Well, we just shipped my Mom and Dad back home yesterday after 10 days here in Deutschland. Had an amazing time. Usually, Hulsen-family vacations have a strange likeness to the National Lampoon's Vacation Movies, but I think we survived this one unscathed. Yes, there may have been minor blunders along the way, but no one tried to hang my dad, so I’d call it a success. Never have I been so excited to see my parents. Yes, I miss them more than I’d like to admit, but the truth of the matter is that they got off the plane with a few bottles of duty-free scotch and an entire suitcase full of Midwest, corn-fed, fat, juicy steaks. Yippee! I’ve always thought that I really could be a vegetarian most days, just one minor problem--Fillet. And Rib eye. Oh, and New York Strip. Oooh, and Prime Rib.
The original idea was that my parents would come over and get us settled, but I think Mom knew that I’d need a little taste of home about this time. (Smart woman.) It was also really important to me that they get to know our area and feel comfortable here. You know, a home away from home. Well, within hours my mother had vacuumed my entire first floor (would have done more but the damn thing needed to be emptied) and my Dad had burned up our coffee grinder. Ah, Home Sweet Home.
My class kinda clipped our wings this week, so we spent the majority of the time close to home. Most days Mom and Dad would meet me in Regensburg for lunch after my class and we sightsee or do some shopping. Monday, I thought I’d take them around to show them some of Regensburg’s highlights. The Roman Wall from 179 A.D., the cathedral, the opera house, the stone bridge. You know, just a few things. Few hours later, they decided they were on “Heather’s Death March.” (Well, someone had to be a guinea pig! Might as well choose someone that’s required to love you.)
On Tuesday night my aunt and uncle that live here in Germany arrived as well. They brought the traditional German housewarming gifts of flour (in the shape of an apple cake) and salt (housed in automatic salt-n-pepper grinders.) Wednesday we biked all along the Regen River, which was just beautiful. And Thursday the whole gang—complete with Sue and Georg’s dog Xack biked to Regensburg to meet me for lunch.
We did get a little traveling in, though, this weekend. We decided to head into Prague to “Czech” it out. (Insert laugh track.) What an amazing city. It has got to make the short list of the most beautiful cities in the world. Amazing architecture that unbelievably survived the World Wars and Communism. The true highlight for me, though, was the music that seemed to be at every corner. A trio in the streets of the Old Town, a violinist at our dinner restaurant, a flautist on the steps of the castle—and all of them quite good. That night we took in a symphony concert featuring the Czech composers Smetana and Dvorak. It was wonderful to hear the music that they had written for this city. It moved me almost as much as my mom playing my piano back at home in our apartment. Almost, but not quite.
The original idea was that my parents would come over and get us settled, but I think Mom knew that I’d need a little taste of home about this time. (Smart woman.) It was also really important to me that they get to know our area and feel comfortable here. You know, a home away from home. Well, within hours my mother had vacuumed my entire first floor (would have done more but the damn thing needed to be emptied) and my Dad had burned up our coffee grinder. Ah, Home Sweet Home.
My class kinda clipped our wings this week, so we spent the majority of the time close to home. Most days Mom and Dad would meet me in Regensburg for lunch after my class and we sightsee or do some shopping. Monday, I thought I’d take them around to show them some of Regensburg’s highlights. The Roman Wall from 179 A.D., the cathedral, the opera house, the stone bridge. You know, just a few things. Few hours later, they decided they were on “Heather’s Death March.” (Well, someone had to be a guinea pig! Might as well choose someone that’s required to love you.)
On Tuesday night my aunt and uncle that live here in Germany arrived as well. They brought the traditional German housewarming gifts of flour (in the shape of an apple cake) and salt (housed in automatic salt-n-pepper grinders.) Wednesday we biked all along the Regen River, which was just beautiful. And Thursday the whole gang—complete with Sue and Georg’s dog Xack biked to Regensburg to meet me for lunch.
We did get a little traveling in, though, this weekend. We decided to head into Prague to “Czech” it out. (Insert laugh track.) What an amazing city. It has got to make the short list of the most beautiful cities in the world. Amazing architecture that unbelievably survived the World Wars and Communism. The true highlight for me, though, was the music that seemed to be at every corner. A trio in the streets of the Old Town, a violinist at our dinner restaurant, a flautist on the steps of the castle—and all of them quite good. That night we took in a symphony concert featuring the Czech composers Smetana and Dvorak. It was wonderful to hear the music that they had written for this city. It moved me almost as much as my mom playing my piano back at home in our apartment. Almost, but not quite.
1 comment:
Oh - I definitely want to see Prague when we come visit - now you've got me even more excited! We'll skip the death march though - just take Seamus and me straight to the beer gardens, thanks.
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