Chasing the Gnome

2010-10-11T08:21:00.001-07:00

The national archives in dc to see the original hitler signed nuremberg laws
originally sent from phone...
edit to add:
so today we drove from NJ to DC, 3 hours each way roughly, to spend 3 minutes gazing at the original Hitler signed Nuremberg Laws. The laws that were the beginning of the end for the Jews of Germany and Central Europe. It is the first time they have been on free public display, and it will only be there for a few more days!!!

So, as crazy as it seems we went to the US national archives, skipped the main attractions of the Magna Carta, Constitution, Bill of Rights & Declaration of Independence....and proceeded directly to the Nuremberg papers....the only thing not relating directly to American History in the entire place. I guess as a historian on a mission to see something while available this can be understood, although...most people just think I am a bit crazy.

Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum

2009-05-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

We made it to the Lillian and Albert small Jewish museum & Jewish historical society of Washington DC today. We arrived just a few minutes before 1pm after having lunch at the green Turtle nearby, and the gate was still chained shut, So we called the number on the sign as directed and within a few minutes a representative arrived to show us around. The museum consisted of a trip inside one of DC's first synagogues and the story of how it came to be where it was. Originally located elsewhere and moved the exhibit included photographs of the many uses it had to endure before finally being rescued and moved to it's new home on a small piece of left over land from a freeway on ramp.

Madame Toussaud

2009-05-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

We just went to Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum. It was neat you could take photos w/the figures. they had more then listed online.

Inside there was a short video about the history and making of the wax figures, then you enter the exhibits. There are a lot of presidents spread throughout the museum exhibits, it is obvious that they choose the figured based on the locations though as this one was very heavily populated with political figures. You could sit with Lincoln in his theater booth and shake hands with George Washington, have your photo taken with the Obama's and even sit in the Oval Office for a picture.

The interactive exhibits even continued into the bathrooms as there were fake hats on the sinks so you appeared to have on a silly hat as you washed you hands, and the stalls had "singer" "actress" and other designations on the door, with trivia inside the stalls which could be answered by reading the plaques by the displays inside the museum!

hard rock cafe

2009-05-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

hard rock cafe in dc is a blast, although it is a bit loud. It would be much more enjoyable if the drunks at the bar would stop yelling hey...

So to expand on my blog from my phone we finally made it to the hard rock after walking half way and hailing a cab for the final portion of the journey. we were lucky and walked right in and were seated, the prices are slightly higher then the one near my home in Atlantic City, but the food was great and the service was excellent.

Native American Indian Museum

2009-05-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

the Native American Museum is right along the mall between the Air & Space Museum and the Capitol Building....it has a lot of great exhibits if you are interested in finding more information about the various tribes..you have to spend a lot of time standing around listening to the story be told for each tribe though, and the lay out is not the greatest with walls in odd places making it like a maze...at one point we walked into what appeared to be a small exhibit area and it turned out to just be an artist gallery of painting someone did of native americans, most were abstract and you were forced to walk thru the winding maze to get out again...i do not see the educational value in this area of the museum, it belong in an art gallery not a museum about the Native Americans...

Boy do my feet hurt after walking all over today, the nicest thing about this museum was the padded benches placed throughout the building on all of the floors1

we tried to see the

2009-05-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

We tried to see the Jewish Historical Society & Lillian and Albert Small Jewish Museum ...but after a long subway ride and an even longer walk, getting lost, walking around in a few circles and finally finding it we see the sign out front, it is only open on Monday, Tuesday & Thursday from 1-4PM...So back to the subway it is.

I did take some shots of the fencing it is really neat...check it out!!

Holocaust Center Again

2009-05-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

today we stopped back at the holocaust center to hit another book signing, this author was apparently not as nice as the one yesterday who wanted to discuss his book with those visiting. Unfortunately I did not get to meet this author as i was not allowed in the building with a drink which i had purchased just outside. I was told very rudely that I would have to exit the building find a trash can and dispose of the bottle then return, the nearest trash can was the one 1/2 a block away at the vendor I had just purchased it from. Yesterday there was no problem with me having a bottle I think this guard was just being a jerk!

Either way I apparently did not miss much, I just sat against the wall outside and waited for my friend to come out.

Arlington

2009-05-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

We just left Arlington Veterans Cemetery, we saw the perpetual flame for JFK as well as the tomb of the unknown soldier. We not only got to see a changing of the guard we got to witness a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb.

This is a very surreal place to be, or it would be if not for the excessive amount of rude and loud tweens that are taken their as part of their school trips. Honestly I wonder if this should be part of their trip, since as an 8th grader it seemed majority of the kids did not or could not appreciate the gravity of the
location. I actually overheard one kid say "if the teachers think i need to lose weight they should have just made me walk on a tread mill" I seriously wanted to walk over to the kid and give them an earful...but i was sure it would have gone in one ear and out the other.

The odd part was there were a few younger groups there, maybe 5th or 6th graders and those students seemed to be taking it much more seriously asking legitimate questions of their guide.

The guides on the other hand are a whole other story...i heard one say "you will see a bunch of stone that don't have crosses on them those and the ones with the funny stars are all for the Jews who got to be buried here" first off it is a Star of David, and 'got to be buried' makes it sound like they should be privileged to be here, no is privilege to be buried anywhere, it means you are dead. Additionally the Star of David marks the Jewish graves, those unmarked belong to those who either did not declare a religion, or are of a religion which does not have a symbol or is not recognized officially by the military...children should be taught that all soldiers are soldiers and religion should not be a factor when it comes to the honor of serving in the military.

American History Museum

2009-05-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

After leaving the Holocaust Center we decided to check out the Smithsonian American History Museum...being that neither me or my friend are really American history people most of it was not really our area of study...we did find the wars exhibit on the top floor to be interesting, and the inauguration dresses of the 1st ladies on the 2nd floor was interesting to see....but the exhibit we really wanted to see was quite disappointing.

We really wanted to see the pop culture exhibit on the 3rd floor, it looked like it would be great when Dumbo from the disney theme ride sat at the entrance...then with Dorothy's shoes and Archie Bunkers chair just inside the door we expected to see a lot more, but beyond them there was not much. Kermit the Frog & Oscar the Grouch were 2 of the other dozen or so items in this small and over crowded exhibit which was not much larger then average college dorm room. a few dresses from random celebrities, some I had never heard of and a couple pairs of boxing gloves completed this rather small and unexciting exhibit...very disappointing considering how long it had been closed to be revamped and all the hype on the new exciting exhibits...

Holocaust Center

2009-05-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

We are at the Holocaust center in Washington DC today, I will add photos to this post later. The whole front entrance was closed for a VIP, so we had to go in the back. Once inside we learned the VIP was the wife of Israel's Prime Minister. They were closing one floor at a time in order for her to enjoy the exhibits without the rush of high school children, we were not so lucky. we were able to sit and enjoy one of the movies on the 4th floor and most of them passed by us.

If you have not been to this museum it is a must on the DC tour list. you need to stop in as soon as you can during the day to get your tickets. we got there about 1:15 and received entry tickets for 2:30 pm. this is not bad there is a gift shop you can browse through as well as free exhibits on the 1st floor and basement level that do not require tickets. all tickets are free, but space and times are limited each day. This was the 1st time I was able to tour the Daniel's story exhibit, it has been closed on m other visits. It was great for kids, if you have young children i recommend seeing this part of the museum even if you cannot get to the rest. you get to walk through Daniel's house with touch and play learning as guided by his diary pages.

2009-03-05T13:44:00.001-08:00

I have begun to get my great photographs online and available for everyone to purchase...the first are available now:

Photography For Sale

2009-03-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Coming soon hundreds of my photographs from my travels will be available on my new website http://www.chasingthegnome.com ....while i work on that you can buy them through zazzle at http://www.zazzle.com/chasingthegnome

products will begin to be offered within the next several days.

Just got back!

2008-06-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

I just recently returned from a 3 week trip to Oklahoma & Colorado - I will get the photos up as soon as I can - until then check this out!!!

Shopaholic Chick has recently expanded into a multitude of nich shops. Although the main shop is still available please check out also my new specialty shops!

Shopaholic Chick As always an acclectic collection of great designs for the whole family

Celebrate Today All of my holiday designs have been moved to this new holiday shop - in addiation hundreds of new deisgns and holidays have been added!

EP Designs formerly election place this shop still offers election designs however follow the presidential election this year it will be transformed into an activist web site featuring designs on the hottest political causes!

Live Off Grid this green shop is designed for those of you who love the planet and want to so what you can to get the word out about going green!

Liberal Hippie Tree Hugger If you love trees and you want to tell everyone how much they need to take care of the planet check this great shop for liberal hippie tree hugger designs!

Jewcy Designs if you are Jewish and proud of it - then you will find great designs here for adults and kids in cute funny phrases!

Sporty Girls if you are a girl who loves to play sports then you will love this great shop - featuring sports girls may not traditionally play - but love anyways!

Love~Hearts hundreds and soon to be thousands of names featuing the logo I Love (heart) ________ more names being added daily!

I Speak Geek if you are a conputer geek then you will love these great I Speak Geek designs - perfect for the techie-geek in your life!

Saying Goodbye

2007-12-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

It is always hard when you spend a lot of time somewhere to say goodbye, but this time it seems harder them normal. Even though I still have one more week of classes here, my riends I have made here who attend the other university finished last week and began leaving Thursday night. It is sad to think I may not see some of these friends ever again, even though I hope in my travels to visit with them, I know it is not always possible...I made a video but blogger does not seem to want to let me upload it, so I will try again tommorrow

2007-11-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving dinner in the dorm. we served i think a total of 26 people...like 5-6 people all helps cook...it was really fun!!! We invited the instructors from the school, as well as all the students in the school and staff. Then we had so much food we went upstairs to the schiler dorms and invited the americans floating around up there missing home to come down and join us....of course they needed to bring their own plates because by then we had run out!!!

Home to Heidelberg

2007-11-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

After 10 hours of travel yesterday, starting at 8 am and including 2 subway cars, 2 busses, a plane & a trolley, I have made it back to Heidelberg. Luckily our plane landed early by 25 minutes so we were able to catch an earlier bus, that was actually scheduled to leave the airport 5 minutes before we were scheduled to land, this saved us a 2 hour wait at the airport for a bus back to town.

Unfortunately the trip was not so good for my health, the cold I left town with is now full blown bronchitis. So, if there is an outbreak of bronchitis this week in Barcelona, you know where it came from...

Dancers

2007-11-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

This couple was dancing in the street in Barcelona to a little band that set up right in the walkway and was playing...there is also a single older man dancing with his cane they were so adorable!!

a long day

2007-11-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

today was a long day in Barcelona we walked up a mountain to Guell Park where we saw some of the amazing architecture of Gaudi, as well as met some interesting people. We then walked Las Ramblas to the water and ate dinner before stopping at La Sagrada Familia on our way back to the hostel. It has been a long day...I will blog more later I am on a time limit here and there are people waiting to use this computer.

last night

2007-11-17T22:46:00.000-08:00

So, last night after we arrived and checked into the hostel we took a brief nap and then headed out to check out the beach. Enis had fun running on the beach, while I preferred not to get sand in my shoes and stayed on the pavement. The beach appeared to have been manmade with a gravelly coarse sand mixed with shells and other foreign substances. It was nice but chilly to be on the beach. After walking around Badalonia for a while looking for a place to eat, and finding everything closed, we decided to take the subway into Barcelona. We ended up eating at a chain style pita place that served schwarmas & pitas. The food was fast, cheap & greasy. Enis loved it, I was not thoroughly impressed. Then after walking and taking some more pictures at night we headed back to the hostel. After meeting a couple of American girls who are on vacation from their jobs in Paris in the TV room and joining them for an episode of “tool time” in English I headed off to bed, for a long night of no sleep and lots of coughing.

PS – I think I have bronchitis

Barcelona

2007-11-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up in Barcelona...after a long day of traveling yesterday. We left the dorm yesterday morning at 5am to catch a trolley, to the bus to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. Unfortunately the bus schedule changed and they did not update it on their website, so we missed the bus. Luckily my travel companion found another bus driver who was able to call the one we needed to be on and ask them to wait at their next stop for us. We then jumped in a taxi (for 35€) and raced 2 towns over to the train station there where our cab driver got lost, twice. Luckily the bus driver was nice enough to wait for us (18€ one way) and we made it to the airport where we spent 2 hours waiting for our flight.

For as inconvenient as the locations of Ryaniar flights are, I have to say it was the best flight I have had in quiet some time. From takeoff through landing it was an amazingly smooth flight, although having to buy water on board after airport security took mine was a bit of an annoyance since I have a slight chest cold and cannot stop coughing. then upon arriving we waited approximately 35 minutes for the bus from Reus airport into Barcelona (19€ round trip)

Our hostel although a bit out of the way is just off a metro stop (7€ for 10 trips) and very nice. We booked through Hostelbookers.com and stayed in Barcelona Dream - Be Hostels. The room is a private double with 2 simple twin beds, and a private bath with stand up shower (55€ per night for 2 people). It is quiet spacious and brightly colored. The shower can be a bit on the annoying side, like a public sink when you push the button in, it shuts off after about 3 minutes, and it takes about 4 times of reaching through the ice cold water and pushing it on to get it to run hot water. Free breakfast of toasted rolls with butter and jam, two kinds of cereal, milk, OJ, coffee or cocoa are available.

Snow

2007-11-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today with the sun shining we had show here in Heidelberg. Honestly I think I prefer the snow to the wind and rain we have had for the last 2 weeks. The snow however does not last very long in the sunshine. This could be a good thing since I have been sick all week and I leave early in the morning for Barcelona. Today I left class early hoping to catch the Doctor’s office open, and I just missed them as they closed for lunch. Hopefully my cold medicines will help so I do not end up on a tour of Barcelona’s finest Hospitals!

Finally

2007-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

After almost a week of being sick in bed I finally made it out to somewhere other then school and the grocery store. Last night several friends and I attented an opening for an artist we met, held at the Rathausfoyer (the city hall). The artist's name is Guiseppe Blasotta, originally from Italy he has spent the last 10 years painting in Heidelberg. The opening was nice, despite the large number of people in a small space, and the homeless man attempting to blend in among the crowd for the free food, drinks & warmth.

After the opening we enjoyed dinner at a nice italian restraunt just off the Marktplatz, and then a few drinks at Eckstein's before heading home in the frigid weather. The colder it gets it seems the slower and less frequently the trolley's run, even though thier schedule has not changed. There are however certain hours that for no explainable reason no trolley runs (between 11-12pm there is no #23 trolley) so we chose to pay the money for the cab rather then wait an hour for the next trolley or walk the mile and a half home in the cold, wet, windy darkness.

Today I am hoping the sun will come out so that I can go down to the Hauptstrasse and do some shopping, and maybe check out the castle again for some more photos. As of right now it is cold, wet & grey outside.

Flohmarkt

2007-11-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today a friend and I decided to venture out to the Flohmarkt (Flea Market) being held at Messplatz. Unfortunatly the weather was not very nice and the Platz was not even 1/2 full with about 2-3 dozen venders. I did however make a few small purchases, a small german book for practice, a poster of WWII military uniforms, and some old postcards with castles on them.

I have also decided that all this studying I have been doing recently has earned me a vacation, so the weekend after next I will be heading to Barcelona for 3 days with hopefully warmer, dryer weather.

Heidelberg Schloss (Castle)

2007-10-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to take a trip over to the castle, via the train. If you are in Heidelberg I cannot recommend this enough. For 8 Euro (6 for students) you can ride the new glass train half way up the mountain, stopping at the Schloss (castle) on your way up or down. You can then also ride the historic (and recently renovated) Bergbahn to the top of the mountain. This is the oldest mountain train in operation in Germany.

The view from the top is nothing short of spectacular. The pictures I took do not even begin to explain the beauty from atop this mountain. At the top there is a small concession stand with candy and drinks, as well as an overlook perfect for a picnic. There is also a small map outlining the direction for various cities you can see on the horizon. On a clear day I imagine this must be spectacular, although even on a slightly cold and foggy day as it was the view was just amazing.

You can, if you choose to, drive up the mountain or for those of you who want the exercise bike your way to the top. Tickets on the train can be purchased for one way or round trip, you cannot however bring your bike on the train.

We chose to ride all the way to the top stopping at the castle on our way back down the mountain, unfortunately we arrived to the castle just 5 minutes after closing so we were only able to walk around the outside and take some pictures from the gardens….so I will just have to head back another day to the castle…

Mannheim

2007-10-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today me and one of my roomates decided to take the trolley into Mannheim. It was not very impressive. Although we knew most places would be closed, we did not see anything that we really wished was open. The Schloß was not much more then a large palace/parliment style building that houses a school and some other offices. There were a few bautiful fountains, however since they were not actually on and spraying water the effect was very much lost. Overall I did not see the draw to go to Mannheim as any type of a tourist attraction, alhough according to posters around the city they do occasionaly get some medium-large venue concerts that may be of interest.

Night Out

2007-10-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

If you ever happen to find yourself in Heidelberg on a Friday Night the place to be is Eckstein's - on the corner of Fischmarkt right by the entrance to the big church that sits in Marktplatz - it is centrally located in the Atlstadt. With an eclectic mix of punk rock, 80's metal and 90's country there is something for everyone. This is your every-corner bar where preppy's hang out with the punks in a light and fun atmosphere. A smoking room is provided in the back with a bar and some tables out front. Drink specials are on the chalkboard and the nightly events board is up on the wall. I think I found a new place to hang out on Friday nights with Itze (see photo of Itze & his air guitar) DJ'ing this place is bound to be rocking!!

Room Change

2007-09-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

Up until this point I have been in a very small room. Yesterday I asked at the school and they made arrangements for me to switch into the room next to mine when Eleonora left today. So, I just spent the last hour carrying everything over and now I just need to get everything put away and reorganized. This room is much larger then my old room, so I no longer have to place the desk chair onto the bed, in order to open the desk drawers or to get anything from the under the bed drawer. The only draw back is that the heater is broken. In my old room it would not turn on, in this room it will not turn off. It is on high all the time. Luckily this room has larger windows which are currently open, and will remain open until the heater is fixed. This should also help with the dry air situation a little bit by bringing in some fresh air from outside. If only the neighbors would stop arguing so I could take a nap, because after all that moving and cleaning the old room, I am exhausted.

Heldelberger Herbst

2007-09-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today is the Annual Heidelberger Herbst. There is so much to do and so many people trying to do it, I am glad I got there early. The Altstadt is hosting this festival with an arts & crafts market along the Hauptstraße and a flea market along the Neckar. University Platz has been turned into a medieval town with bands playing & venders selling hand made items.

I did find the flea market a bit disappointing, there were only a few tables with items worth buying, and they were rather overpriced for what I would expect at a flea market. I did however stroll down a side street and found a lady selling wonderful handmade soaps. She spoke some English and let me know she does not have a store but does them as a hobby and gave me her card to contact her if I wish to buy some in the future.

The art market was nice also, although there were many venders with the same or similar items, the variety was good and the prices were right. I got myself a nice scarf to match my coat that will come in handy on these windy days we have been having. I also managed to resist the urge to buy every tote bag and messenger bag I saw, although there are a few I really wanted that were in my price range.

My favorite part of the festival had to be the medieval times plaza. The whole plaza was transformed with shops designed to look like period housing and carts. Everyone was dressed in period attire, bread is being baked in a wood burning oven, and wurst are being cooked over an open flame. I stopped to try a rinderwurst served in traditional bread, baked and sliced like a pizza then split open to hold 2 pieces of wurst across a triangle shaped wedge of bread, although at first it is difficult to hold, it was extremely delicious. Then while I enjoyed my meal I listened to some music & singing in the medieval town they created. There were also crafters practicing their craft for everyone to see, one woman was making leather bags, another man was blowing glass. I was not able to get photographs of the glass blowing due to the crowds but after they left I was able to get a photo of some of the dragons made of glass and his one of a kind dragon head flame thrower used to melt the glass.

Dinner for all

2007-09-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight some of our classmates came and made us a delicious dinner of roast pork filets and scallops potatoes. Unfortunately I still was not feeling well so after dinner when everyone else headed to the bar, I headed to bed (stopping of course to check email and post to the blog for a few minutes.)

No Voice

2007-09-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today is not a good day. I woke up with no voice and I have had a sore throat much of the day. I think it is due to the dry heat here, but the only humidifier is way out of my price range, so I have collected and purchased some metal and glass containers to set on and around the radiator to hopefully add some moisture to the air. Hopefully I will feel betetr tommorrow, I don't want to miss the big festival in town.

I Saw The Gnome!!!

2007-09-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

The illusive Gnome was in my sights today as I wandered along the Philosophenweg (Philosopher’s Walk), a path carved high above Heidelberg & the Neckar River through the mountain, I caught a brief glimpse of him as his friends playing behind a fence hidden in some trees above the path. I managed to snap a few quick photos before they quickly disappeared into the forest.

I also took several pictures of the city and castle from this spectacular height. Unfortunately there was a haze over the city today and the hot sun made many of the shots nearly impossible to see. I will try again next week to see if I can get some better photographs of the Castle and City. I am thinking I will try the walk in the evening rather then midday to hopefully cut down on the brightness of the sun, and allow me to take some photographs that will show how amazing the view is from this path. Honestly however I do not think any photograph will ever do justice to the beauty of this path. After today’s walk I can fully understand why this would be a favorite place for scholars to frequent.

Feeling Short

2007-09-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Today has not been a good day. To begin I was almost run over by a trash truck that made a wide turn and went up onto the sidewalk as i was leaving my house. It almost took out me and the fence of the person who lives on the corner. Then I run to catch the trolley after my near death experience and I get there as the doors are closing and the trolley driver will not reopen them for me, so I have to wait 8 minutes for the next one. This leaves me running for the school when I finally arrive at the trolley stop downtown. I get into class just before the teacher, and decide today is the day I will buy a bicycle.

So, after class the weather is nice I take the trolley to the other side of town where the used bike store is and check out some bikes. Unfortunately it appears adults in Germany are not expected to be 5’ tall because all of the bikes are much to tall for me, I can't reach the peddles let alone the ground. So I ask if they have any large kids bikes, and he takes me to the upstairs room where they have several assorted kids bikes from toddlers to young teens. I pick out the cheapest large kids size mountain bike. It is only 40€ which I can afford, and it is purple and I love purple. I test ride it in thier little courtyard and it rides well but the seat needs to come up about 3 inches. It also needs a bigger seat, because my hand is larger then the one currently on the bike. So the guy helps me find an adult seat from the cabinet downstairs, but he cannot find the tool he needs to attach the adult seat to the junior bike. So after an hour and a half of hoping the guy can find the tool he finally gives up, and I leave without a bike. I did let him know I would come back in a few days, but in the meanwhile I just feel really short.

Mixed Reviews on Collegium Palatinum

2007-09-18T06:34:00.001-07:00

After talking to several of the people who are taking classes at Collegium Palatinum there seems to be some mixed reviews. Some of the students feeling they are getting a great deal from the classes, while others feel they are wasting their time and would have been able to learn much more in a different environment. Some of the students are also complaining that the information they received prior to choosing this language school was either exaggerated or completely incorrect.

Personally I am not quite sure what I think about the school yet, but I am sure of one thing…I feel totally lost half the time, and like I am excelling the other half. I do just fine with most of the reading and writing, I am passing all the tests with decent scores, but I feel like when I am in class I have no idea what is going on. The teacher speaks in German and most of the people seem to understand her, but the rest of us are completely clueless, and if we say we don’t understand she says it slower…which does not help. I think I know how every tourist and immigrant must feel in America when they try to ask for help and the people shout at them in clear slow English… no matter how slow or how loud it is said, if you don’t know the meaning of the word, it just will not help!

Sometimes I question if this is the right class setting for me, as another girl pointed out this program is primarily for speaking German and is not focusing on the written language very much, which is what I really want and need. Several of the students are considering leaving the program early because they simply feel they are not getting enough out of the experience. Others who are here for only a short time like a 2 week course are highly agitated because they feel they are not getting the services as described.

The programs here are set up so you pay different amounts based on the amount of time, 20, 25, 30 or 35 hours per week. The problem is you do not get that. For a basic 20 hour week the classes start at 8:30pm and run until 12:00pm with a 30 minute break – which is 20 hours, except that the first day you lose the entire day for placement and orientation. So a student there for only 2 weeks loses 4 out of 40 hours – which is 10% of their lesson! If you pay for 25 or more hours you stay at 12 when the others leave, you take a 15 minute break, then return to class until around 1pm for most classes, some let out even earlier it seems. This adds only 45 minutes to your day, leaving you short over an hour each week. Additionally if part of the class leaves for this final 45 minutes of class then your remaining class simply works on reviewing homework and such, instead of learning anything new. If you pay for the 30 or 40 hours you then have a 1 hour break and come back for an afternoon session several days a week, which you practice speaking in German with a tutor and a few other students. I considered adding additional time and paying for the additional hours, but I am not sure sitting around and just talking will help me right now.

Welcome Back Water

2007-09-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

After walking to the grocery store, and using a toilet in the park in the middle of down town Heidelberg that has no doors & only 1/2 a mesh privacy screen, we have water again. Of course it ran brown for the first 45 minutes but it is nice to have it flowing again, just in time to go to bed.

Water Please

2007-09-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

this morning just as my classmates and I were leaving our dorm on our way to school the road crew that has been working in front of our dorm hit the water main, causing a geyser and ensuing waterfall. I just arrived home 6 hour later and our whole building is still without water, and it just began to rain heavily. I am hoping this water crew continues to work through the rain to restore our water or this will be a very bad night…

Saying goodbye

2007-09-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Living here in the dorm is a different experience, it is almost like a summer camp, everyone here is staying a different length of time. This weekend majority of the girls here will be leaving. Some were here when I arrived others have been here just 2 weeks, but they have all become my friends. Tonight we sat down together for a big dinner to say goodbye to those leaving, since some are leaving just after class tomorrow and others will be leaving on Saturday. This also means that on Sunday it is likely we will be getting new dorm-mates who may stay a few weeks or a few months. It seems crazy that people I have only known for just a few days could become such good friends so fast.

Speyer Germany

2007-09-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Today I went on possibly the worst walking tour ever. Our tour guide who is one of the private tutors at the language school was completely unprepared for this journey. It began with a 1 hour train ride to the town of Speyer, which we could have reached in 30 minutes by public bus. Upon arriving he announced we would meet back at the train station at 5:55pm to take the bus back, even though our information regarding the trip stated we would arrive home at 6pm. This upset several of the students on the trip who were staying with host families and were intending to be home for dinner at 6:30 with their r host families. Then he states for the beginning class he has the information we were promised in English, which he printed directly from Wikipedia (which everyone knows only correct a small percentage of the time).

So finally we begin to walk towards the town, since the train station is on the edge of town. On the way we stop and see a beautiful old church, as pictured to the above right. After several minutes we proceed to the end of the old town section to the Kaiserdom zu Speyer (the Imperial Cathedral of Speyer). This beautiful domed Cathedral has been masterfully cared for and preserved. Under the main altar for an entrance fee of 2€ you can view the crypts of German Emperors and King spanning almost 300 years beginning in 11th century B.C., and in 1981 was added to the UNESCO world heritage list. (photos to the left)

After spending nearly an hour at the Cathedral the tour guide informed us we would be walking to an old watch tower in the center of town where we could go to the top and take photographs of town, and then we would proceed to a local museum before heading back to the train station. Unfortunately this is where the trip went wrong. After walking though the altstadt (old town) to the tower we were informed it was closed. We then proceeded to walk in a giant 2+ mile circle around the town looking for the museum the tour guide wished to show us, only to find that it was just across the road from the cathedral where we had spent more then an hour. By the time we finally reach the museum is it 5:20 pm, and the museum closed to new visitors at 5:00pm, and we needed to begin the 30 minute walk back to the train station. While we all waited outside for the tour guide to emerge from the museum where he was asking if they would be kind enough to let us in for only a few minutes, we had a few moments to rest on the stairs of the museum and watch the bus pick up passengers directly in front of the museum on it’s way Heidelberg where it would arrive approximately 30 minutes later. It was quite temping to hop on the bus, which would have been free with my monthly regional pass I already possess. Instead I stayed with the group and hiked back to the train station to wait 20 minutes for a train which would go north to Mannheim, only to go south again to Heidelberg, and arriving home approximately 2 hours after I saw the bus heading to the same destination. (to the right Radhika & Paola laugh at Eugen being silly outside the museum)

Ladenburg Town Festival

2007-09-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

Today a group of us decided to follow our teacher’s recommendation and head to a neighboring town called Ladenburg for their annual town festival and flea market. We all had a great time as you can see by the picture below of one of our group hamming it p for the camea.

The streets thoughout the old town section were draped with blue and white flags and tables lined both sides of the roads. The center of town near the old church had music and food. It was really fun, and I finally got to eat some bratwurst here. It is funny, the town I am staying in has such a high tourist rate, it is actually hard to find traditional German food in restaurants here.

Walking around this town you could see remnant of the old town wall. We were told this wall dates to the Roman Empire when Ladenburg was a fort along the Rhine River. While walking through town you can see different areas of town have these ruins throughout, many of them are used as walls for current houses, others just run randomly through parks and yards.

On the way home we missed our bus and had to wait an hour for the next one, so after wandering back though town for a bit we finally caught a bus headed to the trolley stop about 20 minutes away. Then just to be more exciting we caught the right trolley but going in the opposite direction of where we wanted to go. So we realize this after 2 stops and we get off next to a giant field in the middle of no where, and quickly catch another trolley headed in the right direction. This trolley however does not go all the way to our destination, it only goes a portion of the way, so we have to get off when it reaches it end and wait about 25 minutes in another trolley stop in the middle of no where. The trip that took us only about 35 minutes in the morning, took us more then an hour to complete on the return journey. But we made it home safe and just in time, as our housemates were preparing a huge meal with enough food to feed half of Heidelberg. After this exhausting day I am ready for bed, so while they sit around chatting I am crawling into bed until tomorrow.

This Weather Needs To Go...

2007-09-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

When I first arrived here in Germany it was hot and sunny every day for a week, and I was jetlagged and spent most of it in bed. Then, this week I start to feel better and it rains for the whole week just about. Then just to make it better, not only is it rainy but the temperatures went from the high 80’s to the low 40’s overnight. This really is not good for the body; I just feel achy all over and have a horrible cough now. Well, I can’t write much more because I have to get to class all the way across town & I have a test I need to review for on the way…

Classes

2007-09-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Today is the third day of classes; I did not get to write yesterday because I was up until well after 11pm doing homework and laundry. Tonight the work load is a bit less, so I have a few minutes to sit down and write about what I have experienced so far at the Collegium Palatinum.

At first glance the school situated next to the law division of Heidelberg University appears to just be a big house on a hill in the middle of a small park. Inside it looks pretty much the same. The staff at the school are all extremely friendly and helpful. If you need housing they will arrange it. If you wish to travel, take dance or art lessons, they will help you research your options and find places in the area or transportation schedules. The rooms are set up as classrooms with tables in a circle and the average classes are around 10 people.

If you are concerned that you will not fit in based on your age, like I was, you shouldn’t be. This school has students ranging in age from 18 all the up and including middle age. At 30 years old, I am not the oldest one in my class, let alone the school. Some of the students have come to the school to fulfill a school requirement, others for a job requirement, and one lady simply because she wanted to learn German.

New students begin classes here every week and are placed into 1 of 5 levels based on their written and verbal abilities in German. The only classes offered at this small school are German Language. Since I have no prior experience with German Language classes at all I have been placed in the beginners’ class. There are currently 7 students in my class, four from the USA, one from Brazil, one from Ecuador, and one new student today from Albania. Everyone speaks English to some degree but the class it taught primarily in German.

My instructor Michaela Escher-Eisel, who prefers to be address as Michaela rather then Frau Escher-Eisel is very upbeat and friendly. This is very good, because the classes run between 4 and 7 hours per day depending on the level you have chosen. The lessons are taught in a way that anyone can learn the language no matter what your first language is. On the second day of classes you purchase your 2 books, the first is a workbook, with lessons in the front and assignments in the back. The second is a “personal dictionary”, it includes the words you use in each lesson, as well as examples for each, and blank lines for you to write in the definition of that word in your chosen language. Classes are taught in a conversational manner so that you learn the way a word is used both spoken and written, rather then by exact translation. This works well since people are translating German into their own personal language and context as opposed to directly into one specific language. Many techniques are used to help people understand the language such as pictures in the workbook, audio recordings, and Michaela’s assistant Rudi (as seen in the photograph). Games such as one similar to “hangman” are used for practicing new vocabulary in the morning, and rather then the teacher choosing the words, students get to choose a word for their classmates to guess.

So far I find the class challenging but not overwhelming. I think the experience of the staff allows them to guide the class along at a pace that keeps everyone engaged and actively learning without allowing anyone to fall behind. Hopefully the pace will stay this way throughout the remaining four months.

The Rain

2007-09-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today we the first day of classes, after a brief lesson we took a walking tour of old town Heidelberg. Just as we reached the University it began to rain. Of course, I have been carrying an umbrella for 3 days now anticipating rain, but today it looked clear so I left it at home. By the time we were able to take the bus back, and made it thru the grocery store in a mild rain, it began to pour. So there we are like 4 drown rats standing there with our heads and jackets soaked from the rain, finally huddled under the trolly stop for protection, when a car speeding down the street rides a bit too close to the curb and soaks us with water. Soon we found ourselves standing behind the glas of the trolley stop, because the rain from above was safer then the soaking from the speeding cars. One girl was even using her umbrella to cover her legs from the street while standing under the trolley stop to protect her head. Sorry no pictures of this one, did not want to damager the camera with all the water...

New people

2007-09-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday all of the boys on our floor left, and today the new people began to arrive. Starting about 5am. I stayed around the dorm most of the day then went for a walk in the afternoon with one ofthe other new students. We walked further then I had before, so after walking the 2 miles almost to the nearside of the old bidge last night for the Castle illumination, today we walked down the far side and onto the old bridge. We followed the Hauptstrasse down to Marktplatz. A few of the stores were open and we wandered through them, including this great retro record store. I am not sure I expected to find a huge store selling records in the middle of town, but I was a bit more shocked when inside I found The Red Hot Chili Peppers classified under the genre of Indie Rock.

3:30pm Once we got down to Marktplatz we found a nice little italian restaurant where w stopped for lunch/dinner before heading back to Bismarckplatz to catch the trolley home. Unfortunatly after waiting several minutes the trolley was no where in sight and still another 15 minutes away, so we decided to walk across te bridge and up to the next stop, by he time we made it there the trolley was close behind.

8:30pm By now my feet are killing me, but we got some more new people so I took time and tried to meet everyone, played a little pingpong in the basement and decided to set a time to meet in the morning to all head to classes together.

11:00pm after just sitting int he kitchen and chatting for a while getting to know all the new people, and taking a shower to avoid the early morning rush it is time for bed, but not for long. Just as I am closing my door for the night a new girl coms running up to ask where her room is and how she gets the keys. Her room is right next to mine, so I check her papers and it says she needs to go upstairs to get the keys so I ventured up for the first time to help her retrieve her keys.

11:15pm all settled in and ready for bed, and there is a knock at the door, the newest girl needs help because she des not have a power converter to turn on her computer and her internet will not connect. One of my adapters is able to work on her plug and after a few minutes her internet finally kicks in and starts working, it was just a bit slow to get going. So, with everything settled it is off to bed again...

11:30pm ...another knock on the door, this one good news. My friend who had been virtually homeless while looking for an apartment, finally found a place. It is at the far side of town but she bought a bicycle already so she will not have a problem, other then moving her stuff over to her new place. And now, it is finally time for bed, and instead I am sitting here typing because now, after all the interruptions, I cannot fall aleep. 7am comes very early so I guess I should shut down the computer and hope for a few hours sleep.

Lighting of the Castle

2007-09-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

Dating back to 1613 the lighting of the Castle in Heidelberg is an event not to be missed. Thousands of people turn out to see the fireworks displays along the river near the old bridge. I chose a vantage point a little further along the river to take pictures of the castle illumination, as the area near the old bridge was so packed with people, I am sure I would not have had much of a view. I was able to see the fireworks through the tops of the trees and the Castle illumination was beautiful. As if sparked by a single firework display from behind the Castle, it soon glowed in eerie red lights and smoke as if set ablaze by that single firework. The effect was reminiscent of what it must have been seen by the town 300 years ago when the castle was set ablaze by French Troops. The rebuilt Castle today has scaffolding around several towers and it is evident that the preservation and restoration of this landmark continues as it will for many decades to come.
The image to the above left shows the normal illumination of the castle at dusk. The image to the right shows the spectacular display occurring only three times each summer. I only wish my camera were better at taking night shots, although I am not sure any photograph could do this spectacular site justice. If you are planning a trip to Heidelberg I highly recommend you try to schedule it during one of these magnificent events. More information on the Castle Illumination can be found here.

Hmmmm...

2007-08-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

A curious thing appears to be happening, the more I am practicing my German and speaking to other people around the town and the dorm, who do not speak English very well, the worse my English is becoming. I don't think I have ever noticed this before but I find myself having to consciously go back and add words to written sentences where I know they belong, and would normally have placed them. Pronouns and other simple words are beginning to disappear from my writing, even when they are obviously needed. Verbs are no longer being conjugated properly but used only in the present tense.
I have always prided myself on being able to write in well formed intelligible sentences, and this is a skill I am not willing to lose. Hopefully with conscious effort I will be able to regain and keep the skill I pride myself on doing unconsciously.

PS: I talked to another girl here and she said she has noticed the same thing is occurring in her writing when she is sending emails home. I guess that is a positive thing that it is not only effecting me, but if anyone has tricks on how not to let a new language by full immersion mess up your old languages, please drop me a comment.

The Wrong Bus

2007-08-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

So today I had a bit of an adventure, a new girl arrived in the house yesterday ad she needed to buy a train ticket to go to berlin for the weekend, so we took the bus to the train staition. We made it there fine and got her tickets without a problem, then when we came out of the bus station we saw our bus number, but did not check that it was heading back in the right direction, and we got on the right bus in the wrong direction. Luckily we noticed it quickly and got off at the next stop. Then we had to walk quiet a ways back to the nearest stop for a bus going the right direction because the bus had gone some distance before it actually stopped so we could get off. If we had stayed on much longer I have no clue where we would have been because we were headed south-east out of the city, and we live in the north-east area of the city. But now all is well and we made it back to the dorm, a few hours later then expected, luckily we had nothing else to do today...

PS: I checked on bicycles and the cost is a bit higher then I can afford so I guess it is the bus & trolley for the restof my journey here.

painful day

2007-08-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, do not think I will get much travel done in the next few days, after 2 trips to town today my right ankle has swollen to double it's size. I even tried to by new shoes to see if that would help any, they did take away some of the foot pain, but nothing is relieving te ankle pain. I think I am going to head to bed early and elevate it best I can...then on wednesday I will look into buying a bicycle, all the local ride them instead of walking, and I can see why!!!

Nothing is Open

2007-08-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well today is Sunday, and you guessed it nothing is open. Well there are a few tiny shops open, like the little florist & fruit stand was open, as are the restaurants. So i decided to take a walk today, I walked up a hill behind my house and around and ended up down towards downtown, at the top of the hill i was able to get a picture from between 2 of the houses of some rooftops on this side of town, it just looked so pretty and colorful.
When I reached downtown, of course nothing but the florist/fruit stand was open so I decided to buy an apple and sit down in the park
along the Neckar and enjoy it. Then on the way back I smelled the Chinese Restaurant which was just opening it's doors for lunch so I decided to grab some take out for later, and I hate to say it but the guy here, in the middle of Germany, spoke English better then the guys running the Chinese restaurant back in the States!!! The food was pretty good too, except they put take out soup, in the same tin tray with cardboard cover containers as the regular food, and it leaked all over the inside of the bag, I wonder if he would be upset if next time I bring my own container for the soup?
Oh and if you are interested in seeing a little of what I see, or where I go, I have begun to map places I have found or places I would like to visit on a Google Map. I have also measured some distances on there and according to the distance tool Google provides I am exactly 3964.63 miles from my house at home when I am in my dorm here, not that it really matters. What does matter to me right now is that I am 1.11 miles from my school across town. This unfortunately does not take into account the hills that need to be climbed to reach the building at either end.

Sleep...Finally

2007-08-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Finally I got a full nights sleep last night - my first since I arrived here. I am not sure how I made it downtown and back yesterday on 3 hours sleep. I think I may take a bus to the oldtown today and walk around the market a bit. My ankle is bothering me toomuch to walk there today, it is about 2 miles each way. Once I get downtown it is not a problem it is basically flat around the riverfront area, but walking back to the housing up hill & then up the stairs is really killing my ankle. All the sidewalks slope down towards the street, most likly since cars park half on the sidewalk here. I am sure this is great for drainage when it rains, but it causes your feet to be on weird angles when you walk along them and I keep rolling my right ankle. I did snap some photos yesterday from the bridge when I was walking back home after checking out the cost of some prepaid cell phones.

Midnight Ping Pong

2007-08-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well actually more like 1am - it all started last night at about midnight when my computer decided it no longer liked the internet, although it was connecting with very good signal strength, none of my programs would connect. Everyone was out but one other student on the floor and hers was working so she decided to hep me see if I was missing something... After a few tries to get things going we decided to take a break and go for a walk, in the dark, around this giant old house that houses classrooms and dorms. First we walked around the outside then we decided to follow the various staircases to see where they lead and check out some of the classrooms. One of them is in this neat little room with wood paneled walls, it appears to have once been a wine cellar possibly. After a few trips up and down the various staircases I think we found 3 ways to the laundry room, and at about 1am we stumbled on a beat up old ping pong table in the basement and decided to play ping pong for a while. I learned something too...I am bad at ping pong. We got back to our floor about 2am and I am not sure what I did but somehow I got my web to work again and I headed to bed at 2:30am..for another sleepless night.

Allergies

2007-08-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I think I figured out why I have not been feeling well these past few days, there is a MASSIVE pine tree sitting outside in the courtyard right by my room, the shot to the left is a picture from the 2nd floor ladies washroom, It is very overcast outside so it is kind of hard to get a decent shot...and the washroom is the only place I was able to find that allowed me to see the top of it!! The shot to the right is from the same window looking straigh out into the courtyardyou can see just how big it really is!!
The trunk is at least 2 feet in diameter maybe 3, it is obviously quite old. So it maks me really glad I brought my allergy meds, and wishing I had more, because I don't think I ave enough to last me through this whole trip...Hopefully now that i figured it out I will start feeling better and I will be able to get some travelling in before I go home.

still jetlagged

2007-08-24T04:03:00.000-07:00

ok today is my 3rd day here I still cannot get my body adjusted to the time change - I went to bed at 11pm last night and woke up at 3 am and was up until 6am, then fell asleep again until 10 am. all day I am just exhausted, and although I constantly feel hungry I cant seem to eat more then 2 bites without feeling full. I really wanted to travel this weekend but I do not think that will happen with me feeling like this. I barely have the energy to get out of bed right now let alone drag myself down the 4 stories to the street and walk anywhere, then back up the stairs. today I did manage to drag myself to the food store and got some food, i am filling my tiny little fridge now a little at a time so I will have something more then bananas, corn flakes and turkey sandwiches. At first I found it odd that they only have refrigerators and no freezer, but after lugging groceries up the stairs a few times with only a days worth of food, I cannot imagine carrying a week or months worth up here at a time like I would do at home!!

A Birthday Party

2007-08-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I met several more people today and had a chance to get out of the dorm for a bit to help Alina (left) celebrate her birthday with Pimm's & Cake at the park along the Neckar. I had fun, but at the same time it was also sad for me, because most of the people I have met will be leaving on Saturday.
Classes at this school start every Monday with people staying from 2 weeks up to 1 year, and the students come from all over. Normally students arrive the day before thier classes start on saturday and leave on Saturday when their classes end. Because of misinformation I arrived about 2 weeks early so I will take some time to relax and maybe travel a bit before my classes start (once i get over this jetlag).
Most of the students here in the dorm speak English, some speak 3 or 4 languages. All of the students on this floor are here to study German at the language school, although a few admit to me that they have not used it outside of the school, because they have been able to use English in most places with ease. The park along the river is quiet nice, there were a lot of people out enjoying the sun in the late afternoon. There were children playing soccer, and dogs catching balls, even a few people with frisbees. Maybe this will be a good place to study outside of my closet-sized dorm room...

- For those who are not familiar with Pimm's it is sweet alcoholic beverage, served mixed with fruit & sprite (or lemonade as they call it here), after finishing your drink you can savor the flavor even longer wit the strawberries & bananas which by now are fully saturated with the drink.

Made it to Germany

2007-08-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone - I'm Here!! I made it to Germany. I will be posting some pictures soon (as soon as I unpack the camera) I arrived this morning at 7am and it is now about midnight here. I walked to down town today a little over a mile and found the school I will be attending it is nice, small compared to Stockton. My dorm room is in the 3rd/4th floor of a big old house on top of a steep hill, I lost count of the number of steps to get here - the room is nice but tiny, i think my one suitcase is bigger, but I wanted a single so I expected it to be small. I have met a few people staying here in the dorm, one was nice and showed me around and where the laundry was which is nice, but they are all leaving on Saturday when their summer course ends so I will be virtually lone here for a week, although they told me there are a few students staying for fall semester from summer. everyone on this floor attends the same school as me across town, and they are from all over Europe. I think i will go back to bed now and think about my mission for tomorrow - to buy a digital clock with an alarm - there are no clocks in this place!!!

1 Week

2007-08-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ok so i have now recieved all of the information i need regarding housing and such. My bags are pretty much packed with the exception of my meds which i cant get until the 15th because my insurance isn't valid until then.

2 weeks

2007-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Time is beginning to get closer, I leave in 2 weeks, and I am still having difficulty reaching the people regarding my housing. I have not recieved anything about housing even though it says i should recieve it several weeks before I arrive, and I need to contact the Airport shuttle service at least 1 week before I arrive, however I cannot contact them because I do not know where to have them take me!! just to make it better, my contact person in the US, is out of his office until the 14th...and the contact person in Germany has not returned an email I sent over a week ago - so I am sending another one - if i do not hear back soon I will have to wake up nice and early to call Germany since they are an hour ahead - this hurry up and wait thing is getting really old really fast...

Trip Prep

2007-07-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ok so all week i have been shopping buying the rest of the stuff i need - still don't now where i can get winter boots & sweaters in the middle of summer - oh and i found out this week i don't need to be there until 9/2 because the program is not starting until 9/3 but they are going to make arrangements for me to stay in the dorm for those extra 10 days for 15 Euro's a night - which is just fine with me - gives me hopefully some time to get some travelling in before classes start- and know i have a secure place to leave my stuff!!

I also made a list of what i need to take with me...and this list is getting pretty long - so if anyone has an idea on how to fit 3 seasons worth of clothes into 2 bags - let me know!!

tickets

2007-06-22T12:11:00.001-07:00

yayayayaya after talking to the coordinator for the program i found out check in date in germany is 8/22/07 - so i just reserved my airline tickets online - i managed to get a great deal on orbitz (under $800) - i leave here 8/21/07 and i arrive back home on 12/22/07 - now to start cellecting everything i need to go!!!

Preperations for 16 weeks in Germany

2007-06-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

This summer I am working on preparing for my trip to Germany. While I am there I will be taking 2 intensive language courses to learn German. This summer I am preparing to travel and gathering what I will need while I am there, as well as preparing my online stores to operate in my absence. I believe I will have internet access while there, according to the websites for the school I will be staying at there will be internet access in all rooms of the dorms. We will just have to wait and see!

In Zell

2005-07-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving in zell we each recieved coupons and a glass, it kind of looks like a large shot glass, but has a little leather pouch and string that hangs around your neck. if you take the glass to the town square (just off the boat) there is a table set up with wines, for each coupon they fill your glass with wine. they have 3 vinyards present each with a sweet or dry white wine. the wines were great, and it was fun to walk around town to the sound of this local band playing music. they even took some requests for the older couples who began to dance around the courtyard.

on a church just across from the square was a line of markings, each with a date, these lines represent the height of the water during various floods dating back more then 100 years.
most of the stores in town were closed, although there was a small wine store that was open where i purchased several bottles of wine. i found it neat that in the store they allow you to taste all of the wines before purchasing - try getting someone to let you sample thier wines in a store here and you're likley to get shot!!!!

Before leaving i was able to get this great shot of the sunset off the deck of the boat - the colors were just amazing!!!

The Black Cat

2005-07-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

After diner we are heading into Zell for a wine tasting, on the way to our destination the mayor of Zell, with several others come on board to tell us the story of how wine fromt eh region came to be called "black cat" and to illustrate their tale they brought along these adorable black cats.

Bernkastel

2005-07-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke up in bernkastel. we will spend about 2 hours here in town, many of the shops are just opening up when we arrive, and i spy on a side street a little shop I really want to shop in (he we would call it a new-age or hippie shop), but it is still closed. So i walked further into town and recognized a shop called SPAR with red writing & a green pinetree in a circle as a symbol, i recognized this name as a grocery store chain that I shopped at in south africa, so i walked around and waited for it to open. While waiting my mom and I decided to check out the bakery across the way, and i purchased a few small rolls then headed over the grocery store which was now open, so i could pick up a few water bottles. It did not take long after coming out of the store for other people from the cruise to approach me and ask where i got the bottles from, so i pointed out the store and headed back over to that first little shop i had spotted, and finally it was open. Since the cruise only allowed 1 cary on and 1 bag, i had to pack carefully and i did not get to pack any kind of tote bag or backpack that i could carry around, and this shop had the cutest messanger bag in the window i had to have!! for any of you who know me you may have seen me carrying it (it's black with purple buddah eyes on it) i also picked up some gifts for friends from this great little shop. so with my shopping done i headed back aboard the ship to take some photos from the deck before we head out to our next destination.

Organ Grinder

2005-07-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

While walking in Trier this morning I could not help but snap a picture of this man standing there playing his organ, with his little dog by his side. All the shops were closed for the most part, except a few restraunts, and some arts & crafts booths. I found it ironic to see this man with his old style organ, standing in front of the high end clothing stores.

Arrival on Amadeus Symphony

2005-07-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

We arrived about 10:30 am in Trier, and were allowed to place out bags onboard, however we were not alloud to stay onboard the ship, they were still cleaning it. Well with less then 2 hours sleep & a bad 7 hours flight, I was not in great shape (so you won't see any pictures of me)...but we headed into town, and found a nice little place to sit and have some lunch, a burger and fries. Then i wandered back down tot he waterfront, and took about an hour nap on a bench, indirect sunlgiht right by the boat, I am very lunch i did not fry like a lobster. After an hour laying in the sun i decided to move up the hill from the docks to the shade, finally i was able to find a bench in the shade that was empty where i slept for about 2 hours or so. Most of my friends have since told me i was crazy to sleep on a park bench in a foreign country on a sunday afternoon, but i was so tired i did not really care, and honestly, i think they would have done the same. So finally about 2:30 or so i wandered back down tot he boat to the lobby and asked what time it was, and how long it would be until we could get into our room, it was obvious i was very tired and not feeling well. the captain sent the receptionist to see if our room was ready and since it was he allowed me into my room, where i promptly passed out face down fully dressed on the first bed i saw, until i was called for dinner...

this shot is one of the several i took of the ship on our arrival in Trier, it was not huge, but it was too big to get it all in one shot from where i was standing.