By car, by bus, by plane, by train, by tram...
...to Edlingen, Germany. So began a week long trip to Germany to co-facilitate a EUMETCAL Flash workshop. Left Boulder with Rach driving me to the Table Mesa Park'n'Ride at 2:40 on Saturday. Left DIA at 5:40pm and landed in Frankfurt at 11am the next morning even though it was only a 9 hour flight. Kind of a time warp but so it goes when traveling at 550mph towards the east across those time zones.
Through serendipity, I got to sit next to a colleague from GLOBE on her way to the Copenhagen UN climate conference. She was great fun to talk to about her past work with other COMET folks and to learn a bit more about GLOBE's endeavors. The serendipity was a good thing too as I was really bummed that I got that inner row seat. I was tagged to an aisle seat but a split-apart family pleaded to have me switch. I reluctantly agreed. Reluctant because my long legs do much better when I can stretch them into the aisle. It worked out alright though and not switching would have been bad joojoo.
Must have been the first international flight during which I didn't watch a flick. Between my colleague, the need to sleep, and the poor video selection, my personal video terminal didn't make it beyond a quick surf in the first hour of the flight.
The coolest leg of the trip was the ICE train to Mannheim: it was a super fast international train heading from Copenhagen to Basel via Frankfurt. Smooooooooth and fast. Neat. Hard to believe the US is so far behind in public transport. I've been on half dozen trains since getting here while bopping around Heidelberg, Darmstadt and Langen. You really can make do without a car if the powers that be have the foresight to build a proper infrastructure.
Madeleine's was the usual quiet and gemuehtlich stop. Did a solo excursion to town then a fine family dinner on Sunday. Woke up to an empty Monday morning house to do some work and go for a nice run along the river. Cool and drizzly but tolerable weather.
Tonight's excursion, after checking in to the dorm-style housing at the training center in Langen, was a trip to Darmstadt from 4-7:30pm. Took the S train; almost missed the transfer in Langen Hauptbahnhof. They don't make it that obvious for us foreigners. The town was decked out in its xmas best, same as Heidelberg, with lots of lights and xmas villages where the finest of cheap bratwursts, beer, and Gluehwine can be had. But lots more shopping here than in Heidelberg. Loads of stores in a labyrinth of pedestrian only roads in the old city area by the castle. Fun way to while away an evening.
Through serendipity, I got to sit next to a colleague from GLOBE on her way to the Copenhagen UN climate conference. She was great fun to talk to about her past work with other COMET folks and to learn a bit more about GLOBE's endeavors. The serendipity was a good thing too as I was really bummed that I got that inner row seat. I was tagged to an aisle seat but a split-apart family pleaded to have me switch. I reluctantly agreed. Reluctant because my long legs do much better when I can stretch them into the aisle. It worked out alright though and not switching would have been bad joojoo.
Must have been the first international flight during which I didn't watch a flick. Between my colleague, the need to sleep, and the poor video selection, my personal video terminal didn't make it beyond a quick surf in the first hour of the flight.
The coolest leg of the trip was the ICE train to Mannheim: it was a super fast international train heading from Copenhagen to Basel via Frankfurt. Smooooooooth and fast. Neat. Hard to believe the US is so far behind in public transport. I've been on half dozen trains since getting here while bopping around Heidelberg, Darmstadt and Langen. You really can make do without a car if the powers that be have the foresight to build a proper infrastructure.
Madeleine's was the usual quiet and gemuehtlich stop. Did a solo excursion to town then a fine family dinner on Sunday. Woke up to an empty Monday morning house to do some work and go for a nice run along the river. Cool and drizzly but tolerable weather.
Tonight's excursion, after checking in to the dorm-style housing at the training center in Langen, was a trip to Darmstadt from 4-7:30pm. Took the S train; almost missed the transfer in Langen Hauptbahnhof. They don't make it that obvious for us foreigners. The town was decked out in its xmas best, same as Heidelberg, with lots of lights and xmas villages where the finest of cheap bratwursts, beer, and Gluehwine can be had. But lots more shopping here than in Heidelberg. Loads of stores in a labyrinth of pedestrian only roads in the old city area by the castle. Fun way to while away an evening.
