Wheel of Socks

 Socknitting Heaven, the Bavarian Alps, and A Beautiful Drive

We loaded Michelle's car early on Friday morning and headed south toward Hechingen and Bavaria.  Our first stop was in Hechingen.  We visited the Opal Sock Yarn factory and store, where we were treated to a tour of the steaming and balling room by our host, Felix. This picture shows the yarn just before it's rolled into balls and labeled.  The large cakes of yarn here are from the "Best of Opal" Lollipop collection.

    

Michelle at the Opal Factory Store



I bought a little yarn...



Of course we visited the Opal Factory Outlet Store...even Michelle bought sock yarn as well as some finished socks.

On the way out of the steaming and balling room, I pointed to a large garbage bag into which the workers were placing odds and ends of yarn from the various processes there, and said, "THAT is the bag I want!", and Felix went off into the depths of the factory and came back carrying a bag for me!  He said they give them away to schools, usually, but I could have one since I asked. : )  It's just a lot of very short bits and pieces, but I think there may be enough length to make some MonsterSocks.

Oh...I bought a few skeins of yarn, too...

Here are some views of the town of Hechingen :


Narrow street and walkway to lower level



Half-timbered building

Just outside of Hechingen, we saw a castle crowning a mountain in the distance.  We made a small detour, and discovered that Hechingen is the ancestral home of the Hohenzollern family of Europe, and this was their castle.

Tower near the Hohenzollern Castle





The Hohenzollern Castle on its hilltop



As we continued, I was treated to my first view of the Bavarian Alps.  I have seen mountains, the American Rockies, Great Smoky Mountains, the Ozarks, but the Alps are different from all of them. They were simply breathtaking.



We reached the town of Garmisch and the Edelweiss Hotel and Resort in early evening, and settled into our room for the night.  This was the view from our balcony on Saturday morning:

        

Saturday: Dachau and Munich

The Bavarian Alps





The "Porta Nigra" or Black Gate, a remnant of the Roman Empire



Trier...

(pronounced 'tree-AIR')

Wednesday evening after Michelle came home from work, we drove to Trier.  Along the way we crossed over the Mosel River and passed thousands of acres of vineyards on the hillsides.  Many fine wines find their origins in this part of Germany.
Trier is Germany's oldest city, possibly dating back to 2000 B.C., and the site of a massive stone gate that dates from the time of the great Roman Empire. 

There is a marvelous central marketplace in the town, surfaced with cobblestones and surrounded by wonderful examples of German architecture.  Many of the little shops were closed by the time we arrived, but we spent a pleasant evening walking around the square. 

Michelle and I both forgot to take cameras, so the images here are from the Trier tourism Web site.

Ancient churches of Trier

Link to points of interest in Trier, Germany (be warned: advertising in Germany is not always G-rated, and I am blogging in that country tonight, so the link may lead you to some 'interesting' ads. I apologize in advance, if that happens!
http://goeurope.about.com/od/triergermany/Trier_Travel_and_Tourism_Information_for_Trier_Germany.htm

Michelle has introduced me to a new favorite place...Globus supermarkets. They have everything...a hundred different cheeses, breads that will make you weep with delight, delicatessen meats, fresh fruits and vegetables of familiar and exotic sorts, and salads and savories.  Candies and chocolates of every description.  Every sort of food you can imagine comes in a squeezable tube: fish and meat and sweets and condiments and...well everything, I think!

And then, there is everything else one might need, toys and clothing and housewares and toiletries.  Around the perimeter of the store are alcoves with eyeglasses and shoes, magazines, glassware, tobacco products.  We shopped at a little antipasti shop with at least a dozen varieties of olives, six varieties of shrimp in sauce, squid and stuffed grape leaves and pasta salads.

Oh, and you can sit at a little table and enjoy a beer while your family shops! It almost made me wish that I like beer!



Globus Treats



I bought a freshly-grilled brat in a crusty roll for 1 euro...about $1.35 American.

I bought some sweets to take home, and a bag in which to carry them.  One does not automatically receive a free bag for one's purchases here...shopping bags must be brought with, or purchased in the store.  It's a very smart thing, conservation-wise, and I hope that more American stores will follow suite.

Did I mention that you can buy just about any sort of food in a squeezable tube here?  I didn't buy any, as I was concerned about the flight home and remembering what happened to my ball-point pen on our flight to England some years back, but nonetheless...

I think that I could live at Globus.

Happy Valentine's Day

with love

Paris, Day 2

We began our second day in Paris with fresh-baked breads and espresso in one of the many tiny sidewalk cafes.  I could very easily grow accustomed to this!



Sidewalk cafe

  

The Louvre





Sculpture garden, Louvre

And then to the subway to visit le Musee Louvre.



Louvre facade



Becky in front of the Louvre Pyramid



View from Louvre courtyard, showing Pyramid, Arc d'Triomphe, and Ferris wheel



Louvre facade with pyramid

 

Grand gallery with stairs leading to Winged Victory



Vaulted brick ceiling



Psyche and Cupid



Detail of Psyche and Cupid



Michelle's favorite sculpture



Gallery of Italian Paintings



Painted ceiling in Louvre



Venus de Milo

On to Notre Dame

Michelle, Notre Dame courtyard



Becky, Notre Dame Courtyard



The beautiful Rose Window



Michelle, Notre Dame Sanctuary



Becky in front of a church near Notre Dame



Pieta, Notre Dame





Paris street scene



Paris Allee



Very old half-timbered building

 

Louvre cherub

After a long and amazing day, we picked up our luggage at our hotel and boarded the train back to Landstuhl, tired but happy and ready for a good night's rest.

Monday was a resting day for me.  Michelle worked, and we finished the day with a simple meal at her apartment, followed by home made milk shakes and malts at the apartment of her commanding officer.

shhhhhhh......good night!

Sweet dreams!

I know a little place in Paris...



Becky at the Arc d'Triomph



My lovely ensemble

...and let me explain this lovely ensemble:
it was cold in Paris, colder than it has been at home this winter.  Cold enough that if it were indeed possible to freeze one's posterior OFF, mine would have been considerably smaller by the end of the weekend!

1. Very goofy hat.  There was no mirror. Michelle promised me that it looked 'cute'.  Lesson to be learned: never buy a hat without a mirror!

2. Warm but very puffy down jacket.
3. Scarf, essential for keeping the wind from sweeping down one's neck.
4. Purse with identification and essential Tools of Purchasing, safely tucked under coat (thereby adding bulk, but safe from Pickpockets and ForgetfulBecky.
5. Knitting Bag Of Death, or KBOD, so named because of the frequent protrusion of multiple sharp and pointy sticks.
6. Fingerless wool mittens over wool gloves, also essential.
7.Warm sweater over warm long-sleeved T-shirt, thereby adding even more bulk to an already BulkyBecky.
8. Serviceable but very unfashionable jeans.
9. Sturdy, unattractive, but comfortable walking shoes, very dusty by day's end.
Yes, I did indeed go out in public looking like this!

But...it was worth it.  What a lovely city Paris is, amazingly, unbelieveably quiet, as I had been forewarned.  I cannot imagine that I can find anything to say about it that has not already been said, and far better than could I, but I will make an effort to tell you how I found it. 
It is a city of beautiful women and handsome men and adorable, indulged, but well-behaved and happy children.  It is a city of black clothing, long, narrow wool coats and short skirts with tights or leggings and tall boots, and furs worn unapologetically, whether in full-length coats or as trim around a child's hood.  It is a city of hats of all descriptions, and yes they do wear berets, and of long scarves, knit or woven, wrapped twice around throats or doubled and looped to keep out the brisk, cold winds.
It is a city of musical language:"Bon jour!" "Bonsoir, madame!" "Merci beaucoups!" "Bonne nuit!" "Pardonnez moi..." and all seemingly sung rather than spoken.  I found the people to be uncharacteristically friendly and helpful, the streets well-kept, the avenues broad, the vistas unrivalled by any city I had seen before, and the melding of ancient and modern nearly seamless. 
It is a city of bakeries and confectioneries and tiny cafes that seat perhaps twenty diners, of wine and smiles and good, good food.


Michelle, Landstuhl station

 We arrived by train late Friday night, and taxied to our hotel, passing the great landmarks of Paris.  Our room was quite chilly! but we were warmly welcomed.  We slept a bit later than we'd planned on Saturday morning, made ready for the day, ate le petit dejeuner in the hotel dining room, then headed out afoot to explore. 



The Eiffel Tower, and it was a much-farther walk than it looks!



Michelle on the Tower, with Paris spread below her





View of Paris from the Eiffel Tower



Paris and the Seine



Grandma on the tower...I promised you, Robby!

 Our first destination was, of course, the Eiffel Tower.  We rode the elevator to the top, but walked the stairs from the second level to the ground...seven hundred stairs!



Ferris Wheel and Obelisk



Later in the day, we walked along the Champs Elysees, visited the Tuileries, rambled along the streets of the city.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at one of Paris's many tiny cafes, where the waiter sat with us to explain how to find our way to the Arc de'Triomph, and a waitress exclaimed at my knitting and showed me the lovely, long, long black garter-stitch scarf that was knit for her by her grandmother.

Sunset behind the Tower, from the Tuileries

We walked, and walked, and we walked some more, and found around every corner a new and lovely view.   In late afternoon, we rode the subway to within a short walk of the hotel, and prepared for our evening.

Paris at Night from the Seine

Michelle had planned a river-boat tour of the Seine for that evening, and it was so relaxing and beautiful that I have no words to describe it.  I wish that my photos had turned out better so that I could show it.  The one really good picture we got is here. 



The Traveling Socks visited the Tower, too!




We were this high from the ground



Back to our hotel, weary and ready for a good night's rest afterward.  More to come soon.



A partial view from our hotel room.  Click to make the image larger,
and to see the lovely etched window in the building behind.



Michelle at the tower



I am in Germany!

Severely jet-lagged, but safe and sound. So far, Germany looks pretty much the same as home, except for the language on all the signs and the fact that there are no junky cars amongst the vehicles hurtling down the autobahn at incredible speeds!  The little town where Michelle lives is quite lovely, and I'm hoping to have the chance to do some walking and exploring, maybe next week when I've caught up on my sleep. :) 



In-Flight Knitting



My flights were blessedly uneventful and smooth. On my flight from Detroit to Dallas, a flight attendant noticed my socks-in-progress and stopped to visit for a few minutes about knitting...she is a new knitter. I had a congenial row-mate on the long flight from Dallas to Frankfurt, a young mother, married to a US soldier stationed in Germany but soon to be deployed to Afghanistan.  She had been back in the states for her grandmother's funeral, and was returning to her husband and three children.  There was a family with six children, including four-month-old twins, in the center section of the plane, and I have never seen any better-behaved children anywhere!    

My German room



Shelly has a very nice apartment and I have my own room with a comfortable bed. The weather has been colder here than it's been at home, but very much the same as what we'd usually have in winter there. There isn't much snow on the ground, although we got some fresh last evening.

Our first adventure was stopping at the base to get me registered and have my identification card made. This is a military area, with three US military bases within a fairly short radius.   

I've had the chance to meet some of Michelle's co-workers. We went to a Spanish-style 'tapas' bar last night for dinner. Tapas means appetizers, and we had some wonderful food there, including bacon-wrapped dates, caramelized goat cheese, stuffed mushrooms, spinach balls with cheese (feta, I think).  The joke is that I was pretty embarrassed when they told me 'It's TAPAS not TOPLESS...now go put your shirt back on!'

Here, if you order water in a restaurant, you must specify with or without 'gas' (carbonation), and a large water is truly LARGE! Dinner is relaxed and unhurried, and it was cool to hear the surrounding diners speaking to one another in German.

 

Danish Eggs



I had scrambled eggs that came from Denmark for lunch. Danish eggs are rather unsurprisingly the same as American eggs, even though their chickens say "klukke-klukke" instead of "cluck-cluck".  : D  There is Hungarian goulash simmering in the slow cooker in Michelle's kitchen today, and I made some fresh apple sauce. We'll have supper after she gets home from work this afternoon, and then board the train for Paris this evening.