Blogs from Hesse, Germany, Europe - page 47

The next day dawned bright and early - it was spa day! Mike planned to drop me in Wiesbaden on his way to work so that I could enjoy one of their famous spas. I was nervous, because it would really be the first time I was exploring the city on my own. The spa wasn't open when I got there, so I wandered around the walkplatz, looking again at the sights that Mike had pointed out on Monday and investigating some of the side streets. To my excitement, I found a Starbucks! I know, I know, in Germany, I really should have made a point of going to local places and avoiding things I could find in America. But baby steps! I went inside and told the guy at the counter (in German!) that my ... read more

We arrived in Germany exhausted, and headed for the hotel where we waited for my cousin, Michael. Once he arrived, we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner, where I cheated a little and had steak and french fries. It was great to see Mike and listen to his stories about his recent travels and future plans. I was almost too tired to stay awake for the meal, but I managed to remain conscious through dinner, the ride to Mike's apartment, and talking until 11. Finally, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, and I crashed for thirteen hours straight. The plan for Monday was for Mike to return home at lunch and spend the afternoon with me. After I showered and turned back into a human being, we walked outside into Biebrich so that ... read more

I arrived in Giessen and finally found a place to stay. I'll be working at Firma Alexaner Binzel & desperately trying to learn German for the next few months. After that, it's back on the road. This time I'll go north and see what's there!.... read more

So much for that last blog being the finale. It´s about 4:30 am in Frankfurt and I´m here at the airport. Unfortunately, my flight doesn´t leave until 11:05 am. By the grace of God I stumbled across an internet station and for one reason or another, I´m able to use it (probably because it´s 4:30 am and nobody works at this ungodly hour). What a great way to pass the time. I´ll probably catch up on my BBC.com and ESPN.com since I´ve neglected both over the past thirty days. My week at L´abri was fantastic, everything I could have hope it would be. The average day went study in the morning, work in the afternoon, and hang out in the evening. There were 30 of us students around the ages of 22 to 26 and we ... read more

Family- Here, I am surrounded by family. I live with my fourth cousins, Jan Gunter (18) and Celina Hin (16) and their mom, Renate Gunter, who I guess is my third cousin once removed. A bit confusing. Renate is a social worker at a nursing home and she does some administration there and some exercise with the residents. She also works with children with mental disorders like autism. Jan and Celina are students in the Gymnasium (the highest level of the three types of schools here in Germany). They don’t know what they want to be. While Germans are a bit more blunt, they do not run short of love. I feel very welcome here, and the importance of family is obvious. On my previous visit to Germany, I only traveled everywhere and could not see ... read more