Nußknacker

Italy Vacation countdown: T minus 14 days.

Note: Sidebar that is usually located on the right is at the bottom of the page, due to the size of the photos...in case you are looking for it...

Although it is still only technically fall, I have officially kicked off the Christmas season by doing my first round of Christmas shopping last weekend. I could tell you more but that might spoil the surprise for some of you. Suffice to say, I am almost completely finished. Seems I do subscribe to the theory that the early bird catches the worm.



Either way, in addition to the acquisition of many Christmas gifts during last weekend’s trip, I also learned my first German word relating to Christmas. Nußknacker translates to nutcracker, and there is an abundance of these little guys in every German shop. (Please don’t be too impressed as I still don’t speak much German; it is those translation URLs that are a lifesaver to be sure.)



The good news is that many more shopping opportunities await as the German Christmas Markets will be in full swing beginning the last weekend in November, running up to a few days before Christmas. More to come on these markets as we are slated to hit several of them including the ones in Trier, Nuremburg, Alsace (France), Cologne, and Dusseldorf….just to name a few.



There is time enough to talk all things Christmas though in the weeks to come. Still, to quote the words of Auntie Mame, “We needed a little Christmas now”.

Night Shots

Italy Vacation Countdown: T minus 15 days.

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Sometimes, I am shocked and amazed at the photos we are able to take. We succeed in spite of our lack of photography skills. So here they are: some of our night shots of our recent trip to the Bavarian town of Dinkelsbuhl. Looks a bit like Disneyland lit up at night, and yes, these are reflections of the wall and tower in the pond in the foreground of these photos.

A little night tour

Italy Vacation Countdown: Can I just say it? We are a little over 2 weeks away from 2 glorious weeks in Italy. Bring on the vacation…bring it on, bring it on! Let the countdown officially begin as we are T minus 16 days.

Yes, I know…these tours can be a bit cheesy. Still, we show up for the “night tours” in some of these small German towns. In Rothenberg, we were pleasantly surprised, as our night watchman for the evening was a total hoot. And, he gave the tour in English. And, he kept the tour entertaining, light, and fun.

Since we had a great experience with our first night tour, and there was not a lot of happening activities in the town of Dinkelsbuhl on a Saturday night, we said, “What the heck? Let’s give the tour a shot!” Thus, at 9 PM sharp, we were anxiously awaiting the night watchman to make his magical appearance.

How would I rate the guy? To be truthful, we only lasted about 5 minutes on his tour. No, that is not a good sign. Here’s the scorecard:

(1) Costume, appearance, and “character” of night watchman: A-
Rationale: He looked the part, and costume and props (lantern and staff were cool) were in keeping with the character. Small point deduction due to weak horn blowing; I could barely hear it across the street, so I am not sure that it would have signaled the townspeople during medieval times that “the enemy is approaching” or “fire, fire, fire”. Still, we were encouraged and pressed on with the tour.



Note: Is it my imagination, but does this man look a little like Waxahachie’s own Keith B.?

(2) Appropriateness for tourism: B
Rationale: Again, thumbs up for the concept and for having a tourist event in the evening. Thumbs down for language, as the tour was only in German. Granted, a large portion of the group was German, but this town is a tourist stop on the Romantic Road. We had seen tour buses all day, including many Asians and Anglos. Note to tourist bureau: Apparently, there is a reason that Rothenberg gets the lion’s share of tourists. Maybe consider getting a night watchman that can be speak something other than German? Just a suggestion. Again, we were not ready to give up on the tour just yet as it was a clear night and the entire town was well lit for night photos.

(3) Presentation: C+
Rationale: Maybe I am being too harsh. Plus, we only lasted 5 minutes on the tour so this may call into question my entire assessment. Regardless of the language spoken, you must speak loud enough for your tour group to hear. We had about 40-50 people in our group and unless you were on the front row, you would not have caught a word he was saying. Strike that: “…a word he was singing”. Yes, apparently the night watchman’s spiel was performed in song, rather than the spoken word. Points awarded for creativity, but more points deducted for lack of singing voice and volume issues. Final blow to rating: He was coughing. After each horn blow or sung verse, he proceeded to have a coughing spell. Yea, kinda spoils the whole thing. Maybe he was demonstrating that the life of a night watchman was a hard one, and in their jobs, they were prone to illness and disease?

(4) Tour guide capabilities: C
Rationale: As we left the night tour meeting point, the night watchman proceeded to lead the group single file, and in a serpentine fashion through the streets of Dinkelsbuhl, weaving in and out of cars, sidewalks, crossing the street to one side, only to immediately cross the road again to return to the other side. We just did not understand whether he was demonstrating the night watchman approach to making evening rounds, or whether it was a game of “follow the leader”. It was at this point that we jumped ship and set off for our own night tour.

Overall assessment: B- . Still not high enough to give him an hour of our time. Never fear, we caught some excellent night shots of Dinkelsbuhl that I’ll post tomorrow.

Drive to Dinkelsbuhl

Last weekend, Buddy and I decided to revisit the charming town of Dinkelsbuhl. Several reasons:

· We had driven through this town two weeks ago on a rainy Sunday afternoon…the town was too quaint not to make a return visit.

· A perfect opportunity to do much Christmas shopping in “one fell swoop”. I can’t tell you anymore, as some readers of this blog may be a beneficiary of a Christmas surprise that will otherwise be spoiled. Suffice to say, I am 90% finished with my Christmas shopping.

· It was a gorgeous fall weekend…cool fall temperatures, bright sunshine, and lots of fall foliage. It was simply too sinful to stay at home.

So, armed with GPS, a travel book and a hotel reservation, we set out for Dinkelsbuhl. Granted there was not a lot of occupy one once the shops closed, but an evening tour of the city, and an early night was just perfect, given the grueling travel schedule of the week before.

A sunny day in Dinkelsbuhl

St. Georges Minster

Dinkelsbuhl markt platz

Some of Dinkelsbuhl’s city towers

Buddy relaxing after Christmas shopping

German band playing to the crowd

Weekend Houses, the sequel

Thanks to an EDS colleague’s comment of a few days ago, a bit of trivia pertaining to these weekend houses I wrote about (blog post with pictures on Wednesday, October 12th). In his words…

“In German, these weekend houses are called "Schrebergarten"... which translates as allotment gardens and indeed, they seem to be common - not only in Germany but also in Switzerland. While it is easy to see why someone would want to be able to flee from their tiny apartments and do some gardening work, it is beyond my comprehension why anyone would enjoy one of those places by the road, railway, airport or highway.”

Thanks for that update….

Lost in Translation

DAY 24 of “Chancellor Watch”- The chancellor question has been answered. Now, Angela Merkel must build an effective coalition government. She already faces criticism from disgruntled conservatives and Social Democrats over the division of power. Schroder says he will be stepping down in a few weeks but will do what he can to support the new leadership…hmmm. With the decision now officially made, this series of Chancellor Watch draws to a close. And to think, it only took about 3½ weeks.

We saw this sign during a recent weekend trip in Germany. I must confess, something has been apparently lost in translation….I was not aware that those “walking lights” were all that problemsome. What do they do? Get up, walk away, and leave you in darkness?

Business travel…it's not that glamorous, trust me

DAY 23 of “Chancellor Watch”- Merkel prevails! She’ll lead as Schroder yields chancellorship, but her rivals will get 8 of the 14 ministries.

Thanks to those you who have sent email updates from home of late. Trust me, we love to hear what you are doing and what is going on in your corner of the world. And before another one of our friends remarks at the glamorous side of our recent travels and how their activities are not as exciting as ours, let me set the record straight...business travel is not all it’s cracked up to be.

In the past month, Buddy and I have separately traveled to Warsaw (3 times), London, Bristol, Paris, Chicago and multiple times to various German cities, including Frankfurt, Hanover, Hamburg, and Munich. In all those times, our extent of sightseeing has included the inside of taxis, airplanes, and trains, and visits to such exciting places as client data rooms, conference rooms, and suburbs of great cities, like Northfield, Illinois. Woo-hoo! Besides, my idea of sightseeing in London and Paris involves more than shopping at the duty-free shops at the airport.

Often, this travel means getting up before 5 AM to catch planes or trains, attending day long client meetings followed by the inevitable client dinners, and then playing catch up with email in the hotel room until after midnight. Then, there are those pesky flight connections. Finally, Buddy and I’s set of recent business trips have not even coincided, so we have been a bit of ships passing in the night.

Don’t get me wrong, we are enjoying the work. I just don’t want to leave the false impression that our travel of late has been that exciting. Apart from the language differences and better duty-free options, it could easily be D/FW airport.

Still, I can get onboard (no pun intended) with the accumulation of frequent flyer miles and hotel frequent stay points….

Weekend Houses

DAY 22 of “Chancellor Watch”- Germany's conservative leader Angela Merkel has announced that she will be the country's next chancellor at the head of a coalition government. This marks the first time a woman has held the post. Merkel said she had reached a power-sharing deal with outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. As the part of the agreement, most of the seats in Merkel's new cabinet will go to Schroeder's Social Democratic party, including top jobs such as the foreign minister's post. The deal ends weeks of deadlock and paves the way for formal coalition talks between Merkel's conservative CDU and Schroeder's SPD parties.

Every time I am running along the Rhein or Buddy and I take a trip by car or train, we see these houses. Actually, that is not quite the correct term. These structures look like nothing more than tool sheds with an Alpine theme. They are usually neatly maintained, and always have little gardens surrounding them. And, there are usually several of them clustered together (5 -20 at any one time) along railroad tracks, along river banks, or other areas that are not necessarily ideal for residential or business use.

At first, we only saw these buildings clustered together along railroad tracks. Our first thought was “Is this the German equivalent of shanty town”? Yet, the buildings were often nicer than not, and the flower gardens were quite elaborate.

Later, we were told these buildings were the homes of workers employed by the Deutsche Bahn (German Rail Company). The close proximity to rail lines allowed them to easily get to and from work. Yea…then I really want that job…living in a house the size of a cracker box. We soon realized somebody was pulling our leg because we saw these same buildings along the sides of highways and along the various German rivers.

What gives? We had no clue as to what these buildings were, what they were used for, and why they existed. Finally, someone set the record straight. Before I share this revelation with you, here are a few photos to give you a visual of what I am trying to describe.







OK, these are weekend houses! They are little buildings that have some basic utilities (some have electricity while some do not, none supposedly have toilets), but people are supposedly not allowed to sleep in them overnight (or so we have been told). The Germans keep these little plots of land for weekend get-a-ways outside of apartment life, to do a little gardening, to enjoy the great outdoors, etc. I guess when most Germans live in apartments, the need to get out and feel the dirt and plants between your fingers can become quite great. As we’ve traveled around Germany (and a few other countries as well), we’ve seen many people working their little plots of land. I guess for many Americans with "big ole yards", gardening and lawnwork is something we just take for granted as a necessary chore, rather than a hobby to enjoy.

DAY 21 of “Chancellor Watch”- German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his conservative rival Angela Merkel have scheduled another round of talks on who should be leader for Monday, prolonging the country's political stalemate.

The last day of our Romantic Road three-day weekend was really our most favorite! Since our travels had taken us about 4 hours south of Dusseldorf, and yes, work and that pesky trip to Chicago was beckoning the following day, we decided to head back home shortly after breakfast. We also got an early start with the intention of seeing several of the smaller villages tucked along the scenic drive throughout Bavaria.

Well, we only got so far, because one of our first few stops was in a town called Dinkelsbuhl. Surprisingly, we found this town to be as charming as Rothenberg without all the tourism and tourist hordes. Granted it was still raining and had turned rather cold, but we fell in love with this little place. Don't you love it when you unexpectantly stumble onto a jewel in the rough? Thoroughly enjoy a movie you knew nothing about? Eat at a restaurant that you just wandered into with no preconceived ideas? Well, this was the reaction we had to Dinkelsbuhl.

Interestingly enough, Dinkelsbuhl was not destroyed during WWII so its buildings, churches, and medieval city walls, towers, and gates are not only well preserved but were never in need of restoration. So, everything is original. Here are some photos from the day.

Dinkelsbuhl's charming houses on Wein Strasse.




Buddy in front of one of 11 fortress wall towers in Dinkelsbuhl.




Dinkelsbuhl city wall and towers.




Holly on the streets of Dinkelsbuhl.




Another view of Dinkelsbuhl city wall and towers.




Buddy taking a tour of Dinkelsbuhl.




Dinkesbuhl has its entire city wall intact, over 11 towers and city gates and over 600 ponds. Holly showcases all of these in this photo…



We enjoyed the visit so much that we are headed back this weekend for another look-see….

Romantic Road – Rothenberg from A to Z

DAY 21 of “Chancellor Watch” – No real updates on this Sunday, but news sources are still saying that negotiations are taking place and that Merkel may emerge as Chancellor after the dust settles.

Normally, I would not encourage anyone to consider touring much on Sundays in Germany IF you want to combine any shopping with significant tourist activities. Often, stores will be closed and/or major tourist sights not open, as is the German way on Sundays. However, city fathers understand the tourism concept as it is alive and well in Rothenberg; ths, Sundays can be productive sightseeing opportunities in this little town.

Our second day in Rothenberg included a walking tour of the town during daylight hours, a 5.5 kilometer walk along the city wall that is totally sheltered by a roof (and the perfect way to walk around ¾ of the city on a rainy day…yes, it was STILL raining), and the first Christmas shopping of the season. Best meal of the trip was had at a little restaurant just a brief walk from the inn. Simple fare that included brat, sauerkraut, and potatoes. (Joe G.: you are going to love German food)! Yum.

Rather than describe the day, let these pictures provide the story…OK, visitors from Texas…we are ready for you…this is a place you MUST see.

A timbered house in Rothenberg.




The streets of Rothenberg-ob-de-Tauber








Buddy walking along the city wall.




One of Rothenberg’s city gates. Over 2/3s of the covered city wall is still intact.




A view of Rothenberg from the covered walkway of the city gate. A foggy day but a cool shot we think!




Rothenberg markt platz, Rathaus, and tourist carriage.




Another view of Rothenberg from the top of the Rathaus. Buddy ascended for the shot; Holly is shopping.




Holly goes Christmas shopping; pics of some of the store windows:






St. Jakobs Church, Rothenberg.






Holly walking the city of Rothenberg-ob-de-Tauber




A Rothenberg city landscape; castle gardens in the distance.

Romantic Road – Arrival in Rothenberg

DAY 19 of “Chancellor Watch” – Coalition talks between Germany's socialist SPD and conservative CDU ended on Thursday in Berlin with a statement that a final decision on the chancellorship could be announced on Sunday.

DAY 20 of “Chancellor Watch” – German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder denied that he was making a swan song foreign trip as head of Germany's government after meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg.

Day 2 of the Romantic Road found us arriving in Rothenberg, a town that is world renowned as THE town to see on the Romantic Road. It’s not as if there is any one thing special to see. Rather, it is the combination of everything in this Bavarian village that makes it so quaint. Generally speaking, there are lots of German timbered houses, cobblestone streets, medieval city walls and tower gates.

While about 40% of Rothenberg was destroyed during WWII, this village has been lovingly restored and is an absolute delight. And the city fathers TOTALLY understand the tourism game, which is evident in the tourist activities that are available, information developed for all languages, and stores and restaurants that are open late into the evenings, Sundays, and holidays. Seems the people of Rothenberg have a special dispensation that allows them to keep shops open for tourists. “If you build it, they will come.” And we did….

Stop Number 1: We checked into our charming and extremely well-located inn. We knew we were off to a good start, even with the rain showers that had followed us the entire day.

Stop Number 2: Arriving in Rothenberg early in the evening, our order of business was to find some grub. Our restaurant of choice was nothing more that the German equivalent of the US small town cafe. The food was great and portion sizes were huge, the service was efficient and friendly, the price was just right, and the place was packed. Always a good sign.

Stop Number 3: After dinner, we joined an evening tour of the “Rothenberg’s Night Watchman’s Tour. Normally, these types of things can be a bit cheesy, but hey, I was game to check it out as it had been highly recommended by the inn’s staff. So, Buddy and I, along with 50+ people, toured the town of Rothenberg in full rain and drizzle for about an hour. The dude playing the role of the night watchman was totally into the role and had a great sense of humor, so we gave it a “thumbs-up”.

One of the highlights was watching the market square clock as it struck a new hour and seeing the life-size puppets that told the story of the city of Rothenberg being saved during the Middle Ages. Just thing cuckoo clock concept, with marionettes pooping out of third story windows every hour on the hour.

Romantic Road - Wurtzburg

DAY 18 of “Chancellor Watch” – Germans still waiting for a new -- or old -- chancellor were left hanging once again when party leaders announced that any deal as to whome will lead Germany would not be completed before the weekend.

Well, I know the Romantic Road trip report is a long time coming but work has been crazy this week. Yea, was that trip just 3-4 days ago?

First, let me say that the reputation of Bavaria definitely lives up to its billing. As Buddy and I headed south last Friday evening, we made our first stop on the Romantic Road in Wurzburg. Technically, this city is the first and most northern stop on this famous tourist travel route. After a four hour drive to Wurzburg on Friday PM (a one hour traffic jam on the autobahn extended our journey just a bit), Buddy and I had dinner in a restaurant that opened its doors in 1415 and bunked at a local inn. While the inn was certainly no frills, it was clean and a convenient first night stop.



The Marienberg Fortress.



A view of Wurzburg from the Marienberg Fortress.

Saturday morning included a tour of the Residenz (famous palace), the Marienberg Fortress, Alte Brucke, and Markt Platz. It was a very rainy day, and extremely foggy as you will see from the pictures…something out of a German fairy tale. Supposedly, the creme de al crème of the city is the Residenz, an expansive barogue palace known for its super-sized Tiepolo mural painted on its staircase ceiling. Yes, the palace is amazing, but true to form, our streak of touring major sites that are undergoing significant renovation is intact. The mural was almost entirely covered with scaffolding and obscured most of the famous view.



The Residenz.



The Chapel in the Residenz.

Tomorrow...Rothenberg recap (for more pictures, check out the photo link on the right hand side of the website).

German wins nobel prize

On a separate note: German physicist Theodor W. Hänsch said he was overwhelmed by winning the 2005 Nobel Physics Prize but admitted he had long believed his work was worthy of such an honor. Not only smart but modest, too…