Damn, I Need a Beer...

...It all started out so well: We headed back down to Italy for a long weekend in Cinque Terre along the Italian Riviera. The weather was great, the wine was aflowin', and amore was in the air. THEN THE FREAKING ITALIAN TRAIN STRIKE BEGAN and it was all downhill from there. After a couple days in this Italian paradiso, we found out that most of the trains were "sopresso"--on strike--no go--so sorry. Come to find out that this sort of thing happens damn near EVERY TIME they have a long weekend. It was right about then I was longing for Germany where you can set your watch by when your train leaves the station. Long story short, we missed our flight out of Milan and got only a few hours of sleep last night. After an extra five hundred dollars and a half day of missed work later, we finally made it back to Germany.

Okay, the truth is Vernazza and the rest of Cinque Terre is great. The hiking was incredible, the people were very warm, and our son "Lucca" was the Prince of Vernazza for the weekend. I'll be sure to post pix and some more positive commentary when I get a few minutes. The bottom line is, however, this trip was one I would rather forget. Hopefully in a few years I will be able to sit back and have a good laugh at this travel nightmare. We'll have to see. Until then, I'm going to sip my German beer in my German house with my German gummi bear of a son back here in Germany where the train workers don't extend their fiesta an extra day by going on strike.

Napoli Revisited

Naples, the capital city of southern Italy. Sounds nice, right? Not so much. Or at least that was my first impression when I first visited the city of vespas, pizza, and graffitti last year. Yet this city, which happens to be the birthplace of pizza, deserved a second chance. This time around, it didn't disappoint at all. The trick was to get beyond the absolutely downtrodden Piazza Girabaldi which is where the central train station is located.

Travel author Rick Steves describes Naples as intense and "Italy in the extreme". He is so right. To most American travelers who project their values on this place, this sort of place is a total turn off. Omaha, Nebraska it ain't! In Naples, you see grit everywhere. It reminded me of a scene from Backt to the Future II when Marty McFly goes to Hill Valley in the near future and finds it to be a run down slum with Biff's casino being the crowning jewel of the town. Yup, there graffitti everywhere, traffic laws are non existent, and the people are loud and passionate. Once you get past some of the high negatives, I found myself in love with this city. Yes, it was intense but it had a really cool vibe to it. I saw kids playing soccer in a piazza, I ate the most delicious pizza that cost me a whopping one euro, I drank Moretti bierre in an alley cafe as the local Neopolitans casually made their way to and fro without a care in the world. It definitely grew on me after a day or so.

While I was there I decided not to do the traditional European tourist rut of going to all of the museums and hitting up the hard rock cafe along the way. Instead I sought to blend in as much as I could. My hair was a bit longer during my trip since I'd been on the ship the previous two weeks and I was able to integrate with the local without too much effort. The fact that my looks favor my Italian side and didn't tote around my All-American looking family didn't hurt either. Within an hour or so, the locals were trying to speak Italian to me. Oddly enough I was also mistaken for a Spaniard a couple of times...that one threw me for a loop. Anyhow, I decided to let the city "wash over me" rather than go from attraction to attraction. I strolled the streets which were draped with laundry, dodged Vespa scooters driven by ten year olds, and ate the most delicious Mozerella di Buffalo cheese I've ever had.

After getting my fill of the city of Naples, I headed out to the Island of Capri. Touristy? Yes. Stil worth the trip? Absolutely. Traveling in May definitely has its advantages. The "shoulder season" promises nice termperatures and fewer crowds. This meant that the main piazza was filled with the Herbs and Mildreds from Sheyboygan, Wisconson and the rest of their tourist buddies but as soon as I got out of there, the island was not overrun at all. As a reward, I got to experience this drop dead gorgeous island without feeling like I was being crowded out (think Eiffel Tower in June or Munich's Oktoberfest). Words simply cannot do this place justice and as soon as I get my photos developed, I will post them here on the blog.

Grazzi and Ciao tutti

Fair Winds and Following Seas

It's been way too long since I've updated this blog. Don't blame it on being lazy, however. For the last couple weeks I've been at sea on the USS Mt Whitney http://www.mtwhitney.navy.mil/default.aspx, the command ship from the US Navy's 6th Fleet (see crappy phone cam pix below). This was one of those experiences that I am sure I will be telling my grandchildren about...

When I joined the Air Force I never had any idea that one day they would put me on a ship for a couple week cruise for a major wargame. After all, the Air Force conjures up images of dusty bases in Middle America, not cruises the middle of the Med. Regardless, I was very glad to have had the opportunity to get my sea legs.

The biggest adjustment was getting used to the sleeping arrangements. I had a stateroom that was the size of a walk in closet. Oh yeah, there were six "racks" or bunks in there as well. Needless to say, things were pretty cramped. I was fortunate enough to get a top bunk so I technically had another foot or so of headspace but for some reason, the Navy put a couple crossbars right on the head and foot of the bed. I am convinced this was designed specifically so people would bash their heads into it...which I did...every night. Also, being on a ship means being inside for about 23 1/2 hours a day. This was definitely tough to get used to.

While certain aspects of shipboard life were tough to swallow, others were not nearly as bad as I thought. For example, the food on the ship was phenomenal. I'm afraid to hop on the scale after this cruise. It's no wonder why most of these Navy guys who were part of the permanent crew of the ship usually carried around a bit extra around the midsection. Also, I really enjoyed watching some of the cool "gee whiz" moments such as a ship-to-ship cargo transfer, watching the anti-missile weapons tested, and of course pulling into and out of port in Gaeta (see pix of me about to go aboard our ship).

As soon as I get back to Germany I will be sure to upload some pictures. For the moment I am taking it easy in Naples awaiting my flight back to the fatherland. Also, I've got plenty of stuff to share about Naples as well but that will have to wait for another blog entry.

Ciao!

Germany on a pair of wheels

So I wake up around 1 PM on Saturday (jet lag sucks) and the sun was shining. It was as if I had woken up back in California. I was determined to make the most of this rare moment of sun so I put my bike in the car and headed for the Romantic Road. Right before I left for CA, I rode the German Wine Trail (Deutscheweinestrasse) from Bad Durkheim to Neustadt where I rode through the vineyards of Germany's most famous wine region. Instead of biergartens, they had weingartens (see pix). Anyhow, I was ready for yet another ride.

Back to the Romantic Road, this scenic route runs from Frankfurt in Hessen all the way down to the Austrian border for a total of 420 kilometers (roughly 280 miles) https://www.romantischestrasse.de/?lang=uk .

Since I had limited time, I only did a little over 35 km. The journey started in the breathtaking medieval town of Rothenburg (see pix of entry to the old city) and ended in the town of Dinksbuehl.

My legs and knees disagree with me but the ride was fantastic! The sun was shining, the tulips and wildflowers were in full bloom, and seemingly all of Germany was outside enjoying every minute of it.

Jumping to another subject, I had the chance to chat with a really interesting chap during my ride back from the Frankfurt Airport. This guy was a two deployment veteran who served in the infantry with the mechanized unit out of Baumholder (a Army post about a half hour north of Ramstein). He was telling me what it was like downrange and his stories were riveting. For instance, his vehicle was hit by an IED on three different occasions. Luckily he is still with us all to tell his story. Sadly the same can't be said for some of his buddies. He was stationed in Ramadi which, unfortunately, is a cesspool for insurgents. Anyhow, he also mentioned that since separating from the Army (after spending 3 of 4 years in Iraq, who could blame him?) he stuck around Germany, met a fraulein and joined a heavy metal band as a drummer. If you get a chance, check out their website at http://myspace.com/thehandofglory and vote for his band to play in "Summerfest". It's amazing to me that all this guy wants after giving so much to the US is a chance for his band to play a regional heavy metal festival. Pretty amazing stuff...and his music isn't bad either!

...and the next thing I knew I was back in Germany

Damn. My vacation to California lasted around 216 hours but it felt like less than 3. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine to be back in the land of Liederhosen and carbohydrates but I can't say enough how much I enjoyed being home in the Golden State and the US. Nearly a year and a half passed since I last visited CA and it allowed me to "rediscover" the place I once called home. Here are some random observations, both good and bad, in no special order:

1. You can't beat the colors of California...things such as the flowers, the clothing, the people...all of these seemed so much more vibrant under the California sunshine.

2. The smog was burning my eyes. I always thought people were joking about this but it's true. I think I never really noticed it when I lived there.

3. The hefeweisen in CA doesn't even come close to that in Germany

4. I never seen so many Toyota Priuses in my life. Before I left, I only saw a few on the road. This time around, seemingly every other person had one. At 3.85 a gallon for the cheap stuff, it's no wonder why they do it.

5. Things like seeing friends and family, going to a Dodger game, visiting Santa Barbara, throwing a baptism party for Baby Luke, watching a movie in Burbank, sitting on a beach in Newport, eating real Mexican food, etc can really make one not want to leave.

It's true: Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder.

Fortunately, the weather got a lot better here in Germany upon my arrival. Looks like I brought the sunshine back with me. I took full advantage! More to come in the next posting...

So long, winter!!!

California bound, baby! It’s hard to believe but I haven’t been back home to CA since 2006. I haven’t been back to the US since I left Louisiana in Mar of 07. What a great feeling.

As you can see in the pix, I am leaving behind some miserable weather. Even though the snow has melted away around a week ago, it still has been a particularly cold winter here in Germany. We’ve been pounded by snow, rain, and everything in between. I am still trying to decipher the difference between sleet, hail, and freezing rain. I never thought I would say this but I really think the dreary weather is starting to get to me. I’ve got a buddy stationed in the UK who states that their Medical Group provides “sessions” of exposure to a special light that is supposed to replicate the effects of sunshine. While at first it sounded kooky, I am now starting to see the light (if you get my drift).

Anyhow, I’ve been compiling a “to do list” for things I want to do back home in CA. I compiled a similar list when I arrived in Europe. Just then, I thought about what a German would do if he was to visit CA for the first time. I’m guessing their list would be something like this:

Go to Hollywood (see all the movie stars)
Shop at Rodeo Drive
Go to Sacramento and see famous Austrian hero/Governor
Wear Speedo while visiting Muscle Beach in Venice
Attempt to learn how to surf in San Diego

My list is a bit more boring. Here are a few samples in no specific order:

Catch up with friends and family
In and Out Burger
See a movie with family in Burbank
Grab a pint at Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena
Do absolutely nothing so long as I’m outside in the sun!

As for travel, I haven't done squat for the last few weeks. I've exhausted every excuse in the book to sit around. I blame the weather. As a parting shot, the pix to the right is a travel rewind shot of JJ and I wrestling in a park in Dublin.

Easter in Bavaria

Happy Easter/Frohe Ostern!

We were lucky enought to spend this Easter in Garmish and Munich. The original plan was to head over to Salzburg, Austria for the holiday but heavy snow here in Rhineland Pfalz caused us to delay/rearrange our trip. We both agreed that Salzburg will have to wait until the weather warms up.


We put a new spin on this trip to keep things interesting. Rather than drive in the snow, we decided to take the train for the Bavarian leg of our journey. Rewind to November and we found ourselves slipping and sliding all over the Autobahn trying to reach the Alps town of Garmish (our SUV still has a small souvenier from that trip). Anyhow, I've always wanted to take the train through this picturesque part of Germany and it was absolutely worth it!


After spending Easter morning in Garmish, we hopped back on the train and headed up to Munich. The leg of the journey was really incredible. We passed through numerous quaint villages complete with half timbered houses and religious murals. About half way there we also passed by a massive lake that reflected the snow capped Alps perfectly. I was ready to hop off the train right there and then.

When we arrived in Munich, I had the duty to find us a place to eat that night since it also happened to be my birthday. Now in most cities this may present a challenge but in Munich there is only one place I would want to go for a birthday dinner: The world famous Hofbrau Haus. The picture to the right shows me downing one of two Hefeweisens I enjoyed that night. As an added bonus, both kids were conked out minutes after we arrived so Jen and I had an hour or so to chat like adults (no mention of Disney Princesses, mac and cheese, ballet moves, etc). It was the best present I could have asked for from my kids.

On a different note, only two weeks to go before I head back to the Golden State. It's about time!

Another Brother Sighting???

Found ourselves in Munich's Nymphemburg Palace on the 24th and saw this picture of my brother Daniel...at least it looks like him. The caption claims this is a young King Ludwig II of Bavaria but he's a dead ringer for my older brother.

Famous Brother?

So we were in Trier the other day and came across this picture outside of a McDonalds. It looks like my brother Nick has been doing some model work for McDonalds without telling anyone.

Volksmarching and Our Famous Son

I hate to brag but our son Luke is famous. He got his name posted in the local German paper. See above! We are currently in negotiations with Mark Burnett for his reality TV show and E! has been in contact about doing an "E! True Hollywood Story" on him. Seriously, we are so proud to have a perfectly healthy and happy (most of the time) baby boy.

On a different note, we had a chance to go Volksmarching over the weekend in our sister village of Quidersbach. The pix on the left is of Jen and the kids on the trail. Please note the anxious expression on Julia's face. We promised we would go to "Old McDonalds" as she calls it once we finished our hike.

Volksmarching is one of those Spanglish type words except that it borrows from German and English. "Volks" translates to "people" and the terms essentially means "the people's walk" and that is exactly what it is. Here's how it works: you pay a few Euro at the start to cover the expenses of the walk and go for either the 5, 10, or 20 kilometer hike through the woods. There isn't a time limit but it is more of a chance for people to get out there and challenge themselves to commune with nature and do something healthy. Ironically, we usually see quite a few Germans puffing away on a Camel and sucking down Jaegermeister while on the trail. Anyhow, these hikes a great opportunity to rub elbows with the Germans and are great fun. We've done four of these so far and have promised ourselves that we will do at least six more before heading back to the US.

Finally, it donned on me as I drink my Erdinger Weisbrau and type this blog that I need to write a little on the fantastic German beer. Maybe sometime in the future. Oh yeah...It's about time the weather started to warm up around here. It's been way too cold since November. Bring on the sun!

Baldwins, Berlin, and Baden-Baden

Ahh, the three B's: Baldwins, Berlin and Baden-Baden. Not too different from the three B's of the OC: Boobs, Blonde, and Beamer. Anyhow, we visited two very different German cities in the last couple weekends. One was a chic resort town in the middle of the Black Forest and the other was an up and coming capitol city complete with urban sprawl and countless spires and skyscrapers dotting the skyline.

While Heidelberg was Luke's first official trip, Baden-Baden was Luke's first trip where he actually got out of his carrier and enjoyed himself. We were blessed with absolutely fantastic srping-like weather and enjoyed ourselves by eating dinner in an outside cafe'. Julia tried her hand at riding a tricycle but still has a ways to go. For some reason, she has mastered going backwards but can't get herself out of reverse.

We headed over to Berlin last weekend. Now Jen and I visited this place 11 years ago when we were starving college students armed with a Eurail pass and a credit card and we were both struck by how much this place has changed. Amazingly it has been twenty years since the Berlin Wall has been torn down and during that time, the city has totally reinvented itself. Sure, certain parts of the East are still preserved for ol' timesake but for the most part, East Berlin is now the "in" place to be. Speaking of old school East Germany, below is a picture of Julia with a Communist-era figure that was used on the East German "walk" signs. This cute figure has come to be a symbol of German "Ostalgia". Translated into English, this term refers to German nostalgia for the days of East Germany (Ost means east in German).

We also got a chance to go to a place about 60 clicks south of Berlin called Tropical Islands www.tropical-islands.de/en.html . In a nutshell, some enterprising gents transformed an old Soviet Airbase in the middle of the pine forest of East Germany into a sprawling beach resort. They put this "beach" inside an abandoned massive airship hangar. After installing some hard core heaters, tropical foliage, and tons of sand, they created a miniature Bali in the East Germany. It was fantastic! While the temperature was around 39 degrees and howling wind, the temp inside was about 78 and humid. All of us were thrilled to escape this brutal German winter for a few hours. Below is a picture of our little surfer, Luke Andrew and his adoring momma.

We also got a chance to see some other stuff in Berlin such as the Brandenberg Gate (see pix), a DDR museum, the Berliner Dom, Karl-Marx-Allee, Potsdamer Platz/Sony Center, and KaDeWe (the largest department store in Europe). Very nice. Wish we had another few days and a stronger exchange rate.

On a different note, check out the following site titled "Germany or Florida": http://community.livejournal.com/germany_or_fl

This is a recurring bit on Adam Carolla's radio show out of LA. Contrary to popular demand, these two distinctly dissimilar places aren't that differnt after all. Too funny.

Even funnier is this Berlitz commerical: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6077326441742307086

Slices of Life: The Little Things That Are Distinctly German

Not much travel going on these days. Baby Luke is now here and we've all been a little under the weather. As we slowly get back into our top travel form, I figured now would be a good time to reflect on those aspect of life here in Germany that make this place unique. After all, I am guessing most people would think of two things when they think of Germany: WWII and Oktoberfest. Ah, but there is so much more below the surface. Here is a quick list off the top of my head:

-Balconies with oversized Window boxes spilling over with colorful Geraniums

-Sunday closures
-Volksmarching
-Red lights at the cemetery
-Carbs
-Religious displays
-Houses close together/distinct villages
-Walkplatz
-Windmills/multiple trash cans/green culture
-Autobahns/traffic jams (staus)
-Rolladens
-Biergartens/beer culture

-Devotion to soccer
-Houses that are never finished/little deferred maintenance
-Active elders
-Nutella
-Christmas Markets

I've noticed that with a few execptions, I'd be hard pressed to find these in the US. It will definitely be hard to leave many of these behind in next year when we head back home.

Our German Gummi Bear

Lots of pix of Luke up on the net. We had a professional photographer take some shots and you can check them out at the website http://www.babysmile24.de/. When you see:
"Sie haben einen Code...
5-stellig Klick hier
12-stellig Klick hier "

click on the one for the 12 digit code. The code is 0015011-7RD7M. That will bring you to the photo gallery.

Take a look!

Needless to say, we were a little (okay, very) apprehensive over the prospect of having a baby in a foreign country away from friends and family. As we look back, we can honestly say that it has been a great experience. We've been very fortunate to have some great friends over here in Germany. We've had about two weeks worth of meals dropped off at our house. It means the world to all of us. Also, we've been lucky to have a great experience at Saint Johannes--the german hospital where Luke was born. It was a 180 from our experience with Julia and the berthing resort in Arizona but it was still a very positive experience.

Happy One Week Birthday Baby Luke!

Our son Luke continues to do really well. He's home from the hospital and is adjusting well to our house. Thankfully he sleeps through the night unless he wants to eat. What a relief! Julia was a night owl.

This last week has been a week of firsts for Luke. He did his first trip to church on Sunday, first time meeting his "brother" Reagan, and first of many leaky diapers. Speaking of firsts, Luke's first trip took place on Sunday when we all headed over to Heidelberg. While we were hoping to do some walking on the great trails that surround the city, the winds kicked up and dropped the temps to below freezing. Too cold for our little guy. Instead we decided to cruise the Marktplatz pedestrian district and grab some dinner. Regardless of the weather, it is really hard not to have a good time in Heidelberg.

Looking forward to coming home in April. I've been away for way too long. Last year this time I was in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras and haven't return to the states since. By the time I get home, it will have been over a year away from the US and over 15 months since going to CA. Time to hit the fast forward button on life and get home!

Pictures of our little "prince"

I've found a few minutes to upload some pix of our new son, Luke. Julia still refuses to call him by his real name but insists on calling him Baby Prince Phillip (from Sleeping Beauty fame). To me, he might as well be called Julia Jr. since he looks so much like his big sister when she was born.

We are headed back to the hospital today and the plan is to have the entire family back home tonight. Needless to say, things get rough when it's time for JJ to leave mom at night but oh well. Things will soon return to normal.

Can't wait to come back to CA and show Luke off to his Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. With any luck he will be on an airplane headed home as soon as his passport arrives in late March. Until that time, our little German boy can't leave the "Fatherland".

Luke is a completely healthy boy. We couldn't be happier about our little gummi bear.

Last but not least, Jen is doing really well. While she was initially anxious to leave the hospital, she said she is really getting used to having people cook her meals, call on her, and clean up after her. Jen's quote "It's like being a celebrity". Anyhow, more pix to come soon.

Baby Luke is Here!

Quick note: Our son Luke was born this morning at 0130 local time at Saint Johannes Hospital in Landstuhl. He weighed in at 7 lbs and is really healthy. Jen is also doing well and is staying with our son until around Friday or Saturday at the hospital. It was quite an experience but it is one I will have to write about later. More to come including pictures when I can catch up on some sleep :)

Baby Update/What's up with that on the door?

What's that writing on our front door? It's epiphany chalk. Read about it at this link: http://www.german-way.com/christmas.html In short, it is a really cool German tradition where little German kids get dressed up as the three kings and go from door to door collecting "gifts" for the newly born Jesus (the money ultimately goes to charities sponsored by the Catholic Church) and write a blessing on your door.

For us, the knock on the door came on 5 Jan and I took Julia with me to answer the door. Keep in mind we had no idea what was coming and we were shocked to see the kids dressed up like that. Even better, Julia was wearing one of her many princess outfits so she fit right in with the "Three Kings". They said some stuff in German and then wrote the phrase 20+C+M+B+08 on our door which is said to bless everyone entering the door for the rest of the year. Really cool stuff.

Different subject: No baby yet. Any day now. We are looking forward to seeing our son Luke! We had an appt with the OB doc yesterday and everything is looking good. Unlike his sister, Luke is in no hurry to come out. Can't blame him. It's cold outside!

Here's a pic of a very pregnant Jen standing on the ice of Lake Gelterswoog down the road in Hohenecken. I believe we took the picture on Christmas day so as you can imagine, her belly is even bigger now.