It's raining today, one of those warm, drizzly, all-day spring rains, and I've got a pot of chicken cooking for soup tonight. The landscape from my third-story perch is green, green, green, dotted with the terracotta roofs so characteristic of Germany. It's a good day for catching up and staring out the window.
Or, you may enjoy having your nits picked by a subservient of the female species while lounging in the sun like this guy. Kim, Mark and I took the kids to the zoo in Leipzig yesterday, about an hour's train ride from Jena. The zoo was first started in 1878 and it's seen better days, but they're working hard on remodeling it. It had an excellent primate exhibit and we spent lots of time watching the baboons and gorillas and chimps.
The aquarium portion wasn't bad either. The part I liked best was riding on the train; I am grateful for the ease with which the Europeans travel and the beauty of their countryside.
Ahhh, Mallorca, and vacationing with the Germans. The weather wasn't very warm for our beach holiday, but the Germans really don't need warm weather for a vacation of this sort. We stayed in the Viva Cala Mesquida Resort, one of at least a hundred resorts on the island; it's what I would consider the Cabo of the Mediterranean. The place completely catered to kids and to the parents of kids who were tired and just wanted to have their offspring entertained for a while. And entertained they were, with an alien dog from outer space named BUFO, who appeared at the children's mini disco party each night at 8 pm sharp. Jonathan actually braved embarrassment and nights on the couch to ask if there might be a CD available of the songs our children learned from BUFO and the Viva staff. Here's a quick video to show the caliber of our entertainment venue. And just let me say that BUFO was amazing in comparison to the high-school-dancers-turned-strip-teasers they dazzled us with one night.
Ahhh, Mallorca, and vacationing with the Germans. The weather wasn't very warm for our beach holiday, but the Germans really don't need warm weather for a vacation of this sort. We stayed in the Viva Cala Mesquida Resort, one of at least a hundred resorts on the island; it's what I would consider the Cabo of the Mediterranean. The place completely catered to kids and to the parents of kids who were tired and just wanted to have their offspring entertained for a while. And entertained they were, with an alien dog from outer space named BUFO, who appeared at the children's mini disco party each night at 8 pm sharp. Jonathan actually braved embarrassment and nights on the couch to ask if there might be a CD available of the songs our children learned from BUFO and the Viva staff. Here's a quick video to show the caliber of our entertainment venue. And just let me say that BUFO was amazing in comparison to the high-school-dancers-turned-strip-teasers they dazzled us with one night.
Each room at the resort was a mini-apartment with a bedroom for mom and pop and two neatly made day beds in the living room for the kids and a small kitchen. Meals were buffet-style at scheduled times and the food was not very good, unless you really liked french fries and ice cream, which covered at least half of the guests. It reminded me of a cruise. But, we could see the Mediterranean Sea from our balcony and drinks were included in our 7-day stay. We had a rental car and explored most of the island; the photo in the previous post titled "Vertiginous" shows just what some of the driving looked like, much to Mark's delight. And the clouds of the Mediterranean sky and the building architectures were fabulous; every once in a while I would look over at Mark or he would look over at me and say "Hey, we're in Spain."
My brother has finished his European tour and will be joining us again tomorrow for a few days, so there's bound to be some fun here this weekend. Yesterday marked our three-month anniversary of residence in Germany; today I can't decide if our stay has been long or short so far. Ask me after Prague.
My brother has finished his European tour and will be joining us again tomorrow for a few days, so there's bound to be some fun here this weekend. Yesterday marked our three-month anniversary of residence in Germany; today I can't decide if our stay has been long or short so far. Ask me after Prague.
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