Meanwhile in Germany...

  Frohe Dienstag aus Regensburg! I'm starting to see the early signs of spring, from crocuses in colorful clusters, to buds and even pink blossoms on some trees, to longer days. The days are in the 40's Fahrenheit, and the nights occasionally dip below freezing.  I was planning an excursion yesterday to a site outside of town that a thousand years ago was a fortress built on a hill, called Burgruine . Now it's all ruins, and with a view of Regensburg that I've been told is tremendous. I had the bus all figured out, or at least I thought I did. How hard is it to get on bus #5 and ride until you reach a certain stop--all detailed on the website of my destination? Too hard, I guess, because bus #5 went as far as the shopping mall north of town and announced that it was the end of the line, everyone get off. I went across the street and caught the first bus back to the main station. Maybe another day, if I can figure out why a bus that the map shows to go all the way to thi...

  Gruß Gott! It's raining today, and they think this is winter! If only they knew. I'm enjoying what I consider early spring. I even saw a few crocuses in the Danube Park (Baggersee) yesterday when I went there for the first time in a long time. The sun was ducking in and out of clouds all day, with the promise of rain to come. I took my binoculars and spotted a tufted duck. I saw a female of the species a few months ago, but not the male. This time I spotted several males, all sharp-looking in their black and white plumage, with their jaunty tuft hanging down the back of their heads. I am looking forward to seeing more birds in their breeding plumage in the next few months before we wing our way back to Alaska (hopefully not in a Boeing) ;) I really want to see a stork. Pictured here is the Hofbräuhaus in Munich. My friend who guided my tour said it was a tourist trap, especially popular with Americans, and that while the beer is excellent, the food is horrible. I guess maybe ...

  Gruß Gott aus München! I cut language class to spend the day in Munich (in German, München) to see what there was to see, and there was a lot! I couldn't have picked a day with better weather. Before lunchtime, I had to shed my jacket.  I arranged to meet a family from Texas that has been in Munich for 18 months and has been visiting our church up in Regensburg. They were awesome tour guides. Many thanks to Matt & Jamie!  In all we visited 4 churches and one palace. There was so much more to see, but time and energy were limited. So let me take you to each place one by one... First up was the Frauenkirche , established in the Gothic style in the 15th century. The famous towers were added in 1488. The churches here are constructed with bricks, as stone wasn't as easy to come by, as it was in Regensburg. I found out later that a lot of landmarks in Munich were destroyed or heavily damaged in the bombing of WWII, and that what exists today are largely reconstructed. It...

  Stay tuned...

  Guten Abend aus Regensburg! Today we saw rain, then sun, then more rain, then sun...My table partner in German class, who is from Michigan, says we've been having typical Michigan weather. That makes sense, since the latitude of Regensburg, which is 49 degrees North, is roughly the same as Michigan.  So, today I managed to trip over the legs of my chair at lunch (at home) and go crashing into the full-length mirror that stands in one corner of the dining area and hit the floor, hard, with my right elbow leading the way. If I were at home, I would go get it x-rayed. I have insurance. Here, I have to pay up front and then wait over 2 months for reimbursement, so I'm waiting to see whether I really, really need an x-ray. It's all bruised and swollen, and it hurts to touch it, but hopefully it's just bruised. I really like it here, but things like this are bringing reality home. This is not my home. Our system and Germany's don't mesh well. It's been a great e...

  Guten Tag! It's been cloudy, but not rainy, with temps in the 40's Fahrenheit. I am very thankful for the break I've gotten from winter this year. When folks around here complain about the winter weather, I just smile and think, you don't have a clue .  With German language class every day, my life has fallen into a sort of routine--"slow tourism" at its best. I grocery shop with the locals, I ride the bus with the locals, I take walks like the locals. Without trying, I don't present as "American". I have people come up all the time and start asking a question in Bavarian German, which I don't understand, and I have to reply, Es tut mir Leid, aber ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch . They then will speak standard German, or ask if I speak English, or they smile and move on.  Another thing I do is go to lots of church services (unlike the locals, unfortunately). It's only an 8 minute or so bus ride, with a short walk on both ends, and often o...