We were only in the airport and the train station in Frankfurt. The airport seemed nice enough, if not still a little smoky--there were designated Camel Smoking Stations (fishbowl glass enclosures) for smokers but I suspect the smoke was wafting out into non-smoking areas. To get from the airport to the train station we took a bright yellow double-length shuttle bus. Our impressions from the shuttle of Frankfurt: 1. It's an industrial town 2. Lots of change is happening, new buildings being built, transition. One building was all concrete, which reminded me of images I'd seen of Eastern Europe during the Cold War. It was a hotel. Frankfurt was, of course, a Western acquisition early on so I was surprised to see it. I read a book recently about WWII as told from a Hitler Youth ... read more

I'm sure you'll be able to figure this out, but this entry isn't by Hollie. Its written by her less grammatically coherent other half Jeremiah. During our stay here I've learned a few things, they are as follows. 1. No matter what they tell you, the people in Scotland DO NOT speak English! It may sound like English, you might recognize a few words they say or an entire sentence. But I assure you this is only to give you a false sense of belonging and comfort before they throw in words and phrases such as, "bangers and mash," "hoos," "nips and tatties," "loch," "take away," (which is 'take out' food). And those are the ones that I can replicate in print. 2. When you visit Scotland, don't be over 6 feet tall. If you happen ... read more

Getting in touch with Scottish heritage, or, The English are All Bastard-People! In contrast to yesterday’s stunning sunshiny weather, today was drab, dreary and wet. Rain rolled into the UK with a vengeance. Jer and I aren’t strangers to rain. We live in Seattle, for crying out loud! We KNOW rain. We know rain like true Northwesterners, so much so that we can discern between a drizzle and a shower, a mist and a sprinkle. Despite our familiarity on the subject, we learned today that there exists such a thing as Highland Rain. There is normal rain and Scottish Rain. They are related to each other but they are totally different. Scottish Rain is frigid. I remember, years ago, visiting my friend Cyndy in Alabama and marveling over the warm rain that washed over me in ... read more

Our day was full and enjoyable. We woke up early to have breakfast with Alex, Christina, Xavier and Theo. Toasty warm blueberry scones with marmalade and French press coffee. So good! Jer and I woke up a little late—despite our exhaustion we both awoke for about an hour in the middle of the night. I had just drifted off when we had to get up for the day. Our preparations for the day—our first showers since departing Seattle—made everyone run a bit late. We saw Theo off to pre-school and Xavier to his class. There are no school buses in Scotland so the parents must take their kids to school themselves. It was different, seeing the kids in the playground area lined up in neat little rows awaiting to go inside the building. Afterwards, Alex gave ... read more

We are halfway though our flight. So far it’s not so bad. I watched Inkheart and then became restless and fidgety. I’ve been taking lots of photos out the window. Jer watched the Day the Earth Stood Still and Slumdog Millionaire. He really liked that one. He’s now playing the PSP. So far, we have utilized all of our electronic devices, so hauling them halfway around the world has already been justified! Not that we knock old technology; I have read a bit from my Steinbeck book. A good investment. We are seated near the kiddie section of the plane. Most of the little ones seem okay, but the child who appears oldest of the gaggle and is accompanied by just her mother has been restless and unhappy since first boarding the plane. The only time ... read more