Library Research and Family Time

This morning I got up in time for Petra to drop me off at her shop to walk to the S-bahn station. It was raining, so I took a raincoat and Petra insisted that I take an umbrella. At my stop in Pasing, I picked up some currants (I think that's what they are) to go with the cereal I had for breakfast, and realized that I had left my transit card at home. Thankfully, no inspectors came to check my card today, but lesson learned!

I arrived at the library a few minutes early and had time to unload things in my locker and gather my thoughts for the day before hitting the books. I spent most of the day today reading a few other novels I found at the library, as well as browsing some of the resources that I found as nonfiction sources. I am a bit disappointed that I can't check out more books to bring home, but I understand their need to keep the collection there for others to use it and to lend to public schools. Thankfully, I did bookmark a few websites that will supplement my research for the unit plan and paper, so I'll be able to use those this week. You can see the desk that I've chosen here.

For lunch today, I had what they call ravioli, but it was more like the meat you find in wantons, finely ground, and layered between layers of fresh pasta, but pressed into triangles. It had a broth-y sauce and some veggies on the side. I took a note from Dr. Veltze today and didn't order a drink, but made sure to take a break before lunch to get some water from my water bottle. There is no free service for water with your meal, so you either have to get a soda or sparkling water, if you don't want an alcoholic beverage. If I save on beverages, then I have more money for meals and souvenirs.

After lunch, I continued my research, took a few pictures of the Eric Carle exhibit that I mentioned in yesterday's post, and then left with the group to discuss tomorrow's plans. After we had laid plans for tomorrow, a few of us went to Pasing to pick up a light dinner, and then went home. Several folks are still very tired from the trip and are adjusting to the time change. Since Shea was going home by herself a different way, I was able to show her which train to take and where to catch it, which was nice. (I feel like I'm really getting some confidence with the public transit.) I decided that I wanted to browse some of the shops in Grafelfing (the community where I live) on my way home. I found a cute little stationary shop that sells art supplies, which I may purchase a few tomorrow. There is also a very nice bakery and deli, as well as a nice Italian restaurant with an outdoor seating area and what looks to be a reasonable menu.

When I arrived home, Alegra and the cat followed me upstairs, which was fun. So I spent some time with them and then went downstairs when I heard Petra come home. Her mother is here for the weekend, as she comes to stay every weekend. Laura was baking brownies and offered me one (very tasty), and Petra offered me some of the olives she had set out. She, her mother, and Petra Wershing from the library have a girls night each Friday where they just chat around the table and eat munchie foods (like olives and cheese) and have wine or prosecco. It's nice to know that some of those social things are really cross cultural. We shared dog stories and I heard about some of the trouble Alegra got into as a puppy (she ate a bag full of brand new expensive underwear!), and I told her about Lavender's latest escapades.

Tonight, my plan is to read a bit for my unit and then go to bed early. Our trip to Dachau is tomorrow and we're heading out early, so I want to get to bed early. It's supposed to be raining, which I think is a fitting mood for the visit to the camp. We're also going to visit the city Dachau, which is a few miles from the camp (or the camp is a few km from the city). The German culture still seems to be carrying around a sense of guilt regarding the events of WWII, even though the large majority of them were not around during that time, and the ones who were were not directly involved. It makes for an interesting discussion, for sure. It sounds like Dachau (the city) has some historic sites to see and is an area that is attractive to artists, which is exciting to me. Perhaps I'll find my first piece of street art this trip!