travel

Wednesday’s Photos

/ Peter Klopp / 11 Comments

Breaking One’s Routines

Our Spontaneous Trip to the Rocky Mountains

When my wife and I retired, we had to make quite a few changes to our lives. We realized that we are no longer bound by the daily and weekly routines imposed on us by our employer. We spent more time in the evening doing things together, such as watching on TV ballet, figure skating, documentaries on scientific explorers, or the occasional good movie. With each other’s agreement, we also follow our individual favourite activities, blogging, working on photos and stories, corresponding with friends and family. It felt good to burn the midnight oil and not have to worry about getting enough sleep.

While we thoroughly enjoyed our new freedom to live each day the way we saw fit, we also discovered how our activities were still hampered by the habits that governed our lives during our employment years. In the past, most of our travel plans centred around the set vacation times, long weekends, statutory holidays like Christmas and Easter. That kind of thinking was still so ingrained that we were blind to catch an opportunity when it presented itself and learn to act more often at the spur of the moment.

Recently, I planned a pleasure trip to the Rocky Mountains, and I must confess that I have been and still am an inveterate planner. Prompted by nostalgic memories of a journey to Kicking Horse Pass and Emerald Lake twelve years ago, I decided to celebrate my birthday with my wife in the mountains. In the weeks before this event in the life of an octogenarian, I checked the long-term forecast. I was getting worried the closer we approached the date of our departure. The weatherman predicted extremely hazardous road conditions coupled with snowfall warnings and subzero temperatures, whereas only seven days earlier the forecast was for sunshine and spring-like temperatures in Golden and Banff. I told Biene I did not want such a dismal birthday trip. I read her disappointment on her face, and quickly added,  “Let’s have a glorious mountain experience instead”. So it turned out to be. Enjoy the video.

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch7 Part 21

/ Peter Klopp / 6 Comments

Biene writes:

Rescue in the Knick of Time

 Time seems to stand still like in a bad dream.  Increasing panic is gripping my heart when I look at my brother’s white horrified face.  I keep on stammering in my heart,  “Please, God help us, please, dear God help us….”.   Almost paralyzed by augmenting fear we suddenly see a big motorboat approaching. Almost instantly our fear turns into joy.  Help is on the way!!!!   But our relief and joy are short-lived.  The big motorized yacht moves by us at great speed without stopping.  Didn’t they see us?  The waves are high and our overturned boat is blue.  They must have missed us. This time our desperation is almost overwhelming.   What shall we do?  What can we do?

Numbed by cold and fear I am unable to make a decision. I am worried about my brother who looks ghastly white and is very quiet.  After what seems like an eternity, we see another (or is it the same?} boat approaching from the direction it had vanished.  A small flicker of hope revives us enough to start screaming at the top of our lungs for help. The big boat slowly approaches and then starts circling us. It stops!  Two men climb down a ladder and grab our hands to pull us out of the water onto the deck. Two ladies wrap us in blankets and help us move into a cozy cabin to warm up and rest while the two men manage to retrieve our boat from the lake. Our rescuers were American tourists who had not seen us in the water initially.  One of the men, however, had spotted our paddle floating on the water.  This miraculously prompted their search for us.  Apparently, we were hardly visible in the high waves and they had almost missed us again.

Luckily our parents only found out about our near drowning after we were rescued and safely returned to them. Contrary to our expectations our father did not scold us or get upset over the loss of equipment and damage to the boat.  He loved adventures and was happy and proud that we survived. He commended us for staying with the boat and not trying to swim ashore.

Walter, Biene’s twin brother, built this model sailing ship.

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch7 Part 20

/ Peter Klopp / 6 Comments

A Perilous Sailing Adventure

Sailing Adventure Part 2

In no time we reached the middle of the lake.  “Strange”,  I suddenly thought,  “there are no other boats here. Why do they  keep on sailing parallel to shore?”  I tried to gently shift my weight to look back to our now distant beach. Suddenly there was a strong gust of wind billowing our sails.  My brother frantically tried to maneuver the sails.  “Sit on the edge of the boat, quick! ” he commanded sternly looking worried.  Although I had reservations, I did not dare to voice an objection. I quickly lifted myself up to sit on the narrow rim of the boat,  when the wind shifted again without warning. Then everything happened like in slow motion.

I see the look of horror on my brother’s face while I am gently tilted backwards into the water with the white fluttering sails tipping in my direction. I am sinking deep down into the cold water.  When I finally surface I see my brother beside the capsized boat looking shocked and angry.  My first reaction is a fit of hysterical laughter.  “What happened?” I stupidly ask while trying to catch my breath.  It all seems so unreal.  “Stop laughing!” my brother yells holding on to the overturned boat. When he tells me to cry for help I am racked by another fit of laughter.  “Why don’t you?” I manage to reply.  “We’ll swim to shore”,  I suggest.  I am a strong swimmer with lots of stamina. Almost beside himself, my brother shouts back, “Never!!! We must stay with the boat”  Slowly I am regaining my sanity.  I am looking around trying to assess the situation.  We are in the middle of the lake far from either shore.  The waves are high. The water is churned up and cold.  We don’t have life vests. No boats are in sight except the sailing boats looking like miniature toys in the distance.  Suddenly panic seizes me.

Our desperate attempts to right the boat fail.  The weight of the water-logged sails is beyond our strength.  One of our paddles floats away on the waves.  My brother does not allow me to retrieve it.  We continue to cling to the boat bobbing in the waves, occasionally crying out for help which we realize is useless.  Nobody can hear us. 

To be continued …

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch7 Part 19

/ Peter Klopp / 11 Comments

A Klepper Folding Boat with Sails

Sailing Adventure Part 1

Biene writes:

My brother was a bit disappointed that he had not been able to go sailing yet. However, that was to change on the first weekend.   On a beautiful Sunday morning, Walter and I went to the beach very early. Our parents had gone on a short excursion by themselves.  I was absorbed by my novel when my brother suddenly called me.  Looking up from my book, I noticed lots of boats sailing gracefully close to shore on the white-capped lake. Sitting in a secluded and sheltered spot, I had been protected from the wind.  

Twin Brother Walter Relaxing in the “Sailboat”

“Biene, do you see all those sailboats?”  my brother shouted excitedly. “Let’s go and try ours.” Suddenly, a cool breeze blew through my hair.  It wasn’t very often that my brother invited me to participate in his fun activities.  I quickly grabbed my towel, wrapped it around my book, and followed him to the water where our boat was anchored.

Walter expertly got everything ready for our first sailing adventure. To try it out,  we first sailed fairly close to shore like the real sailboats in the distance.  It was exhilarating to speed effortlessly through the waves.  My brother felt like a captain in command.  He would tell me to shift my weight occasionally from side to side. I obediently followed his commands.  Normally, we would argue about everything.  But I had never sailed before.   Imperceptibly, the wind was getting stronger and the waves higher.  We were ecstatic!  This was fun!   Lots of other boats were sailing ahead of us along the coastline.  Suddenly, my brother suggested, “Why don’t we try to cross the lake?  We have never been to the other side.  At this speed, we’ll be there in no time.”   I had no objections. I loved adventures and was curious to explore the other shore.

To be continued …

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch7 Part 18

/ Peter Klopp / 7 Comments

Family Reunion at Lake Ammer

Biene writes:

Our family, including my uncle and aunt, spent the summer of 1963 at Lake Ammer in Bavaria, Southern Germany.  Lake Ammer is the sixth-largest lake in Germany.  Since sailing is a popular sport there, our father equipped our fold boat with sails. Our vessel resembled a lightweight canoe which could be folded up.

From left to right: Uncle Rudi, Walter jr, Aunt Johanna, Mutti and Papa Panknin

My twin brother was excited by the prospect of easy sailing instead of strenuous paddling. Boats of any kind were his passion.  And he was already a very skilled model boat builder. He loved sailboats in particular.  The previous summer, he had learned to sail with a friend on the island of Corsica.

The weather was beautiful that summer at Lake Ammer.   The lake was still and calm, like a mirror under a cloudless sky, for the first few days of our stay.  I enjoyed the wonderful sandy beach. When I was not swimming or sunbathing, I would sit under a shade tree and read the gripping biographical novel  “Lust for Life” by Irving Stone.  A great read which is based on Vincent Van Gogh’s turbulent life. Vincent Van Gogh was and still is my favourite painter.

Lost in Australia 2012

/ Peter Klopp / 11 Comments

Our Adventurous Journey in Australia

Contributed by Stefan Klopp

Klopp Family Tree IV & V

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Mateo and I have always had a very special bond. His first few years after he was born I was lucky enough to live just down the street from him and his parents before they moved to Montreal. When Richard asked me if I would be Mateo’s godfather, I was honored and vowed to be the best uncle I could be.

Years ago a friend had told me about their Aunt who had taken all of her nieces and nephews on trips when they turned 16. As someone who love to travel, I latched onto the idea and decided when Mateo turned 13, if his grades were good I would take him on a trip.

For his 12th birthday after clearing the idea with his parents I told Mateo I wanted to take him on a trip. After discussing possible destinations we settled on Australia. Mateo had a real fascination for animals (especially those down under) and I loved the idea of going to a continent I had never been before.

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A few weeks after Mateo turned 13 we set off on a 777 Air Canada jet to Sydney; our first stop on our adventure. It was a long flight, but we were lucky to be flying direct, and 16 hours later and we arrived in country.

The plan was to spend 4 days in Sydney, before flying south to Melbourne. From Melbourne we would then rent a car and drive the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. Then we would take a small jet north to the center of Australia to spend a few days camping and hiking around Uluru and finally make our way to Cairns to get some sunshine and explore the Great Barrier Reef.

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The trip was everything I could have imagined.

We zip lined through the Otway National Park, snorkeled and dove the Great Barrier Reef, surfed in Manly and hot air ballooned north of Cairns.

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We saw a breadth of animals from koala bears to echidnas to kangaroos.

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We hiked the Grampians, explored Uluru, and adventured around Kangaroo Island.

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Most of all however, we got to hang out and be buds for three and a half weeks. As 2015 comes to a close I look forward to future adventures with Mateo big or small.

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