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Published: November 1st 2008
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Hallo!
Well, I guess I just can't stay in one place for too long! I'd only been in Michigan for little over two months and already I'm traveling again! 😊 Actually I got my ticket for Germany last Spring while I was still in Honduras. My super-good friend, Beth, has been living in Germany and working as a veterinarian here since last Summer. She came down to visit me in Honduras last May, so I wanted to do the same for her. (really I'm just using it as another excuse to travel ... he he he. No, just kidding. The only reason I'm here is to see HER! ... and learn a bit of German) 😊
Being here is an incredible "twice-in-a-lifetime-opportunity"!!! My cross-cultural/cross-country traveling actually began 10 years ago in December of 1998 when I spent two and a half weeks in Germany with my brother Aaron. I was 15 and it was the first time I'd really been out of the U.S. (spending a couple days in Canada and an afternoon in Mexico don't really count). The fact that I actually had the chance to go to Europe; be in the places where Martin Luther lived, preached and translated the New Testament; climb a mountain and see the Alps; visit cathedrals hundreds of years old ... it was all unbelievably incredible for me! And now here I am again, 10 years later, is amazing! I LOVE IT!
Although I knew I'd be coming here months ago, it was surprising last weekend when I realized I was actually leaving in two days. But then, after going through the "oh-my-goodness-I'm-going-to-be-living-in-Honduras-practically-on-my-own-for-a-year-and-a-half" drama nearly two years ago, packing up to visit a friend in Germany for three weeks hardly even made me think twice. Tuesday morning, a couple hours before I left, I threw some jeans and sweatshirts into a bag and was set to go!
Everything went absolutely perfectly for the trip! The flight was about seven and a half hours. I slept a bit. By the last hour or so I was ready for some fresh air and to stretch my legs! But the service was wonderful! Customs and luggage in Frankfurt went fine. I was surprised at how easy costumes was. Wow! No paperwork to fill out, no checking my bag. Whew!
Beth had scheduled me to take the train from the airport to a town near her. I only had to ask a couple people in the airport in order to find where the train station was (thank goodness that everyone that works there speaks English!). I got to the station at 8 and my train left at 10:37 (they're very exact with their times). So I sat and read and people watched for a couple hours. It was also fun to eavesdrop on some German conversation and try to pick out any words that I knew or were familiar. I also was able to pick up on some cultural things, such as the polite "Guten Morgen" or "Morgen" greeting, and setting your money on a little "dish" when you buy something at a food stand. OH! And I re-learned the hard way that people drink soda water here. I was so thirsty by the time I got to the train station that I eagerly bought a bottle of water. There were two kinds. One was classic, one ... well, wasn't. So I bought the classic (with my cool-looking Euros that I got from the ATM), found a seat, and took a drink. YUCK! OK, so soda water isn't that bad, it's just different.
I got on my train perfectly fine and I really enjoyed the view as we rolled through the countryside. The weather here is similar to Michigan this time of year. The leaves are shades of yellow and red. It was cloudy and a bit rainy. But the air was very FRESH!
I switched trains in Würtzburg and was so proud of myself for getting on the right one! I showed my ticket to another lady on the train, just to make sure I had the right one. We compared tickets and decided all was in order. (She didn't speak English and my attempt at German was actually Spanish ... but it worked out.) 😊
It was another hour to Hassfurt where I was suppose to get off. I was a bit concerned about missing the stop, but a map helped me count the stops and I got off without a problem. And then there was BETH!!!! Whoo-hoo!!!
As she drove me to her house I loved passing through the little towns and by the fields. The fields look so tidy because some of them are so small. They grow some similar crops as we do in Michigan: corn, wheat, grasses for the cows. Germany is actually very agricultural. And the houses and towns were so Germanesque. I love the flower boxes in the windows, the brick, the wood ... And then the rolling hills (or mini mountains) covered with pine trees and spots of yellow and red from the autumn leaves. And there's such a stillness to everything here. The air is so peaceful and fresh!
I'm excited for the next 3 weeks here! The plan is to tag along with Beth on here farm runs, then take some holiday time next week to see some more of Germany. I'm just enjoying being with Beth and the chance to learn a bit more of Deutsch.
Hugs, smiles and love to all!
April
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anonymous
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Ha, ha! Soda water is nasty. I guess it's an aquired taste that I did not aquire. I remember being unpleasantly surprised to get that instead of regular water while in Ecuador. :) I made sure not to make the same mistake again!