Lindau, Germany

Lindau (population 25,000) is jam-packed with people. What gives as it's hotter than heck (95 degrees!) plus it's Sunday and town centers are normally empty because grocery stores and retail shops are closed? Well, reaching Lindau's city center requires crossing a bridge as it sits on an island in Lake Constance, the third largest lake in central Europe. Evidently people are flocking here for relief from the searing heat. Three countries border Lake Constance (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

This is the famous lighthouse at the entrance to Lindau's harbor.

The beautiful decorative building is Lindau's city hall. That strange-looking statue-like figure painted silver is a mime trolling for money from tourists.

This pool complex is the place to be on a blistering hot day like today.

These two pieces of driftwood don't look like much.

But, upon closer inspection one can see momma duck watching over her brood.

Here's my chief buddy hawking his wares.

Bad Wurzach, Germany

Right smack in the center of Bad Wurzach (population 15,000) stands Schloss Bad Wurzach (Castle of Bad Wurzach). It was originally a Roman Catholic seminary which explains the gold statue of Mary (mother of Jesus) outside the entrance. During World War II it was used as a P.O.W. camp for French officers.

I wasn't expecting to find a former monastery (founded 1183) in the center of Bad Schussenried (population 9,000). One enters through the tower gate

The monastery compound is huge with an impressive collection of structures. In the right of this photo is the entrance to the church with the big white building to the left housing a spectacular baroque library.

Found the Amerkia Hotel on the outskirts of Bad Schussenried and atop the building you'll see a Statue of Liberty (made of wood).

Want to know the real reason people come to Bad Schussenried? No, it's not to use the spa facilities or even to wander the grounds of the former monastery. The town is home to beer brewer Schussenrieder. Adjacent to the brewery is the world's only beer stein museum. (over 1,000 beer mugs on display). This is the beer garden behind the museum.

This swimmer is one of the many pieces of art scattered about the beer garden.

What's the story with German spa towns?

Buy a map of Germany and check out the index listing cities/towns. You'll find almost 100 cities/towns with the prefix "Bad" in their name. Bad Berka, Bad Hersfeld, Bad Neustadt and so on. This prefix indicates there's a therapeutic bath house present (hot springs). Only with the approval of the federal government can a town use the prefix "Bad". Why are towns eager to have this thermal bath designation from the government? Big, big bucks as I reckon we're talking about a billion dollar industry. Some of these bath towns are full-on major resorts with massive pool complexes, golf courses, gambling casinos, high-end private medical facilities and miles of hiking, biking and cross-country skiing trails. If you have say, a sore back, your doctor will write up a note prescribing physical therapy. Take that note to one of these spa towns and guess what? The government foots half the bill for your stay. Anyway, during the course of earlier travels through Germany I've passed through several of these spa towns and found them quite nice. So, in addition to visiting ski resorts and medieval fortifications I've added spa towns.

The first four photos show Bad Waldsee (population 20,,000).

Nice little lake right behind the city center in Bad Waldsee
The medieval tower gate guarding the entrance to Bad Waldsee's scenic old town.

There's a castle in the middle of Bad Waldsee but it seems to be in disrepair.

Biberach (population 30,000) is named after a river that flows through the town.
It's Saturday and market day (farmers market) with the city center swamped with shoppers. There's good and there's bad about showing up on market day. The good being the sights and smells of goodies on display. The bad being the market usually takes place in the scenic main city square ----where the best photo opportunities are now void due to too many tents, vehicles, people etc. in the way.

This photo shows the sole remaining medieval entrance gate/tower to the old town.

Fountain (great for filling my water bottle with ice cold water!)

This is a medieval lookout tower in Biberach.

Ravensburg, Germany

I'm high on a hill standing next to a schloss (castle) taking in the view of Ravensburg's downtown. With its well-preserved medieval city center Ravensburg (population 50,000) is a delight. That tall white circular building is a guard tower and was built in 1425 to protect the castle (where I'm standing).

In medieval times cities like Ravensburg were completely walled-in with fortifications atop the walls. Going in and out of town was usually restricted through four gates. Built in 1432, Obertor (Upper Gate) is the only one remaining. There's a bell atop the tower which was rung during executions.

Weingarten (population 25,000) lies only three miles from Ravensburg. Though it isn't as big or as lively, Weingarten has something in its town center that Ravensburg can't match: a massive church. It's Germany's second largest church and the country's largest Baroque church.

The church is impressive inside and out.

I've traveled extensively through Germany and absolutely love the country. However, there's one thing about the country that really, really bothers me. Why does the government allow cigarette vending machines to be placed in residential areas? I'm not talking about busy intersections, business, commercial areas or outside next to gas stations, convenience stores and so on. I'm talking about stand alone cigarette vending machines being plopped down in residential areas with no commercial activites for blocks and blocks. Do they know how easy it is for minors to help themselves. It's no wonder the country has one of the highest smoking rates in Europe.

More from the Zurich area

Remember the 2004 Presidential election when Senator John Kerry ran against George W. Bush and both played down their privileged backgrounds? Did you know Senator Kerry went to an exclusive boarding school (Institut Montana) in Zug, Switzerland (about 30 miles from Zurich)?

What the first photo doesn't show is the backside of the campus. It sits atop a mountain and the views from clasrooms and dorm rooms are absolutely stunning. That's Lake Zug and the city of Zug below.

This building and others behind it house the boys with the girls residing in a complex of buildings on the other side of the campus--all the buildings have drop-dead views of Zug and Lake Zug.

This castle near Zurich can be rented out for various functions.

Back in 1997 I visited the headquarters of Holcim, with revenues over $20 billion and 90,000 employees it's the world's second largest maker of cement. I enjoyed a nice reception. Swiss companies have a reputation for being low-key and in many instances, secretive. Located on the outskirts of Jona, about 25 miles from Zurich, I remember having a tough time finding the place. Why? There were no signs identifying the building. No sign atop the building, nothing in the parking lot, no small plaque on the front door--not even their name on the mailbox.

I dropped by on a Saturday morning just to see if Holcim was still keeping a low-profile. And? Yep, still nary a hint anywhere on the the site that Holcim occupies the building. Oh and one more thing. Holcim is a publicly-traded company and is still controlled by two sons of the founding family (Schmidheiny). Matter of fact, Forbes magazine estimates Stephan Schmidheiny's wealth at $3.1 billion and Thomas Schmidheiny at $4.4 billion.

This is an early morning photo of Rapperswil, a lakefront town about 20 miles from Zurich.

Ever had cannoli, an Italian pastry? I absolutely love 'em! Matter of fact, I used to (and still do)cycle to Solunto's Bakery in Little Italy in San Diego just to get some. In case you don't know what they are: fried pastry shells filled with sweet creamy ricotta cheese. Some mix chocolate bits in with the ricotta cheese while others put candied citrus peels at the open ends. So I'm cycling through scenic farmland about 20 miles from Zurich and pass through the small town of Hombrechtikon (nary a stop light to be found) and to my astonishment come across this Italian pastry shop on the edge of town. Going inside I spot cannoli and order one. Very good!! So I go inside and purchase the remaining three. I also try their chocolate gelato. Two thumbs up.

During the course of my stay in Zurich I cycle to this pasticceria shop three different days and each time find four cannoli on display and each time buy 'em all. The shells are crunchy and the filling scrumptious! Though I don't speak German and the husband/wife owners don't speak English I let them know of my happiness by repeatedly spouting the words"wunderbar" and "fantastic". Check out their website : http://www.pasticceriaitaliana.ch/ .

I don't know whether this hair salon is any good but it got my attention.

That shoe atop the shoe shop sures looks scary.

I was riding along a country road and came across this very large and elaborate model train set
up in a yard.

Zurich, Switzerland and Surrounding Areas

Located in a small isolated village roughly 30 miles from Zurich, Kyburg Castle has been around more than 800 years.

It sure is fun cycling past farmhouses like the one below.

Saw these chairs and table near the front door of a house. It looks like they bought 'em to look that way.

Cycling through farmland and saw this grafitti on a building.

Cycling around Lake Zurich and came across this interesting work showing father and son doing some bonding.

I bet this metal monster has given quite a few kids nightmares. It's the entrance to a playground.

You know me, gotta take photos of every greeter outside a bakery.

The Cookie Crumbles in Munich

Siemens, with over $110 billion sales, is one of the world’s biggest companies. The four-story pink-colored head office occupies a regal position in one of Munich’s most prestigious squares—several blocks from the royal palace. Matter of fact, built in 1825 for Prince Ludwig Ferdinand, it’s known by locals as the “pink palace”. I visited the company almost 20 years ago and then again three years later because I received such a lousy reception the first time. The second visit was just as crummy as the first and it wasn’t until a month later when I wrote about the second visit that I realized it was the same jerk (for loss of a better word) who gave me a poor reception the first time around.

I hadn’t been by the building in two years and passing by the other day I noticed it didn’t look pink anymore. So, I went inside and asked the receptionist if it was still known as the “pink palace” and if it had recently received a new paint job. The receptionist laughed and said it indeed was still known as the “pink palace” and, had recently received a paint job with a lighter shade of pink.

But, that’s not what this story is about. I remember the jerk from the two visits telling me that over 1,000 people worked in the building. I was surprised and told him it didn’t look like a very big place. The jerk said there were two new modern buildings in the back connected by skywalks. So, afterwards I did a walk around the block and that’s when I found the konditorei (pastry shop) and its delicious Linzerschnitten bars on a side street. These scrumptious bars have a raspberry jam filling sandwiched between two overdone wafer-like cookies. The thin frosting coating on top is gooey and sweet. Other bakeries make ‘em but they’re nothing compared to these. So, guess what? I dropped by and find out they no longer make the bars. There was a poor selection of pastries for sale and though the counter help denied it I have a feeling there’s a new owner. This photo of the Linzerschnitten bars dates back 10 years when I snapped it during a visit and then posted under the “tasty goodies” section of my corporatetrivia.com website.