Tante Irmi is my 80+ year old Great Aunt - the youngest sister of my mother's father - with whom my parents have had a long-standing friendship with over the past decades. She is also the only relative besides my parents who attended my wedding in 2000. She is a sweet, upbeat lady with a very generous warm heart. After initiating the express renewal of my expired passport (details, details...) and an hour-long bike ride on memory lane (through my "home" village, to my school, and back through familiar neighborhoods from my childhood), we drove to Lübeck, a wonderful, georgeous city about 45 minutes north east of Hamburg that was spared by the bombs of world war 2 (because some genius british person had the brilliant idea to make Lübeck downtown the location of their hospital). We picked up Tante Irmi in her 460 sq.ft. appartment (1 bedroom, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom, 1 living room, 1 hallway) in which she has lived, like, forever (the 60s?). I did take some pictures, so they'll be available to some of you eventually.
We then drove to Travemünde or "Travemouth" / mouth of the river trave as English speakers would call it. It's a quaint tourist town at the south-most end of what was before the fall of East Germany considered the beginning of the German baltic sea beachfront. We went for a little stroll until it was 3 PM and then took the elevator up to the 35th floor of the Maritim hotel to go for a nice coffee and cake (and, of course, a nice view). Needless to day, by the way, that since I arrived the weather has been absolutely georgeous - blue, sunny skies, temperatures in the 70s and 80s and always a nice breeze. The view was nice although my dad insisted we sit down at the table facing the harbour...granted the most scenic view, but also the one facing south (and they did *not* have an engineered overhang for shading.... I had a long-wished for piece of that to-die-for Marzipan-Walnut cake and Tante Irmi had a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte of which I took a picture to show Sarah so we both know what the "boring" version of this famous "black forest cherry cake/torte" is supposed to look like (Sarah's version, a cake weighing at least 10 pounds and tasting better than anything I've ever had anyone make me, was much better (and it had yummy strawberries instead of cherries)). Then we went for a nice walk again and visited Sand World by taking a little ferry across the Trave's mouth into the Baltic Sea onto a peninsula called Priwall where I spent many a fine summer day with my parents. Sand World wasn't as impressive, but it was still amazing and quite incredible to see the amount of detail the artists were able to convey with this very interesting "medium". Next stop on our lovely afternoon was the famous Cafe Niederegger, with Niederegger being the world's most famous manufacturer of Marzipan, a sweet paste made from almonds and other secret ingredients. I had quite the impressive ice cream dish with marzipan ice cream, nougat ice cream, egg liqueur, cream, nuts, etc. When I ordered an "Ice Tea" I got just that: a cold lemon tea...with a scoop of lemon icecream floating in it. After our leisurely stroll back to the car in the parking garage of the Hotel Maritim, we drove back to Lübeck and went to the traditional place Tante Irmi treats my parents to when they visit her - The Block House. Incidentally founded in 1968 by a German called Eugen Block...it's an "American Style" steak restaurant, yet it is consistently and repeatedly the best steak I've eaten anywhere (my father seconds that). The spices and garlic butter are just way too perfect and it's always grilled to perfection.
Well, now it's past midnight again and I'm ready for bed...not sure when I will have time to post all those pictures...and I better get on my bike again if I don't want to gain those 18 pounds again that I've lost this spring...
Maybe more tomorrow...
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
Sailing again!
Today I spent another wonderful day with Jürgen – albeit without Susi, who had to go to work. After another wonderfully delicious breakfast Jürgen and I set off on bike to explore the quaint tourist town of Laboe. We visited the “upper village” and the “lower village” and drove through the park. We then continued on southwards towards Kiel along the Kieler Förde (Fjord of Kiel) on a nice trail through a wooded area right along the water. At around 11 AM we set sail to sail the Kieler Förde to Kiel. It was another gorgeous day with temperatures in the middle 80s and today’s breeze was even stronger than yesterday’s making for nice sailing with speeds up to 7 knots. One of the most enjoyable things is to spend some time with my good friend Jürgen – somebody who knows you well and with whom you have a history of jokes and interests. That’s definitely something I abandoned when leaving my hometown and my country at my “advanced” age. So spending some time again with Jürgen felt nice.
As I mentioned above, we had quite a good breeze this day and for the first ½ hour or so was quite exciting when the wind suddenly freshened up, tilting the boat so that the edge came under water. I quickly left the steering to Jürgen – with his 25+ years of sailing experience. But we arrived safely in the harbor of Kiel where multiple Scandinavian ferries and cruise ships stop every day.
When we arrived back in Laboe, I did some souvenir/gift shopping and later in the afternoon we met up with Susi in Kiel for a delicious ice cream (I had Lasagna icecrem) before I want back to Hamburg on the ICE “bullet train”.
During our last hour we made some tentative plans to see each other again in the states – maybe for a sailboat cruise from Duluth to Toronto or some trips I’ll definitely make it a point for my next visits to carve out a couple of days like this time to spend with those funny and genuinely kind people.
The evening ended with a nice get together with dear friends of my parents, Waltraud & Peter, with a delicious dinner of made-to-perfection rabbit with taste-intensive potatoes, a yummy, yummy sauce and, of course, red cabbage. Now it's 1:40 AM in the morning and the fun (and culinary journey) will continue tomorrow...
As I mentioned above, we had quite a good breeze this day and for the first ½ hour or so was quite exciting when the wind suddenly freshened up, tilting the boat so that the edge came under water. I quickly left the steering to Jürgen – with his 25+ years of sailing experience. But we arrived safely in the harbor of Kiel where multiple Scandinavian ferries and cruise ships stop every day.
When we arrived back in Laboe, I did some souvenir/gift shopping and later in the afternoon we met up with Susi in Kiel for a delicious ice cream (I had Lasagna icecrem) before I want back to Hamburg on the ICE “bullet train”.
During our last hour we made some tentative plans to see each other again in the states – maybe for a sailboat cruise from Duluth to Toronto or some trips I’ll definitely make it a point for my next visits to carve out a couple of days like this time to spend with those funny and genuinely kind people.
The evening ended with a nice get together with dear friends of my parents, Waltraud & Peter, with a delicious dinner of made-to-perfection rabbit with taste-intensive potatoes, a yummy, yummy sauce and, of course, red cabbage. Now it's 1:40 AM in the morning and the fun (and culinary journey) will continue tomorrow...
Sunday, August 5, 2007
I am sailing...
Today, Sunday, was a nice day sailing on the Baltic sea with Susi and Jürgen. Their boat, I believe it’s a 31-foot Helly-Rassen, is a real beauty and sails very smoothly (granted we did not have much speed). Of course the day had to start with a nice breakfast with Holsteiner Katenschinken (a deliciously smoked, paper-thin sliced ham), Salmon/Lox, Goats “Fresh” Cheese with Herbs, various cheeses and turkey cold cuts and, of course, the obligatory boiled Sunday egg. Yum, yum. For the trip Susie had made some nice banana chocolate muffins which we ate diligently and delightfully (who am I to disappoint a talented baker). Of course I also got a nice tour of their house (or maybe it was the evening before) and Jürgen showed me all his cool home automation gizmos, light a remote control for different lighting scenes fitting different moods or to turn the whole-house ventilation system off when the range hood is on etc. He also showed me his impressive solar hot water system that also uses a 260 gal storage tank (although a fancy ready-made one that I could not get in the States) and but a 36 square meter array of solar hot water panels (mine will be about 9 square meter, but I am convinced that we get much more sun in Minnesota than in Germany.
Anyway, it was a wonderful sailing trip (I just love to hangout up front and just look at the horizon or hang my feed over board to let them cool off by the occasional wave that splashes it is cool water up from below.
We topped a nice day off with a traditional walk along the beach, in the nice spot between the ocean and the sand, where you have to navigate the stones and mussels with your bare feet to avoid getting hurt. At the end of the public beach we turned around and walked back along the promenade until we made it to the yummy restaurant “The Fisch Küche” (the fish kitchen). I had a “Fördeteller“ with Lachs (Salmon) and Seelachsfilet along with Potatoes and as appetizer we shared a nice portion of Shrimp Scampi – nice delicious shrimp in olive oil and garlic and herbs, baked in an oven (no cheeses) until perfection. Of course we each had two big (0.4 Liter) Alsterwasser – a standard mix between Lemon Pop and a good Pilsener beer.
After a little walk we topped of the evening with some Danish soft ice cream. It's quickly becoming a culinary vacation...
Anyway, it was a wonderful sailing trip (I just love to hangout up front and just look at the horizon or hang my feed over board to let them cool off by the occasional wave that splashes it is cool water up from below.
We topped a nice day off with a traditional walk along the beach, in the nice spot between the ocean and the sand, where you have to navigate the stones and mussels with your bare feet to avoid getting hurt. At the end of the public beach we turned around and walked back along the promenade until we made it to the yummy restaurant “The Fisch Küche” (the fish kitchen). I had a “Fördeteller“ with Lachs (Salmon) and Seelachsfilet along with Potatoes and as appetizer we shared a nice portion of Shrimp Scampi – nice delicious shrimp in olive oil and garlic and herbs, baked in an oven (no cheeses) until perfection. Of course we each had two big (0.4 Liter) Alsterwasser – a standard mix between Lemon Pop and a good Pilsener beer.
After a little walk we topped of the evening with some Danish soft ice cream. It's quickly becoming a culinary vacation...
Friday, August 3, 2007
Wenn einer eine Reise tut, dann kann er was erleben
(If one travels, one will experience quite some things)
Well, I’ve finally arrived in Hamburg (okay, I’m sitting here in Amsterdam trying to make use of my involuntary, but paid 1 ½ hour delay (130 Euro or 195 USD) of my last leg to Hamburg, but, hey, I’m an optimist). I definitely do not recommend traveling with an expired passport…it does makes things a little bit more exciting and, shall we say, “interesting”.
Arriving at the Amsterdam Airport was nice…all that wonderful chocolate and other sweets, and the booze…not to mention the salmon and cold-smoked ham and cheese and licorice….people just know how to eat over here (you could even get the absolutely fabulous north sea shrimp). I had to buy some licorice and some 2-year old Reypenaer Gouda. Also interesting was to see that the #1 DVD was a documentary about Ocean Life. Now, that’s culture!
One thing that the US though definitely has going for it, is the ban of smoking…not that smoking is generally allowed in the airport, but it is allowed in the bars/restaurants (of course there is a wine bar (called “bubbles”)) and the smoke just creeps into the adjacent store spaces…that’s not something you want to experience when you’ve just been awake for 18 hours already…
The flight was (besides my self-inflicted excitement due to my expired passport) fairly uneventful. I watched three good (on-deman) movies (Shrek III, Contact, and the absolutely wonderful romantic movie “Once”), played some solitaire and Jewels and participated in a few rounds of Trivia – where you compete against other passengers. Quite a nice personal in-flight system, even in coach.
One interesting game is to guess people’s nationality based on how they treat other people or each other. Americans fare pretty well in this game and Germans must be at the bottom of that list of politeness. Maybe it has to do with more tolerance for less personal space.
Well, one more passport date check and than I’ll be meeting my parents (tears will flow for sure) at the airport in Hamburg. And at home, I’m sure, a wonderful breakfast will await me – I’m already salivating about the idea of Nordseekrabben (north sea shrimp), herrings salad, my dad’s scrambled egg, fresh buns, really smelly cheese (like Danish Esrom) etc.
Well, I’ve finally arrived in Hamburg (okay, I’m sitting here in Amsterdam trying to make use of my involuntary, but paid 1 ½ hour delay (130 Euro or 195 USD) of my last leg to Hamburg, but, hey, I’m an optimist). I definitely do not recommend traveling with an expired passport…it does makes things a little bit more exciting and, shall we say, “interesting”.
Arriving at the Amsterdam Airport was nice…all that wonderful chocolate and other sweets, and the booze…not to mention the salmon and cold-smoked ham and cheese and licorice….people just know how to eat over here (you could even get the absolutely fabulous north sea shrimp). I had to buy some licorice and some 2-year old Reypenaer Gouda. Also interesting was to see that the #1 DVD was a documentary about Ocean Life. Now, that’s culture!
One thing that the US though definitely has going for it, is the ban of smoking…not that smoking is generally allowed in the airport, but it is allowed in the bars/restaurants (of course there is a wine bar (called “bubbles”)) and the smoke just creeps into the adjacent store spaces…that’s not something you want to experience when you’ve just been awake for 18 hours already…
The flight was (besides my self-inflicted excitement due to my expired passport) fairly uneventful. I watched three good (on-deman) movies (Shrek III, Contact, and the absolutely wonderful romantic movie “Once”), played some solitaire and Jewels and participated in a few rounds of Trivia – where you compete against other passengers. Quite a nice personal in-flight system, even in coach.
One interesting game is to guess people’s nationality based on how they treat other people or each other. Americans fare pretty well in this game and Germans must be at the bottom of that list of politeness. Maybe it has to do with more tolerance for less personal space.
Well, one more passport date check and than I’ll be meeting my parents (tears will flow for sure) at the airport in Hamburg. And at home, I’m sure, a wonderful breakfast will await me – I’m already salivating about the idea of Nordseekrabben (north sea shrimp), herrings salad, my dad’s scrambled egg, fresh buns, really smelly cheese (like Danish Esrom) etc.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
All my bags are packed...
...NOT. But I'm more packed than I've ever been packed prior to any trip. I usually stay up until 2 AM the night before, but I vowed not to do that tonight. At least all my clothes that I'm going to take are washed...(probably more more information than you needed to know).
So, tomorrow is the day I'll be departing on this "unheard off" 3 1/2 week vacation in Europe. I'm still surprised by how much interest people are taking, but I guess the combination of Europe and more than a week off makes this trip quite exotic.
As most of my readers (anybody out there?) know this will be a refueling, grounding, energy-gathering trip. I'm looking forward to it and finally the "travel fever" is kicking in.
So, tomorrow is the day I'll be departing on this "unheard off" 3 1/2 week vacation in Europe. I'm still surprised by how much interest people are taking, but I guess the combination of Europe and more than a week off makes this trip quite exotic.
As most of my readers (anybody out there?) know this will be a refueling, grounding, energy-gathering trip. I'm looking forward to it and finally the "travel fever" is kicking in.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Mein Reiseplan/Itinerary
Hallo Freunde!
Hier ist mein Reiseplan - ich werde den im Verlauf der nächsten Wochen immer mal wieder aktualisieren.
1. Woche (Hamburg)
- Donnerstag, 2. August (In der Luft)
19:50 Uhr MESZ: Flug von Rochester nach Hamburg - Freitag, 3. August (Willinghusen)
08:50 Uhr MESZ: Ankunft in Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel KL1777
Rest des Tages in Willinghusen bei meinen Eltern. - Samstag, 4. August (Willinghusen/Laboe)
Ausschlafen und ein göttliches Frühstück
16:15 Uhr: Vom Hauptbahnhof im ICE nach Kiel
17:22 Uhr: Ankunft Kiel Hbf - Wiedersehen mit Jürgen & Susi - Sonntag, 5. August (Laboe)
Vielleicht mit Jürgen & Susi auf der Ostsee Segeln - Montag, 06.08 (Laboe)
Bei Susi & Jürgen
18:38 Uhr: Vom Kieler Hbf im ICE nach Hamburg
19:43 Uhr: Ankunft am Hamburger Hbf
Essen beim Griechen mit Waltraut & Peter - Dienstag, 07.08. (Willinghusen)
Lübeck und Travemünde mit Tante Irmi
Lübecker Block House - Mittwoch, 08.08. (Rheinsberg)
Hamburg Innenstadt
13:00 Uhr - Rotarierclub im Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten
Rheinsberg mit Hartmut & Jutta - Donnerstag, 09.08 (Rheinsberg)
Rheinsberg
Abends bei Natascha und Lars / Jürgen's Geburtstag
in Adendorf - Freitag, 10.08. (Süddeutschland)
Hamburg nach Rüdenhausen
Bei Ilona & Christian
2. Woche (Mondsee, Österrreich)
- Samstag, 11.08. (Mondsee)
Ankunft beim Bauern - Sonntag, 12.08. (Mondsee)
Urlaub in Österreich - Montag, 13.08. (Mondsee)
Urlaub in Österreich - Dienstag, 14.08. (Mondsee)
Urlaub in Österreich - Mittwoch, 15.08. (Mondsee)
Urlaub in Österreich - Donnerstag, 16.08. (Mondsee)
Urlaub in Österreich - Freitag, 17.08. (Mondsee)
Urlaub in Österreich
3. Woche (Lido di Jesolo, Italien)
- Samstag, 18.08. (Mondsee/Lido di Jesolo)
10:00 Uhr: Mietwagen in Salzburg abholen (Adresse?)
Fahrt nach Lido di Jesolo (4 Stunden)
Einchecken im Hotel Solemare - Sonntag, 19.08. (Lido di Jesolo)
Relaxen am Strand. - Montag, 20.08. (Lido di Jesolo)
Murano/Venezia? - Dienstag, 21.08. (Lido di Jesolo)
Strand - Mittwoch, 22.08. (Lido di Jesolo)
Verona mit Oper? - Donnerstag, 23.08. (Lido di Jesolo)
Strand
4. Woche (Milan, Vaduz, Hamburg)
- Freitag, 24.08. (Lido di Jesolo/Milan)
Fahrt nach Agrate Brianza (3.5 Stunden)
Führung der STMicro Chip Fabrik
Fahrt in Richtung Liechtenstein
Hotel in der Schweiz? - Samstag, 25.08. (Vaduz, Liechtenstein)
Ein Tag im Fürstentum
Hotel in Vaduz_ - Sonntag, 26.08. (Vaduz-Hamburg)
06:00 Uhr Fahrt nach Hamburg
Billiard mit Gero
Abschiedsessen - Montag, 27.08. (Hamburg-Rochester)
07:00 Uhr: Mietwagen abliefern
09:30 Uhr: Abflug nach Rochester, MN, USA KL 1778
24:52 Uhr: Ankunft in Rochester, MN, USA
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