This Thing Called Life We are Now Living Called Covid-19

               In these unprecedented times where folks are working from home full-time, parents are home schooling, the wearing of masks has become the "uniform of the day", and major adjustments is now the new norm or "business-as-usual" in this climate we are living called COVID-19 aka the coronavirus.

     The “new rules” such as practicing social distancing and in some cases isolation, federal and local governments are mandating curfews and closures with no idea as to when this will end.  So we have had to adjust to a new way of living and working considering COVID-19, as maintaining relationships has become an absolute must to get through this all. We desire a sense of community even though it's especially difficult in times of social distancing and quarantining in the safety of our homes.   
    

     Who would ever think that the onset of this pandemic would set in the need to dispose of the playbook when it comes to engaging with family, friends and customers while medical facilities continue to strategize on how to serve patients. Thanks to all the brave souls that have unselfishly put themselves in harms way to continue to care, protect, assist, deliver and transport. Big up to all those working hard to keep America safe. Celebrate their bravery!

              While the COVID-19 crisis has affected everyone be it financially or any one of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we do know that there are those who are facing more hardship than others. In the face of this unfolding crisis, we believe that it is more critical than ever to come together. We are definitely going through the storm, but history shows we will eventually have light and calm. We are "going through it" right now but we will get through this together.  

All the best and remain safe,

GMarie

Nuremburg Germany

This past weekend I decided to visit the annual Easter Market (Ostermarkt in German) in Nuremburg Germany. It was going to be a gorgeous day (70’s) so it would be a great day to visit the market as well as explore Germany’s second largest city known for the famous post-war Nuremburg Trials, Nuremburg Castle, St. Lorenz Church, Schöner Brunnen and Nürnberger Bratwurst. By car, it is a little over an hour from Grafenwoehr to Nuremburg. Rather than drive, I could take in more scenery by using the German rail system called Deutsche Bahn, or DB for short. Two can travel on an all-day Bayern pass for as little as 38 euros which is about $42.00. I met up with a friend at the Freihung train station and headed out to Nuremburg.

The ride took about 52 minutes. Germany really is a beautiful place to see by train!  A ten-minute walk, the historical market (traced back to the 1400’s), is held in the Hauptmarkt Square in the castle compounds. To reach the market, you must enter through the old castle walls. 

Once inside the walls, you can shop, explore or just partake in all of the eateries and of course, beer. It was quite crowded with multiple stalls filled with booths of sweets, yummy eats, housewares and, of course, Easter wares. The big lure of the market is its medieval walls, ancient castle, bread made without any additives or preservatives, gingerbread and Nürnberger bratwurst.

Who would ever imagine that this place because of its connection to Hitler and the Nazis, was heavily bombed by allies in the 1940’s and that it was the chosen site for the war crimes trials.

You can’t walk through these German markets and not eat something! So after salivating long enough, I finally tried some of the bratwurst and bread. Absolutely the best I have ever had in my life! I read that the sausage is protected by European Union (EU) which means it can only be produced in Nuremburg! The seasoning used in these sausages is marjoram and typically grilled over beech-wood fire. At the edge of the market square is a medieval gothic fountain called the Schoner Brunnen.

             The fountain that was constructed in the 1300’s by architect Heinrich Beheim is 62 feet tall! The statues represent philosophy and the seven liberal arts (composed of two groups: the trivium, or lower studies—grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic —and the quadrivium, or higher studies—arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music). Below the seven liberal arts are the four church fathers. These include Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Saint Gregory the Great in the Western Church, and Basil, Athanasius, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom in the East and the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  The nine worthies include three pagans (Hector, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar), three Jews (Joshua, David and Judas Maccabeus) and three Christians (King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godfrey of Bouillon) who were legendary dignitaries. The seven holy roman electors are above the seven liberal arts. At the top sits Moses and the seven prophets (Hosea, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Isaiah and Joel). Fortunately, the monument was not harmed in WWII.

          Located in the heart of Nuremburg and its popular dominance in the Nuremburg skyline is St. Lorenz Church. It was built in the 13 century and like many of the other structure in Nuremburg the Lorenz Church was damaged in WWII.  Being the largest church in Nuremburg, it is considered a gothic masterpiece! 

Though originally a Catholic church, it was converted to Lutheran after the renovation. St. Lorenz Church’s interior and exterior are both magnificent!

The Castle Kaiserburg is definitely a must see!. The view over the city is this castle that is an important structure of the Holy Roman Empire. 

          There was a bit of a steep climb through the cobble stone streets to get to the castle which dates back to the 13^th century. We made it to the top floor called the Sinwell Tower which houses the Tiefer Brunnen (Deep Well) and hosts a magnificent view of the city!

The structure with its incredible history was not only a prestigious residence for several emperors of the Roman empire but it was also used for administrative functions and festivities. Even though the castle was damaged during WWII, it was virtually restored to its original state. The castle is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to September, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from October to March.

Nuremburg. Besides the Franconian beer, 1000-year-old castle, and bratwurst, the location alone makes it worth a visit!

All the best,

GMarie

Bayreuth Germany

            A long way from being in the Middle East, I decided that my next stop on my career journey would be Germany which is infamously known for its beer, the autobahn, hiking and plenty of castles. After two months of in-processing and getting settled in, a couple of friends suggested a day outing to Bayreuth, Germany. 

About a 40-minute drive from Grafenwohr Army Base, Bayreuth is located halfway between Berlin and Munich, on the Red Main river. The thing that makes this small town so popular is its association with the German music composer Richard Wagner and the month-long festival typically held every year in July and August. During this time, Bayreuth becomes the cultural center for the music of Richard Wagner who is known for the monumental four-opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen". Music connoisseurs from all over the world gather in Bayreuth for this festival that is always sold out and has a wait time of five to ten years to obtain a ticket!

Another popular venue in Bayreuth is Eremitage Park. Although it is late fall, it was easy to spend a complete afternoon in this large park with two palaces. The park is nicely maintained, and the architecture of the ancient stone buildings are beautiful. There are small lakes and fountains all throughout the park and paths wandering off in all directions just enticing you to follow them to see what is at the end! 

 

In November, a tradition in Bayreuth is having jazz concerts that are spread over multiple venues throughout the city. To check out the lineup go to www.jazz-bayreuth.de.

If you are around November 26 to December 23, Bayreuth swaps the beer for gluhwein (hot spiced wine) while hosting it very own Christmas market! The market is open every day. 
   

Bayreuth is a small town with plenty to do so before you head out, check out the website for events and times.  https://www.bayreuth.de/english/event-highlights/markets-and-festivities/.

All the best,

GMarie

24 Hours in Amman, Jordan

          I went through my archive of stories I drafted up but just didn’t get a chance to finalize and came across one of my adventures I have yet to post. While on a business trip in early 2016, and after hearing so many wonderful things about this place, I had the pleasure of visiting Amman, Jordan. Amongst being one of the most liberal and westernized places next to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, it is frequented by most tourists.

The group flew to Jordan on Royal Jordanian into Queen Alia International Airport. This airport definitely lived up to it name as the top three best airports in the Middle East for 2017. The terminal was extremely clean, had plenty of charging stations and reasonably comfortable seating.

About 40 minutes from the airport, in the heart of Amman, was our living accommodations for our short stay called, Arjaan by Rotana. You sort of take your changes when you select hotels online while browsing the customer comments. But for these accommodations the comments are all true. To say the least, a very luxurious hotel apartments reflecting 5-star hospitality probably far better than home itself! The hotel is within “The Boulevard” formally named Abdali Boulevard, where there is upscale shopping, pedestrian mall and plenty of restaurants and cafes to suit all pallets. 

With such a short turnaround, there was two venues I read about that I wanted to check out; Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea. There was no rest for the weary, so after changing in something more comfortable for Amman's climate, the group decided we would head to Mount Nebo first. We grabbed a couple of cabs, headed out and within an hour we arrived at Mount Nebo along with thousands of other visitors from all walks of life. Once we climbed up the steep slope, the panoramic view of Jordan and Jerusalem was breathtaking!

According to the last chapter in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses climbed Mount Nebo where the LORD revealed to him the Promised Land which would be the land that God promised to the Hebrews. Then Moses died there. There are disputes by Christians, Jews and Islamic principle whether Mount Nebo is even the same mountain referred to in Deuteronomy and the whereabouts of Moses’ grave. Also, located on Mount Nebo there is a gift shop, museum and presumed site where Moses is buried although the final resting place is said to be unknown.

          The sun was beginning to set, so we wanted to make our way to The Dead Sea which is about a 20-minute drive from Mount Nebo. The Dead Sea, devoid of life due to its extremely high content of salts and minerals, is the lowest body of water on earth. Folks from all over the world flock to this historical place which is believed to be the site of five biblical cities (i.e. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zebouin and Zoar) as well as for its therapeutic properties that relieve pain and suffering caused by arthritis, eczema, cystic fibrosis and psoriasis. This salt is so renowned, it is packaged and marketed all over the world. Seeing is believing so I removed my outer clothing down to my walking shorts and t-shirt I had underneath, slid out of my sandals and made my way to the muddy water with the flocks of others who were in attendance.

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You cannot swim in the Dead Sea, because of the high salt content, but you can certainly stand there and soak, like I did and enjoy the beneficial properties of the water or just bring a book or newspaper and float! 

If one soaking isn’t enough, there are seaside facilities available for those that wish to spend the night at The Dead Sea which was one of the finalists for the 7 Wonders of Nature.

All the best,

GMarie

A Day On, Not a Day Off

             Today, through parades, programs and service, we celebrated the life and dream of a man who fought for equality, dignity and freedom for all social backgrounds.  We celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as well as his life’s work involving the elimination of poverty, racism and nonviolence in America.

The former U.S Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, co-authors of the King Holiday and Service Act started the Martin Luther King Day of Service which transformed the King holiday into a day of citizen action volunteerism resulting in the slogan, “A Day On, not a Day Off”.

Mrs.Coretta Scott King encouraged community service to carry on her husband’s unfinished work and to honor the legacy of Dr. King by making one’s community, country and the world a better place.

Last September, while Florida was under the siege of a category 5 storm called Hurricane Irma, I was invited by a friend to evacuate and visit Montgomery, Alabama. During my 4-day stay, I had the unique opportunity and pleasure to visit Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Dr. King was a full-time pastor. It was an honor to visit Dr. King's office, located in the church's basement. It is from this command post where he helped organized the infamous Montgomery Bus Boycott.  

Besides attending the annual MLK Jr. parade in St. Petersburg Florida, I performed by conscientious obligatory day of service at the Kind Mouse Productions Pantry. This wonderful organization, which is run by CEO Gina Wilkins, assists local families in transition and their hungry children. The families, who they provide with food, are those downsized by the economy and are trying to reestablish themselves. This important organization who is partnered with the Pinellas County School Board for the Jane's Pantry/HEAT program, provides nine emergency meals per week per child in a family that are homeless or on the border of becoming homeless. 

Full day, but with purpose and celebratory praises to a man whose huge life contributions have touched the lives of all walks of life.

All the best,

GMarie