Christine in Amsterdam

Outside of the Anne Frank House

Imagine sitting still all day.  With black out curtains.  So you don't get to see any of the outside.  No sunlight.  Not using the bathroom because the water would run through the pipes down.  Not walking because of the creaking.  With 8 people total.  In 4 small rooms.  I can't sit still for 2 hours to watch a movie.  Much less for 2 years.  What strength the Frank family had.  The Anne Frank house is an intense experience.  I'm glad I went though.

Visit Amsterdam for the museums.  Yes, you read that right.  I loved the museums.  I waited in line at the Van Gogh Museum.  I never wait in lines.  I hate doing it.  But so worth it.  There were tons of people viewing his art.  As I learned through the audio tour, Van Gogh only painted for 10 years before he killed himself.  He painted his portrait often because models were expensive.  When he did use models, they were often prostitutes.  Also, I learned a good lesson as a result of the Van Gogh museum.  Do not purchase large souvenirs.  Then you have to carry the item the next day.  I acquired a print.  They box the prints up for you and I put the box in a bag.  And I fastened the bag to my book bag the last day.  But the box kept hitting me in the back of the right knee/leg.  Nice bruise as a result.  Or maybe I need to toughen up.  Something.

You're not allowed to take pics inside

Finally, the Rijsmuseum contained many Rembrant's.  The Night Watch is the main attraction.  Interestingly, they rolled it up and moved it during WWII.  In 1975 a crazy guy sliced parts of it.  They did an excellent job repairing the painting.  You can barely see the damage above the dog.  And you cannot see any damage where the Captain is.   Rembrant was not my favorite artist though.  My favorite is Hendrick Avercamp's Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters. http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/images/aria/sk/z/sk-a-1718.z

I really liked Johannes Vermeer's Kitchen Maid.  The milk really does look like she is pouring it out of a pitcher.  Imagine being that amazing at painting to make it look so real.  Also, Woman Reading a Letter is like you are watching her, just doing an everyday task.  But it is life-like.   I stopped and stared at these paintings for a while.

Rijksmuseum

I really liked the architecture as well.  The Train Station and Rijksmuseum are like bookends of the city.  Both have the same architecture.

Train Station

Palace

The Red Light district is over-rated.  That's all.  And I don't think the prostitutes make that much money.  I heard one negotiating and she asked for 50 Euro.  That doesn't seem like much to me.

Beware of the bikers.  They definitely have the right of way.  And I'm pretty sure will run you over and not even think twice.  I admit, I had a couple close calls.  Also, this is the first city I regularly got lost in.  Not to brag or anything, but I'm pretty good about getting around new places.  But not Amsterdam.  The city is overflowing with canals.  And it is laid out like a half circle, with the train station in the middle of the 180 degrees.  I had trouble finding my hotel the first night.  With a map.  (Interestingly, I did not have trouble finding the red light district.  Go figure.)  I didn't even think that was possible until I visited Amsterdam.

A small sample of a bike station.

I did eat at one traditional Dutch restaurant.  I enjoyed the food.  The Netherland's food critic gave the place a 9 out of 10.  That's acceptable to me.  ha ha  Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post also recommended the place, which is how I ended up there.  I had the cream soup of 'sincere Doesborgh' mustard with leek rings and Haddack from the oven, with a crumb of organic beetroot, mashed with spring onions and a farmer's butter sauce.  The place is known for using local ingredients.  My kinda place.  

A major attraction from mid-March through mid-May is the Keukenhof.  It is a flower exhibition.  Per the website, CNN states that the Keukenhof is one of the world's top destinations for 2012.  Ever since the flower guy at the farmers market started giving me free flowers, I've liked flowers.  But I couldn't even imagine this many tulips or flowers.  

And just because- a church:

Christine 

Christine in Rothenburg, Germany

You should not buy a sword Christine-you don't need one.  But I really, really want one.  No, it is not necessary to own a sword.  That is what I told myself as I visited Rothenburg, Germany.  It is a medieval town, with a wall that runs around it.  I visited multiple medieval stores with swords.  I really wanted one.  But not for 500 euros.  Maybe next trip, er something.  I did, however, walk much of the wall.  It is fascinating to think that you are standing on stones that have been there for centuries.

The wall up close

Wall around the city

Based on my research, the U.S. military did not use much artillery during WWII, because of the historical significance of the town.  And the German commander gave up the town.

The Rathaus (town hall) has a tower you can climb to see the whole city.  You have to walk up narrow, wooden steps.  I'm not kidding.  You would not have this in America.  One, it is not ADA compliant and two, they would be way to afraid of lawsuits.  The sign says to only spend 5 minutes outside, so everyone has a chance.  I knew that was 4 minutes, no 4 1/2 minutes, more than I needed.  I was right.  To get to the tower outside, you have to climb a ladder, and kinda climb out.  And then there is an iron railing.  The nice German guy said it was very safe.  I just held on for dear life.  For about a minute.  Because there was a line getting down the stairs.  Yeah, nice German guy and his tourists not letting me go first.  Then I went back down the ladder.

This is how high it is up that tower:

Rathaus

Walking down one of the streets:

Some buildings:

A Church:

This is another great German city, high on my list of favorites.
Christine

Christine at Frühlingfest- 2012

It's that time of year again--Fruhlingsfest Time!  The Germans begin Fest season (that's what I call it) in the Spring.  I think they like celebrating and getting out after a long, generally cold winter.  There is practically a Fest going on each weekend in Stuttgart.  There probably is one happening each weekend, if not in Stuttgart, than somewhere within driving distance.  I took the U Bahn to get here.  It was a quick ride.  I am being good and only buying one dirdle.  So far.  But I love them.  I may buy another one yet.  Maybe I will make a pilgrimage to Muchen (home of Oktoberfest) and acquire another one.  I think a dirdle is the first thing all American girls buy in Germany.  ha ha  For 35 Euro, you receive a half fest-chicken and 3 beir (beer) tokens.  The beir is a liter.  Yes, that is a lot to drink.  Yes, I did not drink all 3.  I had 2 1/2.  Once the evil waitress gave me a regular beir.  I did not finish that one.  I like Radler best.  This is a mixture of beir and sprite.  Don't hate until you have tried one.  And if you are going to a Fest, take my word for it, you can't just drink all that German beir.  It has a higher alcohol content.  You will end up on the ground.  Or something.  I am not taking any chances.  The beir "tent":

The fun:

 Just a really cool picture (that I didn't take):

Christine

Christine in Trier, Germany

I trekked up to Trier for a very specific reason.  And it was not gelato.  We will get to that connection later.  I completed a religious pilgrimage.  I realize your jaw may have just dropped.  I will wait for you to return to normal. ...  I enjoy religion as it turns out.  I mean, who takes more pictures of churches than me?  No one you know.

As it turns out, the Robe of Christ is located at the Cathedral in Trier.  This Robe is only show a couple times each century.  Yes, you read that correctly.  During the last century, the powers that be displayed the Robe 3 times.  In light of this knowledge, I decided to visit.  Since I occasionally (and by occasionally I mean once a month) visit Kaiserslautern for work, I decided to drive the hour north to Trier.  The road between the two towns is not well traveled.  This is said in a nice way.  Very few cars.  So I drove fast.  Like 160 kmh or 100 mph.  Cause it was kinda boring.  I generally do not drive this fast.  Well, lately I have been.  But that will be another post.  The powers that be do not allow you to take pictures of the Robe.  They do, however, sell post cards with a picture of the Robe on it.  So I purchased an overpriced postcard so that you can see what the robe looks like.  You are welcome.

Back to my trek.  Because I recognized that visiting such an artifact would be popular, I decided to go after work on a Wednesday.  This was a brilliant move on my part.  There was no line.  There are multiple hour waits during the weekend.  In fact, it was so empty when I walked into the Cathedral, I had to figure out where they kept the Robe.  It is front and center, enclosed in a glass case.  Laying down if that makes sense.  The Robe looked... old.  And short.  And kinda dirty.  But then, it is exceptionally old.  It is said that Jesus wore it at/before his crucifixion.  The guards did not divide it up because it was seamlessly woven.  The church can vouch for the Robe starting in the 12th Century.  For the record, I believe them that it is Jesus' Robe.  You may read more about the Robe at:  Holy Robe Pilgrimage or at Wiki at:  Seamless Robe of Jesus.  Actually, I went into the Cathedral twice, because I like to get a good look at artifacts.  The second time, I had a better look.  I could see the fabric better this way.  Less people too.  Mostly it was older people and me.  And they spent a lot of time there.  So I felt like I could take my time in reviewing the Robe.

The Cathedral:

Now, on to the gelato connection.  Trier is also known for its Roman ruins.

And how do we know these are Roman ruins?  Easy, check the gift shop next door:

Alas, I did not eat gelato on this trip.  Why you ask?  Because it is Spargel season in Germany!  What is Spargel?  It is white asparagus.  I personally think that we should call all asparagus Spargel.  It is such a better name.  Back from my tangent- Spargel is hugely popular in Germany.  I mean restaurants plan menus around Spargel.  My soup:

Fest is up next.
Christine

Christine in München... Again

I visited München on 11 March.  This visit (as opposed to last winter when I went) I found the city center.  The bus driver was nice enough to drop us off.  That helped my navigation skills tremendously.  However, since I was visiting for St. Patrick's Day, I did not visit churches.  I visited beir (beer) halls.  Close enough.

Yes, I know that St. Patrick's Day is on 17 March.  However, I went to München because the city was holding its parade that Saturday.  And really, why not celebrate such a wonderful holiday multiple times?  I actually missed the parade.  I did, however, visit multiple beir halls.  The halls are infamous in Germany because Hitler went to them to gain supporters.  The first beir hall I visited was the Hofbrauhaus.

Inside the beer hall

Another beir hall:

German beir 

Christine 

Christine at a Volksmarch

It has been a while since I updated.  Sorry.  I was back in the States for training and a visit the last 2 weeks of March.  Sometimes life keeps you from keeping up.

Germans love to participate in a Volksmarch.  Different towns hold one each year.  I believe each town keeps its "week" every year.  I participated in the Lauterach Volksmarch.  The town was approximately an hour drive outside of Stuttgart.  This was actually way back on 10 March 2012.  I completed the 6 kilometer walk.  Sometimes you just take the shorter path (mostly because the person you are walking with does not want to go the longer way and she drove--ha ha).  Volksmarching is a good way to see more of the country.  You can walk the short walk or take a longer one.  I think the longer one here was 11 kilometers.  Volksmarching does tend to skew to a bit *older* crowd.  In that most of the participants seemed to be around 60 or 70 years old.  I'm glad I could bring down the median age a bit.  ha ha

Germany has not yet turned green--especially not in early March, which I would consider winter.  Some of the views from the walk:

A natural tunnel

What I think of when I think of Germany, well with way more green. 

Eating-what everyone does after the Volksmarch.

Enjoy,
Christine

 

Christine in Kronplatz, Italy

I love Italy.  Gelato.  My favorite word.  And one of my favorite foods.

I also love pizza, risotto, spaghetti, gnocchi, prosciutto, mozzarella, and everything else.  But not espresso.  I just can't bring myself to drink coffee.  Yes, I am the only adult that feels this way.  Oh well.

And now my next favorite topic:  skiing!  Sunny skies for the first 2 days of skiing.  If you can't have powder, sun is the next best thing.  I did a 7km, about 4.3 miles, run (it was number 16).  I'm not sure it was that long, but the trail map says so.  I'll take their word for it.  The mountain had black runs, that were actually open.  A couple were pretty steep.  Something I have not experienced over here.  I enjoyed the runs.  This resort actually reinvested in the mountain.  It mostly used gondolas to move people.  It had 2 gondolas up to the top of the mountain.  No lines to begin skiing.  Loved that.  Also, it had an indoor storage area, so you could rent a locker and leave your skis and gear overnight.  What a brilliant idea.  Way to take care of the little people.

The pictures of the mountains look fake.  But they are that beautiful.

My World Cup downhill run (the large white area on the left):

The hotel was by a castle, which I crossed this wiry looking bridge to visit.  But the thing did not move.  As I ran as fast as I was willing over a snowy/icy bridge.

And a church:

Christine

Christine at Fasching

Think Mardi Gras.  In Germany.  Cause that is what Fasching is.  A big ole' parade with lots of costumes. And people throwing candy.  Or giving you other food.  Germans like any reason to party.  That's what I've determined.  Even if the temperature is single digits.  Cause it was.  (Drinking Gluhwein afterwards did help a bit.  Cause I was inside and my toes defrosted.)  Today, I attended the Fasching parade in Weil der Stadt, which is a 45 minute S-bahn trip from my apartment.

Interestingly, the town has a fountain of the characters in Fasching:

Christine

Christine in Zell am See, Austria

Stay on top of the mountain.  Yes.  Great idea.  Ski out in the morning.  No lines for lifts up the mountain.  Until you have to take your skis, boots, and luggage on a gondola to the top.  And then you ride the gondola and start at 100 and subtract 7 from the last number to keep your mind off of the fact that you are afraid of how high you are.  And sometimes you do the math wrong and have to figure out where you left off.  And this actually happens 4 or 5 times, trying to subtract 7 from the last number.  Completing subtraction in your head does not help you forget you hate heights.  Just sayin'.

Looking down the gondola line.

The map states that Schmittehohe is 2000m (6561 feet) high.  But not really.  Based on some scientific instrument, the top of the mountain was actually 1982m (6502 feet) high.  The hotel reminds me of a 007 movie.  Someplace James Bond went.  I think this picture proves it.

The hotel Berg

The hotel price includes breakfast and dinner.  Because where else are you going to eat?  Since the gondola's last run up the mountain is at 4:30pm.  But fear not, dinner is tasty.  You receive 3 courses.  I loved the soup, as usual.  Oddly, or maybe not, they served minestrone soup one evening.  Usually there are creme or tomato soups in Europe, or at least the ski countries.  I recommend the roast beef main course.  Hotel people-keep working on the desserts.  The bar upstairs serves better hot chocolate.  Well, they give you way more whipped creme.  That counts as better in my world.  

Staying on top of the world, er mountain, has its perks.  The best being ski out.  Yes, you put on your gear and you are ready to go.  It snowed Saturday evening.  So the skiing was amazing on Sunday.  Not lots of powder, really 2 or 3 inches of new snow, but enough.  There is no better feeling then just flying down, making fresh tracks, and going.  The blacks were not difficult in these perfect conditions.  Well, it was freezing cold.  Like your fingers and toes may fall off cold.  But you can't have everything.  Can you?  Sunday morning I had the best runs of my life.  Run 13.  So far.  I'll get the chance to duplicate the feeling.  One day.  I'm sure.

Run 13

A view from the mountain.  Run 11 I believe.  That's the lake back there.  Frozen over.  People walk between the 2 towns over it.  I wonder if I am that brave?  I was too busy skiing to find out.

A church on top of the mountain:

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