Robin Burks's Blog, page 8

Get The Curse of Hekate For Free This Weekend

Remember last week when Zeus, Inc., was available for free on Amazon’s Kindle store? Well, this weekend, the second book in The Alex Grosjean Adventures series is free.

That’s right, from today through Sunday, you can download a free copy of The Curse of Hekate.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

(Also please note that the release date for Return of the Titans is now January 11.)

Get Zeus, Inc. For Free This Weekend

Happy Holidays, everyone! In honor of this joyous season and all of you book lovers out there, the Kindle version of Zeus, Inc. is free through Sunday. So go… download it now and enjoy!

Also, keep an eye out for other freebies coming soon.

More Updates And An Official Release Date for Return of The Titans

Back in September, I announced a re-issue of Zeus, Inc. Well, I’m proud to announce that there’s also a new and improved version of The Curse of Hekate now available on Amazon.

Of course, that’s been up for about a month now and I totally forgot to blog about it. I promise I’ll try to be better with announcements.

There’s also some more changes, in case you missed it: both books are now available in print editions, too. I’ve had so many people asking me about offering the books in print that I finally decided to go old school and have some made. You can buy a print edition from Amazon of both novels, or you can come find me at one of the cons I’ll be attending next year and get one directly from me (I’ll even sign it!).

Finally, I’m happy to announce that the third book in The Alex Grosjean adventures, Return of the Titans, has a release date: January 4.

Finally, in honor of the holidays, I’m giving away Kindle versions of Zeus, Inc. and The Curse of Hekate for free on Amazon starting Christmas weekend: Zeus, Inc. will be available for a free download that weekend, with The Curse of Hekate up for free on New Year’s weekend.

Happy Holidays!

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

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Ch… ch… ch… changes… New Re-Issue Of Zeus, Inc.

If you haven’t noticed by now, there have been some changes regarding my books. My previous publisher, Biting Dog Publications, decided to close down the eBook part of its services, once more making me a self-published author.

I’ve decided to turn this into an opportunity to re-issue both Zeus, Inc. and The Curse of Hekate, in honor of the upcoming release of the third book in the Alex Grosjean Adventure series, Return of the Titans.

So, Zeus, Inc. has a new cover and a new listing on Amazon. Not only can you now buy the book from Amazon, though, Prime members can borrow it and read it for free while those with Kindle Unlimited can also read the book for free.

So please check it out, and if you have read Zeus, Inc., please leave a review.

There’s also some other news: physical copies of all three books will become available early next year. They’ll be available on Amazon, but you will also be able to visit me at various cons throughout the year and buy a signed copy directly from me.

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

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Shopping with one last hurrah

So today marked my final day in Germany, and although I’ve enjoyed my time here, I’m ready to get home and back to my cats, my family and my friends. And air conditioning. It’s really the little things that count, right?

So today’s plan was to get to the Residenz when it opened at 9 a.m. and somehow I managed that after a quick breakfast at my hotel. The Residenz is a former palace and some of its interiors still contain their original decor and design fitting for royalty. It’s actually quite beautiful, although its heartbreaking to read about the parts of the Residenz lost forever during World War II.

I started at the Cuvilles Theatre, which had its boxes saved two days before the original version of the theatre got bombed in World War II. This theatre was absolutely stunning.

Blurry non-flash camera photos can’t do it justice, but you get the idea, right?

I then made my way to the Residenz proper, where the royalty of Bavaria once lived, worked and sleeped. It was really cool because there weren’t a lot of tourists out and about, so I literally had many of the rooms to myself. I felt like royalty myself! Except that I’m sure if I’d sat on any of the thrones, I would’ve been tossed out.

I walked through decadent room after decadent room. And all that walking made me hungry. Eventually, I realized it was nearly noon and my stomach was growling.

So I though I’d check out the Hofbrauhaus. And I did, for about five minutes. In that five minutes, I felt like I was cooking in an oven. There’s no ventilation, no fans, and I couldn’t take it. I prefer the beer garden close to my hotel where I can sit outside and breathe.

So I got up and went to the restaurant at the Platzl Hotel and randomly chose the day’s special: jagerschnitzel with spatzl. I had no idea what I ordered, but when it arrived, it was tasty.

There was some guy sitting across from me, some kind of celebrity, I think: people were asking him for autographs. I have no idea who he was, but he looked a lot like The Master as played by Anthony Ainsley on Doctor Who.

I also had more apple strudel, my last in the city. It wasn’t quite as good as the strudel I had near Neuchwanstein, but it was still tasty.

Then it was time for souvenir shopping, which I’d planned for the day. And the shops around the Platzl were all air conditioned! I was looking for a few things not just for myself, but for others.

I have a tradition of getting a cat figurine when I travel: it all started in London when my friend I was with bought me a Byzantine cat. I’ve started collecting these cat things in my curio cabinet, so I looked for one in Munich. Now, Munich seems to be more of a dog city, but one of the souvenir shops carried Goebel figurines, and there were cats! I picked out one with stripes because it reminds me of my Anders.

I still had one souvenir to get, but I left that area, which was a big mistake. You’d think the Marienplatz would have rows upon rows of souvenir shops, right? IT DOESN’T!!! Instead, it’s all retail establishments. There is one little kiosk, but it has very little. So I had to walk a few blocks to find a shop that carried what I was looking for (I won’t say what because it’s a gift for someone).

Finally, with purchases in hand, I needed air conditioning. I was hot, sweaty and getting rather grumpy. I also had to pee. And of course, public toilets aren’t so easy to find in Munich.

So I ducked into this huge department store on the Marienplatz, the Galeria. And not only did it have bathrooms, but it also had free Wi-Fi and air conditioning. Meaning that I went up to the cafe after using the bathroom, got some cake and a cold tea drink and sat there for an hour in glorious bliss, surfing the internet and enjoying a slice of apple kuchen. This was heaven.

Not wanting to leave heaven, I left the cafe, but stayed inside the store, where I partook of the wonderful air conditioning and shopped, eventually finding something I needed: new bras. And I found some that fit well, and you ladies know how hard that is. It was so nice to find my actual size, too, than have to try on a ton of larger sizes because of vanity sizing (America, I’m looking at you).

I finally rolled out of the department store, cooler and happier, and ducked quickly into the U-Bahn tunnels (which are also nice and cool-ish) to head back to the hotel via U-Bahn and bus (I discovered the bus route this morning that stops only a block from the hotel).

I dropped off my things and had one final dinner at “my” beer garden, Hirschgarten. I had meatballs and potato salad, followed with an ice cream sundae (to cool off because it’s still hot).

All in all, not a bad way to end a vacation. Now I get to go home and dance around in my very cold air conditioning, hopefully remembering Munich with a smile.

I have, though, learned a lesson: from now on, I book hotels in Europe with a/c and I travel a little later in the year. I’d rather deal with snow (like my first trip to London) than the brutal summer heat. I just wasn’t bred for warm weather.

Anyway, Auf Wiedersehen Munich. It’s been fun.

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

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Staying cool (and classy) in the city

I had a good plan today: the spend the days in the museums because maybe, just maybe they will have good air conditioning.

And I was right! I arrived at the Alte Pinakothek as soon as it opened this morning. But when I walked in, I felt nothing… no air. I almost panicked, but bought my ticket (museum tickets in Munich are only 1 Euro on Sundays) and decided to see how bad it was.

Then I entered the first gallery and I was hit with gloriously cold air. I’m talking, goosebumps cold. It was AWESOME. Really, it’s the little things. Fortunately, the art was also good. The Alte Pinakothek is classic art, which isn’t something I’m insane about, but I still enjoyed the pieces I saw. And I enjoyed the wonderful a/c.

Of course, when lunch rolled around, I had to leave that wonderful a/c to eat in the stuffy cafe. But the eggs benedict was quite good (apparently, the cafe only does breakfast and brunch on Sundays). This museum could have taken my whole day, but about half of it is closed for renovations, so I headed over to the next museum.

The wonderful thing about Munich is that most of the museums are in this one area and are literally a stone’s throw from each other.

Next, I landed at Pinakothek der Moderne, which was definitely more up my alley. I’m a modern art buff (although when I say modern, I usually only like things up until about the 1970s, so that’s not REALLY modern). And this museum was awesome. Not only was the art fantastic, but its design was really cool, too.

Of course, I got peckish and needed a snack. And a glass of wine. I had to leave the a/c to get it (WTF, Munich? Can’t we eat in a/c SOMEWHERE IN THIS GODFORSAKEN CITY?), but it was a little breezy, so I didn’t sweat it too much. I figured I would feel better if I had this chocolate roll thing with Bavarian creme and cherries inside of it, and I was right.

I sat there for awhile until it started getting a bit too warm (and I started to sober up to realize how warm it was getting).

Then I indulged in more modern art. This was really a great museum and I was very impressed with the collection. There was also a cool exhibit there (I forgot the name) with a sort of mixed media presentation of an apartment. I can’t really describe it, but it was interesting.

Two air conditioned museums down, one more to go, or so that was the plan. I headed over to the Brandhorst, which is another modern art museum, but it has probably one of the best Andy Warhol collections in the world. I finally saw Marilyn up close and personal, along with a few other pieces that were awesome. My favorite, of course, was the original book Warhol illustrated, 25 Cats, and I really wanted a reproduction of it, but of course, no such thing, apparently exists. The original limited edition print is a little out of my price range. Boo.

Of course, that made me think of my kitties and how much I miss them.

And, at that point, I was museum’d out. But the day was still relatively early, so I did what Munich folks do when it’s hot out: I headed to the English Garden. There, this is what they do: they float down the lazy river, letting the swift current carry them through the park.

I honestly wished I’d brought my swimsuit, because that water sure looked inviting. Instead, I stuck my toes in and encouraged people drifting by to splash me. I also got a girl to hit me with her super soaker, which felt AWESOME. That’s how you cool off in Munich. Everyone was having fun and laughing and they really made me feel a part of the city.

I walked around the gardens a bit and caught the surfers (there’s a wave pool), some ducks, lots of trees, the usual park things, but then the water evaporated off my body and I got hot again.

So I decided I’d head to Hofbrauhaus for dinner and a drink. Except that Hard Rock Cafe is across the street and it had one thing Hofbrauhaus didn’t: air conditioning. So I did the touristy thing and went towards the air conditioning. And I ate good old-fashioned American food (mac and cheese) and had a drink in a Mason jar, just like a red-blooded American. And I even got a t-shirt, because why not? If you’re going to go tourist, you go all in, right?

I also got seated underneath the jacket Bob Geldof wore during Live Aid, which, if you know me, made me go all fangirl. Geldof is a hero of mine and I seriously wanted to take that jacket home with me.

Now, though, I’m sitting in my hotel room, praying that we actually get the rain we’re supposed to tomorrow so that maybe it won’t be such a bad day. I want to see the Residence, but I’ve still got museums on my list, so if it’s hot, that’s where I’m headed: towards the a/c.

I hate summer. It’s a little better in Europe, but this trip would have been more enjoyable if the weather was like it usually is this time of year: cold enough for sweaters and scarves. This warming trend the world is going through sucks.

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

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Locking myself up in a fortress

Knowing that I had to leave my air-conditioned hotel in Salzburg eventually, I slept in this morning: almost until 9 a.m. I begrudgingly pulled myself out of bed and quickly showered and dressed, though, because I wanted to trudge up to Hohensalzburg Fortress before it got too hot in the day. Well, perhaps not trudge: I took the funicular up because it’s included in the price of the ticket and why do extra walking when you don’t have to?

When I arrived at the tower, I followed signs to a “photo point” and this is what I saw.

If that doesn’t make a person break out into song, I don’t know what will. The fortress sits on a small mountain, so the view is pretty amazing.

The fortress itself was pretty cool, too: very medieval and bigger than I expected. I walked through several exhibits, including the Marionette Museum, which was fascinating. I only wish I’d been there for one of the shows they put on throughout the week.

I wandered around, just sort of letting myself get lost. I ended up climbing to the top of one of the towers (on circular stairs that never ended) and across the fortress’ old battlements. I admit that it made me think of Monty Python (your mother is a hamster!).

Of course, lunch rolled around rather quickly, so I ordered something that seemed healthy enough: fish with potato salad. Of course, I assumed cod meant grilled cod, but I should know better by now: it was fried. But that’s okay, because it was rather good.

And yes! There are leafy greens on there! The first I’ve seen all trip! I ate them and I’m pretty sure it sent my body into shock. I also ordered the Stiegl grapefruit radler that I discovered in Tennessee, of all places, although this was better and straight from the tap.

I wandered around the fortress again and then headed down into Salzburg proper. I ended up wandering through a church cemetery that turned out to be absolutely beautiful.

Very Bavarian, isn’t it? It’s unlike anything I’d seen before.

I continued wandering and, although I wanted to hit up some museums and Mozart-related places, it was so hot that going inside into buildings that probably didn’t have air conditioning was not appealing. So I basically just wandered around and took more photos of Salzburg. trying to stick to the shade. Eventually, I stopped at a cafe for ice cream. There, a little Austrian girl tried to speak to me, but when her mother translated and then told her that I only speak English, she said “dog!”

She also demonstrated a few other words she knew in English, including “cat” and “cheese.” We had a little bit of a short conversation with her limited English and my limited German. It was absolutely freaking adorable, and one of those moments you remember long after the trip is over. Sometimes it’s more about the people than the sightseeing.

I wandered around some more until the blisters on my feet grew blisters, and decided that my Keds weren’t cutting it. Knowing that this is the home of Birkenstocks (aka comfy German shoes), I went in search of them. They’re really cheap in this area of the world, but with summer being on, it seems that they were all sold out. So I spent a lot of money on a cuter pair of sandals that were also a German comfort brand: Finn Comfort.

Turns out I paid about half of what these sandals run in the states. And they are COMFORTABLE. They’ll probably be my go to shoe for the rest of my trip.

If you know me, you know I hate sandals. But hey, I also hate tank tops and short skirts and this eather has me wearing those, too. A gal has to stay cool.

I wandered around a bit more, my toes a little happier, and wandered back to the hotel to pick up my bags and get a taxi to the train station. I bought a sandwich to eat on the train (ham and cheese on a baguette), along with water (and I screwed up and once more got sparkling water, which is growing on me, so I guess that’s okay). And then I munched on a chocolate bar that I was worried would melt in the heat (that’s me, thinking ahead).

I came back to my Munich hotel room worried it would be like an oven, but it’s relatively comfortable again. Looks like the Germans really know what they’re doing, huh?

Tomorrow, though, I’ve already googled “air conditioned buildings in Munich” to plan my day. I’ll start at a few museums, but the Brandhorst has state of the art air conditioning (powered by solar, so they have no excuses to blast that air like crazy): I plan on staying there awhile.

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

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The hills are alive with the sound of opera

So this morning, I hopped on a train and headed to Salzburg. It’s only about an hour and a half journey and although I thought I might doze, the scenery kept me awake. Now I know why Julie Andrews did nothing but sing when she was here!

And when the train turned the bend and I saw Salzburg for the first time, I caught my breath. It was so lovely! Just this very Bavarian little town sitting in the middle of the Alps, this green river running through it.

Being lazy (actually it was a hot day and I didn’t feel like walking the 20 minutes it took to get to my hotel), I took a taxi to my air conditioned hotel, which today, has been a god send. I’m sure going to miss it when I head back to Munich, because for some odd reason, last night, the room started out cool, but was warmer when I woke up. I had the window open. I had the fan on. I’m not sure how that happened. Something tells me I’m going to be hot at nights the next few days because the weather is only warming up.

I hate summer. And I usually come to Europe this time of year so that I can wear sweaters and scarves. But oh, no, global warming is, apparently, a very real thing, and Europe got hit hard this year.

I digress, though. Because Salzburg is really nice. I checked into the hotel and went out to grab a bite to eat. I ended up with spinach and parmesan dumplings (which was on the “light” menu, so I think maybe that word doesn’t mean what I think it means) and had a lovely glass of Austrian sparkling rose. I sat in the shade and enjoyed a breeze before hitting the town.

I did hit the town and meandered around until I found the Salzburg Cathedral. Being a church buff, I obviously had to check it out.

A guy named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized here. Oh, yeah, we’re in Mozart territory now. He even sells chocolates.

Then I went outside, and after about 5 minutes, I was sweating and red and miserable. I made the mistake of wearing jeans in this weather. But in my defense, I don’t go out in summer for long periods of time. On my way back to the hotel to cool off, I popped into H&M and bought two tank tops and a short skirt.

I went back to the hotel and changed into my new summer clothes and almost didn’t go back outside, but I did, and I realized that jeans in hot weather is just a bad idea. I was much more comfortable and discovered that the long street in Salzburg with all the great shops is also very well shaded and has a nice breeze.

So I shopped. This could be a dangerous precedent. I bought a few souvenirs for myself, including chocolate filled with booze (something you can’t get in the U.S.) and a bottle of Austrian Riesling that was recommended by the girl at the wine store. I was surprised at how reasonably priced the wine was, too: only $17 euros, which comes out to about $19 American dollars. Yay for a good exchange rate! I also bought a few souvenirs for people back home and plan on doing a little more shopping tomorrow.

I sorta’ kinda’ want a cuckoo clock, but it would be hard to pack (although I’m sure they put it in foam or something). I’m also concerned about the cats. And about me wanting to punch the cuckoo after about the third time it chimed on the hour. So then again, maybe not.

By the time I got back, I needed to shower and get changed for the opera. I managed to score a ticket to Iphigenie en Tauride during the Salzburg festival, with Cecilia Bartoli as the lead. This is a very big deal as it’s my first real world class opera production. So I got dressed up, put on my best bling and headed to dinner at the restaurant across the road from the hotel.

Dinner was ghoulash, which was also served with a giant dumpling. I’m getting that this is a Bavarian trend. I also had an almond chocolate mousse for dessert and a glass of Riesling. Before I left, the waiter inquired if I was going to the opera (as I was dressed up) and he warned me that the opera was four hours and 20 minutes long.

That disturbed me. I didn’t realize at the time that he was joking. Haha. Funny you, Austrian man. You got me.

Because I was wearing heels, I took a taxi to the opera house, Haus Fur Mozart. And when I got there, it was hot inside the building. I don’t think it’s air conditioned, or if it is, it’s not very well air conditioned. Europeans are so anti air conditioning that a million dollar modern opera house is still freaking hot. And I thought I would die after four hours.

Fortunately, the opera was a lot shorter than that: two hours and 30 minutes with intermission. And although I got warm, the production itself was so good that I never noticed (although I kicked my shoes off after the first act). I cried, I gasped, I cheered. It was a very emotional experience for me.

Afterwards, I left the opera house (practically limping in high heels, something I never wear, but I LOOKED GOOD) and sat down at a nearby fountain. I took those darn shoes off and I walked all the way back to the hotel, a 10-minute walk. I got a few stares from the rest of the opera-going crowd, but I also got a few nods like people approved of my choice. Me? I don’t care. I’m a freaking TOURIST.

I got back to the hotel and thought about putting on some flats with the dress and grab a drink, but I ended up in pajamas with no shoes, drinking a sparling water and eating some boozy chocolate. Not a bad ending to the evening.

Tomorrow, I plan on doing some sightseeing in my nice cool outfit. I really wished I’d brought the skimpy summer dress I left in Munich, but I’ll need that there because there’s heat warnings for the next two days. I feel like Europe has betrayed me, what with all this heat.

But hey, the first time I went to London, it snowed. In October, which is rare. But, fortunately, H&M saved me there, too, because I purchased gloves and a winter scarf to keep warm that year. H&M is always a good bet for inexpensive clothing items when traveling abroad.

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Glorious Food And Churches!

My third day in Germany began once more with cheeses, meats and breads for breakfast with the intent of spending the morning doing the outside touristy stuff and the later part of the day doing museums, as temperatures were set to hit 88 degrees here. And well, in my book, that’s hot.

So I started early and began at the Marienplatz, where I was immediately impressed with the Rathaus, or the city court house, which, is, apparently, still in use. The building is unreal, so beautiful and fantasy-like

But what was really cool about the building? IT HAS A DRAGON!

Germany really is the land of fairy tales, right?

So after I geeked out over the dragon, I walked over to St. Peter’s church. Unfortunately, though, there was a service going on, so I didn’t really get to see much of it. So I wandered over to Frauenkirche instead, which was also a disappointment because most of its clock towers are under construction and much of the church was covered in an ugly tarp. It was pretty inside, though.

But then I remembered that the tour guide from the Neuchwanstein tour mentioned that Ludwig II and much of the royal Bavarian Wittelsbach family were buried at St. Michael’s, and that church did not disappoint. I paid my respects to Ludwig II, who I’ve learned much about these past few days. It was his imagination that inspired Walt Disney, after all.

I also went to Asamkirche, which is this small church, but what it lacks in size, it makes up in Baroque-ness. Like OVER THE TOP baroqueness.

I tried to sit there and take it all in, but it was honestly a bit much. But it was still interesting.

Of course, by that time, I needed sustenance. So I headed back to the Marienplatz (the main square in Munich) and ate at the Ratskeller. I ordered a pint of Radler (which was excellent) and had sauerbraten, which is a traditional German pot roast served with a ball of mashed potatoes and red sauerkraut.

It’s official. I love German food.

Sated, I headed back out and checked out the interior of the Rathaus, which, apparently, anyone can do. Yeah, some rooms are off limits, but they still let tourists wander around. It was really interesting to see several stained glass windows dedicated to Americans. I’m going to have to research their importance to Bavaria (maybe they’re of German descent?).

It’s a beautiful building inside and out.

But then it was getting warm out, so I hopped on the U-Bahn and headed to the Glyptothek and Antikensammlungen: two museums full of ancient Greek and Roman antiquities. And if you’ve read my books, you understand my interest in ancient Greece and Rome.

I also wanted air conditioning. However, I didn’t feel any actual air conditioning at either museum. Just open windows and de-humidifiers. I get that the room’s must stay at a certain temperature, etc., but shouldn’t that temperature be cooler? So I sort of zoomed through the museums, because it was actually nicer outside in the shade of the Antikensammlungen, just sitting on the steps. I stayed there awhile, enjoying a nice breeze and cooling off.

I did end up going to the cafe at the Glyptothek, though, because I needed water, so I also ended up with kuchen, aka cake.

But, eventually, the heat got to me, so I hopped on a tram, which was a HUGE mistake because it was hot inside (no a/c and lots of windows). But I made it back to my hotel, which also doesn’t have a/c, but my room stayed surprisingly cool. I took a quick cold shower and cooled off, but I eventually got hungry again around dinner time. It’s all the walking, right?

I walked back to Hirschgarten, where I had pork schnitzel with pomme frites AND a dessert called Dampfnudel, which is a sort of cake thing swimming in vanilla cream. I also drank a glass of wine (but also water) and now I’m questioning my life choices.

But there’s no time for that! Because tomorrow, I head to Salzburg for an evening, where I will see my first world class opera production.

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Adventures in Biking And Castles

So today was the day I’ve been waiting for since the 1990s when I played Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within: my trip to Neuchwanstein Castle. I went with a local tour company, called Mike’s Bike Tours, which does a lovely tour of the castle, along with a few other cool activities, like a bike ride out to Swan Lake.

So I was up early and had a breakfast of bread, cold meats, cheese and yogurt. I hopped on the train to go to the Marienplatz and then walked to the tour company shop. I checked in and soon, I was bound for Neuchwanstein. The ride up was fun and entertaining (and educational because we learned a lot about Ludwig II), but things got real when I got my first peek at the castle in the distance.

It doesn’t even look real because it’s just SO picture perfect. And of course, it seems tiny (until you get up close). We arrived at the tourist center and immediately got on bikes and started biking around the area. I haven’t been on a bike in about 15 years, but it turns out, it really is something you never forget how to do. We stopped at a few places to take photos and then went to Swan Lake.

There were some people swimming, but that water was COLD. LOL

Then we biked back to the tourist area and had lunch. I finally tried kasespatzle, which is sort of like mac ‘n cheese, but a million times better because it’s got like four cheeses and grilled onions on it. Words cannot describe how good it was.

But the best part came when the apple strudel arrived. I’ve been thinking about apple strudel since I booked this trip, and now I’ve had good and proper strudel.

Then we had a choice of hanging out there in the restaurant (which I did because I couldn’t move after finishing off all that food), going on an alpine slide or just walking around. It got pretty warm today, so chilling and digesting seemed like a good option to me.

Soon, though, it was time to walk up to the castle. I opted for the short bus ride up (although there was still a hike up to the castle from the drop-off point). The view, to say the least was AMAZING.

You just can’t beat that. And the castle was AWESOME. I walked around a bit and just gawked at it. It’s easy to see how it inspired Walt Disney. We also took a tour inside (no photos allowed) and saw all the great rooms I remember from Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within. Cool, huh? Screw the history. THIS CASTLE WAS IN A VIDEO GAME.

The tour is short because Ludwig II only managed to complete about one-third of the castle before his mysterious death. So if I win the lottery, I’m buying it and finishing off the other rooms. At least that’s the plan.

I bought a few souvenirs in the various gift shops (including a print to hang at home to remind me I finally saw the castle I’ve been wanting to see) and then we headed home to the sounds of Wagner (yes, I entertained notions of leading a singalong of “Kill the wabbit.”)

It was, literally, the perfect day. The weather was beautiful, the castle was amazing, I talked to some interesting people and had a wonderful time. I’m not certain what else this trip will top today, but I’m ready for the next adventure tomorrow. Of course, after sleep. Which, I think, after today’s busy schedule, should come easily enough.

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The Curse of Hekate

Alex Grosjean is back. A tall, dark and pointy-toothed stranger shows up at Alex's door and asks for help: he wants to find the insane monster-woman, Lamia, who cursed him. Meanwhile, a plague sweeps through the city and Lamia starts abducting children. After a trip across the world and a frightening encounter with the goddess Hekate, Alex must push herself to her limits to save the world. Again.

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