Hi all,
This is Maria, 1.5 years of busyness!
Today we checked out of the Park Hotel. A 5 star hotel but it was nice to put Bremen in the rear view. Quick ride over to the “HbF” and up the elevator to Platform 6, where the ICE537 was waiting for us. We found our seats with little trouble and settled in for the 6 hour ride to Munich. It has been raining for most of our ride and Jenny does not do well with the constant motion. She has had a little lunch and a Zofran and is now zonked out with her heating pad on. We are off to see family and await our next long ride across the pond. The ride on the train is very nice and is a great way to travel. It is too bad the USA does not have something this nice, fast and convenient. I would pick this way to travel if we did.
The German countryside is interesting. It seems Germany has embraced renewable energy more thoroughly than the U.S. There are lots of big wind mills and there are more than a few houses that have covered their roofs with solar panels. I find it interesting that Germany has decided to get away from Nuclear energy by 2022. They plan on making up the difference in energy lost to nuclear by increasing wind energy by something like 15-20% and increasing energy efficiency by 10% over current levels. In the USA we just stated we are going to reduce incandescent light bulb use. I think we are a few years behind everyone else on this one. Gas in Germany is around 1.50 Euro a liter which is 6 Euro a gallon which at 1.46 exchange rate is 8.76 a gallon. I think I will quit crying every time I fill up at home. Our new friends from Oklahoma were asking the taxi driver on the way from Stenum to Bremen where all the Pickups were; her reply was if you see one, then the person driving is VERY rich.
Travel is a great way of seeing how to live life better. I wonder what Maria thinks.
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Interesting post. Glad to know you were able to make the trip somewhat enjoyably. Your observations on energy are most noteworthy. There are many folks, generally called environmental nuts here in the US, who have been making these points for years. We desperately need to get on with going green – the rest of the world is, and we are being left in the dust. We’re rapidly moving in the direction of being a second rate nation by insisting on the ‘status quo’. Advanced renewable technologies are rapidly being developed and deployed around the world, and if we don’t get seriou and get on with it we won’t have anything to offer and will be dependent on China for our energy equipment as the Arab oil runs out. — What ways did you have in mind for ‘living better’ after your visit? — Love to you both. Enjoy Bavaria! The site your Mom guided us to shows how beautiful it is.