European Vacations

 

As many of you may have noticed I'm not cooking very much these days. (We aren't eating too well, either.)

Renovations of our wonderful old house keep us busy-when we aren't producing or editing for television.

Nearing the end of our stewardship of this fabulous house, we are in the final renovations . . .updating bathrooms-adding much needed storage and general re-decoration.

One of the hidden pleasures of all this hard work is stumbling upon keepsakes from our travels abroad. This hand-painted champagne flute is a perfect example of a great summer vacation spent along the Rhine River in Germany. After discovering UNTours on Oprah we rented a roomy apartment in Baccarach, Germany.

I think we rented our apartment for two weeks-giving us plenty of time to explore, relax and enjoy local history. We attended a summer festival along the Rhine in Bopart, sipped local wines at a 400-year old winery in nearby Cologne and drifted quietly along the Rhine River-experiencing the mystery of the Lorelei; a sheer rock reputed to have claimed the lives of young sailors. . . lured by the song of a beautiful young maiden.

My flute was scored in Rudesheim-a tourist destination that typically we would avoid. Friendly Germans suggested we should experience it once and I was glad we did. Narrow streets, beer gartens, nutcrackers and outdoor restaurants-reminded me of class tours we enjoyed as military brats back in the 60's.

Up and down the Rhine River we floated with our teachers on field trips!

Even as a child I was aware the food was fabulous. The museums have provided me with a lifetime of memories and the pristine villages have drifted in and out of pleasant dreams for over forty years!
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