It is February in Deutschland and the sun is shining! That makes it even harder to sit here and write in the blog, but is just one of my excuses for putting this off. Okay, since I wrote that sentence, a day has passed and the sun is once again hidden behind the clouds. But it's still pretty mild out outside (40s and 50s F during the day, down to just around freezing temp at night) so it's still easy to get around by bike. Not that we have a car, but I do now have a German DRIVER'S LICENSE! But let me back up first (ha ha, no not literally reverse a car...I mean with my story).
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| "Winter" in Gommern |
October
2018
When
I last wrote, I had just started the process of applying for a German driver's license. With my valid Florida license, I could skip
the practical test (where I would actually have to drive) but had to
fulfill a bunch of other requirements, including what they call the "theory" test. But first, I had to register
with the local Fahrschule (driving school, 150 Euros), apply to the
motor vehicle authority (42 Euros), buy access to the online training
program with practice tests (40 Euros), get an official translation
of my US license (25 Euros), take a first aid course (30 Euros) and
pass a vision test (a bargain at 7 Euros!)
I
started in early October and was hoping to get the above accomplished and
be ready to sit for the test before leaving for Florida in early
November. But as I started taking - and routinely failing -
the practice tests, I realized it would take a bit longer. Another real surprise was the first aid course - a full eight hour
interactive instruction where I learned CPR and how to attend to
injuries. In Germany, you are required to stop
and offer help if you see an unattended accident scene. (I
learned it well: Step 1 - secure the site; Step 2 - offer first
aid; Step 3 - call emergency services.) Hope I never have to do
that. I also attended lessons offered at the driving school -
not required for me, but really helpful in providing context to the
test questions, which are incredibly tricky! I had every
intention of taking the test in German, but the test questions were very complicated and IMHO designed to trip you up. I had
enough trouble with the English version. There are over 1,000
questions covering a wide range of topics from calculating
braking/reaction distances at different speeds, to where to place
lights/decals on a loaded trailer, to allowable parking
areas/distances for various vehicles in seemingly endless
situations. Needless to say I didn't get it all done in the
three weeks I had before my trip to America, so I decided I would
continue to study across the pond.
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| Enjoying autumn at Matthias' parents' house in the Harz Mountains |
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| Riding alongside our shadows |
November/December
2018
I was fortunate to find a bargain flight that allowed me to stop in NYC on the way to
(and from) Florida, so on November 6th I flew from Berlin to New York
and spent an emotional evening with Stu and Lorenzo watching the mid-term election
returns. I also got to see a few friends and reunite with some
family while there before flying down to Florida for six weeks to see
mom and Maju! We had a lot to do - including changing a (very
complicated) light bulb, upgrading technology (phone + computer),
getting financial and other records in order, organizing etc. etc..
And we somehow got it all done along with a trip to Maryland for
Thanksgiving followed by a cruise in early December! Fun and
exhausting! I was worried about air travel around Thanksgiving
(always managed to avoid it before) but it worked out incredibly well
and we had a fabulous time with the family. Then we took
advantage of a great off-season discount on a 10-day Holland America
cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to the Panama Canal. Relaxation, fun
and decadence! Highlights included evenings of great music, trivia
games, Curacao (the island, not the drink), Panama Canal and ziplining!
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| Family dinner in NYC! |
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| Thanksgiving fun! |
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| Cruise! Full photo album is here |
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| Ziplining mamma! |
Then
Matthias joined us for two weeks in Florida and he got right to work
cleaning the gutters, installing a doggie door for Maju, helping to
install a new washer dryer and various other odd jobs around the
house, while still finding time to whip up his signature steak
dinner! Then we headed back to Germany at Christmas time with a
quick stop in NYC, making it back in time for Christmas dinner with
Matthias' parents and an outing to the Magdeburg Christmas Market.
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| Matthias' famous steak dinner! |
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| Christmas Market in Magdeburg |
January
2019
Matthias
had a few medical/dental appointments scheduled in January and
February so we really couldn't plan an extended trip to escape the rest of the winter. Plus, I didn't study nearly enough for the driving test
in the USA so once back in Germany, I needed to do some serious test
preparation, which included more classes at the local driving school
and hours in front of the computer taking practice tests. I actually
enjoyed the class (inner geek!). The school was a local mom and
pop operation (the couple actually lived in our apartment 40 years
ago) where "mom" dealt with the massive amount of paperwork
and "pop" led the classes with a bit of old-timey humor (I
think) and an expression and demeanor that reminded me of Yoda from Star Wars.
And, as I set out to become a Jedi master in German
driving regulations, I did so in a room full of locals I would probably not otherwise encounter - bored teenages and burly truckers,
for example. After about three weeks, I scheduled and passed
the test. With another 52 Euros for the test sitting and 8 Euro admin
fee - bringing the total to more than 350 Euros - I
finally had my license!
Meanwhile, I found a 20-day window at the end of January during which we didn't
have any appointments or commitments so I booked a dirt-cheap flight
to Antalya on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. On the downside,
it turned out to be quite cold and very rainy (thus the off-season
specials, I guess), but that was pretty much the only downside. We
stayed in Antalya for two nights before heading over to Alanya, which
was my original goal, based on advertisements in Germany for
all-inclusive trips there. While we were a bit disappointed
with Alanya (partly because of the weather, partly because it was
sooooo tourist-focused - more beach and souvenirs, less "typical"
life), we did get to rent bikes one day and ride out to a gorge and
river that was beautiful and weird at the same time. The river
was lined with restaurants decked out as mini-theme parks, with
tables on terraces and floating rafts and water slides. All
meant to provide a cool respite to sweltering temperatures in town.
Well, at this time of year, most of the restaurants were closed but we were
lucky to find a riverside cafe with a fireplace where we could dry
off, warm our chilled bones, drink tea and feast on a variety of
Turkish treats. The next day we took advantage of a dry morning
to take a long walk up to the castle for some great scenery and then
down to Cleopatra beach - where the famous queen apparently took a
dip at some point. The last two days there were market days, so we
had fun perusing the fresh fruits, veg, cheese, and various wares.
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| Bike trip along the river by Alanya |
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| Riverside cafes/amusement area outside of Alanya |
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| Alanya from the castle hill |
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| Cleopatra Beach, Alanya |
After
five days in Alanya, we took the three-hour bus ride back along the
coast to Antalya. That's the place I really loved.
The old town was indeed touristy, but it was also a
major city that buzzed even in the low season. Actually, I
couldn't imagine liking either city in the summer, when all the
hotels and restaurants would be full and we'd be searching out A/C
instead of heat! We had a great time walking around the city and
heading out of town using public transport (yeah!) to see some
impressive ruins (more info below). We also visited our fair share of shopping malls
(mainly to get out of the rain) and had fun perusing the food
courts. Also in Antalya, we found great places to enjoy a
drink, whether it be tea, beer or drinkable yogurt (Ayran). We
did have two beautiful sunny days, during one of which we took a long
walk out to the beach with stops for tea at scenic outdoor cafes.
We also went to three municipal markets to fill up our stash of nuts,
cheese, olives and various trinkets. And we spent a good deal
of time in what might be one of my favorite cafes/bars worldwide,
which just happened to be down the street from our hotel. The place
was decked out with old Turkish vinyl 45s and movie star
photos from what appeared to be the 60s and 70s. Plus, they streamed
classic movies (without sound – as the classic tunes played) which
I found delightful! Same cheesiness as the stuff I knew, but
different people and settings. Of course no sound (or subtitles)
needed. Even if the beer didn't come with free popcorn (it did), I
would have been happy! And luckily for us, there were a smattering of
older people around, so I didn't feel like we were impinging on the
youngsters' fun.
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| Drinking tea with a view |
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| Antalya coastline - when the sun came out |
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| 33 Cafe Bar |
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| Take One! That's the menu. |
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| Beer and popcorn! |
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| Classic cinema - soooo Grooovy! |
And
although this is getting long, I did promise myself that I would get
into some detail about using public transportation in Antalya (skip to photos if you're not a fan of public transport).
Perhaps if someone searches the Internet for how to use public
transportation in Antalya, or how to get to Aspendos by public
transportation, they'll stumble upon this advice, which builds on the
great (but dated) advice I got on the following
blog.
Maybe I've lost my knack for internet searching, but I found it
difficult to find online information on public transportation in the region – perhaps this is because they want tourists to take organized tours and
taxis to support the local economy. I agree that people should
take the tours offered by local businesses (unless of course, like
me, their partners are dead set against organized tours) and take
public transportation if they want to go back and spend more time.
That said, here is my experience/advice for using public transport. First, it is super easy to get from the airport to the old town
in Antalya; the main challenge is the ticket machine. First, learn from my mistake and make
sure you get some small bills from the ATM as you leave the airport; I had to go back in to the airport (past security) to do this. There is a ticket machine under the overpass
leading up to the trains/trams (do not go up first without a ticket - my second mistake) On the machine, there is an inconspicuous English
option – I think it was in the upper left corner of the screen.
Still not too helpful as there are only two options. Don't buy the single use card (like I did - lesson three); rather, put in 20 lira
or so (about $3.50 as of this writing) for the multi-use card. Then
just scan the card as you enter the tram (you can use one card for as
many people as you want) and keep it with you, although you don't need to scan again on the way out. No need to worry about which train to take because they all head to the old town and then on to the bus station and further out. The stop for the old town is
İsmetpaşa (write this down because no one understood us when we asked about
it), which is just a stone's throw from the Hadrian Gate. The trip takes about 45 minutes. There is also a
ticket machine at where you can easily scan your fare card and add more money to top it
off if needed for the next trip.
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| Antalya Airport from up at the Tram station |
Now,
getting to the ancient town of Perge is also super-easy. From İsmetpaşa
you just take the tram toward “Expo” (same direction as the
airport, but the other line – make sure it says Expo) and get off
at Asku. From there, it is an easy 20 minute walk to the entrance; I
think it is even signposted, but a screenshot from google maps
wouldn't hurt.
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| Theater at Perge |
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| Ancient city of Perge |
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| Wandering around the Perge ruins |
Aspendos is a bit trickier but now much easier now (thanks
to the new tram) than it was when
this really helpful blog
was written. We took the train (direction Airport or Expo – either
one) to Sinan
Durağı
station, which is the stop for the giant Mall of Antalya (you
can't miss it). We then crossed the overpass to the side of the
street opposite the mall and caught a local bus from the little bus
shelter there. You can flag down just about any bus that passes by,
just tell the driver you want to go to Serik Otogar
(Serik is the
town and Otogar means bus station). You will get left off on the
side of the road near the bus station, but you can it just down the street, less than a five minute walk away. Then you need to
catch the local bus #10 to Aspendos. This bus leaves from a small station behind the main one (anyone can point it out to you) and the
bus leaves hourly so you might have to wait up to an hour. The local
bus passes through the town of Serik, drives past Aspendos into the hills and then circles back ending right at the entrance gate. (The driver probably
noticed my angst as we were driving up into the hills and he made a big loop with his
arms to indicate that we'd loop back to where I wanted to go....nice!)
The same bus heads back to town (also hourly) so you can more or less
plan accordingly. On the way back, instead of going all the way to
bus station, we got off in the middle of Serik and had a nice lunch
before heading down to the main road, flagging down a bus (toward
Antalya), getting off at the mall and switching back to the tram.
The site was amazing, but the journey was truly half the fun!
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| Wandering around Aspendos, a true highlight |
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| Aspendos |
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A benefit of public transport (and a rainy day) is you get the place to yourself.
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Of course, there is also an online album with highlights from our trip to Turkey
here. There should be comments/info on each of the photos - there might be an "i" to press or something. Not sure how it works on iphones.
February - !
So this is terrible. I started this blog entry in February and it's already the end of March!! So I really need to publish this without getting into detail about our quick two-day trip to Köln (Cologne) for Karneval - it was a blast - or the quick trip I took to to visit mom in Florida - which was both fun and productive. And now that it seems winter is over, we are getting ready to take
our bikes down to Italy. More on that in the next installment.
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| Decked out for Karnaval! |
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| Kölner Parade |
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| drinks up high with mom in Sarasota |
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| Mom got a bike!! |
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