BILL BLOG
Monday April 15, 2024
Day 5 in Germany. So it’s Monday over here as I’m posting this. Nashville is 8 hours behind us.
Lots of pictures from Germany in today’s Blog.
THE WEEKEND
On Friday our daughter and her husband took my wife and me up into the Netherlands to visit a theme park they love called “Efteling”.
It’s about a 4 hour drive to get up there and we got to experience cars flying by us at a 100 mph on the autobahn. First time on the autobahn where it’s apparently impossible to get a speeding ticket.
Along the way we got to experience getting to pay to get into a bathroom. But then after you’re finished, the ticket you paid with gives you a discount on the food and drink you buy in the plaza where the bathroom is. So you go to the bathroom, eat, and drink and then need to go to the bathroom again. Some kind of recycling experience I suppose.
The theme park itself is beautiful just to walk through. Parts of it are very Disney like and part is old school charming. First time I ever had a tree talk to me.
Or ever had a guy stick his neck out for me this high.
And oh yea…they have roller coasters as well.
And the food throughout the park might have been the best I’ve ever had consistently in a theme park.
Heather and Casey have shot some videos here through their year and a half stay that are really enjoyable to watch. For a real look at Efteling watch this VIDEO the two of them shot.
It was a very full day with our kids. And one of the cool things is hearing Heather speak German…she knows a little of several languages and it came in handy during this trip we had Friday into the Netherlands.
SATURDAY
We knew we were in Germany when on Saturday morning we went for Starbucks and found these cool beer steins with artwork depicting the Normandy landing back in World War II. The artist was at the table and engraving his signature in each of those he sold. Only 1,000 were made. Beer steins are not my thing to collect…as those normally wind up collecting dust. But, if I were to buy one this one would have been it. Very cool artwork.
We then rented our car for a trip to Austria today. More on that at the end of today’s Blog.
The highlight of Saturday was making a trip along the Rhine River over to the beautiful town of Bacharach, Germany.
And yes, we saw castles. They are everywhere along the Rhine River. My wife Kathy and I many of those float by when we did the Rhine River Cruise a few years ago. And we could tell that we surely close to areas we had cruised by on the Rhine.
The town of Bacharach itself is just gorgeous. It’s known for its wine that comes from vineyards that run straight up a very high hillside or mountain. How they harvest the grapes must be a sight to see. Word is that Pope Pius the II loved the wine so much that he had it sent to him by the cartload to Rome.
We took our time and wandered the cobble stone street filled with buildings that have been standing since forever.
And we found a great local place for lunch where I had some kind of German sausage on a plate with curry that was delicious.
And I found a Christmas present as well that I asked my wife to buy me.
Cheers to Bacharach. I would go back there if we ever came back.
SUNDAY
We had more of a laid back day but in the evening we crossed the Rhine River from Wiesbaden into Mainz to have dinner.
Mainz is home to a mix of cultures it seems and the food reflect that for sure. We had dinner at an Indonesian Restaurant.
And my son in laws meal came steaming to the table like a volcano
And just
around the corner, just what you’d expect to see in a German city. A Vietnamese Restaurant.
The plaza-courtyard was beautiful with an old cathedral as the center piece.
And outdoor cafes ringed the plaza.
I also found a music store. My wife was glad it was closed I think.
And…I put in my application at the local radio station. We’ll see if anyone calls. Just like most American radio stations these days the computer was running everything…nobody home.
And Mainz is the home to the Guttenberg Museum where the first printing press was made. Two original Gutenberg Bible of the mid-15th century can be seen in the Museum. We plan to tour it before we leave.
Fund day in Mainz.
MUSIC NEWS
Meanwhile back in Nashville, I got some good news when my publisher told me a great young Canadian bluegrass group Jackson Hollow put a song on “hold” that I wrote with my friend Laura Leigh Jones. A “hold” means that the artist or band seriously like the song and they ask that you not send the song to any other artist for X amount of time. So that means there’s a pretty good chance that they will be recording this song sooner than later.
The Alex Miller EP was released over the weekend that has the song “Ain’t Ever Saying Never” on it that Alex and I wrote with Josh Shilling. Check out that song HERE.
(Pic)
And I got an official invitation to attend the album party for the new project release from my friends Darin & Brooke Aldridge that has two songs I helped write on it including their last single “Wildflower Too”. The party will be held at the Station Inn in Nashville on April 19 of this week and they’ll play all of the songs on this new album “live” with their band. I HATE having to miss this but I’ll still be here in Germany while that’s going on. I’ll be there in musical spirit only.
HEALTH NOTES
Experts are warning that fake meat can cause real health risks and are calling for caution.
The CDC is saying “fake” botox can and is making some folks sick. I suppose if you don’t look any younger after the injections you may have just received “fake” botox. Who knew?
And the CDC concluded this weekend that there is no link between COVID vaccines and cardiac arrests in young people.
JIMMY!
Man, what a star studded tribute to Jimmy Buffett at the Hollywood Bowl in LA over the weekend. Check out the closing number Margaritaville and look at how many celebrities were on stage singing Jimmy’s iconic summer song. McCartney, Don Henley, John McEnroe, Harrison Ford, Zac Brown, Vince Gill, Eric Church and on and on. Quite the Parrot Head concert on the west coast.
And Harrison Ford told quite the funny story about Jimmy. A little off color...but a funny true story about the man whose life they celebrated big time.
COMEDIAN
This line from comedian Milton Jones made me think…and then laugh.
“Hard to tell if people are interested in joining my Sarcastic Club or not”
GOLDEN DIVORCE
The Golden Bachelor and his bride are getting divorce after just 3 months of marriage after the TV show. And Al Roker had the best comment when he said, “Old people can be just as stupid.”
IRONIC
Country star Morgan Wallen who was arrested last week and charged with three counts after hurling a chair off the top floor of Eric Church’s new bar in Nashville just saw the song he recorded with Eric Church hit #1 on the charts. The name of the song? “Man Made A Bar.”
HOW ABOUT THIS SIGN?
Please! By all means, use the linen closet instead!
TODAY
We are headed towards some gorgeous scenery today as our little family group is off to spend a few days in Austria. In fact, we have a little view of a lake and mountain outside our Airbnb unit.
Have a great Monday!
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