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Last week Sabine received news that her father's health was rapidly deteriorating. He has been ill for many years but the news was still a surprise. Unfortunately, he passed away late last Wednesday night. It was a sad and difficult week. The boys took the news as well as three and a half year olds can. We did plenty of things together which kept them busy. We had a play date on Thursday, we visited the monastery on Friday, and on Monday we spent the afternoon at a playground (hence the picture of Max to the right). We have also been reading Dr. Suess's ABC and Tom can already recite the alphabet on his own! I don't think I could do that until Kindergarten!
As all of you know, the smallest things in life make me happy. I'd like to list a few that I have recently discovered. Nearly everything in Germany can be recycled, that includes all Gummibaerchen wrappers; if you get caught riding your bike while intoxicated, you can lose your driver's license; Radler is a popular beer which consists of 3/4 beer and 1/4 Sprite; when you purchase a beer at an outdoor festival you have to also put down a deposit for the glass as an incentive to return it; it only costs 8 Euros to tailor jeans with an original hem and it is completed in less than 24 hours.
Getting to Munich was stressful! I allowed myself 50 minutes to catch the train to Mannheim where I was to meet my cousin, Annika. I arrived to the bus early and it never showed! After waiting for half an hour, I caught a bus and made it to Heidelberg Bahnhof. I found a nice student to help me operate the machine and purchase a ticket. When I arrived at the track, I found that I had missed the train that I was meant to catch. The next one was only 15 minutes later which I thought would be cutting it close. I made it to Mannheim where my cousin told me that our train had been delayed 80 minutes! Ha! All that stress and worrying about catching a train that was delayed! We went to the information booth and they let us get on the next train to Munich which was slower than the I.C.E. but it would still arrive much earlier. We spent the next 3 1/2 hours on the train.
We arrived in Munich and hopped on the U-Bahn to Oktoberfest. It looks like a big state fair or something; it has tons of rides for all ages, some for small kids and some for crazy adults. We walked around so that I could see all the vendors and tents before deciding what we wanted to do. Annika decided to ride in the Ghost House and I decided ride on the ferris wheel. I should note that this was my first ferris wheel ride EVER! We ate TONS of food which was all really good. First, we got this Baverian pizza thing which was vegetarian and good. There is lots of meat and eating half a chicken is really popular but of course that is not for me. There is a lot of fruit covered in chocolate and candy and glaze. I had strawberries covered in dark chocolate on a stick. We also had a HUGE pretzel which was fantastic but now I don't want to eat one ever again. You can see just how HUGE it was by looking at the picture. We met some Aussies and one asked if he could have some of our pretzel and of course I gave him a nice big piece. If I hadn't, I think I would have exploded from all the food. Beer was a must but all the tents were at maximum capacity. Apparently you need a reservation or you need to get there really early to get in. So we went to a smaller vendor with a mini beer garden and I had my Paulaner. No, I did not steal a stein!
We even had enough time to walk around Munich. It was really interesting to see because it's where I originally thought I was going to be an Au Pair. It is a wonderful city with lots of old gates and churces; bells seem to be ringing ever 5 minutes. But the German is so different in Munich that I don't think I'd ever be able to carry on a conversation!
I have created a Snapfish account so that I can upload and share my pictures. Snapfish is a fantastic way to share photos BUT others cannot view my photos without being invited. Therefore, you will periodically get emails from me inviting you to view my new albums. Once you have been invited, you can view them whenever you want. I have already sent a mass email inviting everyone to view my first two albums. If you did not receive it, please shoot me a quick email and I will try again. I am still trying to work things out on my end and it might take a few attempts to get it perfect. In other news, there is a half marathon next April which I plan on running.
My room is on the ground floor and I have a door that leads straight out onto the driveway. I also have a full wall of widows in front of my desk which grant me this wonderful view all day, everyday! The sun has been shining in the bright blue sky but I should mention that the highest temperature that has been reached in the last few days is only 60 degrees. Fall has arrived! On Sunday I met a new friend, Mara, at the Neuenheim Marktplatz and we made our way up the Philosophenweg, an extremely steep path that leads to the best views of Heidelberg. We had a wonderful morning huffing and puffing and decided we should attempt to make our way up the path once a month so that I could document the changing seasons over the next year. In the afternoon I met my cousin, Annika, to spend some time in the Altstadt. She showed me all the places to have fun on a Friday night. I'm excited to see for myself! Last night a package arrived in the mail so Max wanted to turn the box into a robot costume. Sabine explained how to cut out an area for the neck and both the arms and then poke holes in the back to thread string. It was hysterical watching Max run around flailing his arms about. I wish I had taken a picture. I hope he will wear it again tonight so that I will have the chance.
My internet was a bit dodgy since my arrival. I did go into town today in search of an internet cafe. Of course I found two Starbucks which I already knew were T-mobile hotspots. This was a last resort as the rates are terrible. I did go into Starbucks to find out if there was another place to go and a very nice barista told me about a shop down the road. I was able to enjoy lunch and work on the internet! I planned ahead and even brought my charger in case my battery died. I was so proud of myself for being prepared until I realized that I didn't have a transformer. Typical. Regardless, it was nice to be out of the house and enjoying some fresh air in between the bouts of everlasting European rain :) And now Nils has just added wireless connectivity in my room and I have unlimited access! Email away!
I have had a wonderful first five days and I expect that the rest of them will be just as spectacular. I'll give a brief rundown, starting at my arrival.
Saturday: I safely arrived in Frankfurt mid morning where Sabine and Max were waiting at the baggage. We drove an hour south to my new home in Heidelberg where Nils and Tom were waiting (Sabine and Nils are the parents of Max and Tom). I was given a tour of their fabulous home which has windows from floor to ceiling in nearly every room. The view is breathtaking; a vast green mountain stands on the other side of the valley and I cannot wait for the leaves to begin to change colors next month. Max and Tom had a birthday party to attend so I had plenty of time to unpack my overweight baggage but I found a place for everything. I have my own little apartment fit with a bathroom, a kitchenette, and a living room that converts into a bedroom at night. It is nicer than any studio I will ever find myself living in NYC. In the evening we attended a party at Heidelberg Suites, an newly remodeled hotel which awaits its unveiling next month. From the penthouse balcony, we watch the fireworks explode above the bridge and the castle. I have never been one to get excited over fireworks but it was fantastic; the entire show seemed like it was a finale with several fireworks exploding at every moment.
Sunday: I enjoyed some much needed sleep late into the morning. As soon as I got out of bed, I hopped in the car to go to the zoo. We caught the latter half of the seal show and then played at a ginormous playground structure. It really cannot be described; I will just have to take a picture the next time we are there which I suspect will not be too long from now. The boys enjoyed their wurst while I savored my "Bretzel", meine Lieblingsessen. After lunch we walked in the "Altstadt" where I got to know all the shops along the mile long pedestrian street. And of course we stopped for some ice cream before returning home. I should explain that ice cream is not just bought in a little shop; you actually sit down at an "Eiscafe" and order from a menu of crazy creations.
Monday: I ran lots of errands with Sabine while the boys were in Kindergarten. I learned the ways of the shopping markets, as there are many different ones that fulfill different needs. After their daily nap, Sabine and I took the boys to a playground on the Neckar and watched them run around. They invited me to join them in a giant swing which meant they were warming up to me. They dropped my off at my language course in the evening and I met some potential friends. I am looking forward to my next class.
Tuesday: I went on my first walk. It was supposed to be a run but it was entirely uphill and on a path in the forest above the house. After nearly two miles and five forks, I decided to turnaround in fear that if I continued farther I would not be able to find my way back home. It was a good workout none the less. In the afternoon, the boys had a new gymnastics class to attend without mom which of course did not go so well. There was lots of crying and mommy couldn't leave the class. But a promise was made that next week they will both be big boys and let mommy and me wait outside the gym and there will be no crying. I'm crossing my fingers for Sabine's sake. Sabine and Nils went to a Madonna concert and were kind enough to invite Brigitte, Sabine's sister, to come and help me with the boys for the night. We had a night filled with bubbles; a quote from Knocked Up truely sums it up, "Kids go apeshit over bubbles". Tom had a little trouble with bedtime and while his aunt tried to soothe him, he eventually called for "meine Rachel" which means my Rachel :)
Wednesday: I went on my first official run after the rain stopped. This time I ventured along the Neckar which is a straight, flat path. Perfekt! A boy from Max's class came over for a playday and we ate the entire play grocery. Cleanup involved five of us. Sabine and Nils had a meeting in the evening so I took the boys into my room for a party. We ate "Gummibaerchin" and did puzzles and pretended to be crocodiles. We also played with the webcam which is where the photo comes from. The meeting was quite long so I attempted to bring the boys upstairs for bed. With a little whining, but no tears, both went to bed. I did it without Brigitte, without Sabine, and without Nils. I'm good to go!
I don't plan to outline everyday of my stay but the first are always some of the most exciting so I thought it would be of interest.
Last week Sabine received news that her father's health was rapidly deteriorating. He has been ill for many years but the news was still a surprise. Unfortunately, he passed away late last Wednesday night. It was a sad and difficult week. The boys took the news as well as three and a half year olds can. We did plenty of things together which kept them busy. We had a play date on Thursday, we visited the monastery on Friday, and on Monday we spent the afternoon at a playground (hence the picture of Max to the right). We have also been reading Dr. Suess's ABC and Tom can already recite the alphabet on his own! I don't think I could do that until Kindergarten!
