Salzburg, 19 Oct 2019
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For our last full day in Salzburg, we went to Hellbrunn Palace, famous for its trick foundations. For the afternoon, we took it easy and hung out in a café for a while.
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Salzburg, 18 Oct 2019
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On the agenda for this day we’re touring Mozart’s birth home, Hohensalzburg Fortress, and walking along Mönchsberg. Later, wanting to go to a concert in the city of Mozart, we did just that.
Read MoreFüssen to Salzburg, 17 Oct 2019
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Our stay in Füssen was the shortest of the trip, and it was time to head into Austria. After getting settled in our apartment, we went into Salzburg to do a walking tour of Old Town.
Read MoreSchwangau, 16 Oct 2019
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While it was nice to walk around Füssen the day before, the reason we stayed there was because it was conveniently located to Schwangau with its two star attractions, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, the Königsschlösser or the King’s castles. We spent most of the day in the area, and also did some hiking and took a ride up Tegelberg for the views.
Read MoreCologne to Füssen, 15 Oct 2019
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Time for a travel day to the Bavarian Alps. After the trains, we arrived in Füssen and explored the town a bit.
Read MoreCologne, 14 Oct 2019
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For our last day in Cologne, we did probably the most popular tourist attractions, the Cologne Cathedral and the Chocolate Museum. While there were quite a few people at each, it’s easy to imagine how they could be so much more crowded.
Read MoreMiddle Rhine Valley, 13 Oct 2019
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We took our first side trip of this vacation, looking at the sights in the Middle Rhine Valley including a quick boat ride on the Rhine and visiting Rheinfels Castle.
Read MoreCologne, 12 Oct 2019
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The day started with a relaxing morning and a loop going across the Rhine. We then went to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, relaxed at a café, then went a bit out of the city to a party.
Read MoreCologne, 11 Oct 2019
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For our first full day in Cologne, we met up with Kellen and Noël to go through the Museum Ludwig, grabbed some lunch, did a short walking tour through the city, and got to chat with a friend of Noël's.
Read MoreSeattle to Cologne, 9–10 Oct 2019
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This year’s big trip is to visit Kellen and Noël who have been living in Germany for the past year and a half. After spending time with them in Cologne, we’ll head to the Alps, Munich, Salzburg, and Berlin. It’s been almost a quarter-century since Melody has been to Germany and over 40 years for me.
Read MoreOregon Coast - Saturday 4-May-2019
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The only thing we planned for Saturday was a hike up Neahkahnie Mountain. That took most of the day, and the great weather yielded lots of views.
Read MoreOregon Coast - Friday 3-May-2019
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We went a bit south to Tillamook County to a couple capes. And since we were in the area, we stopped by the Tillamook Creamery.
Read MoreOregon Coast - Thursday 2-May-2019
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We decided to take a long weekend to go to the north part of the Oregon Coast before the crowds start to show up, so we packed up the car and headed south. We looked at a shipwreck near Astoria, visited Fort Clatsop National Preserve, and walked a bit along the Seaside Promenade.
Read MoreLos Angeles, 27–30 Dec 2018
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Traditions can come and go, but one that has been going for more than a half-century is my family gathering to make mochi for the new year. Melody and I also manage to play tourist for a day, and this year we walked along Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards.
Read MoreNew Orleans, Saturday 27-Oct
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For our last full day in New Orleans, Melody finished up her conference while I went to Audubon Park and the neighboring zoo.
Read MoreNew Orleans, Friday 26-Oct
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Melody was once again in her conference for the day, and I finally made it to the National WWII Museum. Ended up not doing very much for the rest of the day, deciding to take it easy.
Read MoreNew Orleans, Thursday 25-Oct
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Melody had a full day at the conference, and I had a full day of playing tourist. I had planned to spend a good chunk of the day at the National WWII Museum but ended up going to the Aquarium, doing a walking tour of the French Market, and walking a bit from Loyola back to Carrollton.
Read MoreNew Orleans, Wednesday 24-Oct
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Melody's conference didn't start until the afternoon, so we did a walking tour of the Garden District in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to Jackson Square, walked along the waterfront, visited the Insectarium, and met up with Melody for dinner.
Read MoreNew Orleans, Tuesday 23-Oct
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This would be the only full free day before Melody’s conference started so we booked a couple tours. We started with a swamp tour, then went on a plantation tour. We then navigated down Bourbon Street on the way to dinner and ended with a ride on the streetcar.
Read MoreSeattle to New Orleans, Monday 22-Oct
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The last trip in a travel-packed October is to New Orleans where Melody is attending the American Translator’s Association conference. I tagged along since I’ve never been to the city (Melody was last there a few months after Katrina.) Monday was a travel day which started very early.
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