Day two of the LPGA Safeway Classic in Portland, Oregon. Today was very exciting, what with four golfers tied for the lead at the start of play and then the tournament in contention right up until Jeong Jang's birdie putt on #18. We had a great time in the gallery and managed to follow three different pairings, on and off, all the way through the front nine. We started out with Christina Kim's group, but were able to hang back to watch Pat Hurst and Juli Inkster play several holes and still have time to catch back up to Christina. We [View Full Entry]

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The family and I are in sunny Portland, Oregon, to attend the LPGA Safeway Classic. We got stuck in wretched construction traffic late last night on I-5 and finally made it to our hotel, and bed, around 2 AM. So much for getting a good night's sleep and hitting the course early. :/ We arrived at the Columbia-Edgewater Country Club around 10 AM and, after running the gauntlet at the Free Safeway Stuff tent, hit the course on the hunt for Ashley Prange, winner of the Golf Channel's "Big Break V". We got lucky and she was still playing after her [View Full Entry]

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It was really wonderful to come home just in time for glorious afternoon weather, a perfect welcome, and fireworks on TV! Here's a quick wrap-up of my impressions of travel in Europe. Great stuff in Germany, et al.: * German toilets (use less water and flush better). * Public pay toilets (almost always worth the price). * Euro-style windows (and doors). * Cathedrals. * Sparkling mineral water. * Eisbecher!! * Eierlikör (an essential ingredient in my favorite Eisbechern). * Trains, trams and buses. * Sidewalk bike paths. * Beer gardens. * Their laid-back and hea [View Full Entry]

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What a difference a month of travel makes. Faithful readers will recall that in June, I got "stuck" in Copenhagen's Kastrup airport for several hours and couldn't really come up with anything to do, so wandered aimlessly in the terminal and was annoyed by things like credit cards and postage stamps. A little travel experience and a positive attitude adjustment sure help! This time, I had intentionally scheduled a 5-hour layover to give me time to bop into the city itself and have a beer, at least, before the flight home. First stop: the book shop, to look for a Danish [View Full Entry]

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I finally got access to a computer on which I had time and felt safe enough to try to upload photos from the trip. I've added at least a few to every possible past entry! (From the list of all entries, you only see the first picture; click on "Full Text" to make sure you see all the rest.) I'm totally excited about the way these have turned out. Please, go back and see and let me know what you think!! [View Full Entry]

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Today Drea and I visited the spa resort town of Baden Baden, near the Schwartzwald (Black Forest). We indulged ourselves in the full treatment at the famous Friedrichsbad, also known as the Roman-Irish Baths. Let me just say there's nothing legal you can do for 29€ that feels so good, and possibly nothing illegal either. The spa treatment consists of 16 steps, all helpfully outlined on large numbered signs in German, French and English. Squeamish Americans beware: all 16 are performed completely naked (two days a week, the mixed-gender pools are closed off for women only, but this w [View Full Entry]

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I forgot that if I write about going to France under the same entry with my trip to Baden Baden, I don't get credit on my cool Blogger map for having gone to France. This, obviously, will not do. Be it known that on this date, I went to France. About 500 meters into France, to be precise. And had flammkuchen. For further details, see my entry for Baden Baden. :) [View Full Entry]

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I had a wonderful, leisurely morning in Trier, tying up the loose ends of sights I didn't see last night. After the now-usual hearty German buffet breakfast at my hotel, I hiked down to the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, an archaeological museum that Rick's guidebook made sound very exciting. He wasn't wrong, not in the least... the wonderful Roman floor mosaics and funerary monuments were right where he said they would be. However, about half to two-thirds of the museum is closed off and utterly empty. I discovered from a German-language poste [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in Trier from Aachen (via Köln and Koblenz) around 15:00, found the hotel with no problem, and set out to sightsee. I don't know whether Trier is really more spread out than Salzburg (I have to doubt it) or if everything just felt farther, but in any case, it seemed like more walking than I really wanted to do. I wasn't willing to spend a lot of time deciphering or waiting for city buses, though, so I toughed it out. I more-or-less followed the city walking tour outlined by Rick. The huge black Roman gate called Porta Nigra was [View Full Entry]

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(Another day, another Mass....) Heilige Messe at Aachener Dom was fantastic. As a weekday morning Mass, it was small, sparsely attended (mostly by nuns, and at least one monk) and music-free. However, it was a great opportunity not only to see, but to experience the inside of this ancient church. I believe it's the oldest in Germany and one of the oldest in northern Europe. Out of respect, I did not take any photographs inside, not even after the service. It was very dark anyway and they wouldn't've turned out too well. There are a lot of nuns in Germany and [View Full Entry]

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