TravelStream™ news feed for member harrellrl on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/harrellrl en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:25:50 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1217525040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1217525040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1217525040/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:25:50 -0400 Castles, Kaisers and Kenya

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Nairobi, Kenya

I'm back from Safari! &nbsp; Since I last posted I have had a week of not doing a lot of touristy things and three days of a safari. We are south of the equator, so this is winter, and the weather has been cool and foggy. Unfortunately there hasn't been as much rain as there should have been, so East Africa is having a drought. There have been a couple of days that we chose not to go anywhere because the fog was so thick. When it's clear, our view of the Rift Valley is spectacular, but it hasn't been very clear, and I don't know if I'll be able to get any pictures of the view before I leave. &nbsp; Generally my day has been taken up with trying to get lesson plans done, sort through my pictures, and read. I've prepared a couple of PowerPoints for my students on the Middle Ages, and I need to finish up the plans and handouts before the start of school. I've also managed to sort a label pictures from several trips as well as this one. Fortunately I'm able to download my pictures from my camera to my computer, so that makes things a lot easier. I've finished a couple more books including "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" (a really cute take on the Christmas story from a different perspective) and "A New View from the Zoo" (anecdotes and thoughts from a former trainer and handler for the LA Zoo). Currently I'm reading "The Lunatic Express", which is a history of the British in East Africa, with an emphasis on the railroad from Mombasa on the coast of Kenya to Uganda. The reasons for building it were primarily political, and the surveying left a lot to be desired. Many people thought it was sheer folly to build the railroad in the first place, and it cost a great deal, including the lives of many workers. One of the obstacles were the "Maneaters of Tsavo", two lions in the Tsavo area that preyed upon the workers and proved extremely difficult to track and kill. Locally they came to be called "the Ghost and the Darkness". Some of you might have seen the film by the same name that came out a few years ago with Val Kilmer as the hunter who eventually killed the two lions. &nbsp; We've also had some visitors. On Sunday, 20 July, a Masai who works as a guard nearby stopped to visit. He told us about some of the things that have happened. He stopped a group that had been stealing cement from the place he works. A couple of guys wanted to leave the compound but didn't have the proper paperwork to take out the sacks of cement in their car, so the guard wouldn't open the gate. They "discussed" the matter over several hours, during which time their boss came and wanted the guard to open up, even offering him some of the "proceeds". He refused, telling them, "First of all I am a Christian and this is wrong, and second I am being paid to do what I'm doing." Eventually the police arrived and arrested the men for theft. Of course they lost their jobs as well. The guard had to testify at the trial, and some of their friends are blaming the guard. In another incident, recently someone started to break into his house, so he turned off the lights and waited in the dark with his <i>rungu (a club that the Masai use as a weapon). The intruders actually broke the door but didn't enter - probably afraid of an armed Masai waiting in the dark. The Masai are taught never to show fear and to be warriors. Part of the process of becoming a man traditionally includes killing a lion single handedly, though this is not universally practiced, especially since all wildlife in Kenya is protected. However, many Masai still practice their traditions. &nbsp; Other guests have included visitors from the US on their way to various places including Rwanda, Uganda and Congo. Local visitors have also stopped by, so it has been a fairly busy place. Of course, I've also enjoyed afternoon tea and talking politics with the workers at the house. &nbsp; Two days we went into Nairobi. One day was to get the family pictures taken. They came out great. When I get home I will be sure to show them to those of you I see personally. The other day we went to a nice Italian restaurant to celebrate everyone's birthday. &nbsp; That brings me to the safari. We left early Monday morning and drove to Amboseli National Park. The last 80km or so was over dirt roads, some of which were almost as good as sections of the paved road. My brother had hired a driver, so none of us had to worry about driving, and we had a professional to take us on game drives. James, our driver, got us to the lodge (Amboseli Serena Lodge - a very nice chain of game lodges) just in time for lunch, which was wonderful. In fact all of the meals were scrumptious and plentiful. It's a good thing we stayed only two nights or I would eventually have waddled away. After lunch we went on our first game drive. &nbsp; Rather than describing each one individually I'll just summarize what we saw and pick out a couple of highlights to describe. July and August are months in which the annual migration brings wildebeests (gnus) and zebras to Kenya. Naturally then, we saw lots of these two animals, as well as buffalo, gazelle and waterbuck (among other animals). Amboseli is most famous, though, for its elephants and its view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. There are probably more elephants per square kilometer in Amboseli than in any of the other parks, and we saw many family groups. Elephant society is matriarchal, so there is usually one bull with a dominant female and other females and children. The young males (bulls) are chased off and live more solitary lives as "rogues", which doesn't really imply lawlessness - even though elephants can be very destructive. At one of the other camps there were a lot of downed trees. It looked like a tornado had blown through, uprooting trees, but they had been pushed over by elephants. &nbsp; As we were driving and seeing lots of herd animals, I asked James about predators. He assured me that where there is prey there are predators. Not five minutes later we saw our first lions. While we eventually saw several small groups of lions - a couple of prides and a group of four young males on their own - the group that was closest to the road proved the most interesting. It was the group of four young males. When we first saw them they were playing on one side of the road. Then one of them headed off and sat down in the middle of the road for a while. Of course there was a "herd of tourists" gathered, about 6 or 7 vans, to watch. Next the lion finished crossing the road. At the same time a serval cat was walking by, minding his own business. The lion saw the cat and immediately decided to stalk. He crouched low in the grass and gradually made his way closer, rising to take a step or two and then lying down to wait until the serval was looking the other way. A breeze was blowing so that the lion was downwind and therefore not being scented. Then a second lion crossed the road and joined the hunt. However, he was not as careful, and the serval caught sight of him and bounded away into the brush. An attempt by the two lions to rush and pounce proved futile; the smaller cat was just too quick. It was an exciting moment to watch the larger cats stalk the smaller one. &nbsp; Another memorable experience was taking the Nature Walk the lodge offered. After breakfast my brother and I joined the Masai guide and his assistant for a 3-4 kilometer walk. Our guide told us about the ecology of Amboseli and pointed out primarily flora and avian fauna. We learned how the Masai use acacia thorn trees to build fences to protect their homes and herds. The thorns on the trees are long and sharp, so predators are usually unwilling to try to penetrate them. One of the things that made the maneaters of Tsavo so feared was that they were able to penetrate the thorn hedges the workers put up for protection. Leonard (our guide) also pointed out some of the other plants that they use. One plant has poisonous fruit and leaves, but the Masai use the stems as a toothbrush and gum cleanser. If there is a wound in the mouth or periodontal disease the sap from the stem helps to heal it. Masai boys also use the fruit to play a game while herding their flocks of cows, sheep and goats. On the walk we also saw an eagle owl, egrets, kingfishers, starlings and numerous small birds. At the end of our walk we were met by a driver with refreshments. We enjoyed talking to Leonard, Mbake (his assistant) and Elijah (the driver) before being taken back to the lodge. Since there were only the two of us on the walk, it was very individualized, and we could ask questions. Leonard had killed a lion and undergone scarification as part of his initiation ritual. My brother thinks that the Masai are related to Ngambai in Chad: both are Nilots and have some very similar customs. &nbsp; One of our drives took us to Observation Hill where we had a great view of the surrounding countryside. Amboseli is relatively flat, so even a small hill gives a commanding view. Along the way we saw something very unusual, a hippo lying on the ground away from the water. At first we thought it was dead, but then we saw it wiggle its ears. When we returned from Observation Hill, it was gone - probably returned to the water. They say there are two places you never want to be: between a mother hippo and her baby and between any hippo and the water. In Equatorial Africa more people are killed each year by hippos than by any other animal. &nbsp; Mt. Kilimanjaro overlooks Amboseli and provides the water for the springs and swamps that dot the park. The snowmelt travels underground until it wells up at different places. Unfortunately, Kilimanjaro is usually wreathed in clouds, even in the dry season. We were fortunate that on our first afternoon the weather cleared enough for us to see the top. It was spectacular. &nbsp; On our last game drive Wednesday morning, all of the ladies in the family decided to sleep in, so it was just my brother, my nephew and me with James. The two predators that so far had escaped us were cheetahs and leopards. Sadly, we never did see any. Thinking that a higher view might give me a better perspective than a seated one, I stood up (the van had a pop-up top) to scan the brush and trees for any cat forms. Instead I spotted a rock python. I called out "Snake!", and James stopped the van and backed up. The python was about 12 feet long. If I hadn't been standing up I probably wouldn't have seen it at all. We could see two tracks but only one snake. The second set of tracks went behind a bush and disappeared, so we figured the other python had crawled into the bush. While we watched the python we did see also crawled into the bush and disappeared. Even though we knew it was there, it became impossible to see. It's amazing that a 12-foot python (and maybe two) could hide inside a fairly small bush, but we watched it happen. &nbsp; During the time we were watching the python, other vans began arriving. Anytime you see a car or van stop for very long, you assume they have seen an animal, so everyone comes to watch. Only one other van arrived to see any of the python, though. By the time most of the others got there, the snake had disappeared, so we had to tell them what we had seen. On the same drive we also saw a giraffe up close, as well as more elephants. &nbsp; Finally it was time to leave and head home. The lodge provided us with box lunches that were enormous and delicious. We managed to have both lunch and dinner for six people with only four boxes. As we pulled into the driveway we saw some dik-diks. Someone commented, "Our final game drive!" &nbsp; Today I spent sorting and labeling the pictures from our safari. Unfortunately, posting will have to wait until I have better Internet connection. So I'll sign off for now. &nbsp; May the Lord bless and keep you.
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Nairobi, Kenya

Greetings from Kenya! Yes, I have arrived. &nbsp; As some of you may know, British Airways is in the process of transferring its operations to Terminal 5 - a new, multi-million dollar complex. They were originally supposed to transfer everything in April, but there were some real snafus (for example the baggage handling system worked so well the workers couldn't keep up with the volume, and lots of people lost their bags) and they had to change the schedule for occupation of the terminal. As a result, some flights fly into and out of Terminal 5 while others fly into and out of Terminal 4, the old BA terminal. From LA to Stuttgart I went through Terminal 5. For Kenya, however, I flew out of Terminal 4. Since everything is shifting to Terminal 5, all of the outside connections (bus and rail) have already been moved. On Friday evening it had been a simple matter to walk out of Terminal 5, wait for a bus, and go to the hotel. Getting to Terminal 4 was a different matter. &nbsp; When I asked at the hotel lobby about getting to Terminal 4, they told me to catch the "Hotel Hoppa" to Terminals 1,2,3 and then take the Heathrow Express to Terminal 4 (between the terminals it's free). The bus driver told me it was better to take a different "Hoppa" to Terminal 5 and then transfer to Terminal 4. There was a large group at the hotel, and they were all outside waiting for a bus. Luckily, it was a private coach rather than the hotel bus. They were English high schoolers and chaperones headed to do adventure travel in Asia, so they were also headed to Terminal 5. At last my bus came, and we headed to the airport with a stop at another hotel. There was another bus in front of us and a group of people having difficulty deciding what they were doing and getting their luggage on. Eventually my driver backed up and went around the Terminal 1,2,3 bus - so I was glad I hadn't taken that one. Once we got to Terminal 5, I had to catch the transfer bus to Terminal 4. The two terminals are essentially at opposite ends of the airport, so I had a wonderful tour of the perimeter. &nbsp; Eventually we arrived at Terminal 4. I didn't have any suitcase to check (already checked through from Stuttgart the day before), and I had my boarding pass and seat assignment, so I strolled to Security. By this time I had been through several security checks and, while each airport does things a little differently, the one consistent thing had been that I needed to take out the little plastic bag with liquids (no container larger than 4 oz.) and my computer. As a result, I planned ahead and took out my computer. Then I got into the line and read the announcement: Please do not take computers out of the bags. So, I had to put mine back in. I told the guard at the end of the line that they had tricked me and how - she laughed. Getting through security went pretty quickly, and I had plenty of time before my flight left. It was so nice not to have had to cart my suitcase to the hotel with me. &nbsp; The flight to Nairobi was wonderfully uneventful. I watched the Spiderwick Chronicle (twice) and Batman Begins on the way. At the start of the flight they announced that the crew would be distributing landing cards for Kenya, but 8 hours later they had not done so. When we began our approach to Jomo Kenyatta Airport, they announced that landing cards would be available before we got to immigration. I think the crew forgot to load them in London. Since I had gone to the consulate in LA in April and already had my visa (You can wait and apply at the immigration counter - which a lot of people were doing), going through immigration was once again easy. Then I waited for my bag. When it finally came, I headed out the door and saw my brother and nephew waiting for me. &nbsp; On the way to the guesthouse where we would spend the night, we stopped for pizza, my first Kenyan meal on this trip. &nbsp; The next morning we checked out of the guesthouse but didn't leave immediately. My brother had some errands to run before heading out. There was one sad piece of news. A recent graduate of the school my nephew attends had been back for graduation and alumni weekend. Then he and some friends had gone to Mombasa. While there he became ill, called his father and returned by bus. Somewhere during this time he had a stroke and was in the hospital in Nairobi. Things didn't look real promising, and his father asked my brother to buy some groceries to take to the family. &nbsp; After all the errands were run and we had eaten lunch, we headed to my brother's place. Once we were there I got to unload the suitcase and give out presents: a headset for my brother for his iPod, a soccer jersey and the reed shaving kit (the one I found in Stuttgart) plus a bunch of candy from his best friend for my nephew, a T-shirt for my niece (she had already gotten her "big" present, a graphing calculator, when my mother arrived a month earlier - thanks to all of my students for their advice on which calculator to get; my niece said it was a life saver), an Austrian teddy bear and Parmesan Cheese (her request) for my sister-in-law, and the clothes she couldn't fit into her suitcase for my mother. I had lots of fun playing Santa Clause. &nbsp; The first couple of days we relaxed and planned what we would do while I'm in Kenya. We have a safari planned to Amboseli National Park, but other than that the dates are all flexible. If we don't plan, though, the time will go by and we'll say, "We wanted to do this and this and this, and now we don't have time." My sister-in-law and I set up the calendar. We've planned a day trip of some sort, then a day or two at home, then a day trip followed by time at home. The day after the safari is officially "Recovery and Laundry" day. &nbsp; On Monday we got news that the family of the young man in the hospital had decided to evacuate him to South Africa because he couldn't really get the care he needed in Nairobi. Later came the news that he passed away on the flight to South Africa. The family had to decide what to do about the body. They decided to have him buried in the US but have a memorial service here for all of the people who knew him. The service was on Friday at the school. I didn't go since I didn't know him. Instead I stayed and helped prepare food for the people who would be coming to my brother's afterward. A family that lives in the far north of Kenya was coming and needed a place to stay, so they were spending the night with us. My brother's house was certainly getting full. &nbsp; In the meantime, before we knew about Ben's death, we had planned a trip to the Nairobi National Museum. It has been closed for several years for refurbishment and renovation. They had just re-opened it on Monday and we visited it on Thursday - so we were visiting on its fourth day after opening. The exhibits are excellent, though there is still a lot to do. Eventually there will be 13 exhibition halls, but right now only four are open. When we were there we saw several groups of schoolchildren. For a while the museum was pretty full. My major disappointment was not getting to see some paintings. The old museum's major attraction was a series of paintings by Joy Adamson ("Born Free"/Elsa the Lion). She painted portraits of people from each of the major ethnic groups in Kenya: Kikuyu, Luo, Kamba, Maasai, etc. We asked at the information desk, and they assured us the paintings would go back up. Alas! They haven't yet been re-hung. Nonetheless the visit was interesting. &nbsp; Most of the rest of the time I have been relaxing and reading. So far I have finished three books. "Trek" is about a group of four people in 1955 who tried to drive from Kenya to England via Uganda, French Equatorial Africa and the Sahara. They only made it to the Sahara, and two of them died there after being rescued. It's a fascinating story and would make a great movie. Only one of the people had any experience at all, and he was probably the least reliable of the group. They were doing this in a Morris Traveler - a car with only 8 hp. "Camping with the Prince" is about various scientific endeavors going on in Kenya. While not as exciting as "Trek", it was still interesting and sheds light on a number of aspects of life in Africa, as well as showing how and why transferring Western technology wholesale into Africa doesn't work. "The Ghost of King Leopold" is about the Congo and shows how Leopold II's (of Belgium) desire for a private empire led to human rights abuse, enslavement of large numbers of people, murder, and a great many other heinous acts. It also tells of the people who spoke out about what was going on and what happened to many of them. Knowing the history of the continent helps to understand, once again, many of the things that are still going on. Several historical figures, including King Leopold and Henry Morton Stanley ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume") do not look very good in the book. The book also sheds light on the attitudes, ideas, prejudices, etc. of Europe in the 1800s. I will be recommending it to my colleagues in the History department at Pacifica when I get back. &nbsp; Saturday was another excursion. This time we went to a tea farm. We arrived about 11:00 a.m., met the owners, and had an informative presentation about tea - how and where it's grown, how it's processed, etc. Then we took a walk around the place and learned about some of the local plant species in the old-growth forest that is still standing (though much reduced in size because of the tea plantations). Following our walk we were treated to a formal lunch, much as the original European immigrants must have enjoyed. Then it was finally time to head home. &nbsp; So, my first week in Kenya is over. Next week we will be celebrating birthdays, doing some souvenir shopping, taking a family portrait (This is the first time the whole family has been together since 2006, so we want to do something to remember it), and working on some projects. I have things to prepare for school in the fall, my brother and sister-in-law also have lesson plans to get ready, and the kids have things they have to do. It looks like only Grandma will be relaxing. &nbsp; Since my Internet connection here is sporadic, I don't know when I will be posting again. Until then, may the Lord keep you in His grace. &nbsp; &nbsp;
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Vienna, Austria

On my way to the zoo on Monday I saw an ad for free Euro2008 flags, so I made note of where the office was. I figured that I could go on Tuesday and get one, so on Tuesday I took the tram out to Simmering, then caught a bus and got off near the office where they were giving the flags out. When I got there, there was a sign that all the flags were gone. As I headed back to catch a tram into town I saw a guy getting of the bus. He asked me where the street with the office giving out flags was, so I showed him and then told him they were out. We were both disappointed. &nbsp; Heading back to town, I got off at the Gasometer. There are actually four buildings that were used originally to store gas for the city. Recently they have been converted to apartments and a shopping and entertainment complex while retaining the original structures and facades. It was interesting to see what they had done with these otherwise now useless buildings rather than tear them down. &nbsp; Once I was back in the city center I went to the Jagd- und Rüstkammer (hunting and armor hall - part of the Hofburg's museum complex), but it's closed on Tuesdays, so I just did some more sightseeing and then headed back to the apartment. A little bit later I went for a walk in the Augarten, a park near my apartment. There are three "claims to fame" for the Augarten: it's where the school for the Vienna Boys Choir is located, there is a porcelain factory there, and a flak tower from World War II is still standing. Then I caught a tram and wound up at the Fernwärme (distance heating) facility designed by Hundertwasser. Its architecture is almost as interesting as the Hundertwasser house and certainly doesn't look much like a heating plant. &nbsp; The rest of the week I spent trying to get to the places that I hadn't already seen because of the Fan Zone or simply hadn't gotten to. One stop was the Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft (I love that word - it means the Danube Steamship Cruise Company - and yes, there really are three F's together in the middle) to see about a cruise between Melk and Krems, but I decided to save that for a subsequent visit. Some day I want to take a cruise and stop at some of the places with historical connections: Melk with its Baroque monastery, Dürnstein where Richard Lionheart was held captive, etc. Or I might bicycle at least part of the way. &nbsp; Since most of what I did was simply typical tourist sightseeing I won't go into detail. However, a couple of incidents stand out. One day while on the tram, I became aware of a woman and her two daughters. The woman was doing a masterful job of teaching her girls to ignore what she told them. First they sat down together, but the younger girl wanted to sit in a single seat across the aisle and look out the window, so her mother said okay. But the little girl didn't want to sit and stood up repeatedly. The mother told her to stay seated or she would have to come and sit next to the mother. The little girl stayed seated for about 10 seconds and then was up again. There were repeated threats of various sorts, but until they got off the tram the little girl retained her seat on the other side of the aisle and never did have to do what her mother told her. I know it's tough to be consistent (I fight the same battle in the classroom), but when we let students/children ignore what we have said would have consequences, it teaches them all the wrong things. I try very hard to have few rules in my class but back them up all the time. &nbsp; On Thursday I was planning to stay in and pack when I suddenly remembered two places I had wanted to visit and hadn't. One of them was the museum for the Deutscher Orden, or Teutonic Knights. Their museum is open only a couple of days a week for a short time each day. Fortunately I was still in the time frame for being open, so I hurried to the tram stop and went into the Innenstadt. When I arrived I asked the attendant about taking pictures. At first he said "no pictures", but then I explained that I was a teacher and wanted some things for class and would use no flash. He said to wait and tried to find the person in charge to ask him. However, that person was out, so eventually the attendant told me it was okay to take a couple of pictures - "without flash, and don't take pictures of everything." He was so nice and had tried so hard to help me that I stopped by on my way out to thank him once more. We talked for a little while. When I told him more about myself, he told me that he had an American son-in-law in Tucson. The grandchildren are bilingual, but the attendant finds their "American slang" horrible. During the conversation I asked about information on the Order. It needed to be fairly small and relatively lightweight. After the attendant showed me what they had, I decided on a magazine with feature articles about the Order. When I went to pay for the magazine the attendant said no and took the money for it out of his own wallet. It was such a nice gesture. After visiting the museum I stopped at the Stephansdom long enough to climb the south tower and get a spectacular view of greater Vienna. Then it was back to the apartment to finish packing. &nbsp; My original plans were to stay until Saturday, but in order to get to Kenya and meet my brother, I changed the flight from London. So, bright and early Friday morning I headed to Vienna International Airport. My flight was Vienna-Stuttgart on German Wings, then Stuttgart-London Heathrow on British Airways. The connection from the city to the airport wasn't as often as I had thought, so I was running a little bit later than I wanted. Fortunately, since it was an intra-European flight the close of check-in wasn't too long before the flight and I had plenty of time. As it was, the flight was delayed about 45 minutes anyway because they had to swap planes. Since we weren't getting any information from the gate agents, we were just sitting around wondering what was going on. At least I wasn't on the bus that they had loaded just before the notice came that there was a hold. Those poor people were on the bus (the plane was at a remote boarding site) for about half an hour. Once we were finally on board the pilot explained what had happened. &nbsp; Since I know that airlines are prone to these sorts of things, I had scheduled a three-hour layover in Stuttgart, so the delay didn't have me worried. I knew I had plenty of time for the connection. As it turned out, the delay actually did me a favor. By the time we arrived in Stuttgart and I made my way to the British Airways counter to check-in (German Wings doesn't have agreements with other airlines about baggage, so I had to collect my suitcase in Stuttgart - which also turned out to be good), I was within 24-hours of my Kenya flight's departure. That meant that BA would accept the suitcase as checked luggage all the way through. I didn't have to pick up the bag in London. Instead, I simply walked off the plan, went through immigration and customs, and headed to the bus stops outside the terminal. There I caught the "Hotel Hoppa" to the Ibis Heathrow Hotel for four Pounds Sterling. Several different routes operate, and each bus stops at only two or three hotels. On the way to the Ibis we stopped at Holiday Inn. Even though there was absolutely no one to be seen, the driver pulled in, stopped, opened the doors, waited a couple of seconds, then closed the doors and drove on. I guess he had to fulfill his contractual obligation to stop in case anyone wanted to board. The hotel gave me a room with a view of the airport, so I took a few pictures of planes landing. I had a great night's sleep, a leisurely breakfast the next morning, and an interesting ride to the terminal - but I'll tell about that next time. &nbsp; Until then, as always möge der Herr Euch segnen.
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Vienna, Austria

Did you ever have one of those days when the basic decisions of what to wear, where to go, etc. weren't the best but it worked out anyway? Monday was like that. &nbsp; For the Virtual Vienna project in German 3, I needed to get pictures at the Vienna Zoo in Schönbrunn. Since most museums are closed on Monday, I figured that would be a good day to go to the "Tiergarten" (animal garden). A visit to Schönbrunn palace was also a possibility, but I decided that since they don't let you take pictures inside, a walk through the gardens and pictures from the outside would be fine. That way I could spend the day at the zoo. &nbsp; On the weekend it had been warm and sunny, and the temperature for Monday was forecast as in the high 70's. The morning was partially cloudy, but I figured it would clear up as the day went on. So I put on a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts to go see the animals. After a ride on the U-Bahn (subway) I arrived at the stop for the Tiergarten. A short walk took me to the entrance, where I purchased a ticket and went inside. First stop was the Koala exhibit and then the Giant Panda exhibit. There is a young panda, born at the zoo, that has been getting a lot of attention, so I had to deal with a small crowd wanting to see the newcomer. When I got out of the panda house, it had turned dark and cooler. While I was looking at the giraffes it actually sprinkled a little bit. &nbsp; The Vienna Tiergarten is set up basically in a circle with spokes radiating from a central plaza. My plan was to take each spoke and cover the whole zoo that way. However, as it began to rain in earnest - and yes, I got wet - I found myself moving into enclosed exhibit houses and dashing from one exhibit to another in a less organized manner until I discovered that I was back at the spoke where I originally entered the complex. Time to look at a map and get to the places I had missed. &nbsp; Eventually I covered everything and avoided most of the worst of the rain. A couple of times I got pretty wet, though. The main priority was protecting my camera. Fortunately I had a water-resistant bag for it and kept it basically dry, just having to wipe off the lens a couple of times. &nbsp; The cooler weather did bring out a few of the animals that might otherwise have been hiding in a cool spot, so I got to see the polar bears, seals, penguins and reindeer pretty well. Waiting for the male reindeer to come out, though, proved to be a matter of patience. He was under a covered area and so in the dark and came out only occasionally. Then he would look around and go back inside. Finally I got a couple of good pictures. The polar bears were much easier to get pictures of, and the two babies were very cute. There was also a baby seal, and I have some video with great sounds of the baby and another seal calling back and forth to each other. &nbsp; One of the houses I went into was "Savannah Birds". At first it seemed there wasn't much to see, but again it was a matter of patience. When everyone else had moved on and I was alone, I simply stood quietly for a while. Gradually the birds began coming out and making noise so that the house turned into quite a busy place. Of course, that is true of a great many experiences. When we rush through we miss what is really there to enjoy. &nbsp; During probably the hardest rain of the day I was in the Tropical Rain Forest house. Unfortunately, since it was raining there were a lot of people inside and there wasn't any place to allow sufficient quiet for the more timid animals to come out. I did see a lot though. The people were probably more interesting here. One family had a small child, and one of the sections is nearly pitch dark because it houses small bats. The poor child screamed the whole time she was in the dark, especially with small furry things flying past her. The mother tried to cram through the entrance with everyone else but got the stroller stuck and nearly allowed some of the bats to escape because she had both sets of partition open at the same time. Some large fruit bats were in the main hall, hanging from the rafters. When I was there, the water was streaming down the Plexiglas panels of the roof because of the rain. &nbsp; Finally I was finished and decided to make a dash for the nearby souvenir shop. Because it was still raining pretty hard, there were a lot of people gathered at the door. That meant that both sets of doors were constantly open. Just as I had worked my way through the crowd and was ready to make the dash, an employee came and yelled at everyone for keeping the doors open. She asked them to either go outside or come inside. With both sets of doors open the birds could easily fly out. Most people cooperated and moved inside, outside or to the side where they wouldn't activate the doors, but a few people didn't budge, so the situation hardly improved. One couple in particular continued to let their daughter play at the outside door, so the door remained open most of the time. Never underestimate the stupidity of people in large groups! I also noticed on the trip how oblivious people are most of the time. Many times I saw someone trying to take a picture, but someone would walk in front of them without a clue that there was anything going on. &nbsp; I had a late lunch at the central pavilion, then visited sections of the zoo I had missed earlier, as well as going back to a couple of places to see if some of the animals had come out because the rain had let up. The zoo also has a Tyrolean farmhouse complete with cows, sheep, etc. That was interesting. By the time I had finished and was leaving the zoo, some of the animals were starting to be up and about, so I got to see the panda walking around. The elephants were also out. &nbsp; From the zoo I walked through Schönbrunn palace gardens to the Gloriette. This was built simply as a place for the imperial family to enjoy the gardens and a view. The view really is spectacular, looking over the palace and into the city of Vienna. Schönbrunn was the summer palace, and the Hofburg was the winter palace. Then I walked back down to the palace and took a few more pictures before taking the tram back to Praterstern and then the U-Bahn back to the apartment. &nbsp; All in all it turned out to be a nice day in spite of the rain and being dressed wrong for it. The rest of my time in Vienna will have to wait until the next post, so until then wünsche ich Euch Gottes reichsten Segen.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215676980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215676980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215676980/tpod.html Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:18:10 -0400 Castles, Kaisers and Kenya

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Vienna, Austria

One of the advantages of traveling alone is flexibility. If you want or need to change your plans you can do so without worrying about how it will affect others. That's what I've been doing in Vienna. As a result, I have lots of reasons to come back another time.My original plan called for renting a car and visiting some castles in Burgenland on day trips from Vienna. When I communicated with Frau Walkner, she pointed out the difficulty in finding parking in Vienna and suggested that I wait until my arrival to decide about a car. Like Germany, Austria has a pretty extensive and reliable train system, and Vienna has a very well-run and complete public-transportation grid (Strassenbahn, U-Bahn, Autobus, S-Bahn, and even bicycle). In addition, many of the "sights" are in or on the Ring, and those that are farther away can be reached easily.On the other hand, getting to the castles I wanted to see turned out to be a bit of a problem without a car. Yes, they were reachable by train, but with changes and stops, just getting there and back would take up half the day, and that was only as far as the train station; I would still have had to get up to the castle itself. With the current exchange rate I decided to save some money and fore-go the car. As a result, instead of exploring the countryside I have stayed within Vienna and gotten to know the city. I'll do my excursions on another visit - after all I still want to see those castles!So, on Monday morning I started to experience Vienna. First stop was across the street at Spar, a small supermarket, where I bought groceries. Then I went back to the apartment and fixed breakfast. I saved a lot of money by fixing my own breakfast and dinner most days. Following breakfast, I bought a Wochenkarte at the subway station just outside the apartment. This is the best value on the system if you're staying for a week and starting out on a Monday or Tuesday. The card is valid from Monday through Sunday, costs 14 Euros, and allows unlimited travel on all parts of Vienna's public transportation net. Card in pocket I set off to explore the city.My curriculum for third-year German calls for us to "move" to Vienna and learn about the city. One of phrases we use is "In Wien gibt es mehrere Kirchen." (In Vienna there are a lot of churches.) My goal was to visit several of those "mehrere Kirchen". First on the list was, of course, Stephansdom - St. Stephen's Cathedral. Parts of the building date to the Romanesque period, but most of the cathedral is Gothic. There are a lot of fascinating parts to the cathedral. The pulpit, for example, features the Latin Fathers of the Church: Saints Augustine, Ambrose, Gregory and Jerome on the sides of the pulpit. On the base is the "Fenstergucker" (Man looking out of the window) with a compass in his hand, thought to be a portrait of the sculptor. Along the handrail of the staircase are opposing lizards and toads representing the battle of good (lizards as creatures of light) vs. evil (battle toads). At the very top stands a <i>Domini Canis, "hound of God", protecting the preacher from the battle raging below. The supports for the handrail are wheels - three-part wheels (the Trinity) rolling up and four-part wheels (the seasons = earth, mortality) rolling down.After spending time looking through the Stephansdom, I went to the Deutschordenskirche (Church of the Order of Teutonic Knights). It's dedicated to St. Elisabeth of Thuringia and has shields of the Grand Masters of Vienna on the walls, as well as other markings of the order.From there I just wandered a bit soaking in the sights. Kärtnerstrasse is a pedestrian shopping street, but I just window shopped - except for picking up a guide to Vienna. Frau Walkner had recommended I visit the Tourist Information center to get some assistance in planning my stay, but the agent there was singularly unhelpful and could give me information (primarily in the form of brochures) only on Vienna. Stopping at Cafe Mozart, though, I enjoyed fresh strawberries and ice cream. From there I continued on my tour of churches, stopping at the Kapuzinerkirche (Church of the Capuchin Order) and the Malteserkirche (Church of the Order of the Knights of Malta) before heading back to the apartment.Just so we get the "mehrere Kirchen" out of the way, the churches I saw while in Vienna include the Karlskirche (Church of St. Charles Boromeo), the Petruskirche (Church of St. Peter), Michaelerkirche (Church of St. Michael), Minoritenkirche (Church of the Friars Minor), the Schottenkirche (Church founded by Irish missionaries), the Augustinerkirche (Augustinian Church) and the Hofkapelle (Court Chapel in the Winter Palace of the Hofburg). And that wasn't all of them. I had wonderful serendipities happen in three of the churches. When I stopped in at the Schottenkirche the organist was practicing, so I stayed and listened for a while. The same thing happened in the Augustinerkirche. Listening to the wonderful organ music in those settings was tremendous. In the Hofkapelle I was enjoying the architecture when a large group entered. All of the boys and men were dressed alike with shirts, ties and jackets (and naturally trousers, shoes and socks!). One of the men went back outside for a moment, and when he returned the recorded music stopped. Then the group gathered at the front of the chapel and sang. It was the Keystone State Boys Choir from Philadelphia. Besides the choir there were only three others in the chapel, so we had our own private concert.Later in the week I went back to the Kapuzinerkirche and went down into the Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt). Most of the Austrian imperial family is buried there - or at least their bodies are. There are a few that have only an urn with the heart or ashes in the crypt. Thirty-three members of the family have their bodies in the crypt, their hearts in the basement of the Augustinian Church, and their viscera in the crypt of the Stephansdom. Sounds gruesome to me! The last two members of the family to be buried in the Imperial Crypt are the Empress Zita (1989) and her son Archduke Karl Ludwig (January 2008). Certain sarcophagi have places of honor while other coffins are simply lined up in rows. Of course the prominent sarcophagi are of particularly significant members of the family: Maria Theresa, Franz Joseph, other emperors.Another must-see stop was the Prunksaal (literally "splendor hall") of the National Library. It really is worth seeing. Of course, there are lots of museums, and it's easy to overdose, so I tried to limit where I went. In addition to the Prunksaal I also went to the "Schatzkammer" (Treasury). It was both interesting and disappointing. Interesting because there were a lot of interesting things on exhibit. Disappointing because I paid extra to be able to shoot photos and video but the lighting was so dim nothing really came out (and they don't allow flash). I also went to the cathedral museum which had an interesting display on "Faith and Football (Soccer)". The theme tied in with the Euro2008 Final that was on Sunday, 29 June.Of course while getting from one place to another I did lots of walking and sightseeing along the way. In general, though, I avoided the area on the western side of the Ring because they were tearing down from the Fan Zone. Traffic didn't even get back to normal until the following Saturday - and then it was interrupted again for a demonstration parade. In addition to Kärntnerstrasse, the other main pedestrian street is Graben. (Graben means a ditch, so at one point a ditch ran along here.) Everywhere you go you see people riding in a Fiaker, a horse-drawn carriage. It's primarily for the tourists, and they take you on a ride around the center of town. I have only occasionally seen any Fiakers very far outside the Ring.One day I also went to see the Hundertwasserhaus, a housing complex designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He tried to make his work people- and environment-friendly. It certainly makes for an interesting building. I also went to the Heeresgeschichtliche (Military History) Museum. One of the more interesting exhibits had artifacts associated with the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. His assassination in Sarajevo precipated World War I. On the way to the museum I walked through the Belvedere, actually two palaces - Lower Belvedere and Upper Belvedere - owned by Prince Eugene of Savoy. He helped save Vienna from the Turks in the 1600s and became a counselor to three emperors.On Friday I decided to go with a complete change of pace, so I took the U-Bahn to UNO City (Vienna International Center/United Nations Headquarters in Vienna). For my German 3 class we talk about the UN center as part of our Virtual Vienna move, so I wanted to be sure to get some pictures. The other point of interest was the Danube Tower and Park. The tower is one of the highest buildings in Vienna and gives a great view. I took the elevator to the observation platform and had great panoramas of the city and surrounding countryside. It was a windy day, and parts of the observation platform were like being in a wind tunnel. Once I was back on the ground and leaving the park I saw a couple of guys trying to fly kites. As windy as it was, you'd think they wouldn't have any problems, but the kites kept crashing. I think the problem was that they didn't have tails on the kites, so the kite would start to climb, flip over and crash. Except for not getting into a tree, it reminded me of Charlie Brown from "Peanuts".From UNO City I stopped at Donauinsel (Danube Island). It is a long, narrow strip of land in the Danube (over 12 miles long but only 230-400 feet wide). It's a great place to go bike riding, skateboarding, in-line skating, walking or running, or just sit and enjoy the view or even get a suntan. There are a few places where you can go swimming, but the Danube has a swift current, so you have to be careful. I would have spent more time here if it hadn't been quite so cool and windy.Instead, I headed for the Prater. This is an amusement park with lots of interesting rides. The most famous - and one of the landmarks of Vienna - is the Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel). I went on it for another spectacular view of Vienna, looked around the park a bit, and then headed off to a late lunch.Lunch was at Cafe Figlmüller. This is one of the most famous places for Wiener Schnitzel. I had schnitzel, but not a Wiener Schnitzel. Mine was in a magnificent mushroom sauce. It was still a huge amount of food, so I knew I would need to do some more walking. Thus I headed for the Naschmarkt.The Naschmarkt is an open-air market that stretches along the path of the Wien River. At this point the river is underground, so the market sits above the river. It is full of stands selling different kinds of fresh fruits, vegtables, nuts, meat, fish and poultry. Additionally you can get different kinds of sweets, cheese, souvenirs, etc. There are also a lot of cafes and restaurants. Going there after my huge meal at Figlmüller was actually a good idea; I was so full there was no temptation at all to sample things. I did enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. Most of the stalls are owned and operated by immigrants from Turkey and Eastern Europe. At the northeast end of the Naschmarkt is the Secession building, the home of Art Nouveau. I decided not to pay to go into the art collection there.Friday evening I finished the day by going to a concert in the Stephansdom. The Robert Page Festival Singers and the Budapest Concert Orchestra performed <i>The Creation by Haydn. Of course it was in German, as originally written. Before the concert started I thought we might have a bit of a problem. Whoever had set up the chairs apparently didn't have legs and didn't think anyone else did either. One very tall man had shoved his seat back, so the row behind him had zero room. We quickly solved the problem by moving the last four rows back and spreading them out. Then everyone settled in to enjoy the concert. It was superb. The acoustics in the church meant that everyone could be heard, and the combination of this great religious work of art with the setting of the cathedral was a truly spiritual experience for me. Two of my favorite choral pieces come from <i>The Creation: "The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God", "Achieved is the Glorious Work". Haydn's ability to set the words and ideas to music was incredible. The opening orchestral introduction represents the "without form and void" condition of creation. Then the introductory recitative with choir is in g minor until the words "And there was Light." On the word light the choir sings and the orchestra plays a wonderfully prepared G Major chord, and the music takes off. I truly rejoiced in God's creation.The next day I slept in before heading out to look at endings rather than the beginning. My first stop was the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery). Why it is called the Central Cemetery, I don't know; it is far from the center of the city. It's well worth a visit. To see everything could take days. I just went to the Church designed by Otto Wagner (Art Nouveau designer), the Musicians section, and the Presidents' Memorial (where the Presidents of the Austrian Republic are honored). Then I took the tram back to the Ring and stopped at the Sacher Cafe for a piece of Sacher Torte (decadent chocolate cake) with whipped cream and tea. It was wonderful sitting on the sidewalk watching people go by and enjoying this signature Viennese dessert.After eating I walked past the Memorial Against War and Fascism, the Albertina Museum and the Augustinerkirche (where I was drawn in by that excellent organ music I mentioned earlier) to the Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum. I did a tour of some of the great artwork in the imperial collection before walking across the street and visiting the Tutankhamen exhibit in the New Palace of the Hofburg. My timing was excellent, because they were handing out half-price coupons, so I paid 9 Euros instead of 18. It was an interesting exhibition, but apparently the Viennese aren't as interested as the sponsors had anticipated (hence the discount). A couple of years ago when I was in Basel I had seen a Tutankhamen exhibit, but it was so crowded that you had to get timed entrances, and I wasn't in the city long enough for that to work. So I was glad I got to get into the exhibit this time. It wasn't crowded at all. Unfortunately, they asked that we not take photographs, unlike most of the museums I had been in. The national museums simply ask that you not use flash. (Of course that sometimes makes things difficult because of dim lighting, but at least you can try.)Finally I went to the Hofburg Garden and sat and enjoyed the sun for a while. Then I headed back to the apartment.Thus endeth my first week in Vienna. Thanks for sticking with me this long. Gottes reichsten Segen an Euch!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215525840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215525840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215525840/tpod.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:50:56 -0400 Castles, Kaisers and Kenya

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Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Or, "Soccer Fever" (US)/"Football Fever" (UK and other places)When I was planning my trip during the school year, I knew I wanted to spend a little bit longer in Vienna so found an apartment for two weeks. Apparently I was fortunate to find something, since the weekend I arrived was the Final for Euro2008 European Cup. Austria and Switzerland co-hosted the matches with the final game in Vienna. (The Germany-Turkey game had been in Berne, Switzerland. Interestingly, they transmitted from there to the headquarters in Vienna and then around the world. A power failure in Vienna interrupted the broadcast, but ZDF (the German station carrying the game) quickly made arrangements to receive the broadcast directly from Switzerland. Apparently the Swiss channel was the only one that had thought to have a backup just in case.)The whole city was full of people here for the game, with of course Germans and Spaniards predominating, but with people from most of the EU countries. I'm glad I didn't wind up in a hotel. Instead I got an apartment with kitchenette and living room/bedroom (toilet <i>en suite). It isn't luxurious but it is pleasant. The only bad thing is that it is just above a restaurant and U-Bahn (subway) station - so I have the choice of either getting fresh air or having quiet. Most of the time I keep the windows open (no air conditioning) until I go to bed. Then I shut the windows and turn on the fan. Since they are double windows the noise is truly negligible.So I arrived at Vienna International Airport, breezed through formalities since I was coming from a Schwengen country (the name of the agreement that allows free movement among EU countries), caught the S-Bahn (commuter train), switched to the U-Bahn, and stepped out of the elevator from the U-Bahn station directly in front of the house where the apartment is. I spoke with the owner's mother, who took me up to the apartment. (Both the restaurant downstairs and several apartments in the building are owned by a family.) By this time it was late, so I settled in and went to bed.On Sunday I had breakfast at the restaurant and spoke with Frau Walkner about arrangements for my stay. In addition to the apartment I have access to laundry facilites on the same floor. Actually, the washer and dryer are in what used to be the Water Closet on the landing. The key rests atop the fire extinguisher. Laundry in Europe takes significantly longer than in the US. The wash takes about an hour, but that means the clothes are cleaner. Drying takes a long time, too. I had to be careful about the dryer, though. If a dryer in the US had gotten clothes that hot for that long and left them that wet, I would think it was broken. Of course this dryer doesn't have a drain, so water collects in a plastic container that you then have to empty into the former wash basin on the landing. But I didn't do laundry until a day or so later.In the meantime I went off exploring.On Sunday everything revolved around the game in the evening. I walked around the Ring (a broad avenue that follows the line of the old city wall. The old fortifications were torn down, and the road was built between 1857 and 1865 under Emperor Franz Joseph I. This was a period of "historicism" in building, so everything is monumental but in a range of styles: Italian Renaissance, Classical, Gothic, Neo-classsical, etc. The Ringstrasse itself is just over 4km long, but with a variety of side trips to different places just outside the Ring and an excursion into the center, I'm sure I covered a lot more ground than that on foot.Vienna is divided into "Bezirke" or administrative units that spiral out from the city. Everything inside the Ringstrasse is I ("One"). Just to the east across the Danube canal is Leopoldstadt, Bezirk II. That's where my apartment is located, perhaps 1km from the Franz-Josefs-Kai which is part of the Ring. The other suburbs are numbered in a clockwise fashion around the Innenstadt (Inner City). Numbers II through IX touch on the Ring at some point. After that, the higher the number the further the area is from the center, up to 23. It isn't entirely regular and the Bezirke are of different sizes, but it's an effective system and gives you a good idea of where you are once you know the numbers.So anyway, I walked from the apartment, across the Reichsbruecke to Schwedenplatz. Then I started around the ring. Along the way I saw Urania (the city's first observatory, now used as a youth center), the Postsparkasse (Postal Savings Bank) in <i>Art Nouveau Style (called <i>Jugendstil in Germany and <i>Secession in Vienna - don't confuse it with Art Deco), the Museum of Applied Art and the City Park with its statue of the Waltz King Johann Strauss Jr., before arriving at Opernplatz. The square beside the opera house was one of the centers of partying. There was a bus from German that was playing lots of music, and people were singing and dancing and shouting slogans. Sometimes supporters of Spain would walk or drive by (I saw one car full of people dressed like matadors), and then there would be friendly yelling back and forth. Several groups of fans started little soccer matches in the square. Basically, it was just a big party.From just northwest of Opernplatz the whole street was blocked off for the Fan Zone. This was just a blocked off area where fans could go to party, relax, eat and drink, and watch the game. I went in and looked around for a little bit but then continued my stroll around the Ring.Once through the Fan Zone I made my way eventually back to the Franz-Josefs-Kai and Schwedenplatz. On the edge of Schwedenplatz is a memorial to victims of Fascism (the Nazi regime in Austria), a reminder of a time when the relationships among European nations weren't quite so friendly. Then I re-crossed the Reichsbruecke and returned to the apartment. There I settled in and watched the game on TV. For those of you who might have missed it, Spain won 1:0. Of course, for me this was a great pairing, since I have ties to both countries (I teach German and I got an MA in Spanish in Madrid). Spain simply outplayed Germany and deserved to win. It was a great game.I'll let you know about more sightseeing in a later post. Until then, moege der Herr Euch segnen.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1214709780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1214709780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1214709780/tpod.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:44:01 -0400 Castles, Kaisers and Kenya

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Stuttgart, Germany

After taking Wednesday off to visit with the family and watch Germany beat Turkey, we headed out on the trail of the Staufer again on Thursday.This time we drove to Hohenneuffen, another of the Staufer castles. It's located above the town of Neuffen and is much more complete than Hohenstaufen. Once again, the view is spectacular. This castle sits on an outcropping of the Swabian Alb. To get there you have to climb onto a plateau that sits about 500 feet above the surrounding valleys. Then you have to go onto the spur upon which the castle sits. Today there is a nice road, even though the last half of a kilometer is on foot, with a bridge across the shallow gorge that separates the spur from the rest of the plateau. Everything is forested and overgrown, but in the Middle Ages the approach to the castle would have been kept clear so that attackers wouldn't have had any place to conceal themselves.We spent a couple of hours at Hohenneuffen with me wandering around taking pictures and just generally poking into as many places as I could, climbing stairs, going through passages, checking out the case mates, etc. Since there was a nice restaurant in the shell of the castle we had lunch. On Tuesday I had had Schnitzel (breaded and pan-fried veal cutlet - it has nothing to do with hot dogs, not even the Viennese variety called Wiener Schnitzel). Today I had Maultaschen soup and a salad. Maultaschen are a noodle stuffed with ground beef, egg, parsley and a few other herbs. They can be fried or cooked in a broth to make soup. I particularly like Maultaschen in soup. It's a Swabian specialty and delicious.After lunch we walked back to the car and headed to Bad Urach. Originally I had wanted to visit the ruins of Hohenurach. (Okay, for you non-German speakers, the compound Hohen- means "upper" or "high", so Hohenstaufen, Hohenneuffen and Hohenurach are all places that you have to climb to get to.) However, when we got to Bad Urach I realized that I already had all the information I needed to be able to add detail to my adventures of Gottfried von Lichtenstein. We did park for a little bit while I roamed the city center a bit taking pictures of the old part of town. All my pictures of Hohenurach are from below. What I really needed to know, though, was the lay of the land - especially the part between Hohenneuffen and Bad Urach. From Huelben it's all downhill to Bad Urach, dropping over 700 feet into the Erms Valley. Parts of it are quite steep and invisible to both Hohenneuffen and Hohenurach (an important element in the story).We didn't stay long because we needed to get back to Stuttgart. Arlene does counseling, and she had some clients to meet and then supper to prepare. Thursday evening Thamara (the second child and only daughter) and her children came over. We had a wonderful time. Thamara is a teacher at the Freie Evangelische Schule, so we traded stories about students and parents. Both students and parents behave essentially the same everywhere. I even showed some of my students' video projects that are on my computer. Unfortunately I was there during their big not-quite-end-of-the-year testing week so couldn't visit classes. German teachers have to give tests in their own classes and then go to other schools to give oral tests to other students. That way each student has at least two teachers who evaluate them, one who know the student and one who doesn't. Last year I was in town during summer vacation, so Thamara took me on campus for the grand tour. I'll post a couple of pictures from that so you can see the school.Friday was my shopping day. Everyone else had things to do, so I hopped on the Strassenbahn and headed downtown - literally. The City sits on the Neckar River within a bowl of hills. Most of the suburbs are uphill, including where my German family lives. My chief goals were to find a present for my nephew and exchange some old German Marks that I had found. It seems that my nephew has become quite the musician. He plays clarinet and bassoon, chiefly bassoon. When they were in the US his parents got a good deal on a bassoon. It was the first time he had picked on up, and by the end of the second day he was playing the bassoon part from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by ear. His orchestra teacher at school listened to him play and immediately switched him from clarinet to bassoon in the orchestra. He has continued playing now that he's back in Kenya and is in a symphony orchestra - and also in the 8th grade. He's taking private lessons, and his teacher told him he needed a reed scraper. So, my job was to find one. I participate in an online forum for German and English and had asked there. The closest anyone knew was in Gaggenau, over 90km away. But at least their online catalog told me what I needed to ask for: Schabemesser. Franz found a couple of music stores in the yellow pages, so I called. The first place I talked to didn't carry them and suggested I try in Tuebingen, 45km away. Tuebingen would have been doable, though inconvenient. Gaggenau was totally out of the question. Fortunately, the second place I called carried Schabemesser and was located in the Koenigsbau on Schlossplatz, i.e. about as "downtown" as you can get and easily reached. They were very helpful and showed me a number of possibilities and explained what I needed. If you're ever looking for anything related to music in Stuttgart, go to Berthold and Schwerdtner. I recommend them highly.The other task was also easily accomplished. Most banks no longer accept DM, so I had to go to the Landeszentralbank (State Central Bank), also downtown. They exchanged my Marks for Euros with no questions asked. Then I wandered a bit and went on a little shopping spree. VfB Stuttgart - the Stuttgart soccer club - has a shop downtown, so I had to go in and get a couple of things to help decorate my room at school. One item was a VfB shawl from last year when they won the Bundesliga championship. Another was a Euro2008 European Cup shawl. I also bought myself a polo shirt and my nephew a T-shirt. Not only does he play bassoon quite well, but he's on the school soccer team. He gave up rugby this year so he could concentrate more on his music and chess club - and I'm sure my sister-in-law is relieved!I didn't need to do any shopping for my niece, because I had sent her gift ahead with my mother when she flew to Kenya in the middle of June, and I had a gift for my brother in my bag. So I decided to get my sister-in-law's present in Vienna. [This last paragraph added just in case any of them actually read the blog. (-: ]When I had finished I headed back so I could be there in time to meet Urs and his wife. Urs is the third child (second son) and had met me a the airport, but we hadn't had time to spend together all week. So, we had dinner and enjoyed the fellowship.Sorry I don't have more pictures of Stuttgart, but for the last couple of years the city has been full of construction and preparations for various festivals and events. This year it was the Euro2008 match. Maybe I'll get some pictures next year.Saturday morning I spent packing. Then after lunch Franz took me to the airport for my flight to Vienna. Getting checked in and going through security was a breeze. The security guards were definitely thorough but at the same time much friendlier than the ones at LAX. The German Wings flight was nice and smooth, but I did meet my first stinky European (and I once again mean that literally). After I had gotten seated at the window, a guy came in and sat on the aisle. When he took off his jacket I got a strong whiff of body odor. There used to be a joke about the difference between Americans and Europeans: Americans bathe every day and go to the store once a week; Europeans go to the store every day and bathe once a week. That has changed in the meantime, except this guy seemed to be holding with tradition - and bath day must have been the previous Sunday. Fortunately I opened the air nozzle full blast and didn't have to endure the smell the whole flight. When we got off I made certain he was some distance ahead of me.Arrival in Vienna, customs and immigration were all without incident, and I caught the S-Bahn from the airport. But you'll have to wait until next time to find out what I've been doing in Vienna. Until then, Gott segne Euch alle.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215025080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215025080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1215025080/tpod.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:13:19 -0400 Castles, Kaisers and Kenya

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Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

So who or what are/is "the Staufer", and why am I on the trail?To answer the second question first (I just love <i>chiasm, don't you?): Part of the reason I stopped in Stuttgart - in addition to visiting friends and "family" - was to do research for my advanced German class at Pacifica. In German 4/AP we spend a significant amount of time on the Middle Ages, and I am working on upgrading my materials. As part of that upgrade I'm writing my own "biography" of a fictional character. I've put him in Swabia during the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries, and I needed to check out some places he might have been. There are still a lot more places to check, but they will have to wait for another time. At this point, my "hero" will be Gottfried von Lichtenstein. Burg Lichtenstein is documented from about 1150, and a couple of names associated with the castle are known, but there is enough that is not known for me to be able to create my fictitious character and weave a lot of history into his lifetime. I've got lots of ideas; we'll have to see how well they "flesh out".The Staufer&nbsp; were the ruling family in the Holy Roman Empire at this time. Gottfried will grow up during the reign of Friedrich I Barbarossa and accompany him on the ill-fated Third Crusade. (In case you didn't know, Barbarossa was about 69 years old and still leading his army through Anatolia [Turkey] when he died in the Saleph River in southeastern Cilicia; exact cause of death: uncertain, was it drowning or a heart attack from the shock of cold water?) There will be plenty of opportunities for other adventures, not least of which will involve meeting the emperor for the first time. I'm trying to tie Gottfried's age and activities with Barbarossa's known movements at certain points. Although the King of the Germans was technically elected, the election usually went the way the old emperor wanted. Then, to become emperor, the king had to be crowned by the pope. Most of the time this meant a trip to Rome. As a result some kings never became emperor. During particularly difficult times there might be rivals for the throne. This happened after Heinrich VI's death because his son (later Friedrich II) was so young. Heinrich's brother Philip was elected king in an attempt to protect the Staufer interests, but the Welf faction elected Otto, son of Heinrich of Bavaria. Incidentally, a key Staufer city was Waiblingen. The battle cries "Hie Waiblingen" and "Hie Welf" gave their names to the Italian factions of Ghibelline and Ghuelf.But enough medieval history. On Tuesday Franz, Arlene and I drove to Hohenstaufen. This was the home castle for the Staufer dynasty, although in Germany at the time the emperor didn't stay in any one place for very long but moved around the empire constantly to take care of things and make certain the nobles and high nobles didn't acquire too much power. We stopped at a restaurant with a wonderful view of the Fils valley and the Swabian Alb beyond. After lunch Arlene relaxed and enjoyed the view while Franz and I hiked to the top of the hill (a volcanic mound, long extinct) to see the ruins and the view. Along the way we stopped at the local museum to look at the exhibit on the Staufer. I also realized that Long Beach is much flatter than Swabia!When we had looked around a while we returned to the restaurant and headed for Kloster Lorch, where some of the Staufer are buried. On the way we made a detour to Schoenblick, a center for the "Altpietisten", a pietistic movement in Baden-Wuerttemberg. It was quite impressive.At Kloster Lorch we went to the cloister Church of St. Peter and Paul and saw the sarcophagus of Irene, Philip of Swabia's widow. She was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II. After Philip was killed in 1208, Irene died in childbirth. She was well loved both by contemporaries and subsequent generations. Walther von der Vogelweide called her a "rose without thorns, dove without guile".Just outside the monastery was a tower for the Limes Line. (Pronounced <i>LEEM-ess) This was an attempt by the Roman Empire to keep the barbarians (i.e. Germans) out. It was similar to the later Maginot Line - and just about as effective. The Limes stretches for thousands of kilometers across southern Germany and into Austria, connecting the Rhine and Danube Rivers, then following the Danube east. Naturally I had to go and take a look at the tower - not an original, of course, but marking where the Limes Line used to be.On Wednesday I took a break from the Staufer for more modern pursuits. We had lunch with Andri, Franz and Arlene's youngest son. He's a pastor in the Freie Evangelische Kirche. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking a small lake and then went back to Andri's for "dessert". In the evening we went to Dan's house. He's the eldest son and holds a position in the Synod of the Landeskirche (Lutheran Church) in Baden-Wuerttemberg. We watched the Germany-Turkey game. The most exciting part was the last five minutes, when Germany won. The real heroes of the game were Schweinsteiger, Klose and (especially) Lahm, who kicked goals - and Podolski and Hitzlsperger who assisted. The captain, Ballack, didn't contribute much. The win put Germany into the Euro2008 Europe Cup Soccer Final. The final was in Vienna, and I'll talk about it in another post.I still have a couple of days left in Stuttgart, but I'll tell you about them in my next post. Until then moege Gottes reichster Segen bei Euch sein.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1214927820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1214927820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/4/1214927820/tpod.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:57:57 -0400 Castles, Kaisers and Kenya

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Long Beach, California, United States

This year I'm getting a late start on posting, since my access to the Internet was a bit limited last week, and I just got access here in Vienna. Yes, I'm in Vienna, but more about that later. First, I want to welcome a new set of readers: my German students (current and now former) who temporarily took leave of their senses and said they wanted to read my travel blog. Just to warn you, this first entry is all about getting away; the more exotic stuff (and pictures) will come later.In some ways I was ahead of things this year, like getting grades done. In other ways I was a little behind, like getting everything packed before the shuttle to the airport came. The choir at church was singing a fun spiritual for the Sunday morning service: "Twelve Gates into the City", and I definitely wanted to be part of the service. In addition, I had organ responsibilities for three services. The morning worship was great, but it meant that I didn't have a lot of time after the last service before the van arrived.So, I closed up the organ and headed out. My errands took about the amount of time I had figured, so I was in pretty good shape - until the shuttle arrived 15 minutes early. Yes, early! Shuttles aren't supposed to arrive early. As a result, I threw the last couple of things into my bag and shut it. Naturally, I forgot a couple of things, like a comb, shampoo and deodorant. Fortunately they have those things readily available in Europe, so I just resigned myself to buying them when I got to Stuttgart.The van did have to wait a little bit for me, and of course I was the last person on. When I got in I looked over my shoulder at a full van and apologized for keeping them waiting. Then we headed to the airport. Checking in and going through security weren't a problem. What was a problem was that "ops" for British Airways had changed the seat selection, and the agent couldn't get me what I wanted. She agreed that it didn't do much good to have early seat selection if the company just moved your seat around on you. Still, BA has better legroom than most, so I wasn't too cramped.My flight to London was nice and smooth, and I watched some movies I hadn't seen before: "Jumper" and "The Golden Compass"; I also re-watched "Chronicles of Narnia I". All of them were good, but I still like "Narnia" the best. Then I took a nap, awaking in time to have breakfast before we landed at Heathrow. BTW, if you want to get your meal ahead of everyone else, order a special meal. They hand those out first, at least on BA.Both of my flights were into and out of Terminal 5, and things went pretty smoothly. (PTL) I had scheduled a long layover, and the continuing flight was delayed, so I had plenty of time to investigate the terminal. It's very new and slick, but it's still an airport terminal. They did put in a small children's playground with lots of Nerf equipment. When I walked by, there were several little kids having a great time playing together. Their parents looked a lot more relaxed than most parents in an airport, so that was positive.After a half-hour delay, my flight to Stuttgart got underway. It was also pretty boring (always good), and I arrived at Stuttgart airport with no problems. Then I had to wait on luggage before meeting my German family. (For those who don't know, this is the family I lived with when I was in Germany 1975-1977 and 1983-1984.) We had a great time together, but you'll have to wait until my next post to read about it.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/travels-2007/1185952320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/travels-2007/1185952320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/harrellrl/travels-2007/1185952320/tpod.html Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:15:00 -0400 Meetings, Märchen and Middle Ages: a German teacher's foray into foreign lands, forests and the fairy-tale route.

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London, United Kingdom

Well, it's been a while since I last posted, so I'll see what I can tell you about my time in London.&nbsp;After being delayed in Washington, we arrived late into London. The breakfast that the flight attendant had left lying on the evacuation slide container for me was really lunch. Customs wasn't bad, but by the time I got out of the airport it was late afternoon. I took the Tube to my hotel, checked in, walked around a bit, and then went back to the room.&nbsp;In my wandering I discovered that the hotel was close to Wesley's Chapel, where Charles Wesley (one of the founders of Methodism) used to preach. 2007 is the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley, so on Sunday morning I walked to the Chapel for services. The sermon was on asking, seeking and knocking and the Lord's Prayer. As part of the prayer time the leader took a phrase from the Lord's Prayer and enlarged on the phrase before moving on to the next. For example, after praying "Give us this day our daily bread", she prayed for those who don't have enough to eat and for those who have other basic needs. It was a great way to start Sunday morning.&nbsp;The Hoxton Hotel where I stayed is very nice, but I ran into a couple of minor problems. First, the drain in the sink stopped up, so I had to have them fix that. Then in the evening when I came in I put the key card in the slot to activate the electricity, heard a "pop", and everything went dark. The receptionist had to come up and find the breaker panel so he could re-set the breaker for the room. Other than that, though, it was very nice.&nbsp;On Monday I had to stop at a Do It Yourself Center (pardon me, Centre) and get some epoxy. Somehow on the flight from Dulles to London, British Airways managed to tear the handle on my suitcase loose from the suitcase itself. Since I'm traveling by car this year I decided to bring my rolling hard-sided suitcase. It has an extending handle for when I roll it. BA handlers managed to pull that handle loose, even though they shouldn't have been grabbing that handle at all, especially since it was fully retracted. Oh well. I got the epoxy, went back to the room and glued my suitcase back together. It seems to be holding well. In addition, I later stopped at a Boots the Chemist shop and bought a luggage strap for added support.&nbsp;The rest of my time in London I spent seeing some things again, walking around, and seeing a few things I haven't gotten to before. One morning I arrived early for tickets to the Houses of Parliament, but the earliest opening they had was about 11:00. I booked a later tour and then went to Westminster Abbey. With the sales clerk's assistance I timed things well and came out of the abbey at the right time to join the queue for Parliament. While I was inside Westminster Abbey I came across a booklet about the abbey and the Da Vinci Code. Part of the booklet is showing the errors in the Dan Brown's descriptions. The author's basic premise is that the Da Vinci Code is a fun read, but don't rely on it for essential accuracy on things.&nbsp;The tour of the Houses of Parliament was interesting. Our guide told us lots of things about traditions in the house, who does what, etc. The only part of the building that remains from the Middle Ages is Westminster Hall, the rest is what the English call Gothic Revival (or Victorian Gothic) from the 1800's. Even that has suffered damage, e.g. from German bombs in WWII. We got to go in the entrance the Queen uses when she opens Parliament and stood (no sitting allowed) in the House of Lords. This part of the complex is very ornate, and things become increasingly plainer as one moves towards the Commons. The color also changes from red for Lords to green for Commons. The monarch is never allowed inside the House of Commons. This stems from when the king was going to arrest the leaders of the Commons, but they had been warned and fled. Instead, the sovereign sends for the Commons, and they come to the House of Lords to hear the Queen's opening speech.&nbsp;I also made it to both the British Library, which was having an exhibit called "Sacred" about Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the British Museum, where I went to the European Middle Ages section rather than Middle Eastern Antiquities. Middle Eastern Antiquities is more impressive. There's just something about having portions of a palace in your museum that's impressive.&nbsp;On my last day in London I went to Hampstead Heath, another place I have wanted to visit for a while. I actually went one station too far so I had a longer walk than intended, but it was enjoyable, and Parliament Hill provides a nice panorama of the city of London and its surroundings.&nbsp;Upon returning to the hotel I got my bags and headed for the train station. Since I was flying on German Wings to Stuttgart, I had to get to Stansted Airport. Stansted is the discount airline airport for London. German Wings, Berlin Air, Ryanair, and several other discount airlines fly out of Stansted. After walking from the Hotel to Liverpool Street Station, I got a ticket and literally jumped onto the train as it was departing for the airport. Because I arrived early I had to wait for German Wings to open the counter. They had two flights out but only one ticket agent, so the queue was very long. Eventually some people informed us that other counters nearby could also check us in. That helped immensely. It also helped that the flight was delayed, so everyone got on board.&nbsp;Since German Wings is a discount airline, they try to put as many people as possible on the plane. That means that legroom is shorter than other planes. Also, they don't assign seats but have open seating, like Southwest in the US. When our plane arrived, we got on, and I took a seat on the aisle. There was someone in the window seat, but the middle seat was empty. My knees were jammed into the back of the seat in front of me, so there was no way the seat would recline. After we had gotten airborne the person in front of me tried to put her seat back. When she couldn't, she turned around and asked me about it. I pointed out that I couldn't exactly remove my legs, at which point she asked me to move to the middle seat so she could recline her seat back, even though the middle seat next to her was empty as well. While I didn't go ahead and move, I did use the empty seat space to turn sideways and accommodate the person in front of me. The lady in my row looked at me and indicated she thought the other woman had a lot of nerve to ask me to move for her. At least the flight was only a little over an hour, so it wasn't too bad. And we actually made up the time for the delay, so we touched down about five minutes late.&nbsp;I had intended to take the S-Bahn (light rail) to the station near my friends' house, but they surprised me by being at the airport. We headed for their house, and I'll have to tell you about my time in Stuttgart later.&nbsp;Until then, möge Euch Gott reichlich segen.
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