Travel Today

 

Hats Off to Passau

Shopping day in Passau before boarding our ship for a trip on the Danube which will take us all the way to the Black Sea.

Found a classic German style locally crafted black hat with colorful feathers.

Found the ideal size backpack for continued travels. Actually, if there was more time to shop I might be able to fill it. With shoes, right Peter?

Did I say shoes?

Shopping break - stroll along the Inn River.

The Inn, Ilz, and Danube all conjoin in Passau. One of the most interesting elements of this is the distinct water color-difference between the three waterways. The Inn has a cloudy hue due to the silt content while the Ilz, also called the “Black Pearl” appears, you guessed it, almost black. Last but not least, the Danube has a dark greenish teal color.  Why referred to as the Blue Danube is beyond me.

In the background is Schaibling Tower or Schaiblingturm with its high pointed cone helmet dating back to the 14th century. Today it is the best-preserved portion of Passau's former city wall fortification.

Grey day.

St. Paul Chuch

This pretty-in-pink church is in the Baroque style, as is much of the architecture in Passau.

Cafe and shops located under St. Paul Church.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

The largest pipe organ in Europe is housed in St. Stephen's. We attended the highly touted, painfully long noon organ concert. Takeaway: very last organ concert that we will ever attend. Mutually agreed, not our cup of tea.

UNDERPANTS ON YOUR HEAD PARTY

 

Seattle With Tim and Annie

 

Lunch in International District. Another old favorite restaurant is no longer on the favorite list. Covid has changed so many eateries. 

So very thankful to have them to hang out with.

And We're Off to Poulsbo

What are you wearing on the plane Annie?

Annie picked up some fancy wheels for the ride.

 

Windy City With Annie

 

Wait, this is not Wisconsin or the Minnesota State Fair. Just practicing.

Eric: Barbier - Finest Gentlemen Care

 

No beard, no problem.  Whew. 

Peter's barber, Anthony, agreed to allow me into his gentlemen's establishment for some overdue work.  It's about who you know, you know. Anthony is from Ghana and speaks perfect English which is important for communicating my particular hair needs.

In 2000, in the centre of Hamburg with a direct view of the Alster, a men-only salon was established on Ballindamm specializing entirely in male grooming. Eric was a pioneer of the German art of barbering and dedicated himself to professional beard care, manicures, and pedicures.

In 2001, Eric hired master barber Anthony Stölting, who had acquired his special barbering skills in England and France. Shaving culture and modern haircuts made the barbershop known far beyond the gates of Hamburg. The cult status of the art of barbering was born and enthusiastically embraced by the Hanseatic people.

After Eric's sudden death at the end of 2014, Anthony continued the tradition in Eric's name, and in the following years developed his very own product range especially for men.

In 2018, another stylish barbershop for the highest demands of men was opened in the heart of Hamburg's Hafencity. (Harbor City) My favorite location.

Anthony is on the right. This is the first time that I have seen him maskless. The crazy strict German rules require not only masks to be worn in the shop but a negative Covid test immediately before your appointment.

Covid Tests

Covid tests at every turn.

 

Medieval German city Lubeck

 

Cloudy Day

Brass Remembrance Markers

Must-have Code to Enter Stores.

Rainy Day in Langenhorn

 

Stormy Weather Persists

 

Klaus, the first storm of the year blows over north and western Germany.

Low pressure sweeps in from the north sea, bringing rain and wind with it. 

The whole of Germany except for the southeast corner was affected by the storm which started to hit land on Thursday morning and was expected to continue.

The worst of the weather was in the states of Lower Saxony on North Rhine-Westphalia, where the German Weather Service (DWD) predicted hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall.

The DWD warned that the wind would be so powerful that it could uproot trees and lead to branches falling to the ground.

The weather is set to remain cold and wet over the weekend in much of the country with temperatures in the single digits and plenty of rain forecast.

Today we meet Luis, the current storm bringing more high winds and plenty of rain.

Maybe Too Slippery

 

It might be a little too slippery for a walk today. Homeowners are responsible for keeping a path shoveled along the street in front of their properties. Most folks take it seriously. Some very seriously. Guess who is in the very serious category?

Sunday Drive to Varrel

Fluffy frosted trees lined the autobahn. 

If you like the white stuff it was spectacular.

Traditional stall with "currywurst" in the town of Rastede. All stores and everything is always closed on Sundays in Germany so this was a pleasant surprise for the sausage eating driver. Nice government gesture during lockdown allowing at least a few folks opportunities for revenue. 

A sweets stall.

Classic German cookies just like at the Christmas market stalls. This season cookies are Valentine ready.

Fish Feeders Report

 

Mr. Mann stands - hmm - deep in the snow. Looks like the swim raft is buried. Thanks for your reporting Auntie Annie.

Snow Day

 

A touch of springtime inside.

Frosty Morning

 

Looking down the street from my window. Coldest morning so far -    27 degrees F but yay NO rain.

Sailing through the day with great memories of January 2014.

Rocking and rolling in Rio with Gramie and Bapa.

After a long walk GAB shares her happiness in a glass with Gramie.

Black and White Ball. Those were the days my friends.

Buenos Aires - Alvear Palace Hotel 

You can always count on GAB for finding the BEST hotels!

90210

 

Auntie Annie's Audience

 Good show Annie!

Bad News - Good News

 

A simple cloth mask is thought to not offer enough protection. Germany has mandated that these medical-grade masks be worn in all public places.  Best of all it appears that folks take this order seriously.

Good news. Starting next week, monoclonal antibodies will be used in Germany as the first country in the EU. Trump was treated with this form of antibody treatment after he was infected with the coronavirus last October.

Sunshine Surprise

Hamburg Rathaus 

Rathaus (City Hall) is Hamburg's seat of government and also the seat of one of Germany's 16 state parliaments.

Sunshine disproved the iPhone's weather forecast. So, we quickly headed downtown Hamburg for a walkabout, Vietnamese curry, and coffee and cake. Since indoor dining is still forbidden, we found a convenient park bench off the main boulevard and ate our curry.

 

The Afrikahaus = A little bit of Africa in Hamburg.

Afrikahaus was built in 1899 as the company headquarters for shipping companies Woermann-Line, and German East-Africa-Line. The building's location was situated conveniently close to the newly built harbor canal warehouse quarter of 1883. In 1894 the shipping company added the route from Hamburg to Durban via the Cape. Then in 1898, to avoid a clash with the British their steamers instead took a new route, Hamburg, via Suez to Dar es Salaam. Woermann became the largest private shipping company in the world and at the same time the largest German West Africa merchant.

Passing through the gateway of the building's facade you see it painted in the colors of the shipping company flag. Continue walking past the bronze statue of an African Wahehe warrior where the entrance opens into the courtyard of Afrikahaus.

There's an elephant in the room. But wait, there are two giant bronze elephant statues greet those entering the offices.

Our coffee and cake break on a table Betsy style.

Because many city streets are narrow and allowing entry to the courtyards, UPS uses these appropriately sized vehicles. No traffic blocking.