18 May 08 Bad Sackingen

Writing this from our hotel room in Bad Sackingen. We discovered this delightful town by accident two years ago. No hotels available in Basle and the tourist office recommended Bad Sackingen.

It was their loss because this is now our third time here and we have not stayed in Basle since.

Bad Sackingen is at the very south of the Black Forest. In fact our hotel room overlooks the Rhine and Switzerland is the other side of the river. The wooden bridge you can see in the photo dates from the 13th century. It was the site of a famous battle between the Germans and the Swiss- or whatever the tribes were called in those days.



I do enjoy staying in this hotel. We live well in Ragny but it is only here that I have champagne for breakfast. Brenda says it is decadent. I remind her that Churchill had a bottle of champagne every day before lunch so surely Ted is entitled to one (or two!) glasses with breakfast. Brenda tells me that Churchill was waging a war. I remind her that I too am waging (and hopefully winning) a war- against ANZ Bank, Perpetual Trustees, Qantas Airways and all other purveyors of inferior customer service. Point made I think.

Being our third time her we have got to know this southern part of the Black Forest quite well. The panoramas are superb. I was expecting forests but had no conception of the depth of the valleys and height of the mountains. It is Germany not Austria but looks like Julie Andrews territory. I have tried to video Brenda gambolling down a hillside but she says she has neither the athleticism nor the voice for such an endeavour.

Have thought of our friends as we have travelled around the last few days.
Graham would have revelled in our tour yesterday.

We also found a country flochemarket where Brenda bought two special German cups so that she and Heather could enjoy afternoon tea together next month. It is not that we have no cups and saucers at Ragny but these appealed to Brenda- so Heather’s visit was a convenient excuse!!!
We also revisited a shop named “ Pak and Sak”. The equivalent of St Thomas’ Posh Shop. We are not sure whether “Pak and Sak” is the name particular to this shop or the German generic of our Australian op shop!!

Today’s excursion would have appealed to Fred. It included a water-powered sawmill with a wooden saw. Well, not quite, but virtually everything except the metal saw itself was made of wood. A very elaborate contraption and we were fortunate enough to see it working.



Germany as we see it is not at all militaristic. Compared to France there is a dearth of war memorials or other reminders of the dark past. We did come upon this modern (2004) memorial sculpture but it commemorates an 1849 uprising. Sufficiently long ago to be respectably commemorated.



We are also intrigued by a particular series of road signs which make no sense to us. The ones in this photo are especially interesting because it seems there are different speed limits for tanks!!! We have seen none.

13 May 08 Ted’s Blog Resumes

Where does one start? Or where have the last two weeks gone?


Had a great time with Rowena, Nicholas and Eloise. They spent five days with us and every moment was enjoyable. Weather was not the best but we did get out and about.






It was a joy for Eloise to play with all the things Brenda has accumulated over the last couple of years. The Lego train set was a particular success.

As was face painting at Quarre Les Tombs (but they didn’t tell us that the face paint was not easy to get ff parents clothes!!!)


Waited a long time for lunch in Dijon but Eloise enjoyed playing in the fountain






Not quite so happy the morning they were leaving. Eloise says emphatically that she is coming back to France!!!





Had a surprise visit from Perry and Jan (Santana’s father and stepmother). They were on their way north from Chamonix to the Channel and ventures unplanned in UK.

May 1st Labour Day – a real feast here- and we had a family dinner with Nicholas and Rowena, Perry and Jan, and my brother Gerald. A most enjoyable evening and a very late night.

A bit of an anticlimax when R, N and E left. Quite an adventure guiding them to Paris and finding the Hertz car park beneath Gare du Nord without them losing our trial. Luckily it was a Sunday. Would have been very hard mid week.

It was a relief to get the news they were safely back in Melbourne. Arrive 6am but Eloise at Kinder and Nicholas in office tat morning. No doubt that left poor Rowena with all the packing and clearing up.


So where has our time gone in the week since they left? Well with Public Holidays on 1st May (Labour Day); 8th May (Liberation 1945) and 11th May Pentecost working days have been restricted.

Garden is gradually coming under control. Almost all of the lawn (i.e. meadow is now under control) and OK for regular mowing.

Pool man came 6 May and opened up the pool after its winter hibernation. Remarkably what was a pond was quickly transformed into a useable pool and I have been swimming most days since.




Yes after N,R and E left the weather has very much improved. Mid 20s most days and pool temperature has reached 24. We hope it may continue although a heavy rainstorm this pm caused temperatures to plummet. Shades of a Melbourne cool change.

Brenda and I have managed a couple of days out. To the Forest of Chatillon, a new area for us; and to a garden fete (roses and rose wine) at an abbey last Saturday.




AND YES Ouki Va is back in the water. Brother Gerald courageously helped me launch her last Friday. We managed to get her in the water with no difficulty. Putting the mast up was not so easy. Particularly as I had forgotten how it came down. Driving there I was convinced we used the mainsheet a la Breezin. On site that was clearly not the case. Got mast upright but the was a 2-cm gap between end of forestay and deck fitting. Three attempts at lowering and raising mast did not improve fraternal relations. Gerald sensibly suggested we needed better and specific information rather than more "try it and see". Called the helpful previous owner but despite his willing assistance communication difficulties meant the gap between our mutual understanding was larger than the gap on the forestay!!!

Adjourned for lunch. Then just my luck a very helpful fellow sailor explained what we were doing wrong and lo presto mast up and forestay in place. Forestay doubles as the furler (that word swill be familiar to Fred) but would you believe we fitted it so that the line leads forward not aft.

Brenda and I went back yesterday and I rectified that; and got in a short 15 minute sail. Not long you may say but it took me ages to get the boat ready- made at least 5 different mistakes in not remembering what goes where etc- and an equally long time stowing everything away. Will need a lot of practice to be 100% competent before Fred arrives (or at least that’s my excuse to get a few more sailing days in the next couple of weeks!!)





Well folks that's the last two weeks in a couple of minutes.






Hopefully I can now get back n the rhythm and bore you more regularly.
Off to Bad Sackingen in Germany for the weekend.