Skip to main content

Today, I'm missing...

Image
By
Walking around the corner to my hair place, to the bank, to the small store for just a quick pop-in, and no problems with parking (because I didn't have to drive).

Filling up gas once a MONTH.

Not driving for days. More than 5 days in a row, sometimes.

Bakeries. The bread. The zimtschleife, and butterzopf for the perfect french toast.

The small-ness. Why does everything have to be so big here? It takes so much longer!

The community. Where are all the people? I don't see any elderly people getting fresh air and walking around. Oh right, because it isn't safe to. I don't see kids running around freely in groups. Same reason. I infrequently see moms pushing strollers but there may be 3 on a good day, vs around 100 where we used to live.

My heated floors made of real wood, and heated bathroom tiles. They felt so good on my feet.

Tilt-turn windows which let in the exact right amount of fresh air. Also, the non-draftiness in general of high-quality windows, no matter what quality build of your home.

My small but super well designed kitchen. What is up with kitchen cabinets and why aren't they always made of drawers?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saturday Morning Comparisons: by haiku

By
2 haikus 9 am Sunday morning in downtown Austin: Cyclists in spandex spin by Amidst the stench of vomit and homelessness Empty streets save for a motorcycle parade. 9 am Sunday morning, Alstadt, Mainz: The sun is shining A giant farmer's market fills the plaza Pedestrians, bikers, families smiling together.
Post a Comment
Read more

November in Mainz is for leaves falling, gray skies, and Christmas markets

By
Oh how cold it is. November is typically when the skies turn gray, it gets dark quite early, and Christmas lights begin to slowly appear. One of my favorite memories when we lived in Washington, was the  swirling leaves  falling all around in fall. Although the trees here look bare by the end of the month, it's rare to see unraked piles of leaves on the ground -- this is true German efficiency. As soon as the leaves fall to the ground, they're whisked away by city services. It's quite a sight to watch how quickly the ground is cleared! It's a good time to pull out board games, light some candles, and get ready for baking lebkuchen. And towards the end of the month, time for the most festive activity of all: Christmas markets! As cold and dark as it may be, the glow of the lights and warmth of the hot drinks and people all around have a magical way of brightening up a dark month. In Mainz, it traditionally begins the Thursday before the first advent - this year it'...
Post a Comment
Read more

Frankfurt Airport, it's Time for a Do-Over

By
I'll start this post with a rant. I really hate Frankfurt Airport. Now, I've slept overnight at more airports than is normal - SFO, ORD, YYZ. So many, and I still remember the airport codes - this makes me somewhat of an expert. In Frankfurt, well, the putrid gray colors...the parking garages that are cold and endless... the smoking rooms you can smell from too far away... the lack of water fountains... the lack of helpful staff... I could go on. The absolute worst part though, is the process to reclaim your VAT. It's convoluted during normal working hours, and even more convoluted outside those times. Since neither Frankfurt's airport, nor inside signage, nor information desk, can be bothered to clearly explain how it works, here is your guide. After 4 failed attempts at off-hours VAT reclamation by 3 different family members.... we shall fail no more! DURING WORKING HOURS (7 am - 6 pm): Customs window is open. Find the window ("Zoll") in your terminal...
Post a Comment
Read more