Be Careful What You Wish For

Louvre Museum's Glass Pyramid Entrance

I have visited Paris many times.  I think the city is a "must see" when visiting Western Europe.  All my past visits of the city have been during summer months, when the weather is warmer and during the tourist high season.  I have always wondered what Paris is like in the cooler season, autumn or winter.  Several times I had tried to schedule a visit during non-summer times, but it never materialized.  I had the opportunity to visit Paris this past January, during the MLK holiday weekend.

The train fare from Frankfurt and the hotel rates were much lower than during the tourist season.  So a friend from work and I took advantage of it.  Little did we know that extreme winter weather were awaiting our visit.  It had been an overcast and cold day from our departure in Wiesbaden, and snow was forecasted.  Right off the bat, our train from Frankfurt was delayed and diverted, with unexpected train changes.  Instead of a direct non-stop from Frankfurt to Paris, we had a stop in Mannheim and another delay, and more waiting and a train change in Karlsruhe, Germany.  Instead of a noon arrival in Paris, it was a 5:30PM.

The delay and schedule changes were due to the heavy snow in France.  At our arrival in Paris, the streets were still manageable to walk on.  We were not going to allow the snow to ruin the trip.  After our hotel check in, it was too late to really go sightsee in snowy condition.  We found a nearby restaurant to have dinner, and called it a day.  It snowed quite a bit more overnight.  After walking around looking for a place to eat breakfast the next day, it became quite apparent that I did not bring the right type of shoes to walk around in.  The melted snow seeped thru my shoes and soon my entire feet and socks were soaked.  We still did the obligatory stop to view the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, went inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, walk most of the Champs Elysses, had a snack at a cafe at the Louvre Museum, and many other sites while walking around Paris.

It was still nice to see Paris during wintry conditions, even with cold feet and soggy socks.  I will have to schedule another visit of Paris in cooler season, but hopefully not with the extreme snow condition.

I'm Back...Yes, I Promise to Provide Regular Updates

A fellow blogger noticed recently that I hadn't posted in quite awhile.  And as indicated in my last blog post, I hadn't followed up in providing updated posts regularly.  This blog used to have at least one post a month, and at various times, I was providing 8-10 updates a month.  My move back to Seattle, the death of my father, and then my return to Germany precipitated a lot of my blog's lack of updates.  There were too many things going on and I just could not find time.  I can provide more excuses, but in reality, I didn't have the motivation or the drive to continue posting (at least during that time).

This blog was the window to allow family and friends updated on my life while thousands of miles away.  It was a way to share my experiences, tell my stories, and share pictures from past and present.  Typically and still a recluse, it was my way of opening my life to everyone.  I am the quiet type and usually reserved in sharing experiences verbally; sharing my stories in writing was a lot easier.

I still posts photos in my flickr account ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/8745081@N04/sets ) -- nearly 16,000 pictures loaded.  I still have thousands to upload.  I file the photos into sets so that viewers are able to manage poring through them.  I also have been utilizing instagram with a few family and friends.  But somehow, I have not kept up this blog.  A few family members recently have tried to get me to open a Facebook account.  The "recluse" in me drew the line as far as FB.  I did not want people knowing who's FB updates I have been reading, nor did I want them regularly reading my updates.  Instagram still has some controls that I can manage.  A blog is only updated as much as the writer wants.  

I also don't like imposing on people.  Readers and followers can read or view pictures in my blog, flickr account, or in instagram as they wish, with no conditions imposed.  I send notes once in a while reminding of the several sites I manage when I want to show them photo or post about them.  I know that some follow because they will let me know about a certain post or a photo that they have seen in my websites.

Before this blog, I would send a long e-mail every couple of months or so to provide updates.  The e-mails would serve as "catching them up" of what I was doing overseas, work and personal, and would add a bit of encouragement and motivation to the younger ones in the family and that they were always in my thoughts.  Copies of these e-mails were given to my father to read to also keep him updated about me.  Once the blog was established, it also served the same purpose, but now with more information and more updates.  I visit Seattle often enough (2 to 3 times a year) that I don't even feel that I am that far away from them.  Another excuse on why I do not update this blog.

I have several drafts of blog posts on file, that for some reason or another, were not completed.  Last year, in a range of four months I visited several world capital cities (Berlin, Brussels, London, Lisbon, Warsaw, and Manila).  I wanted to provide updates of these travels, but did not.  I had two great-nephews who stayed with me for three weeks this past summer.  We explored many places in Western Europe.  You'll have to wait for future posts to read our adventures.  Or you can check out our pictures in my flickr account.  I have been uploading a few pictures at a time, because there is a great quantity of pictures.  I attended another successful family camping event this past summer while visiting Seattle, but did not provide any write-up about it.  Most of my nieces and nephews are reaching or have reach adulthood.  My great-nieces and great-nephews are growing leaps and bounds. These are the topics I usually cover in this blog.

Anyway,  all of this gibberish is to say that I am committed to provide at least two updates a month on this blog.  I want to write my stories again, share my experiences living overseas, see the places that I explore, and crack open the window again, even only for a little bit, to my life.

Check back every couple of weeks for my updates, or at least to make sure that I do my part of the commitment.

Paris in January 2013

Back in Germany

After 14 months back in Seattle, it was time for me to move on again -- back to Germany.  As I have written in past posts, the strong desire to feed my wanderlust and my preferred nomadic way of life made the decision easy.  Two circumstances within the last year also aided in confirming this decision:  The passing of my father, and the improved conditions and continuing recovery from back problems and the associated anxiety attacks.  It may seem contradictory that I return to Germany, which was where my anxiety issues started.  The amount of work and the high level stress that accompany it during my initial stint in Germany, I believe, were the main sources of the attacks.  But I bring back with me a host of lessons learned.  It was also in Germany where I spent a lot time traveling, on my free time.  It has become more and more evident that traveling is my passion.  It is truly what I enjoy doing.

I moved back to Germany in early May.  As soon as I arrived in Wiesbaden, after a long flight from Seattle, I walked around town center not feeling any tiredness or jet lag.  I did not feel like a stranger from a foreign land.  It felt like a second home.  My first weekend I took a day trip, via train, visiting Cochem and Koblenz.  I have visited Berlin and Brussels on extended weekend visits.  I have done quick visits to Frankfurt, Cologne, and Heidelberg during weekends.

I also accepted the move back to Germany with the understanding that the group that I will work for gets notoriously busy leading to fiscal year end, 30 September.  It was no different this year.  I have put in additional hours at work, both on weekdays and weekends.  I have not really taken any vacation time yet, except for a few extended weekends.  That is soon to change.  With the passing of fiscal year end, I will have more opportunity to travel.  I will be visiting London and Lisbon shortly.  I plan to take full advantage of weekends to explore Germany and beyond.

Keep posted.  I will revive this blog and share again my experiences here in Germany, my travels around here and beyond, and musings from past and present.  I will also start posting more of my photos in flickr.  I also use instagram regulary to share bits and pieces of my daily life, and follow my instagram friends and family to see what they are up to. 

Happy Birthday, Inna.

Today, 16 February 2012, my mother would have turned 90 years in age.  Happy Birthday, Inna.

Amma -- May You Always Rest In Peace