Blogs from Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe
September 21st 2011
OUR LAST HURRAH ON THE RHEIN As we started South toward Mainz and Wiesbaden, our first stop was Eltville, where we were able to tour the ruins of a large agricultural estate, a Roman latifundium, that is now the 'old town', that was granted town status in 1332. Part of our tour included the picturesque ruins that are the remainder of the Burg. We then headed for Wiesbaden, where Stellplatz's are rare and found a parking area near a sports field, cycling track and walking paths. We found a Hobby Dealer and were able to purchase some supplies for our MH and check out the newer models, which left us appreciating all the extras that we currently have. Wiesbaden gave us a beautiful early morning view of the Baroque Biebrich Palace. As we entered Mainz, and ... read more
August 16th 2011
Hello All, We took advantage of our beautiful sunny Monday, and we explored the Rhine in the other direction: up stream toward the south. Bonn has these great bike trails along the Rhine and we had taken them several times north to the center of town. We decided to take the bikes on one of the ferries one way south and then ride them back, I think it was even my idea. We bought passage from Bad Goddesberg (Near Margies Home) to Lindt for 17,80 € for the both of us and the bikes first thinking the wind would be at our backs when returning. The trip was beautiful on the large ferry and they had no problem putting our bikes on board. The cruise up was great, but I ended up paying 6.2 € for ... read more
August 14th 2011
We have recovered from the adventures in Prague and Munich; the quiet home along the Rhine is good for that. We went to the grocery store and spent € 38 on fruits and veggies, bread, beer, and a bottle of wine. We also go some hamburger as that is something we really miss. Ok, we got some ice cream bars too. We have vowed to not go to any American fast food places, like the ubiquitous Mickey D, but we still had a taste for hamburgers. And, it turned out good. We have been getting a lot of rain, today we went to Bonn to buy our tickets to Amsterdam for Wednesday morning, and got drenched. Attached is a picture of Linda outside the Starbucks in the Bonn Zentrum square. So, it is off again to ... read more
Trains, Planes, and Autobahns
Published: August 12th 2011Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Bonn
August 12th 2011
Well, we are back in Bonn after traveling on rail, bus, car, and plane. One thing about Europe, they have getting around nailed. It is raining lightly, but enjoyed such good weather over the last week's travels, that the rain presents a good time to upload some photos from the last week. ... read more
August 3rd 2011
Hello All, Well, we wanted to "live like the natives" and while I guess that without going to work, etc. , that may be hard to do, we are jumping in with both feet. But, some differences between the US and Germany are hard to miss: 1) There seems to be more smoking at least we are more aware of it because there is no prohibition to it in many restaurants outdoor areas 2) The public transportation is much more advanced here and the Germans have invested in infrastructure to support it. We are envious. 3) Everyone seems to be more energy conscience and recycle is not a dirty word. In fact, everyone seems to recycle and separation of trash is implemented everywhere, even commercial/public areas. 4) Many people speak English but not speaking German is ... read more
August 2nd 2011
Yesterday was our first day alone in Bonn. Margie and her fantastic translation skills got on a train to the airport and then on to America along with her Daughter Janina, grandsons in tow. So, we decided to try our driving skills with a short trip to Central Bonn. (We had ridden the bikes along the Rhine the day before, but learned that most shops are closed on Sunday in Germany) Did anyone tell us that the central part is pedestrian only? Yes, but it came into full understanding while trying to find a parking space.... We ended up having a great time, but are going back today on the 610/611 bus in the future. The fare is less than the cost of parking we find and after a visit to the tourist information office, we ... read more
July 28th 2011
After a quick trip to Los Angeles on SW, we took a bus to the internatonal Bradley terminal that would be our home for the next 10 hours while we tried to get a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. We were banking on Lufthansa for a ZED fare and after more and more passengers arrived at the gate, we realized there would be no chance on the first nonstop. Then, we got the two last seats on the 747 flight 451, at 7 pm. Have I mentioned that I hate the bulkhead? (note to self: bring a keyboard with English on it the next time I travel to Germany and have to use my sister's computer. Like where the heck is the @ key?) Well, anyway, after an agonizing night we arrived in Frankfurt. The DB ICE ... read more
Dolga (in zabavna) pot domov
Published: June 16th 2011Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Bonn
June 15th 2011
Jutranjih seand praktično ni bilo, ker smo se nekaj čez deseto odpravili v Bonn - čisto zares! Po šestih dneh, odkar smo tu, smo se torej šele odpravili raziskovat tole mesto. Ali vsaj tako smo upali. No, na koncu smo ga (nekateri) res, ampak ne ravno tako, kot smo si predstavljali. :) Odšli smo do Hauptbahnhofa, potem pa na drug vlak (obožujem delujočo primestno in mestno železnico!!) do postaje Robert Schuman Platz (očitno ga imajo povsod ... ). To je povsem zraven hotela Maritim, kjer potekajo ta pogajanja UNFCCC trenutno. Mi smo zavili v nek inštitut zaven (pozabila ime), ker smo imeli srečanje z glavnim pogajalcem EU na zasedanju Arthurjem Runge-Metzgerjem. Ali vsaj tako smo mislili. Po tem, ko smo se eno uro trudili s sestavljanjem kompetentnih vprašanj zanj (klimatski begunci, strahopetnost EU pri sprejemanju odločitev, ... read more
June 14th 2011
Zjutraj smo imeli v gosteh Davida Hellerja, bojda nekakšnega aktivističnega guruja, ki že 12 let živi v Bruslju. Včeraj sva ga z Ruth počakali na tramvajski postaji. Njegovi dve delavnici sta bili blazno zanimiv, tako vsebinsko kot izvedbeno. Govorili smo o evropskih ciljih (npr. 20 20 20) in o samem pristopu EU do podnebnih tematik (bitka med Ottingerjem in Hedegaardovo), pri tem pa nateleli na zanimivo dejstvo (vsaj zame). Janez Potočnik, evropski komisar za okolje, ki ga pri nas tako zelo obrajtamo, ko govorimo o podnebnih spremembah in vseh ostalih grozečih zadevah, prav za prav nima nikakršnih pristojnosti v zvezi z njimi. To me je malce presenetilo, moram priznati, res pa je, da se nisem preveč poglabljala v njegov resor do sedaj. Z drugimi besedami, njegovo "ministrstvo" v bistvu nima veze s klimatskimi spremembami, on samo ... read more
