Random Reflections

To say that international travel has changed in the last five years would be an understatement. What hasn't changed, however, is how challenging the "travel" part of international travel can be. On our first leg to Germany, we weathered a kooky airplane ride. Due to a lightning storm in Denver and a lack of sufficient air traffic controllers, we completed several loop de loops through Montana, Utah and Wyoming before landing.

Despite the delay, we were in no danger of missing our connecting flight to Munich. In fact, the plane was less than half full, so we had room to spread out. Arriving in Munich mid-afternoon, we picked up our bags and headed to ground transportation, where numerous cabs awaited. We immediately hit rush hour traffic, leading to a 130 euro cab fare. The frustrated cabbie literally scoffed at my 10 euro tip.

Aside from the numerous cultural opportunities when traveling to Europe, visitors also have a plethora of culinary options available. In Munich, we dined at several delightful spots, including the Augustiner-Keller and the Snitzelwirt, where bratwurst, wiener schnitzel and jagerschnitzel were featured dishes. My favorite was the jagerschnitel (pork cutlets with rich mushroom gravy) and spaetzel on the menu.

While we had experienced both Munich and Genoa in years past, we had never been to Bolzano (above, through one of the canterbury windows of Firmian Castle at the Messner Mountain Museum, below) in the South Tyrol province of Italy before. This delightful city in the Dolomites is the capital of South Tyrol, and with a population of approximately 108,000, is about the size as Bend, Oregon or Yakima, Washington.

Our primary objective in Bolzano, in addition to viewing the Dolomites, was to visit Firmian, the centerpiece of Reinhold Messner's six mountain museums scattered throughout South Tyrol. Firmian features a self-guided tour thet "explores the relationship between humans and mountains from spiritual, economic, philosophical and cultural perspectives. Architecture, art and natural form a compelling narrative.

While the first leg of our European train ride from Munich to Bolzano took a mere five hours, the next leg to Genoa was a somewhat grueling 10 hours, with frequent whistle stops along the way through Verona, Milan and Turin and many smaller towns. Finally arrived at Genova Brignole and hastily adjourned to our berth at the Hotel Genova Liberty near Porto Antico, the old port where our family had departed Italy in 1912.

While in Genoa, we visited Portofino, the exquisite fishing-village-cum-tourist-trap with colorful pastel houses, chic boutiques and seafood restaurants aplenty huddled around the town piazzetta (little piazza). We dined on 75 euro plates of sumptuous shrimp cocktails at the Ristorante Delfino with gorgeous views of the harbor while admiring the "testa di moro (below)" traditional Sicilian vases made in Positano.

Our final mission on this European adventure was to travel to the hinterlands of Liguria to visit our cousins, the Sanguinetis. We are indebted to our trusty cab driver-cum-interpreter Andreas Giovanelli who not only guided us into the far reaches of the Ligurian foothills but also produced and directed a top-notch video about our experiences.

Long Train Runnin'

In about a dozen trips to Europe or Asia since 2009, we've never rented a car: too expensive and frankly, too much trouble. Except for an occasional cab, traveling by train is the best way to go. This year, we travelled by train from Germany (Munich in Bavaria) to Italy (Bolzano in South Tyrol and Genoa on the Italian Riviera), about 300 miles.

Based on previous experiences, I have concluded that the most prompt and timely train service is in Switzerland and Germany. Italy and Spain? Not so much. Leaving Bolzano, we immediately fell behind schedule, missing our connections, first in Verona, then Milan and finally Turin. We eventually arrived in Genoa after 11 hours on trainsand terminals, tired but relieved.

Duolingo Dilemma

After a week in Munich, we initiated preparations for the next leg of our journey to Bolzano on July 29. Having already purchased our train tickets, we retired early. In the middle of the night, our phones buzzed with reckless abandon. We ignored tham at first, thinking it was another fraud alert on a credit card, but now awake, we started the process of preparing for a train trip through Austria to our destination in Italy.

Our phones were flooded with texts from family members asking if we were okay. Apparently, national news outlets had reported a fatal train crash in Munich. We responded that we were just fine, and that we would board our train to Bolzano shortly. We were only a few blocks away from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in downtown Munich, but we hailed a cab anyway because of our heavy bags. 

The five-hour trip from Munich to Balzano was picturesque farm land then mountains as we transitioned from Germany to Austria. The Tirol is one of those unique regions that began as part of the Holy Roman Empire, and eventually Austria-Hungary, until the conclusion of WW I, when the Kingdom of Italy seized the southern part of the region. For centuries, the region has been known for its heavy transit trade over Brenner Pass.

Arriving in Bolzano ("Bozen" in German), we waited for a cab and watched as numerous customers boarded taxis they apparently had ordered. Calling our hotel for assistance, they were unable to help and instructed us to call the cab company. Contacting the cab company, the recording noted: dial "1" for Italian and "2" for German. No English. Eventually, we commandeered a cab intended for someone else.

Munich Miscellany

Tooling around the city center of Munich is quite the rush. The city's core, closed to motorized vehicles, pulses with vibrancy and prosperity. Yet, despite its urbane sophistication, Munich maintains  a certain provincialism that visitors find charming. Locals insist that their metropolis, which tops out at more than two million residents, is little more than a world village. During Octoberfest, the city welcomes six million more to hoist a glass to the conclusion of harvest season.

Munich prospered as a salt-trading center but was slammed by the bubonic plague in 1349. The epidemic subsided only after 150 years, when locals initiated a ritualistic dances as a reminder of their good fortune. The dance is reenacted daily by the little figures on the city's "glockenspiel" in the Marienplatz. By the nineteenth century, Munich witnessed an explosion of monument building, providing the city with its compelling architecture and wide Italian-style avenues.

The situation reached the point of excess when King Ludwig II assumed the Bavarian throne in 1864 as his grandiose projects, such as tlie Neuschwansten Castle, bankrupted the royal household and threatened the governmental collapse. Ironically, today the castles are major money generators of Bavaria's tourism industry. Munich experienced more back luck in the 20th century, nearly starving to death during WW I and suffering relentless Allied bombimg raids during WW II.

As anyone who travels to Europe will tell you, a big part of the experience is enjoying local cuisine. While Munich is a veritable world food court, our focus was on German comestibles. We dined at the some of the finest establishments Munich has to offer, including the Augustiner, where we had the best of the wurst (a variety of brats and dogs), and the Schitzelwirt, where the wienerschnitzel and jägerschnitzel were simply divine.

Another of Munich's "must see" features is the Englischer Garten, one of the world's largest urban public parks. Named after a form of informal landscaping popular in England from the mid-18th to the early 19th century. At the southern tip of the Englischer Garten is an articifical "permanent wave" in a frigid arm of the Isar River, where crowds gather on weekends to watch neoprene-clad surfers practice their moves. Residents of Munich also love their soccer team: FC Bayern.

Castle Conundrum

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was one of the great anomalies of European royalty in the late 19th century. Ascending the throne at the tender age of 18, Ludwig II had little use for governing, and increasingly withdrew from the day-to-day affairs of governance in favor of his artistic and architectural projects, including several lavish palaces, much to the chagrin of his ministers.

Born in Nymphenburg Palace (above) in Central Munich, Ludwig II was the oldest son of Maximillian II of Bavaria and Marie of Prussia, who became King and Queen of Bavaria after the abdication of the latter's father, Ludwig I, during the German Revolution of 1848-49. His parents wanted to name him "Otto" but his grandfather, Ludwig I, insisted that his grandson be named after him. "Ludwig" is the German form of "Louis."

As was the custom of the day when royalty governed most of Europe, Ludwig II and his brother Otto were indoctrinated into the regimen of royal duty from an early age. As heir to the throne, Ludwig was both extremely indulged and severely disciplined. He was close to neither of his parents. He did have happy moments living in Hohenschwangau (above), a fantasy castle his father had built near Alpsee in Füssen.

As a youth, he was already becoming something of legend-in-the-making. Handsome, strapping and tall at 6'4, he would become an enigma "to myself and others." Raised to accept the duties as heir apparent to Bavaria, he studied at numerous colleges. He showed little interest in politics but lived for the arts and sciences and excelled as a student. He is said to have commented that he would rather be a professor than king.

Nonetheless, when his father, Maximillion II, passed away suddenly, Ludwig II officially became King of Bavaria. At first, he was quite popular, especially with his subjects. He had a passion for music, particularly anything by Richard Wagner. But he disliked large public functions, avoiding social events whenever possible. Instead, he enjoyed touring the Bavarian countryside and chatting with farmers and merchants.

Two years later, war would alter Ludwig's outlook on life considerably. First, the Austro-Prussion War, followed by the Franco-Prussion War, led to the unification of Germany and Bavaria's loss of independence. Bavaria, reduced to vassal status, would retain its own army. As for Ludwig himself, a healthy allowance funded by the proletariat allowed him to pursue his interests in music, theater and architecture.

Now free to pursue his interests with gusto, Ludwig II wasted little time, delving into sponsoring operas and theater presentations. But even more significantly for Bavaria, he focused his energy on the design and construction of numerous castles, including Schloss Linderhof, Schloss Herrenchimsee and the grandest castle of all, Schloss Neushwanstein, the model utilized by Walt Disney in Disneyland.

Fascinated by the musical dramas and writings of Richard Wagner, Ludwig brought the composer to Munich. However, he left Munich due to government conflict and used his personal fortunes to fund the construction of his elaborate castles. These projects provided employment for many hundreds of local laborers and artisans and brought a considerable flow of prosperity to poor regions where the castles were built.

Despite the fact that Ludwig II financed his many projects with his own funds and not government coffers, his ministers attempted to dispose of him through constitutional means, insisting that he was insane and therefore unfit to rule. The accusations were numerous: pathological shyness aversion to state affairs, homosexuality and expensive flights of fancy.

I guess we'll never know. Under the care of severel psychiatrists, "Mad" King Ludwig and one of his psychiatrists drowned in Lake Stamberg under mysterious circumstances. His death was ruled a suicide. But was King Ludwig really a raving lunatic, or merely a shy genius? Despite being a massive drain on royal finances during his reign, the castles collectively have generated immense economic benefits for Bavaria ever since. He remains popular in Munich.

Meandering The Marienplatz

Finding a cab at the Munich airport was easy, but the ride into town was anything but easy. With our cell phones still rebooting, all I could muster from my college German was "Wir gehen zum Hotel Atrium" (We are going to the Atrium Hotel). To make matters worse, we hit rush hour traffic, complicated by numerous construction sites. By the time the cabbie figured out the right hotel, our fare had reached 130 euros. The driver practically scoffed at his 10 euro tip. He was in a mood.

Relieved to have arrived at our hotel, we hauled our bags into the lobby and checked into the four-star facility. Other than our unfortunate timing in hitting rush hour traffic, late afternoon is actually the perfect time to arrive in a European city, especially when coming from Oregon. After all, it's cocktail hour! Fortunately, our hotel was conveniently located just blocks from the Karlsplatz (above), one end of the busiest shopping and dining districts in Germany. Where to go for dinner?

The "town square" in the old section of Munich is more of a series of plazas within a circle around the city's core, bounded by the Karlsplatz on the west. the Odeonplatz on the north, and the Isar River on the east and south, creating an incomparable dining and shopping hub. The Marienplatz resides at the center of the pedestrian zone along Kaufingerstrasse (above). Though we were sorely tempted by the Rathskeller (below), we settled on the Augustiner instead, another fine restaurant.

Wie Gehts, München?

On our first trip back to Europe since before the pandemic, we targeted Munich, the third largest city in Germany, as our first stop on a grand tour through Germany, Austria and Italy. Having spent three weeks in Munich with daughter Gina in 2011, I was anxious to return to the hub of the Bavarian Alps.

Traveling this time with son Jory, we weathered the 12-hour flight from Denver and arrived mid-afternoon. Munich, of course, is known worldwide for its Octoberfest, when more than six million visitors join the two million residents of Munich for a bierfest recognized as the world's biggest kegger.

Benedictine monks, drawn by fertile farmland and Munich's proximity to Italy, first settled the area in the 12th century. The city derives its name from the medieval "munichen,"  or "of the monks." These same monks learned to develop beer and closely guarded the secrets of their craft.

 

The Monk's Trail

We leave next week for Europe with a focus on the "Monk's Trail," a route that follows the journey of Albert, a 13th-century Abbot from Germany who documented his pilgrimage to Rome. The route is nearly 2,200 kilometers long, passing through the center of the Alps from Germany on the north, through Austria, and on to Italy in the south.

Initially, the plan is to thoroughly explore Munich, the home of the world-renowned "Octoberfest" before venturing to nearby attractions like the castles of "Mad" King Ludwig II -- Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein (below) and Linderhof -- and other nearby attractions like Der Zugspitze, the highest point in Germany, and Adolf Hitler's "Eagles Nest."

From Munich, we'll travel by train through the Alps over Brenner Pass into Italy's northern city of Bolzano in South Tyrol near the Dolomites. The plan is to visit the Messner Mountain Museum established by Reinhold Messner, one of the world's most renowned mountaineers known for his alpine-style techniques and minimalist approach to climbing.

Next, we'll hop another train bound for Genoa and the Italian Riviera. We'll explore Portofino and Portovenere, and visit family in Isolona. All along the way, from Munich to Genoa, I will interview willing participants interested in discussing the current state of affairs in the United States of America for my first podcast, tentatively titled Rooftop Ramblings.

Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics

Well, faithful readers, we have arrived: we have now surpassed #400 on the GonzoPR blog, established in 2008, when I retired from Eugene Water & Electric Board. A humble operation at first, it has since turned into a monster. My favorite subjects are travel, sports and, much to the chagrin of some of my friends, politics.

However, a funny thing happened on the way to determining statistics as laid out by Google on GonzoPR. The rankings are the same but the numbers vary widely. In other words, they don't exactly jive. Be that as it may, here are the top ten posts, the greatest hits as it were, on Gonzo PR, starting with Alpine Adventure, the clear winner.

The post presaged our trip to Zurich to take in the sights of the mostly the German side of Switzerland. On this trip, we stayed at the Hotel X-tra in downtown Zurich. We visited the Jungfraujoch, Lucerne and Interlaken, Reinfall and Schaffhausen, Liechtenstein, Heidiville and much, much more.

Number two is King Of The Blues, a missive on Riley B. King, otherwise known as B.B. King, an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. I've seen B.B. a number of times over the years, the first time at Springer's Ballroom in the hinterlands of southeast Portland near Gresham on the path to Mt. Hood and Central Oregon.

Next up on the hit parade is Defining Public Relations, a treatise on the subject of public relations, a practice and profession that I became familiar with as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of Oregon School of Journalism in the 70's and early 1980s, followed by 33 years as a professional and instructor.

The Trinity Mine is next, a failed experiment to mine precious metals near the Glacier Peak Wilderness, where I toiled as a ranger while working my way through college. Having worked previously on the Malheur National Forest, I was smitten with a girl who worked seasonally on the Lake Wenatchee Ranger District.

Weighing in at number five is Berchtesgaden And Eagle's Nest, which described our time in Munich and our exploration of the castles of Mad King Ludwig, and his suspected murder. We also spent time in downtown Munich and explored the city known for Octoberfest, when an additional six million people cram into a city of two million.

Rounding out the top ten starting at number six is Willkommen Bei Den Bayerischen Alpen, which presaged our trip to Munich. We visited castles, toured The Eagle's Nest, saw the BMW headquarters, toured the Paulaner distributor, visited biergartens, ate at the finest restaurants and stayed at The Hotel Deutches Theatre.

Number 7 is Castle Keep, part of our tour that included visits to Mad King Ludwig's castles, including the Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles (above) and Hohenschwangau, an older castle where Ludwig grew up. As part of that tour, we also visited Oberommergau, a small town that resembles Leavenworth, Washington.

Coming in at number 8 is the Italian Riviera And Cinque Terre from one of five trips we took to The Motherland to locate our cousins, the Sanguinetis, who live in the hill country of Liguria in a little village called Isolona in the district of Orero near Cicagna, where my beloved grandmother lived before escaping Italy for Portland, Oregon.

Next up, at number 9 is Getting Around: Plane, Trains And Automobiles, a missive about how to get around while traveling in Europe. I never rent a car; I guess I'm paranoid. But the public transportation options in Europe are simply wonderful, whether you're in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain or anyplace else.

Finally, weighing in at number 10 is Der Zugspitze And Garmisch-Partenkirchen, another great adventure to Germany's highest peak and the little town with a ski resort that sits at its base. The cable car ride (pictured) is not for the feint of heart. And now, as Porky Pig would say, "that's all folks." That's GonzoPR's top ten.