Today, we drove through the Black Forest. It was so amazing. 40% of Germany is covered in forests. Our guide said that pre-iron curtain, pollution from East Germany, Czech, etc. was killing the trees. After the fall of the Soviet Union, western powers helped the east clean it up so the trees are thriving again.
On the ride over one of my tour mates was saying how Obama should have just caved and delayed the roll out of the health care act. I was like why. After a circular conversion, I am reminded that talking politics, religion, and race is just a conversion that neither side yields. Yet no matter what the topic is people find a way to bring one if not all of the three into it. I will still sometimes read the comment sections on articles, and I am puzzled by this. Even in a topic where it has nothing to do with the subject at hand. Case in point, about a month back there was an article about how someone in Portland had put hundred dollar bills in random places in stores. The comments were all good until this commenter said he or she bet "The Blacks" would tear stores up looking for free money. Huh? But I digress.
I recently read an article about the most annoying things people do. One of them was like forget name dropping, country dropping is more annoying. It made me laugh because I may do this sometime. Person A. I saw Wicked in Seattle. Person B. I a saw Wicked in New York. Me. I saw Wicked in London. It seems like most of the people on the tour have and do travel a lot and there is a lot of country dropping. LOL!
I digress again. We made a stop in the Black Forest. It was this complex. As it turns out, Marie Antoinette had made a stop at this site on her way from Austria to Paris to marry Louis XVI. I thought that was cool. And I went on a hike through the Black Forest. About 30 or so minutes. It was so quiet and peaceful. I may need to start hiking more. The shoes I got before I left are good for hiking. It's very zen.
So yesterday was nice, then it rained, and then it got nice again. Today was nice in the morning. Then it rained on part of our drive but was nice this evening.
My guide shared a story about his friend who is also a guide. After the war, the border between East and West Berlin was fluid. Then one day out of nowhere, the Russians basically shut it down. So people were stuck on the wrong side. Fast forward years and his friend was in this restaurant and sees a guy who looks familiar. So he approaches the guy saying don't I know you? The man was like no. So the friend goes back to his seat. And realizes who it is. Goes back and hugs the man and says father! They have an emotional reunion and the father must leave because he really isn't suppose to be there. So the guide goes back and tells his family he saw his father and they don't believe him until he shows the suitcase his dad left with him full of things like deodorant, jeans, etc. A few days later the secret police show and and ask him who the spy was he was talking too. He was questioned for two days and then put on a watch list. The cafe they were in was full of informants. Imagine a time when you would rat out your brother or friend for better housing or more food. I have put Berlin high on my list.
We also went to the Rhine River Falls which was pretty.
Then on to Lucerne. OMG! I LOVE this place. I have a list of places I could live (Dublin, Amsterdam, London, and Hong Kong). I also have a place where I would like to bring a significant other. It was just Venice and Santorini, now add Lucerne. I feel like I am walking on a movie set because this place does not look real. It's just so amazing. The water. The mountains. And my room has a view of it all. I could just sit there all day and admire it.
We went to the Lion Monument. It is actually pretty powerful. Louis XVI had around 600 armed guards from Switzerland. When the revolution started and the people stormed the palace, he ordered his guards to not raise their swords. The guards obeyed and were killed. So this monument honors them. The Lion, looks so sad. His paw is on his shield and he's crying and he has a spear in his side. I didn't expect to be so moved by it.
We actually did walk that was similar to the Rick Steve's walk I am planning to do tomorrow, which includes the train station, Jesuit Church, and Chapel Bridge, but I will do it all tomorrow.
I took an evening stroll down the water to the main tourist area, and sighed with pleasure. Just absolutely beautiful!
I asked Andrejs about his life in Latvia. He said he likes the U.S. much better. After the fall, people from the communist party were elevated and were able to claim things that didn't belong to them. The only thing he doesn't like so to speak is health care. He said he thinks Obama is trying to do the right thing.
Tomorrow I am going up to Mount Pilatus with the group in the morning then spending the rest of the day walking to the places I want to visit.
I'm trying to not go too crazy on pictures this year. I've had a thousand plus these last two trips. And the pictures from last year have yet to be developed. It's just so pretty here!
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