NOTE: I wrote this in July. Forgot to post it. Did I mention jet-lag?
Ah, home again! As nice as it is to go away, it's always nice to come home. Sleep in your own bed. Use your own shampoo. Have a shower where the shower curtain (should one be present) doesn't stick to your butt when you attempt to shave your legs.
The causalities were as follows:
1 dead blueberry bush
1, possibly 2, dead rose bushes
1 leaking toilet
Considering the heat, I'm surprised more stuff isn't dead. The grass is a beautiful emerald green, thanks to the diligence of Randy, our next-door neighbour.
Half an hour after we arrived, we discovered Mitzi in the garage. Bloody and not happy about it. So, off to the vet I take her. She'd been wounded, developed an abscess, which then burst, but was too big to close. The tissues all around her eye were infected and she looked like a a zombie, poor thing. She stayed the night and was surgically tidied up the next morning. Now she's stuck in the house and not happy about it.
The cats took their vengeance for abandonment by peeing on absolutely everything in the garage. But hey, not in the house. So I'm gonna call that a win. Miles went on a Laundry-Paloosa and now there is clean stuff all over the house. Don't try to sit on the sofa. If you can find it. (Hint: it's under the shambling mound of towels and comforters)
Miles also went through the massive pile of mail. Couple of bills didn't get paid before we left. Whoops. ("Ah. So that's where the trash cans went...")
Yesterday we discovered that we have mice in the house. So, that's fun. Lots of cleaning out of cupboards and giving the cats a talking to about doing their jobs.
So, it's Monday morning and I'm quite certain Miles was thrilled to go to work.
Here are some random thoughts swirling about my brain about our trip:
Berlin is so quiet. Not a lot of cars, the people are relaxed. Weird. Also, it's kinda freaky to see the grand old buildings of what used to be East Berlin positively riddled with bullet holes.
Here's a question. Germans are so very efficient. Yet, there is not AC in any of the houses, not ceiling fans or any sort of circulation system. Thus, one opens the windows for some air. There are no screen on any of these windows, and they have mosquitoes! One cannot hide under the covers, 'cause it's too damn hot. So you wake up covered in bites. Aeron had 23 bites one morning.
German seem to eat nothing but bread and sausage. after a couple of weeks, even I started craving a salad, and that's saying something. I don't think I'm gonna be able to look sausage in the face for a least 6 months.
In Germany, beer is a breakfast food. Also, beer is cheap. Wine, however, is pricey.
The biergarten is to Germany what the cafe is to France. Hot and tired after touring a cemetery? Plop down at the biergarten and have a drink! They are everywhere!
Bavaria was beautiful. Ludwig II, a.k.a. Mad King Ludwig, picked a gorgeous spot for his castle. Shame he didn't finish it.
Austria is awesome. Stunning scenery, excellent food (salad buffet!) amazingly friendly people. Plus, snow in June!
Tuscany looks a lot like North County, but greener. Which means it was Allergy City. Kayla was our Zertec pusher.
Venice is a crumbling glory. Though, at time I felt like a rat in a maze.
Imagine 20 people in a large villa. The phrase "herding cats" came up quite often in conversation.
Florence needs a good power-washing.
Children don't need to speak the same language to play together. We had kids that spoke German, Serbian and English all together and it worked just fine.
It was a wonderful trip.
Ah, home again! As nice as it is to go away, it's always nice to come home. Sleep in your own bed. Use your own shampoo. Have a shower where the shower curtain (should one be present) doesn't stick to your butt when you attempt to shave your legs.
The causalities were as follows:
1 dead blueberry bush
1, possibly 2, dead rose bushes
1 leaking toilet
Considering the heat, I'm surprised more stuff isn't dead. The grass is a beautiful emerald green, thanks to the diligence of Randy, our next-door neighbour.
Half an hour after we arrived, we discovered Mitzi in the garage. Bloody and not happy about it. So, off to the vet I take her. She'd been wounded, developed an abscess, which then burst, but was too big to close. The tissues all around her eye were infected and she looked like a a zombie, poor thing. She stayed the night and was surgically tidied up the next morning. Now she's stuck in the house and not happy about it.
The cats took their vengeance for abandonment by peeing on absolutely everything in the garage. But hey, not in the house. So I'm gonna call that a win. Miles went on a Laundry-Paloosa and now there is clean stuff all over the house. Don't try to sit on the sofa. If you can find it. (Hint: it's under the shambling mound of towels and comforters)
Miles also went through the massive pile of mail. Couple of bills didn't get paid before we left. Whoops. ("Ah. So that's where the trash cans went...")
Yesterday we discovered that we have mice in the house. So, that's fun. Lots of cleaning out of cupboards and giving the cats a talking to about doing their jobs.
So, it's Monday morning and I'm quite certain Miles was thrilled to go to work.
Here are some random thoughts swirling about my brain about our trip:
Berlin is so quiet. Not a lot of cars, the people are relaxed. Weird. Also, it's kinda freaky to see the grand old buildings of what used to be East Berlin positively riddled with bullet holes.
Here's a question. Germans are so very efficient. Yet, there is not AC in any of the houses, not ceiling fans or any sort of circulation system. Thus, one opens the windows for some air. There are no screen on any of these windows, and they have mosquitoes! One cannot hide under the covers, 'cause it's too damn hot. So you wake up covered in bites. Aeron had 23 bites one morning.
German seem to eat nothing but bread and sausage. after a couple of weeks, even I started craving a salad, and that's saying something. I don't think I'm gonna be able to look sausage in the face for a least 6 months.
In Germany, beer is a breakfast food. Also, beer is cheap. Wine, however, is pricey.
The biergarten is to Germany what the cafe is to France. Hot and tired after touring a cemetery? Plop down at the biergarten and have a drink! They are everywhere!
Bavaria was beautiful. Ludwig II, a.k.a. Mad King Ludwig, picked a gorgeous spot for his castle. Shame he didn't finish it.
Austria is awesome. Stunning scenery, excellent food (salad buffet!) amazingly friendly people. Plus, snow in June!
Tuscany looks a lot like North County, but greener. Which means it was Allergy City. Kayla was our Zertec pusher.
Venice is a crumbling glory. Though, at time I felt like a rat in a maze.
Imagine 20 people in a large villa. The phrase "herding cats" came up quite often in conversation.
Florence needs a good power-washing.
Children don't need to speak the same language to play together. We had kids that spoke German, Serbian and English all together and it worked just fine.
It was a wonderful trip.
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