We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
While work has been a major political hassle for the last 6 months, one of the benefits of 10-plus years of employment at a firm is the ability to take longer vacations. My recent 2 week sojourn was predicated on the desire to use frequent flier miles we'd amassed, along with a free ticket due to an airline screw-up during our vacation to Italy last year. Toss in low-cost housing with AirBnB, a reason to travel because my niece was representing the US on the under 18 hockey team, and my siblings all wanting to travel (or living in Vienna), and the wife and I decided it was a good time to head across the pond.
Vienna was our base, as my sister and her family live there. The hockey tournament was in Prague. So, 5 days in Vienna, drive 3 hours and spend 5 days in Prague, then drive back and enjoy 2 final days in Vienna.
Vienna offers the ability to take boat/train/bus to Bratislava and Budapest for the day. It's proximity to Prague was obviously useful, and the road there allowed us to stop in Heldenberg to see the Spanish Riding School's summer stables, then stop in Telc for lunch (or Jihlava for lunch on the return).
These stops were very nice. Telc, in particular, was a great 3 hour stop. Highly recommend it to anyone passing through. Wonderful town square, beautifully restored. Make sure you climb to the top of the (very claustrophobic and designed for short people) bell tower. But Prague was our main goal. Not just for the hockey (which didn't work out well for our side), but take in one of the most wonderful cities in Europe.
A classic of Film Noir, The Third Man is probably one of the most famous to inextricably link its story and characters with the city in which it was filmed, Vienna. On any given day, you can walk past filming locations. My first day there, I inadvertently passed Harry Lime's apartment, but deliberately went to the infamous ferris wheel, or Riesenrad.
Lime's apartment building is almost next door to the Imperial Palace, in a fairly noteworthy section of the city. Yet you really wouldn't make the connection between reality and film if you weren't aware of its use, and I wasn't that first day. In fact, I wasn't clued in until my brother-in-law pointed it out to me on my last day in Vienna.
I didn't go to Vienna to do a tour of the film's locations, but trying to visit them will certainly give you a good understanding of the city and its history. It was filmed over some of the more interesting portions of town, and given the timing, the use of British and Soviet sectors helps keep that part of history alive and interesting. A tour of film locations is as good a way to see the city as any other.
To that end, there are some points of The Third Man worth addressing for modern viewers who aren't familiar with history. After all, Austria and its capital city, Vienna, were split by the Allies into zones of occupation and management much like Germany and Berlin. This continued for many years, ending in 1955 when secret negotiations between Austrian diplomats and the Soviets steered Austria into a neutral global position. (It may come as a surprise to some, but Vienna has tended to have a very cozy relationship with Socialism, and Communism in particular. While Austria has been a successful post-war 'Western' nation and economy, its capital city's cozy relationship with leftist politics are evident in location names (Friedrich-Engels Platz), tenement/museums (Karl-Marx-Hof, built in 1930), and even some of their monuments.) As a result, even though the war was long over, the military plays a primary role in the story.
Most of the film takes place in the British zone, which is where Lime's apartment is located. His address is 15 Stiftgasse, but the real location is the Palais Pallavicini, across from the Spanish Riding School in Michaelerplatz.
Since the film was shot in Vienna while it was still rebuilding after the war, in 1949, the devastation is still clear in many scenes. Most notably the road to the cemetery (south of the city toward the airport) or the lot next to the Cafe Mozart. The real Cafe Mozart wasn't used in the filming, as the location chosen was the Neuer Markt.
While we were in the Czech Republic, we had a wonderful dessert concoction known as Tredlnik. It's a doughnut-like pastry wrapped around a rotating spit, fired over charcoal, then dipped in a sugary glaze and covered with cinnamon. The inside is coated with chocolate, and you can choose a variety of fillings. Ice cream is popular, but I really liked the strawberries and whipped cream.
It's one of the least healthy but most delightful snacks I've had. If you've never seen or had it, I would best describe it as an ice cream cone, but it's softer, there's a hole in the bottom, and it's served warm (even hot) - so while ice cream works in it, you'd better eat it fast.
The lines at Prague's Tredlnik stands were always long, particularly after 11pm when the drinking crowd started showing up in force. Lines often included young men on their bachelor party, forced to wear dresses, and often being held up by their buddies. When I woke up early to visit the Charles Bridge (you really do have to wake up early if you want pictures of it without crowds), I was stunned to see the same women I'd seen the night before around midnight, firing up their Tredlnik fires and making the dough. I wasn't sure if they were just finishing up from the night before and about to be replaced by the next shift, or if they were really hardcore workers.
I recently returned from 2 weeks in Austria and the Czech Republic. We were taking a trip to Prague to see my niece compete in a Under 18 international hockey tournament. Since my sister lives with her family in Vienna, we felt the best solution was fly to Vienna, stay a few days, rent a car, drive to Prague, take in some sights. We left the boys at home to care for the dog, watch the house and earn some income before heading back to school, and jetted off to Vienna.
Upon arrival, we were told to take the CAT (City Airport Train) into Wien Mitte station, and grab a cab. Not knowing the city, this was our solution, and it paid off. Cabs are expensive, but our cab driver gave us great information about using public transport, and helped us figure out what parts of the city to see. A wonderful fellow, he was a graduate of U of Cal Santa Barbara and spoke perfect English. Gave us insight on how cabs operate, what to be careful of so we didn't get ripped off, etc. It's amazing how much information can be shared in a 15 minute cab ride. I didn't think a picture of the subway was enticing, so I'm opting for a view of the city from the high swing at the Prater (I wanted to ride the ferris wheel from The Third Man, but that took too long, so we hopped on the swing):
- For starters, the view from our deck (photo above)
- Our pup, despite age, is still able to fully enjoy exploring the salt marshes and Cape Cod woods. Half-blind and deaf, but nose still works well. For the first time, we would not let him swim with us. His arthritis is terrible and his athletic endurance is limited. He would probably drown.
- While hiking on the Audubon land, we were lucky to come across the hatching of a nest of Diamondback Terrapins. 12 tiny ones pushing up through the sand at the same time. A first, for me. They emerge from the sand, blink a few times, then scamper for cover as if their life depended on it. Which it does. I took photos, but my camera died before I could download them. A dead Lumix with quite a few good pics in its memory. Maybe I can get them from the memory card.
- Wild highbush blueberries. Blueberries are native to North America. There are two wild forms, the lowbush types of the far north and the highbush of more temperate climates. Wild highbush berries are less than half the size of commercial berries, and darker, sometimes almost black. Somebody is farming wild highbush. Expensive. Taste brings me back to my youth of berry-picking in the woods. Mom tied strings through holes in metal coffee cans, painted our names on them, put the strings over our necks and sent us out to fill the cans. We had to let the little sibs climb on our backs to reach the high berries.
- Outdoor calisthenics in salty air and piney woods. About one hour, every morning at 630 or 7. Best way to begin a day of physical activity.
- A car. Friends visited with their older Audi S4 with a V8. Now I want one. Makes a fine sound.
- Blueberry pancakes at The Lighthouse, and dozens of Wellfleet Oysters everywhere we ate. At least 6 dozen, probably more. And the Steamers and Lobster festive supper I made for Mrs. BD's birthday party. Always good to have so much family around. Always buy large lobsters.
- With ocean temps pushing the high 60s, you could body surf until fatigued. Nothing better. Some Great Whites around, but the lifeguards let you know when they spot them. Heck, they would probably grab a little kid out there before they would grab you...
It's almost family reunion time again for us. We travel as much as we can afford, or more, but the Cape always calls us home.
Year after year, very little changes in Wellfleet, Massachusetts except the steady erosion from the sea which will eventually eliminate the whole thing. As a glacial moraine, it was never meant to last forever.
One of my life goals is to make sure my kids, and my kid's kids, absorb the salt air, piney fragrance, and cool salt water into their souls as I have done all of my life. A precious inheritance for them.
That is bad: there goes the neighborhood? Or time to buy before you can't because rich jerks may arrive. At present, it's a sort-of secret, unfashionable Subaru-type place. Bernie bumper stickers, and locals with beater pickups with NRA stickers and Grateful Dead stickers. A share of very quiet old Boston families, profs, writers, artists, architects, NY shrinks - and lots of regular people like us. You know what I mean.
Lots of random pics of just some of the things we love. Not mentioning all of the seafood, on which we feed constantly out there,
For example, water lilies in bloom on a Wellfleet/Truro "pond." Pic from my kayak.
Lotsa pics below the fold, with some useful info mixed in...
We'll have all the kids etc., the puppy, my in-laws, and friends. Not to mention all of my sibs and their families. Big house on the harbor. Have to buy some more kayaking life vests. Pond kayaking or salt water, both good.
The Pemi (Pemigewassett) Loop trails are famous hikes in New Hampshire's White Mountain wilderness. With a trail map, you can figure out day hikes or do the 30-mile loop over a couple of days, sleeping under the stars. Regardless, bring water and fit legs.
Mrs. BD planned, as she always does, a fine trip for me. This time, a surprise 3-night anniversary splurge at her current favorite 5-star NYC hotel (The Pierre). Best guest service in NYC, with a Jag and driver waiting for you at the door 24/7. But we are walkers, mostly.
Mrs. BD and I each lived in NYC for several years in youth and broke (not knowing each other), but because there is so much there, we like to approach it now as happy tourists (technically, "Bridge and Tunnel Crowd" I suppose) on voyages of discovery. Great fun for this ol' country boy. Of course, international tourism is booming in NY too. Mostly Europeans, plenty of Asians. We go to Europe but Europeans throng here to get away from their tired old things.
Our NYC posts are mostly for our NYC-avoidant readers. Taunting and teasing y'all. There is nothing new here for our NYC folks.
Manhattan sunrise, looking north up the East Side from our room on 5th and 61st, Nice:
Random fun pics below the fold. Marianne would have loved these -
Amusing piece by Ott. The author of the NYT article has not spend much time on ships. As one who has probably had the pleasure of traveling on ships and boats much more than the average (not including those who served in the USN), I have a few thoughts:
- Travel by ships and boats is a wonderful thing to do. Being at sea is a delight, regardless of weather. Do not cruise the Caribbean. It's a silly thing to do, I feel, unless you go to gamble. - There are less-expensive mass market cruise lines, and there are "luxury" lines. They are quite different in "atmosphere". - Regardless of the line, you get what you pay for on a given boat. Same as a hotel. If you want to pay for a suite, you can usually get one. - Older ships did indeed have three classes. When we were kids, we used to sneak into First Class to check it out. With 5 kids (and thus 3 cabins) no way my Dad was going to pay for First. - I strongly dislike the mass market cruise lines with their giant Vegas-style hotels on barges. I advise avoiding them. It is not a great experience.
If you want to cruise in comfort with pleasant, interesting people, instead of getting a fancy suite on a tacky ship I have better choices below, and good discounts can be had if they don't have a full ship. These boats (except for Windjammer) have either explicit or implicit dress codes) :
Holland America Line is neither mass-market nor extreme luxe. No classes. Very gracious and civilized with wonderful trips
Completed successfully. Group of about 18, from as far away as Maine and Illinois. We made it from the Dunkin Donuts on Delancey St. by the Williamsburg Bridge up to Riverside Church and Grant's Tomb (with many scenic detours) but still not quite sure who is buried there.
Tired, covered about 11.7 miles. More later from others who took pictures. I need to rest the barking dogs.
Mrs. Bulldog says I, as tour guide, started strong, had a weak middle, but we finished strong.
Pic is our sign at our meet spot in the Dunkin on Delancey St.
After much collaborative discussion and email, Bird Dog has mentioned our urban hike will take place April 23rd, rain or shine. We have a limited number of open weekends, so we have to take advantage of the ones which are available. I've walked the city many times in the rain, BD has it right when he says we are waterproof. Of course, we all prefer the shine, so we'll have to hope the weather authorities favor us.
Our starting point will be Dunkin' Donuts at 140 Delancey St. Why not? The march will begin at 10 AM, so be there before then. A little coffee and sugar is good to get your motor running. End point will be Grant's Tomb - if we survive the march and get that far.
Some hikers will flake off, I suspect, at various points but it would be cool if many of us could make it to Grant before it gets too late. We'll have to hustle along like a serious posse.
Check out some of their 1 million listings. A friend told me that his Maine lakeside cabin has never gone unrented since he began using VBRO. In fact, it has permitted him to raise the weekly rent.
Well, maybe not so much sojourn as it was 'passing through', but we did spend some time in both. I wish I could say we took in the sights, did a trail hike, maybe a Pink Jeep tour, stood in a vortex, watched the crazy BMX bikers on those thin Sedona trails, and ate at fine dining establishments. When you travel with seven people in rented van and you've got a schedule to stick to, you have to forego some of the finer things.
My goal was to get a feel for the Grand Canyon and Sedona for a longer trip in the future, while being able to see some of the impressive natural (and man-made) wonders that abound.
Sedona was stunning. Visually moving. It is not nearly as awe-inspiring as the Grand Canyon, it's just very pretty. The trip up 89A through smaller canyons, up switchbacks, along Oak Creek (which was full of swimmers and sunbathers) on our way to Williams, was full of even more nature's grandeur.
Our niece recently had a child, and my in-laws decided it was time to go meet their great-grandchild. It became a family event, as 5 of us flew from various locations to our niece's home in Arizona. We rented a van and took the 8 week old on her first grand family adventure, spending a weekend traveling through Sedona, up to Williams, and taking the Grand Canyon Railroad up to see the big dig.
A friend of mine recently posted a picture on Facebook of an old church in Europe, commenting "I wish we had old things like this here in the U.S." My tongue-in-cheek reply was "We do! The Grand Canyon is much, much older." It's also much more beautiful, in my opinion.
This was my first trip to the Grand Canyon, and I enjoyed it immensely. There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said. I'll toss in a few pictures of Sedona and the Grand Canyon, but pictures simply can't capture the grandeur.
Mrs. BD and I spent a balmy (low 50s) Sunday tramping around midtown because we had a special date day for elegant lunch and ballet, and walking around NYC is something we love to do. Golly, it is a blast to walk around and to look around.
Instead of tramping, I should have said "Trumping" around midtown. That is because The Donald was on our minds, and we must have passed ten buildings with his name on them. Not to mention the Plaza Hotel which he used to own. We kept laughing about it, and I laughed some more when we got to one of our favorite NYC lunch joints - Jean-Georges right off Columbus Circle. Wonderful prix-fixe luncheons. Damn if I had never noticed before that it is on the ground floor of The Trump International Hotel and Tower, southernmost building on Central Park West.
View from our table, Central Park on left, Columbus Circle on right, mounted cop in center, construction cranes everywhere in the sky:
Just a couple more pics below the fold. Marianne would have enjoyed all this.
The great Okefenokee Swamp - 430,000 acres straddling Georgia and Florida.
Mrs. BD is talking me into doing a kayak trip through it. Being the home of Pogo, I should be more enthused but I watched this excellent video and think I got the gist of it without having to actually do it. Lots of reptiles.
Really, not enough interesting bird life there. Everglades, or the Georgia barrier islands are better for that.
This is my final photo travelogue post from our sailing trip in November.
We rented a car at the port of San Sebastian on La Gomera and headed up into the mountains. Mrs. BD wanted to hike in the Garajonay National Park which we did for a while, but most of the trails would have taken more hours than we wanted. Lots of backpackers there with tents and sleeping gear.
To begin to wrap up my photo travelogue, we sailed from Morocco out to the Canaries, about 60 miles west of Morocco. We visited Lanzerote, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, and Tenerife.
Have I mentioned that Mrs. BD has an affinity for islands?
A few Canary details: The name is from their Latin name - Dog Islands. Canary birds do live there. They sing like Canaries, but are not bright yellow. The islands are all volcanic. Some are dry and some get rain and have banana plantations. Americans rarely visit the Canaries which, from a tourist standpoint, function more like a Caribbean for northern Europeans. Beaches and booze for the Brits, Germans, and Scandinavians. We never went near a beach, though. The climate is subtropical - 70s year round with a sea breeze.
This is the volcanic soil of desert-like Lanzerote. Where it's not steep, they dig pits and plant wine grapes.
If you go below the fold, more pics including Columbus' house. The Canaries were a good stopping place for westbound Spanish galleons.
Time to plan 2016 adventures. I have not used this division of American Express, Cruise Planners, but it looks like they offer good deals and know what they are talking about. The era of local travel agents is past.
Call me an effete snob, but I'd stay away from those lower-cost mega-ships but Holland-America is always excellent. I have enjoyed their ships since I was a kid.
No, I'm not a member. Can't say I've ever come close. Not even first base. The closest I've ever come was, while sitting in a bulkhead seat with the flight attendant in a jump seat across from me, hearing her stories of people she'd caught while joining. She informed my seatmate and I that it was illegal (apparently it's not) and you can get in quite a bit of trouble if caught (you can).
This isn't the kind of thing I normally spend time thinking about, but this morning I saw this article. In addition, my best friend is, at the moment I'm writing, somewhere over the North Pole on his way back from Hong Kong. As a result, the concept piqued my interest.
Aside from my wife, I can't say I've ever been remotely interested in any of my seatmates.
I've had plenty of good (and bad) interactions with women on a plane. I had a woman yell at me for wearing a Fox News shirt (I used to work there). I calmly explained to her that it's based in New York, so it's chock full of Democrats, which got a smattering of applause. I helped a girl returning from college, who'd never flown before, find her luggage and reunite with her family. I also had a very cute woman grab my arm, to the point of pain, as she chanted something in Spanish and grasped her Bible during takeoff. I'm guessing she was saying the Hail Mary, but I'll never know. I didn't feel like I should pry her loose, her fear was palpable and the flight was a red-eye. I just wanted her to calm down so I could go to sleep.
Offshore, blustery, big swells, very bumpy ride to make it fun, headed towards the Canaries on a close reach - just as Columbus used to do on the trip west. Sea legs. I love the days at sea when you can feel the power of nature. All wonderful, exhilarating. Hold on to your hat - and your wine glass.
Mrs. BD and I traveled from the port of Agadir up into the Atlas Mountains, took a 6-hour mountain hike, had a very late lunch/early supper, then headed back to port to sail out into the Atlantic towards the Canary Islands at dusk. That's what I call a full day.
People say we're adventurous, but we just want to live life abundantly, with variety.
The kasbah that Mrs. BD discovered, in the mountains (those are all Argan trees):
More photo travelogue below the fold - lots of interesting photos for those who have never been in the Atlas Mountains -
A classic of Film Noir, The Third Man is probably one of the most famous to
While we were in the Czech Republic, we had a 
Completed successfully. Group of about 18, from as far away as Maine and Illinois. We made it from the Dunkin Donuts on Delancey St. by the Williamsburg Bridge up to Riverside Church and Grant's Tomb (with many scenic detours) but still not quite sure who is buried there.
After much collaborative discussion and email, Bird Dog 
The great 
