Linden's Pensieve

That’s right. I got “pulled over,” if you can call it that. I was on my way home on my bike, when a policman, Herr Kolb, called me over to him, just past the railroad tracks on Schiffenberger Weg. They had a stake-out on that corner, a much-used route from the center of town to my campus. It was dark, and they were trying to catch people whose bikes weren’t properly dressed up. My problem? My lights weren’t working.

One of my favorite quotes that I was introduced to recently is “When in doubt, order Schnitzel.”* It’s a great rule of thumb when you’re in Germany and not sure what to order. It also works if you’re not sure what to write about.

Now, I can’t actually write about Schnitzel, because I haven’t taken any pictures of it**, and today’s post is my When in Doubt photo post. I’m going to tell you and show you my favorite German food and treats.

Today was a travel day. After packing our bags and eating a superb “continental breakfast” complete with fresh bread, we made some sandwiches for the trip and started our day by heading into Berlin. (Rob’s mom lives in Bernau bei Berlin, a district in the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds the German state of Berlin.) After a 45-minute ride on the S2 S-Bahn into town, we boarded our ICE (the fastest, most direct trains) to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe. In Kassel, we switche

Rob and I spent this weekend in Berlin celebrating his mother’s 50th birthday and enjoying our birthday gift from his family (Blue Man Group tickets), and every time we’re here, I’m reminded why I love it so much. I had never been before last August after my interview, but I had always wanted to go. That desire intensified when I met and subsequently fell in love with Rob. He grew up here and absolutely loves this city. Now I know why.

I decided to skip tonight’s 5 miler since my knees and left hip joint bothered me quite a bit during yesterday’s 9, but I really enjoyed what took it’s place. We decided to run to Aldi so we could pick up some mineral water (it’s great during those long runs!), cheese, and butter–nothing exciting just some essentials–but we got a treat. Today, the 24th Giessen City Festival started, and it lasts until Sunday.

There are lots of things I’ve been wondering about and don’t want to write a full post about. So I’m just going to put them here and call it a random day.

Random Facts about Germany

• Almost every student brings a large (1.5L) bottle of water (sparkling or still) or Apfelschorle, or a regular size bottle of Coke or Mezzo Mix (a personal fave),
  

Today Rob and I hit the pavement for a nice out and back romp through the Stadtwald Giessen. We ran from the beginning of the trail, almost at Rathenaustrasse, to the very end of the path. I heard and saw two beautiful pieces of nature today and one perk of running in shade near water that I just had to tell you about.

Cuckoo Clock?

About six minutes into the run I heard what was undeniably a cuckoo bird. I have never seen or heard one before, but I have heard my share of cuckoo clocks, and this sound was exactly like those potentially annoying time pieces. Exactly.