May 5 – travel day

Today has been a surprisingly great day.

We found out yesterday that we are flying into the wrong city. Our hosts are in Genoa but we are flying into Bologna. That's a three hour drive from one city to the other. But no problem, we can catch a train. It will take us four hours and cost us 65 euros, but that is a relatively inexpensive solution to our big problem. So that incident could have dampened our spirits, but it didn't.

We left for the Kiev airport via taxi and the drive was easy. There were few people at the airport so going through security was a breeze. We were fed sausage, bratwurst, and mashed potatoes on the plane and they were delicious! Then we arrived in Vienna and it was rather grey and cold out, but the airport had some great places we could do some window shopping at. After we got to our gate, Kev went off in search of food and found that there was free wireless. Sweet!!! And then it started to rain.
It didn’t just rain, it poured. They were big fat drops coming down in sheets. It was incredible. I haven’t seen rain like that in years. And then it thundered. And then there was lightning. It was a beautiful display of Mother Nature flexing her powers.
And then our flight was canceled. Apparently there was a malfunction with some of the wiring on the plane, or something of the sort, so we would be re-booked on the next available flight. Many people were not pleased; however, this potentially provided us with a chance to get rerouted to Genoa without an additional cost to us. A stewardess lead the pack of nixed-passengers to the departure which required us to leave the airport and then reenter it.
I somehow managed to stay at the front of the cue of people so Kevo and I were helped out first. And life just got better and better. Not only were we going to be rerouted the following day to Genoa (albeit we’ll now have a transfer in Munich), but they were going to put us in a hotel, get our luggage for it, and give us food vouchers! Yeah!!! Oh yeah, and the hotel was across the street – 50 feet across the street!! And to top it off, it was a very, very lovely hotel. The bathroom is in my Top 10 List of all time great Hotel Bathrooms, ever.

I watched the news and took and nap while Kev indulged himself by taking a bath. After a wee bit, we headed back to the airport to pick up our luggage and to get free wifi. After about 30 minutes, we headed back to the hotel, got our workout gear on, and headed down to the Wellness Center (i.e. that is code for gym). We did some light cardio and some stretching. Life was good.
But then things took a turn for the worse. My luggage was damp. No, not damp, wet. I would say that 90% of my clothes were wet in some way or another. The bottom and the entire left side of my luggage must have been sitting in a puddle. How depressing. Kev and I were cheery customers and were flexible….why was I thanked with wet luggage? Yes, it was raining cats and dogs, but come on. Sigh. I spent the next half hour hanging up my clothes (t-shirts, performance outfits, pants, and all my socks) around the room. Some of them were over lamp shades, near the tub, and on hangers in the closet or the bathroom. The only hope was that everything would be dry by morning.
We had to move on from this unfortunate moment, so we headed downstairs to eat dinner. OMG, it was lovely. There were three platforms of food: salad bar and mini fixings, hot food, and dessert. Kevin made himself a monumental salad and I grabbed bits and pieces here and there. Highlights: lasagna, grilled vegetables, a breaded tomato thing, pesto-crème vegetables, chocolate pudding, and the satisfaction that I was able to order drinks in German with a flawless accent (the downside of that, of course, is then I was presumed to speak German and then when I was further questioned about something or rather, I couldn’t answer). I felt like I was making progress towards my goal of being a secret agent who, naturally, spoke six languages fluently. Note: I don’t speak any languages fluently….English pending. :-D

Then it was off to bed. We’ll be getting up in less than 5 hours. I will need to repack my luggage, eat, and check my luggage in.

Getting out of the cold

We are so ready to leave this cold weather. It's like it never goes away!

The snow is still novel to me; it reminds me of Christmas. In fact, I'd prefer it to snow than rain any day of the week. However, snow requires cold weather and I am not a fan of cold weather. I feel like I have come a long way since my Southern California days and am now able to bear the cold weather. 40 degrees no longer is all that bad! But when it gets down to 30, I have a hard time with it.

Kevin and I are normally traveling and we go visit other weather climates, and then we briefly return to ours momentarily. These days, however, we've spent a significant amount of time in Pittsburgh (we'll, for us it has been) and it's just plain cold. The cold seeps into the walls at night and my legs and feet get so cold that I can hardly fall asleep.

But no more!!! We are going to Baltimore!!!

This weekend we are teaching at the Leap Year Lindy Weekend and we are looking forward to different (and hopefully better) weather. We are leaving very early tomorrow (7:45am - eeeppp!!!) for a warmer climate and to go see Dr. Ron (a chiropractor) that Kevin knows in DC.


Hopes for this weekend:

warm weather
cute brick buildings
a "cultural" experience
seeing Semi-Pro with Sommer and Dorry
teaching students who have a great sense of humor and are ready to learn
eating some great food
lots of laughing
hearing great music
having some great social dances

When there is snow....

It's cold here in Pittsburgh. "It's cold here everyday. What is this, Miami Beach?"
- Bill Murray in Groundhogs Day

Kevin and I have watched that movie twice now and we are bemused that yet another movie has taken place in Pittsburgh. Very cool.

Moving along....

It's snowing and it's cold and there are a few things that one should do in such occasions: sit by a fire, sing Christmas carols, drink hot chocolate (some spike is optional), and make snow angles. Well, I have done all of things except make a snow angle, so TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!

Here are some pictures of me posing by the freezing car:








































And here is one of me making a snow angle:

















I realize that after I start flapping that cotton doesn't protect you from snow. In fact, I might go out onto a snow-covered limb and say that cotton wicks up the cold and moisture!! This is relevant because I am wearing cotton stretch pants at the time of my brilliant angelic stunt.

Oooh, actually, I need to add make a snowman and carve an ice sculpture (thanks Phil Connors!!!) to my list. Two more things to do before the snow is gone!!!