Journal

After a really wonderful three week vacation we are back home. Three days in Luxembourg with a side trip to Metz, France (where we once again confirmed that the French don't like to speak German or English), two days looking for Pat's ancestors in southern part of Germany - alas, no luck - , four days in Bonn and the rest visiting friends in Muenster and Lingen in northern Germany and sight seeing in the area. The train travel was great, especially the Inter City Express and the four days of car rental worked out well. Pat figured out the bus system in Muenster and we have been there enough times now that we are getting to know the city fairly well. More details and pics to come but a few interesting things were...

Once again impressed with the vineyards that rise up at about a 75 degree angle - what labor intensive work

Luxembourg has anonymous bank accounts like Switzerland - we saw cartoons that showed how wealthy the Luxembourgers are

Fields and fields of bright yellow flowers that we found out is rapps used for making vegetable oil and animal feed

Ate lapin (rabbit) for the first time

No cemetaries with old grave stones to browse through for Karl ancestors - the graves are recycled

Arithmeum museum in Bonn devoted to discrete mathematics - development of computer technology

Short Rhine cruise to see what it was like - I could do a long Rhine cruise - to Drachenfels which is a Rhine castle ruin where Siegfried supposedly killed the dragon

Romishe/Germanishe museum in Cologne - breathtaking mosaic floors from Roman excavations in the area and many other excellent exhibits

Saw first self cleaning toilet seat - an apparatus comes out from the back of the commode and sprays a disinfectant as the seat turns arounds - I flushed twice just so I could see it again

Baroque organ and tenor concert at the cathedral in Bonn

Lokals (pubs) in Muenster - nothing like these in the U.S. - at one lokal 10 music academy students dressed in traditional costume with wooden shoes came in playing brass music to advertise an upcoming concert

20th century art museum in Dusseldorf - what a collection! Extensive collection of Paul Klee. I'm not a fan of Joseph Bueys but it does get your attention - one of his art works contains about 15 oranges that have to be changed every week

Havenfest in Muenster - police blocked a street to allow about 4000 inline skaters to go by

Museum with original Albrect Duerer wood cuts.

And more including the interesting people we met and the great evenings in Muenster - can't capture the gemuetligkeit in words or pictures.

Last weekend was in Houston to celebrate high school graduation for niece and nephew Courtney and Matthew Scott. It was a great graduation party - Kathleen and John had lasagna for Karls and Lingers and perservered even when they found out their oven was not working and they had to take the lasagna to the neighbors to bake! Nice neighbors!

Courtney, going to Texas A&M, and Matthew, going to The University, seemed pleased with the computers they rec'd as a combined family gift. It's great to see that they have turned in to such personable young adults - it will be interesting to hear about their experiences at college. And congratulations to Mom, Kathleen.

Enjoyed seeing all the family and enjoyed seeing Margaret's photography exhibit at Continental Airlines - very professional photographs.

It was also nice to be able to have brunch with good friends T&G and have eggs fresh that day. Their landlady has four or five chickens in the backyard. We got to see where T&G are living in the Heights now after the flood a few years ago virtually destroyed their home. They took us on a "Heights tour" and then past where their house had been. It was strange after all of those years to see blank space where their house used to be. Some people like T&G took a buyout and some people rebuilt. A flood like that might not come along again for many years, but it seems to me they made a very wise move in not rebuilding.