A VISIT TO HAMBURG

Sunday, September 14, 1997 Lubeck, Germany

Up and going to breakfast by 8 am. We had soft boiled eggs with breakfast and managed to make our little purse sandwiches on the side. Drove to Hamburg where we purchased cokes to go with our sandwiches. Then into town to visit some of the highlights per the travel books. Visited three churches….

St. Nikolaikirche: Built during the 19^th Century this church stands as a monument to those persecuted and killed during the Nazi era. Only the towering bell tower and the shell of the church’s core remain. Bells have been installed in the tower that ring on the quarter hour.

Katherinenkirche: A Lutheran church. Nice bell towers but nothing too special. It was heavily damaged during 1942 and has been rebuilt.

Hauptkirche St. Michaelis: The premier church of Hamburg. It is capped by the largest clock tower in Germany. It has been rebuilt 3 times, the last time after 1942 air raids. We paid 2 DM each for a ride in an elevator to the viewing platform for a spectacular view of the entire city. This is a port city for the North Sea. It was raining and cold but worth the trip up for the view. Wet and cold, we hurried back to the car and headed towards Lübeck; our northern most point of the trip.

Arrived in Lübeck about 4 pm. Checked into our hotel and tried to connect to AOL. No success…tried a second room and even from the clerk’s desk. Must have the wrong access number. Grabbed our umbrella’s and set out to inspect the city. First stop was at a street vendor to buy a second umbrella for Shari. Then we went to J. G. Niederegger…a candy store that specializes in Marzipan. We bought a box each and decided that it wasn’t very special; but did enjoy them for dessert.

Second stop was at Marienkirche. Heavily damaged during the war and rebuilt they had photos of the damage. Several large organs were installed and a small Astronomical Clock. It was a very impressive church. The bells that fell during WW II were embedded into the floor and remain there to this day.

Outside it was raining even harder and we were glad that Shari purchased an umbrella so that now we each had our own. Walked over to St. Jocab’s…not nearly as impressive as Marienkirche. Back to the rain as we proceed to walk back to a Pizza place next to the hotel. There we enjoyed a very good pizza dinner and stories of Shari’s experiences with the more sensitive side of life and their Hallmark Store in Whittier. Now we know what it means if she says that “Frank is in the store”! (It meant that they were having a problem with a shopper! Possibly a shoplifter!)

Back at the hotel we gave AOL another try with no success and then made two telephone call. Wendy said everyone was fine but that she didn’t think that any work was being done at the house. Also said that they are expecting rain and would check on things as the dishwasher was still outside on Friday night. And life goes on!

BROTHER'S GRIMM FAIRY TALE ROAD

Saturday, September 13th, 1997 Goslar, Germany

Went back to sleep immediately after having been awake for several hours during the night and finally woke up about 6 am; rested and ready for our first full day in Germany. We went down to breakfast shortly after 7:30 am and made miniature sandwiches for our pockets to eat for lunch from the breakfast table rather than eating all of the food for breakfast!

Checked out and found the weather a light mist. Jim recommended that we follow the Fairy Tale Road…so named because the Brother’s Grimm were born and raised in the towns along this road. Many of their fairy tales are based on real life places along this road. A castle tower looked perfect for Rapunzel to let her hair down. A very nice town where we spent time walking around the city was Steinan; the Grimm’s birthplace and they’ve named the main street after them. Many very old half timbered homes in this town.

We’ve noticed that the sound walls along the autobahn are very decorative. Some have glass, others are built of various materials. Some resemble homes up against the wall like a medieval wall. Many had vines growing up the walls.

Fulda is the home of the Bishop’s Palace. Very beautiful. There were many more tourists compared to what we’ve seen elsewhere. Large cathedral had a tomb of St. Boniface under the main alter. Shari lit a candle for her new expected granddaughter, Anne. We did three more candles for the trip and our families. Dave learned how to do the parking permit machines. Agreed this morning at breakfast that Jim would drive the car up to lunch and Dave would drive afternoons. Worked well today.

By noon we realized how little we were progressing so decided to get on the major autobahn and put some miles in to get to our evening lodgings: Goslar. What should have been a three to five hour drive had taken from about 9 am to 4 pm; but we did enjoy the stops along the fairy tale road.

Rain threatens all day but seldom more than a few drops here and there. We did see some lightening strikes. But, it is definitely colder than we’d expected. In walking around Goslar this evening we were very cold.... and happy to get back to our warm rooms at the end of the walk. We had dinner at the hotel…very nice and not too expensive. During our after dinner walk we were still cold but everyone except Shari had ice cream for dessert.

Did some planning for tomorrow’s trip to Lübeck with a stop at Hamburg, the Venice of the North. Retired to our rooms by 8:30 pm. There are only German TV shows so it will probably be an early evening.

FRANKFURT

Friday, September 12, 1997 Frankfurt, Germany

Happily; we all met at the Alamo car rental station….got the car…a brand new green Opal station wagon! Luggage fits nicely in the rear with a cover over the top that will hide everything when we are parked. Off to Frankfurt without any major problems.

Arrived at Hotel Mozart about 9 am…set off on foot to the Palmengarten where we spent several hours touring the green houses and grounds. A beautiful display of Japanese arrangements. We could see a BMW new car on display, but we were unable to get into the special program they were having at the time about the car.

Dave and I both had bad hair days as the moisture in the green houses made our hair go limp! Back at the hotel we were able to check into our rooms and change socks before departing by car to the old part of the city. We were looking for the Romer and a meal! Everyone is very tired…it’s actually about 2 am in California but only noon here in Frankfurt.

We’re trying to stay up until early evening. Finally found a parking garage and walked to the Rommer. Starting to rain….I has an umbrella for Shari and windbreaker with hood for myself. Rain is very light…people pretty much ignoring it. Found the old city after walking along the Main River. Ate dinner at the same old pub where Jim & I ate our last meal in Germany in 1996 on our trip with his sister.

Shari attempted to order a “green salad” without any luck. Shortly thereafter, they served the exact item to another guest….we decided they didn’t understand “green”. But dinner was good…hot dogs, German potato salad, kraut, etc. After dinner we spent some time walking around, entered St. Bartholomew’s church…we were too tired to make the climb up the tower. Crossed over the bridge to the other side and walked back to the car under an umbrella of trees all along the Main River. Really beautiful time of year.

Back across the river on another walking bridge and home to the hotel where we all decided to meet for breakfast about 8 am. Jim fell asleep within minutes. I got out the computer and tried to work on it without much success. About midnight, Jim & I were up and about…trying to decide what time it was…hard to tell. Turned on the television for CNN. I worked on this story and tried to connect to phone line to AOL but couldn’t get the room phone plug out. Going to try to go back to sleep.

AND SO OUR ADVENTURE BEGINS...

Thursday, September 11th, 1997

I stayed up all night finishing up moving things back in the house from the remodel still in progress in our home...best laid plans didn't work...they should have been finished months before our schedule trip! But the house will be livable for guest expected to use the house during our absence.

Super Shuttle van arrived at 5 am and we were off to LAX. I slept all the way to the airport. Arrived at LAX about 6 am, got checked in and waited for the plane. Left on time at 7:56 am….arrived in Chicago and ate pizza for lunch. We were living right as the flight left right on time from Chicago and we were headed for Germany!

It was a long flight but we had plenty to keep us busy and even managed to sleep a bit during the trip.

Dave & Shari had similar luck with timely departures until they were ready to leave Chicago. Apparently someone on a connecting flight did not get on the plane so they had to take off all the luggage for inspection. They were already aboard the plane and had to wait during the search without the benefit of fresh air! But, time was made up and they arrived just after Jim & I (about 10 minutes later instead of 15 minutes earlier as scheduled).

It's Friday, September 12th in Frankfurt, Germany as we landed....lost a day somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean!

PLANNING OUR TRIP TO GERMANY & AUSTRIA

Sometimes in the fall of 1996, we were sharing travel stories with Dave & Shari, good friends and neighbors, during an evening boat ride on East Lake when it was decided that we’d make great travel companions; plans were tentatively set for a trip to Germany and Austria in the fall of 1997.

Over the next several months, evenings were spent on the lake planning our proposed trip. The plan was to use the International Dine Out book and Intercontinental Hotels for great bargains on upper end hotels….we each had a “free companion ticket” coming from an airlines due to previous commitments.

In January, we started checking on reservations….plane tickets were already filling up and Dave & Shari ended up on Lufthansa Airlines for their United tickets…we would be on American Airlines. Both tickets were double what we’d expected due to the time of year. We also soon discovered that hotel reservations were going to be tougher to get because of the Octoberfest Celebrations going on during the same time as we were planning our vacation. The reduced rates were out the window as this is their premium occupancy time. Meetings were held as we read the travel books and laid out our basic route.

We will fly into Frankfurt September 11^th from LAX and return from Frankfurt Oct. 1^st. We’ll rent a car from Alamo…Jim to order through Kemmel. Stay over the first night in Frankfurt and then start north to Lübeck; southeast to Berlin; south to Bamberg; east to Vienna, Austria; west to Salzburg then back into Germany by way of the Romantic Road through Bavaria. Back through Oberammergau, Munich, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Wurzburg and back to Frankfurt by October 1^st.

During April, having recovered from the trip to England, we spent a week faxing various hotels that were about $100/per night; with shower & toilet in the room. Nothing fancy…going toward quaint and comfortable. Several were hotels that Jim & I were familiar with from our previous trip to Germany.

Over the next several months, meetings were held to read the travel books and make plans for places we wanted to visit on the trip. Decision was made to each set up our own transportation to LAX due to the difference in departure times. Both lay over in Chicago, but Dave & Shari leave an hour later from LAX. Both arrive about the same time in Frankfurt. Plans are to meet at the car rental in Frankfurt. Weather will probably require warmer clothes, but may still be on the warm side in the southern part of our stay. Each party to limit their baggage to two suitcases. I will bring my computer to use e-mail for everyone.