EUROPE DAY 6: A CASTLE A CAMEL, AND A HURDY GURDY

Today we went on an all-day tour to Neuschwanstein Castle in the alps, about a 2-hour train ride from Munich, ner the Austrian border. This is the castle that Disney made so famous and, indeed, it is a lovely picture sitting high on top of a peak amidst luscious forest. Or at least that is the way it looks on the postcards although for us it was shrouded in foggy swirls and mist. We seem to have visited during a rainy spell and we have ducked in and out of rain the whole time we've been traveling. But I must say that is was wonderfully chilly, even perhaps downright cold, and I loved it. There, that statement ought to help balance out all my posts moaniing about the heat on other trips


The interior of the castle was not that exciting -- very dark and heavy with lots of intricately carved wood and not many windows. OK, I hear you say most castles are dark and don't have many windows. But gee whiz folks, this thing was built in the 1880s, which is not exactly old as most castles go so you would think they would lighten it up a bit. It's also a bit of a disappointment because it was never finished -- our tour only covered 16 finished rooms. Apparently there are over 100 other rooms that were never completed, which is probably why the Nazis chose it in WWII to hide tons of stolen Jewish art pieces.


Now, about the rigors of the tour. First, from the train, we boarded a bus that took us as close to the castle as was possible. From the bus we hiked (note, I did not say stroll or walk) up a pretty steep incline and then down a very steep incline for a significant enough distance to make my knees hurt, just in order to get to the castle entrance (really, we hiked about 20 minutes). Then the castle tour guide (who must have quads of steel by this point in her career) led us 187 steps up a spiral staircase to the family quarters. That means we eventually also had to go down 187 steps. I'm just saying that I don't feel guilty for not doing my morning exercises today.


We wimped out on the hike back down the mountain to the bus and opted to take a horse-drawn wagon instead. Oh, and on the way to the castle entrance, we passed a man in traditional Bavarian dress playing a hurdy gurdy. We chatted with him for a minute and he was delighted that we even knew what the instrument was. He was quite charming.


You are probably now wondering about the camel. Well, on the train to the castle, as we were passing by miles and miles of small, well-tended fields with traditional German houses dotting the countryside here and there (they look like a Swiss alps design), all of a sudden we saw a dromedary in someone's pasture. He was far enough away so I couldn't get a serious look at him, and for all I know someone with a great sense of humor might have dressed up his horse to look like a camel. But you really can't fake the look of a camel neck and head. I'm sure there must be an interesting story of how the camel got there. It reminded me of the zebra we saw in someone's pasture on the big island of Hawaii last year. You just never know what you might come across when traveling.

EUROPE DAY 4-5: MUNICH

OK, jet lag and drinking perhaps don't mix too well. I had only 2 drinks in the hotel lounge but ended up wide awake until 4:00 AM, which meant that I only got 2 hours of sleep because we had to catch a plane to Munich. Maybe it was the tiredness, maybe because I am gettng older, maybe because it was 100 percent humidity (although it was not raining), but getting to the airport was quite arduous. Because this is a 5-week trip, I really couldn't live out of one teensy suitcase so I brought 2 overnight suitcases that can be hooked together So there I was, trying to roll my 2 suitcases over an uneven brick sidewalk to the train station (the train to the airport costs 4.5 Euros, the taxi costs 60 Euros, a no brainer decision), over trolley tracks and into the train station. Then we had to figure out where to buy tickets, and even though the ticket lady gave us directions to the correct track, and even though there were signs, we still got confused about where to go and were grateful when someone asked us if we needed help. We finally found the correct train and then had to face lifting each of our suitcases (we each have 2) up to the train and then get on only to find it quite full so we had to stand the whole way to the airport.


We managed to get off at the right airport stop but I found that lifting the suitcases down to the ground was not easy. And then we discovered that the train station and the airport are all in one big area and we had uite a confusing time trying to find the KLM ticket desk. By this time we were already hot and sweaty! After that, however, we only had ot go through all the usual airport rigamarole and the flight was easy and we arrived in the late afternoon.


Although we were really tired and dying for a nap, we decided on the better strategy of walking from our hotel to the Munich central train station (about a 10 minute walk) to get our bearings because we'll be taking day tours that meet there. And what a difference! The layout all made sense, the signs were really helpful and we found what we needed right awaz even though the place is huge. After that we went for a very Bavarian dinner -- ended up having the German version of macaroni and cheese and typical Bavarian roast pork with a potato dumpling (that's what they call it but I call it a tennis-ball size piece of lead) and coleslaw, washed down with a great Bavarian beer. By 8:30 PM we were back at the hotel and we simply crashed.


One interesting thing we have noticed is that both in Amsterdam and in Munich, people no longer smoke in restaurants -- it is wonderful.


The next day, we had a great Bavarian day. It was a holiday (Ascension Day but also called Men's Day) and although the shops were closed, the people watching was fun. Groups of men were walking around in one of the main squares wearing traditional lederhosen (we even found an outlet store that sells lederhosen and dirndl outfits) and roaming from beer hall to beer hall. Nobody seemed to be roaring drunk. While sitting at an outdoor cafe (despite the ominously dark clouds and cold wind) and having coffee, we heard a commotion and watched a huge beer wagon pulled by two Percherons and filled with men duded up in traditional costume (complete with boar bristle brushes on their hats) sitting on benches down the sides of the wagon with a table going down the middle, singing and drinking. That was followed a few minutes later by 4 men pulling a wagon that they had clearly built together, consisting of a table on wheels with a table cloth that partially concealed a beer keg underneath and an umbrella. On top of the table was a rack on one end with a bunch of soft pretzels hanging, a contration that sliced thin shavings off a large daikon radish, a very very loud bell that they rang often, and 4 beer steins that looked like miniature beer kegs. When they got to the middle of the square, they stopped, pulled out 2 benches from under the cart, sat down and started drinking and singing. Definitely a BIG favorite with the tourists.


Our big accomplishment of the day was to find the ticket machine to buy a multiple-day tram ticket (the machine was not near a tram stop), then figure out what the tram stops look like and how to use the ticket in the machine in the tram, and then figure out how to indicate that we wanted to get off. Sounds not so difficult but it took quite a while.


Dinner was another traditional Bvarian meal at a restaurant that makes their own beer Beef and beer goulash with the obligatory lead-potato dumplings, a surprisingly fresh salad that was not pickled, and a kind of pizza on a dough made from the dried grains left over from the beer making. Very good.

EUROPE DAY 3, AMSTERDAM

A rainy, subdued day. That combined with jet lag means that we were not up to our usual sightseeing prowess today. We managed to make it to the train station to scope out how to buy tickets and take the train to the airport for our flight to Munich tomorrow. Not bad for waking up at 4:00 AM. After that, we took a canal cruise, which is a fun thing to do. I really like seeing so many really old buildings leaning against each other, out of plumb. And seeing things like "anno 1675" painted or chiseled on the front of a building is a real eye-opener for a Californian like me. We just are not used to buildings anywhere near that old. And I loved seeing all the variations in house boats -- they line almost every canal. We also cruised by the bicycle garage near the train station -- it has room for 2500 bicycles and it is always full. Not to mention the many other smaller bicycle parking lots near the station. I tell you, there really are millions of bikes here.

And then it was back to the hotel for a nap and then out to a big Chinese lunch, after which we decided to go see one of the big tourist attractions.....wait for it......the central library. Really. And it was worth the visit. Ten levels of brightly lighted, airy and spacious areas with lots and lots of work spaces and free wi-fi and comfy places to sit or curl up and read, and even a couple of restaurants. Many of the book shelves, especially for the kid level and the CDs and DVDs are a large 3/4 circle with the items on the inside and outside of the circle and big poofy things to sit or lay on inside. We wanted to hang around forever and just read a book.

Back to the hotel for a second nap (hey, what are vacations for?) and by 10:30 PM we were off to the hotel rooftop bar for drinks. Turns out it is a very happening place with a DJ and poundingly loud music and very good, if rather expensive, drinks. (Did I mention that everything is really expensive here?) So there we were, two old ladies amongst the younger, hip set, having a wonderful time and looking like everyone else doing stuff on our cellphones. We finally got back to our room by 1:00 AM. I am now trying to get myself into a beer-drinking mood in preparation for a week in Bavaria.

EUROPE DAY 1-2, AMSTERDAM

This is the beginning of a 5-week trip to Europe with my sister. We have a few set plans but mostly the time is unplanned and subject to whim -- what a luxury.

We decided to travel in luxury this time, having both acquired a lot of frequent flyer miles, so we flew business class to our jumping-off point in the USA and then first class to Amsterdam. And oh my goodness what a difference first class is. For the first time, I was able to lay flat and stretch out and sleep -- an unbelievable luxury. And we were given two amazingly good meals -- not "good for plane fare" food but really delicious food. And, of course, I had several cocktails with up-scale bourbon. So we arrived in Amsterdam in quite good shape considering all the hours of travel.

After puttering around in our hotel room for awhile, and then taking a short nap, we decided to wander around a bit just to get ourselves acclimated even though it was lightly raining. We are staying in a very central location, so within 10 minutes we were in the famous red light district. There were some women sitting and waving from their red neon-outlined windows, but I think the activity was a bit subdued because it was a Monday evening. We passed up many opportunities to purchase fun sex toys, naughty lingerie and marijuana seed packets, although we did spend a few minutes discussing whether to go into the Moulin Rouge club that advertised live sex acts. Ultimately we settled for a cheese fondue dinner and then back to the hotel. We are definitely in a more northern area than home because it is quite light outside even at 10:00 PM.

I must add that walking in Amsterdam is great but a bit hazardous -- we have to be very vigilant about vehicular traffic. Not only cars, but bicycles, who are just as happy to run us down as motorists. And Amsterdam has millions of bicyclists. Really -- millions.

CUBA: DAY 6, LAST DAY IN HAVANA

Every Sunday at noon, the rhumba band starts playing in an artist-mecca alley way in Havana.  People come from everywhere and we heard that the place is jam-packed for the whole afternoon – people dancing their feet off.  It was a delightful mix of people – narrow alley, various paintings on the walls and some avant-garde art installations draped around (one wall had 4 bathtubs embedded in a wall with paintings on the insides), men smoking cigars, women with low-cut tops (although I noticed that Cuban woman have normal-sized breasts, not the enhanced-with-implants breasts you see in the US).  Our tour group got there a bit early to beat the crowd and the musicians were starting to warm up.  And yes, I bought the CD.

It turns out that the place is also the site of several Santeria shrines.  We had a Santeria specialist talk to our group and explain some basics, and learned that it is the religion of the majority of Cubans.  Yes, it is common to assume that most Cubans are Roman Catholics, but even those that call themselves Catholic still follow many Santeria customs.  And yes, they still sacrifice chickens.  We even saw a wooden statue of Babaloo Aiye (Father of the World).  I don’t mean to be too irreverent, but to me, Babaloo has always been either a song sung by Ricky Ricardo in I Love Lucy or a flaming dessert.  As the group was leaving the alley, we passed by a fortune teller who was reading tarot cards and looked rather intimidating.  I had to pay 1 CUC for permission to take her photo.

And then it was over.  On to the airport and home.

Here are a few general comments about Cuba.  Yes, Cuba is a poor country – they don’t have much of anything to export so they don’t have much money to import goods.  This means that most everything they make, use, wear, and eat is produced in Cuba.  Personally, I think that is pretty resourceful.  And they are absolute brilliant in recycling and reusing things.  The people, children, and dogs all looked well nourished.  The people were wonderfully friendly.  The streets, for the most part except some small alleys, were clean.  There was almost no litter on the streets.  There were no homeless people laying around on sidewalks – at least I didn’t see any.  And there were no beggars.  Oh, and I haven’t talked about Che Guevara – his picture is absolutely everywhere:  billboards, t-shirts, key chains, cups, and painted on walls.  He is a very popular hero.  And we also saw many, many billboards and graffiti on walls saying Free the Cuban 5.  If you haven’t heard about the Cuban 5, look it up.  The men are still very much in the forefront of Cuban attention.

In summary – GO TO CUBA.  You’ll have a great time.  As our Santaria guide said to us, “Don’t try to understand Cuba, just enjoy it.”

CUBA: DAY 5, MORE HAVANA

First stop was a visit to a senior center.  A big yawn, I thought, but not so.  In Cuba, extended families live together.  Children are in school all day, from early morning to late afternoon.  (School includes classroom work, lunch, play time, and fun activities – all with the intent of educating and taking care of the children while the parents are at work.)  While the parents are at work and the children are at school, the seniors get lonely rattling around the apartment by themselves, so the senior centers are places to go to and spend the day.  The centers provide lunch, social activities (games, especially dominos, prevail), quiet conversation, organized activities, exercise and other classes, physical therapy, and medical services.  It was quite nice.  Then we went off to an elementary school where I was impressed that the children all seemed engaged in the current activity and were not running around or being disruptive.

Then we hit one of the highlights:  a lesson in cigar rolling and a chance to sit in a cool courtyard, listen to a wonderful band (yes, I bought the CD) and enjoy what the Cubans call “the grand marriage,” which is a cup of Cuban coffee, a shot of Cuban rum, and a good Cuban cigar.  We were all served coffee, rum, and a cigar (a Cuban Romeo and Juliet, which is a mild cigar) and given a lesson in how to light and smoke a cigar.  I don’t smoke, but I definitely enjoyed smelling the wonderful aroma!  Great fun.

We visited a ballet school and watched a short demonstration and then went to a cemetery which was really interesting.  138 acres large, it has the most wonderful collection of sculptural tombstones.  You could probably wander through there for hours and be engrossed.

Dinner was at a paladar named Café Laurent and was fabulous.  What’s a paladar, you ask?  Well, in Cuba the government owns and runs most everything, and hires most of the population.  Relatively recently, in the last few years, the government has allowed a few private businesses to start up.  One of those are paladars, which are privately owned and run restaurants, operated in the owner’s house or apartment.  So we walked into an apartment building and rode up in a little, tiny, somewhat rickety elevator to the 5^th floor, and walked out into an apartment that looked like a European restaurant.  I highly recommend this place. 

After dinner, my sister and I went clubbing again, this time to the original, world renown Tropicana.  First of all, we had to take a cab because it is aboua 20 minute drive from the hotel and we decided to go in style.  So we rode to the Tropicana in a ’56 Buick convertible, red and white exterior with tuck and roll upholstery.  We also arranged for the driver to pick us up after the show -- driving through Havana at 1:00 AM in the balmy night air was sheer heaven.

Now, for the show.  The Tropicana is an outdoor venue, although it is covered with overhanging trees.  Tickets are very expensive (the $95 price is about equal to 3-month’s wages for the average worker) but the show was more than worth it.  Again, it was a revue of all the dance styles in Cuba and the Cuban dance roots.  The show is 2 hours, non-stop, and I would describe it as a Cuban version of a big Las Vegas show – lots of scantily clad dancing girls with big headdresses and thongs (one number even had the girls wearing big chandeliers!), macho men with bare chests and Cuban-sleeved shirts, about 40 dancers in all, 10 singers, and 15 musicians.  The costumes are very elaborate and high quality, the dancing is top notch, and the singing and music were fab.  And the $95 ticket includes a little plate of munchies and a small bottle of Havana Club rum.  All in all, it really was a great night.  And of course, they were selling CDs in the lobby and, you guessed it, I bought some CDs.  By the time we got back to the hotel and fell into bed, we were both exhausted but felt like at least we were trying our best to squeeze in as much of Cuba as possible.

CUBA: DAY 4, HAVANA

Breakfast buffet at the hotel (they put on quite a spread) and then off to Las Terrazos, which is a community 1.5 hours from Havana, in the country, that is focused on ecological preservation.  It has about 200 people who live there, a school, a doctor, and lots of ecology projects.  They have developed a nice tourism program with a small hotel and campground and restaurants for tourists.  While there, we visited two artist studios – one makes his own paper and then prints his paintings on cards and small-size prints.  The other is a painter.  Both were interesting.  Then we stopped for coffee at Maria’s house – she is famous for giving one cup of coffee (Cuban coffee is espresso with a bit of natural sugar mixed in) to workers and visitors as they pass by.  She is now a little old lady but her establishment still goes on. 
Then it was off to a farm house outdoor restaurant where they cook only over charcoal.  We ate under thatched-roofs accompanied by a terrific band (I bought the CD, of course).  The food was rice and black beans and shredded beef and chicken and was one of the best meals I’ve had so far.  (One comment about beef in Cuba:  it is rare because cattle require much more resources to raise than pigs or chickens.)  Oh yes, and a drink was included with lunch of course and this time I went for the Cuban dark beer Buckanero (muy fuerte!, as it says on the label).  Yum.  It’s so hard not to just start dancing everywhere because of the music that is always playing – it is an infectious rhythm.

Then it was off to visit the house of a famous Cuban artist, Jose Fuster, who has turned his house into a mosaic wonderland that he calls Fusterlandia.  I would describe his style as Picasso meets Gaudi.  Wonderfully whimsical.  He has also persuaded his neighbors for a couple of blocks in all directions from his house to allow him to turn their fences and outer walls into mosaic works of art.  Even the nearby bus stops are mosaic.  Fascinating.

Next stop was a craft market – a big warehouse (HOT in there!) with dozens of sellers offering cheap trinkets, hand-crafted items, paintings, conga drums, etc.  It was a mad house but interesting.  You do not see sellers all over the streets – they are confined to special markets and this is one of the few ways people can make extra money.  I ended up buying a small painting of an old American car on the street under a sign saying Havana Club (the national rum).  Not fine art but I couldn’t resist.

Let me digress for a minute and talk about toilets.  It became a topic of interest on my African trip (there’s a fun story about the resident frog in the toilet in one of the lodges) and once again toilets became a subject of attention in Cuba.  Because our hotel was a fancy hotel, the toilet in our bathroom had a toilet seat, toilet paper (Cuban toilet paper is very rough, much like what we call paper towels at home), and there were little bars of soap at the sink.  We discovered that to actually flush anything down the pipe, we had to pull the flush lever four times in rapid-fire succession.  Anything else just didn’t work.  And, of course, throughout Cuba, as in many other countries, you must put your used toilet paper in a canister that is always placed beside the toilet (which makes public toilets odiferous, however clean they are and they are pretty clean).  But that’s not the irritating part.  For the most part, no toilet paper is available, so you must bring your own (we were warned ahead of time), and you must also bring your own soap for washing your hands (I always carried a little hotel bar of soap in a small plastic bag).  And then, the public toilets do not have seats and they are really, really low to the ground.  A couple of times today I really had to think for a minute, trying to marshal my forces before getting up.

On a more pleasant note, I saw my dream car this morning – a ’57 Chevy Belair, white and creamy lemon yellow.  And it was in beautiful shape.  Mmmmmm.  I’ve lost my heart in Havana (or Habana as it is most often spelled here).

We decided to go out clubbing again after dinner and bought tickets to the Buena Vista Social Club show.  OMG, I had no idea the group that was revitalized by Ry Cooder in the ‘90s was still going strong, with even some of the original people and a few new ones who are slightly younger.  And my hats off to the two female singers – old broads with pipes that still sound good and they’re still wearing high-heeled shoes!  The show started at 9:30 and they played non-stop.  We left at 11 PM and were told that the show goes until 12:30!!  I don’t know how they do it but we had a grand time.  I am now officially, really tired with two days of busy touring left. Having fun isn’t always as easy as it looks!