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I was pretty disappointed this morning when I woke up and saw that the clear day that weather.com had predicted did not materialize. It wasn't raining though, so a slight improvement. Just gray and cold and damp.
Worse though, the 10-day forecast is nothing but showers (oh, except for the rain-mixed-with-snow). Weather.com and I are no longer speaking.
We (Jo and I) dragged the kids to the city center today. We got completely lost and ended up, of all places, at IKEA. We didn't go in, but it was pretty funny to land there randomly. Turns out Kiel is rather complicated to navigate via car. It took about 45 minutes to find our destination (the Altstadt), though it should be a less than 15 minute drive. We managed to get lost on the way back too! Even funnier, we ended up somehow at the same place we meandered through while trying to get home from IKEA... Altstadt and IKEA are pretty much on opposite sides of the city. My conclusion? In Germany, all roads lead to IKEA (except the ones that go to ALDI, but that is for another story).
I think I can find my way back to the Weinacht's markt (Christmas market), so we did get something accomplished - and - I didn't drive on any bike paths.
Sorry to hear about the crappy weather. I think you need to bake some Zimtsterne and settle down with a cup of tea, pretty candles, and some clementines. Solstice is less than a week away, hang in there! Indispensable to us in Freiburg was a good city map; maybe you already have one for Kiel, but if not, get one with a street guide. Maybe it'll also have a road-signs legend. Those blue/red/arrows signs still confuse me, but I think they're no stopping/no parking/no other stuff. Also necessary: a subscription to the local newspaper, so you have access to the daily community calendar (historic city tours should be listed) and can learn about local politics and society news. Fun fun. Finally, if there's an HB Bildatlas for the part of S-H that includes Kiel, buy a copy--they're excellent travel guides with good trip suggestions and good maps. Nudge nudge nudge nudge! --Liz (your nudging backseat traveler)
ReplyDeleteWell, I hope you enjoyed Durham today! I see it was 67 and sunny... I don't think that the solstice will cure the weather. It's always like this here. Think of it as the 'anti-California'.
ReplyDeleteWe have a map from MIL, but it is difficult to read. It is one of those with the little pages that open after you unfold it - not sure if you've ever seen one. I've been studying the google maps at home (they are much better, esp because you can zoom in and out at will). Trouble is, we don't have a printer, so I can't print out maps or directions.
I think part of the problem may be that I had Jo reading the map. Next time, I will give it to Z. He has an incredible sense of direction and a remarkable ability to translate a two-dimensional image into a 3-d view. We walked for about 20 minutes around the city and he knew exactly how to get back to the car!
At least I like my new shoes...