Brrrrrr
It is effing freezing out there. Went to the gym today and to the sauna after, and when I stepped out onto the patio to cool off, my flip-flops froze to the deck. I steamed like a very, very steamy thing.
On the plus-side, no wind today and blue skies, so the sunshine is lovely. I turned the deck-chair in the relaxation room to face the window and just enjoyed the bright light for twenty minutes.
The sport thing itself is still going very well. I'm going twice a week for 70 minutes. The course is called something harmless like 'Bauch, Beine, Po + Stretching' (that's abs, legs, butt and Dehnung), but it always includes some back exercises and some serious aerobics. I'm really ashamed of how disdainful I was because it sounded kind of girly. The first time I went, I was a bit early, so I thought 'Eh, lets make sure I get enough exercise' and did ten minutes on the cross trainer to warm up. Oh, lordy. There came a point where I was doing something or other on a yoga mat on all fours, and I had puddles of sweat sloshing back and forth in the lenses of my glasses, and I had to face up to the fact that sometimes I am really full of it. It didn't occur to me until afterwards that when you are trying to strengthen muscles that are quite strong already because your body uses them all the time, you have to work them extra hard to make them even stronger.
The lady who runs the course on Thursdays is lovely. She's Italian and has the cutest accent. I like her way of doing things, too. She's very kind and patient and not pushy at all. She'll often suggest alternatives for people who can't do certain exercises. And she's really pleased when things go well, too.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Kunsthalle (the big municipal art gallery) to see this:
http://www.kunsthalle-bremen.de/home-en/exhibitions-2/edvard-munch-2/exhibition/
To my shame I have to say that this was the first time that I'd ever been to the Kunsthalle. I wonder why we never went with school. It is so worth it. I can't say I was all that keen on Munch (a bit too morbid for my taste - but nice to see a black-and white block-print of The Scream), but the permanently exhibited paintings are fantastic. I never realized they had Monets, Degas, a Van Gogh, Picassos, Pisarros, Lucas Cranachs, a Caspar David Friederich...
There's this one Monet that had me standing there open-mouthed and considering a career in art theft.
If any of you ever come to see us in Bremen, I must drag you there. Must.
On the plus-side, no wind today and blue skies, so the sunshine is lovely. I turned the deck-chair in the relaxation room to face the window and just enjoyed the bright light for twenty minutes.
The sport thing itself is still going very well. I'm going twice a week for 70 minutes. The course is called something harmless like 'Bauch, Beine, Po + Stretching' (that's abs, legs, butt and Dehnung), but it always includes some back exercises and some serious aerobics. I'm really ashamed of how disdainful I was because it sounded kind of girly. The first time I went, I was a bit early, so I thought 'Eh, lets make sure I get enough exercise' and did ten minutes on the cross trainer to warm up. Oh, lordy. There came a point where I was doing something or other on a yoga mat on all fours, and I had puddles of sweat sloshing back and forth in the lenses of my glasses, and I had to face up to the fact that sometimes I am really full of it. It didn't occur to me until afterwards that when you are trying to strengthen muscles that are quite strong already because your body uses them all the time, you have to work them extra hard to make them even stronger.
The lady who runs the course on Thursdays is lovely. She's Italian and has the cutest accent. I like her way of doing things, too. She's very kind and patient and not pushy at all. She'll often suggest alternatives for people who can't do certain exercises. And she's really pleased when things go well, too.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Kunsthalle (the big municipal art gallery) to see this:
http://www.kunsthalle-bremen.de/home-en/exhibitions-2/edvard-munch-2/exhibition/
To my shame I have to say that this was the first time that I'd ever been to the Kunsthalle. I wonder why we never went with school. It is so worth it. I can't say I was all that keen on Munch (a bit too morbid for my taste - but nice to see a black-and white block-print of The Scream), but the permanently exhibited paintings are fantastic. I never realized they had Monets, Degas, a Van Gogh, Picassos, Pisarros, Lucas Cranachs, a Caspar David Friederich...
There's this one Monet that had me standing there open-mouthed and considering a career in art theft.
If any of you ever come to see us in Bremen, I must drag you there. Must.