Tulle - not just ballet costume netting - a old town in France

When you are driving through the south central region of France be sure to visit the old town of Tulle.

How old is Tulle?  Well Tulle was settled by the Gauls, then the Romans established a temple there,  and in the seventh century a monastery was built which was destroyed by the Vikings in 846…so you figure it out!!!

Yes, Tulle  is the home of the starchy, sometimes scratchy,  net-like fabric that ballet costumes are made of. And, it is also the world accordion capital. (Did you know a single accordion has between 3500 and 6800 parts and takes more than 200 hours to make.. and can cost up to €9000, about $11,700?) Usine Maugein - the last of the traditional accordion makers still produces instruments in Tulle.

But more importantly, Tulle is the scene of a really nice 4-day street music festival (Nuits de Nacre - September) and it is a GREAT place to just get off the beaten path… and roam around a bit.

Take a look at this video… Great isn’t it? Want more information?  Contact me. Let me help you plan the ‘roaming’ tour of your dreams.

 

It is almost truffle season in France!!!

Just the other day, I was talking to someone about truffles. I was telling them that years ago, I read (probably in one of Peter Mayle’s wonderful books) that truffles used to be hunted using a pig. Apparently pigs have a keen sense of smell and can track down a truffle a mile away. (Well, perhaps not  a mile… but quite a distance!!)   A pig, with its innate truffle-sniffing sense, can find a truffle and root it out with its snout - even when the truffle is hidden almost underground!!

However pigs also love to eat truffles. So, since there was always a dispute with the pig over ownership rights (i.e. 300 lb. truffle-finders are always keepers!!),  they are no longer used in truffle-hunting. Instead, they have been replaced with ‘truffle-sniffing dogs’!! (Per Wiki: need to be trained, but easier to control!) As I recounted this tale to my friend, we laughed and mused about how much fun it would be to go on a truffle hunt. (From my mouth to the truffle-god’s ear.)

 

 

To see more of these photos and to read the story, check out  David Lebovitz's story about his hunt with the pig, on his  blog:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/02/truffle-hunting-in-france/#comments

Lo and behold, guess what appeared in my email box today? An invitation from Johann & Lisa Pepin (who have a truffle plantation in the Provence) inviting me (and you - my dear readers) to visit them. They will tell us how truffles are cultivated and truffle dogs are trained, and we can go on a hunt for France's elusive "black gold" with professional hunters who know all the tricks of the trade. The hunters will even regale us with stories of truffle hunting successes and sabotage, and we will learn to tell the difference between the different types of truffles (French versus Chinese).

Interested? Contact me and I will help you plan a wonderful self-drive trip through the Provence which, of course, can include the truffle hunt.  (Truffle season: summer - May to September; winter - November to March)  

Or join me and a few other baby-boomer couples (no more than 6 couples) in the Provence during Christmas week (Dec 21 to 26)… as we share accommodations (6 private rooms, each with bath) in a fully- furnished, luxury villa.

Or join me from 27 December to 04 January for a week with ‘just us girls’... at the same luxury villa.  

(For both trips: a rental car will be available for each couple or every two women. )

Christmas in the Provence

The Provence is wonderful any time of year… especially in the winter when only the locals are there.  Join us during Christmas week or New Years while we share accommodations in a luxury villa in the Provence.

The first week - December 21 to 27 - is reserved for baby-boomer couples,

The second week  - Dec 28 to January 03 - is exclusively for women who are travelling alone or with a friend. 

Share a 9 bedroom/ 9 bath luxury villa (one rental car available for every 2 people)!!

Dining out in France

Planning a trip to France? Why not get off the beaten path.. fly into Frankfurt, rent a car drive down Germany’s wine road, take the little road for Landau into Strasbourg and then head down to Dijon. A few miles outside of Dijon will put you right on the Route des Grand Cru.. and you can visit these restaurants.

Oktoberfest.... not only in Munich

Today in the New York Times, there was an article about more and more German women wearing the traditional outfit: the dirndl dress.  This outfit is typically worn – by Bavarian women - on festive occasions, like the Oktoberfest.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/world/europe/dirndl-dress-of-past-makes-a-comeback-in-bavaria.html?pagewanted=all

But as I mentioned in a previous blog post, Oktoberfests are now being held throughout the country. Yes, folks… in the past, Oktoberfest was traditionally a festival held only in Munich and which featured the beer from the 17 most famous breweries in Munich.


But now cities and towns - located throughout Germany – are offering Oktoberfests… and the women are wearing the traditional Bavarian outfit – the dirndl!! So no matter where you are in Germany… be sure to check out the local Oktoberfest if they have one.


And during the remainder of the year.. if you should happen to see a sign for a BierBörse, be sure to check that out also. (Translation: Bierbörse is a ‘beer exchange’). Apparently there are 16 of them held throughout the year, throughout Germany. These Bierbörsen offer beer from a wide variety of micro-breweries.

http://www.bierboerse.com/

Cattle drives In Germany

You’ve seen it on television, exclaimed ‘oh how quaint’, but never really thought much about it. However, it really is quite an event.  The herders bring the cattle down from their Alpine pastures to the valley, where the various herds are separated and then lead them in a grand procession through the town. The townspeople - dressed in traditional garb - adorn the head of the lead cow from each herd with ornamental head-dress and huge clanking bells. After the procession, the fun begins!! Another fest…. local food, oompha music and beer!!

 A friend once told me that he, his wife and two other couples had rented a small holiday house in one of these mountain pasture areas. One day, as they were leaving their house to go hiking, they were unable to get onto the main road because it was blocked by the Viehschied herds. Apparently, in modern times, realizing that the cattle lose a lot of weight during the long walk to town, the herders now load the cows onto trucks and drive them down to the valley, where they are unloaded and readied for their triumphant welcome home!!

While waiting to be loaded onto a truck, one of the cows took a misstep and tumbled off the road, down the side of the hill. The herders were having a devil of a time trying to get the cow back on her feet and up the hill. As a result, the herders enlisted the help of my friend and his male friends!! They, of course - being city men one and all - had no experience with cow-hauling!! But – men being men – after an hour or so, they devised some sort of rigging which was attached to one of the cars and were able to tow the cow back-up to the road. (Ok, ok… truth be told… for the first 30 minutes or so, they employed the time-honored pull-push approach. That is, 2 men pull the cow with a rope while the 3 men push from behind!! When that failed to do the trick, they devised the rigging /towing by car method.)

If you are in Bavaria … this is a great place to soak up some local culture, take nature walks, alpine treks (more than 300 kms of hiking trails), and do a bit of climbing while enjoying panoramic mountain views (more than 400 peaks)!! All of the trails are clearly marked and maps are readily available.

Oktoberfest begins in September!!!

Oktoberfest is the world famous, annual 16-day beer drinking festival in Munich.  While it is arguably the most famous and largest (6.5million+)  festival in the world, there are several ‘petty little details’ that most foreign visitors are quite unaware of.

 

Petty little detail #1: Oktoberfest begins in mid-September and ends the first Sunday in October.  Started in 1810, Oktoberfest is a big fair. It has rides and activities and beer, beer and more beer (on avg. 7 million liters served).  The beer is served at tables in beer tents (17 large tents - featuring beer from the top breweries in Munich and 20 small tents - featuring other non-beer specialties). 

Petty little detail # 2: The beer tents are ONLY accessible by reserved ticket. Tickets to the most important tents are sold to large corporations, banks, consulting and law firms, … (you know the ‘A-list’ of German notables, celebrities, business executives and their associates)… early in the year. At about the same time, savvy Germans buy up all of the available individual tickets in every tent. In order to accommodate the hordes of visitors, the tickets each have an entrance time.

Petty little detail #3: The tents officially open at noon, but you must be in line about 2 hours ahead of your scheduled entrance time. Who on earth drinks beer at lunch time??? And, who would want to stand online for 2 hours in order to do so??? However, in order to accommodate families and older people who are attending the fair, only ‘quiet’ music is played in the tents until 6pm.

Petty little detail # 4:  The beer is more expensive and stronger than the normal German beer AND there are always lots of drunken young guys hanging around.  

Nonetheless, Oktoberfest is fun!! If you are not ‘set-on’ getting into the tents, Munich is definitely the place to be. It is truly a ‘must do’ happening (been there, done that!!).

However, if you just want to sample some good German beer, visit the smaller Oktoberfests which are now being held throughout Germany.  They usually have only one tent, are accessible without a ticket and serve a wide variety of beers from microbreweries located throughout the country.

Oh, by the way, if you haven’t booked a hotel room in Munich far in advance of Oktoberfest, you can forget it. There is nothing available within 100kms and certainly not at a reasonable rate!! BUT, in other places, all over Germany, there are plenty of nice accommodations available – at good prices - in small-family owned hotels.

Germany: Wine Festivals..now is the time

If you are visiting any of the wine regions in Germany during the month of September, be sure to visit a wine festival or two, or even three. These ‘fests’ generally feature the top wines or sekts (sparkling wines) from the region. On two consecutive weekends, 30 to 40 local vinters set-up small stands in their towns, villages and even smaller cities so that visitors can sample their wine. Wine aficionados (read: real drinkers) bring their own glasses – tied by the stem to a leather thong which is worn around the neck. (My question: Are they just well-prepared [‘have glass will drink’] OR do they just want to avoid paying the 5€ pfand [return glass deposit]???)

Wine fests are not only a fun way to sample the various wines of the region, but also to see how ‘the other half lives’ (that is, people our age - middle-age, baby-boomers, mature adults). Trust me, they live pretty well. In Germany, people our age have full social calendars and wine fests are just one of a wide variety of autumn activities.  If you want to get to know the locals, this is a great place to strike up a conversation.  

As you drive through the wine areas, you will see numerous stands and even restaurants offering ‘Neuer Wein’ (new wine - Federweisser). This wine - which is made from ‘must’ (freshly fermented pressed grape juice) - is yellowish in color and is quite tasty, especially when served with Zweibelkuchen (onion cake). However, I must offer a few words of caution: 1. Keep the bottles upright because the screw caps never fit securely and the wine (which attracts zillion of tiny flies) leaks out. 2. Never drink more than 1 bottle per night.  As the Germans say, new wine will ‘clean your clock’ (laxative-wise)!!

The insanity of war: Oradour-sur-Glane (France)… a must see for humane beings

It is seldom that we – who were born and raised in America and have no connection to the military – see the aftermath of the atrocities of war. Yes, many of us have viewed the remnants of the World Trade Center in the months that followed 9/11. But future generations, and those of us who have been unable to visit New York City so far, will only see the memorial as it rises.
Even those of us who have traveled to Europe, often see only the sanitized version of ‘things’, long after they happened, long after the tears have dried and those who fell have perhaps been forgotten.


Yesterday, the New York Times reported that the Presidents of Germany and France commemorated the worst atrocity committed by the Germans – on the French people – in World War II. On June 10, 1944, Nazi panzer troops entered the tiny village of Oradour-sur-Glane, rounded-up  and massacred 642 of it’s villagers…. men, women, children… anyone who happened to be in the village that day. Only a dozen or so – only those who were not in town that day – survived.
For those of us humane beings - who need to be reminded of the horrors of war – thankfully that little village has been preserved… exactly as it was on the day of the atrocity.

Visiting the village is an eerie experience. You park on one side of the road, then cross it and enter the reception center through an underground passageway which cannot be seen from the road or from the village itself.  As you emerge from underground, you enter the village… walking up a bit of an incline… as any visitor would have. 

As you enter the village, you walk past the remnants of the burned-out shells of houses and shops. Many of the shop signs are still clearly visible. There are tables and a couple of chairs in the café. You can see a sewing machine in the tailor’s shop. There are cars parked in the streets. But everything is a hollow shell … burned out and now rusted. The trolley tracks are still there with blades of grass growing in between.  It is all so quiet, so still. Even though other tourists are walking nearby, everyone - even teenagers - speaks in hushed, reverent tones. 

After a period of time, as you walk along the streets peering here and peeking there, you become somewhat inured to the scene. ‘Oh just an old abandoned village’, you think to yourself.

Then you walk down a small incline,  towards the end of the village,  to the church. It is a simple stone edifice, not unlike other fieldstone churches in other small French villages. As you enter the church, you notice that it is empty: no pews, no religious artifacts, no remnants of the parishioners. There is nothing inside except - an alter with three sacristy windows directly behind.

But in this emptiness… in this sunlit space… it all becomes clear.  This is the place where 247 women and 205 children were massacred…. herded into the church, locked inside. Then the church was set ablaze and anyone machine-gunned down - if they tried to escape.  One woman survived. She succeeded in climbing out of a sacristy window.

But why, why did this happen… you may well ask? What could possibly be the reason for such slaughter…. such brutality, such inhumanity.

The official answer: German retribution on the French partisans because they had kidnapped a Waffen-SS command officer. The unofficial truth: The partisans of the village of Oradour-sur-Vayres had kidnapped the officer.  The order from the German high command had been to arrest 30 villagers from that village and hold them until the SS-officer was released unharmed.  But, instead, an overzealous, young German officer decided to ‘send a message’ to the partisans of Oradour-sur-Vayres. He ordered his troops to lay waste to the partisans’ village: exterminate all of the villagers and set fire to the village. But on that fateful morning, in his quest for revenge, in his haste, he entered the wrong village: Oradour -sur-Glane NOT Oradour-sur-Vayres. 

One cannot say enough about the absolute insanity and the inhumanity of war.

Photos of the village appear on my Pinterest Board. I visted the village in 2010.

http://pinterest.com/roamingeurope/france-oradour-sur-glane-limosin-region/

 

 

Roaming thru Europe, off the beaten path… by car.

On your next vacation trip to Europe, why not get off the beaten path? Rent a car and explore!!

If you need help in planning your adventure, let me know.  Having lived in Europe for more than 22 years, I know a lot about Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and the BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg). I can give you advice on which routes to take, towns and villages to visit, nice places to stay, great places to eat, interesting things to see, as well as fun and cultural things to do. I can provide first-hand information on just about anything an American baby-boomer or woman traveler would want or need to know. (I am one, you know!!)

When I travel by car, I do so slowly. I take my time. I stop here. I explore there. If I see something - even a sign - that looks a bit interesting… I go there. I read the guide books. I stop at the tourist offices. But, most times, I just wander… I just roam… here and there. As a result, I have seen many ‘off the beaten path’ places that most Americans (and sometimes Europeans!!) have never seen.  (Ok, ok… truth be told… sometimes I had not really planned to see some of those places [read: lost, ever so lost]. But none-the-less, I have been there!!)

Getting off the beaten path is easy these days. All you need is a GPS-system in your car, a mobile and a WiFi-equipped tablet.  Years ago, without these devices, it was a bit more problematic. However, I quickly learned that back-country roads generally lead to post roads (postal service) and those roads lead to the national highway system. So all’s good, as they say!! Soft adventure, slow travel - at its best!!!

But now back to the point of this blog.

If you are planning a self-drive European vacation and have some questions or need some information… send me an email (Vicki@roaming-thru-europe.com). If it is something which I can answer off the top of my head (and it, usually, is) … I won’t charge you. But if I have to do some research, we can agree on a small nominal fee.  Sound fair???

Ghent: a chocolate lover's paradise... Belgian Chocolate, that is!!

My family just returned from vacationing in New Hampshire. They brought home a small box of chocolates… which started me thinking…. well, actually,  started my mouth watering… and my mind wandering …. 

Several years ago, I was on a business trip to Belgium.  My meeting was in Ghent which is about a 6 hour drive from my home in Germany. (Ghent: You know the place where they signed ‘that’ famous treaty. Ok, ok, so you don’t remember… neither did I. I had to look it up.  Just like you, dear reader, I remembered the name of the treaty [from 8^th grade World History!!!] but had ‘no clue’ what it was for, or about, and certainly not when the darn thing was signed!! Turns out, it was to end the War of 1812!!)  

Memory (i.e. historical and cultural references) firmly intact, I got into my car and drove to my meeting. Afterwards, that night, I prowled the streets of Ghent for a bit before turning in. Typical European town, I surmised: old town, narrow cobble-stoned streets, old houses, big church, nice bridge, torture museum, etc.  (As I was later to discover, that was quite an understatement. Ghent is far from a typical town … but more on that in my next post.)

The next day, I got up and started to wander the streets… visiting the church, walking around the market place, walking across the bridge. As I entered a back street, I was LITERALLY confronted with store after store - with windows filled with chocolates: hand-made Pralines and every other chocolate delight!!  

For those of you.. like me… who know the name ‘Praline’ but could not recognize one if our lives depended on it: a Praline is simply a piece of covered chocolate with a filling inside.  We (meaning us in the USA) call them ‘chocolates’. You remember... the kind that people used to give your mother as a gift. (The chocolates you had to take a bite out of, or poke a hole in, to find the filling you liked.  Unless, of course, it was a Whitman’s Sampler  - which had a ‘map’ in the top of the box!!)

The back street was filled with confectioners … not big, fancy, high-priced gourmet stores… just small shops run by ordinary people selling their own hand-produced chocolates (i.e. Belgian people making and selling chocolates in Belgium, hence the name ‘Belgian Chocolate’!! Who knew???)

The people in the stores were so friendly, ’Here try this, try a bit of that’… as they explained the various fillings and ingredients hidden deep within the rich chocolate coatings.  I tried one, then - I tried another… I tried them all. But having NYC shopper genes in my genome, I moved on. I needed to continue my search…. perhaps I would find a better one, a better buy… a better something or other. I knew not what.  

Finally, I had to stop. I could sample no more!! So, instead, I bought. I bought a lot… and then I bought some more.  I excused my apparent gluttony by explaining, to the salesperson, that I planned to give most of my purchases to my family in the States. In reply, she suggested that I buy more and ship them as gifts, instead of taking them back on the plane with me. My wary, NYC shopper genes kicked into action. ‘She just wants me to spend more money’, I thought. ‘No, no’, I responded, ‘Everything will fit perfectly well in my suitcase’. Then – explaining  that I actually lived in Germany and was planning to visit the States in 3 weeks or so – I inquired if the chocolates would still be fresh. ‘Of course’, she replied.  Then in very perfect English, she said ‘but you really ought to ship them’.  Later, I was to discover the emphasis was on OUGHT!! (Europeans have a way of using the polite word ’ought’ to indicate a ‘must do’.)

I left the store, my arms laden with my purchases; and, then loaded them into the front seat of my car. As I made my way home…, during the 6 hours…  I sampled, I nibbled, I snacked, and then I gobbled a little from this bag, a little from that box: secure in the knowledge that I had purchased more than enough.

By the time I got home, I had eaten a bit (ok, ok... to be truthful… apparently quite more than ‘a bit’) of the chocolates.  In the weeks leading up to my trip to the States, I ate most of the rest. But, I did manage to save one nicely-wrapped box for the folks back home. (In truth… if the wrapping had not been so nicely done and - IF - I could have replicated the wrapping…  I would have ‘sampled’ from box, as well.)

I guess the saleswoman was right: I really ‘ought’ to have shipped my Belgian Chocolates home!!

Wine, wine.. everywhere in Germany and France!!

I am in the States at the moment, trying to get my Roaming Thru Europe travel program off the ground. The program is designed for baby-boomers  (couples, mainly) and women (of all ages) who wish to make a self-drive vacation in Europe. Stay tuned for more details…

At any rate, since I was working so hard, I decided to go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of wine to ease the pain.  Boy, was I shocked!! The prices of wine are so-o-o high here: $16.99 for a fairly decent bottle.

So, now dear wine-drinking friends who are planning to travel to Germany and France: I have some very, very, important  information  for you. When you want to buy a bottle of wine, head to a supermarket, not to a wine shop. The prices are downright cheap!!  You can get a good bottle of wine  – from anywhere in the world – for under 6€. (I only go to a wine shop to purchase wine when I need a gift. Their free wrapping service makes any bottle look much more expensive than it is!)

In German supermarkets, you will find aisles and aisles of wines from all over the world – including Germany. In French supermarkets, you will find aisles and aisles of French wine and a half aisle of wine from somewhere else!!  I am not a wine connoisseur (merely an imbiber), but I like Pinotage from the Western Cape of South Africa (red wine), and I love Prosecco (sparking white wine) from Italy!!

 

In the summer, there is nothing better than a glass of chilled Prosecco served with chilled gummy bears!! Try it!!

Germany: street names - Grosse Bleiche (bleaching lawn)

I just finished reading a blog post by ‘The guy’ at www.flightsandfrustration.com. He wrote a nice review of a quaint 1920s hotel in Hamburg.  According to the post, the hotel is located on a street called ‘Grosse Bleichen’.

That started me thinking… As I roam through Europe, especially Germany, I often wonder how the streets got their names. It is quite obvious many of the streets are named for German industrialists (Bosch, Siemens, Daimler) while others are named for famous people (Schweitzer, Goethe, Gutenberg).

Other names are clearly meant to provide travelers with directional information. Apparently any street which is named for a town or city leads directly to that place. For instance, the ’Mainzer Landstrasse’ leads from the countryside into the city of Mainz (‘land’ means countryside). Similarly, ‘Hauptstrasse’ means main street, ‘Bahnhofstrasse’ means trainstation street, and so it goes.

However, there is also a classification of street names which are even more descriptive; and, I find, quite intriguing. ‘Grosse Bleichen’ is one of those names.  In the ‘oldest’ part of almost any old town or city in Germany, you will find a group of streets which bear some form of the word ‘bleiche’.

In Mainz, for instance, there is an entire old district named the Bleichenviertel. The streets in this quarter are named: Große Bleiche, Mittlere Bleiche und Hintere Bleiche (that is: the big bleiche, the middle bleiche, and behind the bleiche).

The word ‘bleiche‘ means ‘bleach’. In Mainz from the Middle Ages to the 17^th century, the Bleichenverteil – a relatively flat area which was located near two streams of water - was the area where the women of the town and the laundresses from the military hospital took their newly washed, wet laundry and laid it on the lawns (meadows) to dry ... and to be bleached by the sun!! As a result that area was called the ‘bleaching lawns’.

While I do not remember such descriptive street names in the upstate New York area where I grew up in the USA, I do however remember the names of the towns which were indicative of the trades of the people who lived there: ‘Gloversville’ (the people made gloves), ‘Tannersville’ (the people tanned the leather to make the gloves and other leather products), Mechanicsville (these were the master craftsmen: millers, carpenters, butchers who worked in what was called the Mechanical Arts in the early 1890s). 

I also remember that the names came from not just one, but from many sources. The Dutch (Spuyten Duyvil, Stuyvesant, Kinderhook, Amsterdam, Bleecker), the British (York, Albany, Charlestown, Jamestown) and of course, because the Dutch and the English were not the original settlers of the area, many of the villages, towns as well as the streams, lakes and rivers bear names bestowed upon them by the Native Americans tribes who lived there: Wappinger, Tuckahoe, Ticonderoga, Taghkanic, Susquehanna, Saratoga, Saranac, Sagaponack, Nyack, Niagara, Copake,  Cossayuna, Coxsackie Canandaigua, etc. And, for some odd reason, even to this day if you visit towns in the Hudson valley south of Albany, you will find lots of families with Dutch family names.

While I think it is really nice to understand the derivation of German words, it makes quite proud to think about how multi-cultural my homeland is… and has been since ‘the beginning’.

Travelling alone on a day river cruise

The passenger line to the Danube River cruise boat appeared rather quickly, so I hustled to get near the front so that I could get ‘my’ seat.  Since I generally travel alone, I have specific places on various types of transport where I like to sit. On a plane - it is in a window seat just behind ´the wing’. But I must admit with the new jumbo planes, sitting upstairs is quite nice and a bit more intimate.  But now back to the boat.

If you have ever taken one of these cruises you will remember that most people want to sit on the upper deck as close to the front (bow) as possible. Of course, since much of the bow is not accessible to the public, you – and everyone else - often end up sitting mid-section with a totally unobstructed view of the boat’s radar system or  you might have a cornucopia of shots of the back of other tourists heads !!

I, however prefer to sit in the back of the boat. I select a chair which is closest to the stern (the back) … which of course is facing backwards.   Since no one else wants to sit there, I generally have the entire stern area to myself… as if I own it… waiters come and ask me - and only me - if I would like something to eat or drink. I can take interesting unobstructed photos of things as we pass by.   Since I can look both forward as well as backward, I can anticipate things which might look ‘photo-worthy’ and take a photo as we draw closer.

 

But, of course, that privacy also comes at a price. You become an object of curiosity. What is she looking at? What is she taking photos of? Why is she sitting alone in the back? Why is she receiving so much attention from the cruise staff? And being the object of curiosity, people – especially other people who are travelling alone (or people who want to be seen as if they are travelling alone) approach you. Regardless of sexual orientation, I have found that the back of the boat is the place to meet people… or get ‘picked up’. So if you are travelling alone and want someone (gay, straight, married, single ), to talk with, have a drink or dinner with even just to smoke a cigerette with  (you name it!!) ... head to the back of the boat, whip out your camera and just wait!

Oskar 'the Kellner' (waiter - in English)

It is a typical June day here in Germany (Kallmünz to be exact!!).  It has been raining on and off throughout the day, but now – in the early evening – the sun is shining. I leave my pension, walk across the small, one lane bridge to one of the only two restaurants in the village. It appears to be  occupied by locals, no tourists, or other visitors. It is small with perhaps 5 tables inside and an equal number on the terrace (which overlooks the small river  - which is just a bit bigger than a burbling brook). The terrace tables are almost full… with couples and small families. I take a table and soon the waiter comes to take my drink order. As he brings my wine, my mobile phone starts to ring. I answer it. It is a colleague whom I met with earlier in the day. I know that the conversation will be long-winded so I interrupt to give the kellner (waiter) my order. The conversation goes on and on – interminably. I say very little. I just listen. My responses are mono-syllabic.  I am thoroughly embarrassed, chagrinned that I am talking on my mobile in a restaurant. I sense, perhaps it is only  my imagination, that the other patrons are totally annoyed. (I, myself, have been known to rant about such behavior when other people do it!!) The food arrives so I politely end the conversation and hang up.

the restaurant ...the terrace is the pink area under the flag

After dinner, I order a second glass of wine and ask for my bill. The kellner brings it. He stands – quietly - at the side of the table holding in his hand his traditional dark brown, slightly bulging, leather kellner’s purse. It looks surprisingly similar to my wallet. I pay the bill, he gives me change, places the money in his purse and leaves. I place my wallet on the table directly under my Blackberry which is also in a dark case. I continue to sit for a while enjoying my glass of wine and my view of the river.

Soon a small tow-headed, blonde boy – perhaps 5 years of age – approaches my table. He stands directly behind the chair which is directly across from me. He looks at me and smiles a bit, but does not say a word. I smile back and try to engage him in ‘rudimentary’ conversation. (Rudimentary, because I have not a clue what one says to a 5 year old … in either German or English!!)  He moves from behind the chair to the side of the table and reaches for my Blackberry. I say, “No, no honey, you cannot have that, it is mine.” He looks at me quizzically… (or is it an expression of annoyance[??]), … still not saying a word. In my mind, I am convinced he has overheard his parents discussing the rude American who was talking on the phone. I am sure of it!! I am sure someone has said my mobile (as well as all others in restaurants!!) should be confiscated! Our little tug of war over that thing in the black case continues for a minutte or two  - wordlessly on his part, a bit vociferously on mine.

Finally a blonde woman approaches. She bends down and speaks to the boy. Then she turns to me, apologizes and explains that Oskar likes to pretend he is a kellner (waiter). I smile, had I known that I would have given him a tip as payment for his attentiveness AND cute smile!!´

                                                    The other restaurant in Kallmünz 

Passau

I drove my car from Regensburg to Passau, where I boarded the river cruise. The drive to Passau was enlightening. As I drove along, I could see that the cars and their occupants were different than what I had seen in Germany. The cars were, in most cases, old and beat-up and the people did not look German. Since the road to Passau will also take you to the Czech border, I guessed they were Czechs.

I usually do not have problems or feel the least bit insecure during my travels... BUT  I did find it  a bit disconcerting to see two groups of young men drinking beer in the rest stop at 10.30 in the morning. Since it was a parking place, not a restaurant, I cut my stay short and got back on the rod within minutes. I am sure that the guys were harmless and would not have bothered me... just vacationers having a bit of fun.... but why take the chance especially when alcohol is involved.

Passau – a university town - is perched on a hill. Everywhere, there are steps leading upward. I tried to resist them and remain on level ground, but the sites at river level were somewhat limited. So I climbed the stairs… and I am so glad that I did.

I wandered for a couple of hours first around the town square, then in the numerous alleys and small streets. When I tired, I stopped for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. The architecture was well worth the climb… beautiful buildings, wonderful wooden doors….

 

 

 

 

Kallmünz: almost in Munich, not quite in Regensburg

Well, it started out as a trip to Munich to attend a trade fair… the week before. But Munich is devilishly expensive and incredibly overcrowded during trade fair weeks, so I decide to stay in Regensburg (about an hour  or so away). But of course, when I check out the places to stay in Regensburg, they do not seem too inviting…. probably just my imagination.  So, with a bit more internet searching, I find what looks like a charming pension located about 25 kms north of Regensburg in Kallmünz. I assume Kallmünz is a town. I arrive quite late, it has been raining and the drive from the autobahn to Kallmünz is foggy. The roads are hilly, windy, twisty… thank goodness for my navi-system. I never would have found this place without it.  Finally I see the sign, turn left and drive over the bridge as instructed… and as the voice on my navi says - "You have arrived”.  Really??? Where? I see two cars parked on one side of this tiny narrow street and a small nondescript,  totally dark building on the other. So I drive on… well not really drive, more like roll on. The street is narrow and only goes for another block. The entire town… oops, I should say ‘village’… seems to be no more than 4 interconnecting, windy streets - in total. Finally after making 3 complete circles around the enclave, I stop the car get out and walk around. My navi was right I “have arrived”. I park the car and approach the darkened house. I ring the bell, lights come on and a woman answers the door and thus begins my Kallmünz adventure. Well, to be honest, it actually started the next day when the sun comes up and I can see all that this adorable little village has to offer.

                     My pension in Kallmünz ... notice sign leaning on the building ( at the back of the trailer)

The view directly across the street from my pension.... actually I think I was standing in the same spot when I took this and the previous photo.

                                                              Another view of Kallmünz 

  

For more photos of Kallmünz , please be sure to check out Pinterest... Roaming-thru-Europe.

According to Wiki, the municipality of Kallmünz has more than 2000 residents and stretches over 169 klms (or 169 people per sq mile). What Wiki does not mention is that there are a zillion more trees and rocks than people. The landscape is absolutely beautiful. But drive out of the very small village and that is all you will see … there seems to not be a soul around. But that is deceiving. There are bicyclists, hikers and even small camping grounds … hidden in the hills. And the next village over (about a ten minute drive) even has a small general store, a Greek restaurant AND a beer garden. Everyone seems to ‘have just enough English’ to ask a few questions in order to make you feel at home... but not enough to be intrusive.   

The beautiful blue Danube

I took a river cruise on the river which Johann Strauss made so famous… the beautiful Danube (or Donau as it is called in Europe). The river is everything I expected it to be romantic, quiet, meandering from town to town and a deep, deep, midnight blue in color. (I suspect the reflection of the trees and rocks trees which lined its banks had something to do with its color.)

Experiences of a woman travelling alone... by car in Europe

Well today is the first day of the rest of my life…. as the saying goes.

Today, I officially set forth on my quest to get sponsorship for this blog and for my efforts to launch a travel service which is dedicated to serving the needs of baby boomer travelers to Europe... especially women who want to travel alone, in pairs or without a male escort.   

As my readers know… I love to travel alone in Europe … in my car. I am careful about where I go and what I do … but essentially it is safe.  Luckily, I have not had any bad experiences yet!!

Ok, ok… several years ago, while I was driving my hot little Alfa convertible (cabriolet) near Chablis* in France, I was followed by a car load of guys…  But that was a different time, a different ‘me’ and a different car… not my staid, Peugeot fortress… AND that was well before navigation systems, mobile phones and wifi were EVERYWHERE!!  *Believe it or not Chablis is not just a wine... but a real town!!

With a GPS-equipped car as well as Wifi - equipped IPAD or smart phone and utilizing Hotspots in restaurants (like McDonalds) and small hotels with Wifi in the rooms… we can go wherever we chose without fear. 

Of course, 4 or 5 years ago, there was my Christmas Eve incident at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.  The new car I ordered had not arrived, so the Peugeot dealer lent me a car.  I immediately drove to Paris for the Christmas holiday.  What a trip... early Christmas Eve driving down a street and having the Eiffel Tower suddenly peering down at me over some neighborhood buildings.  Early Christmas morning driving – like a crazy person – around and around the Arc de Triomphe… merely because I could!!  There wasn’t a single bit of traffic, nary a car on the street, not a car on the Champs-Elysee or even on the boulevard which encircles the Arc… I was TOTALLY alone and having the ball of my life. 

But there WAS the small incident the night before at the Cathedral.  I had driven to the midnight mass, parked my car.. and was ABSOLUTELY  sure it would not be difficult to retrace my steps to get back to my hotel which was one street over from the Champs Elysee (trust me… the hotel was not as grand as it sounds!). At any rate, somehow I got turned around and then a ‘bit’ lost. The loaner car did not have a navigation system.. so I drove and drove (not to worry, the car doors were locked, the heating system worked, I had food, drink and my tunes…  so all was good!!!) So after leaving the mass at 1.00 am, I ended up driving around Paris for a couple of hours.  Finally I saw a police station and stopped to ask for directions back to Paris.  The policewoman – said in the typical haughty French way - ‘You are in Paris!!’ And then she told me to just get back into my car and drive straight ahead!! I did as she instructed, but after a half hour or so, it occurred to me to just stop the first taxi cab that I saw and ask him to lead me back to the hotel.  I did just that and the driver was somewhat amused at my plight… but he led me all the way back to my hotel… without charging me!!   I arried at 3am!! The next day I did the Arc de Triomphe and then drove to Picardy… if you ever want the ultimate experience in an upscale beach location.. check out this place. Wonderful in winter, must be absolutely fantastic in summer!!

Straußwirtschaft, kleinigkeiten… a couple of German words you absolutely must know!!

In Germany, there is a well-kept secret known – probably – only to the locals in the region. June is the month that not only escorts in the wine festival season and is dedicated to sampling the fares of the vintners along the Rhine and Mosel rivers and on the wine road in Germany.

Wine festivals: Once a year, each wine producing town or village has a weekend-long wine festival at which the local producers present/sell their wines. For the villagers and townspeople, it is a time to meet friends and neighbors, and for others it is time to partake of the local wine. The wine is sold by the glass which allows visitors to identify the wine(s) which specifically meets their taste.  Real wine ‘aficiandos’ (read: drinkers!!) bring their own wine glass attached to a leather strap worn around the neck.  Have glass, will travel….and drink!!  These ‘wine glass necklaces’ are also particularly handy when you are strolling from vineyard-to-vineyard and want to take a glass or bottle of wine with you. 

 

 

 

Local vineyards: In June, you can also visit a Straußwirtschaft or two. Each year for a 6 week period of time - the local authorities allow the vintners to open their premises to the public and not only sell their wine but also set up a few tables in their courtyards and offer a little something to eat (a ‘kleinigkeiten’- simple, regional cold dishes or finger food).

The newly-installed tables are always full. In wine country, it is a favorite past time to walk or drive to your favorite vintner’s for a glass of wine and a bite to eat. Of course, after eating, if you have brought your car, you can always load the trunk of your car with a case or two or your favorite wine.

 

Once while visiting a vintner, I admired the sketch of a rather elderly woman wearing a bonnet which adorned the logo on his wine bottle. The vintner explained to me that the drawing was of his mother. ( looking at the image and the bonnet, I thought I had misunderstood him and it was his grand or great-grand mother!!) As the conversation continued, a little old lady (sans bonnet, but looking as old as the hills) toddled out of the house. The vintner called her over in order to introduce us. As she got closer I could see that the portrait was a true likeness.