For Tomb the Bell Tolls

If you go all the way back to my post from May 2010, you'll recall that in many places here in Europe you don't "own" a final resting place at a cemetery; instead, you simply lease it, usually for a couple of decades or longer.  If, at the end of the lease period, you (well, maybe better put: your living kin) don't choose to "renew your subscription," well, the cemetery simply "reuses" the plot for some other poor stiff (sorry, it was there; I had to use it).  What exactly happens to your headstone, remains, etc., etc., well, I've never really known.  Until now.I can at least offer an on-the-scene report of what happens above-ground.  I happened to be walking through our local cemetery this afternoon and discovered that a large section, measuring something like 100x100 ft., had been "cleared" of the massive, flat marble monuments often used here in Belgium to cover a grave (in many cases, these are used in lieu of a headstone, probably at an enormous cost, considering the marble slabs are about 8 inches thick, and certainly larger than the largest coffin).  What once was a field of tombs was now a barren patch of dirt.  All the marble was gone, except for a chunk here or there.  As for what had happened beneath the surface, well, here I choose to not even ask.
I'm guessing that, within a matter of weeks or months, we will start to see some new graves and marble slabs, as fresh tenants move into the space now so unceremoniously "vacated."  Oh, these unusual European ways...

Ach, wie schoen!

If it's peace and serenity you seek, my suggestion has to be Berchtesgaden, in the extreme southeastern tip of Germany.  This is one of our favorite places, anywhere.  Hopefully, for obvious reasons.

A Solution to Crappy Airplane Food?

It seems like a crafty German may have a solution to the age-old problem of crappy in-flight meals.  This rather unusual item moving around the baggage carousel at the Munich airport is, I believe, a huge pair of Weisswursts with mustard.  While this is certainly better tasting than what is served on the plane, you do have to wonder what's the point, if you don't bring the food with you, but instead check your meal with your baggage.  At least your luggage can't be confused with anyone else's.  Unless Samsonite now sells a Brats-and-Sauerkraut line of luggage.

 

Move Over, Julie Andrews

Maybe it's only natural, when in Salzburg, to get really caught up in the whole Sound of Music thing.  There are numerous tours you can take, visiting many of the filming sites.  You can actually stay at the von Trapp mansion, now a hotel (see post below).  But in one museum in the city you can get even closer to the movie than all of this.  You too can truly hear the sound of music...

The Hills Are Alive!

Turns out that Hollywood tricked us...twice.  In The Sound of Music, the von Trapp mansion in Salzburg, Austria, was actually two large estates, neither of which had any connection whatsoever to the family.  One was used for filming the lake/boat/terrace scenes; the other, for Maria's entry off the road as she first lays eyes on the house.  Recently, however, the real von Trapp mansion has been opened as a hotel; we stayed there just a couple of nights ago.  While it perhaps lacks a bit of the grandeur of the Hollywood version of the home, the marvelous family photos on the walls inside and the furnishings made the place special.  Here are photos of all 3 locations.  The real house is at the bottom.

  

So Many Beers; So Little Time...

It's true, both about the beer and the time.  In just seven weeks we will head home from our four years here in Belgium.  Tempus really does fugit, as they say.

Mosque Colors

The mosques in Andalusia in southern Spain are nothing short of amazing.  Besides the remarkable architecture, there is the color. Everywhere color!

Bone Appeteat

Far be it from me to poke fun at any Europeans' English.  With the exception of the German-speaking countries, nowhere is the locals' English worse than my abilities in their own language.  This, however, couldn't keep us from a smile or two (alright - also some belly laughs) when recently reviewing the English-language menu kindly provided to us at a small tapas bar in Seville, Spain.

It all started with: "Clouds of Chicken" .  We've all seen clouds with shapes that remind us other things, but fowl?  And on my plate?
Then we had: "Muffled Shrimp".  Makes sense to me: if there's anything I hate it's a loud-mouthed little guy.
This was quickly followed by: "Mussles to the Garlic".  And, right behind: "Eggplant to the Oven".  What is this - a menu order, or some twisted Hitler Army order?
Up until this point, all seemed well.  I'm sure I could have enjoyed any of these unpredictable meals.  But the final entree remained, I'm afraid, off limits: "Cream of Scum". 
It was about at this point that we asked where the nearest McDonalds was...

I Admit It...I Really Like Beer

                                And here, the proof positive.

Maybe He Should Use the Partner's Name

While it may not be as bad as a barber shop named Sweeney Todd, I'm not convinced this hair dresser in Brussels has chosen the ideal name for his undertaking...

Another Tough Day...

Maybe if we're good, really good, in this life, in the next one we'll get to come back as cats.  We can only hope!

Sunset in Split

    Taken from my hotel room balcony in Split, Croatia, last week...

Woman's Best Friend

OK, sure: he may lick himself at times and in places that are not always appropriate.  But I think that a few minor character flaws can be overlooked when he's willing to hang out the laundry to dry.  Hey Fido: sic sheets!

It'll Never Get Off the Ground, Wilbur!

I guess every generation since 1903 has been astounded at the size of aircraft, wondering how the laws of physics can possibly allow something so large and heavy to get off the ground.  I remember as a boy in the 1970s staring in awe at a Boeing 747 at the San Francisco airport.
Well, 747s are certainly no big deal anymore and these days are used more for cargo than passengers.  Now we have even larger aircraft, carrying more people greater distances, and forcing any rational person to wonder, yet again, how something this size could ever fly.
I got a chance to see one of the new Airbus A-380s up close and personal at the Frankfurt airport recently.  If your jaw doesn't drop when to see one of these behemoths, I think you're just bored with life.  So now the obvious questions about comparisons with 747s.  The 380 is only about 7 feet longer than a 747 and about 16 feet taller.  But the width is hard to believe: the Airbus's wingspan is a full 50 feet longer than the Boeing!  The new double-decker can carry well over 500 passengers, while the older 747, "only" about 340.  One can only wonder how long it takes to get your luggage after landing, you and the other 500 tired fliers... 
One final stat: the maximum take-off weight of the A-380 is 1.2 million pounds.  What hath the Wright Brothers wrought!

The Other Golden Gate

It turns out that Lisbon, Portugal, also has a Golden Gate Bridge (they don't call it that which is good; otherwise, they'd be guilty of what teenagers call "posing," since ours was built long before theirs).  True, they have one thing nearby that ours does not: a memorial to explorers going back as far back as the 16th century.  I guess we'd have to admit that San Fran was not exactly a world hub of exploration 500 years ago...

April 12th Quiz Question Answer

You'll find the quiz question in an earlier post, below.
As an astute reader (you might call him a cheater, in that he lived only a few miles from this odd building for four years!) has correctly noted, this strange contraption is a barge elevator, for lifting or lowering large ships over 250 feet from one canal in central Belgium to another.  Traditional lock-system canals over time could not handle the new, massive ships carrying coal and other cargo across central Europe.   Enter the elevator.  The concept seems just too simplistic to possibly work, but it does: a ship enters a small, deep pool on one side of the elevator, then is lifted/lowered (the water stays in the pool, keeping the ship afloat) well over a dozen stories in just under three minutes.  The gates open up and the barge heads along its merry way once again, no worse for the wear.  Boat traffic actually seems to flow far better via this complicated water route than any cars possibly can on all major roads in Belgium.  I wish I could travel to work every morning via canal...

Right of Way Rules...on the Baggage Carousel

Leave it to the Germans!  It's well known how important their cars are to them, as well as their rather arcane right-of-way rules on the road.  But now they've come up with a way to safeguard another important piece of property using similar ideas: luggage.
At the Munich airport, the baggage carousels appear, at first glance, to be just like any others that you'd encounter at any large airport.  But there is a difference.  Here there are small electronic sensors which monitor bags as they head down the arrival "chute" before dropping onto the oval carousel itself.  When the sensor detects that a bag is already moving counter-clockwise on the carousel as a second bag approaches on the chute, ready to be plopped down on top of the other bag, it actually halts the incoming bag temporarily, putting it in a holding pattern until such time as there is a sufficient gap on the carousel between pieces of luggage to allow the new bag to drop safely without touching any other, earlier-arrived bag.  In effect, the rule of the road is that a bag already on the carousel has the automatic right-of-way over any new bags attempting to enter the "carriageway" from the left.  Just like on the roads.
Amazing...

Istanbul by Night

It's official: I really don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

Istanbul was absolutely fantastic; all I hoped it might be.

Half Europe; half Middle East; half Asia, as Yogi Berra might say.

Quiz Question!

Guess, just guess what this building in central Belgium is all about.  If you get this one right, you're smarter than us!

Critters of Istanbul



There are semi-wild cats and dogs to be found all over Istanbul, Turkey.  I say semi-wild because of the dozens of street cats and the couple of street dogs I saw, not one appeared to be going hungry or afraid of humans.  On the contrary, everyone of them couldn't be more friendly and relaxed.  They seem to have mastered the art of peaceful sleep along the Bosphorus...