Jet. Lag.
Survived my trip! Which is surprising, considering I was totally computerless for like, well over a week. I'm not sure how I managed.
29.12.03
Got up and fell into Uncle Martin's car. Drove. And then drove and drove and drove until we got to a rest stop, where we got out, ate some Milka, moved around a little. Got back into the car and drove some more. Ended up in Meissen, home of Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny, who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary [the main reason for the trip.]
Sang some in a choir at the churchy part of their anniversary celebration - they were renewing their vows. Went to a banquet hall and schmoozed with people I barely knew, drank bitter champagne, and ate far too much cake for my own good. But Aunt Christhild, Uncle Conny, and Sexually Ambiguous Cousin Alex were happy to see me, so I stayed. Until 10. At which point I ran away to their house and promptly went to bed.
Trés exciting, no?
30.12.03
Shopping in Meissen - how fun!
Dragged mom and dad to the art supply store soon as we got to the town square. Spent a wee bit more money than perhaps I should have. Oh well, I've got some keen new stuff now.
Bought mom a ceramic bell - she collects bells - from a store that sells the famous [in Germany anyway] Blaupunkt Keramic [Ceramics]. That worked out nicely, because I hadn't gotten her a Christmas present.
Went home just in time for Uncle Martin and Aunt Birgit to pile into the dining room with their five kids, followed by Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny. Alex decided to be fashionably late after picking us up from the town square.
Played a lot of Rummy. Read some Lord of the Rings. Went to bed.
31.12.03
Dresden.
Dresden, Germany, is hard to explain, unless you've been there. The architecture is amazing, the shopping is great, the weather is cold... wait. No, that's not right. But on this particular day, I froze so badly that I caved and bought socks, on account of my not wearing any with my clogs.
So there's this church that was completely destroyed in the 1945 bombing of the city, right? We're talking a massive, beautiful, ornate cathedral turned into a massive pile o' rocks and rubble. Last time I saw it, they were collecting the rocks that they could save, to rebuild it exactly as it was. So now, all they have to do is finish the steeple. Color me impressed. And y'know, it's gotta be fun to recreate such a structure, if you're used to building standard apartment buildings all over the country. I know I'd enjoy the break.
Shuffled around in the frigid for awhile, then went to a boys choir concert by the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Amazing sound. One of the best choral concerts I've ever been to, and it was free. So they sang parts of Handel's Messiah, and damn, they were good. It was fun to watch them come in - you think they're all in, and then all at once, the basses jump up behind on the last riser with huge smiles on their faces. Hee!
But that wasn't the end of my day. Got back to Meissen and was promptly sent to the fine arts school down the mountain to see a Silvester [New Year's Eve] Concert by the local symphony, with special vocal guests whose names I no longer remember. It was great, except for the female vocalist, who kinda sucked the ass.
Trudged back up the mountain to Aunt Christhild's, where we played German New Year's Eve games until about 11:45, then went outside to watch the fireworks. Fireworks in Germany, however, aren't one big state-run show. Everyone in the city buys fireworks that would be very, very illegal to shoot off in several states here, and the entire sky fills with light, sound, and, unfortunately, smoke. We stayed out for about a half-hour, not wanting to completely suffocate.
Drank some New Year's champagne, then talked for awhile before bed. Sneaking suspicion that Sexually Ambiguous Cousin Alex might be gay, judging by how fem he is.
1.1.04
Got herded back into Uncle Martin's car [which is actually a VW Bus] and drove back to his house. Kinda cold, because the heater decided to not work, so I ended up sitting on my hands the whole time.
Nothing is open on New Year's Day in Germany. No stores, no libraries, no museums... Yeah, I read all of Fellowship of the Ring and a few chapters of The Two Towers, up in my room so my 8-year-old cousin couldn't pester me.
2.1.04
Went to Potsdam today, did some shopping, checked out a few castles, and then went to bed. Nothing special. Sigh.
3.1.04
See above, re: nothing special. Stupid weekend, nothing's open.
4.1.04
Tromped all over town with my cousins. Read more. Finally learned that to avoid insomnia by Snoring Duet of my parents, I needed to sleep with my Discman playing. Loudly.
5.1.04
Berlin!
Finally something to do. The cousins were in school and I hopped the S-Bahn [Stadt Bahn or City Train] to the country's capital. Acted like an utter tourist for awhile, then went to a mall and, what else, shopped. Mom looked for china to match the stuff she has right now, so she could replace some teacups, but no dice.
Went back to Stahnsdorf and read some more. Got a massive bruise on my forearm from 8-year-old cousin jumping on me.
Mom and I decided that I was going to cook, so I went off to the grocery store while she and dad went off to visit a friend. Decided to be lazy and make Shepherd's Pie. Ambiguously Gay Alex dropped in for dinner on his way to his apartment, and decided he wanted the recipe. Snork.
6.1.04
Rode a bike 4.5 km and walked 1.5 km when my legs turned to jelly and I couldn't pedal anymore. I'm so out of shape. Remind me to get a gym membership.
Went spelunking at the local grocery stores to get cheap prices on Milka. Ended up with about 25 mixed bars, plus some Kinder chocolate for the nephews and some diet chocolate for diabetic mommy. And Fererro Giotto is incredible. Hazelnut chunks surrounding a soft core of hazelnut and milk cream. Mmmm-mm.
Then it started snowing.
Within a few minutes, cars were going off the roads everywhere, and we had to go to Berlin to see an opera that night. Luckily with the extra weight of my parents and I, Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny's car [they had tickets too] made it safely to the train station. Hopped an S-Bahn, walked a few blocks, and went in to see Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. It rocked. Except that the Queen of the Night was a Japanese woman, and in singing German she got her words so mangled that I, the poor American, couldn't understand a single word she said. Sniff.
By the time we got out of the opera, the snow had turned to freezing rain. Woo to the hoo. We skidded back to Uncle Martin's, and then Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny left for home. Luckily they made it back alright.
7.1.04
Leaving day. Packed all our things into the van the night before, and got up at an ungodly hour [try 5:30 AM] for breakfast. Made it to Berlin-Tegel airport fairly okay, considering the roads.
Then our plane was delayed, and thus the irritation did begin.
We promptly missed our flight out of Frankfurt, as it took off before the flight from Berlin landed. So I got to stand around at the transfer desk at Lufthansa for a good hour in an airport that was about 85 and humid, and I had layers on. I swear the Germans haven't ever heard of air conditioning. They transfered us to a flight over Toronto, where we'd take Air Canada from Toronto to Boston.
We sprinted to the gate, and made it there just in time for the plane to leave without us.
Back to the transfer desk, where I got to stand in line for another hour or so, while my parents chilled in easy chairs nearby. Turns out that the Toronto connection was the only flight left to Boston. I felt like kicking something. We were informed that we could catch the 10:35 AM the next day - this was the first flight that we missed.
The airline put us up in a hotel slightly swankier than Motel 6 for the night. At least the water pressure in the bathroom was nice, so I stripped off my sweat-soaked clothes and dove into the shower for about an hour and a half. I was so not looking forward to wearing those again tomorrow, but since we hadn't taken our luggage back because it weighed like a gazillion pounds, I was forced to. Sigh. Ate some airline-paid room service food, watched a Fresh Prince of Bel Air marathon and a Diagnosis, Murder marathon [both dubbed in German]. I never watch those shows at home, but whatever.
Passed out around 11, after all the sprinting and stress at the airport, and fell into an exhausted sleep.
8.1.04
Q. How many security checkpoints do you have to go through to get on an international flight to the United States?
A. Three passport control stations, four x-ray bands [on one of which I had to show my flute and my CD player to the lady at the machine because they contained metal], and five metal detectors.
Hey, at least we made the flight this time.
Eight hours later...
I hate landing in Boston when it's windy. When the turbulence started I was okay, but then the plane started rocking side-to-side much like a boat would, and all the color drained from my face. I got kinda clammy, and nauseous, and I nearly ralphed up my lunch right before we hit the ground.
Ah, sweet ground. So stable. So firm. So not-in-the-air.
The rest is kinda a blur because of the jet lag, but I think we may have stopped at Mickey D's.
And now that I'm done typing this [at 4:55 AM on January the 9th - it took me a little over an hour to write] my DSL has decided to not want to do anything. I'll just go back to bed, and hope it feels like letting me post when I get up, eh?
Oh, and was there a new Angel this week?
29.12.03
Got up and fell into Uncle Martin's car. Drove. And then drove and drove and drove until we got to a rest stop, where we got out, ate some Milka, moved around a little. Got back into the car and drove some more. Ended up in Meissen, home of Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny, who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary [the main reason for the trip.]
Sang some in a choir at the churchy part of their anniversary celebration - they were renewing their vows. Went to a banquet hall and schmoozed with people I barely knew, drank bitter champagne, and ate far too much cake for my own good. But Aunt Christhild, Uncle Conny, and Sexually Ambiguous Cousin Alex were happy to see me, so I stayed. Until 10. At which point I ran away to their house and promptly went to bed.
Trés exciting, no?
30.12.03
Shopping in Meissen - how fun!
Dragged mom and dad to the art supply store soon as we got to the town square. Spent a wee bit more money than perhaps I should have. Oh well, I've got some keen new stuff now.
Bought mom a ceramic bell - she collects bells - from a store that sells the famous [in Germany anyway] Blaupunkt Keramic [Ceramics]. That worked out nicely, because I hadn't gotten her a Christmas present.
Went home just in time for Uncle Martin and Aunt Birgit to pile into the dining room with their five kids, followed by Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny. Alex decided to be fashionably late after picking us up from the town square.
Played a lot of Rummy. Read some Lord of the Rings. Went to bed.
31.12.03
Dresden.
Dresden, Germany, is hard to explain, unless you've been there. The architecture is amazing, the shopping is great, the weather is cold... wait. No, that's not right. But on this particular day, I froze so badly that I caved and bought socks, on account of my not wearing any with my clogs.
So there's this church that was completely destroyed in the 1945 bombing of the city, right? We're talking a massive, beautiful, ornate cathedral turned into a massive pile o' rocks and rubble. Last time I saw it, they were collecting the rocks that they could save, to rebuild it exactly as it was. So now, all they have to do is finish the steeple. Color me impressed. And y'know, it's gotta be fun to recreate such a structure, if you're used to building standard apartment buildings all over the country. I know I'd enjoy the break.
Shuffled around in the frigid for awhile, then went to a boys choir concert by the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Amazing sound. One of the best choral concerts I've ever been to, and it was free. So they sang parts of Handel's Messiah, and damn, they were good. It was fun to watch them come in - you think they're all in, and then all at once, the basses jump up behind on the last riser with huge smiles on their faces. Hee!
But that wasn't the end of my day. Got back to Meissen and was promptly sent to the fine arts school down the mountain to see a Silvester [New Year's Eve] Concert by the local symphony, with special vocal guests whose names I no longer remember. It was great, except for the female vocalist, who kinda sucked the ass.
Trudged back up the mountain to Aunt Christhild's, where we played German New Year's Eve games until about 11:45, then went outside to watch the fireworks. Fireworks in Germany, however, aren't one big state-run show. Everyone in the city buys fireworks that would be very, very illegal to shoot off in several states here, and the entire sky fills with light, sound, and, unfortunately, smoke. We stayed out for about a half-hour, not wanting to completely suffocate.
Drank some New Year's champagne, then talked for awhile before bed. Sneaking suspicion that Sexually Ambiguous Cousin Alex might be gay, judging by how fem he is.
1.1.04
Got herded back into Uncle Martin's car [which is actually a VW Bus] and drove back to his house. Kinda cold, because the heater decided to not work, so I ended up sitting on my hands the whole time.
Nothing is open on New Year's Day in Germany. No stores, no libraries, no museums... Yeah, I read all of Fellowship of the Ring and a few chapters of The Two Towers, up in my room so my 8-year-old cousin couldn't pester me.
2.1.04
Went to Potsdam today, did some shopping, checked out a few castles, and then went to bed. Nothing special. Sigh.
3.1.04
See above, re: nothing special. Stupid weekend, nothing's open.
4.1.04
Tromped all over town with my cousins. Read more. Finally learned that to avoid insomnia by Snoring Duet of my parents, I needed to sleep with my Discman playing. Loudly.
5.1.04
Berlin!
Finally something to do. The cousins were in school and I hopped the S-Bahn [Stadt Bahn or City Train] to the country's capital. Acted like an utter tourist for awhile, then went to a mall and, what else, shopped. Mom looked for china to match the stuff she has right now, so she could replace some teacups, but no dice.
Went back to Stahnsdorf and read some more. Got a massive bruise on my forearm from 8-year-old cousin jumping on me.
Mom and I decided that I was going to cook, so I went off to the grocery store while she and dad went off to visit a friend. Decided to be lazy and make Shepherd's Pie. Ambiguously Gay Alex dropped in for dinner on his way to his apartment, and decided he wanted the recipe. Snork.
6.1.04
Rode a bike 4.5 km and walked 1.5 km when my legs turned to jelly and I couldn't pedal anymore. I'm so out of shape. Remind me to get a gym membership.
Went spelunking at the local grocery stores to get cheap prices on Milka. Ended up with about 25 mixed bars, plus some Kinder chocolate for the nephews and some diet chocolate for diabetic mommy. And Fererro Giotto is incredible. Hazelnut chunks surrounding a soft core of hazelnut and milk cream. Mmmm-mm.
Then it started snowing.
Within a few minutes, cars were going off the roads everywhere, and we had to go to Berlin to see an opera that night. Luckily with the extra weight of my parents and I, Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny's car [they had tickets too] made it safely to the train station. Hopped an S-Bahn, walked a few blocks, and went in to see Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. It rocked. Except that the Queen of the Night was a Japanese woman, and in singing German she got her words so mangled that I, the poor American, couldn't understand a single word she said. Sniff.
By the time we got out of the opera, the snow had turned to freezing rain. Woo to the hoo. We skidded back to Uncle Martin's, and then Aunt Christhild and Uncle Conny left for home. Luckily they made it back alright.
7.1.04
Leaving day. Packed all our things into the van the night before, and got up at an ungodly hour [try 5:30 AM] for breakfast. Made it to Berlin-Tegel airport fairly okay, considering the roads.
Then our plane was delayed, and thus the irritation did begin.
We promptly missed our flight out of Frankfurt, as it took off before the flight from Berlin landed. So I got to stand around at the transfer desk at Lufthansa for a good hour in an airport that was about 85 and humid, and I had layers on. I swear the Germans haven't ever heard of air conditioning. They transfered us to a flight over Toronto, where we'd take Air Canada from Toronto to Boston.
We sprinted to the gate, and made it there just in time for the plane to leave without us.
Back to the transfer desk, where I got to stand in line for another hour or so, while my parents chilled in easy chairs nearby. Turns out that the Toronto connection was the only flight left to Boston. I felt like kicking something. We were informed that we could catch the 10:35 AM the next day - this was the first flight that we missed.
The airline put us up in a hotel slightly swankier than Motel 6 for the night. At least the water pressure in the bathroom was nice, so I stripped off my sweat-soaked clothes and dove into the shower for about an hour and a half. I was so not looking forward to wearing those again tomorrow, but since we hadn't taken our luggage back because it weighed like a gazillion pounds, I was forced to. Sigh. Ate some airline-paid room service food, watched a Fresh Prince of Bel Air marathon and a Diagnosis, Murder marathon [both dubbed in German]. I never watch those shows at home, but whatever.
Passed out around 11, after all the sprinting and stress at the airport, and fell into an exhausted sleep.
8.1.04
Q. How many security checkpoints do you have to go through to get on an international flight to the United States?
A. Three passport control stations, four x-ray bands [on one of which I had to show my flute and my CD player to the lady at the machine because they contained metal], and five metal detectors.
Hey, at least we made the flight this time.
Eight hours later...
I hate landing in Boston when it's windy. When the turbulence started I was okay, but then the plane started rocking side-to-side much like a boat would, and all the color drained from my face. I got kinda clammy, and nauseous, and I nearly ralphed up my lunch right before we hit the ground.
Ah, sweet ground. So stable. So firm. So not-in-the-air.
The rest is kinda a blur because of the jet lag, but I think we may have stopped at Mickey D's.
And now that I'm done typing this [at 4:55 AM on January the 9th - it took me a little over an hour to write] my DSL has decided to not want to do anything. I'll just go back to bed, and hope it feels like letting me post when I get up, eh?
Oh, and was there a new Angel this week?