The Usual Suspects

I like to drive fast. Dan doesn't (well, not on par with my standards, usually); so when a ticket arrived in his mailbox a few weeks ago, I was generally surprised, and more than a little amused:


Dan's Ticket Photo


Unfortunately, I wasn't laughing for long.



My Ticket Photo

The tickets were only 15€ each (the standard warning fee), but I think the embarrassment of having the photographs mailed to our supervisors and passed around various offices (in my case, at least) is a perfect demonstration of the penalty the Polizei would have undoubtedly preferred to impose.

Above all Else

Dan and I are buckling down and beginning to make lists for the places we would most like to see...we originally planned to leave in September, but have postponed our departure to sometime next year, possibly March.

There are definitely things I will not miss about this place - the straightforward ("rude," in my opinion) manner of the Germans, for example - but I will miss certain things: the autobahn, the bakeries (Dan will be having serious bread withdrawals), and possibly the snow (but not being in the snow).
And there is one thing I will, without a doubt, be yearning for once we are home:


Creamy, Delicious Greek-Style Yogurt

I'd never heard of this until a co-worker mentioned it a few months ago; now that we've tasted the difference, Dan and I find it very difficult to eat regular yogurt (he still buys it sometimes, when he can't find the above in-stock).
It does taste a bit familiar, though...hopefully we can find something similar in Florida?

What Really Happened...

I would like to say that the (extremely compelling) reason for my "absence" was the exhausting-yet-enormously-gratifying period Dan and I spent traveling throughout Europe - engaging in witty conversation with locals and munching happily on croissants while sitting pretty in the comfortable little chairs of various outdoor cafes. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
What has really happened since my last update? Not too much.

Actually, quite a bit did happen, though most of it (everyday occurrences such as crushing Dan in our latest Scrabble match; encountering a non-English speaking French guy at the Burger King drive-thru on base; attempting to rush home from work, but ultimately being delayed on account of a massive stau on the autobahn; Dan finding my hair everywhere-including in his side of the bathroom cabinet-again...) is not of much interest to anyone but myself.

Some of it, though...

TEXAS

During the latter part of June, Dan and I traveled to Texas to watch my little sister graduate from Air Force basic training (congrats again, Jessica!). Though we weren't able to attend the actual graduation (you suck, American Airlines!), we did get to spend some quality time with her, and the rest of my family:


Us at the Alamo

TRIP TO LIECHTENSTEIN

We also traveled to Liechtenstein, a week or so later, for my birthday: the trip included a slight detour into Austria, and another, even shorter one, into Switzerland (Dan doesn't like their autobahn toll policies).
We visited a modern art museum in Vaduz (Liechtenstein), a castle in Feldkirch (Austria), and drove quickly past the beautiful Alps in Switzerland.
A fun time was had by all!

ZIRKUS CHARLES KNIE

On the way back from the market approximately one week ago, Dan and I stopped at a bakery, because I wanted a 'snack.' On a table lay a brochure for a circus; Dan picked up two copies and we took them back home with us. Last Sunday, the final day of their run in Kaiserslautern, we went to see the show, and it was fantastic! I had so much fun, and it (almost) didn't even matter that everything was being said in German, and I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying.



FYI: Dan told me that Knie is the German word for "knee." Interesting.