Feb 8 - Warsaw, Poland - Day 2

Saturday dawned a beautiful day in Warsaw. We once again we had breakfast and were off exploring by 9am.

Our first goal was to get to the Uprising Museum...after a few wrong turns (about 2 miles worth) we finally got there! But on the way, dad covertly posed with Flat T and Pope John Paul II - we couldn't miss that. At the museum, Flat T is in front of the Ghetto Wall (inside). It was pretty surreal to see 9 Rybicki's on the list of those that died during the Uprising! I am glad that we found our way there - I think it was Dad's favorite, historical part of the trip.

After that comes another interesting little trek. Dad had found out that there was a St. Adelbert's Church in Warsaw (that isn't actually what the name looks like in Polish) so, since it was my mom's aunt's church, he wanted to go there and see if he could find a mass card for Aunt Helen. Well...we found the road...and we walked and walked and walked...OMG! We were definitely not in Kansas anymore - or, maybe we were in Kansas by the time we got there! But, the church was locked up tight - so we just have a picture for Aunt Helen...it will have to do, because we weren't walking alllllllll the way back there! :)

Our one sad miss while there was that we went to the Jewish Cemetary on Saturday...not taking into account that Saturday is the Jewish Day of worship and the cemetary was closed. :( We were able to peak through the heavy wood door - and it looked amazing - but that was all we got to see.

I am leaving out a lot of parts - but it was a fabulous trip that I'm glad we made! We ended our Saturday at Patrick's Irish Pub again - it's right next door to the hotel - and then called it quits. If we walked any LESS than 12 miles over the two days, I would be shocked!

I hope you all enjoyed the pics - I've got plenty more where that came from!

Good-night and God-bless,

back in Berlin

Feb 7 - The Motherland, Day 1 (Fri)

Dad and I had an evening train to Warsaw on Thursday night - getting to the hotel around 11:30PM. The Polonia Palace was fabulous!! What it may have lacked in internet services (we could read online as much as we liked, just couldn't upload anything) it made up for in location, comfort (hot showers!!!) and all out service! We had a night cap at the bar downstairs Bojangles...how funny to walk into a bar in Warsaw, Poland and have every picture on the walls be of the Rat Pack!

We got up bright and early on Friday and after a great breakfast, started off across the city with our maps! We walked up to Old Town - which is actually rebuilt to look like what it was, because Warsaw was basically destroyed in WWII. It is a beautiful area with quaint old shops and cafes. We explored there for quite a while, and then headed south to an area of Palaces, the botanical garden and a large park. Oddly enough - we saw a peacock, which is very odd in the middle of snow and cold! Flat Tony posed with a lion outside one of the small buildings on the grounds...never fear, he didn't miss the trip!

We walked and we walked and we walked. My legs ached so badly by the end of the day - that Patricks Irish Pub is the only place dad and I could have possibly ended up! Now, these aren't ALL dad's, but he wanted the picture, so we're going to go ahead and give him credit. :) After our stop off, we went back to the hotel and cleaned up to go to the Polish buffet in the hotel. Just our luck...typically the buffet is 150 PLN per person ($49.00)...well Friday night is was 105 PLN ($34.27) each AND we got a free bottle of wine. The food was great, the wine was great - and the server and F&B manager were completely fabulous! We couldn't have asked for a better experience!

Day 2 coming soon!!

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

Feb 2 - Weekend One with Dad

Dad safely made it to Berlin on Friday and all is well!

Friday afternoon we started out practicing with the trains and walked side to side down Unter den Linden from the Brandenburg Gate to the Berliner Dom. We walked, and we walked, and we walked. We did stop for him to get his picture taken with Marilyn - what man wouldn't want that?! Germany doesn't skimp on salting the sidewalks from the snow...but it was still pretty slippery out there. Once we finished up our Friday sight-seeing, then we came back and ate at the Greek restaurant downstairs. I don't know the name of the licoricey shot...but Dad was a good sport and drank him "ooomp-pah juice".

Saturday was another full day of walking. First Dad played an organ on the side of the road, and then Flat Tony and I took him on another train ride to help him figure out how to get to where his tours start (all three start at the same place, by the Zoo). Then we went to Olympic Park and the East Side Gallery - East Side Gallery was new for me. This picture is of Dad and Buddy bear across the street for the Gallery. We easily walked 6 miles yesterday - and then treated ourselves to some yummy Indian food.

Friday and Saturday were beautiful, but today we woke up to gray and sleety rain. And since we are both sore from all the walking...we did the basics only today. Without any assistance Dad got us back to his tour start point and then we ran by Tempelhof Airport. We walked out to the large field - but it was too darn cold and nasty to stay out there longer -- hopefully he will get back there later this week for better pictures.

Now we are pooped and on to the NCIS mini marathon! We hope this finds you all well. I (personally) am bummed that I'm missing the Super Bowl tonight and the commercials - I won't be waking up to go to a bar to watch the game at 12:30am. :) But since I can't be there to cheer - I want to say Go Broncos!!

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

Jan 26 - Oberursel

Happy Sunday friends!

First thing this morning I was at Tegel Airport for my flight to Frankfurt and taxi ride (40 min +/-) north to Oberursel.

I have to admit, the further we drove from Frankfurt the more worried I got...if for no other reason that, as you get outside a city, you are less and less likely to find people speaking English.

So, I get to the hotel in Oberursel and I accept the fact that I will be eating at the hotel restaurant because I am totally out of my element. I get to the room and unpack, and the little Unflat Tony in the back of my head is telling me to AT LEAST go for a walk! Well those that know him know that he can be a pretty persistent bugger, even if he is only in your head. :) So I bundle back up, and off I go!

I have to say that I am really glad I ventured out! Oberursel is much more my speed (I am not a "big town crowds" kind of girl). Town is about a 10-15 min walk from the hotel and very charming town with a number of restaurants. I chose an Irish pub, Mac Gowans. The pub is run by a super young lady (dad owns it) who is half Irish and half German and spoke wonderful English. She told me that besides Rolls-Royce being in town, there is an International School which is 90% english speaking people - I would say the bar (children included) were probably 50/50 on what language they were speaking. It was a great place, and I ate my first hamburger in months - it was worth every fat gram!!

Now I'm back in my comfort zone (the hotel) and definitely won't be needing to eat dinner! I hope this finds you all well, and enjoying your weekend.

God-bless,

from Oberursel, Germany

Jan 21 - A Day in the Life

Okay folks...here I am again to provide your daily dose of amusement (picture me in full Jester gear for this one)! And Flat Tony is not included in any of the photos (although he was present) because I didn't want to get him muddy, salty, or otherwise yucky.

The day started off fine - I was 10 minutes early to my Regional train, which leaves at 7:41a. The announcement comes across that the train is running 20 minutes late (sounds like "swan-zig spaten"). This isn't a big deal - I have my extra cup of coffee to keep me warm, and the little Bieber boys (they are probably 13 years old, with their perfectly coiffed hair, and run around taking pictures of graffiti on trains) are there for my amusement. So, the train shows up at 8:01 and away we go.

Well, it probably doesn't need to be mentioned...but if a train LEAVES late, then it probably ARRIVES late too, right? Well, that thought never crossed my mind until we arrived at the Dahlewitz platform to watch the bus pulling away and noting (on the sign board) that the next one would be by in 22 minutes! I have failed to mention, to this point, that its lightly snowing and in the low 20's.

Most people take off to walk to work, and I leave with one engineer I know, and two others to do the same. Thank God this was a low boots day. Another side note: it is about a 10-15 minute bus ride to work.

So, we start walking. We walk about 1/3 of the way where we hope to grab the bus. WELLLLLLLL, the bus shows up and is so incredibly full that you could not have squeezed a newborn in there - much less 4 adults with briefcases! So, on we go - down the slippery cobblestone walkways all the way to RR, passing schools, neighborhoods and this cemetary on the way. Amazingly, none of us fell...but each of us slipped more than once...I was ready to do the "Superstar" again, after all of that - but it wasn't needed! Shew. I asked my co-walkers about the distance we walked, and they said at least 5k (~3.2 miles). Definitely NOT the way I wanted to start my day!!

Oh to be back in the States with my own car and only being at the mercy of the parking garage. :)

I hope I've given you all a little amusement for the day - and that yours is better (my toes are finally thawing out!).

God-bless,

from Berlin

Jan 15 - A Country Song

Hello friends! I hope this finds you well on "Hump Day"!

Does anyone know the country song about the guy that wants to go out drinking on Friday night and finds out that one of his pals got a new girlfriend, and one quit drinking? I think I'm living that in Derby! :) I had two good pals that you could always count on for a few "ciders" while in town. Well one had to go back to his home tonight (a few hours away) and the other quit the adult bevies! Geez Louise - I love 'em dearly, but a trip to jolly old England with no cider? Almost doesn't seem worth the airfare. But they did have a photo op with Flat Tony - excuse their off-center ties but I wouldn't let them retake the photo since they were both smiling!!

I did behave like a true tourist tonight and have Fish & Chips for dinner. Since I skipped lunch I figured the calories would even out! :)

On a totally random note...a friend of mine, from Indy (who I haven't seen in years) was actually in Derby today too. Sherry, I am pretty sure your visit to Derby was to Derby College? Well, that is what I look at out my hotel window! Probably the closest we have been in years! I hope you've enjoyed your trip.

I hope this finds you all enjoying mid-week and on the downhill slide.

Good-night and God-bless,

from Jolly Old England

Jan 14 - The Joys of International Travel

Good evening friends!

My travel from Berlin to Derby will provide you with your daily bought of amusement, but I don't have pictures - so you will just have to pretend. And I only have 30 minutes to type it because that is the "free" portion of in room internet!

I noticed this morning that the admin at work only left a 45 minute gap between flight one and flight two. I didn't think much of it...until my Berlin flight took off 30 minutes late! I had forgotten how HUGE of an airport Frankfurt was...and I hauled butt through there in order to make flight #2. Thank God there was no person in the middle seat of our 3 seats because I had sweat dripping down my neck and back!

Then I arrive in Birmingham and had a lovely car driver to Derby (really, he was super sweet). I get to the hotel, and to my room, to start unpacking. I realize that I have forgotten my power cord adapter for my tablet and my computer. UGH. Then I realize that I couldn't have used my adaptor anyways because the UK and Germany have different plugs. OMG! THEN I notice that this room DOESN'T HAVE A HAIR DRYER. So, not only can I not use my curling iron because I don't have an adaptor, I can't even dry my hair? Oh, how awesome I was going to look for all my meetings tomorrow! As you can imagine - I was about 2.5 seconds from full breakdown mode and wanting to take the first flight from Birmingham back to the U.S. (I was even willing to go through dreadful Newark at this point!).

BUT...I saved myself from the meltdown and called the desk. Well, they couldn't help me, but they were looking for chargers for me. I decided to go down there and see where the closest store was (but everything closes super early in Derby, just like Berlin). I was telling my story to the two young kids at the reception desk, and when I described what I had intended to bring - the wonderful young man down there had TWO in the drawer...so he gave me one to use during my stay!! And one better than that - they have 3-4 extra hair dryers down there too!!!

So, I will not scare everyone I work with tomorrow, and I won't be booking an immediate multi-thousand dollar flight to get my spoiled butt back to the U.S. Tragedy averted. :)

I hope this finds everyone well.
Good-night and God-bless,
from Derby, England

Jan 13 - Me Thinks I've Been Had

Hello all! I'm running on less than 4 hours sleep between the last two nights so apologies in advance for any blatent misspellings or randomness. Hopefully, tonight the exhaustion will take over and I'll get some zzzzzz's.

I have officially been in Germany for 4 months now (arrived Sept 14) - which will make this story a little more amusing. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good hot bath, and if I've got wine and a book even better! Well, baths aren't an option here - and the amount of time that hot water comes through the shower is extremely limited. As my mom, niece and husband can attest, any shower over five minutes is luke warm at best! Which makes leg shaving, etc., a real pain in the rear! Flat Tony is covering his ears because he's afraid of where this story is going.

So, since I am working from home tomorrow morning before I head to the UK, I decided to send a note to the apartment complex last night asking if someone could stop by tomorrow and show me what I need to do to have a hot water for longer than 5 minutes. I received a response this morning that told me that someone would stop by tomorrow between 9-11am. Oddly enough, the hot water never ran out during my shower tonight??? Really? I waited 4 months to send that email - not wanting to seem like a greedy American - and mysteriously the situation has righted itself the day after I ask the question? Makes me think of the story on CNN the last few days about the landlord in NYC who only turns on the heat when the inspectors come in!

I hope you all got a chuckle out of my MONTHS of cold showers and that your week has started off on a great note!

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

2014 - Return to Berlin

Hello friends! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas season and start of 2014. My trip home was wonderful - with a lot of family time and relaxation (working from one's couch is MUCH more relaxing than going into an office!). The best part of the trip home was the extremely well timed snow storms in Indianapolis, that got me an extra week at home due to multiple flight cancellations!

We were able to spend time with both Tony's family and mine, as well as lots of time with the kids. I'm attaching a few pictures - one of the whole family from Christmas Eve, and one of Tony and I from Christmas Day. For any parent with teenagers, who thinks that they may not live through those teenage years...I just want to assure you that, it is WELL worth it! I never thought we'd get to this point, but am so thankful that we did. :)

This is going to be a busy 5 weeks until I'm back in Indy, and Flat Tony will have a few adventures! On Tuesday, we (Flat T and I) will be heading to Derby, England for a few days of work with my UK pals; then January 26-27 we will be in Frankfurt giving training; and lastly February 6-9 we will be in Warsaw, Poland with my dad.

I hope this finds you all well, and hope to have many more adventures to keep you amused!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

from Berlin

Dec 16-17 - Munich

Last one folks...we are now home, and two tired puppies!! We left Fr. Michael's at 5pm on Monday and went to spend the night in Munich, and then took the train back to Berlin this afternoon.

Munich (the little we saw of it) is a very pretty city! It was already dark when we got in yesterday...and I didn't realize that the airport was 40 minutes from City Center! We went down to our hotel, and then headed out to find, yet another, Christmas Market. ha ha. I am still off the Gluhwein, but we found some plain old German beer to drink (Michael Sahm...Tony says it is what you would drink when you'd get your pell grant money). :) Well, as we wandered through the Market - we found a polish tent...we had to go there for my dad...we even ordered Perogis!

Then this morning we looked around the same area - but in the daylight. There is a beautiful catholic church - St. Paul's - where we went in and lit candles for all those we've lost. Then we had some coffee, relaxed, and headed to the train station for our 6 hour journey back.

It was a great weekend - saw a lot in a little time, and we're looking forward to getting back to the family and the holidays! See you all soon.

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

Dec 13 - 16 -- Italy

The trip to Italy, and the visit with Father Michael was terrific!

On arrival night (after the Gluhwein) we had dinner with the head of the military police in Fr. Michael's town (Apiro) - Umberto and family. They are wonderful people, and despite the fact that we have limited ability to talk to each other - the teenage girls (and obviously Fr. Mike) translate and keep everything moving. The hospitality they showed us was second to none!

Then we spent three days with Fr. Michael...just doing daily things. We went for walks, went to mass in Italian, and then went to an oil mill. Our favorite little priest does think that he is going to put his name in for the Indy 500 in 2014..."speed limits in Italy are just a suggestion. I figure that, if we are going to go plunging over an Italian cliff, going out with a holy man has to be in our favor - right?

Italy is one of the most beautiful places I have been lucky enough to visit, so far - I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed the time!

Dec 12 - Gluhwein with Rum (BAD)

Hello all! I'm playing catch up, but am still going to try to do it in a few separate posts.

Tony toured by himself during the day, and then we went out to dinner and exploring in the evening. We went to dinner at a German restaurant, and had some yummy food...but take a look at the picture of Tony with the bread...the "butter" on the bread is actually lard with pieces of bacon. We each had one, to say that we did...but that was NOT the high point - blech! The food was really good though.

Afterwards, we went to Potsdamer Platz. It is a really neat outside area, and it was putting on a Christmas show. Well, much to my ultimate demise, there was also a Christmas Market there. It was actually a LOT of fun, we had a great time...right until the two Gluhweins with Rum caught up to me. I am totally blaming the attached "Superstar" pic on that...but I figure I poke enough fun at Flat Tony...it's only fair that I take a little of my own medicine!

Part two...trip to Italy will be coming soon. :)

Dec 11 - The Travel Gods

Hello friends!!

The travel Gods were smiling well on us...and even though he had a few minor delays, and his wife put the wrong time in an email for his last flight (I said 8:15,! it was 8:45), so he hurried for no good reason - Unflat Tony has made it to Germany! That said - I may never get him back here, as 3 flights on his own was not overly appealing to him.

But I got him home and he got to take a nice nap while I worked. Then we went for a walk and had some great Indian food and now are settled in for the night! Even though it's not quite Noon in the US, I can't imagine that he will make it to 1PM EST - poor guy is beat (as you can tell from the photo - he actually wasn't glaring at me...ha ha).

We have tomorrow in Berlin and then a long weekend in Italy, so we will have updates next week.

Love to you all -

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

Dec 7 - Tis The Season

Hello friends! I hope your Saturday is off to a good start!

I used today to get caught up on errands and some last minute shopping. I'm not a "city girl"...but I have to admit, I do like being able to walk everywhere. I walk about 4 blocks and I'm on the main street of my area, where there are people playing instruments and singing Christmas Carols. I even bought myself a little wooden Christmas tree for my small Christmas corner!

Then I took a little trip to the local mall and am attaching two pics of what I saw. First, was a man in a fur coat. Now, this isn't about "fur or no fur"...but IF there was ever a "right time" for a man to wear a fur coat it would be a pro boxing match...not a local Mall. And this may have been the ugliest coat I've ever seen in my life...it looked like three rows of road-kill, skinned and sewn together. Yikes. Then there were the funny folks on stilts running around the mall in white "outfits" and what looked like some type of wings. I have no clue what that was all about - maybe angels?

All in all, a good day, but now its time for The Wire and a big pot of tea.

Have a wonderful day...two weeks from today, really late at night, I should be HOME!!!!

See you all soon!

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

Dec 4 - Pepto Train

Hello All!

I hope this finds you all well! I'm having some internet issues at the apartment, so I apologize for not responding to Words games or emails, etc. I haven't forgotten you all - just can't get to them! Hopefully this will all be fixed soon.

My funny for today doesn't involve a Flat Tony picture - because it would have been really obvious to take it in a packed train. I got on the train this morning, and my train-car was like walking into a Pepto-Bismol advertisement. Everything except the ceiling was in this pattern. The pink parts are actually pictures of various Berlin landmarks, but it was a LOT of pattern in one place. When I got out of the train, I walked by a few other cars, and the one I was in was the ONLY one "decorated" like this...probably for a really, good reason. :)

We also got a storm-warning email today. It says that they are predicting a "heavy storm for Thursday and intense snowfall for Friday" - so you should all be expecting Winter Wonderland pictures soon! Unless, of course, it is like US weather reports - in that case, I will post pictures of myself in flip flops!

Miss you all...I'm down to 17 days until I'm back on our side of the Pond!!

Have a great day/night and God Bless,

from Berlin

Dec1 - Dresden

Hello friends...just back from a quick trip to the Dresden Christmas markets...what a beautiful city!

We walked from Noon to 8:30 on Saturday, to three different Christmas markets, and by the time we finally got back to the hotel my feet ached! The markets consist of rides for the kids, booth after booth after booth of things made it different parts of Germany, some food booths, and a Gluhwein (mulled wine) booth every 20 feet. The even had Gluhbier booths...but I didn't try mulled beer. I still have Christmas markets in Munich and Berlin, so I'll have to think a little harder about that! I am pretty sure that I gained 5 pounds this weekend...even with all the walking...but it was worth every bit of it!

Today we found a little random market, much smaller scale (maybe because you had to pay to get into this one - or just had to know how to get there) and spent our whole day there. We met some neat people, watched a great musical group, and relaxed until our train at 3p.

I'm attaching a few pics...one of Flat Tony enjoying Christmas, one of us girls, and one of the views of a small part of Dresden. I will try to put more on Facebook later. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and had a wonderful start to your December.

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

Nov 28 - Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving friends - I hope this finds you all well and spending time with your families!

Germans apparently aren't very "thankful" folks...so I was a hard worker today. I do want to say how incredibly thankful I am for my family and friends. If it weren't for Tony, I certainly would (1) have not even attempted this experience in Germany, and (2) certainly would have never returned to Germany after my trip home in October. He's been nothing but supportive and kept me sane via Skype, not to mention taken on everything at home alone (except the Cmas shopping, of course, the man does NOT like Christmas shopping). :) I love him more than chocolate and wine (my two vices since I've been here). And to everyone else who have sent me FB messages, emails, cards, care packages, DVDs...I'm thankful for every one of them and each of you!! I love you all.

Okay...now on to the other stuff. I'm sure my Thanksgiving dinner wasn't as exciting as yours will be...and there was no turkey or potatoes involved...but who says that thanksgiving isn't Indian food, garlic naan and red wine? It was super yummy...the only thing missing (besides family) is football...but I've always got my First 48 videos to fall back on!

My funny this week was a random thing at the grocery store. I'm not even going to explain the picture - as it is completely immature...but who in the heck doesn't want more "knusprig"?

This Saturday, a gal pal and are going to Dresden for the night for my first Christmas Market experience. According to my Big Brother, Christmas Markets and the Christmas season is what Germany is all about. All I know, so far, is that they involve mulled wine (called Gluhwein) and crafts - so I'm in! I'm not sure which one we're going to, but we are staying in Dresden city center, so it's whichever one is right there.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, Thanksgiving holiday.

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin

http://www.dresden.de/dig/en/veranstaltungen/weihnachtszeit/weihnachtsmaerkte.php

Nov 23 - Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

Today I took a tour to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in an outskirt of Berlin called Oranienburg. We had a fabulous tour guide, named Finn from Belfast, who treated the entire experience with respect. The day was perfect for an experience like this: gray, overcast, and cold...I can't imagine seeing a place like this when there is blue sky and spring smells. The only photo of Flat Tony is by the sign saying where we were going.

This CC was a mens camp, but was not a "death camp". Many people died here...but it wasn't the "purpose" like at Auschwitz. This camp was used to "test" things. The gas chamber, as far as is known, was used five times - testing different gases. Mostly it was used for medical experimentation. They would try to change prisoners eye colors, or skin pigmentation, to see if they could turn people into their idea of the "perfect being".

Most of the buildings at the CC were gone...many reminders of the ugliness of Hitler were destroyed after the war. This Camp actually continued for 5 years after the war, but for those 5 years it was a Soviet Prison camp that held Soviet prisoners...some of which were the same people and I believe he said 13,000 were buried within the Camp.

There are are a few things about what was still standing that will be forever etched in my mind (beyond the obvious places, that everyone thinks of when they think of these places). There were two statues...one depicting a Russian solider saving two healthy men at the CC. Truth be known, the only men left behind when the CC was evacuated on the Death March (because they knew the Russians were coming) were those too sick to walk, so they never would have looked like this. The second statue was the reality of what was actually left in the camp and found by the Red Army. Another building still standing was the kitchen (each prisoner had two bowls of soup per day)...but there were these "happy" paintings in the eating area, that for whatever reason bothered me more than a lot of the rest. Maybe its because you go into something like this expecting one thing - but then you see what someone depicted as a "happy" thing, and it litterally makes you ill.

To end, I'm including one picture of the Israeli flag for a special friend of mine that I thought about all day today - and a quote from a survivor.

Good-night and God-bless,

from Berlin