Tag: Holidays
Morgen fliege ich nach Karlsruhe-Baden. Es wird mein erster Besuch in Deutschland seit der Wiedervereinigung sein. Letzes Mal habe ich noch vor der Berliner Mauer gestanden und mein Reisepass trug einen Stempel der DDR. Die Zeiten haben sich geändert!
Ich werde dort bei meiner wunderschönen Freundin in Freiburg bleiben, so dass dieser Blog Eintrag für einige Zeit der letzte sein wird.
That seasonal reminder that time waits for no one and you’re only growing older has been again. At least this year was a little different. The family left early to plan their various parties and nights out, leaving me to think up some bold plans for enjoying the evening, when the winds whipping in over the Irish Sea knocked out the electricity in the region just before sun down. And there’s no better time to find out that the stove in the lounge really was only installed for ornamental purposes than on a cold, blustery evening.
Still, there is something vaguely romantic about being wrapped up indoors, reading by candlelight whilst the ill-designed stove pours smoke into the room, and this by 5pm. And the power did come on by midnight, allowing us to enjoy that beautifully crafted comedy Still Game, and watch £1 million explode over London to herald Ne’erday 2007. Nothing wrong with being reminded every once in a while how utterly reliant we are on electricity for our every day existence.
Despite it feeling like almost yesterday, a fortnight has already passed since I returned from this year’s travels. With the jet-set revolution in full swing, and RyanAir’s European footprint under continuous eastward expansion, I took the opportunity this year to expand my own carbon footprint and head to the east. Armed with a smattering of Russian, an able German companion and a small roll of banknotes, this year’s travels took me to Riga, third largest industrial city of Imperial Russia, and capital of one of the more vibrant economies in Europe today. After five days in a bed & breakfast there, it was followed by a stay in probably the most famous cultural and historical city in Poland: Krakow.
It’s been a while since the last post, but the holidays are over, even if the summer months seem adamant to stay. Expect a post (or two) on my recent trip to Latvia and southern Poland in the coming days, and hopefully some more time to keep active over the coming months.