Bonn 2011

This week I'm back in Germany. This time, back in Bonn where I was a year ago when I ate myself through two weeks' worth of Italy and Germany, had a blast, and had enough of international travel. Back in Bonn, I noticed a few things I hadn't before:

-Strassel (or something) means street. That might have helped all of my Bonn/Koln train mishaps last year. Ok maybe not.

-I finally saw some castles, including that big one that means dragon but I can't spell here. Also saw Godesberg castle.

-Things that sound fun aren't as much fun without Paul and Anna here. I've about had it with international travel if they don't come from now on.

-my sandwich today had a sliced boiled egg on it. Look out, all my future sandwiches will never be the same! Yummmmmmmy!

Also I have come to accept that there are just several aspects of the physical sciences in space that I will never comprehend. At this conference all week, my head and ego both hurt from trying to hang in there but all this data is meaningless to me, someone with a mostly life science background . A Mechanical Engineering degree does not equal in depth knowledge of fundamental physics! Especially when it comes to the levels I've sat through the past few days.

Tonight was the conference social dinner. These are often amazing free dinners at some unique or ritzy place that I think I would enjoy except that it generally takes all my energy to socialize with people I don't know. Once I had to talk to a Canadian researcher and his wife for THREE hours straight about how the Canadians could never have a housing market crash because of XYZ. And when it was over I had a headache that I could only drown out with sleep that wouldn't come because my body was still set to Houston time.

Tonight was a dinner cruise, 6 hours round trip, up the Rhine river valley that is lined with castles super old (like the year 1200) and less old.




We had a stopover in a town called Linz. I sat by myself on the boat because I could. I was bummed Because Paul and Anna weren't with me. I think I am over this travel alone thing. Beautiful places like Bonn is way less fun when you're by yourself. At least that's how I feel these days.

And so when I got off the boat in Linz, and saw this, I was more bummed:







Then this just pissed me off:







FOR REAL?

























Thank goodness these awful pictures don't do it justice. This little town was unreally cool.


So a gift for Anna (shhh, it's a surprise!) made me feel a little better:







And this helped to drown my sorrows:







Back on the boat was an amazing dinner and wine and music. A group of scientists asked to sit with me and wow, what a great group! We had the best talks, about family and what we did at work and just stories of travel. And jokes! One gentleman told me what it was like to live in East Berlin before, during, and after the wall went up. Wow, talk about some cool perspective! And we all talked about our kids, and showed pictures. There's the great equalizer: being a parent. Doesn't matter where you're from, parents share a common theme: butt wiping. Oh and other parent-like-things.

Tonight was fun, and I'm almost done here! Been here since Monday afternoon, heading home Sunday. Even though I'll miss the miniature packs of gummy bears they leave on my pillow here every night, I am ready for this kind of sweetness: