: we have now stayed in two Munich apartments. When you rent an apartment, it comes without anything, and when I say anything I mean kitchen cupboards, closets, stuff like that! You have to put that in yourself and you take them with you when you go; the z and the y are reversed on the German keyboard and it's driving me nuts; the city is very dog friendly; and the cafes put blankets outside on the patio chairs to keep you warm.

We have now spent two days walking kms around the city and one full day at the memorial at Dachau concentration camp. Dachau is heart rending. I constantly marvel at the terrible things that man does to his fellow man.The old part of the city is charming in the way that only historical European cities can be. But there is also a very modern side to Munich. It is the centre of the arts here and one sees sculpures scattered throughout the city. There are loads of museums but we haven't actually gone into any yet. Hopefully this weekend. There are many large green spaces. Right in the middle of the city is a huge park, English Gardens, that is larger than Central Park in NYC. Rhonda and I ate our lunch there today. And churches, so many churches of all styles - Baroque, Roccoco. There are architectural wonders built for the large businesses such as Mercedes and BMW. We see many signs of wealth such as the stores, the cars, etc. And, we were impressed by the ingeniousness of the design of the 1972 Olympic site.

We have now seen my cousin's daughter Emily and her brand new husband, Jarno. Had dinner together and then I got to see their apartment in the university area of the city.

Will close with a few pictures: the interior of my favourite church, the Olympic park, a view of the old centre from a tower and the ovens at Dachau.

What about those elections results! We would never have anticipated a Conservative majority. I, for one, am not pleased but will be very interested to see what Layton does is the Opposition.

Weather has been cool but not rainy. It's supposed to warm up for the weekend.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye,
Rhonda and Laura

Party Time!

We have arrived in Munich and we have to admit that we haven't done a heck of a lot of sightseeing since we last posted. Rather, it's been a time of making new friends and catching up with old ones. What a ride!

Last day in the Czech Republic was spent packing up to leave, running kms to pick up gifts we had seen before but not bought and still wanted (we know, we know....), saying farewell to Rod, taking the metro back out to Unhost to pick up our car, and spending several hours trying to match our new friend, Marta, who is 80, drink for drink! There wasn't time to go anywhere around Unhost so we'd decided just to take Vic out for a beer to say thanks. Marta pulled up unexpectedly so now there were five! Terrific surprise. So, we started with a beer and an absynthe at the local bar. (picture) Then, we retired back to Vic's house supposedly just to get rid of our beer before getting into the car. A shot of slivovich (spelling?), a shot of rye, a shot of something else (?), a shot of a creamy liquer and a glass of a fizzy beer later, we managed to pour ourselves into the car to leave. When I say we, I mean Rhonda and me. Thanks goodness for our DD, Ines! Vic urged us to stay overnight but we pressed on. A big thanks and a hug and kiss to Vic and Marta for their wonderful friendliness and for looking after the girls from Canada.

So, next day the transfer was made from Ines' apartment to Steffi's apartment. They´only live one S bahn stop apart. Steffi and Alex picked us up at 2 pm and said they were taking us back for a brei (African for BBQ). It's a long story but the short of it is that Steffi also has a house which she is going to renovate and move into by Christmas. You can see her house from her apartment. It has a big backyard so that is where we were going to BBQ. We walked into the house and it was set up for a big drinking party (picture). Rhonda and I couldn't imagine the 4 of us drinking all that booze (yes, even we weren't up to the task). But, HUGE and FABULOUS surprise, who should walk in but Ollie and Dani, the other German couple I had met on my trip to South Africa!! And, in order to avoid complaints from the neighbours about our revelry, the neighbours had been invited so we had 13 people in all. Many happy hours later, we fell into bed.

Yesterday, Alex, Steffi and Ollie and Dani and Rhonda and I did go to walk the beautiful grounds of the Summer Palace built by King Ludwig II (the same king as the other castle we had visited - sorry, got his name wrong last time). The palace, Nymphenburg, currently houses the Museum of Nature as well as being open to the public as a tourist attraction in itself.(picture) The grounds are huge with a botanical garden, a cafe, a lake filled with geese and ducks and kilometers of walking paths. From there, we retired to a local cafe for a final coffee before we waved a very fond farewell to Ollie and Dani. (picture) We look forward to keeping in touch on their future which will soon include a home they are building and a baby.

Back to Steffi's for another walk in her neighbourhood which seems more like a village than a city. Right next to her building, is a large area where people can buy a plot to garden. Although we have this even in Ottawa, as Rhonda and I walked around, we discovered that the Germans have taken it to another level. What they appear to do is buy a backyard! From what we could see, they have a small building and a piece of land that they use to have BBQs, play structures garden, etc. Kind of neat!

Today, we're gearing up into tourist mode and plan on spending the whole day doing a walking tour through the Old Town. Alex will join us in the early afternoon.

Hello to our family and friends! Kisses to my 3 boys. Until next time!

Rhonda and Laura

Leaving Prague

Rhonda and I did make it back to the Jewish Cemetery and the various synagogues around it. The cemetery is famous for several reasons: one of course, is its age; the other is that due to very limited space, bodies had to be buried one on top of the other so there are several layers deep. Consequently, the headstones are packed closely together (picture).

We then spent a half day on the top of the hill in Prague with Marta Pinke, a lovely woman we have met through Vic whom we met through Delma! Anyway, she accompanied us up the funicular (cable car) where we were afforded a terrific view of the city. We walked back down stopping part way to enjoy a beer and the scenery before us. Ines took the cable car back down the hill and had to pay a 20 euro bribe because she hadn't validated her ticket. When Marta found out, she marched right back and confronted the man and shamed him into giving it back to Ines! Stopped in the church St Thomas to view the baby Jesus of Prague which was a gift from the Spaniards. Marta took us to her lovely flat and fed us a terrific dinner. She invited Rod as well so we had a lively evening of conversation.

Yesterday, we took a full-day tour 2 1/2 hrs outside of Prague to Cesky Krumlov, a medieval town with a castle and charming village. Our two pictures of it show you the view from the castle of the town and from the town of the castle! It was picturesque and the drive through the countryside of South bohemia was beautiful. Cesky Krumlov is a Unesco heritage site and dates back to the 13th century.

Arrived home to a very late, and delicious, dinner at a restaurant close to our flat. Today, we have to pack up and leave. Rod's stopping by for a quickie visit in the am. Then, Rhonda and I are doing all our last minute shopping. Paul, I can't promise you absinthe (very pricey) but I'll try to at least get you a single serving taste! Then, it's back out to Unhost where Vic is going to give us a tour.

All is well. Weather has been pretty cooperative with some cloud and little rain. Perfect for sightseeing. Sounds better than what most of you are experiencing! We are eager to see news of the Royal wedding.

You'll hear of us from Munich next.

Love you all,
Rhonda, Ines and Laura

Rain, rain, go away!

Prague is an incredibly beautiful and historic city. Coming from baby Canada is always amazes me the sheer age of other places. We have been enjoying the city and its people immensely but the weather has been less than cooperative. The day we arrived it was warm and gorgeous but since then it has turned cool and wet. We haven't let it stop us though! We wish we'd brought a pedometer so we could log our steps!

On Monday, Rod wasn't working so he, and eventually his two kids Andrej and Nikola, joined us on a walking tour of the old city. We walked across the Charles bridge built in 1357 by Charles IV; wandered around St Vitus's Cathedral and Prague Castle; meandered through the windy streets (and I mean windy - I don't think there are any straight streets to be found here) lined with colourful, etched and be-statued buildings; ate a picnic lunch in Kampa with two winos dining at the next bench; walked past a wall dedicated to John Lennon after his death (picture) which people are continually changing and adding to; visited the moving memorial to the victims of communism (picture); tried not to break a leg on the cobblestones; and sampled local delicacies. It was an informative, fascinating and exhausting day. It ended with Rod cooking us dinner in his studio apartment at the top of an apartment building in a charming part of the city.

Today, Ines took a break so Rhonda and I walked miles yet again. First we went to visit the Jewish Cemetary and area of old Prague but it was closed so we have to return tomorrow. We then booked a day tour for Thursday to Ceskykrumlov, a Unesco World Site about 2 1/2 hrs outside of Prague. It's supposed to be magical. Passed by the magnificent National Theatre and entered a different section of town to go to the City of Prague Museum. It was a small and not very significant museum but for one thing - a miniature replica of the city in the late 1700's in complete accuracy and detail. Only about 50% of those buildings survive today. Joined Rod and his "ex-pat" friends for Tuesday night beers where we were regaled by their stories of how they came to Prague and ended up staying. It's tempting to say the least!

It's late and my travel companions are long asleep. So I bid you all goodnight. Still no email access for me by the way! It keeps telling me my name and/or password are wrong which they aren't so I can't figure it out.

Hope all is well with you.

love to all,

Rhonda, Laura and Ines

Czech Point

Finally, with Rod's help, we have accessed the blog! So much to catch up on and so little time!

First, our flight. It was easy, fast and uneventful. Thanks for the lift out, Don! We tried to sleep but only fitfully. Air Canada surprised us by actually providing food, pillow, a blankie and earphones. Arrived safely and conquered the S bahn.  Found our way to Ines' apartment and spent the rest of the day catching up.  We walked around her neighbourhood, visited her school and stopped at a local "biergarten".  Guess which stop was the most enjoyable????  (yes, finally, Laura is letting me type)  We were tired by the time 11 pm rolled around as we had very little sleep. Those 10 beers really hit us hard.  So, sweet dreams in Munich the first night.  Great to see and meet Ines.

Our first morning we took our time to get a few errands out of the way.  Walked to pick up the rental car.  You will all be jealous.  With all of the German varieties to choose from, we are driving a Ford Focus Wagon.  Yes, you read that right.  We picked up Alex on the street corner (a friend of Laura's that she met in South Africa), and drove through the country side to the foot hills of the Alps.  Final destination, Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most famous sites in Bavaria.  It was built 120 years ago by King Leopold II and it is the castle that Disney based their Castle on.  The physical surroundings are beautiful.  We will attach a picture for you to see for yourself.  However, pictures do not do it justice.  Once we toured the castle, we drove back and stopped in at a local restaurant to sample their cuisine.  Rhonda passed on the hare (only because it was Easter...so wrong) but Laura tried venison goulash.  We washed it all down with a local beverage.  (use your imagination)  Then, finished the drive back to Munich, first dropping Alex off where we found her, back on the bench.  It was wonderful to see her again.  She may (or may not) be anxious to see us again next weekend.  Stay tuned to find out.

Today...a little late start to the day.  We drove from Munich to Unhost (just outside Prague), where we parked the rental in the garage at a friend's home.  Vic, the homeowner, was gracious enough to allow us to use the garage for our time in Prague.  Rumour has it that parking rates are outrageous.  He then packed us, and our luggage, into his teenie tiny little vehicle, for the drive to the metro.  Rod met us at our stop and guided us to our rental flat, where we were happy to drop our bags.  We left the flat for dinner and to explore the city.  We enjoyed a typical Czech meal and had some great conversations.  We then took a speedy walking tour to Wensceslas Square, the scene of the uprising in 1989.  (The Velvet Revolution)

Tomorrow, Rod will meet us in the morning and we will tackle a complete walkthrough of historic downtown Prague.  Until then.

na zdraví

Rhonda and Laura