Change of Plans — New Passport Needed!

In early November 2022, when I returned from almost two weeks in Turkey, I knew that would be my last international trip for a LONG time.

My passport was set to expire in May 2023 and I decided not to renew it and I became a “dog dad” to a silly little pug, Xanadu, in late February this year.

Well, things change! I was approached and asked to go on a work-related trip. Initially, it was going to be Hawaii. Of course, I said yes.

However, Hawaii didn’t make it past the planning stage. And, the excursion became a European trip with a cruise on the Rhine River in April 2024. So, I renewed the passport!

Although I went to Cancun, Mexico, in 1993, it was before passports were required there.

When I got my first passport in 2013, I was fortunate enough to use it often over the past decade with trips to Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Bangkok (Thailand), China, Israel, Scandinavia, and Europe, along with Mexico and Canada.

I used that passport for the first time ten years ago this month. I’m walking down memory lane and I’m taking you along with me.

After work that October 2013 morning, I was off to Chicago for my first trip to Europe. Although the trip was a Danube River cruise, I’ve always been fascinated with Switzerland.

And, since it didn’t cost anything extra for flight changes to Zurich, I made a 24-hour whirlwind visit to the global city and one of the world’s largest financial centers!

SWITZERLAND

Once I got to Zurich, it was too early to check into the hotel, so I walked around and explored the “Old Town” district.

Once showered and settled into my room, I walked for hours (about 12 miles) to Lake Zurich for a better view of the architecture, the people, the Lake, and the Swiss Alps.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at the most awesome grocery store, Coop.   The place was packed with Zurich residents and tourists getting stocked up for a weekend night.  The wine department was very popular.

I bought two bottles, a cheese platter, two loaves of bread (an olive variety and a Pane loaf), and two desserts (one was a caramel torte and the other was basically creme-filled donuts).

This Saturday evening Swiss snack ended up being dinner.

While I’m a very adventurous eater (especially now), I gave up beef more than a decade ago. (I also don’t do internal organs or deer).

As I looked at the menu at a restaurant I stopped at, the Cordon Bleu was deer and not chicken! There was also deer stew, deer this, and deer that.  If deer wasn’t your thing, there was something with boar!

So, the Swiss buffet of wine, bread, cheeses, and desserts was perfect for a Zurich Saturday night.  And, after being up for 39 hours from work Friday morning, to driving to Chicago, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean Friday night, and touring Zurich Saturday, sleep was nice.

The next morning, the hotel hosted a nice complimentary breakfast.

It was glorious waking up and seeing the Alps in the background and hearing chiming church bells all morning.

My observations about Zurich:  If I spoke German, I would definitely live there if given the opportunity; the city is beautiful and the backdrop of the Lake and the Alps is incredible; I didn’t run into Zurich resident and international pop star Tina Turner (RIP); and finally, Zurich men are very thin.

I don’t know if it’s because they walk a lot or ride bikes (very popular here) or eat deer and moose, instead of beef, but I couldn’t believe how thin a majority of them are.  Sorry America!

And, a final note, there were so many DDG (drop dead gorgeous) Europeans walking around strutting their stuff in their jeans of many colors!

That is snow on the Alps from the Zurich flight to Budapest.

Originally, the cruise was to start in Budapest, Hungary, but there was a mechanical problem at a dam and the cruise ship couldn’t get there, so I landed at the airport there and took a two-hour bus ride to embark on the cruise in Bratislava, Slovakia!

BRATISLAVA

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is one of the youngest capital cities of Europe, yet its history dates back more than 2,000 years.

Once in Bratislava, a maintenance problem at a lock delayed our cruise from departing the first night.

This gave us a chance to view the city and we finally left Bratislava around 11 p.m. the next night.

Here’s a dessert on the “MS Sound of Music” cruise boat. It’s called “Somloi” (a duo of Drunken Sponge Cake in Black and White with Vanilla Pudding and Chocolate Sauce).

VIENNA

We finally set sail and I awoke to a foggy morning on the Danube River docked in Vienna, Austria.

Vienna is well-known for classical composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss.

It was here also that psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud made his name.

There was an exhibit on display in Vienna honoring his artist grandson, Lucian Freud, who died in the early-2010s.

His works are known for their “psychological penetration and for their often discomforting examination of the relationship between artist and model”.  Needless to say, unflattering photos of naked men and women grace the city.  Sexuality isn’t taboo there like in the United States.

Along with this advertisement for the show highlighting Lucian Freud, boobs and penis art and mannequins grace the windows in many stores. (I censored this photo with the blue star!)

And I witnessed something very cool. The Austrian Military and the Police were outside the Chancellor’s office.  The U.S. Ambassador to Austria was in Vienna presenting her credentials to the country’s Federal President.

They even played “The Star-Spangled Banner”!

I’ll leave you with a couple of interesting notes about Austria:

Vienna is the capital and the largest city in Austria.  Of the five million that live in the country, 1.8 million live in Vienna.  (The second largest city in the country is populated by only 265,000 people.)

And, of those almost two million, 82% live in rented apartments, 11% live in townhouses/condos, and only 7% of people in Vienna own homes.  Of course, those number change outside of the city.

I close out the Austrian part of my trip by honoring another of Vienna’s stars, the late singer Falco, with one of his hits, “Der Kommissar”, although he’s better known for “Rock Me Amadeus”.

DURNSTEIN AND MELK

Since the cruise started, we traveled at night.  After another night of cruising the Danube, we arrived in Durnstein (wine country in lower Austria) and another short cruise took us to Melk (also in lower Austria).

It was another foggy morning as we walked through the very small village of Durnstein, which is known for its wines and apricot brandy.

After sampling free shots and chocolates, we sailed along the Wuchau Valley and it was spectacular. 

We then arrived in Melk, Austria, to tour a monastery that is almost 1,000 years old and it was incredible. 

It was one of the most beautiful churches in the world.  (Okay, I haven’t spent a lot of time in churches except while traveling!  But, it was spectacular.)

PASSAU

We then traveled to Passau, Germany.

While I’ve seen some beautiful sights in my travels in the United States, like Lake Tahoe, California, the boat cruise today out of Austria into Germany had to be one of the most breath-taking views I’ve witnessed.

In the afternoon, we docked in Passau, also known as Dreiflüssestadt, “the city on three rivers”.

We walked along the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz rivers, visited the shopping district, and St. Steven’s Cathedral, which houses the world’s largest cathedral organ.

While very interesting, Passau was the least favorite city we visited, so far.  We still have two more days in Germany with stops in Regensburg and Nuremberg.

REGENSBERG

After visiting Passau, a community that was heavily damaged by summer floods that year, we woke up to another foggy morning that promised sunshine.

However, as we toured Regensberg, the 56th largest city in Germany, the sun deceived us and it remained overcast and very cool.

But, shopping was vibrant on my walk through town.

I loved the bridge of locks where lovers have their names inscribed on locks and they put them on the bridge and throw the key into the river.  Should they break up, the locks are then cut off!

NUREMBERG

When we started our Nuremberg tour Saturday afternoon, we stopped by Zeppelin Field, which had been a central part in rallies for Adolf Hitler. 

Since the fall of Nazi Germany, the area has lost its flashy look from the 1940s and is rather bleak, just like the time it symbolized under Hitler!

We visited another castle that overlooked the city and the site where the Nuremberg Trials took place in 1945-1946 to prosecute prominent members of the military and political leadership of Nazi Germany.

On a happier note, I checked out the Farmer’s Market and had a drink in a small cafe.

I’ve always been intrigued by what a Campari and soda would taste like so I ordered one and it was HORRIBLE.  (Campari is a bitter infusion of fruit and herbs in alcohol and water.)  Yuck!  It was too bitter for me. So, I had a Jever beer and it was much better (and I’m not a beer drinker)! 

Then, it was time to board our boat for the Captain’s Farewell Dinner.

My meal started with the appetizer, Pan Fried Scampi with Beet Root Risotto, and ended with Baked Alaska “MS Sound of Music” style!

And, of course, plenty of local wines! Why choose one?

The next day started with a two-hour bus ride to the airport in Munich, Germany, to start my trip back to reality.

And, on this trip, I met Barbara, who was celebrating her 70th birthday and her daughter came along.

Barbara (on the left) and I still stay in touch!

IN SUMMATION

My favorite city was definitely Zurich, Switzerland, and my second favorite was Bratislava, Slovakia, and luckily I spent almost 24 hours in each of those cities.

It was interesting going on the local tours of villages and hearing the history and seeing all the castles and brightly colored buildings.

The food was amazing on the “MS Sound of Music” cruise and the staff was incredible.

With breakfast and lunch buffets daily, cake and coffee each afternoon, free-flowing wine at the amazing four and five-course dinners, along with a cheese spread after dessert each night, I only gained three pounds on the cruise!

My final thoughts are that we need to brightly paint all of our houses in the U.S. to add some color and fun.

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — November 1, 2013

I survived my first week back at work after visiting Europe for the first time.  I met some really great people on the cruise and Ray and I got to spend some quality time together.  As much fun as it was, I’m happy to be in my own house this weekend and spend time with the family.

I hope you all survived trick-or-treating and that you weren’t too scared of the costumes this year or that you don’t have too much of a tummy ache from eating all that candy!

Here are my random thoughts this week.

EUROPE IS NOW JUST MEMORIES

By following my blog, you know that we spent eight days recently in Europe visiting parts of Switzerland, Hungary (a technicality), Slovakia, Austria, and Germany to celebrate Ray’s 50th birthday, which was back in late August.

My favorite city was definitely Zurich, Switzerland, and my second favorite was Bratislava, Slovakia, and luckily we spent almost 24 hours in each of those cities.

It was interesting going on the local tour of villages and hearing the history and seeing all the castles and brightly colored buildings.

The food was amazing on the “MS Sound of Music” cruise and the staff was incredible.

My final thoughts are that we need to brightly paint all of our houses in the U.S. to add some color and fun and that, for the most part, the people in Zurich are very fit and healthy.  We rarely saw anyone out of shape and if we did, it was mostly likely a tourist.  And, boy, there were some beautiful Europeans.  Okay, to be fair, we did see some really ugly ones, too. 🙂

CALORIE COUNTING UNTIL THANKSGIVING

With breakfast and lunch buffets daily, cake and coffee each afternoon, free-flowing wine at the amazing four and five-course dinners, along with a cheese spread buffet after dessert each night, I’m happy to report that Ray and I only gained about three pounds each on the cruise!

Nevertheless, I want to eat right and exercise over the next four weeks to shed some weight to prepare myself for all of the tasteful downfalls of Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

“ENDER’S GAME” BOYCOTT

I first blogged about “Ender’s Game” back in mid-July when anti-marriage and anti-gay comments surfaced that the author of the book that the movie is based on made in the past.  There was even talk of boycotting the movie.

The science fiction/action movie hits theaters today.  It stars Asa Butterfield (“Hugo”), Academy Award nominees Harrison Ford (“Witness”), Viola Davis (“Doubt” and “The Help”), Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”), and Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), along with Oscar winner Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi”).

Earlier this week, I watched the trailer for the first time and it actually looks pretty good.  However, I’m really torn about telling people to go see it or avoid it because of what the author, Orson Scott Card, said in the past.

If you don’t recall, he said that “marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down.”

And, he’s called same-sex attraction, “reproductive dysfunction” and that “normalizing a dysfunction will only make ours into a society that corrodes any loyalty to it, as parents see that our laws and institutions now work against the reproductive success (not to mention happiness) of the next generation.”

Lionsgate, the company behind the movie, has distanced themselves from Card saying, “As proud longtime supporters of the LGBT community […] we obviously do not agree with the personal views of Orson Scott Card and those of the National Organization for Marriage”.

My problem is that if the movie is a success, people who haven’t read the book might buy it and that means more money for the hater.

I have a solution if you choose to see “Ender’s Game” and you have friends or family that are LGBT and have been affected by Card and people like him, think about making a small monetary donation to the Human Right Campaign, which is the “largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.”

Here’s the link:  http://www.hrc.org/

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN”

While on vacation last week, I read my third book recently and I can’t believe how much I’ve been missing out on by just reading magazines!

“The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein is a must read if you’re a pet owner.

Yes, I was tearing up at the end of the first chapter and I cried during the last two chapters of the book.  However, over the course of the rest of the book, I laughed many times and smiled many others.

It’s a very reflective book narrated by Enzo, the family dog, as he awaits his own death and welcomes it.  There’s a reason he’s ready to die after living a happy, fulfilling life with Denny, a race car driver that excelled in driving on wet tracks, his wife, Eve, and their daughter, Zoe.

Enzo’s stories of Zoe’s mean stuffed animal zebra, Eve’s parents (who he nicknames “the evil twins”), and dogs in Mongolia will you make laugh and cry.

Miss ABBA, if Enzo is right, I can’t wait to see you again and say hello.  No, this doesn’t mean I’m ready to die and join ABBA.  You’ll have to read the book to figure it out! 🙂

Vickie, thank you for sharing it with me.

Now, I’m on to my fourth book of the fall!

“DALLAS BUYERS CLUB”

While it may be some time before “12 Years A Slave” and “Kill Your Darlings” make it to the Quad Cities, another movie opens this today in New York and California that is at the top of my list of movies I want to see this fall.  And, I just found out that it starts in Davenport, Iowa, on November 22nd.

As I blogged in early October, “[Matthew] McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a drug using, womanizing, homophobic man who was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1986 and given only thirty days to live.  It tells the story of how he began smuggling non-toxic, alternative medicines from all over the world, thus forming the “Dallas Buyers Club”.

For his part, McConaughey lost around 40-50 pounds and his co-star, [Jared] Leto lost 30-40 pounds to play Rayon, an HIV-positive transgendered woman, who became business partners with Woodroof.

Awards buzz is already building for both actors.

PICK HIT OF THE WEEK

Sometimes, I choose songs that I think will be big radio hits and sometimes, I just like the song and I want to share.  Today’s song fits in the latter category.

French house music DJ Cedric Gervais now lives in Miami, Florida.  He recently made his acting debut in the Mark Wahlberg movie, “Pain & Gain” (which I have no desire to see) and he remixed Lana Del Ray’s big summer hit, “Summertime Sadness”, which reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gervais also remixed Howard Jones’ 1980s hit, “Things Can Only Get Better”, and it’s incredible.

PEEPS’ FRIDAY ’80s FLASHBACK

And, since you’re already thinking about Howard Jones, I’m featuring the original song for you to compare.

During his U.S. Hot 100 chart run that started in 1983 when he reached #27 with “New Song”, Jones scored nine Top 40 hits.  His last hit, “Lift Me Up” reached #32 in 1992.

Of those nine Top 40 hits, two reached the Top Ten, “No One Is To Blame” (#4, 1986) and “Things Can Only Get Better” (#5, 1985).

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

That’s it for this week.  Can you believe that November is here already?

Anthony

Our Day in Bratislava, Slovakia

Greetings from the Danube River.  It’s going on midnight Monday and we finally just set sail from Bratislava, Slovakia.  By morning, we’ll be arriving in Vienna, Austria.

The weather today in Bratislava was absolutely gorgeous with a high of 72 degrees and I hear that snow is still in the forecast back home in the Quad Cities.  Here is what snow on the Alps looked like Sunday on our flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Budapest, Hungary.

Because of a maintenance problem at a lock, our cruise did not set sail Sunday night from Budapest and we didn’t get to explore the city prior to departure.

Instead, we were bussed from the airport to a hotel in Budapest where we got on another bus and traveled two hours in the countryside to Bratislava, where we were supposed to sail on the first night.

Here’s a picture of that minutes long visit in Budapest.

Here are a few from Bratislava today.

We finally left Bratislava around 11 p.m. local time here and just crossed over into Austria now that we’re finally sailing.

Bon Voyage!

Anthony

P.S.   Here are all of the pictures from Bratislava.

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