Here's yet another thing I like about Germany--you start out your day franticly running-around, trying to get crap done before it's time to head back to the States, and end it sitting at the top of a mountain, in a castle, drinking a tall, cold beer.
Wouldn't it be so much easier to get up and get going in the morning, knowing at the end of each day you would end up sitting in this very spot, at an old wooden table in a nearby castle, with a beer in hand?
Answer: Jawohl. (A hearty yes.)
Today Mr. Lush stayed home from work. He's actually taking the whole week off so that we (he and I) can spend some time together, before I leave for the US with the kids this coming weekend. While I'm über-excited about seeing my family soon and spending time with everyone, I'm sad to be saying good-bye for two months to Mr. Lush. I will miss him terribly...
Who else will I be able to start arguments with over trivial, inconsequential things? Who else will I be able to whine and plead with for backrubs every night? Who else will listen to me complain about how tight my pants are getting, while accidentally spitting bits of food across the table, as I finish shoving pastry #3 down my cakehole? Who else can I call at the end of a long workday, to ask if he'll pick up more wine/beer/gin on the way home? WHO? Nobody, that's who.
Yes, I'm afraid he'll feel my absence like a missing limb.
He'll be absolutely devestated when I'm gone.
But before this absolute devestation, Mr. Lush will be home and we'll be spending time together. Only let's get this straight--we'll be spending time together doing a lot of crappy run-around stuff--no fun stuff. It's the last week of school for the kids, so we'll be running back and forth to awards assemblies and classroom activities, between the Intermediate School for the 5th grade Miss Lush, and the Middle School for the 7th grade Master Lush. The dog will be going to get groomed tomorrow (photos to come) and going to get his health certificate from the vet on Wednesday. Master Lush will be going to the dentist on Wednesday afternoon, to get his first cavity filled. Then there's the laundry to get done, suitcases to pack and house to organize before we go. It's going to be kooky-krazy here. So any additional "fun" will be sporadic and accidental.
Today's fun acitivity was attempting to renew our European driver's licenses. We spent from 9AM till 2:30PM on this one mission. Back and forth we drove, waiting for the photo store to open at 10AM to get our pictures taken--then waiting another 30 minutes for them to be developed. (My photo was HORRIBLE, by the way, I looked like a pale, bloated version of my former self. Frau Müller and the gallons of beer I've been drinking over the last year have done unspeakable damage. And also? The woman (Hoor) who took the photo never said when she was taking it--no countdown--no warning--just SNAP! And then...there it was: a slightly confused and surprised look on my bloated, pale face--like Tex when he wakes up suddenly from a nap. Oh, the horror...)
Once the photos from hell were developed, we had to take them, and other key documents to get signed and stamped across town. The fun part was being told once we got there, we were at the wrong place (even though the website on the Internet clearly told us to go there. hahahahahahahahaha.) We drove from one office to the next, waiting in lines and then waiting for the people "helping" us to get-off-the-damn-phone-because-we-were-here-first-and-whoever-that-is-can-damn-well-call-back-later-and-I-ain't-playin'-hoor-cause-I'm-about-to-choke-a-bitch.
By the time we were ready to actually go and get our licenses, we were both tired and grumpy. We had to drive to Kusel, a nearby city about 20 minutes away, and find our way to the Kreisverwaltung, the office where they issue driving liscenses. Only--guess what? Everything--and I mean everything--closes betwen 12PM and 2PM in Germany--All stores, public offices, businesses, etc. So, we ended up killing time exploring Kusel for a while--and accidentally discovered some wonderful places.
We walked around for a while, and saw some really great houses:
I liked the starburst on top of the roof of this one:
I also saw a Smart Car, which I've been meaning to photograph for a while now:
Americans have their giant SUVs, Europeans have their miniscule Smart Cars. (You can't say you've really experienced the Autobahn in Germany, until a Smart Car passes you doing 110mph.)
After we finally managed to get our driver's liscences, we drove through Kusel a little more and stumbled upon a sign for Lichtenburg, a nearby castle. And, that's how we ended up seeing this:
And this:
And this:
And this:
And this:
Once we explored the castle, we were forced (by German law) to go down to the outdoor cafe and order two beers. (It is required by law to drink at least one beer when visiting any castle in Germany.) So, at the end of a long day, Mr. Lush and I sat together in the shade of a giant Copper Beech, and stared into one another's eyes. Then I took a long draught from my beer glass, and burped out the words, "I love you."
The end.
