Oh dear! What have I done

 

oh dear, what have I done

When I am in town, I spend Saturday morning's at the Ramstein flea market, an old brick building that has maybe 10-15 vendors. It has cement floors and regardless the weather it is chilly but it is enclosed (a plus for rainy days) and there is an air of community, friendship, familiarity and a really outstanding cafe. I go with my friend Z, and we always stay long enough so we can enjoy an early lunch of rot-wurst, pomme frittes and cola. We have our favorite "room" where we eat, furnished with a traditional German wrap-around wood boothe and colorful table cloth. There is a wood stove, old dolls, wash boards, bright tins from the early 1900's, ashtrays. The woman who runs the cafe ( I need to learn her name ) thinks I understand German, and looks to me for translation whenever Z says anything. I frankly don't know what either one of them are saying half of the time (Z slips into ebonics) but it always works out. We order, go to our room, and the food appears. A beautiful Saturday morning.

Today was no different. Except that I made an impulsive purchase. Keep in mind, I have not even unpacked my recently purchase Cuckoo Clock in case I need to ship it to the states, should I not have a job in 6 weeks. But, I saw this table and I absolutely loved it. It is 150 years old, 44x34 inches, one drawer on the end, and it has leaves that pull out for additional space. There are no nails, just a beautifully constructed piece of furniture.

I have a table and I have chairs...from Denmark, which I bought on the virtual flea market, Ramstein Yard Sales. It is fine. A little modern but it works. I don't need a table!

Somehow, we got the new table home. Z may have broken a finger in the process and I most certainly had cardiac issues carrying this beautiful table up 2 flights of stairs but here it is.

 

I immediately took picture of my existing table so I could post it on Ramstien Yard Sales before carrying it down to the my storage room in the basement.

 

A friend dropped by after Z left and we were admiring the "new" table. I pulled up the chairs and discovered that this is not a table at all. Legs do not fit under the table while sitting in chairs. One would have to sit 12-18 inches from the table in order to reach the plate. I bought an old "preparation" table, one that would be used for kneading bread dough, building pies, cutting corn from husk, I don't know. All I know is that it is not intended for "dining."

Still, it is a beautiful table altho' it sits in my LIVING room and it cannot stay. I can either move it into the third bedroom and use it as a utilitarian desk for "projects" such as mosaics etc., or I can list it on ramstein yard sales. What a total bummer! AND, I still don't know how long I am "enlisted."

Oh dear. What have I done? Impulse shopping is never a good idea :-(

The Harvest..of Grapes (dedicated to Chris P. and Clay)

There are two friends back in Tulsa who appreciate the pictures more than the words of this blog, so I am backtracking a few weeks to share the (?) joy, and photos of grape harvesting I experienced with a few friends.

Herr Falklay had several large vineyards in the Mosel River Valley and supported his family for 40 years being a Wine Maetsro. When he retired several years ago, he sold all but a small vineyard which he kept for himself as his hobby. Growing the grapes is pretty much done by nature once the earth is cultivated and the fences are in place, but the harvesting is hard work and expensive. Herr Falklay and his daughters are modernized enough to know that you can entice Americans to come and have the experience in a lifetime, harvest the fields and offer them a hearty German meal at the end of the day. What an opportunity!!!

I went with a few American friends for this once in a lifetime opportunity, not realizing the hard work that was required nor the chain-gain mentality I was to experience. I went for the experience and the photo-ops, and within the first 5 minuets of "harvesting" I was reprimanded. I had my bucket, my shears, my hat, my good disposition and had listened carefully to the instructions of how to cut the cluster of grapes. I also had my cigarettes and camera.

I hadn't even begun to sweat when this woman came and confiscated my cigarettes and camera, saying "You won't be needing these." I intended to work my 6 hours I signed up for, but I also thought that as a volunteer, I could take a smoke break and take pictures as I thought fit. Woops. I forgot I was in Germany...

We worked in pairs, and my friend Z was on the other side of the fence. We got into a nice pattern, clip, clip, clip "you missed this cluster, can I reach it more easily?" "Thanks, I can get it." And, that was pretty much the conversation you heard on the hills of the Mosel River, in this eight lane slope of white grapes.

We worked for 4 hours without a break and then were summoned to the road where there were sandwiches, wine, water and coffee, and for some, a cigarette. Exactly 30 minutes later we were driven to another vineyard. We were tired, hot but..we were Americans who were driven to complete their committed task without complaint, and to do the best job possible. I for one NEVER tasted a grape, thinking somehow I would be cheating Herr Falklay out of profit.

Ah. A small vineyard with only 4 lanes. We could work together and have this baby done. Complete. On to the German meal we so looked forward to. Everyone worked fast, hard and without words in order to complete our mission. And we did so with such speed, we finished in exactly 5 hours 30 minutes. Then our hearts sank. We still had 30 minutes to work and didn't Helga know it! We were driven back to the family house with yet another vineyard, and told to fill 2 buckets each.

Our enthusiasm waned and so did our "professionalism". So meticulous I had been early in the day, not eating grapes and also making sure that not one grape stayed behind, I found myself (sorry GrapeGod) throwing in branches, rotten grapes, anything that would fill my bucket. I only wanted to eat, smoke, sit down, say something other than "you missed one." And, so. It finally came to pass. The buckets were full.

We were treated to a sit down dinner in the family dining room of German Goulash, boiled patatoes, delicious red cabbage, and a salad. And, of course, bottles and bottles of wine. Work was done! And this was the celebration! and then, the announcement.

Our hours were tallied, we were given a voucher of time worked and we would be paid in bottles of wine. Our choice, as long as we didn't go over our allotted price. I came home with a case of wine plus one bottle Schnapps. Not too bad for a days work.

How bad was it? I ended up really liking the daughter who confiscated my cigarettes and camera (who is my age and a nurse practitioner)and went next door to her apartment connected to her parents home, and talked about aging health problems in Germany, had a smoke and glass of schnapps, and signed up for next year's "volunteer harvest."

I love how the expected turns into the unexpected turns into appreciation. And, also I have learned a new appreciation for my mother who picked cotton and didn't get bottles of wine at the end of the day. Sorry, mom. It would have made your day better.

Baden-Baden and Triberg

 

Baden-Baden and Triberg

The road trip to Baden-Baden and Triberg was everything I had hoped for. A beautiful drive on country roads under a canopy of yellow, red, orange and magenta leaves, an occasional farm house with smoke coming from a chimney, soft but steady rain added to the quietness and peacefulness. I really can't describe the beauty or the feeling that it evoked, but at times it seemed surreal.

We got to our first destination, Friedrichsbad, the Roman-Irish Bath in just 2 hours. I thought the building resembled an Embassy or something, very large, ornate. The bath opened in 1877 and has been maintained in its original beauty and is considered to be one of the most beautiful bath houses in Europe. When you enter, you immediately get a sense of the history, culture and atmosphere of over 130 years of bathing tradition. You are guided through by numbers posted by doorways and it's important that you follow the sequence exactly (we were reminded on more than one occasion) because the temperature change is deliberately coordinated to be beneficial. The Soap Brush Massage was station 5 (there were 17 altogether)and it was an amazing experience having all of your old dead skin scrubbed away. The motto of the bath is "The most beautiful way to oneself." You leave the bath with a feeling of complete relaxation but also reinvigorated. If anyone who reads this comes to visit, this is an absolute MUST experience.

Baden-Baden, a village of 50,000 has absolutely incredible architecture and we probably could have just stayed there for the weekend, but we were on a "journey." We got to Triberg about 2 hours later and found the Hotel, unpacked and went Cuckoo Shopping.

The internet posting for our hotel advertised "two rooms available". I guess theoretically that was true, but we a little taken back to realize that we were the only 2 guests. Still, our service was superb and the dinner fantastic. It was very quiet despite the busy decor and Zenobia was spooked by all the dolls.

The hike at the waterfall wasn't treacherous at all but it was a long way to the top. I had forgotten how loud water is, especially roaring water, and how powerful it can seem. The waterfall is the largest in Germany, 700-1000 meters, and at Christmas, there is a market at each landing and it is all lit up with white lights. I probably won't go this year, but it would be worth the trip at some point in time. Our time at the waterfall was just incredible. Again, the beauty indescribable.

The GPS took us through France on the way home, a completely different route with different terrain and visual delights. It was simply a wonderful weekend. I loved driving the little Cooper through all the back roads that winded this way and that and we had not a single mishap. I didn't think about my contract or lack there-of one time. Not once.

RoadTrip

This is a first for me in Germany. I'm driving the little Cooper into the Black Forrest tomorrow, stopping in Baden-Baden which is known for it's rich history of Roman Emperiors taking their baths there in 1000. And after a 3 hour experience in this rich Roman Bath and traditional scrubbing, I proceed to Triberg, the town of "Cuckoo Clocks." My friend Zenobia will shop for a cuckoo clock and we will climb the highest waterfall in all of Germany! The weather calls for rain in Triberg so I will take my famous green rain jacket (that my family endorses either framing or burning) and perhaps my red Wellington's. I want to do this hike and have the appropriate (if not fashionable) clothing.

We have rooms reserved at a Hotel that has been serving guests since 1790, 6 generations of the Faulkner family, which is known for it's service and exceptional cuisine. It's considered "remote" since it is 2.3km outside the city proper, on a farm that is 100% organic, thus it's reputation for exceptional food. I'll let you know if the hype is genuine but at 41e a night, please!

So, the weekend bag is packed, I have the German Dictionary and mapquest directions printed out, and Ollie, the GPS guide, is loaded. I'm so excited. This may mean the end to my USO tours, I don't know. But I will keep you informed.

Wish me safe driving!