All right, so you've probably been wondering why I haven't updated this blog in a while. I know I said I needed to finish my papers first-- and I DID-- but there was another reason, too. I was waiting until my parents arrived in England to see me (which they did today) before I put up my most recent set of photos, because.....
I CUT MY HAIR!!!
Yeah, terribly exciting, I know. (Not really.) But I wanted it to be a surprise to them, so I have been waiting to post pics until they'd seen my "new look."
And that's the explanation. :) Now we'll get back to the regular posts... :)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
I promise...
... that I will update soon. I do have more stories and pics from Deutschland, and besides, the "journey" doesn't end just because the time in Deutschland does. But at the moment I've got three big papers to finish, and blogging is more thing I ought not to distract myself with until they're finished... 
(No, that's not my textbook. Heaven forbid. I just felt like I needed a pic here, and it's the closest one to "writing papers" that I could come up with. ;)).
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Goodbye, Life
I thought you'd all be interested (??) to know that during the last two days I have spent approximately 18 hours on one academic project. That was about 8 hours yesterday, and an even 10 today. Actually, if you count yesterday's time from when I began to when I quit for the night, it was technically 13 straight hours... But I'm trying to be honest, so I'm not counting the hours I took badly-needed mental breaks. Today the ten hours were almost without stop, except for those minor snack breaks or jump-about moments that fidgety people like me need every so often.
All this to say... may I go to bed now?
:)
All this to say... may I go to bed now?
:)
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Around Here
Here are few pictures taken in the last couple of weeks in Amberg or close by.
On Friday, March 14, four of us returned to Nuernberg for a few hours. Bonnie and Jeffrey had particular errands to run, so Brian and I ended up hanging out together.
This is the special hand-made items market, which had just opened for the season.
We got pretty wet in that good Nuernberger rain, so eventually we found a nice coffee shop to warm up in.
An der Zug (on the train), coming back.
Quack x2.
Our river in Amberg, the Vils. It had just been clearing out a little after the big storm two weeks before-- and then we had another rain storm!
Later that same night, Beth and I joined Jerry and Paula Orr for a special Bavarian folk music night. These gigs are held about once a month at different local restaurants. It's an eager, happy crowd. Most people who attend can play accordion or fiddle or something themselves, and just might!
Self-portrait. It's not particularly flattering, but it shows that we were enjoying ourselves. :)
Jerry and Paula joking with the evening's host (also a musician).
Bonnie eventually succeeded in her Nuernberg errand: to buy a dirndl! Her she is, displaying for us girls her new outfit in all its glory.
That Sunday we visited our Pastor and his family at their lovely apartment, and enjoyed a good time of fun, food, and fellowship.
They had a brand new puppy-- which charmed our hearts instantly!
Now we've skipped ahead a few weeks. This was last Sunday, March 30. After Beth and I returned from Poland, we took advantage of the fine weather and of our prepaid rail ticket and went 15 minutes south of Amberg to Schwandorf, a little place we've passed through almost every week but never gotten to stop in. It was beautiful!
The "palace," which was actually a church upon closer inspection, at the top of the hill in Schwandorf. It took a lovely, sunshiny little climb to get here.
Because it was the first really sunny, springy Sunday afternoon, pretty much the whole town was out to eat, sit, and absorb the warmth!
The end... for now. :)
On Friday, March 14, four of us returned to Nuernberg for a few hours. Bonnie and Jeffrey had particular errands to run, so Brian and I ended up hanging out together.
This is the special hand-made items market, which had just opened for the season.
We got pretty wet in that good Nuernberger rain, so eventually we found a nice coffee shop to warm up in.
An der Zug (on the train), coming back.
Quack x2.
Our river in Amberg, the Vils. It had just been clearing out a little after the big storm two weeks before-- and then we had another rain storm!
Later that same night, Beth and I joined Jerry and Paula Orr for a special Bavarian folk music night. These gigs are held about once a month at different local restaurants. It's an eager, happy crowd. Most people who attend can play accordion or fiddle or something themselves, and just might!
Self-portrait. It's not particularly flattering, but it shows that we were enjoying ourselves. :)
Jerry and Paula joking with the evening's host (also a musician).
Bonnie eventually succeeded in her Nuernberg errand: to buy a dirndl! Her she is, displaying for us girls her new outfit in all its glory.
That Sunday we visited our Pastor and his family at their lovely apartment, and enjoyed a good time of fun, food, and fellowship.
They had a brand new puppy-- which charmed our hearts instantly!
Now we've skipped ahead a few weeks. This was last Sunday, March 30. After Beth and I returned from Poland, we took advantage of the fine weather and of our prepaid rail ticket and went 15 minutes south of Amberg to Schwandorf, a little place we've passed through almost every week but never gotten to stop in. It was beautiful!
The "palace," which was actually a church upon closer inspection, at the top of the hill in Schwandorf. It took a lovely, sunshiny little climb to get here.
Because it was the first really sunny, springy Sunday afternoon, pretty much the whole town was out to eat, sit, and absorb the warmth!
The end... for now. :)
Friday, April 4, 2008
Scenes of Poland
Of all the trips I've gone on this semester, I think it's fair to say that this one was the most looked-forward-to of them all. The exception is the Prague trip, since that had been planned before I ever came to Germany. But of all the others, planned after I arrived here, Poland with Beth has been the leading idea. It seems quite fitting, then, that this trip ended up late in the semester-- in fact, it was / will be my last personal excursion of the semester. It was long, relaxing, and beautiful. My companion was delightful. It was a perfect trip to end with. :)
On Thursday afternoon (March 27), Beth and I skidaddled (sp?) out of here as soon as possible and took the train north to Goerlitz, on the German-Polish border (and not many miles from the Czech border, either!). We got there after dark, and just barely made it to our hostel in time to check in before the fellow at the desk left for the night. Whew!
We were rather delighted to see our hostel the next morning. What an amazing place! It was marvelous inside, too.
We had several hours to kill (enjoy) before our train into Poland, so we wandered somewhat aimlessly around Goerlitz. We found that our layover city was, in fact, a charming place in itself, and one we would happily have spent more time in!
The path to adventure...
Old town Goerlitz.
"Friendship is a treasured gift, and every time I talk with you I feel as if I'm getting richer and richer."
Martin Luther and one of the churches he helped make possible.
Inside the Goerlitz Frauenkirche.
The German-Polish border!!
We arrived in Jelenia Góra early Friday afternoon. This town is nestled into the Karkonosze Mountains in southwestern Poland. Our first find here was the huge cathedral and sepulchral chapels east of the downtown area-- a beautiful park on a beautiful, warm afternoon! 
So happy...
The main square of Jelenia Góra. The name, by the way, means "Deer Mountain." And truly, over the weekend we saw about 40 deer!
The Ratusz (Rathaus in German, or town hall) by dusk.
Sóbieszow is best known for the Karkonosze National Park that begins just outside town. It's also well known (in Poland) for the beautiful castle in that park. It was the castle we hiked up to see!
Almost at the top of the mountain-- what a hike, and what a view!!
Zamek Chojnik, the beautiful castle we'd laboured hard to reach.
A victory shot from the top of the highest tower. Far, far beneath us is the Jelenia valley (Jelenia Góra, Sóbieszow, and other small towns), and behind us on several sides are snow-covered mountains that made our hearts ache with joy to see.
View from a tower window.
On the hike back down. The landscape was stunning!
Back in Jelenia Góra for dinner.
On Thursday afternoon (March 27), Beth and I skidaddled (sp?) out of here as soon as possible and took the train north to Goerlitz, on the German-Polish border (and not many miles from the Czech border, either!). We got there after dark, and just barely made it to our hostel in time to check in before the fellow at the desk left for the night. Whew!
We were rather delighted to see our hostel the next morning. What an amazing place! It was marvelous inside, too.
We had several hours to kill (enjoy) before our train into Poland, so we wandered somewhat aimlessly around Goerlitz. We found that our layover city was, in fact, a charming place in itself, and one we would happily have spent more time in!
The path to adventure...
Old town Goerlitz.
"Friendship is a treasured gift, and every time I talk with you I feel as if I'm getting richer and richer."
Martin Luther and one of the churches he helped make possible.
Inside the Goerlitz Frauenkirche.
The German-Polish border!!
We arrived in Jelenia Góra early Friday afternoon. This town is nestled into the Karkonosze Mountains in southwestern Poland. Our first find here was the huge cathedral and sepulchral chapels east of the downtown area-- a beautiful park on a beautiful, warm afternoon!
So happy...
The main square of Jelenia Góra. The name, by the way, means "Deer Mountain." And truly, over the weekend we saw about 40 deer!
The Ratusz (Rathaus in German, or town hall) by dusk.
Saturday morning in Jelenia. We had a ton of fun shopping, from both small street vendors (shoes, sunglasses, souvenirs) and a trendy mall!
After a few hours, we boarded a bus out to Sóbieszow, nestled even closer into the mountains.
Beautiful Sóbieszow.
Sóbieszow is best known for the Karkonosze National Park that begins just outside town. It's also well known (in Poland) for the beautiful castle in that park. It was the castle we hiked up to see!
Almost at the top of the mountain-- what a hike, and what a view!!
Zamek Chojnik, the beautiful castle we'd laboured hard to reach.
A victory shot from the top of the highest tower. Far, far beneath us is the Jelenia valley (Jelenia Góra, Sóbieszow, and other small towns), and behind us on several sides are snow-covered mountains that made our hearts ache with joy to see.
View from a tower window.
On the hike back down. The landscape was stunning!
Back in Jelenia Góra for dinner.
Somehow I managed to narrow down my photos for you from 100 to the 20 or so that are here. Because of that, and because of my limited time, I feel I've hardly touched on the surface of this trip, and all the little details of it that made it so special. But perhaps I will save those stories for some sweet time in the future, when you and I have sat down together with a cup of coffee or tea and a free hour or two to catch up.
I shall close this post with a few bold declarations. I love Poland. And I love it more with Beth.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Scenes of Paris
It is high time I share some pictures of Paris, that most well-known city of Europe! I must honestly admit that until two months ago, I would never have thought that I would be visiting this city before my 70th year; but on March 22nd, I visited the amazing city with several of the other students. Fantastic!
We took an overnight train to Paris Friday night, arriving about 6:30 Saturday morning. By 7:30, with train reservations for the following days made (with great difficulty because of its being Easter weekend!!), we headed out into the city. We had a marvelous breakfast, our first taste of French food. Then we began our tour.
Our first view across the river Seine. In the back and to the right, you can see the Eiffel Tower!
Looking back across the river.
A happy group shot of the five of us girls. Poor Tim, the only male on the trip, was left to take the picture!
And here is Tim himself, in front of the Notre Dame. This was really Tim's trip; most of us had never conceived of going to France this semester, but it was Tim's greatest wish-- and we could not let him go by himself! :)
Inside the Notre Dame. Too bad I couldn't get a good shot of it.
Behind the Notre Dame and its gardens.
Spring in Paris!
A beautiful bridge across the Seine, and the Grand Palais, now a museum and observatory.
Parisian scupltures!
Les Invalides, a palace built for maimed soldiers by Louis XIV (I think).
The Eiffel Tower, during a stunning moment when the clouds broke and the sun was perfectly positioned.
Friends!
We waited in line for several hours to take the elevators to the top of the Tower. The sun didn't stay out much of the afternoon, so we spent a great deal of the time in line huddled together for warmth as we were pelted with rain or sleet. It made for good memories!
We took an overnight train to Paris Friday night, arriving about 6:30 Saturday morning. By 7:30, with train reservations for the following days made (with great difficulty because of its being Easter weekend!!), we headed out into the city. We had a marvelous breakfast, our first taste of French food. Then we began our tour.
Our first view across the river Seine. In the back and to the right, you can see the Eiffel Tower!
Looking back across the river.
A happy group shot of the five of us girls. Poor Tim, the only male on the trip, was left to take the picture!
And here is Tim himself, in front of the Notre Dame. This was really Tim's trip; most of us had never conceived of going to France this semester, but it was Tim's greatest wish-- and we could not let him go by himself! :)
Inside the Notre Dame. Too bad I couldn't get a good shot of it.
Behind the Notre Dame and its gardens.
Spring in Paris!
A beautiful bridge across the Seine, and the Grand Palais, now a museum and observatory.
Parisian scupltures!
Les Invalides, a palace built for maimed soldiers by Louis XIV (I think).
The Eiffel Tower, during a stunning moment when the clouds broke and the sun was perfectly positioned.
Friends!
We waited in line for several hours to take the elevators to the top of the Tower. The sun didn't stay out much of the afternoon, so we spent a great deal of the time in line huddled together for warmth as we were pelted with rain or sleet. It made for good memories!
Sadly, my camera and I were still not getting along at this time. Thus I have no more pictures. But the rest of the weekend was wonderful:
We enjoyed a boat ride down the Seine later Saturday afternoon, then a charming dinner. We took a train 45 minutes outside of Paris to Reims, where we stayed in a remarkable hostel for the night.
The next day, because of the difficulty of getting train reservations, we had to get back to Paris by lunchtime, so did not get to enjoy Reims (though some day we'll have to go back!). I will say that it was difficult for all of us not to be in church on Easter morning. Indeed, the morning seemed particularly full of all that could distract us of what, to us, is most important to remember on Easter (and every day)-- and that made my mood a little blue for a while. But in a way, it was actually a good reminder...
By mid-afternoon we were at the Louvre, and spent several hours there observing just a tiny portion of the wealth of art and culture (and wealth!) housed there! It was completely breath-taking..... And really, I'm still a bit surprised that I've seen the Mona Lisa with my own eyes!!
That evening, after a delightful stroll through the gardens of the Louvre and a strange but delicious dinner experience, we retired to a lovely (and rather too expensive) hotel near the train station.
On Monday morning we boarded the train and enjoyed a pleasant ride back to Germany. Since Germans have the week after Easter off from school, our train was filled with excited children off for holiday adventures! We got back to Amberg Monday afternoon, exhausted, but sooooo excited about everything we'd just seen and done. :)
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