modes of transportation

We noticed the differences in cars right away.  In the US we see a lot of sedans and of course everyone knows Americans generally prefer SUVs more than most.  I think in Davis we were used to seeing a lot more Priuses.  They're here too, but not in as great a quantity.  Instead we see makes and models we don't find in the US, like Skoda, Dacia, and Citroen.

One of the first responses we all had was that there were a lot of "bean cars," (as in bean shaped - rounded and aerodynamic) and we were surprised at how common wagon models are. 

Anyway, rather than just talk about this, I figure it's good to show pictures.

the classic "bean"

 the classic classic

 Fiat's take on the classic

 a sporty Smart Car

How come they don't sell the Ford Streetka in the US?

 Or the Toyota Picnic?

There are bikes galore here.  Sometime I'll take a pic of the parking pile at the train station.

 

And Göttingen has one up on Davis - even the mail is delivered by bike.

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So we're contemplating getting a car - it'd save so much time for me to be able to do multiple errands in just one trip and to be able to carry oddly sized  or heavy things.  We don't have a particular model in mind at this point.  The first step is going to be getting a German drivers' license before my CA license loses its 6 month grace period.  Annoyingly enough, California is not one of the states to have an agreement with Germany that would allow me to just trade my CA license for a German one.  Instead, I have to prove my CA license is not my first (if I can't, I have to go to driving school) and then I have to  take a class in the theoretical aspects in order to take the written exam.  Blah.

I wonder, though, if I could avoid all that by flying...

I'm a wimp

or, gee, it feels like winter already.

We had two or three weeks of fabulous weather, up until a few days into October.  It was sunny and warm and then gradually it began to feel like typical California winter weather - it rained and was colder.  This morning the temperature had dipped down to around 32-34 F.

I find I'm reluctant to go out and take pictures right now, though I'm optimistic I'll get used to it. 

The last few weeks have involved a lot of trips back and forth from the main part of town to the house. We're up a hill, which I can only get part of the way up by bike. 

Luckily we're very near a bus line and I've made a brilliant investment in a monthly bus pas so I can come and go with backpack loads of groceries and household goods.  Devin and Merlin also have bus passes - granted because we live outside of a certain distance from school, so every morning we trek down the hill and stand in the dark to await our bus.  I've been going just because Merlin and I like to have the conversation time while Devin pretends to be unrelated.

In the first week at the house our wait at the bus stop took place just as the sun was rising and the sky was light.  Now it's quite dark and there's only the faintest pale patch of sky to the east.  It's amazing how quickly the days are getting shorter. 

According to the Sunrise Sunset Calendar, we're already experiencing days 45 minutes shorter than you folks in Davis and our sunrise is about 30 minutes later than yours.  One of those fact I neglected to research when we were in California is that Göttingen is actually as far north as Calgary, Canada! 

I have to say, philosophically, now that we're brushing up against the halfway point between the north pole and the equator, that I'm slightly biased in favor of warm weather.  I think I'll make good friends with the radiators this winter.

I just wonder what the good of a sundial is when there's not enough sun to be found!

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The photo is of a sundial on Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church), right near the edge of old Göttingen.  We've had breakfast at a bakery right across the street a number of times, sitting at the counter at the window.  Now, it's almost too dark to see the church and this morning we found our images reflected back by the bakery window.  And don't be fooled by the date on the sundial, the church was actually built sometime around 1318.

I need my DSL!

Alright, it's my official opinion that it's taking far too long to get the basics - I'm not cross about it but I have reached the point where I'm more than ready to have a refrigerator, stove, oven, and, gosh darn it, internet!  We've got access to all those things (though our staked-out-section of the fridge is mighty small) at Dan's office, but that just means that we're camping out at night at the house and camping out during the daytime in the communal kitchen of the institute.

I am way behind on so many very nice email messages - and I don't like that!  Do know that I'm thinking of you all but everything's kind of spare and we're still dealing with the basics.  At least we have a toaster and the butter doesn't get totally melty out of the refrigerator... and I've found peanut butter, which is of primary importance.  Have peanut butter, will carry on!

Tomorrow, just to balance it all out, Devin, Merlin and I are going on a field trip.  To where?  I don't actually know but a few of the postdocs here decided to have a day trip and just 'cause we can, we've decided to join them.  We've got some sort of package that you can get on weekends with a really cheap "family" ticket on the train...  I'll share details with you when we get back as well as try to get caught up on email and the posts I've been meaning to write about Göttingen.

As an aside, there seems to be a ladybug party (they're flying up and sometimes in by the dozens) outside the window as we experience the supposedly last beautiful days of early autumn.  It's been gorgeously sunny and warm and will most likely turn cold next week.

Our love to you all!

small details

If you've known me for any length of time, you've probably noticed I'm extremely detail oriented.  This can be a good thing - as in the case of my finding sometime employment as a copy editor.  It can also can be somewhat maddening, as in the case of the recent move when I kept track of everything down to the stray screws at the bottom of the junk drawer

It still bugs me that I found, then lost again, the last screw to the closet door mechanism in Merlin's bedroom.

Sometimes, being focused on details, the bigger picture eludes me; but usually I have the benefit of being made happy by very small things*.  I couldn't ask for a greater gift than to be able to notice really interesting details, to find small sensory treasures all over the place.

This town, having been in existence in some form since at least 1150, is full of rich detail.  Over the centuries things have disappeared, been covered over, replaced, restored, created anew.  I'm finding and appreciating something whenever I can.  Lucky you, you get to notice them too, sometimes with description, sometimes just in photographs.

Enjoy!

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*  Ooo, I think I like this phrase in its Winnie-the-Pooh-esqueness:  "Made Happy by Very Small Things," kind of like a "Bear of Very Little Brain."

House, found.

I'm in a rush (when am I not, lately?) - as we're vacating the guesthouse in two hours and there's still some things left to deal with (ah, the food problem, again).

We found a house in the nick of time - it's still got some work to be done, and it's a slightly strange place but it'll do and it's got some great features.  We're moving in while the upstairs floor is being replaced, the bathroom being re-done and the kitchen getting a new stove, oven, and refrigerator.  Nobody can decide how the very oddly sized rooms should be divided, but for now it doesn't matter since we're sleeping in the living room.

Here are pictures from the realtor's website.  We've got no internet or telephone there so I don't know when I'll be online next, but hopefully it'll be soon.