07 October 2007
Tell Me This Is a Joke
Below is a quote from this Sunday's Atlanta Constitution. *************************************************************************************************** How big is too big? The Georgia Department of Transportation may be about to learn. In a new era of tolls and private investment in roads, the state is considering road projects that dwarf anything in its history: $500 million to expand western I-285, $1.4 billion for Ga. 400, $4 billion for I-75 and I-575. Peanuts. As expensive as those projects are, Atlanta needs something far, far bigger and better connected, say a growing number of state Transportation Board officials. Namely, expand the whole Atlanta major highway system, add a web of truck-only lanes and HOV toll lanes to the freeways and, perhaps, new toll roads like a redrawn Northern Arc or Midtown tunnel. Think $30 billion to $50 billion. And no, the state doesn't have the money. But you do. DOT consultants are calling it "the whole enchilada." Metro Atlanta is drowning in congestion, the board members say, and a project here and there won't cut it. Private investment, paid back by tolls, would have to fund all or part of it. Companies — or one private consortium — could finance it, build it, and lease it for decades, reaping returns by collecting tolls and probably sharing profits with the state. ****************************************************************************************************** This is just the opening of the article. Am I the only one who thinks that before these projects are finished, gasoline and other fossil fuels are going to be either non-existant or beyond the pocketbook of any comsumer? Who in their right mind would invest in a boondawgle like this. Who is going to have money for tolls when the gas is so expensive that you cannot buy it? I thought this was a joke at first, but these nitwits are seriously shortsighted.
24 July 2007
The USA Summer
Our summer trip to the USA in RI is about to end. We are always ambivalent about going “home” to CH. It, as always, has been a busy time.
Children and grandchildren all like to come to Newport, and we are always ready to see these precious people in our lives. It is always a joy to see these kids and grandkids and to hear how their lives are changing. We get to experience the 24/7 aspects of the USA. We have fun buying and cooking the foods that are not common fare in CH. Just yesterday, I cooked a big “mess” of turnip greens. Before we leave, I am going to use my new Dutch oven pot to fix some crayfish/alligator etoufee. I wish that I could get that pot back to CH, but it is too heavy.
This year, we traveled to my old hometown of Jackson, Tennessee to be at my high school’s 50th class reunion. That was a real hoot for both of us. It did use up four days of our Newport time though. Another exciting event for us was a trip to Boston to see the Red Sox play in Fenway Park. That is always an event. We enjoyed a concert one night in Providence and visits with USA friends here that we often see in CH.
I continue to find Rhode Islanders very unique people. The traffic courtesy is still here even though our rental car has NY plates. The condo is as nice as it is always, but there are also the usual things to do to keep it up. We are fortunate to have a lovely lady retired navy captain to live in it for us this year, so that is one less thing to worry us. I want to get back to CH to see how our plants are doing, meet old friends, and get the German papers to brush up. Of course, Barbara has her students, the bridge club, and the international ladies club on which to check.
We are indeed fortunate people.
Children and grandchildren all like to come to Newport, and we are always ready to see these precious people in our lives. It is always a joy to see these kids and grandkids and to hear how their lives are changing. We get to experience the 24/7 aspects of the USA. We have fun buying and cooking the foods that are not common fare in CH. Just yesterday, I cooked a big “mess” of turnip greens. Before we leave, I am going to use my new Dutch oven pot to fix some crayfish/alligator etoufee. I wish that I could get that pot back to CH, but it is too heavy.
This year, we traveled to my old hometown of Jackson, Tennessee to be at my high school’s 50th class reunion. That was a real hoot for both of us. It did use up four days of our Newport time though. Another exciting event for us was a trip to Boston to see the Red Sox play in Fenway Park. That is always an event. We enjoyed a concert one night in Providence and visits with USA friends here that we often see in CH.
I continue to find Rhode Islanders very unique people. The traffic courtesy is still here even though our rental car has NY plates. The condo is as nice as it is always, but there are also the usual things to do to keep it up. We are fortunate to have a lovely lady retired navy captain to live in it for us this year, so that is one less thing to worry us. I want to get back to CH to see how our plants are doing, meet old friends, and get the German papers to brush up. Of course, Barbara has her students, the bridge club, and the international ladies club on which to check.
We are indeed fortunate people.
18 July 2007
Half of a Century
This last weekend, I went to my 50th high school reunion. To say the least, it was a mixture of fun and sadness. It was fun to see all these senior citizens who looked vaguely familiar but who sounded just like they did 50 years ago. Everyone had changed, and some had done this more than others.
Our class had 183 members. Less than 50% attended the reunion with spouses or alone. From what I hear, our attendance was pretty good. 26 members of the class have died ( 14% ). That is better than expected. Those that have died were definitely present with us and likely were remembered by all. None of us were unaware of the fact that it was only a matter of time until we joined their club.
One thing was clear. There is an "Olive Oil" Syndrome. This is what a friend of mine calls it when a skinny and plain girl in high school grows into an attractive older woman. I saw several examples, while the reverse was also true too.
There were parties and grand opportunities to visit, tell stories, and share experiences. We had gained families, work history, and life knowledge. Someone will the last one left of our group. I hope they remember to turn off the lights when they leave.
Our class had 183 members. Less than 50% attended the reunion with spouses or alone. From what I hear, our attendance was pretty good. 26 members of the class have died ( 14% ). That is better than expected. Those that have died were definitely present with us and likely were remembered by all. None of us were unaware of the fact that it was only a matter of time until we joined their club.
One thing was clear. There is an "Olive Oil" Syndrome. This is what a friend of mine calls it when a skinny and plain girl in high school grows into an attractive older woman. I saw several examples, while the reverse was also true too.
There were parties and grand opportunities to visit, tell stories, and share experiences. We had gained families, work history, and life knowledge. Someone will the last one left of our group. I hope they remember to turn off the lights when they leave.
07 July 2007
Isn't this the Truth?
"hope that can never die /Effort and
expectation and desire/ and something evermore
about to be"
The above is from Scott Fitzgerald.
What a great thought! If you think about it, this is what Idyllers do before every trip. It also works with children and grandchildren.
expectation and desire/ and something evermore
about to be"
The above is from Scott Fitzgerald.
What a great thought! If you think about it, this is what Idyllers do before every trip. It also works with children and grandchildren.
05 July 2007
Is this as It Is Supposed to Be?
I saw Big Al (Al Gore) on TV twice this AM. Once on a liberal branch of the media and once on a conservative network. He is not one of my favorite politicians, as few are these days. In fact, I am hard pressed to vote for anyone right now. I am a Tennessean by birth, but Al isn't one of us, as far as I am concerned. His father, on the other hand, was a tolerable liberal.
My point is this. The first question out of each interviewer's mouth today was about Gore's son who was caught with a DUI and drugs in his car yesterday. What the *(%$# does this have to do with politics, global warming, or anything in the public sphere? My answer is nothing at all. What do John Edwards' wife's breasts have to do with anything outside her family? Same answer from me.
We all put our pants on one leg at a time. If we are parents, we all are subject to worry about the whims of our adult children. Big Al's son is 24 years old!! Having seen other similar situations, I know that what adult children do with their lives are not under parental control and are largely a matter of the Grace of God or something else aside from our responsibility.
The networks are out of control and need to be censured in the most effective way. That way is to bring down the wrath of God around those who pay for the airtime to advertise. If this is censorship (I doubt this), then it is as it should be. Freedom of speech does not allow one to yell Fire" in a crowded place just for the hell of it. The media needs to be held accountable for their actions. This kind of interview has no value.
My point is this. The first question out of each interviewer's mouth today was about Gore's son who was caught with a DUI and drugs in his car yesterday. What the *(%$# does this have to do with politics, global warming, or anything in the public sphere? My answer is nothing at all. What do John Edwards' wife's breasts have to do with anything outside her family? Same answer from me.
We all put our pants on one leg at a time. If we are parents, we all are subject to worry about the whims of our adult children. Big Al's son is 24 years old!! Having seen other similar situations, I know that what adult children do with their lives are not under parental control and are largely a matter of the Grace of God or something else aside from our responsibility.
The networks are out of control and need to be censured in the most effective way. That way is to bring down the wrath of God around those who pay for the airtime to advertise. If this is censorship (I doubt this), then it is as it should be. Freedom of speech does not allow one to yell Fire" in a crowded place just for the hell of it. The media needs to be held accountable for their actions. This kind of interview has no value.
02 July 2007
A Tale from a Friend
Olympic air was just like the reviews I read about them on line previous to the trip. The flights were late, the food was lousy, and the service was poor. On the flight from JFK it was 4 and a half hours before they served anything. We caught on after a few hours that it was self service. If you wanted a drink you went to the gallery at the back of the plane and poured yourself a water or juice. We saw the greeks walking to the back and coming back with cups of water. So Sue went to the back and got us 2 waters. they had pitchers on a table.
After they served the meal the attendants disappeared.
Right after the plane took off from JFK while the plane was still ascending Greek passengers got up and started walking around and going to the bathroom. Finally they sent a female stewardess forward to chase them back to their seats. It was funny she blocked the one bath room door with her body. There was a lot of yelling and hand motions. The one steward got into 6 fights, 3 with the same guy whom he kept picking on and 3 ladies. It was funny.
The return trip was a 10 hour 40 minute trip so I stocked up with food and water for the return trip, but on the way home they served a hot meal one hour into the flight, shut the lights out and told you to close the window shades, and then disappeared for 7 hours and self service kicked in. We got a cold meal an hour before we landed. I swear the attendants changed into tourist garb and hid among the passengers. The check in at the Santorini airport was hillarious. That's a story for another time.
At least the pilots were good, they made very smooth landings.
After they served the meal the attendants disappeared.
Right after the plane took off from JFK while the plane was still ascending Greek passengers got up and started walking around and going to the bathroom. Finally they sent a female stewardess forward to chase them back to their seats. It was funny she blocked the one bath room door with her body. There was a lot of yelling and hand motions. The one steward got into 6 fights, 3 with the same guy whom he kept picking on and 3 ladies. It was funny.
The return trip was a 10 hour 40 minute trip so I stocked up with food and water for the return trip, but on the way home they served a hot meal one hour into the flight, shut the lights out and told you to close the window shades, and then disappeared for 7 hours and self service kicked in. We got a cold meal an hour before we landed. I swear the attendants changed into tourist garb and hid among the passengers. The check in at the Santorini airport was hillarious. That's a story for another time.
At least the pilots were good, they made very smooth landings.
29 June 2007
How about this for Irony?
Things just get crazier and crazier to me. Michael Moore and Paris Hilton, admittedly not at the top of my favorite people's list, are two of the top stories this week. Poor Paris, who I think has all the attributes of a knot on a log, and Mike (laughing all the way to the bank) Moore are right in the top Yahoo News headlines today. It seems that Mike got bumped from Larry King's (don't get me started on that ding dong) show, so Paris could tell us how things went in the slammer. To add insult to injury, yesterday Mike got the door of The New York Stock Exchange slammed in his face. Apparently he failed to make arrangements to be allowed in the exchange (that has a faint odor to it also, but that is the exchange's story).
Paris is till soaking in Lysol, but Mike says that he is beginning to take things personally. You think???
Paris is till soaking in Lysol, but Mike says that he is beginning to take things personally. You think???
14 June 2007
Who Are They Kidding?
Since arrival here in the land of super size and 24/7, I have noted that the TV is inundated with talking heads. Most of them are talking about the distant presidential election and its candidates. Do they think, at this time, many of us are interested?
CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc. all are extolling the wonders of this or that person, offering critiques, wondering out loud about this or that, etc. This all done by "experts". Even people who are unannounced candidates are not spared.
Who are the beneficiaries of all this wind? Certainly, no voter is going to make a hard and fast decision today, so count them out. The people who are benefiting are the TV networks. Millions of dollars are already being spent from campaign war chests. All this goes to the networks. Knowing politicians, who thinks that a TV show has a hard time getting their mouths open? As a result, we are bombarded daily with blather on this or that possibility. So much for that. The networks rake in the dollars, and the politicians pay for and get, time to expound. We get to listen.
CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc. all are extolling the wonders of this or that person, offering critiques, wondering out loud about this or that, etc. This all done by "experts". Even people who are unannounced candidates are not spared.
Who are the beneficiaries of all this wind? Certainly, no voter is going to make a hard and fast decision today, so count them out. The people who are benefiting are the TV networks. Millions of dollars are already being spent from campaign war chests. All this goes to the networks. Knowing politicians, who thinks that a TV show has a hard time getting their mouths open? As a result, we are bombarded daily with blather on this or that possibility. So much for that. The networks rake in the dollars, and the politicians pay for and get, time to expound. We get to listen.
13 June 2007
Wouldn't You Know?
Things are getting pretty scary here now. In the last two days, I have read reports that tend to make me wonder if indeed humans are as smart as they think. When you see what a mess humans have made of the world, I suppose that it is no wonder to question that.
Elephants can hear with their feet? It seems that they can do this over long distances by pounding on the jungle floor. If that isn't amazing enough, it seems that they can also recognize each other by the sounds their feet make. If they get warnings from a reliable source, they believe them. If these warnings are from a questionable source, then they ignore them. Too bad that humans cannot always do that. If they could pull this off, all the politicians would be in another line of work.
Now, the best one for today is that cockroaches can learn things. These little beasts have been around for many centuries, so is it any wonder that they can learn? It seems that like Pavlov's dog, they can salivate when a repeatable stimulus is presented to them. If a cockroach smells an odor when being fed a sugar solution, they learn to associate this odor with feeding. Then, when some sneaky scientist turns the odor machine on but leaves off the sugar solution, they salivate. Salivate?? Who would like to be the guy who runs the saliva measurement machine? "What does your dad do?" "He runs the spit measurement laboratory." Can't you just see a cockroach pondering the theory of relativity?
Elephants can hear with their feet? It seems that they can do this over long distances by pounding on the jungle floor. If that isn't amazing enough, it seems that they can also recognize each other by the sounds their feet make. If they get warnings from a reliable source, they believe them. If these warnings are from a questionable source, then they ignore them. Too bad that humans cannot always do that. If they could pull this off, all the politicians would be in another line of work.
Now, the best one for today is that cockroaches can learn things. These little beasts have been around for many centuries, so is it any wonder that they can learn? It seems that like Pavlov's dog, they can salivate when a repeatable stimulus is presented to them. If a cockroach smells an odor when being fed a sugar solution, they learn to associate this odor with feeding. Then, when some sneaky scientist turns the odor machine on but leaves off the sugar solution, they salivate. Salivate?? Who would like to be the guy who runs the saliva measurement machine? "What does your dad do?" "He runs the spit measurement laboratory." Can't you just see a cockroach pondering the theory of relativity?
31 May 2007
An Explosive Experience in the Zurich Airport
Barbara and I left Zurich for the USA on 30 May this week. As usual, we shipped our luggage to the airport, so we did not have to schlepp the bags from two trains. The baggage is kept at the "to claim" section of the airport's SBB station where one picks up it with claim checks before checking in. No problems as usual. HOWEVER, this year we were told that they would sell us baggage checks for our use when we returned in a couple of months.
As I went in to claim our bags, the lady was berating a couple of young students who must have asked a dumb question. She was too old for PMS, but still was a bit nasty to them. She looked at me like I was some sort of hairy mole on her body but took the checks and got the bags. The I asked about the baggage checks for our return trip so that we could, as we usually do, pick up the bags in Sarnen. She consulted her screen and informed me that this was not going to happen because there was no code in the system for Sarnen. When I pushed the issue with her, she flipped the screen around to show me that there was no code.
I realized that I was dealing with a closed mind and a loosing situation, so I walked out and went next door to a ticket counter. While the lady there in the usual polite tone told me that of course one could ship bags to Sarnen. About that time, here comes Brunhilde with three baggage tickets to Sarnen in her hand for me and some comment about her being on the wrong web page. She led me next door while admonishing me not to go looking for other opinions when she told me something.
Well, for me that did it, I let her know what I thought of her and her obviously "bad day". She was not happy at my evaluation of her, her day, SBB in general, and my lack of concern that she had worked for SBB for thirty years. To the last comment, I mentioned if she had not learned in thirty years how to satisfy a customer then maybe all her days were "bad days". Just as we were nose to nose things blew up!
The pick up station has two large glass sliding doors that open automatically to facilitate large baggage wagons, etc. There was no one near us or the doors, and the doors were closed. She was facing them and my back was to them. A huge explosion sounded!! I remained motionless ( If I had not been so pissed, I likely would have ducked). Brunhilde turned as white as clay, grabbed her chest and ducked downward. I heard glass clattering to the floor and turned to see safety glass shards in at least 5000 pieces falling to the floor. As I turned back to the counter, I said, I told you that you were having a bad day, now see what you have done?" She screamed, "You didn't move; you are a cool one!" I advised her that she had better be careful what she said to me because there was another door right behind me.
Then she began to laugh. Other SBB personnel arrived and I advised them that "She did it." The all began to laugh. She said that this man didn't move!! The fun continued as I told them that I ought to get a discount for being in a war zone, and that with a start like today's had been, maybe I shouldn't get on any airplanes today. She and I discussed our mutual feelings about the state of the SBB baggage system currently. My theory is that the clowns in charge of making the rules, don't ride the trains to work. Her idea is that they hire people with book knowledge but no practice. We are both likely right.
Anyway, whatever was eating at this lady got blown away by the door explosion. She smiled at me as I left, likely because she realized that incontinence was still a problem for her future.
I don't know why a glass door broke in that way with no one near it, but it was nice that the doors are safety glass. Anyone next to it would have been spooked but not cut. I suspect that the pane got torqued a bit for some reason in its track and went boom.
As I went in to claim our bags, the lady was berating a couple of young students who must have asked a dumb question. She was too old for PMS, but still was a bit nasty to them. She looked at me like I was some sort of hairy mole on her body but took the checks and got the bags. The I asked about the baggage checks for our return trip so that we could, as we usually do, pick up the bags in Sarnen. She consulted her screen and informed me that this was not going to happen because there was no code in the system for Sarnen. When I pushed the issue with her, she flipped the screen around to show me that there was no code.
I realized that I was dealing with a closed mind and a loosing situation, so I walked out and went next door to a ticket counter. While the lady there in the usual polite tone told me that of course one could ship bags to Sarnen. About that time, here comes Brunhilde with three baggage tickets to Sarnen in her hand for me and some comment about her being on the wrong web page. She led me next door while admonishing me not to go looking for other opinions when she told me something.
Well, for me that did it, I let her know what I thought of her and her obviously "bad day". She was not happy at my evaluation of her, her day, SBB in general, and my lack of concern that she had worked for SBB for thirty years. To the last comment, I mentioned if she had not learned in thirty years how to satisfy a customer then maybe all her days were "bad days". Just as we were nose to nose things blew up!
The pick up station has two large glass sliding doors that open automatically to facilitate large baggage wagons, etc. There was no one near us or the doors, and the doors were closed. She was facing them and my back was to them. A huge explosion sounded!! I remained motionless ( If I had not been so pissed, I likely would have ducked). Brunhilde turned as white as clay, grabbed her chest and ducked downward. I heard glass clattering to the floor and turned to see safety glass shards in at least 5000 pieces falling to the floor. As I turned back to the counter, I said, I told you that you were having a bad day, now see what you have done?" She screamed, "You didn't move; you are a cool one!" I advised her that she had better be careful what she said to me because there was another door right behind me.
Then she began to laugh. Other SBB personnel arrived and I advised them that "She did it." The all began to laugh. She said that this man didn't move!! The fun continued as I told them that I ought to get a discount for being in a war zone, and that with a start like today's had been, maybe I shouldn't get on any airplanes today. She and I discussed our mutual feelings about the state of the SBB baggage system currently. My theory is that the clowns in charge of making the rules, don't ride the trains to work. Her idea is that they hire people with book knowledge but no practice. We are both likely right.
Anyway, whatever was eating at this lady got blown away by the door explosion. She smiled at me as I left, likely because she realized that incontinence was still a problem for her future.
I don't know why a glass door broke in that way with no one near it, but it was nice that the doors are safety glass. Anyone next to it would have been spooked but not cut. I suspect that the pane got torqued a bit for some reason in its track and went boom.
27 May 2007
My New Idol- A Lawyer!!
The TV show, "Boston Legal" is held up almost entirely by a character called Denny Crane. I just love this guy who is played by William Shatner. I love Denny for lots of reasons. Just the way he says "Denny Crane" when he is introduced gives me a laugh.
Denny is much more than that however, he is irreverent, scandalizes people and ideas, he epitomizes "politically INCORRECT, has the morals of an alley cat (not that unusual in legal circles), and in general is just a lovable scoundrel. He can horrify anyone with barely more than a look.
There is a great site with a Denny Crane quote generator that I find very entertaining.
http://tvcomedies.about.com/library/quotes/bl_denny_crane_quotes.htm
This clown gives reason for The Vent Guy to quake in his boots. He is at:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/vent/index.html
If we are all really honest with ourselves and insightful, most of us will identify, or want to identify, with Denny Crane. If not, then you have my sympathy.
Denny is much more than that however, he is irreverent, scandalizes people and ideas, he epitomizes "politically INCORRECT, has the morals of an alley cat (not that unusual in legal circles), and in general is just a lovable scoundrel. He can horrify anyone with barely more than a look.
There is a great site with a Denny Crane quote generator that I find very entertaining.
http://tvcomedies.about.com/library/quotes/bl_denny_crane_quotes.htm
This clown gives reason for The Vent Guy to quake in his boots. He is at:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/vent/index.html
If we are all really honest with ourselves and insightful, most of us will identify, or want to identify, with Denny Crane. If not, then you have my sympathy.
12 May 2007
It's about Time
When I came to CH in 1977, you could have eaten off the curb or sidewalk in Zurich, the country's largest city. Now, you might not be able to do this in a small village. I used to say that if you saw a candy wrapper, etc. on a hiking trail that it meant a tourist had been by there. Now, I doubt the tourists are completely at fault. There are so many new people living here from countries where filth is the norm, that I suspect them. Also, the Swiss are not without guilt here. The younger generation has not been expected to do as they were taught and keep a clean country. In that first visit, I remember a sidewalk lecture given to a toddler by his father. The toddler's infraction? He had dropped a gum wrapper on the sidewalk. Besides the oral education, he learned to walk over to the refuse can and put his wrapper in it.
To see wrappers, fast food throw away, and drink containers along the road, train line, or hiking paths is now the norm. BUT LOOK OUT! The areas of Bern, Basel, Luzern, and others have instituted fines for littering. These range from 30-300 CHF, and in some places are due on the spot. That means cash or a visit to the police station. Cigarette butts, gum or wrappers, and other trash go into a can or remain in your backpack until you find a receptacle. I expect the smaller villages to be more stringent than other areas. One might want to be aware of this force against the "throw away society".
To see wrappers, fast food throw away, and drink containers along the road, train line, or hiking paths is now the norm. BUT LOOK OUT! The areas of Bern, Basel, Luzern, and others have instituted fines for littering. These range from 30-300 CHF, and in some places are due on the spot. That means cash or a visit to the police station. Cigarette butts, gum or wrappers, and other trash go into a can or remain in your backpack until you find a receptacle. I expect the smaller villages to be more stringent than other areas. One might want to be aware of this force against the "throw away society".
06 May 2007
WW II and "J"
On 13 April 2006, I wrote a blog about "J" and her life in occupied Paris as a teenager. Well, "J" turned 84 the other day, and we had a nice lunch together with Barbara, "J's" husband, and her niece who lives in Paris.
I thought maybe some readers might like to see her picture, so here it is.
03 May 2007
Normandy, the Finale
21 April, Saturday
Today was packing day with plans for an early departure on Sunday. I hit the big grocery store for last minute purchases, mailed some cards, and got some Euros for use on the return trip. Then we had “refrigerator clean out” for supper.
22 April Sunday
Up in the dark for a 13-hour drive home. But what memories! Home still looked good.
A few days later, I learned that we were only a few miles away from where my seventh great grandmother had lived before she emigrated to Quebec almost two hundred years ago. Maybe this will be an excuse for another journey. We did not visit Cherbourg or Caen, so that could be another trip.
Today was packing day with plans for an early departure on Sunday. I hit the big grocery store for last minute purchases, mailed some cards, and got some Euros for use on the return trip. Then we had “refrigerator clean out” for supper.
22 April Sunday
Up in the dark for a 13-hour drive home. But what memories! Home still looked good.
A few days later, I learned that we were only a few miles away from where my seventh great grandmother had lived before she emigrated to Quebec almost two hundred years ago. Maybe this will be an excuse for another journey. We did not visit Cherbourg or Caen, so that could be another trip.
Normandy, Part Four
19 April Thursday
Today was another beautiful day and a trip to Mont St. Michel was planned. Someone had told me to get there early, so we were up and gone by good daylight. That was good advice, since by the time we left there about noon; the place was covered up with arriving tourists.
We had about an hour and a half drive through beautiful Norman countryside, but by 9 AM, we were walking the causeway over to this huge castle perched on a massive rock and surrounded by the ocean at high tide. This in itself is interesting because a lot of the parking lots are built on the tidal flats. If you don’t get your car out by the time the tide comes in, you are wet. We parked further away, since the lots were flooded then. It was about a mile walk to the gates of the castle and the village at its feet. There are the usual gaggle of tourist shops and restaurants in the narrow alleys along the base of the rock, but these were just opening.
For 8 Euros each we got an admission (comes with a free tour if you want to wait on the language schedule), and for 6 more Euros, we got two English guide audio phones for a self guided tour, which was very nice and complete. The stair climbs are significant but not that hard since not all is done at one time. We spent a couple of hours going about the different areas and hearing the history of this structure that was thought to have begun in 708 AD. School kids and even Japanese tourists were there in abundance.
On the way back out to the car, we stopped at the Au Pelerin Snack Bar for a drink. The Normandy cider has become a favorite of mine. It has less alcohol than a beer and is really good. Barbara’s new favorite libation is a Kir, and she quickly became the bartender’s new best friend. He told us about the three kinds of Kir; cassis and white wine (Kir), cassis and Champagne (Kir Royal), and a Kir Bretagne (cassis and cider).
Fortified thusly, we then made the walk to the car and headed out to wander someplace for lunch. We drove up the coast to a town called Granville where we found the Restaurant du Port. I had some of the best oysters on the shell that I have had in many years; small and sweet with a lemon-shallot sauce. No red sauce here! These and a Paella were just fine. Barbara had a dish of gratineed mixed fish in a cream sauce. This with a glass of Rose wine for her and more cider for me with my chocolate ice cream and her apple tart a la mode cost us 43.30 Euro. With breakfast and snacks at night at our apartment, this isn’t bad for our one “out meal” of the day.
After this we drove back to Bayeux over some wonderful Normandy country. The roads are superior here and well marked. Driving has not been a chore except for
the trip getting here from Sachseln.
20 April Friday
Another spectacular day dawned. Even the locals say that the weather this April has been exceptionally pretty. We made a foray into Bayeux for some shopping after hitting the big grocery store for goodies to take home. We killed some time until we could lunch at the restaurant that Jerome had mentioned the other day. He had admitted that his daughter owned the place. We saw him there today and told him we liked his choice. The Moulin de la Gallette has a very nice terrace open by the river and the old mill. The sun was warm, and we enjoyed a fine lunch. We enjoyed it so much that we had empty plates before we remembered the camera to make the pictures of it. We had started with an aperitif of cider and Pommeux (a mild apple liqueur). Barbara had a first course of pate-like meat made of what tasted like the crusts of baked ham served with tiny pickles. The she had a slice of local ham covered in a cider sauce and served with baked potatoes and sour cream with a brochette of grilled vegetables. She drank a rose wine with this. I had salad of greens and walnuts and then a gallette of Gruyere, mushrooms and cream. I drank the local cider with this. For dessert, we split a heavenly chocolate mousse. Espresso ended this two hour-long feast.
Having once again fended off malnutrition, we struck out for the coast. It was too pretty not to go to the sea. Our first stop was Longues (called “The Chaos”. I wanted a picture of Barbara with the named sign but none was to be found. What we did find was a small but nice site of gun batteries with an impressive history. This is where the opening scene of ”The Longest Day” was filmed. For a small place there was a lot of tourist activity. I have been impressed at two things during our days here. One, the number of French that are visitors (the majority), and two, the number of what look like high school age kids (French and some British) that cover the exhibits. I enjoyed our time in this small but significant spot.
Moving onward, we went to what had been our original quest. We went to Pointe du Hoc. This was reached by continuing down the D-514 road toward the Utah Beach area. Pointe du Hoc was a very strategic place. It sits on a point so that German artillery could blast away at both the Utah beach to the west and the Omaha beach to the east. The Rangers (like the USA Green Berets now) were assigned this cliff side area to attack and neutralize. They did this with 225 men (90 survived the bitter battle) and a lot of luck. The most impressive thing to me, aside from bunkers with 9 feet of reinforced roofs, was the number of huge shell craters surrounding the defensive positions. Some would hold a two-story house easily. Our guidebook, “Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches” that was written by Major and Mrs. Holt and recommended by Joan Herriges, was and is, a great resource for information. This said that on 6 June 1944, the fields around Pointe du Hoc must have been the nearest earthly equivalent of hell.
After Pointe du Hoc, we rode through some of the nice Normandy country back to our home in Bayeux. Tomorrow, packing and a last look at this interesting place.
Mrs. Chillcott was over to say goodbye and ask if we had a nice time in their home. (parts of this house are 400 and another part 200 years old)!
Today was another beautiful day and a trip to Mont St. Michel was planned. Someone had told me to get there early, so we were up and gone by good daylight. That was good advice, since by the time we left there about noon; the place was covered up with arriving tourists.
We had about an hour and a half drive through beautiful Norman countryside, but by 9 AM, we were walking the causeway over to this huge castle perched on a massive rock and surrounded by the ocean at high tide. This in itself is interesting because a lot of the parking lots are built on the tidal flats. If you don’t get your car out by the time the tide comes in, you are wet. We parked further away, since the lots were flooded then. It was about a mile walk to the gates of the castle and the village at its feet. There are the usual gaggle of tourist shops and restaurants in the narrow alleys along the base of the rock, but these were just opening.
For 8 Euros each we got an admission (comes with a free tour if you want to wait on the language schedule), and for 6 more Euros, we got two English guide audio phones for a self guided tour, which was very nice and complete. The stair climbs are significant but not that hard since not all is done at one time. We spent a couple of hours going about the different areas and hearing the history of this structure that was thought to have begun in 708 AD. School kids and even Japanese tourists were there in abundance.
On the way back out to the car, we stopped at the Au Pelerin Snack Bar for a drink. The Normandy cider has become a favorite of mine. It has less alcohol than a beer and is really good. Barbara’s new favorite libation is a Kir, and she quickly became the bartender’s new best friend. He told us about the three kinds of Kir; cassis and white wine (Kir), cassis and Champagne (Kir Royal), and a Kir Bretagne (cassis and cider).
Fortified thusly, we then made the walk to the car and headed out to wander someplace for lunch. We drove up the coast to a town called Granville where we found the Restaurant du Port. I had some of the best oysters on the shell that I have had in many years; small and sweet with a lemon-shallot sauce. No red sauce here! These and a Paella were just fine. Barbara had a dish of gratineed mixed fish in a cream sauce. This with a glass of Rose wine for her and more cider for me with my chocolate ice cream and her apple tart a la mode cost us 43.30 Euro. With breakfast and snacks at night at our apartment, this isn’t bad for our one “out meal” of the day.
After this we drove back to Bayeux over some wonderful Normandy country. The roads are superior here and well marked. Driving has not been a chore except for
the trip getting here from Sachseln.
20 April Friday
Another spectacular day dawned. Even the locals say that the weather this April has been exceptionally pretty. We made a foray into Bayeux for some shopping after hitting the big grocery store for goodies to take home. We killed some time until we could lunch at the restaurant that Jerome had mentioned the other day. He had admitted that his daughter owned the place. We saw him there today and told him we liked his choice. The Moulin de la Gallette has a very nice terrace open by the river and the old mill. The sun was warm, and we enjoyed a fine lunch. We enjoyed it so much that we had empty plates before we remembered the camera to make the pictures of it. We had started with an aperitif of cider and Pommeux (a mild apple liqueur). Barbara had a first course of pate-like meat made of what tasted like the crusts of baked ham served with tiny pickles. The she had a slice of local ham covered in a cider sauce and served with baked potatoes and sour cream with a brochette of grilled vegetables. She drank a rose wine with this. I had salad of greens and walnuts and then a gallette of Gruyere, mushrooms and cream. I drank the local cider with this. For dessert, we split a heavenly chocolate mousse. Espresso ended this two hour-long feast.
Having once again fended off malnutrition, we struck out for the coast. It was too pretty not to go to the sea. Our first stop was Longues (called “The Chaos”. I wanted a picture of Barbara with the named sign but none was to be found. What we did find was a small but nice site of gun batteries with an impressive history. This is where the opening scene of ”The Longest Day” was filmed. For a small place there was a lot of tourist activity. I have been impressed at two things during our days here. One, the number of French that are visitors (the majority), and two, the number of what look like high school age kids (French and some British) that cover the exhibits. I enjoyed our time in this small but significant spot.
Moving onward, we went to what had been our original quest. We went to Pointe du Hoc. This was reached by continuing down the D-514 road toward the Utah Beach area. Pointe du Hoc was a very strategic place. It sits on a point so that German artillery could blast away at both the Utah beach to the west and the Omaha beach to the east. The Rangers (like the USA Green Berets now) were assigned this cliff side area to attack and neutralize. They did this with 225 men (90 survived the bitter battle) and a lot of luck. The most impressive thing to me, aside from bunkers with 9 feet of reinforced roofs, was the number of huge shell craters surrounding the defensive positions. Some would hold a two-story house easily. Our guidebook, “Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches” that was written by Major and Mrs. Holt and recommended by Joan Herriges, was and is, a great resource for information. This said that on 6 June 1944, the fields around Pointe du Hoc must have been the nearest earthly equivalent of hell.
After Pointe du Hoc, we rode through some of the nice Normandy country back to our home in Bayeux. Tomorrow, packing and a last look at this interesting place.
Mrs. Chillcott was over to say goodbye and ask if we had a nice time in their home. (parts of this house are 400 and another part 200 years old)!
Normandy, Part Three
17 April Tuesday
Up and out on our way to Arromanches, a coastal village not far from Bayeux. This was the British landing site at Gold Beach. More importantly, it was one of two sites where artificial harbors were erected. These were absolutely required to continue a logistical flow to the troops once they landed and to enable them to advance with good supply lines in place. These harbors were the brainchild of Churchill who told his staff not to argue about this because the problems would speak for themselves as they arose. Basically, the idea was to sink old ships in a row near the beaches, then sink massive concrete caissons (displacing 6000 tons of water each) inside these breakwaters to form a harbor wall. All of this was built in England and towed across the channel to Omaha and Gold Beaches. This whole outfit weighed over 1.5 million tons, and it consisted of over 400 hundred pieces.
In the space of less than two weeks after D-Day, the harbors were up and running. Then the Fit Hit the Shan, and a huge 3-day storm hit both areas. The Omaha harbor was destroyed, but the one at Arromanches survived to serve as a lifeline for the landed troops. The town’s nickname is now, “Arromanches, Port Winston.”
The D-Day Landing Museum in the town is a good place to learn about all this history, and the movie shown with English headphones makes the whole engineering marvel clear. I came away awed at the possibilities. What if there had been only one harbor and that had been at Omaha? Another Dunkirk or worse could have happened. What if the whole idea had been a bust? It had never been done before. What if the Germans had had the wherewithal to defend and/or destroy the beachhead?
We met a man and his friend (a nice Brit lady) at the museum. He was a long-time visitor and dropped a pearl on us. Apparently, a new German underground bunker has been discovered at a village down the coast. It has opened as a site that was sealed when the Germans left until recently. It was a trip for another day.
Arromanches is like any other seaside resort today. Lots of glitz, restaurants, shops, etc., but our visit was a real revelation in more ways than one.
On down a rural Normandy road, we came to a jewel of a spot, the village of Port-en-Bessin. It was past lunchtime, so we were on the hunt. We parked, and Barbara led me like a dog on a leash to a place she had spotted. La Marie du Port was a find for us. The service was fine, the food delightful, and we came away laughing with the staff. Barbara had a big bowl of steamed mussels (this is a seafood fishing village) followed by a lovely looking piece of skate, some cheese, and a crème brulee that was totally illegal. This cost us 22 Euros. Now for me, I was not so hungry since I had more breakfast, but I decided to have a plate of of what I would call a fisherman’s platter in Newport. I knew that it was not fried because I had seen nothing fried in the place. Here came a tower on which the lower level sits silverware, an oyster fork, a crab pick, a tub of mayonnaise (homemade), and a finger napkin. On the upper level in a bed of seaweed, sits a platter of seafood. 9 raw oysters on the shell of small/medium size, 9 conch in their shells, 2 spiny lobsters, several shrimp of normal size, a dozen tiny shrimp that were the size of peanuts, a half stone crab with body and claw meat with tomaley (eggs/roe), and 9 opened raw clams. With this came lemon wedges, and two bowls for the shells. The sauce for any and all besides the mayo was a vinegar and shallot mixture (I suspect weakened with some white wine). I paid 25 Euros for this “light lunch.”
When we were on our way out to get the car, we found a good place to watch our lunch being sold as it came off the boat. The guy there could shell a scallop like lightening.
Then we took a trip along a rural road right out of “Au Chocolat” to the Normandy American Cemetery at St. Laurent, a few miles down the way. This for me is where it got serious. I remember neighbors in my neighborhood that lost sons. Some who came back for burial and some who were “missing.” A memory is all they have. No grave to visit. There are 172 acres given by the French to house graves of over 9,000 soldiers, of which over 300 are unknown here. The known are marked with names, states, ranks, assignments, and dates of death. Some are even from territories like Hawaii (not a state then). The unknown are simply marked “A Comrade in Arms known but to God”. Christians have a marble cross and Jewish have stars of David (we watched a man moving along cleaning them with a cloth). The two brothers who were the inspiration for the movie “Private Ryan” are here.
I saw two older men wander among a few graves, crying. My eyes were not dry. Some of these men lying here might have become criminals or near do wells. Maybe? But what would have happened to the rest of them? What was wasted? What was lost? What knowledge, what talent, what glory was lost by their deaths? What do the survivors think? Are they guilty because they lived?
It is a beautiful place, and I do not regret a single cent of my tax money to keep it as it is!
We left the cemetery and went to the Omaha Beach memorial. The daylong fog was thinning, and people were all over the beaches walking and riding horses. Lots of kids and young people were out to enjoy themselves. I wonder if they have any inkling of the deaths and destructions that once was here where they play.
18 April Wednesday
The weather opened a beautiful day in contradistinction to our fogged yesterday.
Out this morning to Grandcamp-Maisy, a spot on the coast up the highway from us. This charming port lies between Utah and Omaha Beaches, and is the site of a recently discovered underground German battery that just opened on 1 April. This site was abandoned under a yard of soil in a farm field after the Germans fled or were captured in the face of the liberation forces. A British man whose passion is WW II found some aerial maps near the site and noted its location. He went out to the field and just under the soil found the opening to the underground facility and connecting trenches.
There is a website on this at www.maisybattery.com
We found the tourist office in the village with a nice young lady who spoke very good English and knew exactly where we wanted to go. We found our spot right away and a good story also. The lady at a trailer serving as a ticket office gave us the history of Gary Sterne, the British man who brought this about. She gave us a map to use as we traveled the trenches between the different ruins and gun emplacements. There are bunkers with 9-foot thick reinforced concrete, storehouses of munitions, a field hospital (destroyed by bombs), and several 155 mm Howitzer gun emplacements. All of this was covered and camouflaged but connected by trenches.
After the landings by the British Rangers on 6 June 1944, there ensued a 5-hour battle on 9 June to capture the bunker. This was after the Germans spent the previous 3 days firing at the landing troops on both Utah and Omaha Beaches. The Germans were taken as captives after the seizure of the battery. Then the place was forgotten until now.
Gary Sterne found the site, gradually bought the land (owned by 17 different persons), obtained the permit from the town (the mayor is a person who wants WW II forgotten), and just a few days ago, it opened. It is still unfinished, as about half seems to be remaining undiscovered. It was an interesting visit.
Since Barbara was in a serious seizure of crepe withdrawal, we went back into the village and on the recommendation of our ticket lady friend at the battery. She sent us to a nice spot o the edge of the harbor where we lunched on gallettes; a version of a closed crepe, which was delicious.
After lunch, we strolled along the quay to enjoy the spectacular day. It was soon time to move onward to our destination for the afternoon. We wanted to visit a possible spot for a “Right Vacation” rental. This will be detailed in a piece that Barbara will write.
Then after our visit, we got back to Arromanches to see what the low tide and crystal day would show us of the artificial harbor mentioned earlier in this narrative. It was all one could hope to see and only about 8 miles from our manor home. It was a beautiful site, no museum visit, but lots of yummies to buy for us and friends to take home.
We then went home to watch a DVD of the BBC show “As Time Goes By”, snake bite prophylaxis, and plans for a trip to Mont St. Michel tomorrow.
Up and out on our way to Arromanches, a coastal village not far from Bayeux. This was the British landing site at Gold Beach. More importantly, it was one of two sites where artificial harbors were erected. These were absolutely required to continue a logistical flow to the troops once they landed and to enable them to advance with good supply lines in place. These harbors were the brainchild of Churchill who told his staff not to argue about this because the problems would speak for themselves as they arose. Basically, the idea was to sink old ships in a row near the beaches, then sink massive concrete caissons (displacing 6000 tons of water each) inside these breakwaters to form a harbor wall. All of this was built in England and towed across the channel to Omaha and Gold Beaches. This whole outfit weighed over 1.5 million tons, and it consisted of over 400 hundred pieces.
In the space of less than two weeks after D-Day, the harbors were up and running. Then the Fit Hit the Shan, and a huge 3-day storm hit both areas. The Omaha harbor was destroyed, but the one at Arromanches survived to serve as a lifeline for the landed troops. The town’s nickname is now, “Arromanches, Port Winston.”
The D-Day Landing Museum in the town is a good place to learn about all this history, and the movie shown with English headphones makes the whole engineering marvel clear. I came away awed at the possibilities. What if there had been only one harbor and that had been at Omaha? Another Dunkirk or worse could have happened. What if the whole idea had been a bust? It had never been done before. What if the Germans had had the wherewithal to defend and/or destroy the beachhead?
We met a man and his friend (a nice Brit lady) at the museum. He was a long-time visitor and dropped a pearl on us. Apparently, a new German underground bunker has been discovered at a village down the coast. It has opened as a site that was sealed when the Germans left until recently. It was a trip for another day.
Arromanches is like any other seaside resort today. Lots of glitz, restaurants, shops, etc., but our visit was a real revelation in more ways than one.
On down a rural Normandy road, we came to a jewel of a spot, the village of Port-en-Bessin. It was past lunchtime, so we were on the hunt. We parked, and Barbara led me like a dog on a leash to a place she had spotted. La Marie du Port was a find for us. The service was fine, the food delightful, and we came away laughing with the staff. Barbara had a big bowl of steamed mussels (this is a seafood fishing village) followed by a lovely looking piece of skate, some cheese, and a crème brulee that was totally illegal. This cost us 22 Euros. Now for me, I was not so hungry since I had more breakfast, but I decided to have a plate of of what I would call a fisherman’s platter in Newport. I knew that it was not fried because I had seen nothing fried in the place. Here came a tower on which the lower level sits silverware, an oyster fork, a crab pick, a tub of mayonnaise (homemade), and a finger napkin. On the upper level in a bed of seaweed, sits a platter of seafood. 9 raw oysters on the shell of small/medium size, 9 conch in their shells, 2 spiny lobsters, several shrimp of normal size, a dozen tiny shrimp that were the size of peanuts, a half stone crab with body and claw meat with tomaley (eggs/roe), and 9 opened raw clams. With this came lemon wedges, and two bowls for the shells. The sauce for any and all besides the mayo was a vinegar and shallot mixture (I suspect weakened with some white wine). I paid 25 Euros for this “light lunch.”
When we were on our way out to get the car, we found a good place to watch our lunch being sold as it came off the boat. The guy there could shell a scallop like lightening.
Then we took a trip along a rural road right out of “Au Chocolat” to the Normandy American Cemetery at St. Laurent, a few miles down the way. This for me is where it got serious. I remember neighbors in my neighborhood that lost sons. Some who came back for burial and some who were “missing.” A memory is all they have. No grave to visit. There are 172 acres given by the French to house graves of over 9,000 soldiers, of which over 300 are unknown here. The known are marked with names, states, ranks, assignments, and dates of death. Some are even from territories like Hawaii (not a state then). The unknown are simply marked “A Comrade in Arms known but to God”. Christians have a marble cross and Jewish have stars of David (we watched a man moving along cleaning them with a cloth). The two brothers who were the inspiration for the movie “Private Ryan” are here.
I saw two older men wander among a few graves, crying. My eyes were not dry. Some of these men lying here might have become criminals or near do wells. Maybe? But what would have happened to the rest of them? What was wasted? What was lost? What knowledge, what talent, what glory was lost by their deaths? What do the survivors think? Are they guilty because they lived?
It is a beautiful place, and I do not regret a single cent of my tax money to keep it as it is!
We left the cemetery and went to the Omaha Beach memorial. The daylong fog was thinning, and people were all over the beaches walking and riding horses. Lots of kids and young people were out to enjoy themselves. I wonder if they have any inkling of the deaths and destructions that once was here where they play.
18 April Wednesday
The weather opened a beautiful day in contradistinction to our fogged yesterday.
Out this morning to Grandcamp-Maisy, a spot on the coast up the highway from us. This charming port lies between Utah and Omaha Beaches, and is the site of a recently discovered underground German battery that just opened on 1 April. This site was abandoned under a yard of soil in a farm field after the Germans fled or were captured in the face of the liberation forces. A British man whose passion is WW II found some aerial maps near the site and noted its location. He went out to the field and just under the soil found the opening to the underground facility and connecting trenches.
There is a website on this at www.maisybattery.com
We found the tourist office in the village with a nice young lady who spoke very good English and knew exactly where we wanted to go. We found our spot right away and a good story also. The lady at a trailer serving as a ticket office gave us the history of Gary Sterne, the British man who brought this about. She gave us a map to use as we traveled the trenches between the different ruins and gun emplacements. There are bunkers with 9-foot thick reinforced concrete, storehouses of munitions, a field hospital (destroyed by bombs), and several 155 mm Howitzer gun emplacements. All of this was covered and camouflaged but connected by trenches.
After the landings by the British Rangers on 6 June 1944, there ensued a 5-hour battle on 9 June to capture the bunker. This was after the Germans spent the previous 3 days firing at the landing troops on both Utah and Omaha Beaches. The Germans were taken as captives after the seizure of the battery. Then the place was forgotten until now.
Gary Sterne found the site, gradually bought the land (owned by 17 different persons), obtained the permit from the town (the mayor is a person who wants WW II forgotten), and just a few days ago, it opened. It is still unfinished, as about half seems to be remaining undiscovered. It was an interesting visit.
Since Barbara was in a serious seizure of crepe withdrawal, we went back into the village and on the recommendation of our ticket lady friend at the battery. She sent us to a nice spot o the edge of the harbor where we lunched on gallettes; a version of a closed crepe, which was delicious.
After lunch, we strolled along the quay to enjoy the spectacular day. It was soon time to move onward to our destination for the afternoon. We wanted to visit a possible spot for a “Right Vacation” rental. This will be detailed in a piece that Barbara will write.
Then after our visit, we got back to Arromanches to see what the low tide and crystal day would show us of the artificial harbor mentioned earlier in this narrative. It was all one could hope to see and only about 8 miles from our manor home. It was a beautiful site, no museum visit, but lots of yummies to buy for us and friends to take home.
We then went home to watch a DVD of the BBC show “As Time Goes By”, snake bite prophylaxis, and plans for a trip to Mont St. Michel tomorrow.
Sunday and Monday in Normandy
15 April Sunday
Today is moving day. We were off to Dean’s Manor and our apartment. After packing, it was off for some coffee and breakfast. Then we decided to go and see what we could find at the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux. However, it closes from noon until two, and the young man advised us to return then for a longer visit. We made a trip to the local grocery store, which is open on Sundays from 9 until 12:30. The trip was fast because they were closing as we entered.
Then, we headed to our new place to live for the next week. We met a lady walking along the road as we were hunting for the manor, and she turned out to be the housekeeper for Mrs. Chilcutt. Since she was in Caen with her sick husband who is hospitalized there, the housekeeper got us in the apartment and oriented (all in French).
The “Manor” is a large stone house of three stories with a two-story annex attached that is our apartment. It looks like a functioning farm with two barns, a pond full of carp, geese, and other animals as yet unseen. The whole place is old and rustic. To those seeking a condo on the beach, it will be a distinct disappointment. To those wanting the atmosphere of old France close to Bayeux, it will be nice. It seemed like home to me, as it was a near copy of the Idyll apartment I spent a week in before the Alsace tour opened in 2000. I could see that Hal Taussig, our old Idyll friend, would be completely at home here.
After getting into the apartment, we headed back to town (about a four minute drive). It was still early and a good time to explore the practically traffic free old village. This was also a good time to hit our favorite watering hole and Lotto kiosk, La Gitane. It is a favorite of mine because they have Guinness on tap. Barbara likes Stella, a local French beer. Our thirsts slaked, we then drove back to the museum for an enjoyable two and a half hours.
The museum is a nice and extensive exhibit of the battles that took place in and around the area. There is a twenty-five minute film in English three times a day, and all the plaques of explanation are in both English and French. There are several rooms with both equipment (tanks, artillery guns, bulldozers) and poster exhibits. The photographs alone are worth the 4.5 Euro admission fee. It was easy to spend almost three hours there.
After the museum, we drove the circumferential road around Bayeux. This was originally built in the weeks after the D-Day invasion so that all the heavy equipment did not have to travel the narrow streets of Bayeux. Then it was back to the manor for unpacking, happy hour, and supper of fresh fish, purple potatoes, and a dessert of cheese and fruit.
Mrs. Chilcutt had returned from Caen’s hospital with a good report on her husband who has been a diagnostic challenge there for some months. She is a very pleasant lady who has been here with her Colonel husband for 16 years. We enjoyed a glass of Calvados with her, and then prepared for tomorrow’s visit to the American beaches.
16 April Monday
We were up and out after breakfast at home. On the expressway to Sainte Mere Eglise, this is the village near Utah Beach where the paratroops dropped just before the amphibious landings began. A replica of this on the church immortalizes the one man who fell on the local church steeple, then slid downward until his parachute hung on the roof today. It has a nice but touristy appearance even today, and we found the people cordial. The place is a favorite of tours, and you get to see some of the remaining few WW II vets walking around. Not all that come here are veterans of D-Day, but there are vets from WW II. I heard one lady ask a couple, “Were you here?” The man answered, “ No, I Was a pencil pusher. I never saw combat.” She quickly assured him that they were all important.
There is free parking (an anomaly most places), and we visited the tourist office, where a nice lady guided us to restrooms and ATMs. Then we entered the Airborne Museum, which is a great place to spend some hours. We have learned that the museums have great displays and movies well worth the price of a maximum of 11 euros to a minimum of 5 euros. They all have gift shops but you do not have to buy.
We then rode out to some places in the countryside where various monuments to other heroes (they were all heroes) were situated. Then on to the beach called Utah. As we arrived there, it was past lunch. The Le Normandie Restaurant was in front of us. The menu was full of seafood, so we shared some scallops and stuffed clams. This with salads and a coke/beer were a fine lunch.
Just down the path from the restaurant were some old German bunkers, and our first view of the landing beaches with the bunkers built to last (so far) over 67 years. Off then, we went to the Omaha Beach museum. The road along the beach is nice, and this area is basically a summer beach resort with condos like one sees at Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, etc. Little do some of the people know about the history of these beaches. The road is simple but direct. The season was not high, so we enjoyed our ride
Next, we came to the UTAH Beach museum. I liked this because there is a nice museum, but one can wander out and see the vast expanse of what our soldiers came in upon sick from the sea, God can only imagine how scared, and yet ready to fight for us at home (I was 5 years old). WW II is to me, is the first time and the last time that I saw my country meld together in a common cause. We spent a couple of hours there and enjoyed our time. Barbara’s father was a USN Chief, and all she can wonder is where he was on that day. He lived, but no one knows where he was then. There are questions that a lot of us would like to ask.
After a rather circuitous ride through the countryside, we got back on the autobahn and made our way a few kilometers back toward La Cambe. This is the site of a German war dead cemetery, and I found it most impressive. The German War Graves Commission, an organization that maintains German War Cemeteries all over the world, maintains it. There are sites in Europe, Africa, the Far East, and even one in Chattanooga, Tennessee (186 graves). There are 21,139 German soldiers in La Cambe, both known and unknown. Since 2001, there has been 1200 maple trees planted in this memorial. It brought home to us that a soldier, no matter who he fights for, has parents, siblings, spouses, children, and girl/boy friends. Some or all of these are grieved at the loss. To me, it was a bit like going to Arlington.
On a more practical level, we then found ourselves at LeClerc, a grocery store, which could house a subdivision. The variety and choices were staggering. Needless to say, we had an interesting supper before preparing for tomorrow’s adventures.
Today is moving day. We were off to Dean’s Manor and our apartment. After packing, it was off for some coffee and breakfast. Then we decided to go and see what we could find at the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux. However, it closes from noon until two, and the young man advised us to return then for a longer visit. We made a trip to the local grocery store, which is open on Sundays from 9 until 12:30. The trip was fast because they were closing as we entered.
Then, we headed to our new place to live for the next week. We met a lady walking along the road as we were hunting for the manor, and she turned out to be the housekeeper for Mrs. Chilcutt. Since she was in Caen with her sick husband who is hospitalized there, the housekeeper got us in the apartment and oriented (all in French).
The “Manor” is a large stone house of three stories with a two-story annex attached that is our apartment. It looks like a functioning farm with two barns, a pond full of carp, geese, and other animals as yet unseen. The whole place is old and rustic. To those seeking a condo on the beach, it will be a distinct disappointment. To those wanting the atmosphere of old France close to Bayeux, it will be nice. It seemed like home to me, as it was a near copy of the Idyll apartment I spent a week in before the Alsace tour opened in 2000. I could see that Hal Taussig, our old Idyll friend, would be completely at home here.
After getting into the apartment, we headed back to town (about a four minute drive). It was still early and a good time to explore the practically traffic free old village. This was also a good time to hit our favorite watering hole and Lotto kiosk, La Gitane. It is a favorite of mine because they have Guinness on tap. Barbara likes Stella, a local French beer. Our thirsts slaked, we then drove back to the museum for an enjoyable two and a half hours.
The museum is a nice and extensive exhibit of the battles that took place in and around the area. There is a twenty-five minute film in English three times a day, and all the plaques of explanation are in both English and French. There are several rooms with both equipment (tanks, artillery guns, bulldozers) and poster exhibits. The photographs alone are worth the 4.5 Euro admission fee. It was easy to spend almost three hours there.
After the museum, we drove the circumferential road around Bayeux. This was originally built in the weeks after the D-Day invasion so that all the heavy equipment did not have to travel the narrow streets of Bayeux. Then it was back to the manor for unpacking, happy hour, and supper of fresh fish, purple potatoes, and a dessert of cheese and fruit.
Mrs. Chilcutt had returned from Caen’s hospital with a good report on her husband who has been a diagnostic challenge there for some months. She is a very pleasant lady who has been here with her Colonel husband for 16 years. We enjoyed a glass of Calvados with her, and then prepared for tomorrow’s visit to the American beaches.
16 April Monday
We were up and out after breakfast at home. On the expressway to Sainte Mere Eglise, this is the village near Utah Beach where the paratroops dropped just before the amphibious landings began. A replica of this on the church immortalizes the one man who fell on the local church steeple, then slid downward until his parachute hung on the roof today. It has a nice but touristy appearance even today, and we found the people cordial. The place is a favorite of tours, and you get to see some of the remaining few WW II vets walking around. Not all that come here are veterans of D-Day, but there are vets from WW II. I heard one lady ask a couple, “Were you here?” The man answered, “ No, I Was a pencil pusher. I never saw combat.” She quickly assured him that they were all important.
There is free parking (an anomaly most places), and we visited the tourist office, where a nice lady guided us to restrooms and ATMs. Then we entered the Airborne Museum, which is a great place to spend some hours. We have learned that the museums have great displays and movies well worth the price of a maximum of 11 euros to a minimum of 5 euros. They all have gift shops but you do not have to buy.
We then rode out to some places in the countryside where various monuments to other heroes (they were all heroes) were situated. Then on to the beach called Utah. As we arrived there, it was past lunch. The Le Normandie Restaurant was in front of us. The menu was full of seafood, so we shared some scallops and stuffed clams. This with salads and a coke/beer were a fine lunch.
Just down the path from the restaurant were some old German bunkers, and our first view of the landing beaches with the bunkers built to last (so far) over 67 years. Off then, we went to the Omaha Beach museum. The road along the beach is nice, and this area is basically a summer beach resort with condos like one sees at Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, etc. Little do some of the people know about the history of these beaches. The road is simple but direct. The season was not high, so we enjoyed our ride
Next, we came to the UTAH Beach museum. I liked this because there is a nice museum, but one can wander out and see the vast expanse of what our soldiers came in upon sick from the sea, God can only imagine how scared, and yet ready to fight for us at home (I was 5 years old). WW II is to me, is the first time and the last time that I saw my country meld together in a common cause. We spent a couple of hours there and enjoyed our time. Barbara’s father was a USN Chief, and all she can wonder is where he was on that day. He lived, but no one knows where he was then. There are questions that a lot of us would like to ask.
After a rather circuitous ride through the countryside, we got back on the autobahn and made our way a few kilometers back toward La Cambe. This is the site of a German war dead cemetery, and I found it most impressive. The German War Graves Commission, an organization that maintains German War Cemeteries all over the world, maintains it. There are sites in Europe, Africa, the Far East, and even one in Chattanooga, Tennessee (186 graves). There are 21,139 German soldiers in La Cambe, both known and unknown. Since 2001, there has been 1200 maple trees planted in this memorial. It brought home to us that a soldier, no matter who he fights for, has parents, siblings, spouses, children, and girl/boy friends. Some or all of these are grieved at the loss. To me, it was a bit like going to Arlington.
On a more practical level, we then found ourselves at LeClerc, a grocery store, which could house a subdivision. The variety and choices were staggering. Needless to say, we had an interesting supper before preparing for tomorrow’s adventures.
The First Two Days in Normandy
Normandy Notes
13 April-Friday
12 hour drive from Sachseln to Bayeux
Euros are expensive in both CHF and US$. There are a lot of nice rest and fueling areas along the roads. There are several toll roads too. Other than a slight misstep in the suburbs of Paris, we stayed on the path.
Chateau de Belle Fontaine is a beautiful old restoration situated in a park with its own lake. We were here for two days and nights.
We took a walk to the village. There are really two areas. The old village and the surrounding industrial development that rarely is seen after you get into the town proper.
We walked the narrow streets, saw the large cathedral, scouted out a possible tour for tomorrow, looked at lots of menus and restaurants, etc.
Found a combo kiosk, lottery parlor and bar that had Guinness on tap, so the thirst was slaked. Restaurants open at 1900, and we found one that looked simple.
Tripes!!! This is a local specialty of Normandy. On lots of menus, but what I had at Le Garde-Manager at 49 rue St. Jean/ Rue Pietonne was the best that I have ever had. It was totally unlike the CH variety as I had been told. Have to try to create at home. Tripes a la Caen is the name.
This dish is made of squares (not strips) of tripe that had been cooked with butter, bullion, onion, thinly sliced carrots, with cloves, kummel seeds, black peppercorns, garlic, and I don’t know what else. It had been simmered a long time, but a pressure cooker will do it well. It is served in a bowl with small boiled new potatoes.
Good red wine and a local Calvados for a “digestif”.
While eating we conversed with a German couple here on a holiday. Talk about irony!
14 April-Sat.
We were in the village early after a nice breakfast at the hotel. More walking the streets and looking at stores, etc.
We visited the Bayeux Cathedral, and then we went the local tourist bureau for a good walking map of the town,
Then we were ready for a tour of the area in a trolley train. This was a good way to find other areas we wanted to visit. Then we went back to the tourist office for some more questions. We learned that there was a Saturday farmer’s market, so we headed for that. The usual wonderful outlay of food (vegetables, meats, breads, and cheeses), flowers, live chickens and rabbits, and likely anything we could imagine.
This was over about noon, and we were foot and leg weary. We went over to a brassiere and bar to have a cool drink. When we entered and said we only wanted a drink and not food, the wait staff saw that the bar was full, so they hopped to making us a table set up for drinks only by removing the tableware and the cloth. When they saw us pull out a phrase book and use our primitive French, they were very cordial and helpful.
Both American and English tourists abound here, and the contribution by those in WW II still remains in the forefront. Consequently, French is unnecessary in this area. One shopkeeper told me that there is more English spoken in Bayeux than French. Of course, this is a tourist town for one and all. The French, Germans (yes they come to see where their soldiers fought and died too), Scandinavians, and others come here for the culture and history.
There is more to Bayeux than WW II history. The place dates back to the 3rd century. In the afternoon, we visited the museum housing the famous Bayeux tapestry. This a 210 foot long embroidery of the history of the Norman invasion of England by William the Bastard, who became William the Conqueror after his victory over the Saxons at Hastings in 1066. The tapestry is a work of art and well explained by the hand phones in several languages.
Again, it was time for a respite. We both were sore from all our walking and the effects of 12 hours in the car yesterday. Across from the tapestry museum was the Tapestry Jardin. This is an outdoor garden spot with some covered areas that has all sorts of drinks and a light menu. We found seats and noted on a far wall, a USA Route 66 highway sign. When the owner brought our espresso and Coke, we asked him about this. It turns out this man, Jerome, is a real fan of the USA, travels there often, and is a friend of Chad McQueen, the son of the deceased actor, Steve McQueen. The two are big car racing enthusiasts Jerome has raced at Le Mans here, and other places in the USA. He was an engaging man who enjoys Americans particularly. He also gave us a restaurant recommendation, which we plan on exploring.
Then it was time for some more walking to find a take home supper and buy some Calvados in case biting snakes attacked our hotel room. This led us to a bakery for some AM treats for tomorrow, a sandwich for each of us, and a wonderful wine and spirit store that had a nice tasting cave in the back. We sampled Calvados that was 4, 10, 24, and 42 years old. The prices rise accordingly but not exponentially, so we took home a bottle 24 years. The difference in smoothness is striking. The store has lots of goodies, and we will return.
After our walk home, it time for licking our wounds and some R&R.
13 April-Friday
12 hour drive from Sachseln to Bayeux
Euros are expensive in both CHF and US$. There are a lot of nice rest and fueling areas along the roads. There are several toll roads too. Other than a slight misstep in the suburbs of Paris, we stayed on the path.
Chateau de Belle Fontaine is a beautiful old restoration situated in a park with its own lake. We were here for two days and nights.
We took a walk to the village. There are really two areas. The old village and the surrounding industrial development that rarely is seen after you get into the town proper.
We walked the narrow streets, saw the large cathedral, scouted out a possible tour for tomorrow, looked at lots of menus and restaurants, etc.
Found a combo kiosk, lottery parlor and bar that had Guinness on tap, so the thirst was slaked. Restaurants open at 1900, and we found one that looked simple.
Tripes!!! This is a local specialty of Normandy. On lots of menus, but what I had at Le Garde-Manager at 49 rue St. Jean/ Rue Pietonne was the best that I have ever had. It was totally unlike the CH variety as I had been told. Have to try to create at home. Tripes a la Caen is the name.
This dish is made of squares (not strips) of tripe that had been cooked with butter, bullion, onion, thinly sliced carrots, with cloves, kummel seeds, black peppercorns, garlic, and I don’t know what else. It had been simmered a long time, but a pressure cooker will do it well. It is served in a bowl with small boiled new potatoes.
Good red wine and a local Calvados for a “digestif”.
While eating we conversed with a German couple here on a holiday. Talk about irony!
14 April-Sat.
We were in the village early after a nice breakfast at the hotel. More walking the streets and looking at stores, etc.
We visited the Bayeux Cathedral, and then we went the local tourist bureau for a good walking map of the town,
Then we were ready for a tour of the area in a trolley train. This was a good way to find other areas we wanted to visit. Then we went back to the tourist office for some more questions. We learned that there was a Saturday farmer’s market, so we headed for that. The usual wonderful outlay of food (vegetables, meats, breads, and cheeses), flowers, live chickens and rabbits, and likely anything we could imagine.
This was over about noon, and we were foot and leg weary. We went over to a brassiere and bar to have a cool drink. When we entered and said we only wanted a drink and not food, the wait staff saw that the bar was full, so they hopped to making us a table set up for drinks only by removing the tableware and the cloth. When they saw us pull out a phrase book and use our primitive French, they were very cordial and helpful.
Both American and English tourists abound here, and the contribution by those in WW II still remains in the forefront. Consequently, French is unnecessary in this area. One shopkeeper told me that there is more English spoken in Bayeux than French. Of course, this is a tourist town for one and all. The French, Germans (yes they come to see where their soldiers fought and died too), Scandinavians, and others come here for the culture and history.
There is more to Bayeux than WW II history. The place dates back to the 3rd century. In the afternoon, we visited the museum housing the famous Bayeux tapestry. This a 210 foot long embroidery of the history of the Norman invasion of England by William the Bastard, who became William the Conqueror after his victory over the Saxons at Hastings in 1066. The tapestry is a work of art and well explained by the hand phones in several languages.
Again, it was time for a respite. We both were sore from all our walking and the effects of 12 hours in the car yesterday. Across from the tapestry museum was the Tapestry Jardin. This is an outdoor garden spot with some covered areas that has all sorts of drinks and a light menu. We found seats and noted on a far wall, a USA Route 66 highway sign. When the owner brought our espresso and Coke, we asked him about this. It turns out this man, Jerome, is a real fan of the USA, travels there often, and is a friend of Chad McQueen, the son of the deceased actor, Steve McQueen. The two are big car racing enthusiasts Jerome has raced at Le Mans here, and other places in the USA. He was an engaging man who enjoys Americans particularly. He also gave us a restaurant recommendation, which we plan on exploring.
Then it was time for some more walking to find a take home supper and buy some Calvados in case biting snakes attacked our hotel room. This led us to a bakery for some AM treats for tomorrow, a sandwich for each of us, and a wonderful wine and spirit store that had a nice tasting cave in the back. We sampled Calvados that was 4, 10, 24, and 42 years old. The prices rise accordingly but not exponentially, so we took home a bottle 24 years. The difference in smoothness is striking. The store has lots of goodies, and we will return.
After our walk home, it time for licking our wounds and some R&R.
02 May 2007
The Blog is Back
For several weeks now, the blog has been in the grips of some malignant gremlins. After much discussion to no benefit, it seems to have fixed itself! Time will tell.
Being somewaht paranoid, I can imagine all sorts of idiots who would enjoy this interuption, but all of them have not the sense to pound sand, so I will blame the gremlins.
On to the next blog.
Being somewaht paranoid, I can imagine all sorts of idiots who would enjoy this interuption, but all of them have not the sense to pound sand, so I will blame the gremlins.
On to the next blog.
03 March 2007
A Tax Paradise Shakes Up the EU
Sachseln is in the Kanton of Obwalden. Obwalden is a half kanton along with Niewalden, its other half. As with all kantons, they are fiercely protective of their independence in the confederation. Matters of education, taxes, etc. are the right of each kanton. The federal government is secondary to them in many ways.
Last year, Obwalden dropped their corporate income taxes to about 13%. This is well below half of what some kantons levy, and much below countries such as France, Germany and others who charge corporations up to 50% of their income in tax. Kanton Zug has for years, been one of the lowest tax spots in CH, but now Obwalden has become the lowest. No surprise that a definite influx of new corporations have arrived or plan to arrive soon.
The liberal element (mostly in western CH) isn't happy with this tax arrangement because it wants more taxes collected and spent on social programs. The conservative elements (mostly German speaking sections) think lower taxes are OK. The European Union is not happy about this in the least.
Switzerland is not a member of the EU and likely won't be as such for many years, if ever. The Swiss have agreed on a number of "bilateral accords", which are treaties that govern border controls, goods trade, etc. There is no accord on taxation. Therein lies a problem. The EU has gone ballistic when it sees companies leaving the EU to come to Obwalden to pay less tax. This flap has gone on for some months with the Swiss telling the EU to butt out of the kanton's business, and the EU saying that the treaty on trade governs taxes too. It is generally agreed that the EU's position is quite weak on that point.
Switzerland's economy demands trade with the EU to remain healthy, so a trade embargo by the EU, although unlikely, would be a disaster. By their common heritages, Germany and Austria are not sure to agree for sanctions like this anyway. Some countries, such as Spain, France, and Germany have such powerful unions and agricultural lobbies that they can bring down a government. The politicians are afraid in those places right now. Since the national strike back in about 1918, the Swiss unions have,by general agreement, used negotiation and mediation to solve labor-management problems.
The EU member with the lowest tax rates on corporations is Ireland. It also is almost exactly that of Obwalden, so I guess a case could be made that what is OK for Ireland is OK for Obwalden. The main sticking point is that the Swiss, liberal and conservative, are not about to let the EU dictate to them from Brussels. It really got sticky a day or so ago when the Swiss President, a left leaning woman, told the EU in a speech that they were really not acting nicely and to clean up their act.
Meanwhile, the individual tax rates here have fallen also but not as much as the corporate rates. That may mean that I will pay less Swiss tax, therefore get less tax credit from the USA and wind up paying more to the IRS. They seem to get you coming and going.
Last year, Obwalden dropped their corporate income taxes to about 13%. This is well below half of what some kantons levy, and much below countries such as France, Germany and others who charge corporations up to 50% of their income in tax. Kanton Zug has for years, been one of the lowest tax spots in CH, but now Obwalden has become the lowest. No surprise that a definite influx of new corporations have arrived or plan to arrive soon.
The liberal element (mostly in western CH) isn't happy with this tax arrangement because it wants more taxes collected and spent on social programs. The conservative elements (mostly German speaking sections) think lower taxes are OK. The European Union is not happy about this in the least.
Switzerland is not a member of the EU and likely won't be as such for many years, if ever. The Swiss have agreed on a number of "bilateral accords", which are treaties that govern border controls, goods trade, etc. There is no accord on taxation. Therein lies a problem. The EU has gone ballistic when it sees companies leaving the EU to come to Obwalden to pay less tax. This flap has gone on for some months with the Swiss telling the EU to butt out of the kanton's business, and the EU saying that the treaty on trade governs taxes too. It is generally agreed that the EU's position is quite weak on that point.
Switzerland's economy demands trade with the EU to remain healthy, so a trade embargo by the EU, although unlikely, would be a disaster. By their common heritages, Germany and Austria are not sure to agree for sanctions like this anyway. Some countries, such as Spain, France, and Germany have such powerful unions and agricultural lobbies that they can bring down a government. The politicians are afraid in those places right now. Since the national strike back in about 1918, the Swiss unions have,by general agreement, used negotiation and mediation to solve labor-management problems.
The EU member with the lowest tax rates on corporations is Ireland. It also is almost exactly that of Obwalden, so I guess a case could be made that what is OK for Ireland is OK for Obwalden. The main sticking point is that the Swiss, liberal and conservative, are not about to let the EU dictate to them from Brussels. It really got sticky a day or so ago when the Swiss President, a left leaning woman, told the EU in a speech that they were really not acting nicely and to clean up their act.
Meanwhile, the individual tax rates here have fallen also but not as much as the corporate rates. That may mean that I will pay less Swiss tax, therefore get less tax credit from the USA and wind up paying more to the IRS. They seem to get you coming and going.
Swiss Tourism, Ladies' Panties, and Fred's Meds
Well, this has been an exciting week new-wise in CH. First and foremost, Switzerland has come out as the number one tourist competition country in the world (at least of the 124 countries surveyed by the World Economic Forum). This is in part due to considerations of security, transportation networks, tourism infrastructure, and overall industry health. This designation is not like winning a beauty contest, but it indicates those countries in which tourism development is most favorable.
Austria and Germany are the second and third in the list. Then come Iceland and the USA, as the top five. CH counts only 7.2 million tourist arrivals per year compared to 49.4 for the USA and 76.0 for France. One of the biggest complaints about CH from the survey was the high prices. France's position is in at least some part due to perceived attitudes against foreigners. Spain is a security worry, and in Italy, there is thought to be a lack of governmental support for tourism.
Now for some other good news. No, I didn't save a lot of money on my car insurance, but I did find out in the USA this trip, that my investment in Medicare's part D saves me some $$ on the few medications that I buy there. I just knew that someday, the government would take care of me.
Last, but certainly not the least, comes the news about the ladies' underwear, which I know that everyone has been anticipating. There is a bar club near the Pilatusplatz (near the center of "new town" in Luzern), that on Sundays between 8 PM and 4 AM will trade a bottle of Italian Champagne worth almost 100 CHF for a lady's panties. It seems that about 15-25 women trade their drawers for some bubbly each Sunday. The name of the bar is "Opera", although you don't have to sing. The head man of the Sociology Department at Luzern University thinks this is an embarrassing business idea, so I doubt you will run into him there.
Austria and Germany are the second and third in the list. Then come Iceland and the USA, as the top five. CH counts only 7.2 million tourist arrivals per year compared to 49.4 for the USA and 76.0 for France. One of the biggest complaints about CH from the survey was the high prices. France's position is in at least some part due to perceived attitudes against foreigners. Spain is a security worry, and in Italy, there is thought to be a lack of governmental support for tourism.
Now for some other good news. No, I didn't save a lot of money on my car insurance, but I did find out in the USA this trip, that my investment in Medicare's part D saves me some $$ on the few medications that I buy there. I just knew that someday, the government would take care of me.
Last, but certainly not the least, comes the news about the ladies' underwear, which I know that everyone has been anticipating. There is a bar club near the Pilatusplatz (near the center of "new town" in Luzern), that on Sundays between 8 PM and 4 AM will trade a bottle of Italian Champagne worth almost 100 CHF for a lady's panties. It seems that about 15-25 women trade their drawers for some bubbly each Sunday. The name of the bar is "Opera", although you don't have to sing. The head man of the Sociology Department at Luzern University thinks this is an embarrassing business idea, so I doubt you will run into him there.
20 February 2007
Things DO/DON'T Change
I have been in the USA for some time, but now I am back at home. As always, the USA seems more and more a foreign country. Some things do go down well. Things are cheaper as a rule, inventories are huge, people in Alabama seem more open and friendly, and a car will pass you on the approach and there is a wave from a perfect stranger. Some stores are always open. A visit to a Walmart Super Store at 5 AM is no problem, etc., etc.
Sadly, it becomes quickly evident that the USA has basically no mass transit outside of the large cities. Even those cities with it, still have most of the citizens riding (or standing in jams) in cars with one person in them. Gasoline is dirt cheap by European comparisons, and pollution is rampant. Recycling, except in a few places, is a token effort.
Someone has said that if you want to feel good about yourself, go to a Walmart. That amuses me, but I doubt its veracity. I am a Walmart groupie when I am in the USA. Often I make daily trips. There are still a few things that we get to take back to CH. Interacting with the sales people gives one a great insight into the hospitality of the South. I found people of all sorts to be polite and helpful. Once again, it impresses me to see the great volume of inventory.
I always meet someone that I know in the Alabama Walmart. It is usually an old patient or hospital worker. This time was no different, but it had to wait until my last trip before leaving to come home. L was a long time scrub nurse in the OR where we did most of our cases. When things began to get tough during a case, L had this habit of beginning to moan lowly. More than once I had told her that I didn't need that, especially at those times. She was, in spite of the moaning, always a great help who knew what she was doing. Anyway, there I was, looking for masking tape, and she walks up and says, "Are you who I think you are?" Then we knew each other immediately. L hasn't had the easiest life, but she is going to be a grandma for the first time and is already foolish about it. We had a great chat, and I got to meet the pregnant daughter who is one of those women who look more beautiful pregnant. It was a lot of fun.
People in the USA as a whole, seem less able to respect another person's opinions now. I didn't get into any fights though. It seems that the waves as one passes by in a car persist no matter the politics.
Sadly, it becomes quickly evident that the USA has basically no mass transit outside of the large cities. Even those cities with it, still have most of the citizens riding (or standing in jams) in cars with one person in them. Gasoline is dirt cheap by European comparisons, and pollution is rampant. Recycling, except in a few places, is a token effort.
Someone has said that if you want to feel good about yourself, go to a Walmart. That amuses me, but I doubt its veracity. I am a Walmart groupie when I am in the USA. Often I make daily trips. There are still a few things that we get to take back to CH. Interacting with the sales people gives one a great insight into the hospitality of the South. I found people of all sorts to be polite and helpful. Once again, it impresses me to see the great volume of inventory.
I always meet someone that I know in the Alabama Walmart. It is usually an old patient or hospital worker. This time was no different, but it had to wait until my last trip before leaving to come home. L was a long time scrub nurse in the OR where we did most of our cases. When things began to get tough during a case, L had this habit of beginning to moan lowly. More than once I had told her that I didn't need that, especially at those times. She was, in spite of the moaning, always a great help who knew what she was doing. Anyway, there I was, looking for masking tape, and she walks up and says, "Are you who I think you are?" Then we knew each other immediately. L hasn't had the easiest life, but she is going to be a grandma for the first time and is already foolish about it. We had a great chat, and I got to meet the pregnant daughter who is one of those women who look more beautiful pregnant. It was a lot of fun.
People in the USA as a whole, seem less able to respect another person's opinions now. I didn't get into any fights though. It seems that the waves as one passes by in a car persist no matter the politics.
07 January 2007
Childhood Fears
The two things that I feared as a young child were darkness and thunder. I doubt that that makes me unusual. Upon learning about my fears of these things, my father used a conditioning method to help me.
One or two nights per week, he and I would go into a bathroom. I would sit on a laundry basket while he sat on the side of a tub. It was pitch black in there, but with him along, I was not so scared. We would sit in there for a few minutes while he talked about how the dark was harmless and asked me to see that he was correct. I don't think that it took many of these sessions until the fear was gone.
With the fear of thunder, he took the same approach. In the summer, West Tennessee has some thunderstorms that are dillies. We used to sit out in our yard in metal lawn chairs as a thunderstorm approached and watch the lightening bolts while listening to the peals of thunder. This was not a very wise thing to do, but we did it. He told me the story of Thor, the Norse god who used a hammer as a weapon and threw it at his enemies. The hammer made a terrific noise and struck great sparks as it hit. This was thunder and lightening. Norse gods did not harm humans, so I was not afraid. I could visualize the god Thor, racing along in his chariot while throwing the huge hammer at his adversaries. I did develop a liking for thunderheads and the storms that persists to this day.
LINK
It is ironic that much later in life, one of my most admired mentors was another Thor, but that is another story.
The fears passed, and to that, I must credit my father.
One or two nights per week, he and I would go into a bathroom. I would sit on a laundry basket while he sat on the side of a tub. It was pitch black in there, but with him along, I was not so scared. We would sit in there for a few minutes while he talked about how the dark was harmless and asked me to see that he was correct. I don't think that it took many of these sessions until the fear was gone.
With the fear of thunder, he took the same approach. In the summer, West Tennessee has some thunderstorms that are dillies. We used to sit out in our yard in metal lawn chairs as a thunderstorm approached and watch the lightening bolts while listening to the peals of thunder. This was not a very wise thing to do, but we did it. He told me the story of Thor, the Norse god who used a hammer as a weapon and threw it at his enemies. The hammer made a terrific noise and struck great sparks as it hit. This was thunder and lightening. Norse gods did not harm humans, so I was not afraid. I could visualize the god Thor, racing along in his chariot while throwing the huge hammer at his adversaries. I did develop a liking for thunderheads and the storms that persists to this day.
LINK
It is ironic that much later in life, one of my most admired mentors was another Thor, but that is another story.
The fears passed, and to that, I must credit my father.
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