Heidelberg

The very wonderful, extremely old and magnificent castle....

There were 350 steps leading up to the castle. No, we didn't count them, they were numbered. BUT, now I AM keeping track of steps....there's a theme here...more on that later. The views on the twists and turns going up were neat....

One of the several squares in the city.....with, of course, a statue and fountain. Everywhere, statues and fountains. The respect for art and the dignity (thanks, Sue, for that word) of the buildings is such a wonderful aesthetic....

A view down the street in Heidelberg. Twisty, turning streets with steeples punctuating the background....oh my....

The view overlooking the town from the castle (350 steps high!). As you can see, the king, the duke, the overlord or whoever, could keep good watch over his fiefdom. See that bridge...I know it's little in the photo...about half-way down on the right. Pooh! and drat! You can walk over that bridge. And I LOVE to walk over bridges. It's a great perspective of a place from a bridge. I didn't know you could walk over that bridge, so we didn't go there. Oh well, I guess, that means another visit to Heidelberg.

Just to let you know, I DID make the 2009 #2 Soup, Italian Sausage Soup II, aka Cupboard Cleanout Soup, last night. I can't tell you how much fun I had shopping for all the ingredients. There's an Italian stand in the central market and I'd practiced....drei hundert grams bitte....300 hundred grams please. Haha, the guy looked at me funny and sort of chuckled....actually, they sell those sausages by the number....1...2....3.... sausages....OF COURSE. This wasn't even a language blip, it was a common sense blip. Oh well. So I got actually 4 sausages....vier hundert grams...400 hundred grams of sausage. And of course, this isn't turkey sausage, oh no, there probably isn't even a single turkey sausage in all of Stuttgart....maybe in all of Europe. Oh well.

And then to the grocery store! Oh yes, I like this grocery store. It's kind of a game trying to figure out what's what. The pictures help. Some of the words are similar so that helps too. I found no chicken (hahnchen) boullion, but the gemuse (vegetable....oh a vegetable, thank God!) boullion would do. No red pepper flakes either but cayenne pepper would work.

That soup turned out really good (gut!) After I got home with my purchases, I remembered that our refrigerator is really tiny, under-the-counter tiny.....hmmm, leftovers are now out on the balcony. That works.

I AM actually trying to learn some German. I practice up for what I might need that day. I've learned the numbers up to 9. I swear, I just can't seem to remember 10. Or remember anything much really.

For example, I've learned and practiced....repeatedly!...how to say "excuse me". You use this if you bump into someone or if you need to get by. The word: Entschuldigung! Entschuldigung?!!....oh come on! Really now! By the time you get that word out, the person you bumped into has left the scene!

I was in the yarn store downtown yesterday and got stuck behind this woman. I tried, tried, tried to remember the word.......Anna was coaching me the other day.....the word starts like "insurance", ja (yes!)...but instead of inSURE it goes inSHOOL...oh heck, by the time I got to that part and before the "gong" part, yep, the woman had moved on. I could've just tapped her on the shoulder.

The other day someone bumped into me in Munich and said some foreign word.....neither "excuse me" nor "pardon" nor "entschuldigung". I don't know what she said....but I knew what she meant. So what did it matter?

When I checked out at the grocery store yesterday, the checkout lady let fly a whole torrent of German. Even though I opened my eyes really, really wide, I couldn't understand any better. I said to her, ho.... let me think this out now....OK...."ich spreichen nicht Deustch" (I don't speak any German at all even though I wish I did and if I was smarter I would learn it better but I'll keep trying and open my eyes wider hoping some will absorb by eye-osmosis). She understood exactly what I was trying to say! and said to me "It doesn't matter, no problem". Ho, whew.

Strassbourg and Munich....

Strasbourg, France......

Munich......

Guten morgen mes copines! (good morning....in german....my girlfriends....in french),

I hope you're all doing really well and have survived the Super Bowl....Go Steelers! That must've been a wild and wooly game. No, I couldn't stay up. OK, so Julia, was there leaping up and yelling of those "exciting" words going on at your house? I was imagining that sort of thing going on and getting quite a chuckle out of that memory.....you bet! Is everyone still slipping and sliding there in Lititz? Is Chris able to get down her driveway yet? and back up it again?

We've really had quite an exciting week. I have so many stories already.....there's a list in my little black book that's gone over several pages already. So many funny things too. You can get into a lot of trouble just using the very inexact language of pointing. Hoho.

But before I go into the more exotic and quirky details, I AM going to say, it's really really beautiful here! I'm putting photos up at the blog cause you can see the photos without having to open each one separately.

OK, BUT, I'm going to be serious here for a second and try to convey just how wonderfully lovely it is, everywhere that we've been. Europeans, at least to my eye, seem to take art very seriously and there are sculptures and fountains everywhere. And just the curve of the buildings down a narrow street is so neat. Everytime I turn around I could take a picture.

Last week we went to Bad Cannstatt and Beitigheim, suburb villages of Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Strassbourg, France, through the Black Forest (oh my God! those ski sjumps! What kind of person hurls themselves down those giantly steep pitched hills and then whizzes off the end of the ramp .....stories high above the bottom of the hill....good God!), Munich and then to Frankfurt to take Annie back to the airport. Whew! Whiz bang!

So I hope everyone is well out there. I'm off to market (hoho, doesn't that just sound just so cool?) to try to get ingredients for the #2 Soup in the 2009 Soup contest. I hope I can find the right kind of Sausage here in the Land of Sausages and I hope I can do some expert pointing and ....oh gosh! I don't know any "quantity" words.....or....or anything about metric measuring. Let's see.....grams per pound? Anyone know the conversion? Yikes! I guess, a sausage can be.....hmmmm....."yeah big"? Hand measure.....? Oh Lordy!, how do they do it here? Hahaha! Adventure at the Sausage Stand!

Hmmm.....I wonder if there's chicken bouillion....or broth? How do you say "chicken" in German? Will there be cans of diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic? Oh geez, maybe we'll go out to dinner tonight! Especially since we need to do laundry and it'll take lots of energy for THAT adventure. Steve took his dirty laundry to the center of town (which had the most understandable arrangement for washing clothes) in his suitcase! on the tram! the last time he did it....hahahahaha! but he got 'er done. Oh goodness.

Well, take care everyone, cheerio, gesundtite, ein bier bitte, Pat

Happenstance of Birth

I've never had any desire to go to Germany. Sure, I always wanted to go to France.....and England. And especially to Italy. But never to Germany. The stereotype that exsisted in my mind was of uptight, rule-oriented people. And there's the stain of World War Two and being responsible for the worst atrocities in the history of humanity. I think that's what really leaves a feeling of aversion towards Germany.

But since I've been here, I've only observed kindness and helpfulness....and never any snobbery towards someone who knows nothing. I actually feel sorry for the German people.....to have that stain, that permanent black mark of history to be living under always. It's just by happenstance of birth that anyone living here is actually here. Most of the people living in Germany now weren't around during WWII, or if they were, they were too young to be responsible.

The other day, Anna and I bought a "ride anywhere/anytime" pass for the tram....the Ubahn .....and rode all over the city. Just to see all parts of the city and to understand the public transportation. During that time, we witnessed a small set of kindness dramas that, I think, are important to note. A Muslim woman got on the tram with a stroller and a 4 year-old. A man got up from his seat so the Muslim mother could sit next to the stroller. The 4 year-old sat across the aisle until her mom asked her to move when an elderly lady got on and needed a place to sit. The elderly lady smiled and cooed at the groggy baby and smiled at his older sister. When the tram stopped and the Muslim woman and her family needed to get off, a different young man moved the elderly woman's wheeled-walker and then helped the woman get her stroller situated to go out the door.

None of these things is momentous, but in their own way show people helping each other when they need it. And with a graciousness that portrays an attitude of kindness and friendliness. I don't know what makes or allows people to participate in the kind of things that happened during WWII and I certainly think we need to be forever vigilant that it never happens again. But I think, for now, I'm going to try to get that piece of knowing about Germany out of my mind and concentrate on the goodness and beauty that's here now.

Oh how I Wish I Could Speak German!

I've taken many wonderful photos as you can well imagine. It's very beautiful. Everywhere I turn there's another picture. Twisty, turning streets, church steeples afar.

I really wish that I knew a least a smattering of German. I don't. And it seems way too hard to try....and I'll tell you why. It's a rule here that every word must have at least 4 syllables. There are only three words in the whole German language that are less than 3 syllables.....and they went to jail for it. I should learn those words, though. Of course, I exaggerate, of course.

I bought a box of tea the other day.....red bush tea! (I'm getting younger every day!) and there's a word on this tea....get ready now.....

"doppelkammerbeutel". Holy mackeral! My mouth can't even get around that when I'm looking at it.

But that's nothing. I saw this sign......

"Anderungsschneiderei".....yes, try to say that 5 times fast....or even once.

This was at a church......

"Stadtkirchengemeinde"......Ya, un-huh!

But this is the longest of all....well, so far....I'm on a hunt for the longest word out there, I'm sure it's there just waiting to trip up a poor foreigner's tongue.
This one is the 23! letter monster word, found just in a regular neighborhood, not even in a museum....

"Feuerwehraufstellflache"

So you see, what's the point of even trying. I think, actually, that there's a root word with adjectives and modifiers stuck on there. Where we might use 4 words, in German it's one long huge word.

I've included some photos of these words just to verify. I could send photos of beautiful sights, but oh well, another day.

Also, there's a photo of these kids at the tram stop. Oh man, they were cute! Imagine the little guy (in bulky snowsuit!) on the left end climbing face forward onto the seat with only 10" of space at the end of the bench, turning around and then un-sticking his leg out from under his other leg. Two minutes of concentrated effort. But he didn't fall. He did it. What persistance. He'll know all those German words in no time.....even the really big ones.

Madame Fortune's Adventures in France

Oh my, oh my, ooh lala! What a MARVELOUS time I had in France! Many appetites satisfied! Eating and drinking is one of the best things in my life and France is the place to enjoy it to the maximum. Here I am with the exciting "pastis". After a glass of this exotic drink, truly, it rather felt like the top of my head was lifting away from the bottom. Floaty, sort of. I liked it! But oh, the cheese! OH! Many kinds, many flavors, many textures, so delicious.

Here I am at the harbor....to the oh la!....Mediterranean.....amongst the sailboats. I'm a little out of focus here.....probably too much pastis the day before. It was a beautiful scene, however, even in my fuzzy state.

The chocolate crepe was very yummy, but maybe not quite so yummy as the nutella concoction....that was the very best! Of course the lunch crepe.....ham, egg and cheese crepe, eaten BEFORE the chocolate crepe was also fabulous. I actually started fearing that I would no longer fit into my Fortune Teller Booth if I remained in France much longer. I suppose one could dance away the food.....but that would require hours of dancing. OK, that would work!

Oh, mon Dieu! I have found my long lost Zoltar! Atop the mountain in Marseille at the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde he suddenly appeared. A brief ceremony was performed....I had to be on top because, you know, he is such a grand and large man. I cannot tell you how thrilling this moment was to me....and the Zoltar. We have been searching for each other for so long.

We celebrated a rapturous honeymoon in the trunk of Cecile's car as it went down the mountain that day. Ooh lala (again!). But no, I will divulge no details of that wonderful ride!

Best of luck.....well, it's either "in the car" or "not in the car".....to you all. And may all your travels be as delicious and romantic as my own.

Yours in Good Fortune, Madame Fortune of the Refrigerator

A Most Fabulous Trip!

The trip to Avignon for Cecile's......and Deb's .....50th birthday celebration was absolutely the most wonderful time. Sightseeing, eating, drinking wine, dancing, eating some more, drinking more wine, conversation, shopping. It was the BEST! I tried to limit this to the 10 best photos. Well, there are 15, I couldn't help it. The sights are very beautiful, but the people that welcomed us were even more so.





Shopping in Avignon....Cecile, Marcy and Deb carrying quite a few packages. Remember ladies, these things have to fit in the suitcases on the way back.....





A day to visit Anne. Her lovely kitchen and house, her wonderful cooking. Pastis! A pomegranate tree right outside her kitchen door. Dancing....there was even dancing. Please notice the BOOTS that Cecile and Anne have on....low-heeled, beautiful. The American Girls are coveting those boots!




A french meal lasts a couple of hours.....wine, appetizers, salad and bread, the main course, cheese and bread, deserts.....oh and wine. This day there were THREE deserts! Anne was such a friend to us.....showing us many places....feeding us a fabulous french meal.




Speaking of food.....ah, the bread......




Cecile astonished us with her parallel parking abilities. Notice....only 2 inches, at most!....on either end of that car. She did it, she really did! Amazing and impressive, Cecile!




The view overlooking Marseilles....to the Mediterranean....




Is this building beautiful or what?! Going to the Van Gogh exhibit....





The Three Musketeers at a sail boat harbor in Marseilles...



I have so many photos of beautiful places, which of course, are better in person. But the thing that I thought was the best about the trip was the people.....relatives and friends....that we met. I LOVED Cecile's party! So many people came to celebrate Cecile. Ruth, Cecile's friend from Chicago is there in the middle. There was such a warm feeling celebrating the adventurous and lovely person that is Cecile. Dancing! Champagne! Eating! (of course) Singing! Wine! Karioke! Laughing! So much FUN!





Nicole, Cecile's mom, was so good to us! And she was so much fun. And she cooked so much for us. I cannot imagine a warmer welcome. Nicole had been learning english for a couple of months; I had studied up on my rusty french....hahaha. Every morning we tried, at least we tried, to make sense of what each of us had to say. We did OK though it tired out my brain. With our dictionaries and with our hands we supplemented our limited vocabulary....we got quite a few laughs.





Oh Lola! Such a sweet friend. She loved having the Americans dropping little morsels for her. I suspect she's still getting little morsels even though we're gone.....





Cecile, Anne, Nicole and Christiane singing karioke. I don't know what the song is. When it was our turn to sing, we did "It's raining men!" It was lucky that we got help from Cecile and friends.





Cecile with Jean, her cousin, and his wife, Marie-France. They have the vinyard and beautiful old house where the party was held. This is a very lively couple!! So much exuberance!





I will have to say, there was never one moment, not one, where I wasn't having a wonderful time. Marie-France had just served us tea and we were having a great laugh over something....maybe about the other American who joined us....the small one.... there in Anne's hand.

"O" Happy Day!!

"O" Happy Day!!!

This morning really really early, when I was walking my sweet dog, every newspaper lying on every sidewalk and yard was inside it's plastic wrapper, folded in such a way that all you could see was the headline:

O B A M A

in huge 2" type. O what a sight! All these newspapers...some even lying on the sidewalks and yards that had McCain/Palin signs......haha! O what a wonderful thing!

I still can't express how excited and happy I am about the results of this election. Excited, happy, proud, inspired, relieved, hopeful. All of that. Watching the results come in, realizing that after all, O my!, this intelligent statesman of a man is actually going to win...it was thrilling. This man who appeals to our greater selves rather than our fears is going to be leading our country.

And the whole world is rejoicing with us!