It’s astounding! The State Department must be getting really conscientious about fulfilling passport requests following their debacle last year when it took up to three months or more for some people to get theirs. Stories abounded of folks having to give up their vacations (and lose money on nonrefundable plane tickets) when government dilly-dallying delayed their passports.

Well my renewal was received in less than ten days! Then David Price, who’s joining me on my upcoming European adventure, got his new passport in less than ten days, too. I guess the State Department has got their act together.

Even before David’s passport arrived we started roughing out our itinerary. I had some ideas of what I wanted to see and do, but had to hold off on actual plans until I knew who was going with me. At one point it looked like Clyde, a buddy from Dallas, was coming along, though maybe just for part of the three-week trip. He always wanted to join on an exploration of German World War II sites, so maybe Berchtesgaden and Nuremburg would be on the itinerary.

In London right now, there’s an Ian Fleming exhibit at the Imperial War Museum that, as a staunch James Bond enthusiast, I’d really like to see. Perhaps London would be a stop. Crestview’s sister city, Noirmoutier, on an island off the French Atlantic coast, was under consideration, too. And so was Stockholm, my all-time favorite city in the world. Obviously, all of the above destinations couldn’t be squeezed into a three-week excursion without it deteriorating into an “If-It’s-Tuesday-This-Must-Be-Belgium” whirlwind mad dash.

When I did my first backpacking trip to Europe back in 1985 (that long ago? Wow!), I met three guys while in line at the Central Station in Stockholm. They had been in Europe about week, as had I. “What have you seen so far?” one asked me. I talked glowingly of Stockholm’s beautiful green spaces, the imperial treasury, the 17th-century warship “Wasa,” raised intact from its watery grave in Stockholm harbor, and leisurely nights sitting at a terrace café enjoying ice cream while watching the mid-summer sun make its lazy journey toward the horizon.

“What have you guys seen?” I asked them.

They rattled off an impressive list of cities and countries between their arrival in Amsterdam a week before. “But what have you seen?” I pressed.

They shuffled their feet in embarrassment. Finally one said, “Train stations, mostly.”

I didn’t want our trip to be like that. Most of our stops should be for a minimum of two or three nights, we agreed. In Munich, for example, we will use my friend Markus’ flat as a headquarters to go exploring into Bavaria. We’ll be in town for the tail end of Oktoberfest (which starts in September and ends in early Oktober). Also, the BMW Museum is newly refurbished and has reopened. And it’s been more than 30 years since I explored the endlessly fascinating Deutsches Museum. I know it’ll appeal to David, a computer engineer. Plus there’s just the pleasure of wandering around the Old Town, poking in shops, and having lunch at the sprawling Viktuelmarkt, the outdoor food market. No Munich visit would be complete if you didn’t see the noon or 5 p.m. Glockenspiel on the New Town Hall. (Insider’s hint: climb the tower of St. Peter’s Church across the Marienplatz for a great view of the parade of mechanical figures.)

The list of places we hoped to see grew longer. A couple weeks ago, three members of Crestview’s sister city committee visited the News Bulletin’s office armed with photo albums, picture books and an alluring video of Noirmoutier, our sister city. That did it. Their kindness and enthusiasm planted the island town firmly on our itinerary. I hope to meet city officials and convey greetings on behalf of our city officials. (My roommate, Leon, wondered that if I was to be an emissary of Mayor David Cadle and the city council, would I receive a tall silk hat and a sash?)

Later, watching the video, I saw an enchanting island of farms, salt flats, charming old streets, lovely beaches (I wonder if it’ll be warm enough for a dip in the Atlantic in early October?), and, my World War II senses perked up when I saw footage of old bunkers and gun emplacements. Within days of our meeting, incidentally, our new friends in the sister city committee had a host family organized for us, who would even be meeting our TGV train from Paris!

There were more places I wanted to see. Last year, when writing a “Border Crossings” travel column about the golden age of Zeppelin travel, I contacted the Zeppelin Company for information about the Zeppelin-NT, the newest generation of passenger airship. Ever since I first visited the NT in 1997 (and even got to sit in the passenger gondola while engineers installed instruments and equipment!), I have wanted to take a flight over the Bodensee (the vast lake, also called Lake Constance) over which Count Zeppelin first tested his rigid-frame airships in the late 1800s. It’s now on the itinerary!

Since childhood I have been fascinated by King Ludwig II’s fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein, in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. I have always wanted to hike the public walking trails around the region, climbing up to the promontory from which you get that great head-on view of the castle you see on all the calendars and travel brochures. Alas, on previous visits we’ve always been too rushed to make the evening train back to Munich. Then when Leon and I were there in January 2006, a recent blizzard had blanketed the whole region with a gorgeous snowfall that unfortunately, closed most of the paths in the hills. Hopefully in fall they’ll be open!

As a special side treat, Clyde’s brother, for whom I helped plan a family holiday vacation in Germany several years ago, offered me a contact in the castle administration who has arranged a “behind-the-scenes” tour after hours! I am giddy, of course. Inside, Neuschwanstein is only a third complete. Bavarian government officials arrested the king and terminated his lavish construction projects, so his castle, which is across the valley and within sight of Hohenschwangau, the castle in which he grew up, was never finished. If all goes well, David and I will get to see the late-19th-century construction techniques that were employed to build the world-famous landmark. (And maybe even climb one of the towers!)

But there was still the matter of seeing family and friends. Cousins on my Dad’s side of the family live in a quiet residential section of Koblenz, the ancient Roman city built at the confluence of the Rhein and Mosel rivers. Cousin Ingrid injured her shoulder a couple years ago and is still receiving physical therapy to regain movement of her arm. Her sister Gisela has leg trouble, and Gisela’s husband Karl recent broke his shoulder. Their daughter Christel has been keeping me informed of their progress. It would be negligent not to visit them when I’d be so close. Not far away in Darmstadt, Dieter and Regina Heck and their great kids Martin and Sophie eagerly look forward to showing us their new home, having moved there two years ago from Munich. Besides, who could resist an invitation to see Frankenstein castle, which is close to Darmstadt?! (Mary W. Shelley was a guest there and was inspired to write her famous gothic horror story after her stay.)

Farther north, the Swedish Borgdén family and I have been close for many years, ever since Curt, while visiting the U.S. as a student, stayed in my Tulane University residence hall room for several days, then, after I finished the school year and went home, visited again in New Jersey. We have been great friends, and his wife Ann-Louise and their kids Martin (who will be away at university in Lund), Axel and Jonas are consummate hosts. Stockholm, though is a bit off the beaten path. But thanks to Europe’s low-fare budget airlines, we found a great flight from Frankfurt to Stockholm for about $136, including taxes and exchange fees. (I just got my credit card bill; that’s how I know!)

With all these options, how could we whittle it down to fit in our three-week trip? Watch for my next blog to find out!

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.