I left my heart in....Heidelberg

My second stop in Germany was a trip to Mannheim to visit the PRA office located there, and spend some face to face time with my boss (Liana) and co-worker (Virginia). My touring of Mannheim was limited to a stroll into "downtown" to enjoy tapas and cocktails with Liana and Virginia. On the way to dinner, we passed der Wassertum (the water tower), which is the landmark symbol of the city. Mannheim is distinctive as its one of the few cities in Germany to be laid out in a grid pattern, similar to many US cities.

After work on Friday, Virginia and I headed out to the nearby town of Heidelberg. The first thing I noted about the city was the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. The city of Heidelberg is dated back to 1196, and as the city managed to avoid the devestating bombings of WWII, there are still buildings that date back to 1592 (Ritter Hotel).

The distinctive landmark of the city is the Heidelberg castle, which sits 80 meters above the River Neckar. The castle overlooks "old town", which is also marked from the river by Karl's gate, completed in 1791 and erected in honour of Prince Elector Karl Theodor.

Next to Karl's gate, lies the Brass Monkey of Heidelberg. The inscription next to the monkey reads “as you look at me, world, don’t laugh too quickly at me because if you were to look at humanity, or even into a mirror, you just might see something as funny as me.” The legend is that rubbing the coin brings luck, but the meaning of the coin is still a mystery. Also, it is said that placing your head in the mask is also for good luck. I did neither, but I did take a moment to pose with the monkey!

After touring the city on foot, Virginia took me to experience the bar scene of Germany. Heidelberg is home to some great beers, and we enjoyed them at the Bier Brezel along with some great local food, on the outdoor patio at the Hemingway, and in a small hazy bar that was built around a very old tree. All too soon, I had to call it a night as I had a 0730 flight back to London in the morning, however I will be returning to Heidelberg...hopefully soon rather then later.

Escape from Einbeck....

My first taste of Germany was a small town in the center of the country called Einbeck. Einbeck is a medieval village which traces its roots as a thriving merchant village in the 1300's. Most famous for its beer, the town lends its name to a local brewery-Einbecker, which has been brewing in the area for over 600 years! I had the chance to take part in the local wares, and enjoyed a nice Einbecker pilsner. The town is also distinictive for its timber framed architecture. Note the wide archway...these were used to transport brewing vessels through town.

While I enjoyed the town on my short stay, leaving Einbeck proved to be a bit of an adventure. The taxi was due at 0430 to get me to Hannover (an hour away and the nearest airport) for my 0700 flight. Unfortunitly for me, the front desk was not open at this time of the morning, and the innkeepers lock up for the night....by locking the guests into the hotel. Much confusion and a moment of panic ensued when the taxi driver appeared and I had no way OUT of the hotel. I finally managed to wake the innkeeper (much to his unpleasure, and I am sure I was called a few things in German that I care not to understand), the innkeeper took my room key from me..which was a true key....and used it to open the front door. I am embarrassed to say that I had not thought of that as an option, but I guarentee that I will not forget it.

I would like to return to Einbeck when I have a bit more free time to enjoy, and perhaps pay a visit to the brewery. However, I think I might need to find a new hotel.......

Off to Mannheim and Heidelberg!

At home with the Queen

As I had the Saturday free, I decided to make my way to Windsor Castle, one of the current residences of Her Majesty the Queen. Windsor Castle was originally built as a military fort. Upon arrival to Windsor, it was very obvious as to the strategic location of the castle. High over the Thames Valley, constructed on a rocky out-cropping, the castle looks down on the surrounding areas. The castle has been home to the royals for 900 years, and is the oldest occupied castle in the world. Whenever the Queen is in residence, her royal standard replaces the Union Jack atop the Round Tower. I think this might be the closest I will ever get to the Queen...

After touring the grounds of the castle, I walk through the state apartments, some of which are still in use for official functions and entertaining by the Queen. The collection of paintings in the castle is quite impressive, as is vast number of china sets that have been commissioned for the various monarchs.

Also on the grounds of the castle is St. George's Chapel, the final resting place of a number of monarchs, including Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, George VI and Elizabeth (parents of Queen Elizabeth II), and Princess Margaret (sister of Elizabeth II).


After touring the castle, I wandered across the Thames to Eton, home of the most prestigious all-boys public school in the UK (Public schools in the UK are the equivalent to private schools in the States). Eton College has provided pre-university studies for some well known public figures such as Ian Fleming, Hugh Laurie, and Winston Churchill (who was actually expelled from the school for fighting). Eton College was closed to public at the time, so I just looked around the outside, then headed back to catch the train.

Fáilte Ireland!

The first thing I noticed as I was getting into the taxi on the way to the hotel in Galway is how warm and chatty the driver was. As I have learned, this is in stark contrast to the demeaner of the British, who are very nice and friendly once you get to know them, but for as a stranger, they can seem a bit cold and off-putting. Out and about in England, you will find that eye contact and smiles are in short supply, and that it takes awhile for people to warm up to you enough to strike up a conversation...even if its about something as innocent about the weather.

In Ireland, however, I barely could get a word in edgewise from any of the drivers I encountered in 1.5 days in Galway. And as the company I visited was 30 mins outside of Galway, I got to engage in everything from the weather (a favorite topic of conversation both in Ireland and in England) to the economy to what I thought Obama was going to do about healthcare. Irish people are one of the most lively groups of people I have ever encountered, and they are more then happy to not only share their thoughts but want to hear about yours. All of them were very interested in what I thought of living in England so far, and was even told by one of the drivers that he would never suspect that I was American, as I was losing my accent. (I think he is off his rocker, but whatever).

Even more impressive than the people was the landscape. Galway is a university town on the west coast of Ireland, and was in the middle of a rare, but beautiful stretch of sunshine and mild temperatures. Having been to the south and east of Ireland before, I was most surprised by the rocky terrian of the area in contrast to the lush, green area I was use to. I was told by Josephine (my Wed morning driver) that this area of Ireland was the most "Irish" (Gaelic), and indeed all the road, street, and building signs were written first in Gaelic, and then (if at all) in English. It is even hard to buy property north of Galway if you do not speak Gaelic, as the government is trying to perserve the tranditions and culture of Irish heritage.

I was very disappointed that I did not get to spend more time in and around Galway, but I plan on going back very soon. Anyone want to come?

http://www.connemara.ie/

Country Mouse and City Mouse

What better way to take advantage of the sunny warm(ish) weather then to get out and see the English countryside. So James and I tagged along with some of my friends and co-workers (Maria, Ewa and Peter) to head out to Goring-on-Thames. Goring is a small village in Oxfordshire, on the river Thames. Very much a scene out of a Jane Austin novel, we dropped into a pub for a pint before enjoying a walk along the Thames.

www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ThamesPath/

On Sunday, James and I went with Maria into London for a walk along the Canal Path of the Thames, including a stroll thru Little Venice, a section near Paddington where houseboats can dock along the towpath and set up little gardens.

We ended our riverwalk at Camden Town, a large open-air market with tons of vendor booths and incredible food stands with every kind of ethnic food you could ever want. Top of the list for a place to take visitors. And we can personally recommend the hot mulled wine!

We parted with Maria at Trafalgar Square as she was headed back to Switzerland, so I took James to the London Eye to get a good look at the city on the sunny day. It was great to be up above the city for a while, although as I am not the National Lampoon fan, I have to say the "look kids, Parliment and Big Ben" jokes got a bit old.

At the end of the ride, the sun was setting, so we took a few last looks at Big Ben, then we headed back to Paddington to catch the train to Reading.

Official Address!

The down-trodden housing market seems to be a good thing at the moment.....at least for me. My landlady has decided to take the house off the market for the next 10 months, so she has offered me a year lease, with the agreement that after 6 months, I can choose to break the lease without penality with one month's notice. She is putting the house up on the market again in Jan 2011, so I will be able to stay at least through the end of Feb 2011 if I want to. Yay!!! The is house is truly a gem, and the equivalent houses are renting for much more then I am paying (and my rent includes utilities and council tax). The best bonus is that the house has 2 bedrooms, so I have plenty of room for guests.

So, for all those interested, my address in the UK is:

Dani Gillotte
16 Eldon Place
Reading
RG1 4ED
UK

Here are a few of my favorite things......

So 5 days in the UK, and here are 5 of my favorite things so far:

5) The ability to walk or take public transport almost anywhere I want

4) I can fly to Switzerland for the weekend for less then $100

3) Beef flavored crisps. Ok, so I have not actually tried them, but having your burger and chips in one....interesting concept

2) Electric showers......damn, those things get hot! And I LOVE hot showers!!!!

1) Gin and tonic in a can available from the market. Easier then opening a bottle of wine, and they come in single serving cans!!!!

Double-Decker Buses and Cheese-onion sandwiches

With sore feet and more names and faces then my head can hold, my first day at work is done!

I found the buses in Reading to be very straight-forward and easy to navigate. All the buses are double-deckers, so of course I had to sit up-top...after all, I had never been on a double-decker! Once up there, however, I think I shut my eyes and waited for the "crunch" everytime the bus went around a corner or passed a car. Amazingly, no crunch came :).

More adventures were to be had at lunchtime. I ran down to the cafe to grab a quick bite. I was greeted with the most odd array of sandwich choices I have ever seen. Do I want.....cottage cheese and prawns? Smoked Salmon and cucumber? Rocket, mayo and mature cheese? I finally settled on the Mixed cheese and spring onion sandwich. Had a bit more mayo then I would like, but it tasted different then mayo in the US, and overall pretty good.

So overall, a good day first day at work, and now I am off to make dinner and program my new phone!