Hiding out in Heidelberg, Germany

For some reason Heidelberg always makes me think of Hummel

Forested area near Heidelberg

figurines. But rather than ceramics, this is the seat of Germany’s oldest university and the cradle of the German Romantic movement. Which leads me to another misconception: I never think of romanticism in connection with Germany. However, the city has been a center for the arts throughout the centuries causing UNESCO Creative Cities Network to designate it a ‘City of Literature’. What I do correctly associate with Heidelberg, and particularly its university, is scientific research and especially the Max Planck Institutes of Biology and Medicine, Chemistry, Physics and Technology, and Human Science.

Floating along in Colmar, France

Colmar is a medieval village with so many canals that it’s been

Canals in 'Little Venice'

nicknamed ‘Little Venice’. It’s filled with half-timbered houses, diminutive winding lanes, and cute little shops. We spent several hours wandering the streets after getting a really good tour of the town. We wondered why the Statue of Liberty welcomed us to town until we found that its designer, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, lived here. It’s a pretty town and I’d have been happy spending substantially more time exploring.

Västerås Mängd (Västerås Variety)

Part of the school

The second day we spent outside of Stockholm was in Västerås. Although we had to work most of the day, we did get to spend some time wandering the streets and getting a quick look at this little city. It does have an interesting history and at least one place I’d like to return to see. There was also a very nice restaurant in which we glimpsed a popular opera star.

Being in Budapest

Parliament Building

Each morning on the Danube was beautiful, but this day was special. We were awakened to a wonderful view of the House of Parliament with the rising sun’s rays on it. Although it was close on to 5:00AM, it was hard to go back to sleep with the stunning scenery sliding by. Budapest was officially created by merging Pest, Buda and Óbuda in 1873. But back in the first century BC the Celts built the first town that would become a portion of Budapest. This was a densely populated settlement with potteries and bronze foundries, and perhaps a trading center. Romans colonized an area immediately west of the Danube, using the natural thermal springs; the new baths in Budapest reminded me of those in Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic. By 106 AD the city had become the

Exterior of a bath house

capital of the province Pannonia Inferior and the headquarters of the governor and a significant military force. Of course this means that it was frequently involved in wars along the Danube. A parade of conquerors made the city their headquarters from the 5^th century AD through the Middle Ages. Buda and Pest started their development in the 12^th century because the French, Walloon, and German settlers worked and traded under royal protection along the Danube. The history of Hungary followed the path of Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria with prosperity, and the flourishing of the arts followed by wars and destruction; in some instances Buda was a leading in others Pest was preeminent.

穿過重慶和三峽 Chugging through Chongqing and the Three Gorges

Chongqing, once called Chungking, is one of the Five National Central Cities in China. It is traditionally associated with the State of Ba and the Ba who arrived in the area in about 316 BC. As with Beijing, it underwent the same sort of wars and name changes from the late 200s BC through the Ming Dynasty. The area was eventually conquered by the Manchus during the Qing Dynasty with immigration to Chongqing and Sichuan in support of Qing emperor.  Foreigners were first allowed into the area in 1890 when the British Consulate General was opened. The Japanese, French, German, and US consulates were opened in Chongqing between 1896 and 1904. The big excitement came during the Second Sino-Japanese War when Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek made Chongqing his provisional capital. The mountainous environment was protection from bombs leading factories and universities to relocate here. Coming into this area made me realize why so many Chinese pieces of art show mountains shrouded in clouds. Chongqing has over 100 days of fog per year with 68 of those days occurring during the spring and autumn. Of course it’s not all fog. Chongqing is among one of the ten most air-polluted cities in the world; the list includes Beijing, Jinan, Lanzhou, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, and Urumqi.

Playing in Pantego

Driving through Arlington, Texas not too long ago we spotted a once-favorite restaurant that

Pantego water tower

we thought had gone out of business. A bit of internet research led to the happy discovery that the restaurant was, indeed, one we had previously frequented but it wasn’t really in Arlington; it is located in Pantego. This tiny town is completely surrounded by other cities, with Arlington being the largest. We planned a trip back to enjoy lunch and I began doing some research about Pantego.

Denver Doings

The Denver area, part of the Territory of Kansas, was settled by Cheyenne and Arapaho

Stream with waterfall in a meadow

Indians and a few Anglos until the late 1850s. However, in 1858 Green Russell and Sam Bates found a small placer deposit that produced about 20 troy ounces (620g) of gold, and the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was on; the population bloomed to about  100,000 gold seekers in just two years. The same year that Russell and Bates found their gold, Denver City was established through rather under-handed means. This rather lawless city prospered as a mining town for a few years, but once the gold played out the population dropped. Denver eventually became a supply hub for mining in the area, cementing its place in history. It was named the seat of Arapahoe County, then six years later the Territorial Capital. By 1881, Denver had become the permanent state capital, having survived the fire of 1863 that destroyed most of downtown, the flood a year later that devastated cattle and crops, and a final attack by swarms of grasshoppers that stripped away the remaining vegetation.

Wandering in Waco

So off we went to Waco on one of the hottest days of the season - 108^oF including the heat

McLennan County Courthouse

index. After all of the rains in Texas, the Brazos River was full and running swiftly. We thought about taking a dip to cool off, but decided that this wasn't the best idea. Waco  is the county seat of McLennan County, located along the river, halfway between Fort Worth and Austin. The courthouse was designed by James Riley Gordon, who also created the façade for the Ellis County Courthouse in Waxahachie and the Arizona State Capital building. The exterior of the McLennan County Courthouse is neoclassical, but the pilasters and columns are Corinthian. It also has three justice-themed statues:  Themis on top of the central dome with Justitia on one side and Lady Liberty on the other. All around are the square are typical government offices, but there really aren't any restaurants. So much for a ‘square meal’…