Learning about the Taoiseach

Interesting notes from the trip so far:

*The Irish prime minister is also known as the Taoiseach. It's pronounced "tee-shuk" and we discovered this odd, interesting moniker at the European Union this past week. The Taoiseach was at a press conference that we got to attend and the EU prez kept saying this word that none of us knew...it sounded like "t-shirt" or "teacher" and so I googed it. Sho' nuff, the Irish PM is also called the Taoiseach. Who knew?

*My ears get seriously stopped up when riding on a train and passing through tunnels. Yuck! I discovered this last summer but forgot about it until we were on the train today.

*Italian food is good, no matter where you are in the world. Brussels, Belgium has excellent Italian food.

*Germans call dog doo on the sidewalk "land mines." I find this quite funny.

*Germans have what I call sausage balls but they call them something else that roughly translates to "sausage in a bathrobe." So, when I get back, I'll be making "sausage in a bathrobe"...yeah, somehow that doesn't sound too appetizing!

*You don't know how much you love plentiful tap water and ice in restaurants until you're in Europe.

*Soccer (or "football") is a big deal here. I just can't get excited about it.

I'm having a wonderful, fantastic time. We're in Frankfurt for only tonight and then it's off to Leipzig. I hear this city is quite nice. It will be my first time there. I'm enjoying being back in Frankfurt, even if it's just briefly. It's a nice city with lots of international influence. The trip isn't even halfway over. WOW!