Safe in Los Angeles

We flew from Vienna to Munich to Los Angeles yesterday. That was a lot because even though it is only 45 minutes flight from Vienna to Munich the flight to Los Angeles over the Polar Route over Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Canada is about 12 hours flying time. It's presently about 3 am Los Angeles Time but it's around noon in Austria where we were mostly for at least 3 weeks visiting my Daughter and her baby (our grand daughter) and her husband there in Austria.

Though it was a lot to get there and to come back okay for us because I'm 77 and my wife is 70 we did it successfully.

We also stayed at the Grand Hotel with beautiful views of the trees Turning Gold and Red in Autumn with a perfect view of the Alpine Lake there. We went up the nearby Ski Gondola to the top of the mountain there and could see Alpine Peaks over 12,000 to 14,000 feet in all directions. Exploring the Area in our rented Diesel BMW was fun too. The speed limits are pretty Crazy and though the car could drive itself for you, you always have to keep resetting the controls for all the many many many speed limit changes there, 30km, 50km, 70, km, 80km, 100 km, 110km and 130km only on the fastest Freeways. Also,  can easily get a ticket for going 5 miles per hour too fast or 5 miles per hour too slow so this is really really crazy there compared to the U.S. We have a lot more leeway (fast and slow) in our rules here in the U.S. especially in California where I'm used to driving.

So, the top speed on Freeways only is 130KM which equals 80, 78 miles per hour. Also at the lake in Zell Am See (which is where the true story of "The Sound of Music" with Julie Andrews Actually took place

in the 1940s over 80 years ago now.

I found out that my relatives likely left Zurich, Switzerland because they were Protestants and didn't want to be murdered then in 1725 and settled in Philadelphia with a lot of other people who wanted Freedom of Religion from Switzerland and all over Europe then too.

Italy and Austria are likely the two of the most Catholic Countries in Europe. They came to the U.S. for Freedom of Religion so they wouldn't be killed for being Protestant Christians in Europe.This was true from about 1500 through the 1800s that people could be killed for being Protestant Christians in Europe.

IT is sort of like how Muslims are being killed a lot for being Muslims in Europe too now a lot or they are discriminated against to prevent them from being very successful in life financially now.

So, unless Middle Eastern people have oil money from the Middle East it is very hard for them to get ahead in Europe now educated or not. Most of our Taxi Drivers I believe were Turkish because Turkey was aligned with Germany and Austria during World War II.

So, I learned a great deal about my ancestors who came to the U.S. and a whole lot about Europe I never knew before too.

I found Austria to be a real paradox on many different levels. ON the one hand they are one of the most ecological nations on earth (which European Countries often are). 

So, 90% of their electricity is renewable (wind generators, Solar, etc.) and there are Light rails everywhere. Literally all the trains in Austria have to be electric and must buses in cities too. On the other hand in some ways it is like going to a place 100 to 200 years ago in other ways which is very interesting but also hard to get used to (all the little things that are very quaint and sweet about Europeans of all Countries.

Another strange thing is that you will see graffiti that says things like "Fuck Cars" on buildings in Vienna which for Americans would be really strange. However, most people don't drive cars they take Trolleys and trains and subways to get places. Mostly only tourists use Taxis unless the people are fairly rich. So there is this Ecological thought (especially in the cities) everywhere. And most of the Taxi Drivers are Turkish but some of them speak English which is the second language of Austria (which is probably because of World war II and what came after for them.

So, all in all a really amazing experience of Old World Charm and New World technologies and ecological Thought way beyond most of the U.S. except for places like California, Oregon and Washington and places like this.