nerd blog post #166
Well, life is good. On Saturday, we went to one of our fave markts and looked around. Then we came home and got all dressed up for dindins at Massai, the African restaurant close by. I wore a party dress and Steve wore a tie. The food was really good and the atmosphere was nice. I also remembered how good plantains are! What a treat. In the evening, a friend of Michael Murphy's came over. He's a playwright and had one of his plays translated into German and it's being premiered in Berlin later this month. His name is Daniel and he's a nice guy. We had some wine here and then went to a little bar in the hood.
On Sunday, we saw another friend. A gal from Queen's named Wendy. With her, we went to another markt, and then checked out a part of the Wall we had yet to see. It had cut a cemetery in half, and abandoned a church. Now, they have built a new church dedicated to those who lost their lives trying to flee. There was also a look out that we climbed to see a replica of the death strip down below.
Yesterday was a clear day, so Steve and I headed to the Reichstag. After waiting in line for 20 minutes or so, we went up the elevator to the dome on top. It's all free and provides an excellent history of the building, as well as a terrific view. We were both happy we had waited to do this as we now know the city quite well. And so, from the top, we could identify the buildings, churches, parks and monuments we've explored from the ground over the past couple of weeks. It was really neat, and well worth the visit. From their, we headed to the Guggenheim Museum, which is free on Mondays. It housed a small exhibit, but a goodie.
Today is a special day because I got to go to the zoo! I like looking at animals, and hadn't been to a good zoo in years and years. The Berlin zoo has a ton of animals, and you can get quite close. Also, being off-peak season (and a rainy day), we had the place to ourselves. The hippos and lions (my fave animals) and seals were a hit!
And tonight, Doctor arrives. I really can't wait. I have made a sign that's on the wall and Steve and I have been planning some things to do and eat and everything. I have missed Doctor this month, and it will be so good to see him. I leave in ten minutes to pick him up from the airport.
Und that's all. Hope this finds you well.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Chapter 135: Isabella
nerd blog post #156
So I have a weirdo question for you all:
Do you ever have an impulse to say something else right after something is said? For example, if someone says 'spooky,' I want to say 'Halloween.' Or if someone says 'marco,' maybe you feel like saying 'polo.' Well ALSO, when I write or think or say '135,' I then have to say 'Isabella,' because that's my old addy. Soooo that's what I wanted to explain.
I would also like to announce that I have bought a ticket back to Canada for mid-December and will be living in my parents basement for awhile. You are all invited to party there anytime. My dad does the best kegstand in the land. I will be settling in Toronto for a little while at least and am looking forward to returning to the city I love so much.
Buuuut meanwhile, Berlin is awesome. Actually, Berlin tends to remind me of Toronto more than any other city I've ever known. There are areas so culturally diverse and with such wide streets lined with trees and interesting stores that I can easily forget that I'm in a new city. Steve and I continually remark how much the city feels like Toronto. And I love that. Part of that feeling comes from the people. I remember how different strangers in Toronto felt to those of Paris, and that familiar helpful feeling is among the Berliners as well. Though this is a very large city, it feels safe and friendly and warm. And that is how I describe Toronto to people I have met over this year and a bit. "Toronto is a big city that feels like a small town." And I now believe that about Berlin, too.
On Wednesday, Steve and I went over to family friend's from Lesotho. They are an interesting couple who have lived and traveled all over the world. It had been fifteen years since I had seen them, and even longer since they were living in Lesotho. They had nice memories of my family, and I of theirs. We spent a long time talking about Lesotho. Their eldest daughter and her daughter and partner came over as well. She is quite older than me, so we weren't friends when we were young, but this time exchanged info and will hang sometime this month. It was a lovely visit and we hope we can connect with them again before the end of the month.
Steve and I have fallen into a comfortable routine here. We have favourite markets that we frequent on specific days, we plan our meals, drink good wine, get up and go to bed at roughly the same times, and walk for hours and hours every afternoon. We are eating incredibly well. I get pumped about cooking new things, and we have both been experimenting in the kitchen. It's bah-ring for you to read about, but definitely exciting over here. So the day-to-day nerd blog updates are maybe less fun for you than for us. We are living here, and loving it. And that's about it. As Bronco said, "Sooo what's up over there? Sounds like you two stroll a lot...." Yes, Bronwyn, yes we do.
We have some fun week-end plans lined up with a friend of Michael Murphy's from Toronto. And we are going to an East African restaurant for dindins tomorrow, which should be great. I'ma eat antelope.
Hope this finds you well!
Signing off,
Hincks.
So I have a weirdo question for you all:
Do you ever have an impulse to say something else right after something is said? For example, if someone says 'spooky,' I want to say 'Halloween.' Or if someone says 'marco,' maybe you feel like saying 'polo.' Well ALSO, when I write or think or say '135,' I then have to say 'Isabella,' because that's my old addy. Soooo that's what I wanted to explain.
I would also like to announce that I have bought a ticket back to Canada for mid-December and will be living in my parents basement for awhile. You are all invited to party there anytime. My dad does the best kegstand in the land. I will be settling in Toronto for a little while at least and am looking forward to returning to the city I love so much.
Buuuut meanwhile, Berlin is awesome. Actually, Berlin tends to remind me of Toronto more than any other city I've ever known. There are areas so culturally diverse and with such wide streets lined with trees and interesting stores that I can easily forget that I'm in a new city. Steve and I continually remark how much the city feels like Toronto. And I love that. Part of that feeling comes from the people. I remember how different strangers in Toronto felt to those of Paris, and that familiar helpful feeling is among the Berliners as well. Though this is a very large city, it feels safe and friendly and warm. And that is how I describe Toronto to people I have met over this year and a bit. "Toronto is a big city that feels like a small town." And I now believe that about Berlin, too.
On Wednesday, Steve and I went over to family friend's from Lesotho. They are an interesting couple who have lived and traveled all over the world. It had been fifteen years since I had seen them, and even longer since they were living in Lesotho. They had nice memories of my family, and I of theirs. We spent a long time talking about Lesotho. Their eldest daughter and her daughter and partner came over as well. She is quite older than me, so we weren't friends when we were young, but this time exchanged info and will hang sometime this month. It was a lovely visit and we hope we can connect with them again before the end of the month.
Steve and I have fallen into a comfortable routine here. We have favourite markets that we frequent on specific days, we plan our meals, drink good wine, get up and go to bed at roughly the same times, and walk for hours and hours every afternoon. We are eating incredibly well. I get pumped about cooking new things, and we have both been experimenting in the kitchen. It's bah-ring for you to read about, but definitely exciting over here. So the day-to-day nerd blog updates are maybe less fun for you than for us. We are living here, and loving it. And that's about it. As Bronco said, "Sooo what's up over there? Sounds like you two stroll a lot...." Yes, Bronwyn, yes we do.
We have some fun week-end plans lined up with a friend of Michael Murphy's from Toronto. And we are going to an East African restaurant for dindins tomorrow, which should be great. I'ma eat antelope.
Hope this finds you well!
Signing off,
Hincks.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Chapter 134: From Canada, For Freedom
nerd blog post #146
Monday marked the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. (Yes, we knew this before booking berlinpad.com. It was part of it.) Steve and I wondered what this would be like, and checked online and on posters to see what we should get up to that day. It seemed, though, that nothing really started until the evening, so we spent the day the usual way. We avoided the touristy parts, knowing they would be busy, and instead went to Kreuzberg, the hood we love. We looked at Turkish treats in windows.
After dindins, we headed to the action. We took a bottle of champagne and some dark chocolate treats in our gepack and took the metro to Brandenberg Gate. Once there, we were diverted on a death march through a large forest to get to the entrance to where the speeches, dominoes and fireworks would be. We went through a lame security check (bottle of champagne in my pants) and then joined the crowd. We made it to about 6 rows from the dominoes and were right in front of the B-Gate. It was amazing how close we got, and we figured it was because of the forest diversion and the cold rain. But we were happy. We met some nice Germans who were pleased we were there to help celebrate Freiheit.
1000 dominoes (which looked like painted theatre flats) were lined up along a stretch of the wall, and when they fell, everyone cheered. There were also speeches. But mostly, there was an attitude of life and friendship. I remarked to Steve that it was the nicest crowd I had ever been apart of. No one pushing or angry, but there to celebrate peace and freedom. It was an incredible feeling. When the last domino fell, the crowd erupted, and the fireworks began. It was pretty magical, and I hope I never forget the feeling of unity that was in that crowd.
Afterward, Steve and I wandered through the Christmas Markt at Potsdamer Platz, purchasing a delicious hot wine spiked with ron. We looked at the food there and I met some French L'Archies (a real treat) and then we eventually headed back to our neighbourhood where we met up with Nicole and Matt for a little bit before calling it a night.
It was an unforgettable evening. At one point, a radio station came up to us and asked us what we thought of it all. I used my amazing German to say that it was good. Steve used his better German to introduce us, and share that we had come from Canada, and that we had come for freedom.
In other exciting news, we made a really good pork roast the other night. And we love the Turkey Markt and bought a ton of veg there yesterday. And today we are meeting up with friends of my parents from Lesotho. Life is good.
Much love,
Hincks.
Monday marked the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. (Yes, we knew this before booking berlinpad.com. It was part of it.) Steve and I wondered what this would be like, and checked online and on posters to see what we should get up to that day. It seemed, though, that nothing really started until the evening, so we spent the day the usual way. We avoided the touristy parts, knowing they would be busy, and instead went to Kreuzberg, the hood we love. We looked at Turkish treats in windows.
After dindins, we headed to the action. We took a bottle of champagne and some dark chocolate treats in our gepack and took the metro to Brandenberg Gate. Once there, we were diverted on a death march through a large forest to get to the entrance to where the speeches, dominoes and fireworks would be. We went through a lame security check (bottle of champagne in my pants) and then joined the crowd. We made it to about 6 rows from the dominoes and were right in front of the B-Gate. It was amazing how close we got, and we figured it was because of the forest diversion and the cold rain. But we were happy. We met some nice Germans who were pleased we were there to help celebrate Freiheit.
1000 dominoes (which looked like painted theatre flats) were lined up along a stretch of the wall, and when they fell, everyone cheered. There were also speeches. But mostly, there was an attitude of life and friendship. I remarked to Steve that it was the nicest crowd I had ever been apart of. No one pushing or angry, but there to celebrate peace and freedom. It was an incredible feeling. When the last domino fell, the crowd erupted, and the fireworks began. It was pretty magical, and I hope I never forget the feeling of unity that was in that crowd.
Afterward, Steve and I wandered through the Christmas Markt at Potsdamer Platz, purchasing a delicious hot wine spiked with ron. We looked at the food there and I met some French L'Archies (a real treat) and then we eventually headed back to our neighbourhood where we met up with Nicole and Matt for a little bit before calling it a night.
It was an unforgettable evening. At one point, a radio station came up to us and asked us what we thought of it all. I used my amazing German to say that it was good. Steve used his better German to introduce us, and share that we had come from Canada, and that we had come for freedom.
In other exciting news, we made a really good pork roast the other night. And we love the Turkey Markt and bought a ton of veg there yesterday. And today we are meeting up with friends of my parents from Lesotho. Life is good.
Much love,
Hincks.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Chapter 133: Markts
nerd blog post #155
Well, it has been just over a week in Berlin, and I already know I will be sad to leave. It's a city that feels right. The people are super nice and helpful, there's so much to see and do, and it's affordable. Every single day has been a good one, and Steve has heard a few times that this was actually the best day in Berlin so far.
I appreciate all of the suggestions for things to see, and I also promise that we'll get to them all! It's nice having the whole month to explore. We have lists of things we want to see, do and eat. The lists are forever expanding, but everything still seems doable.
We spent the week-end at various markts. I didn't know Steve liked markets, but turns out, he loves them as much as I do. This is great news as I could go to a market every day. So for three days, we did. And saw five markets in those days. They were all different. My personal fave was maybe the Turk Market in Kreuzberg that sold veg and fruit for cheap and had a gritty and busy feel. We also saw some chic biomarkts and hippie flea markts. We bought a ton of cheap veggies from one of the markets, and otherwise mostly window shopped. We saw delicious treats that we added to the treats list. And Steve acquired a new sweater and a compass. Treasures for all!
In the evenings, we always enjoy a good dindins and then see what happens. We have gone out in our neighbourhood a couple of times, and also went out with Matt one night near him. Other nights, we sip wine or read or chat or go for a walk.
The weath has been as we expected. Mostly overcast and some rain. But also some sun! And when bundled up, it doesn't really matter.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. We're not sure exactly what we'll do to participate, but we'll be there. There are fireworks at night, so that will be a for sure.
Hope this finds you all well.
Much love,
Hincks.
Well, it has been just over a week in Berlin, and I already know I will be sad to leave. It's a city that feels right. The people are super nice and helpful, there's so much to see and do, and it's affordable. Every single day has been a good one, and Steve has heard a few times that this was actually the best day in Berlin so far.
I appreciate all of the suggestions for things to see, and I also promise that we'll get to them all! It's nice having the whole month to explore. We have lists of things we want to see, do and eat. The lists are forever expanding, but everything still seems doable.
We spent the week-end at various markts. I didn't know Steve liked markets, but turns out, he loves them as much as I do. This is great news as I could go to a market every day. So for three days, we did. And saw five markets in those days. They were all different. My personal fave was maybe the Turk Market in Kreuzberg that sold veg and fruit for cheap and had a gritty and busy feel. We also saw some chic biomarkts and hippie flea markts. We bought a ton of cheap veggies from one of the markets, and otherwise mostly window shopped. We saw delicious treats that we added to the treats list. And Steve acquired a new sweater and a compass. Treasures for all!
In the evenings, we always enjoy a good dindins and then see what happens. We have gone out in our neighbourhood a couple of times, and also went out with Matt one night near him. Other nights, we sip wine or read or chat or go for a walk.
The weath has been as we expected. Mostly overcast and some rain. But also some sun! And when bundled up, it doesn't really matter.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. We're not sure exactly what we'll do to participate, but we'll be there. There are fireworks at night, so that will be a for sure.
Hope this finds you all well.
Much love,
Hincks.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Chapter 132: Berlin Beginnings
nerd blog post #145
Ahhh Berlin. It's hard to begin nerd blogging about this city. We have seen so much and it is such a cool city. Soooooo yes. We arrived to berlinpad.com on Sunday and met Jorg (a friend of the owner) and he gave us the keys and left us here. The pad.com is WAY bigger than we thought it would be, and is perfectly equipped. There are cleaning products and tons of pots and pans and towels and an iron and even spices. So I was happy. It has a nice balcony overlooking a park, but as it's chilly, it's doubling as a beer fridge.
On Monday, we spent the morning grocery shopping and eating a breakie feast. Steve and I both like to cook (I'm still a beginner) so we were stoked to have this month with a kitchen and eat what we both like. So far we have taken turns with cooking delicious meals for dindins. We eat them with red wine and candles and it has become my fave part of the day. Breakies are also good. Mealtime is great in general. I would nerd blog about menu items, but there are other things I should talk about....
You may recall Clown Nicole and her bf Matt from earlier nerd blog posts in Paris. Well, CN isn't back at Clown School this year, but has instead moved to Berlin with bfM. So on Monday afternoon, they came over for a few hours and showed us (on a map) some cool walking routes of neighbourhoods to check out. We had a good visit and Steve and I were excited to have some friends in the city to hang with. They left early evening, and we went for a long stroll in the area, and stopping at a local bar for a beer.
Steve and I decided that what we both want this month is to discover the city on foot. So we have taken the metro to an area of town every day, and then walked for hours and hours. So far, the weather has been cloudy and chilly, but hasn't stopped our epic walks. In the three days we have been exploring, we have covered around 20 kms and seen some main things. Some highlights for me include:
-anything to do with the wall. It's fascinating. And with the 20th anniversary of the fall coming up on the 9th, it's easy to think about. We walked along the longest stretch of preserved wall (The Eastside Gallery) which has been re-painted by various artists for the anniversary.
-Kreuzberg is a really cool neighbourhood that changes from block to block, but has some really cool markts and stores and a large Turkish population.
-The memorial dedicated to the murdered Jews of WWII. Completely overwhelming and massive, and unbloggable in its power.
-the abandoned airport. Spooky Halloween.
Basically, everything has been pretty cool so far. I have realized, though, that I prefer to discover the neighbourhoods, to look into neat antique stores and to look at the people who live in their hood, than to walk by big churches and government buildings and be surrounded by snap-happy tourists. I think that the neighbourhoods and the people within are really what make a city interesting and unique.
There's so much more I could write about, but don't want to get too bah-ring. Things are great here. I am loving Berlin.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Ahhh Berlin. It's hard to begin nerd blogging about this city. We have seen so much and it is such a cool city. Soooooo yes. We arrived to berlinpad.com on Sunday and met Jorg (a friend of the owner) and he gave us the keys and left us here. The pad.com is WAY bigger than we thought it would be, and is perfectly equipped. There are cleaning products and tons of pots and pans and towels and an iron and even spices. So I was happy. It has a nice balcony overlooking a park, but as it's chilly, it's doubling as a beer fridge.
On Monday, we spent the morning grocery shopping and eating a breakie feast. Steve and I both like to cook (I'm still a beginner) so we were stoked to have this month with a kitchen and eat what we both like. So far we have taken turns with cooking delicious meals for dindins. We eat them with red wine and candles and it has become my fave part of the day. Breakies are also good. Mealtime is great in general. I would nerd blog about menu items, but there are other things I should talk about....
You may recall Clown Nicole and her bf Matt from earlier nerd blog posts in Paris. Well, CN isn't back at Clown School this year, but has instead moved to Berlin with bfM. So on Monday afternoon, they came over for a few hours and showed us (on a map) some cool walking routes of neighbourhoods to check out. We had a good visit and Steve and I were excited to have some friends in the city to hang with. They left early evening, and we went for a long stroll in the area, and stopping at a local bar for a beer.
Steve and I decided that what we both want this month is to discover the city on foot. So we have taken the metro to an area of town every day, and then walked for hours and hours. So far, the weather has been cloudy and chilly, but hasn't stopped our epic walks. In the three days we have been exploring, we have covered around 20 kms and seen some main things. Some highlights for me include:
-anything to do with the wall. It's fascinating. And with the 20th anniversary of the fall coming up on the 9th, it's easy to think about. We walked along the longest stretch of preserved wall (The Eastside Gallery) which has been re-painted by various artists for the anniversary.
-Kreuzberg is a really cool neighbourhood that changes from block to block, but has some really cool markts and stores and a large Turkish population.
-The memorial dedicated to the murdered Jews of WWII. Completely overwhelming and massive, and unbloggable in its power.
-the abandoned airport. Spooky Halloween.
Basically, everything has been pretty cool so far. I have realized, though, that I prefer to discover the neighbourhoods, to look into neat antique stores and to look at the people who live in their hood, than to walk by big churches and government buildings and be surrounded by snap-happy tourists. I think that the neighbourhoods and the people within are really what make a city interesting and unique.
There's so much more I could write about, but don't want to get too bah-ring. Things are great here. I am loving Berlin.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Chapter 131: Dubbelglas
nerd blog post #134
After Innsbruck, Steve and I took a long train ride into Germany, to visit friends of his grandparents in Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a small town with a large university population, a huge castle atop a mountain, and a very romantic feel. It's a big tourist destie in the Summer, though at this time of year was fairly quiet.
We stayed with Maria and Verner, an elderly couple with a lot of charisma and champagne. They were excited to meet us and we had a wonderful visit for 4 nights with them. As all of our hosts had done, M&V rolled out the red carpet for us. Arriving at 1030pm, we were expecting to just go to bed, but Maria had prepped a salmon dindins for us and a champagne toast. It was lovely. Steve and I had the upstairs apartment to ourselves, and it felt like a fancy hotely.
The next morning, we had a good breakie and then headed into Heidelberg with M&V. We walked down the long pedestrian street and ate lunch at a brewery restaurant. Verner is really into glassware, and it was here that we received our first presie - a big beer mug from the brewery. We then visited the castle and it's museum. It was cloudy that day, but the view was still pretty.
The next day, we headed into an area called Vels (or something) with M&V that is soooort of like the Niagara region. It had tons of fields of grapes and is a main wine region of Germany. We hiked up another mountain to another castle and had a great lunch up there. I have eaten some of the best meals of my life in the past few weeks. Sauerkraut is delish. We ended the day at a sort of beer garden of sturm, that amazing wine cider drink. At this land, there were tons of picnic tables all in a row, and people show up with their own food and then drink sturm and chat with everyone. It's basically perfect.
It was on this trip that Verner excitedly introduced us to what must be his fave glassware. It's called the dubbelglas, and is a pint-sized glass with dimples in it. He bought us two, and they have been a hit ever since. Das ist ein dubbelglas! I will take them back to Canada and you can try them and enjoy.
And on our last day in Heidelberg, Steve and I headed into the city alone and climbed up the mountain again. This time we didn't go into the castle, but walked around the enormous gardens and saw Heidelberg from up high. We had a nice last evening with our hosts and packed up our things, very excited to unpack for good here in Berlin.
Before signing off, I would like to wish a most wonderful birthday to Bronwyn M. Sorbie, and award her 400 points for not being mad that I'm absent yet again! Love you, boo.
Signing off,
Hincks.
After Innsbruck, Steve and I took a long train ride into Germany, to visit friends of his grandparents in Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a small town with a large university population, a huge castle atop a mountain, and a very romantic feel. It's a big tourist destie in the Summer, though at this time of year was fairly quiet.
We stayed with Maria and Verner, an elderly couple with a lot of charisma and champagne. They were excited to meet us and we had a wonderful visit for 4 nights with them. As all of our hosts had done, M&V rolled out the red carpet for us. Arriving at 1030pm, we were expecting to just go to bed, but Maria had prepped a salmon dindins for us and a champagne toast. It was lovely. Steve and I had the upstairs apartment to ourselves, and it felt like a fancy hotely.
The next morning, we had a good breakie and then headed into Heidelberg with M&V. We walked down the long pedestrian street and ate lunch at a brewery restaurant. Verner is really into glassware, and it was here that we received our first presie - a big beer mug from the brewery. We then visited the castle and it's museum. It was cloudy that day, but the view was still pretty.
The next day, we headed into an area called Vels (or something) with M&V that is soooort of like the Niagara region. It had tons of fields of grapes and is a main wine region of Germany. We hiked up another mountain to another castle and had a great lunch up there. I have eaten some of the best meals of my life in the past few weeks. Sauerkraut is delish. We ended the day at a sort of beer garden of sturm, that amazing wine cider drink. At this land, there were tons of picnic tables all in a row, and people show up with their own food and then drink sturm and chat with everyone. It's basically perfect.
It was on this trip that Verner excitedly introduced us to what must be his fave glassware. It's called the dubbelglas, and is a pint-sized glass with dimples in it. He bought us two, and they have been a hit ever since. Das ist ein dubbelglas! I will take them back to Canada and you can try them and enjoy.
And on our last day in Heidelberg, Steve and I headed into the city alone and climbed up the mountain again. This time we didn't go into the castle, but walked around the enormous gardens and saw Heidelberg from up high. We had a nice last evening with our hosts and packed up our things, very excited to unpack for good here in Berlin.
Before signing off, I would like to wish a most wonderful birthday to Bronwyn M. Sorbie, and award her 400 points for not being mad that I'm absent yet again! Love you, boo.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
INFO
If you are interested in sending us presies us while here in Berlin, here is our info:
Hincks/Schadinger
c/o Sven Spieker
Schliemannstrasse 42
10437 Berlin
Germany
Hincks/Schadinger
c/o Sven Spieker
Schliemannstrasse 42
10437 Berlin
Germany
Chapter 130: Climbed Every Mountain
nerd blog post #145
It has been awhile, dear readers, and I apologize. But now, settled in berlinpad.com, the nerd blogging should be back on track! Steve and I arrived here two days ago after a great time in both Austria and Germany, and are now very happy in our little pad. But more about that latron.....
After Vienner, we headed to Innsbruck, and stayed with the daughter of Tante Gerthe. Lore is a lovely lady who teaches high school English and was pleased to be able to speak English to native speakers for the visit. Her husband, Lothar, has pretty good English, but is a French teacher at the same school, so I was happy to talk to him in French whenever we were alone. They have two teen kids, who were fun and outgoing and confident in practicing their English. We stayed with them for four nights, and it was a little sad saying goodbye in the end - they are a wonderful family.
We arrived on a Saturday, and had a delicious dindins with great wine and chatted into the night. The next day, Lore took the kids and Steve and I to a World Cup downhill skiing match in Soeldon. As an Ontarian, I haven't seen big mountains since Lesotho days, and the alps were breathtaking. So huge and so beautiful. We drove through them, winding up and up until we had to take a bus the rest of the way. At the top, we were amongst hundreds of ski hooligans, all pumped for the races. The kids went snowboarding and Lore, Steve and I set off to climb the mountain the length of the ski run. It was hard, but after awhile I started enjoying myself. It's no secret that I hate Winter and snow and all sports associated with. So I was a ski day skeptic, and when the others wanted to scale the snowy mountain, I almost stayed behind with the German morning-drinkers. But once at the top, I had no regrets. For one thing, Lore had chocolate. But for another, it was beautiful. We had a great view of the race (which was cool to see) and the scenery was unlike anything I can remember. The way down was too steep to walk, so I sat on my bum and slid down, which was super fun.
The next day, Lore and Lothar took us into Innsbruck and showed us the downtown core a little bit. It's a cute little city, set in the middle of the alps. So anywhere you look is pretty. We then took a tram half way up the mountain and went for a hike. Austrians love hiking in the mountains, but they also love beer, so there are all sorts of little beer gardens and restaurants (called alms) that you can stop at and have a beer. We did that, keeping with tradition, of course. It was a nice day.
Steve and I went into Innsbruck alone the next day, and went up the same tram in the mountains. Deciding we wanted to search out an alm kind of high up, we started hiking. Steve is a biiiit sportier than I, and I was panting like an animal as we climbed higher and higher. It was a death march, and in the end, we couldn't find the alm as the signage was not so good. But instead, we found some beautiful spots - waterfalls and avalanche clearings and beautiful views of the city below. It turned out to be one of my favourite days.
The evenings in Innsbruck were really fun, and maybe my favourite part of the visit. Lore loves games, and is great at rallying the troupes to play. She is also fiercely competitive, which is great. So we played the train game (which my fam has in TO), poker, and taught them Euchre. It was always a fun way to end the evenings.
On Wednesday, Steve and I left Innsbruck and took a train to Heidelberg, in Germany, for the last four nights of visiting, before coming to Berlin. But that's for another day...
Hope this finds you all well!
Much love,
Hincks.
It has been awhile, dear readers, and I apologize. But now, settled in berlinpad.com, the nerd blogging should be back on track! Steve and I arrived here two days ago after a great time in both Austria and Germany, and are now very happy in our little pad. But more about that latron.....
After Vienner, we headed to Innsbruck, and stayed with the daughter of Tante Gerthe. Lore is a lovely lady who teaches high school English and was pleased to be able to speak English to native speakers for the visit. Her husband, Lothar, has pretty good English, but is a French teacher at the same school, so I was happy to talk to him in French whenever we were alone. They have two teen kids, who were fun and outgoing and confident in practicing their English. We stayed with them for four nights, and it was a little sad saying goodbye in the end - they are a wonderful family.
We arrived on a Saturday, and had a delicious dindins with great wine and chatted into the night. The next day, Lore took the kids and Steve and I to a World Cup downhill skiing match in Soeldon. As an Ontarian, I haven't seen big mountains since Lesotho days, and the alps were breathtaking. So huge and so beautiful. We drove through them, winding up and up until we had to take a bus the rest of the way. At the top, we were amongst hundreds of ski hooligans, all pumped for the races. The kids went snowboarding and Lore, Steve and I set off to climb the mountain the length of the ski run. It was hard, but after awhile I started enjoying myself. It's no secret that I hate Winter and snow and all sports associated with. So I was a ski day skeptic, and when the others wanted to scale the snowy mountain, I almost stayed behind with the German morning-drinkers. But once at the top, I had no regrets. For one thing, Lore had chocolate. But for another, it was beautiful. We had a great view of the race (which was cool to see) and the scenery was unlike anything I can remember. The way down was too steep to walk, so I sat on my bum and slid down, which was super fun.
The next day, Lore and Lothar took us into Innsbruck and showed us the downtown core a little bit. It's a cute little city, set in the middle of the alps. So anywhere you look is pretty. We then took a tram half way up the mountain and went for a hike. Austrians love hiking in the mountains, but they also love beer, so there are all sorts of little beer gardens and restaurants (called alms) that you can stop at and have a beer. We did that, keeping with tradition, of course. It was a nice day.
Steve and I went into Innsbruck alone the next day, and went up the same tram in the mountains. Deciding we wanted to search out an alm kind of high up, we started hiking. Steve is a biiiit sportier than I, and I was panting like an animal as we climbed higher and higher. It was a death march, and in the end, we couldn't find the alm as the signage was not so good. But instead, we found some beautiful spots - waterfalls and avalanche clearings and beautiful views of the city below. It turned out to be one of my favourite days.
The evenings in Innsbruck were really fun, and maybe my favourite part of the visit. Lore loves games, and is great at rallying the troupes to play. She is also fiercely competitive, which is great. So we played the train game (which my fam has in TO), poker, and taught them Euchre. It was always a fun way to end the evenings.
On Wednesday, Steve and I left Innsbruck and took a train to Heidelberg, in Germany, for the last four nights of visiting, before coming to Berlin. But that's for another day...
Hope this finds you all well!
Much love,
Hincks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)