Das Neue Leben Fangt Schon An

It's been a while since my last entry... and I don't really know where to start.  Hmmm... simple first, then expand.

I've now been through Berlin.  I visited a Sicilian friend there, and met a few of her friends.  It was pretty cool... and by cool, I mean the weather was cold too.  Anyway... saw some things, had some laughs, did a lot of walking, and had some good conversations.  That was Sunday.

Monday I took the train to Vienna... I left my friend's apartment with 2 suitcases, a backpack full of computer crap, and a duffel bag full of everything a duffel bag can hold.  I think we boarded the tram at 9:30 am... I spent the entire day on trains, and eventually arrived, with all my stuff, in Vienna around 8:30 pm.  It was a long day of sitting, but I found myself still worn out. 

I had to change my plans do to unforeseen circumstances, and an unread email (didn't read the fine print) and so had to be in Freiburg by Thursday night to get my keys... otherwise I wouldn't be able to get them until this coming Tuesday... which means I would have been without a place to stay if I had kept my original travel plans.  Longish story... but Thursday was also a very long day, and night, and lasted well into the early hours of Friday morning. 

Today is Saturday, tomorrow is Easter... and I decided that instead of sitting in my new place, which is pretty spartan by any measure, and waiting for the stores and everything to open up again on Tuesday, I would take the train to Lautenbach to visit the German cousins (short history: two brothers in 1850, one went to America, the other stayed... and the two sides are now back in contact).  So... here I am, and I'm glad I came.  I caught up on the news, and the "family" here is every bit as lovely as I remember them being.  Very, very glad I came... even though I was embarrassed to show up so suddenly on their doorstep, especially on Easter weekend (I called one day before and kinda asked/invited myself over).  Still... better than sitting in my room all weekend without internet, telephone, tv, or heating (it's still kinda cold here in the Rhineland).

And, for now... that's about it.  I will say that with the way Thursday and Friday were going for me, I was seriously considering the possibility that I had made a mistake in coming back to Germany to try for a Master's Degree... but now I finally feel like I've found my Zen (or not so Zen) center, and that I can handle everything in front of me again.  It's been a whirlwind week.