Our Last Trip

Today is the last day in Germany for Devyn and Me. We leave tommorow at one, but we got one last trip in. We spent the last few days in towns somewhat nearby. We started by touring the Hiedleberg caslte, which was a very large sandstone castle/ruin. It was destroyed three times, once by a priest who though the dude ruling there was too powerful, in the thirty years war (explained later), and once burned down by lightning. Now most of the walls were never repaired, or have been burned into a jagged wall that used to be taller, and now has scorchmarks everywhere. One of the kings who lived there got so fat he could not support his own weight, and he chair could only fit through the biggest doors. After that we stayed in a nice military hotel on base for the night. We spent the first part of that day going through town. We found some realy cool brandy stuff in a liquer shop (for Dad and Suz).



At about noon we left to go to another town called Rothenburg (pronounced like Rotenberg). This is the coolest place ever. It is the most well preserved mideval town in the entirety of Europe. The highlight of the town, the night watchman tour, explained why. The night watchman was this really funny guy dressed up like a mideval guy with the job of watching the city streets at night, and made about 500 dollars a day for two, one hour tours. In the begining Rothenburg was a very rich town. The conditions were as good as they could get, they were granted free rights, they only paid taxes dirctly to the king, and the poorest all had food for a year and a house. There were several reasons they were so rich. One, they had the largest textile bussiness for miles around. Two, because they paid taxes to the the king, there 200 square miles of fertil land produced enough supplies for ten thousand people, and the town had only 6000, giving them enough supplies for taxes and export. And finally, they were the crossroads between two major trade routes between Paris and Prague for east to west and somewhere to somewhere for North to South. The city was fully walled and defensible, holding up against tons of sieges, many lasting almost a year. Then during the thirty years war, a bloody European war between the Catholics and Protistans, a large enemy army of 40,000 was marching by, when they got stuck in a rainstorm. They demanded to be let into the city, but Rothenburg denied, even though they were outnumbered 4 to 1. After three day's the battle was going great for Rothenberg, having had no casualaties, and killing almost 300 enemy troops. Their only probem was running low on gunpowder. They only had enough for about five more days, which might nnot be enough to drive of the enemy. Then somebody did something very stipid. The guard to the room with there fifteen barrels of remaining gun powder to decided to check on it. With a torch. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM. There was a very very very very very very very very very very very very big explosion, killing two people and leaving a big hole on the wall. Rothenburg surrendered. When the army finally left the city was so poor it could do absolutely nothing but go on with life as a peasant town. With no money to modernize or even contact the rest of the world, the city practicly went to sleep for two hundred years. Now it is a tourist town because most of its building are 500 to 700 years old. In World war two forty percent of the town was bombed, but the rest was saved because the commanding officer in America heard about it and realized this was the town his mom had brought him his favorite painting of whe he was a kid.
At the end of the tour we made some new friend because they had the same guide book (Rick Steeves) with whom we had desert and wine in a 1000 year old celler, in Hell (Hell is the name of the restruant, don't ask me why). The next day we visited the town cathedral. Inside there was a very cool alter, a 1800 pipe organ, and another alter containing a relic of Jesus's blood. After doing some shoping we walked arouns the entire city wall, sometimes in it, sometimes on it, sometimes by it, and sometimes trying to find it again.


To finish off our trip we went to the Rhinefeld castle. Rhinefeld means Rhine Boulder, or Rock of the Rhine in German. This castle was even larger than the one in Hiedleburg, and that was just the remaining part. It used to be five times bigger. The rest was destroyed by Napoleon Blownapart (Blownapart is our nickname for him, because most of the castles on the Rhine are rebuilds of something he blew apart).
ME

Moving In

In the first few days after Paris the day would usually start with Dad and Suzy going off to do paperwork or such for the BMW M5 that my Dad got, or other paperwork for assorted stuff, most of which I don't really know about. They would usually come back at about one or two pm. After that we would run family errands, get something to eat, come home and get ready for bed. Before Bed Dad would always bug us about if we thought he was a bad parent for leaving us alone all morning. We reassured him he was wonderful.

One day my sister and I were in the hotel lobby waiting for the cleaning ladies to finish, and also waiting for the parents to get back, they said they would be home about that time. The person at the counter called us over and Suzy was on the line. They were late because Dad's driving test had been canceled for a high ranking officer. Then, when they got to the housing office there was about an hour wait, after which they found out that there was no house on the market that they wanted at all, and there probably would not be for a long time. She said they would be about another hour before they got back to the hotel. An hour later when they came home they told us that a real estate agent had found a nice house, although they were not so sure about it.

The house was perfect. It had a kitchen and a livingroom-diningroom on the first floor, tons of storage in the basement, three bedrooms on the second floor, and a master suite on the top floor. The best part is the location though. We can walk to Dad's office in ten minutes, and downtown Landstuhl in three. The nighbors are really nice too, our house is in the middle of the triplex, which is at the edge of the community it is in. We have met both the neighbors on either side of us. Both are German couples, and are very friendly. They both also have dogs that they said we are welcome to play with. We have also met an American family that lives a couple houses down. They came over and introduced themselves to us. Yesterday they showed us the Ramstein community center, where we had all you can eat pizza, and played pool. Last night was our first night out of a hotel. We went to the Bx to get some household supplies, and air mattresses for the first few nights. We do not know when our furniture will arrive, but it will probably not be for another month. All of us are really excited to finally have our own house.

Alexander

Week in Paris

It is a bit of an embarrassment to reflect on the extent to which our happiness depends on something as unphilosophical as an automobile. But after only a week we have reduced ourselves to groveling at the feet of the Budget Rent-a-Car man and have procured a set of wheels. Say what you will about past generations making do with nothing more than half an old roller skate and a stick – we needed a car. And until we have finalized our own, acquiring a rental has been one of our greatest joys. So with that, kit and kinder are loaded up and off we go on our first European Road Trip.

I am still semi-officially on vacation, and the powers-that-be have been co-operative with that (at least the one’s whom I have informed). We had planned ahead to take the kiddos to Paris, and fortunately that plan did not meet any significant snags. Alexander has also chimed in with a specific desire to see castles and we are working to satisfy that request as well.

Day one consisted of a combination German Highway Familiarization day and a side trip to Burg Eltz. As may have been noted previously, our new home lies in the triangle of land between the rivers Rhine and Mosel. This geography carries two principle distinctions: first, it is the heart of German wine country; second it is a gold mine of Europe’s best medieval castles.

Unique among those castles is Burg Eltz. Due to a fairly remarkable history of diplomacy, smooth talking, and no doubt a serious dose of butt kissing, the castle has remained in the Eltz family entirely undisturbed for over nearly a thousand years. Yes, a thousand. Four America’s ago. It has never been destroyed, and has been almost completely unchanged for the last, oh, 800 or so years (give or take a few). It lies on a bit of high ground overlooking a former trade route. Currently that trade route is a secluded valley. A hiking trail leads down from a parking lot, and as one turns a bend –poof—the castle seems to magically appear, rising out of the trees. It really is fairy tale like; all jutting turrets and parapets and moats. As I said, it has been completely preserved, so even though it is fairy tale like, it is not in a plastic Disney World way. It is amazing in its authenticity.

Alexander was not disappointed. A tour guide took us along dining rooms and great rooms and, best of all, weapons rooms. Alexander could catalog all the various weapons, which was impressive until it became clear that all his knowledge stemmed from video games. Though to give fair credit it was accurate. And he was equally awed simply by the sense of age and history.

All of this culminated in what is becoming a tradition on all of our best vacations – vehicular fiasco. We’ve had truck breakdowns on camping trips, boat breakdowns on boating trips, and of course complete post 9/11 airport shutdown for our honeymoon. All of which occurred at the outset and preceded what turned out to be absolutely wonderful trips. So we are coming to view these events as good omens. I still lose my temper completely, but I am becoming less despondent each time (the boat breakdown was the best – I totally lost my cool. But that is another story). Anyway, we returned to find our darling vehicle kaput. But after several attempts at extremely rudimentary German, some kind strangers, a couple extra hours, and the very efficient German roadside assistance guy, we were back on the road.

Day two – off to Paris. First important fact is that road time from Ramstein to Paris is 4 ½ hours. Pretty sweet. And that is with Suz driving in a station wagon. That’s only about 3 ½ hours BMW time. I see a lot of weekend get-a-ways in the future.

Our hotel was in the Latin Quarter adjacent to Luxembourg Gardens on the Left Bank of the Seine. That’s just down the street from Notre Dame and across the river from the Louvre. For this stage of the trip Devyn’s specific request had been the Eiffel Tower. Once we got checked in we took a little time to unwind in the gardens outside Luxembourg Palace, eating ice cream and crepes and watching old French men play boulle in the park. Then we gave the kids a crash course on navigating the metro and henceforth put them in charge of finding our way around the city. Then to the Tower.

As always, the sheer magnitude of the tower is overwhelming. Alexander and Devyn were not immune to this phenomenon. We walked the stairs rather than take the elevator to the upper platform (668 steps), then took the elevator to the pinnacle. What can I say? It was the top of the Eiffel tower. Nine hundred feet above the streets of Paris on an erector set. Day one a success.
Day two was earmarked for the long stroll from our hotel to the Arc de Triomphe. Along the way would be Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, Jardins de Tuilliere (outside the Louvre), Place de la Concorde, and the Champs Elysee. I’ll spare you all the lengthy descriptions, but they were all just as advertised. A brief side note – Saint Chapelle is often overlooked, but the stained glass is absolutely the best anywhere. Breathtaking. And it is intimate enough that you can really appreciate it. Also, buy a Paris Museum Pass. It saves you money and you can butt in line.

What was most gratifying was the appreciation the kids had for what they were seeing. They showed genuine interest and really actively sought to be informed of the significance of the sights. It was a little creepy, though, when we were standing at the Egyptian obelisk at the center of Place de la Concorde and Alexander began spontaneously translating the hieroglyphics. Seriously. The boy scares me sometimes.

Day three was museum day. At Alexander’s request we started at the Museum of the Middle Ages. Very old things. The one that some may be familiar with is the set of tapestries known as the Lady and the Unicorn. Then to the Musee D’Orsay which covers art from the 1880’s or so forward. Lots of Van Goghs and Monets and Manets and Seurats. And Whistler’s Mother, and lots of Rodin. (I just noticed that spellcheck recognizes “Monet” but not “Manet.” Poor Manet, never saw that coming. Further, I just noticed that spellcheck does not recognize the word “spellcheck.” How ironic. Some programmer’s idea of a joke perhaps? Crazy bunch, those programmers.)

Anyway, from there to the Louvre, as Devyn had been waiting and waiting and waiting to see the “real” Mona Lisa. And she did. At least we are told it is the real one. The Louvre is so huge that you have to choose your focus and stick to it. So we did some of the big French and Italian paintings, and a lot of ancient sculpture. And Egyptian mummies. You gotta see the mummies.

After all that, we splurged on an oh-so-fancy French restaurant. Once again, Alexander and Devyn proved themselves. That most daring of French-isms – defeated! Yes, the kiddos are now veterans and avowed lovers of escargot. And foie gras. And best of all, they knew what it was before they ate it. Alexander gave the escargot 6.5 out of 10, and Devyn 7.5 out of 10 (accompanied by the raised-eyebrows and gentle “hmph” of appreciation). Both were quite fond of the foie gras. Then we had rack of lamb, guinea fowl in a filo pastry, and tuna/salmon tartare with ginger. All were gluttonously devoured.

Day four was a side road trip to the Palace of Versailles. It is magnificent. But to be honest it’s one of those things that you are sort of obliged to see if you’re in the neighborhood, but then you’ve seen it and can move on. Both times I’ve been there, my favorite part has been the gardens. We sat by the canal eating ice cream and watching people row little boats around, all in the splendid shadow of the palace. Ees very nice (you have to say that with a really nasal French accent).

Which brings me at last to today. I think it ended up being the kids’ favorite day. As both of them were really into the whole castle thing, we decided to treat them to the castle of castles, Chambord. It’s big. Way big. It was built as the hunting lodge of King Francoise 1st in the Loire Valley south of Paris. As any good functional hunting lodge should, it has 486 rooms. The really cool thing, particularly from a kid’s perspective, is that it is essentially open to free exploration. Not all of it, mind you, but enough of it to make the worlds best game of hide and seek. The combination of sheer magnitude of dimension and the freedom to run around unfettered by lines and guides was magical for them, I think. Their appreciation was manifested in genuine jump-up-and-down-with-glee enthusiasm. Warms my little heart.

So now we are driving back to Ramstein. A little sun burned, a lot tired, but very happy. Weather was perfect, timing flawless, every plan a success. Good thing that our car broke down.

Ups and Downs in Ramstein, but now mobile

The last few days have been very busy, and rather exhausting. Up until today, we have been limited by no transportation. Although civilians can rent and drive a car abroad with an international license, if one is linked with the military, you must attend mandatory classes and pass a challanging exam to get a military license. Therefore, we have been imposing on the 2 folks that we know for all our our transportation.
Friday, Suzanne got a license, hurray!, and we now have wheels. What a relief!
Today, we visited the Landstuhl castle ruins, which originate in the 12th century but had remodeling and additions over 5 centuries. The kids really loved it. Alexander took a million photos, and Devyn seemed to constantly assign the role of "dungeon" to any low-lying room, and she was sure that structure that Alexander figured was a chimney was actually to drop people down into the fire. I am starting to think that maybe she WOULD be interested in visiting the catecombes in Paris, given her morbid fascination today. We then lunched at a charming very homey restaurant at the base of the castle. Although Neil and I had originally felt that we might not be turned on by the heavy German meals, unfortunately this is not true. I had a wonderful Jagerschnitzel, ("Hunter style schnitzel"), with a rich creamy brown mushroom sauce ladeled over the fried schnitzel, and it was wonderful. Oh dear. Alexander is in love with "Toast", which is good toasted bread with toppings-- his was tender pork, creamy sauce (with no mushrooms of course, "ohne champignions" he has learned to say) and of course covered with broiled cheese. Super yum. Good thing that Neil already passed his physical and the cholesterol check.
We also did a little house hunting, to be continued when we return from Paris in a week. Tomorrow (Sunday) we'll drive up to the Mosel valley area, to visit Cochem or Koblenz, the towns along the sleepy and beautiful Mosel, the ultimate Mideval castle Berg Eldz, and possibly Trier. We will arrive in Paris sometime Monday, and will be there until Saturday.

We survived the transatlantic flight, and that tough first day of sleep deprivation and jet lag. Now, today Wednesday, we're awake and well-fed from our yummy German-style buffet breakfast (good breads and spreads, cheeses and ham, cereals, yogurt with granola and honey, coffee with real cream, yes I had to try it all).
We're staying in a small hotel in Ramstein, a town that is also the site of a large Air Force base. It seems that most of the guests here are Air Force-related American families. Yesterday Neil started his marathon of trying to jump the hoops for Army inprocessing, as the kids and I napped and played. Today Neil again gets to enjoy the wonder of Army bureaucracy, while I think that the kids and I will go exploring on foot into Ramstein village. They have been troopers, even through the overnight flight with no sleep, and are raring to practice their German vocab and check out the area. (We have an incentive that they earn an Euro for every complement from a stranger, a tip that I picked up from the Rick Steves' web sites. We are practicing hard our bittes and dankes.)
So far the assessment is: cute villages, good breakfast, good food in general so far say D, very comfortable bed says S, odd design to the toilets (don't ask, either you understand, or we don't want to get into the explanation), D likes Smart cars and European license plates. Unfortunately the weather is rather moderate, cool today (probably upper 60's and overcast).
This week will be somewhat complex, as Neil tries to do the impossible-- work through the Army system efficiently and quickly. I am planning to get a driver's license Friday, and then maybe we will buy or rent a car shortly afterwards, which will open up our opportunities. We hope to look at a couple of rental houses this week, but that may just not be possible. We are heading out for Paris on Sunday, hooray!
More later... Suz