puzumaki

A month ago we went to the Moselle valley area that could aptly be called the “valley of the castles”. According to our booklet, there are 18 castles including intact castles and ruins between the cities of Koblenz and Trier. As the photos reveal, the weather was drizzly and foggy, but it was still a great trip.

Our first stop was the Cochem Imperial Castle in Cochem. It sat above the town so the walk was difficult (especially in heels). We took a tour of this castle, and I would have to say is one of my favorites. It even has a haunting of a previous lady brutally murdered. Creepy!

Schloss from city street below.

View from Cochem schloss.

Our next stop was Pyrmont Castle. This was self-guided, and there was a wedding taking place while were looked around. It was comfy and smaller, nestled farther away from civilization. We walked up to the top of the tower for a great view of the foggy hillsides.

Pyrmont entrance.

Pyrmont kitchens.

View from Pyrmont terrace.

Eltz Castle was next. Eltz is unique in that it sits at the bottom of a valley and is still owned by the original family. The castle is formed of three different houses and is truly a must see castle. No indoor pictures allowed though. After the tour we checked out the treasury (it was okay, but the Residenz Palace in Munich was better).

Eltz Castle.

Eltz Castle.

We made one last stop at Thurant Castle on our way back. Thurant was half in ruins and consisted of two separate towers that merged. The view from this castle was the best; by that time of day the fog had lifted and the sun shone on the valley and river.

Thurant Castle.

Thurant Castle ruins.

Thurant Castle view.

Ever since my hard drive crashed, I have had a hard time getting back into the swing of things. I am actually considering buying a new computer. A Mac… I just don’t know. There are a lot of pros and cons.

The one I am thinking about is the iMac 24″. I don’t know, it seems too expensive for not having any Adobe products on it. I also want to pick up a macro lens for my camera, but to get one starts around $600. Maybe I just need to stop thinking about it.

The library here had the pleasure of hosting author and editor Andrew Carroll. I was able to attend his last lecture, and found it worthwhile. His area of expertise is in military history and specifically in personal accounts of the wars. Very relevant here, and he was a great speaker.

Afterwards I was invited to join him and some other people for dinner. I was torn on the matter, but in the end I was curious to see what conversation was like around a table of literature folks. Sadly, I am very shy meeting people, so most of the time I was awkward. He is a very cool guy though, I am just rusty on the social scene. We spoke mainly about entertainment and literature, as well as politics. A particular topic was Palin’s fiasco over banning books and firing people. Makes sense for the company around the table.

It was a good experience, even though I felt like a terrible drag. I am glad I tried it out, but I don’t know if I’ll be hanging out with the next big author that visits… unless I am more acquainted.

Seven years ago, I remember walking back from my morning class to have my roommate tell me the World Trade Center and Pentagon had planes fly into them. It was the first day in many years my school canceled the rest of classes. I remember being confused about why we went into Iraq when those responsible were in another country. Honestly, I am still flustered over it.

Not long after, my brother joined the Army. It was really hard by that point because I knew he would go to Iraq under the Bush administration. I asked him to wait, but he eventually deployed to Iraq. Of course, from home you can only think the worst things. He came back a little different, but it wore off.

Less than a year ago, I accepted a position with the Army as a civilian. For me, the job offered a great challenge and experience living outside the country (and Herr really wanted it). I thought maybe my motivation could make a difference, a positive change. So far, I haven’t accomplished anything to make that last sentence true. I hope to, still.

And now, just a few days ago, I found out my youngest brother has enlisted. He leaves for boot camp next week. At first I was angry. I had tried to dissuade him against it, seeing what happens here, how families are torn apart and divorce is incredibly common. What scares me most is what would happen if McCain became the next administration. He speaks a lot about war. Even though he has been a part of the current Congress, he has done little to improve the situation. And though my youngest brother will be assigned a better field than infantry, I don’t want to go through the emotional stress again. Now, when I think about it, I just cry.

So please send your good wishes for my youngest brother, his little girl, and his new wife. I hope his wife will understand my brother’s sacrifice and be there for him. So many aren’t strong enough in the end. Army strong.