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Baden Baden then Up Up Up into the Swiss Alps

We are in Kandersteg, high in the Alps. It only took about a half hour of nose bleed and shortness of breath to adjust... Then, a stroll through this tiny ski town. We browsed this art in a street window, met the artist and her old Jack Russell, and took a picture. Note the mountain reflection in the window.

Well, it came out sideways, but (after an easy trip on impeccable German roads) Greetings from Switzerland! By the way, it's snowing.
Of course we had to stop in a classic German bakery, where the linzer torte smiled at us. I wish I didn't feel just a tiny bit creepy every where I go in this country.



And in the same restaurant, our lil 'ol Mississippi girl had her very own pickaninny.





After the baths (no pictures) we had dinner in a little Czech/German restaurant. The ceiling was hung with antique instruments from an old oompah band. In the corner was a little kitchy homage to a lost community-- a bad painting of a klezmer band.

from Baden Baden up up up into the Swiss Alps

A night at the BadenBaden baths

Susasn here:
We found one of the older bath houses in Baden Baden and took the hot and cold plunges, plus a salt scrub. It was soooo refreshing. Afterwards I had liver dumplings with sauerbraten. Many crazy turns later we finally crashed. Todday we are in snow in the Berner Oberland, Kandersteg Switzerland.

Now looking for the baths in Baden-Baden

Susan here:

After a very quiet flight to Franfurt, I took control of our petite hyundai and hit the autobahn. Leah promises to learn to drive a stick before our next trip. A sunny, clear drive and time for a glass of wine. Too bad the vineyard above our gasthaus is not with fruit.

Time to soak.

We're Off!

Sitting on the floor at the Lufthansa gate. Gotta be plugged in, because I didn't get a new battery and this one won't hold a charge. Leah's asleep in her chair. Must wake her to board. So many rollerboards at head level when you sit this low.

Will be in Frankfurt in ten hours.

Xian and Beyond

From Susan
Starting on 10/19-21/08

So now I'll tell you about what Leah won't, the non deluxe train trips. When we jumped the train in Datong, I let the CITS agent book the cheapest seat to Beijing with the balance of our ticket, hard seat.



After seeing the glazed tile nine dragon screen, we found one of the lesser temples under restoration. One quick loop through the grounds showed us a five dragon screen off the courtyard. We ran for the train to find that hard seat means "with humanity one rides". There were about 180 of us on the carriage. Two manly young men helped boost our 75 + pound bags to the upper rack; then we sat and sat. I bought pomegranate from the aisle vendor and watched the landscape. We then got a new seat mate who didn't have much to say, but was photogenic.



He wore the typical ass out romper for toilet training, but we did not buy him. At the next stop 70 more people were added to the aisle. They had purchased tickets with no assigned seats simply to return for the work week in Beijing. Leah was not well for this.

We spend two days in Beijing shipping heavy clothes used in Mongolia and enjoy some of the simple life of the park and the hutong.




I arrive only slightly worse for the wear. Buying milk on the way to the hotel, a grandmother at a stand tries to charge me 5 Y, for being western. I drop the pouch, back off from the stall. Her ever weary 50 something son sighs at his mother and sells it to me for 2 Y. Gotta watch those elders. I convence them we need to check in at 9 AM. Leah takes a spa day. Our respective Xian posts are earlier in the blog.