On to Vietnam

This summer we read an article about train travel in Vietnam, touring the length of the country, and were intrigued. Check out the website for The Man in Seat 61 - Vietnam.
After looking at the possibilities we decided to go for it. Early December is decent weather there, after the monsoons, and is usually a quiet travel time before the holidays. After checking out the usual airline websites, I realized the mini-mall in our neighborhood had a travel agent who served many Vietnamese clients. Sure enough, he knew all the best routes and deals, and got us a good price on airfare, Vietnam visa, and a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City with airport pickup service. He was busy, was stacks of Vietnam visas ready to deliver to people (most were travelling for the Christmas holidays).
We leave just before Thanksgiving and will return a week before Christmas. The general plan is to head north on the train, stopping in Hue, then on to Hanoi. We'll spend a couple weeks in the North, visiting the mountain areas near Sapa, home to many minority tribes, and kayaking in Halong Bay on the coast near Hanoi.
We'll finish by going back to Saigon and taking trips around the Mekong Delta by boat and by bike. Basically, everything is a series of short tours, with guides, transportation and lodging packaged together. We have friends who have done similar trips and highly recommend it.

So, off we go. I'll report upon return.

Summer

It was an amazing summer in Portland. Warm dry weather brought on all the veggies as well as the tropical foliage. We had more hot days than usual, several 100 degrees for days in a row.

We were busy with classes and volunteering during the summer session. Welding class Monday night (need more practice), yoga Tuesday, Chinese language Wednesday (need lots more practice), and Thursday mornings at the Oregon Food Bank garden. Oh, and helping with the local elementary school garden on Monday morning.

The school garden has several raised beds of veggies, a great variety, and several rows in the ground. A group of kids, 8-12 yrs old, come and help water, weed, spread mulch, and play. OK, the play lasts longer than anything. They work at the garden and then go to the pool to swim and get a free lunch. We work with their teacher Ms. Pearl to plan, do maintenance, spread mulch, and help in her absence. They're planning to expand it for next year with more international produce.

The Oregon Food Bank has an awesome production garden by their warehouse. Probably 5 acres, staff members coordinate volunteers who prepare, plant, water, weed, harvest and generally maintain the garden. The produce goes directly to the warehouse next door for distribution. They've planted fruit trees, just beginning to produce, rows of raspberries and blueberries, and lots of rows of seasonal produce. It's quite productive and sends a lot of fresh veggies to local people. They're very organized and always plenty for us to do. We'll continue untill the garden is put to bed for the winter. This week we pulled the corn and squash plants that were finished, tilled, and sowed a cover crop on the beds.

We did some short bike and kayak trips, then in September had a couple of longer trips. First was a mini-reunion in Lawrence KS with siblings and various cousins. Lots of picture-swapping and lie-telling, a good time had by all.

Next we went to Red Lodge, Montana to visit Les & Janet, who moved there for some inexplicable reason.

OK, It's a beautiful area, by the border with Yellowston N.P.. After a few days at their place, joined by more friends, we drove up over the pass and camped in Yellowstone. Lots of wildlife - bear, moose, elk, bison, eagles - and visited all the geysers. Beautiful weather and great company. A week later, and the road out was closed by fire; oh, and Red Lodge has a foot of snow on the ground.

The Elbe River, to Dresden and the Czech Republic

The Elbe runs from Poland to the northwest, through the Czech Repunlic then Eastern germany and ending at Hamburg on the North Sea. We started a river cruise at Magdeburg, due west of Berlin. At this location, the river is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, due to it's natural wonders. This river section has never been dammed or channelled and is rich in wildlife, The towns are set back away from the river, for protection, leaving the riverside in its natural conditon. There are river ferries every few miles, and a bike path parallels the river for most of length (see elberadweg.de for info). The bike path is well used, and guides promote its use as a tourist attraction, It's especially attractive near Dresden and into "Saxon Switzerland".

We saw many wild swans, herons, cormorants, and a few eagles. In the local villages that we toured, storks had built nests on the chimneys. They seem to prefer these to trees. We toured a local prince's garden near Dessau. He had built what he believed to be replicas of a French Chateau, a British castle, and a Chinese pagoda, all set on manmade lakes accessible by rowboat. Interesting, but rather odd and eccentric. also of note in this valley, were the many wind farms. Every few miles, there would be a cluster of twenty or more wind turbans between the villages.

Further along the Elbe was the town of Wittenburg, Germany. This was the birthplace of the protestant reformation, and the location of the church upon which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses. We visited the church and the actual door, though the guide did allow that the posting was more akin to posting a notice on the neighboorhood bulletin board with a thumbtack than a dramatic stake-pounding onto the massive door. Nevertheless, we learned more about Luther and the Reformation than we had expected.

Further along the river was the town of Meissen, home of Meissenware, what we call Dresden China, a fine porcelainware. We toured the factory and had the 'opportunity' to make purchases, but did not.We learned that during it's time under East German rule it was state-owned, and quality declined. After reunification of East and West, money was infused for better quality, but it is still owned by the German state of Saxony.

Dresden.

Dresen is also a UNESCO Heritage site, due to the old town and the rebuilt center, but will soon lose the designation when a freeway is put through the old neighboorhoods and across the river.

Dresden was fire-bombed in WW2 and the city center destroyed, but as it is on a major river and a major hub, was soon rebuilt. Since reunification, the rebuilding has begun in earnest, with money from the government and commercial sponsors. Volkswagen has a factory in downtown and is a big sponsor. The factory is a multi-story glass building where you can watch the building of its Phaeton line. One of the largest churches has just finished rebuilding, on the main square, and the interior plastering has yet to be completed, but they are already holding concerts inside.

One of the most interesting buildings is the Zwinger Palace (Rick Steves has an excellent guide). It was the home of August the String, King of Prussia, King of Poland, and Elector to the Roman Emperor. He was particularly fond of topping buildings with crowns, and stamping 'Rex' on everything. Dresden was also a center of Protestantism until August decided there was more power from the Catholic centers, and killed all the Protestant leaders.

Dresden is a university town and is very vibrant, many interesting shops, cafes, music. In the early morning the bike path was packed with commuters. Great place to hang out, stroll the riverbank an the squares.

After Dresden, towards the south, the land begins to rise and changes from wide plains to 'Saxon Switzerland', an area of large rock outcrops and plateaus. Now the villages are on the river, and many old strongholds are on the highlands. One of them, Konigstein, is the largest fortress in Europe,never taken. The area now boasts lots of tourism with many restored villas on the river and boat and bike tours from Dresden. In East German times, the houses were in disrepair, but all show signs of recent renovations (and solar panels). The rocks along the river draw many climbers, and while placing of pitons or other permanent protection is now prohibited, every pillar in sight has a large climbing ring cemented into its top for use of ropes.

We seamlessly crossed into the Czech Republic on the river, as there are no border controls, but immediately could see a difference. No West German money had poured for restoration, and the river villas were in very poor shape. Also, more industry was right on the river bank - cement plants, steel mills and shipbuilding. Along the river.s rail line we saw thousands of Skoda sedans headed for the EU. But at the same time we saw canoeists and rowers using the river for training and recreation, and bike clubs were out on the roads.

We visited a charming town of Litomerice, on a sunny Sunday, and found the town square filled with teenagers on their cell phones, hanging out for ice cream, and girls showing off their legs in the spring sun. Could have been anywhere, but for the archetecture.

Soon, we neared Prague, and left the river for the rest of the trip. As usual, more pics on Flickr. Next, more on Prague.

Potsdam

Potsdam, Germany is west of Berlin,

a country suburb. The drive from Berlin takes through rolling lake country, and
across the border of what was West Berlin and East Germany. Being close to Berlin among lakes, it was a favorite summer spot for German kings. Frederick the Great had a summer home here, and many princes had smaller villas. The gardens had windmills, orangeries, and formal courts. The picture above is from Frederick's Sans Souci.

The house on the right was another prince's house, but was made famous as the site of the post WW2 Potsdam Conference, deciding the division of Germany. Churchill, Stalin and FDR met here, a lovely spot on a lake. These Eyebrow houses are very popular in this part of Germany, and the detailing on this one was fabulous. See Flickr for more pics.

More later on the Elbe, Dresden, Prague.

Berlin

We stayed four days in Berlin, staying first in West Berlin. Though the city is no longer divided by the wall, the difference is huge. The western side is mostly older, the downtown office buildings and department stores like many other European cities, but without a 'historic center'. Of course WW2 demolished much of the city, but the western side was never a part of the old medieval center.

Since the wall came down in November 1989, the Eastern side has a rebuilding boom. For one thing, the Wall cut a swath a quarter-mile wide through the city, with barriers, towers and no-mans land leaving a large area for new construction. Also, after the reunification, West Germany poured a ton of money into the East to provide jobs and 'stimulus'. Since the DDR government had never been rich, many of the old buildings were in disrepair. East Berlin began at the Brandenburg Gate, a gate out of the city which was to the east. Now, east of the Gate new shopping areas and boutique hotels are going in. Some of the oldest buildings which remained have been turned into museums and art centers. It was recently decided to rebuild the imperial palace of Prussian Kings, to original specs (the facades only). The buildings will be modern inside and house art museums.

There is no escaping The Wall in Berlin. It made a huge impact on the people and politics of the city. Initially it was torn down as a hated symbol, but now some sections are being restored as memorials. One section actually has a fence around it so people can't take pieces. Another section has preserved original grafitti art, and another is used as a canvas for rotating grafitti artist displays. The Checkpoint Charlie guard station has been reconstructed and
the Museum of the Wall has extensive documentation. Also, the path of the wall is now marked in bricks in the streets and sidewalks, to remind people of the separation. In only one point, in the north of town, is the entire section of wall, wire barricades, guard towers and cleared land preserved. In organized tours, a lot of time is spent on the Wall and its impact. To people who grew up during the Cold War, this is still a an important point of interest. This year marks

twenty years since the fall of the wall and commemorations continue all year.

The most historic site in West Berlin is the Memorial Church, a bombed out shell, left unreconstructed, and then a new modern tower aded on. This area also has the Berlin Zoo and a main train station. There are many lovely resiential areas, and the Embassy Row also anchors the old center.

See previous post for the intro, and Flickr for more photos.

Eastern Germany

In April, Ellen and I travelled to eastern Germany.

We began with a few days in Berlin, then joined an organized cruise down the scenic Elbe River. The river passed Wittenburg and Dresden, then passed into the Czech Republic, finishing with a visit to Prague.

The tour was defined by the recent history here; the area was all part of East Germany until 20 years ago, and closed to Westerners. The tour guides had many tales of life in those times and the changes in their lives since the change in government.

I'll post separate sections on Berlin, the River, and Prague, and also post pics on Flickr, as usual.

European Winter Fashions

We usually travel in winter, but the Europeans do not huddle in ski jackets and jeans, no they're always in style. So a summary of the latest fashions, coming to the US in a couple years.

First though, a look at Spring!

The windows of H&M in Munich. Still with the tights and boots, but spring colors.

OK this is summer. Also H&M.

Artistes - a street band in Lyon called 'My name is Jeanette'. The only pink hair we've seen, but darker red is common on women of a certain age.

Hats! a Display of winter toppers. We love the variety of hats on men and women in winter.

French berets - in Annecy, France, winter 07. Yes, they do wear them.

The most common female winter attire - short skirt over tights and tall boots. This was 2007, thus the pleated skirt, the pleats were gone this year. The heels are still in.

German shopper- long coat, short skirt, boots.

School kids - boots, boots, boots.

Italians - always with the furs, enormous sunglasses, and cigarettes.

Munich at Christmas- Wool coat, short skirt (skort?), tights and boots. And matching big bag.

Next - Spring in Berlin! OK maybe winter, it's still cold, we'll see how they're dressing, and what Spring 2009 looks like in the windows. We'll be there for the Lang Nacht des Shoppings (stores open until midnight) so we'll have time to check it out, then on to Prague.

Munich at Christmas

We had a fabulous time visiting Munich, staying with Andrea, Kelly and Josh. After arrival by train and a great Thanksgiving-Friday meal, we got to sightseeing. The weekend was the first of Advent, the Christmas season. The town of Neubiberg where they live was having its Christmas market so we visited there first. After admiring the handcrafted ornaments we found the Gluhwein stand and had our first order. It's a hot spiced wine, traditional in Germany, Austria and northern Italy in winter. A great hand-warmer, too.

Next we decided to go to Nurnberg, which has Europe's largest Christmarket. It's a beautiful old city center with castle turrets, walls, and cathederals. The square in front of the largest church holds the market, with hundreds of vendors of handmade decorations, toys, food - and more gluhwein! All of the markets have different mugs for the drinks (you can also get non-alchoholic kinderpunsch, or chocolate) so we collected quite a few. We spent all day at the market and had to refeul with sausages. In the evening, we strolled the streets of the old city as it was lit by white lights and shooting stars.

There are many more pictures on my FLICKR page, http://www.flickr.com/photos/24327800@N05/

We continued our quest the next day, taking the train into Munich to see the markets. The largest in the main square, the Marienplatz. There are several others, specializing in other handiworks, including the woodworks at the Residenz, and manger-scene figures at the Sigmundstor. All included many gluhwein and sausage stands. We wandered the streets and stalls, people-watching, shopping, and eating. A fabulous day, and we returned a number of times. We especially liked the use of natural materials for decoration; evergreen and bare branches, friut and nuts, figures formed from grass, holly and mistletoe, many adorned only with a ribbon or single glass ball.

The people-watching was terrific. Munich is always fashion-forward and it did not dissappoint this time. The women's trend was to tall boots, skirts over tights, and a short warm coat. Some wore sleek pants instead of skirts, but all wore boots, some leather with spiked heels and the younger ones with pleather uggs-types. In the city center we also saw a lot of traditional Bavarian dress - heavy wool coats with leather trim, Loden coats (dark green felted) and wonderful variations fine wool hats with feather plumes, fur trim or silver derorations. Maybe we'll put together a post just on fashion later.

Our other travels took us to Bad Tolz, in the alpine foothills, a lovely old city center with a fine market. Kelly and family come in summer for hiking, and the winter was also charming. Kufstein, Austria, just across the border was a traditional old street on the river. We had visited there 20 years ago and took some updated photos. We also took a number of drives through the countryside, with new fallen snow making for charming winter scenes.

Check further blog posts below (earlier posts) for our travels to Salzburg, and Italy on the same trip. Thanks again to Kelly, Andrea and Josh for their great hospotality!

Salzburg, Austria Christkindlmarkt

Well, we had to go to Salzburg. It's always beautiful, and special, and the Christmas markets were sure to make it more so. We all drove over from Munich and arrived mid-afternoon, and went right to the market by the Mirabel Garden. Josh needed a break after the ride so we went to the playground nearby and all had a great time. It has a great design with a spring-assisted teeter totter, swings and a set of squares that, when you jump on them, makes a different tone for each one. We all tried it. On to the city center and soon found charming decorations in the old city, in small enclosures and large squares alike. Choirs sang in front of the Cathedral, and as dusk fell the lights added a bright glow. Did I mention they serve Gluhwein there? And sausages? Later we passed by an ice rink where kids were learning to skate with the aid of animal forms. Hungry, we headed for one of the best beer halls in town, in St. Augustines Church. Passing by the statues of Christ and washing our mugs in the baptismal font, we enjoyed the Augustiner-Brau and schnitzel. Look it up in Rick Steve's guide.

We finally walked back across the bridge, admiring the night view of the Salzburg fortress.

Krampus and Perchten, Oh My!

We visited Dobbiacco, Italy on the weekend of St. Nicolas Day (12.6) and found ourselves at the center of the Krampus tradition. This extends through much of Tirol, from Salzburg Austria through the Brenner Pass. It is an old German tradition born from a story of St. Nicholas and a companion, sort of an anti-St. Nick. He accompanies St. Nicholas, but brings the dark side. St. Nick brings presents, while the Perchten or Krampus brings only switches for the misbehaving children. Salzburg had a 'Krampus-run every night of the first week of advent, and Wikipedia notes a run of over a 1000 devils in Schladming, Austria. The locals said the procession wouuld begin with St. Nicholas, accompanied by some small Krampuses, then followed by the 'big Krampus". When we got to the town center, we never saw St. Nick, but a run of over 100 Krampuses. A 'procession' implies an orderly walk; this was not that. The devils would charge up and down the street harassing onlookers and attempting to hit them with their switches. There was a 'Krampus-free zone', but the devils would charge the barricades, pull the barriers down, or reach over the tops to reach the spectators. Most likely targets were children not paying attention and pretty young women. We started out in an unprotected zone, but after being attacked with switches by various monsters, we moved behind the barricades. There were about a dozen groups from different villages, all with a different theme for their devils. All included natural skins and fur robes, animal horns from goats, sheep, ibex, and chamois, and wore huge bells that clanged when they moved. For effect, they lit off red flares that lent an erie red glow and smoke to the scene.

Josh and Andrea were out when the first ones went by, and he just saw the wooly skins and horns and said, "Look, sheep". Andrea ducked inside before the scary ones came by. More photos and video on FLICKR.

Italy, St Nicholas Day

We visited Dobbiaco, Italy with Kelly, Andrea and Josh on the weekend of St. Nicolas Day, December 6. Ellen and I have enjoyed staying here many times and wanted to visit during the holidays. They have local traditions we wanted to witness, and they also had new snow, so we could take Kelly and Andrea skiiing. Dobbiaco is in the midst of the Italian Dolomites, and the new snow made the views spectacular. A recent snowfall made everything snow-bedecked like postcards. Though in Italy, the area is ethnically German. Ten kilometers to the south lies a very Italian Cortina d'Ampezzo, a resort of world renown. We drove a circular route through the Dolomites to Cortina and back, and the mountains were in their full glory, another spectacular view at other turn. We rented skis and Ellen and I took turns tutoring Andrea and Kelly on cross-country skis while Josh got towed around on a sled. He loved the snow, but eventually wore out, slumping over on the sled. We also celebrated Ellen's birthday, and also watched the village Krampus procession, a Tirolean tradition (see another post).See FLICKR for more photos.http://www.flickr.com/photos/24327800@N05/

Visitors to the Glass Studio

We had another visit from the Chinese-language preschool kids in mid-November. Ellen had arranged for them to come over and make creations from pieces of colored glass that has been pre-cut. We showed them what pieces looked like before and after firing, but I'm not sure they got the concept. The had a good time laying up the colored glass, anyway, and we finished up by putting them all in the kiln. Mostly they were impressed with the cool garage and all the stuff inside - bikes! kayaks! tools! A few days later Ellen delivered the finished pieces and all were amazed. It's the same group of kids we had visit our garden last summer, and next spring we'll help them start a garden in their schoolyard.