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  • It's awesome how Crockett has the Doner shacks scoped out all over Germany. It's actually invaluable information. Doners are cheap and some are really tasty, and others will give you fiarrhea.
    Part of it is based on academic grounds. Among major conferences, the Pac-10 is the best academically, largely because of Stanford, Cal and UCLA. “Colorado is on a par with Oregon,” he said. “Utah isn’t even in the picture.”

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    • Originally posted by Color Me Badd Fan View Post
      I spent quite a bit of time on my mission in Heidelberg. The castle is kind of boring. I've also heard that Neuschwanstein is pretty lame. It was build after the civil war.

      My parents went on a trip to Germany last year and have a few tourist books hanging around. There's a place called Eltz Castle that I didn't even know was in my mission. It's around the Koblenz area where I never spent any significant amount of time. Unlike Heidelberg, it will be off the beaten path.

      I recently heard about this. Totally off the radar for most. I'd like to go sometime.

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      • Originally posted by PaloAltoCougar View Post
        If pretty much any else on this board had asked me that, I'd dismiss the snark and go Julie Andrews (see below) on them. But you are a man among boys and without guile, so I can simply answer, "Yes." More than fifty years after the movie, it's still a booming business in Salzburg.



        In my feeble defense, it's been literally been 45 yrs (fall of '72) since I've been there and neither of my brothers (who were stationed in Germany as late as the '00s during their military careers) were around to ask

        As for Heidelberg, The castle is literally a ruin, kind of like Kennilworth in England if you're familiar with it - IRRC Napoleon destroyed it. They have some fantastic fireworks shows with it as a background if you're there at the right time. Also the US Army has pulled out so you probably won't run into many "ugly Americans"
        Last edited by happyone; 10-06-2017, 02:10 PM.

        I may be small, but I'm slow.

        A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, "The United States of America ", for an amount of "up to and including my life - it's an honor."

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        • The NWC Family European trip, thought dead in 2017, was just completed in the UK. After two weeks of walking in England, Wales, and Scotland, we are exhausted. But it was a great trip.

          Highlights:

          Oxford area. A walking tour of Oxford, Stonehenge, and Bath. I loved Oxford. A vibrant area with a bunch of bike riders. I initially didn't want to do Stonehenge, but you gotta do it. It was interesting and worth it. Go in the morning for less tourists. And to really beat the crowds, go the day before summer equinox . We just spent half a day in Bath and did the Roman bath tour. Very interesting and a neat town, but I probably wouldn't go again.

          The Cotswolds. Probably my favorite. We stayed in Stow for 3 days. Loved the common architecture throughout the towns. We did a small hike to the Slaughters and Burton-on-the-Water, which led through some gorgeous scenery.

          Wales. Just a half day there, and I would have liked more. We went to the Llangwm and Usk area, mainly to see some sites from Mrs. NWC's clan. We were able to see the farmhouse that her family used to live in, as well as the medieval chapel they used to worship at. That was pretty cool. And the Usk Castle is free, not busy, and has lovely scenery.

          Edinburgh. 4 days here. Edinburgh Castle is great. Make time for the Scottish War Museum there. The hike up to Arthur's seat is highly recommended. It was about this time that we were losing a little steam walking around historical sites. We had initially decided against a highlands bus tour so we could go to Hollyrood Castle, but the kids really didn't have much appetite for another castle so we pivoted and did the bus. It's a long 12 hour tour, but it was a good option for us to see the highlands. I think there's enough up there for a multi-day trip, so we may be coming back.

          London for 4 days. If we were to plan again, I think we might have started at London. We were pretty tired by then and there's just so many things to do there. Our early morning wake-ups to see 2 sites a day plan quickly delved to late mornings and one site a day. Still, we saw the Tower of London, the British Historical Museum, and Westminster Abbey. All of these are highly recommended. I thought the Abbey was better than most of the big hitters in Italy. On our last night, 2 males were outvoted by 4 females, and we saw Wicked. It was actually a nice production. Would have loved to see so much more in London. The hop on hop off tour is recommended to get your bearings around town. Grateful we didn't drive in London.

          I'm so glad all of us went. The older kids got an appreciation for the history of it all. Even surly baby daughter enjoyed the sites. If this was the last hurrah for NWC family big vacations, we couldn't have done much better. I'm expecting Mrs. NWC and I will go back alone.

          A few general things:

          We Air bnb'd the whole trip. Had we not done so, we would have been renting 2 hotel rooms every night. Most owners are super helpful and courteous. It really is the best way to do family trips.

          Driving is nerve-racking there. We drove the first week of the trip, and it was only at the end where I felt somewhat comfortable. It's just really hard to do the opposite of what has been reflex for decades. If you drive there, make sure you have a patient navigator who is watching the roads as closely as you are. I was surprised at how many times I forgot to check the correct lane when turning. Don't bother with renting 'sat-navs'. Google or Apple maps work better than Garmin.

          For Flystripper and MP, cask ales are interesting to try, but flatter and warmer than regular tap beers. Try a couple at different places. Regular ales are good. I even had some decent local IPAs there.
          "...you pointy-headed autopsy nerd. Do you think it's possible for you to post without using words like "hilarious," "absurd," "canard," and "truther"? Your bare assertions do not make it so. Maybe your reasoning is too stunted and your vocabulary is too limited to go without these epithets."
          "You are an intemperate, unscientific poster who makes light of very serious matters.”
          - SeattleUte

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          • Originally posted by Northwestcoug View Post
            The NWC Family European trip, thought dead in 2017, was just completed in the UK. After two weeks of walking in England, Wales, and Scotland, we are exhausted. But it was a great trip.
            Wow! Sounds like a fabulous trip.

            For my first driving experience in England I landed in London, rented a car, and drove to Wallingford. It was a stick so between shifting with my left hand, steering on the wrong side of the road, and navigating with a map (pre-GPS era), it was intense! Also, it was night-time.

            Took our kids there a few years ago and drove all over and had a blast.
            "There is no creature more arrogant than a self-righteous libertarian on the web, am I right? Those folks are just intolerable."
            "It's no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it's sanctimony." -- Guy Periwinkle, The Nix.
            "Juilliardk N I ibuprofen Hyu I U unhurt u" - creekster

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            • Originally posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
              Wow! Sounds like a fabulous trip.

              For my first driving experience in England I landed in London, rented a car, and drove to Wallingford. It was a stick so between shifting with my left hand, steering on the wrong side of the road, and navigating with a map (pre-GPS era), it was intense! Also, it was night-time.

              Took our kids there a few years ago and drove all over and had a blast.
              The UK has been the only place in Europe the I have driven and not received a random ticket from some automated radar speed control. Go England!
              "You interns are like swallows. You shit all over my patients for six weeks and then fly off."

              "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. It's my fault for overestimating your competence."

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              • Originally posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
                Wow! Sounds like a fabulous trip.

                For my first driving experience in England I landed in London, rented a car, and drove to Wallingford. It was a stick so between shifting with my left hand, steering on the wrong side of the road, and navigating with a map (pre-GPS era), it was intense! Also, it was night-time.

                Took our kids there a few years ago and drove all over and had a blast.
                Yikes! That's a couple of levels of advancement I'm glad I didn't have to achieve.

                We had a van, so at least part of the stress was due to my wide berth. When we pulled into Waverly Station without an accident we counted ourselves lucky.
                "...you pointy-headed autopsy nerd. Do you think it's possible for you to post without using words like "hilarious," "absurd," "canard," and "truther"? Your bare assertions do not make it so. Maybe your reasoning is too stunted and your vocabulary is too limited to go without these epithets."
                "You are an intemperate, unscientific poster who makes light of very serious matters.”
                - SeattleUte

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                • Yeah, sounds awesome NW.
                  Give 'em Hell, Cougars!!!

                  For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

                  Not long ago an obituary appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune that said the recently departed had "died doing what he enjoyed most—watching BYU lose."

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                  • Congrats on such a great trip, NW. if you don't mind reporting, what are the ages of your kids?

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                    • Originally posted by PaloAltoCougar View Post
                      Congrats on such a great trip, NW. if you don't mind reporting, what are the ages of your kids?
                      Oldest 23, youngest 15. With 2-3 years difference between each.
                      "...you pointy-headed autopsy nerd. Do you think it's possible for you to post without using words like "hilarious," "absurd," "canard," and "truther"? Your bare assertions do not make it so. Maybe your reasoning is too stunted and your vocabulary is too limited to go without these epithets."
                      "You are an intemperate, unscientific poster who makes light of very serious matters.”
                      - SeattleUte

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Northwestcoug View Post
                        Oldest 23, youngest 15. With 2-3 years difference between each.
                        Thx. When we did Europe with kids we only took those older than 14 or so, leaving younger ones behind with relatives (to everyone's delight, except perhaps the relatives). Glad everyone had a good time.

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                        • Originally posted by PaloAltoCougar View Post
                          Thx. When we did Europe with kids we only took those older than 14 or so, leaving younger ones behind with relatives (to everyone's delight, except perhaps the relatives). Glad everyone had a good time.
                          Yeah, I don't think we would have done it with younger kids. As it was, the youngest two were always waiting at the end of the tour or museum for the more engaged ones. Still, I'm surprised at what they took in. My son couldn't wait to meet up with me at the National Museum. He took me up to an obscure corner which had a 15th century map of Venice which enthralled him. Didn't care too much for the Rosetta Stone, yet he spent 20 minutes studying an old map. Go figure.
                          "...you pointy-headed autopsy nerd. Do you think it's possible for you to post without using words like "hilarious," "absurd," "canard," and "truther"? Your bare assertions do not make it so. Maybe your reasoning is too stunted and your vocabulary is too limited to go without these epithets."
                          "You are an intemperate, unscientific poster who makes light of very serious matters.”
                          - SeattleUte

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by Northwestcoug View Post
                            Yeah, I don't think we would have done it with younger kids. As it was, the youngest two were always waiting at the end of the tour or museum for the more engaged ones. Still, I'm surprised at what they took in. My son couldn't wait to meet up with me at the National Museum. He took me up to an obscure corner which had a 15th century map of Venice which enthralled him. Didn't care too much for the Rosetta Stone, yet he spent 20 minutes studying an old map. Go figure.
                            Unless you can read ancient Greek, the Rosetta stone is pretty boring. The map is far more interesting with boats and bridges and canals and houses to look at.

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                            • Originally posted by BigFatMeanie View Post
                              Unless you can read ancient Greek, the Rosetta stone is pretty boring. The map is far more interesting with boats and bridges and canals and houses to look at.
                              Even if you can it is pretty boring. What's interesting about the Rosetta Stone is not the text per se, but the fact that the text is given in three different languages, including previously untranslatable Egyptian languages. It's interesting as a historical artifact.
                              τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατέλλοντα πλείονες ἢ δυόμενον προσκυνοῦσιν

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                              • I love this thread.


                                We had a family reunion 3 weeks ago in Utah and we spent half of it puking our guts out. 5 of the 6 in my family got the stomach bug (the 1 year old was the only one that made it through unscathed), 2 of my sisters got it and 12 nephews and nieces got it. Good times.

                                We have a redo with a 10 day trip to California starting next week. It better be good.

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