Bottle Drop

A "Bottle Drop" location has opened up in Bend. I've been there once. Too early to say if this is an improvement on the previous system. But that is no longer an option since the Bottle Drop replaced and displaced the old system of returning cans and bottles to the retail store that sold them to you in the first place. They do have lots of machines and real people to help if you have a problem. They have bathrooms and a wash station, so it's actually quite nice. It's just farther away from home than the local Albertson's where we used to go. 
When I went it was busy, but I didn't have to wait at all. The only thing that seemed kind of sketchy was some questionable people hanging around out front. I wonder if that was a one time occurrence or if they will become a permanent feature of the area. Nobody accosted me or asked me for money or bottles, it was just weird that they were there.

Reading into the Past

Since our trip to Eastern Europe almost two years ago I have been reading up on the medieval history of that part of the world. It's fascinating to learn about all the (mostly religious) schisms that caused these territories to change hands so many times throughout history. The constant struggle for power and control of the people has led to the wars, slavery, torture, genocide and diaspora that continue to this day. 

Recycle Time

I've been slacking off on posting since last year, but I 'm looking to renew things now. I'd like to reemphasize the fact that German deposit rates on bottles are $.25. I just looked up the recycling rates across the United States and noticed that the highest return is in Michigan, with 91%, the only state with a deposit of $.10, highest in the US. Maybe we should jack it up a bit here in Oregon.

Home Again

It sure is nice to get back home where one is comfortable and surrounded by adequate research materials. It sure beats being hunched over a tiny netbook in a hotel room or a laundromat with questionable internet security.

BTW Heidi did her job and their team won State Champion in Hippology and Horse Bowl, and second in Horse Judging.

I personally took all the pictures in this blog (except for what's in the links and the map of the cruise path at the beginning). Maggie lost a jacket on a bus or the cruise ship, but aside from that I think the only trace we left on the continent was a shadow.

I wonder why they call this Greenland? Maybe the world was a lot warmer at one time? Oh Yeah, It was! Pretty sure it wasn't my fault that time. New evidence seems to suggest that it had to do with dinosaur farts. Oh wait, that was way too long ago. It was probably the Vikings fault, who named it Greenland in the first place. They could have been lactose intolerant, but had to eat a lot of cheese and cruciferous vegetables anyway. Stupid farts!

On the other hand the green hills in California have already started turning brown. It's the circle of life. Some circles are just bigger than others.


Home Again! That being said, the trip was educational for us and and worth it  I hope it was educational for you as well.

Berlin II

We stayed in Berlin for two days and we saw a lot of stuff.  Most of it is geared towards tourists, or businessmen, but what is there about the classic life here?  The Trabant vehicle was an icon in the '70s & 80s. A two cycle example of socialist efficiency. Many businesses are now built around them. They probably make more money off them now than they ever did when they were the only gig in town.

The Berlin Wall is a source of income too. One can buy a postcard with a tiny piece of the wall in it for a couple of Euros.
We found out a little too late about an open air museum, the Topography of Terror, a few blocks from our hotel that chronicled the history of Nazi oppression. We got there fifteen minutes before they closed right before we left Germany.

Berlin Again

We got a sendoff from a couple of KGB agents. They were very lively, and I'm tellin' ya, these guys know everything about everything. Actually there were  lots of street shows just like this in Dresden and Berlin. People capitalizing on the communist past. Ironic isn't it?

It's Spargelzeit in Europe in Spring, and that seems to be a very big deal. Asparagus is everywhere, in every restaurant, and in every street market. Most asparagus is eaten white in Germany & Austria, it's way more tender and less bitter than we are used to, in fact they call it "edible ivory". It has to be kept in the dark to remain white, so it's a time-consuming job to keep it covered.





We had some time to visit one or two more out of the way places. Spandau is a suburb of Berlin where there are a couple of churches and a citadel that date from the 16th century. These guys used a lot of bricks.   

These statues used to be on a main thoroughfare, the Siegesallee, but after a long and winding road, including being buried for a time, they ended up here, in Spandau Citadel. 

We had an hour or so in the morning to shop for goodies that we have a real hard time acquiring in the US, things which are abundant in the smallest grocery market in Germany. Salad dressing, candy and snack items that we like but just can't get back home without spending an arm and a leg. Funny thing though, the cheapo grocery outlet in Germany, Aldi Markt, is intimately related to Trader Joe's. One man's generic house brand is another man's exotic delicacy. It's all about location.


Well the time has come to think about closing the door on this particular chapter. We are heading home tomorrow which means about thirty six hours of travel, most of which will involve sitting in a small compartment for an extended period of time. At least there's a view. Anyway we hop on a plane to Munich about noon, then a few hours later we fly to San Francisco. We'll leave for Bend by car a few hours after that. I'll try to update this blog when I have time and try to elaborate and embellish previous posts as I can. Thanks for your attention. Talk to you all soon. Feel free to email me or send comments. I'll address what I can.

Berlin - Das Kapital

After a couple of days getting to know and appreciate Dresden, especially the outskirts, Maggie and I finally pulled into Berlin. Of course this city was totally obliterated by the end of the war, and any kind of original buildings are few and far between. There's not even an attempt to recreate whatever was here before.


About the only thing I saw that looked old-school was the Berliner Dom - a protestant cathedral near the museum quarter.

We spent the day in the Museum. Berlin has a Museum Insel- "Museum Island", where there are five State Sponsored Museums devoted to art and history. Serious Stuff; really big with no fluff. Guards everywhere, no guns, but radios. I bet they could have called in a SWAT team inside of thirty seconds if anybody tried anything. They made us check our coats and our backpacks. They have exhibits of artifacts from ancient prehistory, Egyptian, Greek and Roman relics, up to modern artwork. Of course I like the old stuff best. Unfortunately the Russians stole Schliemann's Trojan treasure that he stole from the Turks, and only copies are on display in Berlin.

After we had had enough of the museums for the day, we can go back tomorrow, we walked down the street to the Brandenburg Gate. Today is May Day - International Workers' Day, and we had a little concern because as recently as 2010 riots occurred here between Right and Left political parties on May Day. But that wasn't happening today. People were everywhere. It was pretty warm, food stands and beer tents abounded, bands and street actors performed, and we all partied like it was 1989. It turns out that some problems surfaced after dark.

There are reminders everywhere about the wall and the division, the way it was there for thirty years or so. Of course, capitalism is at its best now; one can buy various souvenirs with this logo on it.

Potsdamer Platz

Here's an example of Berliner style.