We are into November, and it looks like from here on in the temperatures will be going down!   At least that is the 10 day forecast.   We have had some nice days and the yard is in pretty well prepared for winter.    Unfortunately my ATV/plow is not ready to go and it will need to go in for some service.   But I won’t need to plow anytime soon, will I?  We have had a bunch of fun!   This weekend my homebrew club, the Society of Oshkosh Brewers, SOB’s,  held their charity event serving all homebrewed beers, wines, and meads.   And it sounds like we exceeded previous years attendance.  Which is great, we were hoping we could give $10,000 to the food pantries this year.   It seemed like a good time was had by all, and we had a good crowed of happy people!

Chris had cataract surgery today,  and first results are excellent.   Trying to look out from the eye shield on the way home she said she was seeing better than she ever has in her life.   Went back for a check up this afternoon and the doctor said it could be 2-3 weeks before the eye is fully healed and all swelling gone, so things should only get better.   Chris did great.   We will see how she does the next couple of nights trying to sleep, she needs to protect the eye for a week.   And in two weeks she has the other eye done.    And Marie recently had cataract surgery and says she is doing great.   All good news.

I wanted to share some photo’s from Cousin Charles in Switzerland!  He has been doing some hiking and shared some photo’s of the areas we saw this summer.   The views in Switzerland are awesome!  Thanks Charles,  I will include a little of his e-mails that came with the photo’s. (If you click on the photo you should see and enlarged version, I need to use the back arrow to get back to the home page)  Wish I was hiking with you and Walter.

As promised in your blog 2 photos from the top of the Grosse Mythen which I climbed end of Sept. To the south you see lake Lucerne and 4300 ft below the towns Schwyz and Brunnen. We had actually planned to take the boat from Brunnen but as there was no parking space, we drove on the Flueelen and boarded the boat there and passed Brunnen again – this time on the water – on the way to Lucerne. In Flueelen we met Emil who astonished us again with his fabulous memory of the good old times in Milwaukee. To the north you see part of Einsiedeln at the far end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I was enjoying together with my brother Walter probably one of the last warm days before winter is coming on one of the surrounding hills. One of the photos you see part of Einsiedeln. On the left you see the inrun of the ski jumping hill and just behind even part of Lake Zurich. You also see part of the Sihlsee with the bridge. On the second photo you see some snow covered mountains. Glad to say that I have been on all of them.

 

 

Nothing overly exciting going on lately,  just living a good life!  House still for sale, we have an accepted offer but they have had no offers on their house.   And we knew that offer may never come to fruition.   So still waiting for the perfect couple to look at the house.   In the meantime we think positive and keep getting deeper into our cleanup.  We keep moving things out of the house!   More for sale, gift, or charity.  Amazing how many things we collect over the years.   Some are harder to get rid of, but still just ‘stuff’.   When it comes down to taking a hard look at things most are just ‘stuff’ we can do without.   And in many cases have stowed away for years with hardly a look anyway.   And ‘stuff’ being saved will be used!

Otherwise time keeps fly by.  We are preparing for winter.   With any luck I cut the grass and moved leaves for the last time this year.   We had a nice weekend so good time to catch up outside.   And I had taken down a TV antenna tower and still had the base in the ground.   And I managed to take that apart and out yesterday, through lot’s of cutting/drilling/pounding.   I could have used one of the heavy duty chisels I got rid of last week!   But it is done and no worries about someone tripping on it anymore.   We have 5 face cords of wood for the winter.   Less than usual, but hoping to be in Florida for some of the winter.  Hoping (but not expecting) for a winter not as cold as last year.   And pretty darn sure Chris will be gone for part of it, which means no 24 hour a day burning during the coldest months.   And still confident we will not be in this house all winter!  Chris and I managed to spend Saturday night in beautiful downtown Neenah.   We actually enjoy it a lot, and I had bought a night stay certificate last year for the Holiday Inn.   So Saturday we went to the last outdoor Oshkosh Farmers Market of the year,  partook of a chili fundraiser downtown, and made it to Neenah.  Last weekend I went to a great Packer Win with good friends, our planning goes on all year and this year was better than ever.  Helped by the Packers playing so well!   And the weekend before I had a chance to help out at a brewing of Mike Engel’s pumpernickle rye stout recipe at a local brewpub.   That was a fun way to start the weekend.   Work remains very busy for me,  now in the midst of preparing lots of files for 2015.   And this coming weekend my homebrew club hosts Cask’s and Caskets for charity.  Last year we donated $7000 to local food pantries and hope to go well beyond that this year.   A number of very familiar beer signs will be on the silent auction.   www.casksandcaskets.org     So we hope you are out having fun.   Winter will be upon us too quickly,  I did hear the weatherman mention snowflakes in the 7 day forecast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(click on the pictures to enlarge them)

We are into Wisconsin fall, time continues to move quickly!   With our travels this summer was especially short. And my worry is we will have another early winter and fall will be gone in a few weeks!   So time to enjoy some good weather that is predicted for this week and start to make winter preparations. The garden did not do well this summer, a combination of lack of care and a cool wet summer.   So I think this week I will pull plants and start to dig up the soil.   Our hope is we will not be at this house for next planting season, but it is best to prepare!   We do have an accepted offer on the house, but it is contingent on the couple selling their house, which may or may not happen. So we continue to do little things around the house and have showings.   We had some positive comments from a showing last week but they felt the bedrooms were too small, so it must have been a family.   Our extra bedrooms were set up to be more guest bedrooms than full time living. So still not the perfect motivated buyer yet! And it may be time to have some firewood delivered to get us through at least early winter.

Chris and I continue to have some fun.   Labor day we went to Michigan to meet Mary Jane and John.   We left our car in Milwaukee and took the Lake Express over to Muskegon. We enjoy the trip even though this was the roughest water we had crossed Lake Michigan on.   But we did fine, a few guests struggled with sea sickness.   John did the driving for the long weekend and we stayed in Grand Rapids, which has a wonderful small brewery community.   We toured 10 breweries, and of course (I at least) had lot’s of fun!   Most had very good beer varieties and good food.   So when we got home we had to diet for the rest of the week.   And this last weekend we went up to Marquette Michigan with friends.   Friends had friends who live there, and set up some private beer tours for us in the local micro breweries.   Again great beers and a lot of fun!   Saturday turned into a beautiful day and we spent lots of time walking Marquette and sitting outside.   Sunday started out much colder with some rain but it made for very interesting sight seeing along Lake Superior.   I look forward to going back for a more extended stay!

In between we will manage to have some fun, and always little projects to do.   Our bar room now has almost all of the beer signs taken down and a quick coat of paint.   Most are going to our beer clubs charity fund raiser for the silent auction. www.caskandcaskets.org , last year we gave $7000 to local food pantries and hoping for $10,000 this year.   The day after Halloween, a great way to support the local charities and try some homebrew beer and wine!

And I need to make another list of items for sale.   Getting down to less things to deal with.   Air compressor and tools, portable generator, roto tiller, tread mill, radial arm saw.   May as well keep cleaning and thinking positive. We hope this finds you well and enjoying life.

Some brewery links if interested!

http://www.mittenbrewing.com/

http://foundersbrewing.com/

http://www.breweryvivant.com/

http://www.hopcat.com/

http://www.osgoodbrewing.com/#home

http://www.oddsideales.com/

http://www.crankersbrewery.com/

http://www.blackrocksbrewery.com/#first-pic

http://ore-dock.com/

 

 

 

 

Switzerland was the favorite part of our trip, for several reasons.  The first week was fun, but hectic with frequent traveling, so when we got to Einsiedeln we were able to settle in for 5 days.   And Switzerland is beautiful where ever you look.  The sights were awesome, and everywhere our tour guides took us was more spectacular than the last.   And our tour guides, Marie and Chris’s cousins’ were just great to be with.   They treated us so well, and spent so much of their time with us.   It was just easy to relax and have fun.  And have fun we did.   We were looking for a ‘low impact’ trip, without so much planning that we could not stop and have a coffee or a beer to relax.  And we were successful throughout our trip, and made especially enjoyable to be with the family.

Einsiedeln was the birthplace of Chris and Marie’s Grandmother and our home base.  People here in Wisconsin only know Kato Kaelin, but in Einsiedeln Kaelin’s are everywhere.   Back in the 800’s Meinrad, a Benedictine monk came to Einiedeln to try to live a hermit’s life of prayer.   But his advice was still sought out and people came to the Dark Forest.  Around 835 he was murdered, but Meinrad’s tame Ravens led others to the murderers. And the raven motif remains in the heraldic arms of the monastery.   A chapel was built at Meinrads site and maintained for hundreds of years and a Benedictine community founded.  In 948 the first monastery church was consecrated, St Mary’s monastery of hermits.  Somewhere in the 1400’s the statue of the black Madonna was moved into the church at that time.  Many changes over the years, but Marie said this would be the most beautiful church we would see and she was correct.  Never having been to Rome I could only imagine the great churches and this would match my imagination.   The color and detail of the many paintings and beautiful altars leave you awe struck.  There are not as many monks now as there once was, and there is lot’s of locals employed to keep up the grounds, tend to the horses, and the many needs.

So that was our base, our hotel the Drie Konigs was right across the street.   We started each morning and ended each night with a view of the monastery.  Einsiedeln itself is not a large town, large enough to have it’s own brewery and a number of businesses.   Charles says years ago there were many more tourists that came to the monastery and stayed for days, and now the buses come and leave in a day.  So some of the small hotels are being converted or rebuilt.   It was an enjoyable town to walk.  We spent time at the cousins’ houses, they took us up the Holzegg, me for a walk the girls for a ski lift ride!  And enjoyable drinks and food.

We did a Lake Lucerne boat trip that I loved.   And we started out on the far end of the lake so we could meet cousin Emil before we left.   And we all wished we would have had more time with him.  The views on the ride were breathtaking, and lunch in Lucerne and some sight seeing were enjoyable.   We went to Amden, home of the Gmur’s where Karl Gmur’s father was born.   I can’t find enough different words to talk about how beautiful it all was.

Charles and family thank you so much.   You made this trip a “Trip of a life time”.   I felt honored to spend time with all of you.  A special thanks to Marie who made the whole trip possible for us.   Thank You.  Marie has headed home now, a chance for her to see friends, and her house!  We will see her next in Florida.

 

I will post a few more pictures here.   If you cannot get enough of pictures scrolling across your computer screen I have loaded all of Marie, Chris and Randy’s pictures at:

http://www.photoshow.com/members/rtomb/all

And there is a button to watch full screen in the bar at the bottom of the photoshow.

If you ever have a chance to go to Switzerland, don’t hesitate!

 

 

 

Saturday we left Munich for a 1.5 hour train ride to Salzburg Austria.   Denise said Salzburg was special and Chris and Marie’s Mom was Austrian so we made this one of our stops.   No train transfers at all today, an easy trip by train.   I had planned to walk from the Salzburg Bahnhof and along the way the girls thought I was crazy lost.  The thought occurred to me, but it really was not That far!  And the girls did well again.   The Crown Plaza Pitter was a very nice hotel.  There was construction on the upper floor, adding a top of building restaurant, and luckily we missed the construction for the weekend. The hotel staff recommended some good restaurants nearby and after settling in a little we got our walking shoes on and headed out.   The shopping/restaurant district was close, it looks like they are just finishing redoing a lot of the streets.  It was a very cool area to walk, and the restaurant recommendation was excellent.  A relaxing meal and back to the hotel to settle in, settle in the bar area actually.   We found very accommodating bar staff and I tried some local beer and schnapps, and the staff filled us in on a lot of information about Austria.

The next morning we found a close Café for coffee and light breakfast.  Then we hailed a taxi to take us to the High Fortress at the other end of the old city.  Hohensalzburg Fortress, built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard, considerably enlarged by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach (1495-1519), largest, fully-preserved fortress in central Europe.  During its long history the Hohensalzburg Fortress has always remained unconquered by enemy troops.  This was well worth the trip.  We took the tram up to the fortress and the views are tremendous.  Salzburg and surrounding Austria look beautiful.  The Fortress itself is amazing, and amazing to try and imagine how it was built!  We spent a fair amount of time sight seeing before heading back down the tram.   Luckily on the way up I spotted the Stiegl Keller!  It was getting to lunch time and being at the base of the fortress was convenient.  That and the fact I recognized Stiegl as one of Europe’s amazing beers.   So we made our way to the bier garden and settled in for a little relaxing.  The food was excellent, I had a seasonal wit beer that was excellent.    A great stop, and then back to walking!  We were in the old city which is full of amazing buildings, Salzburg the Rome of the north.   Everything from churches and shops, course open air cafes and street performers.  I think MJ picked up a keychain along the way and we did stop for a refreshing drink in front of Mozart’s birthplace.   We left the old city walking along the Salzach River and taking in more sights, heading back towards the hotel.   A short distance and we came to the Mirabel Palace and Gardens.   Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau had Altenau Palace built in 1606 as a token of his love for Salome Alt.   And in the gardens we were reminded of the Sound of Music.  Salzburg hosts a number of sound of Music tours as a lot of filming was done here, some in the gardens.   We have to watch it again to try and recognize sights.   The gardens remain beautiful and while we were there a school band from England was playing American big band favorites! We spent a fair amount of time there and then continued our walk back to the hotel.   We managed to find some ice cream along the way.  Everywhere on our trip they seem to like their ice cream and sorbet and from stands to all cafes you have choices. We made it back to the hotel after a full day.   I took my net book to the bar to download some pictures and the girls took a break.   We decided on supper in the hotel, the Pitter-Keller, one of Salzburg’s oldest beer cellars houses the restaurant.  We needed to have our reservations in as tonight was the World Cup Championship which generated a fair amount of interest in Germany and Austria!  And they added some screens to the restaurant to watch the game that night, and we had a great view.   We had another excellent meal and as the game got late the sisters headed to bed and MJ and I headed to the bar!   MJ for her new favorite dark Mozart liqueur and I think I tried some more schnapps!  We hung on a long time but still no score, when we left and went back to the rooms we did see the Germans win!  It was a good Sunday in Austria.   Many of the stores were closed because of Sunday, as is the case most places we visited, but still a very full day.  We could easily have spent more time in Salzburg.  On Monday we needed to get a fairly early start, for us,  to catch the ICE to Zurich.  A 5 hour train ride this time, but just the single high speed train.   Coffee and breakfast delivered to our seats and amazing views of Austria and Switzerland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left Rothenburg on Thursday, taking 3 trains to get to the main Bahnhof in Munich.  From there it was a short taxi ride to Hotel Torbrau.  The taxi driver gave us an introduction to Munich traffic, the guy would be good in Chicago or New York.   We picked a hotel in Old Town to be close to sights we wanted to see.  And the Torbrau exceded our expectations for convenient.   After arriving we needed to eat and wanted to visit the Hofbrauhaus, although the front desk had other recommendations.   We thought we were at the wrong place when we happened across the Hofbrauhaus a few minutes later.   But there it was.   Started in 1592 it is a must stop.   But we figured out why the desk person pointed us elsewhere, at 6pm the large hall and all tables were jammed.   Loud, noisy and a band about to start, at another time may have been fun, but after a long day of traveling our thoughts were on a comfortable table not pushing in to make 4 places on a long family style.    So we moved on, unfortunately I had my ideas in place when the desk person gave us directions and I took the girls on a longer than necessary tour to find the Spaten Haus!  But we were sight-seeing, right?   The Spaten Haus turned out to be the perfect choice.  The beer selection was one of the best we saw, and the food was excellent.   And even though we arrived ‘without reservations’ we ended up with our own little room to relax.  The next day on Friday was a full day of walking, well maybe not full day, we did make some stops.  We made our way to the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), originally completed in 1488.   Here is the tomb of Ludwig IV  and the church is quite impressive.   Unfortunately one of the towers that has the elevator to see the city, was closed!  From there we walked to the Marienplatz at the center of the shopping district.   The New Town Hall dominates the square and is breathtaking.  And at the center is the 43 bell 28 foot Glockenspiel, which we arrived just in time to see it perform.   From there a short walk to the Viktualienmarkt.  One hell of a farmers market.  Lots of vendors along with everyday food stands.   And a central bier garden.   The highlight was getting a large pretzel and beers and sitting down next to 4 gentlemen who brought sandwiches from the Norse stand.  Hard rolls with probably pickled fish and onions, Chris was in heaven.  And then more walking.  We hit Schneider Weisse  by accident but I could not walk by.  The girls placated me by stopping for a beer, and although I love their Weisse I could not pass by ordering a half liter of Aventinus. Yum.   More walking, lot’s of people walking and lots of bicycles.  And we had a beautiful day.   A number of stops along the way.   And being real tourists we even stopped at Hard Rock Munich.    And we did get to eat at the Hofbrauhaus, on a second floor balcony and it was well worth going back for.   And of course we got to know the restaurant and bar staff very well!   Munich would be the one stop we all agree we would have taken out to spend more time at the other stops.  Yet I can’t think of what I would have wanted to miss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting organized and back to normal.  We are still recounting our trip in our minds, it seems it went so quickly.   We are organizing photos and I will post some here from the 1^st leg of the trip.   We landed in Frankfort after leaving Detroit at 6pm, and arrived 8:30 am the next morning.   Then we had a number of hours at the Frankfort airport to get through passport checks, get our luggage, and find the train station.  Then 3 trains to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.   The trains were wonderful and we made our transfers without issue.   We had rain our days in Rothenburg, but light enough for us to still walk and sight see.   We stayed inside the walled city and walked the cobblestones.  And among the cars that they unbelievably let drive through the narrow streets!  We stayed at Hotel Eisenhut which has lot’s of history.   And the start of the wonderful breakfasts of breads, sausage and cheese.  We did some shopping and stops for drinks and eats.  There was certainly a lot more to see than we got to.   And we had a great meal at an Italian restaurant with MJ’s cousin John and kids.  John is now retired Army and his wife is stationed in Germany.  This was a great kick off to our trip! We arrived there Tuesday afternoon and left Thursday afternoon.

A few notes on Rothenburg!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a small town with a big reputation. Nowhere else will you find such a wealth of original buildings dating from the Middle Ages. You can’t help but ask yourself whether time has stood still, as you amble past the beautiful old houses, secluded squares and tucked-away corners of the old quarter, where towers, taverns and town gates alternate with fountains, fortifications and former storehouses.

But it could all have been so different … in 1631, during the Thirty Years’ War, Rothenburg was captured by General Tilly of the Catholic forces. In desperation, the councillors offered him wine in a tankard that could hold more than three litres. Tilly, who had intended to burn down the town, showed clemency and decreed that he would spare Rothenburg if anyone could empty the vessel in one steady chug. The former mayor came forward and to everyone’s astonishment, met the challenge. Tilly was suitably impressed and let the town stand. Whether all of this is true nobody really knows, but it’s undoubtedly a great story – and it also gives rise to the annual Meistertrunk festival, a historical spectacle with a focus on entertainment.

Rothenburg may be small, but it has a remarkable wealth of historical sights, museums, churches, abbeys and monuments. In Rothenburg, another nostalgic spot is the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village. The largest Christmas shop in Europe open all year round, it stocks everything that makes the festive season special, from candles, nutcrackers and decorative tablecloths to Germany’s famous Christmas pyramids and incense burner figures.

It is well worth strolling through Rothenburg’s ‘spital quarter’, passing through the medieval town gates or visiting the wonderful churches. St. James’ Church, for example, has a beautiful stone carving depicting Christ and the sleeping apostles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are on our way home, currently in Paris at Charles DeGaule Airport.    Done nicely but the French don’t know how to organize like the Germans and Swiss.   If you ever transfer in Paris leave plenty of time!  We hated to Leave Switzerland,   every where was beautiful scenery and the cousins treated us royally.   And they tell us we left too little time to see much at all and have to come back with more time.     Charles please thank everyone again, we thoroughly enjoyed our time.    Our biggest regret was not having more time to spend with cousin Emil, our short time was very enjoyable.   We met Emil at one end of Lake Lucerne as we took a 1906 steamer (since converted) to Lucerne.  A wonderful boat ride on a warm sunny day.   We had a late lunch in Lucerne and a little sight seeing.   That was Thursday, Friday we relaxed the morning and then Charles let us up the mountain roads to Amden, a town where Marie’s friend from New Glarus hails.   We had ice cream and took in the sights.

More pictures to come, now getting ready for a long plane ride.   And Monday time in the car returning to Oshkosh.

The train to Zurich was very nice, and on arriving in Zurich we were surprised to be met by Marie’s friend Kathy.    Kathy greeted us to Switzerland and helped us to the next train to the Zurich airport and to find the car rental offices there.  The car rental went well and we left with our Skoda wagon.  The GPS is such a wonderful addition!    The ride was less than an hour to Einsiedeln.   And since arriving we have been treated royally by Chris and Marie’s cousins.   Charles is always there for us!  We had a great meal that evening at the hotel, which is right across the street from Einsiedeln Abbey Church /Monastery.  The girls had told me it would be more beautiful than the churches we saw in Germany and it lives up to expectations.   Amazingly beautiful.

http://www.einsiedeln-tourismus.ch/en/abbey-pilgrimage/abbey

We have done a little walking around town, today took a hike on the mountain, actually Chuck and Walter would say Holzegg really doesn’t qualify as a mountain!   But it had beautiful scenery and we spent a good part of the day.   The girls took the tram and I got some hiking in.   So life is grand!   Tomorrow a lake cruise on Lake Lucerne and a little time in Lucerne.   So it keeps getting better.

 

On the railjet train from Salzburg to Zurich.  About 5 1/2 hours, and seeing lots of beautiful countryside.  Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day for walking Salzburg and today looks the same, warming into the 70’s.   Yesterday morning we found a nice coffeeshop near the hotel for a light breakfast then grabbed a taxi to the other end of old city to the high fortress.  The fortress can be seen from around the city and was one of the few never over taken from the 1200’s on.   Luckily a tram took us up, although you can walk.  Beautiful sights overlooking the city and countryside, amazing how it could have been built.  Salzburg is home to Steigl Bier, and near the base of the fortress is the Steigl bier hall with a garden overlooking the city.   It was now afternoon and a good place to stop for a light kase and sausage plate, of course with a few beers.  After that we continued down into the old city and sightseeing.   Even though most stores are closed on Sunday many restaurants and cafes are open and enough vendors to suit us!   Past Mozart’s birthplace, multiple churches.  The Mirabel Palace and Gardens are beautiful and I think we visited the perfect time of year.   And now we need to rewatch The Sound of Music to try and match the views!  By the time we walked across city back to our hotel it was time for an ice cream and a break!  I caught up on details for today’s trip and then we planned a dinner in the hotel restaurant, supposedly the Pitter has the oldest bier kellar in Salzburg.  And our reservations were necessary since the World Cup Football game started while we were there!  So travel day today, and looking forward to settling down in Switzerland for the rest of the week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Munich Bahnhoff