Fish- it's what's for dinner!

Since Nafplio is a coastal town seafood was the specialty. There were lots of little fishing boats in the harbor so you could believe that it would all be fresh. The local dishes include octopus (see far left corner of display case and fish roe (that is, eggs) salad, but since we knew it would be a splurge we wanted to make sure we got something we liked. So we asked for fish, and this is what we saw!

The owner of the place greeted us at the door and took us to the kitchen, where another man started opening drawers filled with the above delicacies! Now that's fresh! He asked us if we wanted something fried or grilled, whether we wanted the same thing or two separate dishes. Based on our answer he slapped a nice big red snapper on the scale (you pay by the kilogram)and said, "Okay. Go sit down and I'll come take your drink order in a moment."

We sipped our white wine, ate a yummy Greek salad and bread and before long our fishy was served up on a platter. We paid for the whole thing so of course we were served the whole thing. I have a little bit of an issue with meat that is still attached to the animal it comes from but Mr. Snapper was so tasty that I was able to ignore his little tail that was just hours earlier still happily swimming in the sea.

After our meal the waiter brought us dessert "on the house"- fresh pears and candied fruit drizzled with honey. Light and delicious! It was a very nice gesture but totally made us think we must have bought the most expensive fish in the drawer! Ha!

Moped adventures in Greece

We packed so much into our week that it is hard to know how to hit the highlights. Leaving Athens, we took a bus to Nafplio, a little town on the Aegean Sea. We stayed there partly because it was relatively close to two ancient sites we wanted to see- the best-preserved ancient theater at Epidavros and the ruins of Mycenae, a citadel dating from 15th century B.C.

Somehow I got the idea in my head that it would be fun to rent a moped to do our sight-seeing. I’d never even ridden a moped. The only places renting them gave us a moment’s pause; they didn’t exactly look like places where honest and forthright business took place. But we paid 25 Euros, left Aaron’s passport as collateral (yikes!) and got a bright yellow Navigator Tiger, along with two stylish helmets and the all-important map. Off we went!

Aaron quickly saw that for our bargain price we had gotten a vehicle without working gauges- no speedometer, no gas gauge. Super! We had no idea how far we could go on one little tank so we started checking it every time we stopped.

I didn’t realize just how windy it would seem going 40 or 50 miles an hour without a windshield. As we got up to cruising speed, I was nearly strangled by my helmet as it lifted up and blew back. It was too big for my little pin head. As much as we tightened the strap, it didn’t seem to make much difference. I momentarily considered stuffing my bikini into the helmet to fill up the extra space- just momentarily though.

The first leg of our trip went great. The theater at Epidavros was completely worth the 18 mile trip there. Unfortunately, the other site was 20 miles in the opposite direction from Nafplio. We got a bit turned around but ate a picnic lunch and eventually got headed toward Mycenae. By then the road seemed rather long. The seats were clearly not designed for long-distance comfort for two riders. The sky started to look a bit ominous and I began to worry that if it rained the site might close early. Since we'd taken a wrong turn, we were a bit behind schedule.

Just as we made our final turn and began the final stretch the moped engine died. Yup, you guessed it- we ran out of gas. It turns out that in a 5-liter tank, even when it looks like there is “plenty” of gas left it can go pretty quick. There we were in rural Greece, where all you see for miles on end are olive groves and orange groves. We had come through a town but couldn’t really remember how far back that had been. Aaron pushed the Tiger to the side of the road and we rode on fumes down a hill for maybe 500 yards. Then we walked. Luckily, it was less than two miles to the nearest station and it didn’t rain. The whole thing was extra funny because Aaron and I barely said a thing. The engine died; I asked, “Are we out of gas?” Aaron answered, “I think so,”and we turned around and started walking. Neither of us got mad; I think we both expected it to happen.

All’s well that ends well. Mycenae was still open, we had plenty of time to look around and nearly had the place to ourselves. After another twenty miles back to Nafplio it was nearly dark and we were cold and saddle sore. We traded the moped for Aaron's passport and when the owner asked if we’d had any problems, we said, “None at all!”

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.