A Case of Worms

I'm happy to finally be able to add this to our written record. I was officially promoted and given a full-time position as of last Saturday. I won't bore you with the details, but I'm pleased to have gotten a small raise and to have more responsibilities.

There are only 18 days until we leave for vacation, and once our trip is finished there will be only a week until Corrie arrives to live with us. We made it through August!

We went to see "The Proposal" tonight- well actually, I (Becky) have seen it twice now. I almost never see movies in the theater, and to see one twice is a big deal. I love that movie! Betty White steals the show, but the entire cast does a terrific job and the comedic timing was priceless. Plus, aerial views of Alaska are always nice between scenes.

We found out Maggie was sick with an intestinal parasite, and it was by far the grossest thing I've ever researched. I've been terrified of tapeworms since I was about eight or nine and I saw some public television special about the horrid things, and now I feel like I am filming True Life- My Dog Has Worms. Ugh. Luckily there is very little you have to do once you discover the wretched things are leeching off of your pup, so now we're just waiting for a follow-up appointment to get the all-clear. We'll get Trixie checked, too, never fear!

I've been writing about insects way too much lately; this is a sign that I am dealing with them too frequently in real life. I need to change this trend.

This past weekend, our village had it's summer carnival- Kindsbacher Kerwe. We didn't go (maybe next year!) but as I was getting ready for bed, I could hear a band and people singing some kind of folk-type song. I imagine they were drunk on Bitberger and happily sloshing their way past the rose gardens, but perhaps I'm romanticizing the whole affair. Regardless- those voices carried!

Nothing more to share tonight. Alles gute.

Grüße und die Fortschreibung

OH my gosh! Where did February go so quickly? What was the hurry?

Too bad, I guess. I think February is a godforsaken month anyway. My husband celebrates his birthday today, so that marks pretty much the best day of all, and the rest seems like a waste. I probably feel this way because February weather, in my experience, is always miserable. Every day I dream about living in Austin, and about how "cold" will mean, oh, 50 degrees. Ice will scare everyone else, but not me! I'm accustomed to black ice, snow, snow coated in ice, freezing rain- the full spectrum of bad driving weather. I can clean off my car in mere seconds because I know which way to push the snow to achieve maximum vision. I will be a lion among ants when I live in a place that fears the prospect of a frost. It will be glorious.

In much more important, relevant news- today is Josh's birthday! Now we will be the same age for five days. It's an exciting time of year for us. Making things better is the upcoming visit from my family. They will arrive next Thursday, and we're planning to see Luxembourg, Brussels, Paris, and then I'll go back to work while Josh takes them to Stuttgart, Munich, and Karlsruhe. I am über-thrilled about this vacation.

I'm also thrilled that I finally got enough motivation to bookmark a special characters shortcut page. This new information allows me to tell you that Trixie's new hobby is shredding paper, and I think she may have gotten a €10 bill and destroyed the thing- that's a thirteen dollar loss! Silly dog!

A final note- my cousin Lucy started a blog focused on natural and organic beauty products, and I am a contributor on the site. I've only managed to write one review thus far, even though I have a list of about twenty items I will review in the coming months. Please take a moment to check it out; we are both pretty passionate about Toxin Free Beauty and I think the blog is shaping up to be very interesting and informative. It might save you a breakout, super-sensitive skin, or even money one day!

Tschüß!

Eine Kleine Augenblick

Here are a few of the moments I've neglected to blog in recent months, visited in photographs.

~ We visited Luxembourg with Katie and Matt. It was a very foggy day and there was a protest going on, following us down the road. We saw a gorgeous cathedral and impressive gorges.




~ I went home in November to visit my family and some friends. I rode with cargo on an Air Force plane. I remodeled the extra room at my parent's so it is now a guest room. Margaret came to visit and we toured Baltimore and Philadelphia.







~ We explored a few of the December Christmas markets. Here are shots from Saarbrücken and Kaiserslautern.





~ We had our first live Christmas tree, which subsequently died and left dry pine needles all over our floor. I made the cards we sent out this year- a labor of love, for sure.




That should do for a catch-up. More to come... we've got a big month ahead!

And I didn't fall down!

Last Sunday, I went skiing for the first time in my life. I’ve been hoping for an opportunity to learn for quite some time; even Josh got to join my family on trips while I was away at school. I wasn’t quite sure how the experience would go, since I’ve been told on many occasions that skiing is quite athletic and very difficult. I wanted to try regardless of the physical demands. I figured that I’ve walked in several 5Ks, which I never expected of myself, so why not give skiing a try?

I joined Shurrece and her daughter on a bus trip to the slopes at Feldberg, Germany. Feldberg is located in the Black Forrest, about one and a half hours from Zurich.

The Feldberg is the highest mountain in the Black Forrest, and other than the German Alps, it is the highest point in Germany. The trip to the summit involved many switchbacks, and the road entering the range provided views reminiscent of alpine landscapes.


When we arrived at the ski resort, we labored with our gear through the cold, under a grey sky. Still, the roads and paths were clear, and we didn’t encounter excess snow until we reached the “point of no return”- the slopes. I wrestled with my rented ski boots for several minutes, and never really found a comfortable fit. Looking back, this should have been my first indication that the day might involve discomfort. Oh, glorious hindsight!



Shurrece dropped her daughter off at the children’s ski teepee- yes, they got to drink kinderpunsch in a teepee at their lessons- and we found our lesson group just a few minutes late. The ski instructors decided to split our class into two groups, and of course we were put in the group of women who spoke English. Right away Max, our instructor, put us to work. He showed us how to climb up the side of the slope sideways.

I am told that in some places, skiing classes get to use the bunny slope lift during lessons. Even though there was a rope lift, we got to climb the hill for every single exercise Max taught to us. This is my biggest problem with skiing. Going downhill was loads of fun, and I’d love to do it again! Climbing up the hill is a horrible, brutal idea. For one, your whole body will ache after about the fifteenth climb. Secondly, if your boots don’t fit (and we’re back to my poor foresight), you’re in for bruised ankles and possible tears. Yes, I admit that I cried because it hurt so badly. I kept going, and maybe part of my welling was due to the horrible wind chill (more on that in a moment), but I know that I was so upset that I felt as if I were crying.

Every time I reached the bottom, there was Max to remind me: “Becky, we must climb up to make this exercise again, yes?” I couldn’t stop thinking, this guy cannot be serious!



I kept climbing and trying and resolving to push forward for quite some time. As our lesson progressed, the forecasted winter storm began to roll over the mountain. I don’t own truly proper ski gear, so my multiple layers of exercise clothing were succumbing to the ice and snow being pelted at me by high-speed winds. I was being blown sideways on my skis. I can say that I was proud when I managed not to fall down, even one time. I might as well have fallen, though, by the time I had finished- I was soaked all the way through my layers. At one point toward the end of the lesson, Max told us we could stop when we felt we needed to, due to the weather and our relative inexperience. I picked up my skis to climb the hill again (no more ankle-breaking sideways-climbing for me!) and realized that my hands were freezing through my wet gloves, sticking to the skis! That was the end of my lesson, thank you very much.



I bought some overpriced gloves and a warm fleece to change into something dry, and met Shurrece and Madison in the lodge. We had a delicious lunch and sat there for hours talking, waiting for the time when we could meet our bus to head back home.



I enjoyed this part of the day at least as much as the skiing. While we ate and talked, the storm assailed the mountain more fiercely each hour. By the time we left, there was at least a foot of snow on surfaces that had been clean only four hours earlier.



When we finally made it to our bus and headed back toward Kaiserslautern, the driver heard on the radio that we had just missed an avalanche on the Feldberg! I’ve never knowingly come so close to an avalanche before in my life. But this is life in Germany; you never can be sure of the weather, until it is happening. You can bet that it will surprise you, often in less-than-pleasant ways.

My overall assessment of skiing is that, yes, it is very strenuous. My body is still aching all these days later. If you don’t have proper gear, it isn’t very comfortable even in the best moments. However, the rush of flying downhill is totally worth the discomfort and frustration. I’m planning to go skiing again, and to buy a lift ticket and ride halfway up the bunny slopes for a while. Maybe some day I will ski from higher up a hillside, but for now I’ll take the rush of the little bump.

For all the saints, who from their labors rest...

I've had lots of music in my head lately, and most of it from my time as a singer in an Episcopal church. My all-time favorite hymn might always be "Earth and All Stars," chiefly because I cannot sing the entire song with a straight face. That's worth something. (If you follow the above link, do yourself a favor and read verse five.)

More directly, the title of this post refers to this Labor Day holiday, and its own juxtaposition of labor and rest. When I was young, I really thought that Labor Day was either a celebration of any women who happened to have babies on September first. Later, perhaps the people who had to work despite the national holiday got some kind of special reward. Maybe a cake, a bouncy ball, or a small pony. Whatever. This is all coming from the girl who created a cost-benefit analysis presentation to convince her parents to get a dog, but who truly believed that lyme disease was contracted from those little green bugs that look like the end of a grass blade.

I didn't spend too much brainpower thinking about the meaning of Labor Day, and that has been true for much of my life. In all fairness, I didn't get to celebrate Labor Day once I started working, or during college. In fact, this is probably the first year that I've been both employed, and had a day off for the holiday; actually just a coincidence, since Josh happened to be scheduled off today. Sadly, due to the current state of affairs in my kidneys (did I write about going to the ER? I went to the emergency room, and I have the nervous eye twitch and four bottles of medicine to prove it!), I'm missing a Labor Day barbecue right now. So much for celebrating a day of rest.

This is totally round-about, but what I mean to write is that far too many workers in the United States are under-appreciated. I am not just whining and citing myself as example. Any person who toils for hours upon hours at a store like Wal-Mart or the local grocery will understand. Talk about thankless jobs! Far too many people are taken advantage of, and it's most apparent on the national holiday celebrating labor. If your job turns a profit for someone above, and if another could easily step in and complete your tasks, you don't get a paid day off. Sometimes you can't even get a non-paid day off.

Today we were able to shop at the commissary, complete transactions at our bank, and eat chicken sandwiches at the food court. I was in shock that these places were all open. When the Germans have a holiday, you had better believe that planning ahead is essential. You may not find anyone willing to sell you another package of sausages for your grill, and if you do you will probably drive far and pay dearly. And although that can be a pain (especially if you are a student or a shift worker's wife... both said with personal experience), I think it's wonderful. Why shouldn't the guy who stocks the shelves at Globus have a day off? Why shouldn't the woman at the bank counter be rewarded for her constant customer service with one day off? Why shouldn't waitresses be granted this day to relax? Why can't I be expected to not spend my money excessively for one day?

I'm sure that economic theorists have tons of replies to this question, but what I'm really getting at is what I believe are twisted, corrupted priorities in American culture. The dollar above the individual. Productivity, revenue, trumps all. Germans- really, most Europeans- could teach us some important lessons in regards to taking care of our labor force.

I don't know what we average citizens can do. Petitions, public interest campaigns... they all seem over-used and too easily ignored. But I'm going to be thinking about it. After all, I've written a cost-benefit analysis before. I'm not afraid to do it again.

Becky's Very Interesting Afternoon

I worked a typical shift today- early-morning to mid-day. Because we were reasonably busy, I felt completely drained after work. I decided to have lunch at Chili's, since I get a discount there (at least we have some employee perks). After a very filling salad, I tackled my twice-daily nemesis- driving the manual home. Ugh. I keep telling myself that I'm getting better, but after I've parked and I really consider the truth, I wonder if I'll EVER be able to drive this car the right way! On the way home today, for example, I stalled several times and almost hit two cars. In my defense, neither driver used a turn signal and therefore I found it hard to adjust my own maneuvers. Anyway, I feel really embarrassed every time I peel out. People keep telling me that it's normal, but I'm pretty used to picking new things up quickly. I'm going to mark the sixth month in my calendar; Kara told me to give it six months, to be fair to myself. At that point, I'll take a good look at my driving. Maybe I won't really have to; maybe then I'll already be good. I hope so!

When I finally got home, I made it to the third floor landing and the fire alarm started going off. Well, I know this is bad but I wasn't about to leave without my dog when I was nine steps away from my door and there was no smoke. (Don't worry, I felt my own door for heat, just in case.) So I grabbed the dog and her leash and hightailed it out of my building. No one seemed to be very interested in the fact that the alarms were going off, but all I was thinking of was making sure everything was okay, no one was hurt or in trouble. So I called Germany's version of 911- that's 112, in case you need to know- for the first time. What a surprise, the operator spoke almost no English. So I was able to convey the fact that a fire alarm was going off on a military base, and they transferred my call. Strangest emergency call in my life. The American dispatcher could see that the alarm was going in our building, so they sent a truck. During this time on the phone, I was walking Maggie around in the grass. Well, I came back to the front of my building, just in time I see two housing workers telling another girl that it was safe to enter, they were just testing the alarms. OH! MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE POSTED THAT! So I could hear the fire truck's sirens blaring the entire way here. I was so embarrassed! I called emergency for an alarm test! Here is a photo of the scene from my apartment...

At least someone called! I mean, if it hadn't been a test after all and I'd just assumed, awful things could have happened! I felt silly and the Germans were all laughing at me, which was not unlike the time in Vienna that my roommate and I called the gas company to "fix the gas"... which was simply shut off at the valve. One firefighter told me "now you must pay big moneys! HAHA!" But when he saw the alarm on my face, he told me he was kidding. Whew!

Sometimes, when I have chaotic days, I look at nice photos and I feel better. Here's a new one. Take care!

Learning to Say NO -- Again.

Wow! I got the latest copy of the Wooster alumni magazine today, and to my surprise, my blog URL was listed in the Class of 2006 updates! Sadly, the information I recall submitting was not included (the fact that I've moved, my wedding photo, etc.); however, if you're joining because you found the site in the magazine, welcome! I hope you'll stop by periodically. If anyone has suggestions for topics they'd enjoy learning about- German customs in this region or daily cultural experiences, for example- please make a suggestion in the comments section!

Today I'll record one major linguistic difference that I notice on a daily basis. When I learned German in Austria (according to the Germans I learned "Austrian"), and when I continued my studies in the classrooms of Herr Figge and Professor Mullner, I was consistently told to decline by saying "nein". Of course, to have "no" as in "nothing" is a different word altogether, but if I didn't want to marry the man following me down the street I could tell him NEIN. If I hadn't completed my excessively long homework assignment, nein- ich hab' keine Antwort.

Things are different here.

It's a small difference, but goodness, it threw me off track for a while. I expected to arrive in my new home and at least be able to manage a negative reply. Nope. I mean, "ne". Like a horse neighing. Everyone here says "ne" constantly! At first I didn't understand- where did "nein" go? I checked the dictionaries and "ne" is not listed. It's a regional idiom, I'm assuming. I've found that I say it now, even when I'm talking to friends in English I'll change my usual "no" or "nah" into a subtle-but-firm NE. Try it out, you might like it.

Of course I'll continue my observations and let you all know if it's used more widely than the Rhineland-Pfalz. Perhaps some readers have personal experience with NE? I'm sure you're dying to know its roots. I know I am. ;o)

The pieces fit

We've kept ourselves quite busy in the last few weeks. We had a wonderful Fourth of July, including a barbecue with friends and co-workers, and plenty of Rock Band for all involved. (No more Metallica, please!) Last Saturday, we experienced the Altstadtfest downtown with Kara and Steve.
We ate (too much) wonderful food, perused many handmade goods, and even saw a doner kebap stand with a little special "something".


After a grueling working set, Josh spent the next few days off... helping me to deep-clean our apartment. We've been working almost non-stop to get the place looking better than ever before. We're finally hanging things on the walls!


This past "weekend," we also managed to get a new radio for Josh's car. His old one went missing in the move, so we've been without music. The new head unit is going to be great- it has iPod jacks, Blue Tooth so that you can talk on speaker phone through the radio, and will pick up HD radio when we are back in the states. It was a great deal! We found a local American who will install it for a really reasonable price, and I'm sure that Josh can't wait to set up an appointment. Beyond the car situation, we fixed our bedroom curtains so that we can sleep (it's light here for about 18 hours a day), I got an official job offer (which I accepted), I made some headway in learning to drive the manual car, and we finally created a digital version of the monogram that I designed for our wedding. I just put the finishing touches on it and created copies in multiple colors. I used it to make return address labels, but it will be nice to have for all sorts of correspondence and online media.

Lastly, we're hoping to take our first trip to France next week! We have got to pick up an International Driving Permit to accompany Josh's license... it's basically a paper that translates proof of a license into multiple languages. We're hoping to visit Strasbourg, which should be less than two hours' drive. I'm very excited, but a bit nervous due to the reputation of French attitudes toward Americans who cannot speak French. We don't speak French at all... they could cut me a break, I do speak passably well in three languages, but I doubt that it will matter much! :o) Hopefully it will be a fun experience, regardless of the language barrier.

In our "backyard"

I am about 95% certain that the birds nesting in the trees behind our apartment areEuropean Magpies. They are beautiful, but can be noisy! Just a few minutes ago, I was standing by my balcony window, and one perched on our railing and stared at me! They are bigger than you might expect, but even more beautiful up close. I'm glad that I've finally identified the mystery birds that share our backyard.
Photos courtesy of wikipedia.org

A Trip to Triberg

I'll fill in a bit more of recent events by writing about my day trip to Triberg im Schwarzwald. Triberg boasts the tallest waterfall in Germany, as well as a Black Forest History Museum and tons of woodworking and cuckoo clock shops.

Shurrece and I drove for about 2.5 hours, through clouds and rain for most of the journey. Still, the region was beautiful. As I've stated before, Germany is very green this time of year, and all of the flowers are bright and lively. (Incidentally, this includes my own attempts at balcony gardening, both of which are flourishing!)

When we finally reached Triberg, we knew straight away. Cuckoo clock stores (House of 1,000 Clocks being popular) lined the roads for a few kilometers before the city itself became visible. It is situated in the small valley between several hills, with houses and hotels reaching up into the hillsides, and cleared cattle fields at the summits. We decided that the first order of business was finding food, and so began a walk down the main street. Across from the Rathaus, we found a little restaurant that was housed underground, called Pinnochio Pizzeria. It reminded me of going to CW's in Wooster, or maybe like Wags for those more familiar with Frederick. It was full of old paintings that seemed to be inspired by the Brothers Grimm. We ordered Italian specialties- tortollini and pizza. It was delicious! And of course, we ended our meal with some Schwarzwaelde Kirschtorte- Black Forest Cherry Cake! Also, magnificent.

A quick jaunt up and down main street revealed a combination of tourist-geared shops and everyday establishments, such as a photographer's gallery and a hardware store. We decided to tackle the waterfall path first, so we started up the hill. We took many photos because the trek up the hillside was perfectly picturesque.

It was tough work at some spots, but when we noticed a group of senior citizens coming down the path, we decided that we could absolutely handle the climb! :o) It was worth the effort, because the waterfall was breathtaking. They have bridges crossing the falls at different levels, and from those bridges you can see out across Triberg, and into the hills beyond the town.


We followed a hiking trail that took us along the hillsides, around a lake, and eventually back to the town church. The church is about 350 years old, and featured some magnificent painted woodwork- the front door, the alter, and the organ were all gorgeous. Interesting fact- this area was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so Austrian flags were painted on several surfaces in the church. (I have posted a few photos of this church so you can see the intricate detail in the woodwork.)

Next, we visited a few cuckoo clock stores and woodworking stores. We bought little carved wooden eggs, and mine is hanging from a cabinet handle. It is lovely. The cuckoo clocks are amazing and diverse, but also extraordinarily expensive! Perhaps one day Josh and I will purchase a cuckoo clock, but not any time soon.

Our last visit was to the Black Forest museum, where we saw traditional costumes, heard music played by one-man-bands and carnival crank organs, saw historical clocks and Fasching costumes, walked through a reconstructed "farmer's bedroom" and "clock maker's shop," and saw a large train layout of the region. The museum was quite interesting and I experienced things I did not expect.

We were fairly worn out at this point, so we decided it was time to head back to the Pfalz. Triberg was an excellent choice for a day trip, and thanks to my friend for planning everything so I could just ride along and enjoy!

Christmas come early (and other things)

So, you're probably wondering why Christmas came early. Well, I got an XBox 360 last week! I love it. I can't do everything with it that it can do yet, but I hope that I'll be able to soon. I'm still really happy about it, though, because I've been wanting one so long. If you have an XBox 360, let me know what you're gamer tag is, and I'll send you a message when I get online.

In other news, Becky is leaving for the States soon. She's going to be there for a few weeks, so I'm pretty much going to be by myself for a little bit. I hope she has fun though! She leaves in the middle of my next set on, which kind of stinks, but I really think she needs to go back for a little bit, so she can see some people/relatives that she didn't get to see before she left. I would like to go too, but I can't.

I also have a story to tell. Becky, a couple friends of ours, and I went to downtown K-town to see the carnival. While we were there, I went on a ride that flipped upside down. A lot. And what should happen during the last set of flips, but, of course, my PHONE should fall out of my pocket, where I forgot it was! When it came out, the back came off, and the rest fell, mid-flip, to its DOOM! Fortunately, it wasn't quite the doom I had thought. I went up to the counter, and they went to look for the phone. They came back with it, sans the battery, which is kind of important. So I get home, and try to order another one online, but they don't ship to APO addresses (even though their web-site says they do!) So, I called my Dad, who I thought could get me a replacement battery for my phone. As it turns out, he can (thanks, Dad), when he gets back from Mexico in a week. So I had to hunt down an über-old phone that I'm now happy I didn't get rid of. So, yeah, that's my story.

Last but not least, when Becky comes back from the States, she'll have the supplement check from the IRS. So, hopefully, with a little extra saving, we'll get a new TV when she comes back! Yea, HDTV!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, on to the travel portion of my post. Recently, we went to Stuttgart, which was cool, although, kind of an odyssey. We kept getting turned around, and semi-lost, which is fun. Especially with another car following you around (full of friends, not stalkers). But we eventually got everywhere we needed to go, and we ended up staying the night in a hotel there. We walked around downtown with our friends, and saw the castles there, along with the museum in one of them. The next day, Becky and I went to another castle there, which was away from the city proper, which was nice and calm. Before that though, we went to the Mercedes-Benz museum, which was sweet. I got a whole bunch of awesome pics, which are on our picture site, so you should all go see them. After the castle, we started home. And proceeded into yet another odyssey, through the smallest, curviest roads in all of Germany, Thankfully we ended up home all right.

Well I think that's all for now. I'll talk to you all later. Leave some comments.

Day-Trippers

We finally made it out of our state again! ...Only to drive back to our state about ten minutes later. The drive to Trier took us through Saarland, a bordering German state, for just a few moments.

Trier might not be a city you've heard much about in the past, but if you check out our photos you may learn a few new things! Trier lies next to the Mosel river, close to Luxembourg. The Mosel river valley is known as one of the best wine-producing regions in Germany. Two thousand years ago, Trier was a bustling Roman city with some 40,000 inhabitants. It is nowhere near that large today. However, archaeologists have unearthed and recreated much of the incredible Roman architecture. Because of its Roman history, Trier is one of the cities on the World Heritage List.

Beyond the rich historical experience one can have in Trier, something must be said for the region's beauty. It was one of the greenest cities I've ever witnessed. The hills rise up sharply on either side of city and river, covered with trees, goldenrod, and many grape vines. Although we were visiting a busy city with a thriving pedestrian district (hello shopping!), industrial zone, and other typical businesses, it felt as if we were taking a countryside holiday.

One of my favorite moments of the day was when my husband experienced one of my favorite aspects of travel- realizing the depth of the history you are seeing. Wondering who else has set foot in the same location you are currently standing- maybe a Roman Emperor. Maybe even, in some instances, a distant relative. It's an amazing feeling.

Another great part of the day was our quick stop at a Weinstube, where were had some light refreshment. Josh tried German meatloaf, which came with the most delicious potatoes I've ever tasted.

I enjoyed two of three cheeses and the bread on a cheese platter- the third cheese was a local farmer's cheese and I felt bad when I couldn't bring myself to eat it due to the scent. If anyone else has a strong dislike of blue cheese, they may understand my problem.

Once we had seen what we came to see, we headed back toward home for a barbecue with some friends. Josh has a new best friend, I think. She is three and loves him because he brings her cookies from the bakery down the street. I'm getting jealous. :o)

Heidelberg

What a fun and exhausting 24 hours we have had!

We decided, along with the Heards, that is was high time we got some train action and got out of "little America". Last night, we stayed at their place so we could make an early departure. We planned to go to Stuttgart for the day.

Plans often change, yes? :o) Our departure was a bit later than idealized, but no harm in that. We prepped warm clothes, guidebooks, and snacks for the journey. We thought it silly (and perhaps unwise) to leave the car at the train station all day, so instead we walked from base (which is on a small mountain) to the station. The excellent German train system allows for weekend passes for small groups, and up to five people may travel an unlimited amount for three days, for only 26 euro. If you are unfamiliar with train travel, that is a smashing deal.

On the way to Kaiserslautern- the first, very short leg of our journey- we got some annoying news from Josh and Matt's company, and feared that they may be called back to work within hours. Time to revise the plan! As it turned out, our train cards were really only for the Rheinland-Pfalz area (which is where we live) and Stuttgart is well within Baden-Wurtemburg, our neighbor to the southeast. Easily solved! We decided to continue only to Heidelberg. (For those of you who know your German geography- we luckily didn't have any problems at that distance with our territory-specific weekend pass.)


We arrived in Heidelberg mid-morning and began our walk toward the castle. Our guidebook suggested a walking path through the pedestrian area in the old city, and by following it we were able to see some beautiful historic landmarks. Notable was the Jesuit church, whose facade was an impressive presence. They just remodeled their organ and are having its first concert tomorrow. Along the main pedestrian strip, we found lots of delicious-looking baked goods, traditional German restaurants, as well as some interesting shops. Katie was excited about finding a Starbucks- her first in nearly a year- so of course we made a little stop. It was nice to rest the feet and it also made me happy to notice differences and similarities between a European Starbucks and my former place of employment.

Luckily for us, Katie was also excited to see a great little shop called "Lush," which I soon learned makes all-natural and organic bath and body products. It is similar in intention to a Body Shop, but feels much more home-grown and artsy. It was fun for all of us (except maybe Matt was a bit bored) to look at the bath bombs, the butter soaps and jelly soaps, and to smell all of the concoctions. In the end, we each opted for a sale grab-bag of items, and discovering what we'd purchased gave us something to look forward to for the train ride home.

The Alte Brucke (old bridge) crosses the Rhine, and of course we took in the scenery of lovely Heidelberg from its span. Next, we tackled the biggest challenge of all- climbing the ridiculous hill leading to the castle. It was quite a difficult climb, especially considering the cold and our numbing limbs, but it was well worth it in the end. The view is completely astounding. The castle itself is an interesting mix of period archetecture, and I was confused by what seemed to be neoclassical add-ons. The Heards have loaned us a book on the Heidelberg castle, so I can figure out why the architecture was so very diverse and learn move of its history. Interestingly, Josh and I kept stumbling upon sort of Freemason symbolism- a sort of game we play, try to spot the symbols. We ate some schnitzel at a cafe behind the castle and then wandered for a bit in the gardens. Soon after, we realized that the sun was going down and we still had quite a walk to complete.

By the time we reached Landstuhl again, we had walked an estimated 5-6 miles! No wonder we are all aching so badly! But we enjoyed a great day of exploring, allowing ourselves to get lost just the right amount so as to allow for discovery and fun. We have some wonderful photos, but as of now I have no way to transfer my pictures to my laptop. We'll let you all know when we've got that figured out.

And now it's late and my body is tired, but my mind is reeling with all of the excitement of travel. It was especially meaningful because I know it was Josh's first real trip in Europe. I couldn't help but feel so lucky all day, because unlike the last time that I lived in Europe, I don't have the sense of urgency. I feel like we can enjoy these countries, enjoy this rich history and beauty, and it's not going to be taken from us any time soon.

We can't wait for you to come and share these experiences with us!

OH, IN OTHER QUICK NEWS- we found an apartment that we LOVE and we will be moving in next Thursday. Excellent!

Send us a line

If you want to contact us by mail we have an APO mailbox now. I'm not going to say what it is here but you can email us here with a request for the address, and we will send you the address in a reply as soon as we can. Thanks.

p.s. If you don't have your computer set up to use "mailto"'s, don't worry, just take a peek at the address line, and that's where the link would send the email to.

Countdown to Chaos: 17 Days

As Josh is still asleep (all the TX driving must be wearing him out), I'm going to take the liberty of writing our first journal post. Right now, we're visiting family and friends in Texas, both in Ft. Worth and Austin. The weather could be more pleasant, but the company here is superb.

We're treating today as an actual "vacation day," and will relax while exploring Austin. As soon as we get back from Texas, things are going to get really crazy! We'll have weekend trips to say "auf Wiedersehen" to family, moving days (THREE!), days of shipping cars and transferring titles, days of setting up potential travel for our dog, and of course Josh will have to do his out-processing. Out-processing, from what I can tell, involves running around all over our base (as well as travelling to a base out-of-state) to get signatures, turn in specialty uniform pieces, and jump through rings of fire at the whim of the US Armed Forces.

And then on February 7th, we'll get on the plane and hop the pond. I am very thankful that we have a non-stop flight. I know it will be long, but I'd prefer the excessive time on a plane to lugging carry-ons through terminals in Heathrow and then learning, upon arrival, that your luggage is lost. (This happened to me when I was studying abroad in Austria. It was unpleasant.)

Since this is our first post, I'll make this quite clear- you are welcome to visit, and we will try to set up accommodations that will be comfortable. You need only tell us when you hope to arrive and leave. I am very passionate about sharing Europe with everyone, and if my home can serve as a vehicle to allow people to make a trip, I'm happy to oblige. And Josh does not object. :o)

I hope you'll check this journal from time to time. We're also starting a web page, a photo sharing account, and have a joint email in addition to this journal. You'll probably learn about all four of these things at the same time, but if you're catching this early, look for links in the future! And if you haven't already, you should download Skype. It's free and will allow you to "call" us in Germany (FREE), using your computer and Internet connection as a telephone.

Wish us luck! Bis bald!