I guess a new blog post is in order. But, it's not going to happen now.
Even though "now" would really be the perfect time because we're just sitting in the airport, waiting for the next flight to Florence after we missed the last flight because the airport was evacuated TWICE for security reasons.
Good times.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Fancy meeting you here....
Today we stopped by the market on the way home (no bag, no coin) to pick up a couple things. As we were walking out, we ran into someone we know walking in.
We stopped to chat for a while and it was a weird feeling. Like, the first time since we've been here that I've felt like I kinda belonged, or that things could be a little bit like they are at home.
Of course, since we didn't have a bag, our purchases were clearly visible. Dave, standing there, clutching a box of ice cream bars and a loaf of garlic bread.
We stopped to chat for a while and it was a weird feeling. Like, the first time since we've been here that I've felt like I kinda belonged, or that things could be a little bit like they are at home.
Of course, since we didn't have a bag, our purchases were clearly visible. Dave, standing there, clutching a box of ice cream bars and a loaf of garlic bread.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Amsterdam, again.
We went to Amsterdam again this past weekend. This was partly because we didn't get off our asses fast enough to make other travel arrangements and partly because we really enjoy it. It's such a small city - you can walk from one end to the other in about an hour and look at lots of pretty/interesting things and that's about our favorite thing to do in any city. That's why we're the kind of people who've been to Paris a few times, but have never been to the Louvre: I'd rather just walk around.
Anyway, we decided to drive to an arena just outside of Amsterdam and use the Park and Ride service to take the train into the city center. Never. Again.
It worked out ok and everything, but it was such a pain to be on a train for more than an hour when we had just driven into the city 2 weeks before and knew how quick driving was. Anyway, once we got past the train madness and checked into our hotel (very nice, inexpensive, and highly recommended), we were on our way.
The weather was absolutely perfect - high 60's and loads of sunshine. We hit every shopping street we missed the first time and we also hit an open air market in the middle of the city. I got a kicky little black scarf and Dave got food, lots and lots of food.....
\
We walked all the way into the center of the city, had a great snack at a Mexican restaurant (what? we miss Mexican food), and walked all the way back to the hotel.
\
That evening we had reservations at Sama Sebo so we could try the real rijtaffel dinner (you can read more about that from our first trip there here). The dinner was crazy. Nuts. Let's just say that they have to bring an additional table to hold all the food.
See all those plates? That was all just for us. That's actually only about two-thirds of the food that was brought out. Bananas.
Anyway, we decided to drive to an arena just outside of Amsterdam and use the Park and Ride service to take the train into the city center. Never. Again.
It worked out ok and everything, but it was such a pain to be on a train for more than an hour when we had just driven into the city 2 weeks before and knew how quick driving was. Anyway, once we got past the train madness and checked into our hotel (very nice, inexpensive, and highly recommended), we were on our way.
The weather was absolutely perfect - high 60's and loads of sunshine. We hit every shopping street we missed the first time and we also hit an open air market in the middle of the city. I got a kicky little black scarf and Dave got food, lots and lots of food.....
\
We found a great wood-block print at a gallery and bought it for the living room. Now, I wish we could go back yet again because I realized too late that both Dave's father and his wife, Alaine, would have really liked something from there too. They have each lived in Amsterdam for extended periods. Oh well.
We walked all the way into the center of the city, had a great snack at a Mexican restaurant (what? we miss Mexican food), and walked all the way back to the hotel.
 |
| Dave looks much happier after a margarita and a beer.... |
\
That evening we had reservations at Sama Sebo so we could try the real rijtaffel dinner (you can read more about that from our first trip there here). The dinner was crazy. Nuts. Let's just say that they have to bring an additional table to hold all the food.
See all those plates? That was all just for us. That's actually only about two-thirds of the food that was brought out. Bananas.
 |
But the best part of the trip for me might have been the drive. It took a little while to get used to it, but now I love the Autobahn. It's amazing how polite and careful everyone is when they're driving 110 miles an hour. We've yet to see an accident and I've only seen one total jerk. Because everything is happening so fast, you have to pay attention the whole time. It might be a little more tiring, but you never have those moments where you just zone out. I think that makes the time go by a lot faster.
When perusing the following pictures, please disregard the fact that I may or may not have been taking pictures while driving at very high speeds. Really, I might not have been - Dave took some pictures too!
Au revoir Amsterdam.
(Did you get that? See, we'll be in Paris this weekend and I said goodbye in French!)
:)
Things to do, things to do....
You may or may not know that, on most days, Dave sends me an email reminder of anything I've mentioned I would like to do. Let's just say we're sitting around on a Sunday afternoon and I say, "I really need to get outside this week and pull those annoying weeds near the sidewalk." Dave will ask me what day I want to do that and on the designated day this will appear as a reminder in my inbox. It's like having one of those voice recorders, and an electronic calendar, and a really funny friend, all in one.
Since we've been in Germany, I don't get that many reminders because there isn't that much to do. Lately, I've really missed the feeling of having a project to look forward to. When we were driving to Amsterdam last weekend, I mentioned that I want to make some small adjustments to our kitchen when we get home.
Nothing big, just a few changes to things that have been bugging me.
First of all, I want to make a better recycling area. Dave has a habit of just leaving the recyclable stuff on the counter near the back door. Sure, the bin is only twelve steps away if you open the back door, but who has time to go to all that effort? We don't have a very organized way of collecting returnables either, and that just irritates me. We usually just throw a brown bag by the door and toss them in there.
We do have a cabinet that is used mostly for roasting pans andjunk other important stuff. If I move the roasting pans to the butler's pantry (more on that later) and shuffle around the junk other important stuff, I could have a whole cabinet for recycling and returnables.
I'm still debating the exact method, but it will be something like this:
Or, this:
I also want to install a bread box. I used to think bread boxes/drawers were the kind of thing only Grandmother's had, but now I'm starting to reconsider.
First of all, Dude the Cat really, really (REALLY) likes bread. Really.We have to keep it on a high shelf or, if left low and unattended, we'll find bite marks in the bag and large chunks missing from the loaf. Plus, there's Bob. He doesn't have a special hankering for bread, he just likes food. Finally, bread doesn't last very long and since I've been here, my sophisticated palate can't really stand the thought of going back to just sticking it in the fridge or in a plastic bag.
I think I'll just add a pull-out shelf in a cabinet on which we can place a bread box. I'm sure they make a built-in version, but that just sounds like an awful lot of work.
Finally, I need to improve the butler's pantry. I know that sounds pretty fancy, but it's really just what I call the closet in the hall. I don't think it's original to the house, but at some point someone added a built-in cabinet above three built-in drawers, and it's just outside the kitchen.
We used to use it as a linen closet, but a few years ago I moved all the linens upstairs and organized the closet to contain all our serving dishes and vases and placemats and, and, and.....
The shelves are high and deep, but in some ways that makes the cabinet kind of impractical because I have to take a lot of things out before I can get to the one thing I need. And serving dishes are shallow, so I have to store them nested inside each other and that doesn't always work so well, either.
I have this fantasy solution where I have an exact place for everything in a sparkling white cabinet, with little silver nameplates and about a hundred adjustable shelves. The final result probably won't be that great, but it will be a lot more organized.
I've been scouting around for inspiration and this is what I've found:
I love the little hang-y hook things. I'm definitely using those for gravy pitchers and creamers.
How cool is this? If I could add about 3 feet to both the front and back of the house, we'd be all set. Sigh...
Now this seems just about right. I like the idea of using those IKEA boxes for the small stuff, too.
I think I might put some dowels horizontally across the back, to hold up the platters. I have plenty of time to think about the details. I'll let you know when I get around to the actual project.
This brings me to today's reminder:
Done.
Since we've been in Germany, I don't get that many reminders because there isn't that much to do. Lately, I've really missed the feeling of having a project to look forward to. When we were driving to Amsterdam last weekend, I mentioned that I want to make some small adjustments to our kitchen when we get home.
Nothing big, just a few changes to things that have been bugging me.
First of all, I want to make a better recycling area. Dave has a habit of just leaving the recyclable stuff on the counter near the back door. Sure, the bin is only twelve steps away if you open the back door, but who has time to go to all that effort? We don't have a very organized way of collecting returnables either, and that just irritates me. We usually just throw a brown bag by the door and toss them in there.
We do have a cabinet that is used mostly for roasting pans and
I'm still debating the exact method, but it will be something like this:
Or, this:
I also want to install a bread box. I used to think bread boxes/drawers were the kind of thing only Grandmother's had, but now I'm starting to reconsider.
First of all, Dude the Cat really, really (REALLY) likes bread. Really.We have to keep it on a high shelf or, if left low and unattended, we'll find bite marks in the bag and large chunks missing from the loaf. Plus, there's Bob. He doesn't have a special hankering for bread, he just likes food. Finally, bread doesn't last very long and since I've been here, my sophisticated palate can't really stand the thought of going back to just sticking it in the fridge or in a plastic bag.
I think I'll just add a pull-out shelf in a cabinet on which we can place a bread box. I'm sure they make a built-in version, but that just sounds like an awful lot of work.
Finally, I need to improve the butler's pantry. I know that sounds pretty fancy, but it's really just what I call the closet in the hall. I don't think it's original to the house, but at some point someone added a built-in cabinet above three built-in drawers, and it's just outside the kitchen.
We used to use it as a linen closet, but a few years ago I moved all the linens upstairs and organized the closet to contain all our serving dishes and vases and placemats and, and, and.....
The shelves are high and deep, but in some ways that makes the cabinet kind of impractical because I have to take a lot of things out before I can get to the one thing I need. And serving dishes are shallow, so I have to store them nested inside each other and that doesn't always work so well, either.
I have this fantasy solution where I have an exact place for everything in a sparkling white cabinet, with little silver nameplates and about a hundred adjustable shelves. The final result probably won't be that great, but it will be a lot more organized.
I've been scouting around for inspiration and this is what I've found:
I love the little hang-y hook things. I'm definitely using those for gravy pitchers and creamers.
How cool is this? If I could add about 3 feet to both the front and back of the house, we'd be all set. Sigh...
Now this seems just about right. I like the idea of using those IKEA boxes for the small stuff, too.
I think I might put some dowels horizontally across the back, to hold up the platters. I have plenty of time to think about the details. I'll let you know when I get around to the actual project.
This brings me to today's reminder:
3. We need to make a list of those projects you want to start when we get home-home.
Done.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Laundry (or, I Should Have Known)
Get ready for a funny little story.
After waiting to do laundry for a couple of weeks (we were still scoping out the new building) I have to say that I was ready to kiss the washing machine when we finally went downstairs to load it up. I did notice that there was a duvet in the dryer, but no biggie, we had time. We would have just dumped the clothes right in, but that would imply that there is something easy about this process. Instead, we had to check the rates on this machine, then walk to the main building to transfer our Euros into Deutsche Marks. I'm sure there are washing machines that accept Euros, but that would imply that they were assembled and shipped sometime in the last 20 years. Ours wasn't. One mark costs about .8 Euros, which is about $1.10. In the last building, we needed 6 DM for one load of wash/dry ($6.60).
So, we go to the main building to buy enough marks for one load in the washer and the dryer.
But, oh, wait, they're out of marks. It would be crazy to have enough for both washers and both dryers because it's completely impossible that they would all be used at the same time, right?
So we wait until the next day.
The next day, I return to the main building for the marks. They have them! Except I'm informed that these machines require 8 marks, 4 for washing and 4 for drying. Yikes, that's $9.00. But whatev's, you gotta do laundry, right?
So, I buy the marks for one load in the washer and the dryer and scramble downstairs to make sure the washer is unoccupied (it is) and dump the clothes in. It takes a little while to figure out the German control panel, but I do it. Mission 1: Complete.
I notice that the (fully dry) duvet is still in the dryer, but I figure it will probably be gone when I get back.
A couple hours later, I skip downstairs to move the clothes in to the dryer. The duvet is still there, and now I need the dryer, so I carefully fold it and place it on the ironing board. As I'm doing this, of course, the owner of the duvet arrives downstairs. I tell her I'm sorry I moved the duvet, I hope it isn't a problem, I need the dryer, blah, blah, blah.
It is a problem. On top of that, she's shocked (actually, amazed) that I'm moving the clothes to the dryer right after I washed them.
"No, no, no. You have to wait at least one day. The clothes are too wet now and it will cost you too much money to dry them."
Huh? I have to leave them in the washer, wet, for at least one day?
"Yes, leave them in the washer."
So we wait until the next day (which is fine for someone who has, like, patience).
Late in the evening of Day 3 of Operation Laundry, I move the clothes to the dryer (the f'in duvet is there again, and I move it, AGAIN) and dump in my 4 marks.
On the morning of Day 4, Dave arrives to empty the laundry. Not dry. Not even close.
He goes to the main building to get 5 more marks.
Then he dumps 5 more marks in the machine. Not dry. Not even close.
He goes to the main building to get 5 more marks, again. Then he dumps 5 more marks in the machine, again. Not dry. Not even close.
Then he takes all the clothes out of the dryer and spreads them all over the bathroom to dry.
Now we've spent more than $20.00 and we have a bathroom full of wet clothes AND YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE HOW MY PATIENCE IS TAKING THAT.
On Day 5 of Operation Laundry, I pull a wet shirt out out of the bathroom and stomp down to the main building. I swear, I can literally hear the desk clerks groan when they see me coming.
I explain that there is clearly a problem with the dryer in our building. I explain that the nice lady who lives in the building (and leaves her f'in duvet in the dryer for THREE DAYS) told me that I have to leave the clothes in the washer for a day before I can dry them. Then I explain that we've spent 14 marks over 2 DAYS in the dryer and they're still not dry.
They seem puzzled.
At this point, I pass the wet shirt over the counter to illustrate the nature of the problem.
"Can I just use the dryer in the other building," I say, "it worked fine."
This is a major request. Supervisors must be found and permission must be granted, but I walk out of the lobby with a key to the other building.
And 4 more marks.
Now, we take all of our (wet) clothes, stuff them into a plastic laundry hamper, put them in the back of the car, drive over to the other building, and dump them in the old dryer.
And, behold, after 5 days, 2 hours and $25.00, we have armfuls of nice, dry clothes.
And one missing sock.
After waiting to do laundry for a couple of weeks (we were still scoping out the new building) I have to say that I was ready to kiss the washing machine when we finally went downstairs to load it up. I did notice that there was a duvet in the dryer, but no biggie, we had time. We would have just dumped the clothes right in, but that would imply that there is something easy about this process. Instead, we had to check the rates on this machine, then walk to the main building to transfer our Euros into Deutsche Marks. I'm sure there are washing machines that accept Euros, but that would imply that they were assembled and shipped sometime in the last 20 years. Ours wasn't. One mark costs about .8 Euros, which is about $1.10. In the last building, we needed 6 DM for one load of wash/dry ($6.60).
So, we go to the main building to buy enough marks for one load in the washer and the dryer.
But, oh, wait, they're out of marks. It would be crazy to have enough for both washers and both dryers because it's completely impossible that they would all be used at the same time, right?
So we wait until the next day.
The next day, I return to the main building for the marks. They have them! Except I'm informed that these machines require 8 marks, 4 for washing and 4 for drying. Yikes, that's $9.00. But whatev's, you gotta do laundry, right?
So, I buy the marks for one load in the washer and the dryer and scramble downstairs to make sure the washer is unoccupied (it is) and dump the clothes in. It takes a little while to figure out the German control panel, but I do it. Mission 1: Complete.
I notice that the (fully dry) duvet is still in the dryer, but I figure it will probably be gone when I get back.
A couple hours later, I skip downstairs to move the clothes in to the dryer. The duvet is still there, and now I need the dryer, so I carefully fold it and place it on the ironing board. As I'm doing this, of course, the owner of the duvet arrives downstairs. I tell her I'm sorry I moved the duvet, I hope it isn't a problem, I need the dryer, blah, blah, blah.
It is a problem. On top of that, she's shocked (actually, amazed) that I'm moving the clothes to the dryer right after I washed them.
"No, no, no. You have to wait at least one day. The clothes are too wet now and it will cost you too much money to dry them."
Huh? I have to leave them in the washer, wet, for at least one day?
"Yes, leave them in the washer."
So we wait until the next day (which is fine for someone who has, like, patience).
Late in the evening of Day 3 of Operation Laundry, I move the clothes to the dryer (the f'in duvet is there again, and I move it, AGAIN) and dump in my 4 marks.
On the morning of Day 4, Dave arrives to empty the laundry. Not dry. Not even close.
He goes to the main building to get 5 more marks.
Then he dumps 5 more marks in the machine. Not dry. Not even close.
He goes to the main building to get 5 more marks, again. Then he dumps 5 more marks in the machine, again. Not dry. Not even close.
Then he takes all the clothes out of the dryer and spreads them all over the bathroom to dry.
Now we've spent more than $20.00 and we have a bathroom full of wet clothes AND YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE HOW MY PATIENCE IS TAKING THAT.
On Day 5 of Operation Laundry, I pull a wet shirt out out of the bathroom and stomp down to the main building. I swear, I can literally hear the desk clerks groan when they see me coming.
I explain that there is clearly a problem with the dryer in our building. I explain that the nice lady who lives in the building (and leaves her f'in duvet in the dryer for THREE DAYS) told me that I have to leave the clothes in the washer for a day before I can dry them. Then I explain that we've spent 14 marks over 2 DAYS in the dryer and they're still not dry.
They seem puzzled.
At this point, I pass the wet shirt over the counter to illustrate the nature of the problem.
"Can I just use the dryer in the other building," I say, "it worked fine."
This is a major request. Supervisors must be found and permission must be granted, but I walk out of the lobby with a key to the other building.
And 4 more marks.
Now, we take all of our (wet) clothes, stuff them into a plastic laundry hamper, put them in the back of the car, drive over to the other building, and dump them in the old dryer.
And, behold, after 5 days, 2 hours and $25.00, we have armfuls of nice, dry clothes.
And one missing sock.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Catching Up
You may remember that we were supposed to be in Milan last weekend. Also, you may have noted that I have not posted any pictures from Milan. That's because we didn't actually go to Milan. As Dave noted, our blind booking turned out to be, "booking for the blind." For some reason, I assumed that we were departing from Frankfurt Hahn airport. Instead, we arrived at Hahn airport to learn that the flight was actually departing from Hanover airport, 4 hours away. True story.
We did end up spending a nice weekend in Frankfurt, though. It was nicer than previous weekends because we finally moved! We have an actual bedroom now. With a door. We have a table. And chairs. We have all the luxuries.
I cooked the next night, too:
Cooking has brought about an interesting observation about life in Germany. Groceries are inexpensive. Like, really inexpensive. I think Dave is going to start shopping alone because I just walk around saying, "wow, do you know how much this would cost at home?" He's not very impressed. I had to call Mo so we could play virtual Price is Right.
For example, guess:
That's one loaf of (very good) bread, spaghetti, bread crumbs, tomato paste, about a pound of coffee, tomatoes on the vine, cream, ramen noodles, three heads of garlic and oregano.
Guess.....
Ok, 14 euros! That's like $19 (depending on which day of the escalating currency crisis you decided to calculate the exchange rate).
Continuing our culinary odyssey of last week, we also stopped and got some famous Doners. I love these things. If you're not familiar with a doner, it's like a thicker, heartier lamb gyro with a garlicky (sp?)yogurt sauce. They are, I think, the most popular fast food in Germany and at least as popular as hamburgers in the States. Sometimes they put pickled red cabbage on there, too, but as it turns out the doner kebap house near us makes them the way I like, without the cabbage.
After all that eating, we finally got around to making the last of our travel plans. Our weekends through November will consist of Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Florence. I have a trip to Turin in there, too. I'll also be spending a few days in Chicago.
That's if we make it to the right airport, of course.
:)
We did end up spending a nice weekend in Frankfurt, though. It was nicer than previous weekends because we finally moved! We have an actual bedroom now. With a door. We have a table. And chairs. We have all the luxuries.
Now that we have a kitchen that is comprised of more than 3 linear inches of countertop, we were able to make some actual meals. Sunday was a little cold and rainy (good thing we weren't in Italy, ha!), so I made chili. It didn't taste exactly like normal chili, but I would have had more. I could have had more, I guess, if I ate leftovers, but I don't. What I'm saying is that I would have enjoyed it again if I had made it the next night, too. There.
 |
| I guess it doesn't look so appetizing here.... |
I cooked the next night, too:
 |
| See how happy Dave looks? |
Cooking has brought about an interesting observation about life in Germany. Groceries are inexpensive. Like, really inexpensive. I think Dave is going to start shopping alone because I just walk around saying, "wow, do you know how much this would cost at home?" He's not very impressed. I had to call Mo so we could play virtual Price is Right.
For example, guess:
That's one loaf of (very good) bread, spaghetti, bread crumbs, tomato paste, about a pound of coffee, tomatoes on the vine, cream, ramen noodles, three heads of garlic and oregano.
Guess.....
Ok, 14 euros! That's like $19 (depending on which day of the escalating currency crisis you decided to calculate the exchange rate).
Continuing our culinary odyssey of last week, we also stopped and got some famous Doners. I love these things. If you're not familiar with a doner, it's like a thicker, heartier lamb gyro with a garlicky (sp?)yogurt sauce. They are, I think, the most popular fast food in Germany and at least as popular as hamburgers in the States. Sometimes they put pickled red cabbage on there, too, but as it turns out the doner kebap house near us makes them the way I like, without the cabbage.
After all that eating, we finally got around to making the last of our travel plans. Our weekends through November will consist of Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Florence. I have a trip to Turin in there, too. I'll also be spending a few days in Chicago.
That's if we make it to the right airport, of course.
:)
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