Hi Folks!
Save for downpours all day on Saturday, we've had just about the most beautiful weather over the last three weeks that I've ever seen. Don't know what caused everything to bloom so fast and so magnificently after 5+ months of drab, grey and gloomy winter. I feel like I have literally walked into paradise!
Not a lot new to report. Went on a terrific tour of Neroberg and the Russian Chapel last Friday. Took a cute little tourist train (glorified car) up the mountain but found the chapel to be closed. They are closed Wed.-Fri. for services. Strange that it is not Sat. or Sun.. oh well. Then we walked up the Neroberg to the lookout and had lunch at a wonderful placed called "Wagner." Not sure if there's a relation but did hear Wagner's "Wedding March" from "Lohengrin" being played over their sound system as we finished lunch.
After lunch we skipped the return train trip and strolled back through very glamorous Beverly Hills style neighborhoods. Very wealthy section of town. Brahms composed his 3rd Symphony while visiting here. One movement of it entitled "Wiesbaden." Speaking of composers - I hear that Wagner composed "Die Meistersinger" here in Wiesbaden.
Afternoon ended as usual - shopped our way home. I was good and only bought a bag of gummi's (terrific strawberry/rhubarb flavored with pieces of actual fruit in them) and a book of German decorations in German but the pictures were all you needed. Everyone boought copies of this book since they were half price.
By now it's 5pm and I was close enough to the Arms Hotel for Lew to pick me up rather than taking the bus home. He did and we got a drink at the Pub before heading to the Commissary to buy some groceries. Can't find natural peanut butter over here, among other things, so the stop was in order. He needed to get gas at the PX.
Saturday was kind of a wash (literally with all the downpour). Visited a huge bike store for some accessories. Across the street was a wonderful little food kiosk where we dined on bratwurst, gulasch suppe, apfelshorle (sparkling cider) and pils. Very surreal sitting at a little cafe in an industrial area.
Saturday night we watched this great little film we checked out from the library called "Motorcycle Diaries." It wasn't until the end that I realized the central character was Che Guevera!
Sunday we went to our first church service in Germany. Wonderful little Anglican church downtown called "St Augustine's." They have an english service at 10am. Met several folks with mutual friends.
Sunday afternoon I dragged Lewis back downtown to take the little tourist train back to Neroberg. Only this time we sprang for the combo ticket and stayed on for the second tour to Biebrich. We wasted about 2 hours of an incredibly gorgeous afternoon on this little train trying to decipher an english translation of the tour that was being broadcasted in German. Translation was pretty bad and therefore entertainment in itself.
Sunday night we watched a video of Norway. We are getting very excited about our trip to Norway in June!
It's Tuesday morning of another beautiful spring day in Germany. I am finishing my coffee and thinking of all my dear friends and family in the States. We miss and love you all very much!
Jaime and Lew
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter Monday, April 13th 2009
Today (and yesterday) are German holidays so all the businesses are closed. I needed a few items at the Commissary (US businesses open) this morning but they would not let me buy coffee without my ration card. Coffee, liquor and gas are all rationed over here. I hope I can get some before tomorrow cause we are out!
This past weekend was one of our best here yet. We logged over 50 miles on our bikes Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we rode to and from Mainz-Kastel to attend a Medieval Fair in the courtyard of an old Roman museum. Mainz has some very interesting Roman roots that I'd love to explore a bit more.
We had on our very loud bike jerseys which made us easy to spot by a fellow hasher who had traveled down from Frankfurt with some friends to visit the fair. We weren't prepared to look so obviously American among the other fair patrons in their period costume or more earth-toned clothing. Most German bicyclists do not wear half the gear that Americans do. For one thing, most go without helmets and just wear regular street clothing. We felt pretty out of place at this thing.
Yesterday (Easter Sunday) was another glorious day on our bikes. We rode about 36 miles up the Rhein River to a small town called Ingelheim, where we caught a ferry boat to Oestrich-Winkel. Then we continued home via Eltville to visit our new sponsored family in their ultra-modern house. Then Walluf, Biebrich, and a few more outdoor wine bistros later, we were home around 9pm for our first skype date with the family back in DC!
My friend Robin has bought plane tickets to visit for 10 days at the end of April. She will be our first visitor from the States! She will join us and some friends to go biking through the tulips in the Netherlands first weekend in May. What fun! Planning some more bike trips with her while she is here.
Today is Frankfurt Hash's first Monday hash of the season. Lewis has to work but I will try to attend the hash and return in time to pick him up from work. He had a very busy and exhausting install in Kaiserslautern last week.
Rocky and Howard say hello to everyone. They are enjoying our courtyard with everything in bloom and the birds singing up a storm.
Love, Jaime and Lew
This past weekend was one of our best here yet. We logged over 50 miles on our bikes Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we rode to and from Mainz-Kastel to attend a Medieval Fair in the courtyard of an old Roman museum. Mainz has some very interesting Roman roots that I'd love to explore a bit more.
We had on our very loud bike jerseys which made us easy to spot by a fellow hasher who had traveled down from Frankfurt with some friends to visit the fair. We weren't prepared to look so obviously American among the other fair patrons in their period costume or more earth-toned clothing. Most German bicyclists do not wear half the gear that Americans do. For one thing, most go without helmets and just wear regular street clothing. We felt pretty out of place at this thing.
Yesterday (Easter Sunday) was another glorious day on our bikes. We rode about 36 miles up the Rhein River to a small town called Ingelheim, where we caught a ferry boat to Oestrich-Winkel. Then we continued home via Eltville to visit our new sponsored family in their ultra-modern house. Then Walluf, Biebrich, and a few more outdoor wine bistros later, we were home around 9pm for our first skype date with the family back in DC!
My friend Robin has bought plane tickets to visit for 10 days at the end of April. She will be our first visitor from the States! She will join us and some friends to go biking through the tulips in the Netherlands first weekend in May. What fun! Planning some more bike trips with her while she is here.
Today is Frankfurt Hash's first Monday hash of the season. Lewis has to work but I will try to attend the hash and return in time to pick him up from work. He had a very busy and exhausting install in Kaiserslautern last week.
Rocky and Howard say hello to everyone. They are enjoying our courtyard with everything in bloom and the birds singing up a storm.
Love, Jaime and Lew
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, 3/29/09 in Dotzheim
Not sure if I've shared much about our new community yet. We live in an area of Wiesbaden known as Dotzheim. Our physical address is till Wiesbaden, but Wiesbaden is a cluster of little neighborhoods, most locals refer to it as Dotzheim. This town has it's own little museum and we ventured over on a rainy Sunday to check it out. Dotzheim has a history dating back to the Roman Empire and the museum has several artifacts on display.
Our own house is located on a very busy one-way street right in the downtown area. We have our own little courtyard with some very charming little plants scattered throughout. We have no garage, but a driveway with a gate we have to manually open and shut. There is never any street parking available.
Last night we moved our clocks ahead for daylight savings time. The US sprang forward about a month ago. This is great news here cause it apparently stays light till 9 or 10pm at night! We are looking forward to exploring the marvelous bike trail system that exists all over this city and beyond. There are many bike routes that almost completely avoid traffic.
So to recap events of the last week:
Last Sunday I gave my first Music Together Demo at the base library. It was reasonably well attended and drew some very enthusiastic response. This bodes well for me being able to establish MT as a permanent fixture here. We then took my colleague Marina (teaches MT in Frankfurt) and her daughter, Emily to the base dining hall for dinner. We had a great visit (inspite of the food)!
Monday was a "down day" for me. I worked on our taxes and pretty much slept in. Weekend before was pretty packed. Spent Saturday with the Schroeders riding the train to and from Michelstadt for their infamous Easter Egg Market. Sunday was the Demo.
Tuesday I got a little more done. Met Debbie at the gym in the morning. I try to get there every morning. Tuesday night was our German class. Lew couldn't go. He traveled to Illesheim to visit one of his schools.
Wednesday I went on an outing with the "girls." Picked up Debra at the hotel and drove to Debbie's house in Naurod for breakfast. Then we went shopping for cheap household goods. Back home in time to pack the car and head to Bad Soden for Marina's class. I took my keyboard this time. The kids seemed to enjoy my playing inspite of all the mistakes!
Friday went to base career fair and made some good contacts. Shuttled over to Mainz-Kastel where Lew works so I could pick up the car. Then drove myself and a few others to a Wine Tasting/Flute Concert/Tour of the Kloster Eberbach Winery. That was fun! It's too bad Lew decided not to go.
Yesterday we hit two Easter Markets - Bierstadt and Wiesbaden. Then dinner at one of our favorite places: The Rhein-Main Grill. While strolling through downtown, I picked up a German-English copy of the film "African Queen" which I have surprisingly never seen! I've been reading a book by Katharine Hepburn about her experiences making this film. It really helped to fill in some gaps.
So today we are getting ready to hash. It's Sunday and one of the last Sunday hashes until they switch to Monday nights for the warmer months. Don't know how easy that will be to fit into the work week schedule but with longer light, it shouldn't be too difficult.
Miss everyone very much!
Jaime and Lew
Our own house is located on a very busy one-way street right in the downtown area. We have our own little courtyard with some very charming little plants scattered throughout. We have no garage, but a driveway with a gate we have to manually open and shut. There is never any street parking available.
Last night we moved our clocks ahead for daylight savings time. The US sprang forward about a month ago. This is great news here cause it apparently stays light till 9 or 10pm at night! We are looking forward to exploring the marvelous bike trail system that exists all over this city and beyond. There are many bike routes that almost completely avoid traffic.
So to recap events of the last week:
Last Sunday I gave my first Music Together Demo at the base library. It was reasonably well attended and drew some very enthusiastic response. This bodes well for me being able to establish MT as a permanent fixture here. We then took my colleague Marina (teaches MT in Frankfurt) and her daughter, Emily to the base dining hall for dinner. We had a great visit (inspite of the food)!
Monday was a "down day" for me. I worked on our taxes and pretty much slept in. Weekend before was pretty packed. Spent Saturday with the Schroeders riding the train to and from Michelstadt for their infamous Easter Egg Market. Sunday was the Demo.
Tuesday I got a little more done. Met Debbie at the gym in the morning. I try to get there every morning. Tuesday night was our German class. Lew couldn't go. He traveled to Illesheim to visit one of his schools.
Wednesday I went on an outing with the "girls." Picked up Debra at the hotel and drove to Debbie's house in Naurod for breakfast. Then we went shopping for cheap household goods. Back home in time to pack the car and head to Bad Soden for Marina's class. I took my keyboard this time. The kids seemed to enjoy my playing inspite of all the mistakes!
Friday went to base career fair and made some good contacts. Shuttled over to Mainz-Kastel where Lew works so I could pick up the car. Then drove myself and a few others to a Wine Tasting/Flute Concert/Tour of the Kloster Eberbach Winery. That was fun! It's too bad Lew decided not to go.
Yesterday we hit two Easter Markets - Bierstadt and Wiesbaden. Then dinner at one of our favorite places: The Rhein-Main Grill. While strolling through downtown, I picked up a German-English copy of the film "African Queen" which I have surprisingly never seen! I've been reading a book by Katharine Hepburn about her experiences making this film. It really helped to fill in some gaps.
So today we are getting ready to hash. It's Sunday and one of the last Sunday hashes until they switch to Monday nights for the warmer months. Don't know how easy that will be to fit into the work week schedule but with longer light, it shouldn't be too difficult.
Miss everyone very much!
Jaime and Lew
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Genealogy Edition
I've got my parents back in the States chasing down our German ancestry and got the following from a cousin in Georgia. It's about my maternal Great-Great-Great Grandmother, Hannah Yearty. I thought this was a charming story:
Here is a story about Hannah Lynn Yearty and her husband, Henry Grady Durden. Hannah and Henry were the parents of Ella Virginia Durden Day, wife of James Talley Day. Ella and James were the parents of Ida Eugenia Day Wood, and through her and her husband (Green Berry Wood, Jr.), the parents of Albert Sidney Wood, Green Berry Wood III (Jaime's maternal grandfather), Edna Wood Compton, and Catherine Virginia Wood Johnson. There were five other children of Ida and Green Berry, Jr.
Hannah Lynn Yearty's parents, John and Martha Yearty, were Jews who emigrated from Hamburg, Germany, to the United States in the early 19th century. Because Chancellor Bismarck of Germany was conducting pograms against urban Jews, John and Martha decided to become religious refugees. John and Martha settled in Twiggs County, GA, where they bought farmland. This was a deeply significant symbol of freedom to them, since Jews were not allowed to be landowners in Europe. Hannah Lynn Yearty was the first of their children to be born in the United States.
Although John Yearty was now a first-generation American, he hoped that his daughters would marry good ol' Jewish boys. But these guys were hard to find in rural Twiggs County, GA! Hannah was practical: she literally fell in love with the Irish-American-Protestant boy next door, Henry Grady Durden. Henry reciprocated her interest. He would drive his cows over into her pasture so that they could meet and visit in the fields.
Hannah and Henry decided to marry. They went to her father, John Yearty, to seek his blessings. Alas, John Yearty emphatically said no! Henry was not a good ol' Jewish boy. So being good pragmatists, Hannah and Henry did the next best thing -- they eloped!
A few days after Henry and Hannah had disappeared, they came galloping back up to the front porch of her girlhood home on the same horse. They were met on the front porch by her gun-toting Daddy. Daddy John Yearty told people later that he had seriously considered shooting Henry but had feared hitting Hannah. Nevertheless, John Yearty warned that Henry Durden should never be trusted: "Any man who will steal a woman will steal a horse!"
Since Hannah was a feminist before it was fashionable, she hardly saw herself as stolen goods. She was an American now, Not a European Jewess.
Many thanks to my cousin, Nan Johnson, for allowing me to reprint the above. I had heard this story before but never in so much detail. Along with being the home of "Steinway pianos," I will have to visit Hamburg and see if the Yearty family still exists (altho I think it unlikely).
Have a great week everyone!
Jaime
Here is a story about Hannah Lynn Yearty and her husband, Henry Grady Durden. Hannah and Henry were the parents of Ella Virginia Durden Day, wife of James Talley Day. Ella and James were the parents of Ida Eugenia Day Wood, and through her and her husband (Green Berry Wood, Jr.), the parents of Albert Sidney Wood, Green Berry Wood III (Jaime's maternal grandfather), Edna Wood Compton, and Catherine Virginia Wood Johnson. There were five other children of Ida and Green Berry, Jr.
Hannah Lynn Yearty's parents, John and Martha Yearty, were Jews who emigrated from Hamburg, Germany, to the United States in the early 19th century. Because Chancellor Bismarck of Germany was conducting pograms against urban Jews, John and Martha decided to become religious refugees. John and Martha settled in Twiggs County, GA, where they bought farmland. This was a deeply significant symbol of freedom to them, since Jews were not allowed to be landowners in Europe. Hannah Lynn Yearty was the first of their children to be born in the United States.
Although John Yearty was now a first-generation American, he hoped that his daughters would marry good ol' Jewish boys. But these guys were hard to find in rural Twiggs County, GA! Hannah was practical: she literally fell in love with the Irish-American-Protestant boy next door, Henry Grady Durden. Henry reciprocated her interest. He would drive his cows over into her pasture so that they could meet and visit in the fields.
Hannah and Henry decided to marry. They went to her father, John Yearty, to seek his blessings. Alas, John Yearty emphatically said no! Henry was not a good ol' Jewish boy. So being good pragmatists, Hannah and Henry did the next best thing -- they eloped!
A few days after Henry and Hannah had disappeared, they came galloping back up to the front porch of her girlhood home on the same horse. They were met on the front porch by her gun-toting Daddy. Daddy John Yearty told people later that he had seriously considered shooting Henry but had feared hitting Hannah. Nevertheless, John Yearty warned that Henry Durden should never be trusted: "Any man who will steal a woman will steal a horse!"
Since Hannah was a feminist before it was fashionable, she hardly saw herself as stolen goods. She was an American now, Not a European Jewess.
Many thanks to my cousin, Nan Johnson, for allowing me to reprint the above. I had heard this story before but never in so much detail. Along with being the home of "Steinway pianos," I will have to visit Hamburg and see if the Yearty family still exists (altho I think it unlikely).
Have a great week everyone!
Jaime
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Karneval Edition
Guest editor - Lewis
March 7, 2009
Greetings! It's been a while since the last post, but life has been busy. So... to catch up a bit.
Jaime asked me to fill in some of the events of the past weeks, particularly about our Fasching activities. For those who aren't aware, Fasching, Fassenacht, Karnival, Mardi Gras, etc. are all names for the activities leading up to Lent. In Germany, Fasching isn't universally celebrated, but noted centers of celebration include Köln, and Mainz. Wiesbaden, just next to Mainz, and many of the surrounding communities also jump in with full enthusiasm.
One of my colleagues at work is a member of a local club, BappKappeClub Wiesbaden 1985 n.e.V. (see http://bkcw.de).
They dress up as Vikings and participate in several of the Fassenacht parties and parades in the Wiesbaden area. Well, we just had to join up!
March 7, 2009
Greetings! It's been a while since the last post, but life has been busy. So... to catch up a bit.
Jaime asked me to fill in some of the events of the past weeks, particularly about our Fasching activities. For those who aren't aware, Fasching, Fassenacht, Karnival, Mardi Gras, etc. are all names for the activities leading up to Lent. In Germany, Fasching isn't universally celebrated, but noted centers of celebration include Köln, and Mainz. Wiesbaden, just next to Mainz, and many of the surrounding communities also jump in with full enthusiasm.
One of my colleagues at work is a member of a local club, BappKappeClub Wiesbaden 1985 n.e.V. (see http://bkcw.de).
They dress up as Vikings and participate in several of the Fassenacht parties and parades in the Wiesbaden area. Well, we just had to join up!
The group is primarily German citizens, with Jaime and I tripling the American membership to 3. We thought it sounded like fun, and would get to meet more of the local citizens and practice a bit of German language.
Well, we had a blast. We attended several of the Sitzungs (Fassenacht parties) and even though 90% of the jokes, etc went over our head, we enjoyed the music and the general enthusiasm everyone had for celebrating. 
And the beer. Germany has good beer. :-)
We also "marched" in two of the Fasching parades. Marching isn't exactly correct, because one of the tenets of the BKCW is that while everyone is being very correct and traditional and composed (not really), the Vikings are acting like Vikings.. walking through the crowd with weapons, yelling and blowing horns, drinking, etc. during the parade. They loved us! The group has become well known and has only been kicked out of parties a few times. We participated in the Wiesbaden parade on Sunday, .JPG)
and in the Frauenstein parade on Monday (Rosenmontag).
That wrapped up the season for us, though I guess there were a few more parties the next day. Next year we get to have our own weapons!
Stayed tuned for more from Jaime.
Per Jaime on 3/8/09: We finally pulled our copy of the local newspaper (Dotzheimer Kontakte) to read last night - and - Lo, and behold: Yours truly is pictured in her Viking regalia right in the middle of the front page! Who'da thunk it? I'm becoming famous over here! We're going to try and get more copies today.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Poland Edition, Part 2
Monday, February 2nd - Ground Hog's Day!
Whirlwind visit here so far. Not sure I remember what happened Monday now. I do remember rest of Sunday pretty much a wash since I was too tired to go out again after my bus trip. This was fine cause Sara and I needed to catch up and she has her translations. I know I slept in cause Sara left on her bike in the morning to teach a lesson. I think she travels to most of her students, but it is winter break from school here now and she only has a couple of students this week. She was home by 11am-noon at the latest and we ventured out for the first time. Sara has a student who joined us for the walk to town. Her name is Marta. She is 17 and a finalist in the national English contest in Poznan this spring. Only 58 finalists selected in all of Poland so quite an honor for Zamosc and a real testament to Sara's teaching skills. Her english is flawless!
So Sara, Marta and I explore the Old Town of Zamosc by foot. We had lunch at a pizza place that had George Bush and Ben Laden featured pizza's on the menu, but we just ordered an eggplant and prosciutto (I think). I had red wine, while Marta and Sara each had banana juice. For dessert we went all-out decadent for REAL hot chocolate at a popular Chocolatier off of the town square. My hot chocolate was really a fruit fondue that was to die for!
Tense episode awaited when we arrived back at Sara's place and discovered she didn't have her keys. All pockets, bags, etc checked. Keys awol. Called Sara's landlord who let us in. Searched some more and not a trace.
Gave Marta the brownie mix I had brought for Sara. Sara hasn't figured out her oven yet and Marta knows how to use hers. Also this was a good exercise for Marta's english - learning how to prepare an American brownie mix, which she promised to do and bring back the finished product!
Tuesday, February 3rd
Errands with Sara that morning. Needed to get wine and gift for Sara's friends who invited us to dinner. Good thing we came back to apt before heading out - Marta called and said Chocolatier found keys! Yippee! Back into town to get keys and catch bus to friends house. Bus missed stop near friends house. Oyvey! Bus driver needed signal but Sara says they're not necessary. Anyway, he drove so quickly past the stop that there was no chance to indicate our wishes.
So we were on this bus headed to a small village called "Wychody". We took this as an opportunity to check out "greater Zamosc" and stayed on the bus to Wychody. Very curious looking structures in the backyards of homes in this village. They look like little beekeeping houses. They are all painted different colors and lined up in rows. They also have ramps leading up to the doors. If anyone has any information leading to what these things might be, please let me know! Everyone here has heard the description but has no clue.
We eventually reached a stop close to friends house but it had started snowing and big temperature drop. Really ready for warmth and dinner. Sara's friends are a delight! - Janusz, Julia and 5 yr old Amelia plus her 5 yr old cousins Monia and older sister, Alicja. Typical Polish dinner awaited and apple crepes for dessert! Julia is quite the sous chef!
After dinner, Alicja played piano and Amelia and Monia sang Christmas Carols. I had a rare opportunity to teach Poles how to play Polish Poker. They LOVED it. We played the rest of the evening with Sara holding the lead.
Wednesday, February 4th
Lots of shopping today. Met Janusz and family in town square late morning. Oh, particular highlight was being awoken by Sara's client needing a translation for a job reference. At the town square, took pictures of the ice rink. Lots of kids hanging out here today with school on break. Could not understand the meaning of a 2 week school break beginning of Feb. Apparently it's a hold-over from communist rule days when there were no religious holidays, let alone lengthy school breaks. Check out my picture of the ice rink (looks like a postcard!):
Met our friends and did some shopping for traditional Polish gifts. Found myself a pretty amber necklace. 5 yr old Amelia saw lots to buy! We spent some time at Julia's brother's second hand store. I bought four winter tops. That was fun. To post office to mail postcards. Then to restaurant for dinner. YUM! Janusz and Julia had some sort of meat entree while Sara and I had pierogi's and this really delicious, warm and flavorful beet soup that we drank like tea! Here is picture of me and the family:
Back at Sara's to greet Marta and our promised brownies! She was embarrased as they didn't turn out quite right. They were hard around the edges, but still tasted like brownies so they were fine. We taught Marta Polish Poker and another game from Sara that was like UNO.
Thursday, February 5th
Decided to ride the train back to Krakow on Friday. Bus only takes an hour less and was much more crowded. More errands in town - retook some of the pictures Sara thought she had taken but were not saved. Found the Corner Pub. Here is Sara outside the Zamosc Corner Pub. This is really a Polish sister pub to our beloved Corner Pub of Silver Spring!
Some other shots of old town by the award-winning digital camera whiz - Sara Wild! This one is me standing outside part of the wall surrounding the east gate to this walled city:
We went to the Zamosc Museum where we saw an actual model of the city as it looked when it was created in the 1500's. Of course, huge portions of this wall are gone now, thanks to the Russian conquerors in the 1700/1800's but they are now being restored. Zamosc is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and some assistance is coming with their admission into the European Union.
Now being Thursday and, back in Silver Spring, we are always at the Corner Pub on Thursdays for 1/2 price pizza, we should have gone one step further and actually had lunch and possibly pizza and beer for lunch at this place but I was hellbent on crepes and hot chocolate at popular trendy local place off the town square called "Bohema." We each had these wonderful vegetable and cheese crepes with garlic sauce. Dessert was hot chocolate with chili powder!
Sara had a 5pm student, so I chilled at her place while she biked over to their place. She manages to ride in all types of weather, but I'm not sure about in the dark. So I was a little worried when she was a couple of minutes late getting back.
We were going out again but decided to just shop for my snacks for my return train tomorrow. Got some Polish beer for Lewis, bottled water and pastry for me. Got Sara a badly needed cutting board and teflon spatula for her kitchen.
Too tired to go back out. I had to wake at 4am to catch my train. Cab scheduled to pick me up at 4:45pm. Showered and packed before bed. Sara worked on translating but seemed to get to bed earlier since she was waking up with the alarm like I was.
Friday, February 6th
Didn't need the alarm. Stayed awake all night. Basically got dressed and ready and a light breakfast. We said our goodbyes and I was right on time for the cab. Little hesitation at the train station not knowing the language and being sure I got on the right train and that it was 2nd class. All was well. Train very very slow. At times thought I could probably walk faster, but soooooo much better than the bus. And only a few zloty's more. Worth it.
Language barrier erupted again when I wasn't sure of my stop in Krakow. Lady in my car warned me at the stop immediately before but we were able to communicate enough for me to know for sure that the stop I wanted was immediately after that one. Whew!
Next hurdle was getting me and my stuff over to the airport train. No problem here. Just followed the little illustrated signs. One scheduled to leave about 15 mins after I arrived in Krakow! From there it was pretty uneventful. Was at the airport 2 hrs before my flight. PLENTY of time for my badly needed cup of coffee, bathroom, last-minute souvenirs and to check in with Lewis.
Arrived in Frankfurt on time at 5:30pm. Lewis there with a single rose! Quite a journey, folks! I can't wait to return to Poland with Lewis this time! Oh, interesting sidenote: gloomy with snow and ice the whole time in Poland. But Sara had to just tell me that immediately after I left the weather cleared, got much warmer and sunnier. Go figure. Of course, now it is gloomy and rainy here in Wiesbaden. Guess I have some bad weather karma following me around these days. Let's hope it doesn't continue!
Till next week,
Jaime
Whirlwind visit here so far. Not sure I remember what happened Monday now. I do remember rest of Sunday pretty much a wash since I was too tired to go out again after my bus trip. This was fine cause Sara and I needed to catch up and she has her translations. I know I slept in cause Sara left on her bike in the morning to teach a lesson. I think she travels to most of her students, but it is winter break from school here now and she only has a couple of students this week. She was home by 11am-noon at the latest and we ventured out for the first time. Sara has a student who joined us for the walk to town. Her name is Marta. She is 17 and a finalist in the national English contest in Poznan this spring. Only 58 finalists selected in all of Poland so quite an honor for Zamosc and a real testament to Sara's teaching skills. Her english is flawless!
So Sara, Marta and I explore the Old Town of Zamosc by foot. We had lunch at a pizza place that had George Bush and Ben Laden featured pizza's on the menu, but we just ordered an eggplant and prosciutto (I think). I had red wine, while Marta and Sara each had banana juice. For dessert we went all-out decadent for REAL hot chocolate at a popular Chocolatier off of the town square. My hot chocolate was really a fruit fondue that was to die for!
Tense episode awaited when we arrived back at Sara's place and discovered she didn't have her keys. All pockets, bags, etc checked. Keys awol. Called Sara's landlord who let us in. Searched some more and not a trace.
Gave Marta the brownie mix I had brought for Sara. Sara hasn't figured out her oven yet and Marta knows how to use hers. Also this was a good exercise for Marta's english - learning how to prepare an American brownie mix, which she promised to do and bring back the finished product!
Tuesday, February 3rd
Errands with Sara that morning. Needed to get wine and gift for Sara's friends who invited us to dinner. Good thing we came back to apt before heading out - Marta called and said Chocolatier found keys! Yippee! Back into town to get keys and catch bus to friends house. Bus missed stop near friends house. Oyvey! Bus driver needed signal but Sara says they're not necessary. Anyway, he drove so quickly past the stop that there was no chance to indicate our wishes.
So we were on this bus headed to a small village called "Wychody". We took this as an opportunity to check out "greater Zamosc" and stayed on the bus to Wychody. Very curious looking structures in the backyards of homes in this village. They look like little beekeeping houses. They are all painted different colors and lined up in rows. They also have ramps leading up to the doors. If anyone has any information leading to what these things might be, please let me know! Everyone here has heard the description but has no clue.
We eventually reached a stop close to friends house but it had started snowing and big temperature drop. Really ready for warmth and dinner. Sara's friends are a delight! - Janusz, Julia and 5 yr old Amelia plus her 5 yr old cousins Monia and older sister, Alicja. Typical Polish dinner awaited and apple crepes for dessert! Julia is quite the sous chef!
After dinner, Alicja played piano and Amelia and Monia sang Christmas Carols. I had a rare opportunity to teach Poles how to play Polish Poker. They LOVED it. We played the rest of the evening with Sara holding the lead.
Wednesday, February 4th
Lots of shopping today. Met Janusz and family in town square late morning. Oh, particular highlight was being awoken by Sara's client needing a translation for a job reference. At the town square, took pictures of the ice rink. Lots of kids hanging out here today with school on break. Could not understand the meaning of a 2 week school break beginning of Feb. Apparently it's a hold-over from communist rule days when there were no religious holidays, let alone lengthy school breaks. Check out my picture of the ice rink (looks like a postcard!):
Met our friends and did some shopping for traditional Polish gifts. Found myself a pretty amber necklace. 5 yr old Amelia saw lots to buy! We spent some time at Julia's brother's second hand store. I bought four winter tops. That was fun. To post office to mail postcards. Then to restaurant for dinner. YUM! Janusz and Julia had some sort of meat entree while Sara and I had pierogi's and this really delicious, warm and flavorful beet soup that we drank like tea! Here is picture of me and the family:
Back at Sara's to greet Marta and our promised brownies! She was embarrased as they didn't turn out quite right. They were hard around the edges, but still tasted like brownies so they were fine. We taught Marta Polish Poker and another game from Sara that was like UNO.
Thursday, February 5th
Decided to ride the train back to Krakow on Friday. Bus only takes an hour less and was much more crowded. More errands in town - retook some of the pictures Sara thought she had taken but were not saved. Found the Corner Pub. Here is Sara outside the Zamosc Corner Pub. This is really a Polish sister pub to our beloved Corner Pub of Silver Spring!
Some other shots of old town by the award-winning digital camera whiz - Sara Wild! This one is me standing outside part of the wall surrounding the east gate to this walled city:
We went to the Zamosc Museum where we saw an actual model of the city as it looked when it was created in the 1500's. Of course, huge portions of this wall are gone now, thanks to the Russian conquerors in the 1700/1800's but they are now being restored. Zamosc is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and some assistance is coming with their admission into the European Union.
Now being Thursday and, back in Silver Spring, we are always at the Corner Pub on Thursdays for 1/2 price pizza, we should have gone one step further and actually had lunch and possibly pizza and beer for lunch at this place but I was hellbent on crepes and hot chocolate at popular trendy local place off the town square called "Bohema." We each had these wonderful vegetable and cheese crepes with garlic sauce. Dessert was hot chocolate with chili powder!
Sara had a 5pm student, so I chilled at her place while she biked over to their place. She manages to ride in all types of weather, but I'm not sure about in the dark. So I was a little worried when she was a couple of minutes late getting back.
We were going out again but decided to just shop for my snacks for my return train tomorrow. Got some Polish beer for Lewis, bottled water and pastry for me. Got Sara a badly needed cutting board and teflon spatula for her kitchen.
Too tired to go back out. I had to wake at 4am to catch my train. Cab scheduled to pick me up at 4:45pm. Showered and packed before bed. Sara worked on translating but seemed to get to bed earlier since she was waking up with the alarm like I was.
Friday, February 6th
Didn't need the alarm. Stayed awake all night. Basically got dressed and ready and a light breakfast. We said our goodbyes and I was right on time for the cab. Little hesitation at the train station not knowing the language and being sure I got on the right train and that it was 2nd class. All was well. Train very very slow. At times thought I could probably walk faster, but soooooo much better than the bus. And only a few zloty's more. Worth it.
Language barrier erupted again when I wasn't sure of my stop in Krakow. Lady in my car warned me at the stop immediately before but we were able to communicate enough for me to know for sure that the stop I wanted was immediately after that one. Whew!
Next hurdle was getting me and my stuff over to the airport train. No problem here. Just followed the little illustrated signs. One scheduled to leave about 15 mins after I arrived in Krakow! From there it was pretty uneventful. Was at the airport 2 hrs before my flight. PLENTY of time for my badly needed cup of coffee, bathroom, last-minute souvenirs and to check in with Lewis.
Arrived in Frankfurt on time at 5:30pm. Lewis there with a single rose! Quite a journey, folks! I can't wait to return to Poland with Lewis this time! Oh, interesting sidenote: gloomy with snow and ice the whole time in Poland. But Sara had to just tell me that immediately after I left the weather cleared, got much warmer and sunnier. Go figure. Of course, now it is gloomy and rainy here in Wiesbaden. Guess I have some bad weather karma following me around these days. Let's hope it doesn't continue!
Till next week,
Jaime
Monday, February 2, 2009
Poland Edition, Part 1
So much has happened that I felt an early issue warranted to cover the last three days.
Friday, Jan. 30th
Pretty typical day in Wiesbaden, ALTHOUGH, some of my female buddies decided it was time to treat ourselves to the local bad (meaning bath - where the "bad" in Wiesbaden comes from) while our spouses were at work. Met Debbie at the Hotel and took the shuttle to meet our other two friends on base where we walked over to the Aukammtal Thermalbad. Thermalbad means (I believe) warm or heated mineral bath or waters.
Were we in for a treat! This is a large complex which houses a combination indoor/outdoor public bath, in addition to other therapeutical and fitness services, and a wonderful cafe which you can access directy from the pool or at the entrance of the facility. I think one of the greatest luxuries in life is to swim in a warm bath OUTDOORS in the winter. It feels devine!
Saturday, Jan. 31st
So I'm still in a flurry getting ready for my flight to Poland and not being able to locate any Polish currency (zloty's). Finally located a Western Union at the train station that sold me $100 worth and ended up costing about $16 for the exchange. Peace of mind. I wouldn't be arriving into Krakow until late and needed enough dough for the train into town and the bus ride to Zamosc the next morning. Not to mention meals.
Stayed at a nice place in Krakow called "Hotel Polonia" right across the street from the bus and train stations. Very easy to find. My room had high ceilings and two single beds pushed together.
Tried to fall asleep to the only English channel I could find on TV - 'Euronews' - some kind of recorded news program that is on a continuous loop. No wonder I didn't get much sleep, although turning it off didn't make any difference. Too concerned, I guess, with waking up early enough to catch a 7:30am bus to Krakow and having to actually find the bus station first.
Oh! Forgot to mention a thank you note is very much in order to Sara's friend in Krakow - Kuba. Kuba went out of his way to reserve a seat for me on the bus. In addition, he went ahead and paid for it and then left it with the front desk at the hotel waiting for me when I arrived. I can't tell you how much that increased my comfort level after arriving in so late from Frankfurt!
Sunday, Jan. 31st.
Loooooooooong bus ride to Zamosc. The bus was full. Kuba must have bought me the last seat! It was a six hour ride to Zamosc. Next time I will fly into Warsaw cause it's only a 4 hour ride from there. That is mostly because there are more major and direct routes from Warsaw to Zamosc than from Krakow.
So hell bent on finding the bus station and catching it on time that I skipped breakfast and never got off for any of the breaks on the bus ride. My eyes were glued to the window the entire time! I was happy to get there at 1:30, though, and to be greeted by Sara's smiling face. Visiting her here makes me feel like I'm with family.
Her apartment is only a short walk from the bus station so we headed there directly. I was pretty hungry for lunch by then (no breakfast or dinner the night before, basically). Then a badly needed shower and we just hung out and talked the rest of the day.
Sara has a wonderful little apartment on the top floor of a building that overlooks parks and the town. She has a very busy schedule teaching english and doing translations. She has several translations at the moment and may not be able to return with me to see Krakow before I leave, but I can tell we have more than enough to do here in Zamosc!
Bye for now, Jaime
Friday, Jan. 30th
Pretty typical day in Wiesbaden, ALTHOUGH, some of my female buddies decided it was time to treat ourselves to the local bad (meaning bath - where the "bad" in Wiesbaden comes from) while our spouses were at work. Met Debbie at the Hotel and took the shuttle to meet our other two friends on base where we walked over to the Aukammtal Thermalbad. Thermalbad means (I believe) warm or heated mineral bath or waters.
Were we in for a treat! This is a large complex which houses a combination indoor/outdoor public bath, in addition to other therapeutical and fitness services, and a wonderful cafe which you can access directy from the pool or at the entrance of the facility. I think one of the greatest luxuries in life is to swim in a warm bath OUTDOORS in the winter. It feels devine!
Saturday, Jan. 31st
So I'm still in a flurry getting ready for my flight to Poland and not being able to locate any Polish currency (zloty's). Finally located a Western Union at the train station that sold me $100 worth and ended up costing about $16 for the exchange. Peace of mind. I wouldn't be arriving into Krakow until late and needed enough dough for the train into town and the bus ride to Zamosc the next morning. Not to mention meals.
Stayed at a nice place in Krakow called "Hotel Polonia" right across the street from the bus and train stations. Very easy to find. My room had high ceilings and two single beds pushed together.
Tried to fall asleep to the only English channel I could find on TV - 'Euronews' - some kind of recorded news program that is on a continuous loop. No wonder I didn't get much sleep, although turning it off didn't make any difference. Too concerned, I guess, with waking up early enough to catch a 7:30am bus to Krakow and having to actually find the bus station first.
Oh! Forgot to mention a thank you note is very much in order to Sara's friend in Krakow - Kuba. Kuba went out of his way to reserve a seat for me on the bus. In addition, he went ahead and paid for it and then left it with the front desk at the hotel waiting for me when I arrived. I can't tell you how much that increased my comfort level after arriving in so late from Frankfurt!
Sunday, Jan. 31st.
Loooooooooong bus ride to Zamosc. The bus was full. Kuba must have bought me the last seat! It was a six hour ride to Zamosc. Next time I will fly into Warsaw cause it's only a 4 hour ride from there. That is mostly because there are more major and direct routes from Warsaw to Zamosc than from Krakow.
So hell bent on finding the bus station and catching it on time that I skipped breakfast and never got off for any of the breaks on the bus ride. My eyes were glued to the window the entire time! I was happy to get there at 1:30, though, and to be greeted by Sara's smiling face. Visiting her here makes me feel like I'm with family.
Her apartment is only a short walk from the bus station so we headed there directly. I was pretty hungry for lunch by then (no breakfast or dinner the night before, basically). Then a badly needed shower and we just hung out and talked the rest of the day.
Sara has a wonderful little apartment on the top floor of a building that overlooks parks and the town. She has a very busy schedule teaching english and doing translations. She has several translations at the moment and may not be able to return with me to see Krakow before I leave, but I can tell we have more than enough to do here in Zamosc!
Bye for now, Jaime
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