Aloha all,
one of the few disadvantages of living in Hawaii is how far away it is from our family and friends in Europe. What a luxury that we got to spend two months with our loved ones here. If we still lived in Munich, we probably would not spend so much quality time with them. And I would not get to play as many chess games with my dad.
The second half of our family visit in Europe was a mix of discovering new places in Germany & Switzerland, revisiting old favorites in Austria & France, catching up with friends & family, drinking too much wine & beer and eating even more Brezeln & Spätzle…in other words: Good Times!
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| "Madame Butterfly" on the Lake Stage in Bregenz |
One highlight was the trip to see “Madame Butterfly” at the “Bregenzer Festspiele” in Austria. They are known for their elaborate sets on a stage that is built on the lake. Personally, I think the music of Madame Butterfly is just OK, but the location, the set, the sunset and the whole atmosphere are just amazing and we’ll go back to see the next production, whatever it is.
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| The sunsets at Langenargen at the Lake of Constance are just as pretty as on Maui and last longer! This one seemed to last for hours, but that might have had something to do with the company or the drinks... |
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| Germans Love Aperol Spritz, even the expats! |
Of course we also continued our tradition of spending a few days in my family’s “Happy Place”: The little hotel “Les Alpages” in the French Jura region. It’s a very scenic area, with lakes, mountains and waterfalls. We go on hikes and swim in the lakes, but to be honest: We mostly go there to drink and to eat.
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| The extra fun group of people for our traditional Jura trip this year |
Usually, when you have really high expectations, you can only be disappointed. But somehow, they still manage to surpass our high expectations. So yet again, if you ask me for my favorite meals of this six month trip, it will be the four dinners at “Les Alpages”.
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| One of the now approximately 100 delicious dishes we've had at Les Alpages, always something new and always delicious! |
To pass the time between meals, we also visited a cave and a salt mine. One of the most interesting places we visited this time was “Arc-et-Senans”, the master planned town and headquarters of the salt mines. Built by the visionary architect Ledoux about 250 years ago, during the time of the American revolution.
La Grotte Moidon:
Funny how similar France and Virginia
are under the surface
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| Tour of the Underground caverns of the Royal Salt Mines of Salens Les Bains |
Salt was very important back then because it was the best way to preserve food. It was very big business for the royals in France and this was supposed to become the center of it all. However, the discovery of refrigeration and the French revolution got in the way, so the plans were never fully realized. But it’s still very impressive and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| With "Mariposa" in the Swiss Alps: Our first European RV Trip. |
We also got to take our first RV trip in Europe! It was only a two day trip with friends to Switzerland, but it was fun comparing the differences between their “Mariposa” and our ”Joy” and between European and American camping in general. For example, even though Mariposa is almost as big as Joy, she weighs only half as much and uses only half as much gas. Makes up for the gas prices that are about twice as high here!
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| The River Rhine is a little more dramatic a few hundred miles upstream from my hometown! When we saw this view, we decided to take the train trip through this scenic valley the next day. |
Switzerland is such a beautiful country and surprisingly well organized even by German standards. Even without any preparation, it was very easy to find a trail to hike, a lake to swim, a spot to spend the night in Mariposa and a scenic train ride to enjoy. There is really nothing to dislike about Switzerland except that the prices can shock even people coming from Maui.
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| Happy Campers in Switzerland in the Swiss Alps! |
We did an abbreviated trip to Munich this time. But it was fun staying with our niece, who just recently moved to our old hometown. And she and her boyfriend just happened to find an apartment within walking distance of our beloved Olympic Park. For most people, it’s the site of the 1972 Olympics, the hostage massacre and the 1974 world cup final. For me, it’s also where I started playing ultimate frisbee, the site of my all time favorite job and where I spontaneously proposed to Sandra 27 years ago.
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| So much to love about the Olympic Park in Munich! |
Since we came to Munich on very short notice, most of our friends were out of town, but we will catch up with them next year. And what more do you really need than one friend, a beer and the right weather for an afternoon in a beer garden?
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| Beer garden in Munich: Andrea had to fill in for all our college friends |
On our road trips on the US mainland, it happens so often that we find hidden gems somewhere in the backcountry. We were happy to see that the same thing can happen in very familiar places. We have driven through Stockach a thousand times, it’s a small town next to Sandra’s hometown. Not the kind of place where you expect world class art, but we saw a poster for a Miró exhibit, went there and it was spectacular! The tour guide told the fascinating story of the artist and how this collection ended up in small town museum in rural southern Germany.
Even the old Romans knew that all you need to provide to appease the people is “Panem et Circenses” or “Bread and Games”. This still works very well. We ate and played so much during our time in Europe that we feel very appeased. Here are just a few examples:
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| Emma's hand made Spätzle are still the best! |
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| 1000 games of Catan during the pandemic were not enough practice to win in Munich |
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| The traditional "Mamma Mia" game to determine who gets to sleep where in Mariposa |
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| Peace, Love and Harmony in the family: My dad and I played 15 games of chess and ended up with a score of 7.5 to 7.5 |
But it wasn’t all food and games, we also tried to make ourselves helpful around the house and as the family tech support. For some reason, my sister in law seems to think that I am an expert in German property tax law, even though we left Germany right after college and never even own a car in Germany, let alone any real estate. After my short introduction into the German property tax system, I will never complain about complicated American bureaucracy and I will never again call Germany efficient.
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| A short stroll to the neighborhood castle in Sandra's hometown |
And that’s the news from Lake Constance, where all the days are pleasant, all the food is good looking and everybody wins more games than average.
Today, we fly back to America: A hui hou, Deutschland…Joy, here we come!
Chris & Sandra
I never lived anywhere but the USA so this europe trip was more interesting to me. Maybe because I actually visited those three countries.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had fun. So which opera do you like? Madam Butterfly is one of my favorites😛. Greg and I are meeting Jack in Silverton, BC so you know we’re having a good time. See you back on Maui.
ReplyDeleteI loved 'Rigoletto' on the Lake at Bregenz two years ago and the 'Aida' in Verona a million years ago...so it seems like I'm a sucker for grand locations more than a true opera connoisseur.
DeleteI had a fabulous time feeling like I was traveling with you. And, bonus, without all the calories! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. Come home soon. Maui misses you
ReplyDeleteLoL, yeah, we should have just looked at all that food, too;-)
DeleteWe've put on 10 pounds in 8 weeks, so we'll have to loose those on another road trip before we can come back to Maui in swim suit shape;-)