It's beginning to not look like Christmas..

Christmas morning I woke up in a Riad in Fez, Morocco. It was cold and Tom and I cuddled to stay warm. For a moment I was sad, missing my family and friends..then I wished Tom a Merry Birthday and we began our day.



Breakfast was nice in the Riad..yogurt, fruit, bread (thanks to the French) and coffee. Delicious. As we ate we tried to remember our 25 Christmases together and managed to remember mainly the ones spent overseas. Greta spent her second Christmas in Germany and her third in Austria, her 14th in Bali and her 15th in Vietmam and her 22 in Ecuador. Today we missed having her with us in Fez Morocco.


Back to this morning..After we ate we made our plans...we would venture to a hot spa for locals out of town. First we had to find the bus stop and arrange a collective (we would need 6 total in the car) to go to Moulay Yacoub. After a walk through the narrow medina streets then under the big gate (Tom pictured in front of it) we made the wrong turn and ended up at a huge mosque. We turned around and finally got to the bus station, arranged a collective, paid our sum and along with four others headed out of town. We sat quietly as the other passengers spoke in Arabic and the call to prayer was coming from another passenger's cell phone. Finally we arrived at our destination.


First we ate..by now it was lunch and time for a Moroccan tangini. Then we walked down and down and down a hill and arrived at the spa..really a communal bath. I timidly entered my side..the woman's area, Tom went to the men's side. It was steamy, loud, and full of women..and clearly I was the only one with light hair and probably the only non muslim. I followed what everyone else was doing..wore only undies and stepped into the steaming hot water. It was salty..soon other women approached me, touching my arm and smiling...On the decking women were washing each other and themselves and some were even covered in red henna..and they scrubbed and scrubbed. I was asked to swim and when I told the woman I had an injured shoulder she led me to a spout and got a bucket of the healing water for me to pour over my shoulder. A few times the women would chant and sing and the others would join in..And I sat watching in wonder until I could not take the hot water any more.

It was a nice way to spend Christmas..getting lost..finding our way...soaking it all in.




* A Riad is an old traditional home which is elaborately build in the old style..around a courtyard. They are lovely with tile work carvings and uaually a fountain in the courtyard. We stayed at Tizwa Riad..
* The Medina is the old walled city..in Fez it is the worlds largest non motorized urban area..it is very big and full of small winding narrow streets, stores, homes, mosques, etc..
*Tangine.. A stew like dish cooked in covered cermic pots..pictured in the photo above..these were cooked over charcoal fire

Together in Berlin..

9-11-10

It is early morning in Berlin. Tom just left to walk to the doctor for his infected finger. (a remnant of his Nepal trip) and her I am alone in our apartment. Mornings are brutal here..for some reason I wake up sad, lonely, with images of mountains, friends and family. It doesn't take long for me to shake the sadness as I walk to work in the snow. It is a quiet time for me and I am amazed that I still can hear birds chirp as I walk throught the gardens near our home.

For two weeeks I woke up with glee. Greta was here! We jumped into Berlin life for two weeks and now I am left with the memories. My fondest memory is a simple one..Greta and me cooking in the kitchen. And why not?..that is what our family does best..we cook and laugh together. I remember stopping and looking around at the herbs, spices, coconut milk and meat and just smiling..But there was more to her vacation than cooking and I think we were at restaurants more than we were at home. Berlin has some fine dining. Here is a recap of my memories of her visit...

• The three hour train ride..oops five hour train ride to Rostock go to Christmas market..It was freezing cold..train trip took 2 hours longer and the market..was um..er...like a giant bad carnival..but Greta got some great photos.


• A walk aroung a nearby lake ..snow on the ground and us trying to keep warm as we walked around the lake in the mist


• Coffee..lots of coffee


• Train rides..lots of train rides


• Thanksgiving with friends from Japan and a student at my school..


• Greta exploring Berlin on her own..


• Finding ramen noodle shop in Mitte and tea house

That is just a sampling of the memories I am left with..and I am sure she has many more too. Hurry back Greta!!

Obrigado Portugal!

Oh Portugal!!!


At times I felt like I was a character in a fantasy novel, with outlandish gardens, Moorish castles, walled cities, and gothic buildings all making up the landscape of Portugal.



I ate well and have a new appreciation for those who dine alone.
Breakfasts at the pensions were easy. I usually would join other travelers for breakfast and nice talks about our travels and travel plans.
I often stopped at small little cafe's for a hot cheese sandwich and then grabbed fruit at a nearby fruit stand. I cound not resist the sweets in this country. I passed on the 2 sugar packets with coffee, but oh those custart tarts!

I was ready to travel alone, or so I thought. I was so surprised at myself..how lonely I got and how much I yearned just to talk to someone or have someone say hello to me. But was a good thing to do I think. I learned that I can figure things out on my own..that I can slow down and savor the sights, the food and the sounds. I can lug a suitcase up 5 flights of stairs, up one flight of stairs sideways, up a steep cobblestone road to a walled city, and up the stairs in at least 5 train stations, then on to the train, off the train, then up the street to the subway. Annnnnnnnndddd..I did it with only one arm. (I have frozen shoulder injury)
So..or zooh..as they say in Germany..I am proud of myself and proud of my suitcase as well.




Some things I discovered on this trip:

• I like to talk to people..and am happier sharing my adventures with someone
  
• Portugal is very clean


• Portugal is safe..except for the poor lady I met who had 3.000 eu. stolen from her purse..it was her first trip since she and her husband retired..I didn't have the heart to ask her why oh why she carried so much cash and a purse too..


• I love my travel backpack with secret money spot..don't ask me where it is..
  
• Religious supply stores are a great place to explore
  
• Street performers are the best! I always give them money..especially the blind accordian player by my hotel in Porto
  
• Even the oldest pensions had wireless..so I could use my netbook most places which was nice..and I listened to Pema Chodren each morning


• I didn't bring enough books..but the pensions would have books..and I wonder why the books left were so bad..I mean really bad..


• Hop on hop off busses are a great and cheap way to see the city


• Obrigado means thank you (male) and I said it wrong gender for a week..then figured it out


• I missed my husband


• It cost more to board my dog in Germany than my lodging in Portugal
  

If you want to see more pictures go to shutterfly. The album is under "rybus family"

John F Kennedy School, Berlin

Thursday night Tom and I went a JFK school performance of Carmina Burana. It was held in the historic Gerhsemanekirche..a protestant church known for political activies while the wall was up. It was an amazing performance and once again we were reminded that JFK school is not an ordinary school.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gethsemanekirche_%28Berlin%29

Above photo is an piece of the wall with art from an JFK student and a school yard view.

Lots of friends are asking me about my school. I have waited to post since I am still learning about this school. It was named JFK school two years after JFK was assassinated. It a German public school and is unique since it is bilingual and has American teachers. It is said that it is harder getting into JFK than Yale, and I believe it. Students are highly motivated and the curriculum is rigorous.

http://www.jfks.de/

Some things that I love: the elementary school, watching the students play ping pong and four square, climbing equipment all over the play yard, etc... I love school lunch, which has vegetarian selection and sparkling cider, and of course I love the students. Here are some shots taken around the school. The staff is incredible and the American teachers very interesting. I am getting to know the German teachers as well.

An example of school lunch. Feta cheese, breaded with brown rice and sauteed peppers. Yogurt and fruit for dessert.

Outside... check out the bicycle parking.

High school...

Library from my desk...soon to be remodeled!







Oil painting of JFK outside library.

Positive thoughts on a rainy day in Berlin......

There are so many things I love about living here. Here are a few I would like to share:

I love riding my bike to the market and returning with a shopping basket full of flowers and bread and cheese. The basket fits on the back rack of my bike..though it is a bit shaky going at times.







I also love school lunch!~no corn dogs or chicken nuggets in sight. This was my lunch last week. It consisted of brown rice, red peppers in a sauce and breaded feta cheese. For dessert..yogurt and berry sauce. Sparkling apple cider to drink. All for 2 euro. It is "bio" too, which means organic. My school is a German public school too.

• I am loving the food here. There is a big variety of restaurants and I will save the curry wurst and doner experiences for another blog. What I really like are the cafes here and the fact that it seems like there is a cafe on every corner. I like how folks just sit for hours over a nice cup of coffee and a sweet kuchen. (though not as sweet as American desserts)


• Tom and I always start our excursions with a stop to a cafe. I liket this ritural This cafe in the photo was in Brandenburg.It was our first stop and we made our plans for the day as we sipped on coffee and kuchen.
  
  
  Public transportation.. It makes life so easy..just jump on the bus or train and no worries about parking or traffic. Today we walked a few minutes to the bus stop..then took a bus a few miles, jumped on the U bahn (train) and then a few minutes later arrived at our destination..the Berlin marathon!

The canals are pretty cool too. I must say that we did make a huge mistake taking a 3 hour canal tour the other night. It was all in German and seemed to go on forever!






















In Brandenburg I spotted this display in a store window. It was an "I'm not in Boise" moment.


No, I would never see that in Boise.. they would probably have a anti-gay rally and burn the store. (in the name of God)

OK..I think I will stop now. I could go on an on..but that will be another blog.

It has been raining for 3 days straight. That is the part I don't love..but I am thinking that if I am going to survive the dark, wet, and cold winter here in Berlin I had better just look at the bright side of things. Because there certainly isn't a lot of brightness going on outside my window today!

Gotta make my own sunshine...

Getting by with less..

On our first walk in our new neighborhood, I couldn't help but notice how small all the cars are. Not an SUV in sight!! Maybe the 6 euro a litre gas has something to do with this, but I think that isn't the whole story. Many folks here just get by with less. A good lesson. Recycle, walk, bike, take public transport, and if you must have a car..then it seems like little is the norm.

This green one is my favorite.

Einschulung

I want to live in this house. Look at that door..It has to be the door to some kind of wild and fun place. Berlin is one lively city!!

Yesterday was a fun day. First grade students in Germany take part in a ceremony called einschulung. It is a kind of welcome ceremony from kindergarden into first grade. Tom and I went and enjoyed the energy of the day. Proud parents and students filled the theater. The second graders sang to the first graders, the new teachers welcomed them and they all got a cone full of candy. (to sweeten their transition into the world of school) We then walked to his school for champagne.

Tom's school is in the neighborhood called Mitte. It is full of sights, and really I cannot begin to describe it. Just on his school's block are a few art galleries (way funky) a wine shop in a celler, an organic store, and a few photo galleries. There is also a Thai restaurant, Itallian, Indonesion, Kosher, Vietnamese..you get the idea. Tom doesn't take his lunch to school any more.

We strolled around his school's hood..and here are a few picturesfrom walk.

This scary picture is of an upcoming exhibition...I am not sure about this..

On the left are photographs on a brick fence..Greta would like this..

The students have lined up their rubber boots outside their classroom at Berlin Metropolitin School. Always have quick access to rubber boots here in Berlin!

Pass me the wine, bitte..

I'm drinking wine again. It has been awhile. but the wine is so darn good, so cheap, and so needed at the end of the day..that ..oh well.

Today we have been in Berlin 22 days. It seems longer than that when I think of everything we have done. These past weeks remind me of a kayak trip I took with my friend Sally.

It was a mistake really..I mean we had no business on that river with sea kayaks. And we were sorely bounced around all day. At the end of the day I would pull into camp and look at Sally and say; "at least I didn't die!' and then she would hand me a gin and tonic. Day after day. And we didn't die, or get hurt, or sick or or or or...


At the end of the day here I say to Tom: "at least I didn't "

• fall off my bike
  
• hit someone on my bike


• lose anything


• make anyone too mad


• say something really stupid in German


• get lost


• lock my self out of our house


• flood the house with washer controls in German


• make German mistake..like puttling hands on lap while eating, or hold flowers wrong


• hit the wrong button on computer..since they are all in Germam
  
• get on wrong train or bus or have the wrong ticket..

Actually I have made a lot of mistakes. Today I fell trying to take my bike down the stairs at the train station. It was messy. It is humbling being plopped into a new country. Then I almost got on the wrong train with my bike..I am glad I remembered to look for the bike sign on the train.

Everything Ionce took for granted seems to be missing. Like the "y" key on the keyboard of computers. Why is it in the bottom left now? It took me awhile to find the @ key too. Friends, oh my I miss my friends. And understanding

what people are saying..that is so wonderful. We smile a lot and nod.

So I navigate carefully here. I smile, say " guten morgan" a lot, and plow ahead. And when I get home I am grateful for another day in Berlin..hand me the wine.