協助元兒計劃退休金/莊峻華

協助元兒計劃退休金/莊峻華

最近台灣立法院，正在變法，修改公教軍勞退休金給付

制度，我連續觀看政論節目，稍有了解，我贊成改革，

欣見新法三讀通過，當然被修改受益人，心中憤憤不平

，我甚了解，在美國自由派說法，台灣軍公教舊法，是

一另項社會福利，像是國防預算，對國防企業之福利，

一般國民，介於貧富之間，必須自求多福，提早準備個

人退休計劃，不能僅依靠政府之社會福利金退休，手上

必須擁有其他退休計劃，美國政府也鼓勵國民退休儲蓄

，給予暫時節稅優待，就是每年儲蓄額，可以減去年收

入總額，再行繳稅，退休金領出時，再依領出額倂入當

年收入繳稅。

元兒大學畢業後，就在超市當店員，最低收入階級，開

始我安排他開羅斯計劃，因彼無稅務負擔，而且補助他

一元對一元，歐巴瑪時代，低收入戶做個人計劃兩千五

，政府補助兩百元現金，後來他收入稍高，已經需要靠

一般個人計劃，來減少年收入，以免所得稅。去年，琳

兒與我一起鼓勵他，將年收入之一半，存入超市公司之

401k計劃，一年大概是一萬美元，而且是節稅，個人計

劃，已經長到一年五千美金，早已無我需要補助，我們

甚知輕重，一直留他在家，免費食宿，而且鼓勵他儲蓄

，目前其資產已稍有規模。

他的工會，也有退休金，公司補助一些，自己交上多數，

此筆退休金，數目不大，主要是其收入低。如此簡單算來

，到他退休時，有五種不同退休金，羅斯，一般個人，

401k，工會，和社會福利金等，此五項退休金收入，足夠

養老，我一直提醒他，每年都估計其資產大概總額，讓他

有自信不害怕。

我從事保險業，保險業中之年金計劃，有很多儲蓄理財知

識，都是加減乘除，很容易了解，美國退休金制度，雖甚

完美，但美國國民儲蓄，尚在成長中，效果開始顯示，台

灣退休金制度，行政院和立法院，從來不曾重視，我在販

賣保險產品，和最近研究台灣公教年金，發現台灣國會，

可以參考美國退休制度，亡羊補牢，猶未為晚。

Visiting Freiburg by train through the Black Forest/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Freiburg by train through the Black Forest/Carlos Pueblo

There are four scenic routes on the map of the German Rail Pass,

DB Bahn, 1. Dresden to the border of Czech Republic on the

valley of the River Elbe; 2. Stuttgart to Heidelberg on the Neckar

River valley; 3. Mainz to Cologne on Rhine River valley; and 4.

Offenburg to Singen and Singen to Freiburg through the Black

Forest of southern Germany. I have been all four of them during

this trip in Europe and more. I visited Singen and Freiburg briefly

at the final train ride.

Before the day break, I took an express train from Frankfurt to

Offenburg passing through two famous city and one small. Mannheim

is large and the concurrence of Rhine and Neckar, Rhine keeps on

north to meet Main at Mainz. Baden-Baden is a small town of hot

spring for beth which Obama has visited several times during his

tenure as US President.

Starting at Offenburg, the train goes southeastward to Singen, a

small industrial town of 20,000. It is already in the heart of Black

Forest and bordering with Switzerland, Zurich is not far away. There

is a pretty Lake Constance. The original Rhine and Danube are started

from here, Danube goes eastward while Rhine goes northward. I stopped

at the town for a 10 Euro grocery shopping with the US credit card. A

lady was curious and chatted with me.

I felt the trees, mostly pines, were slender from the window view which

might be in distance not as huge as I had viewed the Redwood in the

north California and the Aspen in Colorado. I couldn’t wait till arriving

Freiburg, a lovely city recommended by a German friend who I met in

Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2015. Freiburg means free town in English is

a college town as well. Albert Ludwig University is famous of the medical

center where I regretted  that I didn’t have a chance to visit. I walked along

the popular old town streets to the Historical Merchants’ Hall and a big

open market which was almost at the end of daily business and still visitors

gathering. It was very busy and lovely like all German cities.

I had passed twice to a 1871 Victory Monument which was for that year’s

victory to France and eventually united all Germany. I visited across Germany

and learnt a lot of modern German history.

火車經過德南黑森林/莊峻華

火車經過德南黑森林/莊峻華

久聞佛萊堡甚美，在德國西南，萊茵河畔，法國邊界，旅行中

相識一位旅遊客，推薦其故鄉，行前得知彼患病，正在治療中

，故我安排一日，搭火車經過德南黑森林，拜訪欣佛萊堡，也

在德瑞邊界欣見小鎮換車，如此完成德國鐵道，推薦四處風景

區，第一，德瑞斯登沿艾柏河到捷克邊界，其實更沿伸到捷克，

第二，尼克卡河谷從史徒噶特，朋馳總部，到海德堡城，第三，

緬因斯沿萊茵河谷，到科隆市，第四，黑森林這兩段，從奧芬堡

到欣見，然後欣見到佛萊堡。

天未拂曉，我就搭火車從法蘭克福南下，第六次經過緬函市，這

是尼克卡河和萊茵河會合處，仍舊是黑夜，然後經過巴登巴登市

， 這是歐巴瑪總統訪問德國一小鎮，從奧芬堡東南下，就是德鐵

黑森林線開始，我一直在想像過去台灣留德學生，描寫下之黑森

林，和北加州之千年古紅木，或是科羅拉多州高山之白楊，黑森

林多半是年輕松林，至少從火車上觀去。我在欣見鎮下車，需要

換車西向佛萊堡，欣見小鎮，德國式之整潔美麗，附近有一康士

潭斯湖，這是瑞士邊界，瑞士是高山，此處是兩大著名歐洲河流

發源地，萊茵河和多腦河。我拼湊十歐元，信用卡購買食物，有

位中年婦女好奇，英文和我聊天。

佛萊堡途中，黑森林更加明顯，我已經迫不及待，下車後，走進

老街，都是古典建築，萊茵河兩岸，法國和德國，都是葡萄酒產

地，佛萊堡是一大學城，也是醫學中心，我步行並未參觀到艾伯

特魯得偉大學，倒是在歷史商人館逗留許久，這時候之露天市場

，已經開始打烊，但仍然有許多遊客聚集，老商館在二樓，古典

古蹟，仍舊燈火通明，經過一小凱旋門，是紀念1871年普法戰爭

，普魯士一連擊敗丹麥，奧匈帝國，和法帝國，從此稱霸歐洲。

Visiting Fussen at the foot of Alps/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Fussen at the foot of Alps/Carlos Pueblo

People refer Fussen, a small town at Germany-Austria border, to me for

three fairy tale castles just two miles south at the foot of Alps Mountain,

Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Castle, and Linderhof Palace.

All were built in 19^th century , two by Ludwig II and one by his father

Maxmilian. Disney has copied these three for its Cinderella program both

Disneyland at Orange County, California and Disney World in Orlando,

Florida. After I read some history of Ludwig II of Bavaria, I noticed that

he was the one participated in both Prussia-Austria War and Prussia-

France War. His grandfather, Ludwig I, was the reason of the famous

Octofeast, Beer Festival of Munich. I reached to Fussen, a pretty small

town of 15,000, yet I missed the opportunity to go further to three

castles palace and the beautiful swan lake, Alpsee Lake. Lucy Lin of Taiwan

mentions that there is a pretty garden at the lake which is her mother’s

favorite. I missed it due to two reasons, two hour time constraint and no

available Euro at hand. I am determined to make another trip in the future.

I walked to the old town and visited this lovely Bavarian territory. I felt

that I was in Austria, gentleman with short and high stock with a leather

on the hat and the young lady clerk at stores dressed with colorful. There

were tourists sitting on the streets to drink beer and wine. The town is not

too big at all for me to walk twice within two hours of waiting the train

back to Frankfurt. The city hall is on the street open for visitors and many

small market squares among the old town area. I walked to an old monastery

St. Mang’s Basilica, a park and museum nowadays that I could view the bridge

over the River Lech.

I walked to an old church with some church yard with a small garden. It seemed

to have an activity just finished inside the church dining room. A gentleman

smiled at me and pointed to the back direction before I asked anything.. It was

the bathroom which solved one of my major concern. I picked up three solid

apples in the yard on the branch. Local German apple has a bit sour taste yet

very crispy and delicious. I wished that I had picked some more that afternoon.

I was on my way back to Munich and transferred to another express back to

Frankfurt, another 6 hours wait and ride. I ran into a handsome friendly yellow

Laboratory playing around the train hallway with passengers. He was going to

Hamburg with his young couple owners. He answered my whistle yet I wondered

If he understood my English. I felt a bit of homesickness.

德奧邊界佛生鎮行/莊峻華

德奧邊界佛生鎮行/莊峻華

許多人推薦我佛生鎮，在德奧邊界，一位漢堡青年，一位新莊之林小姐，

兩位韓國女留德學生，因為美國迪斯尼樂園，仿製此處三宮殿造型，編

劇辛德雷菈故事，在美國媒體廣告，這三座宮殿，就是紐斯曲王斯坦城

堡，侯恩斯曲汪夠城堡，和林德賀夫宮，都是十九世紀，傑出歌德式建

築，都在湖畔，林小姐帶媽媽參觀，稱為大小天鵝湖，有玫瑰花園，就

在鎮南泰格堡山麓，僅兩哩路，過邊界就是奧地利和義大利很近，是冬

季滑雪勝地，我凌晨搭六小時火車，在墨尼黑專車，中午抵達小鎮，隨

人潮走到巴士小廣場，巴士擠滿四輛，我僅有兩小時，又無歐元現金，

只好遺憾，僅待下次機會。

隨即步行參觀小鎮老街，這是一非常美麗之德國小鎮，店面整潔美觀，

女店員著德奧古典服飾，許多餐廳啤酒紅葡萄酒店，許多遊客，我猜是

奧地利人，來德國購物。我甚節制步行範圍，走到一花園教堂，正想問

路，教堂內一紳士一指後門，原來是一乾淨廁所，真是感激。我在庭院

拍攝花樹相片，順便採上三只蘋果，德國土生蘋果，果微酸肉稍硬，清

脆可口。就在小鎮中，有一古修道院，已改成公園和博物館，小山崗上

，可以眺望小鎮和美麗之雷其河。

我準時搭上火車回墨尼黑，換上快車，一路上和一黃色拉伯拉多俊犬玩

耍，他們家庭準備到北德國漢堡市，愛犬車上無聊，一直跑來跑去，不

知是否聽懂英語，但卻聽我口哨呼喚，我是離家甚久，開始想家矣。

Eugenia from Hong Kong/Carlos Pueblo

Eugenia from Hong Kong/Carlos Pueblo

I met Eugenia, a young lady from Hong Kong at my hostel stay in

Frankfurt, Germany. She was on her European tour from Edinburgh,

Scotland to Germany and Western Europe for three months. She

gave me a small bag of Chinese herb cold medicine to release my

severe cold from weeks of wondering in Europe. I accompanied her

to visit Frankfurt old town, 30 home gardens on River Main toward

Offenback city, one of the flood zone projects, and also to

visit Heidelberg.   

She is a book editor and a freelance writer in Hong Kong. I was surprised

that she helped to edit an European history book which I mentioned to

her about my previous European tour. She also showed me her visit of

Japan, a different kind of journey from me that she stayed in one scenery

place during her visit instead of riding on the speed train around the country.

She writes about her experience in the traveling and about life and art

actually she is quite young at her age. I took her to walk east on the bank

of Main through several parks and passing the water lock, then the beginning

of 30 small flood zone gardens. Unfortunately, it was not in the spring that

gardens were not as attractive as my previous visits. She and my previous guest

were both fond of the swing.

She took me to a popular coffee shop at the old town area and taught me how

to drink coffee. All kinds of coffee prepared by a head chief like a shushi chief

in a Japanese restaurant. She ordered two kinds of hot water rinsed coffee

and a milky cappuccino in addition for her. She asked me to try one rinsed

African Uganda with fruit taste. I was amazed the coffee chief’s job and the waters

and waitresses surrounding him. Business was excellent and one order of coffee

and dessert in shop liked an order of plate in a fancy restaurant. She showed me

her pictures collection of cappuccino milk pattern when she visited in japan.

One day we took a bus to visit Heidelberg. Right in front of the train station is

the world famous Heidelberg Media Academy, the Heidelberg Printing Machines.

She used to work for a printing company in Hong Kong and gave me a very detailed

introduction of the company and even found a sample of yearly calendar shown

on the exhibition was actually a product of her old company. We walked through

the old town Heidelberg toward the ruined castle. She went inside to visit the museum

and I waited outside to repeat my lovely memory of this pretty city.

巧遇游琴尼亞小姐/莊峻華

巧遇游琴尼亞小姐/莊峻華

我在法蘭克福市旅店，巧遇游琴尼亞，是位香港來法蘭克福書展

旅客，在抵德國前，曾經順利旅行蘇格蘭愛汀堡市，避開秋天陰

雨，這也是此行原定旅站，她讓我看手機拍攝美麗相片。我因旅

途勞累感冒，她給我一包同仁堂感冒藥，攪拌熱水飲用，她因旅

店伊朗老闆，使用廚房要錢，也限制時間，影響早晨喝咖啡習慣

，爭議無效，我說我曾住過此店，深知此加價規矩，早就忍耐，

感冒便藥果然奏效，隔一日，我從德國南部回來，又喝一杯熱茶

，非常感謝其好意，於是我帶她參觀緬因斯河東，防洪花園，陪

她再度參觀海德堡城。

我帶她從緬因斯河南岸東向走，此徑我曾走過多次，防洪家庭花

園，在水閘過後，一共是三十戶，春天花園甚美，秋天顯然稍差

，她和上次台灣導遊小姐一般，特別喜歡盪鞦韆，我們從水閘過

橋，走回法蘭克福市老街，她帶我上咖啡店喝咖啡，這些年輕人

有本領，一切資料都從手機取得。咖啡廳嬌小，但是擠滿客人，

等待咖啡上來後，她就介紹我如何喝咖啡，而且有手機存照為證

，座旁就是咖啡師傅，侍者團團圍住，就像日本手捲刺身師傅一

般忙碌。

她在香港喝咖啡，交上許多學費，她介紹全球各地咖啡，不同品

味，我們點上兩小壺熱水沖泡咖啡，她說此為正統，我在家快速

反覆沖泡法，是美國咖啡，和歐洲它國有異，美國咖啡比歐洲咖

啡淡，此店一小壺咖啡是八歐元再加稅，然後，她又叫一杯庫波

其諾牛奶咖啡，這是很有趣之咖啡，咖啡師功力在此展現，她讓

我觀賞其旅行日本之庫波其諾相片，非常有藝術有講究，花紋美

麗對稱。

又隔一日，我陪伴她拜訪海德堡城，我們清晨搭巴士，兩小時後

就抵達，，於是她同意我們步行上老街和城堡，海德堡城非常美

麗，也非常特殊，一下車，她就帶我參觀一家印刷博物館，這是

全德最有規模之大印刷廠，她曾服務之公司，和她在印刷廠退休

之父親，都與此公司有生意來往，展示櫥窗中，甚至有一其香港

公司月曆產品，她連忙拍攝寄給香港上司，而且立即被認出。

她去過台灣，也很喜歡台灣，希望能在台灣工作定居，我在很喜

歡這位學歷極優，港大人，也祝福她一帆風順。

Visiting Wurzburg after returning to Frankfurt, Germany/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Wurzburg after returning to Frankfurt, Germany/Carlos Pueblo

After finishing my stay at Hamburg, I took a express train south to Frankfurt

for my final 5 days in Germany. I visited a lovely city of Wurzburg on the bank

of River Main east of Frankfurt Am Main some 75 miles west of Nuremberg.

Two of my friends recommended this college town of 124,000 inhabitants to

me before my trip which I was mostly appreciated. A visitor map indicated

41 significant places for me to visit yet I could only finished some of them,

Wurzburg Residence, the University of Wurzburg, the Old Main Bridge, and

Fortress Marienberg.

The way which I walked toward Wurzburg Residence was bypassing the Cathedral

of St. Killan and I was unable to go back to view this magnificence. The Residence

Palace is an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site built from 1720-1744 while Wurzburg

was a kingdom of a duke in Bavaria. I skipped the visit of the interior current day museum

yet I did have a very good visit of the rose garden and took pictures of almost every one

of the rose blooming. It is one of my favorite rose gardens around the world and I do have

a lot of photo collection. I turned to the University of Wurzburg right at the corner of the

Palace. The University is also called Alte Universitat or Julius-Maxmmilians-University back

track since 1402. This University and Wurzburg University of Applied Science nearby are

the largest employers at Wurzburg; therefore, I call the city a college town. You can feel it

when you walk down to the old town.

I walked down to Neubaustrabe toward the River of Main in order to reach the old Main

Bridge, Alte Mainbrucke which was built from 1473-1543. It is only for pedestrian. I could

see the visitors enjoying their beers and wines on the bridge on chairs or at the edge of the

bridge barriers to view the river. I knew that I was able to join them due to my lack of Euros

and I was not quite brought up that habit at all. It is a reminder of my personal philosophy

that it my money is in the bank account not in my pocket, I am still like a poor man like if

I am rich yet I don’t have time or habit to spend it. I would be look like a poor man and this is

what is described on the Diamond Sutra, the rich is the poor while the pretty is also not pretty.

I decided to climb up to the Fortress Maienberg which was started in 1200 and before. There is

a wine trail to come down to the River. The Fortress is on the hill overlooking the city and I still

can see the wall of the castle and becomes a pretty park within. There are some walnut grove

in the park with many walnut fruits spread all over the ground. The Castle has become to a museum as all of the European Palaces.  Vineyard is down hill.

回法蘭克福市/莊峻華

回法蘭克福市/莊峻華

結束漢堡行，搭車回法蘭克福市，快車穿過德國中部平原，我已是

識途老馬，在法蘭克福車站前，有市內電車職員，幫忙信用卡購上

一張車票，停六站到旅店，約是四個月前，我曾住過，熟悉手續和

規矩，放下行李，立刻趕回火車站，搭車到東部之武茲堡市，這也

是德國朋友推薦城市。

武市在緬因斯河畔，豪華江輪可達，火車沿途，經過者，均是美麗

田園，故知德國農村富裕，武市人口十二萬四，是一座大學城，武

茲堡大學，就是古朱麗亞˙麥克米倫大學，始創於1402，是歐洲最

古老大學之一，也是武市最大公家顧主，武市也是大型印刷機器原

創地，二戰後，美陸軍第一，二步兵師駐此，一直到東西德統一。

我步行訪問此德國美麗之古大公國，武茲堡宮，謙曰大公爵住居，

武茲堡大學，和瑪里安城堡。

一下車，我就拿到一張，步行觀光地圖，非常周到，一般說來，我每

日步行2.2哩，旅行時實力倍增，火車上已為山坡城堡葡萄園所吸引，

這是在緬因斯河對岸，我先步行到大公住居，武茲堡宮，宮殿已是博

物館，有一座大型玫瑰花園，仍有許多美麗玫瑰花，這是我旅行中之

最愛，我拍攝許多相片留念。武茲堡大學校園，一部份在宮殿旁，這

是老街，並非意外，歐洲古老城市規劃如此，德國宮殿建築，教堂建

築，學校建築等，多半是歌德式，巴洛克風格，非常美麗特殊。

然後，我就鐵定走過老緬因斯河橋，登瑪里安城堡和美麗之葡萄園，我

背包仍有水。老橋特殊，只許行人，橋上許多酒肆，販賣啤酒和葡萄酒

，年輕男女遊客，就在提供座位上品嚐，有的舉杯按在橋界，安全矮牆

上，攝影留念，一方面也取景欣賞緬因斯河，德人護河竭力，水質水量

均是一等優，緬因斯河既可灌溉用，又可當運輸用，又可讓豪華江輪行

駛，真是物盡其用。

我按圖從街上登山城堡，如此老城堡，已經是公園博物館，許多山階梯

，公園內有些老核桃樹，秋天灑落一地核桃，若在東方國家，許多人必

撿拾販賣街頭。我從河岸方向下山坡，穿過葡萄園，葡萄園涇渭分明，

顯然是山坡地，利於排水，雖然我未停留萊茵河山坡葡萄園，但緬因斯

河葡萄園，確有所經驗。

Visiting Konigstrbe, Hamburg/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Konigstrbe, Hamburg/Carlos Pueblo

After I arrived in Hamburg, Germany, I extended my train ride north to

Lubeck. This is a calculated way to utilized my 10 day Eurail pass in a month

to visit more German cities; however, I was very much exhausted for such

long journey under poor condition, i.e. nutrition and quality of night stay

because of my frugality and stubbornness to hand on to my awkward

situation. I could only visited Konigstrabe, a street area near by the hostel

instead of the great city of Europe.

Brazilian  roommate and his Venezuelan friend took me to a supermarket to

buy some food. He looked at me and said nicely that I liked vegetable, indeed,

there were several reasons why I selected vegetable, inexpensive one like

potato, green onion, carrot, tomatoes, etc. Later, I found out that he followed

my way to have some vegetable cooking for his daily need of food. These young

immigrants took advantage of open border visa to travel in European Union

nations seeking for job to earn a living that I understood and respected because

I was at the same situation 40 some years ago. During the day, they all sit in

the kitchen tables searching for job opportunity and I had to wait for the limited

electrical plugs available to re-charge my notebook.

I walked through a nice busy stripe of business area to have my daily meal in addition

to my combination vegetable soup. I had had two days of MacDonald’s and apples

from a fruits stand under a road bridge. The owner and some of the business owners

are immigrants mostly from Turkey. I could see part of Hamburg looked like part of

Houston, a working city for immigrants.

In order to write my journal, I check again the map of Hamburg and I find out that I

should visit more of the city especially the ship terminal just next to Konigstrabe

hospital, of course, it is easy to say now. I did miss the cruise terminal on Norderelbe,

I thought was North Elbe River where I almost took a cruise to Norway Fjords recently

From Hamburg to London South Hampton. I missed the mighty ship building of Hamburg.