LynneandMatt

Spike

I found Spike abandoned at a dumpster by the side of the road in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Only weeks old and less than five pounds, the vet said he wouldn't live. But he did, and how. Over the next 12 ½ years, Spike traveled more widely than most people. Spike was with me through a divorce, five hurricanes, two cats, numerous jobs, boyfriends, a doctorate degree, a new marriage, and five moves.

Spike's survival was due in no part to me - but entirely to Julie and Rita. Julie and I saw him for the first time on the same day. When Julie got to her office she immediately called to see if I'd seen him and his sister at the dumpster. I had. "Someone should rescue him - we should tell Rita," was my response.

Lucky for me, Julie was more proactive. She rescued the malnourished, dehydrated scrawny mutt. Unable to catch the female, she called the Humane Society and Hubert set a trap, but he was never able to catch the pup's sister. Julie kept Spike, raising him along side her four cats. Those six weeks with Julie made a permanent imprint on Spike and he spent the rest of his life somewhere between cat and human, with an occasional bit his dog-ness showing.

Rita, too, went above and beyond in rescuing Spike. Even Julie's help wouldn't have been enough for Spike if Rita hadn't come to Julie's every day and made chicken broth for the puppy and hand-fed him. He grew and thrived, bonding with his cat siblings and driving Julie crazy. She diligently tried to find a home for him, and refused to call him anything by 'the puppy'. I didn't want the responsibility, so insisted I couldn't have a dog - the landlord said so.

Then Julie went off island for two weeks and I babysat the cats and the puppy. Within days, he went from 'the puppy' to Spike, from spending nights in the bathroom to the bed, and from an orphan to my baby.

Spike spent his first year on St. Thomas, going through normal puppy 'trauma' - obedience school, vaccinations, and neutering. He made his first doggy friend - Tessa, Randy's parent's Doberman. She was tolerant of his puppy antics and energy, and even joined in for digs in the sand and chases around the yard.  Spike's lineage (greyhound, pitbull, date-rape) showed itself as his legs grew long - matching his too big nose and ears and giving him his greyhound profile and powerful jaws. When he broke into a screaming run, up and down the driveway, he was a racer through and through.

After his first year, a few hurricanes and a couple boyfriends, Spike and I moved to Puerto Rico so I could attend grad school. Spike came into his own in La Parguera. He developed his unique people-personality and mannerisms - taking the end of the leash to walk his best friend and love of his life, Huracan, grabbing the top of a water bottle to let me know when he was thirsty, pressing the door handle with his paw to let himself in and out, carrying his Frisbee to the park during Little League practice to play with the kids, and tugging at my hand or bringing me his leash when he wanted to go for a walk.

It was in PR that Spike started to enjoy beach outings - digging up ghost crabs, being alpha-dog to Huracan, and chasing waves. He learned to swim at Boqueron when he wanted Calcetina's ball badly enough to jump in the water and swim for it.  He loved the muddy water in the fish ponds at Mike's, where he learned that it was okay to chase birds, but not to catch them.  He also learned that some birds, like the big gray goose across the street, chase back. He also learned what all those obedience classes had been about - protecting him. He ran into the road and was hit by a car. Luckily, it scared him more than it hurt him. From then on, Spike was a champion 'heeler'.

After two years in Puerto Rico a job opportunity brought us to Charleston. He loved our outings to Sullivan's Island, where he could race up and down the beach to his heart's content, dig up ghost crabs, and roll in the occasional dead fish. We lived in Mt. Pleasant for a year, and that's where we met Spike's new "Dad", Matt. Then we moved to Summerville, where Spike spent the longest part of his life. For the first time ever he had his own yard. He loved digging up moles, chasing birds and squirrels away, and patrolling and defending it - this was his home.

Five years later, we moved to Stuttgart, Germany, the most dog-friendly place you can imagine. Spike loved his big yard and his long walks through the fields and woods. No ghost crabs to dig up, but there were moles and mice. We couldn't help but laugh at the smile on his face as he deer-leaped through the tall grass and wheat fields, his over-sized tongue lolling out to the side.. He had a new babysitter, Theresa, who he adored. I think Spike actually looked forward to 'Mom and Dad' being away - he knew Theresa was going to take him "bye-bye car-car" every day for a walk around the lake.

While in Germany, the tumor on Spike's leg grew from marble sized when we arrived in May 2005 to tennis ball size a year later. We had it removed and it was diagnosed as malignant.

Spike's vet in Germany, Dr. Annette Richters, was Spike's favorite vet. He would take treats from her, shake her hand, and only cower slightly. She gushed over him as if he was the most amazing and special dog she treated, as I expect a vet to do. Dr. Richters had counseled caution with treating Spike's cancer - thinking of his quality of life first. I appreciated that. When she finally decided it was time to remove the tumor, she warned me that, although the surgery was successful, it was only a matter of time - weeks or months - before the cancer returned and spread. Despite the odds, Spike continued to lead a full and active life in Germany for our remaining two years there.

When it was time to return to the US, I took Spike to upstate New York to visit his "Grandma" for a month while we went through the chaos of moving. The airlines won't fly pets during the summer (May 15-Sept 15) because of the heat and we weren't scheduled to return until June. We would pick him up after we were settled in our new house some time in June.

"Be a good boy for Grandma, and you stay alive until we come and get you," I told him. I couldn't say good-bye even though we'd be apart for at least a month. I was too afraid that it really would be good-bye. Would I ever see my baby boy again?

Aside from a rote bedtime prayer, and that more from habit than sincerity, I don't pray. But I prayed as I drove away that day in May. "Please let him live to see his new home." I didn't bargain, didn't promise to return to church or be a better person. That was too cliché and it would be a lie. I wasn't making a deal, I was asking, begging for a favor.

Miraculously, my prayer was answered and five weeks later Spike came home to his new house. Our furniture wasn't there yet, but he had his pillow and his favorite blanket, the one that Nancy made and that went everywhere with him, so he was happy. He explored the new smells and met the neighbors' dogs. He thumped his tail and smiled at us, and at night he curled up on the air mattress next to me.

And then he stopped eating and drinking. He paced through the night, too uncomfortable to lie down. IV fluids and pain medicine didn't help. Ten days after coming home, we made the decision we'd known was inevitable but dreaded none the less.

Spike died on July 7, 2008. We were blessed to have such a great travel companion, loyal friend and loving and lovable family member, and to have him for these last two 'bonus years' after his surgery.  There will never be another dog quite like him.

I've had quite an exciting week.  I know there'll be a few more of these before we're packed up, moved and settled in Charleston, but this may stand out as both the most traumatic AND exciting of them.

On Monday (May 5), we closed on our new house in Charleston.  Hurray!  It's officially ours now.  You can see the pics on Matt's flickr site:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/drobnikm/.  That started the week's excitement.

Then, on Thursday,  I took Spike to New York.  He'll be vacationing with "Grandma Hinkey" until the Subaru arrives in Charleston, hopefully around mid-June.  The airlines won't fly pets in the summer months because of the temperatures, especially flying through Atlanta.  So, Matt drove Spike and me to Frankfurt and put us on a Delta flight to JFK.

Spike did great on the trip.  After the two-hour drive to the airport, he was ready for some walking and didn't mind the taxis, cars and buses around the airport.  Dr. Richters had bandaged up his tumor the day before, so all the Delta agents paid him lots of attention.  He ate up being the center of attention.  He wasn't too happy about being carted away when it was finally time to load him, but when I picked him up at the large baggage area at JFK he was none the worse for it.  He probably slept the whole way. 

Spike adapted quickly to life at Grandma's house.  He loved the cats, although they weren't too keen on him.  Meeko stayed in the closet for the first 3 days.  Cyrus followed Spike everywhere, harassing him, sneaking bites of his food, and intimidating him.   When Spike has had enough, he snaps at the cat and then Cyrus keeps his distance, growling and snarling, for at least a few minutes.  I think they'll work it out.   Spike is still fascinated by the bird, but after getting yelled at once for nibbling on Joby's tail (it was poking out through the cage) he's just lusting after the bird from afar.

The stairs I bought to help Spike get onto Grandma's bed are a bust.  He won't use them.  Cyrus likes them, though.  Cyrus also likes Spike's pillow and the cushion from the crate.  No wonder Spike snaps at him - he's taking over all Spike's spots!

Spike's next adventure was a trip to my brother's house in Liverpool.  Spike isn't used to THAT much excitement:  Four kids, two cats, a rabbit and a hamster provide lots.   He did surprisingly well!  I was concerned about Michael - don't know what Spike would do if he had a seizure or moved to quick.  The only 'scare' was when Michael discovered Spike's squeaky toy.  Michael loved it - carried it around squeezing it and gnawing on it (he knows what dog toys are for!)  Spike watched, teeth chattering, but didn't try to take it away.  But when he finally got it back and Michael reached into his mouth for it, Spike did growl.  So, we put that back in the car.  Once his toys were safe, Spike was great.  He settled on to the sofa, went for some long walks around the neighborhood and followed Tina around the house.  I guess he has good instincts for who does the cooking!

I left NY on Tuesday and arrived in Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, then took the train back to Stuttgart.  Leaving Spike for 5-6 weeks is the trauma.  The last time we were apart for that long was when I taught at UVI in the summer while living in PR.  He stayed with Mike for six weeks.  As much as I missed him then, it wasn't nearly as difficult.  He was young and healthy and loved being on the fish farm.  This time, he's 13, has cancer and I worry about how much longer he'll be around.   Much more difficult to leave him behind, even for a short time.

I arrived in Stuttgart at about 12:30, jet lagged and sleep deprived.  Matt picked me up at the Hauptbahnhof and we went to International Car Sales to pick up my new Mini-Cooper!  It's beautiful - British racing green with a dark green convertible top and white hood stripes.  I'd wanted a bright color, but Matt was opposed to looking like a taxi cab in a yellow car.  So, the green was our compromise color.  It's like Matt's old Chrysler, and the color I've always wanted for my Jag.  It's not a Jag, but it's British, so it'll do.  I was too jet lagged to dare drive it.  We'll have pictures up soon.  Any suggestions for names are welcome!

That was our exciting week.  We'll spend the next 10 days getting everything ready to ship.  They pack us out on the 26^th.  Then I'll have a few days to clean windows, floors and walls after all the furniture is out.  I'm not looking forward to the last week in a hotel - without Spike to walk three times every day, I'm afraid I'll be bored here and anxious to get to our new house!  Then we'll have a few more exciting weeks of painting, settling in, sleeping on an air mattress until our furniture arrives and another trip to NY to pick up Spike as soon as the Subaru gets to Charleston.  The fun just never ends!

Only 6 ½ weeks to go.  It seems both a long and a short time.  It's a long time to be in-limbo, where we are now.  Not soon enough to pack things up (we have to wait for the movers to do that on May 26), too early to start a really thorough house cleaning, and too soon to start making any serious arrangements on the other side since we don't close on the house until May 5.  But, it's too short a time to fit in all the things we have yet to do and see everyone we want to see before we go.  So, we plan and make lists and make insignificant efforts to get ready, like cleaning drawers and purging the closets.

Suzi, from the masters swim team, asked what I'll miss most about Germany.  The short and glib answer is 'everything'.  Then I started to list some of the small things - krokettens, walking and biking trails, curry ketchup.  From there, the list grew.  Each day, some small thing will remind me of more things that I'll miss.  There are so many things we take for granted here that we won't have when we return to the states - things that have become part of our typical day and typical life.  These things are so 'average' here that we don't think about them, but so foreign in the US that the impact of not having them will be drastic:  Green space around each town with easy access to biking and walking paths; each town being a livable and walkable community where I never have to get in my car to get groceries, run errands, go out to eat, or find entertainment, but if I do want to venture farther afield, I can easily jump on a bus or train and get anywhere conveniently.  I know regardless of how much more outdoors I am here - walking Spike on the trails, going to the farmers' markets, eating and drinking at outdoor cafes - it's not a fraction of how much we could or how much German's do take advantage of the pedestrian friendly environment they've created here. 

Even in the winter or with bad weather, there's more going on outdoors here all year round than there is in most places in the US, even Charleston with its wonderful climate.  THAT is something that isn’t easy to articulate to anyone who hasn't experienced it, and something that I'd imagine will be difficult to adapt to when we return.  How do you adjust to that live your life indoors, behind privacy fences, sequestered in your house or car lifestyle that we have in the states?  I keep imagining things like biking to the store, then the practical side hits me - there are no/few bike paths or sidewalks, and drivers aren't taught to watch for bikers and pedestrians, and the crosswalks, where they exist, aren't really for pedestrians because of the abuse of right-on-red that drivers take to mean 'right of way'.   

Here's our list of what we'll miss most.  It gets longer every day - not surprisingly food and drinks make up a big part of the list!

WHAT WE'LL MISS MOST (see pics of these in the photo album with that title) 

Biergartens in medieval castles, in the forest, along bike trails in the middle of nowhere - EVERYWHERE!

Krokettens

Dog-friendly malls, restaurants, stores, historic sites, etc

Curry ketchup

'Toothpaste tubes' of condiments (mustards, wasabi, tomato paste, horseradish, ketchup-mayonnaise, etc)

The Filder-Neckar-Teck Senioren Schwimm Gruppe

My SMART Car

Käsespätzle

Our house - and solidly built brick/block houses, in general 

Driving on the Autobahn

Good drivers!

Semis and slow drivers staying in the right lane

Döner Kebabs and Imbisses

Our town's Eis Café and their awesome gelato flavors

All of our friends - especially the Perrys, Taylors, Ballards, Saylors, and those who we already miss - the Pukanskys, Lenkeits and Lucases

Mövenpick ice-cream

Outdoor everything - regardless of the weather - hiking, biking, dining, sitting on park benches, swimming, walking

Walking and biking trails EVERYWHERE

Hanutas!!

Ritter Sport candy bars

Müsli and good yogurt

Dr. Oetinger Frozen Pizzas

Our neighbors

Edeka (grocery store)

Walkable, pedestrian friendly towns

Twice a week farmers' markets

Bakeries

German Wings, TUIfly and other discount airlines

German bier

BIO-products readily available in all the stores

A real 'downtown' with everything we need in walking distance

Restaurant Zum Trauben

My houseplants

Our garden

The Röhms

REAL and the AWG Center (shopping)

Good, cheap wine

The Nurtingen Hallenbad and Friebad

Trains, buses and easy public transportation

The Fests - Frühlingsfest, Volkfest, Weindorfs, Zwiebelnfest, Knoblauchfest, Vinzenzenfest, Fasching . . .

The Patch Ski Club and ski trips to the Alps

Maultaschen

MezzoMix

Apfelschorle

Full and comprehensive waste program - recycling, incineration (waste-to-energy), reclamation, and land-filling as a last resort

Cheeses - lots and lots of cheeses

Olives

Frischkäse-stuffed peppers and tomatoes

Sit-as-long-as-you-like restaurants with no-hassle wait-staff

Dr. Richters (the vet)

People doing environmentally sound things (recycling, building energy efficient buildings, stormwater runoff control, bio/organic, developing solar and wind energy, fuel efficient vehicles, etc.) because it's right, not only if/when you have to

 Hills and mountains

Historic to prehistoric sites all nearby

Cultural diversity

The cool shutters on our house!

What won't we miss?  Matt won't miss work - that's been a struggle for him since he got here!  We won't miss the weather, either.  While I've toughened up some, I'm still a Caribbean girl at heart and need some sunshine and warmth.  We were incredibly lucky our first two years here, and I really didn't believe those who told us "this is unusual, just wait until it returns to normal."  This last year, it returned to normal and what a depressing year it's been!  Thank God for travel to warm and sunny climes, otherwise I'd sit in a corner and cry!  Last April was the last consistently nice weather we've had.  After that, it went downhill and stayed there.  May and June were cold and wet.  By then, I'd given up on the Freibad.  The summer before, I swam every day starting in May through August.  Even when it was still cold, the sun was out and the water was nice.  Last summer, it seemed to be in the 50s and rainy most of the time.  All the yard work and housework that required opening windows or hanging anything outside had to be done on the few warm or sunny days we had.  I only went to the pool a few times.  I thought I'd miss the onset of real summer while I was in the states.  I did get a short dose of sun and warmth during my few days in Charleston, but then went right back to 'scheisse wetter' in New York and even more of it back in Germany.   AAARRGGGHHHH!

Of course, with all the crap summer weather, we were due a spectacular Indian summer, right?  Wrong - more rainy, cold weather.  And just when we thought we'd have a brilliant, snowy winter with those gorgeous, crisp days with cloudless blue skies for winter, we got more of the same weather.  It rarely snowed, but I'd have loved the snow over the cold, damp, drizzly yuck that passed for winter this year!  We've had a few nice days this spring, but they've been few and far between.  Each false start brings hope, only to be dashed a few days later by snow (twice in April - more for Easter than for Christmas and New Year combined), or more rain.

Still, I'd be willing to tolerate the miserable weather for another year to take full advantage of the items on that big, long list of things we'll miss most.

THE BERLIN ZOO

We spent the long Presidents' Day weekend in Berlin for the swim team's Championship meet.  The kids did great and Matt and I added a day before and 2 days after for some sightseeing.  We got in a number of the sites that I'd visited last year and knew Matt would enjoy - Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Reichstag, and went to some spots that I missed and wanted to get to - the Kaiser Wilhelm Kirche, Alexander Platz (the tv tower, although it was too rainy and foggy to warrant a trip up to see the view), the Pergamon Museum (amazing!), and the zoo. 

The zoo was my priority 1.  Knut, a baby polar bear was born on December 6 - just about 6 weeks before my last visit, and the controversy was just heating up.  Knut's mother shunned him and his sibling, who subsequently died.  There was quite the furor over what to do with the poor cub.  Should a zoo let nature take its course and not interfere if the mother refuses to take care of her young, or do they intervene?  Luckily, the decision was made to intervene and baby Knut was raised by the zoo keepers.  He's since become the biggest attraction at the zoo.  Even though he's over a year old, he's still a 'baby' and I wanted to see him!  We'd also heard great things about the Berlin Zoo, overall, and we weren't disappointed.

Berlin Zoo is the oldest in Germany, with the largest number of species.  We visited on a drizzly, gray day (no surprise - it's February!) so there weren't any crowds.  We strolled around by ourselves, only occasionally running into other visitors while outdoors.  Most folks stuck with indoor exhibits like the aquarium and lions' house.  Outside, it was one of the most active zoo visits we've had!  There were lots and lots of young animals and lots of rambunctious ones, too.  The first and one of the most striking animals we encountered was a Bactrian camel - a two humper with the coolest dreadlocked beard, and a face with serious attitude!  He seemed to enjoy posing for the camera and repositioned himself a few times to give Matt a better angle!

We saw baby hippos (that's the manatee looking 'blob' laying on the ground by its pool in the photos!) baby warthogs, a baby rhino, some other piglet looking things, lion cubs, and, of course, Knut.  We also saw a lot of future baby animals in the making!  A male bear chased a female into a corner and went at it, a zebra, after chasing down some gazelles in their shared enclosure, jumped another zebra.  We think he may have been an adolescent and hadn't quite figured it out yet - you'll see why in the pictures!  It seemed like a lot of the other ungulates were ready for spring, too!

We meandered through all the paths, pavilions and exhibits.  The aquarium is a cool, old building and the exhibits are nicely done.  The other animal houses are typical - when the animals have had enough outside, they come in and get stared at some more.  The lion house was exciting!  The lions are fed at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.  Monday is a fasting day, and that's the day we were there.  Dad lion was none too happy about not getting his meal, and he knew it was 3:00.  His roar echoed through the hall and grumbled in our bellies.  That got Mom lion in the next cage going and her screams were added to the din.  So, the cubs knew something was up and THEY started in, too, with adorable, high pitched, 'Mrrows' of their own. 

We found Knut in his own private enclosure, we weren't disappointed.  He's not a tiny, cuddly cub anymore, but he's still adorable!  But, I think the poor guy is lonely.  He strolled down to the edge of the moat separating him from the crowds and waved a paw, sniffed the air, like he wanted to join us.  Of course, it might not have been us he wanted to join, but the 'other' polar bear he could see reflected in the glass across the moat from him.  Made me want to climb over and give him a hug.  Which explains why I can't work in a zoo - I'd be one of the statistics of zoo keepers who were mauled by the animals!

I'd highly recommend the Berlin Zoo, maybe because I'm partial to Knut and maybe because we were there on a day without too many other people, but we enjoyed it.  If you want to see wonderful pictures and video clips of Knut, there are some below.  Our next zoo visits will be the Nurnberg Zoo where another baby polar bear was abandoned by its mother in November, and Stuttgart, where 'Wil-bear' is the newest polar bear cup in Germany.

Knut's page on the Zoo web site (in English)

http://www.zoo-berlin.de/en/experience/young-animals/ice-bear-knut.html

Knut's Blog (in German - great pics and video clips)

http://blog.rbb-online.de/roller/knut/

ROTA, SPAIN

 We returned to Spain for the long Thanksgiving weekend, this time to the southern coast.  We stayed at the Navy Lodge in Rota - a cute, coastal town that probably picks up in the warmer months, but is pretty quiet in November!  They take their siesta seriously in Rota.  Matt and I went for a stroll through the old section of town, looking for some lunch at about 1:00 p.m..  Armed with a map and recommendations from the receptionist at the Lodge, we wandered through quiet, shuttered-up twisty alleys and plazas, only occasionally running into any other people!  We did find a tiny restaurant (4 tables and a counter) and had a fabulous lunch of octopus salad, olives, bread and other tapas.  The boardwalk and beach were equally deserted, aside from one or two lunchtime joggers, we had it all to ourselves. 

TANGER, MOROCCO

We wanted to go to both Gibraltar and Morocco - both easy day trips from Rota - but also wanted to see more of Spain.  So, we decided on a day in Morocco and a day in Seville.  We left Spain from Tarifa on a fast ferry.  About half way across the Strait of Gibraltar it got rough - the customs station on-board the ferry shut down when the police officer manning it turned green, the crew hurriedly ran around passing out seasickness bags, and the poor woman in the on-board duty free shop had her hands full picking up cartons of cigarettes from the floor only to have them fall off the shelf with the next lurching roll of the vessel.  Our 35 minute crossing took 1 hr 15 minutes - then we were in Africa.  One of my favorite movie lines is Matthew Broderick describing the southern heat in 'Biloxi Blues': "It's hot.  It's damn hot.  It's like Africa hot!"  Well, I have news for you.  Africa isn't always hot!  Morocco averages 3" of rain per year.  They got 1.5" of it the day we visited.  It was a cold, wet and just plain miserable day!  Everyone was wearing their heavy wool kaftans and djellabas (long-sleeved, hooded kaftan-type garment for men).   And I was eyeing them enviously as I shivered in my lightweight jacket and slacks (and thought I'd overdressed!)

I'm glad to say that following a friend's recommendation we took the guided tour offered by the ferry company.  They handled customs, money exchange, transportation and meals.  While it might have been an adventure to try navigating the Kasbah on our own, it could also be rather dangerous.  Talking with two men - a Russian and a Frenchman - on the ferry afterwards, it could also be an exercise in futility.  They spent the better part of the day asking for directions and being 'held hostage' for payment in return for those!

Our tour took us through the streets of Morocco on a bus, a quick overview of the city's history, and then dropped us off at the gates to the Kasbah.  A guide through that maze of alleys, dead-ends and bazaars is essential!  The streets are filled with people speaking every language imaginable.  I had the no-so-brilliant idea that we'd fool them by switching languages.  Obviously, all of the street vendors spoke English - the universal language - and French, since they'd been a French colony, and Spanish, since it was such a short hop away.  So, when they started in English, I switched to German, which they quickly and fluently picked up!  Then I tried Spanish, knowing full-well they'd just as easily switch to that!  I would have given up and gone back to English, but most of the American's in this group were such the typical 'ugly Americans' that I refused and stuck with Spanish or German.  Our fellow-tourmates were an embarrassment to all Americans!  They refused to eat a fabulous lunch at the ambiance-filled restaurant that we stopped at because it had all this 'funny foreign stuff' like couscous and curry chicken!  With terror in their eyes, they huddled in a bunch in the middle of the group, shooing away the street vendors, kids begging for money and even the clerks in the bazaar, as if they were contagious.  I;m happy to say that by the end of the day, the every decreasing prices for the plates, teapots, fezzes, bongos and jewelry the vendors were hawking even broke their xenophobia down and they boarded the bus loaded down with all of the 'bargains' they got at the gate as we were leaving the Kasbah. 

Matt and I did pretty well in the bargain-hunting department - I think.  Or perhaps as well as any tourist can do there!  We came home with a beautiful plate, a brass and bamboo window-mirror, a small decorative teapot, henna lip gloss from the apothecary, a kaftan for me, and a small carpet that went from 700 euro to 150 to 80 in the course of 20 minutes!  It's a gorgeous carpet and now I refuse to put it down because it might get dirty!

After our visit to the Kasbah, we boarded the bus and drove down the waterfront to an open field with the remains of an old stone building where three camels were grazing.  And here's where I got my camel ride.  Almost passed on it because I felt so sorry for the poor thing - kneel down, get some big, fat American or a screaming kid on your back, walk around in a little circle, do it all over again.  But, touron took over common sense and I rode the thing.  Not the most comfortable ride; and, eau de wet-camel makes wet-dog seem like perfume!  But, I did it, have the photo to remind me.   The day was indeed an adventure - and we can add not only a different country, but a whole other continent to our list of travels!

SEVILLE, SPAIN

While Barcelona is a bustling, modern city with incredible, cutting-edge 'modernisma' architecture, Seville is filled with old-world charm.  The Seville Cathedral embodies this with its towering gothic spires and details.  The church was built as part of the city's 'celebration' of the reconquest of Spain from the Moors.  The canons of Seville went on a 100-year austerity budget in order to fund construction of "a church of such a kind that those who see it built will think we were mad."  The cathedral is the third largest church and the largest Gothic building in Europe.  It also has the largest altarpiece in the world.  The cathedral, along with the Archivos de las Indias (where all the documents pertaining to the discovery of the New World are housed) and the Alcazar (the royal palace), is a World Heritage Site.

Entrance to the cathedral is via the Puerta de San Cristóbal on the south side. Near the doorway dedicated to the saint he was named after is the tomb of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón in Spanish). Columbus was originally buried in the cathedral of Havana, on the island he had discovered on his first voyage in 1492. But during the upheavals surrounding the Cuban revolution in 1902, Spain transferred the remains to Seville.

Seville, like most European cities, is a very pedestrian-friendly, walkable city.  It's also incredibly clean and friendly - even more so than Barcelona.  We wandered the length of the city, through palace and cathedral gardens, public parks and plazas, past orange trees, palm trees and giant Norfolk Island pines, then walked back along the riverfront to see the Bullfighting ring and museum and the Tor d'Oro, ending up back and our starting point where we watched sunset over the river as we had a glass of Sangria:  A delicious end to a wonderful day.

You can see pics from both of our Spain trips in the photo albums of 'Barcelona', and 'Rota Seville and Morocco'.

SPAIN - NOVEMBER 2007

November was our Spanish month.  We traveled to Barcelona over the Veterans' Day long weekend and to Rota and Seville (with a side trip to Morocco) over Thanksgiving.  They were whirlwind trips, and Rota included one day at the base pool for a swim meet, so we piled a lot into the remaining days.

BARCELONA

Barcelona is an eclectic mix of modern, old, utilitarian and fantasy.   The 'working' city center is like any other - high rises, glass, concrete and steel and rather bland.  But tucked away are little pockets of breathtaking and unconventional beauty  - the art deco-style buildings (known as 'Modernista' in Barcelona) along La Rambla, the 'Fred Flinstone'-like Casa Milá or (La Pedrera, which to me sounds more like the Bedrock-style house it is!), the surreal, sand castle spires of La Sagrada Família church, and the child-like fantasy-scape of the Park Güell.

We roamed the city with abandon; that is to say, without any plan.  Up Mountjuic at night, following the sweeping spotlight beam to the Palau Nacional, to find the spectacular fountains (from the photos, at least) were temporarily closed for maintenance.  But, we did find the Olympic Park and a wonderful little tapas restaurant along the way!  We stumbled across Miró's Dona i Ocell in the Park de Joan Miró, the statue of Cristobal Colon, and strolled along the waterfront, checking out the boats getting ready to depart in the morning for the two man Around the World race.

The Sagrada Família church, begun in 1883 and still under construction, is an architects' and artists' wonderland.  The spires look like nothing less than wet sand dripped into cones atop a cavernous church.  Looking closely, you find bits and pieces of the construction mimicking bits and pieces of nature.  The cathedral columns branch upward like trees, windows are honeycombs, spiral stairwells imitate the curling chambers of a nautilus shell, and the rooftop of the former school undulates and curls like a leaf. Fruit baskets top the spires, representing bounty from God.  Colorful Venetian mosaics on rounded spires meet minimalist, angular sculptures of the crucifixion on the façade.  Contemplating the intellect of the person who could conceive something all at once so complex, diverse and unified boggles the mind and makes one really appreciate the genius of Antoni Gaudí.  Even if you've never heard of the man, even if you aren't an architecture-buff, by the end of a visit to Barcelona, you will be!  And we were.

Our focus now shifted to tracking down some of Gaudí's other masterpieces.  We ventured to the north side of the city to the Park Güell.  The Park was originally planned by Spain's equivalent of the US's 'Robber Barons' to be a residential 'garden-city', a utopian enclave for the industrial elite.  WWI and a general lack of interest by the bourgeoisie brought an end to that plan while the park complex was still in its infancy.  The park was eventually used for parties and celebrations, and was made a public park in 1922.  UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1984 and since then, the park has undergone an extensive restoration.  Like the Sagrada Família, the park is filled with surprises: Promenades where you 'surf' under the breaking stone wave, mushroom headed chimneys, colorful mosaic animals, wavy benches, a column-filled marketplace, and fairy-tale buildings of curved rooms and birthday cake roofs.  It's obviously a popular park.  After a stroll around the paths, to the stone Calvary at the top of the hill (Mount Menas) we were ready to sit, relax and people watch.  But there wasn't a spare seat on the 110m undulating bench that surrounds the large square above the columned marketplace!  Vendors, musicians, groups of young people and families spread and sprawled everywhere in the park.  The view over Barcelona is gorgeous!  Green parrots flit from palm tree to palm tree, and doves peck at leftover crumbs around the benches.   It's both a relaxing and energetic place where one can discover new nooks, crannies and details with every visit.

From there, we headed for the Casa Milá -yet another of Gaudí's truly inspired works.  It's commonly called 'La Pedrera' or the Stone Quarry - a very fitting name given its right-out-of-Bedrock appearance.  Certainly Hanna or Barbera must have gotten the inspiration for 'the Flinstones' after a visit to this building!  This is an 8-story apartment block has no straight walls anywhere!  The building wends around two circular courtyards, the apartments wrapping around it - a window-lined hallway wraps around looking into the courtyard, while each room looks out over the streets of Barcelona from wave-like walls with seaweed balcony rails.  The rooftop is a surreal walk over waves, up and down short stairways, through arches and around sculptured chimneys and airducts known as 'espantabruixes' or witch-scarers.  Again, the imagination and exotic forms attest to Gaudí's unique brilliance as an architect and artist.

Everything about Barcelona, from the energy of the waterfront, to the evening throngs of La Rambla with its eclectic mix of souvenir shops, galleries, markets, 'adult stores' (including the Museu de l' Erotica, which we had to visit - early 20^th c 'porn' films are just too funny!) to the delicious tapas is appealing and invites you to explore a little bit more, and a little bit farther afield, and a little deeper.   It's a great city.

Sailing the Aegean

The Aegean Sea: Sun, sand, warm breezes and clear blue waters, or, as Homer more accurately described it, "The wine dark sea."  Throw in some ancient ruins, modern cities, phenomenal food and a welcoming crew that cater to your every need and that was our perfect sailing adventure in Turkey with Azure Odyssey (www.azureodyssey.com). 

Matt and I, along with our friends Todd, Donna, Nadine and Ted, started and ended our adventure at the Su Hotel in the bustling seaside resort town of Bodrum on the southwest coast of Turkey.   We were picked up at the Bodrum airport by the hotel van for the 30 minute drive into town.  Our excitement grew as we passed palm trees and resorts, crested the hill into downtown Bodrum and wound our way through narrow streets and dark alleys.  Our excitement changed to concern when our driver parked and we proceeded on foot down a bustling, narrow side street and into a dark alley.  Where was he taking us?  When we opened the gate into the courtyard of The Su Hotel (www.suhotel.net), we knew - paradise!

The Su Hotel is a group of beautiful, bright white Mediterranean-style buildings just a few blocks from the waterfront, but hidden away from everything by vine-covered walls.  It's an oasis of tropical vegetation - hibiscus, bougainvillea, golden trumpets and palm trees.  The hotel cat greeted us and led us into the main courtyard, where the invitingly lit pool sparkled and begged to be swum in.   The buildings and rooms are trimmed in bright, primary colors.  Turkish mirrors, plates, pictures, amphorae and urns line the walls, enticing you to explore every nook and cranny.   The dining area is a large courtyard with comfy cushioned seats and benches around long white tables.  The delicious aromas coming from the kitchen were fully matched by the great food that followed.  The staff made us feel right at home, except Matt doesn't get service and food quite this good at home!   

There are great sites all around Bodrum.  We explored the bazaar for spices, clothes, plates, tapestries and beautiful materials, pillow-covers and bedspreads.  Vendors sell fresh seafood along the waterfront, and there are loads of treasures to be found in little shops down all the twisty alleys.  The bright, intricate designs of the pottery drew us into Vivaldi, a shop specializing in pottery and ceramics using traditional techniques and designs, as well as exploring new methods and patterns (www.vivaldiceramics.com).  The Bodrum Castle sits prominently looking over the harbor and we spent most of a day exploring its collections on history, culture, shipwrecks, and art. 

As great as the shopping and sightseeing in Bodrum are, the focus of our trip was our cruise.  Azure Odyssey has a fleet of four traditional Turkish sailing vessels (gullets) ranging in size from 19 to 30 meters that can comfortably accommodate 12 to 18 people (2 per cabin), depending on which vessel you choose.   Our fantastic crew - Captain Yavuz, Sailor Mustafa, and Cook Comhur - welcomed us about the Azure Dolunay, a 22 meter gullet with six passenger cabins (each with its own head).  Once aboard and settled into our cabins, we headed out to sea.

Azure Odyssey has a helpful and detailed web site that lets you plan out your own itinerary, selecting archaeological and historic sites, natural areas for snorkeling, swimming or hiking, or whatever your interests are.  We weren't that motivated, so we let the crew know what we were interested in (a little bit of everything, but not too much of it), and left the planning up to them.  We were lucky to have the boat's owner, Darlene, with us.  She's from Endwell, NY (small world!) and we worked together at NOAA in Charleston for a while.  She'd told me about Turkey back then, and I've wanted to go on this cruise ever since.  She answered all our questions about history and culture, food, language, people, the boat, shopping, sightseeing and everything else we could think - a real bonus for us!  

Our five day cruise took us around Gökova Bay.  We visited secluded coves at Oraklar Island, Tekerek Harbour and Tuzla Bay for snorkeling and hiking, a small island with ancient ruins and a white, sandy beach (Sedir Island, also known as Cleopatra's Beach), and a tiny harbor town (one store and a few houses) that served as a departure point for an overland trip to the busy port town of Marmaris for shopping and sightseeing.  We kept up a relaxing daily schedule of eating, snorkeling, eating, hiking, eating, swimming, eating, occasional dancing, and more eating.  Each morning started with our wonderful crewman, Mustafa, bringing us coffee, followed by breakfast.  After only a day or two, we were plotting ways to lure Comhur back to Germany with us so we could continue to eat the great meals and snacks he prepared.  What a cook!

Although the snorkeling in this area doesn't offer the abundance of marine life found in the Caribbean or other sailing destinations, we did see a variety of fish, eels, urchins and lots of fried-egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) .  These jellyfish are a yellow with an orange circle in the center, thus their name.   Unlike most jellyfish, they don't have stinging cells and are active swimmers, moving to sunny areas to keep the algae that live in their tissues happy.  We also spotted a brightly colored Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), yellow wag tails (Motacilla flava) and other common sea birds (gulls, cormorants and heron), and a flock of geese that made their home along the docks in one harbor.  Sadly, the most abundant thing we found snorkeling was trash - newspapers, cans and bottles and potato chip bags.  Darlene is on a single-handed mission to clean up the waters they sail and returned from each snorkeling trip with a bag or two of garbage she'd collected. We occasionally tore ourselves out of our food-induced lethargy and picked up a can or two in support of her efforts, too.

Our best wildlife spot of all was Badem, a Mediterranean Monk Seal, one of the most endangered mammals in the world.   Badem was found along the coast in December 2006 when she was 4-6 weeks old.  She'd been separated from her mother, she was rescued and cared for by Underwater Research Society – Mediterranean Seal Research Group (SAD-AFAG, in its Turkish acronym).  A local businessman, Mustaca Koç, and his family, covered most of the rehabilitation cost of the orphaned seal and have led efforts to ensure residents, boat crews and visitors help ensure the future of Badem and the remaining monk seals in the region.   The Turkish Coast Guard and SAD-AFAG monitor Badem's movements and try to minimize interactions between Badem and people so that she'll more quickly adapt back to her natural way of life.  Badem has other ideas.  She's decided that people have better sleeping accommodations than rocky beaches and frequently jumps into the dinghies of anchored boats for her afternoon nap!  She also likes to play with snorkelers.  The boat crews help the protection efforts by letting their passengers know not to approach or try to touch Badem, she is, after all, a wild animal and will bite if threatened.  But, she has no qualms in going for a ride as she showed us when we met her in Tuzla Bay where she was napping in a neighboring vessel's dinghy.  The captain rowed her over to our boat so we could ooh and aah and take pictures while she slept on.  It's illegal to approach her, touch her, feed her or harass her in any way, but she sure makes it difficult not to!   (For more information on Badem, go to:  www.monachus-guardian.org/news/pdf/badem_brosur.pdf)

 All in all, we had a fantastic time and learned many valuable lessons.  Todd won't drink his bourbon starting at 9 a.m., Lynne won't drink turkish coffee ever, Matt won't dance with Comhur, Ted will get a bigger lens, and Nadine and Donna will try to avoid men with big lenses!  And we'd all HIGHLY recommend a blue cruise with Azure Odyssey to all of our friends!

Merry Christmas - or whatever the nearest holiday is to when this finally gets out! 

 
Matt and Lynne are humbugs this year - we're both sick and the holiday spirit didn't want to catch it, so passed us by!  We just finished our holiday shopping, still have gifts to ship, and haven't even begun to think of Christmas cards, but we want to let all of our friends and family know that we're thinking of you!

We've had a crazy-busy year.  Since we're down to our last 5 months or so in Europe, we're trying to fit in as much traveling as possible around the general chaos of Matt's life with SPAWAR-Europe and his second office move in just over a year and Lynne's coaching and teaching for UMUC.  Matt has become the 'official team photographer" for the Stuttgart Piranhas - you can see pics of the team at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuttgart_piranhas/

This year we checked off a few more places from our list and got to 2 more continents - Asia and Africa.  In between lots of day trips around Germany, we also hit: the Dolomites in northern Italy for a ski trip, a week skiing and exploring Chamonix, France and Mt. Blanc (the tallest peak in western Europe) in February and March, Athens, Greece in March, Bodrum, Turkey for a sailing trip in September, Spain (Barcelona and Rota/Seville) and Tanger, Morocco in November.   Lynne keeps saying she'll add something about these trips and photos to the blog, but that hasn't happened, yet!  There are loads of pictures from these at Matt's flicker site:

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/drobnikm/

Ryan and Kelly came to visit after their graduation from SUNY-Oswego in May.  We had a great time visiting castles (Neuschwannstein, Hohenzollern and Hohenwerfen), hiking in the Black Forest, exploring the largest ice caves in the world in Werfen, and following in the steps of the Sound of Music in Salzburg, Austria.  The time flew by far too fast, but it was a wonderful visit.

Lynne headed to the states for a few weeks to visit friends and family in Charleston and New York.  The weather there wasn't any better than in Germany, but it was nice to see everyone and spend time with her family, especially the nieces, nephews, and Ryan.

Spike and Spooky continue to love their lives in Germany.  Spike has made friends with all the neighbors and their dogs - despite the "Bisschinger Hund" (biting dog) signs at the gates.  And Spooky still likes to wander into strange houses and yards so we always meet new neighbors through him.  Spike's tumor on his hind leg has returned and is growing fairly quickly, so we don't know if he'll be with us for another year.  We're doing everything we can to pamper and spoil him and he's taking full advantage of it!

Lynne has had 2 stories selected for publication - both due out in January.  One is a short fiction piece (The Visit, in Skylines Literary Magazine) and the other is a creative non-fiction essay (Desperately Seeking Joe, in The Painted Door).  Neither is a paying venue, so Matt isn't going to retire just yet - but, it's a start!

That's our year in a nutshell.  We hope you've had a happy, healthy 2007 and wish you and your family a wonderful 2008!

Love,

Matt, Lynne, Spike and Spooky

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

 Einstein.  We all know the wild-haired genius who sparked a physics revolution.  Using previously unavailable personal correspondence, Isaacson draws a complex portrait of Einstein that goes beyond the well-known image of an unconventional thinker, to show an imperfect man who struggled with family, career, politics, and moral questions.

 This biography deftly intertwines science with personal anecdotes to give a clear and very human portrait of Albert Einstein.  The science is presented in clear, concise descriptions, similar to Einstein's own "thought experiments" that make it easily understandable. 

 Einstein's scientific success is due to resistance to conformity.  "A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of the truth," he wrote in 1901.  His aversion to lock-step acceptance of commonly held beliefs led to the most important breakthroughs in the history of science.  Yet, as a Jew in Europe, he struggled to succeed professionally amid a society and colleagues firmly entrenched in obedience to authority, rote learning, and strong nationalism.  The book delves into the personal and public conflicts Einstein faced due to his views on war and politics: issues that resonate strongly in today's world making this a very relevant and timely read.      

My next 'success' was in a short-story competition, the Weekender Challenge.  The 'challenge' was that the topic and specific entry details were unknown.  These were sent to entrants at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and the entry was due by 9 p.m. Sunday.  The topic was "Falling."  Entries had a 1200 word limit.  I placed fifth, with an honorable mention with "The Visit".

UPDATE:  'The Visit' has been accepted for publication in SkyWriter's winter edition!  It's an on-line and limited print literary  magazine - so, now I'm a published writer! 
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE:  I just learned that something that's been published on a blog is considered 'published', so I'm not supposed to post it here if it's published elsewhere!  So, 'The Visit' can be found in the winter edition of Sky Line Review.  http://newyorkskylinereview.com/index.htm

 TWO MORE WRITING 'VICTORIES'!

My creative non-fiction essay, 'Desperately Seeking Joe' is published on-line at The Painted Door: Stories Plain and Simple.
http://www.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=58114&ck=

AND, a travel article I wrote on our sailing trip in Turkey will be published in the Travel Section of the Stars and Stripes (European edition) on Thursday, Feb 21, 2008.  This is a double victory - some of Matt's photos from the trip will be published with the story!  This is a modified version of what appears above in this blog.

ANOTHER SUCCESS!

My creative nonfiction essay, "The Lost Art of Funerals" will be published in Vanguard Press's 'The Battered Suitcase' in July 08!