germany: another layover in frankfurt

When booking my flights between Chicago and Moscow, my return trip got me a daytime layover in Frankfurt. I have to admit that after my last experience with this layover, I was a bit nervous about delays out of Frankfurt, I didn't want to spend another unintended night there.

Frankfurt is big, having almost 750,000 people. Civilization has been there a long time, going all the way back to Roman times; it was one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire. For a while, the kings and emperors of Germany were crowned in Frankfurt, Wikipedia tells me this stopped in 1792, with the coronation of Franz II who was crowned in St. Bartholomaus Cathedral.

Like much of Germany, much of the city was bombed to smithereens during WW2, most of what exists now has been rebuilt.

My flight arrived in the morning, and it didn't take long to go through passport control. I had ideas for a few things to see in the city, but it didn't quite work out that way.

Getting into the city from the airport is easy and fast, it's just an S-bahn ride. Only 20 or 30 minutes. I had just a personal bag, and my pack for carryon so I put them into a luggage locker in the Frankfurt train station. Much less worrying about my pack getting lost!

I was tired though, so very tired. Jet lag gets worse for me the older I get. Even though my head recognized that it was morning, my body was mostly in a fog. I liked seeing the city before too many people were running around, but I was so tired. 

I knew jet lag was going to be an issue, but I just couldn't keep going, no matter how much I wanted to see in the city. 

I saw a few spots familiar from my layover the year before, then I saw a Starbucks. An organization known for letting people sit in comfortable chairs for long periods of time. 

I admit that I spent the next three hours dozing off in a chair on the second level of the cafe. So tired.

I felt better after the sort of nap, or at least better enough to start walking again.

I wound my way through the old city center to find one of the towers that still stands from the old city walls. It was actually a city gate back in the day, but doesn't look very 'gatey' to me. I also found the opera theater, which is gorgeous. I'd love to attend a performance there sometime, but my layovers never seem to be at the right time for that to happen.

I crossed the river, the bridge was quite photogenic. On the other side of the river I stepped into a church, as I knew I wouldn't be seeing many Catholic or Protestant churches in the near future. I love stained glass, and the feel of belief in the buildings of any faith.

I crossed back over the bridge on a different bridge, this one much more modern. Pretty, but not in the same way the other bridge was. It took me back to the same general area, so I was able to get back to the platz that is featured in many of the photos of Frankfurt. The buildings all around the platz have traditional architecture, so it's beautiful. 

Maybe one day I'll sit in the chairs of all the cafes and have an ice cream.

From there I made my way back to the train station, picked up my bags, and caught the next train back to the airport. This visit to Frankfurt wasn't very long, and not very intense, but it left me something to see the next time I'm there.

usa: illinois: chicago pt 8465

Since my summer plan was basically two weeks in Mundelein, two weeks in Bloomington, and two weeks in Mundelein, I knew I'd be going into downtown Chicago at least once during the second two weeks in Mundelein.

It turned out I went into the city more than once, which wasn't a surprise. The first time was to visit my friend Laura, with whom I worked when I lived in Seoul. She had a beautiful baby girl, and it had been a year since I'd seen here, so I took the train into the city and she picked me up at the metro station.

We started with breakfast at a diner, something I'll always enjoy, whether I'm with someone or by myself. Baby was quite chatty the entire time :)

Most of the rest of the day we hung out at her place, just catching up. Laura was still on maternity leave (being lucky enough to work for an organization that offers such a 'luxury,') so she had plenty to do around the house.

When I was younger I admit I didn't think too much of women who stayed home with babies, wondering what they did all day long. That impression was so wrong, as there is ALWAYS something to do when you have a newborn.

After a few hours Laura's boyfriend came home, so she left the baby with him and we went for a walk. We ended up at a bakery, which seems to be the norm for me, whoops. From there she went back to her flat, and I walked to the nearest metra station.

Then I made a mistake, I boarded the wrong metra train. I realized it almost immediately, but that mistake cost me more than two hours, and I didn't end up getting back to Mundelein until 1900 or so. Whoops. Oh well.

Another day I took the train into the city to meet up for lunch with a friend at the food court in Macy's. There is definitely better food to be had in the city, but when you're limited to a lunch hour you choose a place not too far from work. It was a nice catchup, we hadn't seen each other year in a year.

I was disappointed by the weather that day, as it was pretty rainy. It's not fun to walk around downtown Chicago when it is so gloomy and wet. 

I ended up shopping for clothes I don't need.

After shopping I headed toward Millenium Park. I know locals don't love the place because it's full of tourists trying to take the perfect photo at the Bean, but I still love it. The only advantage to the rain is that there were fewer tourists at the Bean.

From there I checked out a couple coffee shops, but didn't find anything that sounded good. It was an easy walk back to Union Station to catch the metra back to Mundelein, I caught the right train this time :)

The last time into the city was a half day 'trip' with Kelley and Jon. They drove, and were able to find parking that didn't cost a fortune. 

They'd learned about an 'oddities market' to see, which was fun to wander around for a little while. I'm not into skeletons and goth, so I wasn't interested in most of what was available, but I love people watching at all times.

After the market I convinced Kelley and Jon to walk to Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits, a pie place I'd heard about and Kelley recommended. I'm a sucker for pie. I couldn't decide what I wanted, so I got two slices. The place is popular, there was a line out the door for customers.

After getting our pie to go, we walked to an Asian restaurant called Fat Rice Kelley had heard about. I didn't love my soup, but her fried rice was really good. I wouldn't mind returning, as other customers were eating stuff that looked really good.

Chicago always has more to see and eat, I know I'll be back.

usa: wisconsin: milwaukee and kenosha

I chose to make this post about the two cities I visited in Wisconsin.

Kelley and Jon like to travel and explore as well, but don't get to do it as often as I do. (Not many people do.) Though I usually say they live in Chicago, that's not quite true, they live in one of the suburbs. I mention this because when you look at a map you realize it takes just as long to get into downtown Chicago as it takes to get to Milwaukee, in Wisconsin. There are a number of fairly large cities that aren't all that far away if you have your own transportation.

We decided to do a quick half day in Milwaukee one Sunday, just because we could. The drive was easy, and only about an hour.

Milwaukee has nearly 600,000 people, and is the largest city in the state of Wisconsin.

Our first stop was related to one of Jon's loves, beer. He loves brewing beer, so it made perfect sense to visit one of the cemeteries in the city where a number of beer barons and their families are buried. There was supposed to be a museum/information center in the cemetery, but it wasn't open when we arrived. Maybe because it was Sunday? Maybe I'll come back another time and learn more.

We parked and walked through various parts of the cemetery. There were different sections for the family that started Pabst, and Schlitz (sp?) and more. Not surprisingly, some of what we saw were big, fancy mausoleums. I wonder how often or if family members come to visit their dead relatives. It was saddest to see the graves of children who didn't even live long enough to be named.

From there we drove through the city to a modern art staircase with a nice view of the city. The stairs aren't the sight, it's the little observation platform at the bottom of the stairs that is the sight. 

The guidebook that lists this set of stairs says locals have mixed feelings about it, because it doesn't really fit into the neighborhood aesthetic, and they don't love random strangers driving through just to stop and take photos of and on the stairs.

The same guidebook that listed these stairs also listed a bridge in a suburb of Milwaukee. We drove there, only to be quite disappointed. It was just a bridge over a small valley. No water that I could see, no view worth seeing. I have no idea how this bridge ended up as a listed sight.

At that point we were feeling peckish, so we headed to a chili place Kelley wanted to try. She got food to go for her lunches at work that week. Jon and I were able to hold off until we got to a branch of Leon's Frozen Custard.

Apparently frozen custard is a Milwaukee thing. It's basically ice cream, but with egg yolks in addition to the milk and cream. This makes it heavier, and meltier. Leon's has two or three traditional flavours, as well as a flavour of the day option. I went with three scoops of raspberry, which was pretty good but not amazing.

Somehow all of us ended up eating it all without dripping all over ourselves, woo hoo!

From there it was an easy drive back home. I'd definitely come back to Milwaukee, especially to explore other areas of the city. I don't know if there is a central place I could park, then walk around all day?

Later on that week I drove Kelley to work, then borrowed her car so I could go to Kenosha, Wisconsin for the day. Kenosha is just over the state border with Illinois, it was easy to get there.

Kenosha feels a like a small town, but has a population of around 100,000 people. There has been habitation in the area for a long long time, with evidence of this going back to at least 13,000 years ago.

My first stop was a diner. I didn't really need to eat, but when I find a diner I rarely walk/drive past it. Franks is in an old train car, there isn't much space. Their specialty is something called a garbage plate: a half plate has three eggs, hash brown potatoes, eggs, cheese, and onions. You can add in meat and veg too. A full plate has 5 eggs with all the other stuff.

It looked and smelled good, but I made the mistake of ordering French toast with fruit topping. It took 45 minutes for my food to arrive, and that was after I asked what had happened. The fruit had clearly come from a can, and the whipped cream wasn't very good. I'm pretty sure they forgot me, and didn't put any effort into the French toast. I won't make that mistake again.

I was able to park for free near Frank's for three hours, and since that time wasn't yet up I walked to the marina area. (Kenosha is on Lake Michigan.) 

Very pretty, but VERY windy. The marina shape was created when they piled up a bunch of big rocks, the wind nearly blew me off the rocks.

There was a small splash pad nearby, I would've walked through the water if it hadn't been so windy. I followed the pavement just behind the rocks for a while, enjoying the smell and sound of the water. Something about it is calming.

Coming around the peninsula near the marina I saw a couple lighthouses. I don't know why they were so close to each other, or if either of them is still used. I wanted to walk over to the biggest one, but when I pulled out my phone to figure out how to do it I realized the streets were connected in a way that it would take me quite a while.

Instead I walked through a sculpture park, then to a small city park where a summer concert was taking place. I saw people of all ages, which made me think school hadn't yet started here for the fall. (I knew it had started in Chicago, and my hometown.) There was a veterans' memorial near this park, which was nice to see. There aren't nearly enough memorials and monuments to those who have served in the States.

From there I walked through the downtown, cute area of Kenosha. I was thrilled when I stumbled on a pie shop, woo hoo!! 

Did I need to buy any pie? No, but did I? You bet. The flavours were good, as were the prices. I'm definitely going back.

After the pie shop I found the local library. I don't know if the building was originally a library, but it is gorgeous. A lovely rotunda in the middle, the librarians encouraged me to stand directly under it to take a photo. From what I could see during my walk through, the library had a good selection of books as well as programs to serve the community. I hope that library is as valued as it should be.

I walked back to the car, then drove to an area with two museums. The Civil War Museum sounded interesting, but the entry fee was $10USD. Maybe next time, when I come back for more pie and better food from Franks?

Kenosha Public Museum was free, and fabulous. A series of permanent exhibits with the history of the area, and a temporary exhibit of Edo prints from Japan. Very cool. There are a couple big skeletons to see, as there was prehistoric life in this area with fossils still to be discovered. Really really well done.

After the museum I got back in the car and drove to the beach area. The beach itself was quite nice, but with all the wind I don't think it would be fun to hang out for the day. There were people doing just that though, so my anti-sand campaign wasn't followed by everyone. I love beaches, I just don't love being covered in sand. I did enjoy walking the length of the beach, and hearing the happiness of those who were enjoying their last days of summer freedom on the beach.

The biggest lighthouse was really close to the beach, so I walked over to see what it was all about. 

I admit I was pretty disappointed to discover an artist had set up shop in the bottom of the lighthouse, so it wasn't one you could climb.

My last sight of the day was another park, about 15 minutes away by car. There was plenty of parking at Petrifying Springs State Park, which was mostly flat from what I could see. I didn't find the springs after which the park was named, mabye I was in the wrong area? That being said, it was nice to be out in the trees. There are several different walking trails throughout the park, nothing strenuous but still nice.

Despite visiting a city for the day, my favourite places were natural: the lake, the beach, and the state park. And the pie, I can never forget good pie :)

usa: illinois: ft sheridan and waukegan

This post covers a couple small cities I visited in Illinois.

One day I went with Kelley to work, then drove a bit south, toward the community of Ft. Sheridan. Wikipedia tells me it is a residential neighbourhood within the three cities of Lake Forest, Highland Park, and Highwood. (Why a single residential area is part of three different cities is beyond me, but that's not the point of this.)

Ft. Sheridan originally came into existence as Fort Sheridan, an army post named for General Sheridan, a Civil War cavalry general. The army officially closed the main fort in 1993, then sold most of the land to commercial land developers. 

The housing buildings were sold as well, companies renovated them then created residential communities. Some buildings were designated as historic, which I think means they can be privately owned, but not drastically changed. Something along those lines.

One thing that didn't change is the veterans cemetery in one part of the property, it's still an active military cemetery.

A forest preserve was created out of 250 acres of the former fort. This was the area I'd learned about online, I wanted to explore a bit. Fortunately, there was a parkplatz so I didn't have to walk too far after leaving the car.

The preserve partly borders on the lake, so that seemed like a good place to start. You walk through some prarie grass to get there, then down a hill to get to the lakeshore. When I got there I saw how small the accessible part of the lake shore is, so I didn't stay long.

There is a cannon on display along this path, presumably memorializing the time when this area was of military significance.

As I climbed back up I saw a path heading off into the grasslands. I didn't know where it went, but hey, why not find out. 

A couple hours later I finally came all the way around the circle, having gone all the way around the property. Or at least as much of it as there was a path to be seen.

I walked through trees and grasses, all of it very quiet and peaceful.

At the furthest edge I discovered the cemetery I mentioned earlier. As I got closer and closer I realized there was a burial taking place, so I stayed as quiet as I could, and stayed outside the cemetery until it was over. The ceremony concluded with a seven gun salute and a presenting of the flag to the family of the fallen.

After walking through and around all of that, I headed toward the former parade grounds, which have been kept empty. There is a long building along one side of the area, with a tall clock tower. I imagine this was one of the former gates of the area? Not much to see other than the tower, but it was pretty.

After all that I went back to the car and drove a little bit north, to the city of Waukegan. It's an industrial suburb of Chicago, not on anyone's tourist list. I wanted to go there to see the beach and the lighthouse.

It was easy to get to the beach, and easy to find parking. Judging by the number of other people out there at the time, and their ages, school hadn't yet started in this area either. I went out to the beach and loved it. Not nearly as pretty as the beach I saw in Kenosha, but it seemed like a much better place to hang out.

Off to one side of the beach was a series of dunes. Some grasses were growing through the dunes, which was good, as the grass is what holds the dunes in place. As expected, walking through the dunes wasn't easy. There is a reason runners go to sandy places for good workouts.

The lighthouse I got to see was tiny, and I have no idea if it actually functions. Either way, I was happy with the photos I got to take.

After the beach area I went to a diner I'd found online. It might've been only a couple hours before dinner, but there is never a wrong time to eat at a diner :)

I'm pretty sure I won't be back to either Ft. Sheridan or Waukegan, but you never know. After writing this I realize how little I visited in each area, so it seems I really should go back and explore more. Hmmm.

usa: indiana: bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana is my hometown, and as long as I have family there I'll come back to visit. It's one of the best cities in Indiana, though I'm not sure I'd want to move back there to live now, for a number of reasons. There are heaps of opportunities, things to see and do; but it is also more expensive than the job market allows.

The past several times I've come home, I've been a tourist in my hometown, I made sure to do the same thing again during this visit. Over the course of two weeks I did a combination of day trips in Indiana, getting together with friends and family, as well as seeing different spots in and around Bloomington.

One evening I drove up to Lower Cascades Park, and walked the short trail to a waterfall. There hadn't been a lot of rain in the past few weeks, so there was very little water in the waterfall. The waterfall also faces the wrong way for taking photos in the evening, as it was backlit. Darnit.

Also in the park is a small Buddhist temple. I saw this temple everytime I drove from my high school to my house way back in the day, but I never got closer, nor did I go inside. I didn't go inside during this visit either, as it looked very closed and maybe even abandoned. 

The prayer flags in the front yard were tattered, which looked quite sad.

On an afternoon I walked through part of the Indiana University campus, making my way to the Lilly Library. In terms of size, it is quite small. In terms of reputation, it is huge. The Lilly is a rare books library, its collection includes books like one of the Gutenberg Bibles.

I was able to look through a few rooms, including seeing two temporary exhibits. One of the exhibits had a group of items and papers from the career of one of Indiana's former representative, Richard Lugar. 

This exhibit clicked with me because there were a few items from his trip to Kiev, Ukraine, (as it was spelled back then,) before the Soviet Union collapsed.

The other temporary exhibit was of tiny books. Really really small books, some of them only a couple inches big. They were in display cases to keep people from destroying them, but I really wished I could've looked through the pages of each book. One of the mini books was a Quaran, complete with a special holder.

Some day I want to come back to this library so I can see the more valuable, rare books.

One Sunday afternoon, after watching my sister preach in church, I drove out to Brown County State Park. It is the biggest state park in Indiana, at more than 15,000 acres.

In addition to being the biggest state park in Indiana, Brown County State Park is also the most visited, with more than a million visitors last year. I'm pretty sure I visited this park when I was a kid, but if I had, whateva hiking I did was short and flat. My parents were not into outdoor activities, unless I was playing an organized sport and they were watching. Girl Scouts was generally the extent of outdoor activities for me. 

This time I was determined to climb up and down some of the hills, and actually be tired at the end of the trails. I ended up following two trails, and at the end of the afternoon, I'd definitely accomplished my goal.

Another night Mom and I went to the Fine Arts Museum after dark. The front of the building is lit by coloured lights, and apparently it is now a thing to take your photo in front of the building at night. I have no idea how or when this started, as I don't remember it being a thing when I was a student.

One morning I went for a quick hike/walk through Leonard Springs Recreational Area, a place I'd never heard of before seeing a photo on social media. At the end of the trail (which seems to be out and back from a small parkplatz,) there was a sign describing how this used to be the official reservoir for Bloomington. At some point smart people realized a lake in limestone wasn't going to hold water very well, so the official reservoir was changed, and now Leonard Springs is just a pretty place to walk.

That morning hike wasn't enough, so I went for more hiking in the afternoon. 

I drove to the Hickory Ridge Fire Tower, one of the few fire observation towers that still stand in Indiana. The view from the top of the tower was great, I could see a long way. I bet the view is stunning in fall.

After coming back down from the tower I found a trail, and ended up going for at least three hours. Thank goodness I'd brought snacks and water with me.

There used to be people living in this area, before it became state owned land, one of the few remains of those times is a cemetery. It is small, and not many people are buried there, but it is well kept. 

I stopped by it my way out of Charles Dream Wilderness, which I think is the official name of that particular area.

Another day I spent several hours going through boxes of stuff in a storage locker. I didn't know I even had some of the stuff in those boxes, let alone where or when I got it. Why on earth did I have a carbon monoxide detector in storage? Plenty of books were taken elsewhere for donation, and clothes that were ancient/falling apart were tossed out. Maybe someday I'll have a permanent place to live, and actually want to have all of my possessions in one place.

That was my last full day in town. Later in the day I got one of my tattoos touched up, and got a couple ear piercings redone. They'd closed up a couple years ago, and I decided I wanted them again, so why not. Tattoo shops have some of the best customer service of any place I've ever been.

I love Bloomington.

usa: indiana: indianapolis

Indianapolis is the state capital of Indiana, with a population of around 875,000. Indiana became a state in 1816, but the town of Indianapolis wasn't incorporated until 1832, and city incorporation didn't happen until 1847. There were people living in the area long before Europeans moved in, members of the Miami Nation of Indiana, but they were systematically moved by the US government in order to take over the land. (Just one example of the US government taking land that rightfully belonged to others.) The name of the city means Indian City,

I grew up a little over an hour from the city, but spent almost no time there. Last summer Mom and I went to Indianapolis to see the state fair, but didn't otherwise see the city.

This year I wanted to see more of Indianapolis. I wanted to see some of the places that are in social media photos, some of the government buildings, and some of the main streets. The hardest part of the day ended up being the challenge to find parking. There is little to no street parking, and the parking garages and street level lots are either expensive or reserved.

Argh. Eventually I pulled into a random parking garage. Next time I'll do a lot more research abou that ahead of time.

My first sight was the state capitol building. I'm a sucker for a good rotunda, which is what first caught my attention when I saw photos of this place. Anyone can walk in this building, which is one thing I like about it.

The rotunda is in the middle of the building, on top of an atrium going 'through' all the floors of the building. Basically, I walked inside, took about 20 steps, and looked up. Awesome.

After that I walked up the grand staircases on both sides, it's a gorgeous building. I assume if you get in touch with a specific representative you can get a personal tour, but I hadn't taken the time to do that.

I walked back out the same doors through which I'd entered, and walked straight to Monument Circle, which is also often featured on social media. There is a giant traffic circle, with a war memorial in the middle.

The monument is a little over 85 meters high, and was dedicated in 1902. Wikipedia tells me a few fun facts about the memorial. 

One, it was originally dedicated to Hoosiers who had lost their lives during the American Civil War, but also honoured soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and a few other wars in the 19^th century. Two, the monument is the first in the country dedicated to the common soldier.

This monument and the entire circle are often specially decorated for holidays and celebrations, the photos are pretty cool. I just walked around the circle and the memorial, as it looks slightly different from each side.

On one side of the traffic circle was a small church, which caught my eye. It wasn't particularly fancy, or unique, but churches almost always catch my eye. The inside wasn't any more spectacular than the outside, except for one thing: the organist was practicing, so I got to enjoy that for a few minutes.

I headed straight north, it didn't take me long to get to the Indiana War Memorial. The outside was completely covered in scaffolding, darnit. Who knows how long that will last. The inside is amazing. There is no entry fee, which is nice, of course.

The memorial building covers every war in which Hoosier soldiers have ever fought. Each room/section is dedicated to a different war, and there is plenty of information along with all the items being exhibit. There is a theatre in the middle, complete with a beautiful ceiling.

The room on the top of the building is simple, and stunning. The Shrine Room is simple, quiet, and has all the feels. 

There is an altar in the middle, it sits just under a giant flag hanging from the ceiling. Just. Wow.

I kept heading north, coming almost immediately to another memorial, an obelisk. This was on one side of the American Legion Mall, basically a giant park. Since it was late afternoon in August, there were very few people outside, as the heat and humidity weren't fun.

At the other end of the Mall was the Indianapolis Public Library, but I got there just a few minutes after it closed, argh. 

Instead I headed west, getting to the canal that goes through a lot of the city. The canal area has been developed quite nicely, and there are pavements on both sides. There weren't many people outside while I was there, but in cooler hours I'm pretty sure lots of people go running or walking or biking.

I walked south along the canal until I got back to the cross street that would lead me to 'my' parking garage. From there it was easy enough to drive to one of the suburbs to meet my flattie from uni for dinner. It had been waaaaay too long since we'd seen each other. I hope it isn't that long before we see each other again.

The next day I ended up coming back to Indy in the late afternoon and evening. It wasn't a planned trip, but I got a message from a friend saying she had free tickets to a Straight No Chaser concert. This is an acappella group I first heard when they were 'just' a student group at my uni. I love them, and one of the basses graduated from my high school, which makes me a bigger fan.

Nancye picked me up, then we picked up another friend of hers from Bloomington, and drove back to Indy. 

There we met another friend for dinner, which was at a place called Fat Dan's. So good. The concert was in a theatre just down the block, so life was good.

The concert itself was taped as a Christmas show, so there were a couple times when songs were sung again, and it was weird to hear holiday songs in August. But overall, it was awesome, as expected.

I've since looked at the map quite a bit more, and found plenty more to see when I come back to Indianapolis.