Blog or Bust

Lots of time with family: hanging out, eating, talking, walking, you know the drill. Elizabeth and I went to the Pumpkin Festival at the Ludwigsburg Palace on Tuesday. That was a lot of fun and delicious (pumpkin soup, cheese pasta, and strudel). We also got to see the palace and gardens themselves and had one of the most engaging tour guides I have come across on my journey. In Pflugfelden, we played the piano, shared meals and chats, had an engaging and fair discussion about politics (even through some misunderstandings/disagreements), and today Juergen and I went to get potatoes from the local farmers. Elizabeth is currently sick with some sort of stomach bug, so we are keeping it slow today. Ludwigsburg Palace Pumpkin Fest! Food! (kaese-spaetzle was a stand-out) Wundarshoene walk with Lotti and Juergen Spargel (asparagus) Pflugfelden from the road to the farms View of Pflugfelden with Stuttgart in background (look for TV tower)

Hallo! To catch up a bit, Saturday we went to the Wien Museum and learned about pop music and general history (with an art focus) in Vienna. The pop music exhibit had many screens and headphones to watch/listen to examples of what they discussed, and it was interesting to hear. Then, we went to eat some quick tapas before Die Zauberfloete (The Magic Flute) at the Volksoper (People's Opera). The tapas were very good, and we had Birnensaft gespritzt (sparkling pear juice) to drink. It was fantastic to see opera for the first time, and seeing the Papageno songs were the most special for me since I had sung several of them for Solo & Ensemble in high school. All the songs I knew were in the second act, so it kept me waiting until the third to last song to hear all of the ones I knew. Afterwards, we got a quick pizza that was also delicious. Arts bring about quality food establishments. :) The next morning, we were out of the apartment and on the train to Bamberg. We talked with s...

Willkommen! Elizabeth and I spent both of today at the Sch önbrunn Palace. We took a tour of the palace, but also saw the (now public) gardens, the privy garden, the Orangerie (a garden with "exotic" tropical plants), the Marionettentheater (they were making a marionette when we were there), a labyrinth, and the Gloriette (a monument on a hill which had a breathtaking view of Wien). Lots of fun: my personal favorite was seeing the study where Emperor Franz Joseph I worked for most of the day for his 67-year rule. For the evening, we went to see "A Tribute to Vienna" at the Spanish Riding School. We got to see riders and trainers from this renowned school for classical equestrian training, and it was fascinating to see them along with a small group from the Wien Philharmonic and a singer. From what I saw as well as what I read online and in the program, the school and the riders treat the horses well and have strong personal connections with each one. Like we say i...

Today: got out late. Went to the best meal we've had together so far: I had a curry chicken wrap and Elizabeth had eggs and bacon at a cafe. Caught the bus to get to the tour of the State Opera. Lovely tour by a solo harpist! Learned a lot and great to see the technicians working and the theater itself. Then, we went to the Austrian National Library where we saw the State Hall (the main room of the library) and learned about the Free Masons (no idea what the connection to the library was). After dinner with Taekwondo master Ray Pena, we went back home in the fierce wind. Yesterday: Went on an ok walking tour from "Good Walking Tours", and visited an informative and interactive museum called Haus de Musik. Overall, it was really well-done and I especially loved hearing some stories about the Vienna Philharmonic! Elisabeth Street Where Hitler made a speech in 1938. Looked ominously familiar from pictures I've seen before I realized! Life insurance ad ...

Hi all! Good to be back on a regular schedule for the blog. Yesterday, Elizabeth and I got settled into our apartment in Wien (Vienna), which is very quiet, cozy, and in a nice neighborhood. We went out to a delicious dinner last night of Wiener Schnitzel (of course) and a couple top-notch desserts (creme brulee and chocolate cake with gooey insides). Then, we had a chill late morning in the apartment preparing for an announcement for Hanner & Repp for this fall (coming soon :) ). We grabbed lunch in the afternoon and then almost directly went downtown to explore the center of Wien for the first time. We saw the art museum where we are catching the tour tomorrow, as well as the Rathaus (Town Hall), the Burgtheater (where we might see a show this week, looking for a place with English subtitles), the Hofburg Palace, and a lovely garden with a statue dedicated to Mozart (and a treble clef made of flowers in front). We had a small but nice dinner in the city center and Elizabeth tried...

You're probably wondering what has been up with the last several days (couple weeks as I am finishing this post I started on the bus on Budapest): other than reuniting with part of my family. Well, I'm wondering the same thing for a couple of them. The rest I'd like to tell you about. In Dubrovnik, it was essentially all family stuff. I didn't even see a beach other than from a car window! One story: I have to talk about the dinner we had on Wednesday night. I had no idea what to expect when I walked over to meet my second cousin once removed Katarina to drive from Dubrovnik to Mikulići. I used the location sharing on Messenger (thanks, Facebook) to find my third cousin Jakov and then we walked over to meet his mother. When I walked through the front door, she had a huge smile on her face but I could tell she didn't know exactly what to do. So, we shook hands or hugged, something very brief and sat down in the kitchen for some refreshments and chatting. Jakov ...