Day 15: All Good Things

For 15 days, I unplugged and tuned out, save for a brief check-in at work and the odd news report that I'd accidentally run across while trying to find the weather channel. We spent most of our time touring the Old World, after all, and only a few intrusions from the current one were welcome. 

 

What you get out of the Old World is your business. I was looking for a different Old World, not all that old, actually, going only back to 1980, the last of the summer vacations in Germany I'd take visiting our Oma in Hamburg. There was a large nostalgia component for me on this trip, and even if I'd never been to the Black Forest (disputed by my mother, btw) I was looking to recreate a few general memories. A summer lightning storm, or a Capri Sonne after a long walk. Black bread and cheese for supper, perhaps with a slice of Pflaumenkuchen. Black Forest cake at 3:00 in the afternoon. All these were available and I hunted them down. 

 

Indeed, the world lends itself to this repetition, though not always in a good way. When I finally did plug myself back in to current events, the top stories were:

gun violence in the US

soccer hooliganism

misery in Africa

tribal violence in Afghanistan

That last point was so evergreen, in fact, that the BBC felt comfortable running stock footage from 1996 in the story, since no current footage was available. 

I have vivid memories of the German newspaper the day Elvis died, back in 1977. This time around, it was Ali. 

Ahh, you know, you can recreate certain experiences, but ultimately, you can't go back again. Even if you tune the world out, you carry much of it with you. Not the least of this was the two kids I was toting along. Well. If I can't go back again myself, I can pay it forward, so to speak. I'm pretty sure Holman will remember the cake from Cafe Schnurr for years to come. 

 

Anyway, to quote a recent movie I saw, there's no ever after, only in between. So, let's run the numbers. In between Day 0 and Day 15, the figures are:

Flight time (aggregate)                                   18 hours

Countries visited                                              3

Border crossings (excluding arrival)            11

Border crossing where we were stopped     1

Driving hours (approximate)                         50

Driving kilometers (approximate)                2500

Wine consumed (approximate)                     30 liters

Pretzels consumed                                           4

            Of which were sweet/fried                  1

Schnitzels                                                           12

Rösti portions                                                   6

Spaetzle portions                                              8

Sausages                                                            16

Asparagus Spears/soups                                14

Crepes                                                                4

Black Forest Cake (piece)                               3

Pflaumenkuchen (piece)                                 1

Nesta’s Apple Tart (piece)                              9

Schnappes                                                         6

Rodelbahn rides                                               7

Gondola/Cable Car rides                                0

Mountain Peaks trod                                      0

Castles visited                                                   3

            Of which were ruins                            2

            Of which were Neuschwanstein        0

Churches/Cathedrals visited                         4

            Of which were ruins                             1

Votive candles lit                                              6

Massages/mani-pedicures/spa/saunas       0

Swimming pool visits                                       2

Flea Markets                                                      1

Chocolate factories                                           1

Cheese factories                                                0

Wineries visited                                                5

            Of which had a person there              1

Waterfalls visited                                              1

Waterfalls skipped                                            1

Aggregate Michelin stars in Baiersbronn     8

Michelin dining stars gathered                       0

Boat rides                                                            3

Garden Gnome sightings                                 9

Zeppelin sightings                                             2

Total Expenditures                                          $$$$$.$$

Total Value                                            😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

There you have it, my loyal readers. I hope you've had some fun reading my blog, I've certainly enjoyed writing it. I will not shut down this blog completely, I'll have occasional updates on travel topics as they arise. I expect our next trip to Europe will be some time away -- we're more likely to take an extended domestic vacation next year. That has planning implications of its own.