Last night Bryan and I rode our bikes from Cherokee to Firebird for Dear Landlord. Show was 'aight. Mostly I was excited that so many friends were in attendance and had a nice time socializing. Positive vibes all around all night.
Prior to the show, we swung by Pardon My Reach Closing Reception and after the show, we rode around the city, down Market to the the Arch Grounds. We stashed our bikes near a pond and talked for a while and admired the night. Then we made out, for a long time. No clothes came off, but Bryan unzipped my fly and was fingering me. I was soaked all the way down to my knees in the front and the back. I had my hand up the leg of his shorts.
We made out for over an hour, then suddenly I saw a bright light very near us and I said, "There's a cop right there!" Three park rangers/policemen on bikes busted us! They asked us what we were doing and where we had been earlier. They ran our IDs and let us go after telling us that the park closes at 11pm. I still had my fly undone and pulled my shirt down over it; I didn't want to zip up in front of the cops, even though I suspect they knew exactly what they had come up on. We grabbed our bikes and trotted up the hill and left the Arch Grounds, laughing out loud the whole way!
The whole experience is humorous to me for two reasons:
1. The cops busted two 30+ year olds for making out in the park after hours!
2. The cops busted us literally five seconds after I came. We were curious if they heard us when that was happening or if they had been watching the show from the shadows prior, waiting until we were finished, or until the situation escalated!
I am thankful that we didn't have anything out and get cited for indecent exposure or lewd conduct!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Fabulous Afternoon in Frankfurt: Recap
On Tuesday, August 7, Yvonne, Elizabeth, and I drove to Frankfurt for the afternoon.
I was excited because going in to the trip, I wanted to eat a huge pretzel, and Frankfurt was the place to do that!
We also went to Museum of Modern Art aka Kunst. It was pretty sweet. Several exhibits really stood out to me. The first was an photo exhibit with photos of polluted abandoned mining areas. The ground was literally grey and red and smoking. The second was an install of various mixed media, and the part the stood out of the most was written on the wall "Buying nothing is the real luxery". The third that stood out to me was a bunch of loaves of bread with forks in them like bird wings. The exhibit was in a glass case and the card said it was from the late 60s, so that was so old bread!!!
After the museum we walked around and window shopped. There was an old (anciet Roman times) public pool that was being renovated. I was amazed to learn that there were even structures like that built during that time. I knew about the aquifers, but not pools.
This is the Frankfurter Dom, officially Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus.
Visitors can pay 3Euro and climb over 320 steps to the top for a spectacular 360 degree view of the city! The staircase was a narrow sprial set and it was exhausting! There were electrical lights installed now in modern times, but originally, it was pretty dark in there! There were small windows to let light in, but it was still pretty dark.
View from the top: That is the Rhine!
I wanted to take a boat ride on the Rhine, and we did that, too! We cruised by Museum Row (didn't have time to go to any other museums, would have liked to see the German Film Museum...guess I'll just have to go back...) We also cruised by a building nick-named the Apfelwien Building because it looks like the traditional glass in which that beverage is served.
Other things that happened in Frankfurt: Sorbet! I hadn't had any treats in a loooong time! I chose a scoop of banana and a scoop of strawberry.
Chocolate shaped like little mice for sale at the market! There was so many fresh and colorful items in the kiosks! It was pretty cool.
There were several street performers in Frankfurt. Musicians, some guys "floating" in the air with their hand only holding onto a walking stick, and then these creepy characters:
After our day in Frankfurt, we drove back to Gedern. I was exhausted from the excitement and also was still jet-lagged. I slept in the car most of the way. We did stop off in Wennings, which was the original village from where the founders of my hometown came. We wen to the remains of an old church. It was pretty much just three stone walls. Yvonne told me there used to also be an old wooden cross, but it was not there anymore. The surrounding scenery was beautiful. I really liked being in the country.
My last night in Gedern was spent with the Reekers. Lilo and walked to the house and we all played Yahtzee. Then Yvonne, Michael, and I went to bar nearby and I ordered some Apfelwein and we played Yahtzee some more. I really enjoyed the Apfelwein! We had great conversation, too. I was a lot of fun talking about various animals...trying to describe to them armadillos, porcupines, etc!
I was excited because going in to the trip, I wanted to eat a huge pretzel, and Frankfurt was the place to do that!
We also went to Museum of Modern Art aka Kunst. It was pretty sweet. Several exhibits really stood out to me. The first was an photo exhibit with photos of polluted abandoned mining areas. The ground was literally grey and red and smoking. The second was an install of various mixed media, and the part the stood out of the most was written on the wall "Buying nothing is the real luxery". The third that stood out to me was a bunch of loaves of bread with forks in them like bird wings. The exhibit was in a glass case and the card said it was from the late 60s, so that was so old bread!!!
After the museum we walked around and window shopped. There was an old (anciet Roman times) public pool that was being renovated. I was amazed to learn that there were even structures like that built during that time. I knew about the aquifers, but not pools.
This is the Frankfurter Dom, officially Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus.
Visitors can pay 3Euro and climb over 320 steps to the top for a spectacular 360 degree view of the city! The staircase was a narrow sprial set and it was exhausting! There were electrical lights installed now in modern times, but originally, it was pretty dark in there! There were small windows to let light in, but it was still pretty dark.
View from the top: That is the Rhine!
I wanted to take a boat ride on the Rhine, and we did that, too! We cruised by Museum Row (didn't have time to go to any other museums, would have liked to see the German Film Museum...guess I'll just have to go back...) We also cruised by a building nick-named the Apfelwien Building because it looks like the traditional glass in which that beverage is served.
Other things that happened in Frankfurt: Sorbet! I hadn't had any treats in a loooong time! I chose a scoop of banana and a scoop of strawberry.
Chocolate shaped like little mice for sale at the market! There was so many fresh and colorful items in the kiosks! It was pretty cool.
There were several street performers in Frankfurt. Musicians, some guys "floating" in the air with their hand only holding onto a walking stick, and then these creepy characters:
After our day in Frankfurt, we drove back to Gedern. I was exhausted from the excitement and also was still jet-lagged. I slept in the car most of the way. We did stop off in Wennings, which was the original village from where the founders of my hometown came. We wen to the remains of an old church. It was pretty much just three stone walls. Yvonne told me there used to also be an old wooden cross, but it was not there anymore. The surrounding scenery was beautiful. I really liked being in the country.
My last night in Gedern was spent with the Reekers. Lilo and walked to the house and we all played Yahtzee. Then Yvonne, Michael, and I went to bar nearby and I ordered some Apfelwein and we played Yahtzee some more. I really enjoyed the Apfelwein! We had great conversation, too. I was a lot of fun talking about various animals...trying to describe to them armadillos, porcupines, etc!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Radtour to Hoherodskopf
Going in, I wanted to see a shield volcano, and on Monday, August 6, Michael and I rode bikes to the top of Hoherodskopf in the Vogelsberg Mountains. It. Was. Awesome.
I rode Johann's bike, and we climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed. There was really nice bike paths that used to be RR Tracks. The whole ride was incredibly scenic. We stopped halfway up to have a rest:
Once at the top, we kind of walked around and looked at the nice scenery. There was a youth hostel there, and Michael told me that he had stayed there before when he was younger.
There was also a TV Tower, and once a plane crashed into it. Allegedly, the wreckage could not all be cleared out, so some of it is still up there and the inside of the tower was just rebuilt around it. Weird.
There was a man with a herd of Schafe. He had two dogs patrolling the herd and keeping them in line! The Schafe were grazing.
This sign atop the volcano pointed in the direction and listed mileage of other well known volcanos. Mount St. Helen's was over 8000km away!
On the way home, we were pedaling through the forest and there were signs posted to not the path/stay out of the forest. Michael told me that there used to be a bomb factory in the forest here during the war but it was firebombed by the Americans. There are still land mines in the forest and it is really some peoples' job to comb the forest looking for the land mines. Every year, they find two or three. Amazing!
After the radtour, we went back to the house, where a birthday party was happening! There was all kinds of traditional German food (and even veg potato salad for me!) including five different types of cake that were made from scratch. A lot of friends and family came over to the house and ate, drank some beers, socialized, played cards. I ended up winning 1.50Euro in the card game. I felt badly since I was the guest, but they insisted that I take my winnings! A nice end to a nice day!
I rode Johann's bike, and we climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed. There was really nice bike paths that used to be RR Tracks. The whole ride was incredibly scenic. We stopped halfway up to have a rest:
Once at the top, we kind of walked around and looked at the nice scenery. There was a youth hostel there, and Michael told me that he had stayed there before when he was younger.
There was also a TV Tower, and once a plane crashed into it. Allegedly, the wreckage could not all be cleared out, so some of it is still up there and the inside of the tower was just rebuilt around it. Weird.
There was a man with a herd of Schafe. He had two dogs patrolling the herd and keeping them in line! The Schafe were grazing.
This sign atop the volcano pointed in the direction and listed mileage of other well known volcanos. Mount St. Helen's was over 8000km away!
On the way home, we were pedaling through the forest and there were signs posted to not the path/stay out of the forest. Michael told me that there used to be a bomb factory in the forest here during the war but it was firebombed by the Americans. There are still land mines in the forest and it is really some peoples' job to comb the forest looking for the land mines. Every year, they find two or three. Amazing!
After the radtour, we went back to the house, where a birthday party was happening! There was all kinds of traditional German food (and even veg potato salad for me!) including five different types of cake that were made from scratch. A lot of friends and family came over to the house and ate, drank some beers, socialized, played cards. I ended up winning 1.50Euro in the card game. I felt badly since I was the guest, but they insisted that I take my winnings! A nice end to a nice day!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Germany Trip: First update!
So on Thursday, Bryan had a hockey game, and I was still sick, but we made plans to meet up at his house for a quick hangout prior to his game.
We just laid next to each other on the mattress and talked. Before we parted, he kissed me on the cheek, and I said that I would send him an email update mid-week.
I was still feeling pretty lousy and decided to sleep at home and drive to Chicago early the next morning. I woke up at 4am and left by 5. I made it to Chi by 10, was full of Sultans's, car dropped off at Roy's house by 11, and on the blue to ORD.
Made it through the ticket line/gate no problem.
First stop: Helsinki. We were 90 minutes late to leave the gate due to a computer problem. Flight time was 8 hours. I ate 10mg of Melatonin and put on my sunglasses and fell asleep. I woke up when the food cart came through, and I don't know what the deal was, but there was no special food options, even for people who ordered in advance. I ate the salad and some crackers. Luckily I had two cases of Cliff Bars in my bag!
Had a layover for about six hours, then boarded the flight to Berlin. In Helsinki, there were no jetways. You go to the gate and then get on a bus that takes you out on the tarmac where the plane is waiting and you walk up a little stairway to board the plane. Flight time was just under two hours, and Ron and Tara were at my gate in Berlin to meet me! I was so excited! Ron still looks that same (and he said the I look the same, too!)
We took a bus to a train to Tara's East Berlin apartment! I was in love with Berlin the first five seconds I was there! Very spread out, not a lot of tall buildings. Very obvious socialist influence; a lot of the building all look to same. Very green city with lots of trees (more on this later!). People on bikes, zipping around in special bike lanes that are not on the road but a separate zone on the sidewalk, trains and buses. I was waaay into the vibe that everyone in Berlin was putting out. Everyone had their own unique style and was just so chill. No attitude. Just positive vibes all around.
Tara's apt is REALLY nice and we dropped off our bags and headed to the Berlin International Beer Festival. There was over a million people there, something like 85 countries represented, food tents, way cute German boys with cute accents. We had an Eastern Pils, which I really liked, and a Dutch beer that was 'aight. I ordered a plate of Nudelpfanne and Tara got some garlic/basil mushrooms. The night was gorgeous.
The next morning Ron and I took the train to HBF because he was going camping for a few days and I was going to Gedern for a few days. I was actually going to take the ICE train to Leipzig to meet up with one of my hosts, Yvonne, who was there teaching a hunting horn lesson to a group of school children. The train was smooth, fast, and quiet. I looked out the window for a bit; the countryside is beautiful, but I was incredibly tired from the jet lag and fell asleep.
The station in Leipzig was very interested from an architectural POV. I met up with Yvonne and we drove in her car on the Autobahn to Gedern. I was excited to go FAAAAST, but there was actually a lot of traffic and we didn't get the car up too fast. Leipzig was kind of depressing in that it was raining and a lot of the building were still bombed/burned out. Just looked...desolate.
Gedern was beautiful. I love being the country, and the area was so hilly and forested but also dotted with farms. There were lots of windmills and hay bails on the hillside. I met up with the rest of the host family and we all went to a nearby lake and ate dinner at a restaurant. It was nice being with the family to eat dinner. They really took time to enjoy the meal and social after. We were there for about two hours.
The next morning, I met up with Uwe, who is the German half of the sister city program. He took me all around Gedern/Ober-Seemen. We went to a BBQ place for breakfast/lunch and I met the proprietor, a man named Don. When Uwe entered the place, Don started speaking to him in German and they were obviously friends, but I could detect a southern twang in Don's voice. Then he spoke to me in English and I could certainly tell then, that he was American. He is from South Carolina but was stationed in Germany then stayed after his enlistment was up. He opened a BBQ joint and lives with his wife upstairs. Two other ex-pat American retired soldiers came in while we were there. Don made a veg sandwich.
Gedern Castle:
After food, Uwe and I went around to see some castles. We went to Gedern castle, which is now the city hall. The original woodwork and staircase from the 1300ss is still holding up and in place in the castle. Amazing. We also went to Burg Ronneburg. It was high up on a hill, and there was a falconry there! I was so excited, but the birds only come out of the weekends and it was Monday. We also went to two privately-owned castles. Visitors are allowed on the grounds but cannot go inside the buildings.
Burg Ronneburg:
Susan at a lookout ledge at Burg Ronneburg:
Uwe took me to some of the other sister city sites and I took some pictures.
I had a great time! I was so tired an took a nap when we got back. Going into the trip, I wanted to see castles, and after the morning with Uwe, I could cross that off my list!
We just laid next to each other on the mattress and talked. Before we parted, he kissed me on the cheek, and I said that I would send him an email update mid-week.
I was still feeling pretty lousy and decided to sleep at home and drive to Chicago early the next morning. I woke up at 4am and left by 5. I made it to Chi by 10, was full of Sultans's, car dropped off at Roy's house by 11, and on the blue to ORD.
Made it through the ticket line/gate no problem.
First stop: Helsinki. We were 90 minutes late to leave the gate due to a computer problem. Flight time was 8 hours. I ate 10mg of Melatonin and put on my sunglasses and fell asleep. I woke up when the food cart came through, and I don't know what the deal was, but there was no special food options, even for people who ordered in advance. I ate the salad and some crackers. Luckily I had two cases of Cliff Bars in my bag!
Had a layover for about six hours, then boarded the flight to Berlin. In Helsinki, there were no jetways. You go to the gate and then get on a bus that takes you out on the tarmac where the plane is waiting and you walk up a little stairway to board the plane. Flight time was just under two hours, and Ron and Tara were at my gate in Berlin to meet me! I was so excited! Ron still looks that same (and he said the I look the same, too!)
We took a bus to a train to Tara's East Berlin apartment! I was in love with Berlin the first five seconds I was there! Very spread out, not a lot of tall buildings. Very obvious socialist influence; a lot of the building all look to same. Very green city with lots of trees (more on this later!). People on bikes, zipping around in special bike lanes that are not on the road but a separate zone on the sidewalk, trains and buses. I was waaay into the vibe that everyone in Berlin was putting out. Everyone had their own unique style and was just so chill. No attitude. Just positive vibes all around.
Tara's apt is REALLY nice and we dropped off our bags and headed to the Berlin International Beer Festival. There was over a million people there, something like 85 countries represented, food tents, way cute German boys with cute accents. We had an Eastern Pils, which I really liked, and a Dutch beer that was 'aight. I ordered a plate of Nudelpfanne and Tara got some garlic/basil mushrooms. The night was gorgeous.
The next morning Ron and I took the train to HBF because he was going camping for a few days and I was going to Gedern for a few days. I was actually going to take the ICE train to Leipzig to meet up with one of my hosts, Yvonne, who was there teaching a hunting horn lesson to a group of school children. The train was smooth, fast, and quiet. I looked out the window for a bit; the countryside is beautiful, but I was incredibly tired from the jet lag and fell asleep.
The station in Leipzig was very interested from an architectural POV. I met up with Yvonne and we drove in her car on the Autobahn to Gedern. I was excited to go FAAAAST, but there was actually a lot of traffic and we didn't get the car up too fast. Leipzig was kind of depressing in that it was raining and a lot of the building were still bombed/burned out. Just looked...desolate.
Gedern was beautiful. I love being the country, and the area was so hilly and forested but also dotted with farms. There were lots of windmills and hay bails on the hillside. I met up with the rest of the host family and we all went to a nearby lake and ate dinner at a restaurant. It was nice being with the family to eat dinner. They really took time to enjoy the meal and social after. We were there for about two hours.
The next morning, I met up with Uwe, who is the German half of the sister city program. He took me all around Gedern/Ober-Seemen. We went to a BBQ place for breakfast/lunch and I met the proprietor, a man named Don. When Uwe entered the place, Don started speaking to him in German and they were obviously friends, but I could detect a southern twang in Don's voice. Then he spoke to me in English and I could certainly tell then, that he was American. He is from South Carolina but was stationed in Germany then stayed after his enlistment was up. He opened a BBQ joint and lives with his wife upstairs. Two other ex-pat American retired soldiers came in while we were there. Don made a veg sandwich.
Gedern Castle:
After food, Uwe and I went around to see some castles. We went to Gedern castle, which is now the city hall. The original woodwork and staircase from the 1300ss is still holding up and in place in the castle. Amazing. We also went to Burg Ronneburg. It was high up on a hill, and there was a falconry there! I was so excited, but the birds only come out of the weekends and it was Monday. We also went to two privately-owned castles. Visitors are allowed on the grounds but cannot go inside the buildings.
Burg Ronneburg:
Susan at a lookout ledge at Burg Ronneburg:
Uwe took me to some of the other sister city sites and I took some pictures.
I had a great time! I was so tired an took a nap when we got back. Going into the trip, I wanted to see castles, and after the morning with Uwe, I could cross that off my list!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Murphy's Law
If I am to leave on vacation and fly on an international flight, then I will come down with the plague prior to departure.
I went to the clinic upstairs at work and was given some antibiotics.
Actually, its just the allergies. Mold has been off the charts.
I still don't want to be sick on my trip, or be coughing/sneezing/gross on the flight.
I have some Melatonin to eat to make me pass the eff out!
I went to the clinic upstairs at work and was given some antibiotics.
Actually, its just the allergies. Mold has been off the charts.
I still don't want to be sick on my trip, or be coughing/sneezing/gross on the flight.
I have some Melatonin to eat to make me pass the eff out!
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