So to fill you in on the last two weeks, HERE WE GO:
Two work-weeks ago was pretty uneventful, except for cooking an American dish for my housemates. I think they enjoyed the cheeseburgers and bacon-cheese-fries as well as I did.
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| The Spread. |
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| Don't they look appetizing? |
But on to the weekend, Claire and I travelled to Stuttgart to see Joey (Heekin) and what the fuss was about over the Fruhlingsfest. It was worth the fuss. :D
Friday was the festival day for us. We met up with some of Heekin's German friends, had a drink then headed to the main attraction. In this festival, there are tents in which people gather to dance and sing to whatever music is on stage. We waited in line to get in because it was so full, but we finally made it inside. It's also German tradition to stand on the tables while part-taking in this ritual. So I said, why not! When in Germany, do as the Germans do. We all sang to the music because we knew it, being American music and all! By the way, each time I hear American music on the radio here, it throws me off, but this time it was welcomed. We stayed in the tent until closing and then mosied back home for a well deserved sleep.
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| Entrance of Tent |
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| Inside the Fuss! |
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| Cheers, to a great night! |
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| I wasn't ready, but still a good pic of us girls. |
Saturday morning we all slept in and enjoyed the late morning, then went into the city for some exploring. We found a pretty sweet fountain hidden by the trees. The only reason we found it, was because being engineers and economically conscious, we opted to find a free parking space and walk into town. On the walk, some how we stumbled upon it. (It paid double!) We walked around in the schloss (castle) park/grounds a tad, then just walked around for a bit. We went back to the festival, to see it in the day time. One exhibit caught our eyes. There was an announcer asking the audience members if they would like to fight in a boxing match. And what do you know, I was right there, willing and ready. So I asked Claire what she thought and she took my purse and pushed me forward. I couldn't do anything else, but continue walking up to the stage. Luckily another girl beat me up there, so I just acted as if I wanted to throw something away and came back. (Haha, fooled you. I would have gone up there if it wasn't for Claire and her wise words :P )
Nothing too exciting the rest of the day, except that it rained on us on the way back and since we were cheap and parked about a 20 minute walk from downtown, we were soaked by the time we got to the car. (Did I mention that Heekin's job allows him to rent a car with free gas for in town drives! Sweet!) Back at Joey's place we watched Casino Royale in German. That was our night.
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| There was a corn on the cob stand in the festival, with a humongous COB! A little bit scary if you ask me. |
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| The Fountain, pretty. |
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| Forgot what this was, but it was on the side of the Castle Grounds. |
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| Saw the mother duck and her ducklings during the downpour. So worth it ;) |
Sunday, we went back into the city to wander some more. We had lunch with my friend Benny at Vapiano's. This restaurant was pretty cool. At the entrance, you are given a card in which you charge your meal to. There is a 50 Euro limit, so don't people can't get too happy. It was cafeteria type Italian place with pasta, pizza and salad. You grabbed your trays and headed to whichever line you wanted and placed your order. Pretty atmosphere and efficient. The low price surprised me because the atmosphere was quite nice. Definitely will go back if I can. Benny rode in on his motor bike and offered to take me for a ride! Here's proof.
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| Mom I was totally safe, don't worry. (jk, I didn't go) |
So Claire and I hoped on our trains and headed home. The end of that weekend.
On to last week. Well I am proud to say that I had some success in tracking down more Planets! I know you are all excited to hear about this as much as it was fun to find it. I have located Uranus and Neptune. Now the trick is finding Pluto, if they have left it up. I will try to conquer that this coming weekend. :D You can only imagine how pumped I was to find Uranus. It took several tries, but no Planet can hide from me. No siree! Now did they take Pluto away because it's not considered a planet anymore. I will be looking for 5 months for Pluto. No rest until I find it. Hopefully the Science Guys will reinstate it during my time here, so that I can leave and come back to the states, otherwise I will have to stay here until the world knows Pluto exists! Sorry Mom, but its my duty. I will make you proud!
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| This was a beast to find! Mom, Dad and Boone, I'm not sure if I recommend doing the Planet adventure. Maybe just the first four or six. After that it gets complicated and too far to find. |
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| This was on the Rhein Dam. So sweet to find! |
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| The Rhein... I'm pretty sure. |
Last Thursday, Friday and Sunday I took major bike rides. None were on purpose and two were enjoyable. Friday I found the Planets and an Antique Market. The Market was pretty cool, they even had old jewelry. I almost bought a pair of earrings and ring. Next time I see one and see jewelry I like, I will support the cause. Sunday, oh man.... long bike ride. So my plan was to go to church at 7pm in Karlsruhe. I and my bike took the train into town. I had directions from googlemaps from the train station and the church. Well needless to say, after a couple times around the "right" block, I gave up trying to find it. I decided, I would explore the city on my bike and have a nice little time. I biked through park, which I need to return to, maybe this coming weekend, and decided I would try to find the train station. I knew I needed to go south, so I just pedaled straight south. Well I must have missed it, because I continued into a forest (which loads of people were in it... it was like there Sunday evening stroll) I biked through an airport landing strip (not exactly through it, I was on the gravel road). I continued until I met a real road. I had made it to Forscheim. This is southwest of Karlsruhe and north of where I needed to be. So this is about an hour on the bike now and I'm getting tired, but I'm confused on how to get home. There was no direct way I could find to go back home, so I followed the highway until I saw a sign saying this way to Durmersheim. This sign was of course pointing into a forest. Now I had biked in the forest a couple of times before and I knew the sign was telling the truth, so I was like what the heck. I ventured in the forest. After about 20 minutes, I was tired of looking at trees and just wanted to be home. I was so turned around and just trying to find my way through. I was following my instinct and figuring out which way was north comparing where the sun was. I even headed down a path that was neither paved or graveled. It was path that had been followed maybe only 20 or so times before. It was rough riding my bike through it and I said not so nice things about nature in my head. I was fed up and just wanted to be home. I finally made it out of the forest and made it to the plantations, even passed a few Strawberry fields and the Stonehenge looking thing below. When I saw the Durmersheim train station, I couldn't have been happier! I raced home, put my bike in the cellar and stretched! It felt glorious to be home, so I got out my strawberry yogurt and fresh cut strawberries and indulged!
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| Not the Stonehenge, but close. |
That was my last two weeks, but here is some cultural knowledge that I have witnessed firsthand. Enjoy:
Germans are so much more honest than i could imagine. Yes they aren't perfect, but America has a long way to go before we become as honest as they. The German railway system is built on trust. For the local system, hardly anyone checks tickets while you are on the train. Everyone simply climbs into the train, sits down and waits for their stop. In Karlsruhe, I have yet to be checked for my ticket. At work, I have not been asked for how much time I have worked in a week. Its the honor system. And I'm not sure I would have been told what to do unless I would have asked. I'm so used to rules and people telling me what I can and cannot do. Everything is just up in the air and people do what they are supposed to do. This is the type of world I want to live in, where people aren't trying to skimp and cut corners. So relaxing :D When it comes to food, the waiters/waitresses don't write down what you order. They remember it, report it to the chef and bring out the food. When it's time for the bill, they ask what you had, you tell them and they calculate it in front of you. No lies. And the menus and prices of everything has the same motto! Tax is included in all the prices. What a concept. I wish this would catch up to America. I hate buying something and asking myself, do I have enough money? Well it costs 17.99 and I have 18.50, do I have enough to cover tax? Bleh. Not over here. Sweetness!
And to things I love:
I love receiving phone calls now, since it almost never happens. I got one from my mom while at the festival and my dad at work. Just letting you know mom and dad, that I love getting them. I love hearing your voice and seeing how you are. Love you.
And to things I miss:
At work, we have air-conditioning, but its not the American blast freezing air in the face-conditioning. Have I mentioned that I live and work in one of the hottest regions of Germany? For some reason at home we have good air-conditioning, but work is another matter. I miss being spoiled a tad, but I welcome this opportunity to be more environmentally friendly and adapt to my surroundings. I also miss being able to random text my friends throughout the day. The phone that I have now is no where in comparison to the one I have in the states. I was so spoiled with the sliding keyboard. It made texting so much easier, now it is a chore and I mostly dread texting, even if it's necessary. Oh well, the phone was cheap and only for 6 months total. I will live. Haha
I am done complaining, you can enjoy the rest of your day now. Tschuess.
