A Winter Evening in Jena

Traveling in winter time means that you usually do not see much sunshine during the work week. Such was the case tonight as it was already dark when I left the office well past normal quitting time.

Light and Dark, Winter Walk, Jena, Germany, Walk Home

This of course meant a long walk back to the hotel in the dark. I had to make a decision whether to take the longer path that was well lit or the shorter path that was dark and gloomy.

I decided to take the shorter path since I knew my way even through the dark.

Winter Dinner, Kartofellhaus, Jena, Germany, German Food

After a short stop at the hotel I then headed into the city center to have nice dinner. I decide that I needed a nice cozy atmosphere and good comfort food so chose to eat at the Kartoffelhaus.

Thuringian Food, Rostbratel, Kartoffelhaus, Jena, Germany

I decided to have a nice dish of pork, onions and potatoes. The Rostbrätel mit gebratenen Zwiebeln und Bratkartoffeln is a specialty of Thuringia and also one of my favorites. The Rostbrätel is a very flavorful cut of meat as it comes from the neck of the pig and is marinated before cooking.

The meal brought back some good memories of past visits to both Jena and the Kartoffelhaus.

Apple Strudel, German Cuisine, Ice Cream, apples, pastry

I decide that since I had done a lot of walking that I could also have dessert so had a slice of Apfelstrudel with ice cream.

Winter Scene, Market Place, Jena, Germany

The Kartoffelhaus is on the market square which was very beautiful with the trees and buildings still lit up for the holidays.

 

Since it was cold and wet and I am jet lagged I didn’t wander around the city center for too long tonight. I walked back to the street train and headed back to the hotel after taking a few pictures in the market area.

Lobeda West, Jena, Germany, Circle Walk

This entryway is near the hotel and looks very interesting at different times of day and during different seasons. It would be nice to get a picture of it in the snow, but it doesn’t look like it will snow while I am here 🙂

Steven

 

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Rainy Trip to Germany

Today has been a long travel day to Germany. I made it safely to my hotel, but it was definitely not a perfect day of travel.

Red Rose, California, January Roses

The day started off well as I prepared to leave home. When I opened my garage door I noticed a beautiful bloom on my Mr. Lincoln rose bush and just had to take a picture. I still have a lot of beautiful roses in my rose garden, but it will soon be time for pruning.

However, when I stepped back into the garage and started my car I had a warning light come on. See my post Delays to the Airport.

Rainy Day Travel, Driving in Rain, San Mateo Bridge, Raindrops, Windshield

After a stop at the office I was finally on the way. About halfway to the airport it started to rain. Here is a picture as I was crossing the San Mateo Bridge.

Luckily there was a short lull in the rain as I dropped off my car at the parking lot so I didn’t get wet before I made it to the terminal at the airport.

Airplane Movie Choices, Disney Movies, Star Wars

Once on the plane I started to review what movies to watch on the flight. I found an interesting selection in the category Disney Movies. Since Disney now owns Star Wars it made sense, but just looks a bit out of place.

Looking at the screen shot now. I also see the movie Saving Mr. Banks. The movie is about the creator of Mary Poppins. Click on the link to see a post I wrote about her.

I did end up watching a Disney movie as I have wanted to watch Beauty and the Beast again. The new version with Emma Watson is really good.

I also watched a Chinese language movie 29 + 1. You really have to pay attention when you have to read the subtitles 🙂

Trains, Germany, Frankfurt, Rainy Day, Travel Day

I finally landed in Frankfurt and then had to pick up my luggage and figure out how to pick up my railway ticket. I am trying something a bit different this time with a combination rail/fly ticket. I finally had to use my phone to visit a website and was able to get my ticket downloaded to my phone.

Luckily I didn’t have to go outside as the train terminal is directly connected to the airport terminal. As I passed through the Frankfurt main station you can see that it was a foggy and rainy day.

Maxx Hote, Jena, Germany, Room View, Saale Valley

The weather had cleared up a bit by the time I made it to my hotel. I have a nice view from my window of the Saale River valley. I have been napping, reading and watching some TV and will now try and get a good night of sleep as I have meetings all day tomorrow.

Hopefully it won’t be raining as I walk to work tomorrow.

Steven

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