EuroLife: Day 159

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of the day, I give you the following link (which I am totally lifting from Andrew Sullivan's blog):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irzOBTV0xTE

There, you can see Beaker, the Swedish Chef and Animal sing Danny Boy. It brightened my day.

Tomorrow morning, very very early actually, we leave for our US trek. We leave Frankfurt for NY, then head to Atlanta, then South Bend (via Chicago), back to NY for a day or so and then return to Jena via Frankfurt. That's quite a lot of plane time, as it turns out. Still, we are super excited about seeing our family and friends.

All that to say, there may not be much on the blogging front for the next 3 or 4 weeks. I may write a few posts, but then again I may not :)

See many of you soon!

EuroLife: Day 157

Today turned out to be a very nice day. I was a bit down when I woke up, as Michael and I are currently missing an enormous family party on Long Island--one that I would really like to be at. I called home this morning and Reed (2 1/2) got on the phone and said "you not coming?" Even though we leave for the States in a few days, it's still a bummer to be missing this gathering. In the end, though, today was great!

We worked in the morning, and then went to have coffee and cake with some friends to celebrate their daughter's 6th birthday. (For me, this was heavy on the cake and light on the coffee :) We are starting to get somewhat connected in a group of friends from church and from the university fellowship, including a few couples with babies, and that is of course a very nice turn of events.

But here's the reason I am so very excited as I write this: Michael and I have decided to go on a one week vacation in May. Now, after returning from our marathon voyage to the US, I'm sure the last thing I'm going to want to do is get on another plane. Still, I think this will be worth it. I wanted to do something before the baby comes, and there are some amazing last-minute travel packages available here. It's really an incredible opportunity to be so close to so many countries, none of which I have yet seen. So we are off to Turkey!

More specifically, we are off to the Montana Pine Resort in Turkey. This is odd, I know, but the place looks incredible. It is a 4 star resort and one that we could not ordinarily afford, but for some reason it us totally affordable for one week in May. It must just be underbooked, because the weeks before and after are quite a bit more expensive.

We found a package that includes airfare from a nearby airport and 7 nights at the resort including breakfast and dinner. We had been looking into all-inclusive resorts, as they seem to be by far the most economical option, but so often the reviewers complained about the quality of the food. At this place, the reviewers rave about the food--and I like to enjoy my meals :)

It is in the mountains, and 10 minutes from the coast. The resort has several pools, but they also run free shuttles down the mountain to the beach, the "blue lagoon." There you can swim, snorkel, sunbathe, and--now this is very cool--watch paragliders land! They start in the mountains and land on the beach; I can't wait to see it.



In any case, I am very excited. Turkey is supposed to be incredible, and is actually a pretty popular beach location among Europeans. The grounds of the resort are said to have incredible gardens, including pomegranate trees, and there is a famous hiking trail that is accessible from the resort itself.

Apparently, most of the guests at this resort are British. So, come May, Michael and I will be hanging out at the Montana Pine Resort, in Turkey, with a bunch of British folks. I can't say I saw that coming.

EuroLIfe: Day 155

A Table of Our Very Own

Well, it took an ebay purchase, a trip to the hardware store, and a fair amount of effort, but we finally have a table! (To be fair, the effort was entirely Michael's; I just clicked "buy it now" on ebay and left the rest to Michael.)


The instructions were not written in English. This wouldn't have been such a big problem, but for the fact that they were also not written in German. Instead, they were written in what can only be described as an obviously fictitious language. This was a made-up language if ever there was one. There were letters, dots, symbols...I am very disappointed not to have a picture to show you. (Michael threw them out before I got a chance to take a picture.)

But now we have a table! No more sitting on the couch for meals, though now that I think of it we did eat breakfast on the couch this morning...I guess that habit's hard to break. In any case, we have been eating dinner at the table, and surely tomorrow we will remember to eat at the table like civilized folk for breakfast as well.






There is only one downside to having a table: it is a lovely work spot, but one that is best used by one person at a time. We could both fit at the table, but with computers and books it's more comfortable as a solo location. With the giant window, and the fact that it's right here and not all the way over in the library, this has become a very desirable location indeed. So far, negotiations have remained civilized, but it's early yet.

EuroLIfe: Day 153

Finished...at long last

Some of you may remember that, several months ago, I decided to take-up crocheting. My first project was to be a blanket for my niece Emily--in pink and purple, as requested. Well it's finally finished!

As you may have noticed, (a) it is currently March, and her birthday was in February and (b) that blanket is, strictly speaking, not rectangular in shape. To both I can only say "I know," and sigh.

I didn't end up following a pattern--I'm not even sure why, exactly. As it turns out, I probably should have followed a pattern. And I probably should have used a (much) heavier yarn. I would have saved myself a great deal of time and energy!

Still, I have to admit to being rather proud of my inexplicably lopsided first project. I am particularly happy with the flower, which (not surprisingly) I did get from a pattern in my book.

I am completely enamored with crocheting. (I have to admit this: I had written that I was completely "hooked on" crocheting, but was horrified by the inadvertent pun. Still, I couldn't not mention the pun, right?) I have become a yarn-buying, needle wielding fool.

I am currently working on a small blanket for our little guy. I am using a pattern for this one, and the pattern calls for a much heavier yarn, so it looks as if this next project could be finished in a week or two if it needed to be. (That said, I have plans for two other quick projects which I will need to finish rather soon, so this may have to be put on the back burner once I get those materials. I'm telling you, I have a problem!)

So there you have it. Another post on crocheting. I fear there may be more to come...I am becoming something of a junkie.

EuroLife: Day 150

Anytime you move somewhere new, sooner or later you stop noticing some of the things that would have stopped you in your tracks had you only just arrived. In our mall, the Goethe Gallery, there is always something going on. I don't mean sales and shopping extravaganzas; there is almost always some exhibit or other by the main entrance to the mall. Currently, they are doing something on the history of the cell phone. (That said, there is also a big old fashioned car in the midst of this exhibit--I have not yet figured out why.) Recently, they had something on the history of light featuring cool optical illusions, lasers and--I swear--talks by experts. In the mall. I'm not sure how any of this would fly in a mall on Long Island, but here the turn-out is incredible.

In the lower level of the mall, outside of our grocery store, there is also always something on display. Over Christmas time, they set up a stage on which we saw tiny cheerleaders, choirs of old men, choirs of old women, and other entertainers. It made it very difficult to get in and out of the grocery store, to be perfectly honest, but it was funny to see how many performers Jena has to offer--in the shopping mall. More often, the display outside of Tegut (our store) is an animated scene of sorts. That is what I have to share with you today: the little gnome-world that currently occupies the lower level of the Goethe gallery.


I brought my camera with me this afternoon when I went to do some errands because I have been such a negligent blogger, and I had no idea what to write about today. I thought that I might get lucky and see something cool along the way. It was only as I passed the gnome-world for the second time, on my way home, that it occurred to me--hey, you'd almost never see that in a mall at home.





The gnomes move. They are a bit frightening, really, but kids seem to love them. (Really, though: If you click on the photo you will see a bigger version. Do this, and tell me they're not frightening.) When my parents were here, there was a similar display on the first floor featuring large animated teddy bears. I think they were bagging grain, or something like that, though I can't remember exactly.



In this final picture, either the gnome is supposed to be lying down, or he fell over and has not been righted. I thought the latter, but now he's been like that for over a week so perhaps he is supposed to be resting.

So there you have it. A typical scene from the mall, just outside of our grocery store.

EuroLife: Day 147

We had some new friends over for dinner tonight, despite our lack of a kitchen table. We met Thomas and Anja through church, and they are expecting their first child any minute now. It turns out they live just a short walk from our apartment, and I am really looking forward to having them so nearby when our little one comes. (Unfortunately, many of our friends here will be returning to their home countries in July, just when the baby should be arriving.)

We had a really nice time; there were even some moments when I stopped noticing that everyone was speaking German! I always get excited when that happens. It never happens when I'm speaking, but if I've just been listening for a few minutes, I will stop hearing the difference. Of course, once I try to speak, it all comes rushing back. Still, progress is progress I guess!

In anticipation of this dinner, we did actually purchase a kitchen table. I mean, it's one thing to
ask our guests to gather around a tiny table and hold their soup bowl in their lap...it's another thing entirely to ask that of a woman with a fully-grown baby in her belly. Unfortunately, the table did not come in time. Forunately, Anja and Thomas were more than gracious about the whole picnic-in-the-living-room business.
We ordered the table and chairs you see on your left, and should have them within a week or so (I hope.) It will be quite nice to have a real table and chairs. I'm rather looking forward to it!

Ooh one more thing: In the first picture, on the wall you can see our digital picture frame. That was Michael's Christmas present to me, and I absolutely love it. It cycles through our photos, and I get to actually see all of the pictures that ordinarily stay on my computer. I am a big fan :)

EuroLife: Day 144

French Toast, Missionaries, and More Photos From Heidelberg

Today Michael and I had a nice lazy morning, followed by a very interesting, atypical evening. We woke up to the sound of rain--not ideal on a Sunday, given the distance to our church and our lack of car. (And I have a cold--so this make me a bit grumpy.) We were just about ready to go, lamenting the weather, when I said "If we went to the second service, I could make French Toast and we could have a nice long breakfast..." Michael immediately agreed; after all, we had not even had time for a quick breakfast, and it was really raining.

Trouble is, by the time it came to leave for the second service, the rain was worse. There is a really excellent evening service at one of the state churches downtown. It is quite popular among the students that we know from our church, and Michael and I have occasionally attended as well. So you can all imagine what followed. Actually, we did leave for the second service, but we only got as far as the yard outside of our hinterhaus. There we realized exactly how wet we would get on our 25 minute walk to church, and promptly decided once and for all to go to the evening service. Then we had a lovely morning and afternoon full of reading, guitar playing and Scrabble feuding.

The rain let up, and we were able to remain dry throughout our walk to the local Church of Latter Day Saints center. Yes, that's right, Mormons in Jena. Michael and I have been approached by Mormon missionaries a few times here in Jena, and sometime last week Michael--ever a sucker for curiosity--agreed to meet with a missionary who approached him near the library. Here's how our conversation went:
Me, at home: "Hi Michael"
Michael: "Hi! I met another Mormon missionary today."
Me: "Again? Wow. there are so many of them in Jena!"
Michael: "Yeah, she is going to meet me tomorrow to give me a copy of the book of Mormon.
Me: "Uh...wow"
Michael: "Yeah, so...do you want to come with me on Sunday when I meet with her to discuss it?"
Me: (now laughing, having realized that this is a joke) "Ha, ha, ha"
Michael: "well, you don't have to come..."
Me: "Oh--oh, you're serious?"

So off we went to meet with her and two others this afternoon. It was a fascinating experience, but not one that can be easily summed up here. I spent a few hours researching the church before we went, and we both read some of the book of Mormon--though Michael devoted more time and energy to it than I did :) Suffice it to say that neither of us will be converting any time soon, but it was interesting. I will give one general impression: I had expected the missionaries to have packaged, neat answers to all of our questions. In contrast, I was surprised at how little they had to say about some of what we talked about...and how little they seemed to know about some aspects of their faith. Michael and I were not at all confrontational with them; we said little by way of direct challenge to their beliefs. We did ask questions, perhaps some prodding questions, and I was just surprised by the caliber of the responses. They were very nice, and we may meet with them again (though we declined the chance to just set up a meeting for next week, or to come to the services this week :) Still, I left feeling that the claims I've heard (and read) about secrecy with respect to church doctrines had been confirmed. On the whole it was an odd experience, but one that I am glad to have had.

We went from there to the evening service, which was great as usual. Seeing as we have no photos from today, and we have lots of lovely photos from Heidelberg, I thought I'd throw in a few more pictures from last week.

My dad walking along Philosophenweg, the philosopher's way :)

Michael, all philosophied out after a hard week's work, choosing instead to sit alongside the philosopher's way...

My folks, Kristian and Isabel...still along Philosophenweg

And finally , a brief respite for Isabel. She is 7, and we walked at least 6 miles this day. She was a real trooper. This was while we were walking up (and up, and up...) to the Heidelberg Castle.