Photo Tidbits from the Europe Trip

Warning: this is a very photo heavy post.

I finally finished labeling my photos from my trip. Good thing I didn't have to develop film as it turned out to be 320 shots total- after deleting a few! No, I won't put them all on this blog but here are a few favorites:

Seen in a window on a Prague street. I laughed out loud at the thought of anything American being TYPICAL!!!

I photographed more than my share of cherubs and gargoyles!

Me and mom on a Prague overlook.

Prague's Jewish quarter , the Josefov, was not destroyed during WWII because Hitler wanted to keep it as a Museum to a dead race. Last laugh is ours luckily. This is the Jewish Town hall with one clock showing Hebrew letters in place of numbers. To the left is the Old-New Synagogue

The Jewish Cemetery is about 11 feet up above street level. There was only limited space alotted, so the cemetery is built layer upon layer with the stones brought up with each layer till it looks almost like a row of dominos.

Loved the Marionettes in the shops. This couple were the dearest.

After Prague, it was on to Nuremberg, Germany with its place in history, both ugly and beautiful. The guide was very open to both and the younger generation of Germans seemed both knowlegeable and apologetic for the past.

Then Bamberg.

Then Wurzberg to visit the Residence, a wine tasting, lunch

And yarn shopping of course

Arriving in Wertheim with its fortress on the hill, Medieval Market Square, and homes remembering it original Jewish families

Relaxing and knitting as we sailed on the Rhine, looking at castles, vineyards and blue sky

Some nightlife in Rudesheim with wine of course

Cochem and the Reichsburg Castle

Bernkastel, vinothek---it was all you could taste and drink at the Vinothek, but of course, it was 10:30 in the morning, so sanity prevailed.

Last stop of the ship and last meal with Petar the greatest waiter ever. Trier and the Porta Nigra, the roman city gate

Verdun, France, site of the Battle of Verdun where thousands of French and Americans died in WWI. We were there on Memorial Day and witnessed the ceremony of the laying of the wreaths at the memorial.

We drove on to the American Cemetery with acres and acres of markers from this battle. Christians and Jews alike, buried side by side. The dates were all in about a 6 week period from late Sept thru Nov 1918. I even located one marker from a casualty from Colorado.

Last stop Paris: Sex and the City, Le film! Our first night in a cafe with friends from Tulsa, the obligatory Eiffel Tower shot, great shots from the hotel, including Sacre Coeur in the distance and the cemetery of Montparnasse. From the bus, I captured the pyramid of the Louvre. Unfortunately, it rained in Paris, so sightseeing and walking was cut short. Will have to go back.

So, in a nutshell, those are some of the highlights from our trip. Except for the Bronchitis which both Mom and I ended up with once returning home, we were healthy throughout the trip and enjoyed the leisurely pace. Better get to work to make money to save up for my next trip, wherever that may take me....................

Souvenir from Paris

I have not disappeared, no. I have been down with a bronchitis bug, caught from Mom, and brought back from Paris. I have not been motivated to work on photos from the trip, but thought I would post a few just to get going............. This was the prop jet we took from Munich to Prague. Only about 50 passengers aboard, but the seats were real leather and far more comfortable than the big jet we had just spent 10 hours on from Denver to Munich!



Prague favorites

Above was a beautiful building with artwork throughout. We ate dinner in the basement restaurant- 6 of us. When the bill was delivered we put out our credit cards only to find out they only take Diners Club. Who the hell has a Diner's Club card anymore!!!! We thought we would have to wash dishes, but then the waiter told us they would take American $$ and brought out his calculator. We had no idea of the exchange rate, and we probably got royally ripped off..... At least the dinner was great and the setting was beautiful.

Below is a shot of the tremendous downpour on our first afternoon in Prague. This is the main square, usually full of people, but emptied out quickly. Luckily we were enjoying lunch and a beer in a covered outdoor cafe. We did get drenched walking back to the hotel. We never forgot our raincoats again on this trip!!!!

Below is the famous Astronomical Clock on the square. We were so exhaused after our long travel from Denver, I said to Mom that it was the Anatomical Clock! We had quite a laugh over that.

This is another view from the square in Prague- with the sun shining this time.

Yes, I am back

Jet Lag is a funny thing. Yes, I was tired when we arrived in Prague, having missed a whole night's sleep, but I recovered quickly and slept well the whole trip. Now, I have been home since Tuesday and I haven't had a decent night's sleep since leaving Paris. Mom is in worse shape than me, since she has come down with a respiratory crud, probably from being out in the cool rainy weather.

I spent last evening trying to label my photos and only got about a quarter of the way through so I will post the best soon.



We did have fun and the pace was just about right for Mom. Once we got on the River Boat, she could choose whether to stay on board or tour with the group. She did a bit of both, and she is mad that I sent her back to the ship one night in Rudesheim, Germany, instead of taking her with us to have yet another glass of wine at a weingarten! In Paris, she tired early and we cut the day touring on foot/Metro short as she was starting to come down with the crud by then.



There were several knitters aboard and it was fun encouraging them. They were very impressed with my Kauni sweater, and the fact that I took my sock knitting everywhere. I did have one disaster. In Denver International Airport as we were waiting to board (of course we had an hour and a half to wait), one of my Knitpicks harmony needletips broke completely and the rest of my knitting was packed away in my checked luggage. ARRRRRGHHHHHH! It was a 10 hour flight with no knitting at all! Boy, was I antsy the whole way. I read a little and tried to sleep, but to no avail. Once in Prague, I asked the concierge of the hotel if there were any knitting stores nearby and she directed me to a mall near old town. After wandering lost for a while, I finally stumbled upon Fillium. There I found an addi circular, different from what they sell in the states because there was a plastic cord and gold colored tips. My knowledge of metrics isn's so great but 80 cm long looked similar to the length I was using for the magic loop socks.
This is the label on the back of the needles:

There is not a single recognizable word to me on this Czech label, but at 99 Czech Korunas, it seemed like a pretty good deal. Together, with the yarn I bought, the total price on my credit card was under $20, so I guess I did ok. Most of the exchange rates in Europe were awful.

I transferred my Booby Socks to this new needle, but found that it was hard to count the pattern stitches while touring on the boat or in a bus, and put it aside til I came home. The needles are 2.5mm, slightly larger than the needle that I originally started these socks with, and I think it is working out better. I started anew and am now making some progress on it.



I was so greatful to find the addi needles in Prague, I bought some yarn as well: Fortissima Colori Socka Color yarn color 2412- a brown tweed self striping yarn and actually labeled made in the Czech Republic. I started these socks and got one whole sock done, and 7" of the top of the second sock. I used the basic sock pattern I usually use and used the knitting to practice my continental knitting. It is becoming more comfortable, but once I arrived at the heel, purling feels like I am all thumbs again.

There were a half dozen of us on the boat who scouted for knitting stores in each small town we toured. In Volkach, I bought 3 balls (100 grams) of regia sock yarn and 1 of Lana Grossa. These balls averaged under $10 per ball, so I feel I did ok again. Luckily for me and my credit card, the other stores I saw were closed when we passed by.

More to come on the trip later............

Au Revoir

It is 11:40 pm and I just finished the shawl. I finished packing at about 2:30pm this afternoon, went to the bank, and came home and watched movies until I finished. I had planned to be done by 8 but I needed some more length. I am very pleased with the way it came out and I will look oh so glamerous in the evenings, especially in Paris! Another errand today was to find a shawl pin to wear with it and found one at a LYS.

This is the last post until I return 5/27. If I am not too jet lagged, I will post then. Off to bed now.....................

It's Crunch Time

I leave for my Europe trip in a few days and I have barely started to pack. I have a laundry basket with items I took to California a couple of weeks ago, and have done most of my laundry, but I am so confused about what weather to pack for. Definitely a raincoat, but temps have been varying from the 40's to the high 70's. So I need to pack for all possibilities. The river cruise ship is casual as are the touring outings, but what the heck does "evening casual" mean???? That is what the literature says for dining aboard the cruise ship and I have no idea. On the other hand, I will probably be the youngest person aboard the ship (there are only 120 passengers possible) so how bad can I look with my wardrobe??? I am working tomorrow, but will pack furiously on Wednesday.

I still have not finished the shawl..........arggghhhhh. Instead of posting here, I should be knitting on it. I certainly will not have time to wet block it, so I think by Thursday morning (flight is at 2:05 pm) I should be able to steam press/block it into shape. Where ever I am on it by Wed night, I will add the six rows of garter stitch and call it done.

Tragedy has struck my nest outside the bedroom window. After several days of rain, the robin has abandoned the nest. The austrian pine must not have provided enough cover to keep it dry, and I am glad mother robin found that out before she laid her eggs! I had another bout with aviary nature today. I was outside and heard major squawking nearby. I looked up and saw a hawk in the cottonwood next to our driveway. She (or he) was working hard at breaking off a small branch of the tree, and once successful, she flew off across the street into another cottonwood at a neighbor's house to her nest there. I could not photograph it as it was too far for that, but I got an old pair of binoculars and watched for quite a while as it tended that nest.

Another tulip variety

Forget me nots

Snow on the Mountain

A few more flowers are blooming in my front garden. Some are bold and some are quite subtle. I will miss the burst of growth that will happen in the next few weeks, but here are a few more shots.

Tomorrow night, I will also start to sort through yarn to see what I want to take with me on the trip. The flight from Denver to Munich is about 10 hours, plus the wait time in the airport. I have my Ipod with a couple of books, lots of Podcasts, music and a real book. I should have plenty to keep me busy. I will definitely bring the booby socks, and maybe the ball of Noro Sock yarn for basic socks.

I need to run now and get another few rows in on my shawl.