Germany

Last week I was at a conference near Munich.  The conference was very good - held at the German Post Office conference center - here's a link to the conference.  The conference was sponsored by a thinktank (IZA).  The conference was heavy on rules, such as arriving by noon on the start date (a Thursday), attend all events, including the "social program", and do not take a taxi if you want to be reimbursed.

So, there I am at 5:30am waiting for the airport bus.  At least it was a nice day.  And the sun was up - Dublin in June, after all.  Uneventful flight, although I was waiting a while for transportation to the conference, which, ironically, was a shared taxi - 4 of us in a station wagon.  I was in front.

View from the conference center

The conference was in a beautiful setting, as shown below.  A former colleague (and boss) of mine was there, so it was great to catch up.  Both of us were presenting work we'd done together, so we got a lot of feedback at the conference.  We were the last two papers on the first afternoon, and we got a lot of questions.  Lately, I've not been pleased with my time management skills in seminars, and this was no exception.  I foolishly thought that I would have minimal interruptions since I only had 30 minutes to talk (and there were 10 minutes of discussion afterwards).  I was wrong.  On the other hand, the audience was clearly interested in the papers, so that was good.

Dinner was enjoyable, both in terms of food quality and conversation.  And I was happy to be done with my presentation, so I could enjoy the conference.  The conference center had a bar with beer from the locally brewery (more on that later), so I couldn't complain.

Two thirsty economists

I was reminded yet again that Ireland is a small country.  One of the fellow participants at the conference is an Irish woman now living in Luxembourg.  After a while, she says, "I need to get this out of the way.  Where is your wife from?  We might know each other."  Well, it turns out that they don't, as she grew up in Naas.  I tell her that I play tennis with a guy from Naas.  Turns out that they grew up in the same neighborhood, and that they used to date!  Again, it's a small country.

The social program on Saturday afternoon, after the conference ended, was quite enjoyable.  We took a bus to a nearby Benedictine Monastery and Abbey - Andechs.  We got an English language tour of the church, some of the grounds, and the former brewery site (now brewed in a much larger brewery nearby).  Then, we had a tasting of 6 of the 7 brewed there.  The Doppelbock Dunkel was the best, but it was also the strongest at 7.1%.

The church from the outside

The church from the inside

One of 6 beers (and one 1.5 of 3 pretzels)

 

A good time was had by all, it would appear

The conference did wear me out, though.  I did not socialize at the bar after dinner on Saturday - was simply too tired.  This was my first trip to Germany, and I hope to return.  There are nonstop flights from Dublin to Munich - only 2 hours.

International Day

Soon after returning from the U.S., we had a beautiful summer day.  So we went for a hike in the Wicklow Mountains, about 30 minutes or so from the house.  ORBJ was obsessed with American flags during the trip, so she really wanted to bring her flag on the hike.  We let her:

American hipster and her big sister

The following Wednesday was international day at FABJ's school.  Specifically, the parents get to set up tables in the main hall. FABJ (or a parent) was supposed to fill out a form to get a table, but we were out of town and did not get the form.  Still, I was able to call the office and get a table for the day.

I bought supplies in the U.S. and got some jelly bellies from LBJ's parents (via a house guest in France).  I also got some notecards that looked like money (but was clearly not).  I also brought some U.S. themed books and made some chili, but the jelly bellies and the fake money were huge hits.  Thanks to one of my hosts in DC (JR) for spotting the notepads while we were shopping for U.S. flags.

I even wore my U.S. Open tennis shirt (since it had a flag on the back):

The U.S. table, between Egypt and Australia

Next year, I hope to find another U.S. parent at the school to share the table, so I can spend more time at other tables.  The most impressive food displays were for Spain, India, and the Philippines.

FABJ was not that excited about seeing me at international day.  She spent almost no time at the table.  But that's ok - she was too busy exploring the other tables with her friends.  I enjoyed meeting some of the other parents.  The day had nearly 30 countries with displays and nearly 50 countries represented at the school.  It is quite the international school.

Australia, New Zealand, and India to my left...

More international tables

Viva Espana!

 

DC - Part 2

ORBJ posing with some of Dom's toys

Wednesday was another stunning day.  We went to Rock Creek Park (the nature center).  ORBJ loved looking at the turtles and fish on display, as well as the stuffed birds and the animal pelts.  She was less enamored with the following hike.  Despite seeing horses, she constantly said "It's taking FOR AGES" when we'd mention the next landmark (the creek, etc.).  It was a lovely forested and creekside walk.  I carried her for about half the hike, but I didn't mind.  I knew it would be the only we could complete the hike and avoid a meltdown (by ORBJ, that is).

She perked up a bit for dinner - yummy pizza at a local institution (whose name I have already forgotten).  And she's always up for dessert - leftover birthday cake and homemade ice cream.  So it was a pretty good day despite all the walking.

Thursday's weather was not looking quite as good, at least later in the day.  The weather started off ok, so we went to the U.S. Botanical Gardens.  It was a pleasant walk and ORBJ thoroughly enjoyed watering the plants in the children's garden.

ORBJ the gardener, in her "rainbow shoes"

I had never been there before, and I enjoyed the views of the Capitol:

View from U.S. Botanical Gardens

Next, we went to the National Museum of the American Indian, which was practically across the street.  It is a reasonably new addition to the collection of Smithsonian museums.  I had a great time, as I also had not been there before.  I felt a bit guilty about buying a generic DC picture book in the book store for FABJ's international day (I'll explain in the next post), but that's ok.  The "imagiNations" activity center was a big hit with ORBJ even though the exhibit where you can make your own igloo was closed.  I was quite disappointed, but we found other activities such as pretending to kayak.  JR even had a go at the skateboarding simulation, where she did a great job.  ORBJ and SR were lucky that the time on the parking meter was running out, or I would have tried to see more of the museum.

Plus, the museum is known for its excellent café.  That's ok, we had a top notch lunch BBQ joint (Docklands) in Arlington.  Unexpectedly, the pulled chicken sandwich was even better than the pork pieces sandwich.  The root beer hit the spot, and ORBJ charmed her way to a free cookie.  She was too tired to eat more than a couple of bites, so we saved it for the airport.

Our afternoon activity was to accompany SR and Dom to Dom's school for a retirement party for a few of the teachers at Dom's school.  The PTA (including SR) handed out ice cream sandwiches and popsicles for the kids.  ORBJ quite enjoyed a popsicle, and SR was able to snag an ice cream sandwich for me.

Sadly, it was then time to go to the airport for the trip home.  Still, ORBJ and I were looking forward to returning home and seeing LBJ and FABJ when they returned from France a few hours after our arrival.  By the way, they had a great time as well.

Getting ready to go through security at DCA

Thanks again to all the friends and family that made this such an enjoyable trip.  We look forward to seeing you again soon, perhaps when we can return the favor and host you in Dublin!



 

DC - Part 1

ORBJ took a power nap on the flight, which was a bit bumpy on the descent.  Our host JR (to protect her identity) was kind enough to provide an airport pickup, which is a great way to start a trip.

ORBJ and I decided to have a lazy day.  ORBJ enjoyed playing with Dom's (our third host's) toys.  We had pondered going to the park, but then it started to rain.

Anyway, JR, Dom, ORBJ, and I enjoyed a dinner at a local Mexican restaurant (mmm... carnitas tacos and a Negra Modelo).  ORBJ and Dom played a bit before bedtime, and my friend HS stopped by for an evening visit.

On Tuesday, the weather was amazing - around 80 degrees (F) and little humidity.  After Dom went to school, JR, ORBJ, and I were off sightseeing.  We spent the morning in and around the Tidal Basin, visiting monuments.  First stop was the Jefferson Memorial.

 But the highlight for me was spending nearly an hour in a paddle boat on the Tidal Basin.  Admittedly, we didn't do a lot of paddling, but I was happy to sit in the boat and admire the scenery and the weather.

ORBJ ready for some paddle boating

 

Happy ORBJ (not my best photo, I admit)

ORBJ needed a treat after all the paddling and steering

We went back to Arlington for lunch at an Italian restaurant because ORBJ wanted pasta with red sauce.  Then it was off to Dom's school to pick him up and play in the school in the playground.   I took the kids to the local playground while SR prepared dinner.  It was SR's birthday, so we had a lovely cake for dessert (smartly provided by DR).  My friend KAW joined us for dinner and post-dinner conversation.

Kansas City - Part 2

We had a big day on Saturday.  ORBJ slept in (after an hour of tossing and turning).  In fact, I had to turn away various family members who came by to see her because she was still asleep.  Finally, around 8, I woke her up.

After a hearty breakfast (gotta love the breakfast buffet when you're jet lagged and it feels like lunchtime), we were off for another visit with Aunt Reta.  Then, we went to the zoo (although, unlike Mr. Funny, we did not drive there in a shoe).  The KC Zoo is very impressive and affordable.  We could have spent hours there, but we had planned to return to the Plaza for a late lunch at Houston's.

A smarter photographer would have gotten all three of them in the same picture

As you can see, ORBJ, PL, and UM all enjoyed themselves.  I did, too.

Can you guess why I didn't put a warthog picture here?

The weather was great, and the facility is very nice.  Next time, we'll try the boat ride or the ariel tram (i.e. a ski lift over the giraffes and other African animals).

Lunch was hearty and well earned.  Afternoon was lazy time spent with family, which ORBJ thoroughly enjoyed.

More family time occurred Sunday morning.  It took me three attempts to find a shop open early on Sunday morning in the Plaza to buy the New York Times.  So I got a bit of exercise.

After lunch, we said goodbye to PL and UM and went to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for a brief tour before one final visit with Aunt Reta.  ORBJ had some final quality grandkid time that evening, and we were off to the airport the next morning.

On the way to KC, ORBJ got very excited every time on the plane they announced "Kansas City."  "Dada, they just said Kansas City!"  To her, this never got old.

She had the same excitement on Monday every time they announced our next destination - Washington DC.

Kansas City - Part 1

ORBJ and I had a big adventure last week - the two of us went to Kansas City and Washington DC for a week (LBJ and FABJ went to France at the same time).

ORBJ got a special treat for the flight - a new Barbie doll.  It was a birthday present from a classmate of hers from "school" (i.e. daycare) which was forgotten in our spare room.  LBJ reminded me of its existence, so she deserves all the credit for this stroke of genius.

ORBJ and Barbie in Charlotte airport

Despite a four-hour layover in Charlotte, ORBJ was great on the journey.  She even slept for an hour on the Dublin-Charlotte flight.  Gelato in Charlotte certainly helped (along with Barbie, of course).  Surprisingly, Barbie has only lost a headband so far (although it's only been 10 days).

Nana and Papa (my parents) met us at the airport, which was great.  We got checked in and had a light dinner on the club floor (worth the expense - free dinner and drinks and breakfast, although PL negotiated a free buffer breakfast for us all).  ORBJ fell fast asleep and I managed to stay awake until 9pm chatting with the folks.

ORBJ handled the jet lag pretty well aside from tossing and turning for an hour each of the first two mornings.  I was unable to fall back asleep after her tossing and turning the first night (starting at 3:30am) but did fine after that.

 The next morning we went to see Aunt Reta, who had just turned 100 earlier in the week (the reason for the visit).  She wasn't doing too well the first day we saw her.  Although her face lit up when she saw Orla (her favorite family member), she fell asleep two minutes later.  She did much better the next two days (despite being convinced that my name was Billy on day 2 - Saturday):

Aunt Reta before enjoying her birthday cake

My mom ordered a cake, which we (and some of the staff) enjoyed during the course of our visit.
 

West of Ireland - Part 4

All too soon, it was Monday morning and time to return to Dublin.  LBJ had a conference call for work at 10.  After "checking out" of our cottage, I dropped LBJ at a local cafe with wi-fi access (unavailable in our rental, which was fine).

The girls and I explored a nearby castle (in ruins).  They had fun climbing around for a few minutes.  Sorry that the picture doesn't do it justice.

The girls enjoying anothe castle in the Burren

Then, I debated what to do next.  The skies were overcast with rain in the forecast, so our time was limited.  One option was to go to the cafe and get hot chocolate - the girls understood that we had to sit at a different table from Mama because she had a big meeting.  But I was unsure how long the conference call would last.

On the other hand, the tourist office recommended a beach walk that was a 15 minute drive away (roughly).  I opted for the beach walk.  However, it began to rain.  Then LBJ called to say that her call was over already (10 minute call!).  So we turned around and headed back to the cafe.

We stopped in Athlone for lunch.  It's a quiet town in the middle of Ireland, just off the motorway.  A couple of promising restaurants were closed that Monday, as was the local castle!  But we had a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant and walked for a couple of minutes along the Shannon river (the longest in either Ireland or Great Britain).

Ironically, the weather was beautiful in Dublin, and had been pretty much all weekend.  But that's ok - we had a great time out west!