Archive for the ‘Flashback Fridays’ Category

Flashback Friday: Rome 2006

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Friday, 9 March, 2007| 2 Comments »

Our last ‘big’ trip we took before moving from Germany was a trip to Rome at the end of March 2006. We had 5 days to see thousands of years of history. It’s not called the “Eternal City” for nothing.

Our first stop after getting to the hotel and meeting up with our good friend, Heidi, was to go to Trevi Fountain.  It was so good to see Heidi and I was thrilled she’d be spending a few days touring around with us. I still think we would make a good “Amazing Race” team.

 

Heidi was the one who found the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at and the Daphne Inn was a great choice. The staff was excellent and it was in a fabulous location. I highly recommend it should you find yourself in Rome.  

During our stay, we did our best to see as much of the city as we could. The best thing we did was opt for a ‘private’ tour of the Vatican. Basically, it got us into the Sistine Chapel prior to the hoards of tour buses arrived. It was pure joy to be in the Sistine Chapel with all but 10 people. I was so in awe that I have NO photos of our tour of the Vatican. Our tour guide, Luana, was such a wealth of information and it was all we could do to keep up with her. After the Sistine Chapel, we toured the Vatican Museum. I was completely overwhelmed. 

After the morning tour of the Vatican, we toured Rome with a guide/driver named Ugo. I was very impressed with his ability to park in the tiniest of parking spots 😉 He took us to the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the St. Peter in Chains church.

On our last day in Rome, FM ran the marathon. Since the roads around Rome were closed for the marathon, FG and I wandered the streets with very little traffic. This particular marathon allowed us to track FM’s run byt using runners at certain intervals. They had runners with balloons who were running a 3 hour marathon, 3 hours 15 minutes and so on. Since we knew FM runs about a 4 hour marathon, we waited for the person with the 4 hour balloons and, low and behold, FM was not far behind.  

It was a wonderful way to end our travels around Europe. Now we know where we want to return to and Rome is definitely on the return list.

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Flashback Fasching

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Germany on Saturday, 10 February, 2007| 2 Comments »

Fasching Party at Kindergarten 2003

At dinner the other night, we asked FG where she wanted to live next and she immediately answered with Germany. In fact, her wish would be to move back into the same duplex we lived in when we were in Neunkirchen. 

One of the things she enjoyed so much about Germany was all the fun traditions. Fasching was a favorite! Both her school and her dance class always had a fun costume party for the kids ~ in 2003, my FG was a princess but the next year she decided she’d rather be dressed as a pig! 

I didn’t participate in the adult festivities but I did observe a few “cutting of the men’s ties” on ‘Weiberfastnacht’ which is the women’s carnival night. On this day, it’s traditional for women to cut off the tie of any man and kiss any man they want to.

Hope everyone we know in Germany has a fun and festive Fasching!

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Flashback Friday Distant Snowy Memories

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Germany on Friday, 2 February, 2007| Leave a Comment »

Remembering our fun German snow-days: 

 

Bennett and Sport LOVED the snow and cold!

FG also loved winter weather and all the activities that go with the cold and snow: ice skating, skiing, sledding, etc.  Even FM and I have to admit, we enjoyed the really snowy days when everything was so white, clean and quiet!

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Flashback Friday ~ A Year Ago

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Germany on Friday, 19 January, 2007| Leave a Comment »

A year ago, I was spending the day with my friends, Ann and Mindy, who came to Würzburg for a visit. As always, I had a fun time with them. Ann and I worked closely together when I lived in Grafenwöhr and, no matter how busy or stressful things got, she always kept her wicked sense of humor. I’ve been lucky throughout my career to have worked with, and for, some very smart, competent and strong women. 

  

Ann and I in Würzburg, Germany

By moving every few years, I get to meet wonderful people but, on the flip side, it’s sad to say goodbye to such smart, fun and trustworthy friends. Thankfully, there’s e-mail, blogs and telephones we can use to keep in touch but I sure miss all my “girlfriends” a lot.

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Flashback Fridays ~ on a break

Posted in Flashback Fridays on Saturday, 23 December, 2006| Leave a Comment »

Due to the holidays, travel and visitors, Flashback Fridays will be on hold until after the new year.

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Flashback Friday ~ Grandma Betty

Posted in Favorite Girl, Flashback Fridays on Friday, 15 December, 2006| Leave a Comment »

When FM and I got married, we agreed to celebrate Christmas in our own home rather than travel during the holidays. It’s worked well for our family especially once FG arrived. She loves celebrating Christmas in her own home and we have many traditions. So many traditions that I’m having trouble keeping up with all of them. One of our Christmas traditions is my mom, Grandma Betty to FG, would come to our home and celebrate the holidays with us. My mom would travel to Germany, enduring the long flight and the cold, snowy weather to spend Christmas with us. Unfortunately, she won’t be coming this Christmas ~ at first it was because my in-laws will be visiting for Christmas and our house is too small for multiple visitors but now, my mom thinks the almost 24 hour flight time would be too much for her. As you can imagine, FG is very sad about this and continues to ask “When is Grandma Betty coming?”

We’ll have to start a new tradition where we visit Grandma Betty during a holiday so FG can have a new tradition ~ maybe the 4th of July!

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Flashback Friday ~ Two Dates Which Will Live In Infamy

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travel on Friday, 8 December, 2006| 3 Comments »

The December 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. was not limited to the Territory of Hawaii, but also the Territory of Guam and because of the International Date Line, the attacks occured on 7 December 1941 in Hawaii and on 8 December 1941 in Guam. In addition to Guam and Hawaii, the Japanese also attacked Wake Island and the Commonwealth of the Philippines.

Four hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked Guam and struck targets such as the USS Penguin and the Pan Am facilities. Before dawn on 10 December, shortly after Navy Governor Capt. George McMillan surrendered Guam to the Japanese, the flag of the Rising Sun was hoisted and Guam became part of the Japanese Empire. In true Japanese fashion, they changed the names of geographic locations. Guam became Omiya Jima, the Great Shrine Island and the capital city of Hagåtña became Akashi.

My mother, who lived on the Big Island of Hawaii and was only 6 years old at the time of the attacks, remembers having to black out the windows. They were not allowed turn on the lights after dark and were overall fearful of a ground invasion. Thankfully for Hawaii, the Japanese didn’t invade the islands like they did on Guam, the Philippines and Wake Island.

Many of the Japanese pilots who attacked that day thought the US had been notified by the Japanese diplomats that Japan was “Declaring War on the US” They felt dishonorable that they were involved in a sneak attack. The master planner of the attacks, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Admiral Yamamoto was a Harvard educated economist and, during his time in the US, learned of the fighting spirit of the United States citizens.  He couldn’t have been more accurate ~ our Nation became resolved to right the wrongs and not only did soldiers and sailors go off to war on two fronts but those back in the states became a part of the fight by rationing and recycling, not to mention Rosie the Riveter and war bonds.

I have to admit it’s a bit strange to visit the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor and be surrounded by Japanese visitors.

 

But I imagine it’s equally strange and awkward when the Japanese visit Nagasaki and Hiroshima and see Americans tourists there. It’s interesting to look back and to see how far we have come with our relations with the Japanese.  May we never forget but continue to forgive.

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Flashback Friday: My Favorite Beaches

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Hawaii, Lanai on Friday, 1 December, 2006| Leave a Comment »


Polihua Beach, Lanai

Having grown up in Hawaii and then moving to Puerto Rico, I’m ‘umbilically connected’ to the beach. I’ve been fortunate to have been to more than a few lovely, tropical beaches and it’s hard to pick favorites but here are the ones I think of whenever I see those “top ten” lists of favorite beaches:
1) Hapuna Beach, Big Island, Hawaii
2) Polihua Beach, Lanai, Hawaii
3) Savannah Bay Beach, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
4) Haputo Beach, Guam

There is one beach that I would actually like to live: Puako Beach on the Big Island. Since the average price of a home there is a million dollars, I’ll have to win the lottery before that will happen though 🙂

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Flashback Friday ~ Salzburg, Austria 2003

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Friday, 24 November, 2006| Leave a Comment »

In 2003, the day after a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with the Sims and the Martins, we caught an early morning train from Weiden,Germany to Salzburg, Austria. I almost cancelled because Bennett, our lab, had an eye infection and I didn’t want to leave him. Our neighbor, Stephanie, agreed to take him to the vet first thing in the morning and, much to FM’s relief, I reluctantly agreed to go.  Of course, I called several times that weekend to check Bennett’s medical status 🙂

Off we went to Mozart’s birthplace and the city where “The Sound of Music” was filmed.  There was a slight delay on our train ride ~ FM thought he had time to get a beer and a bratwurst in Regensburg where we had a 15 minute connection but the train took off without us.  He has yet to live that one down ~ FG likes to remind him about that ordeal everytime we take a train.

It was so cold the entire weekend but we walked the old city, road the incline to the castle and enjoyed all of it. We especially liked the gorgeous Christmas market which looked so magical at night with the lights shining bright.

Seems whatever city we’re in, the mimes are always so sweet to FG. This Salzburg mime was no exception:

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Flashback Friday St. Martin’s Day Parade

Posted in Favorite Girl, Flashback Fridays, Germany on Friday, 10 November, 2006| 1 Comment »

St. Martin’s Day Parade 2001



St. Martin’s Day Parade 2002

One of my favorite traditions while living in Germany was the annual St. Martin’s Day parade which took place every November. When FG started kindergarten in 2001, she was able to participate in her first parade. The children take weeks making their own lanterns and then on St. Martin’s day at sundown, they march in a parade through town re-enacting the legend of St. Martin.

The legend (and parade) goes something like this: A knight, wearing a red coat, on horseback, rides through the town with the children following behind with their lanterns and singing songs about St. Martin. There is a beggar walking alongside the horse. Once they arrive at the kindergarten, where the bonfire is, the beggar asks the knight (St. Martin) for help. St. Martin takes off his coat, cuts it in half and gives the beggar half of the coat to keep warm. Then, St. Martin gives the beggar bread for his hunger. More songs are sung by the children and it is a festive time for all.

After the play is done, everyone enjoys warm glühwine and bread. Every year, it was so cold and the glühwine was very warm and tasty.

The first year FG participated in the parade, she was only three and there was a REAL candle in her lantern. Needless to say, I worried the entire time about these fire hazards. Thankfully, no one burst into flames that year so I was much less neurotic during subsequent parades.

Each year, she made a new lantern which we still have. The kindergarten teachers were always so creative and patient when helping the children make their lanterns.  We’re  going to get the lanterns out of storage tomorrow for St. Martin’s Day and light them at dusk ~ just for old times sake. 

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