more fancy stuff to report

This past weekend was the Golden Anniversary for Prince Rasso and Princess Theresa of Bavaria. That’s 50 years for those of you who aren’t as good at keeping tabs on that stuff as I am. On Thursday I schlepped furniture to the basement before going to Brot des Lebens. On Saturday the day started at a beautiful monastery in Andechs. Carl Orff is buried there. I thought that was cool. The church is crazy ornate and the the altar is pre-Vatican II style, against the wall. It really is impressive. I was on photographer duty the whole time, but out of respect for the Mass I didn’t use flash. Because of that many of the pictures didn’t come out very well. Yet the Mass was great. There were lots of friends and relatives there.

Afterwards we drove to a hotel in Feldafing that Queen Elizabeth (of Austria) used to frequent. There was a proper reception there with plenty of horses doovers and champagne. I think I had one glass for the sake of showing my manners in this company, but at the same time reaffirmed my dislike for the stuff. Throughout the afternoon I met lots of uninteresting people who live in castles that I’ve only been to with a map, a Hawaiian shirt, and a camera around my neck. I was introduced to the mayor of feldafing as well. Its really interesting to hobnob with these kinds of people. I was talking in a group with a prince, a monk, and a mayor and hardly noticed that they were any different than real people. I think the best part of the afternoon was the view over the lake towards the mountains. That’s my standard answer, anyway.
Dinner that evening was at our place. Guests started getting there around seven and we started with Sherry and Port on the front patio. The meal then started with a lovely salad with some sort of raw fish lying on top of it. Then it was a soup that I really wouldn’t know how to start to describe. The main course was a meaty thing with side dishes. A good meaty thing. Desert was a creamy fruity puffy thing. Then of course truffles and champagne. Every course was served with a different kind of wine. Again, I didn’t really care for the champagne, but the others were good. The caterers did a terrific job, and earned every penny of the $40 per plate. I was on photo service after dinner again.

The next morning was brunch and soccer at our place again. Brunch was good.

I’d just like to say once again that Feldafing is gorgeous. Big old villas, the lake, the mountains, the leaves changing color. It’s a dream. I see a serene panorama of the Alps every time I walk home from the train station. And every time I see it I have to wonder if I’m really here, doing what I’m doing. The track where I run is a ten minute walk from my house. Its completely secluded by gorgeous orange and yellow trees right now, except for a break in the trees on the south side. Through the break you see the golf course below, the lake ahead and the glacier tipped mountains rising above.

That brings me to a tangent point. I like running here. In Cologne the air was gross, even in the city park by my house. You ran there and then felt like you had inhaled a lump of garbage pie. But here you can run for miles and miles and miles and the air treats your throat like royalty. The air is simply cleaner. Aside from that, Feldafing is at an elevation that is three times that of Ann Arbor. It’s a perfect place to train. My track, aside from being secluded and never visited by anyone but me, is also in terrific condition. Its just a splendid experience.
That’s all for now, I think.