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8
Jun 15

Jogging memories

Day three, jet lag levels have returned to almost normal.

Went out for a little recovery run today, got in another 5K. That’s 12 miles in three days. Figured I’d complained about walking enough, I may as well move around in some other way.

This is where I ran:

We took our engagement pictures in that park — during a nor’easter. Something like 15 inches of snow on the ground that day.

“Let’s sit on this bench and take a picture! It’ll be cute!” she said.

Snow-covered benches.

The picture is cute, but don’t tell her.

The park is near where The Yankee grew up. She probably climbed all of the trees in that park. Probably in a few nor’easters.

Here’s one of those trees now. Even for a maple this seemed like it was giving up too soon.

But that’s just the sun, come out to play.


7
Jun 15

Hope in Motion 10K

This week, from Monday through Thursday, I walked 34 miles in new loafers over the cobblestones of Berlin. Walked so much I have some weird muscle strain across the top of my foot. On Friday, of course, we flew home.

There was a cancer research fundraiser in Stamford today — a 5K walk, a 5K run and a 10K run.

So naturally we went out and ran the 10K.

I do not know what is happening.

Signs from the groups massing for the walk:

Big hugs after the finish line:

Supporters along the way. Some days they boost the morale more than others:

In the little festival area they had near the finish line there were boards with markers and posters and note cards. People were coming through and writing the names of the people they were running and walking for. It was quite moving.

If you want a little feel-good emotion wake up early some weekend and volunteer at a cancer run. It’ll change your day.


6
Jun 15

She’s not moving

She likes suitcases normally, anyway, but now she’s determined that we aren’t going anywhere with out her.

She’s seen lots of suitcases. I wouldn’t be surprised if she really has put that together.

Allie forgave me, finally, this afternoon. She was demonstratively mad. Running away from us, becoming dead weight if I tried to pick her up and disappearing as quickly as possible.

That’s what you get for leaving me, hooman.

Finally she gave in and came over for a cuddle before dinner.

I am so tired. Surely it doesn’t take everyone else as long to overcome jet lag as I do.


5
Jun 15

We’re back in the US

And it is also National Donut Day.

So we celebrated by having donuts in two countries. Germany on the left, and in Connecticut, after a long day, on the right.

Our flight went through Amsterdam. Sadly, their airport does not have a Dunkin Donuts. How awesome would it have been to have donuts in three countries?

And, now, to sleep for about three days.


4
Jun 15

Zoological Garden Berlin

One historical tidbit for the day. This is the Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. The present building, a church with an attached foyer and a separate belfry with a chapel, was built between 1959 and 1963.

The damaged spire of the old church remains as a memorial hall, which opened in 1987.

The Memorial Church today is a famous landmark of western Berlin, and is nicknamed by Berliners “der Hohle Zahn”, meaning “The Hollow Tooth”.

We went to the zoo, which came highly recommended. The Berlin Zoo, all 86 acres of it, has 1,500 different species, the most of any zoo in the world. All told, there are 20,500 animals inside. It gets more business than any other zoo in Europe. Here are some of our new friends:

There’s a petting zoo. We bought a few delicious food pellets and The Yankee picked out an animal …

I’m not sure what she thought would happen, but she was a bit surprised by it:

Later, after dinner. (She’d washed her hands.)

Love that picture.

Tomorrow we head back to the U.S.