Gasthaus Loeffelschmiede Titisee-Neustadt

... and friendship)
- For all other not mentioned friends and travelers who had helped or supported me.



A VERY SPECIAL THANK TO:

All those many unknown people in this world, who had showed me one important thing: If you need help, help will be given you anywhere, anytime, anyhow - regardless of politics, language, skincolour and religion.

Thanks all you guys out there!!!

... wieder europäischen Boden (6:15 London Heathrow) ....ok es war nur england aber immerhin!
Dort wurden wir 3 mal aufs brutalste gecheckt bis wir endlich am gate waren. Und um 7:53 flogen wir mit der Kaputtesten Maschine los die die BA zu bieten hatte, bei der beim Start bei der vorderen Reihe die Sauerstoffmasken rausflogen und die cabine Crew nicht wusste was ...

... car to leave, skipping the museum. Once we were back in air conditioned comfort we reflected on the day and thought maybe we should try the amphitheatre as well. We tried to drive there but either it is inaccessible by car or we were very lost. I think in fact the case is both.

We went back to the theatre and parked there then walked the kilometre to the amphitheatre. This is about the time that we would have all been willing to consider kill one another ...

Day trip from Villingen. Wolfach has a factory cum tourist attraction where they blow the glass manually. It was good to watch them making vases etc. in the traditional way. The highlight for me was dobbing Roz in to get up on the stage and blow her own vase. She did a good job, and we bought the vase and brought it home. A very special souvenir.

Home of the world famous Hubert Herr clock factory. Met Reinhard Herr, Hubert's great grandson, who still owns and runs the place. The clocks are still handmade and handcarved in the traditional designs. They even make their own clock movements. Spent an hour or so talking to the gentleman, and he explained ...

Just a day trip to see this old city. Lots of brightly painted buildings with ornate oriel windows. Most of the windows were carved with scenes or fancy designs, sometimes painted, sometimes both. Lots of fountains and statues. Found a chocolate shop and pigged out.

... Got the wobbly boot on after a few after-dinner beers and a couple of Jagermeisters. Strolled around town for a while just looking, and happily never lost my footing in the snow or on the ice covered footpaths. Did do a couple of tap dances, but didn't go down.

... with costumes and masks and bands. Damn near froze standing still for that long, but I had a good vantage point for the pictures so I wasn't going to move for fear of losing my spot. After the parade we got stuck into the gluhwein and some hot food then went back to the hostel for a hot shower, then out for dinner. We went to a local brewery that had a restaurant incorporated and had such a good time that we made it a regular while we were there.

... maybe some people dressed in all black. We were wrong. Apparently "alternative culture meant little groups of scary-looking people huddled outside the bar smoking something that involved butane lighters and metal spoons. We didn't care to investigate further, and hightailed it out of there, being followed briefly by a Swiss crack *****. A word of advice: don't cross under the railroad tracks if you ever go to Bern... From Bern, we went to the big city of Zurich. We relaxed and just ...

... time in the city shopping, walking around, and frequenting the many bars and discos. It is a great time. So Larissa and I arrived on Wednesday and settled into our rooms. That night we met all the other American students at a little party at the IES center. They all seem nice, however they are all very, very American. On Thursday morning I took my German language placement exam, let's hope I did well, and then took a tour of the city with the IES staff. We ate lunch at the ...