About time....

It's about time that airlines in Canada stop deceiving travelers with their fare advertising given the new regulations.  Entirely misleading, advertising fares without service charges and taxes and extra fees, the advertised fare can be at times a third of the real price.

The only question is why this took so long to implement?

CERN webcast

Here's an excerpt of what I view as a funny conversation:


friend: so who was that KFC guy on the webcast?
me: what do you mean?
friend: you know, that Colonel Sanders guy?
me: oh, you mean the Director-General of CERN?!

Corporate Christmas

One thing I really find sad is North America's two month obsession with Christmas.  After Hallow'een, shopping malls break out Christmas decorations, and we are bombarded with commercials about Christmas gifts, and one has to listen to incessant Christmas carols.

Two months of this stuff!  This is one sixth of the entire year!  Come on, isn't there anything else that corporations can concentrate on, other than spoiling a once quaint and nice traditional holiday?

Charles Dickens Classics?

I'm sorry, maybe I'm just an uncultured brute, who doesn't appreciate the subtleties and artistry of the 19th century English authors like Charles Dickens and his contemporaries....

But really, after reading a few pages of Great Expectations or a Tale of Two Cities, I have to say: those books are really, really boring.  I'm not sure how they got to be venerated as classics of English Literature, but I have to say that 19th century English Literature has no way of competing with 19th century French Literature, or 20th century English Literature.

I'll read Catch-22 or For Whom the Bell Tolls instead anyday.......

Tap water in Germany

So the tap water is very clean in Germany. Why can't they just give people tap water in restaurants, or at least not look at you funny, when you order tap water? Water is the most natural thing to drink!!

 In North America, most restaurants will bring a glass of tap water right away, and if they don't, asking for water is no problem. In France, ordering a "carafe d'eau" is also quite normal.

 Why do Germans think that ordering "Leitungswasser" is weird? What's with them and their stupid carbonated water, anyway?

Manzanas

Did you know the word for apples in Spanish is Manzanas?  Just thought I'd mention it.....

Mi Vida Loca

BBC's video course Mi Vida Loca is really one of the most well-designed introductory courses I have seen.....whoever designed it really did a top notch job.

The course enables you to practice listening and speaking, in an interactive way, in the context of a mystery storyline that takes place in Spain. With the suspense, it motivates you to keep going to the next lesson, to find out what happens. With the video, you also see nice pictures of Madrid, the Spanish countryside, and the Canary islands. You practice things like checking into a hotel, renting a car, ordering in a restaurant, and buying groceries in a marketplace, all in an interactive way.

An interactive phrasebook helps teach you the things you need to say, and you can click for reminders as well (in the event that you forget what you need to say). Helpful phrases are written and spoken for you, and you can click again to hear it multiple times, and toggle back and forth between Spanish spellings and English equivalents.

At the end of each unit, there's a review that's also interactive, that takes you through grammar, vocabulary, and additional practice. You learn the language in its natural context, and rather than feeling forced, you are able to pick up useful phrases without bland and repititious memorization.

I highly recommend it. You know those Taiwanese methods of learning languages? The ones that make those poor students do countless grammar exercises without focusing on real conversation and real-life situations? The ones that result in Taiwanese kids not being able to say a single word, because they are too afraid to express themselves in the foreign language?

This is the exact opposite. Language learning made fun, and effective - in real-life useful and interesting contexts, rather than bland grammar and memory lessons. Kudos to the BBC!

Zum Storchen

Schmidhofen is a little community about 3 km south from Bad Krozingen, but surprisingly, there's a Michelin starred restaurant there, called Zum Storchen. Excellent food, here's what we were able to sample....


Betty's appetizer: Gebratenes Zanderfilet auf Rotkrautsalat Apfelvinaigrette

My appetizer: Variation von hausgemachter Gänseleberterrine, Blätterteigtarte mit Zwetschgen

and Betty's in-between course: Perlhuhntortellini auf Kürbisragout mit Petersilienwurzelpüree

 

and her main dish: Entrecote vom Schwarzwälder Färsenrind mit weißer Pfeffersauce, Schnippelbohnen und Schupfnudeln

while I was able to feast on: Filet vom Schwarzwälder Bauernkalb auf geschmortem Kalbschwanz, Vichykarotten und Schupfnudeln

A nice way to spend a Sunday lunch!

Dad: Cheese Lover Extraordinaire!

Not only are they tapas fans, and not only is Mom a beer guzzler, but Dad is a Cheese-Head Maniac!

How else do you explain his fondue cravings in Chamonix?

And Tapas too?

And who'd've thought that they're also big tapas fans as well?!!!

Casa Espanola in Freiburg.......good place to go for tapas cravings....

Mom and Beer

Here's Mom again, drinking huge amounts of beer......

We never knew that she was such a Beer guzzler.....

Another Black Forest Secret

We took the Höllentalbahn to Schluchsee, and hiked about 2 km away from there, where a nice lookout tower was built.....called the Riesenbühlturm.



What a great view of the Fischbachtal and the Schluchsee - moreover, we were the only three people there! Away from the tourist throngs at the Titisee.....it just goes to show, if you're willing to hike 2 km, you can reach some great gems, with hardly a soul in sight, especially in the Black Forest.

Rain in Graubünden

Look at these two courageous souls, braving the wind and rain in Graubünden. Are these hard core hikers or what?







Honestly, I've never been to Graubünden before, but from their description, we should be putting this place on the list.....it's a nice place, with less North American / Asian tourists....rather, it seems to be frequented by European hiking enthusiasts, who are much less insufferable ;)

Schwarzer Adler

In the midst of the Kaiserstuhl in a little town called Vogtsburg, lies a nice restaurant called the Schwarzer Adler:



A great restaurant, recognized with a Michelin star......the meat was oh, so tender.....

Three of us went for a lunch on a Saturday afternoon, and look what we ordered.

This came with a set menu: Stück aus dem Vorderwälder Rinderrücken mit Spätburgundersauce, Bohnen & gebackenem Kartoffelknödel



and some Lamb: Filet vom deutschen Weidelamm mit Gremolata Paprika-Tomaten-Mousse, Artischocken und Parisienne-Kartoffeln



This one was the best of them all: Filet "Rossini" vom Kaiserstühler Kalb mit einer Sauce von schwarzen Périgord-Trüffeln Blattspinat und Kartoffelravioli

The Flunch Deal

Well, I have to say that when it comes to value meals, it's tough to beat Flunch. This is a casual restaurant chain, in a cafeteria style. Don't expect any gourmet food, or top-notch service. Getting your food is self-service, but the portions are great, the food quite tasty, and the prices unbeatable.

The first time we tried it was in Aix-en-Provence last year, but we made another trip to Colmar just last Saturday. What made it especially delicious was that we had biked over 50 km to get there, so we were starving when we arrived. Needless to say, Flunch hit the spot!

Although, in my opinion the Flunch in Aix has a much better layout and atmosphere than the Flunch in Colmar. But hey, Flunch isn't for atmosphere, it's for good, cheap eats....(and the 50 km bike ride back enabled us not to pack on the pounds)

Schluchsee

Tourists visiting the Black Forest seem to end up at Titisee....I guess it's the commercial stores selling cuckoo clocks and the like that attract them there. A much better lake (the largest in the Black Forest) is the Schluchsee. Much better scenery, and instead of tour guided photographing visitors, there just to snap photos, one sees hikers and nature lovers instead.




It's really some great Black Forest scenery....

Mmmm....meat in Bad Krozingen!

Our bike excursions took us again into the Markgräflerland, where we stopped in Bad Krozingen for lunch. Some great meat dishes were served at a food stand, while a wind orchestra was playing some music.

The meat was really tender and delicious!

Betty had the Pork Hocks (Schweinshäxle) which is really a Bavarian specialty. This was the best one we ever ate in Baden, where it's also served at times. Usually Pork Hocks in Baden cannot compete with those from Bavaria, but this came close:



I had the Grillbraten (I assume pork) with Knödel, which is really a bread-ball, which was awesome:


A nice 50 km under our belt today, on racing bikes.....we'll have to venture further next time!

Straußwirtschaft in Opfingen

"Go west young man", and so we did.....west to Opfingen, a village about 13 km away from Freiburg.

A nice little Straußwirtschaft called the Sonnenbrunnen Strauße (the Sun-Fountain) was there, with outdoor seating:


We enjoyed some of the local made grape juice and Gutedel wine (Chasselas)


Betty was on a Wurstsalat binge, so here was her dish:


While I opted for the house specialty: Cheese-Potato balls, with ham, cheese, and other garnishes:


Some Rösti at the end really hit the spot:


A very nice Day 2 to our long weekend!

Lindenberg, St. Peter, and St. Märgen

Without a doubt, this hike is one of the most pleasurable hikes in the Black Forest.
It starts at the Obertal bus stop in the Eschbachtal, and after a short hike, one reaches the pilgrimage church of Maria Lindenberg. From there, one can see a beautiful baroque church in the Black Forest town of St. Peter. On the way to St. Märgen, one gets to take in a beautiful Black Forest panorama.

Some pictures that Betty took on this hike:

Conservative Majority Government

Wow, this was the most unpredictable election I can remember....(maybe 1993 comes close).....
Here's a map of the electoral landscape, entirely changed:



and the new House of Commons layout for the 41st parliament.




I think it was really historical, who would have bet, at the beginning of the campaign, on such an utter collapse of the Liberal party, gaining only 19% of the vote, and reduced to 34 seats?? I wasn't voting Liberal, but I'm a bit sad to see it in such a sorry state. I hope it regains its lost support at some point in the future. Michael Ignatieff, while not the most inspiring leader, was definitely an example of decency and honesty, and he conceded defeat and resigned in grace. In fact, as Liberal leader, he is better than most that I can imagine....and in my mind has more integrity than Stephen Harper.

My regret, is that like other Liberal leaders who also showed much promise (like Paul Martin), he decided he wanted to paint everything conservative and market-oriented as "Un-Canadian" and foreignly "American". I regret this mode of campaigning, which has kept me from voting Liberal in the past. I think the Liberal party can indeed present a credible, alternative platform without resorting to simple-minded America-bashing and meaningless labeling of "American vs. Canadian values", which may provide good sound-bites in the short term, but do nothing for a party that needs to be stronger on solid policy. Their unwillingness (along with the NDP) to have an adult conversation on health care and its realities and ever-rising costs also prevents Canada from implementing measures to sustain health-care on a longer-term basis.

Who expected the NDP's rise to the Official Opposition with 31% of the popular vote, and 102 seats?? Their previous best was 43 seats captured by Ed Broadbent in 1988. I think they will make a decent opposition, but I'm really glad they didn't seize power at all. I think their fantasy-land economics, and lavish spending promises are a danger to Canadian economic fundamentals. Their eagerness with state intervention and social reengineering, without any consideration of individual responsibility make their platform entirely unattractive to me.

The best result, from my point of view, of this electoral shift, is the demise of the Bloc Quebecois. Reduced to a paltry four seats, and losing official party status, my hope is that French-Canadians take ownership of Canada, and realize that they are part of a country that can help them achieve their hopes and aspirations. The contribution of French-Canadians to Canadian culture is bountiful and priceless. Their contributions have made Canada richer, and my hope is that they will see themselves as an integral part of a great Canadian nation.

The Conservatives have their majority mandate, something they've been striving for since 1988. In this campaign, I was a reluctant Conservative voter, disappointed with increasing concentration of powers in the PMO (making Harper akin to Chretien and entirely abandoning original Reform party populist principles), as well as government secrecy and Harper's disdain of parliament. Nevertheless, the Tories presented the only credible platform to govern Canada....an economic plan based on solid market fundamentals, reasonable and controlled government spending, and reducing expenditures and growing the economy to restore Canada's balance sheet. It's resistance to make government a be-all and end-all solution was to be lauded, and this result mercifully ends Canada's election cycle for at least four years.

However, Harper should note that Canadians are not pleased by his lack of transparency, his petty political games, nor his lack of respect of parliament. He should reform his top-down conservative approach and moderate it with bottom-up initiatives and respect for democracy that he and Preston Manning once advocated during his Reform party years. His sound economic management should include strategies on reducing Canada's environmental footprint in terms of harmful emissions, and greenhouse gases. He needs to realize that conservativism and environmentalism don't have to be at odds with each other....(again the green conservativism that Preston Manning has been calling for).

Canadians have put their country in Conservative hands for the next four years. We expect them to rise above pettyness and squabbling, and govern for all of Canada. If Mr. Harper continues to show Chretienite autocratic tendencies, then Canadians, including myself will not entrust him with power the next time around.

Stupid Outdated Elections Canada Law

If you look at the Section 329 of the Canada Elections Act you'll see what it says:

"No person shall transmit the result or purported result of the vote in an electoral district to the public in another electoral district before the close of all of the polling stations in that other electoral district."

What a load of crock....as this succinct article in the Times-Colonist nicely summarizes, this law is outdated and unenforceable. With the internet media we have nowadays, why is this law still being enforced? What is the government of Canada worried about? It's citizens on the West Coast acquiring the information that others have? Are we living still in an age, where the ease of information acquisition needs to be regulated in this manner?

This is really outdated, and I'm not sure why the government hasn't changed this law, and insists on fining well-intentioned people who are just innocently conveying information to their fellow citizens.

It's time to change this moronic, and hopelessly outdated law.

Straßenwirtschaft in Köndringen

So today was another day in the year of the Straußenwirtschaft....but this time we headed north to a little town called Köndringen.


Betty took my new racing bike, so it was alot easier for her to keep pace (she could have gone faster, but was following me on a normal trekking bike).....

Check it out, a brand new Giant Defy 2 (2010 model):

Ain't it a beaut?

Arrving in Köndringen, we ate at Blum's Gutschänke. Along with with a glass of Müller-Thurgau, we enjoyed a nice pork steakfilet, wrapped in bacon, with Baden-style salad:


and some yummy potato salad to go with it:


It rained pretty hard on our way back though, so we were soaked by the time we made it home!

Il pesciolino rosso

We spent a nice long Easter weekend in Stresa, Italy.......a nice small (albeit touristy) town on the shores of the Lago Maggiore.

The last lunch we had was at the restaurant called "Il pesciolino rosso", translated as the Goldfish. The clientele other than the two of us, were all Italian, and suffice it to say, the Pizza we ordered was the best traditional-style pizza we've ever eaten (Pizza con salame piccante).



Buon appetito!

Straußenwirtschaft in Gallenweiler

Another beautiful Sunday in Freiburg...April really is the nicest month here. This one was a bit cool, with a high of 17 degrees. We decided we would try the Markgräflerland once again, here are a couple of pictures with a view of the Black Forest from close to Bollschweil:





Gallenweiler (a really tiny village) is where we stopped for lunch at the Straußenwirtschaft called Belchenblick, named after one of the highest peaks in the Black Forest called Belchen.

Good stuff, I got the Schweinegulash with Spätzle.....


while Betty got the Schweinerückensteak.....


45 km on a bike, great scenery, and yummy food - too bad the weekend is only two days long!

Blanquette de Veau à Paris

French food.....mmmmm.....

At the Polidor in the Latin Quarter in Paris, you can dine for reasonable prices....here's a picture of a Blanquette de Veau which I enjoyed with a bit of Sauvignon Blanc from the Touraine region:


While in Paris, you might as well see some of the sides....

Here's a picture of the Palais de Luxembourg in the Luxembourg Gardens.


The Eiffel Tower is always a nice view at nighttime.




Of course, unfortunately, the main problem with Paris is the endless hordes of tourists.....

2011: The year of the Straußwirtschaft!

I declare 2011 the year of the Straußwirtschaft.....

This weekend we had 27 degrees Celsius of bright, sunny weather....so we did a very nice 50 km ride:
Freiburg - Hexental - Staufen - Heitersheim - Kirchhöfen - Pfaffenweiler - Freiburg

And given that 2011 is the year of the Straußwirtschaft, we stopped by the Lorenz-Straußi for a nice lunch. These Straußwirtschaften are great - they make their own wine, and serve very nice dishes.

Here's a nice view of the Black Forest from between Staufen and Heitersheim:


And some good eats: Bärlauchpfannkuchen mit Schinken und Käse and a Mixteller (Wurstsalat, Brägele, Frischkäse)


A closer look at the Bärlauchpfannkuchen....