Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday December 8 2010 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
Back home from Munich again! Stupid me! I kindly invite you all to virtual come with me and…then I forget how to get in the website where I write my blog . SO sorry to let you down!! I normally start from my favourites and do not use the name .
But I did write down a few things in Munich, so here we go:
As last year Germany and Austria were special and great. I am blessed I can do all those nice things due to the soaring world I got , in ,in 1967.
My flight to Munich was easy going and though there was snow everywhere, the flight was not delayed by it.
Maria and Dieter welcomed me at the airport and on the way home, I enjoyed many things they showed me, as the Olympic Park where in 1972 the Olympics were held and the buildings still look fantastic and different , real spectacular architecture.
Also the soccer dome from Bayern Munich looks good , as well as the head-office from BMW built as a round building ,with a lot of characteristics as used for the Olympic village.
Next day we were up very early as we travelled by train through the snow landscape of Bayer to Austria. Quite an exciting trip, with more people in the train then fitted, so lot’ s were standing in the aisle and the train was so heavy that after climbing the locomotive gave up aboiut 30 km. before Salzburg, as the push-belt was broken. All those hundred’s of people had to go out and within 5 minutes we had to be in another train, going via stairs , then under the ground to the next railway. It all went well.
Already a year ago Maria ordered a real Wiener– Schnitzel -dinner in a fancy restaurant and every-time when guests left, the sign “reserved ” was placed. It was booked out all day.
The Advent play/singing was even more impressive as last year. It seemed to me that Josef and Maria who both are students at the opera school , felt better in their role. I had goose bumps several times.
We went back in the fast …..but wrong train from Budapest to Munich, which only stopped in Salzburg and straight brought us to Munich. We had tickets for the stop- train, but the people were very kind and after paying an extra amount, [not too bad,] we were home quicker and could go out, inside the big hall instead of outside, where it was pretty cold and the walk was less, which was good for Maria who broke her leg badly last year with Christmas and still needs a walking stick.
At 10 pm we had a drink and a bite to eat and we all went to bed with a very satisfied feeling. Salburg is just such a wonderful town!!!! Specially in Christmas time with the special market and special light decorations.
Sunday was a more easy going day with a visit to a Weihnachts/ Christmas _market in the neighbourhood. Still a more then an hour drive trough again a great landscape full of snow. Bad Tölz is a great and very sophisticated little town and the market went up to the top of the town. The other market was around the Benedict convent, where the stable was turned into a real authentic Christmas- market. Lot’s of things made by the monks as well. Had a real nice hot stuffed apple!!!
Monday was a rest day as the föhn hit and temperatures went up from minus 6 to plus 9 during the day. Lots of watery, slippery snow, due to heavy rain, so the rest-day was welcome. Yesterday we drove around the Starnberger lake. The lake is about 30 km long and 3 km wide. Sisi ,the empress Elisabeth from Austria, has lived there with her family before she met the emperor Frans. We had a nice coffee and cake looking out over the lake and to the Sisi-house.
Another interesting story around this lake is the maybe suicide of the King from Bayern Ludwig 1.Or maybe ..the mord on him , this will be ALWAYS a secret , which he took with him into the water and still keeps people busy. Me as well!!
On Wednesday I was back home again after a very quick flight with KLM; 20 minutes ahead on schedule. 10 out of 10 for KLM. It was colder here with -2 while Munich was still over 0. A great time with my nice and warm friends! THANKS!!!!
Found out that the top of a flat building in my town has been blown of by an explosion, killing one , the owner of the flat and injuring 4 more.
Preparing now for Tocumwal, Springhill and Tauranga, so Australia and New Zealand here I come, departing in 2 days on Saturday AND…the site- info is in my wallet now , so I will try to keep you updated.
In between life continued with some great flights in Namibia , 28 x 1000 km flights yesterday this time also with 18 m gliders!!! My friend Daan arrived in Pokweni and flew straight away on day 1 a 1000 km flight. Alexander Müller is back on track after a quick reparation of his ASW 22 and added 1.221 km to his already impressive list of 8 till now. Was it 15 last year???
Also Gariep Dam had a 1000 km flight. As I always say, when the weather is there it is so much easier….but….you still have to do it!
As I mentioned in an earlier mail, I got in touch via Facebook with the Perlan Project. They read that I wrote about them and the project manager Morgan Sandercock, gave me some more info, and do you know what is very interesting? He bought our duo discus with the demise of Sportavia, has refinished it , built in instruments which are going to be used as well in the Perlan glider and he flies it in the Hunter Valley. How small is this soaring world of ours;
Did you know we have a web site? www.perlanproject.com
The project has been underway for more than 10 years. Phase 1 of the project set the current glider altitude record at 50,000ft and that is only half of our final goal altitude. Phase 2 is building a new glider that is optimised for efficient flight at these extreme altitudes. This year we have had a lot of progress with new funding from Dennis Tito, the world’s first privately-funded astronaut, and we are well on the way to building the actual fuselage of the glider.
More news when I receive it. Just a quick blog cause I let you down, will do some more research tomorrow.
Will be back before I leave, cheers Ritz