Ess Eff

Here are some impressions from my S.F. trip.

My itinerary was eat-shop-sleep-eat-shop-sleep and repeat.



(Above) The Transamerica building is a San Francisco architectural jewel.


(At the left): A line of palm trees and the Bay Bridge in the background.







(To the right):
Grace Cathedral at Nob Hill. This is our closest thing to a European style church.











(At the left)

I was lucky enough to have my camera handy to snap this one of a squirrel with a peanut in Golden Gate Park! Squirrels I've seen in Germany are rust colored.

That's the hammer!

German's have a very interesting phrase that's used to convey enthusiasm for something. In German it's, "Es ist der Hammer." In English it translates literally into "It's the hammer!" Maybe it's the same as "That's awesome," which is used way too often in the US, particularly California.
A variation of "It's the hammer" is It's the insane - "Das ist der Wahnsinn!" Keep this in mind the next time you want to say something is awesome.

:-)

Bomb explodes during construction work

An old bomb from WWII exploded this morning as a result of a construction machine accidentally detonating it. A construction worker died immediately. The A3 Autobahn was detoured.

Remnants of a war decades ago still linger to this day in Germany.

Dishwashing gloves

I needed to get gloves for washing dishes this weekend. The generic brand that I bought had gloves only in one color - pink.

Does this indicate that the manufacturers think that only women wash dishes? Would men be happy wearing pink gloves? In the US, the common color for dish washing gloves is a neutral yellow.

Edinburgh (pronouced "edinboro")

Edinburgh was fun. It's a city full of legends and stories. Plus, the Scots I came in contact with were very hospitable and polite.

On the first day I had my first view of the Royal Mile and wandered into the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It was so rainy & foggy on the Sunday afternoon that I arrived. The B&B manager recommended I take the bus into town, but I figured I would walk since sooner or later I needed to get familiar with the way there anyhow. Predictably, I ended up soaking wet, but it was worth it. I even got splashed by a bus that drove over a puddle of rainwater. That was more funny than annoying. I couldn't get wetter at that point.

Monday was a day trip to Fife & St. Andrews, where Prince William used to study. I took a lot of photos at St. Andrews. Here is one of them.


















Then on Tuesday, there was a day trip to visit Loch Ness, Glen Coe and the Highlands. Our driver and tour guide gave us a little lesson in Gaelic, which he actually had to learn in school. For example, I learned that loch just means lake. That clarifies things. There was one called Loch Lumaigh, where the water was just so blue (as you can see for yourself below) that it was breathtaking!

Wednesday was spent entirely in Edinburgh walking up and down the Royal Mile. Highlight of the day was going through "The Real Mary King's Close." It was a little tour through a close, which just means alleyway. A costumed character led us underground where it was creepily dark and occasionally very musty smelling. It really leaves an impression of how people used to live. I remember most vividly the burst bubo of one of the mannequins. That was pretty nasty.

Thursday was prepare to go back day, so I couldn't do anymore sightseeing.


Miscellaneous observations

• They have great television in Britian - BBC One, Two, Three & Four! Although I was not familiar with any of their shows, I was able to just jump in and follow the storyline. Too bad I missed Robin Hood and Jane Eyre. However, I did see a Queen Elizabeth I movie with Helen Mirren in it, I think.
• Edinburgh has a different smell from Frankfurt. Not better or worse, just different. It's hard to describe. It smells like a very old city.
• However, I don't think I could live in Edinburgh because they don't have an underground transportation system. Instead everyone takes double-decker buses to get from Point A to Point B. I don't like taking buses at all.
• Overall, my highlight has to be the Highlands.
• I resisted the temptation to buy a lot of kitsch like tartan stuff.
  
  

Characters you meet when power walking

A weekend ritual is walking in the park for 1.5 hours or 3 rounds. I have recognized some people I see regularly every weekend. There are some people who emit body odor so badly it makes me grimace automatically in reaction. Then there is a man who runs with a three legged dog. There was once a little old lady in red clam diggers who overtook me! The nerve of the little old lady with in red clam diggers!

Grill season

Germans like to grill. It's their equivalent of barbequeing.