Europe - Day 1

We thought we were early, or at least on time, but no. When we arrived at the airport, Yale and Brown were taking care of business. Despite the slight hassle with Lufthansa over luggage, group numbers and reservations, all went smoothly at check-in at Seatac. Long-line at security and then lunch with parents and Brown at Anthony's. The Luthansa flight was long (10 hours!) but comfortable, with fresh towels, good service, meals in flight, entertainment.



Watched Up in the Air, with George Clooney and Jason Bateman, glad that I'm not in corporate America nihilism selling BS while ruining lives, and glad that my job is not helping the rich keep their money and maybe steal a bit more. Glad that I'm not a road warrior living out of airports and hotels, eating franchise food and staying inside that bubble.

Arrived at Frankfort airport, not having seen a sunset or any darkness except inside the plane, was herded through a confusing maze to passport control, wrong turn to get to outside and then back inside to area, so boarding passes needed to be checked, and then through luggage screening, where I got special attention because I hadn't emptied water bottle. Let it be said right now that I packed too much, brought a wrong case (REI TourLIte is not, it's heavy, awkward, too many straps, not enough pockets, a poor design...) and too much stuff (won't need a jacket, unless I get seated underneath the vent on the plane, again, too many clothes, could have used another different pair of shorts.



Shuttle flight from Frankfort to Vienna and arrived at a sparkling new and clean airport, shops, Starbucks, well-signed and organized. Met Anna and Colin, young, energetic, sense of humor, easy-going, Anna has special place in her heart for C (so do I), loaded gear onto Marco Coach, and off we were into the heart of Vienna. Beautiful countryside, not littered, windmill farms, even the industrial areas seemed well placed on the landscape.

Marco parked the bus in front of the Opera House, and we disembarked, strolling up Kartner Strasse, the main pedestrian drag. Loads of Viennese out walking, sitting in cafes, eating, coffee, ice cream, beer, Hot Dog Stands, mimes and street performers, all comfortable and at ease, despite throngs of tourists, no litter. Bank machine transactions easy, free wi-fi outside McDonald's, and ducked inside St. Stephen's Cathedral, beautiful old Gothic structure under renovation, but dark inside intended to put fear of God into the congregants. We met back up at the Opera House in time (all present and on time!) but also had enough slack to peek into the foyer (Baroque foo-foo) while the opera crowd were gathering for the evening's Wagner performance.



Dinner at Hotel (dorm, Hotel Atlas), spartan InTourist design, it's fine, but noisy on the busy street and I'm all jet lagged out, so writing at 3:30 a.m. local time. Dinner consisted of Kix soup (Kix cereal in some type of broth, no I'm not making this up), schnitzel (Viennese chicken-fried veal steak), and a pretty good salad with butter lettuce, plus dessert. No coffee, that's extra. (Boo.) Stroll after dinner through Rathaus Park and Volks Garten for a beverage with the parents and Scott, then back to hotel and time to crash.

Great first day, all seems well, looking forward to the tour, the band playing and watching this all unfold.

Magnuson Children's Garden

One of my favorite walks starts at the Magnuson Children's Garden and then heads through the Dog Park down to Lake Washington. On the day before the Euro Jazz Adventure, Brownie and I ventured down to check things out.



I was stunned and saddened to see the notice that the Whale Eye had been stolen.





This crime took tools, time, planning and pure evil, to destroy an artwork in a children's garden. What are we coming to? What sort of society do we live in? Sadness.

Free floating anxiety

So, how do you deal with the free-floating anxiety associated with all that needed to get done before the trip, the RHS Jazz Euro-Adventure? Get it all done? Remember all the details? Like, where IS the toilet articles kit that I wanted to wash? And, why wake up at 5:30 to remember that one? Deal with the fretting moms, lists, organization that no one will pay attention to once we are underway? Pack, repack, buy the essentials and non-essentials and the superfluous. Once we shove off, get on the plane, much will subside, replaced by other trip-related anxieties, no doubt. Got to remember that others will suck up the leadership role, and I can comfortably slip into a role.

Part of how I deal with it is, get on the bike and ride. Lance was right, the bike is a source of zen comfort, healing a way to get those demons back in line. This year, I just haven't ridden as much as in the past, part of not having a big century for which to train, part because of a crazy schedule, teaching lots of classes, the OCL project (the reporting requirements to get paid are a stupid hassle), GR, QM and all the other very good stuff I'm in the middle of at TLF. And, the youngest one graduates, getting ready to go North of the Border, and the middle one shows up with a keeper (!), and C is busy with real estate, so life is good and busy, and somewhat full, and fulfilling, but still, not enough saddle time to arrest the free-floating anxiety.

On the current Notes to Self list:

* Yoga, yoga, yoga-- Stretch, breathe, stretch, breathe
* Ride more. Drive less.
* More salad, less sandwiches
* Less poetry, more problem-solving.
* Less TV, more reading, more films!
* Keep it simple.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kent drops out of Tour Divide, a ride underscored by tragedy. Oil continues to flow into the Gulf and stupidity reigns. The national debate, narrative is depressing. World Cup is a mitigator. Tour de France will be on during our trip. Lots of other news may be adding to the FFA, and maybe it's time to unplug a bit, get away from the tweets and FB updates, certainly the Bb world, and get back into the Zen. The bike is good for the Zen.

GVB's Bike Rant

Looks like GVB has taken up a new blog documenting his running activities. Here's a link to his rant about the ongoing struggle with those who travel via the internal combustion engine......

http://realrunning.blogspot.com/

Whinefest, retweeted

Ross, who I met at the Chilly Hilly finish line back in February, posted this lament on his FB page.

Having my riding curtailed for other reasons, including full calendar of other events and responsibilities, weather wimpiness, travel and other factors, I've begun to feel out of shape, lazy, lackadaisical....Sure, I get my gym time and stationary bike trips in, but it ain't the same. And, the lack of a long ride to train for this year takes the motivation out of the midweek training trips.

Flat?!?

Grant predicted that I would never get a flat with my Schwalbe Marathons, but I picked one up today as a pedaled by Green Lake.

First one in long time, and I was almost overjoyed to be ready for it, with tube, new pump, etc. Conveniently, I was close to Gregg's, where the air is free.

Atlanta

Atlanta is a strange and interesting mix of old and new, brand spanking modern high-tech new, with miles of fibre optics, steel and glass towers, technology buildings, CNN Headquarters, vs. old memories of South, The Confederacy, racism and civil rights struggles.

Aggressive panhandlers, slightly scary first time on MARTA, ranting and raving, wanting to engage, shouting and swearing, but I walk away and ignore, just the same strategy as with the Invader from Mars.

MARTA to Fivepoints, can't get to Eastbound to King Memorial, so I walk through Underground Atlanta, where another street guy spies me eyeing a map. He asks, "What you looking for?” but this guy smiles, doesn't seem crazy, so I get directions to the ball park, and when he asks for money, I give him some and he seems pleased. Stroll past the State Capitol, statues of great Georgians (including Jimmy Carter) but also plaques describing the heroics of Confederate Army leaders during Sherman's occupation, destruction of the city, and then the March to the Sea, right there, on the Capitol Mall.

Turner Field was locked up tight, so I peer through the gate at a modern (retro) facility where KevMck and I saw a playoff game some ten years ago. Old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium footprint is directly outside the Braves' home, and is marked with a blue wall, now serving as a parking lot.

Returned via CNN Headquarters, remarkable as a huge atrium, with food court with all the usual suspects of fast (and bad) cuisine, adjacent to basketball/hockey arena. The building opens up to Centennial Olympic Park, a civic jewel with fountains, open spaces, artwork, monuments to 1996 Olympians, lots of people using, walking, touch football, both Atlantans and tourists. Decided to forgo World of Coca-Cola ($15 for more diabetes!) and worked my way northward.

While stopping to snap a photo of an old Carnegie library, still another street person comes up. This time, the line is, "Are you an American patriot?" I reply, "I'm an American....," and the pause cracks him up...he claims to be a gulf war veteran, family man, on food stamps, kid at home......I tell him I'll give him a dollar, and he's pleased. On my way again, passing Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles restaurant.

Instead of waiting in line, hoofed it to the Varsity, an Atlanta institution that serves two miles of chili dogs daily, or so they claim. Gut bomb time. Great pictures of famous eaters, including Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Roy Blount, George Bush Sr, Evander Holyfield, Warren Buffett...."What'll ya have?" Fed my face and digested by walking around Bobby Dodd Stadium at Georgia Tech.