Take a Vacation

[PaloAltoCougar]

A year ago, as I was dealing with the premature deaths (recent and about-to-happen) of two close friends and my brother, not to mention my far less serious personal health challenges, I went into trip planning overdrive, motivated both by the need for distraction and by the thought that one better do it while one can. We're now in the middle of trip one (Central Europe) and are having a fine time. We spent a couple of days in Berlin guided by a retired lieutenant colonel (Luftwaffe) who did postgraduate work at the Naval Institute in Monterey. So we got a lot of great military as well as general history, We're mow in Krakow which joins Salzburg as one of our favorite European cities--a fantastic, very well preserved medieval town. Highlights of the trip thus far: various Berlin wall sites and stories, Hitler's bunker site, the Reichstag, House of the Wannsee Conference (the Final Solution), Cecelienhof (Potsdam Conference), Grunau Regatta Course (where the Boys in the Boat won), Stalag Luft III (The Great Escape), Oskar Schindler's place, etc. We're five days in with another ten to go. I tend to over plan, but then, time is short.... Mrs. PAC is a great sport about all of this and serves as a fine photographer and documentarian.

[Jeff Lebowski]

A year ago, as I was dealing with the premature deaths (recent and about-to-happen) of two close friends and my brother, not to mention my far less serious personal health challenges, I went into trip planning overdrive, motivated both by the need for distraction and by the thought that one better do it while one can. We're now in the middle of trip one (Central Europe) and are having a fine time. We spent a couple of days in Berlin guided by a retired lieutenant colonel (Luftwaffe) who did postgraduate work at the Naval Institute in Monterey. So we got a lot of great military as well as general history, We're mow in Krakow which joins Salzburg as one of our favorite European cities--a fantastic, very well preserved medieval town. Highlights of the trip thus far: various Berlin wall sites and stories, Hitler's bunker site, the Reichstag, House of the Wannsee Conference (the Final Solution), Cecelienhof (Potsdam Conference), Grunau Regatta Course (where the Boys in the Boat won), Stalag Luft III (The Great Escape), Oskar Schindler's place, etc. We're five days in with another ten to go. I tend to over plan, but then, time is short.... Mrs. PAC is a great sport about all of this and serves as a fine photographer and documentarian.

Loving your wife's updates! Looks like a great trip.

[falafel]

A year ago, as I was dealing with the premature deaths (recent and about-to-happen) of two close friends and my brother, not to mention my far less serious personal health challenges, I went into trip planning overdrive, motivated both by the need for distraction and by the thought that one better do it while one can. We're now in the middle of trip one (Central Europe) and are having a fine time. We spent a couple of days in Berlin guided by a retired lieutenant colonel (Luftwaffe) who did postgraduate work at the Naval Institute in Monterey. So we got a lot of great military as well as general history, We're mow in Krakow which joins Salzburg as one of our favorite European cities--a fantastic, very well preserved medieval town. Highlights of the trip thus far: various Berlin wall sites and stories, Hitler's bunker site, the Reichstag, House of the Wannsee Conference (the Final Solution), Cecelienhof (Potsdam Conference), Grunau Regatta Course (where the Boys in the Boat won), Stalag Luft III (The Great Escape), Oskar Schindler's place, etc. We're five days in with another ten to go. I tend to over plan, but then, time is short.... Mrs. PAC is a great sport about all of this and serves as a fine photographer and documentarian.

Did you blow up that nasty dragon under ol' King Krak's palace?

[PaloAltoCougar]

Did you blow up that nasty dragon under ol' King Krak's palace?

Sadly, someone beat me to it. You can see the remains next to the cathedral entrance (although our guide whispered they were really parts of a mammoth and a whale)

[clackamascoug]

A year ago, as I was dealing with the premature deaths (recent and about-to-happen) of two close friends and my brother, not to mention my far less serious personal health challenges, I went into trip planning overdrive, motivated both by the need for distraction and by the thought that one better do it while one can. We're now in the middle of trip one (Central Europe) and are having a fine time. We spent a couple of days in Berlin guided by a retired lieutenant colonel (Luftwaffe) who did postgraduate work at the Naval Institute in Monterey. So we got a lot of great military as well as general history, We're mow in Krakow which joins Salzburg as one of our favorite European cities--a fantastic, very well preserved medieval town. Highlights of the trip thus far: various Berlin wall sites and stories, Hitler's bunker site, the Reichstag, House of the Wannsee Conference (the Final Solution), Cecelienhof (Potsdam Conference), Grunau Regatta Course (where the Boys in the Boat won), Stalag Luft III (The Great Escape), Oskar Schindler's place, etc. We're five days in with another ten to go. I tend to over plan, but then, time is short.... Mrs. PAC is a great sport about all of this and serves as a fine photographer and documentarian.

Be sure to catch the place where Nena let go of the 99 Luftballons.

[happyone]

A year ago, as I was dealing with the premature deaths (recent and about-to-happen) of two close friends and my brother, not to mention my far less serious personal health challenges, I went into trip planning overdrive, motivated both by the need for distraction and by the thought that one better do it while one can. We're now in the middle of trip one (Central Europe) and are having a fine time. We spent a couple of days in Berlin guided by a retired lieutenant colonel (Luftwaffe) who did postgraduate work at the Naval Institute in Monterey. So we got a lot of great military as well as general history, We're mow in Krakow which joins Salzburg as one of our favorite European cities--a fantastic, very well preserved medieval town. Highlights of the trip thus far: various Berlin wall sites and stories, Hitler's bunker site, the Reichstag, House of the Wannsee Conference (the Final Solution), Cecelienhof (Potsdam Conference), Grunau Regatta Course (where the Boys in the Boat won), Stalag Luft III (The Great Escape), Oskar Schindler's place, etc. We're five days in with another ten to go. I tend to over plan, but then, time is short.... Mrs. PAC is a great sport about all of this and serves as a fine photographer and documentarian.

sounds fantastic!

The bolded part sound right up my alley

I was never able to go to Berlin when I lived in Germany as a teenager due to my Dad's job - its one place I would really like to see

[Bo Diddley]

Looks like we're finally getting our dates for the Japan trip firmed up. May 2025. Taking Bo Jr and his wife. I'm the odd man out on Tokyo Disney. They all want to go and think I'm crazy for wanting skip it. Two full days there out of our two week trip.

We're looking at spending time in Ishigaki, so I was considering flying back from Taiwan but Im not seeing direct flights between the two online.

[happyone]

Looks like we're finally getting our dates for the Japan trip firmed up. May 2025. Taking Bo Jr and his wife. I'm the odd man out on Tokyo Disney. They all want to go and think I'm crazy for wanting skip it. Two full days there out of our two week trip.

We're looking at spending time in Ishigaki, so I was considering flying back from Taiwan but Im not seeing direct flights between the two online.

Besides Tokyo Disney, where are you planning on going in Japan? I would recommend Kyoto if you have the time. I was on my mission there more yrs ago than I care to remember

[Bo Diddley]

Besides Tokyo Disney, where are you planning on going in Japan? I would recommend Kyoto if you have the time. I was on my mission there more yrs ago than I care to remember

I think Kyoto is on the list. Hiroshima for sure and Fukuoka. Possibly Ishigaki. We need to get a good itinerary in place next.

[PaloAltoCougar]

image_13690.jpg We’ve been having a superb time in the Alps as some you have seen in Mrs. PAC’s IG posts, including parasailing high above Neuschwanstein, some spectacular hikes, and hanging out at Piz Gloria (Blofeld’s lair in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). Here’s the view from our hotel balcony in Muerren where I just finished my prolix response to Uncle Ted. (From left to right the peaks are Eiger, Moenchsberg, and Jungfrau). Retirement is going reasonably well.

[Northwestcoug]

image_13690.jpg We’ve been having a superb time in the Alps as some you have seen in Mrs. PAC’s IG posts, including parasailing high above Neuschwanstein, some spectacular hikes, and hanging out at Piz Gloria (Blofeld’s lair in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). Here’s the view from our hotel balcony in Muerren where I just finished my prolix response to Uncle Ted. (From left to right the peaks are Eiger, Moenchsberg, and Jungfrau). Retirement is going reasonably well.

Now those are some mountains. Beautiful.

I was going to say why are you posting here on vacation. But here I am posting while camping on the coast…

[Moliere]

image_13690.jpg We’ve been having a superb time in the Alps as some you have seen in Mrs. PAC’s IG posts, including parasailing high above Neuschwanstein, some spectacular hikes, and hanging out at Piz Gloria (Blofeld’s lair in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). Here’s the view from our hotel balcony in Muerren where I just finished my prolix response to Uncle Ted. (From left to right the peaks are Eiger, Moenchsberg, and Jungfrau). Retirement is going reasonably well.

Lauterbrunnen and the surrounding area is one of my favorite places on earth. Hopefully you make it to Zermatt, which is my favorite place in Switzerland.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Lauterbrunnen and the surrounding area is one of my favorite places on earth. Hopefully you make it to Zermatt, which is my favorite place in Switzerland.

We stayed three nights in Zermatt and it’s as great as you’ve described. I know I’m getting obnoxious but here’s the missus on our room’s balcony terrace.IMG_3199.jpeg

[Clark Addison]

image_13690.jpg We’ve been having a superb time in the Alps as some you have seen in Mrs. PAC’s IG posts, including parasailing high above Neuschwanstein, some spectacular hikes, and hanging out at Piz Gloria (Blofeld’s lair in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). Here’s the view from our hotel balcony in Muerren where I just finished my prolix response to Uncle Ted. (From left to right the peaks are Eiger, Moenchsberg, and Jungfrau). Retirement is going reasonably well.

I think that you and Joseph Heller are the only people I know who have used the word "prolix". Maybe I hang out with an uneducated crowd.

Looks awesome.

[Bo Diddley]

Sweet! That was a trip we had planned in 2020 that we had to cancel. Hopefully we'll get there before too long.

I remember seeing parasailers down there last year. That sounds fun, but maybe a little crazy?