Saxony´s Wine Route

Today's trip takes us to the heart of Saxony, the smallest winery district in Germany and the home of the "white gold" aka Meissen porcelain.
The Saxon Wine Route stretches for about 55km between Pirna (gateway to the Elbe sandstone highlands) and Diesbar Seusslitz along the river Elbe. The main vineyards of the Elbe valley are located between Radebeul and Meißen, and often little Strausses (wine pubs) invite travelers to have a taste of the great local wines.

What to do and where to go
There are a lot of great things travelers can explore while being in this part of Saxony.
State capital Dresden 
I don't even know where to start when talking about going to Dresden. The city truly deserves its nickname "Elbflorenz". The architecture is stunning and, especially in the old part of town, you feel like history is coming alive right around you.
I did the guided bus tour through the city a couple of years ago and was terribly disappointed. For first time visitors, who are fit and like to walk, I would therefore recommend doing a walking tour through the historical district of the city and later on maybe catch a ride with Tram Nr 4, because, at least in my opinion, it is the most scenic one.
Dresden is famous for its museums and collections. If you plan to visit the "Grünes Gewölbe" buy your tickets online prior to your visit - you wont have to wait and know for sure that you'll get in, especially on weekends and holidays not something that is otherwise guarantied.
For those who dont want to explore the cultural side of the city Dresden is also a great place to shop. Malls like the "City Galerie" and the "Altmarkt Galerie" as well as a lot of stores in the pedestrian zone invite you to keep your credit cards ready.
After a long day touring the city it's time to relax and enjoy a good drink. The place to go is the Neustadt, here you can find clubs, bars and restaurants of every kind. My two favorite places to go and relax are the Tiki Kusthof  and the Metronom Club and Bar.

Radebeul
Radebeul is known as the hometown of writer Karl May and so it is not surprising that my tip for this lovely city is to visit the Karl May Museum.
The best time of the year to tour Radebeul is during September, when the large street and wine festival is going on. It might be a little crowded but the atmosphere; the music and the great wine are totally worth a trip.
People who like historic trains should not miss a chance to ride on the "Lößnitzgrundbahn", a narrow gauged railway using old steam locomotives.

More information and pictures to come ...

Krkonoše / Giant Mountains in the Winter

I don't ski, never have and probably never will. I do however, enjoy taking trips even during winter time and, as you have already heard, I love going to the Giant Mountains. This winter adventure took me to the lovely town of Szklarska Poreba, formerly known as Schreiberhau. It's about a 30minutes drive away from Jelenia Gora and can be considered one of the best ski resorts on the Polish side of the mountain range. 

The highest, and most popular mountain in town is the Szrenica (German: Reifträger). There are several hiking trails going to the top and also several leading from the summit to huts, different peaks or to the spring of the river Elbe. For those who do not enjoy hiking up a mountain there is a two part chair lift that takes you pretty close to the peak if the mountain.

Once up there you can relax in the nice and warm atmospehere of the privately owned mountain hut. 

For those of you who do like downhill skiing, there are 3 routes. The longest has a length of about 13km. 

Zackelfall

Apart from the mountains there are some other nice attractions close to the town. Waterfalls for example - you can explore the Kochelfall (right next to the road up from Jelenia Gora) or the Zackelfall, which is the tallest waterfall on the Polish side of the Giant Mountains. The Kochelfall is the easier hike but the Zackelfall is much more beautiful. I would, however, not recomend to try these two hikes during winter time because it can get very slippery and dangerous. 

If you want to go shopping the area around Szklarska Poreba offers some pretty nice deals, especially on glass and jewelry. There is a so called 'Mineralogical Museum' right outside of town and they sell crystal glass for very little money. Also, sportswear is cheaper in Poland than it is in most western european countries. Just check out the little stores in town and you wont be disappointed. 

Weather conditions: 

As you can see on the pictures we had lots of snow, at least in the mountains. Lower in the valley there was almost no snow at all, so be prepared for the weather to change quickly and pack for really cold temperatures as well as for "normal" winter. 

I once went there in March hoping for a nice spring weekend and ended up seeing more snow than I had all winter. So just make sure that you check the forecast and everything should be fine.

For more information about where to stay or what else there is to down in and around town, check out their webpage. 

Rambling

I should be writing a thesis for school or studying but that is no fun at all, so I decided to instead give some well-meant advice today.

My entire family is obsessed with traveling. Reasons could be that growing up in the former GDR they never had the opportunity to see as much of the world as they would have wanted to or maybe they just like the change of scenery once in a while. Daytrips, weekend trips, road trips, guided tours, bus tours, cruises, hiking tours, pre packaged trips, all inclusive resorts or bed & breakfasts - they've done it all.

Mostly my part in all of these travels, even when I can not join them, is the planing and organizing in order to have a smooth trip with as few troubles as possible.

In the last couple of years I've come to understand that this is way easier said than done.

 #1 Problem: Getting your facts about where, when and what you want out of the trip straight!!!!

Even before anything is planed there has to be a decision made about where one wants to go and that often ends in a huge chaos. Why? Well, my Grandparents recently told me to plan a trip for them to go somewhere nice and warm - seriously, those were all the information they gave me. Nothing about a country preference or how much it may cost ...

Sure, I'm up for hard tasks but I want them to have the vacation that they want and not the one that I'm thinking would be best for them. I actually made that mistake once and wont repeat it ever again.

A couple of years ago they also wanted to go somewhere nice and warm and I thought, since I loved it there so much, that it would be a great idea to send them to Cuba - worst idea ever! They complained about the long flight, the fact that the hotel, even though nice, was way to big, the air to humid, etc. To make a possibly long story short, the entire vacation was a disaster. But it was nice and warm *lol*

What I'm trying to say here is that not every trip is the same for everyone and just because I enjoyed it somewhere does not mean that you my dear readers will also like it there. So do what I said in the beginning, get your facts straight and try to have fun no matter where you go to.

Texoma Region

During February 2011 we decided to go on short trip to the Texoma region.
What comes to your mind when you hear Texoma? Probably not a whole lot, but to be honest, the area has more to explore than you would expect.

Lake Texoma is located right between Texas and Oklahoma - hence the name and, according to different sources, attracts millions of visitors every year. However, as we discovered, these millions don't come during the winter months. If you are interested in renting a cabin or are searching for information on fishing in the lake, you should check out this  lake Texoma page.

The by far best and easiest way to get information about where to go and what to, for visitors, is to stop at the Texas or Oklahoma Visitor Information Centers located near the stateborder on Highway 69. The staff is very friendly and they try to help you with all of your questions as good as they can.
If you are, like us, a foreigner, you will probably fly into Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW). Try renting your car in advance because prices are much cheaper this way and you will need a car for sure - public transport in this area is worse than bad, especially when you are willing to explore more of Oklahoma.

The drive from Dallas takes about two hours max.
We stayed at the Days Inn Durant  (breakfast is included in the price) and the only bad thing that there is to say about the motel are the loud train tracks right behind it. Restaurants like Chili's, McDonalds, KFC, a Chinese Buffet and a Mexican place called El Tapatio, are all in walking distance. But beware, if you decide to walk to dinner people are gonna look at you like you are crazy.





Where to go and what to do? 

Fort Washita

The Fort is a former United States military post and a National Historic Landmark near Durant. It was established in 1842 by General  Zachary Taylor in order to protect citizens of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations from the plains indians. Today it is used for historical reenactments and home of a small but very informative museum.
The grounds of the Fort are very beautiful and invite visitors to take a walk to the different historical buildings and exhibits. In order not to get lost, visitors should pick up a map of the area at the museum. Parking and admission are free.

Chickasaw Nation

If you are interested in the history of the Indian tribe called Chickasaw, who are nowadays officially recognized as a Native American Nation, then the place to go to is Tishimingo. Among other sights you can find here the Chickasaw National Capitol Building, as well as the Council House Museum, which is located right next to the Capitol Building. Sadly, we arrived only a couple of minutes prior to closing time and therefore were not able to look at the exhibitions in depth, but they are definitely worth a longer visit. 

Turner Falls Park

Waterfalls are awesome and the one at Turner Falls Park is no exception. The Park is located right next to Interstate 35 and a visit there seems fun every season of the year.

During winter, most of the shops were closed and on the day we decided to go there, we actually were the only visitors, but it was still great.
Visitors can explore the caves in the surrounding hills, go hiking, have a picnic, look at the so called rock castles or just enjoy the view of the tallest waterfall in Oklahoma. Admission fee was 4$ per adult but prices are higher during the summer months. For more information you can check out their homepage.
Since the Chickasaw National Recreation Area is close by, it might be nice to combine these two attractions into one trip.

Even more things to do

Allen, TX - Shopping, shopping, shopping! A huge Outlet Center and a growing outdoor mall make Allen the perfect destination for a shopping marathon. Get your credit cards ready, because you'll need them

Plano, TX - Southfork Ranch
Remember the 80's hit TV show Dallas?
It was filmed right here in Plano and tours of the house and farm are available every day.
For old and new fans a must see.
Since the show is being rebooted in 2012 it is also a  not only a trip down memory lane but gets you in the mood for the new episodes.

Preview of whats to come

Sylt - Not at all an island only for the rich and famous 

 

Home away from home - Eichstätt/Ingolstadt and the "Altmühltal"

Usedom - One of the best places to relax at the Baltic Sea 

New England Roadtrip - Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont

...

Krkonoše & Jelenia Góra valley - Poland

A late summer hiking trip to the beautiful Karkonosze Mountains, situated on the Czech - Polish boarder.

View of the Sniezka (Schneekoppe) from the aerial lift that starts in Karpacz.

 A new part of the lift opened recently and now people are able to board the lift closer to the town center.

We were really lucky to get such a great and view of the mountain. The weather gods seemed to like us a lot, because, usually, the peak is deep in fog or clouds and the wind is very nasty.

Again, view of the Sniezka from the czech- polish friendship trail. 

We decided not to climb the mountain and instead went downhill, back to Karpacz past the mountain lakes and huts. 

The "Gołębiewski Karpacz " is one of the best and ,with almost 900 rooms, largest hotels in town. It is connected to the "Tropicana Waterpark" featuring slides, saunas, hot tubs, etc. For more information check http://www.golebiewski.pl/en/karpacz/hotel 

 Along the way down to Karpacz, we passed two hiking huts. Both feature restaurants and rooms where hikers can spend the night. The, at the "little lake" (Maly Staw) situated, Samotnia hut is newly renovated and the panoramic view invites you to rest and enjoy the scenery.  Prices for drinks and food are also very good. For one beer, two Sprite and a freshly grilled sausage we did not even pay 7€.

After about 3,5hours, we finally arrived at the Vang stave church. The church was bought, during the 19th century, by the Prussian King, transferred from Vang in Norway and re-erected in Karpacz. Next to the chruch you can meet Rübezahl (fable figure) or buy some gifts.

Taxis can be found on the main street and there is also a bus line to the town center.