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Steve P

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

  • Travel
Wait, I’ve already done a Blood, Sweat and Tears pun in my Winston Churchill post. Forget that you read this title.

Today, we left Baden-Baden and drove south on Highway 500 right down the middle of the Black Forest (think cuckoo clocks) to Furtwangen. Should you find yourself here,

Bond. James Bond.

Bond. James Bond.

  • Travel
Remember the 007 movies where Bond would strip off a wet suit or something revealing an impeccable tuxedo underneath? Then he’d stroll into a casino that looked nothing like the ones most of us have seen.

Today we visited the casino at Baden-Baden, an old school German spa town.

Würzburg

Würzburg

  • Travel
We made the 26km drive from Vogelsburg to Würzburg in the rain this morning to have a look at the Rezidence, the opulent home of a series of Prince-Bishops starting in the early 18th century. I had low expectations. Once again life demonstrated that I am an idiot.

“Opulent” barely

Cycling in Bavaria

Cycling in Bavaria

  • Travel
Did I mention that we are in Vogelsburg on the banks of the Main River because we want to do a bit of cycling? Yes, I did. All that’s been missing is the sun. On a serious cycle tour, you ride rain or shine, wind or calm, hot or
Vogelsburg

Vogelsburg

When I told Siegi that I wanted to do some cycling, he recommended villages along the Main river. Today, we checked into a hotel called Vogelsburg, near Volkach. You’ll probably have to look for it on a map. but that’s a good thing.

Vogelsburg has an excellent restaurant,

Tempelhof

Tempelhof

  • Travel
Bzzzzzzt! We’re back in Berlin (not really, but for purposes of this narrative). Specifically in the former American sector of West Berlin at one of the largest buildings in the world: Tempelhof Airport.

If really big empty buildings are your thing, you are going to love these photos. The

One, at last!

One, at last!

  • Travel
As I’ve said before, I’m not a great photographer. I just snap what I see in order to share with you. But every now and then I manage to take one that I think is pretty good.
242 Steps of Fun

242 Steps of Fun

  • Travel

It was not our first climb up a bell tower, but it was the first time the attendant seemed skeptical that we could make it to the top. I must be looking old.

The Naumburg Treasures

The Naumburg Treasures

After we left the cathedral, we walked to the other side of the cloister to have a look at the so-called treasures held by the cathedral. And who would not call them treasures after seeing these exquisite paintings and carvings?

Consider the centuries that have passed since these objects were

A Difference of Opinion

A Difference of Opinion

  • Travel
When my grandfather returned to Kentucky after living in France for two years, friends asked his impressions of life abroad. His reply, “If you’ve seen one cathedral, you’ve seen them all.”

There are days when I would agree with him, but today was not one of those days.

Karwe at last

Karwe at last

Late in the day, our meandering course took us to Karwe, a village on the banks of the Ruppiner See. Once again, we find ourselves at a former large farm. Same story. Post-GDR the property is restored to a buyer with sufficient funds. Maybe the family of the pre-GDR owner,
Lunch with the Classics

Lunch with the Classics

  • Travel
While in Rheinsberg, we had lunch at a fish restaurant beside the lake. For reasons that no one could explain, local artists have constructed a scene from the Odyssey along the lake shore. Here we see Odysseus struggling to resist the sirens’ song.
A Journey… (cont.)

A Journey… (cont.)

  • Travel
Let’s have a look at another way that private property was reused by the GDR.

The village oh Rheinsberg is best known for Rheinsberg Palace and it’s surrounding park. Like many palaces, this one has housed a lot of privileged people. The ones that most interest us are

Amplemann

Amplemann

  • Travel
I first met “little traffic light man” while cycling through the GDR in 1990. He’s the equivalent of the Walk/Don’t Walk signals at home. Amplemann is hard not to like, with his jaunty walk and his hat.

I was not the only one to take a liking