10/25 : Day 21 - Final day in Paris

 

Most of this last day was by spent at the Louvre Museum. Again, a large number of tourists were present all day long. The museum appears to be even larger than the Uffizi in Florence. We did managed to see the Mono Lisa and the Venius De Milo, as well as many rooms from Napoleon's apartment. The Mona Lisa painting is surprisingly small which made it difficult in see because the viewing room is large enough to hold several hundred people, all of whom are pushing closer to get a look. One wing has numerous rooms displaying the personal effects of Napoleon's apartment --- it is not the concept of apartment as we typically think it, it's much closer to a lavish palace. The final stop was the San Chapele Cathedral a few blocks from the Louvre. It is known for its very long stained glass windows that are roughly three stories high, i.e. longer than similar windows in any of the other cathedrals we saw. Needless to say Carol managed to miss (skip) this architectural wonder . . . We ended the day by meeting Anne Marie Ruppert for dinner. Tomorrow it's the big bird back to reality.

10/24 : Day 20 - Florence to Paris

 

Travel day. Left Florence for Paris from where we will be returning home. The trip took us by way of Madrid, Spain. The Madrid airport is of a rather futuristic design as seen in the attached picture.

10/23 : Day 19 - Florence day 2

The day started at the Uffizi Museum. As one of the most prominent museums in Italy it rivals the Louvre in Paris for its holdings. The hugh u-shaped building dedicates an entire floor to Renaissance art from the most famous of Florentine artistis such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Donatello, Brunelleschi, Titian, Tintoretto, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Giotto and Raphael. Included are such works include Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Michaelangelo's Doni Modonna which is the only complete panel painting that he actually finished himself. Starting in 2006 a project was initiated to expand the museum's exhibition space from some 64,000 sq ft to 139,000 sq ft in order to allow public viewing of many pieces that had usually been in storage. The Gallery now consists of forty-five rooms where the paintings are arranged in chronological order from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries. As one of the world's remier museums, its existence is very unpretentious with only a small sign on the building identifying it as the Uffizi.

The next stop of the day was the church of Santa Croce. As a Franciscan church originally built in a poor neighborhood of Florence, it became the city's church of preference for the political and better known families of the city. Unlike other Gothic churches it has a very interesting, different design. The architects did not utilizie the style of high side walls filled with stain glass windows and the ceiling is not the typical barrel vaulted design of so many other Gothic churches. The church is known most famously as the place where influential families and persons of notoriety were  buried. Aside from the members of the powerful de Medici family, other notable people buried here include Michaelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Dante, many of whom have large ornate tombs/burial markers prominently positioned within the church. Contrary to the wishes of Michaelangelo, who was born in Florence, but wished to be buried in Rome, the Florentine city fathers overroad his wishes and was able to secure his final resting place in Santa Croce. The unescorted audio tour using handheld devices was unusual in that 80+ individual presentations adding up to a total of 2 to 3 hours of listening and viewing  --- each session was not only quite interesting and but very well done. A visit to this Florence landmark is highly recommended.

The final stop of the day was to the Piazzale Michaelanglo which is across the Arno River a mile or so from the central downtown area of Florence. Set high up on a hill overlooking the city, it provides one of the best views of the Florence. Carol did not make the hike when I told her that it would entail a lot of up hill walking. Unknown to me at the time I told her that was just how much up hill walking it really was --- fortunately she opted out and was much happier for her decision once I got back from the hike.

Last night in Florence once again = a bottle of wine at an out-of-the-way restaurant, this time one next to the Uffizi Museum. As we headed back to the hotel we passed through the Piazza della Signoria again where muscians were setting up for a nightly concert amoung the statues of the arched Loggia dei Lanzi building facing the Piazza.

10/22 : Day 18 - Florence day 1

 

For every city on this trip we purposely made hotel reservations near the center of activity. Although staying in the central locations costs a bit more in terms of accomodation rates, what we may have saved by staying in outlying locations was certainly offset by the need to utilize public transportation getting to the where the desired activities are and the loss of time to get to those locations. One great thing about Florence is that all the attractions are within "short" walking distances of the hotel. On the other hand, the particular hotel we selected in Florence is very peculiar. In the one sense it has no ground floor entrance --- the reception area is on the 3rd floor of the building, a building which is on one of the main streets in the city. It got even stranger when checking in we found that one has to walk a maze to get to the rooms, specifically, there are nine different turns and hallways to get to our room on the 4th floor. Moreover, the elevator only runs from the ground floor street entrance to the hotel reception area on the 3th floor.
So with a 4th floor room you must hike up the last flight to get to the room. There is nothing at all wrong with the room per se, it's just the strange way the hotel is laid out. We both agreed on the hotel when making the arrangements, so we cannot blame the other for picking it.  Overall, the hotels we booked were all good, especially the Hotel Campeillo in Venice, and they were centralized as we planned.

The first stop of the day after finding our way out of the hotel was the Del Duomo (aka Santa Maria del Fiore). It is typically shown in travel brochures as the symbol of Florence --- the dome is a distinctive organge/red red color as can be seen by the attached pictures. Moreover, the exterior walls have a pattern of grey and green stone consturction unlike other churches seen on the trip. Directly in front of the church is its equally well know Baptistry with its famous hugh bronze doors. Both the church and Baptistry are sparsely furnished with the center of each nearly devoid of the artifacts typically associated with the interior of a church. From within the interior of the current church (built during the 15th century) one can descend into a lower level to view the foundation of an earlier church over which the current Duomo was built.

The next stop was the Piazza della Signoria which was only a few blocks away. The Piazza was the heart of Florence's political and social life for centuries. Today the Piazza is a another tourist attraction and still contains some of the old government buildings, a large fountain and a host of statues. One of the statues is a replica of Michaelanglo's David, the original of which resides in the Galleria dell' Accademia in Florence. As with most tourists spots in Italy the Piazza is ringed with outside restaurants to cater to the tourist trade. Although there were lots of people in the streets, Florence did not have the wall-to-wall push of people that characterized Venice --- it just seemed to be much easier to navigate without getting crushed by masses of people.

Final stop of the day was the Galleria dell' Accademia (aka The Accademy of Fine Arts, or simply Accademia). This gallery complements and competes with the Uffizi Museum a few blocks away. It is most famiously known for housing Michaelangelo's original statue of David. It was originally commissioned by the city fathers to be placed in the Piazza della Signoria, however it was moved to the Accademia location in 1873 for safety reasons, and a replica was placed in the Piazza. Even at the Accademia facility it was not entirely unmolested, when in 1991 a deranged man with a hammer broke off one of David's toes. Created by Michaelangelo at the age of 29 the statue stands 13 feet high --- it was created from a single block of marble between the years 1501 and 1504. Visitors who come to see the statue can no longer get close enough to touch the work of art since a barrier now keeps the public a safe distance. While the statue of David is the prime attaction at the Accademia, there are numerous 16th century paintings of Michaelangelo's contemporaries on display. Michaelanglo grew up in Florence and lived into his 80's, but he was equally well known in Rome, particularly for his Pietà in St. Peter's, the dome of St. Peter's, and the Sistine Chapel. Finally, the Accademia has several rooms of 14th century of tempora paintings on wood which were typically used as altar pieces, as well as a large room of plaster castings of statues made in the 19th century by various accademy students. While it is not a large museum, it houses some of the most famous, important 16th century art.

10/21 : Day 17 - Venice to Florence

More walking the streets of Venice and dodging the street flooding that is a regular event this time of year. It's not flooding in the sense that there is any danger, but rather there is from 1 to 4 inches in certain sections of passageways that deters people from wading through it. The result is that alternative routes are negotiated to get where one wants to go. At night in St. Mark's Square water can be seen seeping up through manhole covers but never enough to cover or flood the entire square. However, there are records wherein the water rose more than 1.5 feet, i.e. high enough to allow gondolas to float and navigate in the square proper. For the most part the overnight rising of the water is temporary and no longer apparent by mid-morning. No new pictures taken with the camera phone, so none to post for today (although the total on my regular digital SLR camera now exceeds 1500 for the trip --- not to worry, no one will be subjected to such torture unless they are senile and blind). This entry is being posted from the train enroute from Venice to Florence.

10/20 : Day 16 - Venice & Murano

 

Today like yesterday we were greeted by flooding in the streets --- a normal occurrence this time of year with phases of the moon/tides. The first thing after circumnavigating flooding in the streets was a water taxi ride to the island of Murano which is known for its glass production. The tour of one of the glass foundries included watching several glass blowers creating custom glass art works. Many of the pieces are one of a kind objects for those who may be purchasing them as collector investments. Although we purchased only a couple of very small items (certainly not of collector value), we forced ourselves to bypass purchasing any of the available $50,000+ one-off collector pieces.

Upon returning to the main Venice island we spent the afternoon touring St Mark's Basilica and the adjoining Doges' Palace. St Mark's is unlike any of the other churches we've seen so far because the architecture is a combination of western European and eastern Orthodox styles. The difference is most pronounced in the use of both Constantinople onion style domes and the extensive use of mosaics in most of the pictures. A stairway to the second level exterior facade provided an even better view of St. Mark's Square than from the Campanile. Moreover, the second level interior housed a museum of ancient mosaics and a copy of the four bigger than life bronze horses, the originals of which are also displayed on the second level exterior facade.

The Doges' Palace was the residence of Venetian rulers that was constructed from 1309 to 1324. As well as being the ducal residence, the palace housed political institutions of the Republic of Venice in its hayday as a naval power and trading center. Every wall and every ceiling in almost every room of the palace is covered with mammoth paintings (Jerry Jones is only about 700 years behind the times to show off huge/enormous/gigantic images)  reflecting the power of Venice and its role in the Church. Most of the paintings were the work of know Italian painters, including Tintoretto, Veronese, Canaletto, etc. For those who found disfavor with the Doge there is an equally big adjoining prison to house the malcontents.

No pictures allowed inside St. Mark's or the Doges' Palace.

Last night in Venice = a bottle of Pinot Grigio at nice restaurant with food served by waiters in white jackets with black ties.

10/19 : Day 15 - pictures

 

A couple pictues from the camera on my smart-phone: Rialto Bridge, view of Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge, Campanile Tower.

10/19 : Day 15 - Venice day 1

 

Began the day around St Mark's Square wondering into various streets just to see the scenery. Most of the streets are very narrow, a few don't appear to be more than four feet wide --- just wide enough for two people to pass. Others are wide enough for car to get through but there are no cars, just pedestrian walkways which can get jammed up just like any congested freeway. Lots of expensive shops line the streets, e.g. men and womens shops displaying $500 pairs of shoes as if they were for everyday folks.

We eventually ended up at the Rialto Bridge which is another tourist gathering spot. There are not that many major bridges to handle the business needs of Venice, and even then the Rialto does not allow motor vehicles (most of the day to day transportation of goods is done by boat). There are lots of smaller bridges for people to cross from one side of a canal to the other, but for the most part they are not suited for transporting goods. Eventually we hopped on one of the tourist water taxis that run the circuit of the Grand Canal. It takes about 45 minutes to travel from one end of the Grand Canal to the other. Along that route are all sorts palaces, hotels, museums, churches, apartment buildings, etc. There are many other smaller canals but due to their size only small boats and gondolas can navigate them. The gondolas are everywhere and even as expensive as the rides are they still take a lot of tourists for a ride (in more ways than one).

Taking advantage of the best lighting for photos from a setting sun I took the ride to the top of the Campanile Tower situated in the center of St Mark's Square for chance to get a view of Venice from a couple of hundred feet above sea level. At the end of the day we again strolled around St Mark's Square to watch and listen to the muscian groups playing around the square.

10/18 : Day 14 - Milan to Venice

 

Caught up on sleep after a few too many long days and late nights. Our train to Venice left Milan at 3:00 PM and arrived Venice just before 6:00. Getting to our hotel entailed using one of many water taxis (vaporettos, aka water buses) to reach our destination. Although it was quite cool/cold/windy on the canal, upon docking after the 20 minute ride the temperature was noticeably more comfortable. Throngs of people everywhere --- you would not know that the high tourist season was supposed to be over. Our hotel is but a couple of blocks from the landing dock and is just two blocks from St Mark's Square, which is one of the must see places in Venice.

Even though it was dark by the time we checked into the hotel and ate, we walked the couple of blocks to St Mark's Square where there were tourists milling about listening to three ensemble groups playing outside three different restaurants around the square. Such groups, all dressed in concert attire, are commonplace every night, playing everything from classical to American pop. Since we began walking after dark the attached pictures from my smart-phone are by necessity of very low quality.

10/17 : Day 13 - Sightseeing in Milan

 

The first event of the day was a tour of the chapel Santa Maria delle Grazie (originally a convent/monastery) where Leonardo di Vinci painted The Last Supper. Due to the size of the painting and the need to control the temperature/humidity, only 25 people at a time are allowed in the chapel where the painting was done. No photography is allowed. Instead of using the standard fresco technique of painting on wet plaster, da Vinci applied tempera to the dry wall instead. Fresco painting requires the artist to work rapidly before the plaster dries, but since The Last Supper was not a fresco he was able take as long as he liked, in this case from 1595 to 1597. However, by 1617 the painting was already beginning to deteriorate. A number of restorations were attempted over the years, some of which did more damage than good. Further damage was done when Napoleon's army used the convent for stabling horses. Then in WWII the building took a direct hit during a bombing raid. Fortunately the monks had fortified the wall on which the painting resided. The most recent restoration was carried out between 1977 and 1999.

Although the rainy weather from yesterday continued all day, it did not stop our sightseeing which included the Sforzesco Castle, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and the Duomo (another of Carol's must see cathederals!). The Galleria is host to most of Italy's very exclusive stores, all of which are enclosed by vast metal and glass domes.

10/16 : Day 12 - Strasbourg to Milan

Began the day at Elizabeth Ruppert's apartment in Strasbourg where she & her friend hosted a very large breakfast for us and her parents --- where excellent French pastry was had in great abundance.

Although there was a light drizzle it did not stop us from taking a tour on the canal which circles the downtown area somewhat like the San Antonio River does in San Antonio. Strasbourg is one of three cities (along with Brussels and Luxembourg City) that have a significant role in the European Union, hence there were numerous modern EU buildings lining the canal front in contrast to the much older buildings typically seen in the city.

At noon we caught one of the "fast" French TGV trains going to Zurich, Switzerland, however, the rail infrastructure was not yet qualified for the 125 mile per hour speeds of the TGV, so this train was only able to run at 70 to 80 mph.  In Zurich we connected to an Italian EuroCity train to Milan. The Zurich rail terminal is very large, with three platform levels servicing 50+ arrival/departure tracks. We arrived in Milan a little after 9:00 PM. As our first experience traveling on the European rail system we found it not only to be quite comfortable as well as a very leisurely way to see the countryside, especially when considering what is missed when flying.

10/15 : Day 11 - Travel to Strasbourg

Left Niederdonven, Luxembourg with Charles and Marie-Paul for Strasbourg, France by way of Metz, France. After traveling for about 60 km we stopped in Metz for lunch and a tour of the Cathedral in Metz. Carol is loving it . . . another stop on the great cathedral tour of Europe! While in Metz we also stopped to see the new Pompidou Museuem which is a very modernistic/futuristic design.

Another 160 km to Strasbourg which is in the eastern region of France near the Swiss border. After checking into the hotel late in the afternoon we walked over to the Cathedral Notre Dame of Strasbourg for an interesting street view as the sun was setting.

About 7:30 we were met by Elizabeth Ruppert, the youngest daughter of Charles & Marie-Paul, who like her sister in Paris is also an MD. The evening ended at a restaurant where we met a friend of Elizabeth's  from the medical center.

10/14 : Day 10 - Touring Luxembourg

Started the day from Niederdoven where Charles &. Marie-Paul live, going northeast of Luxembourgh City to an area known as Little Switzerland where it is very hilly and heavily forested with many hiking trails for those who like climbing.

From there we proceeded to the Echternacht Basilica and former monastery (now a Catholic High School) that was not far from the Little Switzerland area. From Echternacht we proceeded to one of the earliest castles in Luxembourg called Vianden Castle.

On the way back to Niederdonven we stopped to see his family run farm service business operated by Charles' brother Marcel (www.ruppert.lu). The day ended back at the home Charles and Marie-Paul, where their son Jean and his wife Beatrice joined us for dinner.

10/13 : Day 9 - Paris to Reims to Luxembough City

Left for Luxembourg City mid-morning before Paris strike activities began for a 2nd day. Enroute a stop was made to see the Reims Cathedral. At the end of the day in Luxembourg City a tour of the ancient fortifications around the city was done.

10/12 : Day 8 - Paris

 

Original plan was to spend the best part of the day at Versailles but that got changed when the Paris trade unions went on strike. Hence, only a very small area of Versailles could be seen.

However, an equally impressive private French estate was found that was not affected by the strike --- the 82 acres of Nicolas Fouquet's Vaux Le Vicomte estate. Fouquet never lived on his estate, having run into disasterous difficulties as the Finance Minister for Louis XIV. The castle, fountains and gardens were every bit as impressive as Versailles. See remaing pictures of Vaux le Vicomte.

Return trip to Paris took several hours as a resulted of the strike. Eventually we managed to meet up with Charles and Marie-Paul's daughter Anne Marie for dinner, followed by a spectacular tour of Paris at night, including the Eiffel Tower; Moulin Rouge and other places:

10/11 : Day 7 - Paris day 1

 

Although Carol thought we had set a record for walking in Rome, a new record was set today in Paris. The stops today included Norte Dame Cathedral, a tour of the Seine River which took us by the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower. Aside from the river tour we also walked through the Sarbonne University, the church of St Eustache, the Pompidou Center, Champs Elysees, and finally the Arc de Triomphe that was erected in honor of Napoleon victories. Unlike Rome, Paris has an excellent, extensive subway system which is not only clean but also very efficient --- it makes Rome's system look like a 3rd world variation of public transportation. Note, none of these sights would have been possible in a day's time had we not been with people who were intimately familiar with the city and the subway system, i.e. the advantage of dedicated tour guides who happen to be relatives.

10/10 : Day 6 - Rome to Paris

 

Final day in Rome. Before leaving from Rome, a trip to San Giovani (St John Lateran) was the last stop. The Basilica of St John Lateran is the official church of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. Papal services are typically held at St Perters, but St John Lateran is still technically is the Bishop of Rome's home church. Although San Giovani is not as large as St Peter's and does not have the same recognition, in many ways its design and decor are just as impressive, especially without the throngs of people who pass through St Peters every day. See attached pictures. The next stop on the itinerary was Paris where we met up with my 3rd cousin who was born and raised in Luxembourg, and whom we met for the first time in 2005 when we visited Europe. In 2007 we invited Charles & Marie-Paul Ruppert to visit us in the U.S. and subsequently showed them around Texas before attending a Ruppert reunion in Iowa. Consequently they offered to be our tour guides should we ever make it back to Europe. Hence we met them Paris with the plan to tour France with them since they were intimately familiar with country. Additionally, we had the opportunity to meet one of their two daughters, Anne Marie who happens to be a doctor and research scientist in Paris.

10/9 : Day 5 - Many miles of walking

 

While the last couple of days seemly set some records when it came to walking, a new record was set today (at least according to Carol). First stop was the Trevi Fountain, i.e. the most photographed fountain in Italy. That involved a ride on the Metro (Rome's subway, on which we have become experts) and a bit of walking. The weekend tourists seemed to have descended on in droves about 9:30 when we arrived.

Next stop was the Pantheon. According to the map it was a reasonably short walk. We managed to make it a much longer excursion by taking several wrong turns, adding a couple of extra miles to the itinerary. As the temple of all the ancient gods built in the first century AD, it is one of Rome's best preserved ancient buildings, one that eventally became a Christian place of worship in the 7th century. After spending a reasonable amount of time there, it was lunch time by Carol's clock.

Next on my itinerary, but not Carol's (because she had never heard of it) was the Piazza Navona. So I left her to pray at the Pantheon while I went to see the Piazza Navona on my own. The Piazza was certainly worth the time both in terms of the fountains (which were as good or better than the Trevi) and surrounding buildings. I returned to the Pantheon less than an hour to find my lovely wife still meditating.

The next stop on the itinerary was the church of Sant' Ignazio si Loyola founder of the Jesuits. The reason for visiting the site was its "illusionistic" ceiling, another one that was not on Carol's must see list. Like finding the Pantheon, it took several misguided turns to finally locate it (more kilometers than Carol's daily exercise called for).

The last stop of the day was to see the Spanish Steps --- more hiking but easy to find --- another place not on Carol's list. The closer we got, the more dense the crowd of people (as if half of Rome had nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon). All in all some of us got to see some really interesting places. See random pictures.

10/8: Day 4 - St Peters & Vatican Museums

 

Reached St Peter's basilica at 9:00 AM before the crowds. Sunny, warm day was ideal for taking pictures in the square in front of the church. Once inside the church proper it is easy to understand why it is recognized as the largest church in the world. With a standing room capacity of 60,000, it covers nearly 6 acres. Everything from the canopy covered main altar over the tomb of St Peter to the huge frescos and the larger than life statues reveal nothing less than a giant artwork and construction effort. Picture taking was allowed in all accessible locations.

Equally impressive is huge collection of art work housed and displayed in the Vatican Museums next to St Peters. Museums (plural) because seeing all of the vast collection of various types of art in the lengthy multi-story museum can entail walking as much as 7 miles. The obvious draw for most people is the Sistine Chapel, but the museum has a rather rigid traffic flow pattern forcing people to take in at least some (not necessarily all) of the collections before ending in the Sistine Chapel. Unlike most museums that have valuable paintings, photography is allowed everywhere except in the Sistine Chapel. There the guards vigorously enforce the ban. This is because all photography rights in the Sistine Chapel belong not to the Vatican, but rather to a Japanese company that paid somewhere between $3 and $4 million dollars for the massive restoration of the artwork in the Chapel. Needless to say, Michelangelo's ceiling is as spectacular as its reputation. Although we did not walk all 7 miles of the gallery, we did manage to see about 75% of it. Among the most interesting sections were the Pio-Clementine collection of Greek statues, the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

One other thing, the second best decision of the trip was ordering the tickets online before the trip. Instead of waiting in a line several blocks long to buy tickets at the door, we bypassed a couple of hundred folks, getting right in.

10/7 : Day 3 - Roman Forum & Colosseum

 

Day spent going through the ruins of the ancient Roman Forum and touring the Colosseum. Several large arches (the Arch of Titus and the Arch Septimius Severus) remain unscathed after nearly 2000 years, but other artifacts of the Roman Empire are much less recognizable as they exist in piles of stone with a few remaing columns standing. One of the best is the Basilica of Constantine (see picture). Lots of broken columns with capitals lying on the ground. The location where Julius Caesar was killed has fresh flowers placed on it every day. Amoung other structures partial visible are the house and temple of the Vestal Virgins who were responsible for keeping the Vestal flame. Those who lost their virginity before they had fullfilled their alotted years of duty were punished by being buried alive. Apparently human nature had much to with the demise of that career path . . .

Adjoining the Forum is the Colosseum. Built in only 10 years and seating 60,000, it witnessed 100 days of grand opening events that took the lives 2000 animals, slaves, Christains and gladiators. With the decline of the Empire it became a squater's haven and a new source of building materials for other sites.  As the symbol of Rome it was saved from total distruction after setting empty for years when it was finally seen as an historical artifact to be save. Much of what was scavenged from the site in the early years ended up in building of St. Peters.

The best decision made was the prior purchase of the Roma Pass when landing at Rome's airport. Having that eliminated standing in line for an hour or better just to buy admission tickets for getting into the Colosseum.

10/5 - 10/6 : Day 1 - 2

 

Ten hours Dallas to Frankfurt overnight, a plane change, and then on to Rome. Checked into the hotel which is within a few blocks of what is called the Ancient Center (the Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, and the Colosseum). Having arrived mid-afternoon we did not do the formal tours of the area --- that was left for tomorrow. Just walking around the area it is evident that a great deal of escavation work cotinues to be done . . . structures not nomally shown in the tourist promotions, e.g. the picture of the building being structural held together by cables, etc.

Even though this is past the peak of the tourist season, the streets are still filled with people --- that along with lots of crazy drivers (there is good reason never to rent a car in this city). Add to that large numbers of people on motor scooters and small motorcycles, many of whom are men in business suits. All of this adds up to massive parking issues --- see the picture of the Smart car wedged into a spot of space left by two other vehicles (it's a common sight!).

Start of 2010 blog.

What lies below are the blog entries from 2005. With this entry the 2010 travel begins.

Day 19 - Monday June 27 - Dublin

Sightseeing in Dublin. Included was the well known St. Patrick's Cathedral which is not a Catholic Church but rather the National Cathedral of Ireland (an Anglican Church). Also did a tour of the Old Jameson Distillery.

Tomorrow we head home.

Day 18 - Sunday June 26 - Travel Kenmare to Dublin

We drove back to Cork where we dropped off our rental car and went to the train station. We had planned all along to take the train from Cork to Dublin, and it appears to have been a good decision since several of the people we met in the B&B who had driven from Dublin to Kenmare reported long traffic delays coming out of Dublin due to road construction.

While waiting for the train in Cork we encountered hundredes of people coming off trains in Cork for a major soccer match between Cork and Ulster --- it was literally an invasion of sports fans coming into the train station.

Arrived Dublin with no problems and checked into the Andorra B&B which is directly across the street from the British Embassy.

Day 17 - Saturday June 25 - Ring of Kerry

Drove from our B&B in Kenmare to Killarney where we got on a tour bus for the Ring of Kerry. The number of buses along way plus the number of private autos making the Ring of Kerry trip made us glad that we elected to go the tour bus route --- it was far more enjoyable than the "white knuckle" driving I experienced on the part of the Ring of Kerry drive that we actually did from Kenmare to Killarney. There are great views along the way, but the Ring of Beara had equally great views and in a more leisurely way when we drove it yesterday.

We have not completely isolated Carol's great great grandfather's home parish in County Kerry but now have the name of a local parish contact that may eventually track it down for us. Meanwhile, Carol visited a couple Cronin businesses in Killarney, i.e. the Cronin Restaurant (where we ate) and the Cronin Meat Market (where we did not eat) --- in any case I have the pictures.

Ended the day in Killarney at the 6:30 Vigil Mass in St. Mary's Cathedral in Killarney --- a very big church built in the 1840's.

Ended the real day at a pub in Kenmare that had a traditional Irish group playing.

Day 16 - Friday June 24 - Killarney & Ring of Beara

Headed to Killarney which about an hour away. It is bigger than Kenmare and is just as much a tourist town. After eating and doing some shopping we headed back to Kenmare where we drove the Ring of Beara route which showed everything from coastal views to some spectacular mountainous views. It is far less commercialized than the Ring of Kerry in that many of the roads along the way are far too narrow for tour buses. Plus we were told that the views were equal to or better than what is to be seen on the Ring of Kerry. The Healy Pass was certainly one of the best we've seen in Ireland.

Day 15 - Thursday June 23 - Travel to Ireland

Left Munich for Cork, Ireland today. Picked up a rental car in Cork and drove to Kenmare where we checked into the Bed and Breakfast that is just outside of the town. It sits up on a hill overlooking the Kenmare Bay. Kenmare is very much a tourist town. We ended the day at an Irish pub that had a traditional Irish musical group.

Day 14 - Wednesday June 22 - Dachau

Spent a very sobering day north of Munich in the city of Dachau where the remains of the Nazi concentration camp can be seen. It started out as a SS training facility and evolved into a detention facility for political dissidents, homosexuals, religious opponents to Hitler, and eventually just about anyone who opposed the Nazi regime. In all, people from 34 nations ended up in the brutal work camp. It was here that the SS practiced and refined their torture techniques ("Academy of Terror") which were then utilized in the other concentration camps. About 25% of the original area of the concentration camp has been maintained as a memorial and museum to the survivors. A lot of German students were seen at the site apparently as an effort by today's generation to remind them of an era that should have never happened. Technically, Dachau was not classified as a "Death Camp" like Auschwitz. Officially, it was a "Work Camp", but the results were the same in that many of those incarcerated at Dachau were killed by simply working them to death. The government officially accounts for somewhere between 42,000 and 43,000 deaths from 1933 to 1945 at Dachau, whereas Auschwitz accounted for more and 4 million deaths during the same period.

Day 13 - Tuesday June 21 - Bavarian Castle Tour

Today we again headed south from Munich towards the Alps to where Ludwig II built two royal castles during the 1800's. By now we know more about Ludwig II than we ever wanted to know, but his castles are well worth the time to see. Both the castles at Linderhof and Neuschwanstein are opulence at the highest level, even to the degree that he almost bankrupted the state building them, which ultimately resulted in his removal from power. The picture of Neuschwanstein is used on almost every travel brochure for Germany, and for those who do not look at such brochures, you'll recognize it from DisneyWorld in Orlando. Disney's Magic Kingdom Castle is based upon the Castle at Neuschwanstein. On the way to the castles we also stopped in Oberammmergau where the famous passion play is held. A very long day but well worth the time.

Day 12 - Monday June 20 - Bavarian Alps - Eagles Nest

Today we took an all day tour south of Munich to the Alps to see Hitler's Adlerhorst (Eagle's Nest) high atop the summit of Kehlstein. As a present, Martin Bormann gave it to Hitler, but it never got used very much by Hitler because he had a great fear of heights. It was not bombed by the Allies during WWII and the Americans took it over until 1960 when it was returned to private hands, whereupon it became a local tourist attraction with a restaurant. We did not eat there since the tour operator had arranged to stop and eat in Berchtesgarden which lies below the mountain summit. Berchtesgarden has become very much a tourist town sitting in the midst of the very scenic Alpine mountains. The view from the Eagle's Nest is spectacular --- as awesome as the Grand Canyon is in the U.S. Sitting on the German/Austrian border the 6000 foot high lookout lets you see villages and towns in both countries. On the return trip we passed through a bit of Austria before heading north back to Munich. We lucked out with the weather in that it was clear and warm (about 80 degrees). With no clouds we could see an ancient army fortication in Salzburg, Austria.

Day 11 - Sunday June 19 - Munich sightseeing

To get a feel for the city we took a 3 hour "Best of Munich" bus tour which included the town center, stops at the Olympiapark where the 1972 Olympics were held, and a stop at the Schloss Nymphenburg palace and gardens. The latter is a huge complex of buildings and gardens dating back to the 1660's. Unlike Prague, we did not stop to look at any particular churches (Carol got burned out in Prague with all the churches I wanted to see there).

The highlight of the day was going to the most popular beer hall in Munich, the Hofbrauhaus. Established as a court brewery in 1589 by Wilhem V, it was opened up to the general public in 1830. Its ground floor hall has a seating capaciy of 1000, the 1st floor above it can hold another 1300 and it has an outdoor courtyard which holds several hundred more. We managed to find a place in the courtyard where a German band was playing. We enjoyed a good German meal and I found their locally brewed Hofbrauhaus Original beer to be a very good pilsner. Carol was not up to one of the large steins of beer (aka Bavarian Holy Water) and she stuck with some good Riesling wine. What else could have been more appropriate that to spend Father's Day in a German Bier Garten?

Day 10 - Saturday June 18 - Travel Luxembourg to Munich

Flew from Luxembourg to Munich arriving early morning. Munich was cloudy and about 65 degrees. Checked into the King's Center Hotel. We are staying about 3 blocks from the main Munich train station. The area is also central to much of the tourist traffic. I found an internet cafe just a couple of blocks from the hotel but soon learned that I could not post to this blog from their systems --- hence, the delay in getting this blog updated. Did not do a lot of sightseeing since we got up at 5:00 this morning to catch the flight from Luxembourg to Munich.

Day 9 - Friday June 17 - Trier and Messerich, Germany

Mrs. Kann again joined us on Friday to take us to the village of Messerich where Marlen Meyer (daughter of the Weber's in Pickliessem) and her husband live. When we met Marlen at the Weber farm on Wednesday she asked us to join them at their home in Messerich which is just west of Bitburg (Pickliessem is just to the east of Bitburg). She and her husband are both teachers --- she teaches in the equivalent of a high school in American, and her husband is an instructor at a technical college where he teaches business courses. Their daughter Veronica was going to be home from Mainz on Friday, hence their request to come to their home. They too had a relatively new home, i.e.built in the 1980`s. Marlen speaks very little English, but her husband, Thomas, is able to converse reasonably well in English. And their daughter Veronica speaks almost perfect English --- you could meet her in America and hardly know she was from somewhere else --- her idiom and inflection are nearly perfect. We ended the afternoon with them having had something to eat and, of course, a couple of bottles of Bitburger Beer. We drove back to Trier where we dropped off Mrs. Kann and headed back to Luxembourg where we stayed overnight Friday night in preparation for today's flight to Munich, which is where we are as I write this. According to Mrs. Kann the Weber and Meyer families in Pickliessem and Messerich are not "typical" German families in that they have new homes and are relatively secure financially (as atested to by the fact that they drive Mercedes, Audi`s and BMW's ---only Veronica drives a VW).

Day 8 - Thursday June 16 - Oberdonven, Luxembourg - Visit with Ruppert family

Charles Ruppert and his wife Marie met us at our hotel in Trier on Thursday and drove us back to Oberdonven and Niederdonven which are about about 20 km southwest of Trier. They picked us up at 9:00 AM and did not drop us off until 11:00 in the evening. Charles's great-grandfather and my great-grandfather were brothers. He grew up in the same house as our great-grandparents. The family still owns the house but it was completely rebuilt after WWII because it was totally destroyed by a bomb that leveled it. His brother (Marcel) still lives in the house, and we stopped by to visit him and his wife. Marcel operates an agricultural supply business and is also the caretaker of the family vineyard property, although he leases the vineyards to others who actually work the land. We were able to visit both the gravesites and churches of the Ruppert family. Unlike the church in the Czech Republic, these churchs have been completely renovated since the war, even though the original sturctures had not been destroyed during the war. According to Charles, the Ruppert family would have gone to mass in both the Niederdonven church of St. Martin and its affiliated chapel in Oberdonven. Several of the stain glass windows in the Chapel in Oberdonven have notations of a priest who was Ruppert. Charles Ruppert is one of eleven children. Only one of his siblings is dead. Marcel lives in Oberdonven while Charles lives just a couple of kilometes away in a new home in Niederdonven. The rest of his brothers and sisters live elsewhere in Luxembourg. Charles is roughly my age and he and his wife have 3 children. Two daughters are studying to be doctors, while his son is a mathematician in the Luxembourg City financial community. Charles worked for an International Banking firm for 20 years during which he travelled around the world including the U.S. (he managed to fly on the Concorde on one of his trips to America). He said that he had always wondered what happened to the Luxembourg Rupperts who immigrated to America but had never taken the time to track them until we made contact. After 20 years in Int`l Banking, he took over a large Luxembourg printing house which employes 800 people. Additionally, he is the President of the Luxembourg Press Association. And finally, he has been an appointed member of the Council of State in Luxembourg which consults with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the parliament --- to put it differently, he seems to be very well connected. He is very much a promoter of Luxembourg, and he and his wife spent the day with us showing us the ancient fortifications, the old and new financial districts of the city, his office in the Council of State, etc. Among the places he took us was the American Memorial to the servicemen who died in WWII. It is a quite moving cemetery which includes General Patton`s burial place. It seems that everyone Europe has some story of how Patton and his army came through their particular part of the country, whether it be Luxembourg, or Germany, or even the Czech Republic.

Day 7 - Wednesday June 15 - Pickliessem, Germany - Visit with Carol`s Zender relatives

Met with Mrs. Frankie Kann an American who has lived in Trier for the last 35 years. She was our driver and translator for two of our three days in the Trier area. Our first stop was north of Trier in the town of Pickliessem where Carol`s mother`s family (the Zenders) originated. The small village is about 35 km north of Trier. We were met by Werner and Anges Weber along with two of their daughters and their families. During the course of the day I think we must have also met a significant number of the people who also live in the village. It happens that the Weber family is related to the Zenders. The original Zender house still stands, though it is no longer owned by anyone related to the Zenders. The Webers operate a dairy farm of 110 to 120 milk cows. It was through their grand-daughter, Veronica Meyer, that we managed to trace the Zender family to them. One of the Weber daughters (Maria Franzen) lives right next to the grand-parents, and it is that family who actually does most of the work on the farm. Werner and Agnes are retired --- both are in their 70`s. Maria Frazen and her husband live in a very large and relatively new house. She and Anges prepared a very good German meal at lunch. Later in the day another Weber daughter and her husband showed up and joined us. The second daughter`s name is Marlen Meyer and she is the mother of Veronica. Veronica was not at the farm because she attends the univeristy in Mainz where she studies English and geography. It turned out that she was to be back home on Friday and hence Marlen asked us to return on that day to their home to meet Veronica. Everyone was extremely cordial and friendly, and because they live within sight of the American air base at Spangdahlem, they have a certain amount of contact with Americans and hence speak just enough English that we were able to converse without the necessary help of Frankie Kann. However, Agnes did have to rely on Frankie to convey her thoughts. There are still two Zenders (by name) who still reside in Pickliessem. They are both cousins to Agnes Weber,and they are both retired employees of the brewery in Bitburg which is only a short distance away.

Day 6 - Tuesday June 13 - Travel from Prague to Luxembourg

Arrived in Luxembourg Tueday shortly after noon wherewe picked up a rental car and drove to Trier, Germany. No problem getting to Trier but the car rental agency did not have a city map of Trier. Hence we saw a lot of Trier that was not planned because we could not find a gas station from which to buy a map. The reason for this is that there are very few gas stations in Trier because the Germans all go a few kilometers across the border to Luxembourg where the gasoline tax is much, much less --- hence very few gas stations in Trier. Checked into the Hotel Petrisberg which sits high on a hill overlooking the city of Trier, a city of 100,000.

Day 5 - Monday June 13 - Western Bohemia

Returned to Ovesne Kladruby to see the inside of the Church of St. Lawerence. The last renovation was done in 1871 and it was evident. In its day it appeared to have been a beautiful Baroque church. They are beginning to renovate it but have a long, long way to go. The priest resides in Tepla which is about 10 km away. Unfortunately the one Sunday mass only draws 3 or 4 people on a good day. It seems strange to spend lots of money to renovate the church when so few attend, but village mayor´s wife indicated that there was a great deal of attachment to the church, besides it´s being a local historical landmark due to its age. I got some great pictures.

The cemetery next to the church has mostly recent tombstones --- most of the early tombstones from the 1800´s no longer exist in part because the forced removal of the German families after the war and the way burial plots are leased and re-leased to various families.

Leaving Ovesne Kladruby we moved on to Tepla which is about 10 km away. The reason for visiting Tepla is the Premonstratu Monastery which owned almost all the land in Ovesne Kladruby and town of Marianske Lazne. The original monastery was stared in the 12th century and in midevil times they were landowners on which the people of Ovesne Kladruby worked. Very few residents of Ovesne Kladruby actually owned the land on which the lived. The agreement was that you could work your allotted land 5 days a week and the other two days you worked for the benefit of the monastery. Hence, the monastery was in fact very wealthy due to its ownership of the land. Today, the monastery, like the church in Ovesne Kladruby, is in very bad shape and is undergoing a very slow renovation. During the Communist era until 1978 it was used to house Soviet troops. Then it sat empty until 1989 with the fall of Communism. It is a hugh facility with the 2nd largest library in the Czech Republic.

The day ended heading back to Prague in preparation for the flight on Tuesday to Luxembourg. There is no question that Marie Zahn made the trip an extremely interesting excursion by enabling us to talk with the local people, all of whom were most gracious. That, along with her very great historical knowledge of the country and the fact that she has lived in the Czech Republic all of her life, which included the Communist era and post-revolution after 1989.

Day 4 - Sunday June 12 - Travel Prague to Western Bohemia to see the ancestral home of the Lodes family

We found a church (St. Gall) within 3 blocks of the hotel and attended an 8:00 AM Mass. Built about the 13th century it is a local parish church that is not normally open to the public as a national shrine. Again, very ornate Baroque decor. Only one mass on Sunday and the attendance amounted to no more than 70 or 80 people. The pews had wooden kneelers which were only part of the sacrafice --- the other part was that the wooden benches had no cushions (that was okay) but the back of each pew had a wooden ledge at the top of the pew that protruded about 4 inches into your back --- not exactly made for comfort. Carol loved it --- not!

Met up with Marie Zahn who would be our guide, translator and driver for the next two days. She and her husband operate a genealogy service which includes trips to the locales where family members originated.

Trip to western Bohemia was about 105 miles travelling through hop growing country until we reached the village of Ovesne Kladruby (formeraly known as Habakladrau) which is where Wenzel Weber Lodes and his wife Anna Steiner lived. Wenzel Lodes was my great grandfather on my dad´s mother´s side (i.e. Elizabeth Lodes / Elizabeth Ruppert). Wenzel and Anna came to the U.S. in the late 1800´s, so there were no longer any Lodes family members in the area (which we knew long before going to the Czech Republic). Thanks to Jack Donahue we had a copy of the baptismal certificate for Anton Lodes who was their son and eventual brother to Elizabeth. No only is the the name the village on the baptismal certificate, it also has the house number of the family. Anna Steiner, wife of Wenzel, came from an even smaller village (Vysocany --- formerly known as Wischezahan) which is about 2 km. from from Ovesne Kladruby. Fortunately, the Czech government between 1820 and 1860 did land surveys of every village for the puspose of taxation, etc. With the village name and the house number Marie Zahn secured a copy of the survey so we could identify the exact location of the Wenzel Lodes house.

Today Ovesne Kladruby has less than 200 residents, of which 25% are retired farmers, a few still farm in the area, and the remainder work in a nearby town. Before the trip Marie Zahn had talked with the mayor´s wife who functions as a bit of an historian for the area. Hence, when we arrived we met first with the mayor´s wife who told us that they do not have very many visitors looking for former families of the area. Even though it is small dying village she was proud to tell us that they had historical records for the town going back to 1242. She also told us that only a few of the current inhabitants were from families dating back into the 1800´s. This is because at the end of WWII German families were forcibly moved back to Germany except those who claimed Czech ancestry. The forced removal of the German families by the Communists resulted in re-settlement of other families into the homes and land of the Germans that had been forced to move.

The house where Wenzel Lodes no longer still stands, though house of another family member, Artur, is still standing, but it has been renovated from what it was in the 1860´s. It is occupied today, but according to the mayor´s wife the person living there was not a very sociable person and hence she suggest that we not approach him. Anna Steiner´s parents lived in Wischezahn, however, today there are no inhabitants of the village (or what´s left of it). We drove to the village to find one very large brick house that was in shambles and overgrown with weeds. All the other houses no longer existed or only had partial walls remaining. Aside from the one house left standing, the only other recognizable landmark was the pond that was at the center of the village.

The church that Lodes family attended still stands but is in very much need of repair. It does have a new roof which is part of a renovation effort, but the rest of the exterior looks like it has had no maintenace for a hundred years. In reality, the church fell into disrepair once the Communists took over the land. We did not get inside the church this day and had to come back on Monday for it to be opened for us.

Likewise, the school that would have been attended by Anton Lodes is still standing, but just barely. The town wants to eventually renovate it just as it does the church, but this is a relatively poor community and the prospects are not good.

We ended the day by going about 10 km to Marianske Lazne which is a major spa town just north of Ovesne Kladruby. Here we stayed overnight at the Richard Hotel. There are many old hotels in the town of 15,000 or so, and most have been or are in a state of renovation. The Richard Hotel is a former house that was alledgedly visited by the composer Richard Wagner. In 2000 it was totally renovated and is very nice hotel. It sits immediately across the street from a Russian Orthodox Church which I had to visit to see the icons.

So far the food had been great, with Marie Zahn suggesting a variety of ¨traditional¨ Czech food, none of which my cardiologist would approve of . . .

Day 3 - Saturday June 11 - Prague Sightseeing

Left the hotel and headed towards Prague Castle which one of the other big attractions. To reach the Castle you cross the Vltava River and we elected to walk across on the Charles Bridge. Along each side of the walk-way are big statues of various saints, including St. Peter, John the Baptist and St. Wenscelaus, etc. The original statues are now in the National Museum due to deterioration from pollution, but their stand-in replacements look just as ancient due to discoloration from the elements. The Bridge is lined with all kinds of vendors selling art, etc.

Prague Castle is a hugh fortess-like enclave, it contains within its walls the church of St. Vitus, which is another Gothic style church. Started in 926, it was not fully completed until 1929 --- a 1000 year project. It contains the burial crypt of St. Wenceslaus. Typical of Gothic stuctures it has the very high nave with vaulted arches and employs the use of the flying arches to stabilize the exterior walls. In many ways the Castle grounds reminded us of the Tower of London with it many interior builds, etc.

Weather today is cool --- high 50's / low 60's --- enough so that a jacket is needed.

We are schedule to take a dinner river cruise tonight on the Vltava River which runs through Prague. We move on tomorrow to western Bohemia, so this blog will not likely get updated for several days.

Day 2 - Friday June 10 - Prague

A short cab ride from Prague Airport to what is known as Old Town we checked into the Hotel U Stare Pani. Old Town is the is where Prague grew from its beginning. The hotel is within a couple of minutes of one of the main attractions: Old Town Square. The Square is a huge open cobblestone area which is surrounded by whole variety of architecture, some of which dates back to the 10th century. One of the sites is the Old Town Hall on the front of which is a large astronomical clock that was build in the 1500's. It is so unique that city fathers blinded the clock builder after he completed it so that he could not build another one for any other city.

One of the other notable buildings is the chuch of Our Lady Before Tyn. Construction began in the 10th century and the build is maintained today. What is really strange about it is that they built other large buildings around it such that you can no longer see the outside base of the church. The only portion visible from the Square is the upper level and its twin towers. In order to get into the church you must pass through one of the buildings which now encircles it. Prague is sometimes referred to as the city of churches, and this one is just one of many of Gothic design. If you are into Gothic or Barouque architecture, Prague is the place to be. Inside the church one sees a very, very ornate interior --- lots of huge statues most of which are done in gold leaf.

After the time in the Town Square we finally had to give it up to get our clocks in sync with local time --- Prague is 7 hours earlier than Dallas. One thing we found out very quickly is that Prague has become a major tourist town and the people like to party all hours of the night. There is a pub directly across the street from the hotel and we learned that the party goers do not drink quietly. They finally gave up about 5 AM so we got some really peaceful sleep between 5 AM and 9 AM before we headed out.

Day 1/2 Travel - Thursday/Friday June 9/10

Left Dallas on Continental to Newark Thursday morning. In Newark we connected to Alitalia Airlines and flew on a Boeing 777 from Newark to Rome --- 7 hours flying time and 4290 miles. In Rome we connected to Czech Airlines to Prague early Friday morning - another couple of hours in the air. Surprisingly, even though we travelled on three different airlines with only an hour or so between flights, we missed no connections due to weather, equipment or or reasons. Moreover, when we arrived in Prague our luggage all arrived at the same time. Arriving in Prague about noon it was about 60 degrees and partly cloudy.

Yes, there are more direct ways to fly from Dallas to Prague, but when you are cashing in Frequent Flyer Miles, the options are much more restricted as to when you can travel and the route you go.

Before we begin

It is highly unlikely that this blog will get updated daily since I will not be lugging around a laptop computer. Hence, we'll be relying on internet cafes and hotel services to connect to the internet.