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greenbagjosh · 1 month ago

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Days 15 to 17 08 August 2004

Sunday 08 August 2004

Hi everyone! The Street Parade 2004 was quite a long one for me. This was the first time that I made video of the parade. The previous two times, 1998 and 2003, I had only a 35 mm camera. It is now time to go to my final part of the vacation, namely Munich. This time I will go by Schaffhausen, the Black Forest, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsburg and Munich-Pasing. I will stay in a pension, visit the Oktoberfest grounds at the Theresienwiese, buy a DVD player that will also work in the USA, and even spend a little time in Salzburg, Austria. I will fly home on 10th August, through Washington DC. Hopefully you will all join me for this three-day journey back to the USA.

Dia duit gach duine! Bhí Paráid na Sráide 2004 sách fada domsa. Ba é seo an chéad uair a rinne mé físeán den pharáid. An dá uair roimhe sin, 1998 agus 2003, ní raibh agam ach ceamara 35 mm. Tá sé in am anois dul chuig mo chuid deiridh den saoire, is é sin München. An uair seo rachaidh mé thar Schaffhausen, an Black Forest, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsburg agus München-Pasing. Fanfaidh mé i bpinsean, tabharfaidh mé cuairt ar thailte Oktoberfest ag an Theresienwiese, ceannóidh mé seinnteoir DVD a bheidh ag obair i SAM freisin, agus fiú beagán ama a chaitheamh i Salzburg, an Ostair. Beidh mé ag eitilt abhaile ar an 10 Lúnasa, trí Washington DC. Tá súil agam go mbeidh sibh go léir in éineacht liom don turas trí lá seo ar ais go SAM.

Ciao a tutti! La Street Parade del 2004 è stata piuttosto lunga per me. Questa è stata la prima volta che ho girato un video della parata. Le due volte precedenti, nel 1998 e nel 2003, avevo solo una telecamera da 35 mm. Ora è il momento di andare alla parte finale della mia vacanza, ovvero Monaco. Questa volta passerò da Sciaffusa, Foresta Nera, Stoccarda, Ulm, Augusta e Monaco-Pasing. Soggiornerò in una pensione, visiterò il Theresienwiese, il luogo dell'Oktoberfest, comprerò un lettore DVD che funzionerà anche negli Stati Uniti e trascorrerò anche un po' di tempo a Salisburgo, in Austria. Tornerò a casa il 10 agosto, passando per Washington DC. Spero che vi unirete tutti a me per questo viaggio di tre giorni di ritorno negli Stati Uniti.

Bonjour à tous ! La Street Parade 2004 a été assez longue pour moi. C'était la première fois que je filmais la parade. Les deux fois précédentes, en 1998 et 2003, je n'avais qu'une caméra 35 mm. Il est maintenant temps de me rendre à la dernière partie de mes vacances, à savoir Munich. Cette fois, je passerai par Schaffhouse, la Forêt-Noire, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsbourg et Munich-Pasing. Je logerai dans une pension, visiterai le terrain de l'Oktoberfest à la Theresienwiese, achèterai un lecteur DVD qui fonctionnera également aux États-Unis et passerai même un peu de temps à Salzbourg, en Autriche. Je prendrai l'avion pour rentrer chez moi le 10 août, via Washington DC. J'espère que vous me rejoindrez tous pour ce voyage de trois jours de retour aux États-Unis.

Hallo zusammen! Die Street Parade 2004 war für mich ziemlich lang. Dies war das erste Mal, dass ich ein Video von der Parade gemacht habe. Die beiden Male davor, 1998 und 2003, hatte ich nur eine 35-mm-Kamera. Jetzt ist es Zeit für meinen letzten Teil des Urlaubs, nämlich München. Diesmal werde ich Schaffhausen, den Schwarzwald, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsburg und München-Pasing besuchen. Ich werde in einer Pension übernachten, das Oktoberfestgelände auf der Theresienwiese besuchen, einen DVD-Player kaufen, der auch in den USA funktioniert, und sogar ein wenig Zeit in Salzburg, Österreich, verbringen. Ich werde am 10. August über Washington DC nach Hause fliegen. Hoffentlich begleitet ihr mich alle auf dieser dreitägigen Reise zurück in die USA.

Sunday 08 August 2004 It was a bit difficult to wake up by 7 AM, but I managed. I went downstairs to have breakfast. There were not many people downstairs, most of the guests were trying to recover from the previous night.

I took a shower, packed my bags, and then checked out. I took bus 33 to Morgental, changed to the tram 7 for HB, and about 10 AM, I boarded the train for Stuttgart via Rafz, Schaffhausen, Tuttlingen, Horb and Rottweil. The train passed by Rafz and the Rheinfalls in Eglisau ZH close to the border. The train crossed into Germany only for a short time, particularly between Lottstetten and Jestetten. At Schaffhausen, the final station in Switzerland, there was a border control activity. I did not get either my bags checked, nor my passport, they were only picking people at random. I was trying to listen to DRS3 on my radio, but as we crossed into Germany at Singen, in the Bundesland of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the DRS3 signal was gone.

Most of the route between Tuttlingen and Horb was single tracked. I remember riding this route in November 2002, when there was a rainstorm and a tree fell on the tracks. On 8th August 2004, the weather was very nice. The Black Forest was very nice to see. After Horb and Boeblingen, the single tracks became double tracks. It was a long time until the Stuttgart 21 project started, so the infrastructure of 2004 was not quite what it was today.

The train made a hooklike approach passing the former rail station of Heslach, through a tunnel, and at Rosensteinstrasse, the train made its southbound approach to the head station at Stuttgart. I had been through that station several times, at present, too many to remember how many times exactly. I remember May 1998, when I was waiting for the train from Paris Gare de l'Est to Munich, stopping at Stuttgart to change directions. On the AFN American radio station, 102.3 FM, I remember hearing "Love's taken over" by Chante Moore, and a bit of a talk show based in the USA being simulcast to Europe, not taking the time difference into account. This was my terminus for the afternoon until I could take a train to Munich. The Bonatzbau was still in its original late 1920's condition, long before it was renovated as part of Stuttgart 21. I was able to put my wheeled bag in a locker, for about 3 Euro. I rode the S-Bahn, with my already-valid Eurail Pass, to Rotebuehlplatz / Stadtmitte. There, I knew of a Doener Kebab place that would be open. I bought a Doener, with lettuce, cabbage, onion, tomato and yogurt sauce. It was excellent. I walked to Schlossplatz, stood there for a few minutes and then walked back to Hauptbahnhof at Arnulf Klett Platz.

About 2 PM, I boarded the ICE train to Munich Hbf. Until then, I was listening to country music (usually I do not) on the 102.3 FM AFN station. I found a first class seat somewhere in the first part of the train. Like the Stuttgart Hbf station, Munich Hbf is also a head station, and it is better to end up towards the front of the station, although with some trains ending up at different platforms, this is not always possible. The train went on its pre-Stuttgart 21 route of Bad Canstatt, Untertuerkheim, Goeppingen, Esslingen, Plochingen, Gingen an der Fils, Geislingen, Amstetten, Ulm, Guenzburg, Augsburg, Munich Pasing and Munich Hbf.

It was about 3:30 PM, when I arrived in Munich Hbf. My hotel was somewhere near St. Martins Platz near Giesing. I took the S Bahn to Ostbahnhof, and had to transfer to another line going towards Neuperlach and Holzkirchen. I just had to walk to close to the tram tracks for line 18 ran. I checked into my hotel. This hotel had an elevator, in comparison with the place where I stayed the previous year. For those trying to find where this is located, it has turned into a Servus Apartments along St. Martin Strasse, near the St. Martins Platz tram stop.

I wanted to go into the city center. I walked to the St Martin Platz tram stop. I waited for the line 18 to Giesing Bahnhof. Giesing Bahnhof is the station I used almost every day in Summer 1997 when going from home to work and back. At Giesing Bahnhof is the connection to the U-Bahn lines 2 and 8. At St Martins Platz is the south entrance to Ostfriedhof, or, East Cemetery. I was able to see a hearse, parked in the driveway. The line 18 tram arrived, and I rode two stops to Giesing, and transferred to the U Bahn. I had to wait only five minutes until a U2 would arrive. I changed to the U3 / U6 at Sendlinger Tor, and ended up at Marienplatz, the city hall location. I managed to visit the Frauenkirche, went as far as Lenbachplatz where in January 2002, I saw the new BMW 7 series (E65), but cannot remember where I ate supper. Back in August 2004, despite having lived in Munich during the summers of 1997 and 1998, I never had much appreciation for Bavarian food, so I might have likely ordered a Döner Kebab. In August 2003 I did eat supper at the Hofbräuhaus.

About 10 PM, I took the U Bahn back to Giesing, took the tram 18 to St Martins Platz, and went back to my hotel. I went to bed about 11 PM.

Monday 09 August 2004 I woke up about 7:30 AM. I took a shower and went to breakfast. After breakfast, I left the hotel, boarded the line 18 tram to Ostfriedhof, changed to the line 15 tram and rode to Silberhornstraße. In Summer 1997, that was my closest U-Bahn station, as St. Quirin Platz was only under construction. The U-Bahn platform for Silberhornstraße did not look much different from that of Giesing.

I took the U Bahn to Hbf, changed to the U4, and went to Theresienwiese. Theresienwiese happens to be the closest U Bahn station to the Oktoberfest grounds, also called "Wies'n". I was watching the Oktoberfest tents being prepared for that year's Oktoberfest, due to open on the third Friday of September of that year. As long as I stayed away from the heavy machinery, I was okay. I went to a Döner Kebab stand and ordered a Lahmacun. It was much less expensive than the one I ordered days earlier in Bern.

At Saturn Hansa, I wanted to buy a DVD player, one that would play DVDs, regardless of zone. I found a no-name player for about 400 Euro. It came with a rechargable battery, video cables and a remote control. I had asked for a tax refund receipt and I was told I could receive about 30 Euros as a rebate, that I had to ask for at the Franz Josef Strauß airport prior to leaving Germany. I also remembered to buy an adapter plug for use in the USA, our "Type A", as opposed to the "Type C" round pin plug, aka "Europlug" that the DVD player came with. As a first DVD, I bought "Das Superweib" starring Veronica Ferres. I remember it being released in 1997. I've also seen her in "Rossini", in January 1998, at a movie theater in San Francisco's Castro district, and there was a cocktail party thereafter.

Leaving Saturn Hansa, I walked to the Hermann-Lingg-Straße tram stop, and took a line 18 tram to Karlsplatz-Stachus. I walked as far as Marienplatz. I was not particularly thirsty at the time, so I did not stop at the Augustiner Stammhaus pub across Neuhauser Straße from the St Michael's church. After seeing all I wanted to see, I took the U Bahn back to Giesing and the tram line 18 back to the hotel, and left my new DVD player in my room. Then I went back to St Martins Platz and took the tram to Giesing, stopping at a local Grosso grocery store. I bought a few items, including a pint of Müllermilch in chocolate flavor.

I had at least a few hours left in the day to decide if I wanted to visit Salzburg or not. I took the S Bahn at Giesing to Munich Ostbahnhof, and took the InterCity train to Rosenheim. It arrived about 5:40 PM, according to the train destination sign. I rode it only as far as Rosenheim Hbf, because it would eventually go to Innsbruck and Bolzano/Bozen in Italy. I ordered a Döner Kebab at the local kebab shop close to Rosenheim Hbf. At 6:38 PM, I would catch the Regional Express to Salzburg, which stopped also at Bad Endorf, Prien, Übersee, Traunstein and Freilassing before crossing into Salzburg. After Freilassing, across the Saalach, there is a pile of wooden logs, and those belong to the Kaindl company that makes wooden flooring. The train skipped the local S Bahn stations between Taxham and Salzburg Hbf.

At the time, August 2004, Salzburg Hbf looked little different than June 1998, after Austria had joined the EU and had ascended to the group of nations participating in the Schengen scheme as early as December 1997. The old passport inspection station was still standing, but no passport checks happened on 9th August 2004. I bought a day pass for the Salzburg busses, though I did not have a need to ride the Lokalbahn, now the "S1" as part of the S Bahn network for Salzburg. I had already visited Lamprechtshausen and Trimmelkam OÖ back in June 1998, on the first day of summer for that year.

I think I walked along Haunsperger Straße towards the Salzach which flows to the north into the Inn, and eventually the Danube. One thing I saw was a monument dedicated to servicemen from Salzburg who fought and died in World War I. The sign even had an Edelweiss flower engraved. About 8 PM, it was time to head back to Munich. I went to the ÖBB traveler's lounge for a coffee and snacks. I remember June 1998 when I visited, I was able to order an actual meal there, when the lounge was an actual restaurant. I think it was chicken with cayenne pepper, and Liptauer cheese on toast.

About 9 PM, I took the Euro City train back to Munich Ostbahnhof, the S Bahn to Giesing and the tram 18 to St Martin Straße. I was tired and went to bed. I would have to wake up by 6 AM to be able to take the S Bahn to the airport, and fly home.

Tuesday 10 August 2004 Today would be the day when I would return home after two and a half weeks away. I had to wake up at 6 AM, take a shower, pack up and be ready to leave the hotel by 7 AM. I did that, and went to breakfast before checking out. I checked out, took tram 18 to Giesing and the S Bahn to Ostbahnhof, where I would change to S8 for the airport. I passed by my old neighborhood of Englschalking and Johanniskirchen, where I lived in Summer 1998. The train went underground at Ismaning, and remained at ground level until the Besucherterasse station, when it went back underground for the airport terminus.

I think I was at the airport at 8:30 AM, enough time to check in. I did not order a Döner Kebab at the time, but I took a photo of the big rotating stack. I had to find the flight for Dallas Fort Worth. It would depart about 11:30 AM. It was not particularly hot that day. I wanted to spend time at the Lufthansa lounge, but was there for maybe a half hour. I had to obtain my tax refund for the DVD player, so that would take some time. After going through security, I was able to board the plane. At the time, I was in economy class, and a "premium economy" option was not available back in August 2004. I managed just fine.

The flight was long, but I was able to ask for red wine to help me relax during the flight. I had some with my inflight meal. The inflight entertainment was as good as could be expected for a Boeing 767, with individual video channels.

About 3:30 PM that day, with a time change of seven hours, I landed at DFW airport, the "D" terminal on the Tarrant County side of DFW airport. I had to go through passport control, pick up my luggage and customs. I went to the ground transportation exit at Terminal D, and took a Super Shuttle bus back home. I think I arrived home by 5 PM. I had my keys so I could get back into my apartment. The next day, Wednesday 11 August 2004, I went back to work. I did not go back on vacation until 10 November 2004, when I would visit the Benelux, Trier and Cologne-Bonn.

Thank you for joining me in July/August 2004! Please join me again, when I visit The Benelux, Trier, Cologne and Bonn!

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