I thought is was really neat to be able to see the slip stream over the plane's wing as we took off.
So, I finally have a passport with a stamp in it and I'm looking forward to more stamps! Germany was beautiful and amazing. The people were kind and helpful and generous. Spending 15 days in constant company with Don was a great experience. When we returned home, I found that I wanted to - and did - eat my lunches at work outside around the ponds with the ducks and geese. Don and I found ourselves calling each other a little more often just to check in and say hi and connect. Over time, these behaviors reverted to what would be considered 'normal life' for us, but that 'reconnect' was wonderful and beneficial and strengthened us as a couple.
I have a few LISTS that I made over the course of our trip:
The Good Travel Equipment List
1. Most important is having a great traveling companion.
2. Good resources, like an excellent guidebook, help you see the good stuff. My travel journal was probably a little heavy and I will use something a little lighter next time.
3. Good shoes are a must for the many, many miles of walking.
4. Traveling light - just one convertible backpack/bag and one day bag a piece - made getting around really easy and quick.
5. A camera is a must, of course. I think we learned some things about taking pictures on this trip - what to photograph and how best to do it. We had two batteries, so that one could be charging while we were out with the other. And we had a couple of memory cards so that we could click away without worrying about running out of space.
The Things That Are Different In Germany List
1. Toilets
2. Pets in public - they can go just about anywhere, it looks like
3. Old churches in every town and city
4. Great drivers
5. Doors all seem to open and lock with a key - which was inconvenient with only one key. If one of you wanted to stay in the room and take a nap, say - or shower - while the other person stepped out, you either had to leave the door unlocked, be locked in with no way to get out, or be locked out and wait for the person inside to unlock the door. Weird. Two keys would eliminate any problem. We left the keys in the doors after locking them so that a. we didn't lose them and, b. we could unlock the door quickly if there was a fire or something....5. Computer keyboards are configured differently, which is a pain when you are in a real hurry.
6. Breakfast staples are meat and cheese and soft boiled eggs.
The Things We Saw a Lot Of List
1. Old churches
2. Stairs!
3. Meats, cheese and bread
4. Strawberry stands
5. Flower boxes and pretty gardens, no matter how small the space
6. No litter
7. In sharp contrast to how clean every place was, was the ever present graffiti.
8. Cranes and construction
9. People walking in early evening
10. Birdsong - didn't see it, but heard it everywhere
11. Stacked wood
12. Solar panels
13. Beer
14. Bicycles
15. Small cars
The Things I Missed From Home List (Other than Family, Friends and the Dog!)
1. A washcloth - they just don't use them in Germany
2. A couch or recliner to sit in
3. Doing my own laundry - silly, I know!
The Things I Miss From Germany List
1. Bells - I loved hearing the bells ringing all day
2. Pedestrian zones
3. Flower boxes and gardens
4. Big trucks staying in the right lane and slower traffic staying to the right
5. Public transit
Here's hoping we get away again before too long!
No comments:
Post a Comment