Life: Idiotropic

Well... here was day two of our visit with Dad and Angie when they were still a little jet lagged and we were keeping the days slow. It's a hodge-podge of photos...

This morning we headed off to the infamous "Barkenhof" - an interesting little gourmet food shop in Saeffelen. I wouldn't normally take visitors shopping, but this place is just a little bit special - not only because of the foods they carry, but because of the quirkiness of the owners who will feed and "educate" you as long as you let them. Olaf is a playwright who lives part of the year in Mallorca, Spain. His wife owns and runs the shop, creating her own tea blends, and then travelling, buying antiques for her shop to sell, and remodelling Spanish homes in her spare time. They are both a bit eccentric, but friendly. Poor dad and Angie got cornered by Olaf right away as he went into his spiel about how we should enjoy a 4 hour meal instead of eating fast food. He was going off his assumption that all Americans eat fast food and that we don't know how to cook and don't have quality food available. Huh. And all Germans eat wurst? I think not. So, over and over again we heard the question, "So what are you collecting?" Olaf is a tall German man of medium build, shoulder length hair in tight curls greying slightly, rosy cheeks and red lips - slightly hunched over and clearly in our big American personal space (personal space is A LOT smaller here) as he kept repeating that question... Dad, Angie, and I looked at him confused? What are we collecting? Ahhh... with the time we save by eating fast food... what are we collecting? Uh... time for other things? These are the crazy stereo types we run into here. Americans are typecast through our movies. And they fall for it.

Anyway... once we got past his 4-hour meal/collecting spiel, we finally got to taste a few things... a delicious goat cheese with French honey drizzled over it, a variety of balsamic vinegars and olive oils, tea, and a delicious dip that my dad mixed for us! It is interesting to taste different oils... there is a big difference. I use my nice oil that Kirk got for me in Italy not only for cooking, but for my skin. Good olive oils are supposed to soak completely into the skin in 10 seconds leaving absolutely no greasy feel at all.

Here's one I've been wanting to photograph for a while to get it on record... Dad did it for me.

Here's the "propaganda milk." Something that you wont' see where you are. This is "U.S. Forces Europe" milk - that's what it says on the front of the carton just under an eagle. On the back are two "ads" -- one says "Read the Stars and Strips your daily paper," and the other says "Reevaluate Reconsider Reenlist"



Next photo...

Here's one of Elise at her Kindergarten. She has a wooden candle picture by her cubby where she has her backpack, coat, and haus shoes. Then the same candle picture is on the cabinet where she keeps her art and again in the bathroom where she has her own towel. It's very sweet. Each child has their own little blue towel hanging up with which they dry their hands. Elise enjoys her independence at this school that is run very Montessori-like.



And here's my Luci. I had dad and Angie with me when I picked up Luci and Arianna and intended on taking them both next door to ballet class. Then, without warning, Luci disappeared and her grandma and grandpa disappeared with her. I ran with Elise slung sleeping over my shoulder to ballet - no sign of them... ran to the front of the school - still no sign... started to run towards Luci's classroom and there they were coming out to find me. My adventurous girl was showing off her class and giving a royal tour. Here she is with her backpack in funny - Luci is not one to do anything conventionally.


Not to leave out Arianna, here she is dancing. She took ballet and jazz/tap last year for just a couple months and dropped it. This year she and Luci are just doing the jazz/tap class and are both enjoying it. It's nice for me also to have them both together - easier on the taxi driving that I seem to do so well. So, every Wednesday right after school, Arianna and Luci both dance for an hour with Mrs. Stella, a very sweet British lady who graduated from the London Academy of Dance and teaches here on the base every afternoon. I think the parents all love Stella as much as the kids do. She's just wonderful to us all.