A Tramping Broad

Guten tag, freunden and flascher freunden (friends and false friends),

FMM**:  4, 548 steps, but the day is young

Have you missed me?  Been wondering where I am?  I wonder that a lot, too.

This time we and the students are in a famous Missourian's favorite German city: Heidelberg.  He liked it so much that he stayed for months instead of days and he wrote about it extensively in his book called A Tramp Abroad.    However, a current famous travel writer feels  differently.  He claims that our location is not worth visiting even if you have three weeks to spend in Germany.  He insists that it attracts "hordes of Americans" and that "its surviving charm is stained almost beyond recognition by commercialism." Well, who are you going to believe -- Mark Twain or Rick Steves or me?  

What's Germany like so far?  Well,  our introduction to our rooms here included a Power Point on cleanliness. We were told to keep the dishes washed and our rooms tidy.  A photo of a sink filled with dirty dishes -- from wayward former tenants (!) -- was displayed to show us what not to do.  Random room checks will occur.  If your room is messy and your sink is filled with dirty dishes, you and your roommates will have five euros deducted from your security deposits.  While Bob and I aren't sure if this applies to us, we have been keeping up appearances just in case.

We are told that jaywalking is verboten.  Not only will you be fined, but Germans will "look down" on you if you do this.  So far I've only missed one tram trying to abide by this rule. Aside:  Did you know that the term jaywalking is of American origin?  It dates from 1915-1920 when a "jay" was a slang word for a "stupid or dull person."  Hmmm... seems like I know another word that begins with "jay".... Maybe my Mizzou friends can help me out.

Bicycles are king.  They are everywhere.  And no one wears a helmet. They also have the right of way.  If one runs you over, it's your fault.  This one can be tricky, especially if you are someone who gets to talking and forgets that you are standing in a bike lane.  I'm learning, I'm learning. I may invest in a helmet myself.

Promptness is expected.  Even one esteemed professor whose name I won't reveal who is accustomed to having people wait for him has taken to showing up on time for meetings.  I kind of like this one.

Our daughter Nancy is coming to visit tomorrow.  She has been given strict instructions on what to bring:

*a very specific automatic pencil for her dad (the exact kind he has used since 1976). Photos and specifications were provided to her.  Hopefully, she won't let him down.
*a stack of paper plates (Shhhh ! I don't think they are allowed here; she will probably be detained.)
*microwave popcorn (It may be against the law,  too, but I'm willing to risk her future.)

For those of you who are long time readers of Tiztalk (begun in 2009), I must report that mice have again reared their ugly heads and teeth.  More on this next time when I hope I can report a resolution and maybe even a titillating  photo or two.  In the meantime, set your mousetraps.

With Nancy's arrival, there's hope that photos will reappear on Tiztalk.

**For new readers, "FMM = forced mile march".  I must say that having a Fitbit certainly keeps me honest.  liked it better when I could "estimate' how far I had to tramp in a day.

Talking but not jaywalking,

I remain

Tizzie/Tiz/Liz/Tizmom/Mom/Grandma