Germany: Stadel Museum to Kroeller Mueller Museum

After we left Salzburg, it was Gene's turn to get his way...this meant a trip to Frankfurt for the Stadel Fine Arts Museum, a ride up the Rhine River and finish with the amazing Kroeller Mueller Museum.

Stadel Fine Arts Museum

The European Central Bank (ECB) is heavily guarded. Gene said, "You're not downtown Frankfurt, you're
downtown Europe!"

Not far from Frankfurt is the wonderful town of Mainz. It's very big but here is a picture from the quaint Old Town.
Gene wants to ride on the Rhine River from Mainz to Koblenz (the river is just beyond this area).

The Rhine River cruise boat (and restaurant).

Inside the Rhine cruise boat

One of the many stops along the Rhine.

Many castles along the Rhine.

Cute. The Rhine route on the side of the boat's bar.

Kroeller Mueller Museum...Can you find the Van Goghs? And Paul Signac? And Renoir? (trick question)

Outdoor art...a large collection and a wonderful walk.

What's this...mini ponies are everywhere.

One last thing...once we hit Germany it was like walking into the future. Those graceful white electricity-producing windmills are all over Europe already, but in Germany solar industries and other alternative energies are everywhere. Lights come on only when you enter a public restroom. Our hotel was ala George Jetson.
What's that? Yep, a see through shower in the middle of the room.

Sweet futuristic dreams.

Hope you had fun viewing the blog.

Again, this was a learning experience. I learned that I seriously need to update my technology. Some folks were taking pics with tablets. And with WiFi everywhere, why the heckola am I needing cyber cafes?

It seems like a million years since we walked along the water's edge in Hvar. That path ends at a tiny beach composed of colorful rocks. They were ALL so pretty I stopped picking them up and just sat down with my legs straight out like a kid in a sandbox. Catching myself smiling, I made note to remember that moment.

Such beautiful places! Ruins and Alps. Palm trees and castles. What really rattled me is the historical reminders of what came before these fashionable modern times: wars, tortures, chastity belts and expulsions of peoples.  Kind of hard to "enjoy the ride", eh? So I had to examine that. And then put it aside. And fully live the moment I was in.

As always, we  enjoyed wonderful interactions with helpful locals and other tourists. On the Rhine boat ride we met a Taiwanese family who have lived  in Australia for 22 years...great conversations. Then, amazing! We see the same family in another city far away. Hugs all around and business cards exchanged ("If you're ever in Sydney call us.") That was just too weird. If our train hadn't been cancelled, causing us to sprint from Track 6 to Track 2, we would have missed them. Yeah, well...you guessed it...we saw them again in another country. Either we're being followed by the CIA or it may be true that spirits travel in the same "stream."

There will be more traveling, somehow. For now I will concentrate on making my writing something more enjoyable to read. Calling all senses.

Perhaps a past journey will be posted here. Egypt? Japan? Russia? Istanbul? Now taking requests!

Happy Lifesurfing!

Salzburg, Austria (foodie pix)

Oh crud. I´ve been trying for 2 days to upload the pix but the hotel´s computer says, "Verbotten!"
I will find an internet cafe and try again within next 2 days... and will send email\ facebook message when done. Thanks guys!


We left Ljubljana on the train headed for Salzburg and while waiting had great conversation with a guy from Scotland and an English-speaking girl from Slovenia. He commented on his travels in America (transportation is difficult, he liked Nashville music, but did not get what´s so great about Los Angeles.) She said she does not like where this austerity thing is going.

But for now let´s talk about Salzburg...and food!

My main mission was to visit "The Elephant" restaurant because of a book I'd read called "The Elephant`s Journey"   by Jose Saramago (Nobel Prize for Literature). While eating at the restaurant he had asked his host about the wood carvings and was told they depicted the story of an elephant that was given by the King of Portugal to Austria´s Archduke Maximilian as a wedding present.

Since these are pictures of the restaurant (in the Old Town of Salzburg) and our fantastic meals, I've decided to post some pictures of meals...and then get around to Salzburg:

Wood carvings around the restaurant tell the story of an elephant that traveled from Portugal to Austria.

These spinach balls are actually a form of pasta. You can barely see the balsamic vinaigrette that made the meal spectacularly good. 

Very tender chicken stuffed with roasted tomato and bacon.

Stuffed spinach, pine nuts and feta resting on a bed of sweet potato souffle.

I ordered a mixed salad (which means different things in different places) so we're brought  white vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and of course pumpkin oil. One of the best salads ever.

Lobster, octopus, shrimp, scallops, you name it - fresh and sweet.

Wienerschnitzel : Tender veal  (in this case) dipped in egg batter, breaded and fried in butter. Pressure cooked potatoes and best cranberry sauce ever. Yummy.

I love smoked salmon (lox) and this plate came right from the water, served with a subtle horseradish and dill sauce.

That was fun...now, back to Salzburg.

On train from Slovenia to Salzburg

Mozart

Looking up to the castle (Hohensalzburg Fortress, where the Archbishops lived in 1077 to 1612)

Crowded, crowded, crowded.

From the castle, looking down.

Just a humorous photo op over by the beer garden tent.

From the Salzburg train station it was a little difficult to figure out the bus, but navigating is one of Gene´s strengths even if everything is in another language.  We checked into the Ibis Nord (not even on the city map!) and then headed out to explore the Old Town. Ritzy stores and beautiful Baroque architecture, churches, statues and fountains. Music poured out of the beer garden tent...oddly enough it was American music. But Lynard Skynard´s "Sweet Home Alabama" still rocks when played on an accordian!  In fact all the music we´ve heard has been American pop.

On another note we have not seen any people of color until Salzburg (except for a couple of lady tourists). Here we see many muslim people, some folks of Latin descent, folks from India and one black guy (not counting tourists). Personally I like all the colors.

Above the Old Town, on the hill, is the Hohensalzburg Fortress, definitely worth the funicular ride up - not just for the view, but the castle is a wonderful museum.  Beautiful things to see, but again a reminder of a history of horrible wars.

People have been friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this city in the majestic Alps and hope before we leave to catch the "Sound of Music" tour since the movie was filmed here and is supposed to be very scenic. Oh yeah...and the food is a treat...this is also the home of the delicious chocolate Sacher tort.

Ljubljana, Slovenia (or Dubrovnic, Croatia: You Can´t Get There From Here)

Legend about the origin of Ljublijana involves Jason and the Argonauts who stopped here and killed a dragon.

Well...we were supposed to leave Split and take the ferry to Kortula island and then take a bus to Dubrovnic. After that we were to take a 6-hour bus ride back to Split to catch the train back to Zagreb...but at the time the train track is under repair (from Split to Zagreb). So they´re putting folks on a 7-hour bus ride. Thatś right...that would make a 13 hour bus ride in total. Umm, weŕe not going there. 

So we blew off Dubrovnic and took our long 7-hour bus ride to Zagreb. Actually that turned out to be pretty great because we´d taken the train in and never saw all the cities, only their train stations. By road, we saw what was behind the train stations - local folks and businesses.  In fact the bus driver rocked completely navigating little roads and tight turns. We saw little old farm houses, chickens, goats, sheep and old ladies in black dresses bringing in the laundry. Then when he finally got off the country roads and hit the brand-new freeway he FLOORED IT.  This guy actually got a round of applause.

Back in Zagrebś train station we read the Departures sign and had to make some decisions. The goal was to cross into Slovenia (and eventually get to Salzburg, Austria). 

Our only option was to kill two hours waiting for a train that would get us to Ljubljana (pronounced Loobie Yana) and show up in this Alpine city in the dark...without any hotel reservations. Visions of trudging with our now-heavier packs through the night and snow danced in our heads...

But remember the rules of being a Lifesurfer (see tab above): you might wipe out, but the ride is still a joyful one.  After a rather dramatic change of beautiful scenery, from Croatia to Slovenia (which is highly manicured farmland and Swiss-like homes and stave barns) the full moon showed up. 

Ljubljana is much, much larger than we had expected. We were told it was charming...what? where? City lights everywhere.  Luckily at 9 pm the information office at the train station was still open. We got a map and headed for The City Hotel only four blocks away. It turned out to be VERY nice. Itś a 3- Star hotel (we´d been staying in 2 -Star places which are usually quite OK, but sometimes noisy or without hot water unless you flip a switch or need some slight repair or may not have cable...or a TV).  So we happily paid the 100 Euros ($130) per night for two nights including breakfast.

Today we found the charming.

Ljubljana has TONS of museums and has a major University. Because of the horrors of World War II, this town is dedicated to peace and harmony.  In 2008 Readerś Digest listed it at the top of the world's most honest cities.

The charming is in the Old Town, with a castle on top of a hill  and the Alps in the background. Hope you enjoy the pix! : 

Those aren't clouds, they're Alps!

Ljubljana Castle on the hill. This is part of the University...the booths are selling books.

St. Nicholas Church

Human fish???

Hvar, Croatia

Goodbye Split, Hello Hvar

The last night in Split was wonderful.  After dinner, one last visit to enjoy the singer-guitarist with the other tourists outside the Luxor, beneath the arched ruins; such dreamy lighting playing up the Roman architecture. Add Amaretto and it was divine. But overnight a storm came. Thunder, rain and rattling windows. Yikes.

The alarm went off at 7am. It was raining...we considered our options - and went for it! With umbrella in hand, we purchased tickets for the ferry to Hvar.

I love a ferry ride, small and large (this is a large - the kind that carries cars & buses). Two hours later we arrive on Hvar and almost miraculously the sun comes out. OMG! Turquoise and violet water so crystal clear you could see the bottom: small fish, sea urchins and even a starfish!

Taking a taxi into the tourist area-marina, the driver suggested a 2-star hotel (we always try to spend less than $100 per night). With a great view from the balcony of the Adriatic and even a little kitchen (but no TV), we settled in and headed out to explore. It was slightly overcast, but what beautiful sites: little fishing boats, luxury yachts, islands, and tons of homes-hotels (sobos) covered in mediterranean flora (palms, orange trees, lemon trees and even cactus). And such beautiful flowers - from tiny ones we've never imagined to big red amarillas and fragrant purple wisteria.

We sat on a bench just to enjoy the sounds of waves and view the impossible blue of the water. Having left my umbrella in the room, I became concerned when 1, then 2, then 3 drops of rain appeared. A big, dark cloud was moving quickly toward us so to seek cover we went into a monestary (with a ˝museum˝ plaque.) What a gift those three drops brought us!

The old monestary is so peaceful. Gene went to explore and I sat on a bench. Only a bird's song and an occasional peal of children's laughter from the big skola (school) could be heard with a bass note of waves. I could see how one would feel closer to God here. I ask nothing, but am in awe and am grateful. Oh! What's that sound? Thunder? Wow, it's a pigeon's wings that flap in this small, accoustic paradiso as it swoops into a tiny portico filled with family.

Gene joins me. Even though the sun can't quite get through, what a show the clouds provide! The many layers of cloud-ships sail quickly by (some white, some black, some high, some with silver linings).  Gene starting singing Bob Marley's song ˝Three Little Birds˝ with the line ˝Every little thing is going to be all right˝ - JUST as 3 pigeons land at our side.

Well, this has been long since I haven't had access to a cyber cafe in Hvar for two days. But every thing did turn out all right. The next day was gloriously sunny.

Today however we discover we won't be making it to Dubrovnic and so 1 hour on the super-fast catamaran brings us back to Split. As I type, Gene is getting laundry done. We board a 6pm train out of Croatia and into Ljubljana, Slovenia. Changing money from Kuna to Euros...

Once again, the best pix are on Gene's camera. Dang it...the computer won't connect so I'll try later...

Later:

Hvar

Inside the ferry

Outside the ferry

The monastery

more Hvar 

These have been the most comfortable shoes to travel in for the last 30 years. They've been around the world. Clearly, this is their last trip - thus the pic..