We're B-a-a-a-ck!

After an 11-hour flight from Frankfurt to LAX, Mayor Bogaard, Judy Kent and I were back on U.S. soil. Most of the others in the delegation stayed another day or two in Ludwigshafen, and then many were going to take a tour of Prague and some other cities.

Using the sole computer at each of the hotels in Järvenpää and Ludwigshafen was a real challenge. Other guests wanted to use them as well, so I was always in a hurry, which made it tougher because it took a long time to upload photos to the blog; or I used the computers very late at night (1 a.m. or so) or very early in the morning (4:30 or 5 a.m.).

So here are a few additional photos that will give you a fuller flavor of our adventures.

FINLAND

Helsinki Harbor: If it walks like a cruise ship and talks like a cruise ship, it must be a cruise ship, right?


Wrong. It's the overnight ferry to Stockholm.

The students at Järvenpään Lukio, the high school, publish a magazine that is quite impressive.



These two vans look similar. Both transport people around town. One's a Mercedes and one's a VW. There's a gigantic difference in price.


Ours was the Mercedes.

Pasadena's General Plan goal of getting around town without a car may well have been inspired by Järvenpää. Here there are big incentives for not driving a car -- there are only a few parking lots, and those only hold a handful of cars each; plus the cost to park is huge -- the average is about $20 an hour.

So people rely on bicycles, walking, buses and light rail.

Here's rush hour in Järvenpää (really):



Remember the photo of all those bikes at the light rail station? That was right next to the parking lot, which I regret I didn't photograph. It has spaces for about 20 cars max. That lot is not reserved only for light-rail riders; it also serves the Rivoli Hotel and an adjacent shopping area.

GERMANY

Bianca (second from right) grew up in Ludwigshafen and her parents still live there. A few years ago she did a professional internship at Abbott Labs in South Pasadena.



She and her significant other, Markus, who is next to her in the photo, now run a cafe at a ski resort in Austria. They presented us with gifts from their cafe.

Public art in the plaza across from our hotel: Apparently the butt crack was beyond what the sensitibilities of a passer-by could handle. (That's a Band Aid.)



OK, who's on first?
Heidelberg walkway: Barrel-vaulted ceiling with cast-stone flowers.



Pasadena City Hall: Barrel-vaulted ceiling with cast-stone flowers.



The architects Bakewell and Brown of San Francisco had many inspirations for the design of Pasadena City Hall, including classic European architecture.

That's Heidelberg Castle, looking down on the city. The imposing complex of buildings was constructed on the orders of the Prince Electors and the work took more than two centuries to complete. The tower to the left is undergoing renovation.



View from the castle: The foundation stone for the gothic-style Church of the Holy Spirit was laid in 1398. The church is the dominant feature in Heidelberg's central market area.

Fond Farewells to Ludwigshafen

We began the day with Ludwigshafen's Sister Cities Festival, where each of the cities and respective consulates had information booths. There was live entertainment and refreshments.

Here's a folk dancing group from Ludwigshafen's sister city of Lorient in the Brittany region of France. The musicians in the background are playing binioú bagpipes, smaller and shriller versions of their Scottish cousins.



Then many people in our delegation took a 20-minute train ride to Heidelberg.

By way of comparison, Ludwigshafen, was almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II, and only 20% of the buildings survived.

Heidelberg, however, was the headquarters of the Allies, and its architecture is completely intact. It is among the most important collections of classic German architecture anywhere in this country.



Heidelberg University and the town's commercial districts are on one side of the Neckar River, in the shadow of a historic castle; the other side of the river is dotted with beautiful homes. Those are vinyards clinging to the side of the hill above.

Most tour guides carry umbrellas or signs; we were pleasantly surprised to see our tour guide holding up a rose in honor of Pasadena!



Here's everybody in the Pasadena Sister Cities delegation who made the trip to Heidelberg (the obligatory Star-News shot!).



Judy and I had to catch the train back to Ludwigshafen before the rest of the group because we were expected at the final mayors' dinner and had to rush.

This final dinner was much more casual than the other affairs and was a nice opportunity to relax.

All of the mayors exchanged souvenirs with their respective communities' symbols or emblems. Here's the Vice Mayor of Antwerp, Belgium, wearing a Pasadena rose while Mayor Bogaard sports an official Antwerp tie (those are "A"s on the tie).



Then everybody in the group exchanged handshakes and hugs, and promised to keep in touch with each other. The mayors committed to working together in the future to discuss shared issues.

After dinner, Mayor Bogaard attended a concert by what apparently is one of the hottest bands in Europe right now -- Reamonn. Judy and I had not heard of them and were pretty beat after hiking around Heidelberg in the 90° heat, so she and I beat it back to the hotel.

And now I'm cutting this a little short so I can get upstairs, change clothes and prepare for the long plane trip back to LAX. Judy and Mayor Bogaard will be my traveling companions again.

I'll do some wrap-up after I get home.