Life Unaccording to Plan

What is my destination?

2012-01-29T20:57:00.002Z

I wouldn't classify myself as a train enthusiast, but I am intrigued by trains and train stations. Perhaps it is the old images of romantic kisses on a train platform as two people seem absolutely swept up in each other's embrace, oblivious to the world around them while staving off their impending separation that captures my imagination. Perhaps it is that I love to people watch at train stations. I also love the hustle and bustle that seems to lack the subtext of apprehension that penetrates the energy of an airport. In addition to all those aspects that comprise the atmosphere of a train station, I love the idea of the big board that displays all the possible destinations for the trains at that particular station.
I need a board like this for my life.
Lately I've been feeling like I'm on the brink of something big where the train of events, so to speak, are leading up to something but I need someone to pull the switch and make sure I make it onto the right track.
I need a real life conductor for my life, a real life route planner, and a real life timetable. Instead, I just have me, my faith in the Lord and a lot of people who love me.
Yet recently I found myself sitting in a train station, pondering: what is my destination?
And I discovered this statue:

A train of events had led up to me being at St. Pancras train station at this particular time and at this particular place. I found this statue and I loved that his gaze was upwards.
Yes.
That is my destination.
Now the reality is that this is a statue of the English poet, Sir John Betjeman, of whom I know very little and I must rectify that straightaway. A little googling reveals he was instrumental in "saving" St. Pancras station from demolition.
And isn't this station just lovely?

So thank you, Sir John, for saving this lovely place. I know you are really just gazing at the marvelous building as you hold on to your hat. But forgive me if I choose to interpret your statue as someone gazing up at a train station destination board, pondering your life, looking UP and knowing that is your destination.
Now it is up to me to stay on track and get home, home to my Heavenly Father.

Forgive me if I admit that I really wouldn't mind a bit of this next time I find myself in a train station: Isn't it lovely?

*Sigh* Romance is certainly in the air.....

A gal with a plan.....

2012-01-15T22:47:00.001Z

My blog got a shout out today in Sunday School. I was just merely following along a great lesson on the Tree of Life from 1 Nephi in The Book of Mormon and the next thing I know I heard my name said as I was asked what the name of my blog was. Apparently my blog was being read by my Sunday School teacher.

I replied a bit sheepishly, "Life Unaccording to Plan." I made it this name because at that time in 2008 I felt just a bit adrift in my life. I was on the brink of an important change, and I felt that what I had envisioned and planned my life to be was not what it was turning out to be. I had been sure that I'd be doing the whole marriage and kids thing at that point. I had been sure I was going to have a house, a couch and a dog. I had been sure that everything was going to be just as I had envisioned for myself for ages.

Instead I was still a singleton packing up some of my stuff and putting the rest in my parent's basement and moving to Germany. Germany!!! At that point I was very far from what I thought my plan was....

By asking me what the name of my blog was today in Sunday School and by me having to say it aloud to the class, it got me thinking. Should I still be living my "life unaccording to plan?"

Yes.

But it now means to me that I've surrendered. I was fighting that I knew what is best. I knew what I was doing. Now don't tell anyone else as I'm letting you in on my little secret.... the truth is: I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm still very much living "life unaccording to plan" and by "plan," I meant my plan. I am not living according to my plan for myself. Instead, I am very much a product of Heavenly Father's plan for me.

So that is how I'm living "life unaccording to plan": it's just that my plan is thrown out the window and I'm finally not resisting. I'm finally understanding what it means in Proverbs 3: 5-6 to:

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

So I'll fumble along and strive to do what I'm supposed to be doing because I believe. I believe that everything will turn out the way it should. Somehow. I just need to do my part and that is my plan for now.

More of my hood...

2012-01-07T17:30:00.000Z

A mere "around-the-corner" from me location:

was featured this summer in the tabloids as THE Ange/Brad/kiddos clan decided to make MY hood as their home-away-from-Hollywood home and they had a day out to this place. I think they still live in the area, but since I work full time I haven't had a chance to find that out firsthand.

Prior to this brush with fame oh-so-close to me, I had wished to have a get-together/ birthday party here one day. Does that make me almost-famous if I go to the same place? I can't help but think that THE famous family was here every time I pass it. And I pass it all the time.

The Colonists invade the kitchen

2012-01-06T22:47:00.000Z

Whilst I was away on holiday in the Colonies, my refrigerator broke.

*sigh* It is hard to write in an accent.

Fortunately I did not have to bin too much (bin = where the rubbish goes) as I had been away. However it has been interesting coming up with meals to cook with what is in the "it-might-break-at-anytime-freezer" without needing to use any refrigerator items. Thanks to the landlord, a new fridge is coming on Friday. I suppose this story is not really a tragic one.

Yet today I was killing time in an electronics store and I perused new refrigerators and I loved this sign:

I guess "American refrigerators" are so special that they warrant a BIG sign and a separate area of the store. Who knew?!

Abba-solute consistency

2012-01-05T22:20:00.000Z

I happen to use London Waterloo Rail Station a lot. I also happen to love ABBA a lot.
Consequently every time I hear or see Waterloo, I hear their song in my head. Every. Single. Time.
I need an ABBA-vention.

Secret Passageways

2012-01-04T22:13:00.001Z

Around the corner from me is a pedestrian passageway that serves as a shortcut to get from one part of my road to another. There is a long bend in the road but the pedestrian passageway is a direct path that saves you from having to follow the curve. Makes sense, I hope?

I love this passageway because it is essentially an ivy laden alley behind wizened homes. Oh the stories the walls of this passageway could tell. I love to imagine that servants use to gossip back here whilst running errands. (Yes, I used "whilst" on purpose. I'm soooo British). Or perhaps lovers met back here clandestinely. I'll never know its true history and sadly, the walls bulge and heave a bit as though time weighs them down. My reality is that the present-day users of this passageway don't stop and gossip but instead listen to their iPods and perhaps just acknowledge one another with a nod. It is such a shame that this passageway cannot serve as portal for time travel instead.

Nobody puts Baby in the corner!

2012-01-03T20:30:00.001Z

According to the AA (the UK equivalent of AAA), 40,000 cars in the UK were expected to not start today after sitting over the holidays. This statistic was part of a story the BBC aired this morning.

I was one of those 40,000. Clearly my car was declaring that "Nobody puts Baby in the Corner." So I was lucky enough to be an hour late to work today as I had to wait for my flatmate's friend to jump start my car.

Now here is where the irony comes in:

1. I had recently jump started two other cars in the last few months, one of which was my new boss's car. It made having to call in late for work a bit easier.

2. Just yesterday my parents advised me that I should have checked on my car once I flew back to London, but my flatmate had assured me the car was fine so I let it be. I guess I was having too much fun walking on pretty bridges and dining out with a friend to follow my mom's advice. Oops.

But as I've learned from this experience, I have to ask: Why couldn't I be part of a statistic that was more like "40,000 people unexpectedly got an extra hour of sleep after the holidays" or "40,000 people found £10 in their coat pockets after the holidays?" No. I was part of the 40,000 who couldn't start their car. Definitely a time when I hated following the crowd.

Why I do it....

2012-01-02T20:18:00.001Z

So I know I moan a bit about not knowing why I keep leaving the US when my family is there, etc. but today I walked out the door of my flat and exactly seven minutes later I saw this:

When I see this sight I can get a bit teary because this is MY reality. I LIVE HERE! Isn't it adorable? I just want to bottle this all up and put it in my pocket. Since that is impossible, I will blog it instead.

I love this bridge because it reminds me of one of my favorite movies: Bridget Jones's Diary. In the movie, Bridget does these power walks across the bridges in London as you hear a voice over of her thoughts. I love walking across the various bridges in London and I can't help but do inner squeals because Bridget did that and now I do it. However, to cross more bridges in London, I have to cross the one pictured above first. It is my favorite bridge because it is my bridge. And I'm one with Bridget...

A few minutes later after my blissful walk across that bridge over the Thames, I got to see one of my dearest friends. We go way back. Waaaaay back. 24 years now and many cities, countries and even continents since we met in Arkansas and yet we are still friends. If you were a regular reader of this blog, Bekah made an appearance here and here and here in this blog. We were able to catch up tonight over dinner before she flies back to Tokyo. Yes, Tokyo. How cool is she?

I guess that is what a nomadic lifestyle can bring you: blissful walks across bridges and meet-ups with dear friends who live on the other side of the world. It was a long day flying back into London this morning and unpacking, etc. But these are some of the reasons I live like this: so I can walk across pretty bridges and have friends all around the world.

A bag lady

2012-01-01T17:36:00.005Z

Time to leave again. When I do my US trips, my return flight includes extra baggage. You probably have no idea the stress this causes. I keep weighing objects literally and figuratively. A pair of shoes or cookie mix? Whole wheat tortillas or a jacket? See? Life altering decisions must be made.

I can safely say that I've gotten good at knowing what 23kg/51 lbs feels like. I also appreciate that I get two free checked bags on this flight. Whew.

So I'm likely to turn up at your home without a plate of cookies, but I'll have new shoes and a new jacket. This time I'm choosing the clothes over the food. Take that New Year's Resolutions!

Since I've been gone....

2011-12-31T23:01:00.001Z

It is with a bit of trepidation that I dust off the blog and start this all up again. It seemed like blogging while I lived in Germany for those two years made sense. I was in a foreign country and I didn't speak the language. That alone is a recipe for juicy postings. I guess when I moved to London I felt it wasn't as exotic and perhaps less interesting to write about. I was also enamored by the city and my free time just disappeared. It seems like when you are out living life you don't have much time to blog about it.

This is my declaration of intentions:
I intend to chronicle the next chapter of my London-life AND try to include some flashbacks for the past 18 months as well. I recognize that Facebook eased me out of blogging, but Facebook is truly just for the moments whereas the blog can tell the story better. Besides, I have more blog books to get published, right?

Here is a quick rundown in my own "Timeline" (take that, Facebook) of what I've been up to since I last posted in July of 2010:

2010 highlights

Settling into London life and a new school
Falling in love with iPhones
Becoming a true commuter with an hour door to door by bus, train, and shuttle to get to/from work
Falling in love with my corner of London in the borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
Having a social life crisis that I somehow survived
Became increasingly busy in my church as though I were making up for lost time while I lived in Germany and couldn't really communicate with my ward members
Took many weekend excursions in the area such as Stonehenge, Windsor, Salisbury, Blenheim Palace, Oxford, the Cotswolds, etc.
Went to the Outer Banks, North Carolina for a family reunion that included Marc's family, Grandma and Grandpa Passey, Grandma Mallory and my parents.
Christmas back home

2011 highlights

Became even more busy at church with new callings
Work became even busier with new classes to teach
Met some interesting men that took a lot of my time and caused a few tears, but made me hopeful about the future despite the outcome of those relationships
Lots of theatre outings in London. Lots.
Sarah came to visit and we did London and Paris
Brussels and Bruges
Barcelona
Parents visited for two weeks and we toured England
Holland
Lake District
UK church history sights
Day trips to Winchester, Glastonbury, etc.
North Carolina to surprise mom
Berlin
Ireland
Katy and Maike visited me in London
France with the Worley's in an idyllic villa *bliss*
Russia
USA: Utah (Rachel's wedding) and California (BYU roommate reunion and to go to the LA temple for the first time)
Got my UK driver's license and bought a car
Spain
Liverpool
Berlin
and back home for the holidays.

I realize that very little about what I consider to be worth mentioning has to do with my work life. I guess this shows you how much I've changed since my "overworked lifestyle" when I was in the USA. Some of what I listed above will be featured in my "Flashback Fortnights" that I intend to document as I attempt to capture some of the key events of the time I missed while not blogging.

Nevertheless, I believe 2012 will be great. I feel like I'm on the brink of a young-life crisis though as I have absolutely no idea what the next chapter is for me yet. I admit to sometimes sneaking a peek at the end of a book to know what happens and so I wish I could do that with my life. Alas, I cannot. I don't know what I want to do post-London and I don't know when "post-London" is going to begin. However, I'm entering 2012 with hopes of more love, laughter, happiness and adventure.

Resolutions:

Get closer to that minus 100 I've been working on since March 2010
Explore more of London
Try to save some money. Might mean less exciting blog postings as I may not be jetting off to far flung places this year. Oh well. There are worse problems to have.
Slow down a bit and stop worrying about "what's next"
"Be still and watch the paint peel" (to quote Brother Bott)

And blog.... I will! I will!

Happy New Year and let's get 2012 started!

Off to London

2010-07-25T11:53:00.002+01:00

So three weeks at home with time to enjoy friends and family has just flown by and it is time to leave. Again. I have always wanted to live in the UK and one job fair later: here I am about to go live this dream. I've got a job there, a proper three year visa, and that is as close as one can to get to being "bona fide" to go live and work abroad.

Of course, I'm a jimble jamble of nerves and excitement. But I decided to do this, and I know this has to be loads easier than what it took to move to Germany. Goodness, I at least speak the language AND I know people there already. I went to Germany only knowing Rachel and my piddly amount of German I learned in that sorry excuse for a language institute that I went to prior to moving. Moving to the UK can't be as hard as moving to Germany, right? I hope so.

At the time of the job fair, I was reading The Alchemist and a few lines in the book stood out and I jotted them down. I believe they are perfect for this occasion as this "life unaccording to plan" begins a new chapter: "When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed." I think I know what is going to happen, but I know that I will encounter surprises and learn new things about myself I never knew.

So who knows what is going to happen next? But I hope for the best as I am living my dream. It is safe to say that this other quote from the book also captures this day for me: "It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."
And as I look back on all I've done in this life, I can safely say that this life has certainly been interesting. Thank goodness I'm a dreamer.

The Berlin Birthday....

2010-07-25T11:44:00.000+01:00

My birthday happened to be during the last week I was in Berlin. While some of my friends had already taken off for trips, it was fabulous to celebrate with my friends still in town.
On my birthday I had brunch at the Cafe Wintergarten im Literaturehaus. A lovely spot I had yet to visit, but I am so glad I did.
The brunch bunch: Rachel, Jane (my dept. head), Julia (English dept friend), Pamela (also moving to the UK to teach at a sister school of the one I'm headed to), and Pamela's friend who was in town visiting her.

On the day after my birthday, we had a divine raclette dinner experience. I love, love raclette so with the magic of Google, I found this raclette restaurant in Kreuzberg. My friends spoiled me with not only joining in the fun, but also with some lovely gifts too. Rachel gave me this great "Berlinerin" bag.
Karen and Jesse came for the cheesy fun. They are moving to Moscow to teach. Wow, huh?
Rachel and Susanne. I will always appreciate Susanne and all she and her family did for us. They are great "church friends" to have had in my life in Berlin.
Susanne made sure that I would not forget Berlin:
Rachel found this lovely birthday card featuring the wild boars of Kleinmachnow. Lovely.
The raclette feast included platters of veggies and meats to share:
We had two of these grills on the table. The top was for grilling the meat and then we placed the wedge of raclette cheese on a spike to slide it near the coals to melt it. YUM.
Traditionally raclette is a winter food, so everyone was a good sport to brave the heat (and the grills on the table) to enjoy the cheesy goodness.
Rachel demonstrates her mad raclette scraping skills to show that she is a natural.
Maike and Katy made sure that I would not be without cheesy goodness in the UK. They gave me a fabulous raclette grill for my birthday present. YAY! I already have one in the USA. Too bad plugs and electrical voltage make it challenging to just one the same one in all the places I'm hopping around to.
And that is how I combine cheesyness and birthday fun into one. YUMMMMMMMM........

The great market break-up

2010-07-25T11:26:00.002+01:00

I planned my departure date from Berlin to be on a Sunday, so I could go to MY market one more time on Saturday. Over the two Saturdays that preceded my departure from Berlin, I got to soak in some final fabulous market time and say good-bye to some of my peeps. I will miss this place more than any other in Berlin.
I love the sights, smells and just the bustle of this market each Saturday. I loved that it was right around the corner from our apartment. Such a great treasure to have nearby.
My "dip guy". We couldn't really communicate well, but his "kopinisti" dip is to die for. Plus he always gave me and my friends a free croissant with cheese for no reason. Definitely missing him!
My "Frau Kartoffel" I always bought potatoes from her. Usually she gave us a free onion too. I liked buying potatoes from her because I could buy one or two potatoes versus the sack loads in the grocery store.
And all the gorgeous flowers.....
The fresh fruit and vegetables for a great price too:
My hat lady's stand with Rachel popping out behind her one-of-a-kind hat. I had to go say good-bye to her. I think she felt a twinge of pain at learning of my departure since I was a regular customer ;-) She may worry about the success of her business without me around. Did I ever tell you that I've been to her apartment? Yep. I am thatclose to my hat lady.
I will never forget what it was like being "hatted" by her. Such a fun experience. And now my dad has two hats from her, Rachel has four (I think) and I have six plus many of my friends have been hatted by her too (including Katie H., Maike, Bekah, etc.)
My raclette bread & cheese guy. We never really communicated well but he always recognized me. I bet he was wondering why I wanted a picture. Little did he know this was my last visit.
I was a little teary for this last "raclette at the market" experience. I love this stuff. Way too much. It is probably better for me to go, actually, because it is certainly isn't normal to be in love with.... cheese.
So farewell, mein liebling. I will miss you so much. Since I referred to this market as my "boyfriend", it is only fitting to liken this all to a break-up and use the classic "it's not you, it's me." Rest assured that no other market in the world will compare to you, but what a great two years we had..... Auf Weidersehen!

A Time for Friends

2010-07-25T11:15:00.000+01:00

"Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes." -- Henry David Thoreau

I just wanted to post some little rembrances I have about the friends I made in Berlin. Such people make the experience worthwhile and I'm lucky to have had great people in my life.

Me, Rachel, Katy, Colleen, Erin and Maike take a Spring walk through the Tiergarten in April. We were so cooped up all winter that this hint at a Spring was the inspiration to get out and enjoy the park.

Love. Love. Love. flowers.

And my first biergarten trip of the season. Finally some sunshine to enjoy.

Maike was my buddy on a free brunch and boat ride trip I won. Despite being June, it was actually cold though!

Maike is trying to channel "Titanic" here just because we are on a boat. And that is why I love Maike.
Berlin certainly has some lovely parts to it.
A tapas outing night to say farewell to Katy (with Bronwen and Maike).
Jane (my dept. head) and I show off what a little plastic surgery could do for us.
I loved riding the 629 to school to see friends in the morning. I am perfectly positioned in my favorite seat...and then Bronwen comes to join the back of the bus crew.
This was my last day on the 629 with Rachel. Since we had been commuting buddies for 2 years, it was bittersweet. We travel an hour door to door to get to and from work, so tally up how many hours we spent together in the mornings. That makes my head hurt.
Last time I opened the gate to go into work. Tah-dah.
We had an all-school assembly on our last day of school. Some of my most entertaining Drama and English students here. Never a dull moment with these two around.
Many of my students got together for a last photo. Sniff. Sniff.
Love these ladies.
We had a staff farewell party and Bronwen showed me how to raise the roof. Woot! Woot!
Jane did my farewell speech and I was given a gift card for London theatre tickets. Very nice. It was also a chance to say good-bye to the great colleagues I had including Kirsten and Ramona from the German department.
Bittersweet to have our last photo of all four of us: Katy, me, Rachel and Maike. Katy is in Singapore now as I move to London. Rachel will stay in Berlin and Maike is off to do her student teaching in Berlin at a different school.
Jesse and his family moved to Berlin when I did. They have always been so helpful and fun to be with. At the end of every term, they opened their home to fun shin-digs. I will certainly miss this family.
Brent was a great Fine Arts Dept. chair and friend too.
Joost acts out how he "tagged me" in our staff Teacher Tag game. He carried a printer into my classroom. Sneaky. That is a long story though... so just accept this as a great memory for me.
Me, Darren and Katy catch up and say good-bye. Although with Darren's Scottish accent you are never really sure if you are correctly catching all that he is saying. That is what makes him fun.
Last night with Katy and we head out to Max & Moritz for dӧners.
On the S-bahn platform mere minutes before we say good-bye as she was leaving the next morning. Never a dull moment with Katy around. I certainly hope our paths cross again in the future.
And she is about to get off the train...sniff. sniff....
Rachel and Wendy get some Dolores one lovely Saturday afternoon. All three of us went to Egypt this past year together so it was nice to get to say good-bye to her.
What farewell tour to Berlin would be complete without a final visit to our Australian restaurant in the Sony Center right before we went to a Movie Mystery Night? Jane came with us and made for great company too.
I will miss the Asian Chicken Wrap with those yummy Aussie cut fries.
Cari, a new colleague from my new school, was in town and it was fun to see her and get to know her a bit. She was willing to brave the free walking tour in seriously sweltering heat.
We met up later in the day for my farwell to Mustafa's- a delectable dӧner stand in Kreuzberg. I love this food. Will miss it terribly.
Not really posh surroundings to eat it in, but a curb works in a pinch.
Farewell yummy dӧners (I prefer mine in a tortilla).
And before I knew it, I found myself standing at my bus stop waiting to go to the airport. Two years just flew by. Of course it was sad to actually leave, but I hope that London will be a great experience and that I make new friends there too. Am I crazy to be worried about making friends? Goodness, you'd think I was going back into junior high or something.

My version of a Berlin Bucket List

2010-07-25T10:42:00.001+01:00

My two years in Berlin was coming to an end and I had done very well to achieve most of my "sightseeing and experience goals" for the city.
Of course there were a few things left to conquer....
I really wanted to go on the U-Bahn Tunnel Tour. No matter that the tour was ALL in German. I invited our friends, the Fellows, and they were kind and patient enough to translate.

Oh yeah. We are that cool in our yellow hard hats sitting in an open U-Bahn car and traversing the tunnels of the Berlin subway system. That is how I roll on a Friday night.
I found the tour to be interesting yet overpriced. If it had been the part of town that I frequented and the stations that I was most familiar with, the tour would have been more engrossing. Instead, I loved that Susanne translated and I giggled at Rachel's sad attempts to stay awake as it neared midnight on our last day of work. Did you know that there are 170 stations in the Berlin U-Bahn system plus over 200 km of track. See? I learned something!
The graves for the Brothers Grimm at at cemetery near Yorkstrasse. Finding their graves had been on my to do list for over a year. It was actually a bit of a let down. I wanted more flair for the graves of the two who gave us so many famous stories.
I also found the grave for Bertolt Brecht in Berlin. I have to giggle at the memory of my IB Theatre students from the Class of 2008. We read The Caucasian Chalk Circle in the class. My fabulous students feigned an inability to remember the play's real name. The renamed it The Baby and the Witch. Sorry 'bout that Brecht.
I took Rachel to the Nordbanhof to see the exhibit on the ghost stations as well a the Berlin Wall memorial site. I am still transfixed by the idea of the Berlin Wall being up during my lifetime and yet Berlin is so different now.
Even in the two years that I lived in Berlin, this memorial site has changed and developed. Now there are displays to read to learn about the history of this part of the wall.
A memorial wall notes the people who died trying to cross the wall.
It is the only intact part of the wall that shows what the inner wall (East side) and the outer wall (West side) really looked like. Complete with the death strip in the middle.

A little jaunt to the Stasi Museum at their former headquarters. Until 1989 the whole building complex was secret. Again, 21 years later here is this little American popping in for a visit.
The museum is mostly the rooms kept in their original condition with many gadgets from their spying operations. Having been to the D.C. Spy Museum, it wasn't really all that shocking for me. But it is interesting to see all this stuff from the other perspective.
The whole museum is in German, so not very friendly to avid museum display readers. However, when no one was looking we played with the phones!
Another day. Another "cheery" cause for an outing in Berlin. This time to Hohenschӧnhausen. An East German Stasi Prison. The prison was a remand center where prisoners were held for interrogation for up to three years before being sent to other prisons. This prison was used for political prisoners (or basically anyone who opposed the Party, aka The State).
Twice a week the prison offers tours in English. If you go on a German tour, you are likely to have the tour guided by a former prisoner here. My tour guide's father was imprisoned at the age of 15 in a similar prison because he had tried to escape from East Germany. His escape attempt made him an enemy of the state.
Despite the cruel conditions, in the center of the prison is this rose garden. Prisoners, unfortunately, never saw this rose garden. Just the guards. All the windows in the prison cells only let light in with special glass to prevent seeing the outside.
Prisoners were collected in a van like this, but it was often disguised as a fruit or fish delivery truck. It would be changed weekly. Within the truck, the prisoners were isolated and kept in the dark. Often they were driven around for hours to disorient the prisoners. They had no idea where they were going or that the prison was even in Berlin. No one knew about the prison. Only the prison guards. Once prisoners were there, they didn't know where exactly there was.
There were three types of cells used. One was the "submarine". They were cells for 12 people with no windows. 1 bucket. 1 wooden bed. No pillows. No blankets. No one was allowed to lay down on the bed or ground during the day. To make conditions worse, men and women were mixed in these cells and people were grouped together to agitate them and make them fight.
I also saw rooms used for Chinese water torture and rooms where prisoners were stripped down and doused in water and left to freeze.
Such conditions were meant to break down the prisoner for interrogation. In 1953, after Stalin's death, physical torture was deemed illegal. At this time, the Stasi moved to psychological torture. Lovely.

Some prisoners were kept in the "new" prison cells like the one below. Out these windows, you can tell if it is day or night but that is all. There is one light in the room but both the light and room temperature were controlled by the guards. If you are trying to wear people down, just make it really cold or really hot and keep turning the lights off and on. You were only allowed to lay down at night and you had to sleep with your arms straight out in front of you on top of the blanket. Guards checked often. They yelled at you if you were not perfectly positioned. It was another way to break the prisoners through sleep deprivation. Prisoners could "talk" by knocking the alphabet on the walls but everything was designed so that the prisoners could not see each other. Even moving through the hallways was controlled by a series of "traffic lights" to ensure that no one "bumped into" another prison.
So what is worse? A cell with 12 people or a cell all by yourself?
I couldn't help but think about two of the books I taught recently: 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale. I found the prison cell Room 101 while I was there. When my tour guide talked about prisoners being left alone in their cells with nothing to do but think, I thought about Offred in The Handmaid's Tale.
The purpose of such imprisonment tactics was to wear down the prisoners for interrogation. This was one of the MANY interrogation rooms. Actually there were more interrogation rooms than prison cells. Note that you can actually see out these windows. It was also one of the only places a prisoner heard his or her name as they were only called by number at other times. They also padded the doors to muffle the sounds.Interrogation lasted for hours and could be months apart so you longed for an interrogation just to talk to someone. Cheery, eh?
The only bit of outdoors for the prisoner: the Tiger cage. You had 30 minutes in one of these. You had to keep moving the whole time and you could not sit or lean against the wall. Guards kept watch above.

I marveled that so much effort went into suppressing the people. I also couldn't help but be grateful for the freedom of speech. In East Germany, if you were different or thought differently = you went to prison.

Of course, the tour guide did not fail to mention that this type of activity is still taking place in the world with a not so subtle reference to Guantanamo Bay along with North Korea and China.

But to think that this part of life in East Germany was just over 20 years ago. Again, my lifetime.
I asked the guide when this prison closed. She said December 1989. It was a month after the wall fell. The prisoners were just simply let go. They had no idea that the Berlin Wall had fallen in November. It was a fascinating and scary time period, but I am grateful that I could see and learn from these types of places now.

Okay. Let's stop with all the serious business. Berlin is full of serious, sad stories. Fortunately with all that dark history, there is a bustling and changing city now.

I just like this image of the Fernsehturm and the sky.
Other little excursions to check off my to do list: A Sunday afternoon bike ride through Berlin. I wanted to see Viktoria Park and its waterfall. A lovely little spot in Kreuzberg.
The same bike ride also took me to Templehof, an iconic Pre-WWII airport used by the Nazi's and later as the base for the Berlin Airlift. This is a monument to the 39 British and 31 American pilots who died during the airlift that lasted 11 months in an effort to sustain the over 2 million West Berliners whose access to food and supplies were cut off by Stalin.
Now Templehof Airport sits closed with plans underway to develop the space. I think an arts center may be part of its redevelopment plans.
In the meantime, the runways are open as a public park. Rachel and I just had to ride our bikes there. How many people can say they've ridden their bikes on a runway? And a famous one at that?
Such a novel experience! It was really fun with wide open spaces to ride. It would be the perfect place to take a kid to learn to ride a bike. The only drawback of this place, and it is understandable why it is this way, is that there are no trees so it is quite hot with all the asphalt. Of course, you don't really want trees on a runway... so I forgive them.
Again, just crazy to ride around a former airport! I think they were setting up for an event while we were there, but there is a biergarten there (of course), a BBQ area and places to observe wildlife.
Another day....another bike ride. This time Rachel and I played tourist in Berlin with our friend Kate who was visiting from Saudi Arabia. We all went on a Fat Tire Bike tour about the Third Reich in Berlin. Again, I know how to have a few laughs in Berlin, huh?
Our first stop was a place I didn't know about for an event I didn't know about: The Rosenstrasse Rebellion. I was unaware that Jewish men were not taken to a camp if they were married to a German non-Jewish woman. The Nazi's believed that the Jewish race passed through the mother. Until 1943, these men were left alone. One day they were imprisoned and it was their German non-Jewish wives who protested against the Nazi's and the men were ultimately freed. This is a memorial to this event and the women who stood up for their men.
The text on the monument reads: The strength of civil disobedience, the vigor of love overcomes the violence of dictatorship; Give us our men back; Women were standing here, defeating death; Jewish men were free.
The New Synagogue in Berlin was saved from total destruction during the war, but still needed massive rebuilding to make it look as amazing as it does today. A friend told me that every synagogue has German police standing guard outside. All the time. Interesting.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Still thought provoking for me as it is really unlike any other Holocaust memorial I've seen. Really. I feel like I've seen all kinds of memorials, but this one (although it is only for the Jews killed) is quite moving in its abstraction.
The Reichstag. Eventually my bike tour started to feel like a farewell tour for me as I zipped around the city.
I had seen this from buses, but I had never gotten close to it. The Anhalter Bahnhof. It used to be the main train station in Berlin. Obviously destroyed now, but I appreciate that a part of it still stands. Can't help but think of how it represents all the death and destruction that war causes.
My fearless bike crew: Me, Rachel and Kate. And we had a gorgeous day too.
A little stop at a biergarten for some hearty lunch never hurt anyone, right?
Auf Weidersehen, Berlin!

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL

2010-07-22T21:32:00.003+01:00

June-July 2010

I was swept up in the World Cup fun. Living in Germany will do that to you. Prior to life in Europe, I had really only watched my brothers play soccer. When they were in elementary school. Maybe junior high too. It is safe to say that I was no real fan of soccer.

I wouldn't say that I'm now a die hard soccer fan, but I would say that I am now an appreciator of the sport. It is fun to watch!

So I went to Germany's matches and tried to capture the spirit of the event:
Maike helped me get ready. The German flag boa is ALL mine though. However, I bequeathed it to Rachel. I didn't see a real need for that boa in the UK.
Maike helped me get dolled up at the biergarten where we were attending a public viewing of the game.
Maike was definitely in the spirit of the day! Once she got us ready, she moved on to helping strangers. One lady was so shocked that a group of Americans would come with Maike to watch the game and sport German flags in the meantime. She said she never knew something like that was possible.

Katy was in total World Cup mode too.
Germany was playing Australia that night. The night before USA had played England. Jesse, in the Australian colors, had to root for the losing team that night after some of our Australian friends cheered for the USA. It was only fair. Too bad Australian lost. Lost hard too.
Another day. Another game. Germany played (and lost) and the next game that day was the USA. I split my allegiances in my face decorating skills.
Rachel and I saw each other as we were both about to walk out of the apartment to head to work. We had dressed alike. I guess going to a USA game after school will cause us both to wear white shirts, jeans, and red shoes. Scary.
Forever more I will remember the summer I lived in Berlin during the World Cup. You stroll down a street and pass the restaurants and bars that are all overflowing with people glued to the TV watching the World Cup. You know how Germany is doing based on the the cheers that literally erupt throughout the city followed by fireworks. Crazy.
When I told my dad about all the soccer I had been watching, he quickly reminded me that he guesses I have now watched more soccer than I had ever watched of football. He seemed a little saddened by this realization. He added that it is "as though I have switched religions."

My new-found appreciation for soccer is not necessarily understood by my family. Guess life abroad changes you in the most unexpected ways!

Rachel pointed out this SATC2 ad to me. I doubt this would have been used in the USA as a soccer ball just doesn't quite have the same iconic power back home.
The third Germany game I watched was with friends at Mar y Sol, a tapas restaurant in Savingyplatz.

When I got home, I jotted the following down:

It was a gorgeous evening tonight. Walked up the Ku-Damm to meet with friends for tapas at Mar y Sol in Savingyplatz. Perfect summer evening with sunset at 10pm.

I loved those tapas, perhaps it is because I've finally worked out what to order. I watched the Germany vs. Ghana World Cup game. I just adored sitting in Europe in a outdoor cafe watching the game with my girlfriends while eating tapas and taking in the outdoors.

I thought "I LIVE IN EUROPE! "

After Germany won the match, I walked home down the Ku-Damm. All the buses weren't running because they couldn't get down the street with all the crazies running around. The city was noisy with the chorus of car horns, singing, whistles, horns, etc. coming from every direction. People shot off fireworks in the streets. IT WAS NUTS. A very stable rule-oriented society gets a free pass to go crazy after a World Cup win.

I never thought that I would enjoy the World Cup frenzy as much as I did. I guess I am lucky that I got to experience it from Germany!
What an experience. What a life I get to lead?! To think this Berlin time was just two years, but what full memories and experiences I've had!

A Meet-up in Munich

2010-07-22T17:48:00.002+01:00

5-6 June 2010

I lived in the north. North Germany. Berlin to be exact. Far from the "cute Germany" many of you conjure up in your heads when you think about Germany. I had only seen this type of clothing when it was International Day at school:
I really had no idea that people wore this for real...in the South. Just as the northern US is quite different in culture than the southern US, it is the same thing in Germany. I wouldn't say one region is better than the others (although it is said that Bavarians in southern Germany staunchly believe that their part of Germany is the best). However, I'm glad I went to visit Munich but I was grateful that I got to live in Berlin for two years. I don't know if I could take seeing these outfits on a normal basis.

My reason for a trip to Munich? To visit Bekah, longtime friend since I was 8 and living on the AFB in Arkansas. She went to Munich while I went to Berlin. In two years, I hadn't been to Munich to see her (it wasn't as though I hadn't tried though).

Of course, once I set eyes on Germans wearing dirndls and lederhosen...in public...for no reason other than that was normal...I had to have my own drindl. YAY for shopping!
This would be the one I bought. Of course, I brought it back to Berlin and had absolutely no reason to wear it. Will I ever wear it? I hope so! Bring on The Sound of Music sing-a-longs, please. Otherwise this will be my most expensive dressing room photo op ever. Sniff. Sniff.
Bekah owns two Drindls. She was headed to a work party in hers. So adorable.
So Munich is actually more than beer and traditional Bavarian clothing.... while Berlin has its bears, Munich does the lion dotting its streets.
Munich has what Berlin does not: a pedestrian zone in the heart of the city. Berlin doesn't really have a heart/ one central area since after WWII, it was divided in half. So a trip to Munich definitely involves a stroll through Marienplatz.
To see Munich, I joined a bike tour. I love these bike rides across Europe and I'm definitely hooked and ready to do more.
Of course, Munich, like so many of Europe's cities offer grand churches to visit. This one provided a cool escape on this warm June day.
All three of us (Bekah was a good sport to play tourist with us) enjoyed the parks in Munich too.
We lunched at the Englisher Garten (the Central Park of Munich) with its Chinese Tower biergarten. Go figure, Munich, way to have an English garten designed by an American with a Chinese Tower. Contradictions?
I adore biergartens. I would love them more if I drank beer. But I like the laid back, chill out atmosphere.
I also love the bretzels and the apfelshorle.
Right by Bekah's apartment: Isartor. It is one of the medieval gates of the city.
People surf in Munich. Yes, the city is nowhere near a beach. But they make the river work for them. Impressive. Strange.
When you are in Germany, of course you get Tex-Mex to eat. Hey, we've lived in Germany for two years. We are welcome to indulge our need for chips and guacamole.
Nymphenburg Palace. I just can't get enough of palaces I suppose....
This one's claim to fame is that this is where "Mad King" Ludwig (the one who built the Disney castles was born). His grandpa built had the palace built as a gift to his grandma for having a boy (Ludwig's father).
Gasp. This Great Hall (also a dining room) is fabulously Rococo. It is the same decorator who did the Wieskirche so naturally I was happy since I adore that church.

So in Copenhagen, the King put in a mirrored floor to look up skirts but a few hundred years later in Munich the Bavarian King had a Who's Who of his favorite ladies room. 36 portraits of his beauties are hung in this room. Yes, his wife has a portrait but it is the same size as the others and is by no means hung in a prominent place. Cheeky King.
In this room Mad King Ludwig was born. Note the mirror to the right of the bed. This was so the court could witness the birth. Fun.
Of course what palace grounds would be complete if there wasn't a getaway. No matter that this palace is already a summer getaway from Munich. I like this "simple" life Hall-of-Mirrors-esque room in the royal getaway/ hunting lodge.
Lovely gardens to stroll through.
And another getaway on the palace grounds... it is the Pagodenburg a royal teahouse.
And this is Mad King Ludwig's sweet ride.... he had this made for his marriage. Um, he was never married. Thanks anyway, though.
And a last lunch in Munich. Bekah is moving to Japan. I am moving to England. For Rachel and me, it was our last trip together from Berlin. Sniff. Sniff. I hope to see all of them again soon.
And we are off. Rachel managed to fly to/from Berlin without a passport. Apparently you can get on a plane in Germany without showing ID. Hmmm.
But all in all, going to Munich was a great trip! Besides, who doesn't like standing by a Gute Fahrt sign? Love that use of Fahrt, silly Germans. ;-)

Perfectly Paris....

2010-07-22T15:11:00.002+01:00

22-24 May 2010

Living two years in Europe and I hadn't spent time in Paris? I know my stint to Disneyland Paris didn't count. So how is it possible that I hadn't played tourist in Paris? I suppose it is possible since I had been to Paris twice before. Rachel, however, had not. I had to change that. So off to Paris we went for a fun weekend in May.

We went with a goal. My go-to travel guide and advisor, Rick Steves, had issued a challenge through his Facebook page. He was promoting his podcasts and audio guides all available on iTunes. He wanted pictures of people listening to their iPods in front of iconic landmarks. Oh yes, Rick! I can do that. The best picture would be used in all of his 2011 guidebooks. Game on, Rick!

I had already downloaded his podcasts onto my iPod with the intention to use his audio guides in Paris so this was a perfect photo op.

First up: a self-guided walk using Rick's audio guide. We had a photo op in front of the Notre Dame. We both wanted to be in the photos so luckily the PTS (photo stick thingy) made it possible. I'm holding the camera in this shot. Magic.

After a nasty winter in Berlin and an uninspiring gray spring too, the blue skies and warmth in Paris was much needed. One day we picked up lunch to just enjoy this park.
Sainte-Chapelle. Despite visiting Paris twice before (albeit both times were rather quick trips), I had not seen this lovely church myself.
The stained glass windows are worth the wait to get in.
Rick recommended placing the camera on the ground to capture the ceiling. Great tip, Rick.
Also visited the Conciergerie. It was a prison that is famous for housing Marie Antoinette before her trip to the guillotine. This is a recreation of her cell.
I wandered a bit and found this little square to be so very...Paris. I think it is place Dauphine.
Just a glorious, sunny day in Paris. I felt spoiled rotten to just take a weekend getaway trip to Paris! Definitely intend to go back more often.
An evening trip to Montemartre with a visit to the Sacré-Cœur. Completed in 1914 but it seems much older, doesn't it?
Such a striking building especially against a perfectly blue sky.
And it still charms as the sun sets.
Rachel wanted to go to Versailles. I had a "been there, done that" attitude about the place. Yes, it is grand but it is SO crowded! I figured if there was a way to "do Versailles" in a novel way, I'd be happy to go again. We found Fat Tire Bikes tours with a day trip to Versailles. Perfect.
We picked up our bikes in Paris and met the bike group. Then we biked to the train station in Paris and had an interesting adventure trying to get our bikes onto a VERY crowded train. In fact, we failed. We had to wait for the next train. No matter. Once we got to the town of Versailles, we biked to the market and picked up food and goodies for a picnic lunch.
Love these French flowers.
A perk of biking Versailles is that it opens up the 2,000 acres on the palace grounds for sightseeing. No way I would have seen all that I got to see had I been on foot.

This is Marie Antoinette's Estate. You know, when it all gets too much for you in Versailles, you can go to your getaway estate on the same grounds as your Paris getaway palace.
I was on such a tourist high. I couldn't believe I got to do this! I had such a great time and it was all so lovely too. I kept thinking, "I live in Europe! I get to go to Paris for the weekend! I'm riding a bike at Versailles!"

Our picnic lunch involved cheese, bread, fruit. YUM. Note to self: next time I picnic at Versailles I need to "eat cake." Silly me for missing that opportunity.
The Grand Trianon Palace. It is really just a glorified dining room and housed many visitors.
Gorgeous gardens and palace grounds. Oh thank you bike ride for making it possible to see so much of it and another perfectly sunny day in Paris. I am spoiled.
Finally, we get to Versailles which is considered to be one of the loveliest palaces in the world. Hence the crazy crowds.
Walking up to the palace feels like I am entering a city. Or Disney. There is a lot of hustle and bustle and the expansive buildings overwhelm as well. I try to imagine what it must have been like "back in the day." Alas, I know I would have been a peasant and so I put those thoughts to rest. I never would have seen this place back in the day. Unless I was there to feed goats or something completely unglamorous.
The Hall of Mirrors. I'm sure Louis XIV is thrilled to have tourists tromping through his home and taking pictures.
When I was here a few years ago, this room was being restored. It was nice to see it in its entirety.
After the pleasures of a bike ride in Versailles, it was Eiffel Tower time. Did you know that they search your bags before you get close to the tower? They take the lids off your water bottles. How rude!
But despite being lid-less, it was absolutely lovely to be on the Eiffel Tower at sun set. Oh I felt so totally single that day. You know...Paris. Sun set. And while Rachel is great as a roommate, she isn't exactly who I imagined to share an Eiffel Tower experience with. Thanks for trying, Rachel.
The Sacré-Cœur is on the horizon. Awwwww.....
Paris sparkles at sun set.
The line to go up the Eiffel Tower snakes around below.
Tah-dah!
Trocadero and the sun. Perfect. The bridge below was lined with emergency vehicles and armed guards. No idea why. Probably better not to know.
Thanks Rachel for dangling off the bridge to get this picture. Just a perfect day and now the Eiffel Tower during the magic hour. Just lovely.

I squealed when it started to sparkle. Magic.
Last day in Paris and a trip to the Lourve is in store with Rick's audio guide. But first an iPod photo shoot.
And this is the shot Rick chose for his books! So we will be in every one of the 2011 Rick Steves guidebooks. I AM SO EXCITED!
And yes, his audio guide to the Lourve was great! I was able to forget about the zillion people there and just focus on the treasures of the museum.
Oh winged Victory.... I see you with my own eyes. Another moment of tourist bliss.
Mona Lisa sighting? The anti-bliss moment for a tourist. Look at the zoo in this room! The painting behind that glass panel is the Mona Lisa. Yeah. I had seen it before and I was still underwhelmed.
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss brought me back to tourist bliss.
Of course what perfectly Paris experience would be complete if we didn't have some ice cream too!
Too bad I had to go back to real life after this pleasant weekend getaway to Paris. But the goal was accomplished: I am part of Rick's books next year!

Leaving my mark in Denmark

2010-07-21T23:47:00.003+01:00

13-16 May 2010

Last year I hit Norway and Sweden so this year it was time to hit Denmark. A long weekend getaway to Copenhagen was needed so I could see the sights and add another country to my "been there, done that" in Europe list.
Denmark and Hans Christian Andersen go together in my head. Clearly the Danes appreciate the connection too. A large statue to our fairy tale creator is next to the town hall.
From fairy tales to goblins (or whatever that is). Copenhagen has plenty of statues to inspire a photo shoot or two.
Rachel and I followed Rick Steves' self-guided walk through the city. I was so excited to find this church: the Cathedral of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirche). The outside looks like a Greek temple meets town hall. Odd.
Inside the church the 12 apostles lead you to the statue of the Risen Christ. In this style of building you expect to see Greek Gods leading you to Zeus. Not here.
Many of you will recognize this statue by Bertel Thorvaldsen. Christ is wearing his burial shroud and while His hands are open saying, "Come to me." Since a replica of this statute is in the Visitor's Center at the SLC temple grounds, it was lovely to see the original with this golden background.
Smørrebrød. Danes have a 300 year old tradition of open-face sandwiches. Not one to miss out on Danish cuisine, I had to try it. Rachel and I split this assortment of sandwiches. Not too bad, but you get fish like it or not.
Off to Rosenborg Castle and Treasury. Christian IV lived here... he was quite the historical character.
I can't say that the artist tried hard to make these people look good. Seriously scary faces here.
And why is this man/woman with this dog?
The king installed a floor with mirrors to see up the ladies dresses. Lovely man, Mr. King Christian IV.
The Danes certainly had bling though.
Despite the marvelous treasures inside the castle, I just marveled at the Renaissance exterior and the gardens of the castle too.

And another statue of Hans Christian Andersen....
A true Tah-Dah moment in the park....

At the National Museum. I couldn't resist tooting my own lur horn about this great museum!
Contemplating the Dagmar Cross which was the prototype for the type of crucifixes many Danes wear (according to the museum info).
The Danes aren't on the Euro...so I present to you the Danish Kroner.
Maybe I should not be allowed out in public...or just not allowed in Wagamama's. Who knew Copenhagen had a Wagamama's? And it was right next to the hotel too (and in Tivoli Gardens as well).
A side trip to go to Hamlet's castle (Elsinore) at Kronberg Castle in Helsingør. It was foggy and completely immersed in atmosphere.
Shakespeare used this castle as the setting for Hamlet, but Hamlet is a fictional character. He is commemorated with this plaque inside the castle walls perhaps because he brought fame (and tourist money) to the castle.
Holger Danske, a mythical Viking hero, has a statute in the castle basement. If Denmark is in trouble, Holger will wake up and restore peace to the land according to legend.
Nothing like pretending to be a guard to add some pizazz to your castle experience.
I see Sweden over yonder past that fog. Really.
Inside the castle grounds. In this courtyard, a production of Hamlet is performed every year by theatre troupes from around the world.

Forever more I will picture this castle when I read/teach Hamlet.
In the evening, Rachel and I met James and Susanne Fellows from our ward in Berlin for an outing to Tivoli Gardens. Built in 1843, it is apparently the world's second oldest amusement park and was an inspiration to Walt Disney as he designed Disneyland.
I loved the flowers in the park. Of course, you pay an admission price to get in and you pay per ride... so as you tip toe through the tulips try to not think about how much the whole experience is costing you. And yes, it is mid-May and it was cold.
The Little Mermaid statue was really out on loan to Shanghai, but the artist's personal copy was loaned to Tivoli Gardens. I liked the statue's setting next to this ship. Nice job, Tivoli.
Rachel and I each picked a ride to go on. She picked this monster. It is the world's tallest carousel called the Himmelskibet. Oh my goodness it was so high. I was scared. I admit it. You sit on a swing and up you go about 1/2 mile up into the air. It felt just a little too high and a little too swingy for my liking. But the views were impressive.
So while Rachel picked the death swing, I picked a sweet little ride through the stories of Hans Christian Andersen. It was like It's a Small World through fairy tales. Very cute and very safe.
Did I mention I loved the flowers at Tivoli?
The best part about the park is when the sun sets. It was so charming as the lights come up and the sun goes down. It felt like a different place. I recommend going to Tivoli (but bring money. It is pricey!). Plus they have a Cold Stone Creamery there.
What visit to a Scandinavian country would be complete without a look at the City Hall? I went on a tour and took in a lot of Danish symbolism.

I saw a number of weddings going here this day. It is a very popular place to get married since they are a more secular society.
Despite the cold and drizzle, Copenhagen is a lovely city to visit. I left with a number of sights still on my to do list!

At least I made a Viking friend before I left! I need to get back there to see him again.

Stay-cation in Berlin.....

2010-07-21T21:00:00.001+01:00

February 2010.

Somehow a whirlwind December (with trips to Prague, Dresden, USA and then Egypt) quickly passed into a January consumed by my job hunt (and the London job fair). Before I knew it I found myself facing a week off in February with no plans. A well deserved stay-cation was in store.
Some of the ways I filled my time in January/ February included:
Catching the red carpet event for the opening of the Sherlock Holmes movie in Germany.
I was on the U-Bahn and saw the news story for it. I couldn't read all the words but I knew enough to figure out that there was a premiere at Potsdamer Platz and I knew I had to be there!
Perched from a window seat at my favorite Australian restaurant, I could look down on the red carpet. It was way too cold to brave the elements to be smashed up against the red carpet barriers. I just nursed some hot chocolate until the big stars came walking out.

I could see the stars on the red carpet, but my best photos are from photographing the big screen TV in Potsdamer Platz. That's my girl, Rachel McAdams, in the green. Ever since The Notebook and the TV show Slings and Arrows I've been a fan of hers!
Yes, Robert Downey, Jr. and Rachel McAdams at my movie theatre in Berlin!
My camera zoom zoomed to catch Rachel. Yep. That's her.
Another zoom zoom to catch Robert. So with my own eyes I see stars!
We were very excited to finally see a red carpet in Berlin.
From red carpets to the wax figures. We went star gazing over our stay-cation at Berlin's Madame Tussuad's. I had never been to one. Check that tourist experience off my list, please.
Me and Liza with Z.
Having fun with the Cold War. Yeah, I have a good time.
Angela Merkel and me face off. She wins because she speaks the language.
Obama. I had to stand in a bit of line to get this shot. He is one of the most popular people in the place.

Getting musical.....
It was getting hairy with Einstein.
I cried on Freud's couch. We covered a lot during our session.
Thanks Marlene.
Ben Franklin and Madame Tussuad...and me.
ARRGGGHHHHH......
I am a champion!
Yes, I'm part of the Beatles.
Thanks Elvis!
I don't have a ring, Beyonce. Let's sing your song together.
Tom. How does he appear taller than me here? Not real life, folks!
Brangelina and me.
We so belong with Johnny Depp.
George had a surprise for me.
I won an award for all my stellar photo ops!
Another stay-cation outing was to the Ritter Sport store. YUM!

I do like to think outside the box though....

What can I say? It is possible to have fun like a kid on a stay-cation. I do prefer traveling over spending a week in cold, snowy Berlin, but it was fun to chill, see the stars and find some chocolate too! Thanks, stay-cation!

Getting the Skinny in Spain

2010-07-21T19:00:00.001+01:00

Spring Break 2010

On March 27th, I made my way from Berlin to Antequerra, Spain. I had already decided to make some lifestyle changes, and used my Spring Break to get started. I went on a fitness break and found myself hiking, biking, and hitting the gym every day. I also found myself having a great time and it was THE best way I could have spent a two week holiday. I did things I never knew I could do. Isn't it great when a holiday can change your life?
My first hike, while including a few moments of sheer torture up some long hills, had gorgeous vistas to help me forget the pain.

I hiked up that ginormous hill to the church on the top on a 7.5km hike. Basically going to Spain was like going from 0 to a billion overnight. There was definitely some "detox"/ adjustment going on but once I found my groove, I found I actually liked it!
The payoff after hiking up the big ginormous church hill was a lovely view. Also note how it is no longer foggy. Yeah, it took me that long to get up there.
Twice I went on a 22km bike ride at Fuente de Piedra, a nesting place for flamingos. Prior to the bike ride I asked the guide about the hills we would encounter. I was told it was "as flat as Scotland." Oh dear. I found out soon enough that it wasn't a joke.
Before this photo with my friend, who was a true source of all things hilarious during this trip, I had an emotional breakdown. I was chugging up a hellacious hill that was never ending. I was dead last in my group and my legs were on fire. I started to cry, but to my credit I didn't get off the bike. I kept pedaling, but it was horrible. Finally I made it up the hill and about died as my legs were pure jell-o. I managed to get a leg tattoo in the process from my leg hitting the tire as I got off my mountain bike. Lovely.
At least through my tears, I could enjoy the flamingo sanctuary. It was breathtaking. Despite the hard work, I couldn't help but marvel at nature's charm.
It was not all sweat and tears. Easter weekend I went to the town of Ronda in Andalusia for a few hours. I needed to get in touch with my inner bullfighter.

He was just going down the street. Not sure why. But hey, it made for a good picture of the Spain I imagine.
I present to you the oldest bullring in Spain. Yes, it is still used. Not often. But still used.
Orson Welles visited Ronda so much that it is said his ashes were scattered in this bullring.

The town of Ronda is perched on a canyon with a river running right through it. Spectacular but it makes for some nasty tourist drags as everyone has to cross over this bridge to get from one side to the next.

Fortunately a little Spanish guitar makes the day!
Fierce.
Antequera, the town I stayed in for the whole two weeks, is considered the heart of Andalusia. It is striking to see the "Lovers' Rock", named after the legend of a young Christian man and his Moorish lover who threw themselves from the rock together while being chased by Moorish soldiers.
I was told there was a face in that rock and I couldn't see it. It wasn't until I realized it was a reclining face (very much like Mt. Timpanogos in Utah) and once I saw it, I always saw it.
Easter weekend I went on a long but lovely hike. I hate calling it a hike. A hike conjures up ideas of trekking across the wilderness with a backpack wearing boots. I finally realized a hike is just a fancy name for walk. So on Easter weekend I went on a long but lovely walk. It was nearly 8 miles long. With good company and nice weather, time flies when you are walking 8 miles in one day.
I love how "the face" pops out near the horizon in this shot.
The face forms a dramatic backdrop to the Alcazaba (a Moorish fortification).
Easter weekend means the end of Semana Santa (Holy Week). The historic processionals go through the town as a statue of Christ is carried throughout the town. Interesting.
Antequera is famous for the two Bronze Age dolmens or burial mounds. These date from 3rd millennium B.C. They are aligned with "the face". Don't know why. Like Stonehenge.
Another day. Another hike, er walk. I saw a lot of lovely countryside in Spain.

See? Up close with nature.
A new place = new friends. One night we went out to celebrate the birthday of Trui from Belgium. It is challenging to go out when restaurants don't even open before 8pm...and we have early morning Pilates or Yoga each day.
Back at the hotel was one my favorite meals: baked eggplant. And yes, that pasta is the correct portion size for normal people. I definitely learned that I need to change my ways!
Dinner with my RFH crew! Loved spending time with these people!
Two different hikes/ walks were at an amazing place called El Torcal. It is a nature reserve in the Sierra del Torcal mountain range. Walking through here made it seem like I had entered a film set. Amazing landscapes.
Please note the distance of my shadow in relation to this bull. Yep. That is me and nature.
Yep. Justthisclosetonature.

Malaga is on the horizon there and the Mediterranean. Amazing.
Yep. I hiked/ walked up there. So in two weeks I found I liked getting out and biking/ hiking. I discovered that I could do more than I thought. I didn't grow up as a sporty person, so going here took getting out of my comfort zone. Trying something new meant that I lost 8lbs while I was there, and since then I have lost 42lbs. I'm still working on it as I'm hiking my way to a better me. All thanks to Spain!

Leap of Faith

2010-07-02T22:03:00.002+01:00

I have about 32 hours left in Berlin and I just deleted my "Berlin To Do" list. I'm at peace that I'm leaving this city, but I'm not at peace with leaving my friends. Yes, I know we all try to stay in touch but let's all admit that eventually Facebook results in a few "likes" and some comments here and there. We can superficially stay in touch, but nothing quite replicates this time that we shared together in Berlin. I'm lucky that I found a great group of people to make this experience richer as sharing this experience is a unique one that many never fully understand if they haven't experienced it themselves.
There is nothing quite like the expat teaching experience. Imagine a group of teachers newly arrived to a new city. They all huddle together at first trying to make sense of a new country and new customs. Somehow it bonds people together.
Now I'm going to what I would declare an "easy" country. They speak English! YAY! Besides, I've longed to live in the UK since I finished my study abroad in London in 1999. Now that dream is to be realized and I'm nervous. I doubt that I will experience an "expat community" there. I sense that I will have to "fend for myself" more.
I can't help but feel like I'm in junior high again. Will I make friends? Will people be nice to me? Will I find a movie buddy? People to go out to dinner with? People that make the little events from week to week more enjoyable. Why is it in the moment of when I'm about to take a leap, I get nervous? Deep down inside this is what I want, but the fear of the unknown makes it difficult.
My dad told me I've been doing "Europe with training wheels" by having Rachel with me. Now she is staying in Berlin, and I'm moving on. Can't deny that I will miss her. Even lame nights spent in the apartment where we just veg out and watch TV become less lame because she is usually watching the shows with me. My brother told me we probably spend more time together than most married people. It is a wonder that we haven't killed each other.
I've been lucky to have such a great travel buddy to share this experience with. There is little doubt that I will miss her. I see a future of traveling alone and it is both liberating and terrifying too. I hope she knows that singlehandedly she has made my Berlin experience so much better. Perhaps I assume too much to speak for her too, but I believe mutually we made the most of Berlin and that it is bittersweet for both of us to go our separate ways.
So the movers come tomorrow and take my belongings and they start their journey to the UK. Mentally I started my journey to the UK in 1999, but right now I am struggling to start the physical journey. I've moved so many times in my life and I've started over so many times in my life that I question why I'm nervous.
The fear of the unknown? The fear of new beginnings? Fear of what is left behind?
However, I knew precious little about Berlin and it turned out to be the best leap of faith I could have taken for myself. So may the UK be a place for me to grow, learn, and to make new friends. We all know we need good people in our lives to make the experience complete.
I just need to calm my fears and let go. I've wanted this for so long. I just hope it doesn't disappoint.

Missing home....

2010-05-10T21:16:00.002+01:00

Today my sister-in-law sent me a few photos from my nephew, Luke's, baptism. While so many of the pictures are just precious, I can't help but realize how much I am missing being here while my family is there.

When I am lucky enough to be near my loved ones, I need to be sure to remember how lucky I am or else I just have to settle for seeing adorable moments like this on my computer screen rather than in real life. How I wish I could have been with my family to celebrate Luke's baptism and to see Brooke dance in her petticoat. Now my parents are enjoying time with Matt's family...and I am missing that too.
It's pushing nearly two years since I left the USA and tonight I am definitely feeling the yearning for home and for family. And yet in less than two months I leave my Berlin-home-away-from-home to return to my real home....before heading to a new home.

This vagabond life is bittersweet.

A Perfect Market Day....

2010-03-13T19:56:00.008Z

Once upon a time, there was a girl with fabulous friends....
And these fabulous friends met up last Saturday at Cafe Einstein to celebrate the birthday of Katy (center in the photo) and to go to the market afterwards on the hunt for hats.

Cafe Einstein is just up and around the corner from my apartment. It is an old movie star's villa...and home to delicious Viennese cuisine....
We had a photo shoot during our Saturday morning brunch....
Rachel and Katy....
Maike, me, and Rachel....
Katy's sunglasses had to get in on the action with Maike:
Rachel:
Katy:
And me with one of my "hat lady" hats...
Maike with the hat AND the sunglasses is quite a powerful image, isn't it?
Once these lovely ladies were done "brunching" we set out to THE MARKET.... to see THE hat lady.
We had what I would call a fairy tale day at the market.
See these gorgeous flowers?
Katy was smitten....
and so was I.

While I was having this flower photo shoot, Rachel was buying gorgeous purple tulips and snagging "an American discount" as she got two dozens tulips for the price of one! Love that market!
And to top it off, she gave me the tulips! How fabulous is that? So sweet....
Why didn't I take a picture of the tulips in their prime?
Instead, please imagine that these white roses are purple tulips....

I am not one to desire a fairy tale to turn sour, but the market lacked the "hat lady"!! It was as though the world had ended when I could not find her. We asked the money collector for the market (the lady who goes around and collects each stalls money for being there- I have no idea what the title of that job is) where our hat lady way. She could allay my fears. The hat lady had merely called in sick. Crisis averted. I will see her again!
The market was still fabulous as we scored free croissants from our favorite dip guy! He gave all four of us free croissants!
We had to get bread from a new vendor...and he would not accept that we had already gotten our dip from someone else. He loaded up a tub of his dips for us to sample. Sure enough, he did have one of the three that I would go back for.
And "Frau Kartoffel" gave us a free onion with our potatoes....
I love that market!
Soon, I met up with Bekah (who was in town after a school trip)... and Maike came to hang out at our place with Bekah, Rachel, and me.

Maike tries out my slanket. I love (she loved) my Slanket. It is fabulous!
We all headed over to Katy's later in the evening. Bekah was a good sport to hang out with my friends/ colleagues to celebrate Katy's birthday!

Rachel somehow managed to creep her way into this photo.
Bekah and me sans Rachel-the-creeper.
Maike and Rachel show of THE DIP from the "dip guy". Yum. Yum. Yum. It looks like mac and cheese here, but I assure you it is kopinisti.
Rachel is the ultimate party guest....
Bekah, with red streaks in her hair(!), enjoys herself ;-)
Bronwen and Katy....
Happy Birthday, Katy! Thanks for sharing your Sachertorte with us!
And the girl continued to live happily ever after with her good friends, good food, and her fabulous market just around the corner (for another three months at least)....

These are a few of my favorite things....

2010-03-13T17:45:00.007Z

I'm about three and a half months away from leaving Germany... and I can't help but think about what I will miss about Germany and what I will not miss about Germany. Perhaps today I will focus on the positive and let you know about some of my favorite things about life in Berlin.

1. I love the city of Berlin. What a great place to get to live for a little while....
I love that Berlin is big and has so much to do. I love that while Berlin is big, it isn't crowded. I read once that it is the only European capital to have fewer people in it now than prior to WWII. What this means is: I can walk down the street and not feel suffocated by the crowds. And I'm moving to London? Silly me....

I love that Berlin has the Berlin bears all around the city. So cute!
I love the Sony Center movie theatre. It is only about 20 minutes away door-to-door from my house. It shows movies in their original language. So I get to see English movies here! I love that I can reserve my tickets and my seats on-line. I also love that I usually don't have to buy the ticket on-line, so if I pick them up 30 minutes before the movie, I have my reserved seats AND my movie tickets. How great is that?
So after picking up my tickets and a quick dinner, I can waltz into the theatre right at starting time (or a few minutes after) and still have GREAT seats! I also love that I can count on seeing commercials and the last one will be either for Ben & Jerry's or for a Magnum bar and then the lights in the theatre come up and someone comes in to sell ice cream to the moviegoers. Then the lights go down and the movie starts (about 12-15 minutes after the listed start time). How odd that punctuality is so revered in Germany, yet films start late.
So this is my movie theatre.... all spruced up for the Sherlock Holmes' premiere. Yes, I did do a little star gazing outside of my theater one night...
I love the Euro. What a great currency! It makes "cents"- (ha, ha, ha). I love that the bills gradually increase in size in relation to their worth. I love the different colors too. I love the coins as well. I do think the disdain shops have for the 1 and 2 cent coins is a bit odd, but I do love the Euro. I love that it is easy to travel to much of Europe with it too. Such a great idea, Europe. Good job!
I wonder if I will ever love the British Pound as much.... I doubt it.
And now US dollars look odd to me. I feel bad for visitors. The dollar must be so confusing.
I love that we have to sort our trash here. Everywhere there are three trash bins: one for plastics, one for paper, and one for "everything else". We lucked out with an apartment with a little trash room. We let it fill up and then we have "trash parties" since taking out the trash is a bit more of a job than what we used to do at home.
The whole country is trained to sort the trash, so why can't we do this in the USA?
This happens to be a shot of our trash room just before one of our famous trash parties! Yes, it looks worse than it actually was.
I love, love, love the public transportation in Berlin.
Love it.
I will certainly miss it.
This is the station in my neighborhood: Nollendorfplatz. It is great to be a few minutes walk away and to have four different lines run through our station.
I also love that I have a resident harmonica-playing crazy man just outside. One day he was wearing his underwear outside his pants. Another day he was yelling at everyone who passed him. His harmonica-playing skills do seem to be improving with time though.
I love the Ampelmann on the traffic lights to let you know if you should walk or not. Love it.
I love the U-Bahn. I love that I can practically set my watch to the buses and trains in Berlin. In the morning, we catch a specific train and I have a specific "nook" I like to sit in...and read, sleep, or chat with friends.
I will miss my U-Bahn's punctuality and predictability when I move away. I will also miss what I would deem to be the low price of 88.50Euros/ month for unlimited travel on all public transportation in Berlin. I will miss that I don't miss having a car here. I fear I will need one in London.
I will also miss how unique the stations are. Some are old and stately while some are modern and a bit odd. The U-Bahn is definitely a great part of life in Berlin. I can get almost anywhere with a train and bus!
Speaking of buses, my 629 that I have to take to get out to the school everyday has different seating configurations. When I get this particular bus, I know it will be a good day. I love... love...this seat:
It has its own shelf!!!
I love that the ride to school also means chatting with friends. Ann from Australia is usually a part of my morning ride. Her "chipperness" makes for a fun start to the day! Of course, Rachel is part of the commute as well. It will be odd to go to work next year without my morning commute buddy.
And while I'm at school, this contraption is one of my favorite things about work. I love...love that the staff lounge has a coffee machine that also makes hot chocolate. I don't imbibe everyday- just on special days. But when I get out my favorite High School Musical mug that Ashley gave me as a joke last year, I love to fill it up with some hot chocolate loving!
Every school needs hot chocolate machines for the teachers!
So there is so much more to love about Berlin-- I realize THE market wasn't mentioned in this posting, but that is worth another posting in and of itself.

I love Berlin. I will certainly miss it as I go on my next adventure in London! Of course, I fully expect to have such a list about what I love about London in no time at all, even if it means carrying around the British Pound as I explore.

A Return to Prague

2010-02-28T21:00:00.001Z

Prague. My wee little trip this summer when I spent about a day in the city was not enough to see it all.

Rachel and I decided a Christmas market trip to Prague was sorely needed to cram shopping with sightseeing into a Prague-packed weekend.

We left on a veerrrry early train from Berlin to Prague. It was so empty we could sprawl out and read/ sleep. It was nice. No need to look mean and stinky there.

Once in Prague and happily having found our hostel, we embarked on the quest to make our way to the castle for when one is in Europe, one simply must go to castles!

A rickety old tram hauled our keesters up some massive hills to get to the Prague Castle quarters. Thanks Rick for the tip!

Way up high and just beyond the castle, are fabulous views of Prague.
I love these old timey lampposts. A step through Prague seems like a step back in time in so many parts of the city. It is definitely a grungy-chic. I like Prague. A lot.
Straight ahead lies the Prague Castle complex.
We had intentions to buy tickets and tour some of the buildings. The ticket line was mercilessly long. We gave up and opted to wander aimlessly and snap some pic instead at what was free.
The perk of standing in line was scoring discounts for the ghost walk through Prague that we would take later in the evening.
I felt so tiny next to this tree!
St. Vitus Cathedral- Started in 1344 and finished in 1929. Now that is one long construction project!
Prague's Old Town and iconic Tyn Church. Just beyond the two towers of the Tyn Church, you can see a Soviet-era TV/Radio tower. Kind of kills the charm, doesn't it? Thanks USSR.
I love, love, love the red roofs of Prague.
I swear a checkpoint for The Amazing Race was right here and behind us is the Charles Bridge. We were first to check-in!

The Charles Bridge: It was fascinating to walk on the bridge five months later and see the renovation changes. In fact, it was wonderful to see the city in Summer and in Winter. To see the changes. To experience the Christmas season.
And to learn that Prague was MUCH more crowded in early December than in early July. Who knew?!
A bit of Prague wondering led us to the Franz Kafka museum. Um, yeah. Can't say much more, but the people who designed the museum have a sense of humor.
And in the Old Town was a large Christmas market. We were there for the 6th of December, which is a HUGE holiday in Prague. Who knew? Every citizen of Prague + every tourist was there this weekend. It was packed. It was beautiful.
When we were in Prague in July, we found a decent Mexican restaurant. This time we hit a Mexican restaurant that Rick recommended. It was tasty! Thanks, Prague! I know we aren't sampling the "local" cuisine, but for us this is exotic (and risky!).
Lucky me! For about an hour I got to hang out with Bekah who was in town with some of her work friends. Our crazy lives.... I am so glad to have her as a friend. I hadn't seen her since May when she came to Berlin.
From the famous astronomical clock looking back into the Old Town Square. A very busy night made it a challenge to walk through town. Silly, us. We went on a very un-atmospheric ghost walk in Prague with lackluster guides. So much of the walking tour experience is dependent on quality guides. This was would not rate high on my life list of fun ghost walks.....
I loved the carved Nativitys set up around the city. Simple and lovely. Too bad it wouldn't fit in my pocket.... I want one!
It was the 6th of December: Mikulas Eve. Dressed up as either and angel, a devil, or as Mikulas (like St. Nicholas), trios walk around to talk to the children.
The children recite stories, songs, or poems and the devil checks the "big book" to see if the child was naughty or nice. If the child was bad, he hauls the child off in his sack. If the child was good and performed well, the child receives candy.
It had a Halloween feel to it with so many dressed up and celebrating in the town. Definitely a fun vibe. Prague is definitely a city to visit...and one I could live in (except the Czech language looks a bit tricky).
Next morning! Bright and early and we were off to beat the tourists.
We failed on that. We were stuck behind large tour groups. Oh well.
And more Kafka fun:
We spent the morning in the Jewish Quarter of Prague. I highly recommend coming to this area of Prague if you are there for a visit. Jews came to Prague in the 10th Century, and have a rich history in the city.
Much of the building in the Jewish Quarter do not allow photographs. The most moving part of my visit was a display of drawings and writings that inspired the book I Never Saw Another Butterfly from the children in the Terezin concentration camp. Pictures were displayed by themes from "memories of home" to "what it will be like to return home."
It was moving and powerful to see the art by these children. Included with the pictures was a label that listed the fate of the artist. Too many of them died in the camps.

The Jewish Cemetery:
The Jewish Cemetery has over 12,000 tombstones. From 1439 to 1787, this was the only burial ground for Jewish Prague. Tombs were piled one on top of the other since their is a Jewish belief to not move a body once it has been buried. So many years of such practice results in this characteristic cemetery.
After a moving and thought-provoking visit to the Jewish Cemetery, we shopped until it was time to go to the train station for our return home. The market was considerably less crowded after the revelry of the night before.
I had "time" to pose with the clock!
I adore markets.... and I splurged at the toy market with some wonderful finds of Czech-made toys that I hope my family enjoys!
It is called trdelnik and it was sold EVERYWHERE so we figured we needed to try it. It's a sweet dough rope wrapped around a metal bar, which is spun over a flame until golden, then rolled in a sugar/cinnamon/nut mix. It's yum and not hard to find.
And a final Prague Photo Shoot! Thanks Photo Stick Thingy!!!
Merry Christmas!!!!

To market, to market, to the Striezelmarkt....

2010-02-28T15:34:00.002Z

I am not one to be a half-hearted tourist. If I'm going someplace, I will try to do all the major attractions if I have the time (and money.)

So if I am on a quest to hit as many Christmas markets as possible in a season (and still go to work Mondays through Fridays), I knew I would need to add Dresden to my itinerary. It is home to the Striezelmarkt: Germany's oldest Christmas market.

One weekend, Rachel and I took a very early (and empty) bus from Berlin to Dresden for our day trip to Dresden. We got into Dresden so early that we could stroll through the empty market and anticipate what it would be like once it sprang to life....

A huge, ginormous Schwibbogen. Nearly every German home has one in its windows at Christmastime.
But those windows don't have ME as a caroler!
So you may know that I adore the Ampelmann on the pedestrian lights in Berlin. He is so cute. He is also a holdover from the GDR days.... but I had never see the little girl ones. Oh Dresden! Good job!

And you must know I love ginormous pyramid spinny thingys. Apparently, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, this is the tallest one in the world! Oh wow!
That is the Kreuzkirche behind the pyramid....
I'm getting artsy fartsy with the ornaments.
And with the Crown Gate. I adore my crowns throughout Europe. I wear them well.
Dresden is a bit of a gem. I don't know many Americans who've toured here, but it is worth a visit. Of course, it was off limits during the East Germany days.

Look past the bus with the giant Farht on it to admire this complex of Baroque buildings. Too bad they are all reconstructions as the originals were lost to WWII bombings.
Inside the Zwinger- a huge palace complex. I managed to do my man Rick's walking tour and didn't get a chance to go inside the buildings. However, I enjoyed the photo ops from touring the grounds.
"My Girl with Statue" triptych (get it? trip-tych....so funny on many levels)

More art. This huge mural is thanks to the GDR days and Soviet propaganda. Can you feel the power and joy of the working class here?
Perhaps babies with swords strangling each other is more your kind of art though....
On to the Christmas markets in Dresden....
a little street is still home to market stalls. They pack them in here.
There are attractions for the whole family at the markets:
Another (smaller) spinny thingy.
This nativity had live sheep- it surprised me when they first moved as I hadn't expected it.
The big attraction in Dresden (other than the Striezelmarkt) is the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). It was built in 1743 as a Lutheran church to rival the great Catholic churches of the world.
Sadly, in 1945 firebombs rained down on Dresden. The Frauenkirche survived the night, but two days later it collapsed from the damage it sustained from the fires.

It was kept in rubble as a peace memorial. Finally, in 2005 it was reopened due. The dark stones in the building's exterior are the originals. I like that this reconstruction is a mish-mash of the old and new that we may never forget the past.

This large block in the foreground of the photo is a large piece from the original. If you look closely you can see a relief that shows where it came from in the original church.
The interior of the church-- it was quite busy as it was only open for a short window of time the day we were there.

I am impressed by its size and the light in it. It was lovely.
I opted for Hungarian Langoše in the market for dinner (fried bread with cheese and sour cream on top) while Rachel opted for American KFC. You must feed the addiction. This girl loves her KFC!
What trip to Dresden would be complete if we did not stop to pose with the giant snowman? Thanks Rachel for posing....
And a bus ride back to Berlin (this time it was packed) to end the day. Somehow Rachel and I looked mean and stinky and no one sat by either of us. I suspect us feigning sleep when we picked up passengers helped us keep our seats free. We are evil.

Merry Christmas, Dresden and the Striezelmarkt!

Oh we need a little Christmas.... right this very minute

2010-02-27T21:38:00.007Z

It may be the end of February, but that does not mean we cannot remember Christmas 2009. Better late than never, I say!

I adore...yes, adore a cute Christmas market. On Saturday, 28 November we went to our first one of the season. It was a little Medievel themed one in Babelsberg. Very tiny so it didn't hold out attention for too long but it was fun to enter the "Weihnachtsmarkt" (Christmas market) gate and start the season!

I would like it noted that I did not wear that red coat again until just last week... it soon turned too too cold for it. Sad! I love it so much.
We also went to the market in Potsdam. Look at this crepe stand! They sure now how to make those markets a fabulous clash of tacky and cute.
And my favorite: the ginormous Weihnachtspyramid. I love the huge spinniny thingys. I made it my Christmas market-season quest to find my very own spinny thingy. I did find one. They are expensive!!!
This giant spinny thingy is a drink stand. Oh I love you Christmas markets!
I popped into a spinny-thingy store to check out how much they cost. I wanted a nice one....
well this beautiful black and white one was ONLY €1500. WOW! So over $2,000 for a Chrismas decoration. Um. Not in my budget.
One day after school, my friend Katy and I went to the Schloss Charlottenburg Weihnachtsmarkt. It is just outside a palace- isn't it lovely? Thanks to Katy for posing for me!
And hot chocolate mit sahne (cream)! You pay a bit extra for the mug deposit. You get it back if you return it OR you keep it for that little bit extra you paid.
I kept mine. It was just too too cute.
Das Schloss Charlottenburg.
And my hot chocolate with a huge spinny thingy.
Aren't the markets cute???!!!
One evening, we went to Katy's for a little shin-dig. Maike loved my new hat (that Rachel bought me for Christmas and I bought one for her). She is modeling it.... with Rachel is wearing the hat I bought her.
Okay that isn't the hat I bought her. Promise.
I first told you about Maike here.
She was the "potential" great friend that I met at our staff party. I love Maike and I will miss her when I go to London.
I remember my friend Ashley doing this a year ago at the market on the Ku'Damm. This was in honor of her. I miss her!
Some of us BBIS folk had a field trip to the Ku'Damm Weihnachtsmarkt.... it turned out to be a market food crawl. We stopped many times for snacks which is another part of the markets that I adore.
Ginormous hot dogs for Ann and her sister, Laura, with Ben and Darren.
Rachel is sporting the REAL new hat I got her AND some tasty mushrooms....
One of my goals was to go to as many markets as I could since I knew it was likely to be my last Christmas season in Germany....
So another outing was to the market at Gendarmenmarkt.
It is a gorgeous setting for a market as it is nestled between two churches and a concert house....
This says Christmas Magic Gendarmenmarkt (the name of this square in Berlin).
The decorations are lovely and despite it being a Wednesday, this place was packed! You even pay to get into this market.

I love these too. I call them the Christmas window candle thingys. I believe they are called Schwibbogen. I got one that will only work while I live in Europe (the voltage)......
Germans put them in their windows during the season.

Germany does Christmas well. I love the Christmas decorations and the carols (many are German in origin, any way), the advent calendar, and the four Sundays of advent. Each Sunday preceeding Christmas, families light a candle for advent. I bought one of the table candle wreaths this year. I love it! They even open Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve just as my family does.
Merry Christmas is what it says here:
After buying nothing at the the market at Gendarmentmarkt, Rachel and I went to Alexanderplatz. I bought so much there. It is a tacky market, but it had nearly everything that I was looking for. I even got a free Christmas bag that I will show you later!
After that shopping spree, we went to Dolores to get red and green salsa and guac in our California burritos. What a great evening!

I also wanted a nice, grown-up, nativity. I loved the ones made from olive wood that I saw last year so I was on the hunt this year.
I managed to get one for a great price at the market on the Ku'Damm. I bartered and before I knew the guy was packing it up for me. I think... I think I have an extra person in my nativity (better to have an extra rather than someone missing). I think the extra person is a shepherd, but he is bigger than Mary. I am calling him my nativity creeper for now.
But isn't it nice?
And yes, after much Christmas-ing in Berlin, I knew I would be "coming home for Christmas". I liked that I found this in ENGLISH!
I managed to arrive in D.C. just as a major snow storm hit. I believe I was one of the last flights to get in before airports were closed. We couldn't even get our car back to our house. At 2am, we hauled my suitcases up a hill in the snow to get home. Dad is tackling the snow here:
I couldn't believe it. I was only home for a week, and the ability to go places/ run errands was severely limited by this snowfall. It is lovely to look at though.
Our home in Virginia.
And on Christmas Eve day (I flew to Berlin the next day) the remnants of the massive snowstorm take up some valued parking space at the movies. I saw Avatar on Christmas Eve. I am also holding the free bag I got with a purchase I made at the market in Alexanderplatz... it was my own Christmas miracle! A free "Christmas" purse!
What a great Christmas season! So full of love and memories...and trips. I haven't even told you about going to the markets in Prague or Dresden yet!

I will miss the Christmas markets in the years to come. I am grateful for these wonderful memories though.....

Oh Rome, Rome...wherefore art thou so far away....?

2010-02-21T20:39:00.001Z

On Saturday, 31 October, 2009 I embarked on the Caesar shuffle to explore Ancient Rome.
Yes. It is true. You (and I) are looking at THE Roman Colosseum.

2,000 years old and completed with concrete and rounded arches. Good job, Romans. For the most part it is still intact. I happen to like that one of the most important surviving structures from ancient Rome...is a theatre. Albeit a theatre where gladiators, criminals, and wild animals fought for their lives...but it was a theatre nonetheless.
On the lower right you can see the reconstructed floor of the Colosseum to get an idea of what it looked like "back in the day." Did you know that 50,000 people could fit in here? Plus there was a canvas covering that could shade the crowd. Cool, huh?

Getting my stick photo thingy to help me be a gladiator. So fierce...
I guess I had to have a photo shoot because I WAS IN THE COLOSSEUM! So cool. I wish I had worn a bib that day cause I needed something to catch the drool. I felt like I was plopped down in the EPIC that is the story of Rome.
Arch of Constantine. Made to mark the military coup that made Christianity mainstream in 312 A.D. Looks just like all those other arches that dot Europe. Must have had a stockpile of blueprints for it.
Look Ma! Roman Gladiators!
I loved seeing the below ground maze for the animals. The animals could be lifted up in elevators to the ground floor of the arena-- often to the surprise of the gladiators.

Clearly I am feirce. Or I just have a hunchback. I don't know. You decide.
For the reals... this was the real deal.
Nearby are maps that show you the growth of Rome. Look at the expanse of the height of the Roman Empire (the areas on the map in white). It is interesting that in so many places I've visited, I have seen Roman artifacts. Coming here helps put it all in perspective. The Romans must have had a lot of frequent flyer miles....

From the Colosseum to the Forum.
A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum....
Okay. Nothing funny happened. I just wanted to say that.
Sorry.
This is ancient Rome's birthplace and civic center.
If it was important in ancient Rome, it probably happened here.
I liked that this church's front door is way up high. It used to be at ground level. Then digging started and stairs had to be put in.
Yes, you must exercise your imagination to grasp what this place once looked like... but the remnants of the past are still impressive. I just wish I had worn my toga that day.

It is hard to imagine that for hundreds of years all this was covered by silt and dirt and lost to time.
So that is what 1000 years of Rome will get you. It was 500 years of growth... 200 years of peak power...and 300 years of gradual decay. And in 2009, I could catch a glimpse into ancient Rome by walking through the Forum.
The coolest cat in Rome.
Largo Argentina. My old lady self can't recall what these ruins are... but isn't that just amazing that I can go to Rome and see so many ruins that I can't even recall what it all is?
Sightseeing in Rome is just one impressive sight after another....
On to the Pantheon..... by day. Still impressive but now I was on the tourist prowl.

You would think it would be a problem to have a hole in the ceiling... not really. I found a grate/ drain in the floor. Good thinking, Romans. Good thinking.

Back to Piazza Navono-- discovered the night before on my moonlit walk through Rome.
I guess that speaks highly of what I thought of this area of Rome if I was there for only two days yet I wanted to go back here.
Sheila, Mary and I lunched here looking at the Bernini fountains. Oh heavenly.
How did I go NINE days in Italy and never get pizza? So I did it in Rome.
If only all our dining experiences could be accompanied with great new friends in fascinating places....
I ambled through the art stalls in the piazza. Longing to make a purchase. Not having the money to do so. One day... One day...
After lunch we embarked on a quest... more on the point of the quest in a moment... but the sights along the way were amazing too. The Tibur River in the Fall. Yes, this is my life.

Okay. The Quest.
We all wanted to find the Mouth of Truth or La Bocca della Verità for its fancy Italian name. Have you seen Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday? If so, you know what I am looking for...
Rick doesn't cover it in his book but I wanted to see it.
It is in the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin. While it was a long walk to get there, the walk itself was worth it to see other parts of Rome.
The queue to stick my hand in the mouth of truth. Here I am considering what I will think about as I stick my hand in its mouth and hope that it doesn't bite it off!
Oh look! There it is.... and yes, you have to pay to stick your hand in there.
I would like to report that I still have a hand. Whew.
So our return trip brought me face to face with real Roman soliders... oooo la la.
This, my friends, is the Circus Maximus. I did not realize it at the time. I thought, hmmm, what is this large building with a vast empty space in the heart of Rome? Odd.
And I realized later it was the Circus Maximus. Silly me. But that is what traveling is all about: learning and discovering new things.
I had to pose in front of the Circus Maximus. No chariots overturned in my presence.
I love seeing the moon rise.... and this one over Rome.
If you are quiet enough you can hear the ghosts of the crowds that once gathered here to witness the chariot races.... I think they were chanting go Ben Hur! Go Ben Go!
I also set out to find Santa Maria della Vittoria to see Bernini's St. Teresa in Ecstasy. Sounds simple, right? Um, No. There are a zillion Santa Maria's in Rome. I got to see more than one in this hunt... but in the end I found the right one. We made it in the last five minutes before it closed. Sheila and I were having our "Amazing Race" moments to get there.
You know, they make church hopping in Rome seem so easy in Angels and Demons.
Here it is. Another work of art I learned about in my college Humanities class and got to see in real life. Stunning.
A farewell dinner in Travestere. Eduardo had to come along for the fun and for the good-byes too.
Tiramisu.
And somehow I still got all my stuff into this backpack! NINE days and this backpack. Marvel, please.
And just like that, my Italian adventure was done. I assure you I must get back to Italy. There is still so much to see and do there. Going on a Rick Steves' tour made it all come to life and helped me understand the sights much more than a guidebook could do. It was the best tour I have ever been on. How soon until I can book the next trip?

I learned that I can travel by myself (yes, I know I was with a group- but I was still a solo traveler in the group) and that it can still be fun if you make it fun.
I learned that there are so many people in this world who long for the adventure of travel too. I just need to be grateful that I can do it now and do not have to wait.
I learned that Italy surpassed my expectations.
I learned that I loved Italy even more than I thought I would.

Just take one last long look at Italy from the sky.....
Ciao for now....

Roaming in Rome....

2010-02-21T19:28:00.000Z

Rome wasn't built in a day... but I will give it two days to try to see as much of it as I could.

Friday, 30 October.
I arrived in Rome and excited to see as much as I could.....
First stop: Rome Metro.
My ticket to success on the metro. I thought Europe had subways fairly well developed. Rome, unfortunately, only has two skimpy subway lines at the moment. I guess that is what happens when the entire city is an potential archeological dig.
Oh! Flowers.... sorry, I got distracted. Need to stay focused on ROME.
My first day in Rome was a visit to the Vatican.... the massive, imposing, impressive Vatican....
That is St. Peter's over yonder....

There is no talking in the Sistine Chapel. Guides give a great overview before going in....using these tourist signs.
The are four miles of displays in the Vatican museum. 4 miles!! And one has to wonder what is not on display.... oh the treasures they have...
It is hard to imagine that these ancient statues were once colored. I like that this one had eyes.
My Rick Steves' guide book supplement (a treasure in and of itself) was a curiosity to this old guy. He wanted to know my insider secrets.
It is impressive to think of so much action coming from... stone.
This would be Nero's bath... or is it a large birdbath? Note that it is purple. Me likey. Me also notes that this is from a rare single block of purple porphyry stone from Egypt. Wow. I wonder what the airlines' overweight baggage fees were to get that from Egypt to Italy.
I love that so much of the Vatican museum is not just the collection but the museum itself. Since the museum was once Papal palaces, it is clear that they lived in luxury. What I loved about the ceiling in this room was that it looks 3-D, but it is all an illusion.
In this painting the cross replaces a statue from the Roman antiquities... hmmm, I wonder what this painting is trying to say?
And a masterpiece: Raphael's School of Athens. It is a who's who in this painting as Raphael honors the greats from ancient Greeks with some of the greats from the Renaissance.
After gaping at the Sistine Chapel... and it was awe-some. I was headed into St. Peter's Bascilia. I have to say seeing the Sistine Chapel will put a crick in your neck, but soak it all in. There is no talking so you have to keep your ohh's and awe's to yourself. No photos either. However, here is to hoping that these restrictions preserve the precious images for generations to come.

Quite a mighty square....
2,000 some odd years ago this site was Nero's Circus (a Roman chariot racecourse) and Christians were killed at "halftime" for fun. Peter was crucified here (upside down) and so in 313 when Christianity was finally legalized, a church was built on this site.... and rebuilt and now here we are.
I have "done" many, many, yes many churches and cathedrals in Europe. Nothing compares to St. Peter's. It is ginormous. Truly ginormous.
Did you that this church covers 6 acres. SIX!!

You just walk around and marvel at its size and splendor.... it does not take the top spot in my heart for favorite church building in Europe, but I am impressed. And rightly so.
And the grand finale of a visit to St. Peter's.... The Pietà. Michelangelo was just 24 when he completed this... well, masterpiece is a word that seems to not do it justice.
I remember marveling at a picture of this statue in my BYU Humanities class...and here I was looking at it in person. I was teary-eyed. Wow.

Did you know that Michelangelo did not sculpt to create a figure. Instead he saw himself as merely freeing the God-made figure from the prison of marble around it.
And to think he "freed" this from the marble.

Now, why did someone have to attack this with a hammer? Now it is repaired but shielded behind bulletproof glass. Too bad.

May you all have a chance to see this moving statue (is that a contradiction?) in person one day.... and may I get to see it again one day.
And from works of art to curious to the Swiss Guard. Love those uniforms!
The statues line St. Peter's Square

Did you know that Egyptian obelisk is 90 feet of solid granite?
To think.. it hails from ancient Egypt to witness the fall of the pharoahs to the Greeks to the Romans...and then the Catholic church.... wow.
I found my way to Campo de Fiori for dinner... a good eggplant parmesean but I felt ripped off for paying 5 euros for bread and water.
I liked the sights and activity around this area of Rome.
My dinner friends...
My friends Joyce and Joe. Joe was my "travel buddy"- he had to make sure I was present when our group met up. He did a good job because I was never lost! They were so fun to travel with.
After dinner I went on a dream of a walk through Rome at night to take in the flood lit fountains and soak in the romance of this enchanting city.
I fell head over heels in love with Piazza Navona as it is dominated by Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain...

Isn't it amazing? I came back here the next day to see it in the daylight. It was still lovely but a night time viewing is a "must".

The Pantheon. I toured it the next day- but isn't it amazing?
Did you know that the Pantheon is the only ancient building in Rome continuously used since its construction? Yeah. I know that. Now.

I wish I could give you the stats for these columns... can you settle for "it was THIS big?"
Thank you, Rome at night... I am impressed....
Oh! The Trevi Fountain! Can you believe you just walk around in Rome and see places like this?
A Baroque fountain made famous by movies and songs..... and so exciting to see in real life.
Yes, I threw in my coins. I will be back one day...with the love of my life ;-)
For now, the love of my life was the tasty gelato that Nina, our tour guide, bought for us....
Such a sight!

Dear Rome,

I know many think you are frenetic and a difficult place to tour...but I must have lucked out. I found walking around in Rome to be blissful and wonderful. Such amazing sights.
I must come back soon.

XOXO,
Alyssa

Siena, a horse race crazy town....

2010-02-20T15:43:00.016Z

A little day trip from Volterra to a medieval-time-capsule of a city in Siena. At one time Siena had more people than Paris. I know! Of course that was way back in the early 1300s.
I knew about Siena from a high-def film I caught on an independent tv channel back when high def was new and very little was on TV to watch in it. There was a film about this little town and I was intrigued.
Siena is famous now for its twice a summer Palio and flags such as this are commonplace.
The Palio is held on July 2 and August 16 of each year. I could attempt to tell you about it myself, but you wouldn't believe me. Let's get a "reputable" source on this topic. Straight from Wikipedia:

The Palio di Siena (known locally simply as Il Palio) is a horse race held twice each year on July 2 and August 16 in Siena, Italy, in which ten horses and riders, bareback and dressed in the appropriate colours, represent ten of the seventeen Contrade, or city wards. The Palio held on July 2 is named Palio di Provenzano, in honour of Madonna di Provenzano, who has a church in Siena. The Palio held on August 16 is named Palio dell'Assunta, in honour of Assumption of Mary.

A magnificent pageant, the Corteo Storico, precedes the race, which attracts visitors and spectators from around the world.

The race itself, in which the jockeys ride bareback, involves circling the Piazza del Campo, on which a thick layer of dirt has been laid, three times and usually lasts no more than 90 seconds. It is not uncommon for a few of the jockeys to be thrown off their horses while making the treacherous turns in the piazza and indeed it is not unusual to see unmounted horses finishing the race without their jockeys. The Palio in fact is won by the horse who represents his contrada, and not by the jockeys.

We were able to go to a Contrada museum for the Eagles. My tour guide told us with a straight face that bribing the jockeys was common as it was all "for Mary." This Palio is very serious business. You could bribe a jockey to win and you can bribe a jockey to lose for an opposing Palio. Sounds like lots of bribery....
Before the race, the horse and the jockeys are blessed in a church that each Contrada has in its area of the town. It wasn't a big church so it took some imagination to picture a horse inside of this church in the Eagle Contrada.
It is good luck if a horse "makes an offering" in the church. To that I say, "ewwww..."
The neighborhood (or Contrada) you are born in is your Contrada for life. Even if you move to another Contrada, on Palio day you are still a member of the Contrada where you were born.

The Contradas are an important part of all your major milestones in your life. When you are born, the Contrada brings you flowers, a flag, etc. They will attend your wedding and your funeral. In fact, we saw a funeral pass us while in Siena, and a Contrada flag was proudly on display.
Sociologists study Siena because it is said to have a low crime rate. It is believed that the Contradas create such a sense of community that everyone looks out for everyone else.

The Eagles were proud of their history and proudly display their Palio uniforms from the 1600s.
It is a source of pride to steal the jockey's uniform from rival Contradas. Here is quite a display of other Contrada uniforms.
There are 17 Contradas in this town of 60,000. As you walk around, you can tell which Contrada you are in as it is labeled on the walls of the town. It is hard to imagine that people can be rivals when they just live across the street from each other.
Here are the eagles:
Each Contrada has a baptistery with the "mascot" of the Contrada to play an integral role in the rituals of the lives of their people.
A snail doesn't sound very fierce does it?
I liked the panthers....
And the panther baptistery.
People will return to their Contrada for the days preceding the race for parties. If they no longer live in their birth Contrada, they will often sleep in the streets of their original Contrada just to be in their birth Contrada for the Palio. Impressive.
While it is not a problem to be married to someone from a different Contrada, on Palio days you are enemies.
They take this very seriously.
If their Contrada is not one of the ten to get to run in a Palio, the left out seven Contradas are guaranteed to run in the next Palio. The other spots are picked through a lottery.
The elephants.
The owls. I wanted to find all 17 but I only had a few hours and a lot of Siena to see.
This light fixture was in the color of the panther contrada. My family's love of BYU is nothing compared to the level of fanaticism they show for their Contradas!
I believe this Contrada won the last Palio and they proudly fly their flags to show off....
The City Hall. This tower is the tallest secular tower in Italy. Who knew? No, I did not climb it.
Siena is the first European city to make its "downtown" a pedestrian only zone. Way back in 1966 they changed it over. Smart people. This is Il Campo. Siena's main square and the heart of the city. I like that the square is a slope. You can't help but feel as though you are in an amphitheater.

It is in this square that the 90 second horse race takes place. All the hullabaloo to run the horses around this square. Wow.
Did you know that the Crayola color "Burnt Sienna" is inspired by the color of Siena? The color is the same as the soil (and the buildings) of this area.
I liked that people were just hanging out here.
Siena's cathedral is massive. It was supposed to be the largest in Italy. Dating from 1215 and white with green stripes, it certainly makes a visual impact. Too bad it couldn't be bigger. They ran out of money and had to settle for its current (still massive) size.

Isn't all the exterior detail astounding? However, the art is not only on the outside....
You can't help but feel dwarfed by this size of the nave.

The dome has a 12 sided base and the "coiffered" ceiling is just an illusion.
For nearly two centuries, artists created the marble floor with scenes from the Old Testament. It is often covered by protective paneling. I lucked out that the floors were visible during my visit.
In the Duomo Museum I saw a guide or map of all the marble flooring. Impressive.
The detail in the floors. I suppose if you can't read, you can "read" the floor to teach yourself the Bible stories.
The faithful leave gifts for Mary.
The Piccolomini Altar was designed to be the tomb of the Sienese-born Pope Pius III.
Michelangelo sculpted this statue of St. Paul for the altar. Did you know that Michelangelo should have sculpted more here, but abandoned the project to sculpt the David?

The Piccolomini Library was finished over 550 years ago. Lucky for us that it has never been destroyed or needed restoration. The vibrant colors of the frescoes are all real and original.
The library was a treat to walk through and marvel and the colors of the frescoes.
Illuminated music scores were on display in the library.
If only the Sistine Chapel were still this colorful.
The unfinished part of the cathedral. Lucky for us that it was not finished because I could walk up there and get a great view of Siena.
The Duomo Museum houses the cathedral's art. Here is the Duomo's original stained glass Rose Window.
A bit of a hike to the viewing area- but what a view of the Il Campo.

You can really see the "Burnt Sienna" at work in Siena from this vantage point.
The Duomo. It is quite something to think that if the cathedral had been finished according to plan, I would have been in the nave at this position.
Last month my 2010 Italy calendar had this exact same image. Getting to go to Italy was like traveling in my wall calendar. Just sight after sight of picture perfect moments.
Thanks Siena! My money is on the Panthers for the next Palio!

Vampire hunting in Volterra

2010-02-20T15:39:00.001Z

Last few minutes in the Cinque Terra... and we needed a tour group picture. Look at that fabulous group of tourists taking on Italy. Thanks Rick Steves for bringing us together :-)
Still packing light. Just waiting for the hoopty train to whisk me out of the Cinque Terra and on to my next adventure in Volterra. The train was late which means I had time for a photo shoot.
Wait! I've got Rick's book. Let me on this train!!! All I've got is a backpack for a nine day trip! Let me on! Let me on!
The book that tells all. Love it. I was already in love with his travel guides...but being on a Rick Steves tour WITH a Rick Steves book was almost too much. Is there enough room to gush here?

And from one good read to the next.... a quick stop at a travel center/ gas station and I found the books that put Volterra on the map for me: the Twilight books. It was in Italian, but Edward speaks all languages...
My bus! Since there were fewer than 30 of us, we had plenty of room on this bus. It was nice.
My driver, Lorenzo, and to describe him as jolly does not really do him justice. He was boisterous and did not speak much English. We chatted in smiles instead.
Sheila found our tour mascot, Eduardo, at the gas station where I found the Twilight books. We were looking for vampire teeth for Volterra, but no luck. It was not long until I learned there were many other Twilight fans on my trip-- we had kept it a bit secret for a while. Perhaps we were all a little nervous to admit this. Rick does not mention the vampire connection to Volterra in his book. I suspect he will need to address this soon.
Volterra. Straight ahead and up that hill.
My hotel in Volterra... right on the main drag of the town. It could not have been better located!
My apologies if this makes you batty, but Eduardo is featured in many many Volterra photos.
The room didn't have much to brag about- but it was notable for being up a zillion flight of stairs. Eduardo looks comfy.
Lunch at Chic and Shock. What a great name. And yes, lunch did involve some gelato.
I was hoping for some trashy trinkets to link Volterra to Twilight. The town ought to up its tie-in products. On Halloween a Volturi day was planned. Drat. I would be in Rome.
I decided to take a bite out of the "Hunt for the Volturi" flyer any way. The festivities planned included a costume parade and a vampire hunt. Good times.
Some stores were clearly flattered by the attention their town was getting due to the books (and the soon-to-be-released New Moon). A collection of articles on the books (and the town) were plastered in some stores.
The town hall of Volterra: the Palazzo del Priori. No Volturi were spotted around here. However, I did go on an interesting walking tour led by Annie, an American expat. She married a Volturian and has lived here ever since and gives great tours.
Just take time to wander the streets and pop into the artisans shops. I so wanted to buy art everywhere I went in this town. My wallet and budget would not let me.
I did buy this for my mom. The artist, Claudio, gave me a deal, thankfully. I wished I could have bought more.
The Porta all'Arco. An enormous Etruscan gate (pre-Roman!) from 4th century B.C.
The gate was around for thousands of years...and was almost lost to the Nazi's. This plaque remembers the Volterrans who ripped up the stones that paved the way through the gate. The Nazi plan was to blow up the gate to slow an Allied advance (I don't really see how that would happen, but okay). Since the road through the gate was gone, the gate was saved. Now it is all put back together.
Go ahead and take one more look at the oldest Etruscan gate. I don't mind...
Griffins abound in Volterra. It is the town symbol. It adds to the mystique I already sensed due to the vampire connection.
The town has commanding views of the Tuscan countryside. I think I could live here if you twisted my arm enough.
Volterra was absorbed into the Roman empire and boasts a number of Roman artifacts. This theatre was built in 10B.C. I love that it was lost for centuries as the town just threw their trash over the city walls and eventually this theatre was buried under the rubbish. In the 1950s it was rediscovered.
The walls from which trash was thrown over to land on top of the theatre thus losing it to time and trash. Thank goodness for curious people who like to dig!

A Tuscan tower. A noble lived here. To reach the front door of the house you needed to climb a ladder as the ground floor offered no access to the living spaces above. Then you had to squeeze through the tiny door. If you had a weapon or armor on, you couldn't get in. Early security systems.
Still loving the balconies and the shutters in Tuscany.
Volterra is far from boar-ring. Sorry.
Boar is a local specialty.
I went to an alabaster workshop to see a local artisan create nearly transparent art. Impressive.

Oh Fall. I love you.
I went to the Etruscan Museum. It is clear these pre-Roman people were quite advanced. The museum was filled with zillions of Etruscan funerary urns. I liked that this urn showed an older couple, clearly affectionate. Too many early sculptures show idealized versions of people and this seems to capture what I would say is the real deal.
And the Etruscan museum presented me with a challenge. The only squatty toilet I encountered in Italy. I had heard of such places and tried to come prepared...
It worked.
That is all I will say.
At dinner my tour guide, Nina, had to take a picture of the invention that made my life easier. John, a tour friend, was ready to help make the photo happen. Everyone seemed to be shocked, curious, and impressed at the same time.
Sunset from the town walls of Volterra. Breathtaking. And just the day before I watched the sun set into the Liguiran sea.

I adore sunsets. It is hard to not adore them.

This parking lot must be the luckiest parking lot ever. I can just pretend this P is in my honor.
A glorious dinner. A feast. It was decadent. We dined at Ristorante Enoteca del Duca and the Tuscan cuisine was exquisite.
I wish I could tell you what everything was called, but we were presented with tasty dish after dish and we just passed it on family style and ate and ate and ate.
The dream meal: Risotto with truffles. Oh, yes. It was as good as it sounds and looks. Divine.
Eduardo enjoyed dinner too.

The chefs!
My waiters!
And a Volturi in Volterra? I turned a corner and saw this, I kid you not. Now there was no sign nor an explanation of what was going on and he did not react as I snapped some photos. Odd.
I suspect they were advertising for the Volturi day on Halloween. Or was he?
On my second day in Volterra, I dined with some tour friends at Ristorante il Sacco Fiorentino. This pear salad was one to go back to Italy for. Wow.
Pasta with truffles. Yum.
Eduardo took in some of the sights of Volterra.
Sheila and I worked so hard to get this shot of Eduardo flying by the clock tower. Hard work, I assure you.

Atmospheric, is it not?

And after two days, our tour group was off from Volterra to head to Rome. I love this shot of our group on the move! Because I only had a backpack, I could jump ahead and snag this shot.
Thank you charming, Volterra. I had hoped for a vampire sighting, but Eduardo was enough for me. Your food was divine and the sunsets were glorious. I hope to come back....