tomorrow is the big KEC 1st annual GLBT summit. finally. it seems like the planning has been going on forever. (and the planning for the next one will start wednesday, i'm sure) anyhow, it ought to be interesting!
ok, irritating factoid of the day; it has snowed several times this weekend. it is 28 march, and it has snow! absolute ridiculousness! i've certainly had my fill of the vile white precipitation.
saturday, i had lunch with sara o'keeffe and laura engelhardt, which was incredibly fantastic. i ended up blabbing the entire time about deutschland, i know, but it was wonderful just being in their presence. (does that sound creepy?) later that evening, i made my american family Spätzel with german käse, and braised red cabbage with currants (rotkhol mit korinthen), and a nice salad. it all turned out really well! also got to catch up with marianne and cinnie, which was awfully nice as well.
sunday, was spent mostly lazing about, but also heaps of laundry. we also spent the evening catching up with tom and B. (it was indeed a weekend of catching up with folks!)
after work, i decided to make my soup for tomorrow's dinner, because i won't have time to make anything then. it's an algerian fish soup, made with onion, garlic, tomato, potato, and fish. i also put mustard seed, cumin seed, turmeric, saffron, indian chili powder, and paprika in it. tomorrow, i'll heat it up with a bit of lemon juice. hopefully it tastes ok! i'll let you know.
ok, enough random jib-jab, i'm a tired puppy. gute n8!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
absent. sorry!
i've been absent for the past few days, sorry!
i went to the doctor's office on tuesday, and it turns out that it was as i suspected. I have strep throat. i was put on a really high dose of amoxicllin (875mg 2x a day) and i am now finally having a normal sized tonsil, and the pain has almost left my ear/neck! hurrah!
i have, this week, walked to work three times, too! it's nice, and i'm excited to be sneaking in the miles. yay for that!
finally, i ordered a coffee maker on tuesday, and it arrived today. nothing as exciting as the fantastic jura we got to use in DE. but, it's not a bad little machine (a senseo) and as i ordered a few eco-pods, i can put my own favorite coffee flavors into it. par example, i can get some from Z's (my favorite shop) and then keep reusing the pods, so that i don't have to use so much waste!
ok, i'm going to go read, and drink some chocolate milk. gute N8!
i went to the doctor's office on tuesday, and it turns out that it was as i suspected. I have strep throat. i was put on a really high dose of amoxicllin (875mg 2x a day) and i am now finally having a normal sized tonsil, and the pain has almost left my ear/neck! hurrah!
i have, this week, walked to work three times, too! it's nice, and i'm excited to be sneaking in the miles. yay for that!
finally, i ordered a coffee maker on tuesday, and it arrived today. nothing as exciting as the fantastic jura we got to use in DE. but, it's not a bad little machine (a senseo) and as i ordered a few eco-pods, i can put my own favorite coffee flavors into it. par example, i can get some from Z's (my favorite shop) and then keep reusing the pods, so that i don't have to use so much waste!
ok, i'm going to go read, and drink some chocolate milk. gute N8!
Monday, March 21, 2011
early morning musings
i figured since i'm up, i may as well do something productive.
since coming back from germany, i have not been able to slip back into the regularly scheduled programming, that is the KS time zone. the first night, i was in an airport, so it's understandable i was unable to sleep. the second night, i woke up at 03.00, and then today, i managed to make it until 03.45
meh.
anyhow, while in the great land of DE, i decided to make some adjustments to my own life when i got back to the states. mainly, that i am going to start walking to and from work. it's really not far at all. 1.7 miles (2.74km) each way. so, i'll be able to sneak in 3.7 miles (5.48km) per day! at least, on the days that i walk to work. i'm sure there will be plenty of rainy days that i won't feel up to treking around in the water.
i'm also going to start altering my diet, so that i eat less processed food. and, so that i stop eating randomly, just because i'm bored, or because "well, obviously, at noon, we eat" - so much of the time, i will eat, just because i am "supposed to" and not because i'm actually hungry.
i ended up losing around 11lbs (5kg) while i was over in germany, and i'd REALLY like to keep it off! my pants (the ones that i bought because i couldn't fit into my OTHER pants) were getting tight, and now, they fit me quite well!
finally, soda. as i said several times, while i was there, i consumed about 0,5litre of pepsi light. that's ~16oz in over two weeks. here in the states, i was drinking 20oz (~0,6l) EVERY day! and that's on a light day! @ $1,70 per soda, that was costing me $11,90 per week! BEFORE taxes. (w/ tax, $12,93!) and that's if i only had one 20oz soda a day. frequently, on weekdays i had two. so, a whopping $20,40 per week before tax! ($22,14 after tax) hopefully, i can keep this up, put that $1,7 into a jar, and every month put that into my savings account for my next trek to detushland!
ok, sorry if you read this, it was kind of my own manifesto to keep myself motivated.
it's about 05.45 now, time to get ready for work.
since coming back from germany, i have not been able to slip back into the regularly scheduled programming, that is the KS time zone. the first night, i was in an airport, so it's understandable i was unable to sleep. the second night, i woke up at 03.00, and then today, i managed to make it until 03.45
meh.
anyhow, while in the great land of DE, i decided to make some adjustments to my own life when i got back to the states. mainly, that i am going to start walking to and from work. it's really not far at all. 1.7 miles (2.74km) each way. so, i'll be able to sneak in 3.7 miles (5.48km) per day! at least, on the days that i walk to work. i'm sure there will be plenty of rainy days that i won't feel up to treking around in the water.
i'm also going to start altering my diet, so that i eat less processed food. and, so that i stop eating randomly, just because i'm bored, or because "well, obviously, at noon, we eat" - so much of the time, i will eat, just because i am "supposed to" and not because i'm actually hungry.
i ended up losing around 11lbs (5kg) while i was over in germany, and i'd REALLY like to keep it off! my pants (the ones that i bought because i couldn't fit into my OTHER pants) were getting tight, and now, they fit me quite well!
finally, soda. as i said several times, while i was there, i consumed about 0,5litre of pepsi light. that's ~16oz in over two weeks. here in the states, i was drinking 20oz (~0,6l) EVERY day! and that's on a light day! @ $1,70 per soda, that was costing me $11,90 per week! BEFORE taxes. (w/ tax, $12,93!) and that's if i only had one 20oz soda a day. frequently, on weekdays i had two. so, a whopping $20,40 per week before tax! ($22,14 after tax) hopefully, i can keep this up, put that $1,7 into a jar, and every month put that into my savings account for my next trek to detushland!
ok, sorry if you read this, it was kind of my own manifesto to keep myself motivated.
it's about 05.45 now, time to get ready for work.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
the long road home.
So! our flight.
Well, we got through everything ok, got our bags checked in, went through security, and passport control just fine.
we got to the gate over 1h20min early, too! so, we waited to be called, and eventually got onto the airplane and found our seats. then the plane started moving, and this weird smell started coming into the cabin. pilot said we'd wait it out a little, and then said we were first in line to take off. yay!
then, as we were getting ready to take off, he announced that since the smell was getting worse, we were going to pull aside, and have mechanics look at the engine. 15min later, made announcement- no new info. 30min later, he had us get off the plane, and a bus took us to a ground level terminal.
in this terminal we waited for several hours. got vouchers to have lunch, and i panicked because i had no way to get a hold of anyone to let them know we were going to miss our connecting flight in ATL. i kept trying to log on to the internet, and was willing to pay the 4€ to get online, but the instructions were completely in german, and that high level german was too hrd for me to figure out.
so, i wandered around, and found someone to ask where i could find phone cards. she directed me to a bank, so i paid 5€ for a 20min phone card LOL. found a pay phone, called Dad, Mom, Jennifer (left messages with all). then later called Julie and Pat, tried dad again. then about an hour later, finally got a hold of my dad.
by now, it was like 15.00, and still no new info on the plane. then, around 16.00 they said we could finally fly, and would board in ~40mins. then, 17:15 rolled arund, and nothing. this german lady asked what was going on, and we had to wait 'cos some jackass decided to rebook for another day, and they had to go in and get his luggage. (they weren't letting people rebook yet, but this guy was screaming and cussing and making a HUGE stink)
finally, at 18.00 we were on the plane, and taking off! flight was long (10h) and i felt REALLY sick 'cos my throat hurt so much! flight attendants were awesome, though, and brought us a lot of food LOL.
finally landed in ATL at around 23.15 (04.15 in DE)! and the customs people/passport control people stayed late, which was awesome of them. so, that took a lot of time, we were finally through it all around 00.15, and went to the delta counter to rebook for KC. they offered to let us stay in a htel, but our flight was at 07.25 ATL time, and we'd ave to be there at 05.25 to get rescreened for the flight. at that point, with the shuttle to the hotel, we'd get maybe 3 hours at the hotel. so, we decided to stay the night in the airport. had to go back through security, but since it was in the middle of the night, we didn't have to wait too long.
went to find out our gate for the next morning, B-24. took the little subway thing from international concourse (T) 5o concourse B 'cos i was sick of walking with all that luggage LOL. got to concourse B, and found out all the bathrooms were being worked on/cleaned all night. (except for one little family bathroom). THEN, it was COLD in concourse B, too. so, we maybe got 30m-45m of sleep all night. then, around 03.15, i decided to walk around a bit to warm up. i noticed the gate number had changed for our flight! (i'm so glad i walked around) 'cos we needed to be in A-30!
got our stuff, and made it over to concourse A. here, it was warm and toasty! and, all the bathroom were nice and warm! used our food vouchers for breakfast ~05.00, and then noticed the woman sitting in front of us from DUS -> ATL was going to be on our flight from ATL -> MCI! we figured we'd be the only ones! so, we bonded, and talked for a few hours until it came time to board for the flight home!
flight took two hours, and was blissfully uneventful! landed in MCI ~08.30 KS time (09.30 ATL time, 14.30 DE time) and got off the plane. then we waited and waited for my luggage. Scott's came up right away, and mine never came. then, i went to ask the Delta lady, and as soon as we walked over there, whoops, there it was!
my dad picked us up, and we got home around 10.00! took a shower, and then a 45min nap. never went to bed until ~22.45 KS time (04.45 DE time) so, we were up for nearly 48 hours straight. (minus the few naps we had here and there)
i'm finally starting to feel a little bit better, but my right tonsil is still really swollen. i'll have to go have the doctor look at it. *sigh* but, at least i'm not in the airport anymore LOL
Well, we got through everything ok, got our bags checked in, went through security, and passport control just fine.
we got to the gate over 1h20min early, too! so, we waited to be called, and eventually got onto the airplane and found our seats. then the plane started moving, and this weird smell started coming into the cabin. pilot said we'd wait it out a little, and then said we were first in line to take off. yay!
then, as we were getting ready to take off, he announced that since the smell was getting worse, we were going to pull aside, and have mechanics look at the engine. 15min later, made announcement- no new info. 30min later, he had us get off the plane, and a bus took us to a ground level terminal.
in this terminal we waited for several hours. got vouchers to have lunch, and i panicked because i had no way to get a hold of anyone to let them know we were going to miss our connecting flight in ATL. i kept trying to log on to the internet, and was willing to pay the 4€ to get online, but the instructions were completely in german, and that high level german was too hrd for me to figure out.
so, i wandered around, and found someone to ask where i could find phone cards. she directed me to a bank, so i paid 5€ for a 20min phone card LOL. found a pay phone, called Dad, Mom, Jennifer (left messages with all). then later called Julie and Pat, tried dad again. then about an hour later, finally got a hold of my dad.
by now, it was like 15.00, and still no new info on the plane. then, around 16.00 they said we could finally fly, and would board in ~40mins. then, 17:15 rolled arund, and nothing. this german lady asked what was going on, and we had to wait 'cos some jackass decided to rebook for another day, and they had to go in and get his luggage. (they weren't letting people rebook yet, but this guy was screaming and cussing and making a HUGE stink)
finally, at 18.00 we were on the plane, and taking off! flight was long (10h) and i felt REALLY sick 'cos my throat hurt so much! flight attendants were awesome, though, and brought us a lot of food LOL.
finally landed in ATL at around 23.15 (04.15 in DE)! and the customs people/passport control people stayed late, which was awesome of them. so, that took a lot of time, we were finally through it all around 00.15, and went to the delta counter to rebook for KC. they offered to let us stay in a htel, but our flight was at 07.25 ATL time, and we'd ave to be there at 05.25 to get rescreened for the flight. at that point, with the shuttle to the hotel, we'd get maybe 3 hours at the hotel. so, we decided to stay the night in the airport. had to go back through security, but since it was in the middle of the night, we didn't have to wait too long.
went to find out our gate for the next morning, B-24. took the little subway thing from international concourse (T) 5o concourse B 'cos i was sick of walking with all that luggage LOL. got to concourse B, and found out all the bathrooms were being worked on/cleaned all night. (except for one little family bathroom). THEN, it was COLD in concourse B, too. so, we maybe got 30m-45m of sleep all night. then, around 03.15, i decided to walk around a bit to warm up. i noticed the gate number had changed for our flight! (i'm so glad i walked around) 'cos we needed to be in A-30!
got our stuff, and made it over to concourse A. here, it was warm and toasty! and, all the bathroom were nice and warm! used our food vouchers for breakfast ~05.00, and then noticed the woman sitting in front of us from DUS -> ATL was going to be on our flight from ATL -> MCI! we figured we'd be the only ones! so, we bonded, and talked for a few hours until it came time to board for the flight home!
flight took two hours, and was blissfully uneventful! landed in MCI ~08.30 KS time (09.30 ATL time, 14.30 DE time) and got off the plane. then we waited and waited for my luggage. Scott's came up right away, and mine never came. then, i went to ask the Delta lady, and as soon as we walked over there, whoops, there it was!
my dad picked us up, and we got home around 10.00! took a shower, and then a 45min nap. never went to bed until ~22.45 KS time (04.45 DE time) so, we were up for nearly 48 hours straight. (minus the few naps we had here and there)
i'm finally starting to feel a little bit better, but my right tonsil is still really swollen. i'll have to go have the doctor look at it. *sigh* but, at least i'm not in the airport anymore LOL
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
schloss burg. ikea. last days.
yesterday, we went to Schloss burg - a castle, fairly close to the city in which we stay. it was up in a mountainous area (Miriam and Elisabeth say it is NOT a mountain, but WE say it is) and it was oh so beautiful. it also helped that the weather was gorgeous, i'm sure. as i am an american, i had never seen a castle before. so this was quite an experience!
this one has been convered into a museum, and in parts, it showed how daily life was lived while the castle was actually housing the emporer/king/whomever was running the region at the time.
one of my favorite parts of the castle, was this painting that showed the family tree. very cool.
we also went up into the guard tower, and the view was spectacular. you could see for so far, and there was a light fog setting over the area. just magnificent!
after the castle, we went to see the tallest train bridge in all of Deutschland. the time of day that we went, had the sun aligned just perfectly, so it was again, quite spectacular. (fun fact, this bridge goes over the river Wupper, there is a city that sits on the Wupper called Wuppertal, and Wuppertal has an elevated train system called the Schwebebahn.)
we took a quick stop at IKEA Düsseldorf so Elisabeth could pick up a few storage boxes.
if you know me, at all, you know that IKEA = toy store for james.
the fact that a) we were able to "drop by" for a few minutes and
b) be in a place with so many IKEA in such close proximity
makes me jealous. LOL
we had a dinner of reibekuchen, which are very much like latkhe (except they're slightly more like a pancake, then the latkhe) eaten with marmalades, quark (which i have fallen in love with), and cream cheese. very good!
after dinner, we talked, and had some of the homemade chocolate liquor. and kinda just relaxed.
since Elisabeth had to leave early this morning for a conference, this was our last evening with her, so we toasted our liquor, and thanked her profusely for her warm and wonderful hospitality. (seriously, this has been the best vacation of my life. and now i want SO badly to keep coming back!)
happily, it turned out that it didn't take as long to get to her destination as thought, so we were able to all have a nice breakfast together today, as well! hooray!
now, today, our last day, we spend packing. i'm really bummed, but also happy, because it has been such a fantastic time here! it's hard to believe that we've been here so long, it feels like just yesterday we landed in Düsseldorf, and now we're getting ready to head back to kansas. so, as tomorrow is spent 15 hours of travel (not including the time TO the airport or home) this will be my last blog for a few days, and more sadly, my last blog from Deutschland (for now!)
I finish by saying, thank you, to everyone here who made it such a fantastic, and welcoming stay! i WILL be back, and i cannot wait to see you all again!
this one has been convered into a museum, and in parts, it showed how daily life was lived while the castle was actually housing the emporer/king/whomever was running the region at the time.
one of my favorite parts of the castle, was this painting that showed the family tree. very cool.
we also went up into the guard tower, and the view was spectacular. you could see for so far, and there was a light fog setting over the area. just magnificent!
after the castle, we went to see the tallest train bridge in all of Deutschland. the time of day that we went, had the sun aligned just perfectly, so it was again, quite spectacular. (fun fact, this bridge goes over the river Wupper, there is a city that sits on the Wupper called Wuppertal, and Wuppertal has an elevated train system called the Schwebebahn.)
we took a quick stop at IKEA Düsseldorf so Elisabeth could pick up a few storage boxes.
if you know me, at all, you know that IKEA = toy store for james.
the fact that a) we were able to "drop by" for a few minutes and
b) be in a place with so many IKEA in such close proximity
makes me jealous. LOL
we had a dinner of reibekuchen, which are very much like latkhe (except they're slightly more like a pancake, then the latkhe) eaten with marmalades, quark (which i have fallen in love with), and cream cheese. very good!
after dinner, we talked, and had some of the homemade chocolate liquor. and kinda just relaxed.
since Elisabeth had to leave early this morning for a conference, this was our last evening with her, so we toasted our liquor, and thanked her profusely for her warm and wonderful hospitality. (seriously, this has been the best vacation of my life. and now i want SO badly to keep coming back!)
happily, it turned out that it didn't take as long to get to her destination as thought, so we were able to all have a nice breakfast together today, as well! hooray!
now, today, our last day, we spend packing. i'm really bummed, but also happy, because it has been such a fantastic time here! it's hard to believe that we've been here so long, it feels like just yesterday we landed in Düsseldorf, and now we're getting ready to head back to kansas. so, as tomorrow is spent 15 hours of travel (not including the time TO the airport or home) this will be my last blog for a few days, and more sadly, my last blog from Deutschland (for now!)
I finish by saying, thank you, to everyone here who made it such a fantastic, and welcoming stay! i WILL be back, and i cannot wait to see you all again!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
more köln
yesterday, we went to köln once more, this time to "take in" the city. see, we've been there several times, but once was just to see the dom, once was for the carnival parade, and once was on our train station before amsterdam. SO, we finally got to explore the city!
for part of the day, we went to the dom-treasure exhibit. quite magnificent! so much gold! we saw relicarys containing bones, busts of cardinals, chalices, rings, and vestments made of gold. one weighing 60kg! it was so impressive.
OH, and on the way TO to the treasury, we got to experience part of a mass (one being done specifically for japan) and i FINALLY got to hear the organ played! in one of the most famous cathedrals in the world! this, for me, would be like someone hearing their favorite musician play in the coolest arenas possible. (so, a pretty big deal) Dear Xian, if you still read my blog, i'll have to send you the photos of all the organs in so many cathedrals. you'd have enjoyed it, so much!
then we went to a part of town that had walls from over 2000 years ago. can you possibly imagine?! (ok, i'm sure some of you can, but let indulge me in my childlike wonder)
shortly after that, we met up with miriam at elisabeth's office, and went to the bridge over the Rhine. there is a tradition, in which two people lock a, well, lock, on the fence of this bridge, sealing their love. then, the key is tossed into the rhine, and it's fun times. (i'm sure to some, this is cheesy, but, it was also pretty nifty seeing all of these locks. thousands and thousands of them.)
we made our way through part of the inner circle of the city, and saw where when a few years ago they tried to build a judaica museum, they unearthed centuries old houses. some of which where from prominent jewish leaders, themselves! so, we got to see an excavation of sorts. hard to believe all of these houses were under the street we were walking upon!
after that, a bit more walking through the inner city, stopped in a department store, then again in an apotheke for scott, and took the train back to leverkusen. it was a bit sad on the train, though, when i realized this would be the last time on the DE-Bahn, aside from our train ride to DUS on thursday when we leave. i've grown very fond of having such easy access to public transit, in particular, public transit that makes sense.
i also got bummed out when i realized i had only a short time left here in deutschland, itself! it took SO long for this trip to get here. months and months of waiting.. and then, it just FLEW by! while i am happy to go home and see my friends/family, dogs, and bike... i really love this country. i can't really find the correct words to explain how it feels, but it feels right. unlike anywhere else i've ever visited. which, of course you realize, means that i must eventually make DE my home, right? ^_^ it just must be! (even if it's only for a year or ten.)
for part of the day, we went to the dom-treasure exhibit. quite magnificent! so much gold! we saw relicarys containing bones, busts of cardinals, chalices, rings, and vestments made of gold. one weighing 60kg! it was so impressive.
OH, and on the way TO to the treasury, we got to experience part of a mass (one being done specifically for japan) and i FINALLY got to hear the organ played! in one of the most famous cathedrals in the world! this, for me, would be like someone hearing their favorite musician play in the coolest arenas possible. (so, a pretty big deal) Dear Xian, if you still read my blog, i'll have to send you the photos of all the organs in so many cathedrals. you'd have enjoyed it, so much!
then we went to a part of town that had walls from over 2000 years ago. can you possibly imagine?! (ok, i'm sure some of you can, but let indulge me in my childlike wonder)
shortly after that, we met up with miriam at elisabeth's office, and went to the bridge over the Rhine. there is a tradition, in which two people lock a, well, lock, on the fence of this bridge, sealing their love. then, the key is tossed into the rhine, and it's fun times. (i'm sure to some, this is cheesy, but, it was also pretty nifty seeing all of these locks. thousands and thousands of them.)
we made our way through part of the inner circle of the city, and saw where when a few years ago they tried to build a judaica museum, they unearthed centuries old houses. some of which where from prominent jewish leaders, themselves! so, we got to see an excavation of sorts. hard to believe all of these houses were under the street we were walking upon!
after that, a bit more walking through the inner city, stopped in a department store, then again in an apotheke for scott, and took the train back to leverkusen. it was a bit sad on the train, though, when i realized this would be the last time on the DE-Bahn, aside from our train ride to DUS on thursday when we leave. i've grown very fond of having such easy access to public transit, in particular, public transit that makes sense.
i also got bummed out when i realized i had only a short time left here in deutschland, itself! it took SO long for this trip to get here. months and months of waiting.. and then, it just FLEW by! while i am happy to go home and see my friends/family, dogs, and bike... i really love this country. i can't really find the correct words to explain how it feels, but it feels right. unlike anywhere else i've ever visited. which, of course you realize, means that i must eventually make DE my home, right? ^_^ it just must be! (even if it's only for a year or ten.)
Monday, March 14, 2011
nederland, a few days late.
oy, what an exhausting trip it was to amsterdam! **warning, super long post ahead. enter at your own risk**
for starters, i was sick the entire weekend (and still have a bit of a sore throat) which made it much less exciting.
the trip on the ICE train from Köln to Amsterdam Centraal was nice. though, surprise! i was "randomly" chosen to have my passport screened. nobody else in the entire wagon, but me. i'm starting to see a pattern here.
got to Centraal (which i will here on forth refer to as AC) and had to figure out their train system in about five minutes. (this didn't pose too much of a problem, because it was very clearly marked, unlike the DE-Bahn...) so I figure out which platform i need, and go to the ticket kiosk. it differs a bit from the debahn, in that you choose your destination, and, well.. it's rather hard to explain. it felt more user friendly. SO, i go to make a payment, and wouldn't you know it, but the paying with notes (bills) section is X'd out. they only took EC cards, Visa/MC, and coin. as i only had about 4€ in coin, and the trip for both of us from AC to Zaandam was 9,2€ i had to pay with my visa. which they then proceeded to charge a 1€ transaction fee. whatever, i was tired and my throat hurt, i wasn't going to try to find another kiosk, wait, and then risk missing my train which was to arrive in 4minutes.
we rush to our platform, and the train was already there. so, two stops, about twelve minutes, and we're in Zaandam. hooray! even better, we could see the hotel from the train station! big hooray! however, they are completely redesinging the area, so we had to figure out how to get INTO our hotel. LOL it took going in and out and up and down, and we finally found it. checked in, the receptionist's english was impeccable, which always makes me feel very guilty, and i took a nice warm shower to shake off some of the "sore throat funk."
that evening we spent slumming around Zaandam, which is a pretty cool little town. the thing that surprised me, though, was how early everything closed. generally, if it was past 20.00, things were closed. which is fine, because i was exhausted, and feel asleep shortly after 21.00 anyhow. (i know, i'm ridiculous) plus, i wanted to feel better for my trek around amsterdam the next day.
so, saturday, we wake up early so we can take Amsterdam head on! we head to the station, find our train we need, and go with excitement in our eyes!
we had intentions of seeing four museums. 1) the torture museum 2) the sex museum 3) the erotica museum 4) the tea and coffee museum
museum 1 was *fairly* far south on the list, so we decided to hit that one first. plus, it was the one that sounded the most fascinating to me. and it definitely was. seeing the devices used in the middle ages to torture, and humiliate people, was awful. however, it made me start thinking about some of the things we do to people now. (Elisabeth and i had a conversation about this last night, too) we really aren't *that* much better than back when they made people sit on spikes to rid the devil. i think the only change is that we don't do it for witchcraft or heresy now. and now we have electricity.
after museum 1, we were getting kind of worn out. and the city was CRAMMED with people. it was almost impossible to walk anywhere without molesting some perfect stranger. so, we spent a few more hours taking in the sights, stopping in an awesome Nepalese market, conversing with the very nice nepalese owner of the market, and decided to make our way back to Zaandam w/o seeing 2, 3, or 4.
when we got back to Zaandam, i was a bit disheartened. i had all of these very romantic ideas of Amsterdam (rather, of the Nord-Holland area) and they had very much faded. but, i remembered seeing something about an open air museum north of the city, so i did a bit o' research and found the name of the place. found a train that would take us there, and we headed off!
HERE was where i fell in love. i am, sometimes, SUCH a midwesterner. i got to see all sorts of brightly coloured houses, bridges, and then, the windmills. oh, the windmills of fairy tales. the windmills one pictures, when one pictures the netherlands. it was, obviously, much less crowded here, so i could act as much like a tourist as i felt. and i did. i very nearly skipped along the pathway while taking in the sights. okay, it wasn't that bad...
anyhow. after i nerded out for several hours in Zaanstadt, we headed back to Zaandam, and wandered around the town some more.
sunday (yesterday) we gave Amsterdam another shot before our train left. it was much less crowded because it was colder than saturday. so, we wandered around, and made our way to museum 2, the Sex museum. very cool. a little cheesy at times, but totally worth 4€ if ever your in the city. there were some very very old sexually related artworks, and some more modern as well.
last thing for today- we were on the ICE back from AC->Köln, and guess who was "randomly" chosen to present his passport this time? Yours truly. LOL. the ride back was much nicer, though, we were in a separate car with a chatty woman from Moscow, and a sleeping dutch woman. (oh, aside- every time i've traveled so far, i have been asked to help someone with his or her luggage. it appeased the inner boyscout. LOL)
kudos, if you read this in its entirety. especially if you made it without falling asleep. LOL
for starters, i was sick the entire weekend (and still have a bit of a sore throat) which made it much less exciting.
the trip on the ICE train from Köln to Amsterdam Centraal was nice. though, surprise! i was "randomly" chosen to have my passport screened. nobody else in the entire wagon, but me. i'm starting to see a pattern here.
got to Centraal (which i will here on forth refer to as AC) and had to figure out their train system in about five minutes. (this didn't pose too much of a problem, because it was very clearly marked, unlike the DE-Bahn...) so I figure out which platform i need, and go to the ticket kiosk. it differs a bit from the debahn, in that you choose your destination, and, well.. it's rather hard to explain. it felt more user friendly. SO, i go to make a payment, and wouldn't you know it, but the paying with notes (bills) section is X'd out. they only took EC cards, Visa/MC, and coin. as i only had about 4€ in coin, and the trip for both of us from AC to Zaandam was 9,2€ i had to pay with my visa. which they then proceeded to charge a 1€ transaction fee. whatever, i was tired and my throat hurt, i wasn't going to try to find another kiosk, wait, and then risk missing my train which was to arrive in 4minutes.
we rush to our platform, and the train was already there. so, two stops, about twelve minutes, and we're in Zaandam. hooray! even better, we could see the hotel from the train station! big hooray! however, they are completely redesinging the area, so we had to figure out how to get INTO our hotel. LOL it took going in and out and up and down, and we finally found it. checked in, the receptionist's english was impeccable, which always makes me feel very guilty, and i took a nice warm shower to shake off some of the "sore throat funk."
that evening we spent slumming around Zaandam, which is a pretty cool little town. the thing that surprised me, though, was how early everything closed. generally, if it was past 20.00, things were closed. which is fine, because i was exhausted, and feel asleep shortly after 21.00 anyhow. (i know, i'm ridiculous) plus, i wanted to feel better for my trek around amsterdam the next day.
so, saturday, we wake up early so we can take Amsterdam head on! we head to the station, find our train we need, and go with excitement in our eyes!
we had intentions of seeing four museums. 1) the torture museum 2) the sex museum 3) the erotica museum 4) the tea and coffee museum
museum 1 was *fairly* far south on the list, so we decided to hit that one first. plus, it was the one that sounded the most fascinating to me. and it definitely was. seeing the devices used in the middle ages to torture, and humiliate people, was awful. however, it made me start thinking about some of the things we do to people now. (Elisabeth and i had a conversation about this last night, too) we really aren't *that* much better than back when they made people sit on spikes to rid the devil. i think the only change is that we don't do it for witchcraft or heresy now. and now we have electricity.
after museum 1, we were getting kind of worn out. and the city was CRAMMED with people. it was almost impossible to walk anywhere without molesting some perfect stranger. so, we spent a few more hours taking in the sights, stopping in an awesome Nepalese market, conversing with the very nice nepalese owner of the market, and decided to make our way back to Zaandam w/o seeing 2, 3, or 4.
when we got back to Zaandam, i was a bit disheartened. i had all of these very romantic ideas of Amsterdam (rather, of the Nord-Holland area) and they had very much faded. but, i remembered seeing something about an open air museum north of the city, so i did a bit o' research and found the name of the place. found a train that would take us there, and we headed off!
HERE was where i fell in love. i am, sometimes, SUCH a midwesterner. i got to see all sorts of brightly coloured houses, bridges, and then, the windmills. oh, the windmills of fairy tales. the windmills one pictures, when one pictures the netherlands. it was, obviously, much less crowded here, so i could act as much like a tourist as i felt. and i did. i very nearly skipped along the pathway while taking in the sights. okay, it wasn't that bad...
anyhow. after i nerded out for several hours in Zaanstadt, we headed back to Zaandam, and wandered around the town some more.
sunday (yesterday) we gave Amsterdam another shot before our train left. it was much less crowded because it was colder than saturday. so, we wandered around, and made our way to museum 2, the Sex museum. very cool. a little cheesy at times, but totally worth 4€ if ever your in the city. there were some very very old sexually related artworks, and some more modern as well.
last thing for today- we were on the ICE back from AC->Köln, and guess who was "randomly" chosen to present his passport this time? Yours truly. LOL. the ride back was much nicer, though, we were in a separate car with a chatty woman from Moscow, and a sleeping dutch woman. (oh, aside- every time i've traveled so far, i have been asked to help someone with his or her luggage. it appeased the inner boyscout. LOL)
kudos, if you read this in its entirety. especially if you made it without falling asleep. LOL
Friday, March 11, 2011
Sorry folks
No blog for last night, and not much today. Have a very sore throat, am tired, and sore.
Yesterday we went to Aachen to visit a cathedral from 813. Very impressive! Gorgeous, and so many stories associated with it. It is unlike most of the cathedrals in that it is octagonal, and not in the form of a cross. Beautiful.
I saw the throne of Charlemagne, which is a pretty big deal. It's interesting hearing about the history in school, and now finally seeing some of it for myself.
We also walked around the city, which was, not surprisingly, beautiful as well. It is a very old city, with lots of roman influence. The Rathaus (town hall) was fascinating. It also happens to be a very big, and important, university town. Very young population
Got to meet Miriam's eldest sibling, Jeremiahs. Like the rest of the family, very genial guy, and like the rest, very smart indeed. He showed us a lot of the university buildings, and the hospital, looks like a space ship. Amazing!
This morning, woke up super early to catch the train to köln, and then the train to amsterdam. Will update more on the Amsterdam trip Sunday, most likely. I dont have the keyboard for the iPad, and ive gotten too used to typing with it.
For now, hot tea, and maybe read a little before falling asleep. And maybe I'll feel better for my tour of Amsterdam tomorrow!
Yesterday we went to Aachen to visit a cathedral from 813. Very impressive! Gorgeous, and so many stories associated with it. It is unlike most of the cathedrals in that it is octagonal, and not in the form of a cross. Beautiful.
I saw the throne of Charlemagne, which is a pretty big deal. It's interesting hearing about the history in school, and now finally seeing some of it for myself.
We also walked around the city, which was, not surprisingly, beautiful as well. It is a very old city, with lots of roman influence. The Rathaus (town hall) was fascinating. It also happens to be a very big, and important, university town. Very young population
Got to meet Miriam's eldest sibling, Jeremiahs. Like the rest of the family, very genial guy, and like the rest, very smart indeed. He showed us a lot of the university buildings, and the hospital, looks like a space ship. Amazing!
This morning, woke up super early to catch the train to köln, and then the train to amsterdam. Will update more on the Amsterdam trip Sunday, most likely. I dont have the keyboard for the iPad, and ive gotten too used to typing with it.
For now, hot tea, and maybe read a little before falling asleep. And maybe I'll feel better for my tour of Amsterdam tomorrow!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
düsseldorf!
i apologize for the lack of post yesterday. we didn't get back from düsseldorf until a bit late in the evening.
onto the post!
as i mentioned, we went to düsseldorf yesterday, with Samuel. he is a MUCH different style of tour guide than Miriam and Elisabeth! (but, this is not a bad thing, because it's interesting to see the cities in different points of view!)
we took the bus to Leverkusen Mitte, and our bus unloaded AS the train to DUS was pulling away from the station! curses! considering we still needed to purchase a ticket, that's ok. when we attempted to purchase the ticket from the kiosk, we were met with errors three times. SO, we went into the depot to purchase one. (this was lucky we weren't at the Opladen station, where there isn't a ticket counter, which i have learned can be very troublesome)
the DE-Bahn guy was SO incredibly slow! there was a fellow in front of us, that we waited behind for a good 5 or 6 minutes. THEN, when it came our time, it took another 3 minutes! the guy was typing on his keyboard with TWO fingers. *sigh*
(i tell you these inane details to explain WHY it is so incredibly irritating when they go on strike. which by the way, they have decided to do today)
anyhow, about 20mins later, we were in Düsseldorf! i've had two previous experiences with the city so far this trip, but there were incredibly brief. so, getting to delve into the city was quite fantastic! it was an awful lot like chicago, if chicago were clean. and friendly.
we spent a good amount of time in the Kö district, which is ridiculously posh. so many boutiques and shops that even walking in to the store you have to earn 7 figures per year LOL! to be serious, these were places that a sweater costs more than my monthly rent. (and in some cases, more than twice the monthly rent) BUT, it was very cool seeing something very out of the ordinary for me.
after a while, we walked into Alt Stadt (the old city) with the most fantastic architecture! so many interesting sights, and then so many little bakeries and cafes! (i think my favorite part of germany is being able to smell all of these foods! i'm such a food-a-holic!)
we mad our way down to the Rhine. we watched several boats (HUGE boats) going up and down the river. and then walked along for a while, making our way towards the "tower." i'm not entirely sure of the name of said tower, i'll have to look that up.
went inside the tower, took the elevator to ~168meters up, and entered the observatory. even though it was pretty cloudy yesterday, you could see SO far. apparently, on a clear day, you can see Leverkusen from up there! after a bit, we walked up to the TOP of the tower, which is a revolving restaurant. very cool, but very pricey. we considered getting a beer, but Samuel decided much better to grab one elsewhere. took a trip down to the level just below the observatory, which is actually "outside" the building. it was very, very windy! we did not spend much time out there.
made our way back into Alt Stadt, and stopped at the "golden kessel" for an alt bier (the Düsseldorf drink of choice, and reason for animosity between Düsseldorf and Köln) which was very good. (we had "schumacher alt")
and then started towards the Hbf (train station). our train was PACKED! we were crammed in, and barely had room to breath! LOL! there is a stop between DUS and LEV mitte, so it did empty out a bit. and then we got to LEV-mitte, said goodbye to Samuel who was headed home to Aachen, and ran to catch our bus which was getting ready to depart as we showed up.
once back to the house, we had some very good rose hip tea, and then some homemade chocolate liquor. quite fantastic!
now, we are going to eat brunch, perhaps take the bus to LEV, and in the evening a trip to aachen! tschuss!
onto the post!
as i mentioned, we went to düsseldorf yesterday, with Samuel. he is a MUCH different style of tour guide than Miriam and Elisabeth! (but, this is not a bad thing, because it's interesting to see the cities in different points of view!)
we took the bus to Leverkusen Mitte, and our bus unloaded AS the train to DUS was pulling away from the station! curses! considering we still needed to purchase a ticket, that's ok. when we attempted to purchase the ticket from the kiosk, we were met with errors three times. SO, we went into the depot to purchase one. (this was lucky we weren't at the Opladen station, where there isn't a ticket counter, which i have learned can be very troublesome)
the DE-Bahn guy was SO incredibly slow! there was a fellow in front of us, that we waited behind for a good 5 or 6 minutes. THEN, when it came our time, it took another 3 minutes! the guy was typing on his keyboard with TWO fingers. *sigh*
(i tell you these inane details to explain WHY it is so incredibly irritating when they go on strike. which by the way, they have decided to do today)
anyhow, about 20mins later, we were in Düsseldorf! i've had two previous experiences with the city so far this trip, but there were incredibly brief. so, getting to delve into the city was quite fantastic! it was an awful lot like chicago, if chicago were clean. and friendly.
we spent a good amount of time in the Kö district, which is ridiculously posh. so many boutiques and shops that even walking in to the store you have to earn 7 figures per year LOL! to be serious, these were places that a sweater costs more than my monthly rent. (and in some cases, more than twice the monthly rent) BUT, it was very cool seeing something very out of the ordinary for me.
after a while, we walked into Alt Stadt (the old city) with the most fantastic architecture! so many interesting sights, and then so many little bakeries and cafes! (i think my favorite part of germany is being able to smell all of these foods! i'm such a food-a-holic!)
we mad our way down to the Rhine. we watched several boats (HUGE boats) going up and down the river. and then walked along for a while, making our way towards the "tower." i'm not entirely sure of the name of said tower, i'll have to look that up.
went inside the tower, took the elevator to ~168meters up, and entered the observatory. even though it was pretty cloudy yesterday, you could see SO far. apparently, on a clear day, you can see Leverkusen from up there! after a bit, we walked up to the TOP of the tower, which is a revolving restaurant. very cool, but very pricey. we considered getting a beer, but Samuel decided much better to grab one elsewhere. took a trip down to the level just below the observatory, which is actually "outside" the building. it was very, very windy! we did not spend much time out there.
made our way back into Alt Stadt, and stopped at the "golden kessel" for an alt bier (the Düsseldorf drink of choice, and reason for animosity between Düsseldorf and Köln) which was very good. (we had "schumacher alt")
and then started towards the Hbf (train station). our train was PACKED! we were crammed in, and barely had room to breath! LOL! there is a stop between DUS and LEV mitte, so it did empty out a bit. and then we got to LEV-mitte, said goodbye to Samuel who was headed home to Aachen, and ran to catch our bus which was getting ready to depart as we showed up.
once back to the house, we had some very good rose hip tea, and then some homemade chocolate liquor. quite fantastic!
now, we are going to eat brunch, perhaps take the bus to LEV, and in the evening a trip to aachen! tschuss!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
yes! industrie!
well, to start off, last night i stepped on the scale in the bathroom, it said 69kg. doing the math today, i came to find out that i've lost ~2.3kg (or, about 5lbs)! this is good news for me, because i've put on quite a bit of weight, and i was hoping i'd do enough walking in DE to lose some of it. i also noticed that my pants are fitting better than ever!
that was until around 7pm today, when i ate a huge dinner. and now feel that i am going to waddle all day tomorrow.
now, on to the meat and potatoes of the post.
today we went to oberhausen. it is a city about 60km north of leverkusen (again, where we are staying) oberhausen was, for a very long time, a HEAVY industrial city. it revolved mostly around the production of iron ore into steel. while there, we toured the museum that explained all about the industrial revolution, and about the production of steel. it was incredibly fascinating!
for example, i learned that the men working in the steel factory would end up with black gums because of all the soot, smoke, and shavings that went into the air. i also got to see a hammer for making train wheels that was as big as a house.
after the museum, we went to an industrial park. which was ACTUALLY a park! you got to go inside of the machinery that was, until around 15 years ago, a functioning steel factory. we climbed several flights of stairs, and went on a LOT of really scary pathways. unfortunately, i started chickening out around 55m up, and had to stand on the middle level because i simply could not go any further. it was one thing in the Kölner Dom going up 98 meters, with a wall around me. but going up past 55meters was just impossible for me, because i hate being able to see the ground below me when i'm that high up.
interestingly, while we were on that middle level around 55m up, we could see very far past the city. on the horizon, i spotted two nuclear energy plants. this is INCREDIBLY fascinating to me, because i am a HUGE proponet of nuclear energy. it's very cool being in a country that actually USES this type of energy! as well, they use a lot of solar, and wind energy.
finally, the weather today. it was 15C, and it felt absolutely fantastic! when Miriam and I went to the post office, we didn't even need jackets! unfortunately, we are not going to be having such weather tomorrow. my weather site says ~8C, cloudy, and then possible rain in the evening.
for tomorrow, we are going to Düsseldorf with Samuel, on the DE-bahn. that is, if the strike hasn't made the trip impossible. (i honestly can't remember if i mentioned this, but the DE-Bahn workers voted to strike, again (they did last week) starting tomorrow. So much for a certain co-worker's rich praises, and chastising of riding in a car. (that didn't make much sense, i apologize)
now, i am going to drink some tea, and read a bit from david sedaris. Tschuss!
that was until around 7pm today, when i ate a huge dinner. and now feel that i am going to waddle all day tomorrow.
now, on to the meat and potatoes of the post.
today we went to oberhausen. it is a city about 60km north of leverkusen (again, where we are staying) oberhausen was, for a very long time, a HEAVY industrial city. it revolved mostly around the production of iron ore into steel. while there, we toured the museum that explained all about the industrial revolution, and about the production of steel. it was incredibly fascinating!
for example, i learned that the men working in the steel factory would end up with black gums because of all the soot, smoke, and shavings that went into the air. i also got to see a hammer for making train wheels that was as big as a house.
after the museum, we went to an industrial park. which was ACTUALLY a park! you got to go inside of the machinery that was, until around 15 years ago, a functioning steel factory. we climbed several flights of stairs, and went on a LOT of really scary pathways. unfortunately, i started chickening out around 55m up, and had to stand on the middle level because i simply could not go any further. it was one thing in the Kölner Dom going up 98 meters, with a wall around me. but going up past 55meters was just impossible for me, because i hate being able to see the ground below me when i'm that high up.
interestingly, while we were on that middle level around 55m up, we could see very far past the city. on the horizon, i spotted two nuclear energy plants. this is INCREDIBLY fascinating to me, because i am a HUGE proponet of nuclear energy. it's very cool being in a country that actually USES this type of energy! as well, they use a lot of solar, and wind energy.
finally, the weather today. it was 15C, and it felt absolutely fantastic! when Miriam and I went to the post office, we didn't even need jackets! unfortunately, we are not going to be having such weather tomorrow. my weather site says ~8C, cloudy, and then possible rain in the evening.
for tomorrow, we are going to Düsseldorf with Samuel, on the DE-bahn. that is, if the strike hasn't made the trip impossible. (i honestly can't remember if i mentioned this, but the DE-Bahn workers voted to strike, again (they did last week) starting tomorrow. So much for a certain co-worker's rich praises, and chastising of riding in a car. (that didn't make much sense, i apologize)
now, i am going to drink some tea, and read a bit from david sedaris. Tschuss!
Monday, March 7, 2011
i am not (such) a tourist.
today we were put out in the world by ourselves. dropped off in the main city of Leverkusen, and given a bus schedule! it's not as bad as it sounds, we were pretty much told exactly which bus station, and exactly which busses would lead us back to miriam's house. (which interestingly i learned is in Opladen, not in Leverkusen, but the address is listed as Leverkusen.)
we wandered around their mall (which is apparently VERY new, and a very new concept to germany) for about 45min but it was warm, and very crowded, because today is Rosenmontag. (a holiday. google it.)
so, we decided to wander around in the city itself. we went up and down several streets, admiring the architecture, and the ultra-pedestrian friendliness of it all. it was also nice to be out in the air, as today was one of the nicest days so far. it was warm, and the wind wasn't so
strong, either. it was perfect.
after a while, though, my back started hurting (again). the same place that hurt when i threw it out shoveling my neighbor's sidewalk. i've decided that once we get back to the states, i need to have the doctor look at it.
but i digress. we went back to the mall with the intention of sitting down for a while. we, however, found a watch shop and decided to look around for a bit. i found a watch for ~75€ but costs ~120€ back in the states (even on amazon!) and that doesn't include shipping for the states! so, i splurged. and i REALLY shouldn't have, but my watch back in the states is in need of repair, and i've already taken it to the fossil store TWICE to be repaired.
after being extravagant, we decided to head back home. waited for the bus, and had a lovely bus ride back to miriam's house. (the public transit here is SO impressively clean, quick, and dependable*)
*aside- the DE-Bahn is apparently striking ALL the time. and we learnt that tomorrow, when Rachel has to go back to Trier, she might have problems, because the workers voted by 97% to strike tomorrow. this is apparently very common, and a VERY much a headache to the folks here in DE.
we had a very nice dinner of antepasta and foccacia bread that Rachel baked herself. -- it's amazing, there is so much good food, so very readily available, and i eat much less, because i feel full so much faster. ALSO, i have had so very little soda (maybe 1/4 litre) since i've been here, and i really haven't had (much) of a problem without it!
for now, it's about 22.25, and i'm getting sleepy, so i'll leave it off here. tomorrow, we go to Oberhausen to see the steam/train museum.
tschuss!
we wandered around their mall (which is apparently VERY new, and a very new concept to germany) for about 45min but it was warm, and very crowded, because today is Rosenmontag. (a holiday. google it.)
so, we decided to wander around in the city itself. we went up and down several streets, admiring the architecture, and the ultra-pedestrian friendliness of it all. it was also nice to be out in the air, as today was one of the nicest days so far. it was warm, and the wind wasn't so
strong, either. it was perfect.
after a while, though, my back started hurting (again). the same place that hurt when i threw it out shoveling my neighbor's sidewalk. i've decided that once we get back to the states, i need to have the doctor look at it.
but i digress. we went back to the mall with the intention of sitting down for a while. we, however, found a watch shop and decided to look around for a bit. i found a watch for ~75€ but costs ~120€ back in the states (even on amazon!) and that doesn't include shipping for the states! so, i splurged. and i REALLY shouldn't have, but my watch back in the states is in need of repair, and i've already taken it to the fossil store TWICE to be repaired.
after being extravagant, we decided to head back home. waited for the bus, and had a lovely bus ride back to miriam's house. (the public transit here is SO impressively clean, quick, and dependable*)
*aside- the DE-Bahn is apparently striking ALL the time. and we learnt that tomorrow, when Rachel has to go back to Trier, she might have problems, because the workers voted by 97% to strike tomorrow. this is apparently very common, and a VERY much a headache to the folks here in DE.
we had a very nice dinner of antepasta and foccacia bread that Rachel baked herself. -- it's amazing, there is so much good food, so very readily available, and i eat much less, because i feel full so much faster. ALSO, i have had so very little soda (maybe 1/4 litre) since i've been here, and i really haven't had (much) of a problem without it!
for now, it's about 22.25, and i'm getting sleepy, so i'll leave it off here. tomorrow, we go to Oberhausen to see the steam/train museum.
tschuss!
Carnival parade
Sorry, I didn't get a chance to update last night. Yesterday was a kind of long day. This update will be very short, as well.
Yesterday we went back into Köln for the carnival parade. The train was PACKED! So many people that we had to squish in all together. But apparently today is an even bigger parade, and it would be even more packed on the train.
When we got to köln, it was swarming with people. We had to stay very close not to get lost from one another. We found a relatively empty space near the end of the parade route, and then stood. We waited there for about two hours for the parade to get there, but the time was fun, anyhow.
1st because there were all sorts of people in costume going up and down the street. They were all acting goofy and it was lots of fun.
2nd because there were a group of five polezei near us. They were all VERY attractive, and because little kids kept coming up to them and putting paper streamers on them. It was very cute!
Then it got SO busy as the time grew closer for the parade to come by. So busy, in fact, that eventually, we were unable to keep taking photos. Just crammed with people.
Eventually, the sun went behind a building, and the wind picked up significantly so we decided after standing there about five hours it was time to head home.
Got home, had a very good dinner (part of it was a cooked red cabbage dish with currants, amazing), and then spent the evening talking.
Ok, it's time to put iPad away and join everyone for breakfast.
Yesterday we went back into Köln for the carnival parade. The train was PACKED! So many people that we had to squish in all together. But apparently today is an even bigger parade, and it would be even more packed on the train.
When we got to köln, it was swarming with people. We had to stay very close not to get lost from one another. We found a relatively empty space near the end of the parade route, and then stood. We waited there for about two hours for the parade to get there, but the time was fun, anyhow.
1st because there were all sorts of people in costume going up and down the street. They were all acting goofy and it was lots of fun.
2nd because there were a group of five polezei near us. They were all VERY attractive, and because little kids kept coming up to them and putting paper streamers on them. It was very cute!
Then it got SO busy as the time grew closer for the parade to come by. So busy, in fact, that eventually, we were unable to keep taking photos. Just crammed with people.
Eventually, the sun went behind a building, and the wind picked up significantly so we decided after standing there about five hours it was time to head home.
Got home, had a very good dinner (part of it was a cooked red cabbage dish with currants, amazing), and then spent the evening talking.
Ok, it's time to put iPad away and join everyone for breakfast.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
relaxing day
today was spent very relaxing. we slept in until after ten (which is unheard of from me because i normally wake myself up shortly after 06:00) and even on weekend i wake up around 07:30. while i've been here i've slept until around the latter. but, since it was weekend, Hutzi (Miriam's mom) didn't have work, and everyone was just kinda sleeping in and enjoying that.
BUT she spent so much of today working at the house, too, making food and cleaning. her and my mother are so similar, evne on their days off, they spend so much of it cleaning and cooking.
Miriam, scott and I went to Düsseldorf today and went to the IKEA. they kept making fun of me the past few days about how much i like it, and so today we took a trip there. obviously very similar to those in the states, except the one here doesn't smell of cinnamon rolls and unfinished pine. it was slightly depressing, 'cos that's what i thought they would all smell like. Caroline (Miriam's brother's gf) tells me that they don't sell the cinnamon rolls here. unlucky for them!
anyhow, after our little trip, i told miriam i wanted a diet pepsi. it's been so long since i'd had one (since last sunday, almost an entire week!) so we stopped by a grocery and picked some up, with miriam warning me "oh, james, it's SO expensive!" so, i picked up three litters of pepsi light (as it is known here) for 2,20€ which really, when you think about it, isnt more expensive in america, considering we are spending $1,69 on 20oz. (plus, the cost included the deposit for the bottles, which i can get back when i go back to the grocery) the pspsi light tastes SOOOO much different than the regular diet pepsi in the states. it's more of a real pepsi taste. so good. i'll try to bring some back.
for dinner, Hutzi made this casserole with noodles, eggs, cheese, salmon, and asparagus. it was SO delicious! i have GOT to get the recipe for this dish.
the evening, we spent playing fooseball with Samuel, and when he left for fasching events, miriam and i played for a while. they beat me every time. i got like 5 goals in total. then Miriam's sister Rachel came from Trier, and we talked all of us for several hours. ALSO! Rachel brought scott and i two GIANT kinder eggs! i cant wait to see the toy inside!
tomorrow, we leave for köln at like 10ish, and we will see a probably once in a lifetime spectacle!
n8i!
BUT she spent so much of today working at the house, too, making food and cleaning. her and my mother are so similar, evne on their days off, they spend so much of it cleaning and cooking.
Miriam, scott and I went to Düsseldorf today and went to the IKEA. they kept making fun of me the past few days about how much i like it, and so today we took a trip there. obviously very similar to those in the states, except the one here doesn't smell of cinnamon rolls and unfinished pine. it was slightly depressing, 'cos that's what i thought they would all smell like. Caroline (Miriam's brother's gf) tells me that they don't sell the cinnamon rolls here. unlucky for them!
anyhow, after our little trip, i told miriam i wanted a diet pepsi. it's been so long since i'd had one (since last sunday, almost an entire week!) so we stopped by a grocery and picked some up, with miriam warning me "oh, james, it's SO expensive!" so, i picked up three litters of pepsi light (as it is known here) for 2,20€ which really, when you think about it, isnt more expensive in america, considering we are spending $1,69 on 20oz. (plus, the cost included the deposit for the bottles, which i can get back when i go back to the grocery) the pspsi light tastes SOOOO much different than the regular diet pepsi in the states. it's more of a real pepsi taste. so good. i'll try to bring some back.
for dinner, Hutzi made this casserole with noodles, eggs, cheese, salmon, and asparagus. it was SO delicious! i have GOT to get the recipe for this dish.
the evening, we spent playing fooseball with Samuel, and when he left for fasching events, miriam and i played for a while. they beat me every time. i got like 5 goals in total. then Miriam's sister Rachel came from Trier, and we talked all of us for several hours. ALSO! Rachel brought scott and i two GIANT kinder eggs! i cant wait to see the toy inside!
tomorrow, we leave for köln at like 10ish, and we will see a probably once in a lifetime spectacle!
n8i!
Friday, March 4, 2011
köln dom und deutsche-bahn.
today was spent partly in köln. this city was incredibly busy because of fasching right now. oh my gosh, there were people EVERYWHERE! it was kind of exciting to see so many people around! there were so many people in costumes and there were carts everywhere. miriam and her mother tell me this is not what the city normally looks like. they were like "please, don't think our city is this messy!" LOL
they also board up a lot of the shop windows because this weekend, there will be over 1 million people added to the city, and it gets so packed, that they worry the glass might break. we will be going back on sunday, so please pray for me LOL!
it was also our first day on the detusche-bahn. this was a lot of fun, and only slightly confusing. we bought the ticket, a 4 ticket. one for each of us, each ride back and forth. THEN, we had to stamp the ticket on this OTHER machine, twice. once for me, and once for scott. because the DE-bahn workers are on strike right now, miriam made me wait to stamp the ticket, in case the train didn't show up. (slightly confusing)
by the way, for any of you that are going to germany, please come to me when you have questions, because the info i'd been given, made everything more confusing. no offense to those that told me info, but it could have been explained so much easier.
anyhow, we also toured the köln dom. it was ABSOLUTELY amazing! we went up into one of the towers. OH MY GOSH! it was so tall! 98 meters (about 322 feet) that we went up! so many stairs, and such a skinny space. we looked out over the city, and that was terrifying, even with all of the safe guards.
yikes.
tonight, samuel (miriam's brother) made me a requested dish (that was SO not something i would normally eat) He made curry-wurst. this is a big deal, because it is made from pork, and im not eating pork regularly. big deal! had a glass of very nice bubbly white wine, and now i'm ready to fall asleep. UNFORTUNATELY, with the aid of my sleeping pill, because all of a sudden, i feel not tired (even though, after the 535 steps, i was incredibly tired.)
tomorrow, i think düsseldorf? or maybe back to köln? n8i meinen freunden.
they also board up a lot of the shop windows because this weekend, there will be over 1 million people added to the city, and it gets so packed, that they worry the glass might break. we will be going back on sunday, so please pray for me LOL!
it was also our first day on the detusche-bahn. this was a lot of fun, and only slightly confusing. we bought the ticket, a 4 ticket. one for each of us, each ride back and forth. THEN, we had to stamp the ticket on this OTHER machine, twice. once for me, and once for scott. because the DE-bahn workers are on strike right now, miriam made me wait to stamp the ticket, in case the train didn't show up. (slightly confusing)
by the way, for any of you that are going to germany, please come to me when you have questions, because the info i'd been given, made everything more confusing. no offense to those that told me info, but it could have been explained so much easier.
anyhow, we also toured the köln dom. it was ABSOLUTELY amazing! we went up into one of the towers. OH MY GOSH! it was so tall! 98 meters (about 322 feet) that we went up! so many stairs, and such a skinny space. we looked out over the city, and that was terrifying, even with all of the safe guards.
yikes.
tonight, samuel (miriam's brother) made me a requested dish (that was SO not something i would normally eat) He made curry-wurst. this is a big deal, because it is made from pork, and im not eating pork regularly. big deal! had a glass of very nice bubbly white wine, and now i'm ready to fall asleep. UNFORTUNATELY, with the aid of my sleeping pill, because all of a sudden, i feel not tired (even though, after the 535 steps, i was incredibly tired.)
tomorrow, i think düsseldorf? or maybe back to köln? n8i meinen freunden.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
so far.
we landed in DE about 9am local time. as i'd never traveled oversea, i wasn't entirely sure what to expect. it was far easier than i had imagined. the bundeswehr polizei looked at my passport, and sent me on my way. that's it.
when we got to the exit, after waiting for our bags, we were greeted by Miriam and her mother Elisabeth. ran out to their car, and made our way from düsseldorf to leverkusen. along the way, we stopped at a bakery with amazing smells, and beautiful sights! i'd never seen so much delicious bread!
when we got to their house, we made sure to stay awake, so we had a huge breakfast of breads, jams, cheeses, and spreads. i had the most delicious gouda, and a "butter cheese" as well. we spent much more time socializing with one another, and then met Miriam's older brother Samuel. he built a foosball table with a friend of his. it's brilliant! he's even made it record the speed of the ball!
then we took a tour of altenberg dom. this place is magnificent! it was a cistercian order of monks that built it, so it is considered quite "plain" - i assure you, this is only in comparison to the churches we went to today! we walked around altenberg, and had a nice time.
after that, we had dinner, made by samuel and Elisabeth. but, we were exhausted from not sleeping ~30 hours so we went to bed early.
today (thursday) we took a trip up to Münster, a gorgeous city! right now is the fasching, so it is full of people in costume and just plain joyous occasion. (btw, we went on autobahn, obviously, it was so fast!)
we spent much of the time looking at churches, the most impressive being the st. paulus dom. it has this gigantic astronomical clock inside, absolutely gorgeous! it is so loud, and it plays at noon with a glockenspiel and bells and a horn. then the three kings come out of these doors and bow before madonna and child. it also marks all of the easters from ~1350 to 2071, and includes all the days, too!
we got to experience a german deprtment store, very nifty, and i got my first euros. i was incredibly embarrassed because we had coffee at a place in münster. which did not take credit card.. now i have my euro and that will not happen again!
we went to a german pharmacist, because scott is still feeling bad. Elisabeth spoke with the pharmacist, and they got some medicine to help him feel better. now, my friends, i think i am going to sleep. it's around 11pm, and i'm awfully tired still (especially with so much walking!)
ps, since i am being inundated by it, i am starting to pick up on some deutsch! sehr gut!
guten abed mienen freunden
when we got to the exit, after waiting for our bags, we were greeted by Miriam and her mother Elisabeth. ran out to their car, and made our way from düsseldorf to leverkusen. along the way, we stopped at a bakery with amazing smells, and beautiful sights! i'd never seen so much delicious bread!
when we got to their house, we made sure to stay awake, so we had a huge breakfast of breads, jams, cheeses, and spreads. i had the most delicious gouda, and a "butter cheese" as well. we spent much more time socializing with one another, and then met Miriam's older brother Samuel. he built a foosball table with a friend of his. it's brilliant! he's even made it record the speed of the ball!
then we took a tour of altenberg dom. this place is magnificent! it was a cistercian order of monks that built it, so it is considered quite "plain" - i assure you, this is only in comparison to the churches we went to today! we walked around altenberg, and had a nice time.
after that, we had dinner, made by samuel and Elisabeth. but, we were exhausted from not sleeping ~30 hours so we went to bed early.
today (thursday) we took a trip up to Münster, a gorgeous city! right now is the fasching, so it is full of people in costume and just plain joyous occasion. (btw, we went on autobahn, obviously, it was so fast!)
we spent much of the time looking at churches, the most impressive being the st. paulus dom. it has this gigantic astronomical clock inside, absolutely gorgeous! it is so loud, and it plays at noon with a glockenspiel and bells and a horn. then the three kings come out of these doors and bow before madonna and child. it also marks all of the easters from ~1350 to 2071, and includes all the days, too!
we got to experience a german deprtment store, very nifty, and i got my first euros. i was incredibly embarrassed because we had coffee at a place in münster. which did not take credit card.. now i have my euro and that will not happen again!
we went to a german pharmacist, because scott is still feeling bad. Elisabeth spoke with the pharmacist, and they got some medicine to help him feel better. now, my friends, i think i am going to sleep. it's around 11pm, and i'm awfully tired still (especially with so much walking!)
ps, since i am being inundated by it, i am starting to pick up on some deutsch! sehr gut!
guten abed mienen freunden
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
hey, it's 14:04 here, and 07:04 there!
i'm here! and by here, i mean Leverkusen! it is quite beautiful, but i did not expect anything otherwise!
scott and i are being treated incredibly well, i feel i'm being absolutely spoiled! i am not sure i will want to come back home!
unfortunately, scott is not feeling so well. he has a bit of a sore throat, and spending roughly 12 hours in flight was not great for him. particularly just sitting there.
having a bit of trouble adjusting to the time change, but honestly, it hasn't gotten to me *too* bad. it comes and goes.
anyhow. i shall cut it short for now, i'm being rude!
scott and i are being treated incredibly well, i feel i'm being absolutely spoiled! i am not sure i will want to come back home!
unfortunately, scott is not feeling so well. he has a bit of a sore throat, and spending roughly 12 hours in flight was not great for him. particularly just sitting there.
having a bit of trouble adjusting to the time change, but honestly, it hasn't gotten to me *too* bad. it comes and goes.
anyhow. i shall cut it short for now, i'm being rude!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)