Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Audience Participation!
We're in the heart of strawberry season here, which means one thing: post your favorite things to do with strawberries!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Jon Huber - Slavedriver
If this weekend were going to be shot as a movie, this is how I'd probably be credited in the credits.
Cyrill had a bad week at school so he doesn't get to go home to his mom or dad this weekend. It also happens that tomorrow is Dirk's birthday and he and Maya will be going away for the weekend.
How handy.
I'll let you in on just one of the things Cyrill did, only because I happened to be involved. Yesterday I was told to keep an eye on him while he did his homework and I played with Salome. He was to get a half-hour pause after each piece of homework was finished. So I asked him that when he was done to bring me the paper so I could make sure that he was done. Sounds easy, right? Apparently not so much for him. I was outside with Salome and he opened his window to tell me that he was done and he was ready for his pause. I asked him to bring me the paper. He whined and shoved it up to the window thinking that'd make me happy.
Later after I saw the paper and let him take his pause, he was playing with a tiny water gun. Salome mimics everything that Cyrill does and it's starting to get really annoying. We've had some rather cooler weather here lately so they were playing with the water gun inside. I didn't think that was a good idea. I followed them upstairs and when I reached the steps and came within their vision, I got shot in the face. Being kind of chilly and inside didn't make this situation any worse. Cyrill took the gun away from Salome (who shot me) and probably knew that I was going to take it away from him. I asked him nicely many times but he never gave it up. Then I became all parental on his keister and counted to 10 with my hand out. He started crying. Hooray! That was also when I reached into his pocket and took the gun out and he ran to his room, swearing at me as he went. Hooray!
Apparently he also did other things in school that I only heard tale of but cannot regale them here because I don't know all the details. I don't know if I want to. I think I heard one story where the nouns in the story were Cyrill, poop, and a Kindergartner. Scheisse.
Drik and Maya are leaving tomorrow soon after lunch. Tonight Dirk spent some time on the computer coming up with a schedule for the weekend. That's nice. I think one of the only saving graces is that I'm getting 2 whole days off for doing this this weekend.
Stay tuned, I'll probably have more stories after the weekend.
Rest well,
Jon
Cyrill had a bad week at school so he doesn't get to go home to his mom or dad this weekend. It also happens that tomorrow is Dirk's birthday and he and Maya will be going away for the weekend.
How handy.
I'll let you in on just one of the things Cyrill did, only because I happened to be involved. Yesterday I was told to keep an eye on him while he did his homework and I played with Salome. He was to get a half-hour pause after each piece of homework was finished. So I asked him that when he was done to bring me the paper so I could make sure that he was done. Sounds easy, right? Apparently not so much for him. I was outside with Salome and he opened his window to tell me that he was done and he was ready for his pause. I asked him to bring me the paper. He whined and shoved it up to the window thinking that'd make me happy.
Later after I saw the paper and let him take his pause, he was playing with a tiny water gun. Salome mimics everything that Cyrill does and it's starting to get really annoying. We've had some rather cooler weather here lately so they were playing with the water gun inside. I didn't think that was a good idea. I followed them upstairs and when I reached the steps and came within their vision, I got shot in the face. Being kind of chilly and inside didn't make this situation any worse. Cyrill took the gun away from Salome (who shot me) and probably knew that I was going to take it away from him. I asked him nicely many times but he never gave it up. Then I became all parental on his keister and counted to 10 with my hand out. He started crying. Hooray! That was also when I reached into his pocket and took the gun out and he ran to his room, swearing at me as he went. Hooray!
Apparently he also did other things in school that I only heard tale of but cannot regale them here because I don't know all the details. I don't know if I want to. I think I heard one story where the nouns in the story were Cyrill, poop, and a Kindergartner. Scheisse.
Drik and Maya are leaving tomorrow soon after lunch. Tonight Dirk spent some time on the computer coming up with a schedule for the weekend. That's nice. I think one of the only saving graces is that I'm getting 2 whole days off for doing this this weekend.
Stay tuned, I'll probably have more stories after the weekend.
Rest well,
Jon
Friday, June 19, 2009
Vacation Slideshow
For those of you not wanting to read or scroll through the entire post (I know it's a long one), here's a slideshow of all the pictures in that post.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Big Three
I got back last night from Amsterdam about 8:15. Yesterday was the last day of a European trip to three of the biggest destinations: Munich, Prague and Amsterdam. I made this lovely excursion with none other than this lovely girl I met a couple years ago named Jessica. She's neat.
I left last Wednesday and got on a EuroCity train bound for Munich and I arrived to Stief's (nickname for Stefan) apartment around 6:30. After dropping stuff off, we headed for Olympic Park and set up a Slackline. You know those straps that are used to tie down heavy loads on trucks? That's what a Slackline is, so, we Slacklined.
That's Stief:
This is me trying my hand at it:
By the next day, I could stand pretty well and even walk 4 or 5 steps. It's a pretty fun hobby that I might take up.
Jessica arrived the next day from Spain, where she'd spent a few days with her family. I got to go to the airport and pick her up. We were happy to see each other.
The Munich Airport is right next to the town of Freising. If that sounds familiar, Freising is where the Huber Brewery that appeared in my post called "Munich and Oktoberfest". Jessica and I stopped there on the way home and went to the Huber Brewery for lunch. I had a Huber Burger and Huber Fries, with a Huber Weisses Beer. Mmm.
We walked by the town square, which had colored sawdust laid down in artful patterns. This is the coat of arms for Freising:
Stief was a great guide. On Thursday evening he took us on a short walking tour. One of the stops was at a bridge over the river that runs through the English Garden. People attached boards to ropes and set them in the fast moving water to form a wave that can be ridden. Apparently Jack Johnson (famed singer/songwriter and surfer) made a stop here when he played Munich last summer.
Then we had a lighter supper by the Chinese Tower. We didn't bring our own food, but we did have some yummy sausages and beer. It was a fun atmosphere which I'd like to experience in the daytime.
The next day we bid Stief farewell and went to the train station. Our train for Prague didn't leave until 4:43 pm, so we still had time to see Munich sights. We didn't want to do that with all our stuff, so we put our things in a luggage locker.
We mainly walked through the main pedestrian zone in Munich and lunch at another beer garden, this one in the Viktualienmarkt. Walking along a sidestreet, we ran into the world famous Hofbrauhaus. It has two large rooms, which can hold a couple thousand people each. Here is one, where the origins of the Nazi Party began.
For a fee, one can purchase or rent a locker for their beer stein:
After the visit to the Hofbrauhaus, we found the trainstation and got onto our train. Being one of the first ones on, we thought that we'd be the only one's in a compartment - a very good thing on a long-distance train. Suddenly a man came in and made himself comfortable and then he stood in the corridor hanging out the window. People would squeeze by him and ask us if there was room in our compartment (3 places left). He'd answer for us, saying, "Weiter, weiter." That basically means keep going. He turned away all these people but suddenly a Catholic Sister appeared at the doorway, just as the train was about to move. We thought, "Was he going to turn her away, too?" He didn't! And we only had to deal with him for about 35 minutes, when he got off the train.
We had to switch trains at the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. Once you cross the border, you know just by looking at the buildings that you are in a different country. The buildings look drab and run-down. Once we made it to Prague, our host, Ondra, wasn't on the platform to greet us. Instead, a woman in her 50s asked us in a quiet voice, "Do you have accommodations?" "Yes!" was our immediate and firm response. A couple minutes later, Ondra showed up.
We got in at about 11 pm, thendropped our stuff off at our "accommodations" and proceeded to see the city lit up beautifully at night.
He took us first to Wenceslas Square, which is better defined as a boulevard. At the beginning of it is the National Museum.
Then he took us to the Old Town Square to view the Astronomical Clock.
And the Charles Bridge at night.
The next day (Saturday) we went to one of the highest points in Prague, which is where the castle is that the prime minister lives in.
Then down to a garden which had this weird wall sculpture.
We utilized the Metro a lot in Prague. I was amazed at how long the escalators were. Some took 3 minutes to make the trek!
That evening we went to a beer garden. British men are known to have their bachelor parties in Prague because in the long run, it's cheaper for the flight and drinks than to plan a party on their little island. We ran into the man-to-wed in the bathroom.
After that, we went up this tower to get views of the sunset and city at night.
On Sunday, we went to another castle, this one just above the river.
They grow their grapes differently there, with big sticks instead of wires between sticks.
:)
We also utilized the tram system. At this particular machine, we had put in our money and heard the change be dispensed, but no change came tumbling out. Upon further investigation, some punks had put wadded up tape inside to catch lose change. We foiled their plans and took all 56 Koruners that came out.
Typical Prague building facade.
Then we climbed a tower that resembles the Eiffel Tower. From there, we saw the Strahov Stadium. It has a capacity of 220,000 and is the training facility for Sparta Prague. It's not used for official sporting events, but large pop concerts. It's the second largest sporting complex in the world, just after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
On the walk down the hill, we spotted the Charles Bridge through some trees. The bridge began construction in 1537 and was the most important trade route between Eastern and Western Europe upon completion. Today, it's thronged with tourists during the day and is romantically lit and quiet at night.
I like to sample local food and I made my wish known to Ondra...the less English the place knew the better, in my opinion. Ondra took us to a local pub and there I had sauerkraut, pork, potato dumplings, red cabbage. It was tasty.
And now begins a series of unfortunate events that somehow eventually righted themselves. Jessica and I left Prague early Monday morning at 7 am. The night before, I had for some reason thought that we left at 8 am, so we prepared to get to the airport for an 8 am flight. This wasn't realized until we get to the airport (after first getting off at the wrong bus stop) and read the departure board. After 20 minutes of sign-less walking, we finally found the check-in desk, only to choose the slowest line. Finally we get our bags checked and our boarding passes and hurry to security. Security was a breeze and we're finally at the gate, 15 minutes before the departure time. They weren't even boarding the plane yet. Crisis #1 averted.
Once we got settled into our seats at the gate, I thought my pockets felt a little different than normal. I soon realized that my credit card, BahnCard, Swiss visa, and my cell phone were not in their normal home. I shot up and without saying much to Jessica, I took off on a dead sprint back to security. Perhaps the two policemen I passed thought something was weird, since I wasn't heading toward a gate, however, they just watched my fly by. I arrived at security and was directed to the supervisor, who had the tray with all my stuff in it. I grabbed it, shoved the contents into my pockets and took off on another dead sprint back to the gate where I found Jessica hurriedly looking through my backpack. The line to begin boarding had formed and we weren't locked out of our flight to Amsterdam. Crisis #2 averted.
After an uneventful flight (the best), we land in Amsterdam. We deplane and didn't have to wait long for our luggage to come on the belt. Jessica was getting the passports out of my backpack when I smelled something and asked Jessica if she smelled it too. To confirm my suspicion, I opened the suitcase and the smell hit me even harder. One bottle of wine, from Liechtenstein, had broken. Of course, it's only the red wine bottles that break and this was my luck. We dropped everything and went up to the lost/damaged baggage desk. I also mentioned that the handle had been broken, which had happened well before this trip, but I thought I'd try my luck. The lady asked for identification so I asked Jessica for my passport which she had taken out of my backpack. As luck would have it, she had left them at the luggage belt where we had discovered the broken bottle. Fortunately, the common man is inherently good and someone met her halfway, holding our passports up as if they were playing cards in a hand of poker. I'm anticipating a free piece of luggage. Crises #'s 3 and 4 averted.
I had been given instructions by our host in Amsterdam on where to go with the trains. Feeling sure that we were getting onto the right train, it never stopped at the station that we needed to get off at. Instead, it took us directly into Amsterdam Centraal Station, in the middle of town. Making contact with our host, we took a tram to where she eventually met us. Crisis #5 averted.
So finally we are in Amsterdam. But before we can go anywhere, laundry with the smell and color of red wine needs to be done. Fortunately Sarah had the equivalent of OxiClean and after a little while of soaking the whites were whiter and the colors were brighter. Crisis #3.1 averted.
And finally, after a much needed nap, we head into Amsterdam. Unfortunately for you, the reader, I took no Amsterdamian pictures so you'll have to listen/read my words.
Sarah had given us directions to the "Singelkerk", a hidden Mennonite church in Amsterdam. A hidden church means only that the church was not visible from the street, not that they necessarily had to hide their worship. We came unannounced and the caretaker was happy to drop everything and show us around. I think he likes visitors. I remember visiting here on choir tour in 2006 and I was glad to revisit, this time to pay attention to what was being said.
We then walked through the main shopping district and arrived at a recommended french fry stand called "Mannekin Pis". Their logo is just that. The fries don't taste anything like that. We had ours squirted with cheddar cheese and they were fantastic. We walked through the old town and decided to find a park bench to sit on for the afternoon and then we headed back to Sarah's place for a wonderful meal of enchiladas.
The next day (we're on Tuesday now), Jessica awoke with backache which was very similar to the one that put me out of commission for a few days at the end of May. This meant we slept until noon and luckily that was also when the rain decided to quit. She took some ibuprofen and we headed out for the day. In Amsterdam again, we went to the Van Gogh Museum which is near Vondelpaark. After that, we walked through the Blumenmarkt (Flower Market) and eventually found the tram for the ride back to Sarah's. We saw a bit of Amsterdam but we were exhausted from our times in Munich and Prague and that showed with how touristy we were.
Wednesday was the day we decided not to talk about for that was the day we were parting ways - she to America and me back to Switzerland. I double checked my flight the night before, so I knew that I was correct. Jessica was too. Our flights were both in the same terminal but my flight left an hour before hers did, so she took me to my gate and that was where we said goodbye after a wonderful six days together.
I flew British Airways to London and was to switch planes there and board one bound for Zurich. To make this story better, BA wanted me to find my way through the infamous Terminal 5 at London Heathrow. Let it be known now, Terminal 5 can rest in the shallow places where the likes of NASCAR, Britney Spears, MTV, rap music, and Czech Baggage Handlers reside. Luckily I had 3 hours between my flights to do everything. For some reason, they make you go security again even when transferring from one flight to another. Why? You don't leave a secure area, ever! This means anyone boarding a flight in London, as well as the transferees, must go through the same security. It was routine to let people who had sooner connections through the line.
Avoid this terminal at all costs:
Finally, after a well deserved British Ale, I was seated at my gate. As I was sitting down and settling, I saw a beast take off. The beast was one of the new Airbus A380's departing departing the runway. Unfortunately I couldn't get my camera until it was well away, but here's what I came up with.
The A321 we boarded was only filled with 25% capacity. Soon after we took our seats, a PA announcement came over the speakers and told us that while we had one pilot, the plane needed two to make the flight. Where could we find a pilot, hmm? Well, I knew of two others on that plane - myself and the guy next to me was a pilot for NetJets (a fractional ownership company). Instead of asking if there were any pilots on board, we waited and took off an hour and a half late with another BA pilot. I was beginning to question whether or not I would make it back to Zurich in time to make the connections I needed to make the 19:35 bus...the last bus of the night. I was pondering this question as the Swiss Alps became larger on the horizon.
I deplaned for the second time that day and quickly found the baggage carousel and snagged my backpack. I hurried toward the rail lines and found that the last train I could use was leaving in 4 minutes. As soon as I got my ticket, I sprinted down the escalator and there was the train that I climbed aboard and made it to Wattwil just in time for the last bus. Crisis #6 averted.
Congratulations,
Jon
PS - Comments have been disabled for this post. If you would like to leave a comment (you know you want to), leave it on the slideshow that's posted above.
I left last Wednesday and got on a EuroCity train bound for Munich and I arrived to Stief's (nickname for Stefan) apartment around 6:30. After dropping stuff off, we headed for Olympic Park and set up a Slackline. You know those straps that are used to tie down heavy loads on trucks? That's what a Slackline is, so, we Slacklined.
That's Stief:
This is me trying my hand at it:
By the next day, I could stand pretty well and even walk 4 or 5 steps. It's a pretty fun hobby that I might take up.
Jessica arrived the next day from Spain, where she'd spent a few days with her family. I got to go to the airport and pick her up. We were happy to see each other.
The Munich Airport is right next to the town of Freising. If that sounds familiar, Freising is where the Huber Brewery that appeared in my post called "Munich and Oktoberfest". Jessica and I stopped there on the way home and went to the Huber Brewery for lunch. I had a Huber Burger and Huber Fries, with a Huber Weisses Beer. Mmm.
We walked by the town square, which had colored sawdust laid down in artful patterns. This is the coat of arms for Freising:
Stief was a great guide. On Thursday evening he took us on a short walking tour. One of the stops was at a bridge over the river that runs through the English Garden. People attached boards to ropes and set them in the fast moving water to form a wave that can be ridden. Apparently Jack Johnson (famed singer/songwriter and surfer) made a stop here when he played Munich last summer.
Then we had a lighter supper by the Chinese Tower. We didn't bring our own food, but we did have some yummy sausages and beer. It was a fun atmosphere which I'd like to experience in the daytime.
The next day we bid Stief farewell and went to the train station. Our train for Prague didn't leave until 4:43 pm, so we still had time to see Munich sights. We didn't want to do that with all our stuff, so we put our things in a luggage locker.
We mainly walked through the main pedestrian zone in Munich and lunch at another beer garden, this one in the Viktualienmarkt. Walking along a sidestreet, we ran into the world famous Hofbrauhaus. It has two large rooms, which can hold a couple thousand people each. Here is one, where the origins of the Nazi Party began.
For a fee, one can purchase or rent a locker for their beer stein:
After the visit to the Hofbrauhaus, we found the trainstation and got onto our train. Being one of the first ones on, we thought that we'd be the only one's in a compartment - a very good thing on a long-distance train. Suddenly a man came in and made himself comfortable and then he stood in the corridor hanging out the window. People would squeeze by him and ask us if there was room in our compartment (3 places left). He'd answer for us, saying, "Weiter, weiter." That basically means keep going. He turned away all these people but suddenly a Catholic Sister appeared at the doorway, just as the train was about to move. We thought, "Was he going to turn her away, too?" He didn't! And we only had to deal with him for about 35 minutes, when he got off the train.
We had to switch trains at the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. Once you cross the border, you know just by looking at the buildings that you are in a different country. The buildings look drab and run-down. Once we made it to Prague, our host, Ondra, wasn't on the platform to greet us. Instead, a woman in her 50s asked us in a quiet voice, "Do you have accommodations?" "Yes!" was our immediate and firm response. A couple minutes later, Ondra showed up.
We got in at about 11 pm, thendropped our stuff off at our "accommodations" and proceeded to see the city lit up beautifully at night.
He took us first to Wenceslas Square, which is better defined as a boulevard. At the beginning of it is the National Museum.
Then he took us to the Old Town Square to view the Astronomical Clock.
And the Charles Bridge at night.
The next day (Saturday) we went to one of the highest points in Prague, which is where the castle is that the prime minister lives in.
Then down to a garden which had this weird wall sculpture.
We utilized the Metro a lot in Prague. I was amazed at how long the escalators were. Some took 3 minutes to make the trek!
That evening we went to a beer garden. British men are known to have their bachelor parties in Prague because in the long run, it's cheaper for the flight and drinks than to plan a party on their little island. We ran into the man-to-wed in the bathroom.
After that, we went up this tower to get views of the sunset and city at night.
On Sunday, we went to another castle, this one just above the river.
They grow their grapes differently there, with big sticks instead of wires between sticks.
:)
We also utilized the tram system. At this particular machine, we had put in our money and heard the change be dispensed, but no change came tumbling out. Upon further investigation, some punks had put wadded up tape inside to catch lose change. We foiled their plans and took all 56 Koruners that came out.
Typical Prague building facade.
Then we climbed a tower that resembles the Eiffel Tower. From there, we saw the Strahov Stadium. It has a capacity of 220,000 and is the training facility for Sparta Prague. It's not used for official sporting events, but large pop concerts. It's the second largest sporting complex in the world, just after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
On the walk down the hill, we spotted the Charles Bridge through some trees. The bridge began construction in 1537 and was the most important trade route between Eastern and Western Europe upon completion. Today, it's thronged with tourists during the day and is romantically lit and quiet at night.
I like to sample local food and I made my wish known to Ondra...the less English the place knew the better, in my opinion. Ondra took us to a local pub and there I had sauerkraut, pork, potato dumplings, red cabbage. It was tasty.
And now begins a series of unfortunate events that somehow eventually righted themselves. Jessica and I left Prague early Monday morning at 7 am. The night before, I had for some reason thought that we left at 8 am, so we prepared to get to the airport for an 8 am flight. This wasn't realized until we get to the airport (after first getting off at the wrong bus stop) and read the departure board. After 20 minutes of sign-less walking, we finally found the check-in desk, only to choose the slowest line. Finally we get our bags checked and our boarding passes and hurry to security. Security was a breeze and we're finally at the gate, 15 minutes before the departure time. They weren't even boarding the plane yet. Crisis #1 averted.
Once we got settled into our seats at the gate, I thought my pockets felt a little different than normal. I soon realized that my credit card, BahnCard, Swiss visa, and my cell phone were not in their normal home. I shot up and without saying much to Jessica, I took off on a dead sprint back to security. Perhaps the two policemen I passed thought something was weird, since I wasn't heading toward a gate, however, they just watched my fly by. I arrived at security and was directed to the supervisor, who had the tray with all my stuff in it. I grabbed it, shoved the contents into my pockets and took off on another dead sprint back to the gate where I found Jessica hurriedly looking through my backpack. The line to begin boarding had formed and we weren't locked out of our flight to Amsterdam. Crisis #2 averted.
After an uneventful flight (the best), we land in Amsterdam. We deplane and didn't have to wait long for our luggage to come on the belt. Jessica was getting the passports out of my backpack when I smelled something and asked Jessica if she smelled it too. To confirm my suspicion, I opened the suitcase and the smell hit me even harder. One bottle of wine, from Liechtenstein, had broken. Of course, it's only the red wine bottles that break and this was my luck. We dropped everything and went up to the lost/damaged baggage desk. I also mentioned that the handle had been broken, which had happened well before this trip, but I thought I'd try my luck. The lady asked for identification so I asked Jessica for my passport which she had taken out of my backpack. As luck would have it, she had left them at the luggage belt where we had discovered the broken bottle. Fortunately, the common man is inherently good and someone met her halfway, holding our passports up as if they were playing cards in a hand of poker. I'm anticipating a free piece of luggage. Crises #'s 3 and 4 averted.
I had been given instructions by our host in Amsterdam on where to go with the trains. Feeling sure that we were getting onto the right train, it never stopped at the station that we needed to get off at. Instead, it took us directly into Amsterdam Centraal Station, in the middle of town. Making contact with our host, we took a tram to where she eventually met us. Crisis #5 averted.
So finally we are in Amsterdam. But before we can go anywhere, laundry with the smell and color of red wine needs to be done. Fortunately Sarah had the equivalent of OxiClean and after a little while of soaking the whites were whiter and the colors were brighter. Crisis #3.1 averted.
And finally, after a much needed nap, we head into Amsterdam. Unfortunately for you, the reader, I took no Amsterdamian pictures so you'll have to listen/read my words.
Sarah had given us directions to the "Singelkerk", a hidden Mennonite church in Amsterdam. A hidden church means only that the church was not visible from the street, not that they necessarily had to hide their worship. We came unannounced and the caretaker was happy to drop everything and show us around. I think he likes visitors. I remember visiting here on choir tour in 2006 and I was glad to revisit, this time to pay attention to what was being said.
We then walked through the main shopping district and arrived at a recommended french fry stand called "Mannekin Pis". Their logo is just that. The fries don't taste anything like that. We had ours squirted with cheddar cheese and they were fantastic. We walked through the old town and decided to find a park bench to sit on for the afternoon and then we headed back to Sarah's place for a wonderful meal of enchiladas.
The next day (we're on Tuesday now), Jessica awoke with backache which was very similar to the one that put me out of commission for a few days at the end of May. This meant we slept until noon and luckily that was also when the rain decided to quit. She took some ibuprofen and we headed out for the day. In Amsterdam again, we went to the Van Gogh Museum which is near Vondelpaark. After that, we walked through the Blumenmarkt (Flower Market) and eventually found the tram for the ride back to Sarah's. We saw a bit of Amsterdam but we were exhausted from our times in Munich and Prague and that showed with how touristy we were.
Wednesday was the day we decided not to talk about for that was the day we were parting ways - she to America and me back to Switzerland. I double checked my flight the night before, so I knew that I was correct. Jessica was too. Our flights were both in the same terminal but my flight left an hour before hers did, so she took me to my gate and that was where we said goodbye after a wonderful six days together.
I flew British Airways to London and was to switch planes there and board one bound for Zurich. To make this story better, BA wanted me to find my way through the infamous Terminal 5 at London Heathrow. Let it be known now, Terminal 5 can rest in the shallow places where the likes of NASCAR, Britney Spears, MTV, rap music, and Czech Baggage Handlers reside. Luckily I had 3 hours between my flights to do everything. For some reason, they make you go security again even when transferring from one flight to another. Why? You don't leave a secure area, ever! This means anyone boarding a flight in London, as well as the transferees, must go through the same security. It was routine to let people who had sooner connections through the line.
Avoid this terminal at all costs:
Finally, after a well deserved British Ale, I was seated at my gate. As I was sitting down and settling, I saw a beast take off. The beast was one of the new Airbus A380's departing departing the runway. Unfortunately I couldn't get my camera until it was well away, but here's what I came up with.
The A321 we boarded was only filled with 25% capacity. Soon after we took our seats, a PA announcement came over the speakers and told us that while we had one pilot, the plane needed two to make the flight. Where could we find a pilot, hmm? Well, I knew of two others on that plane - myself and the guy next to me was a pilot for NetJets (a fractional ownership company). Instead of asking if there were any pilots on board, we waited and took off an hour and a half late with another BA pilot. I was beginning to question whether or not I would make it back to Zurich in time to make the connections I needed to make the 19:35 bus...the last bus of the night. I was pondering this question as the Swiss Alps became larger on the horizon.
I deplaned for the second time that day and quickly found the baggage carousel and snagged my backpack. I hurried toward the rail lines and found that the last train I could use was leaving in 4 minutes. As soon as I got my ticket, I sprinted down the escalator and there was the train that I climbed aboard and made it to Wattwil just in time for the last bus. Crisis #6 averted.
Congratulations,
Jon
PS - Comments have been disabled for this post. If you would like to leave a comment (you know you want to), leave it on the slideshow that's posted above.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Rainy Days and Ingrown Nails
I suppose I should post what's happening in the coming days. It's the second part of my long awaited holiday.
Tomorrow after lunch, I'll be catching a bus and ultimately a EuroCity train in St. Gallen that's bound for Munich. I'll be arriving just before supper time to the apartment of Stief. He is the guitarist in the band Philipp is in (Trivial) and is studying in Munich. I'll pick up Jessica from the airport on Thursday morning and we'll sightsee in Munich, most likely going to the Chinese Tower in the English Garden among other stops. (I saw Tim and Heidi's blog and it looks very appealing.) Our train then leaves before 5 pm on Friday. This particular train is bound for Prague.
This will be my first time in "Eastern Europe" and I'm looking forward to it...especially since we have a real, live Eastern European to show us around and speak the language. Ondra, who some Goshen readers might know, will be meeting us in Prague for the weekend. We'll be there until Monday morning, when we take a flight from there to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam we'll be staying with one of the Dutch Intermenno Committee Members, Sarah, at her apartment. We'll see what Amsterdam has to offer until Wednesday morning, when both of us part ways and return to our 'homes'.
Work here has been slightly hard to get back to after being on vacation. I pulled weeds all yesterday afternoon only to have Dirk tell me this afternoon that I missed a lot. Little did he know that I hadn't yet covered all the ground.
Weather here has been rainy, which is good for my being gone in the coming days. As long as it's wet there's no chance to cut hay.
I'll be going to the doctor tomorrow morning. It looks like I have the beginnings of an ingrown toenail. Hopefully everything can get taken care of tomorrow at the doctor. I'm not limping or anything yet, but it's red and slightly swollen, with a whitish puss oozing out if I squeeze it in the correct manner.
With that,
Jon
Tomorrow after lunch, I'll be catching a bus and ultimately a EuroCity train in St. Gallen that's bound for Munich. I'll be arriving just before supper time to the apartment of Stief. He is the guitarist in the band Philipp is in (Trivial) and is studying in Munich. I'll pick up Jessica from the airport on Thursday morning and we'll sightsee in Munich, most likely going to the Chinese Tower in the English Garden among other stops. (I saw Tim and Heidi's blog and it looks very appealing.) Our train then leaves before 5 pm on Friday. This particular train is bound for Prague.
This will be my first time in "Eastern Europe" and I'm looking forward to it...especially since we have a real, live Eastern European to show us around and speak the language. Ondra, who some Goshen readers might know, will be meeting us in Prague for the weekend. We'll be there until Monday morning, when we take a flight from there to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam we'll be staying with one of the Dutch Intermenno Committee Members, Sarah, at her apartment. We'll see what Amsterdam has to offer until Wednesday morning, when both of us part ways and return to our 'homes'.
Work here has been slightly hard to get back to after being on vacation. I pulled weeds all yesterday afternoon only to have Dirk tell me this afternoon that I missed a lot. Little did he know that I hadn't yet covered all the ground.
Weather here has been rainy, which is good for my being gone in the coming days. As long as it's wet there's no chance to cut hay.
I'll be going to the doctor tomorrow morning. It looks like I have the beginnings of an ingrown toenail. Hopefully everything can get taken care of tomorrow at the doctor. I'm not limping or anything yet, but it's red and slightly swollen, with a whitish puss oozing out if I squeeze it in the correct manner.
With that,
Jon
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Strawberries! Pull over!
It seems like after 10 months of waiting, the last 10 minutes seem to creep by like a barge heading upriver.
Fortunately instead of hitting port, my destination was Bingen am Rhein and into the waiting arms of Jessica and her family. They had flown into Amsterdam about two weeks ago and were slowly making their way down the Rhein from The Netherlands. They picked me up and we made our way to the Dettweiler Hof in Wintersheim. The trainee there, Crystal, took over hosting duties as Heike and Heiko always seemed to be out and about. I think we shared only two breakfasts together the whole weekend.
Due to some unknown scheduling circumstances, Saturday's schedule was thrown a bit off cue but we were given more time to sightsee. Instead of going to Worms, we went to Heidelberg. I called Tim and Heidi that morning and asked if they wanted to join us. Heidi and Gustav couldn't, but we picked up Tim and he was a wonderful tour guide for the afternoon. (Thanks Tim!)
I like to catch what I've been calling 'Funny Looking Europeans' in pictures, and the next one is probably the best I've caught in the 10 months I've been here. Why not walk the streets of Heidelberg in Dominatrix attire?
The Fridley's rented a Ford Galaxy which comfortably sat the six of us plus luggage. It also came with a GPS, but in the following picture you'll notice another GPS on the dash. We made due with two GPS's, which always seemed to find the BP fueling stations and IKEA super-stores. Sometimes the two would find different routes and we'd be left discussing whether to turn or not. Luckily, both are programmed to re-calculate the route if you 'miss' a turn.
The first weekend together was Ascension Day, or Pfingsten in German. The Dettweiler winery across the road in Wintersheim put on a wine festival. We had lunch there on Sunday. After, Heiko took us on a walk through the vineyards explaining and taking questions on all things grapes. Then it was naptime! That night, we sat out on the patio and made our own winetasting evening while being accompanied by the band across the street, who also happened to play hits of 80's, 90's and today until nearly 2 am.
We headed out on Monday through the Black Forrest in Southern Germany on our way to Switzerland. We stopped in Freiburg in the late morning. Perhaps if it hadn't been a national holiday and more things would've been open, I would've been more impressed. We stopped in a small town south of Freiburg, Staufen, where we made our signature picnic lunch at the base of a castle on a hill.
We stopped at the German Basel Train Station so that Jessica and I could get our Munich-Prague tickets and Jonathan and Julie could get tickets from Utrecht to Burgos, over Prague. After that, Debbie recommended a traditional Swiss restaurant where we had fondue. Usually fondue is consumed when there is snow on the ground, but we decided to throw that out the window and join it on the sidewalk. After supper, we continued on to Langnau im Emmental, where Eliane's parents opened their house for our posse.
The Kipfer Family knows how to make people feel at home and well-hosted. Eliane took Tuesday off and had a wonderful auto tour planned that lasted until supper. While long and a bit tiring, she showed us her part of Switzerland. The first stop was Trachselwald Castle, a fortress where Anabaptists were imprisoned during the time of Persecution.
We then drove through some mountains and found ourselves driving along the Lake of Thun...
...and through Interlaken and up to an Alpine restaurant.
After lunch we went to the Frutigen Valley. Barb's, Jessica's mom, maiden name is Schmid and this is the valley where her family comes from. She had come with her family in the 70s, but wanted her family to see where they had come from. We stopped at the church and wandered through the cemetery for a little bit.
Then Eliane took us to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We walked through the old town and poked into the random shop.
For supper that night, I sufficiently engorged in Lisa's raclette. I sat beside Peter for most meals, since I was the only one out of the group (except for the Kipfer's, of course) who could communicate in German. He handed me his cheese tray and asked for another piece of cheese. I put it under the grill and then he told me that it was for me...so for awhile I had two pieces of raclette going. I was stuffed full by the end of the night.
Wednesday after breakfast, we left for Hemberg but stopped over lunch and for the afternoon in Zurich. We spread our picnic out beside the Zurichsee.
I took them on a walking tour of some of the churches in Zurich. We visited the Fraumunster and the Grossmunster. There was someone practicing the organ in the Grossmunster, so I decided to take a video.
We also made our way past a plaque that is in the place of where some Anabaptists were drowned in the Limmat River during the Reformation.
The next day, we're on Thursday now, I got to show them my area of Switzerland, the Toggenburg. Our first stop was the Appenzeller Show Cheesery in Stein, where they make famous Appenzeller Cheese.
Then we went to the town of Appenzell, which is a more-than-typical Swiss town. We had another picnic lunch here while the shops had also closed for lunch. Then we walked around the town for an hour or two.
We took a scenic drive past the Säntis, the mountain that I can see out my window. On the other side is a picturesque valley (not that mine isn't picturesque enough). We took a skilift up and then hiked on a special walking trail.
Aside from having lots of cows to pet, it's a musical walking trail. There were different instruments to 'play' along the hour-long stretch that we did. There was a see-saw that had xylophone bells in the middle and when you see-sawed, a ball would roll and make music. There was an iron cage with many cowbells hanging from chains and you can shake it to get them all to ring and sound like a herd of cows. Then there was this one:
Jonathan and Julie left yesterday with the car to return it to Utrecht and tonight they are in Paris.
I took George, Barb and Jessica to the Zurich Airport this morning and came back to a house full of sick people. Dirk and Maya are both spending a lot of time in bed asleep. Salome was sick this past week, as was Tim. So far Jara and I are the only ones who haven't gotten the bug. If it were to get me, my hope would be sooner rather than in the middle of the week because that's when I leave for Munich and meeting back up with Jess. I'm distancing myself from them and not holding hands when we sing before meals and hopefully that plus a lot of handwashing can keep it at bay.
See you 'round,
Jon
Fortunately instead of hitting port, my destination was Bingen am Rhein and into the waiting arms of Jessica and her family. They had flown into Amsterdam about two weeks ago and were slowly making their way down the Rhein from The Netherlands. They picked me up and we made our way to the Dettweiler Hof in Wintersheim. The trainee there, Crystal, took over hosting duties as Heike and Heiko always seemed to be out and about. I think we shared only two breakfasts together the whole weekend.
Due to some unknown scheduling circumstances, Saturday's schedule was thrown a bit off cue but we were given more time to sightsee. Instead of going to Worms, we went to Heidelberg. I called Tim and Heidi that morning and asked if they wanted to join us. Heidi and Gustav couldn't, but we picked up Tim and he was a wonderful tour guide for the afternoon. (Thanks Tim!)
I like to catch what I've been calling 'Funny Looking Europeans' in pictures, and the next one is probably the best I've caught in the 10 months I've been here. Why not walk the streets of Heidelberg in Dominatrix attire?
The Fridley's rented a Ford Galaxy which comfortably sat the six of us plus luggage. It also came with a GPS, but in the following picture you'll notice another GPS on the dash. We made due with two GPS's, which always seemed to find the BP fueling stations and IKEA super-stores. Sometimes the two would find different routes and we'd be left discussing whether to turn or not. Luckily, both are programmed to re-calculate the route if you 'miss' a turn.
The first weekend together was Ascension Day, or Pfingsten in German. The Dettweiler winery across the road in Wintersheim put on a wine festival. We had lunch there on Sunday. After, Heiko took us on a walk through the vineyards explaining and taking questions on all things grapes. Then it was naptime! That night, we sat out on the patio and made our own winetasting evening while being accompanied by the band across the street, who also happened to play hits of 80's, 90's and today until nearly 2 am.
We headed out on Monday through the Black Forrest in Southern Germany on our way to Switzerland. We stopped in Freiburg in the late morning. Perhaps if it hadn't been a national holiday and more things would've been open, I would've been more impressed. We stopped in a small town south of Freiburg, Staufen, where we made our signature picnic lunch at the base of a castle on a hill.
We stopped at the German Basel Train Station so that Jessica and I could get our Munich-Prague tickets and Jonathan and Julie could get tickets from Utrecht to Burgos, over Prague. After that, Debbie recommended a traditional Swiss restaurant where we had fondue. Usually fondue is consumed when there is snow on the ground, but we decided to throw that out the window and join it on the sidewalk. After supper, we continued on to Langnau im Emmental, where Eliane's parents opened their house for our posse.
The Kipfer Family knows how to make people feel at home and well-hosted. Eliane took Tuesday off and had a wonderful auto tour planned that lasted until supper. While long and a bit tiring, she showed us her part of Switzerland. The first stop was Trachselwald Castle, a fortress where Anabaptists were imprisoned during the time of Persecution.
We then drove through some mountains and found ourselves driving along the Lake of Thun...
...and through Interlaken and up to an Alpine restaurant.
After lunch we went to the Frutigen Valley. Barb's, Jessica's mom, maiden name is Schmid and this is the valley where her family comes from. She had come with her family in the 70s, but wanted her family to see where they had come from. We stopped at the church and wandered through the cemetery for a little bit.
Then Eliane took us to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We walked through the old town and poked into the random shop.
For supper that night, I sufficiently engorged in Lisa's raclette. I sat beside Peter for most meals, since I was the only one out of the group (except for the Kipfer's, of course) who could communicate in German. He handed me his cheese tray and asked for another piece of cheese. I put it under the grill and then he told me that it was for me...so for awhile I had two pieces of raclette going. I was stuffed full by the end of the night.
Wednesday after breakfast, we left for Hemberg but stopped over lunch and for the afternoon in Zurich. We spread our picnic out beside the Zurichsee.
I took them on a walking tour of some of the churches in Zurich. We visited the Fraumunster and the Grossmunster. There was someone practicing the organ in the Grossmunster, so I decided to take a video.
We also made our way past a plaque that is in the place of where some Anabaptists were drowned in the Limmat River during the Reformation.
The next day, we're on Thursday now, I got to show them my area of Switzerland, the Toggenburg. Our first stop was the Appenzeller Show Cheesery in Stein, where they make famous Appenzeller Cheese.
Then we went to the town of Appenzell, which is a more-than-typical Swiss town. We had another picnic lunch here while the shops had also closed for lunch. Then we walked around the town for an hour or two.
We took a scenic drive past the Säntis, the mountain that I can see out my window. On the other side is a picturesque valley (not that mine isn't picturesque enough). We took a skilift up and then hiked on a special walking trail.
Aside from having lots of cows to pet, it's a musical walking trail. There were different instruments to 'play' along the hour-long stretch that we did. There was a see-saw that had xylophone bells in the middle and when you see-sawed, a ball would roll and make music. There was an iron cage with many cowbells hanging from chains and you can shake it to get them all to ring and sound like a herd of cows. Then there was this one:
Jonathan and Julie left yesterday with the car to return it to Utrecht and tonight they are in Paris.
I took George, Barb and Jessica to the Zurich Airport this morning and came back to a house full of sick people. Dirk and Maya are both spending a lot of time in bed asleep. Salome was sick this past week, as was Tim. So far Jara and I are the only ones who haven't gotten the bug. If it were to get me, my hope would be sooner rather than in the middle of the week because that's when I leave for Munich and meeting back up with Jess. I'm distancing myself from them and not holding hands when we sing before meals and hopefully that plus a lot of handwashing can keep it at bay.
See you 'round,
Jon
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