Due to some planned demonstrations, the RMV is closing the S-bahn “Taunusanlage” and the U-bahn “Willy-Brandt-Platz” stations from 1pm tomorrow to 4am Sunday.

The tram lines 11 and 12 will not run past the Hbf and bus 64 will have its route curtailed.
More info here:

http://www.rmv.de/de/Verschiedenes/Informationen_zum_RMV/Der_RMV/RMV_aktuell/61048/Frankfurt_Grossdemonstration.html

Updated: 16 May

More information in English on: AllThingsGerman

I have finally reached the point of letting some things go and I stuck to the suggested deadline: Once you have made up your mind about a certain idea or action, you need to take the first step within 72 hours or your enthusiasm will fade and your idea will soon be forgotten.

In my case,  we have too much stuff accumulated around our home and half of it was given to us to sort through (deceased family members’ earthly possessions and a shoppaholic sister’s stuff and…. )

The sorting through mainly requires physical work such as dropping it off at charity organizations, donating it to flea markets, giving it away for free, etc. Yes, it is a bit of a headache, too.

But sentimental items take longer to let go. Today I finally took charge and called on an ad in the local paper. The guy buys furs, traditional German outfits, and jewelry. He is going to come by in a couple of days and I am prepared to let him take it at any price. I’d assume he does not read my blog either.

Long gone are the years where I used to go to flea markets myself looking for household goods or certain collectibles. Since then, over the years I have donated a lot to charity or even occasionally did a flea market in front of the super market with the kids during the summer. On a couple of occasions, I was questioned by some Germans whether this was allowed.  In many Germans, there is a little policeman. Both times, I informed the interrogator that no permit was necessary as long as only kids’ stuff was sold by kids. Too bad that my kids were inside the store each time, spending the money they had just made on a sale.

Anyway, the most difficult things are the ones with a sentimental value or tiny valuables.  The former are my mother’s mink jacket (my parents had to work very hard to be able to buy this in the 70s) and my tailor-made Dirndl. Of course, I don’t fit into it anymore and it is just taking up space. I had it made in 1980 and used it quite a few times to represent Germany while living in foreign countries.

It proved to be a lucrative accessory while e.g. selling German goods in Kitakyushu, Japan. The photo shows me with my then-employer on the right.

The latter is my old jewelry. Small in size, but full of memories. I offered it to my daughter, she was aghast I had kept a few of my former boyfriends’ jewelry for so long. Well, it was all the way in the back and… there is no other excuse.

I don’t care how much money I get. I am just glad I have gotten to the point of letting sentimental things go.

And if I ever have to move house (in our case, apartment), and I need to get rid of big household items, I would call Freecycle. Thanks to Noordinaryhomestead for her enlightening post on Why I love Freecycling.

Her post prompted this and deserves some of the credit why I can let go. I had read her post on 8 May and called today – within 48 hours.

Just for fun – I expect 20 euro for the fur jacket (my mom paid 2000 DM for it back then, about 2000 euro in purchasing power) and maybe 10 euro for the Dirndl.

The silver jewelry – five rings, two pendants, a pair of earrings, a necklace with pendant -  we will see.

I just hope he takes everything.

I got these pictures from a Swiss associate a couple of days ago. Then, on a whim, I asked him if I could publish them.

Snow in Switzerland

Guess I have withdrawal symptoms – no snow in Germany. Don’t even mention green Christmas to me. Due to the lack of snow, everything seems greyer than usual. There is no snow to reflect the light.

Switzerland

The last time I was in Switzerland was in 1977. Time to head back.

The list of 20 of the most ridiculous complaints made my holidaymakers was compiled by TripAdvisor – Greece forum.

The complaints themselves range from all kinds of nationalities and tourist destinations. Pick your favorite one. Mine was about parents shocked to find fish in the sea, which had startled their poor children (location not mentioned).

Wildlife in Germany

I’d suppose you don’t always have to leave the country to find your warm spot in the sun.

Some of you might wonder why I would report about Huang Ming receiving the 2011 Right Livelihood Award (a.k.a. alternative Nobel prize). My blog is usually about Oberursel, tourism, and my own trips.

But one of those trips took me to Mr. Huang’s home in 2005.

Starting fall 2003, I started tutoring his daughter who, at that time, was attending a boarding school in Switzerland. As half of her education was conducted in German, along with English, she then spent most of her school breaks with me in Oberursel learning English and German, respectively.

Mr. Huang had enrolled his daughter with HB.Language, a Swiss language agency, which places students for language studies in various countries. I am one of those teacher/host families.

During her first visit, her dad would call everyday to check on her progress.  With each further Study and Homestay program she enrolled, the phone-calls became fewer.

C. (name withheld) eventually left the Swiss boarding school to attend Frankfurt International School (FIS) in her final years, while being hosted by an FIS family.

Because of C., our son became interested in learning Chinese. After six years of private lessons, he had to give it up being a senior in high school now.

In 2005, with a little pressure from C. and our son, I agreed to visit the Huang family in China. Of course, we were splendidly hosted, but frankly speaking, I only learned about C.’s dad’s business/entrepreneurship while we were there. Yes, I was a little surprised to learn of  his 40 patents he holds in inventions, being a member of congress, the factory tour, and many other things.

During this time, we stayed in an apartment in Beijing. Then we were carted off to Dezhou (hometown), where we stayed in one of those worker hotels. The remainder we spent in a big beach house in Qingdao.

We were given many guided tours, served the best food, and were treated like special guests. Well, the Asian way.

The last leg of our time in China, we spent in Shanghai on our own. I like Shanghai the best, even though I learned there how polluted these big cities really are. While we were guests of the Huang family, we were driven around by a private chauffeur on every occasion. So we hopped into the van and out.

But in Shanghai, we walked everywhere. Each time we returned to our hotel to take a shower, we had blackened feet. We actually had to scrub our feet to get the dirt off.

Anyway, we got to see Mr. Huang a couple of times after that. This was usually while he was passing through Frankfurt on his way back from meetings in other parts of Europe.

Article in German: Alternativer Nobelpreis für chinesischen Solar-Unternehmer

Another article from news.xinhuanet.com

Congratulations to the Huang family!