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| A "snowy day" near Frankfurt |
My flights were fine, and even though my connecting
flight departed a bit late as it was waiting for the snow to get better for
landing in Frankfurt, I arrived at the same time. Their “snow” issue was
laughable. I could still see the grass and the ground for the most part, but I
suppose it was more of the visibility that was the issue as it was rather
cloudy. I took a few trains to get to my friend’s apartment where I would be staying
(one train was canceled completely, probably because of the “snow” leaving me
to wait on a platform for almost an hour with a boatload of Euro-teens who just
got out of school). Overall, it was an easy and average trip with the exception
that my bag actually arrived!!!
I had the best night of sleep in at least a month. I
finally did not have to think about anything or plan anything. My brain tried
to make a to-do list against my will, but it quickly realized I had nothing
that needed to be done! The next day I finished my conference paper and resurrected the Sloppy Joe recipe for my newest victim. It was also a hit even though it
was as messy as ever!
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| We did not have any sort of grater/shredding tool, so I had to use a veggie peeler for the carrots, thus the extra messy batch of Joes. |
The car ride from Frankfurt to Luxembourg City was quite
quick as we were doing an average of 160 km on the highway. We stopped at a
rest area while still in Germany to grab some lunch. The food was actually
pretty good – all homemade relatively speaking.
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| Pretty posh accommodations! |
We arrived at the hotel and goodness was I grateful to
have my room paid for by the conference! It was 270 € a night! It was a lovely
room and it had the best breakfast I have had in Europe! After checking in we
had a trip to Dalheim, known as the Pompeii of Luxembourg and one of the most
important archaeological sites in the country. The weather was cold and windy,
but the tour was nice. We had a group dinner which was mostly light things: French
fries, diced potatoes, salad, slices of meat, and a dessert.
The next day the conference began, the theme of which was
focused on bathhouses in the Roman Period. As springs are often found near
baths because they provide a natural and local source of water, I was asked to
speak about the typical objects found in springs. The paper, though very
different from others presented in the conference, seemed to generate some
interest and I had many good questions. It was also a great conference because
I met some very wonderful and interesting people (especially a French girl from
my session who I geeked-out with on Roman religion!) from different cities and
countries! I can keep adding to my “people to visit” list!
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| Snowy ruins in Trier |
Yesterday the last of the conference attendees made a
trip to Trier in Germany to have a look at the baths there. Another cold and
wet day, but it was an interesting tour and I learned some things that I missed
last year when I saw the sites.
I stayed in Trier with a friend, then hopped a
train in the morning to connect with my Frankfurt-friend who dropped me off in
Mainz. I just got settled into the Römisch-Germanische Zentralmuseum (RGZM)
where I will stay for free in their guesthouse and use their library for the
next month. They sure do have a lot of books which will keep me busy for a
while…
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| I like the contrast here between my swanky hotel room above to my modest, but comfortable room at the research center |
I am leaving soon to meet a friend (The German) from my Vix
excavations for dinner, so for now I will say Auf Wiedersehen!
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