Friday, May 18, 2012

I'm Sorry, Mom (Part 1)

Today is the last day of the Bible Girl & the Bad Boy book launch.  You can see that HERE.  We've had over 65,000 entries so far!  I'm amazed. Also, today is the last day Bible Girl will be on sale for $.99 HERE: Bible Girl.
All right, Fishducky, take it away!

We have a friend who was a successful practicing psychiatrist.  He went back into the Army when he was in his 50’s so he could serve his country.  Also, because there was no war & the Army took him in as a full colonel & promised him travel, interesting work & an excellent retirement. (Iran held 52 Americans hostage from November, 1979 to January, 1981.  He debriefed them after their release.)  He was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany when we went to visit him & his wife.
    Germany is an absolutely beautiful country.  I don’t think I have ever seen so many shades of green in one place.  I don’t remember too much about Frankfurt except that there was beer everywhere & that it was much better than American beer.  I also remember that you couldn’t get a meal without kartoffeln (potatoes).This just popped into my mind—there was a street fair & an artist was drawing portraits.  She had a sign that translated into “One hour portrait in 5 minutes.”

      I try to buy a little “duck something” as a souvenir when we travel.  Usually I get a tiny figurine.  This is what I bought in Frankfurt.  It says, “liebe ist… zusammen die enten zu futtern”—“love is…feeding the ducks together”.

Photobucket



     One day they drove us on the autobahn to Garmisch-Partinkirchen.  I loved the speed!  Bud, not so much.  Garmisch is in the Bavarian Alps & is one of the most colorful places we’ve ever seen.  Stores hung an item next to a sign explaining what type of business it was.  A tailor might hang a replica of a sewing machine under a sign saying “Schneiden”.  A hardware store might have a sign saying “Werkzeuge” and a saw.  The ones that surprised us were the jewelers.  Over the door there would be a watch or a huge ring & the sign would read “Schmuck”.  (I’m surprised I couldn’t find a picture of that.)


Photobucket


     The balconies on the houses were full of flowers.  When we were there, they were mostly geraniums.  Many of the houses & shops were painted with scenes from operas or fairy tales.  This one that I took had scenes from “Little Red Riding Hood”.  There is no other word to describe them except CHARMING!
    We were crossing one of the streets in town when we had to stop to let these cows pass by.  A few minutes later, an old woman came riding in on a bike.  She went right up to the cow in front & starting bawling her out & shaking her finger in her face.  We found out later that she owned the cows & that every day at the same time she would let them out to graze.  When they were through they would return to the barn.  This day, however, they apparently decided to do some shopping.  Someone apparently told her they were in town & she came to get them.  I don’t speak German, but it wasn’t necessary in order to understand their conversation.  It was like she was talking to her child, saying, “Do you know how worried I was about you?  You could have been in an accident.  Don’t ever frighten me like that again!”  The cow looked directly in her face & mooed—you could almost hear, “I’m sorry, Mom.”  She got back on her bike & rode home, with her cows following her.

Photobucket

     We came back on the QE ll & toured New England & the gorgeous fall foliage, but that’s another story—or two.

    Auf wiedersehen----fishducky   

18 comments:

  1. There are many beautiful places in Germany. I was born in one of them. The funny thing about Germans that I have noticed living here in Norway and running a motel for a few years off the coast, is that we have so many German tourists here and they all love to say, I'm sorry. Go figure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't wait to go someday! The jewelry stores with "Schmuck" above the door is hysterical!!! The cows in town reminds me of something that just happened to us yesterday. We were eating dinner in our living room and all of a sudden, a whole bunch of horses ran down the road! It's a 4 lane, main road! No clue what it was all about but I'm guessing it had something to do with some travelers...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always loved going to Germany. As a kid I also loved their mountain slides. You got on a small sled thing that had wheels and a brake. You started at the top of the mountain and went all the way down. They warned us to slow on the turns but I remember this guy one time that didn't and he got burned. I mean really burned on his arm and face. lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't been to Europe, but I WILL go.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When we are no longer in a shared house, you are more than welcome to stay with us anytime! :)

      Delete
  5. Oh, goodness! The scolding the cows and them following her home on the bike--priceless!! I am still picturing this and giggling. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. To SIV MARIA, MAGGIE, MELYNDA, JANIE & RITA--Germany--& Garmisch in particular--should be on everybody's bucket list! The cow episode was a bonus!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations, Elisa on the great response! And fishducky -- you know I had closed down my internet when I remembered it is Friday and fishducky day! So back in I went and I'm so glad I did. I loved, loved, loved this post. The cow story is priceless, as is most of what you write, but I can so relate to that conversation. I was in Bavaria when I was visiting Germany for a summer when I was 12. My dad sent me away to spend a summer with business friends of his so I could get a head start on German, which we began to learn that following fall. I had a great time too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kara Inger--I'm so glad you liked it. Wasn't Bavaria beautiful?

      Delete
  8. Congratulations Elisa on the great response. Fishducky, I just wrote a long, long response to your post that got swallowed up by the Google Monster! I loved it, particularly the cow story, which I can really relate to. I don't dare to write more -- will try to post this now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful tour you've given us. This sounds so magical. I hope I'll get to travel someday ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I hope to get there someday! We'll see! Great story about the cows and I'm not sure about the speeding cars!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I liked the story too. We've been to Germany only in passing (airport layover) but hope to actually be able to take a visit there someday. You make is sound very pretty (and that house is really cute!).

    ReplyDelete
  12. To ELISA, NANCYGRACE & ROSEY--There's a great big AMAZING world out there! I wish everybody could get to see at least a few parts of it!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I had to laugh, Fishducky! Having been there, I know what you are talking about. Where we live, we once saw a farmer walking his herd on the catwalk over the autoroute. My sister was over here at the time, and she was sooo mad because she didn't have her camera! I live in France, but we enjoy going to Germany! It is only 2 hours away, and there is this GREAT town called Mettlach where they make Villeroy and Boch china! Love to go there and stroll through ther seconds store and the Christmas shop...and eat schnitzel and kartofellen salat at the restaurant! Fun post, girl!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Fishducky, you have had so a full, enriching life, traveling so many places and learning so much about different cultures. I'm so glad you share all these stories with us on Elise's blog. And I so liked seeing that sign of the tailor and the house exterior painted with scenes from "Little Red Riding Hood." What fun! Peace.

    ReplyDelete