Moo helps some more with homework

I'm just finishing up my Art History class. I don't know that I've ever spent so much time on a class before! This was an online class and it was read, read, read, then write, write, write all the time. I'm good at both, especially considering that this isn't my first (educational) rodeo; it's degree #3 for me. However, I foster a bit of an attitude about spending so much time on homework at this point because I also work full time and I don't need this degree -- it's just for personal enrichment.

I was whining in my head about spending a Saturday night at home and doing homework instead of attending a festival and watching fire spinners. Moo decided he would help me with homework to improve my mood. That involved climbing on me, putting his Moo bottom in my face, blocking the view of the laptop, changing the settings on my laptop since he was standing on the keyboard, trying to send my mom an email, and so on. I kicked him off my lap/laptop, so he jumped back on the couch from the other side. He then proceeded to paw at my expensive textbook (to make a "nest") and sat on the page I was trying to read. He is not the most helpful cat, but he thinks he is!

Going to quit my job and become an artist

I was doing research at the Pfalzgalerie for my Art History class and made a quick sketch of Carl Spitzweg's painting, Zeitungsleser im Hausgarten (newspaper reader in the garden).

Original:



Carl Spitzweg, Zeitungsleser im Hausgarten, ca. 1860.

 

Around the Wherever, Study of Zeitungsleser, 2013.

I think this sketch shows incredible talent and I should quit my day job and become an artist.


Or not.

Heidelberg: traffic lights even for the bike lanes!

Heidelberg is a city with many, many bikers. The sheer number of university students is a contributing factor. During a recent visit, I noticed that the bike lane even had its own small traffic light at an intersection. Cool, huh? Not all intersections are like that.

Fall at the Gartenschau, Kaiserslautern

Every fall, the Gartenschau (literally, "Garden show") puts together a thematic exhibit with pumpkins and other fall accoutrements. The Gartenschau is one of Kaiserslautern's main tourist attractions (besides the football/soccer stadium). As a giant park with lovely gardens, it's a pleasant place to visit for both residents and guests. Much of it is catered toward children, with a huge playground and even a skateboard park. Of course, one mustn't forget the huge display of dinosaur statues, too.

I stopped by for another annual event: the giant pumpkin contest. Local farmers truck in giant pumpkins for a competition. The winning pumpkin was 650 kilograms, or 1,433 pounds - what a big Bessie that one was. There was even a (friendly) unofficial competition between two of the entrants. It was a competition of who could grow the longest squash. It cracks me up how people will complete over seemingly anything!  A bonus of the weighing pumpkin fest is that it's outside of the Gartenschau's gates and is free to attend.

This week, I visited the Gartenschau itself. There were many pumpkin displays and 3D pumpkin sculptures; this year's theme was the (American) West.

The Gartenschau is open until October 31. There is a large playground, a skateboard park, snack stands, a gift shop, dinosaur sculptures, putt putt golf, and even a small restaurant up the hill. It makes for a nice visit.

Beneath the pavement: what German city streets look like when exposed

(Giggle) This sounds like some sort of investigative reporting piece. Alas, I am not that advanced; I'm just nosy.

Have you ever wondered what German streets look like below the street level? There is road construction throughout town now so of course I had to check it out (and take a picture). I had heard that German roads (and especially the Autobahn) are really deep. Indeed, it looks as if the top layer is at least 8 inches deep (by my rough estimate, eyeballing it). There is even a layer below that. I'm too lazy to look up how deep the pavement goes, but it's deeper than it tends to be in the States.

In my home state, Michigan, even though we get a lot more freezing and thawing than my little corner of Germany does, the depth of our paved roads is horribly pitiful compared to German roads. Perhaps that's why we have to repair them so often? Maybe Michigan should invest in higher quality roads with fewer repairs. Or, we just need to wait for winter and enough snow to fill in the potholes, I guess.

Pfälzisch Question Answered

I went out to dinner with some colleagues from another part of our institution and one member of the group is from this area and speaks the local German dialect, Pfälzisch. I had heard what sounds like (in English) "doe" being said around here and was curious about that. Our dining companion said that it's like the word "da" but they say "do" (I forgot to ask how it would be spelled so I'm guessing there; maybe it has an umlaut) and it means "there."

So, "do" you go.

How to search for Deutsche Bahn and bus connections in English

Even though my German is slowly (and painfully!) improving, I still don't enjoy navigating many of the public transportation websites for information about connections. My translation skills are weak and I have found that the English versions of the sites leave a lot out.

I have a really lazy solution: I usually figure out my trips using Google Maps. Under Get Directions, I click on the "By Public transit" image and type in my beginning and end points. It's great; I get the times, names and numbers of the buses/trains, and about how long it will take to arrive. I can choose timetables based on when I want to leave or arrive. Even better yet, the results are all in English!

Many readers might already know about this. It's a helpful hint to take a lot of the work out of finding directions, especially on public transportation.