Germany Day 1: Pushing Through the Jetlag

Well the first day of jet lag has been conquered. Barely. Our flight over was. . . well I feel bad because normally I like Continental and I feel that they're one of the better of the old guard US airlines but they just didn't put their best foot forward. Or they perhaps put their best foot forward directly on a loose roller skate. Anyway, I'm not going to kick this latest blog expedition with a bunch of whining. I will mention that I watched Cop Out on the way over and was amused to see so many sites from our neighborhood (Bay Ridge) in Brooklyn.

Hamburg so far has been very nice. Kirsten's Aunt Doris met us at the airport and shortly after we arrived, Kirsten's mother and sister, Hedda and Kendra arrived. We all piled into Doris' VW Golf with all of our luggage and much nose honking (clown car joke) and made our way over to Doris's apartment in the city. She made us a delicious lunch and then we went for a very long walk through a nature preserve near her place. It was very astonishing and progressive to see such an enormous nature preserve so close to the center of the city complete with ponds and horses grazing.

After our stroll we returned for a little R & R at Doris' place before heading to Doris' son Roland house where Kendra, Kirsten, and I will be staying in Hamburg with him and his family. We had another amazing meal and plenty of great conversation and laughs. It's been fun listening to everyone jump between German and English. This evening we generally took it easy keeping in mind our early morning train ride to Berlin tomorrow morning.

Day 0: Butchering a Classic

Twas the night before Germany and all through the Apt.
Not a creature was stirring 'cept me and one cat.
The bags were all packed full of clothes just so
All set for tomorrow when away we will go.
The wife was passed out, sprawled all over the bed
Perhaps conjuring visions of bier in her head.
As I finish loading my ipod and rechecking my list
I hope that there isn't anything that I've missed.
I rub my eyes and stretch and say to the cat
"Well Manny, you know I suppose that is that."
He blinked and rolled over as if to say,
"Pay attention to me, you were out all day!"
And while rubbing his belly I got to thinkin'
All the details of the trip were starting to sink in.
We fly from Newark to Hamburg on a big ol' jet plane
And from Hamburg to Berlin we're taking a train.
Tante Doris is meeting us and with her son we will stay
And Kendra and Hedda will join us later that day.
Ingrid from England will meet us in Berlin
All these women. . . what this trip really needs is some men!
I feel my eyelids drooping like they do on the subway
It's soon time to power down and go hit the hay.
I look forward to flying to Europe like a duck
But twenty-eight verses of this I fear is too much.
It seemed a good idea when I started at first
But I know I can't finish it my eyeballs will burst.
Which is sad because I wanted to include
Something my Grandad said when I was a lil dude.
He would stop when he came to the part "threw up the sash"
And say to me, "I always thought it was 'threw up my hash."
Then we would laugh and giggle because it was silly
And to think of it now it rather still is, really!
Well I know there's an airsickness joke there somewhere
But alas it's midnight and my brain is threadbare.
So I'll leave you now with that great vision
Of vomiting out a window but that wasn't my mission.
But tune in tomorrow or whenever it may be
To find a new blog posted to you all from me.
And now as the garbage truck rolls by in the night
I'll see you in Germany! Boy, these pants sure are tight. . .