Working backwards...

Whose idea was it to try to write a blog, anyway? Now I have to catch up. Here's what has been going on - working backwards:

- Today, I started German classes at Deutsch Akademie. There are 9 students in the class: two from Spain, one from Iran, one from Serbia, one from Bulgaria, one from Senegal, one from Canada, and two Americans (including me). Our instructor is Johannes. The class is conducted completely in German. I learned some things, but that was several hours and a glass of wine ago. I did my homework before I had a glass of wine, in case you run into Johannes.

- My sister-in-law and brother-in-law (C & E) just left after being here since Thursday. We had a wonderful time with them and it was great to have visitors! Among the many fun things we did, we saw The Barber of Seville, which is the most entertaining opera I've ever seen. I think it helps that nearly every tune sounds like either a cartoon (i.e. Loony Tunes) or a chase/misunderstanding scene in a movie. If you want to introduce your kids (or yourself) to opera, watch this one! M had to work on the Thursday and part of the Friday that they were here, so I got to try my hand at showing them Vienna. Mostly, we just walked around and when I recognized something, I would blurt it out. E liked my lunch pick because they brew their own beer. There are photos from the visit, but I don't know where our camera is. Stay tuned.

- The week before C & E came, we went to Amsterdam. It is such a charming city. I know that's what everyone says, but it's true. And the people are all very, very tall. (Look it up right here: it's official). And cool and nice and laid-back. And the language seems both stranger and (oddly) easier to learn than German. I would love to live there, though I am sure that I couldn't ever achieve the effortless cool (nor the height) that an Amsterdamer has. My cousins would fit right in. Photos also to follow.

I guess that's where we left off. Oh, and there are Italy pictures, but the more than 1,000 of them (the drawback of digital) make it also feel overwhelming to sort and post - but I will.

I've also made some great meals.

I can't believe I've been here for 3 months. More soon.