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Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
Travel Journal May 2010
Area of operation
| Travel Journal May 2010 Begins in Diedorf, Germany and ends in Seester near Hamburg, Germany. |
A rainy first of May in Germany isn’t the best time to move into a new apartment but our niece Krissi in Augsburg
was moving and we pitched in. With the move, she acquired an intolerable landlady, but that is another story.
The following day we were invited for lunch by Doris, a friend from Renée’s boarding school days (see photos).
She lives in a gated apartment complex in Augsburg’s inner city. The streets nearby are very narrow with few
parking places, even on a Sunday morning. While searching for a place to park, we drove by a row of parking spots
which were empty. Although nearby there were restrictive signs for other parking spots, these were not
marked. So we parked, got out with our umbrellas, but still unsure about parking there since it was so unusual.
Across the street was an apartment building with a woman looking out the window. The woman said something that
we couldn’t understand so Renée walked toward her, with a bouquet of flowers (for Doris) and the umbrella in her
other hand. The woman wanted to know if we intended to park there overnight, since the parking spaces were
intended for the bordello. At that point we realized that the apartment building (see photos) was actually a
bordello and she was apparently the “hostess” that greeted the guests. Renée assured her that we wouldn’t be
spending the night and the lady then leaned out of the window and repaired Renée’s umbrella which had come apart
on one side. After a few more friendly words, we thanked the “lady” and continued on our way.
When we arrived at Doris’ we were surprised to find that Bärbel, Dietmar and their dog Askan (see photos) from
Munich were also there. Renée, Doris and Bärbel attended boarding school together as teenagers. Before going
into retirement, Doris was the owner of the “Sieben Schwaben Stuben”, a restaurant in Augsburg. This accounts
for her talent as an exceptional cook, which we thoroughly enjoyed that day. We had planned to also attend the
Augsburg Spring Festival but it rained the entire day.
On Monday, Renée and Jeanette visited Oma at the hospital in Krumbach and then on Tuesday Renée and Chuck
visited Krissi at the hospital in Augsburg (see photos) where she had been admitted with kidney problems after
the move on the preceding Saturday. On May 7th we celebrated Jeanette’s 54th birthday (see photos). May 7th
was Mother’s Day and we visited Oma (now out of the hospital and back in Babenhausen in the senior center). The
entire family was there and afterwards we invited everyone (except Oma and Tante Anna) for Dinner at the
Gasthaus “Zur Blauen Traube” (see photos). Tim could not attend since the band in which he plays had an
engagement.
We left Jeanette and Klaus in Diedorf on May 11th and drove to Bärbel and Ditmar in Munich-Solln. On the
following day we took the U-Bahn (subway) to downtown Munich with Bärbel for shopping and sight-seeing (see
photos). At the Viktualienmarkt we visited a café and afterwards strolled over to Marienplatz past the old
Residenz to the Feldherrnhalle . The return trip to Solln was somewhat of an adventure. Smoke in the subway
tunnel caused the lines to shut down until the source could be identified. All passengers had to get off and leave
the underground passages. This also happened to be the day that the Ecumenical Council of Churches began in
Munich. This was such a large event that in order to accommodate the influx of tour buses, etc., the streets had
been blocked and no other traffic was allowed for several hours. Consequently, taxis and other methods of
transportation were not allowed with the reasoning that everyone should travel via the U-Bahn during this time. It
was the perfect time for the U-Bahn to be evacuated due to smoke. After walking several blocks we finally found
a taxi driver who was willing to take the risk of meandering through the side streets and eventually getting us to
the subway station where Bärbel’s car was parked. We arrived home just in time for Bärbel and Dietmar to leave
for an event where they had been invited, along with their daughter Anja who picked them up. We had the
opportunity to meet their granddaughter Helena. Askan stayed at home with us that evening.
We stayed in Munich until May 16th, visited Anja’s new home, took a long walk on the Isar River (see photos), had
an evening visit to the inner city where candlelight church services were held on the Marienplatz. We also had the
opportunity to visit the old city hall (see photos), and strolled by the Hofbräuhaus but didn’t go in. On another
occasion Renée and Chuck went to the inner city and visited the Valentin Museum in the Isartor (see photos). That
evening we had supper at the Museumsstüberl of the Beer and Octoberfest Museum which is located in a restored
Munich community center with portions of the building dating from the year 1340. Since 2005, the museum is
located in this building. The last night in Munich we spent alone at their apartment since Bärbel and Ditmar had to
drive to Austria for a birthday celebration and spent the night there.
On Sunday we left Munich in rainy, cold weather and drove via Regensburg to Mantel in the Oberpfalz region.
Leaving Munich was almost at a snail’s pace since all of the Ecumenical Council of Churches participants were also
leaving.
In Mantel we visited Harald, a distant cousin of Jeanette and Geli on the maternal side. We were royally greeted
by Harald and his wife Renate. We met their three sons Johannes, Fabian and Felix (see photos) and spent a very
nice evening with the family, looking at old photo albums and talking until quite late. The following morning we
stopped at the commissary in nearby Grafenwöhr, a US military installation, and picked up a few items. Driving via
Hof, Plauen and Chemnitz, we reached Dresden around 3 PM, where we spent the next ten days with Usch, the
best friend of Renée’s deceased mother.
Dresden is a wonderful city with a countless number of things to see. Many of them we already had seen so the
first thing we visited was one of the new attractions, the Asisi Panometer. Housed inside a circular 19th century
gas storage building, Artist Yadegar Asisi has used a combination of computer technology, drawing, illustration, and
painting to recreate a 27 meter high and 100 meter long panoramic view of Baroque Dresden as it was in its glory
under the rule of August the Strong circa 1756. The exhibit which is housed in a 19th century gas storage building
truly gives visitors the illusion of over looking the great city as it was. This is the link: Asisi Panometer
The reconstructed Residence castle with the Grüne Gewölbe, the Türkencammer and the art collection of Dresden
were visited on a following day. On the 20th we drove to Bad Brambach where Renée’s mother lived when she
passed away in 1992. There we visited Brunhilde and Wolfgang, friends of Renée’s mother (see photos). Before
we left Bad Brambach, we made a side trip to Christel and Roland (see photos). Christel was Renée’s playmate
whenever she visited her mother in Bad Brambach.
On the evening before Pentecost we visited a concert at the Kreuzkirche (see photos). The Monday after
Pentecost we went to the Schloss Pillnitz (Castle)(see photos) and on Tuesday we had tickets for a Bach concert
“Dritter Teil der Clavierübung” with Matthia Grünert as organist. The concert took place in the reconstructed
Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) (see photos).
The new shopping centers around Dresden are quite well planned and a pleasure to visit. The Elbepark is especially
impressive and has some of the nicest features we have seen anywhere in the world.
On the 27th we invited Usch for a farewell dinner at the “Homage” near Wasaplatz.
The following morning we had nasty weather for our trip to Berlin. When we arrived, we first went to the Hotel-
Pension and took our bags to the room. Chuck stayed in the room while Renée went to pick up some flowers for
Dorle. Dorle is a retired architect and a former friend of Renée’s mother. She was expecting us and after
coffee, tea and cake we talked for quite a while, then walked to a nearby Italian restaurant for supper (see
photos). While eating supper, we looked out the window and watched a fox sneaking through the bushes and under
the outside tables, hoping to find supper. This was right in the middle of Berlin! After eating, we walked back with
Dorle to where our car was parked near her apartment building, said our goodbyes and drove back to our hotel.
Both of us slept poorly that night but the fantastic breakfast selection helped to revive our spirits the following
morning.
It was a warm sunny day and we visited the new Hauptbahnhof (main train station), the government district
(former Reichstag), the Brandenburg Gate and the Museum Island. The next day we visited the Topography of
Terror Museum which had only recently opened. During the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945, it was the location of
the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS. It lies next to where a remaining portion of the Berlin Wall still
stands. Nearby is “Checkpoint Charlie” (see photos).
From there we drove to Schloss Charlottenburg (Castle)(see photos) and to Gene, Renée’s former boss when she
worked for Abbott in Wiesbaden. Gene is American born, studied in Germany where he received his medical
degree and has pursued a career in pharmaceutical research, where he is very successful. Several of his friends
and neighbors were also there to enjoy his culinary creation, a Salmon/Asparagus Lasagna! (see photos)
On the following day it was cold and wet. We left Berlin shortly before 10 AM and headed toward Hamburg. That
afternoon we reached Seester near Elmshorn which is northwest of Hamburg. There we visited Karin (another
friend from Renée’s boarding school days). That ended our May travels. More about Karin and her dog, Merlin in
June’s travel journal.
To be continued…..
was moving and we pitched in. With the move, she acquired an intolerable landlady, but that is another story.
The following day we were invited for lunch by Doris, a friend from Renée’s boarding school days (see photos).
She lives in a gated apartment complex in Augsburg’s inner city. The streets nearby are very narrow with few
parking places, even on a Sunday morning. While searching for a place to park, we drove by a row of parking spots
which were empty. Although nearby there were restrictive signs for other parking spots, these were not
marked. So we parked, got out with our umbrellas, but still unsure about parking there since it was so unusual.
Across the street was an apartment building with a woman looking out the window. The woman said something that
we couldn’t understand so Renée walked toward her, with a bouquet of flowers (for Doris) and the umbrella in her
other hand. The woman wanted to know if we intended to park there overnight, since the parking spaces were
intended for the bordello. At that point we realized that the apartment building (see photos) was actually a
bordello and she was apparently the “hostess” that greeted the guests. Renée assured her that we wouldn’t be
spending the night and the lady then leaned out of the window and repaired Renée’s umbrella which had come apart
on one side. After a few more friendly words, we thanked the “lady” and continued on our way.
When we arrived at Doris’ we were surprised to find that Bärbel, Dietmar and their dog Askan (see photos) from
Munich were also there. Renée, Doris and Bärbel attended boarding school together as teenagers. Before going
into retirement, Doris was the owner of the “Sieben Schwaben Stuben”, a restaurant in Augsburg. This accounts
for her talent as an exceptional cook, which we thoroughly enjoyed that day. We had planned to also attend the
Augsburg Spring Festival but it rained the entire day.
On Monday, Renée and Jeanette visited Oma at the hospital in Krumbach and then on Tuesday Renée and Chuck
visited Krissi at the hospital in Augsburg (see photos) where she had been admitted with kidney problems after
the move on the preceding Saturday. On May 7th we celebrated Jeanette’s 54th birthday (see photos). May 7th
was Mother’s Day and we visited Oma (now out of the hospital and back in Babenhausen in the senior center). The
entire family was there and afterwards we invited everyone (except Oma and Tante Anna) for Dinner at the
Gasthaus “Zur Blauen Traube” (see photos). Tim could not attend since the band in which he plays had an
engagement.
We left Jeanette and Klaus in Diedorf on May 11th and drove to Bärbel and Ditmar in Munich-Solln. On the
following day we took the U-Bahn (subway) to downtown Munich with Bärbel for shopping and sight-seeing (see
photos). At the Viktualienmarkt we visited a café and afterwards strolled over to Marienplatz past the old
Residenz to the Feldherrnhalle . The return trip to Solln was somewhat of an adventure. Smoke in the subway
tunnel caused the lines to shut down until the source could be identified. All passengers had to get off and leave
the underground passages. This also happened to be the day that the Ecumenical Council of Churches began in
Munich. This was such a large event that in order to accommodate the influx of tour buses, etc., the streets had
been blocked and no other traffic was allowed for several hours. Consequently, taxis and other methods of
transportation were not allowed with the reasoning that everyone should travel via the U-Bahn during this time. It
was the perfect time for the U-Bahn to be evacuated due to smoke. After walking several blocks we finally found
a taxi driver who was willing to take the risk of meandering through the side streets and eventually getting us to
the subway station where Bärbel’s car was parked. We arrived home just in time for Bärbel and Dietmar to leave
for an event where they had been invited, along with their daughter Anja who picked them up. We had the
opportunity to meet their granddaughter Helena. Askan stayed at home with us that evening.
We stayed in Munich until May 16th, visited Anja’s new home, took a long walk on the Isar River (see photos), had
an evening visit to the inner city where candlelight church services were held on the Marienplatz. We also had the
opportunity to visit the old city hall (see photos), and strolled by the Hofbräuhaus but didn’t go in. On another
occasion Renée and Chuck went to the inner city and visited the Valentin Museum in the Isartor (see photos). That
evening we had supper at the Museumsstüberl of the Beer and Octoberfest Museum which is located in a restored
Munich community center with portions of the building dating from the year 1340. Since 2005, the museum is
located in this building. The last night in Munich we spent alone at their apartment since Bärbel and Ditmar had to
drive to Austria for a birthday celebration and spent the night there.
On Sunday we left Munich in rainy, cold weather and drove via Regensburg to Mantel in the Oberpfalz region.
Leaving Munich was almost at a snail’s pace since all of the Ecumenical Council of Churches participants were also
leaving.
In Mantel we visited Harald, a distant cousin of Jeanette and Geli on the maternal side. We were royally greeted
by Harald and his wife Renate. We met their three sons Johannes, Fabian and Felix (see photos) and spent a very
nice evening with the family, looking at old photo albums and talking until quite late. The following morning we
stopped at the commissary in nearby Grafenwöhr, a US military installation, and picked up a few items. Driving via
Hof, Plauen and Chemnitz, we reached Dresden around 3 PM, where we spent the next ten days with Usch, the
best friend of Renée’s deceased mother.
Dresden is a wonderful city with a countless number of things to see. Many of them we already had seen so the
first thing we visited was one of the new attractions, the Asisi Panometer. Housed inside a circular 19th century
gas storage building, Artist Yadegar Asisi has used a combination of computer technology, drawing, illustration, and
painting to recreate a 27 meter high and 100 meter long panoramic view of Baroque Dresden as it was in its glory
under the rule of August the Strong circa 1756. The exhibit which is housed in a 19th century gas storage building
truly gives visitors the illusion of over looking the great city as it was. This is the link: Asisi Panometer
The reconstructed Residence castle with the Grüne Gewölbe, the Türkencammer and the art collection of Dresden
were visited on a following day. On the 20th we drove to Bad Brambach where Renée’s mother lived when she
passed away in 1992. There we visited Brunhilde and Wolfgang, friends of Renée’s mother (see photos). Before
we left Bad Brambach, we made a side trip to Christel and Roland (see photos). Christel was Renée’s playmate
whenever she visited her mother in Bad Brambach.
On the evening before Pentecost we visited a concert at the Kreuzkirche (see photos). The Monday after
Pentecost we went to the Schloss Pillnitz (Castle)(see photos) and on Tuesday we had tickets for a Bach concert
“Dritter Teil der Clavierübung” with Matthia Grünert as organist. The concert took place in the reconstructed
Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) (see photos).
The new shopping centers around Dresden are quite well planned and a pleasure to visit. The Elbepark is especially
impressive and has some of the nicest features we have seen anywhere in the world.
On the 27th we invited Usch for a farewell dinner at the “Homage” near Wasaplatz.
The following morning we had nasty weather for our trip to Berlin. When we arrived, we first went to the Hotel-
Pension and took our bags to the room. Chuck stayed in the room while Renée went to pick up some flowers for
Dorle. Dorle is a retired architect and a former friend of Renée’s mother. She was expecting us and after
coffee, tea and cake we talked for quite a while, then walked to a nearby Italian restaurant for supper (see
photos). While eating supper, we looked out the window and watched a fox sneaking through the bushes and under
the outside tables, hoping to find supper. This was right in the middle of Berlin! After eating, we walked back with
Dorle to where our car was parked near her apartment building, said our goodbyes and drove back to our hotel.
Both of us slept poorly that night but the fantastic breakfast selection helped to revive our spirits the following
morning.
It was a warm sunny day and we visited the new Hauptbahnhof (main train station), the government district
(former Reichstag), the Brandenburg Gate and the Museum Island. The next day we visited the Topography of
Terror Museum which had only recently opened. During the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945, it was the location of
the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS. It lies next to where a remaining portion of the Berlin Wall still
stands. Nearby is “Checkpoint Charlie” (see photos).
From there we drove to Schloss Charlottenburg (Castle)(see photos) and to Gene, Renée’s former boss when she
worked for Abbott in Wiesbaden. Gene is American born, studied in Germany where he received his medical
degree and has pursued a career in pharmaceutical research, where he is very successful. Several of his friends
and neighbors were also there to enjoy his culinary creation, a Salmon/Asparagus Lasagna! (see photos)
On the following day it was cold and wet. We left Berlin shortly before 10 AM and headed toward Hamburg. That
afternoon we reached Seester near Elmshorn which is northwest of Hamburg. There we visited Karin (another
friend from Renée’s boarding school days). That ended our May travels. More about Karin and her dog, Merlin in
June’s travel journal.
To be continued…..
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