G E R M A N Y

GERMANY should have been named Greenland.  We traveled all the West side, from the borders with Holland and Belgium in the North, to the borders with Austria and Switzerland in the South, and everywhere the trees and grass are splendored-green.  You cannot see the forest because of so many trees!   

From any high elevation of the Autobahn, the view of the hills and valleys, with rivers and roads crisscrossing them and a myriad of small villages all the way to the horizon, is always breathtaking.  And the people are very good looking, neatly dressed and extremely courteous, specially in the Bavaria region.

The common denominating feature of all the towns and roads is the cleanliness.  You don’t see any trash or even cigarette butts in any sidewalk.  What a difference when you cross the border and arrive at Amsterdam!  You do not notice poverty in Germany.  The farmer’s houses in the country are big, well constructed and nicely kept.  The half-timbered houses, always present in every village, are so immaculately painted that they look as if they were built just a few years ago, instead of a few centuries.

The language was never a problem as almost everybody speaks English and the menus at the restaurant are printed in Germany and English. The food was another rapidly discarded worry, and became a delightful experience.  It consists mostly of pork, served in different styles and all exquisite; but there is also very good fish, veal, chicken and lamb.  And there are a lot of Italian and Chinese Restaurants. There is a McDonald's in every city.  We even saw “Pancho’s Authentic Mexican Food” and “Havana Restaurant”.   How about that for variety.

There are literally hundreds of different beers in Germany and it is always served cold and in a large mug.  Every time I tried a new one, it was better that the one before.  It is stronger, heavier and more delicious than the American type.

Germany’s roads are second to none and the sign system is perfect.  If you get lost while driving is because you get distracted by the beauty of the scenery and miss your exit.  At the beginning, I thought that AUSFAHRT was the biggest city in Germany, as you see this sign every few kilometers, but it is the German word for EXIT.

There are some very interesting bridges crossing the Autobahns.  Some are narrow, with the inside edges and floor covered with vegetation… for the deer to cross the roads safely!  In other places the environmentalists go a little bit further and install a three-feet high mesh fence along the road sides… so the frogs don’t jump into the roads and get killed!

Germany was just one leg in our extensive trip to Europe in 1996. We also visited Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and the tiny country of Liechtenstein. But all these countries will have to wait their turn to get inserted in my blog.



This is Germany, a very beautiful country with a magnificent architecture and a well advanced technology.  A fascinating place to spend your vacation.


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TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

The Texas Hill Country is the HEART of Texas.  It is known as the backyard playground for Texans that like to hang out, have fun, enjoy nature or simply socialize. It is the primary destination for hikers, hunters, fishermen, campers and anyone that just want to relax or spend some time admiring the wild life.  To go horse riding in the early morning up to stargazing at night, the hill country offers the best in natural entertainment.

This terrain of rolling hills and river-cut valleys is surrounded by big cities and small communities.  San Antonio and Austin are at the outskirts, and picturesque little towns like Bandera, Fredericksburg, Boerne,  Gruene, Kerrville, Luckenbach, Marble Falls, New Braunfels and Utopia, with their open-arms sincere friendliness can win your hearts instantly.

My favorite town is Bandera, a little less than one hour from San Antonio.  It is known as the Cowboy Capital of the World.  You’ll find that many cowboys still come to town and tie their horses by the sidewalk, same as it was done a hundred years ago.  There are about a dozen Dude Ranches near town and everyone offers rustic cabin accommodations, horse and hay wagon rides, succulent bar-b-cue and marshmallow roasting in the open-air fireplace.  Rodeos are usually celebrated a few days a week.

Every season, the area provides an unparalleled diversity.  In the spring, the roads become cluttered with wildflowers while the rivers get crammed with rafters and kayaks in the summer.  When the leaves turn yellow and orange in the fall, the access to the State Parks are lined miles long, like the Lost Maples  Park, near Vanderpool.  And Christmas is always a vibrant display of bright lights in most of the towns, especially in Fredericksburg, Marble Falls and Johnson City.

The Guadalupe, Pedernales, Llano, Medina, Frio, Nueces, Sabinal and Colorado Rivers crisscross the Hill Country.  There are also many caves waiting to be explored, like Cascade, Long Horn, Natural Bridge and Cave Without a Name, just to mention a few.

Between Fredericksburg and Llano is the Enchanted Rock, a massive granite mountain that attracts numerous sightseers.   The many wineries usually host tastings of newly released wines with their guided tours. There are festivals in almost every little town, from poetry to apple and lavender yearly events. Possible the smallest of these communities is Luckenbach, south of Fredericksburg on Route 87, but it hosts the Willie Nelson July 4^th picnic.  Don’t miss it.

 

T U R K E Y

TURKEY is the only country situated in two continents, Europe and Asia.  The two continents are separated, from south to north, by the Dardanelles Strait, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus river.

The Black Sea is to the north.  It borders with Greece and Bulgaria in the northwest, Russia and Iran in the east, and Iran and Syria in the southwest.

Turkey was our second leg on our trip to Greece in 2001. (See my article about Greece posted in March 2010.)  Greece and Turkey, two countries with different religions, different languages, different monetary systems and different mentalities, but one thing in common.  Both can claim the title of The Cradle of Civilization.

We departed from the port of Piraeus, in Greece, at 7:30 PM and arrived at ISTANBUL at 5:30 PM the next day, after crossing the long Dardanelles Strait.  The entrance to this ancient city of eight million people is impressive, specially the view of the silhouetted mosques and the bridge that separates the two continents. 
The city of ISTANBUL is also the only city in the world located in two continents; the old walled city  in Europe and the modern one, across the long suspended bridge over the Bosporus river, in Asia.

The profusion of mosques in Istanbul is amazing.  The largest and most beautiful, called the Blue Mosque, is a perfect example of Byzantine architecture.

The first tour that we took ashore was to ASIA, crossing the long suspended bridge.  We visited a hill that was full of nationals; the view of the city and its numerous mosques, the river, the bay and the famous bridge, was awesome. 
I bought a couple of huge tortillas that some ladies were making there and paid with a $5.00.  I became and instant millionaire, with more than four million Turkish lire in change.
The following morning, we visited the ruins of King Constantine's castle, then to the Sultan Suleyman Mosque and the Topkapi Palace, a museum consisting of about twenty buildings, where we saw, among myriad of other things, some hair from Mahoma's beard.
Unfortunately, the Grand Covered Bazaar (a complex with about 4,000 tiny shops) is closed for Sunday and we missed this interesting site.
We also visited the mosque of Sultan Ahmed Amii, also known as the BLUE MOSQUE for the blue mosaics that cover most of the interior walls.  In front of it, across some beautiful gardens, is HAGIA SOPHIA, an old mosque converted to a museum.
After enjoying the delicious dinner at the ship´s restaurant, and a good night sleep, we took a tour to KUSADASI, (pronounced Kiushadasi, from Kush:bird and ádasi:island.  The taxi took us first to the ST. JOHN MONASTERY, a complex of ruins from the second century BC.  This is the place where the Apostle St. John wrote the fourth Gospel of the New Testament. He is also buried there, under a marble slab adorned with four Corinthian columns.
Next to it are the ruins of the TEMPLE OF DIANA.  When the Ionians came to this part of Turkey they found a great temple surrounded by walls and it boasted a huge wooden statue whom they called Artemis (the Greek word for Diana).  It had been rebuilt by several kings, but was finally burned down -on the very same day that Alexander the Great was born- by a madman named Horostratus, who wished to become famous by doing this. Today, only one column and some scattered fragments next to a ditch remain from this majestic and colossal monument, one of the seven wonders of the world.
The taxi then took us to the top of a high mountain where there is a house (rebuilt over the original foundation) where it is said the Virgin Mary had to hide from religious persecution and where she lived the last years of her life.
And then it was EPHESUS!  Nobody knows when and by whom this city was first constructed.  The first information about it comes from the year 2000 BC.  Many people have lived in this ancient city, but it gained the most importance during the Roman period (from the fifth century BC to the first century AD) where close to one million people lived there. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus lived here, Alexander the Great, and Aristides, the Greek writer.  The Apostle St. Paul visited it many times to preach against the pagan gods in the huge amphitheater that could hold 24,000 people. History tells us that a jeweler named Demetrius, who used to make silver miniatures of the Temple of Diana, was not happy with St. Paul's preaching against the pagan gods, because it was ruining his business.  So, he gathered all the artisans and marched to the great theater where St. Paul was preaching.  A big crowd followed, all singing "Great is Artemis of Ephesus", without even knowing the reason of the protest.  The apostle had no alternative but to leave the city in a hurry.


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