Coup D'etat - Bangkok

Breaking news on the TV yesterday evening announced a Coup D'Etat was in progress in Bangkok. This seemed a little strange as we were sat in the heart of Bangkok totally unaware of these events. Next morning I prepared for work but my driver didnt turn up and after a quick phone call I heard that the company was closed. From our 28th floor apartment the view was the same and everything looked calm. There was something missing however - the traffic. It was unusally quiet on both the normally busy road close to our apartment and on the highway which we can see in the distance. Both CNN and BBC News have been blocked so we do not know what is exactly going on at this moment. We just hope that everything remains peaceful.

Beautiful Bodensee

A sunny weekend in prospect and a visit from the Pope to Munich (Who was who said that the sun shines on the righteous?) was all the incentive required to hire a car with the intention of visiting the Bodensee or Lake Konstanz as it is otherwise known. We had visited during the Winter on an absolutely freezing weekend but wanted to see the area in it's Summer glory. We were in Lindau, a lovely town built on an island in the lake and connected by a short causeway, by 10:30 a.m. Lindau, like many towns in the region has a stunningly painted Town Hall. After a pleasant couple of hours we moved on to Meersburg where we had intended to stay the night. It was the Wine Festival weekend however and we couldnt even find somewhere to park let alone a hotel room. We tried the town further down the lake but in the end took flight to Ravensburg some 25kms away where we easily found a comfortable room. We actually had a very pleasant evening there as we found a Mexican bar and retaurant serving very good Fajitas. Sunday and we drove back to Meersburg early before the crowds descended. Meersburg is a lovely place but it was a lttle busy and our visit was tinged with regret that we hadn't been aware of the Wine Festival so could have booked in advance. But, on the other hand, I didn't regret the hangover I didn't have! We vowed to return again at some time in the future and then headed north through the vineyards and orchards, for which the region is famous until we reached Ulm. Ulm is quite a large city with a huge cathedral currently undergoing renovation. Other than that, the beautifully painted Town Hall and a small area around by the river, there was not much to recommend Ulm which I suspect was a victime of the Allied bombing during the second World War. Two hours drive from Ulm and we were back in Munich having had a great weekend. I hope the Pope enjoyed his weekend as much!

Dachau for the day

 
2nd of September and alone in Munich I decided to go to Dachau on a guided tour. It proved to be very interesting, dispelling my previously held idea that Dachau was one of the death camps. It is true that many people died there - around 30,000 but it was not one of the mass extermination camps such as Auschwitz. Opened in 1933, it housed mnay of Hitler's political opponents at first and then others, such as the Jews from Krystalnacht, who didn't exactly fit into Hitler's scheme of things. I endedx the day in good spirits thanks to a 5-0 for England. 

The Wedding Season

 
25th August and I was off to the UK for a wedding the following day at Knowsley Hall, a beautiful country house. It was the wedding of Ann's niece Laura and a black tie affair. My 2 daughters Katie and Natalie were bridesmaids and looked stunning (I don't care if I am biased as I was told the same thing by many other people too!). All went well and I returned to Munich late on Sunday evening. It must be the wedding season as we were invited to 3 weddings in August and the daughter of a good friend of ours also got married. Unfortunately this was the only one that we could make.