puzumaki

I have finally picked up my Thaw story and added the next chapter. I am making some modifications to previous chapters based on recent revelations I hope will improve the plot. You can read any previous chapter of Thaw or go directly to Chapter Four: Descent.

I am also working on a new story that has the potential to be a series (if I ever get serious about writing and spend more than two hours every five months doing it). It is called The Sensitives and is set in turn of the 19^th century east coast area. A group of people have been gathered to resolve cases of hauntings. It is a combination of Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys detective work, supernatural abilities with a dash of voodoo, and a lot of character development (at least, one can hope). I have to get a bit more into the plotline and do a few revisions before I share it, but I do have a good feeling about it. I may even ask for some character drawing commissions! Makes it so much more fun when you can actually see your characters.

One of the final places my brother and sister-in-law wished to see before leaving Europe was Prague. We had difficulty acquiring transportation, so we had a trying time finding our way in the Czech Republic. The language is not the easiest to read… we finally arrived at our hotel around 2 a.m. Despite our short stay, we did enjoy it.

We left around 9 a.m. to see the castle, a unique and large structure. The gardens boasted a variety of trees and a view of the most identifiable cathedral inside the castle grounds. The castle itself is like a small city built in many eras of European architecture. Like a lego castle, really. The view of the city was the best.

Castle cathedral from castle gardens.

View of Prague from the castle.

We made our way through the shopping area along the riverside towards one of Prague’s famous bridges, Charles Bridge. Unbeknownst to me, Prague is a fantastic city for shopping. We did buy a colorful glass vase and a leather purse for me, but I wish we could have spent much more time to leisurely shop. Once to the bridge, we continued to shop at the artisan booths along the way.

Charles Bridge.

We amused ourselves with some of the architecture on our way to the Hard Rock Cafe (we have quite a vast collection of the glasses now), a new restaurant there (only a few weeks open). Afterwards, we walked through a market in a cozy plaza, then walked around the old Jewish quarter. It is mostly shops now (a lot of chandeliers and jewelry), but many synagogues and small signs of the World War II treatment of Jews were still visible.

With the sun setting, we walked along the river to the opera house before heading back to the hotel. It is a city I would like to visit again just to shop, like Paris.

Monument in front of opera house with castle in sunset.

When we first moved to Germany, my brother introduced us to many people and we made a lot of friends. It was a great help to have my brother here; he was able to help us settle in since he had already lived in Germany for several years. We had several barbecues over last summer, had some great times.

My brother and sister-in-law moved farther away shortly after that, so we didn’t see them as much. Then the first friend one left, and the next. In the fall, another one left. I found out about my disappearing job. Then the library director announced her new job. She left in March. My brother got orders a few months ago, and just last week moved back to the States. Another colleague at work just had her last day. And now two more friends are leaving for the States tomorrow.

Herr has been able to make some new friends going back to school and participating in the Sound of Music musical. For me, however, I just keep watching friends leave. Glad social networking sites exist, but I miss all my friends back in the States. In Madison, we had so much fun… I miss the terrace.*sigh*

Well, that’s a brief albeit not so happy update. Need to hold on tight to the friends I still have here. Oh, and someday I will get to posting about Prague and Edinburgh. Someday…

At the end of March (yes, I know, I have been busy), my parents and their good friend were able to visit us for a week. Since it was my father and their friend’s first time to Europe, we kept them busy. The first day here we had a large barbecue and played some Rock Band. After that, things went much faster.

Day 2: Paris
We caught the 6 a.m. train over to Paris and were lucky to get an entire compartment to ourselves there and back! In Paris, our first destination was the Eiffel Tower. The weather was turning unfriendly as we made it up, so we didn’t go to the very top. We had a nice French lunch right outside the L’Hotel des Invalides, where we saw some very interesting weapons and Napoleon’s tomb. Hopping a metro, we walked around Notre Dame and ate some expensive (but average) ice cream. With not much time left, we crossed the Seine and briefly walked around the pyramid at the Louvre, then caught the train back to Germany. We didn’t return until midnight, but we were able to get up early enough the next day for our trip to Luxembourg.

Eiffel Tower with Peace Monument in foreground
Chapel at the L’Hotel des Invalides
Notre Dame

Day 3: Luxembourg
Friday was our World War II history day. We split into two cars and made for the north eastern border of Luxembourg, where Vianden Castle sits. Vianden was a famous POW location, but they did not allow us to see any of the dungeons. After a tasty bite in the town, we drove to Luxembourg City, drove past the huge ruins in the middle of the city, then visited the American Cemetery in Hamm just south of the main city. General Patton is buried there, as well as a very nice war memorial. We thought about stopping by Trier on the way back, but in the end we all just needed sleep.

Vianden Castle
American Cemetery, Luxembourg

Day 4: Hohenzollern
We had a hard time getting started on Saturday, so we only got down to see Hohenzollern Castle. It was a very cold and wet day, and the castle was like a freezer! It was nice regardless, and we were able to take the puppies with us.

Hohenzollern Castle

Day 5: Baden Baden
Herr, my mom, and I went to taking a relaxing spa day in Baden Baden. My brother, dad, and friend went over to the technikmuseum to see tons of cars and other transportation fun stuff. Baden Baden is awesome! Highly recommended if you want some pampering done. We got a specialized treatment, but my mom highly recommends the public baths at Caracalla. They looked pretty nice from the cafe we had lunch at. Definitely a great break after rushing around.

Caracalla Spa

Day 6: Wurzburg
My brother used to be stationed near Wurzburg, so he took us over to show us some of his old haunts. Wurzburg’s palace is worth seeing, even though most of it was rebuilt after being nearly demolished in the war. It was neat to see the meticulous work done to repair it to its original grandeur. We walked around the shopping area and crossed one of its beautiful bridges, ate a lot of ice cream and food… I hurt so much.

Wurzburg Chapel

Day 7: Heidelberg
On the last day here, we finally took them downtown, saw the river and walked the shopping area a bit. Roo and I hung back while the rest went up to the castle. Had to take them to Vetter, and afterwards to look at the castle from the Old Bridge. We jumped through a few bars on the way back, so they could experience drinking from a boot and a horn.

We packed a lot into a week, but at the same time it was a bit more relaxed than we usually take it. lol We fit a lot into our trip to Scotland a few weeks after, but we didn’t walk nearly as much as we ate. I was very happy my parents were able to visit us.