by Ken Yeager

It’s too cold to be at the beach so everyone who can must be off skiing or partaking of some such winter activity.  Me?  I’m just trying to stay indoors and warm, counting the days until I can unhook the trickle charger from my beloved motorcycle and hit the road.  So [...]

By Ken Yeager

As I write this, there are 24 days left in the U.S. Government’s fiscal year.  That means that I am in Frankfurt helping to send your tax dollars in support of the U.S. Department of State and numerous other Government agencies stationed outside of the U.S.A.  It also means that in 25 days I will be headed home, home being Grosshansdorf, Germany where my lonely wife awaits me.

I arrived back in Frankfurt on July 5^th, having driven down in a rented car loaded with all of my stuff…I cannot live out of a suitcase for three months….I need my STUFF.  The following weekend I went home by train (the DeutcheBahn’s Intercity Express – ICE, the Germany equivalent of the Japanese Bullet Train, but much slower), spent the night and rode the motorcycle back to Frankfurt.  This time, instead of using the Autobahn I decided to enjoy the secondary roads of Germany….Unfortunately, it was one of the hottest days Germany had experienced in decades…it was like driving into a hair dryer set on high.   Very uncomfortable and my poor behind was sore from almost eight hours in the saddle.

Continue reading Sunday In Germany: Frankfurt – Ken’s Summer Prattle.

By Ken Yeager

OK, the sun is shining and the temperatures are predicted to be in the 70’s, so for north Germany it is warm. Today we had lunch on terrace under our umbrella….white asparagus, boiled potatoes, a slice of cooked ham and a slice of katenschinken, melted butter, bottled water, a very nice fruity Saar Riesling and strawberries for dessert. Nice indeed.

This coming Saturday, we are off to the island of Sylt which, if you have read any of my idiotic early posts, is the northern-most part of Germany. Use Google Earth and enter Sylt, Germany and you will immediately see the island. Wikipedia (Sylt) also gives some good information about the island. If you look closely at Google Earth, you will see that the island is actually connected to the mainland by the Hindenburgdamm.  We will leave Grosshansdorf by car and it will take about 3-1/2 to 4 hours to get to Sylt, depending on the traffic and the car-train connection. Once on the island, we will head north to the little town of List where we have rented an apartment for two weeks.

Continue reading Sunday In Germany: Sylt Vacation

By Ken Yeager

Wow ! I am shocked that no one is posting anything on this blog lately. What happened? I stopped contributing because I thought no one was reading my nonsense (and understandably so). But all of a sudden, quiet…..one could hear a pin drop.

OK, some disagreement but hey, it’s over and as Mimi said, we are all entitled to our own opinions. Despite our common Saigon background, the fact is we all grew up (except me-I don’t want to grow up) under different circumstances and in different locations, all of which helps form the person we are.

Over the years, I have become a strong liberal Democrat who supports Obama and his administration. I suppose that having spent about half of my life living outside the U.S. has influenced my thinking. I tend to see things differently than most Americans whose opinions are influenced by U.S. newspapers and broadcasts. I do have to say that I have become much more politically aware in the last 20 years or so.

Continue reading Sunday In Germany

By Ken Yeager

While many of you, I know, have traveled outside of the U.S., most of your trips have been, I would guess, to Europe, perhaps South America and I know for certain, Southeast Asia. But how many of you have been to Africa? When I say Africa, I am referring to that area to the south of the Sahara Desert. My introduction to Africa was in 1977 when I became what was known as an African Rover with the State Department’s African Bureau. During my two years as a rover, I had 23 temporary assignments in 18 countries and that doesn’t include countries that I had to visit to made transfers.

Continue reading Sunday In Germany: Welcome to Burundi