I know I said I was going to write some more about our new walking tours of Frankfurt, so here ya go.
This is a fun job, I mean a really fun job. I wish I would have thought about doing this years ago. It combines being passionate about history and the joy of meeting people from the around the world. Every day, as I stand on the corner holding my bright yellow brochures up so that people can find me, I wonder who I will meet that day, which nationality will they be, will they be old or young, backpackers traveling on a shoe string or seniors seeing the world after a lifetime of hard work. This is what fascinates me so much. The one given though, is that they have all been nice. What other kind of job lets me come into contact with only nice people? It is amazing!
The other best part, is doing the research, finding out more and more and more about this city. This is the only way to keep the tour fresh, but it is almost embarrassing that I lived here in Frankfurt for so long and knew so little. But, it is quite fun to find a new website or a new book and dig up these little hidden gems to share with our guests. The hard part is trying to cram it all into 3 hours. Mostly, it is a matter of having the info at hand and playing it by ear as to what people are interested in. Some folks like the cathedral stuff, others want to hear about the emperor coronations, some like the architecture history, and others just want to know about Germans and Germany. Of course telling about the war and the horrors wreaked upon the Jewish citizens of Frankfurt is always a main feature of the history we try to impart to our tour guests. So, we try to balance it all out in an interesting fashion.
At the end of each tour, I hope that everyone has been entertained, that they all go home thinking "wow, this was a city that I want to visit again." This is my goal, to help make Frankfurt a tourist destination, not just a stop or layover going on to someplace else. Yeah, it is a pretty big goal, but thinking big is what an optimist does, and I am an optimist, through and through.
Ok, now come to Frankfurt!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Cool Souvenir Photos
I just found this website on Digg. Thought it was really creative and fun. I have tried my hand just a tiny bit at photography, so my interest was piqued when I saw the listing on Digg. Once I went to the website, and checked out all the great places this guy had visited and how he incorporated souvenirs into his photos, I knew I wanted to share it with you all. Nuf said, go and Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_hughes/sets/346406/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_hughes/sets/346406/
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Happy Anniversary to my Husband
Today is our 5th wedding anniversary and I chose to put this letter of love on the internet for the entire world to see. If I could, I would shout it out, I would go on Oprah, I would take out full page ads in the New York Times, just to let everyone know how very much I love this man.
I am often in awe of how lucky I am to have a husband like this. He is thoughtful, loving, caring, strong, supportive, handsome, intelligent and funny to boot. He is wise and takes his time before answering me or anyone else, which is a skill that I certainly haven't been able to master. Probably because of this, everybody likes him, cause you couldn't ask for a better friend. Though I would also say he is my friend, my very best friend, the most important thing is that I get to love him and I know he loves me. I never felt this way before, that someone loved me like this. So it is pretty darn special and I adore him even more because of the effect he has on me. It is so wonderful to have this feeling of being loved without having to do anything in return. I had this feeling from my kids, especially when they were small, but it is way different when it comes from another adult.
It is fun thinking back to 5 years ago and remembering what we were doing. We had taken the overnight train to Denmark 2 days earlier. It was supposed to be a sleeper train, but it was so noisy, I don't think anyone slept on it. We went to a small town called Christenfeld which was absolutely lovely. Our hotel was an old farmhouse with a thatched roof that had been renovated quite nicely. The food there was fabulous too. But the best part was getting dressed in my wedding dress 5 years ago. I was so excited and as I walked downstairs, David was waiting with the camera to catch me emerging from the hotel. What a surprise! He had never seen my dress, so it was special having him see me like that. A friend had made me a small, delicate wreath for my hair, with dried flowers and ribbons and even the hotel employees said I looked beautiful. I had really long hair then, so it did look quite pretty.
We made our way to city hall and nervously waited our turn. When the time came though, to say our vows, it was like a lifetime of yearning was being answered with a huge YES, this moment is for you two people to have and enjoy. I know I leaked at the eyes just a bit, but then all I wanted to do was laugh and smile. We were married! Gosh, was it really 5 years ago? You know what they say, time flies when you are having fun, and this is one marriage where you will always hear lots of laughter.
I love you honey, and Happy Anniversary
I am often in awe of how lucky I am to have a husband like this. He is thoughtful, loving, caring, strong, supportive, handsome, intelligent and funny to boot. He is wise and takes his time before answering me or anyone else, which is a skill that I certainly haven't been able to master. Probably because of this, everybody likes him, cause you couldn't ask for a better friend. Though I would also say he is my friend, my very best friend, the most important thing is that I get to love him and I know he loves me. I never felt this way before, that someone loved me like this. So it is pretty darn special and I adore him even more because of the effect he has on me. It is so wonderful to have this feeling of being loved without having to do anything in return. I had this feeling from my kids, especially when they were small, but it is way different when it comes from another adult.
It is fun thinking back to 5 years ago and remembering what we were doing. We had taken the overnight train to Denmark 2 days earlier. It was supposed to be a sleeper train, but it was so noisy, I don't think anyone slept on it. We went to a small town called Christenfeld which was absolutely lovely. Our hotel was an old farmhouse with a thatched roof that had been renovated quite nicely. The food there was fabulous too. But the best part was getting dressed in my wedding dress 5 years ago. I was so excited and as I walked downstairs, David was waiting with the camera to catch me emerging from the hotel. What a surprise! He had never seen my dress, so it was special having him see me like that. A friend had made me a small, delicate wreath for my hair, with dried flowers and ribbons and even the hotel employees said I looked beautiful. I had really long hair then, so it did look quite pretty.
We made our way to city hall and nervously waited our turn. When the time came though, to say our vows, it was like a lifetime of yearning was being answered with a huge YES, this moment is for you two people to have and enjoy. I know I leaked at the eyes just a bit, but then all I wanted to do was laugh and smile. We were married! Gosh, was it really 5 years ago? You know what they say, time flies when you are having fun, and this is one marriage where you will always hear lots of laughter.
I love you honey, and Happy Anniversary
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Frankfurt Tour
Yes, folks, we are open for business. Two weeks ago, my husband David and I started our own tour business. We connected up with the Insider Tours in Berlin because we liked their tours so much and have now launched out here in Frankfurt.
Every day at 10:30 and 14:30, we guide tourists around the best sites of Frankfurt for 3 hours, telling them the most interesting facts we could dig up about our hometown. It really is a fascinating city and the more we dig, the more we find. It is almost an obsession now, finding the coolest websites and the best photos from days gone by.
It is fun meeting people from all around the world and we get to be outside for hours at a time, though I am getting quite a farmer tan from wearing a tee shirt every day.
The city of Frankfurt hasn't made it easy on us though. Talk about bureaucracy! No wonder the spirit of entrepreneurship is so low here. They really don't want people to start their own businesses! Paperwork and photos and appointments and go to this office and then go to another office and they are often the wrong place or they have different hours and wont be open til the next day. AHHHHHHH! It is enough to drive ya nuts! Considering we live in the modern age of computers, there seems to be absolutely no connection in Germany from office to office. When you go in, the offices are filled with binders with everyones records. This always amazes me. Isn't it time for them to update just a bit, enter these records onto a data base that can be accessed from any government office and make things easier for folks?
This is my second time around at being my own boss and hopefully I can avoid the pitfalls of my first failed attempt. Having my husband as a partner certainly makes a big difference. I really look forward each day to going downtown, wondering who I will meet, what country they will be from (Australia seems to be the winner here) , hoping I can remember all the dates that I have memorized (using clever little connections that I have thought up), and hoping that I can make the tour so entertaining, that everyone goes home thinking that Frankfurt was 10 times more interesting than what they thought it would be.
So whether you are coming to Frankfurt or know someone is going to visit here, pass on our website address: www.insidertour.com
My next post, I will tell you a bit more about what you can see on our Famous Tour.
Every day at 10:30 and 14:30, we guide tourists around the best sites of Frankfurt for 3 hours, telling them the most interesting facts we could dig up about our hometown. It really is a fascinating city and the more we dig, the more we find. It is almost an obsession now, finding the coolest websites and the best photos from days gone by.
It is fun meeting people from all around the world and we get to be outside for hours at a time, though I am getting quite a farmer tan from wearing a tee shirt every day.
The city of Frankfurt hasn't made it easy on us though. Talk about bureaucracy! No wonder the spirit of entrepreneurship is so low here. They really don't want people to start their own businesses! Paperwork and photos and appointments and go to this office and then go to another office and they are often the wrong place or they have different hours and wont be open til the next day. AHHHHHHH! It is enough to drive ya nuts! Considering we live in the modern age of computers, there seems to be absolutely no connection in Germany from office to office. When you go in, the offices are filled with binders with everyones records. This always amazes me. Isn't it time for them to update just a bit, enter these records onto a data base that can be accessed from any government office and make things easier for folks?
This is my second time around at being my own boss and hopefully I can avoid the pitfalls of my first failed attempt. Having my husband as a partner certainly makes a big difference. I really look forward each day to going downtown, wondering who I will meet, what country they will be from (Australia seems to be the winner here) , hoping I can remember all the dates that I have memorized (using clever little connections that I have thought up), and hoping that I can make the tour so entertaining, that everyone goes home thinking that Frankfurt was 10 times more interesting than what they thought it would be.
So whether you are coming to Frankfurt or know someone is going to visit here, pass on our website address: www.insidertour.com
My next post, I will tell you a bit more about what you can see on our Famous Tour.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Fathers Day
Happy Fathers Day and a big, huge thank you, to all you fathers out there. I want to especially include step-fathers too, cause sometimes your job is even harder.
Dads don't get near as much credit as moms do when it comes to bringing up kids. It is true that in the majority of families, the mom does a lot of that early raising, feeding, cleaning, etc. But dads shouldn't cut themselves short. What they do is important too. They impart how to be a man to their sons. The sons learn how to treat women by how their dad treats mom. Dads impart to their daughters deep impressions about what kind of man they will marry. I know, I know, this isn't always true and I may be generalizing a bit, but it is what I notice and see.
In my own case, my birth father kind of disappeared from my life when I was only 4. As an adult, I can look at our personalities and see so many similarities between us that it is amazing, and I feel like I have hardly anything from my mother. Of course that may be why my mom and I don't get along too well. I think I remind her of him and she just has never liked that. I wish he hadn't gone away, but childhoods dont get to get repeated, so I have had to just accept that it happened.
I was lucky enough to have a second father come into my life when I was 6 and he was kind enough to adopt me. He was just a wonderful man and he also imparted many great things to me. Unfortunately, he died when I was 12 and this was a huge loss to me. One of the biggest impressions I had from him is that he never said a bad word about anyone. There were more people at his funeral then anyone could believe. During the 4 years of his illness, all of his friends rallied round and 2 of them came to our house every single night to help get him ready for bed. There was a large group of men that worked out a schedule to do this. That is true friendship. He was a truly gentle, thoughtful man and I wish I could be more like him. I think about him almost every day.
Believe it or not, I got lucky again with my 2nd step-father. He came into my life when I was 15 and deep in the throes of puberty rebellion. This was in 1970-71 and my fondest wish was to be a flower-child, so yeah, I was pretty crazy. But, he put up with me and taught me things too. Mainly practical things, like how to change tires and spackle dry wall, how to plant veggies and can them later and even how to make sauerkraut. These are survival skills that I don't use too often, but if Y-2K would have happened, I would have been well prepared. He died just a few years ago and I think of him often.
I wish I had more contact with my birth father, but its sorta difficult, especially with living overseas. He has 3 other children and lots of grandchildren, so I think we are just a kind of out of sight, out of mind sort of thing. I keep working on it though and hope that I am not being foolish about wanting a good relationship with my dad. Even though I am 53, I still yearn for it often.
My husband does a wonderful job of being a dad, even though he didn't get a lot of practice before coming into our lives and trying to be a dad to 2 teenagers. He keeps track of the school schedules, runs out and gets the last minute request for supplies and grocery requests, paid allowances when the kids own dads didn't pay any child support, been overly generous with gifts, and most of all, he has loved them and showed them how a man should be. Thoughtful, kind, respectful, and wise. I don't know if they appreciate him yet, but I am pretty sure they will some day. I wish it was soon.
So, to all you dads, we appreciate what you do. We are part of you and we love you for you.
Dads don't get near as much credit as moms do when it comes to bringing up kids. It is true that in the majority of families, the mom does a lot of that early raising, feeding, cleaning, etc. But dads shouldn't cut themselves short. What they do is important too. They impart how to be a man to their sons. The sons learn how to treat women by how their dad treats mom. Dads impart to their daughters deep impressions about what kind of man they will marry. I know, I know, this isn't always true and I may be generalizing a bit, but it is what I notice and see.
In my own case, my birth father kind of disappeared from my life when I was only 4. As an adult, I can look at our personalities and see so many similarities between us that it is amazing, and I feel like I have hardly anything from my mother. Of course that may be why my mom and I don't get along too well. I think I remind her of him and she just has never liked that. I wish he hadn't gone away, but childhoods dont get to get repeated, so I have had to just accept that it happened.
I was lucky enough to have a second father come into my life when I was 6 and he was kind enough to adopt me. He was just a wonderful man and he also imparted many great things to me. Unfortunately, he died when I was 12 and this was a huge loss to me. One of the biggest impressions I had from him is that he never said a bad word about anyone. There were more people at his funeral then anyone could believe. During the 4 years of his illness, all of his friends rallied round and 2 of them came to our house every single night to help get him ready for bed. There was a large group of men that worked out a schedule to do this. That is true friendship. He was a truly gentle, thoughtful man and I wish I could be more like him. I think about him almost every day.
Believe it or not, I got lucky again with my 2nd step-father. He came into my life when I was 15 and deep in the throes of puberty rebellion. This was in 1970-71 and my fondest wish was to be a flower-child, so yeah, I was pretty crazy. But, he put up with me and taught me things too. Mainly practical things, like how to change tires and spackle dry wall, how to plant veggies and can them later and even how to make sauerkraut. These are survival skills that I don't use too often, but if Y-2K would have happened, I would have been well prepared. He died just a few years ago and I think of him often.
I wish I had more contact with my birth father, but its sorta difficult, especially with living overseas. He has 3 other children and lots of grandchildren, so I think we are just a kind of out of sight, out of mind sort of thing. I keep working on it though and hope that I am not being foolish about wanting a good relationship with my dad. Even though I am 53, I still yearn for it often.
My husband does a wonderful job of being a dad, even though he didn't get a lot of practice before coming into our lives and trying to be a dad to 2 teenagers. He keeps track of the school schedules, runs out and gets the last minute request for supplies and grocery requests, paid allowances when the kids own dads didn't pay any child support, been overly generous with gifts, and most of all, he has loved them and showed them how a man should be. Thoughtful, kind, respectful, and wise. I don't know if they appreciate him yet, but I am pretty sure they will some day. I wish it was soon.
So, to all you dads, we appreciate what you do. We are part of you and we love you for you.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
On Being Silly
I like being silly and goofy. Especially when I am by myself and no one is around to watch. Am I alone in this or does everyone do this? I have to think no, when I see the serious, sad faces on the people walking past me on the street. Maybe if they took a time out from being so earnest, they could find the funny side of life.
Life is funny most of the time. Not a day goes by that I don't see or hear things that make me laugh. And I mean really laugh. Though snickering can be enjoyable, it isn't as great as laughing so hard that tears come or your sides hurt. Or uncontrollable giggles. Sometimes though, I find myself laughing at stuff that I almost feel guilty about, that might seem inappropriate for a 52 year old woman to laugh at. The guys at work notice this. They find it a bit odd that I am laughing at stuff they say, when usually other women wouldn't. Maybe because I have worked with men practically my entire life, I find their humor funny. But this makes me feel a tiny bit weird, like I don't fit in with other women. I guess I don't understand why they don't get mens humor. Heck, funny is funny. Are there any other women out there that feel this way too? Help me out here!!!
Being silly when you are by yourself is a different kind of thing. When no one is at home, I like to talk to myself, make goofy noises, make up silly rhymes, make funny faces in the mirror, dance around the house. I am glad we don't have a web cam in the house to record any of this. I do wonder though, does anyone else do this? I sometimes think they do, but no one wants to admit it cause it sounds so goofy. Then there are times when I think about getting real old and demented and wonder if this kind of behavior will take over. EEEK!
I also like to remember funny stories or situations in my head. You know the ones? Years after it happened, as soon as you remember it, you start giggling. Sometimes it isn't even stuff that happened to me, it is stories that other people told me. But I get pictures in my head and then there I go, giggling all to myself.
One of my favorite things about myself, is being able to make other people laugh. It isn't planned, just all ad lib. Some of it is light sarcasm, but I try to make it about myself. I look at other people and they have all kinds of talents and I figured out that maybe this was supposed to be my talent, since I couldn't paint or sing or anything like that. It isn't something I could get up on stage and do, it's just the every day exchange of conversation that I attempt to make funny. I wish it was as easy to be funny when I write, but it is a lot harder. The spontaneity is missing and I have to think way too much about it.
So write and tell if you like being silly too, so I don't feel so all alone! Tell me the goofy things that you like to do. And then we can all have a laugh together.
Life is funny most of the time. Not a day goes by that I don't see or hear things that make me laugh. And I mean really laugh. Though snickering can be enjoyable, it isn't as great as laughing so hard that tears come or your sides hurt. Or uncontrollable giggles. Sometimes though, I find myself laughing at stuff that I almost feel guilty about, that might seem inappropriate for a 52 year old woman to laugh at. The guys at work notice this. They find it a bit odd that I am laughing at stuff they say, when usually other women wouldn't. Maybe because I have worked with men practically my entire life, I find their humor funny. But this makes me feel a tiny bit weird, like I don't fit in with other women. I guess I don't understand why they don't get mens humor. Heck, funny is funny. Are there any other women out there that feel this way too? Help me out here!!!
Being silly when you are by yourself is a different kind of thing. When no one is at home, I like to talk to myself, make goofy noises, make up silly rhymes, make funny faces in the mirror, dance around the house. I am glad we don't have a web cam in the house to record any of this. I do wonder though, does anyone else do this? I sometimes think they do, but no one wants to admit it cause it sounds so goofy. Then there are times when I think about getting real old and demented and wonder if this kind of behavior will take over. EEEK!
I also like to remember funny stories or situations in my head. You know the ones? Years after it happened, as soon as you remember it, you start giggling. Sometimes it isn't even stuff that happened to me, it is stories that other people told me. But I get pictures in my head and then there I go, giggling all to myself.
One of my favorite things about myself, is being able to make other people laugh. It isn't planned, just all ad lib. Some of it is light sarcasm, but I try to make it about myself. I look at other people and they have all kinds of talents and I figured out that maybe this was supposed to be my talent, since I couldn't paint or sing or anything like that. It isn't something I could get up on stage and do, it's just the every day exchange of conversation that I attempt to make funny. I wish it was as easy to be funny when I write, but it is a lot harder. The spontaneity is missing and I have to think way too much about it.
So write and tell if you like being silly too, so I don't feel so all alone! Tell me the goofy things that you like to do. And then we can all have a laugh together.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Earring Club
I like earrings. I like them a lot. This means that I strongly feel you can never have too many of them. There is nothing better than a fest, where there are stands full of earrings to look at and pick from to buy. My favorite ones are unusual, one of kind, different. Ones that stand out from the crowd.
But what I have recently noticed, is that there are other women like me. We like to have unusual earrings. Not just sometimes, but all the time. It is something that defines us. I am wondering if this is some sort of outward sign of our inner personality. Are we part of that group that marches to a different drummer? Or do we just want to be creative and lack real talent for painting or pottery making and this is our outlet. Perhaps it is a little of both.
I know I used to be a rebel, a flower child wanna-be, and somehow different from others. I never knew why or how exactly, but I always felt this rather deeply. As the years went by, I guess I got more conservative, I learned how to be responsible and be a mom, and an everyday person working in an everyday world. Part of that is wearing the uniform that helps you fit in. Though I recently got my first set of pearls from my husband and enjoy wearing them, there is still the part of me that wants the kind of job where I could wear outrageous, gorgeous, dangly earrings every single day. So, I compromise. I wear earrings that are gorgeous but small, kind of dangly, one of a kind, unusual colors and shapes, and hand-made if possible.
I had a thing for animals for a while and have a large collection. Zebras, fish, parrots, pigs, frogs, etc. I don't wear them too often, but I still like having them. When I worked at a daycare, the kids enjoyed seeing which earrings I wore each day, which was fun.
Now my favorites are murano glass, silver filigree, turquoise stones, mother of pearl, amethyst, green glass, ethnic, and so on and so on. I enjoy opening my jewelry box every morning and picking out what to wear. I guess some women are like that with shoes or clothes or their nails, but with me, it is just earrings.I also enjoy it when someone notices my earrings and says something about them. I always compliment women when I like their earrings. It is sort of a bond when we recognize this in each other.
So I came up with the idea that we should start an earring club. We women who like to wear our "special" earrings. Maybe we have more in common than just our cool earrings. I'm not quite old enough for the "red hat" club, and not real sure if I would fit in with any of the other "womens clubs" that are around. Perhaps there are other women out there that feel this way too. Lets get together and celebrate being different. Write and let me know if you are an "earring woman" too.
But what I have recently noticed, is that there are other women like me. We like to have unusual earrings. Not just sometimes, but all the time. It is something that defines us. I am wondering if this is some sort of outward sign of our inner personality. Are we part of that group that marches to a different drummer? Or do we just want to be creative and lack real talent for painting or pottery making and this is our outlet. Perhaps it is a little of both.
I know I used to be a rebel, a flower child wanna-be, and somehow different from others. I never knew why or how exactly, but I always felt this rather deeply. As the years went by, I guess I got more conservative, I learned how to be responsible and be a mom, and an everyday person working in an everyday world. Part of that is wearing the uniform that helps you fit in. Though I recently got my first set of pearls from my husband and enjoy wearing them, there is still the part of me that wants the kind of job where I could wear outrageous, gorgeous, dangly earrings every single day. So, I compromise. I wear earrings that are gorgeous but small, kind of dangly, one of a kind, unusual colors and shapes, and hand-made if possible.
I had a thing for animals for a while and have a large collection. Zebras, fish, parrots, pigs, frogs, etc. I don't wear them too often, but I still like having them. When I worked at a daycare, the kids enjoyed seeing which earrings I wore each day, which was fun.
Now my favorites are murano glass, silver filigree, turquoise stones, mother of pearl, amethyst, green glass, ethnic, and so on and so on. I enjoy opening my jewelry box every morning and picking out what to wear. I guess some women are like that with shoes or clothes or their nails, but with me, it is just earrings.I also enjoy it when someone notices my earrings and says something about them. I always compliment women when I like their earrings. It is sort of a bond when we recognize this in each other.
So I came up with the idea that we should start an earring club. We women who like to wear our "special" earrings. Maybe we have more in common than just our cool earrings. I'm not quite old enough for the "red hat" club, and not real sure if I would fit in with any of the other "womens clubs" that are around. Perhaps there are other women out there that feel this way too. Lets get together and celebrate being different. Write and let me know if you are an "earring woman" too.
Monday, May 5, 2008
My Baby is 18!!!!
Today is my little girls birthday. She gets to be a grown-up from now on. My little baby, the cutest one there ever was.
I looked out at the stars last night and started thinking about another night, 18 years ago. I hadn't met Bianca yet, and in fact did not know if I was having a boy or a girl, though I had my intuitions that it was a girl. I was so happy when I was told my baby was a girl, and I thought "welcome to the world, little Bianca". Oh, she was so cute, and she hardly ever cried either. She smiled and laughed early, especially for her big brother Clint, whom she adored. She was a joy to us all.
My little girl got bigger, but she stayed sweet and cute. She was smart though and clever, and was lots of fun. Every year, she just got better. I could never believe that I was this lucky to get such a marvelous child. What had I done right in my life to have deserved such a gift?
Now, today, she is a grown up and I look at her with different eyes then I did when she was a baby. She isn't dependant on me, she can go out in the world and make her own way, and she isn't all cuddly and adorable any more. But, she is so much more. She has tons of talents. She can draw and paint, she can dance, she has more style in her little finger than I could ever hope to have, she's still really smart and clever and curious about everything this world has to offer, she is confidant about trying new things, whether its climbing a rope course, white-water rafting, or tasting a new food, she is funny and likes to make people laugh, she can cook and bake, she sings well, and she has lots of friends who love her, she can run fast, she is quick at learning new things, and she devours books for breakfast, both German and English, with ease.
As I look at her now, such a strong, smart and beautiful woman, I feel so blessed that I got to be her mommy and that she has graced my life with so much love and laughter. So, today, on her 18th birthday, as she leaves her childhood behind and steps through the magic doors of adulthood, I wish for my Bianca the most wonderful life she can have, filled with adventure, possibilities, success and love.
I looked out at the stars last night and started thinking about another night, 18 years ago. I hadn't met Bianca yet, and in fact did not know if I was having a boy or a girl, though I had my intuitions that it was a girl. I was so happy when I was told my baby was a girl, and I thought "welcome to the world, little Bianca". Oh, she was so cute, and she hardly ever cried either. She smiled and laughed early, especially for her big brother Clint, whom she adored. She was a joy to us all.
My little girl got bigger, but she stayed sweet and cute. She was smart though and clever, and was lots of fun. Every year, she just got better. I could never believe that I was this lucky to get such a marvelous child. What had I done right in my life to have deserved such a gift?
Now, today, she is a grown up and I look at her with different eyes then I did when she was a baby. She isn't dependant on me, she can go out in the world and make her own way, and she isn't all cuddly and adorable any more. But, she is so much more. She has tons of talents. She can draw and paint, she can dance, she has more style in her little finger than I could ever hope to have, she's still really smart and clever and curious about everything this world has to offer, she is confidant about trying new things, whether its climbing a rope course, white-water rafting, or tasting a new food, she is funny and likes to make people laugh, she can cook and bake, she sings well, and she has lots of friends who love her, she can run fast, she is quick at learning new things, and she devours books for breakfast, both German and English, with ease.
As I look at her now, such a strong, smart and beautiful woman, I feel so blessed that I got to be her mommy and that she has graced my life with so much love and laughter. So, today, on her 18th birthday, as she leaves her childhood behind and steps through the magic doors of adulthood, I wish for my Bianca the most wonderful life she can have, filled with adventure, possibilities, success and love.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Far away Friends
As an expat, dealing with friends constantly moving away is probably one of the hardest things we have to deal with. At least it is for me. People come into your life, stay for awhile, then leave. You try to stay in touch, but it's difficult sometimes. So, this article is dedicated to all those friends that I miss.
My oldest friend, Susan, who lives in Texas. Friends since childhood, she means the most to me. We don't talk often enough, but when we do, it is just like we saw each other yesterday. I haven't seen her in about 16 years, so I do long to go visit her or have her come to Germany.
Two more friends from Ohio, Kathy and Kim, are also on my list of friends I long to see. Kathy and I used to have the best time, going out to eat, going to craft shows, and we had a blast in Hilton Head. Kim was my Army buddy and she was my sons first baby sitter when I had to go back to work. Every time I see her, it is like the years just fall away. We just laugh and laugh. Gosh, I miss her.
Then there are all those people I have worked with over the years that became friends. Some of them I still have contact with, and others, somehow got lost. There's Amah, from Ghana, who I worked with at Camp King. We had so much fun together and I have no idea where she is. Lisa, the hairdresser at Camp King. We spent lots of time together with our families and she too is lost out there in the world somewhere.
Melissa, who is now in Africa, was a tremendous help when we renovated the hotel that I managed. As we worked, we became friends. Lord did we laugh a lot. We were always so tired and dirty, but the project was so huge, that it was fun to watch it come to completion. I could have never done it without her help and support and good cheer. Though we email, it gets less and less as time goes by. She remembers my birthday though, which is amazing.
Cristina, better known as "Little Cristina from CSA". This woman has such a wonderful sense of humour and I do miss her. Working at the front desk with her was always such a joy as she always kept me laughing. She was another person who helped me intensively on my hotel renovation project. She kept everything in control, so I could concentrate on the project. I never had to worry about anything. Now she lives in the U.S. with her little baby girl and her husband. This is one friend where we do try and email and chat on the phone frequently. The most amazing thing is that she is 30 years younger than me!
Andrea, maid of honor at my 2nd wedding. We went through our pregnancies together, she was the only person who would watch my son, she came to the hospital and washed my hair for me after my daughter was born, she held my hand when I cried about being abused by my husband, we went on weekend trips together, I watched her kids for her, we did things together as families, and now I have no idea where she is. I wish I could find her.
Pat, who I met in the Army Reserve at my first drill weekend in Germany, back in 1986. We sorta have contact, but not really. Maybe I haven't tried hard enough. But we did so many things together, back when our kids were small, it would be a shame to just let it completely drift away.
Nikki, who worked with me at the hotel. She moved to Berlin, and I thought we would never see each other again. We were able to meet up again though, this past month when we went to Berlin. She and her husband had us over for dinner and we got to meet her little boy. It made going to Berlin that much nicer.
Ronda, one of my best friends when my daughter was little, she moved back to the states and somehow, we lost contact. That seems strange now, and if I had to do it over, I would have worked harder to keep the connection going. Now that we have email, I think it is easier. But boy, when I think back on how much we laughed together, I know how much I miss her. We both had alcoholic husbands and somehow we were able to joke about it all.
Alice, who also decided to go back to the states. But then turned around and came back a year later to get married. This is a friendship that I seriously messed up somehow and wish I could do it over. I used to consider Alice as my best friend. And now? We don't have contact at all anymore. I do know that I miss talking and laughing with her and wish I had been a better friend. This is live and learn situation and makes me sad.
So, to all my friends near and far, know that I think about you often and even if I don't keep in touch as good as I should, I still care about you.
My oldest friend, Susan, who lives in Texas. Friends since childhood, she means the most to me. We don't talk often enough, but when we do, it is just like we saw each other yesterday. I haven't seen her in about 16 years, so I do long to go visit her or have her come to Germany.
Two more friends from Ohio, Kathy and Kim, are also on my list of friends I long to see. Kathy and I used to have the best time, going out to eat, going to craft shows, and we had a blast in Hilton Head. Kim was my Army buddy and she was my sons first baby sitter when I had to go back to work. Every time I see her, it is like the years just fall away. We just laugh and laugh. Gosh, I miss her.
Then there are all those people I have worked with over the years that became friends. Some of them I still have contact with, and others, somehow got lost. There's Amah, from Ghana, who I worked with at Camp King. We had so much fun together and I have no idea where she is. Lisa, the hairdresser at Camp King. We spent lots of time together with our families and she too is lost out there in the world somewhere.
Melissa, who is now in Africa, was a tremendous help when we renovated the hotel that I managed. As we worked, we became friends. Lord did we laugh a lot. We were always so tired and dirty, but the project was so huge, that it was fun to watch it come to completion. I could have never done it without her help and support and good cheer. Though we email, it gets less and less as time goes by. She remembers my birthday though, which is amazing.
Cristina, better known as "Little Cristina from CSA". This woman has such a wonderful sense of humour and I do miss her. Working at the front desk with her was always such a joy as she always kept me laughing. She was another person who helped me intensively on my hotel renovation project. She kept everything in control, so I could concentrate on the project. I never had to worry about anything. Now she lives in the U.S. with her little baby girl and her husband. This is one friend where we do try and email and chat on the phone frequently. The most amazing thing is that she is 30 years younger than me!
Andrea, maid of honor at my 2nd wedding. We went through our pregnancies together, she was the only person who would watch my son, she came to the hospital and washed my hair for me after my daughter was born, she held my hand when I cried about being abused by my husband, we went on weekend trips together, I watched her kids for her, we did things together as families, and now I have no idea where she is. I wish I could find her.
Pat, who I met in the Army Reserve at my first drill weekend in Germany, back in 1986. We sorta have contact, but not really. Maybe I haven't tried hard enough. But we did so many things together, back when our kids were small, it would be a shame to just let it completely drift away.
Nikki, who worked with me at the hotel. She moved to Berlin, and I thought we would never see each other again. We were able to meet up again though, this past month when we went to Berlin. She and her husband had us over for dinner and we got to meet her little boy. It made going to Berlin that much nicer.
Ronda, one of my best friends when my daughter was little, she moved back to the states and somehow, we lost contact. That seems strange now, and if I had to do it over, I would have worked harder to keep the connection going. Now that we have email, I think it is easier. But boy, when I think back on how much we laughed together, I know how much I miss her. We both had alcoholic husbands and somehow we were able to joke about it all.
Alice, who also decided to go back to the states. But then turned around and came back a year later to get married. This is a friendship that I seriously messed up somehow and wish I could do it over. I used to consider Alice as my best friend. And now? We don't have contact at all anymore. I do know that I miss talking and laughing with her and wish I had been a better friend. This is live and learn situation and makes me sad.
So, to all my friends near and far, know that I think about you often and even if I don't keep in touch as good as I should, I still care about you.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Potsdam
While in Berlin, my daughter and I decided to take the "Insiders" tour to Potsdam. I had looked at a few photos online, and thought it looked like a really pretty place to visit. You know us Americans, we love to visit castles and palaces. The tour was supposed to last 6 hours and only cost 15 euros, so it sounded perfect for our last day in Berlin.
The trip to Postsdam on the train was pretty short, only about 20 min. About the first thing you see as you walk into the city center is a huge construction site. This was where the Imperial Palace was. East Germany, in its perverted, twisted thinking, had blown-up this fabulous looking building. Now, they are putting tax dollars to work to rebuild the whole thing. Looks like they have a few years to go before it is finished, but it will be a beaut!
We walked thru town and enjoyed seeing all the restored houses and buildings. It was actually quite pretty and interesting enough, that I thought about coming here for a couple of days, just to explore. There is even a Dutch neighborhood! We would have liked to have checked it out better, but there was some kind of Dutch/Tulip festival going on. Anyway, seemed like lots of stores were open on this Sunday and they all had interesting things to sell. I would have been content to roam around these streets for hours. I am happy to see this part of Germany come alive again, after so many years of being bedraggled down by the communists. It is a gem of a place.
Now on to the really cool sites. We walked to the park where the Sancoussi Palace is located. The park itself is so lovely that just wandering around it is peaceful. But, then you come upon this immense palace up on a hill and it does kinda take your breath away. It is massive and gorgeous at the same time. I think I would like to see it again in the summer though, when all the vines are grown out, as they were looking pretty bare this early in the year. The next time I come back, I do want to take a tour and see inside the place. We peeked through the windows and got a taste though. WOW.
Our next stop was the fantasy designed tea house. This was truly imagination gone wild. Have to say, it was my favorite place. All the gold, and the colors, and even the shape of the building, were so pleasing to the eye. It was whimsical but beautiful too. I have posted a photo of it here on the blog, so you can get an idea of it.
We wandered on through the park, stopping at Italian looking churches, villas that wanted to be ships, glass and gold creations by the wayside, extravagant bath houses, and of course beautiful plantings, trees, and water features. Seemed like everywhere you looked, there was something to catch your attention, something to make you go "ahhhh, will ya look at this".
Yes, we saw the graves of Fredrick the Great and all that, but that part wasn't as interesting to us. Though it was kind of amusing to see all of his dogs' graves and find that people had put potatoes on his gravestone. I found that overweird, but to each his own I suppose.
I certainly don't do justice to this beautiful, historical site with my words, but if you have a chance to get up to Berlin, make sure to set aside at least one day and go to Potsdam. I know that you will be happy that you did. This is one place that you will rave about to all your friends.
The trip to Postsdam on the train was pretty short, only about 20 min. About the first thing you see as you walk into the city center is a huge construction site. This was where the Imperial Palace was. East Germany, in its perverted, twisted thinking, had blown-up this fabulous looking building. Now, they are putting tax dollars to work to rebuild the whole thing. Looks like they have a few years to go before it is finished, but it will be a beaut!
We walked thru town and enjoyed seeing all the restored houses and buildings. It was actually quite pretty and interesting enough, that I thought about coming here for a couple of days, just to explore. There is even a Dutch neighborhood! We would have liked to have checked it out better, but there was some kind of Dutch/Tulip festival going on. Anyway, seemed like lots of stores were open on this Sunday and they all had interesting things to sell. I would have been content to roam around these streets for hours. I am happy to see this part of Germany come alive again, after so many years of being bedraggled down by the communists. It is a gem of a place.
Now on to the really cool sites. We walked to the park where the Sancoussi Palace is located. The park itself is so lovely that just wandering around it is peaceful. But, then you come upon this immense palace up on a hill and it does kinda take your breath away. It is massive and gorgeous at the same time. I think I would like to see it again in the summer though, when all the vines are grown out, as they were looking pretty bare this early in the year. The next time I come back, I do want to take a tour and see inside the place. We peeked through the windows and got a taste though. WOW.
Our next stop was the fantasy designed tea house. This was truly imagination gone wild. Have to say, it was my favorite place. All the gold, and the colors, and even the shape of the building, were so pleasing to the eye. It was whimsical but beautiful too. I have posted a photo of it here on the blog, so you can get an idea of it.
We wandered on through the park, stopping at Italian looking churches, villas that wanted to be ships, glass and gold creations by the wayside, extravagant bath houses, and of course beautiful plantings, trees, and water features. Seemed like everywhere you looked, there was something to catch your attention, something to make you go "ahhhh, will ya look at this".
Yes, we saw the graves of Fredrick the Great and all that, but that part wasn't as interesting to us. Though it was kind of amusing to see all of his dogs' graves and find that people had put potatoes on his gravestone. I found that overweird, but to each his own I suppose.
I certainly don't do justice to this beautiful, historical site with my words, but if you have a chance to get up to Berlin, make sure to set aside at least one day and go to Potsdam. I know that you will be happy that you did. This is one place that you will rave about to all your friends.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Berlin & Sachsenhausen Trip
My daughter and I took a weekend trip to Berlin last week. What a cool city this is. It is such a mish-mash of architecture, styles, and people and just plain fun. Found a great apt. to stay in, which was half the price of a hotel and it even had a kitchen. I'll post the website so you can find a B&B in Berlin too.
Daughter took the 4 hour walking tour with "Insider Berlin" on Friday and enjoyed it. For only 12 euros, you get to see all the main sites in the city along with getting a good orientation for where things are. I had done this tour in Sept. and found it to be so interesting that I had wanted her to go on it too. We both thought the book burning memorial was fascinating, but we found the Holocaust Memorial to be the "high point" of the tour. It is so disorienting when you get inside of it. The designer did an outstanding job getting this feeling across. I don't know if it was meant this way, but I found the size and solidness of stones conveyed such a feeling of strength and permanency.
The tour went lots of other places too, the Reichstag, churches, Brandenburg Gate naturally, museum island, Checkpoint Charlie, the spot where Hitlers bunker stood, and of course saw a remnant of the wall. I do have a weird connection with "the wall", as the communists had the audacity to build it on my birthday.
One of the best tips our guide gave, was to ride the bus 100, as it does sort of a round trip in the city and you get to see many of the sites that the "hop on, hop off" bus does, but doesn't cost extra. It was a double decker bus, so that was fun. Buying an all day metro ticket for Berlin is well worth the money.
Saturday, we took the "Insider" tour to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Even though I have lived in Germany for over 20 years, I had never gone to one of these "places of death". I wasn't really sure if I would cry or not, but I didn't. The weather was cold and blustery, which I found fitting for some reason. It drove home the point of how miserable it must have been to have had to stand outside for hours in nasty weather, being hosed down with water, doing back breaking work, or hanging from a post with your arms ripped out of your sockets. This was the 1st camp that the Nazis built and though it was intended to be for political prisoners, it eventually followed in the path of the other camps, with mass executions and gassing. Most of its' prisoners were homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, clergy who spoke out against the Nazis, communists, gypsies, and social misfits, like alcoholics, homeless men, or criminals. As time passed, more Jews were admitted.
It was eerie, entering buildings where so much pain and suffering was endured. The walls just have a sort of aura that you can feel. Especially the pathology lab and the cells for special prisoners. One of the buildings that was used as a kitchen, has just opened a new exhibit that everyone found fascinating. In fact, we would have liked to have had more time there. It has lots and lots of glass cases, filled with personal items, especially things the prisoners had made. They had made small, aluminum items like cigarette cases, things carved out of bits of wood and so on. Many of the items were made to trade for food. One man had made a complete, small chess set, using airplane plexiglass for the pieces. Our favorite item though, was a small sculpture of a boot, filled with flowers. It was quite pretty and extremely detailed, but when you read how it was made, amazement sets in. A young boy, not quite 16, had saved little pieces of his bread, to make this thing of beauty. He gave it as a gift to one of the prisoners, right before he died of TB.
I would like to go back there again and spend the day, as there is so much to see and I would like the time to really absorb it better.
There is a lot more I could say about this, but I think I will stop here. I do recommend that you go to Berlin and take this tour. Our guide was very informative and communicated her passion for passing on this part of history. Visiting Berlin itself, will also convey to you a sense of the history that has had such a huge impact on our world.
Daughter took the 4 hour walking tour with "Insider Berlin" on Friday and enjoyed it. For only 12 euros, you get to see all the main sites in the city along with getting a good orientation for where things are. I had done this tour in Sept. and found it to be so interesting that I had wanted her to go on it too. We both thought the book burning memorial was fascinating, but we found the Holocaust Memorial to be the "high point" of the tour. It is so disorienting when you get inside of it. The designer did an outstanding job getting this feeling across. I don't know if it was meant this way, but I found the size and solidness of stones conveyed such a feeling of strength and permanency.
The tour went lots of other places too, the Reichstag, churches, Brandenburg Gate naturally, museum island, Checkpoint Charlie, the spot where Hitlers bunker stood, and of course saw a remnant of the wall. I do have a weird connection with "the wall", as the communists had the audacity to build it on my birthday.
One of the best tips our guide gave, was to ride the bus 100, as it does sort of a round trip in the city and you get to see many of the sites that the "hop on, hop off" bus does, but doesn't cost extra. It was a double decker bus, so that was fun. Buying an all day metro ticket for Berlin is well worth the money.
Saturday, we took the "Insider" tour to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Even though I have lived in Germany for over 20 years, I had never gone to one of these "places of death". I wasn't really sure if I would cry or not, but I didn't. The weather was cold and blustery, which I found fitting for some reason. It drove home the point of how miserable it must have been to have had to stand outside for hours in nasty weather, being hosed down with water, doing back breaking work, or hanging from a post with your arms ripped out of your sockets. This was the 1st camp that the Nazis built and though it was intended to be for political prisoners, it eventually followed in the path of the other camps, with mass executions and gassing. Most of its' prisoners were homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, clergy who spoke out against the Nazis, communists, gypsies, and social misfits, like alcoholics, homeless men, or criminals. As time passed, more Jews were admitted.
It was eerie, entering buildings where so much pain and suffering was endured. The walls just have a sort of aura that you can feel. Especially the pathology lab and the cells for special prisoners. One of the buildings that was used as a kitchen, has just opened a new exhibit that everyone found fascinating. In fact, we would have liked to have had more time there. It has lots and lots of glass cases, filled with personal items, especially things the prisoners had made. They had made small, aluminum items like cigarette cases, things carved out of bits of wood and so on. Many of the items were made to trade for food. One man had made a complete, small chess set, using airplane plexiglass for the pieces. Our favorite item though, was a small sculpture of a boot, filled with flowers. It was quite pretty and extremely detailed, but when you read how it was made, amazement sets in. A young boy, not quite 16, had saved little pieces of his bread, to make this thing of beauty. He gave it as a gift to one of the prisoners, right before he died of TB.
I would like to go back there again and spend the day, as there is so much to see and I would like the time to really absorb it better.
There is a lot more I could say about this, but I think I will stop here. I do recommend that you go to Berlin and take this tour. Our guide was very informative and communicated her passion for passing on this part of history. Visiting Berlin itself, will also convey to you a sense of the history that has had such a huge impact on our world.
Friday, April 11, 2008
How I stopped Smoking
Like most people, I had tried to stop smoking using all kinds of methods. I also had actually stopped 3 different times, for up to a year, at various times in my life. I always felt like I was missing something though, like I was depriving myself of some wonderful treat. I used to think the only way I could really, permantly stop, was if I got hypnosis and changed the message in my brain that I got as a teenager, that smoking made me cool. Yeah, I always wanted to be cool. My ultimate goal in life.
I tried crushing the cigs up and throwing them in the trash. Ouch, that hurt, throwing a valuable commodity away. I tried writing contracts and having friends sign it as witnesses. Oh yeah, that worked real well. Not. I tried the patch for "medium" smokers. Talk about being wired! The nicotine gum tasted nasty so that didn't work. My favorite was asking friends for a cig and have them light it for me, and then I could sit at the bar with a cig in my hand and still look cool! Boy, there is nothing that pisses a smoker off like not "smoking" the cigarette that they gave you. It's funny now. How do you waste something that is going up in smoke anyway. It is wasted cause it isn't going into your lungs??? Weird. But on with the story.
Two years ago, I got the flu and the thought of smoking almost made me puke. This went on for 2 weeks and after I got better, I thought, well, I will try to not smoke anymore. I really, really wanted one though, and so I thought, if I just try this one day at a time, I can make it. At first, I had to break it down into 5 minutes at a time. As in, I really want a cig, but I won't smoke it now, I will smoke it in 5 minutes. Then I moved it up to an hour, I will have a cig in an hour, just not right now. Pretty soon, I could move it to the next day. I won't smoke today, but I can smoke tommorrow. From the very beginning, I also prayed a lot. Asking for help to stay stopped each day and at the end of the day saying thanks for the help. I do believe this was important for me to do. What I also did, and this amused a lot of people, was keeping track of how much money I was saving. I was a pack a day smoker, so that 4 euros a day added up quickly. Because I hadn't smoked for the 2 weeks I was sick, I had a good head start. Every day at work, I would make my big annoucement of how much money I had saved. I am sure this drove everyone nuts, but it helped me out tremendously. Every morning I made it a habit to calculate my savings. At 120 euros a month, it wasn't long before this sum was substantial. Money in the bank always makes me feel wonderful.
What was funny this time, was that after a couple of months, I didn't really miss it. I felt free and liberated. No more worrying about, did I have enough cigs for the night, do I have enough change, should I leave the house in the morning with enought time to stop by the kiosk, am I bothering my friends if I light one up, am I setting a bad example for my kids, and on and on? I am free, my ball and chain are gone. It it truly one of the best feelings in the world.
So, that is my story and I hope it will help any one else looking for a way out of their own cloud of smoke.
I tried crushing the cigs up and throwing them in the trash. Ouch, that hurt, throwing a valuable commodity away. I tried writing contracts and having friends sign it as witnesses. Oh yeah, that worked real well. Not. I tried the patch for "medium" smokers. Talk about being wired! The nicotine gum tasted nasty so that didn't work. My favorite was asking friends for a cig and have them light it for me, and then I could sit at the bar with a cig in my hand and still look cool! Boy, there is nothing that pisses a smoker off like not "smoking" the cigarette that they gave you. It's funny now. How do you waste something that is going up in smoke anyway. It is wasted cause it isn't going into your lungs??? Weird. But on with the story.
Two years ago, I got the flu and the thought of smoking almost made me puke. This went on for 2 weeks and after I got better, I thought, well, I will try to not smoke anymore. I really, really wanted one though, and so I thought, if I just try this one day at a time, I can make it. At first, I had to break it down into 5 minutes at a time. As in, I really want a cig, but I won't smoke it now, I will smoke it in 5 minutes. Then I moved it up to an hour, I will have a cig in an hour, just not right now. Pretty soon, I could move it to the next day. I won't smoke today, but I can smoke tommorrow. From the very beginning, I also prayed a lot. Asking for help to stay stopped each day and at the end of the day saying thanks for the help. I do believe this was important for me to do. What I also did, and this amused a lot of people, was keeping track of how much money I was saving. I was a pack a day smoker, so that 4 euros a day added up quickly. Because I hadn't smoked for the 2 weeks I was sick, I had a good head start. Every day at work, I would make my big annoucement of how much money I had saved. I am sure this drove everyone nuts, but it helped me out tremendously. Every morning I made it a habit to calculate my savings. At 120 euros a month, it wasn't long before this sum was substantial. Money in the bank always makes me feel wonderful.
What was funny this time, was that after a couple of months, I didn't really miss it. I felt free and liberated. No more worrying about, did I have enough cigs for the night, do I have enough change, should I leave the house in the morning with enought time to stop by the kiosk, am I bothering my friends if I light one up, am I setting a bad example for my kids, and on and on? I am free, my ball and chain are gone. It it truly one of the best feelings in the world.
So, that is my story and I hope it will help any one else looking for a way out of their own cloud of smoke.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Smoking Amends
This is an open letter to everyone I ever stood next to, sat next to, or walked in front of, when I was smoking.
It was not until I stopped smoking that I even realized how annoying this is: when people walking in front of me, flick their ashes off and then they blow all over me. This drives me nuts! But, the thing is, I always did this too, and never even gave it a second thought. Standing OUTSIDE, waiting on the bus, I certainly never thought my smoke bothered anyone. Ok, occasionally I thought about it, but I justified it with the thought that we were OUTSIDE in the fresh air so why should it bother anyone? Now, those clouds of smoke blowing my way ARE an irritation, especially when I have just washed my hair. Another thing I used to do and never thought about too much, was lighting up on the escalator. Now all my clouds of smoke were actually driven into the face of the people behind me. How could I have been so thoughtless???
Now the worst, smoking when sitting next to people who don't. Especially my kids. I used to have this "not so smart idea", that if I just blew it away from them, it was ok, that it shouldn't bother them. Now I know better, and boy do I feel bad about subjecting them to all those years of smoke filled rooms. Yeah, the smoking in the restaurant thing was rude, but I was a MOM and I loved my children. Why this didn't enter my brain properly is a mystery, but until I stopped smoking 2 years ago, it didn't. I also feel bad about all the money I spent on my cigarettes and telling them we didn't have enough money for other stuff. It is such twisted thinking! I stopped smoking in Nov. almost 2 and half years ago, and have already saved 3,600 euros! Is that amazing or what? I am pretty sure I thought about this when I was smoking, that it was a pure waste of money, but not a big enough waste to stop.
So, this is my open apology to all of you who got subjected to my selfish behaviour. I am truly sorry.
(Some of you may be interested in how I stopped after 35 years of addiction, but I will save that for another post. )
It was not until I stopped smoking that I even realized how annoying this is: when people walking in front of me, flick their ashes off and then they blow all over me. This drives me nuts! But, the thing is, I always did this too, and never even gave it a second thought. Standing OUTSIDE, waiting on the bus, I certainly never thought my smoke bothered anyone. Ok, occasionally I thought about it, but I justified it with the thought that we were OUTSIDE in the fresh air so why should it bother anyone? Now, those clouds of smoke blowing my way ARE an irritation, especially when I have just washed my hair. Another thing I used to do and never thought about too much, was lighting up on the escalator. Now all my clouds of smoke were actually driven into the face of the people behind me. How could I have been so thoughtless???
Now the worst, smoking when sitting next to people who don't. Especially my kids. I used to have this "not so smart idea", that if I just blew it away from them, it was ok, that it shouldn't bother them. Now I know better, and boy do I feel bad about subjecting them to all those years of smoke filled rooms. Yeah, the smoking in the restaurant thing was rude, but I was a MOM and I loved my children. Why this didn't enter my brain properly is a mystery, but until I stopped smoking 2 years ago, it didn't. I also feel bad about all the money I spent on my cigarettes and telling them we didn't have enough money for other stuff. It is such twisted thinking! I stopped smoking in Nov. almost 2 and half years ago, and have already saved 3,600 euros! Is that amazing or what? I am pretty sure I thought about this when I was smoking, that it was a pure waste of money, but not a big enough waste to stop.
So, this is my open apology to all of you who got subjected to my selfish behaviour. I am truly sorry.
(Some of you may be interested in how I stopped after 35 years of addiction, but I will save that for another post. )
Sunday, April 6, 2008
A Cool Website
I just found this website yesterday and spent hours looking at it.
http://www.altfrankfurt.com
This morning, I went right back to it. It is chock full of old photos of Frankfurt. They have done a marvelous job of getting interesting tidbits of information about so many of the buildings, streets, etc. too.
I was most surprised to see the photo of American soldiers entering my neighborhood, Bornheim! I had no idea they came through here during the war. Some of the coolest photos are under the section: Zeppelin.
Of course the photos showing the destruction from the war are fascinating too. Hats off to the women of Frankfurt who cleaned the rubble up and literally rebuilt Frankfurt. They do not get enough credit for this enormous task. There certainly weren't many men around at that time to do it. In fact, they have tried for years to get some sort of pension from the government, but without much success.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the photos!
http://www.altfrankfurt.com
This morning, I went right back to it. It is chock full of old photos of Frankfurt. They have done a marvelous job of getting interesting tidbits of information about so many of the buildings, streets, etc. too.
I was most surprised to see the photo of American soldiers entering my neighborhood, Bornheim! I had no idea they came through here during the war. Some of the coolest photos are under the section: Zeppelin.
Of course the photos showing the destruction from the war are fascinating too. Hats off to the women of Frankfurt who cleaned the rubble up and literally rebuilt Frankfurt. They do not get enough credit for this enormous task. There certainly weren't many men around at that time to do it. In fact, they have tried for years to get some sort of pension from the government, but without much success.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the photos!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Nature in the City
I find it fascinating how much flora and fauna abounds here, in the middle of the city. It begins first thing in the morning, before it starts getting light outside. The birds start going bezirk! In the spring time, it starts around 05:30, but in the summer, when dawn is at 0400, those birds go crazy! I can remember when it actually used to drive me nuts, they were so loud. Today, I so enjoy laying in my bed, snuggled in my covers, listening to the little guys sending out their calls of love or their "stay away, this is my roof". It is funny how the littlest birds are the loudest. Or the plainest ones. Kinda like God thought, you can either be pretty or sing pretty. In the evenings, I enjoy watching the swallows swirl around, catching all those nasty mosquitoes. How they always know which direction to go, and I think they are really having fun, swooping and diving. If I was a bird, I would like to do that.
Last month, I saw one of the coolest things I have ever seen here in the city. I was taking out some trash, when I looked toward a big bush where a bunch of sparrows were freaking out. They were all inside of a bush, which didn' t have any leaves on it, but had lots of little branches. Sitting on top of the bush was some kind of hawk or falcon, (yeah, ornithology isn't my strong point) thinking he was going to have a sparrow for dinner that day. I just froze, wanting to watch what happened. The hawk tried several times to lunge into the bush, with the sparrows screaming all the time, and scrambling to change their positions. There must have been at least 20 of them "hiding" in this bush. The hawk was just too big to get thru the little branches though. This is the part of nature that is difficult for us humans. How to pick which animal to like better. If I like the hawk better, then I want it to catch a sparrow to eat. If I like the sparrow better, then I chase the hawk away and it goes hungry or its' babies go hungry. I pondered this for a few minutes while I watched, and then decided to like the sparrows better. I walked toward the bush and the hawk flew away. The sparrows wisely decided to hang out a while longer in their bush.
Spring is exploding now too. It has been fighting with winter for the past month or two, with the trees blooming kind of early and the daffodils popping out extra early. Walking around town, I see carpets of yellow daffodils, lots of aromatic hyacinths. Coming back from the gym on Sunday, I walked past an apt. building that literally had a carpet of violets. The entire lawn was purple! Gosh, that was pretty. Especially nice are the redbud trees, their branches have a nice, delicate look that matches their blooms perfectly.
One of my favorite animals are the little red squirrels. In Ohio we have these big, grey squirrels, that are bold and everywhere. Here, they are little and shy. You don't find them in too many places, but when you do, they are fun to watch. Those little tufts of fur on top of their ears is what makes them look so cute. You can often find them in cemetaries here.
The neighborhood where I used to work had some families of huge woodpeckers. They would often hang out on the lawn, kind of hopping around, looking for food I imagine. They almost look like parrots. It was always a surprise to see them tho.
Enjoy the spring, look for some wonders. I know I will.
Last month, I saw one of the coolest things I have ever seen here in the city. I was taking out some trash, when I looked toward a big bush where a bunch of sparrows were freaking out. They were all inside of a bush, which didn' t have any leaves on it, but had lots of little branches. Sitting on top of the bush was some kind of hawk or falcon, (yeah, ornithology isn't my strong point) thinking he was going to have a sparrow for dinner that day. I just froze, wanting to watch what happened. The hawk tried several times to lunge into the bush, with the sparrows screaming all the time, and scrambling to change their positions. There must have been at least 20 of them "hiding" in this bush. The hawk was just too big to get thru the little branches though. This is the part of nature that is difficult for us humans. How to pick which animal to like better. If I like the hawk better, then I want it to catch a sparrow to eat. If I like the sparrow better, then I chase the hawk away and it goes hungry or its' babies go hungry. I pondered this for a few minutes while I watched, and then decided to like the sparrows better. I walked toward the bush and the hawk flew away. The sparrows wisely decided to hang out a while longer in their bush.
Spring is exploding now too. It has been fighting with winter for the past month or two, with the trees blooming kind of early and the daffodils popping out extra early. Walking around town, I see carpets of yellow daffodils, lots of aromatic hyacinths. Coming back from the gym on Sunday, I walked past an apt. building that literally had a carpet of violets. The entire lawn was purple! Gosh, that was pretty. Especially nice are the redbud trees, their branches have a nice, delicate look that matches their blooms perfectly.
One of my favorite animals are the little red squirrels. In Ohio we have these big, grey squirrels, that are bold and everywhere. Here, they are little and shy. You don't find them in too many places, but when you do, they are fun to watch. Those little tufts of fur on top of their ears is what makes them look so cute. You can often find them in cemetaries here.
The neighborhood where I used to work had some families of huge woodpeckers. They would often hang out on the lawn, kind of hopping around, looking for food I imagine. They almost look like parrots. It was always a surprise to see them tho.
Enjoy the spring, look for some wonders. I know I will.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Favorite things about Deutschland
1. The Public Transportation - We haven´t owned a car since we moved here! It is wonderful, being able to sit and read a book and arrive at work unstressed. I laugh when we drive over an overpass to the autobahn and see all the cars sitting in a stau. In the winter it is fun, cause I never have to shovel the snow, scrape my windows, pray that the car will start and then drive thru chaos. I also never have to look for a parking spot.
2. Health Insurance - Though I complain sometimes, it is a pretty good deal. America could learn from this system.
3. Vacation - This actually holds me back from moving back to the US. I literally cannot imagine going back to only having 2 weeks off a year.
4. Seasonal Produce - I love going to the market and seeing the mountains of seasonal produce. When it is cherry season, or strawberry season, and especially "spargel" season, it not only makes you hungry for this item, it also seems to ust make good sense. Plus, because it is local, the taste is not only more intense, but fruit tastes like it supposed to, carrots taste like carrots instead of orange cardboard tasting things.
5. The Markets - Bornheim has a market on Wed. and Sat. It is a full sensory experience when you walk thru the stands, all the colors, the smells, the sound of the sellers as they yell, offering their bargains at the end of the day. It all makes me smile.
6. FKK - I like it that the Germans don´t really care about nudity. It makes Americans look silly with their strange prudishness that is all out of whack. The Bild newpaper could take the naked girl off the front page though, maybe put it on the 2nd page? It seems a bit tasteless.
7. Downtown - It is so nice to have a vital, lively downtown, whether it is 2 in the morning or a Sunday, there are always people there and something going on. When I go home to Columbus, it just looks sad and dead.
8. Ease of travel - Living in Frankfurt makes it sooooo easy to travel to anywhere due to the central location. Even going thru security here isn´t that bad and the flights are almost always on time.
9. Multi-culti Frankfurt - It is great living in a city that has so many foreigners in it. Over 30%! It not only makes me feel safe (no neo-nazis) but all the restaurants, the languages you hear, the different clothing, makes for an interesting daily life. Hate to admit it, but before I moved here, I had only met 3 people from other countries
10. The German language - It is amazing that I learned this language at the age of 31. It is simply fun being able to express myself in another language, especially when mad. Ranting in German sounds so forcefull!
11. The Trains - It is so cool, getting on a train and whizzing thru the countryside at 300 km an hours. Being able to get up, walk around, or go have a coffee, makes taking a train much more enjoyable than taking a flight or riding in a car. Basically, I love the trains! I remember my first train ride, from Hanau to Frankfurt. I was so excited, you would have thought I was a little kid.
2. Health Insurance - Though I complain sometimes, it is a pretty good deal. America could learn from this system.
3. Vacation - This actually holds me back from moving back to the US. I literally cannot imagine going back to only having 2 weeks off a year.
4. Seasonal Produce - I love going to the market and seeing the mountains of seasonal produce. When it is cherry season, or strawberry season, and especially "spargel" season, it not only makes you hungry for this item, it also seems to ust make good sense. Plus, because it is local, the taste is not only more intense, but fruit tastes like it supposed to, carrots taste like carrots instead of orange cardboard tasting things.
5. The Markets - Bornheim has a market on Wed. and Sat. It is a full sensory experience when you walk thru the stands, all the colors, the smells, the sound of the sellers as they yell, offering their bargains at the end of the day. It all makes me smile.
6. FKK - I like it that the Germans don´t really care about nudity. It makes Americans look silly with their strange prudishness that is all out of whack. The Bild newpaper could take the naked girl off the front page though, maybe put it on the 2nd page? It seems a bit tasteless.
7. Downtown - It is so nice to have a vital, lively downtown, whether it is 2 in the morning or a Sunday, there are always people there and something going on. When I go home to Columbus, it just looks sad and dead.
8. Ease of travel - Living in Frankfurt makes it sooooo easy to travel to anywhere due to the central location. Even going thru security here isn´t that bad and the flights are almost always on time.
9. Multi-culti Frankfurt - It is great living in a city that has so many foreigners in it. Over 30%! It not only makes me feel safe (no neo-nazis) but all the restaurants, the languages you hear, the different clothing, makes for an interesting daily life. Hate to admit it, but before I moved here, I had only met 3 people from other countries
10. The German language - It is amazing that I learned this language at the age of 31. It is simply fun being able to express myself in another language, especially when mad. Ranting in German sounds so forcefull!
11. The Trains - It is so cool, getting on a train and whizzing thru the countryside at 300 km an hours. Being able to get up, walk around, or go have a coffee, makes taking a train much more enjoyable than taking a flight or riding in a car. Basically, I love the trains! I remember my first train ride, from Hanau to Frankfurt. I was so excited, you would have thought I was a little kid.
Monday, March 24, 2008
D-Day and Normandy
Last summer, we took a 4 day vacation in Bayeaux, Normandy. Ever since I moved to Germany, I had wanted to see the D-Day beaches. We checked out the Rick Steves website where we found BattleBus Tours. This looked like just what we wanted, and it turned out to be absolutely the best tour we could have taken. After a 6 hour train ride from Frankfurt, with a train change in Paris, we arrived in Bayeaux. This is a charming little town that for whatever reason was not bombed during the war. It has a beautiful cathedral and lots of little streets to wander around in. We checked into our B&B, the Hotel STe. Croix and were pleasantly surprised. Our room was perfect, everything that you could have dreamed of in a French B&B. Huge, king size bed, giant bathroom, hot water maker, and beautiful antique furniture. More was to await us at breakfast. Everything home made and so yummy. The chocolate tart was to die for, as was the french version of french toast. It was like custard, it was so soft and creamy. I can highly recommend this B&B as the price was really reasonable and our hostess was very friendly.
Our BattleBus tour was for 2 days, from 0800 to 1700. We had Sean as our guide and he did a wonderful job of making D-Day come alive for us. Two other American couples were in our mini-van and Sean did an admirable job of answering each and every question we had. If you have watched "Band of Brothers" or seen the movies, "Private Ryan" or "The Longest Day", you will already have an appreciation for what this invasion meant. As we got to the beaches, I was so surprised to still see all of the bomb craters there, some of them as big and deep as a house. The German embankments and bunkers are permanent monuments that reveal how easy it was for the Germans to repel our attack. It is just amazing to stand there and view this beach. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to try and cross this beach while being shot at and having everyone around me being killed. The courage to do this just astounds me. BattleBus tours also offer a British experience, a Canadian experience and a Band of Brothers tour. We would like to go back and take each of these tours as ours was so fascinating.
We not only visited several museums, but also several churches. The most moving was a small chapel, where 2 medics cared for 80 civilians over several days of constant bombing. You can still see the blood stains on the pews. It was a surprise to see stained glass windows with paratroopers on them or dedications to the 101st Airborne. As we drove around the Normandy countryside, you could tell how the hedgerows were an awful hindrance to our troops. One of the more moving things that we saw were the little monuments dotting the countryside. All of them neat and with flowers and all of them erected by the grateful, local French population. At one spot where we stopped, you could look out over the countryside for miles. This was flatland, where the Germans had opened floodgates, covering the land with water. Hundreds of our paratroopers drowned here.
I really recommend this trip to any American, Canadian, or British citizen. Just visiting the cemetary or standing on the beaches can bring tears to your eyes, thinking of the sacrifices made.
Our BattleBus tour was for 2 days, from 0800 to 1700. We had Sean as our guide and he did a wonderful job of making D-Day come alive for us. Two other American couples were in our mini-van and Sean did an admirable job of answering each and every question we had. If you have watched "Band of Brothers" or seen the movies, "Private Ryan" or "The Longest Day", you will already have an appreciation for what this invasion meant. As we got to the beaches, I was so surprised to still see all of the bomb craters there, some of them as big and deep as a house. The German embankments and bunkers are permanent monuments that reveal how easy it was for the Germans to repel our attack. It is just amazing to stand there and view this beach. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to try and cross this beach while being shot at and having everyone around me being killed. The courage to do this just astounds me. BattleBus tours also offer a British experience, a Canadian experience and a Band of Brothers tour. We would like to go back and take each of these tours as ours was so fascinating.
We not only visited several museums, but also several churches. The most moving was a small chapel, where 2 medics cared for 80 civilians over several days of constant bombing. You can still see the blood stains on the pews. It was a surprise to see stained glass windows with paratroopers on them or dedications to the 101st Airborne. As we drove around the Normandy countryside, you could tell how the hedgerows were an awful hindrance to our troops. One of the more moving things that we saw were the little monuments dotting the countryside. All of them neat and with flowers and all of them erected by the grateful, local French population. At one spot where we stopped, you could look out over the countryside for miles. This was flatland, where the Germans had opened floodgates, covering the land with water. Hundreds of our paratroopers drowned here.
I really recommend this trip to any American, Canadian, or British citizen. Just visiting the cemetary or standing on the beaches can bring tears to your eyes, thinking of the sacrifices made.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Something New
Yep, I´m finally catching up with the rest of the world and starting a blog. I surely wish it had another name though, as the word blog sounds kind of yucky. But, since I didn´t invent it, I just have to go along with it.
I hope you will check back here often and see what develops. I have lots of opinions (who doesn´t?) and I will want to hear yours too. Hopefully, I will manage to post something here every day. It might be a weird experience I had on the bus, or one of my bizarre dreams, or just a pet peeve. It might even be an open letter to Hilary, or Oprah, or the grocery shoppers in Frankfurt (that might need an entire article!)
I hope you will check back here often and see what develops. I have lots of opinions (who doesn´t?) and I will want to hear yours too. Hopefully, I will manage to post something here every day. It might be a weird experience I had on the bus, or one of my bizarre dreams, or just a pet peeve. It might even be an open letter to Hilary, or Oprah, or the grocery shoppers in Frankfurt (that might need an entire article!)
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