Something new every day

 The new Dr. Strange movie that I watched on the plane over here, is about the multiverse -- essentially the old science fiction scenario of alternate universes.  We love the concept that there is someone else out there identical to ourselves but working through a whole different set of circumstances.  That is what these last two weeks have been for Clara.

Everyone speaks a different language.  C knows a few german words and is picking up more all the time, but she started from zero.  For a girl who interacts so well with others, this problem is huge.

Routines are different.  From breakfast to sit down lunches and 4 course suppers, meals are not what she was used to in Canada.  She tried carpaccio, tartare, foies gras, sorbets, and a multitude of desserts and pastries that were all new.  She has gone to bed late and slept in late -- not what will be happening next week when she starts school.

And she has come face to face with history on such a scale as never before.  Buildings that have stood since before Canada was even imagined.  Monuments that inspire awe; gardens that stagger you with their symmetry  and precision. The rooms and wall hangings, and furniture and chandeliers and stoves and floors and dishes and glassware, and paintings and beds and......  of the very rich, seem to be from fairy tales rather than reality.  

She loves the duvets that all the hotels have on their beds, the pasty and candy available anywhere -- especially the train stations, the trains that make everything so easy to get around, even with wifi.

She says she will miss that she can walk around any time and see something different.  I think she has been bitten by the travel bug.

 

MS Andrea

 MS Andrea was a last minute fill in for MS Asara which was supposed to be our ship along the Main-Donau canal.  Asara got caught on the wrong side of shallow water and so could not arrive at her scheduled cruise, but lucky for us, Andrea had a similar problem on our side and so we got the sister ship.  We were assured that they were the same except for the colour schemes.  

She was lovely.  The cabins were more spacious than any I have had on a boat before, and fitted out with lots of shelving and drawers.  The crew is to be commended as everything about her was clean and new looking.  There was a main dining room and a small dining area which served light lunches and steaks in the evening.  We got mixed reviews on the speciality restaurant and were quite pleased to just enjoy the ambiance and delicious offerings of the main dining room.  Clara found that they had smoked salmon and croissants for her every morning and I feasted on dark break, eggs and blue cheese.  

By midweek, we realized that the kitchen was OK with special orders and so C got just the veggies she would eat and in good quantity.  Sauces were left off meat and pasta.  She got double desserts. The head chef was South African and had 2 Michelen stars.  We ate very well.

There was a quiz (scrambled german names for countries and Islands), bingo (Clara took first prize and Eva tied 2 others for second), bbq on the sundeck, ice cream sundaes and other group activities.  It was a very nice mixture of time alone and mixing with others.  We discovered they had bicycles and even the helmets needed so C felt safe riding. Cycling along a waterway is such a lovely way to travel!!

More Adventure than Expected

One can plan months ahead, check timetables days ahead and be on the platform early, but you never know what adventure lies ahead.

Today was the trip from Munich to Passau in order to board the ship tomorrow.  

I had bought the 9 euro special summer ticket back in Canada.  I checked on Wednesday at the DB office to get the best connection for the trip.  We were on platform 25, complete with snacks, at 10:10.  All good.

At Wort we needed to change transportation to a shuttle bus that would take us to Prattling for the rest of the journey by train.  I guess they didn't plan for quite so many people.  The bus was STUFFED for the 1.25 hour trip.  Clara and I were both standing with our suitcases the whole time.  But we made it to the train and then to Passau.  

We found our hotel with no problem.  Dropped off our suitcases and the baby blankets that I was carrying for a friend from church to her friend here in Passau.  We found the Glass Museum and spent about 2 hours being awed by beauty in every colour, shape, ornamentation.  Well worth the visit.

We found a pizza for supper and checked out the confluence of the Danube and Inn rivers.  Amazing colour contrast, though the Danube is not blue.

Back to the hotel and I ducked out to pick up some fruit and veg.  I got the wifi password when I came back and started to look at the emails.

TROUBLE!  The Danube water level is too low for the ship and we are being booked on a sister ship leaving from Regensburg.  Now that was going to be our destination on Sunday, so it will mean taking a bus from Passau here to Regensburg, tomorrow afternoon.  I hope my late response to them (their email asked that one respond before 6 pm and I didn't look at it till 7pm) will still mean that everything works out.  

Never a dull moment! 

Castles

Several months ago, I asked Clara what interested her about Germany.  Now, I must admit influence from her Mother and Oma, but she said 'castles and bakeries'.  Yesterday we did CASTLES.  Yes we had been to the Nymphemburg castle on Wednesday, but yesterday we visited Linderhof, and, perhaps the most famous fairy tale castles of them all -- Neuschwanstein.  

It was a significant bus trip through forest and farm landed areas to get to the start of the Alps.  We stopped at Linderhof first.  Ludwig II built this castle early on in his reign and it is modest only in comparison to what he constructed later.  It was completed and therefore overlaid with 4.5 kilos of gold leaf.  Yes, that is enough to cover just about everything in the place. The fountain burst forth shooting much higher than the castle.  It is a delightful royal retreat.

By comparison, Neuschwanstein, built on a rock a serious half hour climb above the valley, is a spectacular, come-to-life fairy tale castle.  From the gate and forecourt to the throne room with its newly refurbished 4 meter crown chandelier, it promises a grandeur which was never realized because it was not finished.  Ludwig was arrested there and six days later was drown in a lake close to Munich.  (exact circumstances of his death are unknown).  All the contracts for the lavish furnishings that had been ordered for the castle were cancelled and within 7 weeks of Ludwig's death, it was open to the public as a museum.  Particularly important for me, was the knowledge that 69 years ago, my parents took me to this castle.  At that time, one could still take photos inside.  Now that's a family tradition.  I hope that Clara will someday bring her children or grandchildren to this place to carry on the line.

Mind Blowing

 The last time that Clara was in Europe, was 3 years ago with her family in Lousanne for the World Triathlon Championships.  They did active adventures and saw some historic things, but she was 8 and not really into history.  So this trip -- Castles and bakeries -- takes her into a whole new area.

On Wed. we did the Hop-on, hop-off bus adventure around Munich.  There are 3 routes and we picked the one that would take us to the Nymphenburg Palace, on the west edge of the city.  It was the royal summer palace.  The size was the first wow.  With all the side additions, it is incredibly long, but the ornate Fest saal (feast room) had us bending our necks to view the ceiling.  The King's and Queen's chambers were interesting, but there was no kitchen tour.

However, we did get the combination ticket which took us to the Marshall hall -- think horses and everything that goes with that -- blankets, collars, ceremonial bridles, sleighs, CARRIAGES!  Yes, there were 2 coronation carriages and one can understand how Ludwig II was bankrupting his country.  His favourite colour was gold.

After a lovely lunch of Flammenkuchen, we bussed on to the Olympic site.  We had intended to just get off for a half and hour, but the European Championships are being held here in Munich and so the place was buzzing with people and activity.  We have been watching the events in the evening -- something on TV which doesn't require one to understand German-- and so were interested in the venue.  There was a kids' zone for jumping, trying a wheelchair, balancing on a board.  Clara wore herself out.  We took another of the bus routes around the centre of the city and she fell asleep.

We made it to the Marienplatz just in time for the Glockenspiel at 5 and then walked back to the hotel, stopping for some of the famous Munich Weisswurst at an outdoor cafe.  Clara is not fond of pretzels, but she has been trying new things.  I don't think she will become an adventurous eater yet, but she willingly tries new things.

Clara is the adventure

Sometimes the adventure is the time, sometimes it is the place, sometimes it is the event, and sometimes it is the person.  This is the adventure focused on Clara.  It is her '10th Birthday adventure with Oma', but a year late due to the pandemic.  

For a long time I did not know Clara.  She was the second child, and Kieran has always been a dominant personality.  When he went to Kindergarten and I had a year with just her on Mondays, I became close to this little gem.  She is thoughtful, artistic, funny, athletic and very social.  When picking her up at school, there were always a number of kids who called out to say goodbye.  In June she was one of the valedectorians for her Grade 5 class and one of the top students.  

So this year it is her turn to travel with me.  She originally wanted to go to Paris, but I don't go to France with them.  What I can offer the kids is a unique visit to Germany where I know the language and some of the things to see and do.  

Kieran and I did a cycling trip along the Rhine river, but Clara was not interested in cycling.  What she wanted to experience was castles and bakeries.  So Germany is a great place to visit.

We have some specific plans especially in the first few days while we are in Munich.  City tours and a visit to Linderhof and Neuschwanstein castles.  Then it is on to Passau where we board a ship and do an adventure up the Danube, across the canal and into the Main.  We end up in Frankfurt.  It is an area that I have not been.  That is a bonus, but the true adventure is experiencing this tour through the eyes of our Clarabelle.  Everything old is new again.