Konrad Ernst Soennecken has arrived...


OK, usually babies this young aren't what I would call cute. But little Konrad here is a special case. This one is acutely cute. The dude's got the disposition of a boy beyond his, well...months. Just try to avert his piercing gaze. He's already got the world figured out and is ruminating on his conclusions.

This precocious tot is the son of my cousins Brendan and Corey. He joined the planet about two weeks ago. He'll be heading over to Germany end of October. Kate and I hope he'll be staying a while. Congrats Corey and Bren - you've definitely got a little corner of the sun now!

Visit from Portland

I hadn't seen Ivan in about six years. He's an Edinboro, PA native who showed me and the high-school crew around the panhandle back in the day. We met his wife Tara and their one-year-old daughter Adha for the first time. The three of them are doing a tour of Europe, with four weeks to do it in. We were fortunate enough to see them twice during their ramble. The sights of Heidelberg were a given on the agenda.

Flirting with high dynamic range (HDR)

This is my first go at HDR images. If any of you Tramps Abroad viewers have worked with HDR before, I would very much appreciate some tips.

The first example was taken by Kate at St. Antimo in Tuscany. The second was taken outside Interlaken. The third was at Omaha Beach. Sorry for the watermark - it's still a trial version of the software.

Normal (click to enlarge)	HDR (click to enlarge)
Normal (click to enlarge)	HDR (click to enlarge)
Normal (click to enlarge)	HDR (click to enlarge)

It's pronounced like "Favre"


So what do Paris, France and Green Bay, Wisconsin have in common? They both celebrate icons whose names end in the utterly unutterable "vre". Yes, although Brett FaVRE has himself probably never been to the LouVRE, he does share with the museum this linguistic peculiarity.

So either the star quarterback has French forefathers, or a trapper from Wisconsin found serious favor in Louis the XV's court.

Anyway, here are a few shots and videos of our visit to this art trove. Kris enjoyed the variety of sculptures, paintings, and artifacts. Although nice to get the lowdown on prehistoric Mesopotamia, I think I would have rather seen a Packers game.

l'Alsace

The last Sunday before work starts again in full swing. Kate and I headed West to the Alsace region of France, where we visited the towns of Wissenbourg, Seebach, Hoffen, Hunspach, and even a bit of the Maginot Line. This region is only an hour from Heidelberg, it is the true birth place of Amish patchwork and was home to those who decided to call the New World "America." Who'd a thunk it? Below are some pics of these still mediaeval looking hamlets.

A frist go at Maki

Tired of putting down the cash for plates full of raw fish, Kate and I decided to try our luck with the salmonella gods and prepare our own maki and sushi. The verdict is still out, as we are still digesting, but I think we had a respectable premier. Foogoo, here we come.

Swedjin...as if one weren't enough

Given Kate and I put in longer hours than we'd like to, we thought it would be fair to the cat that she get a roomie. The name of the Beast is Swedjin. She is evil.

EURO 2008 atmosphere

Just a few shots of Heidelberg before the Euro 2008 finals. The entire country had mobilized for the deciding game, showing up at public viewing areas en mass. Here's a small sample of the Euro 2008 feeling.

Pan's Plunge

On May 29, getting on to 10 at night, Pan was playing innocently at our feet with a new toy, when something out of the window caught her eye. The last thing Kate and I saw was her hind quarters fly out the window.

She's fine now - a sort of bionic kitty, with a steel-pinned leg and an epoxy jaw.  We compiled this video to help Kate process the trauma and to help me deal with the shock of the vet bill.

Party in the Park

As a way to say thank you and goodbye to some of Kate's students, we hosted a small barbeque and corn-hole event. It was a great way to spend a Saturday - playing games and eating lots.

Thanks to everyone who came, and we missed the ones who couldn't make it.

Le Road Trip (Updated with Video)

We chomped off a large chunk of Western Europe this summer, hitting several touristy and not-so-touristy sites along the way: from Heidelberg to Paris, to Normandy, to Bruges, to Trier, through the Moselle Valley and back home. Here's the route; the video recap is now in there..


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San Fran for a Day

A small mix of business and pleasure. First visit to San Fran in nearly 20 years. Before meeting with the folks at Business Objects in San Jose, got to see a bit of the bay area and Silicon valley. Was amazed at how quickly you get into nature. A quick look at the city...

Kayaking? ...Nahe.

We've got nothin' on nature. After a strong performance on the Altmuhl last year, we were utterly humbled by the shallow and rocky waters of the River Nahe, about 60 km West Southwest of Mainz. We tallied a total of three instances of capsizing - the water wasn't exactly thermal-spring fed either.

Met a Samaritan after the second close encounter with the water. We all disembarked, and he drove us (and our kayaks) a ways to a better campground (I don't know where we would have staid that night if we hadn't met him out on the water). He even brought us blankets, a dry sleeping bag, a hot plate of steaming noodles and tomato sauce, and a bottle of wine later on that evening. We sat with him late into the night, watching him smoke cigars and talk about dirt bikes and wasted tax euros.

We are already scheduling our rematch with the River Nahe for next year...we'll make sure to call our Samaritan in advance.





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Visit to Auggen Revisited

Brenner was in town two weeks after our previous visit to Laurie and Ernie's place in Auggen. Didn't do much, but that was the best part.

Aunt and Uncle in Auggen

Got to sprint down Schwarzwald-way to visit Laurie and Ernie at the old winery in Auggen. They had some marvelous stories that day. A more recent one we caught on video:

Crete a la Karte

Music, video, and cartography: a little over-documentation. But you can cover more of the senses this way...all we need now is an odoriferous USB-stick. Anyway, for those who haven't been to Crete, let this lure you. So much to do that you can't plan for, and it wouldn't be as fun if you did.

The best way to navigate through the map is to click on "View Larger Map," below the lower left corner of the map. The photos embedded in the map are a nice touch - just click on the icons. The photos were taken more or less where the icons are on the map.


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Füüüüüüüßen: Part II

Yes, we are getting into video production...it gets the message across so much more vividly. The following is a video recap of the Sams' maiden trip across the pond - they are scheduled to arrive this summer for their next adventure. Look forward to seeing you Connie and Van!!

Matt and Dad in D-Land Video Recap

Just a quick revisiting of Dad and Matt's visit to Germany in the fall of last year - this time with the land-lover activities as well.




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London in a Day
One of the world's largest cities in one day...not easy. But we packed in quite a few sights, including a musical (joy). The video sums up our 24-hour tour of England's capital.

Donegal on horseback

It was back in 2005, but wanted to highlight Kris's first trip to Ireland nonetheless. She learned to ride quickly, and even galloped down the wooded trail avoiding every low-hanging branch and returning with only a slightly strained back.

We hope to see her in Europe again soon.