Guten Tag!

The five hour drive from Paris to Valbert (Jan's small town) was extremely uncomfortable for me. I seemed to have picked up a bladder infection somewhere along the way and I had to make Jan stop at every second gas station so I could "relieve myself" (and for anyone who has ever had one, you know how annoying it is when you feel like you are dying to pee then when you get the chance, nothing comes out!) It was not too fun at all! After a few too many delays, we arrived in the greeny valleys of Valbert/ Voderhagen which is about one hour north east of Köln (Cologne). I was amazed at first by the house/apartment which inhabits the Wollmeiner family. That means Jan's mom, dad, sister and her boyfriend, Oma and Opa, and Auntie and Uncle. Next weekend there will also be a new addition to the family...a puppy who's name is still undecided. Each floor is like a seperate apartment and Jan lives in the penthouse on top! It's a beautiful house, handcrafted by the Wollmeiner family themselves. Cabinets and wooden sculptures fill the space as well as a beautiful garden and a small greenhouse! How lovely!

After a few trips to the town doctor, I was put on antibiotics (as the infection had reached my kidneys) and after a few days all was well in the nether regions. You think I would be a little less open in sharing my discomfort to the world over the internet, however this would be hypocritical as within the first hour or so of my arrival in Valbert, Germany everyone in the family and extended family knew of my little problem... this also includes Jan's friends who I was meeting for the first time!

On my birthday, Jan and I set off for a hike in the nearby forest bringing with us only the necessities: water, toilet paper, rain gear, and the clothes on our back. We also brought some money as the reward for our hard work was a pub waiting to serve us at the top of the "mountian" (a hill compared to the Rockies). There, I enjoyed a Malzbier ... a malty unalcoholic drink tasting kind of like beer but kind of like pop...my small step towards trying to like beer. We then returned to the mansion and had some delicious birthday cake and tea with the family. Later, a few friends came for drinks and I helped them struggle through their english sentences (which were actually quite good for the most part, especially after a few more drinks). I got some lovely gifts...a necklace from meine schatz with a heart and his name engraved in the back, flowers, wine and champagne, chocolate, a tea mug, and an amazing book with pictures from our trip to the Rocky Mountains in Canada from Nina (Jan's sister) and her boyfriend Tim. It is soooo nice! I was a little spoiled I would say. But I'll still accept late gifts upon returning, no worries :)

The rest of the week was spent seeing some local sights (lakes, forests with nice berry-picking spots, and the outdoor swimming pool). I am proud and a little guilty to say I have enjoyed two Döners in about four days and loved every single bite. They sure do them well over this way...watch out Zaytoons. On Friday we spent the day in Köln where we made a trip to the Chocolate Museum (a little disappointed by the lack of free samples but was interesting nonetheless), walked along the Rhine, and saw the famous Köln Dome - a big church in the city center...which I didn't find very dome-like...interesting. Saturday was spent in Bonn at an outdoor music festival called Rhein kultur. It was really fun and it was FREE! I ate my first currywurst and lived to tell about it :)
This weekend has also included a lot of family visits and birthdays! I'm getting to know them quite well...even considering the obvious language barrier!

Today I am solo as Jan was called into work, which explains all the catching up and writing. We are spending the evening picking strawberries and then I am attempting to make Croque Monsieurs for the family! Tomorrow we are heading off to Eastern Germany for a bit of traveling then heading back in time to soak up a few more days here before flying back to Canada. Jan is waiting to hear more about visas before finalizing his return to Canada but the future looks very promising, although most likely consisting of a few tough patches along the way! He hopes to be back in Canada at least before my sister and Andy's wedding (thus November/December).

Enjoy the photos and more to come from week two of Germany later! Bis bald!

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