Travelogue 1995 / Episode One

Travelogue Deutschland 1995 / Episode One

Beginnings
My trip to Germany in 1995 began with plans to attend a wedding of my good friend Andy, whom I had met in Milwaukee 3 years earlier. Part of the journey would also include visits to my friends Matthias and his wife Christina as well as Martin. Acting as tourguide on my trip in 1993, Martin and I had become close pals and again we planned to travel around Germany this time.

It was a Friday in Milwaukee, when I began my second trip to Germany. Mom and Dad and I packed up the my Saturn and began the trip to Chicago's OHare airport. We hit several pockets of somewhat heavy traffic, reminding me of how fortunate I am to live in traffic-free Milwaukee. Soon we were inside the parking structure at OHare and began the walk to the Northwest/KLM terminal for check-in. On the way there, we found that the wheels on my two new suitcases worked somewhat well when they stayed upright on them. At the counter, My two bags were checked in and we made our way to the terminal, in preparation for departure. We had arrived just at the right time about half an hour before boarding time, so we were able to spend a few moments before I walked on the plane. The first flight was pretty uneventful no sudden drops, emergency maneuvers or anything. I did notice that from the air, its pretty easy to tell the difference between the city and the suburbs city blocks are usually square, while suburban neighborhoods are generally curvy and circular. I dont know what that has to do with anything, but its too late now since youve already read it!

The Longer Flight
I spent the next hour after de-planing [I always think of Fantasy Island and little Herve Villichez saying De Plane! De Plane! when I hear that term] hanging around in Minneapolis airport. I stopped in McDonalds and bought a big ol Sprite, since on long flights the atmosphere is so dry. The hour went pretty quickly, and soon I was seated on the next flight to Amsterdams Schiphol airport, seven hours away. I was doubly fortunate, having a window seat for the second flight in a row! In the two seats next to me, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with two returning Germans from Bremen, Juergen and Caroline, who had just finished a tour of Utah and the west. From their description, they had quite an enjoyable visit. The flight went well, and we came into Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Holland without any problems. I had accidentally noticed maps for each airport in the on-board magazine, which came in handy for finding my entry and departure gates.

Ahh, Amsterdam!
I found Schiphol airport to be the most nicely designed airport that I have ever been in the signage and graphics were well done, and very consistent throughout the whole place. The colors used in the interior design, were also very different and I liked that. The waiting chairs were purple, which contrasted nicely with the bright, warm yellow signage in the facility. I guess that as a designer I cant help but notice those kinds of things. Unfortunately, my next departing gate was on the other side of the airport, so I had a bit of walking to do. There were speed-walks almost all the way there, so I took advantage of them for a while. It went well until I hit a traffic jam a few people who wanted to just ride blocked the way so I got off of the speed walk and passed them up on the plain old stationary carpeting. It ended up being a plus that I got off, because I needed to make a left turn to my gate, where the speed walk ended. I found the gate the last one in the whole terminal and found a seat where I could wait to board the last plane of the day. I was there with an hour to spare, so I spent some time reading and listening to my portable tape player. Soon the call went out in both Dutch and English, that it was time to board the aircraft. This would not be a jet, but a smaller, turboprop plane that seated about 50 people. We boarded a bus that took us to the plane as it sat out on the tarmac.

CityHoppng
It was a bit tighter inside the KLM CityHopper than the last two plane cabins had been, but we were rewarded with a great snack during the flight as compensation. I began talking with the gentleman seated next to me, who worked for a company in California that had connections in Ulm, Germany. They were flying him to Germany about every two months and he enjoyed coming. He told me that in the 60s he had spent some time in Germany with the Army, and knew some German then. He seemed happy to be able to return, though he mentioned that he wished for a longer visit than a week. I wished that I had been able to stay in Amsterdam for a while longer as we flew over the city. I could see multiple waterways curving through the city, between the orange-red rooftops of buildings. What amazed me were farmlands positioned almost within the city itself. I imagined that with land at such a premium, you have to make the best use of it that you can. About Half an hour into the flight, the flight attendants began serving our snack that appeared to be part of CityHopper service. It was a nice piece of smoked salmon and a little bit of caviar, with a roll, butter, a slice of Dutch butter-cheese, two crackers, a small bottle of white wine, coffee and an after dinner chocolate. To me it was as good as the dinner that I received on the Northwest flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. The gentleman next to me commented that I should see the lunch that KLM provides on the longer CityHopper flights needless to say, I was impressed. Some of you may know that I do not drink but I did not want the little wine to be thrown away, so I gave it to my passenger-friend for his wife. He said that she liked the little bottles, and I was happy that I did not drink it or waste it.

Arrival in Stuttgart
The landing was a bit more exciting than the jet landings were because this was a turboprop and a much smaller plane, we had a few wiggles and drops before the pilot put her down on the runway in Stuttgart. We caught another bus to the terminal in Stuttgart, and waited for our bags to arrive on the conveyor belts that snaked through the customs area. I saw Martin, my friend and tour guide, standing just outside of the building, and waved at him. Soon the conveyor let forth a screech and began moving along, bringing bags out to the waiting passengers. I was pretty fortunate in the baggage deal, as my two bags were among the first on the belt. I did not mention that the strap on my carry-on bag had snapped in Schiphol airport, so I had to do a little stacking to roll the bags outside, past customs. Martin was waiting on the other side, with a baggage carrier ready to transport my bags to the car. We spent a few minutes in greeting asking how we each had done with our respective deadlines. Martin had just finished his last paper for technical school thursday night, gave it to the professor friday and moved his things from his room in Esslingen to Zavelstein [his parents house]. Then, he came right to the airport to pick me up just in time.

Returning Home to Zavelstein
That title might seem a bit odd to you, but its quite true. I felt immediately at home in Martin's parents house in Zavelstein, which really helps when youre in a foreign country. It was exactly as I remembered it from my last visit in 1995. Of course, much of it has to do with Martin's mom, who is really great. She is always ready to feed you hungry or not with the best food anywhere. Last time I was treated to her famous boysenberry cake and this time to a new famous pastry the plum and almond strudel-pie. Great main meals and my favorite dark, Deutsch coffee, combined with the comfortable homey-ness of the house makes it like a second home in Germany for me.

But first, I should probably describe the ride to Zavelstein, and the surrounding area for you, so that you can get a feeling for the beautiful Schwartzwald or Black Forest area that Martin's parents live in. The road to Zavelstein starts as a two-lane road that climbs up the pine wooded hills and then drops down into the valleys below. It seems that there are a multitude of small towns along the way, with narrow streets designed before automobiles ruled the roads. The houses and buildings are usually white, with darker wood beams framing the structures, and balconies filled to the brim with multicolored flowers. Behind the buildings are the hills of the Black Forest, covered with pines, which give a nice contrast to the bright colors in the small cities.

To reach Zavelstein, Martin likes to take small, one lane roads through the forest and if he encounters another car, each pulls aside a bit and they pass each other. All of this adds to the feeling of seclusion into the dark woods of Swabia, which is what this region is called. Zavelstein is on a hill above another town that sits in the valley below Bad Teinach, famous for naturally carbonated mineral water that is bottled near the springs called Teinacher. From the valley of Bad Teinach, we climbed up a curving road to the town of Zavelstein, which dates to the 12th century.

Martin's parents house is located on the top another hill, overlooking the city of Zavelstein, and the Burg Zavelstein, a fortress ruin that sits at the end of town. The house is a modern design, but still in the Swabian aesthetic, with trees and flowers all around. Martin parked the car and we carried the bags into the house. Once inside, we met Martin's mother, and I gave her a hug, which she was probably not expecting but accepted. She is a bit shy. I also said hello to Rolf, Martin's father, and shook his hand in greeting along with a Wie Gehts? [Hows it going?] to try my German skills out. They then showed me to my room, which was once Rolfs office. It was good to finally put the bags down and sit in something other than an airplane seat! Moments later we were enjoying coffee and pastries at the dinner table as you can see, Mrs. Kohnlein wastes no time! Martin's younger brother Matthias' [or Mats] also joined us as we spent some time talking about the trip and other things, enjoying the time together.

A while later, Martin and I took a walk through the forest so that I could get some fresh air into my lungs. It was great to be back in the Schwartzwald again and smell the fresh pine scent that filled the cool, dark forest. We saw Matthias' tree house in one of the trees it looked more like a condominium to me! When we returned, dinner was ready, and we enjoyed a salad, bread, cheese, coffee and fruit juice for this light meal. We spent time talking about several things, and Rolf was eager to make use of his English. I hung on to consciousness until nine, even though my eyes were beginning to really get tired that made it approximately nineteen hours from the time I awakened at six friday morning in Milwaukee, until I went to bed in Germany at nine in the evening [with the seven-hour time difference] I did sleep 1.5 hours on the flight across the Atlantic though. I dont need to mention that I slept like a rock that night do I?

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