One last night in Dresden. We walked across the Elbe river to the finance ministry and sat on the steps, looking over the city by night. It was a mild late summer evening in great company.  Then it was time for a last Oktober fest beer at the Augustiner Keller.  At 430am the alarm rang… Continue reading A dream trip is coming to an end

After a reinvigorating drive on the smooth and efficient German autobahn at some amazing speeds, we arrived in Dresden.  We spent a relaxing night with a mini keg of smoked beer from Bamberg, complete with cold cuts and cheese.  Thanks his morning, we gathered early for a discovery walk of the famous Semper Oper and… Continue reading Dresden the gem of the former east Germany 

After a great night with Evi und Michael with reinforcement from my cousin Markus and his partner Wolfgang, we went to the city of f Goeppingen where Maerklin has been making model trains for over 100 years.  It so happened to be open door day where visitors can tour the factory.  We saw them make… Continue reading Model train day at Maerklin

With anticipation of a little Kidd, we woke up early on Thursday and made our way to the international automobile ausstellung in Frankfurt. This bi-annual trade show features massive exhibition halls filled with world & Europe premiers from every major manufacturer.  Highlights this go-around were the new BMW M5, a trio of concepts (BMW Z4,… Continue reading IAA – the best car show on the planet

After a few months of silence, the travel bug has returned. Greg and I just arrived at the Duessdorf airport. Originally we were slated to depart from San Francisco on Air Berlin on the 12th in the evening. Alas, their pilots walked out on a sick leave scheme and all their US flights were cancelled.… Continue reading Germany for a week