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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Just an observation.....

Sometimes I forget that I am living in a foreign country as I pass through
my day without taking notice of the differences in my surroundings that had
kept me so entertained when I first moved here. But then, when I'm not
paying attention, I come across a scene which reminds me that I'm a long way
from home.

Cuba

Cuba
Visited and written in 2003

Growing up in the USA we, as Americans, have the right to enjoy many freedoms including the right to travel, the right to speak our minds in a public forum without prejudice, and the right to open and run our own businesses. Oddly enough, one limitation to American freedom is that we may not travel to Cuba. Well, actually we are allowed to travel there but the Treasury Department has put restrictions on Americans spending money in Cuba because they believe that it slips through the hands of the people and ends up in the coffers of a government ruled by a Communist party. After just having spent eight days in Cuba, I can honestly say that I am a supporter of this policy, but for different reasons than that of the Treasury.


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

A Sunday Ride

We ride our bikes along the old tractor paths through the fields of wheat, a gentle breeze blowing the grain in mesmerizing patterns. The way is covered with stones and ruts and sand making it a strenuous trek even for a mountain bike. Despite the effort I force myself to enjoy my surroundings, I look up and try to absorb it all, not only the golden fields but the tall dark evergreens in the distance and the blue sky beyond. There is no one here except for us.

He looks back to check my progress, a little slower these days due to the pregnancy, and I smile at his concern. He stops a moment to check our direction and points out a bee-house on the next rise, breathe through your nose as you ride by as not to inhale one into your mouth, he warns me, I pull my T-shirt up over my nose and breath normally.

The forest engulfs us again and the cool shade is refreshing. I search for wildlife among the trees, perhaps a jack-rabbit, deer or a wild-pig, but I see nothing except birds and a black fly doing laps around my head. A small clearing provides enough sunlight for a patch of wild flowers on a hillside, they are a beautiful lilac color, the contrast against the dark brown and deep green of the pines is breathtaking.

The path rises sharply, I pedal as far as I can then dismount and walk the rest of the way, it feels good to stretch my back. The black fly sees his opportunity and stings me in the calf, but my quick reflex didn't let him get away.

I hurry to the crest where he is waiting with the map, he points out a field full of horses. I point out my bite.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Adventures in Morocco


One week in Morocco is a wonderful, exciting adventure bringing to life images from great films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Othello and, of course, Casablanca.

Two weeks in Morocco provide ample time to see past the beauty of the ancient kasbahs and clearly view the trash, filth, poverty and stench which makes one thankful for having been born in a developed nation which is exceedingly rich by world standards. Ok, that may be a little harsh. I loved Morocco, but after getting extremely sick from something I ate, not to mention being 5 months pregnant, I was pushed to my limits towards the end.

Here’s a summary of our trip in 2001, the unabridged version.

Overload?
We landed in Casablanca on a Sunday afternoon and decided to immediately head south along the Atlantic coast to find a quiet fishing village for our first night of vacation.  Driving out of the city we were forced to share the road with donkey carts, black-smoke spewing diesel cars, antique motorbikes, and hoards of pedestrians carrying their fruit, chickens, etc to market.  The drivers in Morocco put my offensive skills behind the wheel to shame.

After about 2 hours on the road we entered a city which we believed to be the small coastal town of El Jadida.  After passing through the main street we saw only one hotel which was located above a „tea café“ (no bars…Muslims drink tea instead of alcohol).  Sound quaint?  Then I haven’t accurately portrayed our surroundings.  All of the buildings of the narrow street were old and dilapidated, the street was riddled with piles of garbage, people were all over the place, darting in and out of the street, not watching for cars in the least (why should they?  Normally only donkey carts pass through!), everyone stared at us and made gestures to enter their shops or yelled Bonjour (second to Arabic, French is their common language), there were almost no women in sight but the few that we saw were covered from head to toe with traditional loose garments, wild cats and dogs were roaming the streets looking for scraps, the tables outside the tea café below the hotel were packed with men (absolutely no women) with nothing to do, some drinking coffee or tea, many just sitting, watching the world pass by.  Frank gestured to the hotel….“Don’t even think about it“, I said, followed by, „There’s no way I’m even getting out of the car.“

Observations on Germany (Part 1)

This was written when I first arrived in Germany, in 2000, and actually quite a lot has changed since then. And though I make fun of the Germans, I have really grown to love them despite all their differences, or maybe because of them.

Well, I've been living here in Germany for almost two months now and have made some observations of „the good, the bad and the ugly“ that I thought I’d share with you! It’s somewhat lengthy, but the best stuff is at the end so be patient!

I’ll start with „the good“ and work down from there….

First of all, I now live in the most beautiful city in the world. Regensburg. The downtown area has buildings dating back to the 11th century and even has a portion of a stone wall which was built by the Romans in 194 A.D. The streets are narrow and cobblestoned, lined with little shops and cafes. There are tiny walking lanes which sometimes open up to courtyards filled with flowers in the window sills of the buildings. Everytime I walk downtown I find something new. The architechture is awesome, with styles that are varied but kept in tact over time. They have laws that don’t allow modification of the outside of buildings except for refurbishment, so the insides are contemporary, but the outsides still look medieval. We have a great cathedral in the middle of town which is called the Dom and it’s as grand as Westminister Abbey.