The Potter Returns

I'm taking a pottery class again! I'm very disappointed that I didn't end up with any finished pieces last year (even though I'm sure that they would have ended up as masterpieces), so I'm taking another stab at it and I'm bringing reinforcements- I have three friends from work who are braving the wheel with me! We had our first class yesterday and it was a lot of fun. I have a different instructor this time who teaches the basics a little differently (not sure either method is going to work!), so it's cool to try out the different techniques!
I ended up with three pieces yesterday (sorry, I forgot to take photos- bad blogger!) and I promise to produce a work of art by the end of the 5 weeks!

Soul de Cuba and the beginning of the Chinese New Year!

We got a bunch of the girls to go out after work on Friday- there were nine of us! So much fun-we met up for happy hour martinis at Indigo's- my martini of choice, chocolate! We had a few pupus and enjoyed the 80's music playing in the background- some of us even enjoyed dancing to the the groovy tunes!

In honor of Sarah! Wish you were here!


Then it was on to Soul de Cuba for a late dinner. I know I talk about food a lot, but I have been craving the Pollo Soul de Cuba since I went there the last time almost 6 months ago! It is one of my all time favorite dishes- it's lightly fried chicken breast with a mango, onion, and guava salsa with black beans, rice, and fried plantains! Absolutely delicious! The superb mojitos are also an incentive to stop by! We had a great dinner and were stuffed by the time we left!



Check out those mojitos!

This weekend is also the beginning of the Chinese New Year celebrations so there were lions and drummers dancing in the streets with lots of firecrackers!

Chinese Lion dancers

Paula found a new friend- can she keep him?

Back to the beach

I got a chance to relax, hang out with friends, unpack, finish all of my laundry (and yes, I finally went to the grocery store) this weekend.
I hung out with the benthic team from work on Friday night as a thank- you from one of our principal investigators. He has a great house which overlooks Diamondhead and we got to sit outside and enjoy the chilly 60 degree winter weather (I love Hawaii!). I ran a bunch of errands Saturday and got to hang out with my girl, Paula! We hit the beach on Sunday and had a great time body boarding. It felt so great to get back to the beach- it's been quite some time! Afterwards, we hung out at Annette's and then I used my Monday to sleep in, do laundry, and stock my fridge. Life is good!

Has it been a week?

I can't believe that I've been home for a week already. I've spent the whole time just relaxing and getting settled back into a routine! I made it to the beach for a little bit on Sunday- couldn't stay out too long for fear of getting scorched! It's funny to say that- you would think that my job would keep me tan, but I spend most of my time covered in a wetsuit.
It's super windy right now and the north shore is getting 20 foot waves- I hope to make it up there this weekend to take a look.
Work didn't stop while I was gone and we are already preparing for our next cruise in March. I am scheduled to participate and I look forward to going to sea again. I'll keep you posted!

My last few days in Germany

My three weeks in Germany came and went so fast! I can't believe that I'm already home and have worked for two days- I had such an unbelievable visit with my family and am so happy to have been able to spend the holidays with them. My niece is awesome- I look forward to being her aunt and watching her grow!

The Peanut plays with her alligator!

Thanks Chris, Rich, Jessica, Cromwell, and Claude for taking me in and sharing your German home with me!

We went for the weekend to the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany home of the 1936 Winter Olympic Games and the highest mountain in Germany, Zugspitze.

It's a favorite ski destination in southern Germany and Rich and I looked forward to doing a little skiing. My 24-hour flu had other ideas for me though, so Rich had to ski by himself while I relaxed in the room.

We had a great view of the mountains and it was awesome to see snow- it was snowing during our trip home and Rich and I had a little snowball fight at the rest area along the Autobahn!

Editorial comment

Please note that changes have been made to the posting from 1/1/09 entitled "Trier". I ate fish and Chips, not fish and chops......I apologize for the error and the editor has since been fired.

What?

I have to go home already?

Happy New Year!

Prost Neujahr!

On New Year's Eve, we had a little BBQ- steaks, chicken, and lamb. Chris' friend, Christina came over and we played games and waited the beginning of the new year.

In Germany, many people light fireworks at midnight and everyone goes outside on the street to greet the neighbors and watch the show!

Rich joined in the festivities and shot off some bottle rockets (which are much bigger than the ones you can buy in the states) and a fountain which continuously shoots off flares for about a minute! Very cool!

Steph enjoys a little champagne!


Jessica is all tuckered out!

Trier

We went to the city of Trier- Germany's oldest city (founded around 16 B.C. by the Romans). The Roman influence is still quite evident in the architecture and ruins found around the city.

This is the Porta Nigra- the black gate. It was once one of four gates built between 180 and 200 A.D. to the walled Roman city of Trier. Climbing the spiral staircase to the top gives a good view of the city.

Here I am sitting where the Romans once did.


Jessica thoroughly enjoyed herself- she kept warm in her mom's coat!
After the tour of the Porta Nigra, we stopped for a snack- fish and chips served with tartar sauce and a cute little wooden spoon!

The shopping district of Trier.


This is the Palace of Kesselstatt (1746) complete with Roman statues and reflection pool.


The Imperial Baths or Kaiserthermen- one of three Roman baths located around the city.


You could walk around the subterranean labyrinth which ran underneath the baths- very dark, cold and mysterious!

The Roman amphitheater was built during the 1st century B.C. and was used during the Roman imperial era (until the 5th century) for gladiator fights and animal contests. The stadium could seat up to 25,000 people.

You can walk underneath the arena into a vast basement where the gladiators, criminals, and exotic animals were kept prior to their release into the arena.

Next up was the Barbarathermen- one of the largest bathing facilities in the entire Roman Empire- the ruins are undergoing renovations and were only visible from the street, but very impressive!

Our last stop was the Thermen am viehmarkt- the preserved bath ruins in the center of town- they have built the city up and over the baths to help preserve the history. We liked this area because it was warm inside!

We ate dinner in a historical cellar restaurant and then went out for ice cream afterwards!