De Todo un Poco

Nine months since the last post and I've got a lot to cover. I suppose I should start incorporating some AI elements into the old blog, but I imagine if I start to go down that rabbit hole I'll end up taking more time trying to make it good rather than just getting it out. So here goes, the old-fashioned way.

In November, I went to Florida to help plan and celebrate my mom's 85th birthday bash. It wasn't hard to plan, since her residence staff took care of most of the details and she didn't invite any out-of-towners. She did have over 100 guests, though, and it was a great party! The following week, Brenda and Jen also made an appearance — YAY!

A few words for the guests

Fun!

Here's the Video appearance from uninvited. 

In December, Matthias joined us in Florida and it wasn't terrible. It was sort of a last-minute decision, which means he wasn't included in our family plan to spend Christmas at Disney World, which was more than okay with him. Mom and I drove up to the Disney Wilderness Lodge to meet Laurene and the whole gang, and we spent four amazing, magical, fun-filled (and stress-filled) days at the resort, reveling in the delight of the kiddos and having quite a bit of fun ourselves.

All dolled up!!

First night of fun!

Fun Ride!

We returned to Passau for a few dark and wintry weeks before setting off again to Malta, where we knew the weather would be better and also knew what to expect in terms of comfortable accommodations, good connections, and lots of walking and hiking opportunities. Of course the weather was better, just not as good as the previous year (more rain and wind), and we were able to get out more, but there was an annoying construction-related re-routing of the buses that made our very convenient location in Mellieħa somewhat less so. I somehow convinced Matthias that flying down would be a great option (it was!), while taking the slower route back through Sicily. It turned out great, with an unexpected highlight: a visit from Jennifer and Brenda. So we spent an additional weekend in Valletta with them. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate for their visit, but we had fun anyway!

Nice day in Malta

Another nice day in Malta!

The gang outside Mdina

After a final weekend in Valletta and a trip to the famous Sunday fish market in the south (nice, but maybe not up to the hype), we took the 1.5-hour ferry to Sicily and hopped on a train to Modica. I figured — with some help from Claude — that it would be a nice stop to break up the trip to Palermo. We were more than pleasantly surprised with Modica, which was a beautiful and charming town where we found some really good restaurants. We also took a side trip to Ragusa, which was also impressive, but I got a little confused with the buses and had something of a meltdown as we tried to get back to Modica. Not sure why I'm including that here, but since I often describe Matthias' meltdowns and tantrums, it only seems fair.

Modica

Ragusa

After two nights in Modica we caught the train to Palermo, where we found another nice accommodation in a relatively quiet area not too far from the Ballarò Market. It was nearly perfect, but we didn't have internet for the first two days (horror!!). We spent 10 days in Palermo exploring the city, and the first word that always comes to mind when describing it is "gritty." It was loud, exciting, beautiful, hectic, dirty, and more. I really enjoyed the visit, but I can't imagine it as a calm winter getaway destination. We visited markets, hiked up Monte Pellegrino (because once again I messed up with the buses!), and spent a lot of time around the pretty and bustling harbor area. Of course, we also visited numerous piazzas, churches, and a few museums. My favorite church — and fortunately also a public bathroom locale — was the Chiesa della Magione.

Chiesa della Magione

Monte Pellegrino

Taking a break behind the Catedrale

From Palermo we took an overnight ferry to Genoa to make our way home. Unfortunately Matthias was ill (not seasick) during the return, but fortunately we had booked a comfortable cabin where he could sleep and rest for the entire 24-hour trip. He was still sick in Genoa but rallied to go out for a nice dinner near the hotel — a wonderful minestrone soup for him and yummy pesto pasta for me. Our final stop on the way home the next day was Rovereto, a pretty town in the Dolomites where Matthias got to rest up in a nice accommodation with a kitchen, so I could heat up some soup for him. The train home from there via Munich was uneventful. As a matter of fact, we experienced zero travel delays the entire trip. Amazing!

Hello Corsica
(from the ferry, the closest I got to France this trip)

Pretty Rovereto

We spent most of March and April hanging out in Passau, catching up on appointments and doing a little volunteer work. Basically, we were waiting for the Dult (Festival) in May and then planned to take off on our next bike tour — to Liechtenstein!

Obligatory Dult Photo

Bike Tour Map:

While reaching Liechtenstein was the goal, I planned the tour to include some parts of Germany and Austria that we hadn't yet visited. I had heard a lot about the Neckartal (Neckar river valley) and its prominent bike path, so I wanted to tackle some of that as well. I found a route through Franken (a northern region of Bavaria that likes to consider itself a separate region) and set off westward along the Danube. During the first days, we experienced the Eisheiligen (frosty days in May — who knew?) with damp, cold wind out of the west, of course. But we dodged most of the raindrops as we cycled by way of a small campsite in the Bayerischer Wald, luckily the night before they were about to host a camper event that weekend. We had the place (a farm) to ourselves except for the "cocktail bar" guy who was setting up his stand, and left as the campers were arriving the next morning. In addition to the Eisheiligen, it turns out I planned our trip to coincide pretty much exactly with a string of holidays and a corresponding two-week school break in the two regions we were cycling through — Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. But it all worked out quite well. We found ourselves in scenic valleys and nice campsites where we spent a couple of nights each. We made our way through the Naabtal, Altmühltal, Taubertal, and the Romantische Straße on our way to the Neckar River. On the big holiday weekend (Pfingsten, or Pentecost Sunday and Monday), we hunkered down near Heilbronn, which was wonderful — the countryside was gorgeous and we could ride through the vineyards and then enjoy treats at local wine bars and gardens. The Neckartal was also beautiful but a bit more traveled, since it is a well-known bike route. We decided on a hotel near Stuttgart because the city-run campground didn't look too appealing and there weren't any others in the area. The hotel was fine, but it actually reinforced our affinity for campsites — much more to see and do in the evenings (watching other people, for instance), and you don't have to find a place to eat if you don't want to. Still, the A/C was nice!

Pretty Taubertal

Noticed a fault in the Bob Trailer,
but got it welded on the way!

Vineyards near Heilbronn

Ahhh

From Stuttgart we rode to Tübingen, where I took a swim in the Neckar. The next day we rode through the Schwäbische Alb (mountain range in BW) on to Sigmaringen. We didn't like the campsite at all so ended up riding on to another one that, as it turned out, was another campsite we already knew we didn't like (from last year when we rode to the Black Forest!) Oh well, I thought the next campsite, near Ravensburg and Bodensee (Lake Constance) was lovely - a small family-run site in an orchard - but Matthias didn't like the bathroom situation (one toilet, one shower and not a lot of privacy.) But at least it was quiet!  Next we rode along a portion of the Bodensee radweg (super crowded, super-popular bike route and a holiday week!) through a bit of Austria to a campsite over the Swiss border. It was also crowded (and the first campsite that was noisy well into the night) but I took a swim in the lovely lake with a view of the alps, we did laundry and the campsite served its purpose. The following day we rode along the Rhein river to Liechtenstein and our lovely campsite in Triesen near Vaduz. The landscape was really gorgeous and the weather was good, so I enjoyed the scenic pool and terrace at the campsite more than the ride through Vaduz, which was filled with tourists, the next day. 

View of Bodensee (Lake Constance)

Fab campsite in Liechtenstein

Fab pool at Liechtenstein campsite!

Our way home included a ride over the Arlberg Pass, so from Liechtenstein we rode up to a campsite in a little town called Dalaas, where we had a great dinner at a local guesthouse and watched a big thunderstorm roll in through the window. Our tent was fine, but somehow our makeshift "bike garage" (a tarp) flew away, never to be seen again! Unfortunately, the rain hadn't stopped by the time we had to pack up and start riding over the pass. It was pretty cold and wet, but conditions improved once we made it to the top and found a place for lunch. We were bundled up for the ride down but started shedding layers as we descended into the Inn valley. We reached the campsite at Imst — basic, but one of my favorites — and settled in. The rest of the trip was along a route we've done a number of times; the weather was on-and-off rainy and we were ready to be home. But it was still lovely and relatively uneventful — except for the one campsite I hadn't contacted in advance, which turned out to be closed! We got home on a Saturday and went directly to Matthias' favorite place: Passau's Hacklberg Biergarten. And now, Matthias is preparing the apartment for painting, so I'm expecting a bit less excitement and a bit more stress in the coming weeks. But then there are other adventures to look forward to!

On the way over the Arlberg Pass