Another Trip in the Works

I still have not gone on this summer's European vacation, but I already have plans for a trip next year.

A while ago I had lunch with my friends Nancy and Fred.  (Regular readers of this blog might remember that a couple of years ago they went with me to Mérida, Mexico.)  They mentioned that they were thinking about taking a river cruise next summer along the Duoro River in Portugal.  Even though I am not a big fan of cruises or guided tours, I have heard very good things about the European river cruises on Viking Cruise Lines.  Although I have taken numerous trips to Spain, I have never been to neighboring Portugal.  So, I told them I might be interested in joining them.

Yesterday, Nancy called me and told me that they were going to book the cruise for June, and I told her to sign me up.

It is a ten day trip.  It begins in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.  Then we head north by motor coach to the city of Oporto at the mouth of the Duoro River.  There we board the small cruise ship and sail up the river.  We will visit picturesque towns, vineyards, palaces and monasteries along the way.  It also includes an excursion across the Spanish border to  Salamanca.  (I have been to Salamanca.  It is a beautiful city filled with impressive Renaissance architecture.)

(image taken from the web)

(image taken from the web)

I, however, would not return home at the end of the cruise.  I will take the train from Lisbon to Madrid.  Hopefully, my cousin Werner will be at home at that time, and I will have a chance to visit him again.  I am also trying to decide upon a couple of places in Spain that I have not yet seen to add to my itinerary.

I have been teaching myself German for this summer's trip to Switzerland.  I guess I also need to learn some Portuguese for next year!

 

The Circus Comes to Town

Tomorrow the Republican convention begins in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.  When Cleveland was chosen as the convention site, it was seen as feather in the city's cap, something which would pump millions of dollars into the local economy.

At that point no one could have foreseen that the Republican race would be worse than a carnival sideshow, or that the nominee would be most hateful, incompetent and dangerous Presidential candidate that I have seen in my lifetime.  (I'm sorry.  You know that I usually don't delve into politics on this blog, but I just can't hold it back.  Hopefully he won't sue me for exercising my freedom of speech and voicing a negative opinion about him!)

Anyway, one of my high school friends, a staunch Democrat, has come home this week with the express purpose of seeing what's going on downtown during the convention.  He is trying to round up a group of classmates to join him.  I told him that there was no way that I was going anywhere near downtown Cleveland during the convention.  I truly hope that I am wrong, but I fear that there might be a repeat of the infamous Democratic convention of 1968 when anti-war protestors clashed with police.  This time, however, it's not the police that I would fear, but the many people, including some delegates, who plan to tote guns with them on the streets of Cleveland.

It's a scary scenario, and I intend to remain in the safety of suburbia until this is over. 

A Gift Completed

A couple weeks ago I wrote that I had started a painting to give to my cousin Brigitta when I visit her in Switzerland next month.  Last night I completed the painting, and here it is...

The picture is of the church in my ancestral town of Othmarsingen.  Othmarsingen has a population of about 2,500 people and is located about 30 minutes to the west of Zurich.  My great-grandmother was born here in 1864.  In 1873, she, along with her parents and siblings immigrated to Ohio.

My cousin Brigitta, along with her brothers Werner and Andre and her sister Ruth, were all born and raised in Othmarsingen.  She now lives in Uster, a small city to the east of Zurich.  Ruth and Andre still live in or near Othmarsingen, and Werner lives in Madrid, Spain, where he works as a translator.   

I visited this church four years ago on my first trip to Switzerland.  It was built in 1675, and it is beautifully maintained inside and out.  My great-grandmother was baptized here, and, before her, generations of my family were surely baptized, married and buried here.  It was amazing to think of all the family history which took place here.

I rarely do a painting of the same place more than once, but this is the third time that I have painted this church.  The first time was in 2011 as a gift when I first met my cousin Werner in Madrid.  Later that year I did a winter scene of the church which I used as my Christmas card.  Now this painting will travel with me to Switzerland as a "thank you" to Brigitta for her hospitality, and for welcoming me as a part of the family.

  My cousins Werner and Brigitta when I was in Switzerland in 2012

Packing Strategy

Any travel expert will tell you to pack lightly.  I have followed that advice many times.  There have been numerous trips to Europe where I have gone for three to five weeks with only carry-on luggage.  Of course that means that most nights I have to wash out my clothes in the bathroom sink of my hotel room, and that most of my clothes must be of light-weight, quick-drying fabrics.  Usually they are dry by morning, and the hotel maid does not find the bathroom festooned with laundry.  The hair-dryer in the hotel room comes in handy for items such as thick cotton socks that are still damp.

Packing lightly is definitely advisable for anyone who is traveling to a number of cities.  Lugging a big suitcase from place to place gets to be a burden, and if you are traveling by train in Europe, there is limited space for luggage.  At airports it is also nice not to have to wait around for checked suitcases to be unloaded.

However when I travel to Mexico I take my big suitcase.  

Generally on those trips I am just going to one or two cities, so constantly moving around with a bunch of luggage is a not major issue.  Besides, I am usually bringing some gifts for my friend Alejandro and his family, and I also do some souvenir shopping for myself and others while I am down there.  When I travel to Yucatan and Mexico City, I need to pack two different wardrobes...  one for the tropical climate of the Yucatan and one for the much cooler weather in high altitude Mexico City.

Packing for my trip to Switzerland and Norway next month is a bit more problematic.  Since I will be visiting a number of different places, I don't want to be burdened with the big suitcase, but I am not sure that two carry-ons will be sufficient.  Even in August, temperatures in Norway, especially at night, can be rather chilly.  I need to take a warm sweater, which takes up a bit of of room.  I won't be doing a lot of souvenir shopping (Switzerland and Norway are very expensive), but I do need to buy some gifts for a number of friends.  And, from past experience, my Swiss cousins will probably give me some presents.

My strategy at this point is to take three pieces of luggage.  All of them are of carry-on size, but I will check the largest of the three on my flights.

   

The backpack with the Swiss flag was a gift from my cousin Brigitta on my last trip to Switzerland.  It is perfect for packing my mini-computer and some other small items. In the small red bag I will put my dress shoes and some clothing.  In the gray roller-bag I will pack the gifts for my cousins, my sweater and more clothes.  That is my plan.  Perhaps when I start packing, I will find that two pieces will be enough.  That would be ideal.

  

But I Was Only Going to Buy a Few Things

This afternoon I went shopping.  I needed shoelaces, and I also wanted to get a couple things for my trip next month... a rain poncho (because Bergen, Norway, is notorious for its rainy weather), and a spray bottle of "wrinkle releaser" for my clothes.  Just three items.

I went to Target thinking that I would find everything there.  Indeed, I soon had my three items.  The "wrinkle releaser",  was located near the toiletries, and there I saw a small bottle of one of my favorite colognes.  Ah!  Small enough to fit into the "ziplock" bag of liquids that we are allowed in our carry-ons.  So I put that into the cart.  And I might as well pick up some "Just for Men".  (Yes, I confess to dying my moustache.)

Then I passed through the travel aisle.  Oh, perhaps I should buy an extra plug adapter for European outlets.  (On my last trip to Spain, I had left my adapter in the socket in the hotel room.  When I got to the next city, I had to go out and buy another.)  Into the cart!  And it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a spare lock for my suitcase.  Next I saw the compression socks that I always wear on long flights.  Well, after all the times that I have washed those socks, I wondered how much "compression" they had left in them.  Into the cart!
Speaking of "compression", there was a box of plastic bags for the clothes that you pack in your suitcase.  According to the box, you put your clothes into the bag, squeeze out the air, and... voila!... increase your luggage capacity up to 70%.  I'm a bit skeptical, but I thought I would give them a try.  If nothing else, they will come in handy for keeping the clean clothes separate from the dirty.

Then I passed through the men's clothing department.  I definitely do not need more clothes.  BUT... I saw a display of nice-looking, brand name trousers.  They are made from a very light, quick-drying, wrinkle resistant fabric.  They seem perfect for traveling.  They will take up much less room than jeans, and, if necessary, I can wash them out in the hotel sink.  So I bought three pairs... one in black, one in charcoal gray, and a third in navy blue.

At this point, I thought, "I need to get out of here!"

My three items ended up being three bags of stuff! 

Welcome to My Garden (Part Two)

Let's continue with the tour of my garden which I began in the previous post.

The area along my next-door neighbor's fence has been a problem for years.  He has allowed his narrow strip of land between the fence and the property line to become an overgrown jungle of trees, thorny brambles, thistles and weeds.  I have already cut back the vegetation twice this year as it encroaches upon my flower bed.

One of the perennial plants which I have at one end of that bed is a gooseneck loosestrife.  It is now beginning to bloom.

This is a very invasive plant and it is gradually taking over the neighbor's strip of property.  Normally I would not allow my plants to spread into the neighbor's yard, but in this case I would rather see the loosestrife than the weeds.  It is so invasive that it has blocked out the weeds.

Continuing further back my property abuts the lot of a neighbor who lives on the street behind me.  He has a line of pine trees, and I have created a long stretch which is a shade garden.  It is also an area that is prone to flooding during heavy rains, so I have plants here that love water.

I have a variety of hostas and ferns in this bed.  The yellowish plant in the lower right hand corner is  Japanese forest grass. 

You can make out a tall plant, about four feet high, with pink flowers.  That is filipendula.  It is not really a shade plant, but it likes wet areas, and it does well here.

I also have a variety of astilbes, a plant which likes moisture and shade.  I actually took these two pictures a couple weeks ago when the astilbes were at their peak.

Now, we move on to the "big garden".  Years ago, this was my father's vegetable garden, and I have converted it into a flower garden with all sorts of perennials.  The front portion is generally sunny (although in this photo it is in the shade), but the rear of it has become more shady as trees have grown.

At the front is what I used to call my "herb garden".  It was originally a small, round bed, but over the years I have expanded it until it is now connected with the "big garden".  I still have herbs here... chives, mint, oregano, thyme, and a pot in which I also plant basil.  However now I also have different kinds of flowers, some of which I planted, and others which just sprung up here.  Geum, the tall pinkish flower I mentioned in the previous post, has appeared here.  At the left side of the photo is a hardy hibiscus which later this summer will have large white flowers.

                                   Hanging baskets with verbena and petunias.

I added this plant several years ago.  The tag said that it is a "butterfly bush",  however I have been informed that it is actually a milkweed.  Well, the tag was somewhat accurate since milkweed is the favorite plant of monarch butterflies.  I have not yet seen any monarchs this summer.

I have lots of purple loosestrife.  This is also an invasive plant, although it is not as bad as the gooseneck variety.

Purple loosestrife, more filipendula, and a hanging basket of New Guinea impatiens.  Peaking above the filipendula you can see the top of the big rubber tree plant which I drag from the house out to the patio each summer.

The "big garden" seen from the rear.  Late afternoon is the only time that this area gets sun. 

                                 These day lilies are one of my favorite varieties.

On the patio between the "big garden" and the storage shed, the pots of annuals are all flowering.

So there you see why I have been working so many hours each day for the past couple of months.  It is a lot of work, but I enjoy it, and it's good exercise.

Welcome to My Garden (Part One)

I am declaring my gardening finished for the summer!  Well, of course a garden is never really finished.  There is always weeding, watering, and primping to be done.  But the major work is now completed.  So let me give you a tour my gardens.

I have written about the big empty space at the side of the garage that was left after I removed an overgrown shrub.  That is now filled in.

Yesterday I went to another nursery and bought another bush and some more perennials.  This morning I planted them.

 

I bought a bush called a "summersweet" (1.)  It will grow to a height of around three feet, and it has white flowers in the summer.  (It has a lot of buds on it now.)   The ornamental onion (2.) also has buds on it, and it is supposed to bloom all summer long.   The aster (3.) will have pink flowers in the fall.  And finally, the balloon flower (4.) will have bluish-purple flowers during the summer.

At the corner of the garage I have a variety of day lilies.  These yellow and red lilies are the showiest of all.

Behind the garage the phlox has begun to bloom.

Moving to the front yard, this garden along the driveway gets partial sun.  I have a variety of sun-loving and shade-loving plants there... from ferns and hostas to coreopsis.  They all seem to be happy there.

This flowering plant, which grows to a height of three feet, is called a geum.  Many years ago had a lot of them in my garden, but then they got some sort of disease and shriveled up.  I thought that I had pulled them all out, but a couple years ago they started to reappear.  This year they are everywhere!  I sprayed them with a fungicide, so I hope that they will remain healthy.

In the flower boxes under the oak tree in the front I always plant tuberous begonias.

This island in the front yard has a variety of flowers and bushes.  There are more day lilies and the geums have appeared here too.  There is a dwarf lilac as well as a rose of Sharon.  I have creeping phlox (very pretty in the spring), and obedient plants, which will bloom in the late summer. 

And there are six rose bushes.  After the severe winter a couple years ago I had to replace several of the roses.  The past winter was very mild, and they all seem to be doing well.

Heading to the patio at the back of the house, the annuals that I put in pots and in the flower box are all growing.

Last year I bought two jasmine bushes for the patio.  I brought them in the house over the winter.  They not only survived, but they have gone crazy with long vining shoots.  I had to put trellises in the pots.  Now I am waiting for them to start blooming.

As I was taking pictures, clouds started rolling in, and we received some much needed rain.  So I will continue the garden tour in my next post.