If you look hard you can see the castle that King Ludwig grew up in and next to it is the lake where he was found dead.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Neuschwantstein
Three trains and a bus put us on the border of Austria in the foothills of the Alps. It was our first trip and it was tons of fun! The day was rarely beautiful for our adventure. The pictures can give testimony for this.
If you look hard you can see the castle that King Ludwig grew up in and next to it is the lake where he was found dead.
If you look hard you can see the castle that King Ludwig grew up in and next to it is the lake where he was found dead.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Regensburg Tour #2
"Walking is very beneficial exercise."
Most of the afternoon was dedicated to walking through Regensburg again. We visited the nobility class of the city today. We walked half-way across the old bridge to gaze upon the city and imagine what it would have looked like centuries ago in its early days with it's debtor's prison in the clock tower and the houses lining the river as a solid wall. In our mind's eye we added more towers to the houses, for apparently there were more very wealthy people living there in the past and, as their wealth dissipated, they had to downsize their towers.
We saw many little shops and tiny alleys. One alley was especially small so that the people could bond easily with their neighbors and discover what neighbor was having for dinner.
After the tour we split up and set out on our own. We didn't do anything too exciting, but it was nice to at last be able to walk somewhere on our own and have an idea of where we were.
The old bridge.
The tiny alley
Everybody.
Most of the afternoon was dedicated to walking through Regensburg again. We visited the nobility class of the city today. We walked half-way across the old bridge to gaze upon the city and imagine what it would have looked like centuries ago in its early days with it's debtor's prison in the clock tower and the houses lining the river as a solid wall. In our mind's eye we added more towers to the houses, for apparently there were more very wealthy people living there in the past and, as their wealth dissipated, they had to downsize their towers.
We saw many little shops and tiny alleys. One alley was especially small so that the people could bond easily with their neighbors and discover what neighbor was having for dinner.
After the tour we split up and set out on our own. We didn't do anything too exciting, but it was nice to at last be able to walk somewhere on our own and have an idea of where we were.
The old bridge.
The tiny alley
Everybody.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Regensburg Tour #1
Day #30
There is a school staying at the youth hostel which is training its students how to interview. They are only 15. One of the teachers was gracious enough to come and speak to us in class and tell us about the school system in Germany. When they are ten or twelve, they are split into three schools according to their intelligence level. The smartest ones attend the Gymnasium where they prepare for University where they then prepare for their vocation. Those who are not so intelligent go into a trade. They spend many, many years learning and they do not have repeat chances to take their exams. If they fail, they must change vocations. There is the opportunity for them to change education at any point they want. Once Germans have a job they cannot loose it.
We toured Regensburg this afternoon to see some of the religious aspects of the city.
We walked around St. Peter's cathedral. Just around this corner reveals the cathedral.
We stepped into a little shop and saw the traditional dress of Germany.
We also went into a small brewery.
Tea House. They had some very cute cups.
There is a school staying at the youth hostel which is training its students how to interview. They are only 15. One of the teachers was gracious enough to come and speak to us in class and tell us about the school system in Germany. When they are ten or twelve, they are split into three schools according to their intelligence level. The smartest ones attend the Gymnasium where they prepare for University where they then prepare for their vocation. Those who are not so intelligent go into a trade. They spend many, many years learning and they do not have repeat chances to take their exams. If they fail, they must change vocations. There is the opportunity for them to change education at any point they want. Once Germans have a job they cannot loose it.
We toured Regensburg this afternoon to see some of the religious aspects of the city.
We walked around St. Peter's cathedral. Just around this corner reveals the cathedral.
We stepped into a little shop and saw the traditional dress of Germany.
We also went into a small brewery.
Tea House. They had some very cute cups.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Bells and Organs
Day #28
Yesterday morning we walked through golf ball sized snowflakes to mass at St. Peter's Cathedral. It was quite the surreal feeling. Two rows of pews several feet apart were filled with the regular attenders. The were deep mahogany and very intricate. Between them were hard, plainer benches for those of us just visiting. Between those two rows was a wide aisle. We arrived early, so we were able to absorb our atmosphere. The huge archways and vast openness of the area of the floor and the lack of heating in the building made for a very cold hour and a half.
The organ pipe, hanging magnificently on the side of the building. The bells began to ring, and then the organ swelled to support them. It was almost unreal. The boys choir took their places. The priests came out and, as they bowed to the Bible on the alter and then to the crucifix, I felt a shiver go through my heart. They bowed to objects, sacred objects, but objects none-the-less.
The boys choir was very good. The dome-ish structure of the cathedral lifted their voices and distributed them among all present.
I wish I could understand what the priest was saying, but someone told me that it seems even more ritualistic when you can understand it, so maybe it's good that I couldn't.
The humorous part of the experience was that the priests and at least one nun found the need to blow their nose indiscreetly. It broke the atmosphere of reverence. One priest cleared his sinuses before giving Communion.
Kelley took Heather and I downtown to a coffee shop. It came at just the right time because we were all still exhausted. We walked around a little before we had our espresso.
Day #29
Class began today. We had a light day and were finished by lunch. We went to the mall and walked around there. Heather took pictures of the huge fruit stand inside and the delicious looking bakery.
Yesterday morning we walked through golf ball sized snowflakes to mass at St. Peter's Cathedral. It was quite the surreal feeling. Two rows of pews several feet apart were filled with the regular attenders. The were deep mahogany and very intricate. Between them were hard, plainer benches for those of us just visiting. Between those two rows was a wide aisle. We arrived early, so we were able to absorb our atmosphere. The huge archways and vast openness of the area of the floor and the lack of heating in the building made for a very cold hour and a half.
The organ pipe, hanging magnificently on the side of the building. The bells began to ring, and then the organ swelled to support them. It was almost unreal. The boys choir took their places. The priests came out and, as they bowed to the Bible on the alter and then to the crucifix, I felt a shiver go through my heart. They bowed to objects, sacred objects, but objects none-the-less.
The boys choir was very good. The dome-ish structure of the cathedral lifted their voices and distributed them among all present.
I wish I could understand what the priest was saying, but someone told me that it seems even more ritualistic when you can understand it, so maybe it's good that I couldn't.
The humorous part of the experience was that the priests and at least one nun found the need to blow their nose indiscreetly. It broke the atmosphere of reverence. One priest cleared his sinuses before giving Communion.
Kelley took Heather and I downtown to a coffee shop. It came at just the right time because we were all still exhausted. We walked around a little before we had our espresso.
Day #29
Class began today. We had a light day and were finished by lunch. We went to the mall and walked around there. Heather took pictures of the huge fruit stand inside and the delicious looking bakery.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Hello! From Germany!
Day #27
Three movies, two complimentary meals, and three hours of uncomfortable sleep brought the final three of us to Munich. We were given our first taste of Germany: Ganze Haselnusse.
We ate at the Hofbrauhaus. It is the famous brewery for the old kings of Germany.
Heather and I are again roommates, thankfully, and our room is smaller than our dorm rooms on campus, but it should work. There is another bunk bed and a table behind the door.
Three movies, two complimentary meals, and three hours of uncomfortable sleep brought the final three of us to Munich. We were given our first taste of Germany: Ganze Haselnusse.
We ate at the Hofbrauhaus. It is the famous brewery for the old kings of Germany.
Heather and I are again roommates, thankfully, and our room is smaller than our dorm rooms on campus, but it should work. There is another bunk bed and a table behind the door.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Mad Hatter
Day #20
I have a fascination with hats. I don't wear them very often because I feel self-conscious about it. You start wearing a hat and everybody notices and being noticed by everybody is not one of my life-long desires. I've always had a comparatively small head that is generally only noticed when I try on a hat that slips down over my eyes or stands up too much off the crown of my head. If none of my hair is showing I look like a boy. So, I'm very careful with my selection of hats.
With this fascination comes an inclination to try on hats in stores. Why else would they be there calling to me? Sometimes I buy, but when the hat is ridiculous and you would really never wear it except to make your friend laugh in the store, why spend $30 on it? In recent days, I have become wary of touching a hat. Older women with too much time on their hands tend to be drawn to my mischievous actions as I ponder whether or not I look good in such a hat.
In Julian one day, four of us were sporting four ridiculous hats. Out of the collection of strange souveniers comes a woman who had been all alone in an empty shop for too long. She ripped the hats off of us and spat out something about the hats not being toys and promptly banishes us from her establishment.
Our trip to Niagra Falls found us inside a gift shop where they, of course, sold warm hats for those silly enough to leave theirs behind. On the very top of a free standing hat rack - not even a discreet shelf - was a coonskin cap with the darling animal's head still tucked inside the warm pelt. It was at eye level with my father, so he took it down and brought it over to show us so that we could all examine it and laugh at it. The lady behind the register came over and, smiling at us said something about it being a $500 hat as she primly replaced it on it's spot and the four of us tried to conceal our laughter behind agreeable remarks to her.
The Farmer's Market in St. Jacob's is indoors and the building is filled with vendors. One is full of hats and trinkets. There was a hat stand near the edge of the little shop with a good sized collection of cloches. I have wanted one for a long time. I had no money with me and none to spend if I did, but the cloche was so cute. I couldn't resist and, naturally, I tried one on. It was a little big, so I began to look for a different one and was apparently holding the too-large one conspicuously towards the register. She came over to me. "Do you want that one then?"
"Oh," I stuttered, trying to find an excuse that wouldn't obligate me to buy the hat, but wouldn't get me banished from the premises. "It's too big."
"Well, do you want the color? Here are some different sizes." She handed me a stack of the same hat. I tried one on that looked smaller, but wasn't significantly. The rest I snuck back onto the rack when her back was turned.
Some of the hats that I have had through the years.
Katie bought me a felt fedora from wet seal one year for Christmas. It was very cute, but my ears stuck out when I wore it.
Growing up my dad always had a leather fedora that he wore in the rain. I figured that, since I worked outside in the winter and my head always got soaked whenever it rained, that I should have a leather fedora too. One day at disneyland I stumbled upon a collection of Indiana Jones hats in the gift shop. The hat was terrible! It was a man's hat. It was too big, and after it got wet the first time the rim flopped weird. I wore it religiously for years whenever it rained.
My hat of choice. I've had a lot of these. I prefer straw to felt. They're cooler in the summer when I usually wear them.
Pictured below: a cloche. Isn't it cute?
I have a fascination with hats. I don't wear them very often because I feel self-conscious about it. You start wearing a hat and everybody notices and being noticed by everybody is not one of my life-long desires. I've always had a comparatively small head that is generally only noticed when I try on a hat that slips down over my eyes or stands up too much off the crown of my head. If none of my hair is showing I look like a boy. So, I'm very careful with my selection of hats.
With this fascination comes an inclination to try on hats in stores. Why else would they be there calling to me? Sometimes I buy, but when the hat is ridiculous and you would really never wear it except to make your friend laugh in the store, why spend $30 on it? In recent days, I have become wary of touching a hat. Older women with too much time on their hands tend to be drawn to my mischievous actions as I ponder whether or not I look good in such a hat.
In Julian one day, four of us were sporting four ridiculous hats. Out of the collection of strange souveniers comes a woman who had been all alone in an empty shop for too long. She ripped the hats off of us and spat out something about the hats not being toys and promptly banishes us from her establishment.
Our trip to Niagra Falls found us inside a gift shop where they, of course, sold warm hats for those silly enough to leave theirs behind. On the very top of a free standing hat rack - not even a discreet shelf - was a coonskin cap with the darling animal's head still tucked inside the warm pelt. It was at eye level with my father, so he took it down and brought it over to show us so that we could all examine it and laugh at it. The lady behind the register came over and, smiling at us said something about it being a $500 hat as she primly replaced it on it's spot and the four of us tried to conceal our laughter behind agreeable remarks to her.
The Farmer's Market in St. Jacob's is indoors and the building is filled with vendors. One is full of hats and trinkets. There was a hat stand near the edge of the little shop with a good sized collection of cloches. I have wanted one for a long time. I had no money with me and none to spend if I did, but the cloche was so cute. I couldn't resist and, naturally, I tried one on. It was a little big, so I began to look for a different one and was apparently holding the too-large one conspicuously towards the register. She came over to me. "Do you want that one then?"
"Oh," I stuttered, trying to find an excuse that wouldn't obligate me to buy the hat, but wouldn't get me banished from the premises. "It's too big."
"Well, do you want the color? Here are some different sizes." She handed me a stack of the same hat. I tried one on that looked smaller, but wasn't significantly. The rest I snuck back onto the rack when her back was turned.
Some of the hats that I have had through the years.
Katie bought me a felt fedora from wet seal one year for Christmas. It was very cute, but my ears stuck out when I wore it.
Growing up my dad always had a leather fedora that he wore in the rain. I figured that, since I worked outside in the winter and my head always got soaked whenever it rained, that I should have a leather fedora too. One day at disneyland I stumbled upon a collection of Indiana Jones hats in the gift shop. The hat was terrible! It was a man's hat. It was too big, and after it got wet the first time the rim flopped weird. I wore it religiously for years whenever it rained.
My hat of choice. I've had a lot of these. I prefer straw to felt. They're cooler in the summer when I usually wear them.
Pictured below: a cloche. Isn't it cute?
Friday, January 8, 2010
If You Give Katie Chocolate Chips...
Day #19
I don't remember the last time that I cooked anything with my sister. Katie and I used to fight over who could put the ingredients in the mixing bowl. It always had to be even. Why we thought that making chocolate chip cookies together would be a good idea I'm not sure, but we pursued the idea and the result was more fun than expected and a batch of delicious desserts (if I do say so myself). There was a bit of trouble with the flour that took about five minutes to figure out and by the time she had figured it out, I had already combined the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Except for the chocolate chips. Katie was adamant that she put in the chocolate chips. Happily, there was more laughing and having fun than arguing this time and the result was delicious!
I don't remember the last time that I cooked anything with my sister. Katie and I used to fight over who could put the ingredients in the mixing bowl. It always had to be even. Why we thought that making chocolate chip cookies together would be a good idea I'm not sure, but we pursued the idea and the result was more fun than expected and a batch of delicious desserts (if I do say so myself). There was a bit of trouble with the flour that took about five minutes to figure out and by the time she had figured it out, I had already combined the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Except for the chocolate chips. Katie was adamant that she put in the chocolate chips. Happily, there was more laughing and having fun than arguing this time and the result was delicious!
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