Today was a less exasperating day, here in Budapest. I decided not to walk many miles, because I didn’t want my ankle to hurt again. Instead of power walking all over Budapest, today I decided to visit the Retro Museum. I had been wanting to go to that museum, because I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, and I used to live in the former Soviet Union. So I am very interested in museums about life behind what was the Iron Curtain.
The Retro Museum was fun to visit. It’s very interactive, with lots of cool looking exhibits set in what appear to be mock ups of block style apartment buildings so prevalent in former communist countries. I lived in one of those buildings myself, among other types of housing in Armenia. Naturally, those types of buildings are in Hungary, just as they are found in every other country that was once controlled by Moscow in any way.
The people who created the museum put memorabilia in the “buildings”. You can open a door on the building and look at each treasure. When I write my Budapest series, I’ll share pictures of what I mean by this. One thing I did learn at this museum is that it seems like Hungary was more pro-Russia than Lithuania was. But of course, I could be wrong about that. I need to read more about the history.
After I visited the museum, I spent some time hanging out in the big plaza near the shopping district. I was amazed by how bold and brave the pigeons are. One got close enough to me that I could have pet it. And when I got back to the hotel, my room was already prepared, so I wrote a post for my main blog and took a short nap. Now, I’m waiting for Bill to get back here, so I can get something to eat. I skipped lunch again. 😉
I’m glad I went to the museum, even if it was kind of interrupted by a couple of women who were singing all of the folk songs. I couldn’t tell if they were in Russian or Hungarian– I would imagine Hungarian, but I’m not yet familiar enough with what it sounds like. Everybody here has been speaking perfect English! There was also a woman with a couple of kids who were hogging all of the interactive exhibits and shrieking a lot… but, I guess since they were kids, they kind of get a pass. I don’t know how much of the museum they understood, since that time is now well in the past. I remember it well, though.
One more full day in Budapest awaits, and then on Saturday, we go home. I look forward to it, although Lufthansa changed my seat. I guess it was because there was an empty seat next to me, and they wanted to allow a couple to sit together. Who knows? Too bad Bill will be in Economy again.
Featured photo is of one of the “mock ups” I wrote of. Yes, I did once live in a building that looked like that…
On Saturday, June 21st, Bill and I woke up to bright, sunny skies. I was glad for that, because I was really looking forward to visiting the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights. This very special museum, formerly known as the Museum of Genocide Victims, is housed in a building that, for about 50 years, was where the Soviet security services (also known as the KGB) operated in Vilnius.
Two years ago, when Bill and I were briefly visiting Riga, Latvia, on a cruise, we heard about a similar museum in that city. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to visit the museum in Riga, although I am hoping we can go back to Riga and see it. Now that I’ve read up on Riga’s museum, I’m actually thinking the one in Vilnius is probably superior. I’m still interested in going there, though. While it’s horrifying to learn about what people went through as the Soviets forcefully occupied neighboring territories, the fact that they all survived that regime is somehow hopeful to me.
Bill and I set off for the museum, enjoying the sunshine and pleasantly cool summer temperatures. Vilnius is a nice place to be in the summer, especially if you’re tired of hot weather! I took some photos along the way.
A bust of the man responsible for the defunct Lita, Lithuania’s former currency.The birds were almost tame. They looked well fed. I relate.Some kind of demonstration/parade was going on.Lithuania is very Ukraine friendly.
When we got to the museum, we took a moment to look around the area near the front door. It was a chance to catch our breaths and prepare ourselves for what we were about to see… and take a few more photos.
Yikes!
We walked into the old building and immediately had to climb a few steps to get to the cashier to buy tickets. We decided to just wander through the museum, but guided tours are also available and bookable through the museum’s official Web site. Tickets for the museum can also be purchased online for six euros per adult, although obviously we didn’t do that. Now that I see that guided tours are available and can be arranged by theme, maybe I would consider visiting again for a more in depth look. They do have to be booked ahead of time, though. The guided tours in English are quite reasonably priced at 20 euros per person. The ones in Lithuanian are only 15 euros per person!
I took many photos in the museum. As long as you aren’t using a flash or a tripod, it’s perfectly okay to take all the photos you want. I felt compelled to take photos, because I was so affected by what I was seeing and reading. A lot of what I saw reminded me a lot of what’s happening in the United States today.
I’m not saying our country is being invaded by Russia, but it is, in a sense, being occupied by a personality cult. And so many of the Lithuanian attitudes I read about in the museum reminded me of what I’ve seen from American Trump supporters. I’m sorry to say this, because I know some people might be offended. But I see it very plainly. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away for so long. Likewise to the methods used to subdue the country and get people to accept and comply with the occupation.
Anyway… here are a lot of photos of the exhibits before we reached the cells in the bottom of the museum.
Then, after exploring the upper two levels, it was time to venture into the basement level, which is where the cells were, along with the execution chamber, where over 1000 people were executed. We saw the exercise yards, too. It started with a look at the “boxes”, which were tiny closet sized “rooms” where new inmates were kept before they were processed.
An office…The first “box”.The second “box.”
The boxes described…
From the boxes were examples of cells and other facilities used for interrogations, storage, punishments, and executions.
A straitjacket in a padded cell.ShowersA punishment cell where the inmate was expected to stand on the disc, to avoid the water in the bottom of the cell.
The following photos are of the courtyards/exercise boxes for the prisoners…
And finally, we visited the execution chamber. They had put glass over what appeared to be white sand. A video played a graphic clip from the 2007 Polish historical movie, Katyn, showing a man in handcuffs being forcefully wrestled into a room and shot in the back of the head. Another couple was in the room with us as we watched that violent and bloody scene. They were familiar with the movie and cringed in horror, just as we did, when the character was executed without a second’s hesitation. Then, the man’s dead body, still handcuffed, was dumped in a pile of other bodies, like so much trash.
We walked back up the steps from the execution chamber and retraced our steps back to the beginning of the museum, although we could have cut through the outside area. I’m glad we retraced our steps, though, because we missed a few rooms on the way down.
On the way out, we stopped to sign the guestbook. Some people wrote disrespectful comments in it, but most people– folks from all over the world– seemed to be as awestruck as Bill and I were.
Once we were finished visiting the museum, we stepped back out into the pleasant sunshine. I took a few more photos near the museum’s entrance and of what appeared to be a nearby shrine.
We decided we wanted to take a walk by the Neris River. Since this post is so heavy with photos, I think I’ll pick up with that story in the next installment. Stay tuned!
For our last full day in Abruzzo, Bill and I decided to visit the city of Chieti. Our host, Carlo, had recommended the city, which is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. After another hearty breakfast at the B&B, we set off for the city, which is atop a hill/mountain and offers beautiful views. There are some nice museums in Chieti, but we only visited one, and that was because I needed to pee. We parked in a public lot near a military “kaserne” and walked around.
Chieti is kind of gritty, with narrow streets and walkways. I got a sense that it was sort of a working class town, but there was a certain charm to it. Below are some photos…
This cat was actually hanging out by our B&B in Pescara.Where we parked in Chieti.
The cathedral was very beautiful, with a large plaza outside of it. For some reason, graffiti artists decided to deface the walls on the other side of the cathedral. I don’t mind some graffiti, but it’s sad when it’s done to truly beautiful buildings. At least they were decent enough to leave the cathedral itself alone.
After we walked through the cathedral, we made our way down a busy street heading west, and soon found ourselves near the University Museum of Chieti. Here, we found a very cool museum with restrooms! I was glad for that! The entrance fee was reasonable, and the people running the museum were so nice. A lively class of Italian youngsters were having a field trip as we made our way through the many exhibits that showed off everything from taxidermy to medicines. They even had a few mummies in there, which we were requested not to photograph. They were behind a sheer red curtain. Below are some photos from the museum, which was not only interesting, but really allowed me some relief! Most of the descriptions were in Italian.
This must have been the bus for the schoolkids.
After we left the museum, we walked to another small chapel, where I got a few more photos, then noticed it was getting close to lunchtime. We were, on this day, determined to have a proper Italian lunch. However, the restaurant close to the museum smelled good, but was very crowded. So we walked out of that area, and started hunting for our midday repast.
Another church with what appears to be a shrine.Chieti views…Eureka!
We finally saw what appeared to be a restaurant that could accept us. Bill went inside and asked if they were open. The waitress said yes, in twenty minutes. Then she took our reservation. She said it was necessary. We soon found out why! Apparently, La Tavernetta gets very busy at lunchtime. It certainly did when we visited…
We each had two courses, bread, wine, and fizzy water… and when we were finished, we were pretty full. Good thing we didn’t want dessert! When we left, there were people waiting to be seated! I had ravioli with tomato sauce. Bill had ravioli with mushroom sauce. And then we had tagliata– chicken for me, and veal for him. Bill made the cashier smile when he handed her ten euros as a mance (tip). Tipping isn’t a big thing in Italy, so ten euros was pretty generous. It was about twenty percent of the tab, which was surprisingly economical for all we consumed.
Every seat was filled when we left!
It was mid afternoon by the time we finished lunch, and we had limited time for parking, so we headed back to the car. On the way there, we stopped in another church…
Seems like they take recycling seriously, except this thing was locked.
Realizing that we’d be heading north the next day, we decided to stop by another grocery store for more goodies. I made sure to buy some candy for Bill’s grandkids, including a bag of Haribo “fried egg” gummies. Since eggs are so expensive in the United States right now, I figured it was appropriate.
The boxed wines are very good, and a good deal. These have about three bottles worth of wine in them! We only brought one home.
Although we had intended, on the last night, to go into Pescara for dinner, we were still too full from lunch to do so. So we stayed in and watched movies from the 80s– Lost in America, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and The Incredible Shrinking Woman. Sometimes I really miss the 80s!
We had one last night in Pescara, then packed up our stuff and headed north to Vipiteno/Sterzing, where we would be trading in our sunny skies for snowy skies. More on that in the next Italy post!
Featured photo was taken in the Historical Museum.
Sunday morning, Bill and I decided to try the breakfast at Les Trois Rois. When we stay in hotels, we usually go ahead and book breakfast, even when it’s expensive. I didn’t do that for our trip to Basel, mainly because I didn’t see the option to do so until we’d already booked our stay. Now that we’ve been to the hotel, I’m kind of glad that we didn’t include breakfast in our nightly rate. I believe you do get a break on the price if you pre-book breakfast. When I look at the hotel’s Web site, I see that the rate for a room with breakfast is 45 francs more per night, while if you just go there without pre-booking, it’s 55 francs per person.
Cheers!
Les Trois Rois also has a Sunday brunch that runs from 11:30 PM until 3:00 PM. The brunch was fully booked on Sunday, but if we had chosen to do it, it would have cost 155 francs per person.
The breakfast includes a buffet, juices, champagne, hot drinks, and made to order egg dishes and other breakfast staples. It was pretty busy in the Brewery restaurant, where breakfast is served, when we arrived. Bill had Eggs Benedict, and I had Eggs Norsk, which was basically Eggs Benedict, but with smoked salmon instead of bacon.
After breakfast, we decided to walk around Basel some more. We went across the bridge nearest the hotel, which took us to a seedier part of the city. At one point, I looked down and noticed pictographs on the pavement. It looked like a woman standing next to a streetlamp… A prostitute! And lo and behold, upon looking up prostitutes in Basel, I discovered that yes, indeed, we had found Basel’s Red Light district! Prostitution has been legal and regulated in Switzerland since 1942, but street hustling is supposed to be illegal. In 2016, city officials in Basel made areas where prostitutes are allowed to stand, um… offering their wares. Before I noticed the pictograph, we did see a few ladies in the street, chatting up men and sort of loitering near what appeared to be seedy bars… for Switzerland, anyway.
In the hotelGot about $29,000 laying around?Don’t jump off the bridge for a swim!Views of the hotelWarning… you are in callgirl territory…Another police PSA
After a few minutes of walking through the Red Light District, we decided to go back across the bridge and up a hill. We wandered around, passing buildings belonging to the local university, until we wound up in the Münsterplatz. This is a big plaza where the Basler Münster is. We happened to be there just as church was letting out, so we didn’t have the chance to go inside for a look, but I did hear some lovely organ music that I picked up on video, along with my heavy breathing. I also got some photos of the area, which is one of the oldest public squares in Basel.
We rounded a corner and soon found ourselves near the Basel Historical Museum. I needed to pee, so that was a sign we needed to visit the museum. I’m not sorry we visited, as the museum is pretty awesome and extensive, and once you get to the bottom of it, you will, in fact, find a public restroom. But something surprising happened when we went inside.
First, we bought our tickets, which were half price, because we had a Basel Card. The tickets were good for two other museums within walking distance and could be used for up to seven days after purchase. We didn’t get a chance to visit the other two museums, one of which was a music museum. If we ever go back to Basel, we’ll have to make a point of seeing those places.
I took in the vast, beautiful building, that was clearly once a place of worship. Then I realized I was hot. I wore my heavy coat, and had been walking around. I decided to take it off. When I did that, I was immediately accosted by a security guard. The man came up to me and said that in the museum, I had two choices– I could either wear my coat or put it in a locker. Then he went on to politely explain that they had 800 year old artifacts there, and somehow, if I’m carrying my coat instead of wearing it, that puts their priceless artifacts at risk.
I must have looked annoyed, confused, and perhaps even angry, because the guy just kept going on while I stood there listening to him, considering what I wanted to do. As he continued to explain… unnecessarily, I might add… I finally said in a rather peevish tone of voice, “It’s alright. It’s not a problem.” I put the coat in a locker, but was then quite pissed off, not because I minded putting my coat in a locker, but because the guy kept going on and on about it, as if merely removing my jacket was offensive to him. All they needed to do was suggest it when we bought the tickets, not lecture me in the middle of the museum for daring to take off my coat because I was sweating.
That confrontation kind of put a damper on the visit, but at least I got the chance to pee. I’m glad we did go there, too, because it is an interesting museum with a lot to see. One could spend hours in there. We also managed to pick up some gifts for Bill’s grandchildren and co-workers, and a book on phobias and manias for me. In fairness to the guard, he was not impolite. In fact, it was like he was trying very hard not to offend, but in the process of doing that, managed to be offensive by acting as if I didn’t understand his request. He could have just requested that I put the coat in the locker without the unrequested explanation and that would have been much less irritating.
Just outside of the museum. It reminded me of Antwerp, Belgium.
After we visited the museum, we realized it was close to lunchtime. So we went across the street to a Swiss beerhall type restaurant called Braunen Mutz. This was a very casual place that offered a lot of local favorites like fondue and raclette, but also had things like meatloaf, sausages, and fried fish. In fact, I had fried perch and frites, while Bill had the meatloaf. We enjoyed several locally produced beers, too. We got a kick out of the little Swiss flags on every dish. It wasn’t the most amazing food we’ve ever had, but it was comforting and tasty, and we got service with a smile. I see by reviews on TripAdvisor that not everyone enjoys the experience as much as we did…
I told my German friend, Susanne, that the little flags were very National Lampoon’s European Vacation…
Bwahahahahaha… I’m sure the food was better than TV dinners!
After lunch, we walked around some more, finally running into some impressive buskers who were playing a mean version of “Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley. I got Bill to leave them a tip.
I love buskers!
Then we headed back to the hotel to rest a bit and digest… and then enjoy a little more time in the bar, where I got a dirty look because I was trying to watch a video without sound, but didn’t realize the volume was turned up. I’m afraid my eyes probably expressed how I felt about that. Below are some more photos, including some of the lovely bar at Les Trois Rois. I noticed what appeared to be a few ladies posing in front of the fireplace. I don’t know if they were guests, or had just gone there to have a drink and be “seen”.
The bar at Les Trois Rois is a great place for gin and tonics.
We missed turn down service again, because we decided to watch some TV and relax on our final night in Basel. I will sum up our ride back to Germany in the next post!
The featured photo is AI generated… I hope to have my own photos very soon.
Last night, I made a booking at a hotel I’ve been eyeing since last April, when Bill and I decided by coin flip to visit Horben, near Freiburg. If Horben hadn’t won that coin flip, we likely would have visited the city of Basel, in Switzerland. It’s a city we’ve driven past and talked about exploring, but have never actually gotten around to making a booking.
Last spring, when I was planning our trip to the very new Luisenhöhe resort in the Schwarzwald, I noticed a very beautiful hotel in Basel that seemed to be right up our alley. The hotel is called Les Trois Rois, and it’s expensive and historic… And we are going to visit there for three nights over the MLK weekend. Why? Because since Trump is coming back into office, the future seems hazier. We want to take advantage of being able to travel while we still can. And after the new year, Bill is going to be busy. That is, if Donald and Elon don’t interfere with what he’s doing.
A screenshot of the hotel
We briefly thought about going to Paris. We haven’t been to Paris since 2009, and I have been wanting to go there. But Paris is a huge city, and it will be cold and probably rainy… and Basel is more compact, with lots of museums, art galleries, and such. It seems appropriate that it’s in a neutral country, too… but right by the German and French borders.
I think we will travel to Basel by train, since it only takes about 3 hours to get there from here. It will spare Bill the aggravation of driving and trying to park. We can get first class ICE tickets on Deutsch Bahn fairly cheaply, if we opt for the no frills ones… The lovely thing about Basel is that it’s close to Bern, another city we’ve never seen. Maybe we’ll go there, too, if the conditions are right.
I booked us a river view room with a balcony. It may turn out to be a waste of money, depending on the weather. However, I know the hotel is on the banks of the Rhein, so if we do have decent weather, it could turn out to be a great choice. It was a bit of a splurge, and will be even more expensive than our visit to The Duke Suites was. But, it’s Switzerland, and Basel is a city that offers more to do than the lovely hamlet of Nistelrode does. I liked Nistelrode a lot, but to be honest, the area it’s in isn’t long on attractions. Basel will keep us busy. Maybe it will take my mind off of the impending disaster that is about to befall the United States.
I know not everyone thinks the next Trump term will be a disaster. Fair enough… and I hope they’re right. I don’t want to go through a disaster. But I just don’t think it’s going to be a good time for anyone… So we’re going to let the good times roll while we still can, and hope for the best. Or maybe, just pray to God that we manage to get through this impending fiasco without completely fucking up the whole world and losing everything.
SIGH…
Anyway… Les Trois Rois has a Michelin starred restaurant. I’ll have to check and see how many stars it has. If anything, we’ll drop a lot of money, but we’ll also be exposed to some beautiful things, if only for a short while. It should be nice.
Perhaps we can visit Paris in the springtime, if we don’t go to Spain… or get deported by the newly fallen German government.
I’m sure people who have been reading this blog for awhile might have noticed that Bill and I have sort of fallen out of the habit of enjoying Germany. I think a lot of it has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, we made a point of going out on the weekends, exploring new places and/or trying different restaurants. But then we were locked down for months on end and we got out of the habit. Then I got out of shape and started dealing with some minor health issues.
Sometimes we do remember the old days, though. I was in kind of a bad mood on Saturday, plus we had cloudy, rainy skies. By the time I realized Saturday was getting away from us, it was already afternoon. Bill decided then that he wanted to be sure to go out yesterday, in honor of his 60th birthday. We made plans to have a simple breakfast and get on our way before noon. Our destination was Marburg, a town I’d seen many pretty pictures of on Facebook, and heard about due to the Marburg virus outbreak in 1967. Bill’s co-worker told him his family loves to visit Marburg and visit the castle, which overlooks the city.
Marburg is a little over an hour’s drive north from Wiesbaden, mostly on the Autobahn. It’s not too far from Frankfurt, or Gießen (Giessen), a city that is well-known to a lot of older US Army servicemembers. At one time, there were thousands of Americans living there. Nowadays, I know of Gießen because that’s where most of the veterinarians at our local clinic learned their crafts. Marburg is about 25 kilometers to the north from that town.
As we approached Marburg from the Autobahn, I noticed the imposing Schloss. Bill said that was where we were headed first. Since it was his birthday, I didn’t argue with him. Driving into the city reminded me a bit of the many times we’ve visited Tübingen, another university town in Baden-Württemberg, close to where we used to live when we lived down there. Below are a few photos from our arrival. I was happy to meet the friendly cat who greeted us as we parked.
Marburg has lots of beautiful old Gothic buildings, and a rich history as a place where many of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales were born. Since I was also an English major and, as a child, was a lover of fairy tales, the fact that the Brothers Grimm lived in or near Marburg is also interesting to me. After visiting the castle, I can see where some of their inspiration came from. In fact, the painter Otto Ubbelohde was from Marburg. He was most famous for illustrating Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
The road going up to the castle was quite narrow and winding, and it was kind of a trick to manage it. However, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the area is. Some lucky people live in homes on the way up to the Schloss. I suppose the trickiest part is the parking, but they sure do have nice views, especially on days when the weather is as perfect as it was yesterday. For July, it was very pleasant, with light breezes, temperatures in the 70s, and lots of sunshine.
Bill parked the car next to the small Wanderweg near the castle. If we’d wanted to, we could have tried to park at the castle itself. There is a small lot there, and it didn’t appear to be full when we arrived. It was also one of the rare places in Germany where I didn’t see a requirement to pay for parking. This is a handy thing to know for those who are very fit, and very cheap. One can walk to the city from the Schloss, but getting there and back means walking up and down steep stairs. But you can park for free, so there is that… and it will burn lots of calories.
This is the way to the WC!
The first order of business for me was to find a toilet. Those, too, are freely available at the castle. Just go into the courtyard, which you can’t miss, and you’ll find WCs. Bear in mind that you have to walk down some narrow steps to reach them. Alternatively, you can visit the museum, which also has toilets that can be reached by elevator. No Klofrau is in sight!
After that personal necessity was taken care of, Bill and I visited the museum. Each ticket was 8 euros to be paid in cash. Credit cards aren’t accepted. For that, visitors get a nice tour of the well-equipped museum, which offers examples of pottery that were used at the castle, discussions on coffee culture (for the rich people, only), and a look at some of the art and treasures that belonged to the castle, which dates from the 11th century. Since 1981, the castle has been used as a museum affiliated with the local university, as well as an event site. We did notice a bride and groom having photos taken there during our visit. There is a restaurant near the grounds, but unfortunately, it was closed yesterday.
Below are some photos from our visit to the castle museum. We spent about 90 minutes there.
This is an event area that has been used for that purpose since the 16th century.A look into the “bones” of the building.
On the way out of the museum, we passed through the very simply chapel. A sign asked visitors to stay on the carpet, to avoid damaging the mosaic floor.
Once we passed through the chapel, we walked back out to tour the grounds. Below are some photos from around the castle and gardens.
Fresh drinking water!Soon to be married.Bill got a kick out of what was once a picture of a smiling Labrador thanking people for cleaning up after their dogs.Some people were dressed in medieval garb sparring in the park.Some events are upcoming. I didn’t know Kiefer Sutherland had a band.Careful!
After we visited the castle, we went to a parking garage near the center of town, parked the Volvo, and went walking around, looking for lunch. We eventually ended up in the Markplatz, which was alive with activity. There were several restaurants there, most of which were full of people enjoying food and drinks in the sun. We ended up at a charming Weinstube called Weinlädele at the top of the hill. Since the terrace was full, we opted to go inside, and spent a very pleasant time enjoying a leisurely lunch.
The food offerings at Weinlädele were somewhat simple, but the menu has an impressive list of wines by the glass. I happily availed myself of the wines, as well as a salad with chicken strips and raspberry vinaigrette. Bill had Maultaschen with Mediterranean vegetables. It really hit the spot.
And then, after lunch, I took some more photos of the very charming Marktplatz. A lot was going on there… and I was enchanted by the sights, smells, and sounds of life happening in Marburg. Bill and I both want to visit again and enjoy the ambiance of this pretty town in Hessen. An added bonus was yet another free WC near the parking garage. After our wine infused lunch, I really needed it before the drive home!
What a cool facade!Walking down to the garage from the Marktplatz.The passage to the garage. Plenty to eat here, too.Bill pays his six euros for parking.Crossing the Lahn River. I didn’t have a chance to get more photos. We need to come back and hit the Biergarten.
We missed the river scene. Marburg is on the Lahn River, and there’s a really cool looking Biergarten next to it, as well as boats… Again, not unlike Tübingen. We will have to try to come back and see more, now that we’re trying to get our weekend groove back. But I’m glad we were able to go yesterday, at the very least. What a lovely place to spend time on Bill’s birthday! A hearty thanks, once again, to the generosity of the German people for letting us Americans live here and enjoy their beautiful country!
It’s about 8:30 PM, and we’re back from our one full day in Oslo. There’s a lot we could have done, as Oslo has many museums and activities for the curious. But Bill and I are old, and we really enjoy people watching and doing our own thing. So that’s kind of what we did today. We walked down to the center of Oslo, right by Aker Brygge, and enjoyed the day.
After a leisurely breakfast, which starts at 8 AM at our hotel on weekends, we stopped at the Historical Museum, mainly because I needed to pee. But I reminded Bill that we stopped for the same reason in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the Museum of Modern Art. Many years later, he still talks about that visit in Puerto Rico. Today’s museum visit was very informative and interesting; we learned about Samurai Warriors, among many other things. But it was also a very handy stop for a whiz…
We had a healthy lunch at a fast food/smoothie/ bowl/wrap restaurant. Bill’s lunch was vegan, while mine had chicken in it. They were delicious bowls, which we washed down with water. Then, afterward, we took a two hour cruise around the Oslo Fjord, and met an American couple from Idaho, and a German couple. We don’t know where the German speaking couple was from, but the wife was a total hoot and very funny. I got some nice photos, although I think our Bergen pictures will be even more impressive.
After the cruise, we walked around for a bit, then stopped at a place called Beer Palace and enjoyed some beers. Then we went to an Italian restaurant called Papyon and had a less expensive and lower frills dinner than last night’s French extravaganza. Every bar seemed to be showing the Norway vs. Scotland football team. Lots of incredibly beautiful women are here, too.
We’ll be getting up early tomorrow, packing our bags, and heading to Bergen for the next four nights. I’m really looking forward to it. I have a feeling it will be amazing.
Below is a sampling of photos from today… When I do the blow by blow later, there will probably be more.
Yesterday, we had a rare busy Saturday, as we went out for business and pleasure in TWO different nearby cities. There was a time when we were younger when accomplishing this would not have been so notable for us, but COVID kind of took the wind out of our sails and made us enjoy being homebodies more. Bill often needs to rest on the weekends. But sometimes, we do manage to get out of the house. Yesterday, we went to both Wiesbaden and Hofheim.
If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you might know that in a couple of weeks, we are planning an epic vacation. We will start with six nights in Norway– two nights in Oslo and four in Bergen. After we do the Norwegian land based part of our trip, we will fly from Bergen to Stockholm, where we will spend one night prior to boarding Regent Seven Seas Splendor. Our week on the ship will include stops in Helsinki, Finland, Tallin, Estonia, Riga, Latvia, Visby, Sweden, Liepaja, Latvia, Ronne, Denmark, and finally, Copenhagen, Denmark, where we will disembark. We’ll spend two nights in Copenhagen, then fly home.
We plan to be away for about two weeks. Although one of those weeks will involve a cruise, it’s still a lot of luggage hauling as we make our way around to the different places we’re planning to visit.
Since about 2011 or so, Bill and I have been using Red Oxx bags almost exclusively. I like them for their handy compartments, tough construction, and beautiful colors. Bill also likes the fact that the company is in based in Billings, Montana and was started by veterans. We have a whole bunch of Red Oxx bags, and we’ve used them for a whole lot of traveling…
BUT…
On this trip, I’m going to be celebrating my 51st birthday. I’m not getting any younger, and my back is not what it used to be. Red Oxx bags do not come with wheels, meaning that I have to carry them. I typically use a Sky Train convertible backpack, which I’ll use on this trip, too. And when I go on big trips, I also use the Beanos Duffel bag, which can hold a lot of stuff, but isn’t the easiest thing to carry. It can be very awkward. I decided that for our upcoming trip up north, I wanted a bag with wheels.
Often I’d shop for such an item online, but I decided that I wanted to actually touch and pick up what I was buying before I made a final decision. Luggage is one of those items people tend to keep forever, and I didn’t want to be stuck with a “lemon”. I told Bill I wanted to go to the Karstadt Galeria in Wiesbaden to see what kinds of luggage they were selling. The Galeria recently announced that they were closing quite a few branches of their department store. Wiesbaden has had two branches, but soon will just be left with the one we visited yesterday at the Mauritiusplatz.
Bill was a little hesitant. He’d made a 7 PM reservation at Ariston Greek Restaurant in Hofheim. I looked at my watch. It was about 1:30 PM. 😀 I love my husband very much, but he has a tendency to be a bit neurotic sometimes. I guess he was afraid I’d dawdle in the store, and we’d miss our reservation or– horrors– arrive there late!
I said, “It’s just a fucking dinner reservation! Are you really telling me we don’t have time to go into Wiesbaden hours before dinner?”
Bill admitted I was right, so off we went to our fair host city. While we were at a light, Bill was getting annoyed at a guy who was in the wrong lane and had turned on his blinker.
“You’re gonna make me miss my light, buddy.” Bill muttered.
“We’re NOT going to be late for our reservation, Bill. Going out to dinner is supposed to be FUN!” I reasoned.
“You’re right.” Bill said.
I remembered we were going to be passing the Globus Hypermarket, which is kind of like WalMart on steroids. It’s a bit closer to where we live. I said, “Maybe we should just go to the Globus. I bet they have luggage.”
Bill disagreed with my ideas about the Globus, but finally relaxed about the time. We got to Wiesbaden and parked the car in the Market Garage, which is not where we usually park. It’s closer to the Galeria than our usual place is, although the store also has its own parking garage.
Wiesbaden was ALIVE yesterday. I wanted to stay longer.
As soon as we walked in, Bill spotted the luggage section, which was actually pretty large. I was immediately drawn to the Samsonites, which of course, were priced “top of the line”. But, just to do my due diligence, I looked at the other suitcases available. It had been a long time since I last shopped for luggage with wheels! I was surprised by how lightweight the bags were.
Fancy!
I ended up choosing a pretty marine blue Samsonite. I wanted to look for new towels, too, but Bill seemed too nervous, so I told him I’d get them another time. 😉 He would have obliged, of course, but he was making our shopping trip more complicated than it needed to be. What I really needed for now was the suitcase, and we accomplished that mission. I got some pretty cool photos outside of the store, too…
We went back to the car and Bill paid for the parking. When he got back, I said, “See? We have plenty of time. We could have had lunch!”
Bill said, “You’re right. Do you want to go have lunch?” Then he said, “Shit, I’ve already paid.”
“No, let’s go home to Noyzi.” So we went home, and started watching Amazon’s docuseries, Shiny Happy People. I’d already seen it, but Bill wanted to watch it, too. That kept us occupied until it was time to go to Hofheim for our dinner date.
The last time we tried to visit Ariston Restaurant, it was early March and everybody was out and about. They had no tables. Remembering that experience, Bill made a reservation. It was not necessary last night. Ariston was having a pretty slow night! Still, we decided to eat out on their tiny patio, and enjoy the pleasant June weather. It was about 70 degrees out and sunny. I had a Gyros Teller, which was gyros, souvlaki, tomato rice, t’zaziki, and salad. Bill had the Bifteki Teller, which had gyros, bifteki, pommes, t’zaziki, and salad. We also had a small carafe of house wine, our usual sparkling water, and for dessert, a round of Pils beer.
The very kind lady who looked after us was so nice. Bill gave her a generous tip on the bill, which was around 60 euros, and she touched her heart as she thanked us. It’s been too long since our last Greek food fix. When we lived in Stuttgart, we used to go to Greek places all the time. We don’t have as many Greek restaurants up here, though… We seem to eat more Italian food now. Not that that’s a hardship!
My Gyros Teller was excellent!I enjoyed this Pils.The inside of Ariston is very nice. We will have to go back.Pigeon in flight. I think they were mating. They had a nest near the restaurant and were making quite a racket.
After dinner, we headed back to the car, and I took a few more photos. Hofheim has sort of replaced Nagold as our “go to” town for casual recreation. It’s not quite as pretty as Nagold is, but it does the job. Likewise, I think we think of Mainz as our replacement for Tübingen, even though they aren’t that much alike, other than both being university towns.
We didn’t know it, but Ariston has parking available. We probably should have parked there, but then we would have missed out on the pretty walk through Hofheim. It’s a very nice place in the evening. We need to go there more often.
Someone drew a garden gnome near the museum.
I’m not sure what we have in store for today. The weather is beautiful again, though… Maybe we’ll venture out. Maybe we won’t.
Sunday’s plan included a trip to a brand new, beautiful chocolate museum. I’m referring to the Lindt Home of Chocolate, a gorgeous facility that opened to the public in September 2020. This is the place where chocolate lovers go to pay homage to the sweet delight of a well-known brand. Bill tells me it was my idea to visit. I’m not sure how I heard of it– someone probably alerted me to its presence. We would have discovered it regardless.
Let me just state upfront that I LOVE chocolate, and I like Lindt chocolate very much. It’s not my favorite chocolate, but I certainly won’t turn it down. And if you take the chocolate tour, you can satisfy your sweet tooth. This is a very tasting heavy place that is kid friendly. There are many excellent interactive exhibits, as well as headsets for those who want to learn everything. I did take a headset, but never used it. I prefer to read… and all of the exhibits at the museum have explanations in English and German.
Unlike at the Haus C.G. Jung museum, it’s perfectly fine to take photos at the Lindt museum, although you’re supposed to stow your bags in lockers. I took a lot of pictures, and we left there with a huge bag of chocolate that we’ll be enjoying for awhile. I did notice a sign that forbade strollers, so keep that in mind if you have a small child you’re considering bringing along for a tour.
It sure looks like chocolate heaven to me. This is a huge chocolate fountain.There’s a chocolate cafe. We didn’t visit, because we were chocolated out at the end.Cacao beans.I wasn’t quite tall enough to see through the magnifying glass. This was an exhibit about “no see um” midges that threaten cacao plants.Try your hand at raking.Roots!This was the only exhibit I saw closed. I was curious about what it was. This was pretty cool. The items on the plate lit up at intervals, as did the mug of hot chocolate.The smoke stack lit up on this display.They covered all kinds of aspects of chocolate making, including advertising and milk production… They had some antiques, there too…Including classic wrappers!And chocolate molds.This is probably the most fun part… You get to taste chocolate!They also had milk and dark chocolate.And models of the factory production.At the end, there’s a game for your kids to play!Part of the game.One kid is having some fun with the game.Flavor profiles…Put your hand under the bottom and the machine spits out a piece for you to try and guess what you’re tasting.The “cosmos” chocolate exhibit.Then, at the end, more tasting!There were several different kinds to try!And, if you like, you can get a souvenir photo made. We didn’t bother.Hang on to your ticket. At the end, you can scan it and get ANOTHER piece of chocolate. See the video below.Then comes the gift shop. There are free samples there, too.Vegans aren’t ignored.You could go crazy in here.If you like chocolate, this place is worth a stop! Family tickets are available. At this writing, an individual adult ticket is 10 Swiss Francs.
Cool way to end the tour!
The museum also has special tours and classes available. You can also buy vouchers as gifts for others. Bill said the experience reminded him a little of Swarovski’s Crystal Tour in Wattens, Austria, which I’ve done twice. I agree with him. The Lindt Home of Chocolate is a really cool museum, even with the face masks… and a great representation of the Lindt brand. There’s a huge parking garage at the museum, so you don’t need to worry about parking if you choose to drive.
After we finished at the chocolate museum, we decided to take a drive along the lake, where we promptly ran into a rain storm. I was looking for cute places to have lunch, but it was Sunday, and if you live in certain European countries, you know that means a lot of places are closed. We weren’t that hungry anyway, after all the chocolate we ate in the museum. We were a little afraid of being caught in flooding, as the recent German floods were fresh in our minds. When the rain really started coming down hard, we turned around and drove back into the city, parked in a much less expensive garage, and went looking for lunch.
More on that in the next (and probably last) installment.
The boat arrived at Küsnacht-Heslibach at precisely 1:35pm. Bill and I got off and started the short walk to the Haus C.G. Jung. As we were disembarking, I noticed a little beach right next to the pier. It looked inviting and, indeed, people were swimming and sunning. I noticed a few ladies had brought their playful dogs, which made me miss ours. We could have gotten off at the previous stop, but it would have been a longer walk to the house. The Küsnacht-Heslibach stop is just around the corner from the Jung house.
Before I knew it, we were at the end of the driveway, walking down to the house itself, a stately and unique mansion with well-manicured gardens and a lawn. I noticed there was a swing set there, no doubt for Jung’s descendants, who still call the place home. How nice of them to allow Jung enthusiasts to visit! The house was built in 1908, much of it paid for by the inherited wealth Jung’s wife, Emma Jung-Rauschenbach, brought into the family. They had five children. It seemed like they had it made, especially since Jung was a well-regarded psychiatrist who had studied with Freud, was an artist, and knew several languages.
Well… nobody’s perfect, and that also applies to people like Carl G. Jung. He had an open affair with his assistant and former patient, Toni Wolff. Emma tolerated the affair, and the three seemed to work harmoniously so that Jung could create his science of analytical psychology. I don’t pretend to know a whole lot about Jung– he’s really more Bill’s interest than mine. But as someone who has seen a psychologist and studied social work, I did find the museum very interesting for a lot of reasons. Artists will also enjoy it, since many of Jung’s works are displayed on the first floor, which is the self-guided part of the tour.
Carl Jung was a very unusual person with great vision. His house has a tower that he wanted built. He’d actually hoped the tower would be a library, but that didn’t work out. The tower has stairs instead of books. On the brief guided tour, we did visit Jung’s library and inner sanctum. When we walked inside, I noticed it reeked of tobacco. Our guide said that Jung was a heavy smoker. I thought I smelled whisky, too. It wouldn’t surprise me, although the guide didn’t mention a love of alcohol. I asked her how many languages Jung spoke, since I noticed books in several languages, including English. She said he spoke German, French, English, and had studied Greek and Latin. I was amused to see a book about yoga in the library… our guide said he’d read pretty much every book in the carefully arranged library.
Our group probably consisted of about ten people, all of whom were younger than Bill and I are, and none of whom appeared to be American. One couple was very young– the female half was pretty and had a very beautiful figure, which she showed off with an obscenely short skirt. Or maybe they were actually shorts. I don’t know what they were, although she did distract me when she bent over to look at something and gave me a full on view of her privates. I was really glad she’d worn underwear. The funny thing is, when I saw them approaching, I had a feeling I was going to end up seeing something I shouldn’t. I have some empathy, though. When I was younger, I made some unwise clothing choices, too. And I’ve never had a figure as pretty as hers.
We were supposed to leave our bags and cameras in lockers provided by the museum. A couple of people brought their phones with them, and one lady took forbidden photos inside the museum. A chaperone was quick to admonish her. I thought the way he did it was kind. He said she could keep the image she’d taken, but not to take others. Then, much to my amazement, she asked if she could climb the ladder to the top shelf of books! That request was denied! It is allowed to take photos outside, on the grounds.
The grounds at the museum are very beautiful and peaceful. It was a pleasure to walk around them and take in views of the lake. There’s also a public restroom outside of the house, which came in handy. Below are some photos from our visit. Tickets for adults are 22 Swiss Francs; kids from 0-11 years old can visit free of charge. I think they’re worth the price if you’re into Jung. The tour guide wasn’t the most energetic or entertaining, but she did seem very respectful and knowledgeable about Jung’s life and work. No one tried to stump her, though.
You can see the tower on the approach.Jung had to make some concessions…A swing set. I don’t know if that’s for visitors or family. I noticed a vegetable garden, too.The front door.View of the lake.Backyard…Lovely tree… it’s probably seen a lot.They have a boat, too.The sunroom looks like it was added on.This is a lovely shot from Jung’s house.I guess the upstairs is the family’s sunroom. I saw people up there.Sunken garden.A bee was busily doing work in Jung’s garden.A storm was brewing…Monolith in Jung’s garden.
We walked back to the dock, where we had about half an hour to kill before the boat came back for us. I watched the lake and got lots of video. I was trying to capture lightning on video, but it didn’t work out for me. I did get lots of thunder and plenty of people enjoying the lake, even as the storm approached. I kept hearing the voice in my head from all the lifeguards who demanded that everyone get out of the pool! I was surprised no one was doing that in safety-conscious Switzerland. Below, you can see how I amused myself with my big, fancy, digital camera… I need to play with it some more and learn to take better pictures.
A little of what I was seeing on Saturday.
It started raining as we waited for the boat. At first, it was pleasant and refreshing… but then it started to get heavier. By the time we got on the boat, it was coming down. I was suddenly glad Bill had given me an umbrella, even though I had complained about having something else to carry in my purse. We ended up sitting outside, barely managing to score chairs under an overhang. After a couple of stops, we were able to move into the restaurant, where I had another beer. 😉
While we were outside…Inside, as evidenced by the glare…Lindt Home of Chocolate… where we went on Sunday.
After we got off the boat, we decided to go eat. I was kind of hoping for something interesting, but we ended up at what appeared to be a Swiss beer hall based on the legend of William Tell. Yes, it was very tourist friendly, but I did get to have some surprisingly tasty Swiss style “mac n’ cheese”. Bill had a veal schnitzel… and yes, we drank more beer. The restaurant was called Das Zeughauskeller, and if you walk down the main drag past the Hermes store, it’s doubtful you’ll miss it. Our table was reserved from 6:00pm, which gave us plenty of time to enjoy a sumptuous Swiss meal.
My husband, the goof!This is a popular place. Every table was reserved for dinner.Yummy Swiss mac n’ cheese– vegetarian! It comes with potatoes and caramelized onions. I enjoyed it! I could have gone totally native and paired this with apple sauce.Bill’s veal schnitzel and “rosti” (hash brown) potatoes.Lots of beer.And for dessert, chocolate mousse for me, and vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and hot Hershey’s sauce for Bill.Nice place… kid friendly, too.Another nice scene from downtown.
We made our way back to the hotel– first paying the huge parking fee– where we relaxed and watched Father of the Bride on TV. The TVs at the hotel got all sorts of channels– there was something for everyone! Bill and I enjoyed watching BBC. I also enjoyed the bathtub again. All in all, it was a good day.
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