Hello everyone!
Yes, I am still "stuck" in Germany :) Of course that is no great hardship! I feel very blessed that I have friends to stay with, yummy German food to eat and a train pass so I can get around. And now I even have a return flight scheduled. I scheduled it for Monday because I wasn't sure when the planes would start flying again and I figured it might be better not to fly the very first day. So to summarize, I think the Hamburg airport was closed six days, the Frankfurt airport for five days. As far as I know, as of today (Thursday) things are -relatively speaking -back to normal. Because I left one of my suitcases at a luggage storage place in the Frankfurt airport, I have to fly out of Frankfurt (even though I'm currently staying in Hamburg.) So Sunday night late I will get on the train back to Frankfurt, arrive early Monday morning and then fly out a few hours later, arriving back in Salt Lake at 7 in the evening, otherwise know as 3 am German time :) When you fly west it makes for a very long day.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Yet another adventure
Well I was all ready and excited to come home today but it was not to be. Despite the volcano in iceland and the fact that other airports in germany were closed, as of last night it seemed that some flights might leave Frankfurt today. My flight was cancelled just after I got to the airport. I knew it probably would be but still it seemed like it made sense to go to the airport and find out what was going on and leave one bag in long term storage there. In the delta area things were relatively quiet since they weren't doing any rebooking there - just handing out a flyer with a number to call and other information. I had already emailed with paul about options In case it was canceled. It seemed like it would be best for me to wait a few days before trying to fly out and I have friends to stay with so its not hard to do. I used the scale at a deserted check in counter to check the weight of the bag I had packed yesterday. I moved a few things around then checked that bag at long term storage. I took a train back to frankfurt main station and am now on a very full train heading for hamburg. I didn't think about the fact that all flights are cancelled - not just internatiol ones - so the trains are packed. Still everyone seems to be in a bit of a holiday spirit or at least are taking things sanguinely. I had a good spot on the floor for awhile and now have snagged a seat When I get there I will try calling delta again. (I wasn't able to get through earlier when I tried ).
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Short Update
I spent Easter and the eight days after Easter in Hamburg or in Pinneberg (a small town outside of Hamburg. Tuesday morning ( April 13th) I left Pinneberg for Goettingen. I spent one full day in Goettingen and am now on the train heading to Nuernberg. I will have dinner with some friends there, stay overnight and tomorrow head for Frankfurt where I will do my final shopping and packing. Friday morning I will then be flying home. The weather is still mostly cool here, and sometime near freezing overnight, but the forcythia are all blooming and some fruit trees and flowing trees are starting to bloom. The various kinds of willow trees are starting to turn light green. Acually, it looks like things are a little further along here in southern Germany as I approach Nuernberg and some othe other trees are getting leaves. I think I just saw an apricot in bloom.
I will try to post some photos from Hamburg and from Goettingen.
I will try to post some photos from Hamburg and from Goettingen.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Other Visits
AsI said, I have also been visiting some other friends in Northern Germany the past few days. And have gotten to participate in some yummy cooking. This picture shows me with Al, my friend Gunda's husband. I visited him on Wednesday.
This picture is from the top of a hill in northern Germany. Pictured are Imke, her daughter Janine, and her friend Francesco. I spent Thursday and Good Friday with Imke. There was a Easter Breakfast at the Kiel Ward Building on Friday morning that we went to, then we took this little hike. The weather was cool but it was sunny all day that day - something that doesn't happen too often here at this time of year! Lots of people were out hiking or bike riding or riding horses. Good Friday is a national holiday here. All the stores are closed. It felt like a Sunday or perhaps a little like Thanksgiving Day in the US.
In this photo we are about to have Easter dinner. Marrianne, Henning's mom, had us over and made a yummy dinner.
This is a picture I took of a delicious leek and fish dish that Imke made last Thursday evening. After the yummy dinner we went to a fun variety show put on by some local amateur talent.
This is a picture of some cute traditional "Easter nest" rolls that Jutta made.
Because of General Conference yesterday (Easter), Jutta's extended family is getting together today to do their larger family party and Easter Egg hunt.
This picture is from the top of a hill in northern Germany. Pictured are Imke, her daughter Janine, and her friend Francesco. I spent Thursday and Good Friday with Imke. There was a Easter Breakfast at the Kiel Ward Building on Friday morning that we went to, then we took this little hike. The weather was cool but it was sunny all day that day - something that doesn't happen too often here at this time of year! Lots of people were out hiking or bike riding or riding horses. Good Friday is a national holiday here. All the stores are closed. It felt like a Sunday or perhaps a little like Thanksgiving Day in the US. 
In this photo we are about to have Easter dinner. Marrianne, Henning's mom, had us over and made a yummy dinner.
This is a picture I took of a delicious leek and fish dish that Imke made last Thursday evening. After the yummy dinner we went to a fun variety show put on by some local amateur talent.
This is a picture of some cute traditional "Easter nest" rolls that Jutta made.
Because of General Conference yesterday (Easter), Jutta's extended family is getting together today to do their larger family party and Easter Egg hunt.Exploring Hamburg
This week I have been in Northern Germany visiting various friends, mostly in Hamburg and in Kiel. On Saturday (the day before Easter), my friend Petra from Hamburg gave me an in depth tour of the city and harbour. We started out at a little outdoor market near where she lives, and then took the commuter train (S-Bahn) to the Hamburg main train station (see photos below.)
From there we walked through the shopping street to the Rathaus (city hall) and then explored a little more downtown.
We then headed for the harbour where we took a ferry quite a ways out. We then walked along a beautiful path along the shore back into the city.
It was fun for me to go out into the harbor. I thought about various ancestors who left from there. As far as I know, most of the time when people left for America from Scandinavia they took the train to Hamburg first, then took the boat from there.
There's lots more to tell about that day and more photos to post, but at least this is a start :)
From there we walked through the shopping street to the Rathaus (city hall) and then explored a little more downtown. 
We then headed for the harbour where we took a ferry quite a ways out. We then walked along a beautiful path along the shore back into the city.
It was fun for me to go out into the harbor. I thought about various ancestors who left from there. As far as I know, most of the time when people left for America from Scandinavia they took the train to Hamburg first, then took the boat from there.
As we walked back along the water we saw people preparing a huge Easter bonfire on one of the beaches. I was never aware of this tradition before, but I guess at sunset on the evening before Easter people all over light bonfires, officially starting the Easter holiday. In the week or so before Easter everyone trims the shrubs in their yards, then they burn what they have cut off. It is practical and fun at the same time.
In the late evening we headed to my friend Jutta's house and had a yummy salad for supper (see photo below.)
There's lots more to tell about that day and more photos to post, but at least this is a start :)
I thought of all of you at home on Easter yesterday and hope you all had a good holiday.
A Few Days at the Frankfurt Temple
Here's a view of the temple out the window of the room in the Guest House where I stayed
This is the room I stayed in. There's one more bunk bed to my right you can't see and a table and chairs and window behind me. I slept in the bottom bunk of the bed directly in front of me in this photo.
This is the kitchen. It's in the basement of the building. The window you can see looks out in the same direction as the window in the room I stayed in.
This shows the refrigerated lockers. The numbers on the doors correspond to room numbers. There are four lockers for each room. Usually that is enough even though there can be up to eight people in the room. Most of the time I was there there were just two others in the room. One night though all the beds were full. Three of them were filled by a mom and two daughters - the one daughter was getting married the next morning!
In walking to the grocery store near the temple I discovered that at many houses there was a little Easter bush in the front yard. Easter was a little over a week away. The crocuses were coming out and a few forcythia. Most Germans either decorate a bush in their front yard with eggs as shown here, or they cut branches and bring them indoors and decorate them or both(photos to come.) At the temple they were putting out all the pansies and other spring flowers in the flower beds. In the village lots of people were doing that too. You can see newly set-out flowers in the picture below.
It was very helpful for getting back in to speaking German for me to be at the temple just taking everything in and having conversations with people between sessions. I met people from several parts of Germany and also from France, Belgium and the US. I went to the grocery store a couple of times. The first time I didn't buy much - I just walked around taking it all in. I have a goal to try any kind of yogurt or quark or pudding-type thing that I havn't tried yet. There's a lot of different kinds, so I don't know how far I will get with that goal, but I will have fun trying :)
This is the room I stayed in. There's one more bunk bed to my right you can't see and a table and chairs and window behind me. I slept in the bottom bunk of the bed directly in front of me in this photo.
This is the kitchen. It's in the basement of the building. The window you can see looks out in the same direction as the window in the room I stayed in.
This shows the refrigerated lockers. The numbers on the doors correspond to room numbers. There are four lockers for each room. Usually that is enough even though there can be up to eight people in the room. Most of the time I was there there were just two others in the room. One night though all the beds were full. Three of them were filled by a mom and two daughters - the one daughter was getting married the next morning!
In walking to the grocery store near the temple I discovered that at many houses there was a little Easter bush in the front yard. Easter was a little over a week away. The crocuses were coming out and a few forcythia. Most Germans either decorate a bush in their front yard with eggs as shown here, or they cut branches and bring them indoors and decorate them or both(photos to come.) At the temple they were putting out all the pansies and other spring flowers in the flower beds. In the village lots of people were doing that too. You can see newly set-out flowers in the picture below.
It was very helpful for getting back in to speaking German for me to be at the temple just taking everything in and having conversations with people between sessions. I met people from several parts of Germany and also from France, Belgium and the US. I went to the grocery store a couple of times. The first time I didn't buy much - I just walked around taking it all in. I have a goal to try any kind of yogurt or quark or pudding-type thing that I havn't tried yet. There's a lot of different kinds, so I don't know how far I will get with that goal, but I will have fun trying :)
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