Advertisement
Published: September 26th 2007
The Giles Family and I
Me, Milde, Jason, and IanI appologize for my lack of blogs recently. I have been wrapped up in school, going out, and getting ready for my next adventure! But...lets catch up, shall we? Two weeks ago, I stayed in Cologne for the weekend, went to a wine festival on Sunday in Bonn that was very entertaining. They have a parade and the whole time, these people just pass out wine, free wine. Like the mayor of the town pours people free wine while sitting atop a convertible. Very entertaining and very dangerous, but fun!
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to have an invitation from my cousin Jason and him and his family to visit down in Stuttgart. I had been to Stuttgart once before, but I was 15 and it was merely a stop over in the train station with my mom to say hello to Jason. Jason works for a company that is contracted with the army, and has lived in Stuttgart for 10 yrs. His wife, Milde, is from Portugal and they have a 6 yr old son, Ian!
The trip got off to a rocky start at the train station. I am quickly loosing faith in the ever steady
Ian
Ian playing around! German Punctuality...I arrived to Cologne Hauptbahnhof to see that my train was running 10 min late, which was no big deal. Then the sign changed to 30 min late...and i though well that isn't fun. And then it changed to "Ein unbestimmt Zeit verspatt"....I was like...what does that mean? Well, apparently it means, they can't quite tell you how long its going to be, and that you better buckle down for the long haul. Then..it changed to "Train Cancelled". Well, I thought, thats nice, what do I do now? The train was also headed to the Frankfurt Airport and Munich (first weekend of Oktoberfest) so there weren't a lot of happy people on our platform. It all worked out though, I took the next ICE out of cologne to Mannheim and was lucky enough to grab a seat in the restaurant car and didn't have to stand for 2 hours. Then I changed trains in Mannheim and headed to Stuttgart (that train was about 30 min late) I watched many people on the train roll their eyes every time the conductor said "wir entschuldigung" (we appologize).
I finally arrived in Stuttgart about 2 hours late, and met Jason and
Downtown Stuttgart
The Platz downtown! Ian at the train station. We then went back to their house in a suburb of Stuttgart. I was so excited because they had made a fabulous dinner and I was able to have ice in my water and ranch dressing on my salad. Its funny how the little things that you can't find really make a difference! I had a nice time chatting with Jason, Milde and Ian and catching up on life, family, etc. Jason gets the Armed Forces TV network in his house, so it was really exciting to watch some real american TV!
Saturday we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed off to the American Army Bases! Ian told me all about the bases, the PX, and his school on base on the way to the first base. The first base had a large store called the PX, which basically looked like a Target! It was really exciting to look around at books and DVDs in English. I ended up buying a water cooker so that I can make my tea and such in Hamburg. Its been different not having a microwave and is not as easy to cook as in the states. We had
Grill
Jason firing up the grill! a quick snack and let Ian play in the large playscape that they have there. We then moved on to the other base, Patch. This base was really lively as it was Saturday and everyone was out playing sports. There was an american football game, I think High School, going on, kids were playing Tennis, etc. It was great seeing all the kids running around in their soccer uniforms. Just reminded me of home. We took Ian to the barbershop and then stopped in the fast food area for lunch. I can't even tell you how welcome it was to see Taco Bell haha. I enjoyed my first Taco Bell meal in years and had a very large Dr. Pepper with ICE. yes, I was really appreciating the free refills and ice. After that we went over to the commisary (grocery store) and went shopping. This was definitely a highlight for me. I got lots of fun american food and condiments that I can't find anywhere in the stores in Germany. I am hoping to have a Mexican Fiesta and cook enchiladas for my friends tomorrow or Friday.
We headed back to the house to put everything away and
Me
Enjoying the fabulous weather. Ian is a very good photographer! sit out and enjoy the weather. The sun was shining and it was, dare I say, a bit warm! We all sat outside and enjoyed a drink and talked with the neighbors. It was really nice to just enjoy some family time, watch the kids play, and talk. That night we got dressed and headed downtown to go to dinner. We ate at a nice Chineese restaurant and then walked around the city center a bit! Stuttgart really is a beautiful city and very international. I heard many people speaking in English and other languages around the area. We were all tired from the day and headed home, watched a little american tv and then went to sleep.
Sunday, Jason made pancakes! They were so good, and a fabulous way to wake up. Sunday was also an absolutely gorgeous day, and we enjoyed sitting outside again and taking it all in. Jason fired up the grill for lunch and cooked some rib-eye steaks, which are impossible to find anywhere in Germany except on base. Can you tell I thoroughly enjoyed the food this weekend!? We ate a wonderful lunch and then it was time for me to head out
Wine Fest in Bonn
At the wine fest in Bonn with some PPPlers...last weekend. for the train station. It was a pretty uneventful trip back. We did ride up the Rhein, which was beautiful because the leaves are starting to change. Looked very different from the trip that I made there a while back.
I sincerely thank the Giles for their hospitality, it was so nice to be around family and american things for a weekend. Makes me feel not so far away from home!
Im wrapping up things here in Cologne. I had my big written test today and tomorrow I have a short spoken test. The train people pick up my bags on Friday and I move to Hamburg on Monday. Can't believe that its already been 2 months and its time to head out to my next adventure! I am headed to Lille, France this weekend with a friend for a night to go Couch Surfing (my first time!) and then back on Sunday so that Im ready for my train on Monday! Next Friday I leave for Munich for Oktoberfest for the weekend, and then I believe I must start my classes at University! Im not without things to do, thats for sure!
Side Note: I am not sure what my internet connection is going to be like in Hamburg, that is, if I will have internet in my apartment. But I will locate an internet cafe if not and try to update with this weekend and the move.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.196s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 12; qc: 64; dbt: 0.0838s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Aunt Susie
non-member comment
too bad you aren't having any fun!!
I love getting your journal entries and are so glad you are having so much fun as well as learning so much. I wish I could speak in German but adios and hasta la vista baby is about all I can do. Love you Aunt Susie