The swine flu's latest victim: my sanity

The swine flu makes you do strange things in the grocery store.  You don't realize you are talking to yourself until you hear your own voice and notice that people are staring at you.

"Will one box of powdered milk be enough?  It only makes 3 quarts, after all.  That's less than a gallon.  How many bowls of cereal will that make?  I guess we could always water down the milk to make it last longer.  Maybe 2 boxes would be better.  But I can't buy TWO boxes, that's crazy.  one box is still within the bounds of sanity.  We always had a box of powdered milk in the house growing up--the emergency box.  It wasn't the emergency box-es, now was it?  Put the other box back."

"Ooooh, the 93% fat-free ground beef is on sale!  Hmmmmm, how many packages should I get?  At least two.  Okay, three.  Three is enough, right?  Maybe I'll get four--No, no, no, that's crazy.  Wait a minute, when the food is running out, you'll kick yourself for not buying that fourth package.  Put it in the cart.  Hey, and the big packages of boneless/skinless chicken breasts are a lot cheaper per ounce than the small packages!  Why didn't I ever notice that before?  Oh right, because I never needed to buy 6 chicken breasts at a time before now.  I'll throw one package in the cart.  Should I get two?  No, that's crazy.  Wait, not it's not--that's only 12 chicken breasts.  How many meals will that make?  I have no idea.  Put it in the cart."

"Seriously, Harris Teeter?  It's a random Wednesday night and you are completely out of Brach's jelly beans?  Seriously?"

"OMG--I have to fit this all in one cart.  I can't get a second cart--I am not a Duggar!!!!  Just a little rearranging, stick the peanut butter under the reusable bags--whew!  Thank goodness those mini cans of baby peas don't take up too much space."

London Eye

We've wanted to ride the Eye since the first day we saw it, a cold clear January day when I took the picture at left, because it is an amazing thing to behold, considering how it dominates the skyline of London. When our friend K came for a visit last month, we had a new impetus to finally go do it.

Tickets will set you back £17.00 per person, which is no small sum, but we all felt it was worth it, especially because the ride lasts 30 minutes. There was a long queue for tickets, but with so many cashiers working, the line moved very fast, and we waited less than 10 minutes to purchase them. The line to actually board the eye was also fairly quick, with another 10 or so minute wait.

I appreciate that they do not pack the cars full--there were probably 15 people max in our car, which meant we could walk around and view the city from all directions without too much crowding. There are also benches in the middle for those who would rather sit. Apparently you can rent cars for private parties, because the car directly ahead of ours had 5 people in birthday hats eating food & drink with waitstaff with them.

Can you make out the birthday hats in the car in front of us?

The views were really fantastic--I wish it hadn't been quite so overcast, but visibility was still very good (none of that pesky fog, just a few rain clouds).

Looking West: Westminster, Parliament, Big Ben. Looking East: Waterloo, City of London

M & K on the bench; M & me with Big Ben directly between us.

Crowd around a performing group; Car below us above the performing group.

I found myself taking more pictures of the Eye itself than of the views of London! Hehe. Oops. But it is just so unique that I couldn't help it.

Center of the Eye; the car behind us at the zenith of the ride

For more Eye pictures, go to our Picasa album.

Germany Trip Part 2

After visiting Ruttershausen, Kirchberg, and the Staufenberg Ruins, we took August and Hette back to their house, ate lunch (another delicious meal prepared by Dagmar), took a nap, and then the four of us drove to Marburg, which is about half an hour north of Lollar.

Marburg was largely spared during World War II, so the town retains the old world character. It is home to a large university, one of the oldest gothic cathedrals in Germany, as well as its famous castle, which dominates the skyline.

The walk up the hill wasn't too bad, although my calves were sore the next day! After exploring the grounds of the castle and admiring the view, we stopped at a cafe for coffee & hot chocolate before heading back to Lollar. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and we got a lot of exercise as well!

Old world charm; the main square & Rathaus

Castle; View of the steep walk up the hill!

Karlheinz & Dagmar admiring the view; Elisabethkirche below us

Karlheinz and I discovered that we have the exact same camera! What are the odds? That evening we went to dinner at a restaurant in an old mill where we met Stefan, Dagmar's younger son, and his girlfriend Pirkko. The food was delicious, and we had great conversation. The next morning, August and Hette came over to say goodbye, and Dagmar fixed us an amazing brunch before she and Karlheinz drove us to the train station to catch the train to the airport. It was such a short visit, but I'm very glad we were able to go. Dagmar and Karlheinz were such generous hosts, and our visit was a very enjoyable one.

Pirkko & Stef; Sunday brunch spread

August, Hette, me & M; Dagmar and me

For more pictures of our trip, visit our Picasa Album.

Germany Trip Part 1

From the moment we learned of the opportunity to go to London for 3 months, I was planning a side trip to Germany. I've been there twice before, once in 2000 when I studied abroad for the summer, and once in 2003 when I worked there for the summer. My mother's side of the family is German, with my great-great-great grandmother, Katharina, emigrating in 1858. Her sister remained in Germany, and though they never saw each other again, they corresponded for 40 years, and most of the letters remain. The descendants of both sisters have kept in contact ever since.

No one had made a trip back to Germany to visit those relatives until the early 1960s, when my great-grandfather, Wilfred, left his farm in Indiana, got on a plane for the first time in his life, and touched down in the land of his grandmother. He stayed with a married couple, August & Hette, and their young daughter Dagmar (who is a few years younger than my mother) for several weeks. I never knew Wilfred because he died just a few years after the trip, in 1965. The only members of my family to have visited since Wilfred are my aunt & uncle and myself.

I was excited to go back this time, not only to see my relatives again, but because M would be coming with me, and I would get to show him where the German part of my family comes from. We flew from Heathrow to Frankfurt and then took the train to Giessen, where Dagmar met us and drove us back to where she and her husband Karlheinz live, in Lollar.

That evening we ate a lovely meal at their home, and August & Hette, who live next door, came over and greeted us as well. We talked about the family history, which is actually contained in several books about the local area, as Karlheinz is explaining to M at right. There's even a picture of Katharina and her husband Georg in the book!

The following day we spent sight-seeing, travelling to Ruttershausen, Staufenberg, and Marburg. Our first stop was the tiny village of Ruttershausen, just a few miles from Lollar, where Katharina lived before going to the United States. The picture on the left is the very house that she lived in, amazingly.

August entertained us with many stories, including the tale of Katharina's journey. She traveled to the US all by herself, because Georg had gone over first. Unfortunately most of her possessions were stolen at the very beginning of her trip, and the rest were washed overboard in a storm during the 6-week voyage on the ship.

When she arrived in New York, she had little more than the clothes on her back and a few personal items she always kept with her. I cannot even imagine going through an experience like that! She then traveled by train to northeastern Indiana, where she and Georg settled, and where most of my mother's family still lives.

Ruttershausen; The Lahn River, which feeds into the Rhine

We then made our way to Kirchberg, just across the river Lahn from Ruttershausen, which is the old church that Katharina would have attended when she lived here. It was built over 500 years ago!

Kirchberg; the church interior

The colorful pulpit; The organ built in 1773; Crucifix at the altar

After dropping off the key to the church, we drove by a house on the same street and August mentioned that another cousin lived there. At that moment, the door to the house opened, and a woman came out, so we stopped to talk to her. She invited us in, and we couldn't refuse such hospitality. Her name is Kristal, and she is the same relation to me as August is. She and her husband are in their seventies, but they are still avid travelers--they are going to Dubai later this year! I was able to follow most of the conversation in German, and Dagmar & August translated the rest. They both speak very good English, as does Karlheinz.

Me and cousin Kristal; Dagmar pointing to the map of Ruttershausen

Next we drove a few miles to the Staufenberg castle & ruins. I believe the ruins are over 700 years old, and there is also a hotel/restaurant on the site. We climbed to the very top of the ruins and enjoyed a view of the surrounding countryside, even though it was gray and foggy.

Entrance to the Staufenberg hotel; the old castle ruins

Looking down from the top of the stairs; View of the surrounding village

This brought back memories of my last visit, when it was one of the hottest summers on record! Here's a blast from the past--one of the few pictures I have from that trip in digital format.

Me in 2003; Me in 2009 at the same spot

Next up--Marburg!

Free Wifi is Awesome!

I'm currently on the train from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh and taking advantage of their free wifi.  Sure, maybe it's a little slow, and maybe it cuts out every so often, but it's FREE.  And there are convenient outlets at every seat.

In 4 1/2 hours, we'll be in Scotland.  Yippee!