Alpine Tour 2006 - April/May 2006

We took a train from Erlangen to Passau - close to the Austrian border. As with the previous year, the first day was without major climbs. We were just trying to cover distance.

Unfortunately, later in the day, it started raining and made the last few kilometers pretty tough.


Despite being soaked after the first day, the youth hostel where we spent the night had a 'drying room' that was pretty warm where you could hang your clothes to dry out. This room was worth the cost of admission because our clothes were warm and dry the next day.

We woke up, however, to a bit of snow. Fortunately, it melted pretty quickly and the streets were clear, but it was not the scenery I was hoping for. Pretty, though...


Rene rides with orange sunglasses, and the pic below is one taken through his glasses.


After a really long day, where we rode much of the day in rain and where I almost bonked, we spent the night just at the base of this hill. It wasn't a huge climb, but there was no way I could have made it another hour or two to the next town. This would be our first real climb.

The lady at the B&B was nice, but a bit crazy.

Alpine Tour 2006 - Austria and Slovenia - April 2006

Almost as soon as our Alpine tour in Switzerland was finished, we were already talking about the 2006 Tour. We decided to go a bit farther east than last year - and hit the Julian Alps in Slovenia.

Since Rene's wife, Tanja, was pregnant and expecting in early July, we had to leave a bit earlier than the year before. Weather would be a potential issue.


Looking back, we were much too optimistic about the ground we would cover. We were wanting to get through Austria as fast as possible so that we could spend more time in Slovenia.

Regardless, we were looking forward to our week in the saddle.

Susi turns 30 - April 2006

Susi modeling the newest trends for her age group - those 30 and older.


Nice shoes!! 

American Customers in a German Biergarten - April 2006

Every year during the Hannover trade show, a number of US customers and salespeople come to the trade show, and we put on a separate program for them so they can visit our factories near Nürnberg.

Of course, there are a number of fun events, and our visitors take the most of the situation.


Here is one guy being 'fed' by one of the gals at the beer tents. He was a great sport and drank about a liter of beer in a few gulps. Not bad. He had a great time, the waitress had fun, and I got a great picture. 

Saying Hi to a New Friend - April 2006

...and now for something a bit more practical and 'family' friendly. Yes, our new car is a wagon. Much better than a minivan.

We got a Skoda. It is a Czech car, owned by VW. Definitely a great value, and we love the thing. Very well designed, and a bit more trunk space than the Cabrio.


We heard that they sell these things with carseats ;-) We have now fallen in love, gotten married, built a house, planted an apple tree, sold our convertible, and bought a station wagon...

...who knows what is now in our future ?!?

Easter 2006

With Easter coming around the corner, we decided to relive our childhood and dye some eggs. Since we hadn't done it in a while, it took us a while to remember how to do it, but in the end it turned out OK.


It was certainly a lot of fun to dye eggs again. Below, our Easter Basket. One of the differences between German and American Easter Eggs (and hard boiled eggs in general), is that the 'typical' German doesn't keep the hardboiled eggs in the fridge. They'll just sit outside for days or weeks. When you go to a gas station around easter, you'll see these hard boiled eggs that have probably been sitting for days.

For me...definitely gross. For Eva...normal.

I can't believe the Germans don't die from eating those things.


I tried to make a special dinner. So, we went to the butcher to pick up a cut of pork called Kaßler. I have no idea what that is called in English...

It took a bit longer to cook as I had planned, but I think it ended up OK. The next time, I'll try a tenderloin instead. Eva did a great job on decorating the table.

 

Views of Rome - March 2006

When you visit Rome and look at a map with the sites of the city, there are towers, churches, temples, and statues all over the place.

My favorite is still this arch just next to the Colosseum.


One of the modern day temples built by one of the rulers around the turn of the century. It is almost impossible to outdo all of the other awesome towers and temples around Rome, so he just made this huge building. It was the easiest place in Rome to spot, and it always helped us orient ourselves.

Pretty cool place, especially at night.


More cool and peaceful trees near the Via Appia.

 

Old Stones - Rome - March 2006

We were really looking forward to the trip to Rome with Eva's parents. While we are typically not 'Robotourists' that flock to big cities, Rome has a certain romantic (pun intended) feel to it.

The first day, we just sort of wandered around the city and joked about all of the 'old stones' that were just lying around. There was all of this 'old stuff' all over the place.


Some of the columns were better preserved than others. In others, you would just see a few half columns. Regardless, the views were always interesting.


The young couple with a bunch of old stones in the background. It makes us look younger, eh?


The weather was mostly sunny and dry, but it was a lot colder than we were hoping for. The winter in Erlangen had been really hard, and we were hoping for a bit of great Mediterranean sun and warmth. Regardless, it was warmer than in Erlangen.

Having taken 4 years of Latin in high school, I had heard all about the 'Appian Way'...well, during our trip, I finally got to see it. Below, is the 'beginning' of the Via Appia. Considering that it is over 2000 years old, it is in pretty good shape.

 

Santa Claus got screwed - Rome 2006

One of the fortifications outside of the Vatican. Don't ask me the name...I have it written somewhere, because I knew I would forget it.

Near the Vatican was an 'art-deco' area - in a Roman sort of way - called Trastevere. There were all sorts of street vendors selling their wares. It also had a bit of a Boulder feel. Below was an ancient Fiat with the butterflies that the artist was selling.

We stopped at a street cafe to have coffee and cake. The girs had this blood orange juice. At over 8 Euros, it was a bit pricey, but definitely tasty.

Since Uncle Charley paid for the meal as a gift, we somewhat joked that 'Uncle Charley got screwed'. The next day, we had some really expensive cake and coffee at a different cafe in the center of Rome. Since the meals that day were our gift that we Eva's parents for Christmas, we then joked that Santa Claus got screwed...

The Acropolis was very cool...kinda hard to believe that it is still standing. The dome on the main room actually has a hole in it. After Rome was destroyed, the technology to make a hole in a dome was lost for centuries...

...until they built Texas Stadium in Dallas where a hole was designed over the dome so that God could watch the Cowboys play ;-)

...ps. I'm not a Cowboys fan, but I find the story amusing.

The Vatican from the Inside - March 2006

If the Vatican is impressive from the outside, it is simply over the top impressive from the inside. Everything, first of all, looked so new. I'm not too sure how much rennovation they had done, but it was simply breathtaking.

The mosaics near the top of the dome are inexplainable. How Michelangelo and his underlings had the talent and patience to do these mosaics is incomprehensible to me - that's why, I guess, I became an engineer and not an artist ;-)


Another famous piece from Michelangelo. The nice part about being inside St. Peter's Basilica is that you can take pictures...all too often, in places where famous artwork is stored, picture taking is strictly verboten.


Another very cool part of our trip was our timing - it wasn't too long after the death of Pope John Paul II and closer to the selection of a new Pope, so the Vatican was still enveloped with sorrow and excitement.

I don't usually take pictures of gravestones or crucifixes, but the power of Pope John Paul II's connection with the people he served - especially children - was something to be cherished. A number of years before, I got to go to one of his papal masses in Denver.

I wanted to have this picture to remember a person that had so much power yet had so much love and passion for humankind - and still remained humble to the very end by asking to be buried in a wooden coffin instead of the gilded or marble coffins of his papal predecessors.

 

The Vatican - March 2006

We decided to be pseudo pilgrims ... as a non Roman Catholic (I won't bore you with the details as how an Episcopalian would fit in), I was the 'pseudo' part. Eva and her parents played the pilgrim role better...and go to the Vatican.


Just like anything else, seeing it in person versus on TV makes a big difference. There were a lot of people there, but nothing that was overboard. Below a B&W of some of the columns.


This is the view you get from TV...but at least I can say that I took this picture...


An Eva and Rob picture...I'm sure we're the only ones with this crafty pose in front of the Vatican. You can't even find the souvenir 'salespeople'.

 

Old Buildings and Stuff I can't Remember - Rome - March 2005

The other problem with Rome, outside of all the noise, traffic, and high prices, is the fact that I couldn't remember the names of all of the buildings - in German, Latin, or English.

At least the Colosseum is an easy one to spot and remember.


I had never seen the Colosseum from inside, so this was a particularly cool view. It is hard to believe that the slaves and gladiators (and Russell Crowe) actually lived, at times, below the stage.


This is one of those famous fountains that I can't remember. It was pretty, though. I new it was famous because of the vast amounts of foreign tourists.


Here are those trees again. They are just peaceful to look at - the tall skinny ones, and the ones with all the green at the top that is slightly sloped. I have no idea how old those trees actually were, but I could imagine that they were there centuries ago.

 

Boßeln - German Culture at its Peak - Feb 2006

A coworker invited me to go Boßeln (http://www.nordwestreisemagazin.de/bosseln.htm) or (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klootschieten) with some friends and coworkers. I really wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't sound very dangerous by looking at the weblink...

... until I saw the fine print on the email invite...

...and bring a bottle of schnapps...


...hmmm, throwing bocce balls in the snow with a wagon full of schnapps and beer sounded like a very interesting way to spend a Saturday. We had about 30 people with us, and towards the end, folks quit throwing the balls and just congregated around the schnapps wagon.

In this case, I thought that the best offense would be the best defense...so I brought a bottle of Jack with me. German schnapps creates havoc in my stomach. Jack is a bit more familiar - yet more dangerous for the standard German.

All in all, it was a great day, and I made it home safe.

...here's to German culture !!! 

Saying Goodbye to a Good Friend

The time had come for us to say goodbye to a good friend, Eva's VW Golf Cabrio. Eva bought it when she was in Atlanta, and was a symbol of the free and easy life, without stress, with tons of friends and spare time that she had in Atlanta.

We will both always remember our time in Hotlanta very, well, warmly (pun intended). There just seemed to be fewer worries. I guess nostalgia is like that...but our symbol of this nostalgia of Atlanta needed to be sold...


... we had to finally grow up and get something a bit more practical ...

...to be continued in a few posts... 

Valentines Day 2006

Eva surprised me on Valentine's Day with a great spinach / salmon lasagne! It was great coming home to such great smells coming from the kitchen and seeing the table all decked out with rose petals.

I had been eying the small 'Garcon' on the left at Butler's (a store sorta like Williams-Sonoma) for a while, and Eva surprised me with him as my Valentine's Day gift.