so many errands, so little time

When we started out this morning, I hadn’t realized just what all was on our list of tasks for the day. Not just packing up and heading to Frankfurt for our flight tomorrow morning, but all in-between.

Now, none of us with any sense are going to place getting coffee and pastries on that list – breakfast being one of those necessities of life for many. Me? Coffee. Beyond that, eating something early in the morning was pretty optional. So, we packed up everything, just to be on the safe side. From where we were staying, it wasn’t going to be more than a few blocks over to the Post where I had two packages to send.

George remembered a small bakery near the new Synagogue which supplied the challah on Fridays. It was still open, had coffee to go and pastries. It also had a wobbly table which seemed to delight in tipping with minimal touch and spilling coffee…  From there, it was only ½ a block back to the Post where I sent off the two boxes to a fellow stitcher in the Netherlands. It should have been one box, but as I was packing the fabric forward to me from Idaho, I couldn’t resist adding a few items. You might just say that I t got a bit carried away and added some floss, fiber, patterns, a bit more fabric along with a few stitching toys. Mailing from Germany was by far cheaper than from the US and also completely avoided the whole issue of customs. Never let it be said that there aren’t a lot of good things about the EU…

From there we hiked to the main pedestrian zone. George had ordered a book or so the other day which were due in today. Plus, they had a nice children’s book section. I made a detour into Karstadt – one can never have too many knitting needles or embroidery hoops…

Did I mention that George packs books for trips like I pack stitching supplies? I think he just might be out of room. And his hobbies weigh a lot more than mine….

Then it was lunch with business associates of George’s.

And dropping off a book requested from a member of our Friday night Minyan from ten years ago.

And heading all the way down the other end of the pedestrian zone to have coffee and cake with another family we have known since the kindergarten days of our three youngest.

By this time, it was almost 1600 and I was wiped. After hiking back to the hotel to claim our luggage, it became obvious that we were facing yet another challenge. When you don’t have a phone, you can’t call a taxi. It wasn’t that eight blocks was all that far to walk to the train station – it was more that we were both tired and a bit cranky. But the rain had stopped. I will say that much positive.

Stomped to the train station with backpacks and rolling cases. fought the ticket machine to a draw, caught the regional train to Mannheim where we had yet another packed ICE to Frankfurter Flughafen.

I think there was chocolate for supper…..

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About Holly

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!
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