Tuesday, Aug. 30 - Erd, Hungary (near Budapest) Grocery shopping

On our free day today, we walked to a nearby hypermarket for groceries.   Well, it wasn't so near (1.2 km each way)  We were glad to stop in the shade to rest, and then to get home.

Thank goodness for pictures on food containers.  German was puzzling to us and Hungarian even more so.  It is distantly related to Finnish.  The packaging on pasta and pasta sauce is often in Italian. 
The Interspar hypermarket sells just about everything.  We were careful not to load up on drinks and other heavy goods.  You have to take your own bags and load them.  Also in Germany and here too, you have to pay a one euro deposit to unlock a shopping cart in the parking lot, and then you get it back when you return the cart.  No stray carts here!

Stanley spent 7239 florints on groceries.

Bob takes our cart up the escalator.


Our Garmin GPS is working fabulously well.  The map of Europe and Turkey is on a micro SD card--absolutely tiny but has incredible detail.  We left the main highway on Saturday to look at some "points of interest".  All the little back roads were on the GPS!  We also have a trip log and a road atlas to use.  Generally we travel in groups of 2 or 3 RVs.

This afternoon I have time for another swim and a briefing on tomorrow's travel at 5:00.  Then we cook some kind of hamburger meat dinner and go for a evening tour of Budapest.  Tomorrow we travel 240 km. to Mako, Hungary.  After that, on to Romania.

Sunday, Aug. 29 Buda and Pest, Hungary

Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht) are twin cities on opposite sides of the Danube.  Buda has more green area, parks and monuments and is favored by the middle aged and up.  Pest is flat, has more bars and restaurants, is 30% cheaper than Buda, and is favored by the young set.  Our guide said that the Danube is polluted here.  We saw no recreational water sports on it; Vienna had many (swimmers, sail boats, etc.)

We toured both today by bus and on foot starting at the Citadel which affords a view of both cities.  I confess that Bob and I skipped the Matyas cathedral in favor of a coffee shop.  Saw lots of other fancy statues, monuments, etc.  Also saw some shoddy looking Soviet construction.  The Hungarian parliament building is incredibly ornate (and expensive).

Tomorrow we have a free day.  We'll probably hike to a grocery store and fruit stand.  It's a nuisance to have to use forints instead of euros.  Few places accept credit cards.  The group is planning a night tour oif Budapest tomorrow night.

Saturday, Aug. 27 - bus tour of Vienna; lunch near amusement park

Sunset along the Donau (Danube)

Our feet were happy to rest on a wonderfully air-conditioned bus tour of Vienna.  I forgot to say that after last night's dinner, we all walked home (25 min) along a bike and pedestrian path along the bank of the Danube.  Lots of people out strolling and biking in the evening after the hottest day of the year here.  Some caravanners saw a sign on Thursday reading 39 degrees Celsius.  : ( 

The Danube is a clean river at least until it leaves Austria. Pollution controls are in effect in Germany and Austria, so many many people swim in it.  After leaving Austria, there is more pollution.


While we were returning to our CG, the weather suddenly changed.  A storm is blowing in to break the heat wave.  Everyone is glad.  Now it is raining.

Tomorrow we drive about 290 kms. into Hungary and camp just south of Budapest where we spend 3 nights I think.
Sorry about the typos, but  we're on the clock.

Friday, Aug. 26 - 300 km to Tulln, Austria on the Danube



Our longest drive to date - 300 kilometers mostly on an autobahn after leaving our farm CG, passing through a few small towns, Salzberg outskirts and onto an autobahn.  Our RV is running very nicely, smooth and quiet and comfortable.  Bob says it drives nicely.  Filled up with diesel at 1.30 euros per liter.

This mini plastic machine washes and spins; add water by dumping in buckets; drain on the ground

Arrived in camp about 4; washed some laundry in a bucket Mexican style) but if I can post some pictures, you will get a huge surprise and chuckle out of a washday miracle!  It is somewhat less humid here (but still hot) so laundry was dry by night.  Another dinner out - a delicious steak, potatoes, and more apfel struedel.  The waiter gave us a choice of medium or medium well done; he was astounded that most people wanted it rare.  It was nicely done (rare or medium rare) to our taste and delicious.  Now if Europeans would make iced tea, all would be well.  At least in Germany and Austria, a good "American" cup of coffee is served.

Thursday, Aug 25 - Toured Hitler's favorite place; Lake Konigsee; Eagle's Nest; farm dinner



Lake Konigsee

Flat Stanley found 2 boys that look like ACE on the boat.

Sorry - got this pic on the wrong day.  This ia a view from our evening stroll in Salzberg.

Bob and Stanley look at the view from Eagle's Nest.   Approx a mile high.

Busy busy great day.  We hopped on a bus and returned to Austria (20 min.) to take a boat ride on Lake Konigsee.  It would remind you of a Norwegian fjord.  Very clean drinking quality water; steep sided.  Since it was a very hot and humid (to many people beside Coloradans), it was very crowded.  The lake is in the Bavarian alps and cooler than surrounding places.  After that, we went to see Eagle's Nest, which one of the Nazi bigwigs built and gave to Hitler for his 50th birthday.  However, Adolf was claustrophobic and afraid of heights so he never liked the place.  There is a tunnel entrance, then an elevator (polished brass) up to the top before reaching an altitude of about a mile high.  Gorgeous view from there. We descended and visited the 6 kilometers of bunkers underneath.  Hitler was also paranoid, apparently with good reason since 40 - 50 attempts were made on his life.

Returned to the CG at the farm.  The farmer and wife served us a homemade dinner under the apple trees (roast pork, salads, bread, and more apfel struedel).  A local 6-piece brass band serenaded us.  Some beers were lifted.  (At the Munich beer garden, we found out how heavy a 1 liter glass stein of beer is!!!)  Still hot and humid.







The entrance tunnel to the elevator up to Eagle's Nest.  Both the tunnel and the elevator spooked the claustrophobic Hitler.  He went to Eagle's Nest only a few times.

Wednesday, Aug. 24 ---Salzberg; Flat Stanley explores the farm; Bob's clean white shirt blows into the cow pasture

A much better day!  Still hot and humid.  A short drive to Bad Reichenhall, a German town near the Austrian border.  We took a bus and then an evening stroll around Salzberg before eating at a historic restaurant (wiener schnitzel and apfel struedel  -- yummm.  We saw the formally and traditionally Salzbergers walking to the opera and Mozart festival.  Beautiful small city, gardens.  Berlin had almost no flowers (a few bedraggled abandoned rose gardens); apparently almost all the flowers moved to Salzberg.  The Sound of Music was based here. We ate dinner at a historic restaurant (wiener schnitzel and apfel struedel) before going "home" to RV.

We stayed at a campground (CG) on a farm where Flat Stanley explored, visited the animals, and picked an apple from a tree.  Unfortunately Bob's shirt hanging on the laundry line blew into the cow pasture, but we retrieved it and it turned out fine after rewashing.

Tuesday, Aug. 23 Pick up campers

Picking up the campers outside Munich is supposed to be the worst day of the trip--paperwork, rig inspection, etc.  Then off to a supermarket where our guide helped, but it was still awful when you can't read the labels.  Ground coffee or beans?  Milk or buttermilk?  Nevetherless we got off to a good start and after a short drive of only 80 or so kilometers arrived at our first campground and relaxation.

Meeting with the RV caravan

We took the S-Bahn (metro) from our hotel near the train station in Munich to the meeting point near the Munich airport. Our caravan is to have 8 couples plus the wagon master and his wife and also a "guide" couple.  So we will be well chaperoned.  At the meeting this afternoon, we got more details on the trip (grocery shopping in Germany seems quite weird), signed the RV rental contracts, and got our GPS primed with campground locations, border crossing, petrol stops, etc.  Tonight we have dinner as a group here at the hotel. 


Tomorrow we pick up the RVs and the first stop is a supermarket (guided excursion!) and then a fairly short drive to a lakeside campground in Austria.  Internet connections seem more difficult than we expected.  If there is no new blog or no email, just assume that we didn't have a reasonable connection available.  You can contact us in an emergency through the Tracks to Adventure website, Turkey tour, wagonmaster Dave Jagger.     Ciaio.


New flash!!!  We were able to upload pictures FINALLY through the Picasa web album.  There are now pictures of the Pergamon, Dachau and Munich added to earlier posts.  : )

Zipping along from Berlin to Munich

Several days, no post.  We're back on a European kezboard, so we hope zou're guessing skills are better than our typing.  From Berlin we took the high speed ICE (Inner City Express) train to Munich.  Very quiet, comfortable and smooth and at times 200 km. per hour.  Yesterdaz (Saturdaz) we made our own walking tour of Munich with Rick Steves as our guide.  Went from our hotel near the main train station along a huge pedestrian mall to the citz center where we and millions of other people watched the glockenspiel perform.  Walt Disnez probably got his start here--high tech for centuries ago.  Saw several of the big churches and beer halls.  There were hundreds of people wearing the shirts of their 1 or 2 favorite soccer team and doing some good natured taunting.  Quite a few men wearing lederhosen, lots and lots of people lifting beer steins well before noon.  We walked through the Hofbrauhaus and listened to the ooompah band.  Also passed by the designer shops (with doormen just like Walmart) and Rolls Royce parked out front.  Didn't go in there.
Took the subway back to the hotel and crashed.

Today (sunday) we took a tour of the Dachau concentration camp memorial.  Very impressive in size and in thoughtful commemoration of the horrors that occurred.   KZ Dachau was the first concentration camp established in 1933 only 2 months after A Hitler claimed power.  It became the model for all other camps and was used to train the Gestapo and all camp guards.  It was used by the Nazis from 1933 until it was liberated bz American forces in spring 1945.  It was interesting to learn who was imprisoned and why, and also to learn how conditions inside the prison (and in Germany) deteriorated from the winning war days of 1933 to 1938 to the decling dazs of their war from the late 1930s until final defeat in 1945.

above; the old crematorium at Dachau concentration camnp used in the early days (1933+) when the war was going well for Germany and they only had to cremate 25 or so people a week.

 below: the Hofbrau beer hall in Munich.  Hitler gave his first speech to a big audience here.i

 below: ladies and girls in traditional dirndl dress waiting for their friends on a street corner in Munich

Tonight we are thinking of going to the Augustiner Beer Garden--if our feet agree to cooperate.  I personallz have already had 4 (FOUR) beers!  Coke is more expensive than beer and zou get less of it--not so good if you#re dying of thirst.  And we are since it is hot and sunny and more humid than Denver.

Tomorrow we take the subway to the Munich airport and from there take a hotel shuttle to the hotel where we meet our caravan.  Still trying to think of a waz to send pictures.  Internet cafes don't let zou use zour own computer or plug in flash drives.   Any suggestions?

On our own in Berlin

Above:  rock crystal ewer at the Perghamon.  Bob says it is made of polished transparent quartz.  iIt really sparkled and shined brightly!

 Above:  section of the Ishtar Gate into Babylon

Above: Bob regards the processional road leading to the Ishtar Gate lined with glazed tile panels showing lions that protect the city and demonstrate its power.

Another great day.  We spent quite a while in the Pergamon Museum viewing the Pergamon Altar (constructed in about 100 BC in present day Turkey by the Greeks); it had the gorgeous Greek statues carved in marble and also large friezes.  The Ishtar Gate into Babylon was beautiful to see--bright glazed colors. And the richly decorated interior of a Christian trader in Aleppo (a port now in Syria).   Strange to say that we were looking at Greek, Roman and Syrian artifacts in Germany.  Also saw much Islamic art there too.

Then we revisted a few sites that we saw yesterday and returned "home" about 5, but not before stopping at a neighborhood place for one of Berlin's brews.

Tomorrow we take the high-speed ICE train to Munich.  It's a journey of 6 hours (exactly 5 hours and 56 minutes because we're in Germany!)  I am using our little netbook in the hotel lobby because of the Y Z problem.  While doing this, the fire alarm went off and we had the firemen, police and ambulance to rescue us; it was a false alarm.   Still haven't found a way to send pictures.

Safe arrival and sightseeing marathon

Brandenburg gate today

Hallo!  We had safe, pleasant and uneventful flights to Berlin.  First stage of our triathalon was the Airport Dash, which we accomplished admirably, especially in Atlanta.  Our first plane was looking for an empty gate while our second plane was beginning to board.  We dashed over and sat down before they closed the doors.  Had a spot of difficulty figuring out the buses, subways in Berlin but managed to transport ourselves to our hotel and maneuver our suitcases on lots of stairs.  This was the second triathalon stage---the Luggage Lug.  We crashed briefly and then left to see Checkpoint Charlie, a short walk from our hotel.  Finallzy got a real meal on Tuesdaz night, the 4th since leaving home at 7 a.m. on Sundaz.  This is a European kezboard and thez´ve moved the Ys to the place of the Zs and vice versa.  The @ szmbol has been moved to the place of the Q and requires a STRG key and ALT to access.  Lots of other strange items too. ßßß €€€ ÜÜ µµµ öö ää ÄÄ 

             To the right: Checkpoint Charlie as it was in the 1980s

Todaz we began the Tourist Marathon with the walking tour that Edie recommended. We saw many sites in central Berlin--from the beginning dazs of Berlin through the Nazis and new things from today.  The guide was more than excellent--very knowledgeable and entertaining.  After that tour, we visited some other sites that he had pointed out.  Between the guide´s tour and then our own exploration, we didn´t return to the hotel until 8 p.m.


This is coming from a computer in the hotel lobbz and we can´t send pictures.  Berlin is fascinating and we´re glad we chose to visit here.  Plans for tomorrow are uncertain--lots of possibilities.  Weather here was cool in the morning, sunnier and warmer in the afternoon.  Nice to have words without Ys and Zs.

Map of our RV caravan route

The RV caravan starts in Munich.  We meet our fellow caravanners at a hotel near the Munich airport on Monday Aug. 22 and pick up the RVs the next day.  Internet access will be spotty at the campgrounds.

Tomorrow (the 15th) we go to Berlin for a few days sightseeing, then by train to Munich for a few days on our own before we hook up with the caravan on the 22nd.

The Tourist Triathalon begins!

Cody and Flat Stanley

Hey, Stanley, where are my grandpeople going?


I don't know, Cody, but we'd better get packing - leash, ball, bickies and some clothes for me.