The packing continues

Breakfast at Hotel Krone is standard but fresh and they make great coffee.

 I am drinking peppermint tea now in an effort to avoid dairy products with my flu.

As we head over to Steph and Felix this morning I make a short detour to their new house that I have not yet seen. Sure, the houses and the blocks are larger, but the streets noticeably smaller.  There are workmen at the house, so I don't go inside.  Looking at the driveway down in to the garage, I wonder how even Steph's small Renault Zoe can even fit down the drive.

Yesterday Mathilda was busy in the street, and this so reminds me of Izabella when she comes to our house. Turns out it say Best Friends Forever. Henri is the name of the horse she has been riding this week!

Back to the current house and there is more cleansing of gathered stuff - clothes, bags, plants. More boxes to pack. But Steph has decided against wrapping and packing glassware (which I could be doing) because it takes extra cleaning at the other end.  She will just put them in a basket and carry them over.  Me, I save all the boxes for our glassware and each time we move, they get put back into their boxes. EVERY TIME.

Lunchtime here is normally the main cooked meal of the day but as we are going out for dinner tonight, and as the children will not be home for lunch today, Felix just pops down to the butcher and comes home with wurst rolls. Two plain, and two pizza.  They are warm and unctuous! We add German mustard and hoe in. You end up with juices running down your chin - VERY yummy.

At the new house, the kitchen workers were drilling to install the rangehood, and all of a sudden, one of the banks of downlights go out. Steph's cousin's husband Thomas has done the electrics, and they are on holidays in Hungary this week, so they will have to wait for his return next week before it can be sorted out.  Aah - the joys of new houses!

And wouldn't you know it - have just done a search on Rotary Clubs in Schwäbisch Gmünd. One meets at the very hotel we are staying at. And they met yesterday at 12:30. Too bad I was feeling so poorly. Oh well, I'll try to go when we come back after visiting Romania.

And the surprises continue at Hotel Krone.  Tonight we are booked in with Steph and the family to their annual Jazz im Garten - and they proudly announce that this is their 14th year.
As we are upstairs getting changed, we can  here the band warming up below our room. When we get downstairs, there is mein host playing the Double Bass! A very versatile man indeed!!
And the food was fabulous.
And the music was great.
And the company was special.
And the service was spot on.
And everything was just so right in the world tonight!

We order drinks and once they take our orders, serve us all very generous plates of mixed salad - so refreshing and just enough to sate the hungry beast. 
Felix, Mathilda and I had the Paniertes Schwieneschnitzel - Felix with Pommes Frites and Mathilda and I with Spatzle with the most amazing gravy that the chef tells us he cooks over 3 days.
Steph has the Unser Sommersalat - a large salad with fish pieces and grilled scampi.
Niklas, like most four year old little boys has a large plate of pommes frites and ketchup (or is it a large plate of ketchup with chips!!)
And Michael, well of course he must try something special.  He orders the Wild aus der Region: Rehragout mit Freiselbeerbirne, frischen Pfefferlingen, Kronenknopfle und Salat - Venison ragout with Pfefferling mushrooms, potato dumplings and salad.

Steph heads home with the kids about 8, Felix follows at 9 and Michael and I head upstairs at 10:30 with the moon high in the night sky, hanging over the party lights burning brightly. 

Moving house can be cathartic

Being on holidays means that you can don't need to watch the clock.
We rise later today and enjoy breakfast on our own.
I get chatting with the hotel owner. Turns out that he has operated the hotel since the death of his father in 1975 and he had followed his father into the hotel business. The building is a former farm and only dates back to the 1870's - so quite new by European standards.

Before going over to Steph and Felix's we head back up the hill to visit the Burg Hohenrechberg ruins. Only they aren't. Ruins that is. Well, there are some parts in ruin, but there is a great part of it that is not in ruin, and more is being restored.Driving up from below, the runious side is more evident, but when you get up to the site, you immediately see how much has escaped damage, and is being restored.

A castle on this site dates back to the 13th Century, with what is now standing built between 1599 and 1648.  This was a prime defensive spot with views across the surrounding territories for hundreds of kms. 


The remains are in remarkably good condition, a testament to good materials and great workmanship - and with none of today's modern tools!
The defensive tower with it's hoarding still stands, complete with gun slits, cannon portals and murder holes!  How barbaric we can be when we feel threatened. The timbers holding the tower roof are all original and remind Michael of the tower roofs of the great cathedrals across Europe. Whole trees are used in

the support poles and even the bracing.  Where parts of the castle are missing, etchings show how it would have been in operation - the kitchen must have been a sight to behold! There are pieces of fancy masonry showing that even back then, we ladies like to have pretty things to show our status!

Back at Steph and Felix's, the packing for the move continues. They are super excited at the moment as today the kitchen starts to be fitted. Many months ago Steph asked me whether she should get a steam oven and of course I said yes!

Today, Felix is on leave for the next week to help with the packing.  Lunch is huge to feed the working men - leftover chicken and strawberries with veges from yesterday and Maultaschen (rolled or folded pasta bags with a hearty filling of meat, spinach, onion and soaked stale bread) and Kartoffelsalat (potato salad).

Getting ready to move to a new home provides the opportunity to cleanse the family of gathered 'stuff'! Both Steph and Felix are being very strong.  BUT, then there is Felix's Trekky memorabilia.He gladly gives up the VCR and tapes, but is having trouble letting go of his large poster.  And to his delight Niklas claims it for his bedroom. This results in a cuddle and "Mein son" being warmly exclaimed!!

I'm flaking fast and just after 2 head back to the Hotel for a sleep.  There are a lot of people having lunch in the courtyard, and even though I have no appetite, it smells wonderful.  We have booked in to have dinner here tomorrow night - so will have to curb my food intake to allow for ample indulgence!

Michael stays to help Steph and Felix fill more boxes, coming back down to the hotel just after 6 pm.
Dinner too smells amazing - but neither of us is hungry!  Plenty of people are dining which promises well for dinner tomorrow.

Exploring around Schwäbisch Gmünd

Tuesday 1 August - OMG is it August already?!

Schwäbisch Gmünd is located in the foothills of the Swabian Jura Mountains with the Rems River flowing through the city's centre. It is a historic place, tracing its roots back to the early post Christ days with plenty of evidence of the work of the Romans around AD. Today there is a wonderful array of architecture - new and old.

If you want to see a history of a town in Europe, go visit the churches. There is a sense of permanence, of continuation, of the keeper of secrets. High on the hills above the city is the Church of St Maria with the ruins of the Hohenstaufen Castle slightly below it. Of course the Catholics laid claim to the highest spot in the area to build this parish church. I wonder what the locals really thought as it is high above the City and when it was finished in 1699, it would have necessitated flogging some poor horse, or a bloody long walk up a very steep path - no doubt used to encourage pious lives!

There were a few interesting elements - the 'green man' carved in to the end of the pews - interesting because this figure was used to encourage 'heathens' to come in to the faith of the church and the date here is quite late. And the pulpit sits very high above the congregation - no doubt to ensure that the priests could hurl fire and brimstone on the unfortunates beneath his feet!

In the grounds outside, there is a memorial to those who fell in the wars, a cemetery that is being tended by an old lady as we visit, and a brass plaque that shows the distance to places near and far as you gaze out over the surrounding country. From up here on high, you can literally see for hundreds of miles.

There is a restaurant up here too, advertising bier and Movenpick ice cream. Alas, they are closed!

We continue our explorations, going over the Jura and into the forest lined valleys on the other side. Like many places in Europe, the towns are 1.5 to 2 kms apart. Houses date back to the 1500s, churches abound and town halls all have bell towers. The Catholic Church of St Johannes (St John the Baptist) in Wisgoldingen is quite an enigma. The church building is obviously old but when we enter, it becomes clear that the interior has had a redesign - I put the age around 1960. Yet they retain a very old and work coat of arms and one of the paintings at a side altar has the date of 1623 (the painter's name is obscured by the frame). Quite a neat blend of old and new.

Again, outside there is acknowledgement of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the two world wars, and a plaque recognising the Parish Priests from 1738 to the current day.

Its time we turned for home. While we met Niklas for the first time yesterday, we have yet to meet Mathilda. Steph is running a workshop today in Stuttgart at Stihl where she has worked for many years. Felix's mum, Christa, has come up from Stuttgart by train to care for the kids who are on the first week of their 6 weeks summer holidays.

En-route, the GPS takes us through the centre of town and passed the new building affectionately called the Spongebob Building!
Before long we are back at Steph's spending precious time with two very special little people - our German grandchildren - and their German Oma!

Wednesday 2 August
I've come in to Germany with a cold - thanks to dry plane air that is recirculated. Last night it hit my chest, and I am thankful that I had asked Dr Dunn for antibiotics to bring with me.

So I hit them and the panadol in an effort to keep my temperature at bay and my chest clearing.

We head over to help Steph do some packing, but I am really not much use.

Michael packs books with Steph and I cook lunch - the main meal of the day here. Chicken with strawberries and pepper, papardelle and a huge pan filled with veges - carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and mushrooms, finished with lemon zest and juice and chives. Was yummy. We head back to the hotel when I really begin to flag at 3 pm. Michael settles outside with a book and his cigarettes and I try to sleep.

At 6:30 Michael heads back to have dinner with Steph and Felix, bu I stay here - really don't want to push my luck with passing this cold to Steph. Hopefully, I'll sleep tonight!

So close, so close

Monday 31 July
Coming in to Muchen it is overcast, but not wet.
Its hotter than I remember summer in Germany.  Heading for the high 20s. Time to get out of here and up to Stephi!

Arriving in Germany was interesting - just our passport, no entry card or immigration paperwork.  The young officer at Immigration asked where we were going. I answered with a cultured "Schwaebisch Gmeund".  His reply "Is that even in Germany?"  You should have seen the look of disgust on the face of his partner!!  And "Yes" I tell him - between Aalen and Stuttgart"!

Like in many other places, even home, there is a plethora of roadworks happening in Munich.  Coming out of the airport terminal we need to walk the long way around to get to hire car companies. We have booked with a lesser known budget company called Alamo.  They are super friendly and the cars are all new. We end up with a Ford Focus- supposedly in the same group as the Opel station-wagon that we had booked - I'm not convinced.  Sizeable enough inside, but the wagon would have been better to help Steph and Felix move in to their new house.

And while we have brought Kate with us (our faithful GPS from our last trip), I had forgotten that I had deleted the European maps when we got home. Thankfully, the Focus has GPS built in and before long, I have set it to avoid motorways and tollways and off we set for the scenic route to Steph.  It will take us about 2.5 hours.

The countryside is in its summer peak with vivid green trees in the forests framing picture perfect meadows - some burgeoning under the weight of ripe crops, others reaped and mowed to neat perfection.  Those ever present roadworks see us detour into small lanes between maize half again as high as the car, and hops that tower well over us.

The trip is uneventful, but feels like it taking forever! So near and getting nearer.
We again see castles dotting the landforms.
Some in ruin and others like Kapfenburg just outside Aalen in its grand splendour. 

Steph messages to say that she must collect Niklas from Kindergarten at 12 noon, and I know that we will probably arrive there about then. Sure enough, she is just home as we pull in to the driveway. What a sight for longing eyes.  She looks well, although thin. And Niklas, like any 4 year old is shy and clinging to mum's legs! Mathilda is off horse-riding for her school holidays and won't be home until after we go tonight.

We are staying at a nearby hotel as Steph and Felix are packing up ready to move into their new house next. By 4 pm we are absolutely flaking and head off to the Hotel Krone about 500 m away.  By 4:30, I am fast asleep, Michael goes for a walk before joining me.
He wakes about 2 am - his body clock all askew.  Me?  I just keep slumbering!

A tale of many Kings in a Kingdom of Smiles

Finally we have access to the internet again - you can't start to understand how frustrating it is for someone like me to not be 'connected'.  Even in the air it is frustrating 😄 

The flight in to Bangkok from Sydney wasn't too bad - it was not full, so we had a bit of spreading room.  We are on an older 747 without a nose or body camera, so you can only follow your trip via the map - ho hum!  
 
So I take to the movies and watch The Zookeepers Wife and then A Cure for Wellness - two very different, but good movies.  We feast on Chicken in Pa-Nang Curry with rice, and a crab meat salad and carrot cake.  All very nice.
And an hour before we land we are fed again - this time, fruit salad, Stir fried Udon noodles with chicken in Black Bean sauce and Wattle seed cookies.

For some reason, we seem to always arrive on flights that land at the furthermost gate from the airport entry.  In Bangkok, this meant a walk of 1000 metres - measure in 150 m increments from the gate to customs.  Crap!

We arrived in Thailand in the peak of the monsoon season, but it had not rained at all on Saturday.  This meant that the humidity was near 100% the whole eight hours we were there - you could feel it as soon as you stepped off the plane.  That was, until you stepped out in to the carpark - at which point I think I began to perspire in a constant stream.

Our guide Suttira met us as planned and introduced us to our driver Jack who had a late model HIGH SUV.  Very comfortable once I managed to climb up into it backwards.
And off we set to do a whirlwind tour of Bangkok by car.  It is a huge metropolis and much like other big cities, is filled with lots of skyscrapers and in the midst of a growth spurt of numerous more. However the new ones are far more interesting in design with many demonstrating gravity defying shapes - there is one that is almost done that looks like an unfinished 3D jigsaw puzzle.  Not sure how I would feel about working or living in one of the extruded pieces.
What you see in large cities in this part of the world though, is high levels of poverty abutting the wealthy areas.  Some of these areas astound you in the fact that they are still standing - most look like they should have fallen years before.
Suttira was explaining that the 6th King of Siam (don't recall his name) after a visit to Europe came back to the then Siam and told the population that slavery was no more, and that the wealthy who had held power in the ownership of land and slaves, freed their slaves and divided the farmlands with them, encouraging them to stay there and farm with them.  This has resulted in the phenomenon of the wealthy sitting comfortably beside the poor.

We drove through Chinatown which could be transported to Chinatown in any other city, before driving through the flower markets that operate 24 hours a day to provide opportunities for the local population to buy offerings for their Gods.  I have never seen so many flowers - ever.  

There were streets and streets and streets of sellers.  Predominantly orange marigolds, but flowers of every colour and type.

As each new King builds a new palace/s, they are all over the city. Palaces and temples.  And at the moment, everywhere there are photos of the former King, for whom they City is still in mourning - King Bhumibol - the People's King, and his successor - King Maha Vajiralongkornralongkorn, who will be crowned following the funeral of his father in October.

At this time of the day (5 pm onwards), all the tourist attractions are closed, so we can only see them from outside (thankfully in an air conditioned car!) - but it is enough to give us a fairly good idea of the size and bustle of this eastern port.
On the way back into the city centre, we see the street vendors setting up for a nights brisk trade.  Once the shopping areas are closed, the footpaths are given over to this ad hoc trade.  Predominantly food, you see sellers of all varieties of meat and seafood as well as fruits - durians were on every corner and every second stall in between.  Suttira tells us that after eating durian, a 'hot' fruit, you should eat mangosteen, a 'cool' fruit to keep the body balanced. She seemed surprised that we knew of both these fruits!

From here, it was around to a 2000 seat auditorium where we had seats to watch the Siam Niramit show with more than 100 performers and 500 costumes which told the story of the history of Thailand. A true spectacle in every sense of the word!
Suttira had suggested that we eat here at the buffet restaurant, but I had asked her to take us to a local restaurant, rather than one that caters to the tourist palate.  So after waiting 1 1/2 hours for the show to finish, she and Jack drove us around to the Kohl Lanta restaurant - a 'posh' restaurant that locals frequent. It is now almost 10 pm and we four are their last customers - we insist that Suttira and Jack join us.  We feast on fried groper, chicken with cashews and broccoli and mushrooms in oyster sauce, with rice.  I am happy to report that the local Thai restaurants in Maryborough and Hervey Bay offer authentic foods if what we eat here is any comparison!

Then or time in the Venice of the East is at an end and we are driven back to the airport for our 00:50 flight to Munich.  
This flight is fuller than our flight in from Sydney and we are cramped with two others in to the centre seats.  Hopefully, we can sleep.  We now sooner take off than we are pumping zzz's only to be woken and offered a meal in under an hour - and you know how hard it is to get back to sleep after you are woken!  We weren't hungry, just tired, so declined this meal.

Someone near a window opened their shade in the wee hours and at 4:22 am I witnessed the most beautiful dawn looking to the east. Meal time again, and this time we are served, omelette, sausage, tomatoes and hash brown, with brioche rolls and jam.  And coffee.  Had. to. have. coffee!
This morning I began watching Jackie - but the thought of arriving looking like I had bawled for the entire flight put me off, so I turned over to Collateral Beauty - not much better really.  And finished this leg off with Just for Laughs - GAGS - hilarious and laughed myself stupid.

And before long, we were landing in Munich.

Will need to post photos when I work out how to get them from the camera to the laptop!