Hello from Athens!

It’s midweek and we are having a great time! We arrived on Saturday evening and came out of the metro station into rain. Luckily, our hotel was nearby and we easily got settled. We sought out a typical taverna for our first meal. The waiter brought us right up to the kitchen window to show us what was available at that moment. People who came in as we finished our meal had a different selection. A bit intimidating at first but much easier than trying to read a Greek menu!

On our first day we climbed the Acropolis Hill and saw the Parthenon. It really is amazing! Sad to think of how much has been destroyed or damaged through war and looting. Even so, it is magnificent. We could not believe how it was crawling with tourists, and this is the off-season! The line to get into the brand-new Acropolis Museum was so long that we abandoned that plan. Instead, we walked all over, exploring other hilltops, ancient ruins and quiet neighborhoods. We had a delicious lunch at the “oldest taverna in Athens.” The saganaki, dolomati, bread and zucchini balls were the best we’ve tasted- or at least it seemed that way!

Monday we set out in a different direction, first checking out the Central Market, where you can buy a dizzying array of fresh-picked fruits and veggies, a dozen or more types of olives, a whole goat or octopus, or a huge bag of pitas for $1.00. We climbed to the tallest point in Athens, where there is a café, a small Greek Orthodox church and spectacular city views with the Aegean Sea beyond. Our walk took us through many neighborhoods, some quite urban and gritty, others near the embassies quite lovely. This city definitely has a unique feel. We toured two museums and took in more ancient artifacts than we’ll probably ever see again. Pottery, sculptures, tools, jewelry- all from 2000-4000 years ago. Wow.

On Tuesday we got to the Acropolis Museum and it was definitely worth the wait. Most of the remaining sculptures, statues and architectural pieces from the Acropolis have been removed due to ongoing pollution damage and are now housed here. The museum itself sits above an archeological site and the floors are glass so you can see the excavation. Our last ancient site to see was the Agora. We got there in a drizzle so decided to check out the small museum first. By the time we finished, it was a total downpour- unusual for Athens! So, we didn’t get to fully appreciate the ancient marketplace but got soaked anyway just getting back to the hotel.

We’ve eaten gyros, kebaps, sesame bread rings, spinach pies in phyllo dough, Greek salad, baklava and so much feta cheese! The people have been very nice and it seems like there is an “anything goes“ attitude here. We feel very lucky that so many people speak English but I have learned to say “Thank you” in Greek and that always makes people smile. A little effort goes a long way. Next we are off to Nafplio, along the Aegean coast. We’ll send another update from there.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween witches in Germany

Halloween is not a major holiday here but it seems to be catching on a bit, imported from America along with a lot of other great and not-so-great aspects of our culture. In stores, there is a smattering of merchandise- "spooky" gummis, pumpkin-shaped cookies, a few costumes and some decorations.

Of course kids seem to be especially excited about this foreign holiday. I brought a pair of jack-o-lantern socks back for my 10-year-old friend who visits every week and she was delighted. The other day there was a little boy behind me at the store who had his Dracula jewelry set carefully placed on the conveyor belt with the dividers on each side so no one would mistake his purchase for someone else's. He was so excited he couldn't stand still and kept shouting his status in line to his mom who was still shopping across the store. I couldn't help wondering what he was going to do with that plastic gold necklace. There is no trick-or-treating and I'm not even sure there are classroom parties.

Today when my friend came over, I thought we should do something to celebrate. Along with practicing English I think it's fun for her to get a glimpse of some aspects of American life. I couldn't find any pumpkins to carve (not to mention my poor history with sharp objects) so I decided it would be fun to create our own Halloween masks. You can see the results above, and we had a great time making these witches, complete with warts, nasty teeth and natty hair!

What's with "winter tires?"

We’re entering our second winter in Germany so we have been through this transition before but honestly, everything was so strange last year that I didn’t really stop to think about it until now. Here I am in a climate that is milder than any of my previous addresses throughout the upper Midwest. Average temperatures probably range from around 30 in winter to 75 in summer, and virtually no snow. But as soon as we arrived back from our month in the States my friend asked, “Are the winter tires on your car? Once it gets below 50 degrees you should switch them.” Seriously? 50 degrees calls for winter tires?

Okay, I haven’t actually looked into this so there could be a very good reason, and knowing the safety-conscious and practical Germans there probably is. For all I know there is a law about having the appropriate tires on your car. But really, I lived in Madison, WI, and drove in the same tires year-round. When it was zero degrees with a minus 15 wind chill and when it was 90 with a heat index of 100 the same tires carried me safely wherever I went. And in Michigan with snow drifts up to my hip, I scooted around town in my all-season tires. So it seems like a bit of a scam, getting tires switched twice a year and paying the dealer to store the off-season set.

But even with all this I probably wouldn’t have batted an eye, except that this time around Aaron asked me to call and set up the appointment. Yeah, just casually asked me for a favor, like it was no different from washing his lucky socks for the big meeting or something. You’d think that after living here for over a year, we’d finally be good with all the language stuff but you’d be wrong. We have learned a lot. Aaron has his vocabulary that allows him to comfortably navigate his work world and I have mine, with which I can small-talk and get to the post office, grocery store and bakery. But talking on the phone is a completely different level of comfort. For one thing, you can’t use hand gestures, which turns out to be a large part of my vocabulary. For another thing,…, well, I can’t think of anything else but I panicked anyway!

Well, you know how the story turns out. I made the call, spoke to the nice lady at the Ford dealership, even told her about a warranty recall letter we’d received and set up the tire swapping date. And I’m a better person for the experience. But I still think the tire thing is dumb.

The Everyday Days

When I was little, I never understood why adults said, “Boy, time flies! It seems like just yesterday that you were born.” Time never seemed to fly for me. Instead it often seemed to drag. “Am I old enough to go to school now?” Then, “Why, oh, why aren’t I ten yet?” Next it was, “Will I ever be able to drive?” And then finally, “I can’t wait to get to college.”

And guess what I think now? Boy, time flies! I say it to my nieces and nephews, knowing that they roll their eyes and think I am old. I don’t know when or why it changed. Aaron has a theory that our perspective shifts as each day we live becomes a smaller percentage of our total life. I wonder if, as adults, we just spend so much time in the past and the future that we miss all the everyday moments. I've heard that life will teach us the same lessons over and over again until we learn them. I seem to be in the midst of a long lesson about the importance of keeping my mind in the same time and place as my body.

Being unemployed has me always looking to the next adventure we can take. Sometimes I feel like I’m just living from vacation to vacation. Budgeting, planning, researching, watching ticket prices… And knowing that we are living in Germany for a specific and finite length of time has my mind always racing ahead to the next chapter. Where do we want to live in the States? Will I be able to find another job I like? Will Aaron keep working for this company? You know, you can really drive yourself crazy with this stuff. And meanwhile I realize that we’ve lived here for nearly a year and a half! And I’ve been unwittingly waiting for it to be over. I miss my career, I miss my friends, I miss my family, I miss friendly American strangers, blah blah blah- you’ve heard it all before.

The reality is that I traded three years of my life for this experience. That’s too precious an investment to just wish away. I mean, of course I love all the tourist stuff but I also have an everyday life over here that is far less exciting than a weekend in Stockholm and a road trip to Brussels. But everyday is the stuff that our lives are really made of. So here’s to this quirky little German village and all my stoic neighbors. Here’s to slowly and painfully learning another language. Here’s to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with my spouse seven days a week. And (gulp) here’s to unemployment, which has given me the opportunity to dig up a long-buried creative part of myself that likes to write, knit and cook. Here’s to everyday. Hope you enjoy yours too.

Oops- there went September!

So much for my grand plans to keep blogging while back in the States. I underestimated how busy things would get. And I completely immersed myself in time with family and friends. It was wonderful! I'm not sure how to sum it all up so here are a few highlights:

My mom, party planner extraordinaire,

threw a tea party in honor of Aaron's birthday.

We also belatedly celebrated my sister's birthday.

I got to play some football and soccer with my nephews,

one of whom is about to be taller then me! I watched him

run in his middle school cross-country meet- he's fast!

Aaron's parents threw a wonderful

backyard BBQ on our first night back in IL.

It was so much fun to have the whole family together.

One of the main events of the trip was my friend's wedding.

We've been pals since 6th grade and it was an honor to stand

as her bridesmaid and see her so happy.

I couldn't believe our luck: my friend who lives in Norway

was also back visiting at the same time so I got to see her family

for the second time this year, including this beautiful new addition!

I also spent an afternoon shopping with a dear friend from Michigan, spent time with my grandparents and my great-aunt, saw my dad come through his second knee replacement with flying colors, helped my sis with a garage sale and had some great fun hanging out with my mom.

All the while, Aaron was hard at work in Ohio. He was with one of his colleagues and I think they managed to make the best of it. At least they got to go to an American Oktoberfest , which was quite a laugh for our German friend! Now we are home again, recovering from jet lag and trying to get back into our routine.

Our week in Puerto Rico

We've been here since last Saturday, staying near the beaches in San Juan. It has been a complete change of scenery and climate. It's funny how you forget what tropical heat really feels like. I love it but have to admit that our northern German climate is better for outdoor activities like running and biking. This weather is only good for going to the beach or pool. Luckily, that's what I have been doing. Poor Aaron has been hard at work, fitting five days' worth of meetings into three.

So far, the absolute highlight of the trip was our rainforest adventure. On Sunday morning, we were picked up at 7:00 AM and driven halfway across the island up to the highest mountain. We spent the morning walking up a mountain river and climbing waterfalls. The biggest was probably 30 feet tall and we had to wear climbing harnesses and helmets. The afternoon was spent ziplining through the rainforest treetops. It was so much fun!

Our two guides were fantastic- so knowledgeable, friendly and encouraging. They pointed out all kinds of things on the trail, including the abundance of food sources. The area was an old coffee plantation so we saw coffee trees, as well as banana, passionfruit, mango, orange and plantain trees. We saw pineapples growing and saw yam vines. Aaron and I probably ate a dozen passionfruits throughout the day- they were everywhere along the forest floor. We also ate termites! I can't really believe I did that but it wasn't that bad. Well, except that I might not have chewed enough and for the rest of the day I felt like there was a termite hanging on at the back of my throat. Other than that though, delicious!

Our lunch really was a delicious treat. It was prepared by locals and delivered to the picnic shelter at our trailhead. It was very traditional Puerto Rican fare, which is not at all like Mexican food. We ate pork and chicken, yuca root, rice and red beans, fried plantains and avocado. Our guide prepared fresh coffee for us after lunch. Fresh meant that he had picked the beans off the trees within the last two days and roasted them earlier that morning. It was quite possibly the best coffee I have ever tasted!

I am continually amazed by the diversity in our world and the people in it. It is such a joy and privilege to see so many wonderful places. Next stop, one of my favorite wonderful places- home!

32 Days, 2 Suitcases

Oh, what to pack? We are off on another adventure tomorrow, combining a mini beach vacation, work, family visits and bridesmaid duty! So many occasions, so many shoes! We need swimsuits and flip-flops for the beach in San Juan, sport sandals for a rainforest adventure and summer clothes for the 90- degree weather in Puerto Rico.

Everyone has been complaining about the cool weather in the Midwest and September is a wild card anyway. So we need pants and shorts, tees and sweaters! Aaron will be working again in Cincinnati for three weeks while I help with a garage sale at my sister's house, visit friends and get ready for my dear friend's wedding!

I'll try to keep you posted with updates and photos!