Far East Cynic

Time for this one to go home!

Albeit-more than a little sadly. One of the things I marvel about, in an age of jet air travel, is how I can wake up in a vibrant city like Munich, and then 18 hours later be laying my head down in a hick town like shopping mall.  Given a choice, I’ll take the vibrant city every time. The life of the landed gentry in America may appeal to some-and once I thought it did to me-but not anymore.  The boy has gotten off the farm-and has no desire to go back. Call me, a citizen of the world.

Now I just have to find a vehicle to fund that ambition.

Till then, God willing, I’ll be back at my desk in Dullsville tomorrow. See you there!

And it looks like a good time could be had-if I was free to explore it………….

There are indications of some really primo nightlife it seems. Not that I am going to see any of it.

Have seen plenty of stores though, lots of ceramics and Bohemian glass.

Pix to come-including food. But not till I get back to Shopping Mall probably. I do, however have a restaruant recommendation for you-Restaurace u parilmentu. Valentinska8, Praha 1. A good bar that happens to have good food. Believe it or not the S.O. actually picked it! That’s a huge shocker for so many reasons. Several different beers on tap. If you go to Prague-go there, but expect it to be packed with people drinking.

Its late and got to be up early tomorrow. Fun day today though. Best day of the trip.

On the way to Prague this afternoon. For some strange reason you have to go to the south station to get to Prague which is North. Don’t ask me-that’s where the train runs from.

Yesterday though was a good day. We followed up on our Schonbrun visit, by taking the time to go to Hofburg, and spend most of the day in that area. Well worth the time.

Started off by making our way to the park behind the National Library:

Our friend Wolfgang was there to greet us:

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Forgive the lack of a post last night. Could have blogged-but with the S.O. asleep from the days exertions and the internet in the lobby acting cranky anyway-decided to blow it off to drink a few beers at the International Bar, The Flying Pig, located just around the corner from our hotel. Turned out to be an interesting excursion-seems it is run by an young Englishman who speaks fluent German.

And speaking of fluent German, someone has to explain to me, why I took six years in High School and College to learn the language-only to have every German speaker I try to use it with turn up their nose at me as soon as I start with , ” Wir mochte…………” What is up with that?

Anyway.

We went to Schonbrun yesterday. It is one of two palaces the Hapsburgs used during the time they ruled a united central Europe, before i was fractured into the discombobulated mess it is today. It is an elegant palace, painted in the same yellow as Versailles, but unlike Verailles, in my opinon is not as elegant. Its more , oh I don’t know, German. But from the outside-it’s still pretty good to see:

Hanging with the Hapsburgs!

There was a lot more to see-if you are interested, read on!

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Picture post follows. I will be running out of internet time soon-so I’d prefer that the pictures did the talking here. ( No free internet in the room in Vienna-nor in Salzburg. I’m typing this from Vienna). Click on the pix to see them better.

However yesterday we went sight seeing in Salzburg-in what turned out to be the first big snow storm of the season in Bavaria and Austria. Salzburg got 20cm-the mountains got over 1 meter.

So if these pictures seem dark-blame it on the weather-not the photographer.

We set out early after breakfast. Our first goal was to get to the old city and to the castle. But first we were shocked to find that the plaza at Mittleplace had its Christmas market open already:

Right across from this church, was this:

Hot Glu-wein tasted good!

Church on the opposite bank of the river. Which fronted this view of the town:

Mozart’s birthplace:

Which is on this old merchant’s street:

More to come in future posts-plus pictures of the Christmas market in Vienna! But for now, I’d probably better take this advice before my battery dies and the connection lapses:

To be here-and walking the streets of the old city-and to have had the dinner we had last night-it probably makes the travails to get here worth it in a way. God, I do love travel!

More tomorrow.

You always pay for it in the end…………

So there we were, sitting in the lounge at Dulles minding our business. So we moved on out to our gate. It too was something of a hike. Got to the gate-we were unable to get seats together-could not get it done. In fact…….as it turned out our seats were slightly farther apart than I anticipated. When we went to board the machine rejected my boarding pass. Sigh-what else could go wrong here?

However, this turned out to be a good thing-I had been upgraded to First Class. The S.O. had not. I asked her very quickly ( and softly) do you want it? She mumbled something to the effect of “No-what?” So when we got to the door, I turned left-and she turned right. I did not cry too many salt tears, she was in business after all-even if she did have a middle seat. I had earned this little fringe benefit.

Except as it turned out-the proper word was not upgrade. It was more probabaly “reach around”. The painful part of the “good deal” was still to come.

The flight was Ok. I took full advantage of all the things a first class seat offered-(don’t ask me why I got upgraded-they don’t usually upgrade an upgrade-but I did.) Dinner, beer,champagne, wine,  the works. Having the flat bed actually meant I was able to get 5 hours worth of sleep.

Which turned out to be a good thing-because when we got to Frankfurt, it was time to pay the piper.

S.O. had a good flight too. Coming off the plane though-looking at the monitor-we noticed no gate for our connecting flight. There, of course, was a reason for that.

The flight had been cancelled.

Now that’s the risk you take when you come to Europe in the winter. Especially, when, as fate would have it-they had bad weather and snow from Brussels down to Austria.

Lufthansa though took decent care of us-and their efforts to get us to Munich were brisk and professional. They even gave us a holding cell to bide our time in:

At least it had beer and food! The S.O. even got a place to sleep:

To wind this up-we did get on a flight that afternoon, on standby, about 4 pm. Except it did not depart at 4pm-it sat on the ground for an hour because of weather in Munich. Kudos to the Lufthansa crew that served drinks before we got to move out.

Arriving in Munich-the hits just kept on coming. We got to the baggage area-my bag showed up right away. I had assumed it would not. The S.O.’s bag however, was another story. Missing in action. We wait and wait by a turning carousel. Finally we realize its not coming. Immediately up to the Lufthansa counter.

“Yes, your bag in is Frankfurt. First flight we can get it on is probably 8:30pm”.

We go through the customs rituals and all-and this is where I can pick up my rant about service, Lufthansa gave us a computer card with all of the pertinent info-phone numbers, baggage tag numbers, names and internet access id’s. All in one handy dandy place.

However for the S.O. this ranked as the worst thing of the trip. No make-up ( besides what was in her purse), no jammies or underwear ( I offered her mine-she declined for some reason   ), this was a disaster in her eyes.

However-all things considered, the experience was far pleasanter than the one in DC. The Lufthansa people were brisk and efficient. They cleared their standby list-with amazing speed.

And the bag showed up right when they said it would. Unfortunately it was the next morning.

Which left the S.O. in a grumpy mood to say the least. Particularly when, with all the delays, we arrived at our hotel in Salzburg from the train station, about 10:30 PM.

The next day though-she and I were put in a better mood though by seeing this:

Nobody rides for free………

Maybe. I’ll have to get back to you on that.

I may need a vacation from my vacation……….

We got here in one piece 30+ hours after departure. Long story that will have to be told tonight.

On the plus side, I can recommend Stiegl beer in Salzberg. Seher gut.

In a perfect world, I would not be able to be blogging right now. I’d be on my fourth glass of wine-or maybe even a post dinner cognac and hoping that booze  would swirl me into a few hours of sleep before I arrived in the “Old Country

This, however, is not a perfect world.

Flight out of Shopping Mall, USA was late. Not necessarily a show stopper-if it could have gotten off on its new departure time. However United only has one gate at Shopping Mall’s hick  designed and run airport. Sat at the gate watching the plane sit there waiting for the other flight-the one to Denver to get pushed back. As it sat there I saw our freshly awarded upgraded business class seats out of DC going up in smoke.

Finally, we board the flight. Off we go, taxi into position and hold. Sit awaiting ATC release.  “Screw Skippy over 01-cleared for takeoff, contact departure on 123.8″. Flight goes reasonably well-I even had hopes we might make it. And we would have , EXCEPT:

Flight being late means that the aircraft lost its gate slot at America’s worst run airport -Washington Dulles. Sit, sit , sit-turning dead dinosaurs into global warming.

As it turns out, I need not have worried. Somewhere deep in the cavernous domain of United’s passenger screw over center in Chicago-some computer had detected our plight-and re-booked us. There were only two problems:

1) They did not tell us.

2) The other flight was only 10 minutes after the one we were supposed to make. What’s up with that?

Now in Japan-what would have happened is a gate agent would have come on the plane, paged us as the cute girl gave the arrival announcement, and we would have been escorted and directed to a customer service counter or a new gate. Apologies and bowing would have been numerous. A voucher for dinner at a restaurant might have been forth coming-at the least we would have been able to drink free beer.

Not so here in the land of surly, overweight, impolite people. We asked if we could make it-were told the flight had not departed-”Hurry!”.

Well if you have ever been through Dulles-that’s not exactly the easiest thing to do. But off we went at a gallop. We made the gate-and true to form 356,700 pounds of 777 was still there.

However the gate agents would not help us at all.

I was about to lose my temper-when, to my right 128 pounds of pent up Japanese frustration did it for me. Quick summary-”who are you not to help us, this would never have happend in Japan, get us help NOW!”

There were some pretty choice Japanese expletives thrown in for good measure. Too bad they were wasted here.

That both I and the gate agent were taken aback was an understatement. I quietly explained that we needed to be rebooked. I also pointed to my United 1K tag. Which in Asia would mean something-here in Dulles it and 4 dollars might get you a cup of coffee.

So we finally get to escorted to the Red Carpet Club.  Lady behind the counter could not make sense out of what the devil’s angel in Chicago had accomplished. Tick, Tick, Tick,………”You are booked to Brussels then to Munich. Go to the gate-we will call and have them hold the door.”

Did I tell you that the gate was on the other end of the terminal?

This is why, I’m glad I don’t carry a weapon. I might have been tempted to use it. We make it to the gate. Another 777 sits-another gate agent says he has gotten no phone call and the boarding is closed. “Why the heck weren’t you here earlier?”

I did not wait for the S.O.-I exploded and beat her to the punch. “Get me a supervisor now!”

I explain our plight-what my problems were on the other end-why we needed to get moving when we could. And we are hungry.

Long story short-we do get re-booked, in business, and now here we sit waiting for a flight to Frankfurt three hours from now. I finally convinced them that I could use a lot of drink tickets for our trouble-especially since they are too f**king cheap to give us a voucher for dinner.

Now mine and the S.O.’s annoyance aside-it once again highlights for me why American airlines in general are in trouble. Its not the cost of fuel, or infrastructure so much-its a lack of caring about the first rule of salesmanship-keep the customer happy.

Why the hell do I have to brow beat them into coupons for drinks that would be free in any other lounge overseas? Why do I have to log in on wireless connection that would also be free in Asia. Why not at least some effort to make it up to us?

Screw the extra fees. Make ticket prices higher if you need to-but for God’s sake, put a value on customer service. There is no customer loyalty because no loyalty is extended the other way.

Now if you’ll excuse me-there is drink ticket that needs to be used.

Looking for some excitement that cannot be found here in Shopping Mall.

International travel-passports, planes, trains, tickets, lounges, beers, sweet talking your way into business class, bags, lines at immigration-the thrill of opening a hotel door in a new city. I did love it so…………

Its one reason why I am jealous of e @ L, he has one of those great jobs like I used to have that took him all over the world. I want one of those again!

So posting may be light, but for the next 10 days or so-this blog becomes a travelogue. Pix included. Tomorrow-Shopping Mall to Munich-via DC. We’ll see where we sit and how the bags make it.

Till then sleep tight.

Would that we had a suite on one of these!

At the Army’s expense:

I am a big fan of Warren Zevon’s music. One of my favorite things to do when I take the S.O.’s car to work is to put on the CD player and listen to his music as wind my way through Shopping Mall on my way to work. One of my favorite songs is this one about a boxer: Boom Boom Mancini:

Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon

From Youngstown, Ohio, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini
A lightweight contender, like father like son
He fought for the title with Frias in Vegas
And he put him away in round number one

Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon

I became interested in the history of the man-so I started doing some digging. Turns out Ray, Boom Boom, Mancini was from Youngstown and he was in fact a boxer like his father. His father encouraged him and in 1978 he became a professional boxer.

When Alexis Arguello gave Boom Boom a beating
Seven weeks later he was back in the ring
Some have the speed and the right combinations
If you can’t take the punches it don’t mean a thing

Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon

The song implies that Mancini fought Frias first, the Arguello, actually it was the other way around.
According to Wikipiedia, before his confrontation with Frias and during training camp in Tucson, three gunmen paid a visit to Mancini at his hotel. The gunmen were told he was not there, they never came back, and Mancini trained with police surveillance until the fight.

Of course, the most famous and also infamous moment of Mancini’s career occurred when fought Du Koo Kim from Korea:

When they asked him who was responsible
For the death of Du Koo Kim
He said, “Someone should have stopped the fight, and told me it was him.”
They made hypocrite judgments after the fact
But the name of the game is be hit and hit back

Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon
Hurry home early – hurry on home
Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon

The “him” was the referee Richard Green. Evidently Mr Green agreed. Once again from Wikipedia:

His next defense would change both his life and the face of boxing: On November 13, 1982, a 21-year-old Mancini met 23-year-old South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim. Kim had to lose several pounds before the fight to make the weight, and was dehydrated. The title bout, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, was televised live at 1pm PST on CBS Sports. By fight time, Kim was spent. It was, according to many observers, a fight filled with action, but Mancini had an easy time hitting Kim during the 14 rounds the fight lasted. Kim sustained brain injuries that led to his death five days later.[5] The week after his death, the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine showed Mancini and Kim battling, under the title “Tragedy In The Ring”.

Mancini went to the funeral in South Korea, but he fell into a deep depression afterwards.[3] He has said that the hardest moments came when people approached him and asked if he was the boxer who “killed” Duk Koo Kim. Mancini went through a period of reflection, as he blamed himself for Kim’s death. In addition, Kim’s mother committed suicide four months after the fight, as did the bout’s referee, Richard Green, in July of 1983.[6]

As a result of this bout, the WBC took steps to shorten its title bouts to a maximum of 12 rounds. The WBA and WBO followed in 1988 and the IBF did in 1989.

Mancini retired officially in 1992, leaving a record of 29–5, with 23 knockouts. ” Thanks to expert legal advice, the former champion was also able to keep 75 percent of his $12 million in purse money, which enabled him to pursue a broad range of interests in retirement.”

And unlike Warren Zevon, Mancini lives on doing work as producer and fight analyst.

Zevon’s song, though, is pretty good. Make sure you turn your speakers up:

Greetings from the Army of One (Click on the image to see it better):

Can you tell I’m in a wierd mood tonight? Probably because I’m so excited to be going international traveling again. I do miss it so………….

Another thing I miss:

Megumi Hayashibara

The song is called Brave Heart.

As the S.O. and I get ready for our European trip. Had to make sure the camera works:

“You are in for a big suprise in a few days-can you spell, kennel?”

So I chased him around a little bit:

Transferred some older pictures:

A sunset taken back this summer:

And speaking of preflighting the equipment……………

Last night, as is the S.O.’s custom, she went in to the bathroom to get the shower ready for her nightly ritual ( which generally becomes my ritual too if I want any chance of “closing the deal”) of taking a shower before bed. She slid open the door to the shower and turned the water on with out looking up. Now if you remember, when I first moved in here, at her request, I installed a shower head on a hose-in addition to the fixed head-because she likes having a Japanese style shower hose.

Well I think you can figure out the rest-the shower head was cocked towards the shower door. S.O. failed to look up and since we have both taken to using that particular head even in its perch ( it sits higher) the flow valve was already open to the moveable hose. End result? Just as I happen to walk by the door-she takes a shower blast right to the chest, soaking her, her T-shirt, and most of the bathroom. Following a string of Japanese expletives, she turns it off. I might have helped her, but I was too busy laughing my head off.

Guess you had to be there to appreciate it.

Suffice it to say, she was not amused.

And no-I don’t have any pictures.

Always preflight the gear.

Or Mini-Bill to be more correct:

H/T to Spike!