Malleus maleficarum
Ha! You suckers feverishly clicked on this link thinking it was going to be about the infamous 15th-century witch-hunting manual, but in reality this is just another one of those "life update" type posts that, ubiquitous as they are, threaten to drag the entirety of the interweb down into the abyss of self-absorbed tedium. So here we go:
- As my wife and fellow Rosicrucian agent Michele has noted already, the two of us are planning a trip to Germany this autumn. Of you who have been there, I ask: what should we do with our two weeks in the Holy Roman Empire?
- If you've got room on your prayer list, here's something to keep in your prayers.
- Congratulations, Peter and Vanessa!
- I'm using the Opera web browser again, after years of adulterous flirting with other, less worthy programs.
- Michele and I have continued our Warhammer RPG campaign, and continue to enjoy it. For a while now, I've been gearing up to run a summer campaign of the Castles and Crusades RPG, but scheduling and other difficulties are making it tough to get that started.
- I saw Batman Begins and liked it a lot. In other film-related news, I keep meaning to post some thoughts about Revenge of the Sith, but cannot shake the dread certainty that the world doesn't really need Another Blogger's Thoughts About Revenge of the Sith.
- My sister is coming out from California this week to visit!
- My workplace has a fully-functional Pacman arcade cabinet. Who would've guessed that a successful, high-scoring Pacman game required so much strategy and practice?
I'm tired and rapidly approaching total incoherence. Time to sign off.
Comments
Where in Germany will you guys be? I'd say that Berlin is a must, as it's one of my favorite cities ever. You two history buffs should find enough there to last you for a very long time.
Posted by: jonathan | June 22, 2005 8:55 AM
I agree that Berlin is a fascinating place. Additionally, Potsdam (which you could do as a daytrip from Berlin) and Dresden are great - lots of WWII history in all three cities. I hated Hamburg and suggest you avoid it at all costs.
Posted by: kim | June 22, 2005 12:38 PM
Thanks for the comments, guys. We really have not set out our plan quite yet--all we know is that we're flying into Berlin; the rest is all open at this point. We'd love to get more of you guys' insights into what's worth seeing.
We're hoping to see as much historical stuff as we can--for me, that mostly means Roman/Holy Roman Empire stuff and whatever important WW2 locations we can fit into our schedule. We are also hoping to spent at least some time outside the Big Cities--any recommendations on any of that?
If you guys don't mind, I might email as we plan through the trip.
Posted by: jrau | June 22, 2005 1:00 PM
Heh, that's pretty funny. I was also going to recommend Hamburg in my comment. I kind of liked it there.
But agreement on Potsdam - tons of cool stuff to see there, including the site of the Potsdam conference between the conquering allies (Truman/Churchill/Stalin?)
Posted by: jonathan | June 22, 2005 2:47 PM
I'd recommend Munich. It was one of my favorite places. I also liked a lot of the smaller towns we went to, especially places like Eisenach (featuring Wartburg Castle) and Oberammergau.
I liked Germany a lot. You guys will have a blast.
Posted by: Bill | June 22, 2005 6:03 PM
The Pacman game is operational? Nice! Oh, and Germany sounds fun too.
Posted by: jay | June 25, 2005 5:54 PM
Germany:
Just rent a fast car for a day drive from Hamburg south as far as you can. Enjoy the Autobahn.
My Dad and Sue are over there right now. If you want to meet some Germans through random association we could hook you up.
Does Autumn happen to mean Octoberfest? If so, go to Bavaria and find a smaller town to enjoy the fest in. The city fests are too commercial/produced. Local fests include fire-brigade band contests and meeting locals in the middle of their competitive societies games (or is that more Fashing? - their version of Mardi Gras).
Posted by: David | June 26, 2005 1:33 AM
Of course I think you must immediately take a supercheap inner-German airline or the (not cheap) ICE to Koeln or Koblenz and take a Rhein ship tour. From Koblenz to Bingen is the best - more castles than you can shake a stick at, and not too expensive. And of course close to my part of the country. Koeln is an amazing world city too.
Closer to Berlin, try some of the vacation areas nearby - the Pommersche Seenplatte or the Spreewald. Cheap and even a little rustic, I hear.
Posted by: kdc | July 1, 2005 11:48 AM
You have no idea how happy I am that the Pac-Man game is seeing new life. :-)
I've only seen a few cities in Germany: Roethenburg was fun, as we stayed in a castle overlooking the city; Dachau, the concentration camp in S Germany, was awe-inspiring; Heidelburg was crazy with college students. Those are the things that have stuck with me lo these past 17 years since I went.
Have fun!
Posted by: pcg | July 29, 2005 2:23 PM