Popcorn Ceiling Removal Sucks!

We have started the house update and I promise to never again buy a home that has popcorn ceilings as it is a huge mess! We hired it out with the help of our amazing friend, Kenny, and it is still a gross mess. I thank God we are not living in there through this as every time I step inside I come out covered in white powder. Oh well, the end is in sight as the contractor told Kenny he would be done by end of day tomorrow. Then I come in and clean like I have never cleaned before, and then paint almost every square inch of that place including all the trim and the ceilings. I am going to be a very busy girl! Wish me luck...I'm gonna need it!
Until the next time...

New and Expensive

Its official, we have moved back to the States and little by little things are getting back to the way they used to be. The difference is that everything seems to be new and very expensive. I simply went to get a cell phone yesterday and could not believe how I could spend that much in 15 minutes just to get my plan started! In addition, we close on the house today, and we love its bones, but first up is the cosmetic renovation that begins tomorrow morning with the removal of popcorn ceilings and doesn't stop there as we have things scheduled through the 5th of April. This clearly equals a large out of pocket cost right away. That, coupled with TJ and I having to purchase cars and new appliances makes for an expensive welcome home.
Things that aren't new or expensive include returning to my favorite home Augusta, Georgia and being greeted by 75 degree weather yesterday! I swear the weather here is perfect! The locals have said its to be cold (high 60's) for the next few days...gotta love it! Some differences I have noticed right away from Germany are the abundance of cops out driving around and the the extreme friendliness of complete strangers. Cops don't patrol the streets of Germany, but the cameras do...it was so strange to see them out in full force last night when I went to pick up TJ from work. It is kind of funny how we have a larger police presence and also more crime than Germany. Also, I have mentioned before that the Germans are private people and can come across as unfriendly because they don't make conversation with anyone or greet others as they walk down the street. Here, everyone talks to everybody and I am trying to figure out if it was always this way or simply a regional cultural difference unique to the warm south. I would never talk to the hotel staff in great detail in Europe, but I have been here a day and a half and I think I have spoken to and know all the hotel staff. Funny, isn't it?
I still have unfinished European blogging business as I haven't chronicled our France trip yet. I haven't forgotten, rather the timing and now logistics are creating the roadblock. Once we receive our home PC in the air shipment I will get right on that...but who knows when that will be!
Until the next time...

Trier

We made a quick day trip to Trier, Germany yesterday, which happens to be the area that my Dad's ancestors hail from. I had been there before, but only for a wedding, so I never got the chance to take it all in. We spent most of our time in the old city, as it is the oldest city in Germany...and very catholic too. Here is a look at an old street from the Black Gate, which is an old Roman ruin called Porta Nigra.




And my Dad inside that ruin...

I can't tell you how many churches we went into, but there were a lot! This one is called St. Paulin. It was ridiculous!

Aside from the huge catholic thing, there was also a huge Roman influence with much of its history including Constantine and his mother St. Helena. If you didn't spot Mary and Jesus, you were sure to spot something Roman! Like this ruin first constructed by Constantine as the Imperial Baths.

Trier is nestled in the vined wine hills near Luxembourg and is quite a nice surprise. You certainly wouldn't believe its history! It was really nice for my Dad to go and visit his ancestoral homeland and see where his roots began...and for me too!

Tomorrow we make our way on the first leg of our France trip to Paris, we will then return in about a week after we return from Normandy. Don't worry, I will kep you posted on all the highlights!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Weekend Update

We got back from Switzerland on Saturday evening to find TJ getting ready for a festival, so my Dad and I went to check it out. It was freezing! So freezing that our friend Konrad slipped on some ice and broke his ankle! It was an awful break, and it happened just as they arrived. My Dad and I went independently to the Shriesheim festival- it was the "Festival of the Grape". Inside the tent they were serving wine, and outside they had beer and other fun treats. Here is a picture inside the tent...


Then Sunday, I took my Dad and Tutter to the top of the Heiligenberg to see Thingstaette and St. Michaels' Monestary ruins. It was also cold and very snowy up there, but there were tons of people sledding through the trails. This is a winter shot of the monestary ruins.



Later Sunday evening, we took my folks out for dinner at the Bierkrug (German cuisine), but first we made a stop at the Dubliner to toast my Dad's Uncle Earl that passed this week. We toasted Irish beer to a fine Irish gentleman. May he rest in peace.

We spent a few hours at dinner and introduced my parent's to some traditional pork dishes. It was really fun and everyone seemed to have a nice time.

The next day I took my parents to Heidelberg. My Dad had never been there before so we did a bunch of sightseeing while my Mom shopped. It was a cold, but very nice day as the sun was out. I can't figure out this weather- it is far too cold for Germany!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Interlaken, Switzerland

My parents and I spent took an overnight trip to Interlaken, Switzerland on Friday as it is only a few hours south of here. It is really pretty as the town sits between two lakes and is surrounded by the Alps. The above picture was taken from my balcony at our hotel a few kilometers above Interlaken in Wilderswil at sunset. You can sort of see the tips of the mountains have turned pink with the setting sun. The picture below is also from my hotel room, however, it is a view of the Thunersee (Lake Thun) in the distance amongst the Alps. Although the picture does not do it justice as the haze of impending snow is showing more than the view.



We had a really good German dinner and then enjoyed some after dinner wine before retiring for the evening. The next morning we woke to snow, and a decent amount of it too. We were to go to the top of the Jungfrau, but being that you couldn't see anything we decided to shop in Interlaken for the morning and then head back to Seckenheim to try to make it to wine festival that evening. This is what we woke up to...

And my parents in Interlaken, shopping and taking in the views.

It was a short, but sweet trip! And we did make it back in time for the very cold Schriesheim Festival. More tomorrow as we are headed out for schnitzel tonight!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Jim and Julie in Deutschland!

My parents arrived last Tuesday morning, and we have been on the go ever since! They rested up the rest of the day Tuesday and then hit Mannheim on Wednesday for a short outing. We walked the Innenstadt area and had lunch at one of my Mom's favorite places from the last time she visited. My friend Hazel came to visit with us for an after lunch coffee and then we headed back to rest up with the last of their jetlag.
Thursday was a Daddy-Daughter kind of day as I took my Dad to lunch in Weinheim for traditional German food at Diebsloch Restaurant and it was so good. We had a very nice little table in the back that set in a small cove. Dad had a Frankfurter style sausage and kartoffel salat. Here he is pictured below after our meal.


After lunch, I took him to the Tanner's Quarter of Weinheim to see the old German architecture of that area, in what he calls Dicken's Village.




It wasn't a very long day...more like an afternoon, but it was fun and we spotted a special surprise on our drive home. It is the Schaefer Apothecary. I think I have mentioned before that the name Schaefer is as common as Smith here and when translated means Shepherd. So the picture beside the sign is of a Shepherd and a sheep. I think it was fun for him to see his name on a building on his third day here!

It was a fun day, followed by many more as we headed to Interlaken, Switzerland the next day. More on that trip later today or tomorrow!

Auf Wiedersehen!