Our Last Full Day -- as wonderful as all the rest!

Then we drove on past Glasgow around to the west coast on the Firth of Clyde. We had stayed in a B&B down in Largs in 2005, and wanted to see if it was still there. Nope :( Nothing is ever the same, is it? But to quote yet another cliche, when one window closes, another opens. Ha-ha Gotcha! So we drove a bit further and found the Haile Hotel, and landed a third floor room with an fantastical view of the firth. A bow window gives us a view in three directions, so we can watch the ferries and trawlers and sailboats, and we can hear the gulls squawk. We've been resting and reading and repacking... our 3 R's for tonight.

Dinner was at the Nadino Cafe, recommended as the best place for fish and chips. It was good! Plus Dan got to try an Italian beer... another first! After the meal, we walked along the beach, with Kathy finding more sea glass. She loves it! It's been the perfect ending to our 25th Anniversary Journey. Oh yes, as we were waiting to eat, we figured out we'd been married 1302 weeks (25x52+2) and 9141 days. Have you figured out your stats? Interesting when one thinks about it. Ah, but I'm waxing philosophic...

Tomorrow, we'll drive to the airport, and head on home to Minneapolis International Airport with a brief stop in Iceland. We'll sleep in Minneapolis, and on Saturday be welcomed at and glad to see Friendship Farm.

To those of you who read these posts thanks... these will be my "journal" of the trip. I've kept one each time. When I slow down on the farm, I'm going to edit them all, add (a few of the thousands) photos, and publish -- 0k, probably self-publish. :) We've had a great trip and really appreciated all your emails about K. Signing off with love, Kathy and Dan

Crieff Pottery-- Where Kathy's Mom Went in 1997

One of Kathy's goals was to visit the town of Creiff where her Mom, sister, brother and wife had been in 1997. Mom brought back some beautiful pottery with Scotland's thistle design. The pottery got broken and Kathy wanted to see the place and perhaps buy a new piece. So Creiff's Pottery it is, and we found the showroom to be delightful. A nice lunch, and lots of looking at things; a few souvenirs purchased, and yes, several pieces of the thistle design pottery, although one suspects it's been "moderned-up" a bit in the past ten years. Then we drove on, mostly through rain, to Edinburgh and south to our next B&B. It was in another rural area, this one with huge hills and thousands of sheep. The Rowallen B&B is in the family home of Carolyn and Adrian Cotmore. Both of retirement age, they sure seem to enjoy hosting. The view out of the lounge and breakfast room was of sheep and more sheep; the view out our bedroom was of their beautiful garden, with flowers galore. Three (count them, three) vases of sweet peas welcomed us as we arrived. While the drive around Edinburgh wasn't, the evening at Rowallen was relaxed and comfortable.

Loch Rannoch -- A Dream Fulfilled!

Greetings... have been without adequate internet since our arrival, so am well behind. Also some of the days are a bit long... we are returning to our old travel ways! Kathy is improving every day and we are so thankful.

When we stayed in Aberfeldy Scotland in 2005, we learned of a railway station at the end of a loch (lake) 20 miles down a single track road... we wanted to go see it then, but it didn't happen. Talked about it again in 2008, but we were too far away. So this time, although it wasn't on our original schedule, we made it happen because our revised journey brought us close. It was a beautiful drive, full of narrow roads, twists and turns, and plenty of "oohh" from Kathy as a car would come over one of the "blind summits" and we'd nearly meet head-on. We had tea and biscuits at the station, and then drove on the south side of the loch back to a town called Kenmore, where Kathy had heard of a new wool store. We found it, and now she's richer and I'm poorer :)
Then we took a guided tour of a Crannog, a wood & thatch house built on logs driven into Loch Tay about 20 feet off shore. It's an accurate reproduction of a type of living done 2500 years ago on the lake. Very, very interesting. Then we drove to Aberfeldy to find a B&B. So here we are. Will try to post photos tomorrow a.m. Greetings to all!

Heidelberg to Frankfurt to Glasgow and on!

July 9,2010

Yesterday was travel day, and it went smoothly. We ended our stay in Heidelberg on Wednesday with a trip back to Altstaadt to get some gifts and souvenirs. Then went out to eat with the folks who had helped us so much during Kathy's little episode. We ate at a wonderful local Gasthaus (pub/restaurant) and had fantastic food (although way too much) and beer. Photo above.

Yesterday we left for Frankfurt airport at about 8:30. Thank goodness the drive was congestion free and we made it to the airport by 9:45. Our flight left at 11:45 and was smooth as silk. We had a 2 hour layover at London City airport (not Heathrow, yea!) where I found Steven King's massive new novel Under the Dome. Got right at reading it! On both legs of the journey K and I played cribbage. Arrived at Glasgow nearly on time despite a delay in London. Got our rental car-- the guy behind the counter reminded us both of Mr. Extrovert Ben... what a card he was! And of course because of the accent we couldn't understand half of what he was saying, but he laughed a lot, so we did too!

The drive (on the wrong side of the road and shifting with my left hand) was good. There was lots of traffic north of Glasgow because of the Scottish Golf Open... and miles of traffic backed up north of the site (but in the opposite lane-- whew!). We stopped at Loch Lomond for our tradition photo (third one!) and at the Drover's Inn for our meal (we ate there on our way back to Glasgow from Oban in 2008). We had Lamb Broth (barley, veg, & lamb), Warm Goat Cheese Salad (excellent, my goat cheese is as good as theirs), and Bangers & Mash (pork & leek sausages with mashed potatoes, onions and dark gravy). It was all so good. The only thing missing was a good dark beer, but I didn't know if I should on those narrow Scottish roads.

Our B&B is lovely... 200 year old farm house that was gutted and totally renovated. Very nice rooms and a delicious breakfast this morning of fruit & yogurt, toast, egg, sausage, ham (they call it bacon), cooked tomato, beans, superb mushrooms, haggis, and black pudding. Kathy had the vegetarian version. I can't figure out why they call it "traditional Scottish breakfast" because I doubt very much Scots of any generation typically ate all that for breakfast. Perhaps because all of the foods are traditional. Anyhow, we both got totally stuffed and will have to do penance!

Today on towards Fort William, Inverness, and our next B&B, near Tain, just north of the Black Isle. It's on the east coast of Scotland, facing the Moray Firth, a large bay coming in from the North Sea.

Regrouping! Kathy Back!

Wednesday July 7, 2010

The past three days have been about regrouping and reclaiming our vacation. Kathy was discharged late Monday after a stress test and echo cardiogram. Both looked good. We came back to the apartment on bus and tram -- it is SO much easier than driving! Along the way we stopped at a large department store-- and headed right to the cafe for some non-institutional food as per Kathy's request. We shared a delicous Greek salad and heaping bowl of berries... raspberries, blue-berries, johannesberries, and some we didn't recognize, but were delicious. Photos in "food" album.

Then Kathy oohed and aahed over the merchandise available in the store... makes Martha Stewart offerings look drab! She took a couple pictures to show you.

Tuesday we spent time replanning our trip, changing flights, renting car, yada-yada. I went for a long walk and picked up some meds for her. Very good to be back together!

Today (Wednesday) a.m. we are cleaning up the apartment, washing clothes, yada-yada, and this afternoon hope to go back to the downtown area for a bit of shopping and perchance some good coffee/pastry. Or maybe another Greek salad!!!

Philosopher's Walk - Saturday 2 July

On Saturday a.m. Kathy wanted me to take some time in Heidelberg, so I decided to take a walk on Philosophen Weg -- Philosopher's Walk. It winds along the bluff on the north side of the Neckar River, amidst vineyards and orchards. It dates from ... and has quite a good history, since the University of Heidelberg is the oldest in Germany.

The climb was steep and it was hot! Once on top, however, the view overlooking the city was wonderful. One posted here and more in the photo album.

Then I went down to the old bridge... nearly straight down as you'll see in the photos. The old bridge is impressive, and there were a couple guys playing music (for coins) on the bridge. Such ambiance! The "downtown" of old town is of course full of tourists... I couldn't believe the increase in numbers since Kathy & I went down there on June 24. July-August is Europe's "high" season and lots of tourists. I came out of the Holy Ghost Church and within 50 feet there were three tour groups with guides speaking in three languages!

Then I headed toward the castle, but when I saw the sign that said "Schloss - 10 minuten" pointing straight up the hill, I opted to do that another day. The legs were already feeling a bit weary. So a walk along Hauptstrasse with it's delightful stores, restaurants, and best of all cafe/bakeries was next. Stopped for an "eis Kafe mit shokolade und vanilla" (chocolate and vanilla ice cream in coffee) -- yum! But not as enjoyable as earlier because K was languishing in her "hospital B&B".

Church -- Castle -- Kathy

Sunday 4 July 2010

Dan went to church this morning at a Lutheran congregation on the University of Heidelberg. It is the oldest church in Heidelberg, dating from 12th century. Beautiful inside, as you'll see in the photo album. The worship was all in German of course, yet I was able to follow along quite well, and even recognized the Gospel reading from the German I heard. The music was wonderful; not only an incredible organ and organist, but also a brass group playing prelude, special music, and along with hymns.

After worship I found the "funicular"... the cable car going straight up the side of the mountain to the old castle. Weird.. very futuristic transportation taking us to see a castle from the 1300's. It was interesting, has an incredible pharmacy museum and fantastic views over the old part of the city and far beyond. Wasn't much fun doing it alone.

Then headed off to the hospital... missed the bus, so walked to Bismarckplaz, thinking I'd grab a cup of coffee and pastry at one of the bakeries along the way... wrong... pretty much everything except the restaurants is closed on Sunday. Did find one "take-away" shop open, and had a shrimp and egg salad sandwich. It was delicious of course. Transportation is also an issue on Sunday-- trams running only on half hours, and of course, to connections didn't mesh to my benefit, so long waiting times... was glad to arrive and get/give a hug. Kathy doing well on Sunday, although her arm hurts from the blood loss during the cath. We walked around in hospital (still very hot outside), and played cribbage in the cafeteria. I even had a beer there!!! (It was non-alcoholic.) Also have noticed wine and beer "cafe" in a large department store... mostly men sitting in there of course :)

A Good Day for Kathy (and for Germany)

Today was a good day... when I arrived at the hospital, Kathy was all "unhooked" and dressed for the day. We very quickly took a walk down the hall and back. She was so glad to get out of the room! Later we went outside and walked in the University Botanical Garden. (It is VERY HOT here, right now (7:30 local time) it is 86 with very little breeze. It's been this hot all week, and the hospital is not air-conditioned, so that has taken it's toll on Kathy who doesn't much like HOT. Hottest spell in a decade; average high in July is 78.) So we walked very slowly, and sat in the shade for quite a while before returning. Then we sat in the cafeteria and had some ice-cream. (German ice-cream is very good, quite rich, and we both felt it in our stomachs... agreed we should have split one.) She took a nap for a while while I read, then the rest of the afternoon (probaby a good 2+ hours) we chatted with her roommate who speaks no English... so Dan was translator. My brain is wrecked from trying to figure out recipes and family systems and travel! Supper came about 6 pm and a bit after that I came back to the apartment. It is difficult to leave and be left, so we are counting the days until Monday. We have rearranged our flight home (very easily I might note, thank you Icelandair) and will be back in the US the evening of July 16. Earlier than originally planned, but later than we thought on the day after the MI.

P>S> it was a good day for Germany as they have won their game in fussball (soccer) and there is continual horn-honking, shouting, signing, and merrymaking in the streets.

Didn't plan on this B&B!!!

Today is 2 July, and Kathy has been in the Medizinische Klinik since the 29th. She is now in a regular room, and we received the good news today that she will be discharged Monday. We'd prefer tomorrow, but hospitals here like hospitals in the US don't do much on weekends. Even better news was the doctor's firm opinion (a second opinion on this that was more to our liking) that there is no harm in continuing our holiday for some more days, so long as Kathy is sympton free and we don't stray too far from adequate medical facilities. Yea!!! So we plan to come back to Nicole's on Monday, and sometime later fly to Scotland for an abbreviated journey there. Yea! We gave up on Paris and that was sad, it was horrible to think of giving up both Paris and Scotland, so this will be a balm in Scotland for us. More as our plans coalesce.

29 June 2010 Our 25th Anniversary!

Today was going to be another big sightseeing day, probably our last big day trip out of Heidelberg. We planned to see 3 of the 4 largest cathedrals in Germany: found in Speyer, Mainz, and Wurms. We had seen the Cologne cathedral in 2005, the 4th. Speyer is a small town only about 20-30 miles from here, which turned out to be lucky. We had a wonderful strawberry milkshake and an EisKaffe which sounds like iced coffee only is ice-cream and coffee. This was even better as it was ice-cream in espresso. Kathy had been having some heartburn since breakfast, so didn't really enjoy hers. Yet we headed over to the cathedral, only about a block away. By the time we got there, she was feeling worse, and headed to a spot with a half-wall against which she could lean. I asked if she wanted to go any farther and she said "no", so I went and got the car for her to rest in. We re-parked and she insisted I go look at the cathedral while she rested.

The cathedral was huge, and Romanesque as differentiated from Gothic (later Middle Ages). Speyer Cathedral was built in the 30 years between 1030 and 1061. They were working on the organ, and at one point the repair person played a couple lines... fabulous, I wish I could have heard a concert. I walked around the outside and around the inside, but couldn't really enjoy because I was concerned about Kathryn. So after about 20 minutes or so I headed back to the car. There I found her not resting, hot, and rather uncomfortable. We headed back to Heidelberg.

Once back, we stopped at a pharmacy for antacid tablets. She took about twice as many as indicated, but no relief. I asked one of Nicole's friends whom we should call, and she called the military rescue unit for advice. They took charge and came right over. Suddenly our world was topsy-turvey, and the rest is history: an ambulance ride to University of Heidelberg hospital, a consultation with the medical personnel there, blood tests, and the news that she had a heart attack... not large, but the blockage causing the attack required action. At about 6:00 they came and said "we have a space opened up and can do it now" so off they went with barely time for a goodbye kiss. It was pretty scary. (Not to mention the fact that she speaks no German, and mine is not up to snuff for deep conversation, to say nothing of medical discussions. Fortunately, many of the staff speak some English (from little to adequate) and some speak quite good English. The doctor who did the angioplasty spoke excellent English. After an hour or so, he came out and informed me that all had gone well and she was doing fine.

What a way to spend a 25th wedding anniversary. After, as we talked, we spoke of how good it was our beloved children and families threw the party they did when they did, and we DID have a wonderful anniversary. We also were thankful for the five fun-filled days we had enjoyed in Heidelberg.

Wartburg Castle

Today we drove to Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, one of the Lutheran "holy sites". It was a very long and difficult drive (heavy traffic, much construction) but worth it. The castle is high on a bluff overlooking the villages and valley, one can see why it was chosen as a fortified site. We had an excellent hour long English language guided tour, and learned much about the castle and history. On the Picasa album you'll see photos that will amaze you... some of the things we saw dating back to the time of Luther ... but not the furnishings. Much was done to the castle in the 1800's, as folks developed a new appreciation of their history, and then embellished it, re-creating the castle of the middle-ages as they thought it would be.

After that tour, we drove into Eisenach and toured the Bachhaus, a museum of Johannes Sebastian Bach. Much, much to see, overwhelmed with music history. Photos also on Picassa.

Concluded the day in Eisenach with a much needed meal. Dan ate a Thrungia (the state in which Eisenach is located) wurst (we'd call it a bratwurst) and sauerkraut that knocked my socks off.

Kathy had a cold meat platter that had some weird looking (and tasting) meats on it.

Drove home on a different route that was much more scenic and pleasant. Still 4 hours is a long drive. Ended up being a 14 hour day!

6/27/2010

Today we drove out of the city, to the French village of Hunspach, which we had read about in the France magazine we purchased. What a happy accident to purchase that magazine and thus discover that town. It was nearly deserted (outside) because it was Sunday, but the restaurant we entered was soon full. We had a delicious meal and after a bit joined in conversation with two folks sitting at the next table, Patrice and Rosalyn from Nice, France. They were staying in Strassbourg. He spoke halting English, she none. We speak less than halting French, yet we had a delightful time. The meal was leisurely, as once the restaurant was full, no more folks came in. We sat there for two hours!!! Finished off with crème brulee (K) and mousse chocolat (D) and espresso. Wow and Wow! Don't miss the photos of Hunspach and our yummy dessert in the album.

6/26/2010

Today we drove into Heidelberg (on Saturday hardly any traffic) and found two Wool Shops on Kathy's list. She will probably visit them during the week when they are open. One was near the Handschuhsheim, a structure partly ruins, partly in use, that was once the home of knights. References to it as far back as 8^th century! Nearby was a large church that was open and the organist was practicing. Lovely. Later we ate at a very good Italian restaurant near Nicole's home. The other couple eating was American, and were celebrating a wedding anniversary as well!

6/25/2010

Today we took a day trip along the Neckar River, through Heilbronn and on to Maulbronn where there exists a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Maulbronn Monastery. The Neckar is a pretty river, and the valley rather narrow at the Heidelberg end, but widens as we drive south. We even saw barges on the river, and passed several locks. Heilbronn turned out to be larger than we anticipated, and we didn't find the old buildings we were seeking. We were ready for some lunch, so drove on; we stopped at one backerei (bakery) where one can get sandwiches as well as sweets, but it was closed from 1-2pm. So on we went and what a fortunate accident that was-- as we were pulling off into the small town of Gemmingen, I saw a sign for Toskana Cafe pointing away from the town. I jerked the steering wheel and we pulled onto a one lane road, thinking and saying, "this can't be right". About a mile down the road we pulled into the parking lot of a beautiful, brand new, contemporary cafe and gift shop. We were amazed, and went in, as they say in German, "gerne"... gladly. What a wonderful meal, wonderful service, and friendly atmosphere we encountered. But AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH--- the camera battery died after Kathy took this photo of me in the cafe. Look behind me at the cafe, not at me. :) There are photos of the drive to Toskana in the Piccasa album.

After lunch we drove on to Maulbronn and the ancient monastery, dating back to the 1100's. It was an impressive structure and community. It had not only the church and quarters for brothers and laymen, but also a winery, barns, apothecary, bursar's office (financials) and more. During the Reformation, the ruling powers of Kingdom of Wurttemberg became Protestant, and eventually the whole monastery became Protestant. In the mid-1550's the monastery became a Protestant school, training boys beginning at ages 10-14 for religious work in the church. Among the better known students matriculating from Maulbronn were Johannes Keppler (astronomer and mathematician) and Hermann Hesse, German author. It was an inspiring afternoon, capped off with a nice glass of local Riesling at the Restaurant zur Kloster Katz, part of the entire complex. Here is a photo of the complex from the web:

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It's worth the effort to look at other photos at: http://www.archaeologie-bw.de/maulbron/mb_tab.html

View of the Platz (town square) and Schloss (castle) behind it on hill.

The scene is just wonderful... of course many people, but many of them being very leisurely (like us). We plan on going up to the castle soon.

Heidelberg "Altstadt" Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Spirit/Ghost Church)

Ok... thanks for the emails from Margaret & MJ, I figured out I had to give permission for comments on the posts...

so now anyone can comment... even the mailman or the firewoman.

Today we went to the "Aldtstadt" the old city of Heidelberg... reminded us lots of Reykjavik, Iceland. We took the Tram and it was so nice... America wake up! And as you can see in the photo, Kathy found what she was looking for (a wool shop)! I suspect it won't be the last she visits!

I went on, and saw some of the old buildings, (the oldest University in Germany is in Heidelberg) and the old 'Holy Spirit Church'. I'll upload a couple photos from that historic area. Will probably return, as we only gave it a cursory visit.

Let's Go Sightseeing!

Guten Morgan!! It's 10:00 a.m here and we are ready to hit the town! Must have been tired... we went to bed at 6 pm (all time now Euro time) and I slept until 7:30 a.m. Unheard of! Of course I was awakened by what must have been the celebration of a German victory in the World Cup games! Went for a walk this a.m. and purchased sweets from the local bakery and flowers for "meine schoenes Frau" and did it all in German! Yea me! Starting to feel like we are on vacation!

Now we are flying over the Atlantic between Iceland and mainland Europe. It's 4:15 body time, and we just finished a delicious breakfast of asparagus omelet, croissant, juice, coffee, and a delicious serving of waffle that had been “sugarized”... it was served cold with blackberries, currants, and lignon berries (?). We had a happy circumstance of being upgraded to business class for this leg of the trip. We had splurged for “economy comfort” for the trip, which meant wider seats and sitting in the first class seating area without the first class treats (but with a lesser level of treats). For this leg we get the full treatment and it's a nice way to travel and fun birthday gift!

The body is amazing, coping with only a few hours of much-disturbed sleep and now struggling to adapt to European time... while it's 4:15 a.m. in Wisconsin, it is now 9:15 here. I suspect that when we arrive in Heidelberg (probably about 2:30-3:00 pm Germany time but 9:00 a.m. body time) we will crash hard and sleep the (European) night away.

It's a bit unsettling to be sitting down to chocolate croissants and swiss mocha with cream on top at 2:00 a.m. But here we are in Keflavik Airport, Iceland. The clocks here say 7:00 a.m., so it's time for the body to adjust! Keflavik was voted the best airport in Europe in 2009 and they have a big gold trophy to prove it. We enjoy the airport, very international and excellent coffee!!! On to Frankfurt!

Getting this set up before we leave. Your comments are welcome. First time I've done this!