2nd (and last) post from Norderney

I just blinked and my vacation is already almost over. Well, I still got until the ferry back to the mainland leaves at 3.30 PM tomorrow afternoon. I have to leave my room until 11 AM, which means I could still have the laptop plugged to the outletand charged, so I might be able to use it at one of the cafés around here. There even is one with a t-mobile hotspot. Yes, I did use the simple internet functions of my phone to look for that, when I couldn’t get online at the hotel and none of the staff felt inclined to feel responsible for at least trying to find out what might be the problem. I didn’t really expected them to fix it, but at least it would have been polite to offer to look into it. And not a “I don’t use the t-mobile hotspot to go online, so I don’t know what might be the problem” answer. There were a few other tiny details why this hotel and it’s staff wouldn’t get glowing reviews from me, but as it is not too expensive and really ok for the small amount I’m only paying per night, I shouldn’t complain. And I won’t. Not anymore, now that the WLAN is working again *g* It’s terrifying how easily I let myself get sucked back into the online world, once there is the possibility. Because I really really didn’t bring the laptop to be able to go online. I needed it to write my termpaper. And I did use it for that mostly. I can and did go online with my phone even though that’s basically restricted to view sites and not even all of them. It’s an old phone :-)
Anyway, I wasn’t really online that much during this vacation. A couple of minutes at the public internet terminal and 70 minutes so far via WLAN. Which sounds like a lot, but trust me it’s not. I only checked my replies at twitter, quickly browsed through some blogs and journals, checked the weather forecast, and the train schedules for my departure. And saved the updates on some of my favourite Grey’s fanfics, so I could read them offline. I only checked my yahoo mails, because that’s basically all the fandom and blogosphere related stuff and not once checked my offical or even work-related mails. Because I am officially on vacation :-)

A short Hello from Norderney

Oh well, I guess today there is proof I’m an internet addict: I just bought a 60 minute pass for t-mobile hotspots, because there is one in the hotel I’m staying in and I brought Bro2’s laptop to start working (putting down some thoughts) for the termpaper for the class I’m currently studying and to finally start to finish writing the termpaper I failed earlier this year. I didn’t intent to go online here and I definitely won’t be checking my mails, because there will be work-stuff and local Greens stuff and that’S the distracting things I wanted to get away from for a few days. I’ve set up an auto-responder, so nobody will expect me to be online and react to their mails anyway :-)

But I might check some blogs and twitter every day and I hope it won’t take that much time from my studying. And from the relaxing part of my vacation. I already had a yummy pancake and coffee at the Milchbar and did the first walk along the beach, and enjoyed that very much. The phone picture I sent to twitpic looked a bit murky – at least it did when I checked it online from my phone (have to check that with a real online connection in a moment). It was a bit cloudy and windy, but I didn’t mind a bit, because that’s to be expected at the sea in the early fall. I haven’t really made up my mind yet, what I’m going to do tomorrow, I’ll have to check the weather forecast first. The forecast at the tourist information didn’t really seem reliable, because it had predicted different weather for today :-) And I have to find out how to get to the lighthouse and the “Weiße Düne” by bus as well. Although I probably could just ask at the tourist information tomorrorow morning.

I will definitely rent a traditional beach chair for a day, either tomorrow or on Tuesday. Buy some fruits and other food and spend the day at the beach, taking my school books and all (yes, that’s what I’m here for, partially at least) and study in a much nicer enviroment than my boring old apartement. And most important, without having to go to work or deal with other distracting stuff. There will hopefully only be the lull of the waves and the cries of the seagulls and that’s not distracting at all, that’s a wonderful background sound.

Ok, now I have to get back to my studying for a while before I will have dinner at the italian place we went to three years ago. It had great pizza then, I hope that hasn’t changed. And as I’m taking my day off from the Game On Diet today and as today would be the last day of it anyway, I can finally have pizza again without risking losing points. I ate rather healthy today so far, so I’d say pizza is allowed tonight.

It’s Vacation Time…

I’m in a hurry, because I have to leave in about 30 minutes, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m offline till next Friday. Unless there is WLAN for a reasonable price in the hotel or I find an open WLAN ;-) I’m taking my brothers laptop because I really want and need to work on my termpapers for grad school. I’m also taking all my books and notes and therefore taking a large suitcase for a 5-day vacation :-) I’ll be back late Thursday night, so I might not be really online till Friday morning. Which I will be spending watching my favourite TV show again, I guess…

Last photos from Edinburgh

This is going to be my last round of Scotland pictures. I have no idea how to fill my blog with content after that :-) At the moment I just don’t have anything interesting to write about or at least it feels that way. Anyway, here are a few more Edinburgh photos.

Edinburgh – Castle & Parliament

This is the last but one round of photos from Scotland. I’ve been back home for almost three weeks now… time surely flies. Anyway here are a few pix from Edinburgh Castle, which is definitely worth a visit. If you like roaming around medieaval castles, that is..

Inside Edinburgh Castle

Day 5: Skye to Edinburgh

The last day of the Highlands Tour was rather uneventful. We left Skye and did another photo stop (well two stops) at Eilean Donan Castle

Day 4 – Isle of Skye

The days need more than 24 hours. Or I need to not be so addicted to the story of Jamie & Claire *sigh* Anyway, here is the next round of photos. I will always remember day 4 as the most perfect day of this vacation and the photos don’t do the day justice at all. Some sights and views and feelings just can’t be captured with a camera. I will still remember it.

We started with driving out to the most western point of the Isle of Skye. Neist Point Lighthouse. It’s not in operation anymore and it’s not much to look at in the sense of picturesque lighthouses, which disappointed me a wee bit. [Notice, that this is the first time I use 'wee' in my Scotland posts? Why didn't I use it before? *wonders*] I just have a thing for lighthouses, if you haven’t known that yet.

So this was the path to the lighthouse, we started in the right corner of this picture…

Day 3 – Inverness to Isle of Skye

My mom will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. Yay! As it turned out there is nothing wrong with her heart, nothing new anyway. It were the usual arrhythmia. But in her case you just never know. Anyway, I’ll be taken off work tomorrow to pick her up and maybe I will also find some time to post more photos. And take care of a lot of stuff for job #2. And to start ironing lots of laundry. And to work on some stuff for the local Greens. And maybe to read a bit more of book 4 of the Outlander series. I already know that I will have a hard time to not spent hours immersed in the story. I hardly find time to watch the daily Grey’s episode for the marathon *g* But that’s where I will turn to now and leave you with a new round of photos…

Day 3 started with the visit to yet another waterfall and here’s a photo even though I don’t remember the name or the exact location.

New Lanark, Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle

During my stay in Glasgow I did 2 day trips to other location, the first one by train on my own, the second one with a travel company in a minivan. The first trip was to New Lanark, which is a former industrial site from the 18th century, beautifully restored and a world heritage site. Interesting is not just the industrial heritage, but also the social issues, the mills manager took to his heart 200 years ago. There were schools for the children and cheap housing for the workers, free health care and a lot more extraordinary things for this time. New Lanark is situated on the river Clye, and there were a few waterfalls close by, but I just walked to the first one, because it was so warm. And I brought my jacket along, because there were possible thunderstorms on the forecast. No rain all day and rather the opposite I was sweating. But I’m not complaining.

The second day trip took my to the well known Loch Lomond and through the Trossachs, which is a beautiful area, with lots of forest and green hills and lakes. Our last stop was Stirling Castle. Stirling has been the capital of Scotland in the mediavel times, because of it’s location. It’s up on a hill with lots of plains all around so you could see your enemies regardless from where they wanted to attack you. Enough talk, here are a few photos…

New Lanark

Back Home and Online…

Around 09.30 pm I got home from my wonderful, wonderful sunny vacation in Scotland and what happened a few minutes ago? Heavy downpour and it’s still raining…oh well, better here now than during my time up north :-) I will probably go to bed soon, because I didn’t sleep that well during the last couple of days. Kind of restless, probably because I miss my big queensize bed without matresses, that squeak whenever I turn around. Even though I would have laughed to stay in Scotland a while longer, it’s nice to be home as well. Home, sweet home. I already dread all the laundry I have to do tomorrow and to answer some work-related mails and tend to some work-related things tomorrow as well. At least I won’t have to return to the office till Wednesday. And there are so many blogs and journals and Grey’s fanfictions to catch up with as well. I hope I will be able to do some of that tomorrow as well…

On my long journey today (on the train) and a lot of times in the park or at night in the hotel room Jamie and Claire (from the Gabaldon series) kept me good company. I’m half way through book 3 (of 6) and what can I say. I’m very much reminded of the time not so long ago when I was infatuated with the Twilight series. And both stories have a few things in common. To me at least. In both series there are 2 people deeply in love, but with a lot of obstacles in their way to a happy end. I was sucked into both stories pretty much early on in the story and started to care very much about the fate of this couple. I thought the writing in both stories was/is very entertaining. But even though I liked the writing itself, there appear(ed) to be more and more flaws in the storytelling. But I was (or am) too hooked already to have that bother me too much. I don’t know if I should love or hate the writers for making me neglect these flaws I still recognize as such :-)
I shouldn’t be so hard on Diana Gabaldon though, as I definitely would pick her series over Twilight any time. Because I love reading historic novels. Because Jamie and Claire are grownups, doing grownup things (and, no, I’m not talking about sex, well not first of all anyway *g*). Because the story is set in Scotland and it was so nice to read it while being there where it all takes place. And mostly because even though I see some flaws in her storytelling, I’m pretty sure I don’t have to deal with such farfetched things like human/vampire offsprings, men turning to wolves, imprinting on babies and protective bubbles created by mere mindpowerl. So I will continue to easily overlook the unbelievable coincidences and chance encounters and suddenly revealed relations that help the Gabaldon story moved forward. And some other things, which sometimes makes me feel like watching a soapopera. But a very entertaing one. Like I said: Guilty pleasure…