Today was a very long day of travel. We left our hotel in Offenbach at about 9:30am, and took a train to Frankfurt hauptbahnhof (main trainstation). There we switched to a subway to the Frankfurt airport. At 2pm, we flew to Keflavik, Iceland, crossing two timezones, and arriving at 3:30pm. At 5pm we flew from Keflavik to Seattle, crossing seven timezones and arriving at 5:30pm. From there we drove to Portland, arriving home at about 10:30. Our overall travel time adds up to about 22 hours. With all the time changes during the day, the time from midnight to midnight was 33 hours, or as Anita put it, "the longest day of our lives."
Because of all the time changes, I recorded the times today on the chart with the timezone offset from GMT.
Food today
9am(Z+02)
- 1 single and 1 double expresso
- 1 croissant
- 1 ham and cheese pretzel twist
noon(Z+02)
- 3 TOC crackers (similar to a ritz)
2:30pm(Z+02)
- ~12 TOC crackers
- 4 slices of pumpernickel.
6pm(Z)
- 1 banana
- 1 mini can of Pringles
- 1 ham and cheese baguette
6pm(Z-07)
- quad expresso
- "Chickedn BLT salad" sandwich from Starbucks
Today we travelled back to Frankfurt, with a six-hour stopover in Weimar to visit the Buchenwald memorial. Buchenwald was a forced labor camp during World War II. I'm not ready yet to describe my feelings about it. It's one thing to read and hear about the horrors of the holocaust; it's another to stand right next to the ovens, and to see the drains on the floors.
Martina had made dinner reservations at one of her favorite restaurants. We had a joint celebration of Anita and my anniversary (Thursday), Stephan's birthday (Saturday), and Martina and Stephan's anniversary (next Tuesday). This did wonders to brighten our moods after Buchenwald. Martina drove us back to the hotel, and we had said very tearful goodbyes.
Food today
I don't clearly recollect when or what we ate during the day.
9:30pm
- Apfelwein
- Garden salad
- Schweinskotelett mit Pfeffersauce
- Green beans with onions and bacon (just like my grandma used to make)
- Kroketten
Today we met up with Anita's cousin Laura. It was also our wedding anniversary. I had never met Laura before. She went to school in Berlin and took us to one of her old favorite eateries, Rissani, a Moroccan cafe a few blocks south of the Spree. The food was plentiful, delicious and very reasonably priced. We ordered three meals, but Anita and I could have shared one and not felt underfed. The cafe did not serve alcohol, so Laura sent to the bar on the corner and brought back drinks.
Food Today
9am (Breakfast at the hotel
- 1 cup drip coffee
- 1 slice pumpernickel
- 1 roll
- 1T butter
- 1 hard boiled egg
2pm (Rissani)
- Chicken
- hummous
- falafel
- beets
- cabbage salad
- carrots
- fried cheese
9pm (Aldente)
In the morning Anita and I visted das Altes Museum (The Museum of Antiquities). The museum is filled with items from the late Greek and early Roman eras. The vast majority of the items were "aquired" during Germany's imperial era. Several of the statues had been marred by Christian fanatics, who had removed the genetalia. I am reminded of the way that modern day Islamic fanatics destroyed the millenia-old buddha statues in Afghanistan, or of John Ashcroft who found it necessary to cover the nude statues in the Great Hall of the Department of Justice. I guess we're lucky Ashcroft didn't decide to have them melted down.
Food Today
9am (Breakfast at a nearby Bakery)
- espresso
- cheese roll (not sweet)
2pm
- grapes
- bread with brie
- Raw Cauliflower
9pm (sidewalk cafe)
- .33l Pils
- chicken sandwich
Anita planned a very special day for us today, beginning with a tour/lecture on the history of the Reichstag building, and lunch in a restaurant at the top of the building. The food was delicious, but very expensive. The water was 4 Euros.
Food Today
9am (Breakfast at the hotel)
- 1 cup drip coffee
- 1 slice pumpernickel
- 1 roll
- 1T butter
- 1 hard boiled egg
After a wonderful visit with Martina and Stephan, we slept in until about 9. Anita and I ate breakfast at a small cafe a couple of blocks from the hotel.
It took me some time to remember how to read the train schedule, but I eventually deciphered it and got us to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, three hours early for the train. By that time Anita was getting tired of lugging around her backpack, and our son's feet were hurting from blisters. We settled in at a restaurant/bar along the street in front of the Bahnhof, and had a very nice lunch.
Next came the train ride to Berlin. The ICE was very fast, taking only four hours (quicker than going by plane and dealing with the lines everywhere). We had to hurry to the hotel, as the front desk closes early, and they were staying late for us. By the time we got there, Demi was limping, and I was wanting to. The room is on the second floor (third by American reconning) with no elevator, and i am proud to say that I was able to walk up without too much difficulty.
Food today
9am
- 2 single espressos
- 1 savory cheese pastry in philo dough.
1pm
- 1 Bratwurst
- 1 Brot (roll)
- 2 1/2l alt beirs
9pm
- 1/2 medium tomato
- 2 slices of the bread from Iceland and 1 slice of pumpernickel.
- ~3oz brie
- ~1c cauliflower
- 1/2l Paulaener Heffeweissen
Yesterday was a way too long day, and way too short of a stay in Iceland. We walked all day around Reykjavik. Anita's wears a step counter, and she says we walked over 20,000 steps. I developed a blister on my toe, and the nails on the second toe on both feet are bruised.
The flight was reasonably smooth. Anita slept some, but she didn't look very comfortable. In a few minutes I'll be seeing my friend for the first time in over 20 years.
Martina was just as I remember her, and we (Martina, Stephan, her husband, Anita and I) very quickly found ourselves having a great time. We ended up at an Äbbelwoi (apfelwein) restaurant in Hannau. Great food and better company. I'm really glad Anita finally got to meet Martini.
Food Today
5am UTC (Iceland is on UTC in the summer)
- 2 paper-thin slices prosciutto
- 2 of ham
- 2 this slices dark rye
- 1c plain yogurt
- 1 banana
6:30am
- "espresso" from a machine
- 2 slices of the brad we bought in Iceland.
- ~2oz cheddar.
7pm
- Handkaese
- 2 glasses apfelwein
- Turkey with mushroom gravy
- Bratkartoffeln
