Ha, ha... yes, I know, I'm still using the "new baby" method of marking time!
As time passes, I realize in pratical terms and otherwise that this trip is an entity unto itself, and while sharing similarities, is very different from past adventures abroad.
I am not backpacking through, or sleeping in youth hoselts - not yet, anyway, until I start my weekend travels and on vacation around Europe... this is drive in to work, work for the weekend, get into the daily life of Germany stuff.
Alas, I still have not received the household goods shipment! Although in the UK (and thus much closer now), I still do not have that elusive and dreamt-about chair to sit on!
Of course, I do need to do the "IKEA thing" German-style, but I was hoping to wait until the other things got here to know what I needed to buy... I cannot wait for simple household pleasure like watching TV, surfing the internet without going to an internet cafe, sitting in a chair to read one of my travel books, etc.!
That said, though... once my paychecks begin coming in on a regular basis, it's "out the door" most nights and weekends for yours truly - within reason, I am 38 now, not 23!
I just mean that on a sunny Saturday I will be in Bavaria or in Prague, not playing the latest Playstation 3 game at home in Schwetzingen - if I am there, I will be out exploring the Schlossgarten, enjoying a Pilsner while studying Deutsch in the town square (Schlossplatz)... all the things that make this part of Germany such a special place.
I am off to Frankfurt next weekend... and then Munich the week after that! I cannot wait to get out and begin exploring.
Enough of an update for now... bis bald (until next time)!
Brett
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
First REAL entry Part 2...
To say that I am excited about this priviliged opportunity to live abroad for the long term would of course be an understatement... anyone who knows me, knows how I feel about the chance to meet cool and interesting people from around the world, and to represent our great country, the United States, abroad.
Of course, there are many great countries and cultures around the world - and the seasoned traveler knows this. I believe mine is the best of the best, but many others could make strong arguments for themselves too.
Few things seem to bring a smile quicker than the memory of an old friend made on a train journey through Europe years before, or the thought of Espresso and bagel at a local cafe next to the schoolhouse in Siena... save maybe the current one of a Kaffehaus (Coffeehouse) at the Schlossplatz (castle square) in Schwetzingen in 2009!
A rainy Saturday often means the reinvigoration of the coffee society after all... and so, I trudged the 20-minute walk - car forthcoming at a later date my friends - to the Weldebrau Schlossplatz Cafe. Some three hours later, I was some 60 words smarter in German! Or, at least I hope so... don't ask me to remember them in a few hours.
It was a very cliched, cheesy, but ever-so-true "world traveler" moment as I have come to consider them... it all seemed so much like old times when I'd be filling out my journal - yes, I'm THAT old school guy who still manually writes travel journals... and keeps real CDs at home too!
The rain falling outside, the American pop music (Lenny Kravitz anyone?) overhead... it could have been 1994 in Amsterdam... but it was not, and it was not a dream or a memory relived. It was Europe III in 2009, and it is fantastic to be back. I am lucky to have this chance, and I will grasp it wholehearedly with both arms...
To my extended global friends and family - apologies for the wordy novelette, and thanks for stopping by!
Auf Wiedersehen!
BT
Of course, there are many great countries and cultures around the world - and the seasoned traveler knows this. I believe mine is the best of the best, but many others could make strong arguments for themselves too.
Few things seem to bring a smile quicker than the memory of an old friend made on a train journey through Europe years before, or the thought of Espresso and bagel at a local cafe next to the schoolhouse in Siena... save maybe the current one of a Kaffehaus (Coffeehouse) at the Schlossplatz (castle square) in Schwetzingen in 2009!
A rainy Saturday often means the reinvigoration of the coffee society after all... and so, I trudged the 20-minute walk - car forthcoming at a later date my friends - to the Weldebrau Schlossplatz Cafe. Some three hours later, I was some 60 words smarter in German! Or, at least I hope so... don't ask me to remember them in a few hours.
It was a very cliched, cheesy, but ever-so-true "world traveler" moment as I have come to consider them... it all seemed so much like old times when I'd be filling out my journal - yes, I'm THAT old school guy who still manually writes travel journals... and keeps real CDs at home too!
The rain falling outside, the American pop music (Lenny Kravitz anyone?) overhead... it could have been 1994 in Amsterdam... but it was not, and it was not a dream or a memory relived. It was Europe III in 2009, and it is fantastic to be back. I am lucky to have this chance, and I will grasp it wholehearedly with both arms...
To my extended global friends and family - apologies for the wordy novelette, and thanks for stopping by!
Auf Wiedersehen!
BT
My REAL first entry...
Wow... can it really have been 11 Years, 2 Months, and 1 Day since that day January 26, 1998 when I flew out of London back to the US... back to await the beginning of Basic Training and a whole other adventure with the Army?
The passage of time, while seemingly straightforward, is truly a mystery at times... you think you are paying attention to the passing days, but then the hustle, hurry, stress, and joy of life takes over - and POW... you're saying, wasn't it just winter (in April)?
I never really thought I'd get the chance to do "this" again... EUROPE III (as I like to refer to this journey abroad) began with my arrival in Germany on Friday, March 27th, 2009. What was really just another Friday on the workweek countdown to the 48-hour "furlough" from the 9-to-5 for my family and friends back home... was a whole other thing for me. It was the beginning of another era you could say.
You know how in life there are times when you realize that a "moment" or a "crossroads" (C'mon guys, enough with the rolled eyes and such... I know it's cheesy, but it's real!) has come into your life? That's true for anyone, but I find it often even more so for world travelers, in particular that rare subset that gets to "deep dive" into the cultures of the world and learn it's subtleties, nuances, and depth...
Europe I was a study abroad trip to Tuscany in Italy (1994), and Europe II as I again cheesily like to refer to it... was a work exchange trip (BUNAC) to London, UK in 1997-98.
The passage of time, while seemingly straightforward, is truly a mystery at times... you think you are paying attention to the passing days, but then the hustle, hurry, stress, and joy of life takes over - and POW... you're saying, wasn't it just winter (in April)?
I never really thought I'd get the chance to do "this" again... EUROPE III (as I like to refer to this journey abroad) began with my arrival in Germany on Friday, March 27th, 2009. What was really just another Friday on the workweek countdown to the 48-hour "furlough" from the 9-to-5 for my family and friends back home... was a whole other thing for me. It was the beginning of another era you could say.
You know how in life there are times when you realize that a "moment" or a "crossroads" (C'mon guys, enough with the rolled eyes and such... I know it's cheesy, but it's real!) has come into your life? That's true for anyone, but I find it often even more so for world travelers, in particular that rare subset that gets to "deep dive" into the cultures of the world and learn it's subtleties, nuances, and depth...
Europe I was a study abroad trip to Tuscany in Italy (1994), and Europe II as I again cheesily like to refer to it... was a work exchange trip (BUNAC) to London, UK in 1997-98.
... and so, once again I try to replicate a 20-minute derived blog entry that did not take because the internet connection went down - YEAH!
... oh, yeah... and so once again my friends... I have returned! Ok, so that refers to a couple previous trips to Europe... a little dramatic, but true.
This first one will be brief (you may thank me later!) so that I can "test" the system to ensure it works...
Tschuss!
BT
... oh, yeah... and so once again my friends... I have returned! Ok, so that refers to a couple previous trips to Europe... a little dramatic, but true.
This first one will be brief (you may thank me later!) so that I can "test" the system to ensure it works...
Tschuss!
BT
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