Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Bavaria
After returning from our Baltic blast, Nancy and I winged our way to Munich for a quick visit. We were greeted at the Munich airport by our gracious hosts, Marilyn and Eckhart, and whisked back to their fabulous central Munich flat on the S-Bahn (stadtsschnellbahn or city fast road) train. The train took us into Munich and dropped us a two minute walk from their flat. Central living at its best.
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After a bite to eat our hosts took us on a walk around the area, and we were pleasantly surprised to find just how close to everything they actually were. The Isar river park was about three buildings away. The park runs the full length of the Isar river as it passes through Munich splitting the city in halves. It provides many miles of walking and cycling paths as well as other forms of recreation including swimming, and surfing (yes surfing). The city has gone to great lengths to clean up the river and bring it back to its natural state as much as possible. The people of Munich are making good use of the resource.
Munich is a city made for alternative travel. There are many ways to get around without using the dreaded automobile. There is the previously mentioned S-Bahn, the U-Bahn (underground), trams, bicycles and, of course, foot. We used them all. We stayed with Marilyn and Eckhart for four nights and didn't even see their car (they do claim to have one).
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The first day we spent walking around town visiting various historical sites, including the spot where Hitler gave many speeches, and the spot where the first assasination attempt on him was made by Johann Georg Elser. We visited the largest (and most expensive) outdoor store ever, Globetrotter, where we spent as little as possible. The store was so big that there was a pool inside where you could try different kayaks and canoes before you bought one.
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After dinner we spent the last couple hours of light learning to play boules (bocce) in the park before walking over to one of the ubquitous beirgartens for a beer. Who knew that you can't get beers in smaller than one liter steins after four oclock? That is probably why the public transport is so good! Boules is big in Munich. Apparently, on some days you can't walk on the gravel paths in the parks because there are so many people playing.
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The next day we were off early on a Bavarian adventure. We caught the S-Bahn across the city and then transferred to the BOB (Bavarian Overland Bahn, full of hikers) to take us up into the Bavarian alps to Schliersee so we could go hiking and swimming Bavarian style. By Bavarian style, I mean that whenever the urge to swim strikes you, you drop your strides and leap in. We reserved west coast Canadians brought our bathing suits, but they were not really neccesary. One of the local hazards, particularily for naked hikers, is the all too common Lxodes Ricinus or Bavarian tick. Nancy was fortunate enought to be the meal for two of these little buggers. They are easy enough to remove but I had to spend some time searching her nether regions looking for them. Wonderful!
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We spent that evening in a grudge match of boules with a couple who are friends of Marilyn and Eckhart. They are 67 and 72 and live on the 6th floor of a walk-up (no elevator) apartment building. How's that for a fitness program? Everything they have had to be carried up the stairs. How's that for reducing clutter? They won an award for the unique design of the apartment when they built it over 20 years ago. The view from the terrace across the top of Munich is terrific. Nancy's beginner's luck carried the day at boules and we won!
Our final day in Munich involved a long walk across the city along the Isar and a visit to the Deutsche Museum of technology. We wound up the long day of standing and walking with a swim in the Mueller'sches Volksbad Munich, a very old classic pool. Of course the same rules applied in Munich as in Damp, and no-one was making waves.
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Munich is a great place to visit (and live)!
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| Street Art |
Olives in the Biergarten.
The real McCoy!
After a bite to eat our hosts took us on a walk around the area, and we were pleasantly surprised to find just how close to everything they actually were. The Isar river park was about three buildings away. The park runs the full length of the Isar river as it passes through Munich splitting the city in halves. It provides many miles of walking and cycling paths as well as other forms of recreation including swimming, and surfing (yes surfing). The city has gone to great lengths to clean up the river and bring it back to its natural state as much as possible. The people of Munich are making good use of the resource.
Surfing uder a bridge on the Isar.
Munich is a city made for alternative travel. There are many ways to get around without using the dreaded automobile. There is the previously mentioned S-Bahn, the U-Bahn (underground), trams, bicycles and, of course, foot. We used them all. We stayed with Marilyn and Eckhart for four nights and didn't even see their car (they do claim to have one).
Bike path traffic lights.
The first day we spent walking around town visiting various historical sites, including the spot where Hitler gave many speeches, and the spot where the first assasination attempt on him was made by Johann Georg Elser. We visited the largest (and most expensive) outdoor store ever, Globetrotter, where we spent as little as possible. The store was so big that there was a pool inside where you could try different kayaks and canoes before you bought one.
After dinner we spent the last couple hours of light learning to play boules (bocce) in the park before walking over to one of the ubquitous beirgartens for a beer. Who knew that you can't get beers in smaller than one liter steins after four oclock? That is probably why the public transport is so good! Boules is big in Munich. Apparently, on some days you can't walk on the gravel paths in the parks because there are so many people playing.
The next day we were off early on a Bavarian adventure. We caught the S-Bahn across the city and then transferred to the BOB (Bavarian Overland Bahn, full of hikers) to take us up into the Bavarian alps to Schliersee so we could go hiking and swimming Bavarian style. By Bavarian style, I mean that whenever the urge to swim strikes you, you drop your strides and leap in. We reserved west coast Canadians brought our bathing suits, but they were not really neccesary. One of the local hazards, particularily for naked hikers, is the all too common Lxodes Ricinus or Bavarian tick. Nancy was fortunate enought to be the meal for two of these little buggers. They are easy enough to remove but I had to spend some time searching her nether regions looking for them. Wonderful!
The BOB full of hikers.
Schliersee
We spent that evening in a grudge match of boules with a couple who are friends of Marilyn and Eckhart. They are 67 and 72 and live on the 6th floor of a walk-up (no elevator) apartment building. How's that for a fitness program? Everything they have had to be carried up the stairs. How's that for reducing clutter? They won an award for the unique design of the apartment when they built it over 20 years ago. The view from the terrace across the top of Munich is terrific. Nancy's beginner's luck carried the day at boules and we won!
Our final day in Munich involved a long walk across the city along the Isar and a visit to the Deutsche Museum of technology. We wound up the long day of standing and walking with a swim in the Mueller'sches Volksbad Munich, a very old classic pool. Of course the same rules applied in Munich as in Damp, and no-one was making waves.
A vertical takeoff 104!
Schindler's lift.
Munich is a great place to visit (and live)!
Babsi and the Baltic Sea
Our Baltic sea sailing trip was a great success. We chartered a Bavaria 34 'Limited Edition' named BABSI for seven days out of Wendtorf Marina with Nancy, and Nigel and Moira Spragg as able bodied crew. Of course I was the bad tempered, Queeg-like captain. (I got all the strawberries.)
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We sailed from Wendtorf at about 1100 and headed out to sea bound across the south-western Baltic (Ost See in German) for Bagenkopp on the island of Langeland, Denmark. The wind was (yes) on the nose at about 18 knots and it was a lively sail for the first couple hours. It was also the week before Kieler Woch (Kiel Week), and there were many fabulous boats going the opposite direction. We had clouds of spinnakers going by heading south, and we saw many beautiful classic sailing ships bound for Kiel as well. The 35 mile crossing was colourful and interesting. I found it strange sailing in water so shallow. Leaving the marina at Wendtorf meant following a narrow bouyed channel until we were more than a mile offshore. Even when we were many miles offshore, the water was still only 15 metres deep.
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Bagnekopp was another shallow bouyed channel entrance. The interesting thing about the marina was the unique system they had for finding a berth and paying. I was wondering how we would find a spot with the language barrier. I thought we would have to call ahead on the radio, ask for moorage, and then get assigned a spot, just like around Vancouver Island. That was not the case. You simply take your boat into the marina, find a slip you like, and tie up. Once there, you pay at a machine (like a parking lot), and the machine gives you a plastic card that gets you into the showers, bathrooms and laundry. The machine requires that you place a deposit on the card. When you return the card at the end of your stay, the cost of the services (including electricity and water) you have used is deducted from your deposit. It was very slick!
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The town of Bagenkopp was classic Scandinavian style houses, built close to the cobbled roads. There was a bakery (of course) and a general store with some groceries. Everything was closed by the time we got there, but we did enjoy exploring the village.
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The entrance to Aeroskobing was another long bouyed channel, but the bouys were very confusing. (remember they are the opposite to Canada to start with) They were not lit, and they looked like they had been there since WWI. I was glad we had found the place during daylight. Unlike Bagenkopp, where we found a side tie berth, in Aeroskobing we had to tie our stern to the jetty with our bow tied to two pilings. The boat was sort of suspended in an X between the four lines (kind of like a Med moor). To get on and off the boat you climbed over the stern. This type of mooring is only possible where there is no tide. The facilities at the marina were accessed the same way as at Bagenkopp, with a plastic card.
Aeroskobing bills itself as the most carefully preserved classic town in all of Denmark. It was fabulous to walk through. We spent all evening walking the streets and looking at the fascinating old cottages, some dating from 1600. Of course we visited the bakery and the grocery store and stocked up on local interesting food stuffs. (That means pastries) The Danes don't use the Euro; they still have their own currency, the crown or 'krone' in Danish. The exchange rate was 7 krone to the euro.
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We left Aeroskobing the next morning bound for Sonderborg. The weather forecast was for no wind and rain the next day. We started out with the iron genny pushing us along looking for wind. While we were roundin the north end of the island in very shallow water we saw some folks on a large yacht waving their arms up and down in the classic distress pattern so off we went, BABSI to the rescue. The boat was a 40 foot sailboat that had lost its propellor and the crew were worried about going aground because there was no wind. They asked us to tow them out to deeper water, so we did. They had no English so I was unable to ask them why they didn't just drop their anchor. It was only a few meters deep and they were still a couple miles offshore. Nevertheless, we towed them to deeper water and then a light breeze came up, so they said they would be fine and we cast them off. They sailed slowly away, but not before showing their appreciation by giving us two bottles of fine Italian wine. Nice work!
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Sonderborg is a large college town with all the amenities. It was a good place to spend a of couple days exploring and eating Danishes. They had a lovely yacht club with a laundry and other servces. We used their facilities , but tied up downtown, because it was closer to the action. While we were there, the yacht club was holding the 18 foot skiff world championships. Neat boats! Sonderborg also had many classic sailing ships come and go in the two days we spent there. It seems like a popular stop on the coast.
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After two days in Sonderborg we left on a nice beam reach that lasted all day. The winds were varying between 14 and 18 knots and we smoked right along to the German resort town of Damp.
Damp is what the Germans call a 'Cure'. That is, Germans who have been injured or sick get sent to places like Damp to recuperate. The Cures are funded by the health insurance that all Germans are required to have. That makes it a funny marina to stop at. We tied up bow in, using the pilings, similar to when we were in Aeroskobing. This time we had to disembark over the bow pulpit.
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The resort/spa was fabulous. There were flashy hotels and lots of boutique stores along the boardwalk. It was all built on a white sand beach that stretched for miles.
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The strange thing was, everyone except the boaters had something wrong with them. The number of people in wheelchairs and walkers, with crutches and limps was astonishing. I felt like I had to limp just to fit in. We went for a swim in the pool only to find that swimming was not really the idea. People were slowly walking from one end to the other, presumably exercising a gimp leg or bad knee. The swimmers were all breast stroking at a snail's pace. It was against the rules to make waves! The four of us were headed off for a sauna when we were stopped by an attendant who politely informed us that the saunas were "textile free." That is German speak for naked. When we saw the assortment of geriatric wounded heading into the sauna, we decided to give it a miss. Where were those young scandinavian girls now?
From Damp we sailed down into Kiel to have a look around. Kiel is a very busy Baltic port. It is the eastern end of the ship canal that connects the North sea and the Baltic. Cruise ships were a dime a dozen. It was interesting watching all the shipping traffic negotiating the hundreds of sailboats lallygagging around the inlet.
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Finally we had to start thinking about returning the boat. The rule for the charter was the boat had to be fueled before being returned. That didn't sound like a big deal when we chartered it, but when we had to fill it we couldn't find any fuel docks marked on the charts and our Pilot books were all in German. We hailed a boat coming out of Laboe and asked about fuel and they told us that there was fuel in Laboe. In we went. Laboe is a tiny little fishing port that was hosting a Folkboat show and regatta. It was also the only fuel dock around and it was the beginning if a long weekend. We had to hover in an area about twice the length of the boat for almost an hour waiting for access to the only fueling station. There were hundreds of people watching as I careened around the confined space trying to stay out of the way of boats coming and going, and not lose my spot in the line to some unscrupulous queue jumping fuel pirate. I'm glad I was in someone else's boat and untraceable! Laboe also had a submariner's memorial. Very nice!
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We spent our last night back at the dock in Wendtorf. The return of the boat was uneventful. We had finished the Baltic sailing phase of Eurodash 2011.
BABSI
Bagnekopp was another shallow bouyed channel entrance. The interesting thing about the marina was the unique system they had for finding a berth and paying. I was wondering how we would find a spot with the language barrier. I thought we would have to call ahead on the radio, ask for moorage, and then get assigned a spot, just like around Vancouver Island. That was not the case. You simply take your boat into the marina, find a slip you like, and tie up. Once there, you pay at a machine (like a parking lot), and the machine gives you a plastic card that gets you into the showers, bathrooms and laundry. The machine requires that you place a deposit on the card. When you return the card at the end of your stay, the cost of the services (including electricity and water) you have used is deducted from your deposit. It was very slick!
Bagenkopp sunset
The town of Bagenkopp was classic Scandinavian style houses, built close to the cobbled roads. There was a bakery (of course) and a general store with some groceries. Everything was closed by the time we got there, but we did enjoy exploring the village.
For Sale!
The next day we left early (after eating fresh Danish pastries for breakie) for Aeroskobing on the island of Aero. We took the long way, south of the island, because there didn't look to be enough room in the shallows north of the island to sail properly.The entrance to Aeroskobing was another long bouyed channel, but the bouys were very confusing. (remember they are the opposite to Canada to start with) They were not lit, and they looked like they had been there since WWI. I was glad we had found the place during daylight. Unlike Bagenkopp, where we found a side tie berth, in Aeroskobing we had to tie our stern to the jetty with our bow tied to two pilings. The boat was sort of suspended in an X between the four lines (kind of like a Med moor). To get on and off the boat you climbed over the stern. This type of mooring is only possible where there is no tide. The facilities at the marina were accessed the same way as at Bagenkopp, with a plastic card.
Aeroskobing bills itself as the most carefully preserved classic town in all of Denmark. It was fabulous to walk through. We spent all evening walking the streets and looking at the fascinating old cottages, some dating from 1600. Of course we visited the bakery and the grocery store and stocked up on local interesting food stuffs. (That means pastries) The Danes don't use the Euro; they still have their own currency, the crown or 'krone' in Danish. The exchange rate was 7 krone to the euro.
We left Aeroskobing the next morning bound for Sonderborg. The weather forecast was for no wind and rain the next day. We started out with the iron genny pushing us along looking for wind. While we were roundin the north end of the island in very shallow water we saw some folks on a large yacht waving their arms up and down in the classic distress pattern so off we went, BABSI to the rescue. The boat was a 40 foot sailboat that had lost its propellor and the crew were worried about going aground because there was no wind. They asked us to tow them out to deeper water, so we did. They had no English so I was unable to ask them why they didn't just drop their anchor. It was only a few meters deep and they were still a couple miles offshore. Nevertheless, we towed them to deeper water and then a light breeze came up, so they said they would be fine and we cast them off. They sailed slowly away, but not before showing their appreciation by giving us two bottles of fine Italian wine. Nice work!
Booty!
Sonderborg is a large college town with all the amenities. It was a good place to spend a of couple days exploring and eating Danishes. They had a lovely yacht club with a laundry and other servces. We used their facilities , but tied up downtown, because it was closer to the action. While we were there, the yacht club was holding the 18 foot skiff world championships. Neat boats! Sonderborg also had many classic sailing ships come and go in the two days we spent there. It seems like a popular stop on the coast.
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| 18 foot skiffs |
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| Disabled access Sonderborg style |
After two days in Sonderborg we left on a nice beam reach that lasted all day. The winds were varying between 14 and 18 knots and we smoked right along to the German resort town of Damp.
Damp is what the Germans call a 'Cure'. That is, Germans who have been injured or sick get sent to places like Damp to recuperate. The Cures are funded by the health insurance that all Germans are required to have. That makes it a funny marina to stop at. We tied up bow in, using the pilings, similar to when we were in Aeroskobing. This time we had to disembark over the bow pulpit.
The resort/spa was fabulous. There were flashy hotels and lots of boutique stores along the boardwalk. It was all built on a white sand beach that stretched for miles.
The strange thing was, everyone except the boaters had something wrong with them. The number of people in wheelchairs and walkers, with crutches and limps was astonishing. I felt like I had to limp just to fit in. We went for a swim in the pool only to find that swimming was not really the idea. People were slowly walking from one end to the other, presumably exercising a gimp leg or bad knee. The swimmers were all breast stroking at a snail's pace. It was against the rules to make waves! The four of us were headed off for a sauna when we were stopped by an attendant who politely informed us that the saunas were "textile free." That is German speak for naked. When we saw the assortment of geriatric wounded heading into the sauna, we decided to give it a miss. Where were those young scandinavian girls now?
From Damp we sailed down into Kiel to have a look around. Kiel is a very busy Baltic port. It is the eastern end of the ship canal that connects the North sea and the Baltic. Cruise ships were a dime a dozen. It was interesting watching all the shipping traffic negotiating the hundreds of sailboats lallygagging around the inlet.
Finally we had to start thinking about returning the boat. The rule for the charter was the boat had to be fueled before being returned. That didn't sound like a big deal when we chartered it, but when we had to fill it we couldn't find any fuel docks marked on the charts and our Pilot books were all in German. We hailed a boat coming out of Laboe and asked about fuel and they told us that there was fuel in Laboe. In we went. Laboe is a tiny little fishing port that was hosting a Folkboat show and regatta. It was also the only fuel dock around and it was the beginning if a long weekend. We had to hover in an area about twice the length of the boat for almost an hour waiting for access to the only fueling station. There were hundreds of people watching as I careened around the confined space trying to stay out of the way of boats coming and going, and not lose my spot in the line to some unscrupulous queue jumping fuel pirate. I'm glad I was in someone else's boat and untraceable! Laboe also had a submariner's memorial. Very nice!
We spent our last night back at the dock in Wendtorf. The return of the boat was uneventful. We had finished the Baltic sailing phase of Eurodash 2011.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Boat chartering German style!
Chartering a sailboat in Germany for a sailing vacation on the Baltic was a little more difficult than I thought it would be.
We had written an email to Yachtbooker, listing my qualifications, and asking them if they would rent us a boat. They replied that chartering a boat from them would be no problem. That was not really the case.
When we arrived at the agency chartering the boats (Goor Yacht Charters) in Wendtorf, the man behind the desk asked to see my passport and qualifications. I showed him my passport, and showed him my Canadian Yachting Association Logbook that indicates the courses I have completed, and lists the sailing I have done, all with very official looking slick tin stamps and signatures. The guy shook his head, gave it back, and said he wanted to see my license. I showed him my Naval Bridgewatchkeeping Certificate of Competency, which has a feel of authority and government bureaucracy about it, and got a similar response. He glanced at it, shook his head and gave it back. "Vhere iss your licence?" he asked in heavily German accented English. I was getting a bit panicky, and I started to worry that I would not be able to charter a boat. I wracked my brain trying to think of a way to convince him of my competence and reliability.
In a last minute flash of brilliance, I whipped out my Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC) and passed it across the desk. He broke into a friendly grin, nodded and immediately copied the number down onto the rental agreement. I was astonished. What years of naval training and at sea experience had earned got me nothing. The PCOC, available online, with no on-the-water experience at all, was the document that won the day.
I urge you all to take the 10 question PCOC test so you can assure charter agencies of your competence.
Next time Nancy is going to charter the boat with her licence.
We had written an email to Yachtbooker, listing my qualifications, and asking them if they would rent us a boat. They replied that chartering a boat from them would be no problem. That was not really the case.
When we arrived at the agency chartering the boats (Goor Yacht Charters) in Wendtorf, the man behind the desk asked to see my passport and qualifications. I showed him my passport, and showed him my Canadian Yachting Association Logbook that indicates the courses I have completed, and lists the sailing I have done, all with very official looking slick tin stamps and signatures. The guy shook his head, gave it back, and said he wanted to see my license. I showed him my Naval Bridgewatchkeeping Certificate of Competency, which has a feel of authority and government bureaucracy about it, and got a similar response. He glanced at it, shook his head and gave it back. "Vhere iss your licence?" he asked in heavily German accented English. I was getting a bit panicky, and I started to worry that I would not be able to charter a boat. I wracked my brain trying to think of a way to convince him of my competence and reliability.
In a last minute flash of brilliance, I whipped out my Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC) and passed it across the desk. He broke into a friendly grin, nodded and immediately copied the number down onto the rental agreement. I was astonished. What years of naval training and at sea experience had earned got me nothing. The PCOC, available online, with no on-the-water experience at all, was the document that won the day.
I urge you all to take the 10 question PCOC test so you can assure charter agencies of your competence.
Next time Nancy is going to charter the boat with her licence.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Germany
After nearly a week in Germany, it has proven to be a country of contrasts.
Despite the incredible speed of the train from Paris, we were late arriving in Cologne and missed our connection to Dusseldorf. No problem though, because when we walked up to the platform we were supposed to catch our connector on, there was another train there also going to Dusseldorf. We hopped on. Unfortunately it was the milk run and stopped at every station between Cologne and Dusseldorf, including about five called Dusseldorf in some form or another. We even got off at one Dusseldorf (the first) and realized that there was no city there, so we hopped back on the train (barely). We finally met a fellow who spoke some English and told us we should get off at the Dusseldorf Hautbahnhof (main train station) in about fifteen minutes time.
Fifteen minutes later we pulled into the Dusseldorf Hbf and alighted..., right into the middle of a riot! We literally stepped off the train, and there were five polizei in full riot gear clubbing some football hooligans. There were people running towards the altercation and youth throwing all kinds of things at the cops. I was immediately gripped by a strange need to run in the opposite direction, paused for a sec, decided that I should take Nancy with me, then bolted. We nipped down a staircase where everyone else was coming up. Fortunately Moira and Nigel were there waiting for us and wondering if the train had dumped us off in the riot. We had arrived in Dusseldorf... safely.
Our new hosts took us to their home near Monchengladbach. It is an old British Army and NATO base that is slowly being closed. It has gone from a population of 30,000 (during the cold war) to a population of about 2000 today. Their home (a married quarter) is on a street with many other houses, all empty. The base is a bit of a cold war ghost town. We spent one afternoon twelve pin bowling, and we were the only ones in the building except for the guy who takes the money. We had dozens of bowling balls to choose from, but I still couldn't find one that went straight. The Exchange had a couple people in it when we went for a look. The base is a very quiet and relaxing place, probably quite different than in the past.
On our second day we were invited to go sailing in Roermond, Holland by a British Signals Officer who had helped arrange our upcoming charter out of Keil. He had a Jeanneau Flirt, a 20 foot sloop, on a lake (a pond really), in Roermond. The lake had several huge marinas and Yacht Clubs, and it had hundreds of boats moored around it. It does provide access to the Dutch canal system and eventually the sea. I was surprised to see large racing yachts short tacking up to one end and then doing five minute spin runs back to the other end. It was a right-of-way challenge. We thoroughly enjoyed the sail and picnic on the beach, watching the other boats.
We spent a few hours at a local spa that was wonderful. There were four pools of very warm water. Each pool had various rivers, jets bubble beds and other things to ease the aches and pains of daily life. In typical teutonic orderliness, there was an electronic beep every minute or so to urge you to move on to some other jet so that everyone would get a squirt. We loved the 'no kissing' signs posted everywhere.
We also spent a day in Cologne where we climbed the spire of the famous Koln Dom. It is about 157 meters straight up, 533 steps. The staircase is a narrow, twisting stone set of steps that has been there for hundreds of years. I was a bit claustrophobic. It definitely was not built for people my size. The view from the top was breath-taking, so was the climb.
While in Cologne we saw another couple examples of polizei efficiency. One was a yobbo with a knife being arrested at the Dom and the other looked like a group of shoplifters. No question about it, the polizei are on the job.
Finally, we spent today cycling through the quiet scenic German countryside on bike paths that seem to run everywhere. We went for a walk around another pond with fishermen shoulder to shoulder, angling for that famous sport fish, the mighty carp. We stopped for lunch and a beer at a classic little gasthaus that was packed the whole time we were there. I was quite pleased with my German speaking ability until I ordered a decaf coffee with cream and got a coffee with a bowl of whipped cream on the side. I thought the fraulein was looking at me kinda funny when I ordered it. Oh well, they didn't charge us for the cream.
Despite the incredible speed of the train from Paris, we were late arriving in Cologne and missed our connection to Dusseldorf. No problem though, because when we walked up to the platform we were supposed to catch our connector on, there was another train there also going to Dusseldorf. We hopped on. Unfortunately it was the milk run and stopped at every station between Cologne and Dusseldorf, including about five called Dusseldorf in some form or another. We even got off at one Dusseldorf (the first) and realized that there was no city there, so we hopped back on the train (barely). We finally met a fellow who spoke some English and told us we should get off at the Dusseldorf Hautbahnhof (main train station) in about fifteen minutes time.
Fifteen minutes later we pulled into the Dusseldorf Hbf and alighted..., right into the middle of a riot! We literally stepped off the train, and there were five polizei in full riot gear clubbing some football hooligans. There were people running towards the altercation and youth throwing all kinds of things at the cops. I was immediately gripped by a strange need to run in the opposite direction, paused for a sec, decided that I should take Nancy with me, then bolted. We nipped down a staircase where everyone else was coming up. Fortunately Moira and Nigel were there waiting for us and wondering if the train had dumped us off in the riot. We had arrived in Dusseldorf... safely.
Our new hosts took us to their home near Monchengladbach. It is an old British Army and NATO base that is slowly being closed. It has gone from a population of 30,000 (during the cold war) to a population of about 2000 today. Their home (a married quarter) is on a street with many other houses, all empty. The base is a bit of a cold war ghost town. We spent one afternoon twelve pin bowling, and we were the only ones in the building except for the guy who takes the money. We had dozens of bowling balls to choose from, but I still couldn't find one that went straight. The Exchange had a couple people in it when we went for a look. The base is a very quiet and relaxing place, probably quite different than in the past.
On our second day we were invited to go sailing in Roermond, Holland by a British Signals Officer who had helped arrange our upcoming charter out of Keil. He had a Jeanneau Flirt, a 20 foot sloop, on a lake (a pond really), in Roermond. The lake had several huge marinas and Yacht Clubs, and it had hundreds of boats moored around it. It does provide access to the Dutch canal system and eventually the sea. I was surprised to see large racing yachts short tacking up to one end and then doing five minute spin runs back to the other end. It was a right-of-way challenge. We thoroughly enjoyed the sail and picnic on the beach, watching the other boats.
We spent a few hours at a local spa that was wonderful. There were four pools of very warm water. Each pool had various rivers, jets bubble beds and other things to ease the aches and pains of daily life. In typical teutonic orderliness, there was an electronic beep every minute or so to urge you to move on to some other jet so that everyone would get a squirt. We loved the 'no kissing' signs posted everywhere.
We also spent a day in Cologne where we climbed the spire of the famous Koln Dom. It is about 157 meters straight up, 533 steps. The staircase is a narrow, twisting stone set of steps that has been there for hundreds of years. I was a bit claustrophobic. It definitely was not built for people my size. The view from the top was breath-taking, so was the climb.
Monday, May 30, 2011
High tech challenges!
Funny thing, the keys on a German computer keyboard are very different from the keys on a Canadian keyboard. they don't look different, but they are, not the obvious keys, but the ones that count for internet geekiness.
For example, the '@' symbol is not above the '2' but on the other side of the keyboard above an A with two wierd dots above it. Similarly. the 'Z' and the 'Y' are exchanged. Typing is very challenging. For example, if I was to type "yes, @ the zoo" using our keyboard pattern on this keyboard, you would get @zes " the Yoo@.
This might seem like nonsense, but remember, when you type in a password, you normally can't see what you type (they come up as stars). When the keys are different, none of your passwords work. Because you can't see your errors, you can't log in to those important things you need to do. Of course you don't realize that the keys are different, so you just do it again. After a couple cracks at the password the system thinks you are some kind of digital terrorist and resets and you are screwed. Then you have to go through the whole name your dog, name your first born, and what is your wife's birthday. WHO GETS THAT RIGHT FIRST CRACK?
Wierd!
For example, the '@' symbol is not above the '2' but on the other side of the keyboard above an A with two wierd dots above it. Similarly. the 'Z' and the 'Y' are exchanged. Typing is very challenging. For example, if I was to type "yes, @ the zoo" using our keyboard pattern on this keyboard, you would get @zes " the Yoo@.
Wierd!
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