31 July 2006
A Quick Note
Just a quick note to saz that Beth and I made it to Prague and our hostel without any hitches. We are both looking forward to seeing the sites today...And if there are any misspelling -especially y and z- please forgive me because I am working with a czeck kezboard that I think also encompasses a couple other languages.
26 July 2006
I ROCK
In case you were wondering...I Rock. I have now put up the last seven posts with a german menu and there have been no crashes. So, basically...I Rock.
Some fun pictures
The sky has done some amazing things since we've been here, but this was the best. We were headed south to Lorrach.
The girls were cooking Zuchini bread with chocolate chips. We also had home made mango ice cream later that day.
Oh How I Love Thee, IKEA
Today, Konstanze took Beth and I to the local IKEA store. WOW. We spent quite a while in there and could have spent even more. If there is one in England, I will try to get some of the stuff for my room there. It was even bigger than any Wal*Mart I’ve seen in the states and has a daycare area for the kids while the parents shop. We also saw a KFC, which was startling because we assume there will be McDonald’s everywhere (there are and they are more classy), but never would have thought that there would be a KFC here, especially since they are not doing very well in the states.
Lorrach and Basel (Germany and Switzerland)
So, the last two nights have been spent in Lörrach (pronounced in the only way a person who knows German could even start to guess), which is literally on the southern border of Germany right above Switzerland.
Konstanze, Beth, and I went down there on Sunday evening with Konstanze’s friend Melanie (also pronounced in a German way). On the way down, we got to see the Black Forrest, Lake Titisee (not what you think, but we definitely thought of it), and many beautiful country towns (including one I want Beth to move to so I can visit her).
Me, Konstanze, Melanie, and Beth
Beth's Town
During the full day we had down there, we took a train into Basel (Bauzelle), Switzerland. It was such a cute city and we had a bunch of fun. We saw (actually sat and put our feet into) the Rhine River, as well as, the all red city hall and the gothic cathedral. We also went to a bunch of very European shops, saw a bar named “don’t worry, be happy bar” (in English) and got Gelato on our way out of town. In all (between the three of us) we spent only 10 Euros in Switzerland, of which we are very proud. We even got to use the toilet for free!
Of Course, the Rhine River. It's actually pretty dirty, but it felt amazing on such a hot day (30+ degrees celsius)
A Knight Slaying a Dragon on the Gothic Cathedral. The spear actually goes all the way through the dragon!
The Bar.
I forgot to tell you guys that a few days ago at the main train station in Stuttgart we had to pay 50 Euro cents to use the toilets and there was even a turnstile to keep people who didn’t pay out.
I am now comfortable saying danke (thank you) and am slowly working on my German pronunciation. I can now recognize some numbers and next stop when I hear them, but I can read more words than I ever thought I would be possible. Although, I am far from being able to get by and hopefully Beth and I will be able to pool resources when we get to Austria.
Konstanze, Beth, and I went down there on Sunday evening with Konstanze’s friend Melanie (also pronounced in a German way). On the way down, we got to see the Black Forrest, Lake Titisee (not what you think, but we definitely thought of it), and many beautiful country towns (including one I want Beth to move to so I can visit her).
Me, Konstanze, Melanie, and Beth
Beth's Town
During the full day we had down there, we took a train into Basel (Bauzelle), Switzerland. It was such a cute city and we had a bunch of fun. We saw (actually sat and put our feet into) the Rhine River, as well as, the all red city hall and the gothic cathedral. We also went to a bunch of very European shops, saw a bar named “don’t worry, be happy bar” (in English) and got Gelato on our way out of town. In all (between the three of us) we spent only 10 Euros in Switzerland, of which we are very proud. We even got to use the toilet for free!
Of Course, the Rhine River. It's actually pretty dirty, but it felt amazing on such a hot day (30+ degrees celsius)
A Knight Slaying a Dragon on the Gothic Cathedral. The spear actually goes all the way through the dragon!
The Bar.
I forgot to tell you guys that a few days ago at the main train station in Stuttgart we had to pay 50 Euro cents to use the toilets and there was even a turnstile to keep people who didn’t pay out.
I am now comfortable saying danke (thank you) and am slowly working on my German pronunciation. I can now recognize some numbers and next stop when I hear them, but I can read more words than I ever thought I would be possible. Although, I am far from being able to get by and hopefully Beth and I will be able to pool resources when we get to Austria.
23 July 2006
July 22, 2006 Entry
This is at the art school in Stuttgart. It is a cube fountain with rectangular prism benches.
This is one of the squares in downtown Stuttgart. You can see the new palace straight past the fountain. This was our view while we had our picnic lunch.
On this day we went into Stuttgart and saw a toy store that has all the toys Beth used to play with as a kid. They are gorgeous and I will be buying them when I have kids. They are so well made and have amazing detail. We also got to see the shopping district, Saturday market, and indoor market. We also went to a sort of home furnishings store like Pier 1, except larger and better quality. We walked by the huge fish market that comes down from Hamburg once a year for a week and ate lunch near the modern art museum. This is also in the square with the old and new castle (which is still pretty old). We walked to the opera house and saw the trumpet-shaped music school, as well as, the neon painted art museum. We then went to see the Graff-Zeppelin Hotel, which is so grand that we whispered while we were standing in the lobby. We also went to the main train station and had to pay fifty Euro cents to go to the bathroom. We then headed to this little area in the hills that was designed in the early nineteen hundreds by the famous architects of the time to how people how modern housing could look. On the way there were happened upon an art school’s final exhibition. This was amazing! It was so neat to see all of the creativity and intricate detail. We then headed home to Altdorf. We made guacamole for dinner and watched Chacolat with Konstanze, Christiane, and Rosi. Beth and I learned a bit of German throughout the day and were so thankful to have Konstanze for a guide and translator. Beth and I will sorely miss her when we are in Austria.
Okay, this is the entry for July 21, 2006
This is a picture of a typical German Cemetary. Although, you have to give up the plot after 30yrs. to save space.
This is the renovated old town center of Altdorf. Isn't it beautiful?!
Beth and I slept in a bit (trying to catch up). We had a great breakfast and moseyed our way out the door. Konstanze then showed us around Altdorf. We went to see the city center which has been restored to look the way it did way back when and it’s gorgeous. We then happened upon a cemetery, which looked more like a garden park. It was so peaceful and such a place of life with all the plants and butterflies. I think our cemeteries should look like this. It’s such a beautiful way of honoring those who have passed on. We then visited the local mill, which has been in operation for the last five hundred years. All the locals go there to get their grains, beans, and pastas. Beth and I had a ton of fun trying to decipher the German names of everything. We got some flour for the onion bread we had for dinner that night. The onion bread was delicious and is a common dish in the southern part of Germany. We also showed off our German days of the week and numbers to Konstanze’s family at dinner that night. Her mother’s name in Rosi and she teaches English and Art at the local elementary school. Her father’s name if Hartmut (pronounced Hot-moot) and he works for IBM. Thankfully for Beth and I, they are amazing at speaking English. Konstanze’s sister’s name is Christiane and not only speaks English like a native-speaker, but is also fluent in Spanish. She is studying to be a lawyer.
Finally...a new post
Hi everyone-
1) Sorry I haven’t updated the blog since I left the country. It’s been a busy and crazy few days. I am going to backtrack a bit in this blog and will be a few days behind, but I hope I will catch up somewhere.
2) So, leaving the country. Beth and I were dropped off at the airport by her mother and brother, which was an adventure in itself. We got checked in and to our gate pretty much hitchless. We practiced our German days of the week and numbers while we waited for our plane to board. Once we were all boarded and almost ready to take off the captain came on the intercom and said that maintenance had found a discrepancy in their system check and needed to check it out, which would only take about fifteen minutes. So, we waited, then he came on again to tell us that there was something wrong with the backup (electronic) flap system that would need to be fixed before we took off and that should only be another twenty minutes or so. More than twenty minutes later he said it would be forty-five minutes to an hour or so. During this time Beth and I watched Girl with a Pearl Earring. Needless to say it was FOUR HOURS before we took off and we were stuck on the plane for this whole time. I was able to watch almost two movies before we took off. The flight was eight hours of restless sleep with some annoying passengers (two of which almost got in a fight) and some hilarious and kind flight attendants (the guys were a crack up!).
Landing in London not at eleven am, but at almost four pm. We rushed as fast as possible through customs, picking up our bags, and catching the Gatwick express to town. Forty-five minutes later we were in Victoria station with all my luggage for the six months plus our stuff for the month of traveling. Surprised that there wasn’t a lift (elevator) in this station, I had to quickly stow my luggage at the station for $22 until we could come back with less stuff and a sure place to store it for the month we are gone. It took at least another forty-five minutes for us to find the hostel, which did not have us on record for staying there and there seemed to be people living on top of each other. It was eight-thirty pm when we were finally settled enough to head back to get the bags. We found out that the sister hostel to the one we were staying in would store my bags for free, especially since we were coming back to the hostel in August. We weren’t back to the hostel until about midnight and it took us another hour and a half to figure out how to get to the train station the next morning in order to catch our flight to Stuttgart, which is when we realized that we needed to leave the hostel at about four in the morning.
We knew we couldn’t trust ourselves after not having slept for almost thirty-six hours to only sleep for three hours and get up in time to make our flight. So, we watched a bit of West Wing and then took turns sleeping for a half an hour each (which was all we got). We got to the train station and airport with relative ease (the bus system in London in ridiculously chaotic). If at all possible, avoid flying into or out of the Stansted airport (it’s a nightmare). We got on the flight to Stuttgart at eight am and were in Stuttgart at ten thirty am (they’re an hour ahead of London). Customs was easier here than London because we were visiting Konstanze and had her address. Konstanze met us at the airport to take us to her house in the town of Altdorf (which means old town in German). It was just about eleven am by this time and I went immediately to bed because it had been about forty-five hours of no sleep! I still can’t believe that all happened. It seems more like a distant nightmare than near reality. We made it and we are safe and having fun, which I will try to tell you about soon.
1) Sorry I haven’t updated the blog since I left the country. It’s been a busy and crazy few days. I am going to backtrack a bit in this blog and will be a few days behind, but I hope I will catch up somewhere.
2) So, leaving the country. Beth and I were dropped off at the airport by her mother and brother, which was an adventure in itself. We got checked in and to our gate pretty much hitchless. We practiced our German days of the week and numbers while we waited for our plane to board. Once we were all boarded and almost ready to take off the captain came on the intercom and said that maintenance had found a discrepancy in their system check and needed to check it out, which would only take about fifteen minutes. So, we waited, then he came on again to tell us that there was something wrong with the backup (electronic) flap system that would need to be fixed before we took off and that should only be another twenty minutes or so. More than twenty minutes later he said it would be forty-five minutes to an hour or so. During this time Beth and I watched Girl with a Pearl Earring. Needless to say it was FOUR HOURS before we took off and we were stuck on the plane for this whole time. I was able to watch almost two movies before we took off. The flight was eight hours of restless sleep with some annoying passengers (two of which almost got in a fight) and some hilarious and kind flight attendants (the guys were a crack up!).
Landing in London not at eleven am, but at almost four pm. We rushed as fast as possible through customs, picking up our bags, and catching the Gatwick express to town. Forty-five minutes later we were in Victoria station with all my luggage for the six months plus our stuff for the month of traveling. Surprised that there wasn’t a lift (elevator) in this station, I had to quickly stow my luggage at the station for $22 until we could come back with less stuff and a sure place to store it for the month we are gone. It took at least another forty-five minutes for us to find the hostel, which did not have us on record for staying there and there seemed to be people living on top of each other. It was eight-thirty pm when we were finally settled enough to head back to get the bags. We found out that the sister hostel to the one we were staying in would store my bags for free, especially since we were coming back to the hostel in August. We weren’t back to the hostel until about midnight and it took us another hour and a half to figure out how to get to the train station the next morning in order to catch our flight to Stuttgart, which is when we realized that we needed to leave the hostel at about four in the morning.
We knew we couldn’t trust ourselves after not having slept for almost thirty-six hours to only sleep for three hours and get up in time to make our flight. So, we watched a bit of West Wing and then took turns sleeping for a half an hour each (which was all we got). We got to the train station and airport with relative ease (the bus system in London in ridiculously chaotic). If at all possible, avoid flying into or out of the Stansted airport (it’s a nightmare). We got on the flight to Stuttgart at eight am and were in Stuttgart at ten thirty am (they’re an hour ahead of London). Customs was easier here than London because we were visiting Konstanze and had her address. Konstanze met us at the airport to take us to her house in the town of Altdorf (which means old town in German). It was just about eleven am by this time and I went immediately to bed because it had been about forty-five hours of no sleep! I still can’t believe that all happened. It seems more like a distant nightmare than near reality. We made it and we are safe and having fun, which I will try to tell you about soon.
18 July 2006
Southern Adventures
Since my last post, I have been introduced to the Tennessee cities of Hixson, Chattanooga, and Knoxville.
In Hixson I was able to run errands with Beth and her mother (Lou), including getting Traveler's Cheques for our month excursion. Later that night, Beth and I have an unwelcomed, creepy, crawly, flying visitor (aka Southern Cockroach) that we tried our best to demolish but were outsmarted or outsleuthed (I'm not sure which), but was found in the morning in the kitchen by her parents. Their house is full of boxes to the point that there is just enough room for people to walk around, but not much more. You could become completely invisible if you are behind the right pile of boxes and a room or two are not even accessible at all.
In Chattanooga, Beth and I got to visit the aquarium and see all sorts of sea animals. Random Fact: The aquarium in Chattanooga has the largest fresh water exhibit in the world. I got tons of great pictures and had a blast (I haven't been to an aquarium since I was in middle school)! One of the coolest things about the excursion is that we both got to pet sturgeon and sting rays. My favorite exhibits were the turtles and butterflies (I know, not a water animal). Some of the crysali looked like pure gold gems. We also got to go to this cute little shop across the Tennessee River (which is humongous by the way) and it was exactly like we were back in Eugene shopping. We got some cool beads that we are going to make into necklaces and whatnot while we have down time on our trip ;)
This is a chocolate chip starfish. Doesn't it look tasty? i get hungry every time I look at it!
This is a long neck turtle. It actually has to wrap it's neck sideways to curl up and go to sleep. We were both stunned when we first saw it.
One of the many brilliantly colored and designed butterflies that were incredibly difficult to photograph.
Beth and I then visited her grandparents, Daisy and Marcos (who are a very interesting Cuban couple). Daisy has more energy than any person I have ever known, including my grandmother (and those of you who know her are probably impressed). I am also impressed by the fact that I am a whole head taller than Daisy. I don't regularly feel like a giant! This was all a ton of fun, but we got a well-deserved rest on Sunday by just hanging around the house.
Here is Beth with her grandparents. Isn't Daisy adorable (and short).
Last night Beth's dad (Jim), Beth's brother (Alex), Beth, and I watched "Super Size Me." It was disgusting, but so good and educational and I think I might become a veggie now. I'll at least aspire to it in the next few months or years.
Today, Beth and I ran a bunch of errands around town and still need to do some of then even though it is almost 10:30 at night. It is undecided what we will be doing tomorrow until our flight leaves (10 pm). It could be touring Atlanta or visiting the aquarium in Atlanta (which is the largest in the world). So, until next time, Thanks for reading!
-Aubrey
P.S. I got to do the first cut of Beth's hair that she is donating to locks of love. So, now we have matching backpacks, shirts, and hair. I'm sure there's more, but I can't quick recall them all. Scary, Huh?
In Hixson I was able to run errands with Beth and her mother (Lou), including getting Traveler's Cheques for our month excursion. Later that night, Beth and I have an unwelcomed, creepy, crawly, flying visitor (aka Southern Cockroach) that we tried our best to demolish but were outsmarted or outsleuthed (I'm not sure which), but was found in the morning in the kitchen by her parents. Their house is full of boxes to the point that there is just enough room for people to walk around, but not much more. You could become completely invisible if you are behind the right pile of boxes and a room or two are not even accessible at all.
In Chattanooga, Beth and I got to visit the aquarium and see all sorts of sea animals. Random Fact: The aquarium in Chattanooga has the largest fresh water exhibit in the world. I got tons of great pictures and had a blast (I haven't been to an aquarium since I was in middle school)! One of the coolest things about the excursion is that we both got to pet sturgeon and sting rays. My favorite exhibits were the turtles and butterflies (I know, not a water animal). Some of the crysali looked like pure gold gems. We also got to go to this cute little shop across the Tennessee River (which is humongous by the way) and it was exactly like we were back in Eugene shopping. We got some cool beads that we are going to make into necklaces and whatnot while we have down time on our trip ;)
This is a chocolate chip starfish. Doesn't it look tasty? i get hungry every time I look at it!
This is a long neck turtle. It actually has to wrap it's neck sideways to curl up and go to sleep. We were both stunned when we first saw it.
One of the many brilliantly colored and designed butterflies that were incredibly difficult to photograph.
Beth and I then visited her grandparents, Daisy and Marcos (who are a very interesting Cuban couple). Daisy has more energy than any person I have ever known, including my grandmother (and those of you who know her are probably impressed). I am also impressed by the fact that I am a whole head taller than Daisy. I don't regularly feel like a giant! This was all a ton of fun, but we got a well-deserved rest on Sunday by just hanging around the house.
Here is Beth with her grandparents. Isn't Daisy adorable (and short).
Last night Beth's dad (Jim), Beth's brother (Alex), Beth, and I watched "Super Size Me." It was disgusting, but so good and educational and I think I might become a veggie now. I'll at least aspire to it in the next few months or years.
Today, Beth and I ran a bunch of errands around town and still need to do some of then even though it is almost 10:30 at night. It is undecided what we will be doing tomorrow until our flight leaves (10 pm). It could be touring Atlanta or visiting the aquarium in Atlanta (which is the largest in the world). So, until next time, Thanks for reading!
-Aubrey
P.S. I got to do the first cut of Beth's hair that she is donating to locks of love. So, now we have matching backpacks, shirts, and hair. I'm sure there's more, but I can't quick recall them all. Scary, Huh?
14 July 2006
Houston Airport
I thought this was so funny to walk by in the middle of an insanely busy and crowded airport. By the way, It is George Bush Sr. (which the airport is named after).
13 July 2006
I made it to Tennessee
Hello Again-
I am on my second day here in the south and it has been very, very busy so far. Beth picked me up at the Huntsville airport (which is incredibly small) and we went to lunch at the Cracker Barrel. I felt very out of place in my Yoga pants, Oregon Football teeshirt, and Teva Flip Flops. I changed though because my clothes felt like airplane recycled air. The food was amazing! You never have to worry about whether or not you will leave an eating establishment full when you are down here. We then hit the road again for an hour trip to Florence, Alabama. i helped Beth and her family finish moving from their house there. We finally got on the road to Chattanooga, Tennessee at about ten or eleven pm. We arrived in Chattanooga at about three thirty after a short stint of the uhaul not starting and a jumper cable run to Wal*Mart. I have been sleeping since then and we are about to head out to unload the truck and hopefully we will be done and I can rest off the rest of my jetlag. We'll see!!!!!
I am on my second day here in the south and it has been very, very busy so far. Beth picked me up at the Huntsville airport (which is incredibly small) and we went to lunch at the Cracker Barrel. I felt very out of place in my Yoga pants, Oregon Football teeshirt, and Teva Flip Flops. I changed though because my clothes felt like airplane recycled air. The food was amazing! You never have to worry about whether or not you will leave an eating establishment full when you are down here. We then hit the road again for an hour trip to Florence, Alabama. i helped Beth and her family finish moving from their house there. We finally got on the road to Chattanooga, Tennessee at about ten or eleven pm. We arrived in Chattanooga at about three thirty after a short stint of the uhaul not starting and a jumper cable run to Wal*Mart. I have been sleeping since then and we are about to head out to unload the truck and hopefully we will be done and I can rest off the rest of my jetlag. We'll see!!!!!
12 July 2006
On the Road (Sky Highway that is)
Hi all-
I am now at the Portland Airport. I have successfully made it through check-in and security (but I forgot to take off my shoes). I didn't go through the drug, poofy thing though (my roommates will know what I'm talking about). I am now waiting for the plane to arrive, to board it, and to fly to Houston for my four hour layover. I think I will now do a devotional for a while to hopefully get the adrenaline down. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. I can't wait to get to the European Continent.
-Aubrey
I am now at the Portland Airport. I have successfully made it through check-in and security (but I forgot to take off my shoes). I didn't go through the drug, poofy thing though (my roommates will know what I'm talking about). I am now waiting for the plane to arrive, to board it, and to fly to Houston for my four hour layover. I think I will now do a devotional for a while to hopefully get the adrenaline down. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. I can't wait to get to the European Continent.
-Aubrey
09 July 2006
Take a Deap Breath!
Hi all-
I thought you might enjoy a little anecdote of stress just before my trip. Yesterday (Friday), I realized that I had absolutely no clue where my passport, visa/work permit, and social security card (which were all together) were. I frantically called Beth (because she has one of my bags in Tennessee), but was not able to get ahold of her. Then I called Renee who is still living in our house and had her check some places, and no such luck. I also called some other people looking for phone numbers for Beth and rechecked all of my belongings here in Roseburg. I was at a loss. My Gramma ended up having most of Roseburg and part of Eugene on a prayer alert for this situation. I was becoming very annoyed by the end of last night because I couldn't remember anything about where I might have last left all these extremely important documents. I went to sleep (not very soundly) and then made some more frantic calls and text messages at about 6 am today. Finally, Beth got back to me to let me know she would look and not a half an hour later, she had found it!!!!!! Praise the Lord. What a weight to be lifted. The most important documents for the next seven months of my life were in limbo, but are now safely tucked away with Beth's important documents. I almost didn't get to go on this excursion, but by the grace of God I will be headed out early Wednesday morning. God always has to keep things spiced up a bit, it can't all be smooth sailing;) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little last minute stress. -Aubrey
I thought you might enjoy a little anecdote of stress just before my trip. Yesterday (Friday), I realized that I had absolutely no clue where my passport, visa/work permit, and social security card (which were all together) were. I frantically called Beth (because she has one of my bags in Tennessee), but was not able to get ahold of her. Then I called Renee who is still living in our house and had her check some places, and no such luck. I also called some other people looking for phone numbers for Beth and rechecked all of my belongings here in Roseburg. I was at a loss. My Gramma ended up having most of Roseburg and part of Eugene on a prayer alert for this situation. I was becoming very annoyed by the end of last night because I couldn't remember anything about where I might have last left all these extremely important documents. I went to sleep (not very soundly) and then made some more frantic calls and text messages at about 6 am today. Finally, Beth got back to me to let me know she would look and not a half an hour later, she had found it!!!!!! Praise the Lord. What a weight to be lifted. The most important documents for the next seven months of my life were in limbo, but are now safely tucked away with Beth's important documents. I almost didn't get to go on this excursion, but by the grace of God I will be headed out early Wednesday morning. God always has to keep things spiced up a bit, it can't all be smooth sailing;) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little last minute stress. -Aubrey
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