I am now home safe and sound in Tucson. It's not too hot here thankfully.
Tuesday was such a long day. I woke up at 5am Hamburg time and was at the airport by 6. Anne and I said our goodbyes and I went through security. Gosh what a joke. I didn't have to take off my shoes, or my hoodie. I felt kind of weird doing that and it makes you wonder what the Europeans are sending over the the States. They did feel compelled to take my pill splitter from my suitcase though. The TSA let it go through, but the Europeans didn't. Go figure. I was very lucky that the air traffic controller strike was called off at the last minute. Everything in the airport flowed smoothly. The flight to London was just over an hour and I was very disappointed in the "comfort" of my seat on the Lufthansa flight. There was practically no padding on it. It was as if I were sitting on a resin lounge chair. The flight was rather empty with hardly anyone on board. There was no one in the middle seat next to me, which was nice. I bet lots of people switched flights at the last minute. On board we got the standard service of beverages and was given a rasin roll or rasin bread. It was actually very good.
Coming into the Heathrow was pretty neat. I got to see most of the famous London landmarks from my seat. I even saw smoke from the riots that were going on there. Poor London. When I arrived at Heathrow it was a hike and half to get to my next terminal. I felt like I was walking forever and it's a good thing I had 3 hours to spare. I had to walk to a connection terminal and waited for a bus to pick us up to take us to Terminal 4 where the Continental flights departed from. Riding on the left side of the road was a bit freaky for me. It felt strange. I kept thinking we'd collide with someone. haha. We arrived at Terminal 4 after a 5 minute bus ride and I of course walked some more until I found civilization. Wow what a busy terminal! There were people from all over there. I immediately found some gifts for myself and mom, then grabbed a muffin and juice for breakfast. (yeah I just ate on the plane, but I was still hungry!). They did not release gate information for my 11:40 flight until 10:10 so I had plenty of time to browse around. There were a lot of high end shops there. I got to my gate and while I waited I watched BBC News. Of course they spoke of the riots, I feel so bad for them.
We finally boarded and I braced myself for a 10 hour flight. Unfortunately my seat was right in front of the bathroom, so it didn't recline too much. It was a full flight with lots of young (I mean under 5) children. One child cried for over 2 hours while I tried to sleep. When I woke up, she stopped. Then when I tried to sleep again, she started again. Ugh. We got fed about four times on this flight, it was crazy. Pretzels at first, then a meal (it was either chicken or Lasagna...I got the chicken. It was the same as my flight to Germany), then while I was napping they must have dropped off ice cream cups because I woke up to find one on my tray. About an hour before we landed they passed out Turkey tortilla wraps (they weren't bad). The stewardess at first gave me a veggie meal...no thanks! Cucumbers and tomato on bread does not fill this chick up! haha. I was getting stir crazy about 7 hours into the flight and there was 2-3 hours left. I think next time, I return to an east coast airport so I can get a break. Flying from London to Houston was just too much for me.
We landed around 4pm Houston time and my flight to Tucson started boarding at 5. I had to stand on line at customs and have them check my passport and what not, then I had to reclaim my suitcase and recheck it to be rescanned. I was in a panic because I know that airport is HUGE and I was afraid I wouldn't make it. Luckily my bag was waiting for me on the belt and I just had to hand it to some dude who rescreened it. I went upstairs and discovered I had to go through security again (ugh!), thankfully it was only for transferring passengers so the line wasn't too long. I had to then go to terminal C (I was in E or something like that), so I had to take the tram around. 3 minutes later I'm in my terminal and of course my gate is at the end of the hallway (just like last time). I got there about 10 to 5. And then I hear there is a mechanical issue and we'll be delayed a bit. AFter about 15 minutes we were told to board, I get checked in and start to walk to the plane and then we're just standing there. The pilot told us to go back inside. We sat and waited about 10 minutes more and then reboarded. There was an electrical/engine issue that was quickly resolved. I didn't hear the details, I was distracted at how tall our pilot was. haha. His head hit the ceiling on that little plane.
It was a 2 hour flight to Tucson and the flight wasn't even full. Sometimes they aren't and sometimes they are. There were maybe 25-30 people on the flight. We landed at 6:30 local time (3:30 am Hamburg time...the next day!), and I was surprised to see most of the airport closed down...as in no more flights for the day. I mean, at 6:30? Seesh. It took a few minutes for my luggage to arrive (don't know why...we were the only flight there! haha) and Johanna was there to take me home. I finally got to my apartment around 7:30 and immediately unpacked. That only took an hour.
It's good to be home, but scary to realize what lies ahead of me this semester.
Overall it was a great trip, it was great to be back in Deutschland after so many years to see how much things have changed. Cars have gotten bigger, SUVs are really popular there it seems. I was surprised about the "German rudeness" on the streets and at the wonderland museum. I was also surprised that I was able to understand so much after not speaking German for so long! It was great to see Anne's family again, and meet Peter's family. They are such a wonderful group of people. I made new friends and of course fell in love with my Patenkind (Godson). I miss my squirmy wormy Henry. :) I was exposed to a nude beach...which I never plan to return to again. hahaha. And I got to see more of "East" Germany and it's similarities to PA and the American Heartland. I hope to return again soon, hopefully it won't be another 14 years!
I am signing off on this blog, I hope you all enjoyed reading about my adventures as I enjoyed sharing them with you! Tschuss!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Last Day: August 8, 2011
I leave in a few hours, "hopefully." The German Air Traffic Controllers are threatening to strike from 6am till noon tomorrow. As of right now, everything is on schedule. I called Expedia and they contacted Lufthansa (whom I a flying out of Hamburg on) and they said everything is on schedule. I spoke to mom and dad this evening and dad said that the military has air traffic controllers, so perhaps they will step in should a strike go on. It's about 11:30 pm here at the moment and there is still no word on what will happen tomorrow. There was a hearing in Frankfurt at 1:30 pm and the court ruled that the controllers could strike. Then at 9pm the courts heard the appeal to block the strike from the government (I think). I'm not feeling well tonight, so this will be a brief entry.
Another rainy day today. It rained on and off and barely reached 65 today. We didn't do too much, stopped at a second hand shop, and then a mall just to walk around. I didn't buy too much and I think I'm down to about 3 Euros. haha. Pretty lame. Henry was quiet last night and so far this evening he's pretty quiet. His tooth finally broke the gum and it's slowly coming in. I've managed to get everything packed and I hope that my suitcase is under the limit. When they weighed the bag in Tucson it was 43lbs and in order to check it for free it should be under 50. I don't think I purchased 7lbs of things. haha. Or I at least hope not. Keep your fingers crossed.
If all goes well tomorrow I should arrive in Tucson at 6pm. I will not have internet on my 10 hour flight from London to Houston as I anticipated. I thought I was flying on a Lufthansa plane but it's actually operated by Continental and they don't have wifi. So it's 10 hours of semi-lame programming. Let's hope there's a better selection than the last flight. And let's hope I get some dissertation work done and some sleep. 10 hours is a long time.
I will do my best to update before I got to bed tomorrow. I hope Roger is happy to see me. See you tomorrow, Tucson!
Another rainy day today. It rained on and off and barely reached 65 today. We didn't do too much, stopped at a second hand shop, and then a mall just to walk around. I didn't buy too much and I think I'm down to about 3 Euros. haha. Pretty lame. Henry was quiet last night and so far this evening he's pretty quiet. His tooth finally broke the gum and it's slowly coming in. I've managed to get everything packed and I hope that my suitcase is under the limit. When they weighed the bag in Tucson it was 43lbs and in order to check it for free it should be under 50. I don't think I purchased 7lbs of things. haha. Or I at least hope not. Keep your fingers crossed.
If all goes well tomorrow I should arrive in Tucson at 6pm. I will not have internet on my 10 hour flight from London to Houston as I anticipated. I thought I was flying on a Lufthansa plane but it's actually operated by Continental and they don't have wifi. So it's 10 hours of semi-lame programming. Let's hope there's a better selection than the last flight. And let's hope I get some dissertation work done and some sleep. 10 hours is a long time.
I will do my best to update before I got to bed tomorrow. I hope Roger is happy to see me. See you tomorrow, Tucson!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Day Thirteen: August 7, 2011
My second to last day. It's bittersweet. Will of course miss everyone here, but also will be happy to be home and see my Tucson pals. I've missed the desert and the monsoons. Rain here just isn't the same as a monsoon storm. I'm also excited and scared to start this semester
I enjoyed my time in Rostock and Schwerin. Eastern Germany--although in a united country--is like another world. It's starting to build up again. Anne said they pay 20 Euros a month in taxes out of their paychecks to help rebuild the Eastern portion of the country. After 20+ years that's a lot of money.Last night just as I was ready to go to sleep it started to pour buckets, it was insane. I popped a second melatonin and that was the last thing I remembered. I slept well. haha. This morning we cleaned up Isabelle's apartment, did some laundry and packed the car. We hit the road about 1pm and were back in Hamburg by 3. The ride back was good. Spotted some Swiss and Italian license plates. When we got back into HH (Hamburg) we stopped for something to eat. I'm proud to say that I ordered my food all by myself. Although the waitress didn't understand me at first. Figures. We came home and unpacked and I managed to get most of my belongings situated in my suitcase and backpack. I gave mom a call since I was unable to do so for the past few days.
Around 6pm Anne and I took the train into the city to meet up with here sister and her sister's friend. We stopped and had a drink at one of the bars in the "hip area" of the city. We had a good time. Anne was busy teasing her sister and wound up breaking her wine glass. haha. She behaved after that. The girls wanted to take me to the Reeperbahn after our drinks since when I was here in 97 we only drove past it. For those that don't know, the Reeperbahn is a street with many sex shops and other "interesting things". Think Times Square in the 70s. As we were waiting for our train to the Reeperbahn we spotted a shady looking drunk dude sitting down that had a hard time getting up. He got up and hopped on his train. But then we noticed a 7" knife on the ground. It was like a Crocodile Dundee knife. Anne called security and we waiting for them to come take it. We were afraid that some drunk would spot it and then stab someone. When the security guys came their faces were priceless. ha. We caught the next train and were on our way. When we arrived, we stopped in a "boutique" and had a few good laughs. There were some interesting and yet frightening things there. I'll spare you the details. :)
And here I am, getting ready for bed in Anne & Peter's apartment. Let's hope Henry is quiet tonight. Tomorrow's my last day. I think we're going to stay local. It's supposed to rain, so we'll see what we get done.
Three posts in one day...wow. I suppose I'm making up for my missed time!
I enjoyed my time in Rostock and Schwerin. Eastern Germany--although in a united country--is like another world. It's starting to build up again. Anne said they pay 20 Euros a month in taxes out of their paychecks to help rebuild the Eastern portion of the country. After 20+ years that's a lot of money.Last night just as I was ready to go to sleep it started to pour buckets, it was insane. I popped a second melatonin and that was the last thing I remembered. I slept well. haha. This morning we cleaned up Isabelle's apartment, did some laundry and packed the car. We hit the road about 1pm and were back in Hamburg by 3. The ride back was good. Spotted some Swiss and Italian license plates. When we got back into HH (Hamburg) we stopped for something to eat. I'm proud to say that I ordered my food all by myself. Although the waitress didn't understand me at first. Figures. We came home and unpacked and I managed to get most of my belongings situated in my suitcase and backpack. I gave mom a call since I was unable to do so for the past few days.
Around 6pm Anne and I took the train into the city to meet up with here sister and her sister's friend. We stopped and had a drink at one of the bars in the "hip area" of the city. We had a good time. Anne was busy teasing her sister and wound up breaking her wine glass. haha. She behaved after that. The girls wanted to take me to the Reeperbahn after our drinks since when I was here in 97 we only drove past it. For those that don't know, the Reeperbahn is a street with many sex shops and other "interesting things". Think Times Square in the 70s. As we were waiting for our train to the Reeperbahn we spotted a shady looking drunk dude sitting down that had a hard time getting up. He got up and hopped on his train. But then we noticed a 7" knife on the ground. It was like a Crocodile Dundee knife. Anne called security and we waiting for them to come take it. We were afraid that some drunk would spot it and then stab someone. When the security guys came their faces were priceless. ha. We caught the next train and were on our way. When we arrived, we stopped in a "boutique" and had a few good laughs. There were some interesting and yet frightening things there. I'll spare you the details. :)
And here I am, getting ready for bed in Anne & Peter's apartment. Let's hope Henry is quiet tonight. Tomorrow's my last day. I think we're going to stay local. It's supposed to rain, so we'll see what we get done.
Three posts in one day...wow. I suppose I'm making up for my missed time!
The Rostock Diaries: Days Eleven & Twelve
Day Eleven: Friday August 5, 2011
It was a bit rainy today, but we didn’t let that dampen our plans. We started the day with brunch at a local strawberry farm called Karl’s. It was about a 20-minute ride from us. They had brunch for 2,50 Euros. It consisted of two rolls, or two slices of bread, two little cups of either Nutella, butter, or fresh strawberry jam, tea or coffee, and of course the traditional German cold cuts and cheese. Well, I thought that wasn’t filling enough for me so I grabbed some scrambled eggs and had toast, jam, Nutella, and the tea. The jam was amazing. This was also my first time using a tea strainer. I had no clue what to do, but I suppose I got it. Haha. The store was HUGE. It was like a German Cracker Barrel. They had so many tea pots in the store on display and it turns out they hold the 2009 Guinness World Record for the most tea pots (I’m not sure how many, but I can bet you there are at least a thousand). After breakfast we walked around the store and outside in the kiddie area. They had rides, a petting zoo, and a corn maze. It was like I was back home on LI out east at Lewins Farm or some Windy Acres…only filled with Germans…? It was nice though.
After that we took a trip to downtown Rostock. First we hit a traffic jam due to traffic. We must’ve sat in it for at least 10-15 minutes. It must’ve been backed up a mile or so. We found parking and walked around the main street that had a bunch of shops. I didn’t buy anything, but it was nice to look around and sight see. It rained a bit harder, so we stopped in Burger King for lunch (not our first choice…McDonald’s was packed and there was no place to sit…it’s that German “rudeness” I spoke of before. Nobody offered their seats for us and the stroller). By the time we were done eating the rain had stopped. It was very muggy today but not too hot (not the Tucson sauna that we experience after it rains!). We walked around a bit more, saw a “mime” dressed in “Mozart clothes”…Peter said he’s lazy…stands and does nothing all day and gets money. Haha. I didn’t give any money. We also stopped in one of the nearby churches (St. Mary’s). We saw it from the road and it was right by where we were shopping. It was huge. We went in and I was astonished at the size of it inside. It was under renovation inside. I walked around a bit then turned around and I noticed the organ. HOLY COW! Wait to till you see the size of it! They have organ music for a half hour every Wednesday evening. Too bad we missed it. I think this church’s organ is bigger than the St. Michal Church in Hamburg. It’s also eerie looking because it’s painted green.
One thing I have to express is my shock of the amount of smokers there are here. Or that it’s just more noticeable since they can smoke in public here. Not in the mall or restaurant, but they’re all over the sidewalks and the beach. They smoke around babies and children it’s gross. I’m so glad my parents quit. Ok my rant there is done. After 2-3 hours of walking around Rostock we came home and of course the stupid sun comes out. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and sunny, but a bit cooler. I believe we are visiting Peter’s sister and her fiancé at his new apartment in Schwerin. There’s a castle there that they are getting married at next month that we may visit. That should be fun!
Day Twelve: Saturday August 6, 2011
I’m tired today, not sure why. I slept well the night before, and Henry was quiet. I was very slow moving this morning. I think I got in the shower around 10, finally was done and had breakfast by 10:30-10:45. We didn’t leave until around 11:30-12 to head to Schwerin. It was a nice drive there with a few drops of rain. It was sunny and warm when we arrived around 1 or so. Jens’ (Isabelle’s fiancé) apartment is huge and really, really nice. Tall ceilings and big rooms and even a terrace. They have a lovely view of a church steeple (I bet it’s hundreds of years old) from their living room. The view from the terrace isn’t that great at the moment since the surrounding buildings are being renovated on the exterior so it is currently filled with dirt and crumpled concrete. Their building is centrally located between the castle and the mall. Strange configuration huh? New and old? Or maybe old and new?
That aside, after a brief tour of the apartment, Anne, Isabelle, Henry and I went to the mall. Anne wanted to check out a children’s store for some things for Henry. Sadly she was unsuccessful. Too many things for girls. Henry can’t wear dresses. So we walked around on all levels and browsed. As we reached the third floor I looked up and saw it was pouring rain…the sun was just out when we entered the mall. It looked like someone was aiming a hose on the roof it was coming down in buckets. We stopped in a store and came out and looked up again because it was so loud to see it was hailing (I think it was about nickel sized). Who thought it hailed here? Not more than 10 minutes later it was done and the sun was out. Just like Tucson. We stopped for lunch (McD’s….I was craving a burger…sad.) Then we walked to the castle. It was bout a 10 minute walk. As we walked through town I spotted a bride and groom getting their picture taken. I took their picture too. It was very pretty.
I felt as if I were in Disney World. The castle is on an island in a lake. It’s beautiful. Jens and Isabelle are getting married there in about 6 weeks or so. She gave Anne and a mini tour of where her celebrations will be. After we walked through it’s gardens and took some pictures we stopped inside to get a pamphlet for information. Turns out the castle—which was built in a Renaissance style—was only built in the mid 19th Century. That killed the fascination for me a little. Haha. It now is a museum, restaurant, and houses the state’s parliament; the city is the state capitol.
We went back to Isabelle’s apartment, and then later returned to the gardens with Peter and Jens to show Peter where they are getting married and to walk around a little. First we browsed through a renaissance festival they were having in front of the castle. Nothing to write home about, but it was cute. I had Anne take my picture with Henry in front of the castle. Suddenly, a dude dressed as Elvis in all gold came up and was selling junk. I didn’t understand what was going on then Anne told me it was a bachelor party. Apparently they drag the groom to be around town to sell things. Poor Elvis had a ball and chain on him. As we walked around some more, there was another bachelor party. This time the men were dressed as doctors, but they were doing the same thing. Selling stuff. I suppose that’s better than going to Vegas for a weekend.
We headed back to the apartment again so Peter can have dinner and suddenly it started to pour buckets again. We waited for it to calm down and headed to the car. As we were driving back to Rostock we got stuck is several down pours. No Rain-X on the windshield made it difficult to see. And the Autobahns only have white lines on the road, no yellow line or reflectors, so it’s difficult to see even in the evening rain. As we reached Rostock, the rain calmed down enough for us to get out of the car without getting soaked. It’s nearly midnight now and it’s still thundering a bit. The rain has stopped at the moment. This is my first full on German thunderstorm. It seems different to me, I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m not in the desert. The lightening was mostly in the clouds (there were some ground strikes) and the thunder sounds different. Could it be because I’m at a lower altitude? Or do those Tucson Monsoons just have a special feeling to them?
Let’s hope I get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow we are heading back to Hamburg and in the evening Anne and I are meeting her sister Sonja for a drink somewhere in the city. Funds are running low (I have about 10 Euros left! Haha), I better get a cheap drink.
It was a bit rainy today, but we didn’t let that dampen our plans. We started the day with brunch at a local strawberry farm called Karl’s. It was about a 20-minute ride from us. They had brunch for 2,50 Euros. It consisted of two rolls, or two slices of bread, two little cups of either Nutella, butter, or fresh strawberry jam, tea or coffee, and of course the traditional German cold cuts and cheese. Well, I thought that wasn’t filling enough for me so I grabbed some scrambled eggs and had toast, jam, Nutella, and the tea. The jam was amazing. This was also my first time using a tea strainer. I had no clue what to do, but I suppose I got it. Haha. The store was HUGE. It was like a German Cracker Barrel. They had so many tea pots in the store on display and it turns out they hold the 2009 Guinness World Record for the most tea pots (I’m not sure how many, but I can bet you there are at least a thousand). After breakfast we walked around the store and outside in the kiddie area. They had rides, a petting zoo, and a corn maze. It was like I was back home on LI out east at Lewins Farm or some Windy Acres…only filled with Germans…? It was nice though.
After that we took a trip to downtown Rostock. First we hit a traffic jam due to traffic. We must’ve sat in it for at least 10-15 minutes. It must’ve been backed up a mile or so. We found parking and walked around the main street that had a bunch of shops. I didn’t buy anything, but it was nice to look around and sight see. It rained a bit harder, so we stopped in Burger King for lunch (not our first choice…McDonald’s was packed and there was no place to sit…it’s that German “rudeness” I spoke of before. Nobody offered their seats for us and the stroller). By the time we were done eating the rain had stopped. It was very muggy today but not too hot (not the Tucson sauna that we experience after it rains!). We walked around a bit more, saw a “mime” dressed in “Mozart clothes”…Peter said he’s lazy…stands and does nothing all day and gets money. Haha. I didn’t give any money. We also stopped in one of the nearby churches (St. Mary’s). We saw it from the road and it was right by where we were shopping. It was huge. We went in and I was astonished at the size of it inside. It was under renovation inside. I walked around a bit then turned around and I noticed the organ. HOLY COW! Wait to till you see the size of it! They have organ music for a half hour every Wednesday evening. Too bad we missed it. I think this church’s organ is bigger than the St. Michal Church in Hamburg. It’s also eerie looking because it’s painted green.
One thing I have to express is my shock of the amount of smokers there are here. Or that it’s just more noticeable since they can smoke in public here. Not in the mall or restaurant, but they’re all over the sidewalks and the beach. They smoke around babies and children it’s gross. I’m so glad my parents quit. Ok my rant there is done. After 2-3 hours of walking around Rostock we came home and of course the stupid sun comes out. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and sunny, but a bit cooler. I believe we are visiting Peter’s sister and her fiancé at his new apartment in Schwerin. There’s a castle there that they are getting married at next month that we may visit. That should be fun!
Day Twelve: Saturday August 6, 2011
I’m tired today, not sure why. I slept well the night before, and Henry was quiet. I was very slow moving this morning. I think I got in the shower around 10, finally was done and had breakfast by 10:30-10:45. We didn’t leave until around 11:30-12 to head to Schwerin. It was a nice drive there with a few drops of rain. It was sunny and warm when we arrived around 1 or so. Jens’ (Isabelle’s fiancé) apartment is huge and really, really nice. Tall ceilings and big rooms and even a terrace. They have a lovely view of a church steeple (I bet it’s hundreds of years old) from their living room. The view from the terrace isn’t that great at the moment since the surrounding buildings are being renovated on the exterior so it is currently filled with dirt and crumpled concrete. Their building is centrally located between the castle and the mall. Strange configuration huh? New and old? Or maybe old and new?
That aside, after a brief tour of the apartment, Anne, Isabelle, Henry and I went to the mall. Anne wanted to check out a children’s store for some things for Henry. Sadly she was unsuccessful. Too many things for girls. Henry can’t wear dresses. So we walked around on all levels and browsed. As we reached the third floor I looked up and saw it was pouring rain…the sun was just out when we entered the mall. It looked like someone was aiming a hose on the roof it was coming down in buckets. We stopped in a store and came out and looked up again because it was so loud to see it was hailing (I think it was about nickel sized). Who thought it hailed here? Not more than 10 minutes later it was done and the sun was out. Just like Tucson. We stopped for lunch (McD’s….I was craving a burger…sad.) Then we walked to the castle. It was bout a 10 minute walk. As we walked through town I spotted a bride and groom getting their picture taken. I took their picture too. It was very pretty.
I felt as if I were in Disney World. The castle is on an island in a lake. It’s beautiful. Jens and Isabelle are getting married there in about 6 weeks or so. She gave Anne and a mini tour of where her celebrations will be. After we walked through it’s gardens and took some pictures we stopped inside to get a pamphlet for information. Turns out the castle—which was built in a Renaissance style—was only built in the mid 19th Century. That killed the fascination for me a little. Haha. It now is a museum, restaurant, and houses the state’s parliament; the city is the state capitol.
We went back to Isabelle’s apartment, and then later returned to the gardens with Peter and Jens to show Peter where they are getting married and to walk around a little. First we browsed through a renaissance festival they were having in front of the castle. Nothing to write home about, but it was cute. I had Anne take my picture with Henry in front of the castle. Suddenly, a dude dressed as Elvis in all gold came up and was selling junk. I didn’t understand what was going on then Anne told me it was a bachelor party. Apparently they drag the groom to be around town to sell things. Poor Elvis had a ball and chain on him. As we walked around some more, there was another bachelor party. This time the men were dressed as doctors, but they were doing the same thing. Selling stuff. I suppose that’s better than going to Vegas for a weekend.
We headed back to the apartment again so Peter can have dinner and suddenly it started to pour buckets again. We waited for it to calm down and headed to the car. As we were driving back to Rostock we got stuck is several down pours. No Rain-X on the windshield made it difficult to see. And the Autobahns only have white lines on the road, no yellow line or reflectors, so it’s difficult to see even in the evening rain. As we reached Rostock, the rain calmed down enough for us to get out of the car without getting soaked. It’s nearly midnight now and it’s still thundering a bit. The rain has stopped at the moment. This is my first full on German thunderstorm. It seems different to me, I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m not in the desert. The lightening was mostly in the clouds (there were some ground strikes) and the thunder sounds different. Could it be because I’m at a lower altitude? Or do those Tucson Monsoons just have a special feeling to them?
Let’s hope I get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow we are heading back to Hamburg and in the evening Anne and I are meeting her sister Sonja for a drink somewhere in the city. Funds are running low (I have about 10 Euros left! Haha), I better get a cheap drink.
The Rostock Diaries: Days Nine & Ten
Hello everyone! Yes, I’m alive. I just returned from Rostock. We had no luck with the internet connection where we were staying. But I of course wrote my day-to-day events for you! It will be a long entry as it covers the past five days. Enjoy!!
Day Nine: Wednesday August 3, 2011
Greetings from Rostock! We are staying here until Sunday in Peter’s sister’s apartment. She’s attending school here (studying to be a Pediatrician). Her apartment is very nice. It certainly cries out “Eastern Europe” here. Anne and I both feel like we’re in another country. It’s completely different than Hamburg or “Western Germany.” There are streetcars (I hope Tucson doesn’t look like this when the downtown street car is done) and the apartment buildings look “old” (It definitely reminds me of East Berlin back in 97) on the outside but have been painted to look more modern. Besides Berlin, this is my only other time in “East” Germany. It’s very different here, but it seems like a nice city. It’s also a college town but I’ve yet to see the campus. They really don’t feel like they’re split anymore, but they have the same mentality that we Northeasterners do about the South. Haha.
This morning we checked out of my guest apartment (I cleaned it up nicely) and I brought my stuff to Anne & Peter’s apartment. I still have items that I have to pack in my suitcase (I’ll worry about it on Monday) So I have several bags of things hanging around there. They spent a few hours packing their things and Henry’s. We hit the road around 1-1:30 and drove for two hours here. It was a beautiful ride. There is nothing but rolling farmland between Hamburg and Rostock. Open fields with green trees and grass. I felt as if I were in southern PA. Very beautiful. I spotted license plates from Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands (so far to date I’ve seen those listed, plates from France, Poland, Austria, and Denmark). After we arrived, we went shopping for dinner and came back and ate. Henry is currently asleep (has been for about 3 hours). He’s been yawning all day long and even slept for the entire ride out here. Poor baby has had a busy week.
Day Ten: Thursday August 4, 2011
Henry was quiet for most of the night from what I experienced. I only heard him once and it was around 5 am. I woke up a little after 8 am, Anne told me Henry was up for most of the night crawling around his crib and was restless. I heard nothing. Peter made breakfast (scrambled eggs, they were really good), and Henry took a nap. Since the sun was out we decided to go to the beach. It was about a 20-25 minute drive to the town. It was a cute beach town with the typical shops. Anne noticed a few Nazi posters around and we go to talking about the neo Nazi movement and suddenly we found ourselves driving down Richard Wagner Street. Ironic, no? hahaha. I may have been the only one in the car that got that.
There was a cruise ship docked in town, I didn’t get a closer look at it, but it was huge (and pretty). We tried to find an inexpensive parking space. One garage charged 2 Euros for the first hour then 4 for the second hour….that’s NUTS. We found a lot and it was only 1,50 Euros for 2.5 hours. Not bad. Only thing was the beach was partial nude beach. We really didn’t want to go to a nude beach, but after walking for about a half hour, it seemed we had no choice. We had some lunch at a little beach stand and they fed Henry and walked back to the car to get ready for some beach time. It was amusing to hear the two of them complain about wearing flip flops for about an hour. They’re not used to them. They would stop whenever they got a rock in their shoe. Meanwhile, I was a mile ahead of them. Ha!
We found a spot on the quasi-nude beach and stayed for a bout 45 minutes or so. The water of the (Baltic Sea) was freezing, I don’t know how anyone could swim in it (let alone be nude in it! Haha). The beach was a bit a rocky (more than North Shore LI beaches!), and of course there were some nudies (young and old), believe me there was no eye candy. Haha. I saw a license plate in the parking lot from what I may assume is Bulgaria. It had “BY” on it and had a Red and Green flag on it. We got stuck in a little traffic jam on the way home due to a fallen tree blocking the road (that and of course the Fire Dept. and Police cars in the way too). But we are now home and soon will be having dinner. Peter is making Lasagna, it looks and smells like Ziti, but they call it Lasagna. Anne, Henry and I made a quick stop to the grocery store for some dessert and odds and ends. We are all tired. Salt air sure makes one tired.
Day Nine: Wednesday August 3, 2011
Greetings from Rostock! We are staying here until Sunday in Peter’s sister’s apartment. She’s attending school here (studying to be a Pediatrician). Her apartment is very nice. It certainly cries out “Eastern Europe” here. Anne and I both feel like we’re in another country. It’s completely different than Hamburg or “Western Germany.” There are streetcars (I hope Tucson doesn’t look like this when the downtown street car is done) and the apartment buildings look “old” (It definitely reminds me of East Berlin back in 97) on the outside but have been painted to look more modern. Besides Berlin, this is my only other time in “East” Germany. It’s very different here, but it seems like a nice city. It’s also a college town but I’ve yet to see the campus. They really don’t feel like they’re split anymore, but they have the same mentality that we Northeasterners do about the South. Haha.
This morning we checked out of my guest apartment (I cleaned it up nicely) and I brought my stuff to Anne & Peter’s apartment. I still have items that I have to pack in my suitcase (I’ll worry about it on Monday) So I have several bags of things hanging around there. They spent a few hours packing their things and Henry’s. We hit the road around 1-1:30 and drove for two hours here. It was a beautiful ride. There is nothing but rolling farmland between Hamburg and Rostock. Open fields with green trees and grass. I felt as if I were in southern PA. Very beautiful. I spotted license plates from Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands (so far to date I’ve seen those listed, plates from France, Poland, Austria, and Denmark). After we arrived, we went shopping for dinner and came back and ate. Henry is currently asleep (has been for about 3 hours). He’s been yawning all day long and even slept for the entire ride out here. Poor baby has had a busy week.
Day Ten: Thursday August 4, 2011
Henry was quiet for most of the night from what I experienced. I only heard him once and it was around 5 am. I woke up a little after 8 am, Anne told me Henry was up for most of the night crawling around his crib and was restless. I heard nothing. Peter made breakfast (scrambled eggs, they were really good), and Henry took a nap. Since the sun was out we decided to go to the beach. It was about a 20-25 minute drive to the town. It was a cute beach town with the typical shops. Anne noticed a few Nazi posters around and we go to talking about the neo Nazi movement and suddenly we found ourselves driving down Richard Wagner Street. Ironic, no? hahaha. I may have been the only one in the car that got that.
There was a cruise ship docked in town, I didn’t get a closer look at it, but it was huge (and pretty). We tried to find an inexpensive parking space. One garage charged 2 Euros for the first hour then 4 for the second hour….that’s NUTS. We found a lot and it was only 1,50 Euros for 2.5 hours. Not bad. Only thing was the beach was partial nude beach. We really didn’t want to go to a nude beach, but after walking for about a half hour, it seemed we had no choice. We had some lunch at a little beach stand and they fed Henry and walked back to the car to get ready for some beach time. It was amusing to hear the two of them complain about wearing flip flops for about an hour. They’re not used to them. They would stop whenever they got a rock in their shoe. Meanwhile, I was a mile ahead of them. Ha!
We found a spot on the quasi-nude beach and stayed for a bout 45 minutes or so. The water of the (Baltic Sea) was freezing, I don’t know how anyone could swim in it (let alone be nude in it! Haha). The beach was a bit a rocky (more than North Shore LI beaches!), and of course there were some nudies (young and old), believe me there was no eye candy. Haha. I saw a license plate in the parking lot from what I may assume is Bulgaria. It had “BY” on it and had a Red and Green flag on it. We got stuck in a little traffic jam on the way home due to a fallen tree blocking the road (that and of course the Fire Dept. and Police cars in the way too). But we are now home and soon will be having dinner. Peter is making Lasagna, it looks and smells like Ziti, but they call it Lasagna. Anne, Henry and I made a quick stop to the grocery store for some dessert and odds and ends. We are all tired. Salt air sure makes one tired.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Day Eight: August 2, 2011
I am doing a post this evening since I am not sure if we will have internet where we are going for the weekend. Tomorrow (Wed) we are headed to Rostock to say at Peter's sister's apartment. Rostock is about 2 hours east of Hamburg on the Baltic Sea. We will stay there until Sunday.
This afternoon we went to the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg. We took the highway (what they call the Autobahn....see the Autobahn is not one particular road and no we didn't go 200 mph. There was a lot of traffic this afternoon. It was like driving in Queens). It was Henry's first time at the zoo and he seemed to enjoy what he saw of it. He napped a bit but did watch the elephants and geese. It was a well kept zoo. All the animals were cared for and seemed happy. The elephants were allowed to be fed by the visitors and if they were given a coin the elephants gave the coin to the zookeepers behind them. There were a lot of interns there learning how to care for the animals. It was a lovely day today for the zoo. In the mid to upper 70s and sunny. There were some interesting animals there, but what really made me laugh was a Guinea Pig enclousure. Yes that's right. They had guinea pigs at the zoo. They had them set up in a little village with a barn, a church, and other cute buildings.
It's a rather short entry today, I have a bit of a headache so I don't have too much to say. But it was a nice afternoon. Tonight is my last night in my little apartment. I will stay in Anne & Peter's apartment on Sunday and Monday night.
Maybe I will update tomorrow? We shall see. I must go keep an eye on Henry now while Anne tidies up the kitchen.
Day Seven: August 1, 2011
A week has gone by since I departed Tucson. And tomorrow will be one week since my arrival. It’s gone by fast. I have exactly one week left.
I had a slow start to the day today. I was so tired from yesterday’s festivities. Poor Anne & Peter had a short night’s sleep yet again. Henry woke up pretty early from what she told me. The three of us had planned to go to the Miniature Wunderland Museum (get website) in the city, but Peter’s mom had too many kids today (she baby sits). So Peter stayed in with Henry and Anne and I went. When she and I arrived to the city we had to catch a bus from the Rathaus (city hall). We waited for the bus, and the sign said it was coming. I saw it behind another bus and we both assumed it would pull up once the tourist bus left—but no. It totally left. So we had to wait about 10 minutes. So we walked to the St. Petri church to pass the time. What a pretty church. I have a soft spot for Gothic architecture and this was just that inside. Wait until you see the pictures. We left and started to head back to the bus stop across the street and there was the dang bus. We had to run like the wind to catch it and we did just in time. One stop later we got off (believe me the stop wasn’t exactly in short walking distance), and we walked over to the museum.
The Wunderland museum is basically a large setting of HO model trains set up as different countries. They had the western US, Austria, Germany (of course), the city of Hamburg and even the airport, Scandinavia, Denmark, & Switzerland. There was so much detail! You can change the “mood” of the rooms (day or night) so you can see the city lights. They had cars driving up and down the roads, boats moving on their own in water, and the Kennedy Space Center with our now non-existent shuttle program taking off. I believe they have plans to have the planes take off on the airport runway. There were rock concerts with thousands of people placed in attendance, a carnival, a nude beach (yes, that’s right), and my favorite was the little welders in the shipyard. The torches actually lit up. I took movies for my father who is a train nut. Hopefully I will get some of those movies up on here when I come home. The place was very busy and for some reason German people don’t say “excuse me” when they need to get by. They just push their way through. I noticed the way they walk on sidewalks here in the city….anywhere they want. At home we of course have the right side of the road rule (yes they drive on the right here), maybe it’s our Elementary school upbringing that makes us do this. But in NYC you walk on the right. That was a bit unnerving to deal with. There were two people in wheelchairs and people just walked around them like it was nothing. They didn’t wait to let them through or anything. Anne and I got stuck in a corner in the Scandinavia section. She told me to just push people and I couldn’t do it. You do that in the States and forget it! Haha. We got through in about 2 hours or so. She said when it’s not so busy it can take longer.
Before we caught the train home I asked to stop in the St. Michael Church because it was nearby. She said it was one of the most famous in the city. Yet another beautiful church. It had an amazing organ and choir area. As I walked around I noticed three plaques in a corner. It turns out that Brahms was baptized there; Telemann served as music director there at some point and CPE Bach was also a director and is interred in the crypt below. I didn’t go see poor CPE (yes I know that rhymed), it was about 5 Euros to go to the crypt and we didn’t have time. Do my viola-playing friends see a pattern with this church? Haha.
We got home around 4 or so and had something to eat. Anne had to get some household chores done and I played with Henry a bit. Anne’s mother noticed he had two teeth coming in yesterday. He has been munching on his binky and fingers all week long. He’s a very strong baby. He grabbed onto Anne’s ironing board and I picked him up to get him away and he kept his grip and pulled the board with him about 2”. He was so tired today too. I sure hope they get to sleep through the night tonight. As for what’s in store for tomorrow, I’m not 100% sure. We may go to the zoo; (it’s 18 Euros a piece…that’s crazy. And I only have about 30 Euros left), or we may go to a garden/flower exhibit. It’s supposed to be nice tomorrow, near 80 and sunny. Today wasn’t too bad, it was cloudy and in the low 70s. Tolerable yet again.
Until tomorrow!!
I had a slow start to the day today. I was so tired from yesterday’s festivities. Poor Anne & Peter had a short night’s sleep yet again. Henry woke up pretty early from what she told me. The three of us had planned to go to the Miniature Wunderland Museum (get website) in the city, but Peter’s mom had too many kids today (she baby sits). So Peter stayed in with Henry and Anne and I went. When she and I arrived to the city we had to catch a bus from the Rathaus (city hall). We waited for the bus, and the sign said it was coming. I saw it behind another bus and we both assumed it would pull up once the tourist bus left—but no. It totally left. So we had to wait about 10 minutes. So we walked to the St. Petri church to pass the time. What a pretty church. I have a soft spot for Gothic architecture and this was just that inside. Wait until you see the pictures. We left and started to head back to the bus stop across the street and there was the dang bus. We had to run like the wind to catch it and we did just in time. One stop later we got off (believe me the stop wasn’t exactly in short walking distance), and we walked over to the museum.
The Wunderland museum is basically a large setting of HO model trains set up as different countries. They had the western US, Austria, Germany (of course), the city of Hamburg and even the airport, Scandinavia, Denmark, & Switzerland. There was so much detail! You can change the “mood” of the rooms (day or night) so you can see the city lights. They had cars driving up and down the roads, boats moving on their own in water, and the Kennedy Space Center with our now non-existent shuttle program taking off. I believe they have plans to have the planes take off on the airport runway. There were rock concerts with thousands of people placed in attendance, a carnival, a nude beach (yes, that’s right), and my favorite was the little welders in the shipyard. The torches actually lit up. I took movies for my father who is a train nut. Hopefully I will get some of those movies up on here when I come home. The place was very busy and for some reason German people don’t say “excuse me” when they need to get by. They just push their way through. I noticed the way they walk on sidewalks here in the city….anywhere they want. At home we of course have the right side of the road rule (yes they drive on the right here), maybe it’s our Elementary school upbringing that makes us do this. But in NYC you walk on the right. That was a bit unnerving to deal with. There were two people in wheelchairs and people just walked around them like it was nothing. They didn’t wait to let them through or anything. Anne and I got stuck in a corner in the Scandinavia section. She told me to just push people and I couldn’t do it. You do that in the States and forget it! Haha. We got through in about 2 hours or so. She said when it’s not so busy it can take longer.
Before we caught the train home I asked to stop in the St. Michael Church because it was nearby. She said it was one of the most famous in the city. Yet another beautiful church. It had an amazing organ and choir area. As I walked around I noticed three plaques in a corner. It turns out that Brahms was baptized there; Telemann served as music director there at some point and CPE Bach was also a director and is interred in the crypt below. I didn’t go see poor CPE (yes I know that rhymed), it was about 5 Euros to go to the crypt and we didn’t have time. Do my viola-playing friends see a pattern with this church? Haha.
We got home around 4 or so and had something to eat. Anne had to get some household chores done and I played with Henry a bit. Anne’s mother noticed he had two teeth coming in yesterday. He has been munching on his binky and fingers all week long. He’s a very strong baby. He grabbed onto Anne’s ironing board and I picked him up to get him away and he kept his grip and pulled the board with him about 2”. He was so tired today too. I sure hope they get to sleep through the night tonight. As for what’s in store for tomorrow, I’m not 100% sure. We may go to the zoo; (it’s 18 Euros a piece…that’s crazy. And I only have about 30 Euros left), or we may go to a garden/flower exhibit. It’s supposed to be nice tomorrow, near 80 and sunny. Today wasn’t too bad, it was cloudy and in the low 70s. Tolerable yet again.
Until tomorrow!!
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