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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Highland Rail Trail

IMG_20150830_150845And somehow it is already Sunday again. Had a nice weekend where we mostly had both Saturday and Sunday off. Nice change of pace. 

It was a busy and drawn out week at work with schools starting up, training a new employee and other random things going on. Next week is the week before Labor Day so I am pretty sure it won't get any less busy any time soon.

Saturday we slept in and then had lunch in Oxford at 121. Later I was invited to a baby shower for a co-worker and afterwards met back up with Mike at Two Steps before eventually heading back home.

Today we took advantage of being able to sleep in again and then later drove to Poughkeepsie to check out a rail trail that runs through there. Even though it's been getting pretty muggy and humid again it was still nice to be outside for a bit. Had lunch at Blue Collar Brewery.

Later we are going to watch the VMAs or at least some of it. Set it to record so we can fast forward through the parts that don't interest us. Always kind of entertaining to watch these award shows though. 

Mail Update: A letter is going tomorrow to: Laura/Spain. Received letters from/owe a reply to: Celia/MA and Charles/TN.

Posted by Hanna at 03:42 PM in Food and Drink, Nature, Outdoors, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Tiny Helicopter Sunday Fun

IMG_20150823_103910Happy Sunday. And another week gone by. Back to my once a week posting it seems.  But I guess that makes the most sense for me during average every day work weeks. 

Had a busy week. New employee started mid week so I have been busy training. In addition a bunch of the schools are starting up next week and the week after so there has been prep work. Next week and pretty much all the way to Labor Day will be busy I am sure.

Saturday we worked and after work went to Rosy Tomorrow's where every summer they have the annual seafood fest going on with various seafood specials. Mike likes to get the crab legs and I had a yummy salad with grilled shrimp.  

Today, Sunday, we got up early to drive 2 hrs to a town in New Jersey (almost Pennsylvania). For Christmas I got Mike an intro ride in a helicopter so we finally scheduled it for today. Really tiny thing.  :) I am not really a fan of small airplanes or helicopters so I was happy to stay on the ground. Mike enjoyed himself though so that's all that matters. On our way back we stopped at Bahama Breeze for lunch which was yummy.  

Mail Update: A letter is going tomorrow to: Kimber/Canada. Received letters from/owe a reply to: Laura/Spain. 

Posted by Hanna at 06:07 PM in Food and Drink, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monday, August 17, 2015

Back to the daily grind - fun NYC Sunday

Collage_20150816193536258Back at work. It's Monday and I have a lot to catch up on. Worked Friday & Saturday last week as well but there's still a lot for me to catch up on. Just the way it goes. Plus now we are right in the midst of all the schools getting ready to start up again so lots to organize and take care of as well. Need to make sure everyone is aware of our new policies, product line, etc. since the switch.

The flight back Thursday was uneventful and I am slowly getting over my jetlag as well. Mostly back to normal now which is good. Always sucks to get back into a normal schedule after having been away for two weeks, plus dealing with the 6hr time difference.

Sunday we went into NYC to see the indie movie "Ten Thousand Saints" starring Ethan Hawke, Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld. Really enjoyed the movie. Had some drinks and a snack beforehand as well. Always enjoy spending time in NYC. Was kind of neat watching the movie in the East Village (which was the setting of the movie - just in the 80ies) 

Well now it's Monday and one of many 6 day work weeks ahead of me. Need to start training someone new soon as the person I did hire is going back to school. Too bad really as he was working out pretty well. What can you do? Just start over and try again. At least I'll have someone semi trained available who might be able to fill during school holidays/breaks if needed. 

Mail Update: Mailed letters today to: Charles/TN,  Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA. Received letters from/owe a reply to: Kimber/Canada.

Posted by Hanna at 01:25 PM in Austria , NYC | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Time to leave again ... where do the weeks go??

IMG_20150812_194253And here we are. Already time to leave again tomorrow. My cab for the airport will be arriving at 3.30am (joy!) So not a lot of sleep for me tonight. Ugh. 

Had a nice stay in Austria but of course time flew by. Went into Vienna a second time on Monday to meet up with my friend Andrea. Had a nice day even though it was crazy hot.  

Met up with my friend Anneliese Tuesday (who did my nails) and today Wednesday I got my hair done. Got some reading done, had some yummy food and spent time hanging out with my parents and relatives.

Tomorrow I am heading back to the US via Germany  (Dusseldorf) and then it's back to work and every day life Friday.

Looking forward to see Mike. I am glad he is ok as he was rear ended in a car accident today. Not a lot of damage to the car and he's ok mostly too. But just a lot of crap to deal with. More annoying than anything else. Ugh. Just glad he is ok.

Mail Update: Received letters from/owe a reply to: Kimber/Canada, Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 02:35 PM in Austria , Family, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, August 09, 2015

Hello from Austria :)

Vienna-collageFinally updating from Austria. :) Left northern Germany on Thursday and stayed about halfway Thursday night. Then drove the rest of the way on Friday and arrived at the house around 7pm. Picked up some Chinese for dinner and unpacked the most necessary items. 

Yesterday, Saturday, I took the train into Vienna to meet up with my friend Lydia. Austria is currently experiencing a crazy heatwave so it was super hot. Having temps in the 90ies (30C) on a day to day basis. But Lydia & I still managed to have a nice day. Met up right downtown in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral and went up to the rooftop terrace bar of a fancy hotel. Nicest views from up there. Of course the drinks aren't cheap but it is worth the views over the rooftops of Vienna. 

Afterwards we walked over to the square in front of City Hall where every summer they have the big international culinary festival. Lots of stands with foods from various countries. I chose the Croatian stand and had yummy cevapcici. Absolutely delicious and it's been a while since I had them. After City Hall we walked around some more and found another nice spots for a drink and snack before we had to part ways again. Always enjoyable spending a day with Lydia, as she enjoys good food and drinks as much as me :)

Today, Sunday, I am currently sitting in the garden in the shade, while the heat is still somewhat manageable. It's already getting pretty warm but not so so bad yet. Definitely manageable especially in the shade with a light breeze every so often. Will maybe try and catch up on some of my letters later or read some more. Eventually I will probably have to move indoors though as it's just going to get too hot, even in the shade probably. 

Tomorrow, Monday, I am heading back into Vienna to meet up with another friend. Have a few other people I would like to see but just not enough time on this trip. As much as I would love to see everyone I also didn't want to stress myself and run around the whole time I am in Austria. 

Well, that's all from me here from heat wave plagued Austria. Hope you're all staying cool if it's hot wherever you are as well. :)

Mail Update: Mailed a letter to Lotte/Denmark yesterday. Received letters from/owe a reply to: Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 04:18 AM in Austria , Family, Food and Drink, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wednesday, August 05, 2015

Germany, it's almost time to say good-bye

IMG_20150805_215627Hello for one last time from Germany. Going to be leaving tomorrow. To be fair we will stop half way between here and Austria so we have technically we have one more night in Germany but I won't post from there more than likely. 

Had a nice day yesterday where we went to Groemitz and spent some time by the beach. They have a pier you can walk out on and a nice beach promenade with shops and restaurants. Had a lovely lunch and a nice time in general. I also walked down to the water and walked along the beach for a bit and was happily surprised that the water wasn't as cold as I had thought originally. 

Today we ended up in Travemuende and walked along a path by the water past a bunch of neat booths selling various things. Then had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the water and boats. Yummy food and drinks.

Once we got back my dad and I loaded some things into the car so we have less to load tomorrow morning. And after that we had dinner at the yummy Greek restaurant around the corner from the hotel.

Tomorrow we are leaving the North of Germany but it will definitely always keep a fond place in my heart. 

Mail Update: Mailed a letter to Lotte/Denmark yesterday. Received letters from/owe a reply to: Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 04:09 PM in Beach, Food and Drink, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monday, August 03, 2015

New Germany Recap

IMG_20150803_213906Hello again from Germany. :) Already been here for 3 full days plus the day I got here. Time's flying as usual of course. Having a good time and the weather is mainly cooperating too. When I first got here on Thursday last week it was pretty chilly and rainy but it has improved considerably since. The last two days were especially nice.

Saturday we toured the cruise ship AIDAMar which was docked in the port of Warnemuende that day. Never been on a cruise so it was kind of neat to see the inside of a big ship like that. We went all over, looking at some cabins and all the different areas of the ship (pool decks, entertainment, exercise, casino, restaurants, bars, etc) After the tour we headed back to Luebeck and my mom and I walked around the old town for a bit, looking at the sights and shopping for souvenirs. 

Sunday we drove to Stralsund and toured two maritime/oceanic museums. I have to admit I didn't really know anything about the city of Stralsund but was very happily surprised with how nice it was. Had a great lunch at a restaurant in the main town square as well. Both museums were nice and the harbor area was really pretty too.

Today, Monday, we headed to Sylt which is about a 3 hour trip from where we are. So it was a bit of a long day (breakfast 6am, return to hotel 8.30pm) but definitely worth it. Took the car train over to the island of Sylt and explored once we got over there. Walked over the dunes to the beach and also had lunch at the famous Sansibar restaurant. Have to say the hype was deserved because my dish was super delicious. :) After lunch we headed to the southern tip of the island to the lighthouse. Walked around for a bit, had some iced coffee/wine before eventually heading back.

I think the plan for tomorrow is to take it a bit easier and have a more of a relaxed day. Probably gonna head to one of the more local beaches. We will see how it goes. :) 

Mail Update: Wrote a letter to Lotte/Denmark (just need to find stamps to mail it) Received letters from/owe a reply to: Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 04:43 PM in Beach, Family, Food and Drink, Outdoors, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)