My Mistake!

I realize it has been a long time since I've put an update in here - many sorries about that! Things are quite busy with our pending repatriation (what a fancy word). I'll have more up very, very soon - promise! I just have to get my camera back from Nate, who's in The Netherlands on a business trip right now. Then I'll be up and running again.

I just discovered a faux pas I've made while I was messing around with my blogger account this evening. I was wondering why no one ever made comments on my blog - until I saw that I had inadvertently turned off the comments!! Blogger has just been saving all these comments that people have been making but not publishing any of them! So sorry guys - I've put them all up in their entirety now, and they should show up from now on. I also tried to reply back to those who commented, although I don't expect many of you will be scrolling through my old posts just to read those. I was so excited to see some of the people who've been commenting!

I'm also going to try to write more regularly - maybe a little more about mundane, everyday things that happen. There may not be pics to go along with those posts, but sometimes it's just fun to write about weird,inconsequential things that happen to you. So be ready!

That Sounds About Right To Me

Hmmm . . . apparently I'm Kermit. Not a bad Muppet to be - the star of the show! Does that give you a clue of what astrological sign I am? Love the attention.

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

Christmas Bonanza - Deutchstyle

With only four months to go in Europe, I'm particularly focused on checking out places and events that I don't think I'll be able to visit once I rejoin the ranks of the gainfully employed. Once I start teaching again, it'll be hard to sneak away unnoticed for a frolic in Holland's springtime tulips or a romp around the fun and festive Oktoberfest. So when I heard about the Christmas markets scattered all around Germany througout December, I was determined to see them while I still had the chance. For a long time it looked as though I'd be making yet another solo trip to Germany - which would have been fine, since I enjoyed it so much the last time, but it's much more fun to gawk and oogle over Christmas stuff with a friend. Out of the blue, my friend Monica saved the day, joining me in Munich from China of all places, where she's lived for over a year now. It was the first time I'd seen her since June of 2005, so it was a fun reunion.

We started off the trip on a sobering but meaningful note - I really wanted to make a pilgrimage to the Dachau concentration camp. I felt it wasn't right to make the trek to Germany twice in three months, to be less than an hour away, and not to visit a place of such horrible yet significant historical importance. The camp has been preserved in a very solemn, powerful manner in my opinion, and I'm glad we made the trip. I took a lot of pictures for possible use in my future classroom, so if anyone's interested in them, just send me an email and I'll be happy to oblige.

Within Munich, Monica and I focused our energies on the delights of the holiday season. Apparently the Christmas market has been a part of the German holiday tradition since medieval times. Hundreds of booths were set up in all of the main squares in town, filled with all kinds of Christmas goodies, from the culinary variety to the decorative. Some of our favorite consumables included Gluhwein, a steaming cup of mulled wine served in a commemorative mug that you could keep if you wanted. We also enjoyed the candied nuts and Christmas cake. There was much more food than either of us could have handled - I wasn't even able to sample the gingerbread or the roasted chestnuts! We didn't like the loaded baked potatoes we had for lunch one day - they gooped the sour cream and butter on much too copiously for my taste. But our yummy bratwursts were more than satisfying, as was the delicious fried potato thing we had with jam - tasted like a hashbrown to me.

As far as shopping goes, both of us stocked up on memories both material and mental for ourselves, as well as gifts for loved ones. I loved sauntering from booth to booth, rummaging through the colorful bins of Christmas ornaments and other traditional decorations. The US should really catch on to this idea - it was a blast, and I'm sure all the Christmas nuts like me would come out in droves to spend, spend, spend.

Amidst all of this oogling, we managed to sneak in a little sightseeing around Munich as well. We visited a church that contained the tombs of several Bavarian monarchs and their family members, including the famous King Ludwig II, who I talked about in my last post on Germany. We also climbed one of the town's many church towers for an amazing view of the city. The balconey on our chosen tower was crowded, and barely wide enough to squeeze two people side-by-side, so we often found ourselves pressed against the iron grating that kept us from falling to our doom. It took me about ten minutes to psych myself up, but I once again stifled my fears and made it onto the balconey, and was rewarded with some great photographs.

I returned to Dublin somewhat mournful for the end of a fun trip and a great reunion with a longtime friend of mine, but I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to return to Germany and once again learn so much. I was lucky to be able to have two great trips to this intriguing place, and have built two of the most significant memories that I've had during our stay.

I almost forgot . . .

GO COLTS!!!!!!!!

The Final Furlong

Wow, it's almost been a month since my last post! In my defense, we've been busy with much merry-making during the holiday season. After our Thanksgiving trip, I went to Germany to see a long lost friend of mine and to check out the Christmas markets that I'd heard so much about over there. Then I returned home for a whopping four days before we headed back to the states again for Christmas. We're back in Dublin now and are getting settled in for our last three months here.
I'm currently working on a post on my Germany trip, and plan on putting one up on our Christmas visit, which will pretty much catch us up again, as I have no exciting plans in the immediate future and plan to keep it that way for at least the next week or so!