Again, not the worst offenders, but pretty bad... especially the last one.
These guys like hats:
Black socks:
Yes, those are elbow patches, and yes, that is a bow tie:
Monday, September 29, 2008
Germans, worst dressers
These speak for themselves, although I just want to say that I'm sure I could fill the capacity of the internet with just bad pictures of people in my town, but it's hard to casually snap a picture of a mulleted kid in an acid-washed jean jacket when you're not in a touristy spot. So, these are from Rothenberg au der Taub, or something like that, which had lots of people taking lots of pictures, and I blended right in.
Again, not the worst offenders, but pretty bad... especially the last one.
These guys like hats:
Black socks:
Yes, those are elbow patches, and yes, that is a bow tie:
Again, not the worst offenders, but pretty bad... especially the last one.
These guys like hats:
Black socks:Yes, those are elbow patches, and yes, that is a bow tie:
Black Forest trip
Last month, we went to the Black Forest. We went again with Justin and Kimber a couple of weeks ago, and we'll probably post those pictures as well, so I thought I'd get these up so they would be somewhat chronological.
This is a big church/marketplace in Freiberg, "Gateway to the Black Forest." It is on the southern end of the forest area.
Veggies and stuff at the market:
We took a tram and then hiked up a little to get these views of the city. You can really see that the city sits right in the middle of the forest:
Afterward, we drove to another town where they had an open-air museum, with lots of little traditional huts in the Black Forest tradition. They were all big, wooden, and dark, and had an oppressive atmosphere that gave me some impression of the difficulty of just surviving 100 years ago. On a lighter note, here we are having dinner at the museum:
This is a big church/marketplace in Freiberg, "Gateway to the Black Forest." It is on the southern end of the forest area.
Veggies and stuff at the market:
We took a tram and then hiked up a little to get these views of the city. You can really see that the city sits right in the middle of the forest:
Afterward, we drove to another town where they had an open-air museum, with lots of little traditional huts in the Black Forest tradition. They were all big, wooden, and dark, and had an oppressive atmosphere that gave me some impression of the difficulty of just surviving 100 years ago. On a lighter note, here we are having dinner at the museum:
We went to Luxembourg!
On the spur of the moment! I guess being in the Army does have some perks, but don't be too jealous. Poor Joel was in a combat zone almost a year to make this happen.
Shopping area, with lots of Luxembourg flags:
Joel with the "old town" behind him:
Big bridge connecting the two halves of the city:
Market day:
Aidan loves any city that has ice cream:
Shopping area, with lots of Luxembourg flags:
Joel with the "old town" behind him:
Big bridge connecting the two halves of the city:
Market day:
Aidan loves any city that has ice cream:
How to Make Pesto- yummy, yummy pesto!
We lived in Italy for over a year, and I never posted any recipes or anything... just plain rude, if you ask me. So, here I will offer you some help in this area. I tried this basic pesto recipe from 101 Cookbooks, which is OK but she uses a lot of ingredients not available at my local commissary. This one was pretty simple, though, and I took pictures to add my two cents. It came out really well, so please try this at home and let me know how you like it!
1. Print out recipe from 101 Cookbooks (link here, again). You do not need a "mezzaluna," just use a big vegetable-chopping-type knife.
2. Tear up your basil. Instead of buying the fresh basil in the packages, I thought I'd go ahead and buy some plants- renewable and cheaper! These were, like, $3 over here- not sure what these are running back in the U.S. of A. these days. So, see how much I used? It seemed like a lot, but it made about 6 portions (from one plant).
3. Wash and spin.
4. Now, here I forgot to take some pictures. I did lots and lots of chopping, of basil and pine nuts and then more basil and more nuts. I added some olive oil, and then tossed with gnocchi and topped with Parmesan. Here is the final product:
1. Print out recipe from 101 Cookbooks (link here, again). You do not need a "mezzaluna," just use a big vegetable-chopping-type knife.
2. Tear up your basil. Instead of buying the fresh basil in the packages, I thought I'd go ahead and buy some plants- renewable and cheaper! These were, like, $3 over here- not sure what these are running back in the U.S. of A. these days. So, see how much I used? It seemed like a lot, but it made about 6 portions (from one plant).
3. Wash and spin.
4. Now, here I forgot to take some pictures. I did lots and lots of chopping, of basil and pine nuts and then more basil and more nuts. I added some olive oil, and then tossed with gnocchi and topped with Parmesan. Here is the final product:
Ava's room
I posted pictures of Aidan's room, but not Ava's- sorry for the oversight! Aidan said the other day, "I don't like Ava's room. Everybody sees it and says, 'Cute!' and then they don't think my room is cute." I can't believe my four year old is jealous of his sister's room decor, of all things.
So, starting with her door. Aidan made this for her shopping cart- like a license plate, I guess- but it was getting torn up so I put it on her door. I asked, "How did you know how to spell 'Ava'?" and he said, "Oh, I see you write it all of the time." Well, he almost got it right.
This is the window- if you go in her room, this is straight ahead. I know the picture is dark- use your imagination:
Here is the wall to the left. I have a picture in that empty frame now!
The wall to the right- I have new pictures in these frames.
OK, that's it! I made her a quilt (my first, ever) but that will have to wait for camera repairs, or Joel to have free time. Not sure which will be sooner...sigh.
So, starting with her door. Aidan made this for her shopping cart- like a license plate, I guess- but it was getting torn up so I put it on her door. I asked, "How did you know how to spell 'Ava'?" and he said, "Oh, I see you write it all of the time." Well, he almost got it right.
This is the window- if you go in her room, this is straight ahead. I know the picture is dark- use your imagination:
Here is the wall to the left. I have a picture in that empty frame now!
The wall to the right- I have new pictures in these frames.
OK, that's it! I made her a quilt (my first, ever) but that will have to wait for camera repairs, or Joel to have free time. Not sure which will be sooner...sigh.
Sorry, I broke the camera.
So, that pretty much explains the lack of posts lately. I have to wait for Joel to upload the pictures he takes with his phone- which I am not allowed to touch, and really can't complain about since I have lost 2 phones and now broken the camera- to photobucket or whatever, before I can write posts. Because, really, who would read this crap without all the cute pictures?!?
But, I do have some old pictures I didn't post yet, so now I will get to work posting them. Right now.
But, I do have some old pictures I didn't post yet, so now I will get to work posting them. Right now.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Halloween Super Costume Fun!
We're getting ramped up for Halloween at the Springer house. It's one of our favorite holidays. Since we're overseas, the costume selection is limited to what's at the on-post Army store. And that's pretty poor. So we turn to the interwebs to find costumes for the kids and us.
As we were looking around for something cute for the kids, we found some unusual specimens out there. First up, the "plus-size" costumes. Now, I'm not just making fun of fatties. I realize that fat people want to participate in Halloween too, and they need a costume just like everyone else. However, here's a plus-size costume that truly, truly horrifies me:
Ughhn! This is the "Be My Baby Jammies Plus Size Blue Adult" costume. Horrifying. It's available from Buycostumes.com, and includes the "Got Milk" bib. Yuck.
Next up are baby costumes. Now there's a ton of cute baby costumes out there: animals, little superheroes, little fruits. Here's one particular costume that I wanted to share just because the kid's face tells a whole story:
If I had to caption this photo, it'd have to be "who farted?". Priceless.
As we were looking around for something cute for the kids, we found some unusual specimens out there. First up, the "plus-size" costumes. Now, I'm not just making fun of fatties. I realize that fat people want to participate in Halloween too, and they need a costume just like everyone else. However, here's a plus-size costume that truly, truly horrifies me:
Ughhn! This is the "Be My Baby Jammies Plus Size Blue Adult" costume. Horrifying. It's available from Buycostumes.com, and includes the "Got Milk" bib. Yuck.
Next up are baby costumes. Now there's a ton of cute baby costumes out there: animals, little superheroes, little fruits. Here's one particular costume that I wanted to share just because the kid's face tells a whole story:
If I had to caption this photo, it'd have to be "who farted?". Priceless.
Copyright Infringement?
Today we were at MediaWorld (think German Best Buy) over in Mannheim, looking for someone to repair our camera. Jessica had accidentally dropped it on our trip to Burgundy and it broke. When I asked at the service counter, the the Germans said they could repair it, but to the tune of €150. Thanks, but no thanks Fritz.
Anyway, right next to the service counter at there was a life size cut out of this strange dude:
WTF, right? My german is a little rusty, but the phrase "Das kauf ich euch ab" translates to something like "I buy that you on". What does that mean? I have no idea.
Who's idea was this? Does this seem like it'd be a great ad campaign? But after looking at this guy for a while, it struck me that I've seen this guy's look before. Does this face ring a bell??
Napoleon Dynamite? Is that you? I guess that Napoleon Dynamite sequel never panned out like he'd hoped. At least he's working.
Anyway, right next to the service counter at there was a life size cut out of this strange dude:
WTF, right? My german is a little rusty, but the phrase "Das kauf ich euch ab" translates to something like "I buy that you on". What does that mean? I have no idea.
Who's idea was this? Does this seem like it'd be a great ad campaign? But after looking at this guy for a while, it struck me that I've seen this guy's look before. Does this face ring a bell??
Napoleon Dynamite? Is that you? I guess that Napoleon Dynamite sequel never panned out like he'd hoped. At least he's working.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
We're from the government...
And we're here to help you.
The caption is mine, but I'm sure someone can think of a funnier one. Any suggestions? I also played around with making a joke about "zero tolerance" gun laws in schools, but the punchline escaped me.
The funniest thing about the picture is that it was included (without caption) as part of a Powerpoint slide show from my office. It was part of the splash page at the end of the presentation intended, I suppose, to illustrate what a great job we're doing fighting the war. The other pictures were a guy jumping out of an airplane and a guy aiming his rifle at the camera.
Also, aside from bringing heavy firearms into a classroom of ten year olds, was it really necessary for them to wear the helmets and body armor? Just what are they expecting to happen in this classroom? Would it have been such a big deal to leave the helmets and body armor in the truck with a guard when they're visiting the school? And for full disclosure: I have been deployed to Iraq. I'm not just some dude spouting off on a subject that I have no experience with.
The caption is mine, but I'm sure someone can think of a funnier one. Any suggestions? I also played around with making a joke about "zero tolerance" gun laws in schools, but the punchline escaped me.
The funniest thing about the picture is that it was included (without caption) as part of a Powerpoint slide show from my office. It was part of the splash page at the end of the presentation intended, I suppose, to illustrate what a great job we're doing fighting the war. The other pictures were a guy jumping out of an airplane and a guy aiming his rifle at the camera.
Also, aside from bringing heavy firearms into a classroom of ten year olds, was it really necessary for them to wear the helmets and body armor? Just what are they expecting to happen in this classroom? Would it have been such a big deal to leave the helmets and body armor in the truck with a guard when they're visiting the school? And for full disclosure: I have been deployed to Iraq. I'm not just some dude spouting off on a subject that I have no experience with.
Happy 9/11
Today's the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
I had written about it last year as well, but then I was more disgusted with the fact that it was buried in the media next to the Paris Hilton/Lindsey Lohan horse shit that was leading most of the major news outlets.
This year I'd just like to recap the state of things seven years since the attacks:
+4100 US casualties as a result of our invasion of Iraq
No clear timeline or conditions for withdrawal of troops from Iraq
The largest opium poppy harvest on record in occupied Afghanistan
Federal agencies most likely won't be held accountable for their illegal wiretapping activities on innocent US civilians
An estimated cost of three trillion dollars to the US taxpayer
Not even a whiff of the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden
Happy 9/11 America!
I had written about it last year as well, but then I was more disgusted with the fact that it was buried in the media next to the Paris Hilton/Lindsey Lohan horse shit that was leading most of the major news outlets.
This year I'd just like to recap the state of things seven years since the attacks:
+4100 US casualties as a result of our invasion of Iraq
No clear timeline or conditions for withdrawal of troops from Iraq
The largest opium poppy harvest on record in occupied Afghanistan
Federal agencies most likely won't be held accountable for their illegal wiretapping activities on innocent US civilians
An estimated cost of three trillion dollars to the US taxpayer
Not even a whiff of the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden
Happy 9/11 America!
Dude, I'm so wasted!
At my work, there's this giant picture outside the one of the boss' offices that is a composite of all the soldiers in his company. It's like a giant class photo. I walk by it probably ten times a day and never really pay it much mind. Almost all of the pictures fall into two categories:
1. Guys trying to make the "hardened" face, revealing just how tough they are.
2. Guys making a normal smiling picture face.
The other day I spotted this dude in the mix and I had to take a picture:
What happened with this guy? Did he just finish drinking the bong-water? Is he drunk? He looks like Jim Breuer after a particularly bad bender. What must be tough for this guy is that every day he has to walk by this giant photograph posted in the hall and face down this image. Bleh.
The lesson here is to always be mindful of who's taking your picture. You never know where it's going to end up.
1. Guys trying to make the "hardened" face, revealing just how tough they are.
2. Guys making a normal smiling picture face.
The other day I spotted this dude in the mix and I had to take a picture:
What happened with this guy? Did he just finish drinking the bong-water? Is he drunk? He looks like Jim Breuer after a particularly bad bender. What must be tough for this guy is that every day he has to walk by this giant photograph posted in the hall and face down this image. Bleh.
The lesson here is to always be mindful of who's taking your picture. You never know where it's going to end up.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Justin's Film
So my brother Justin got back from his second tour in Iraq, dropped his paperwork to get out of the Army, moved to Austin, and has started making his first film. It's a documentary about traumatic brain injury in soldiers returning from the war. His website went live a couple of weeks ago, but he just got some of the final kinks worked out of it recently. The movie is called "Along Recovery" and he's in the early production stages right now. Go to the site and you can watch a 5-minute preview reel. It's not like you don't have 5 minutes to spare if you're reading this drivel.
If you really want to "support our troops", then go to his Donate page and cough up a few shekels. Justin's a 2-time veteran who's trying to tell a story about this war and the thousands of unsung soldiers that will bear a lifetime of pain and suffering for their actions downrange.
Or you could just buy a "We support our troops" yellow ribbon magnet to stick on the back of your SUV. I know I feel totally supported when you do that. /sarcasm
If you really want to "support our troops", then go to his Donate page and cough up a few shekels. Justin's a 2-time veteran who's trying to tell a story about this war and the thousands of unsung soldiers that will bear a lifetime of pain and suffering for their actions downrange.
Or you could just buy a "We support our troops" yellow ribbon magnet to stick on the back of your SUV. I know I feel totally supported when you do that. /sarcasm
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Fixed that for you
I was checking my mail this afternoon at the post office. Nothing special. On my way out the door I spotted this sign and it stopped me cold.
"Consistent Excellence"? O RLY? Of all the phrases to misspell, they had to pick that one.
If it's hard to make out what's going on in that picture, I'll spell it out for you. They've misspelled "consistent" as "consistant". Fortunately, some brave typo corrector has placed a small piece of tape over the offending A and written a little E on it. Disaster averted!
"Consistent Excellence"? O RLY? Of all the phrases to misspell, they had to pick that one.
If it's hard to make out what's going on in that picture, I'll spell it out for you. They've misspelled "consistent" as "consistant". Fortunately, some brave typo corrector has placed a small piece of tape over the offending A and written a little E on it. Disaster averted!
Monday, August 25, 2008
This Job Stinks
Alternate Title: "This Place is (near) the Dumps"
So I work in a dump. And by that I don't mean that things are worn and/or broken down around my office. I mean that there is a dump right outside the place that I work. It's not a straight up "landfill", but it's pretty close. Here's the bird's eye with my office in relation to the dump. My office is the helicopter, the dump is the red hazard sign. After that is a close-up of the dump itself. Pretty good resolution around here. You can almost see the rats.
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
Anyway, I'm about 3/4 of a mile from the dump and on a hot day (like today), you'd think it was right out my window. For some reason, the wind almost always blows northeast around here, placing us upwind from the stench.
Let's say you lived and worked in the dump, or perhaps a sewage treatment plant. So every minute of every living day you'd smell the unrelenting stink of decaying refuse and/or human feces. After a certain period of time, you've got to become immune to it, right? The same way that you don't notice the smell of your house unless you leave on an extended vacation, then come back to realize that your house has a particular odor that you've just gotten used to. In the same vein, the stench of crap and trash would just become part of your smell landscape. You'd stop noticing it. Assuming that to be the case, then would you every think anything smells bad? If you forget to take out your trash, or an egg rolls under your counter and starts rotting, would you notice the smell? Would a different kind of stench register with you, like a skunk? Or would your sense of smell just become dulled? Would you be able to enjoy a pleasant smell, like fresh baked bread or flowers, while living in the foul air everyday?
It doesn't smell bad enough here for me to conduct an objective observation, but maybe I can get the Germans who work at the dump to help me out.
So I work in a dump. And by that I don't mean that things are worn and/or broken down around my office. I mean that there is a dump right outside the place that I work. It's not a straight up "landfill", but it's pretty close. Here's the bird's eye with my office in relation to the dump. My office is the helicopter, the dump is the red hazard sign. After that is a close-up of the dump itself. Pretty good resolution around here. You can almost see the rats.
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
Anyway, I'm about 3/4 of a mile from the dump and on a hot day (like today), you'd think it was right out my window. For some reason, the wind almost always blows northeast around here, placing us upwind from the stench.
Let's say you lived and worked in the dump, or perhaps a sewage treatment plant. So every minute of every living day you'd smell the unrelenting stink of decaying refuse and/or human feces. After a certain period of time, you've got to become immune to it, right? The same way that you don't notice the smell of your house unless you leave on an extended vacation, then come back to realize that your house has a particular odor that you've just gotten used to. In the same vein, the stench of crap and trash would just become part of your smell landscape. You'd stop noticing it. Assuming that to be the case, then would you every think anything smells bad? If you forget to take out your trash, or an egg rolls under your counter and starts rotting, would you notice the smell? Would a different kind of stench register with you, like a skunk? Or would your sense of smell just become dulled? Would you be able to enjoy a pleasant smell, like fresh baked bread or flowers, while living in the foul air everyday?
It doesn't smell bad enough here for me to conduct an objective observation, but maybe I can get the Germans who work at the dump to help me out.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Jokes and Jokes and Jokes and Jokes
Joel says a lot of really funny things when we're just hanging out at home, alone, with no audience, so I wanted to give him some credit. Here's what you've all been missing out on while he's stuck in the Army instead of on his comedy club tour.
Last night, I was reading a guidebook for our upcoming trip to France. Innocently, I decided to share some interesting information with Joel, and this is the following dialog:
me: Joel, it says here that if the royal family of Monaco runs out of male heirs, the country will become part of France again.
Joel: Yeah, I already knew that.
me: What?! WHERE did you possibly hear that, Monaco Heirs Magazine??
Joel: No, I think it was Modern Male Heirs of Monaco Monthly Magazine. Or, M²HM³.
Ha ha! It turns out that he was thinking of something else I told him (see, I'm, full of information!) about San Marino, an Italian microstate. I had heard somewhere that the country was full of wealthy old men, and that the government had made some restrictions about the men marrying foreign gold-digging women. However, I did not find any support for this online, so it's probably fake. Oh, well.
Last night, I was reading a guidebook for our upcoming trip to France. Innocently, I decided to share some interesting information with Joel, and this is the following dialog:
me: Joel, it says here that if the royal family of Monaco runs out of male heirs, the country will become part of France again.
Joel: Yeah, I already knew that.
me: What?! WHERE did you possibly hear that, Monaco Heirs Magazine??
Joel: No, I think it was Modern Male Heirs of Monaco Monthly Magazine. Or, M²HM³.
Ha ha! It turns out that he was thinking of something else I told him (see, I'm, full of information!) about San Marino, an Italian microstate. I had heard somewhere that the country was full of wealthy old men, and that the government had made some restrictions about the men marrying foreign gold-digging women. However, I did not find any support for this online, so it's probably fake. Oh, well.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Uncle Rico? Is that you?
How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?
I was riding my bike home when I passed this van. I got about 50 feet down the road before I realized that I had better take a picture or it was going to be near impossible to describe it properly. I mean, where do you even start?
"It's a purple van, but it's got this crazy custom paint job and it looks like it's busting through a wall. But for some reason there's a girl sprawled across the hood. Except she's a ghost or something, because she doesn't have any legs. Oh, and she's got claws like Wolverine. And then on the sides there's some graphic design like a blue lightning bolt mixed with a checkered flag, 'cause this sweet ride is taking the pole position."
I have no other explaination other than, "WTF Germany!"
I was riding my bike home when I passed this van. I got about 50 feet down the road before I realized that I had better take a picture or it was going to be near impossible to describe it properly. I mean, where do you even start?
"It's a purple van, but it's got this crazy custom paint job and it looks like it's busting through a wall. But for some reason there's a girl sprawled across the hood. Except she's a ghost or something, because she doesn't have any legs. Oh, and she's got claws like Wolverine. And then on the sides there's some graphic design like a blue lightning bolt mixed with a checkered flag, 'cause this sweet ride is taking the pole position."
I have no other explaination other than, "WTF Germany!"
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Germany WTF??!?
So I've been thinking about splitting off and starting a new blog that focuses on the wacky and f-ed up things that we come across in Germany. Jessica talked me out of it, but I'd like to submit this finding to our audience.
We live in Mannheim and it's a good sized city. We get pretty big-name bands coming through here. REM, Linkin Park, Stevie Wonder. So there's no shortage of the band posters around the streets advertising the shows that are coming up. Now, every band that comes around can't be REM. There's got to be some B-listers that come through M-town too. And those B-listers have their own posters plastered around town as well. And this post is about one of them.
So apparently there's a German techno group floating around called Lexy and K-Paul. Let me start by saying that I'm not a "techno" guy. I don't really "get" it. I've tried to listen to it, and I enjoy it on a extremely superficial level. I can dance to it, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about house, jungle, drum & bass, trance, etc. I know there's supposed to be some sort of distinction between those, and even with the great B.K. trying to explain it to me, I'm totally at a loss to tell the difference. That being said, these two clowns may be the next greatest techno DJ group to come out of Germany. But I doubt it.
Anyway, they're coming to Mannheim soon. And there's these posters up all over town hawking their show. The picture on this poster has really bugged me for the last couple of days. I don't get what it is they're going for. I've got the picture, minus all the show data. I guess it came off their latest CD "Ponyboy".
Why are they in their underwear? Why are they wearing feathered headbands? Why (and this might be the part that I don't understand the most) are they in that ridiculous "prancing" pose? Are they gay? That would explain a lot, except that I don't think that's the case. I think the explanation is a little case of "WTF Germany"?!?!
We live in Mannheim and it's a good sized city. We get pretty big-name bands coming through here. REM, Linkin Park, Stevie Wonder. So there's no shortage of the band posters around the streets advertising the shows that are coming up. Now, every band that comes around can't be REM. There's got to be some B-listers that come through M-town too. And those B-listers have their own posters plastered around town as well. And this post is about one of them.
So apparently there's a German techno group floating around called Lexy and K-Paul. Let me start by saying that I'm not a "techno" guy. I don't really "get" it. I've tried to listen to it, and I enjoy it on a extremely superficial level. I can dance to it, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about house, jungle, drum & bass, trance, etc. I know there's supposed to be some sort of distinction between those, and even with the great B.K. trying to explain it to me, I'm totally at a loss to tell the difference. That being said, these two clowns may be the next greatest techno DJ group to come out of Germany. But I doubt it.
Anyway, they're coming to Mannheim soon. And there's these posters up all over town hawking their show. The picture on this poster has really bugged me for the last couple of days. I don't get what it is they're going for. I've got the picture, minus all the show data. I guess it came off their latest CD "Ponyboy".
Why are they in their underwear? Why are they wearing feathered headbands? Why (and this might be the part that I don't understand the most) are they in that ridiculous "prancing" pose? Are they gay? That would explain a lot, except that I don't think that's the case. I think the explanation is a little case of "WTF Germany"?!?!
Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
We've been taking weekend day-trips the past couple of weekends as a way to see a lot of Europe on the cheap. It's been working out pretty good, and we've been able to see the Black Forest, Luxembourg, and now Trier.
Trier is nestled in the south-west corner of Germany, near Luxembourg. It prides itself as being "Germany's Oldest City", claiming to be founded by the Romans in or before 16 BC. That's pre-Jesus!! Every year they host Germany's largest Roman festival during the summer. We saw it mentioned in the local "what's going on" circular that the army puts out for the troops and decided to hit it up.
We arrived in the afternoon and headed toward the old "arena" that dates backs to the Romans. Here's an aerial shot from the Google:
View Larger Map
So we get our tickets and head into the arena. It's pretty cool looking and the only thing really negative about it is that it's filled with Germans. Seriously, they're starting to annoy me with their... German-ness? Even though I usually abhor anecdotal stories to make a judgment over something, I'll relay a little story to you from the Romanfest:
There's a little tent set up where they're selling concessions for the show. Nothing crazy; beers, sodas, fries, brats. The line is about 10 deep, but we're thirsty and I cue up to wait my turn. I get up to the front and I'm about 2 back from ordering. Suddenly, a couple of fat, old Germans (is there any other kind?) sidle up into the line in front of some kids that were in line in front of me. I voice my objection, but they kind of ignore me. Fortunately, who should come to my aid but some oddly-mustached German guy behind me. He had a long waxed mustached, a little like this guy:
So he hears me and reaches over and taps the rude German on the shoulder to get his attention. He yells something to him, I assume about how the line is behind us and who does he think he is to cut in front of us. Fatty acts flustered and pretends that he didn't know that he was supposed to be in line. This is a classic German move that they pull if you catch them doing something that they shouldn't. So finally the line moves forward and we get up to the front. As the girl at the counter is finishing up with the last order, I quickly jump the gun and yell my order at her before she has the chance to ask. It kind of throws the counter girl and the fatty off. She looks at fatty, as if to say "who's next?" Fatty insists that he's the next guy in line but I interrupt him and tell the counter girl that I am indeed next guy in line since fatty cut in. My good looks and confidence played out, and the girl serves me my drink. Better luck next time, fattius!
So once we get to our seats and settles, the show starts. Now, we had been hyping up this show to Aidan for a couple of days. We were telling him about gladiators and all the fighting that was going to be going on during this "Gladiatorial Spectacular" (That's what they billed it as on their website!). But when the show starts, there's a couple of things wrong. 1) There's no gladiators anywhere to be seen. Just some dudes in Roman robes. 2) They're speaking German. I totally understand that I'm in Germany, and that's to be expected. However, I wasn't expecting this to be a drama of some sort with lots of dialog to shift through. I just wanted to go in and see some gladiator fights. 3) Holy shit, it's 15 minutes into this thing and they've had a freaking musical number, but not one gladiator.
Aidan is starting to get antsy. "Where's the fighting?," he wants to know. "It's coming, just be patient," I try to assure him. But I'm getting a little worried myself. It's only a matter of time before he starts to hit me with the dreaded, "This is BORING!"
Fortunately, the fates smile on us and out come about 10 or 15 gladiators. I'll give it to them, they're costumes were pretty cool. So finally, they start with some fighting and Aidan is satisfied. They started with some practice bouts, with wooden swords, and then worked up to the full armor and swords. I managed to get some pretty decent video of the matches. Just so you know, the music wasn't my addition; that's what they were playing there.
Trier is nestled in the south-west corner of Germany, near Luxembourg. It prides itself as being "Germany's Oldest City", claiming to be founded by the Romans in or before 16 BC. That's pre-Jesus!! Every year they host Germany's largest Roman festival during the summer. We saw it mentioned in the local "what's going on" circular that the army puts out for the troops and decided to hit it up.
We arrived in the afternoon and headed toward the old "arena" that dates backs to the Romans. Here's an aerial shot from the Google:
View Larger Map
So we get our tickets and head into the arena. It's pretty cool looking and the only thing really negative about it is that it's filled with Germans. Seriously, they're starting to annoy me with their... German-ness? Even though I usually abhor anecdotal stories to make a judgment over something, I'll relay a little story to you from the Romanfest:
There's a little tent set up where they're selling concessions for the show. Nothing crazy; beers, sodas, fries, brats. The line is about 10 deep, but we're thirsty and I cue up to wait my turn. I get up to the front and I'm about 2 back from ordering. Suddenly, a couple of fat, old Germans (is there any other kind?) sidle up into the line in front of some kids that were in line in front of me. I voice my objection, but they kind of ignore me. Fortunately, who should come to my aid but some oddly-mustached German guy behind me. He had a long waxed mustached, a little like this guy:
So he hears me and reaches over and taps the rude German on the shoulder to get his attention. He yells something to him, I assume about how the line is behind us and who does he think he is to cut in front of us. Fatty acts flustered and pretends that he didn't know that he was supposed to be in line. This is a classic German move that they pull if you catch them doing something that they shouldn't. So finally the line moves forward and we get up to the front. As the girl at the counter is finishing up with the last order, I quickly jump the gun and yell my order at her before she has the chance to ask. It kind of throws the counter girl and the fatty off. She looks at fatty, as if to say "who's next?" Fatty insists that he's the next guy in line but I interrupt him and tell the counter girl that I am indeed next guy in line since fatty cut in. My good looks and confidence played out, and the girl serves me my drink. Better luck next time, fattius!
So once we get to our seats and settles, the show starts. Now, we had been hyping up this show to Aidan for a couple of days. We were telling him about gladiators and all the fighting that was going to be going on during this "Gladiatorial Spectacular" (That's what they billed it as on their website!). But when the show starts, there's a couple of things wrong. 1) There's no gladiators anywhere to be seen. Just some dudes in Roman robes. 2) They're speaking German. I totally understand that I'm in Germany, and that's to be expected. However, I wasn't expecting this to be a drama of some sort with lots of dialog to shift through. I just wanted to go in and see some gladiator fights. 3) Holy shit, it's 15 minutes into this thing and they've had a freaking musical number, but not one gladiator.
Aidan is starting to get antsy. "Where's the fighting?," he wants to know. "It's coming, just be patient," I try to assure him. But I'm getting a little worried myself. It's only a matter of time before he starts to hit me with the dreaded, "This is BORING!"
Fortunately, the fates smile on us and out come about 10 or 15 gladiators. I'll give it to them, they're costumes were pretty cool. So finally, they start with some fighting and Aidan is satisfied. They started with some practice bouts, with wooden swords, and then worked up to the full armor and swords. I managed to get some pretty decent video of the matches. Just so you know, the music wasn't my addition; that's what they were playing there.
Friday, August 08, 2008
What's Aidan been up to?
Again, funny you should ask!
Here he is, trying to steal Ava's popsicle, after he had finished his own:
We've been going to this summer reading program on post, and as part of it, they had a kids' photography contest. Aidan won third prize, a DVD. Here he is with the post commander and Sargent major, accepting his "Pocahontas" DVD:
Here is the picture that won the prize (it was a bug-themed reading program):
And here he is, pretending to be a very, very serious waiter:
Spending quality time with dad:
Here he is, trying to steal Ava's popsicle, after he had finished his own:
We've been going to this summer reading program on post, and as part of it, they had a kids' photography contest. Aidan won third prize, a DVD. Here he is with the post commander and Sargent major, accepting his "Pocahontas" DVD:
Here is the picture that won the prize (it was a bug-themed reading program):
And here he is, pretending to be a very, very serious waiter:
Spending quality time with dad:
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