Part 32: Berchtesgaden

June 21, 1991

"Left at 8:00 a.m. in the morning to make our way to Berchtesgaden. Made a quick appearance at a McDonald's where we refueled with pomme frites mit mayo und curry ketchup. Arrived at the Berchtesgaden Hof Hotel five hours later, had a nice buffet meal, then went walking to stretch our legs.  

Waded in the freezing Konigsee River while New Mexico Man practiced his spear fishing skills (which were superb). Brushed up on our miniature golfing then headed back to our nice cool room and turned in for the night."

Berchtesgaden is a serene village in Southern Germany near Salzburg, Austria;  a perfect place for some rest and relaxation. First referenced in 1102, it became a favored hunting domain of Salzburg's local aristocrats.  

We stayed at The Berchtesgadener Hof Hotel, formerly named Grand-Hotel Kaiserin Auguste-Viktoria, which dates back to 1898.  Once frequented by European nobility, the hotel was later visited by historical, political, and Nazi military figures such as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Earl David Lloyd George, Eva Braun, Erwin Rommel (Desert Fox), Heinrich Himmler, and others.  

 The Berchtesgadner Hof was depicted in "Band of Brothers" episode 10.  Alas, the reduction of US Armed Forces in Germany ultimately contributed to the closure of the hotel.  After being restored to the German Government, and in part because of it's Nazi past, the hotel was left abandoned, looted, vandalized, and allowed to fall into disrepair.  It  was torn down in 2006.  A museum, called Haus der Berge, is being built on the spot - anticipated opening 2013.

Watzmann Peaks

The hotel manager made sure his staff had set aside one of the upper most rooms for our pleasure as he had heard this was our preference.  Each morning we were awakened by the yodeling of small birds sitting upon our balcony railing.  

After cooling off for a bit in our air conditioned room we went out to mingle with the locals. We strolled downtown, through the marketplatz, and along the Konigsee River. 

Everywhere we went bare legged Berchtesgadeners would quip “Grüß Gott”.  By the time we got to the alpine supplied Konigsee river we had stirred up quite a gathering; and while the water was ice cold we found the experience exhilarating!  We later impressed many folk with our our miniature golfing abilities and even autographed some colorful golf balls.

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Most people are afraid of small yodeling birds.  Admit it, I am Fearless.

Miscellaneous Meandering: Lucky Luke

Over time the local legend of the Furchtlose Schloss-Aufsatz-Bergsteiger-Frau and the always trusty sidekick New Mexico Man sent the Deutches Volk into a romanticized Wild West frenzy. The good citizens became enamored with anything vaguely Western. Young Europeans could be seen in American "Flying Ace" bomber jackets or T-shirts with Old West designs - we couldn't resist giggling at the surreal turn of events.

New Mexico Man's favorite carnival games were target shooting with B-B-Guns and knocking cans over with gold baseballs.  After awhile these games had new English signs proclaiming "Golden Balls Flying at Cans" and "Western Rifle Shoot". We felt right at home.

There was even a Wild West Cartoon and Comic book "Lucky Luke" which quickly became one of our favorites.   We  received many requests to autograph comic books, and often would receive the latest volume as a gift.  We still have a few, pictured here is one of our favorites.  
In 1993 writers collaborated with New Mexico Man on an episode featuring the Dalton Gang who's first robbery target was in Silver City, New Mexico. Here is the original intro...don't you think Lucky looks slightly familiar?

Set in the Wild West, today, Lucky Luke is one of the best selling comic books in Europe. Lucky Luke comics are available in 23 languages. At the end of almost every animated episode, Lucky Luck rides the sunset on his horse Jolly Jumper, singing (in English) "I'm a poor lonesome cowboy, and a long way from home...".

Part 31: Holland: Amsterdam

April 1991 "Sunny & Warm - Amsterdam was the last stop of our Netherland tour."

We were sad to leave Holland but at least we would always have the memories of the pasture surrounded windmills where little lambs presented their hooves for our autographs. Tired but happy we arrived home at 4:30 a.m. and sorted through all of our souvenirs. We kept the list of everything our wonderful supporters gave us throughout our Netherland travels.

Most people are afraid of aufklebers. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 30: Volendam

"April 1991: Sunny and Warm. Spent some well deserved free time in Volendam; a 700 year old fishing village on the shore of the North Sea. We combed the beach for small shells and sea glass."

We walked along the shore and watched the big sailboats and seagulls on the horizon. New Mexico Man boosted his super hero vision by consuming teeney tiny fried fish, clams, and of course mussels. I settled for the much preferred order of pomme frites mit curry ketchup. We both agreed that the accompanying Black Current Fanta was Fab! Collected some sand and shells for a memento of a mesmerizing experience.

DrinkFanta: 1940's available in Europe. 1960 introduced to USA. Fondly associated with good times and happiness. Tingly fruit taste. Now a favorite across the world.

~Sadly most people are afraid to catch a black currant soda. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 29: Holland Gouda

February 1991: Sunny
"Off to the Gouda cheese factory. Actually it was more of a small farm."

Parades in the Holland sun certainly build a hunger for cheese. At the farm, they showed us the cheese making process - it takes 20 liters of milk to make a 2 kilo ball of cheese. We bought the end product of 40 liters, one plain Gouda and one variety called Dynamite which was flavored with fresh finely chopped stinging nettles. Anyone familiar with stinging nettle will know it carries quite a punch. The nettle cheese was delicious. A few years back we tried to find some nettle Gouda. We did find some, alas we suspect that the nettles were dried or cooked as there was no dynamite sensation at all.

~Most people are afraid of stinging nettles. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Glucklich Neu Jahre!

At the close of 1991 we were happily settled into our home in Germany. Staying true to my newly achieved tower climbing status we lived atop a 16 story high-rise which swayed delightfully in the breeze rocking us to sleep each night.

However, we were completely unprepared for the manifestation of Neujahrsfest in Germany. There was no limit to the amount of gunpowder in a single canister or the plethora of astonishing fireworks to be found in every shop, corner stand, and business for the taking. Never again have we seen such an array or the mad twinkle in the eye of every citizen snatching packages from the shelves. There were rockets the size of Yule logs, tiny striped cartoon-like bees, tanks, grenade bombs, whistlers, and bursting stars. The little bees were our favorite as they whirled up in the air buzzing wildly.

Our building was L-shaped and the Hausmeister took the solemn honor and responsibility of the buildings firework display to the highest level of inhibition. We were not disappointed nor was our building shamed - for we had one of the grandest displays of firepower in the village. Being on the 16th floor, it was a magnificent spectacle to behold. The rockets red glare glowed as they shot past our windows and we had an eye level view of many of the show stopping fire blooms.

The L-shape also proved a superb shape to capture and magnify the acoustics of the show. It made us feel as if we were magically transported right into the Star Spangled Banner and the ear deafening blasts they must have witnessed. Alas, we were deeply saddened by the dead batteries in our tape recorder as well as the powder burns on both our love seat and carpet.

May 2012 be as brilliant of and occasion - Happy New Year!

~Most people are afraid of whirling fire bees. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 28: USO Holland - Wooden Shoes

April 1991
“Our fourth stop was a wooden shoe factory. The shoes cost $25-$50 or about 39 guilder."

The process reminded me of the key machines you find in hardware stores. To make the wooden shoe, they have a pattern shoe on one side and a block of wood on the other. As the guide arm follows the pattern shoe, it carves the block of wood to make a new shoe.

It is claimed that wooden shoes are still worn in the fields as they are waterproof and very warm (yet quite difficult to walk in). I bought a pair for training purposes as walking through muddy sugar beet fields in wooden shoes does wonders for the tower climbing muscles. As these two songs point out, it is rather amazing what a pair of new shoes can do.





~Most people are afraid of muddying their wooden shoes. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 27: USO Holland Den Haag

April 1991
“Went to see the annual Holland flower parade. There were many floats and cars covered with flowers. Lilacs, tulips, hyacinth, and many other flowers too. It smelled wonderful. ”

On this day, we drove by vast seas of tulips and flowers as we made our way to flower parade. I had seen the Rose parade on television but had never seen anything like it in person. Climbed the tall flower adorned light poles for a better view - fabulous! Climbed down just in time to hitch a ride on the back of this float and even signed a couple of wooden shoes. If you look closely, you can just make out the corner of New Mexico Man's yellow cape.

~Most people are afraid of getting lost in a sea of tulips. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 26: USO Madurodam

April 1991
“Next we went to Den Haag to see the miniature scale city of Madurodam. It had moated castles, grand palaces, fields of flowers, pastures with windmills, ports, live miniature trees, etc.”

This place was quite impressive. All of the vehicles, boats, and trains moved. Tiny churchbells rang, and at night it is lit by 50,000 mini lights. If I had happened upon a shrink ray, I would have lived quite happily climbing all of the miniature castle towers.

~Most people are afraid of shrink rays. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 25: USO Holland - Delft

April 1991
“After breakfast, we headed off to the Delft Porcelain Factory. The owner was waiting outside to greet us.”

Turned out the owner (son of the previous owner) was a big New Mexico Man fan. He took us in the factory where we were thoroughly educated with many demonstrations on the art of Delft porcelain. We learned that the famous Delft Blue color is made from powdered cobalt; and that the white clay is a mixture of ½ England, ½ German clays.

~Most people are afraid of powdered cobalt. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 24: USO Holland

April 27, 1991 (weather – sunny and warm):
“Left at 12:30 at night, drove for about 6 hours and stopped for breakfast in the small Netherland town of Rehmen."

Our hostess Lucia served a delicious continental breakfast which consisted of very whole grain bread, raisin bread, rolls, white bread, orange cheese, white cheese, cold cuts, hard boiled eggs, jelly, chocolate milk, juice, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate (because it’s good, and good for you). She smiled at us constantly and had a gleam in her eye as she nodded to us and waived goodbye.

~Most people are afraid of very whole grain breads. Admit it, I am Fearless. ~

Miscellaneous Meandering: Medieval Help Desk

Europe is home to much Medieval History. Some people in America think that Al Gore invented the Internet, that Bill Gates invented the home computer, and that perhaps they both hand in the Helpdesk Profession by proxy. However, living in Germany, I learned this is not true. In fact there are historical records of Medieval Helpdesk Technicians scripted in old dusty tomes long forgotten in the libraries of European Abbeys and Monasteries. Here is a recreation of the first documented workday of just such a professional.

If you find the subtitles on the following video too small to read, you can us this link to go directly to the YouTube clip... then click on the rectangle Icon at the bottom right of the video to maximize. The words will be blurry but bigger. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ


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Most people are afraid of forgotten libraries. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 23: Saalburg

March 10, 1991 "Partly cloudy – small rain off and on:
Finally made it to the Roman Fortress. “

The site was littered with ruins. Many had been excavated. Keys, tools, pottery, glass, jewelry, buckets, dishes, sandals, statues and mosaics, were just a few of the many treasures on display. We were recognized by some of the locals as we walked along the Limes and were given a replica roman coin to commemorate our visit. There were no towers but many scratchy trees rising to dazzling heights. I much prefer climbing towers which, barring a fall, cause less abrasions.
Roman Limes Reconstruction Ruins
Mural
Statues
Artifacts

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Most people are afraid of ruins. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 22: Schloss Bad Homburg

March 9, 1991 (sunny and cool):
“Climbed a 186 step tower that had secret documents under the top ornament. The view was great! What a neat mistake.” The photo is actually one of the postcards that we sent to family.

We started out early morning and stumbled on this castle by mistake while looking for “Saalburg” a reconstructed Roman Fort. Thinking the fort might be on the premises; we walked through the arched gate but quickly realized that we were mistaken. However, there was a nice inviting tower in the courtyard. The burg meister recognized me and started the crowd clamoring for action; so of course I had to stay and climb it.

An interesting side note: New Mexico man had transported cryptic documents across Europe for years. Once he found some old parchment documents in boring script. He translated the text into code on the back of each page "Just for fun". Imagine our surprise to find that these were the very same documents hidden under the ornament adorning the tower. We autographed each page per the burg meister’s request before tucking them back into their hiding place.
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Most people are afraid of burg meisters. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 21: Ronneburg Schloss

We went to see this medieval castle which sits atop a hill of basalt. This is my favorite castle and we found it on my birthday. Once, I got a Chinese fortune that read “You will inherit a European Castle”… I’m pretty sure this is the one!

The name implies - a hill fort built of "Ronen" or tree trunks. It was built around the 13th century over the foundation of an older fort.

I read that the tower has 143 steps. I’m not sure whether the person on the web miscounted (there is another set of stair leading to the very top) or whether I mixed my notes up with the next tower. While towers can blend together after awhile, I climbed this tower a few times and counted more than once.
[Click the image below to enlarge captions if desired.]

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Most people are afraid of fortune cookies. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 20: Friedberg

February 27, 1991 (Sunny and Warm):
“Walked around the castle grounds. Couldn’t go into the palace this day as it was being refurbished due to a fire. Saw old towers and a neat old church. Went shopping bought bath beads, bath crystals, plastic ice cubes, candy, a ring of blutwurst, ribs, chicken, fresh smoked sardines, croissants, and fruit bread.”

Super heroes are known for their odd tendencies; thus the blutwurst and sardines for New Mexico Man. Not even the steepest tower climb could have honed my hunger into a willingness to eat such fodder.
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Most people are afraid to be around refurbishing projects. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 19: Selingenstadt Tower Stairs

February 23, 1991:
“We found an old tower that was a gate tower for the city wall. The tower stairs were all stone, no metal except for the handrails installed by the defense windows for tourists. You can see the stairs in the photo I took from one of the windows”.

The day started off sunny and cool; then the clouds rolled in. Nice weather for tower climbing. We then went to the small marketplatz where we bought saffron, whole nutmeg, current cake, dark bread, a bunny roll, gluwine (blech), cinnamon, chocolate covered sour cherries, dried lychees, a glass duck ornament, postcards, and cheese.
CAUTION: Tower Climbing may result in odd cravings.

Went on a tour of an old Abbey which took over 30 years to build. Then bought a loaf of bread and fed the ducks. In addition to his many talents, New Mexico Man is quite the duck whisperer. Once again we were amazed to find that our fame continued to spread throughout animaldom. We spent hours signing webbed feet and wings.

Antiquity:
Seligenstadt is one of Germany’s oldest towns. Sometime about AD 100, during the reign of Roman Emperor Trajan, a cohort castrum was built on what is now Seligenstadt’s marketplace and parts of its Old Town. Since the 16th century, the castrum has been assigned the name “Selgum”. With the fall of the Limes during the stormings by the Alamanni about 260, the castrum was forsaken, and the Romans withdrew farther behind the Rhine line.
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Most people are afraid of duck fans. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 18b: Barbarossastadt - Gelnhausen

Gelnhausen -one of my favorite towns, was founded by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1170, it is therefore nicknamed "Barbarossastadt".

Perched on a steep hillside overlooking the Kinzig valley, it is a wonderment of ancient timbered houses and narrow cobbled streets encircled by medieval walls.


The moated Imperial Palace of Frederick I (Barbararossa,”Red Beard”) was built [ 1170-1200] below the town on an island in the Kinzig river supported by 12,000 driven piles [a job that would have kept New Mexico Man in work for a lifetime]. Today it is the best preserved palatinate castle from this era.

It is said, that Barbarossa awakens from his sleep in a mountain in central Germany every hundred years to see if Germany needs his help. Sometimes he and King Arthur get together and play cards. On this day, he played tag with the Fearless Castle Tower Climber Woman.



Walked the ivy-ladened walls of the ruins which made my trusty side-kick become rather faint of heart. He watched, breath held, while I performed fearless pirouettes atop this wall.

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Most people are afraid to pirouette. Admit it, I am Fearless.