People don’t take trips . . . trips take people.
– John Steinbeck –
Jul 2, 2012
Sunday Morning in Biarritz
Biarritz, a French vacation resort on the Atlantic coast, is a busy little town. There are so many people out and about to do their shopping on Sunday morning. Germany, in comparison, looks like a ghost town around this time of day.
In France, all centre ville shops and markets are open until 13:00. I had almost forgotten how much fun shopping in France can be, in every sense of the way.
Lining up at the pâtisserie in Biarritz
Pâtisserie goodies
Sunday morning shoppers
At the market in Biarritz
Mozzarella wrap with greens and dried tomatoes
Fruits confits – wonderful display at the marché
Dried peppers – a local specialty
Most shopping is done on foot and beware of parking difficulties when coming to Biarritz.
Hard to find a spot and when you do, use your feet around town.
May 17, 2012
Father’s Day in Germany
The German public holiday Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day) is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter Monday.
This has been a holiday since 1936, although it was not celebrated in the GDR between 1967 and 1989.
The same day is also known as Vatertag (Father’s Day) and many clubs and organizations hold their annual parties, mostly for drinking. This is a day when some fathers, do not spend any time with their families, but with other men (drinking buddies) instead.
We went to the Schützenhof again as we do every year. The fest itself seems to get smaller and so does the menu selection – they only had steaks and Bratwurst available, but it was good as always.
Bollerwagen on Father's Day in Germany
This year, we only saw guys with a Bollerwagen, a hand-drawn cart for drinking supplies. Wonder what happened to the guys coming up on tractors and wagons on Father’s Day, such as in previous years.
Austerity measures?
May 15, 2012
Booking Korean Air Flights on Facebook
From today’s issue (15 May 2012) of the Global Edition of the New York Times:
Yesterday, Korean Air stated that passengers could book tickets now through its Facebook fan page. In addition, starting May 31, the airline counts baggage by piece, instead of by weight, which would allow for more weight in most cases.
I flew Korean Air on my last trip to Asia four weeks ago. I had the best customer service experience with the airline – both on ground and board.
Visit Korean Air on Facebook for more information.
Jul 10, 2009
Rental Home on Faial
Our preferred way of spending the holidays is to rent a whole house for our family. This time we found our holiday home at azoreshigh which offers self-catering rental homes on Faial (among other related items).
The home we had rented, Casa do Vale, in Almoxarife is a beautiful traditional house, was modernised, extended, and lies in a sheltered valley. Walking to the black sand beach only took two minutes!!
In the morning we would wake up with lots of bird singing and farm animal greetings. The house stands at the far end of one of the village roads. After Casa do Vale, the road turns into a dirt road…
Welcome to Casa Do Vale!
The front area with more garden extending to the left
living room
azoreshigh has a good selection of rental opportunities.
Edited 23 March 2013: Our former rental home is no longer on the list. But I hope you find something you like.
