Hello everybody! It's been a while but I finally managed to post again, hope some of you are still checking this occasionally...
After finishing up my field work in Nevada, I have returned home to Fort Collins, where I am working remotely, doing data entry for GBBO. This is a great set-up for me, since I can be here and still earn a little money on the side while I pursue leads for grad school.
Since returning home, Craig and I flew out to Monterey, California to celebrate the wedding of friends Kelly and Mike. Craig has some wonderful photos on his blog from the event, if you guys want to take a peek. It was great to see them and Amy and Sanjay too. We missed you guys that couldn't make it!
Right after the wedding we flew back home and I had a day to pack my things before heading out for a 2 week trip to Ellerstadt, Germany. It was a little rushed, but surely with my organizational skills it shouldn't have been any trouble, right?
Upon arriving at the airport via a 2 hour shuttle bus ride I discovered I had forgotten one essential item... that's right, the single item I could not travel without (and as some of you will remember, this makes it twice in one year). Thanks again to Craig for making an emergency passport run from Wyoming to the Denver airport.
So I arrived a day later than expected thanks to this bout of early-onset dementia, but had a fantastic time nonetheless!
It was so wonderful to get to see my Omi and all my relatives and the weather was wonderful. Dad and I went to the Wurstmarkt together (Dad sacrificing himself for my benefit, as there is only one small beer stand hidden amongst all of the Wurstmarkt wine tents) with Annette and Wolfgang and Sabine. Its billed as the largest wine fest in the world and after being there it's not hard to believe. Then Dad took me on a driving tour of the places he had lived and worked while in Germany. It was especially neat to see his and Mom's first apartment together- a room in a house belonging to a doctor at the local hospital with a wonderful view of the town of Gruenstadt. We went out to Kirchheimbolanden, where Dad was a basketball superstar and I got re-acquainted with his basketball buddies, most of whom I hadn't seen since I was a small child.
Here are some photos:
The Ellerstadt crest on the local government
building. The town recently celebrated their 1225th
anniversary.
Omi's street - Ratstrasse
Ratstrasse
Durkheimer Wurstmarkt- world's largest wine fest!
Sabine and I brave the rides after sampling
several wines.
My second cousin Leonie and aunt Annette-
Can you guess which one is scared of heights?
Sabine and Wolfgang's favorite ride.
The friendly bartenders at Annette and Wolfgang's
sports club wine tent (Dad, Annette, & Wolfgang
worked a couple days before I arrived).
Leonie and I at the Reisenfass (the
world's largest wine barrel, it can
hold 1.7 million liters!).
Dad's rental Fiat.
Near Grunstadt.
Old town wall near Grunstadt.
Dad's basketball friends in Kirchheimbolanden:
Dad, Traute, Saule, Adi, Traudle
Kibo town wall.
Adi's apple orchard.
Schwann Apotheke in Kibo.
Weinstrasse
Dad and Omi
I'll be posting part two of my trip shortly!
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