Another beautiful day and I needed to get to the bakery to not only buy bread but also to get the "gelbes sak". They are special yellow bags used for recycling plastic and metal. I'm down to my last one so I had to go get them today!
I also wanted to stop at BW bank to get some coin rolls. I have tons of small denominations of coins and I'm tired of looking at them. I want to roll them and take them back to the bank. I also need to get my two prescriptions filled but that's a task for next week. It turns out that the bank does not supply coin rolls like they do in the states. Apparently they have a machine and we have to take the coins there. So that was a bust! I'll need to make another trip on another day.
I also did a bit of research for a weekend day trip that Ted wants to take. He put in for his vacation so we'll see if the cruise works out...if not, we're planning a trip to the Amalfi coast in Italy. Either way, we'll have a great vacation! He's very keen to go to Italy!
Friday 03/19/2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Day 360: First ice cream of the season
Fianlly! It's a GORGEOUS day outside. But it still is sort of chilly. I had every window in the apartment wide open for an hour today. It was great! I can't wait for summer when the windows remain open all the time!
I worked on my crochet projects and some company work. I also spoke to my eldest daughter who told me all about their trip to Disney. She promised to upload videos of my grandson at the park.
Ted came home at the normal time and since it was so beautiful out, wanted to go get our favorite gelato at the Eis Cafe in Bonlanden. We're like two little kids getting their first ice cream of the season. It was great. They have such a variety and selection...it's wonderful! Since Ted was kind of hungry, we split a pizza at Amalfi Pizzeria in Bonlanden. We have gone back there a few times now that the odious waiter is gone.
Then we went home and I worked on my crochet projects while Ted downloaded more videos for us to watch. We're currently waiting to hear from our landlord to get our cable hooked up so we can watch German TV (I think it will help with our German)
Day 360: Thursday 03/18/2010
I worked on my crochet projects and some company work. I also spoke to my eldest daughter who told me all about their trip to Disney. She promised to upload videos of my grandson at the park.
Ted came home at the normal time and since it was so beautiful out, wanted to go get our favorite gelato at the Eis Cafe in Bonlanden. We're like two little kids getting their first ice cream of the season. It was great. They have such a variety and selection...it's wonderful! Since Ted was kind of hungry, we split a pizza at Amalfi Pizzeria in Bonlanden. We have gone back there a few times now that the odious waiter is gone.
Then we went home and I worked on my crochet projects while Ted downloaded more videos for us to watch. We're currently waiting to hear from our landlord to get our cable hooked up so we can watch German TV (I think it will help with our German)
Day 360: Thursday 03/18/2010
Day 359: St. Patrick's Day
Although today is St. Patrick's day, the Germans do not celebrate and I didn't plan on anything for today either. However, Ted had other plans. He went to have a beer with some of his co-workers at the Irish pub at the SI (a hotel near the base that temporarily houses many military families until they find suitable living quarters.) He came home a little later than I expected. We had dinner and he wasn't feeling well. He probably should not have eaten!
We watched a little TV until it was time for bed.
Wednesday 03/17/2010
We watched a little TV until it was time for bed.
Wednesday 03/17/2010
Day 358: Ides of March.
Today is the Ides of March. My weekly phone call with my boss was postponed from yesterday to today. I did some company work, worked on my crochet projects and got a response from TESOL regarding my last submission. It seems emails to my account were being bounced. Luckily I have a backup account and I was reached there.
Ted came home early today to work on a project that required my help. I helped him with his project until dinner time and then reviewed the project for him.
I heard from my youngest daughter today. She and her sister and their family went to Disney World for the weekend. My grandson loved it!
We talked about getting my husband and I tickets on a cruise this summer. I really hope we can squeeze this trip in. I've never been to Turkey Greece
It's still cold and rainy out. But the snow is almost all gone now. Gosh I wish the weather would turn!
Tuesday 03/16/2010
Day 357: Laundry day
The week starts again with laundry and cleaning which I didn't do over the weekend so as not to disturb my husband's sleep. I worked on some company work and personal finances and then prepared dinner. There's not much going on. It's still very cold outside. I tried calling TESOL to find out why I have not gotten a response from my mentor. It's totally not like her to not respond to my emails and I'm a bit concerned for her welfare, not to mention my units.
Monday 03/15/2010
Monday 03/15/2010
Day 356: Sick day.
Ted was sick all day so we didn't go to church or to the base PX. He slept for most of the day and I read and did my crochet projects. We watched some television later in the day but mostly it was a rest day. The weather outside is still yucky.
We went to Mama Maria's for dinner but did not stay long because Ted was feeling sick. Michele went to Italy to get olive oil and wine. He drove all the way down to the bottom of the boot of Italy. He will be gone for a week.
Sunday 03/14/2010
We went to Mama Maria's for dinner but did not stay long because Ted was feeling sick. Michele went to Italy to get olive oil and wine. He drove all the way down to the bottom of the boot of Italy. He will be gone for a week.
Sunday 03/14/2010
Day 355: Out and about
Ted went to get the oil changed in the car, then we went grocery shopping and decided to go downtown Stuttgart with the car instead of the train. I wanted to get more yarn for my baby projects. It's very cold. We sat for awhile and people watched!
Then we went to dinner at Capri. There were very few people there...so we sat and talked with the owner. After dinner, we drove home and watched our shows.
Saturday 03/13/2010
Then we went to dinner at Capri. There were very few people there...so we sat and talked with the owner. After dinner, we drove home and watched our shows.
Saturday 03/13/2010
Day 353: Cold, snowy day
The weather is so depressing! It snowed again last night and this morning. It's another two or three inches of snow! I was excited to be able to walk to the market last week but this week, it's out of the question with the cold and snow...forget it. I'm going to do some exercising with videos I brought with me from the states.
Thursday 03/11/2010
Thursday 03/11/2010
Day 352: Happy news.
I did company work for most of the morning and in the afternoon I looked for baby patterns for the new addition arriving in August. I just found out my daughter is having a baby girl so I'm excited and want to make all sorts of little goodies. And now is the time to be doing it as it's cold outside and not much to do!
Ted called and said he'd be home late tonight. I had dinner in the oven so he could eat when he got home. I thought he'd only be an extra hour or two...but he didn't get home until after 21:30...and he didn't want to eat...so the food will go in the Fridge for leftovers tomorrow night. When he comes home late it makes for a very long day.
Wednesday 03/10/2010
Ted called and said he'd be home late tonight. I had dinner in the oven so he could eat when he got home. I thought he'd only be an extra hour or two...but he didn't get home until after 21:30...and he didn't want to eat...so the food will go in the Fridge for leftovers tomorrow night. When he comes home late it makes for a very long day.
Wednesday 03/10/2010
Day 351: Travel research
I did some research today on what our vacation plans will be this summer. Ted's boss is antzy for him to put in for his time off. I have a first and second choice for the summer along with other short weekend trips where Ted will take a day here and a day there.
It's been cold but at least the sun came out just a little. I still don't want to go out! I can't wait for Spring!
Tuesday 03/09/2010
It's been cold but at least the sun came out just a little. I still don't want to go out! I can't wait for Spring!
Tuesday 03/09/2010
Day 350: TESOL
I worked on my TESOL today. I have Unit 17 completed and submitted and am awaiting the results. I'm currently working on Unit 18. It's almost done but I'm dragging my feet and need to get it done!
Monnday 03/08/2010
Monnday 03/08/2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Day 349: A day inside.
It's still very cold and I'm thoroughly sick of the cold dreary weather. The few spring-like days last week left me wanting more! Come on sunshine, come on warm weather, where are you!!!
We didn't go to church as Ted was not feeling well this morning. I missed going to church but I don't miss going out into the cold.
Sunday 03/07/2010
We didn't go to church as Ted was not feeling well this morning. I missed going to church but I don't miss going out into the cold.
Sunday 03/07/2010
Day 348: Snow day.
The weather report said that it was going to snow today. Well, he was right on! It snowed during the night and continued to snow all morning long. We decided to stay in for the morning. It kept coming down until there was 4 or 5 inches of snow. We couldn't stay in all day because we had shopping to do. We took off early in the afternoon and it snow flurried off an on all during our weekly shopping jaunt.
It was cold too. We decided to go to Capri for dinner. We came home to dark, snowy roads. Today wore both of us out!
Saturday 03/06/2010
It was cold too. We decided to go to Capri for dinner. We came home to dark, snowy roads. Today wore both of us out!
Saturday 03/06/2010
Day 347: Market day.
I decided that it was nice enough outside to warrant a walking trip to the local market. I also decided that it appeared to be warm enough outside to wear my heavy sweater. I was wrong. It was way too cold for just a sweater. That was not a smart thing to do!
Thursday 03/04/2010
Thursday 03/04/2010
Day 346: Slow day.
It must have been an incredibly uneventful day since I can't even remember what I did!
Thursday 03/04/2010
Thursday 03/04/2010
Day 345: German Television?
I completed Unit 17 of my Tesol and submitted it to my mentor. I washed more windows since the sun is out. We had leftover soup from yesterday. Ted went back to work today.
He brought home some cables to hook up the TV to the German cable that comes with the apartment. We're paying for it so we might as well use it. Perhaps it will help with my German?
Unfortunately, the outlet doesn't work! We'll have to talk to our landlord to find out why it doesn't work.
Wednesday 03/03/2010
He brought home some cables to hook up the TV to the German cable that comes with the apartment. We're paying for it so we might as well use it. Perhaps it will help with my German?
Unfortunately, the outlet doesn't work! We'll have to talk to our landlord to find out why it doesn't work.
Wednesday 03/03/2010
Day 344: Sick day.
Ted stayed home from work today so I didn't get much accomplished other than working on our personal finances and my Tesol unit 17. I let him sleep for most of the day and so I didn't want to make any noise. I spent most of the day on the computer and spent some time working on my German with Rosetta Stone.
Tuesday 03/02/2010
Tuesday 03/02/2010
Day 343: March Madness?
It's March 1, 2010. Two months of 2010 are already gone!! Where DOES the time go??
I did my TESOL unit 16 and submitted it. I even washed some windows as it was so sunny and beautiful out! However, it was cold. I only did the two larger bedrooms which has a glass sliding door and six windows between the two of them.
I also did some company work. It appears that Ted is getting sick.
Monday 03/01/2010
I did my TESOL unit 16 and submitted it. I even washed some windows as it was so sunny and beautiful out! However, it was cold. I only did the two larger bedrooms which has a glass sliding door and six windows between the two of them.
I also did some company work. It appears that Ted is getting sick.
Monday 03/01/2010
Day 342: New Television!
After a few failed attempts at getting Ted's preferred TV shipped from the US, we decided to go back to the BX and see if the new shipment of TVs had arrived. They had, indeed. We spent a few minutes talking to a drill sargeant about TV's and I picked up a few things before we purchased the TV. We stopped at the commissary to do the weekly shopping. Ted stayed in the car to "baby-sit" the TV.
When we got home, Ted got the TV set up with Apple TV and I did laundry and made dinner. We spent the evening watching movies on the new big screen TV. It was (and is) awesome!
Sunday 02/28/2010
When we got home, Ted got the TV set up with Apple TV and I did laundry and made dinner. We spent the evening watching movies on the new big screen TV. It was (and is) awesome!
Sunday 02/28/2010
Day 341: Wuerzberg on the Romantic Road
Ted had to get the gear oil changed, I walked to the market, made some sandwiches for our trip and did a load of laundry before he got back.
It is an absolutely glorious day - even if it is cold, the sun is shining. Because we consulted the weather beforehand, we knew we would be traveling to Wuerzburg. It's about an hour an half northeast of Stuttgart and is one of seven cities along the Romantic Road (it's not actually a road...it's just what it is called)
We found our way to the center of town and parked in an underground parking area. Based on the map that I found online, everything appears to be in close proximity and within walking distance.
We emerged from the underground parking onto a large plaza. I started snapping photos of the buildings.
The dull white stucco against the brick red accents of this church makes it unforgettable.
This church was so tall I could not get it all in one shot. However, I wanted to focus on the door and how intricate it was. This door is actually on the side of the church!
Here's a more panoramic view of the side of the church.
This is a part of the plaza. It's difficult to tell from this picture but the building in the foreground has yellow, almost gold accents. The photo does NOT do it justice. As you can see, there are some markets going on, probably because it is Saturday.
This is a more panoramic view of the plaza. The market is going on around the statue, more of an obelisk, and the people seem oblivious to their surroundings other than they are focused on getting their shopping done!
This bank reminds me of the church because of the colors they chose. But that's where the similarity ends.
We started walking towards the bank (above) and we were saying how we didn't know where anything was and I had a hard time following the map from the internet. I noticed a woman standing along the wall and she was smirking so I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she understood English. When I asked her, I found out I was right, she did speak English . We had a long conversation about Germany and the U.S. and she recommended we see Baumberg since it is more authentic. She said Wuerzburg is "fake", meaning that the buildings were all but demolished during the war and have been rebuilt. What she meant was they are not the original buildings. It's sad, but it's a fact of life. However, whether they have reconstructed the buildings or not, it is still incredibly beautiful and we are going to enjoy them just the same.
She directed us to the where the bridge is that goes up to the Fortress. Because of our car issues, we didn't leave soon enough to be able to walk up the hill to the Fortress so that means we have to make another trip to Wuerzberg which is not a hardship at all!!! The bridge to the Fortress is amazing. Here are some shots of the bridge and the Main River.
The bridge is a pedestrian only bridge. As you can see there are loads of people out on this beautiful day. The sun came and went so some of the shots are better than others.
Along the bridge there are these half moon areas where there are statues of various saints.
Another view of the statues on the bridge.
It seemed incongruous to be listening to a bagpipe on a German bridge in Wuerzberg and yet, here he was. He played "Amazing Grace" and it was gorgeous!
We were told by the German woman we met earlier (we ran into her on the bridge), that the water is very high right now. It's obvious by these photos. The town has had to put up walls in certain areas because there was flooding. The water is not clear. I certainly would not go swimming here. LOL!
It's hard to tell but the water is rushing and overflowing in a cascade. It's almost like rapids!
I couldn't resist taking a photo of this mosaic. Unfortunately, the photo does not do the mosaic justice. It is actually on the side of a building and it is gorgeous. It looks like it's pearlized or iridescent and it's quite beautiful. This mosiac is at the other end of the bridge.
This is the plaza at the start of the bridge. I snapped this on the way back over the bridge. We were disappointed that we missed seeing the Fortress but we know we will return another day. It's a short ride and makes a great day trip!
After all of the walking, I wanted to stop in this church. It's St. Dominics, a Catholic church. As you can see, there are still tons of people milling about even though it's quite cold and getting late in the afternoon.
We're not supposed to snap photos but I couldn't resist taking a few. This is the entrance to the church. The filigree iron work is some of the best I've ever seen.
We sat and marveled at the workmanship in this church and just enjoyed it.
I loved this dark coral pink building sitting back by itself. It turns out it's the "Rathaus" (pronounces "rot-howz"). It's the German version of a courthouse!
Once again, the towers have clocks on them. In ancient times, the poor had no clocks in their homes so they depended on the local church tower's church to give them the time. The bells indicated what time it was.
Here's another gorgeous church. I wanted to go inside but it was getting late and we opted to come bank another time and visit not only this church but the Fortress as well. Look at how blue the sky was. So clear and fresh. You can tell it's getting late because the shadow covered the bottom front section of the church.
I had done the research and we would be going to dinner at a place called the Backoefelle (pronounced back-oo-fel-leh). We didn't know where it was and if was anywhere near by we preferred to walk. We stopped and asked someone where it was. At first she didn't understand us (my pronunciation is awful but I'm working on it.) She said we were within five minutes of it. Hooray, we leave the car where it is and walk to dinner. We got so far and then we asked someone else again for directions. It turned out we were not two blocks from the place.
I saw this building and it turns out its a restaurant attached to a hotel. The photo does not do the artwork on this wall justice. Another block and we hit our dining destination.
The place was terrific! I scored points with my husband for having chosen a place with so much atmosphere (it reminded us of the Schwanenbrau in Bernhausen - it had the same old world German atmosphere) and such great food! Ted had the Argentinian beef fillet which was awesome (he graced me with a few bites) and I had a wonderful chamberbert and cranberry dish with a salad. We topped it off with chocolate everything (chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate ice cream). Thankfully we would be walking off some of that desert. It had turned cold but we didn't mind it a bit. The drive home was uneventful and we went to bed happy that we had the first trip of the new year!
Saturday 02/27/2010
It is an absolutely glorious day - even if it is cold, the sun is shining. Because we consulted the weather beforehand, we knew we would be traveling to Wuerzburg. It's about an hour an half northeast of Stuttgart and is one of seven cities along the Romantic Road (it's not actually a road...it's just what it is called)
We found our way to the center of town and parked in an underground parking area. Based on the map that I found online, everything appears to be in close proximity and within walking distance.
We emerged from the underground parking onto a large plaza. I started snapping photos of the buildings.
The dull white stucco against the brick red accents of this church makes it unforgettable.
This church was so tall I could not get it all in one shot. However, I wanted to focus on the door and how intricate it was. This door is actually on the side of the church!
This is a part of the plaza. It's difficult to tell from this picture but the building in the foreground has yellow, almost gold accents. The photo does NOT do it justice. As you can see, there are some markets going on, probably because it is Saturday.
This bank reminds me of the church because of the colors they chose. But that's where the similarity ends.
We started walking towards the bank (above) and we were saying how we didn't know where anything was and I had a hard time following the map from the internet. I noticed a woman standing along the wall and she was smirking so I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she understood English. When I asked her, I found out I was right, she did speak English . We had a long conversation about Germany and the U.S. and she recommended we see Baumberg since it is more authentic. She said Wuerzburg is "fake", meaning that the buildings were all but demolished during the war and have been rebuilt. What she meant was they are not the original buildings. It's sad, but it's a fact of life. However, whether they have reconstructed the buildings or not, it is still incredibly beautiful and we are going to enjoy them just the same.
She directed us to the where the bridge is that goes up to the Fortress. Because of our car issues, we didn't leave soon enough to be able to walk up the hill to the Fortress so that means we have to make another trip to Wuerzberg which is not a hardship at all!!! The bridge to the Fortress is amazing. Here are some shots of the bridge and the Main River.
The bridge is a pedestrian only bridge. As you can see there are loads of people out on this beautiful day. The sun came and went so some of the shots are better than others.
Another view of the statues on the bridge.
It seemed incongruous to be listening to a bagpipe on a German bridge in Wuerzberg and yet, here he was. He played "Amazing Grace" and it was gorgeous!
We were told by the German woman we met earlier (we ran into her on the bridge), that the water is very high right now. It's obvious by these photos. The town has had to put up walls in certain areas because there was flooding. The water is not clear. I certainly would not go swimming here. LOL!
I couldn't resist taking a photo of this mosaic. Unfortunately, the photo does not do the mosaic justice. It is actually on the side of a building and it is gorgeous. It looks like it's pearlized or iridescent and it's quite beautiful. This mosiac is at the other end of the bridge.
This is the plaza at the start of the bridge. I snapped this on the way back over the bridge. We were disappointed that we missed seeing the Fortress but we know we will return another day. It's a short ride and makes a great day trip!
It is amazing to me that they have fresh flowers outside in the winter time. The Germans love their fresh flowers. From roses to tulips and all the other ones in between, the flowers were gorgeous.
The children (and their parents) take time out from shopping to have a bit of fun (and rest). The children must love climbing all over those statues. It appears it's a water fountain in the summer time.
I loved this dark coral pink building sitting back by itself. It turns out it's the "Rathaus" (pronounces "rot-howz"). It's the German version of a courthouse!
Once again, the towers have clocks on them. In ancient times, the poor had no clocks in their homes so they depended on the local church tower's church to give them the time. The bells indicated what time it was.
Ted stopped in the Ecco store to look at shoes. We did some window shopping. We looked at watches and rings. Some of the watch prices were outrageous! $20k to $40k! I found a children's store and bought my darling grandson a summer hat which I will send to him next week.
I had done the research and we would be going to dinner at a place called the Backoefelle (pronounced back-oo-fel-leh). We didn't know where it was and if was anywhere near by we preferred to walk. We stopped and asked someone where it was. At first she didn't understand us (my pronunciation is awful but I'm working on it.) She said we were within five minutes of it. Hooray, we leave the car where it is and walk to dinner. We got so far and then we asked someone else again for directions. It turned out we were not two blocks from the place.
I saw this building and it turns out its a restaurant attached to a hotel. The photo does not do the artwork on this wall justice. Another block and we hit our dining destination.
The place was terrific! I scored points with my husband for having chosen a place with so much atmosphere (it reminded us of the Schwanenbrau in Bernhausen - it had the same old world German atmosphere) and such great food! Ted had the Argentinian beef fillet which was awesome (he graced me with a few bites) and I had a wonderful chamberbert and cranberry dish with a salad. We topped it off with chocolate everything (chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate ice cream). Thankfully we would be walking off some of that desert. It had turned cold but we didn't mind it a bit. The drive home was uneventful and we went to bed happy that we had the first trip of the new year!
Saturday 02/27/2010
Day 340: Slow day.
I did company work for most of the day. It was sunny out for part of the day but I didn't go out. I made dinner for us and then we watched NCIS. I just love that show. It gets better and better all the time!
Friday 02/26/2010
Friday 02/26/2010
Day 339: Music at Mamma Maria's.
Tonight is music night at Mamma Maria's. Since I wasn't sure if we were going, when we finally decided to go, it was later than usual. We didn't get our nice front row table but we can't expect to have it all the time!
We sat in the bar area but could still hear the music. Sascha was there at the bar and we invited him to sit with us so we could talk without shouting across the room. The place was packed. We've not seen it this packed on a music night.
Sascha suggested we be friends on Facebook and we agreed that would be the best mechanism to stay in touch. We talked about his trip to the states in 2011 and what we would be doing this summer.
We didn't stay late. (I wish they had music on a Friday night and not on a Thursday night...but it's understandable since they do music in other places.) When we went home, we watched NCIS and then went to bed.
Thursday 02/25/2010
We sat in the bar area but could still hear the music. Sascha was there at the bar and we invited him to sit with us so we could talk without shouting across the room. The place was packed. We've not seen it this packed on a music night.
Sascha suggested we be friends on Facebook and we agreed that would be the best mechanism to stay in touch. We talked about his trip to the states in 2011 and what we would be doing this summer.
We didn't stay late. (I wish they had music on a Friday night and not on a Thursday night...but it's understandable since they do music in other places.) When we went home, we watched NCIS and then went to bed.
Thursday 02/25/2010
Day 338: Finally! A beautiful day!
We are really bummed because there are no new episodes of NCIS. It must be because of the Olympics which we haven't been able to watch either! But it doesn't matter though since we can watch reruns while we are waiting.
I woke up easily this morning again. This regimen seems to be working. It's an experiment in process so I'm skeptical. I'll give it a few months to see how it goes!
The weather is starting to change. It was sunny and beautiful today, although chilly. I opened all of the windows and glass sliding doors to get the air in. I even went for a walk to the local bakery two blocks from here! I only needed my fleece jacket it was so nice out.
Ted is still getting all of the data back on to his computer. I'm hopeful he'll have all of our movies and TV programs on by this evening!
Wednesday 02/24/2010
Wednesday 02/24/2010
Day 337: Getting things done!
I feel better today than yesterday. I had a good night's sleep but I'm struggling with getting things done. I have company work to get accomplished before the end of the week and my TESOL mentor is on vacation until the first week of March. I still need to get unit 15 completed and submitted by the end of the week. Thankfully, it's about 75% done so it won't take much to get it done and submitted by Friday.
Day 337: Tuesday 02/23/2010
Day 337: Tuesday 02/23/2010
Day 336: Winter Blues!
I am exhausted. We stayed up WAY too late last night. I got absolutely nothing done all day except prepare dinner for Ted. It's cloudy, grey and cold outside yet. The sun is trying to peek through but it's unsuccessful. Ted is still working on his computer. He installed a new hard drive and is now rebuilding it so that all of his programs and data are on the new drive.
I started a new regimen today but I'm tired.
Monday 2/22/2010
I started a new regimen today but I'm tired.
Monday 2/22/2010
Day 335 - Drive through Waldenbuch
We went to church and our favorite Chaplain gave the message. Chaplain Santiago is amazing. He told us he would give us 10 seconds to answer his question. It was a fill in the blank: The most important thing in my life is _________________. He then went on to say, if it's not your relationship with Jesus, then you are not as intimate with Him as you should be. It was a riveting message. And one I took to heart.
I don't know why...but I was really tired. We were going to the BX to look at a TV and possibly buy one. It's time. We've been without one for almost a year now and we should be watching our shows on TV and not on the computer.
Between the scattered flurries and the sun peeking out, we just don't know when the weather is going to break. I asked Ted if we could sit in the car for 15 minutes so I could rest my eyes and get some of that wonderful sunshine on my face. He agreed. When someone parked nearby, we were roused and arranged the car in the event that we needed space for the TV.
We got a few items of candy for Ro's Easter basket and then went to look at TVs. It turned out they were out of stock of the one we wanted. Ted really wants an LED TV so he was not as bummed as I was. However, they did have AppleTV which would allow us to hook up all of the movies and TV series that we've purchased in the past few months and have them available to watch whenever we wanted to see them. Since they don't always have items in stock (or they sell out), we bought it.
On the way home, we took surface streets through a little town called Waldenbuch. It took longer than I thought it would but it was definitely a nice drive. Just the thing for a Sunday afternoon. I snapped a few photos of Waldenbuch from the car but for some unknown reason, they didn't come out. This is a town that definitely warrants another trip! If for no other reason than to walk through the small streets and take photos of the wonderful old buildings.
We then went home and the day was so beautiful and sunny that we opened all of the windows and drew in as much fresh air as we could before we shut them again. We can't afford to keep them open while the heat is on because how expensive the heat is here.
I made a late lunch of Ted's favorite, bacon, eggs and Kartofolen Puffers (Potato cakes sort of like hash browns with onions). Ted busied himself checking out AppleTV and backing up his hard drive so he could install his new hard drive.
Sunday 02/21/2010
I don't know why...but I was really tired. We were going to the BX to look at a TV and possibly buy one. It's time. We've been without one for almost a year now and we should be watching our shows on TV and not on the computer.
Between the scattered flurries and the sun peeking out, we just don't know when the weather is going to break. I asked Ted if we could sit in the car for 15 minutes so I could rest my eyes and get some of that wonderful sunshine on my face. He agreed. When someone parked nearby, we were roused and arranged the car in the event that we needed space for the TV.
We got a few items of candy for Ro's Easter basket and then went to look at TVs. It turned out they were out of stock of the one we wanted. Ted really wants an LED TV so he was not as bummed as I was. However, they did have AppleTV which would allow us to hook up all of the movies and TV series that we've purchased in the past few months and have them available to watch whenever we wanted to see them. Since they don't always have items in stock (or they sell out), we bought it.
On the way home, we took surface streets through a little town called Waldenbuch. It took longer than I thought it would but it was definitely a nice drive. Just the thing for a Sunday afternoon. I snapped a few photos of Waldenbuch from the car but for some unknown reason, they didn't come out. This is a town that definitely warrants another trip! If for no other reason than to walk through the small streets and take photos of the wonderful old buildings.
We then went home and the day was so beautiful and sunny that we opened all of the windows and drew in as much fresh air as we could before we shut them again. We can't afford to keep them open while the heat is on because how expensive the heat is here.
I made a late lunch of Ted's favorite, bacon, eggs and Kartofolen Puffers (Potato cakes sort of like hash browns with onions). Ted busied himself checking out AppleTV and backing up his hard drive so he could install his new hard drive.
Sunday 02/21/2010
Day 334 - Metzingen shopping outlets
The day started out cloudy, then it got sunny and then there were snow flurries!! We decided, since Ted was already ready and I was not, that he would go to the base to get some Euros for our shopping trip and go to the auto repair place and get the transmission fluid installed in the car.
I hurriedly got ready, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, made the bed and generally cleaned up before he got home. We decided to try one last time to find the yarn place in Bernhausen. We talked to Anna again last night about it because we'd gone and looked for it at least four times and still could not find it!
Well, we still didn't find it! I'm going to have to find a telephone book and see if I can find it using the telephone book. I need a physical address and she couldn't give me that.
So off we go to Metzingen. The trip is about 20 to 30 minutes long. We parked in the parking deck. They have six or seven parking areas but we chose the covered parking for obvious reasons.
There were so many stores! Every kind of clothing store you could think of! They were not all housed in the same location but stores that were spread out among the streets of Metzingen. There were cafes and restaurants as well. Where we parked had an escalator (it was outside but covered) to the first level of the shopping area we would visit.
Our first stop was in the Burberry store. Ted loved the super soft scarves but when I looked at the price, I said no way were we going to spend over 100 Euro (about $140-$150) for a scarf that he might lose!! (But it wa fun to look, nonetheless.) We also checked out the Timberline shoe store and the Lindt chocolate store. (We decided a few chocolates were in order.)
It's amazing that there are these waterways right in the town. It makes the shopping area seem to be almost out in the country. I have to wonder what it's like in the summer time when all of the trees are covered in leaves. It will be worth a trip to check it out when the season changes!
This is one plaza where there are stores. In the background is the town's church. We had a Nutella (Italian chocolate spread with hazelnuts) crepe from a sidewalk vendor and then washed it down with a Latte Machiatto (Steamed milk with a splash of coffee) at a nearby Cafe.
I don't know what Joop! is because we didn't go inside but I loved the architecture of the building.
This was interesting in that the above creek photo was taken from this bridge. These two buildings are rounded. The store on the right is called Marc O'Polo. It's a women's store. Because there were a ton of women's under garments, I wanted to spare my husband having to walk through them so we did not go in.
This is a whale for kids to climb on. It even has a blow hole. I wonder if water comes out of it in the summer time? It's adjacent the footbridge from the above photo. As you can see there is still snow on the ground but that does not stop the Germans from having a bit of fun or going shopping!
The air was cold but the sun was warm and walking from store to store was fun even if we did have to cross main roads to get to where we were going. At LaCosta, I had to put my purse in a locker before going up stairs. It was uncomfortable not having my purse with me but that's their policy. We finally ended up buying two short sleeved polo shirts from La Costa for Ted.
We stopped at Puma to look at tennis shoes. I picked up a new pair of gloves and a darling zippered vest for my grandson, Ro. That was the extent of our shopping.
Ted wanted to see what Hugo Boss was all about. They had some spectacular women's spring clothing. Very reminiscent of the 40's and 50's. We looked at belts and shirts for Ted. Most everything in the store was incredibly expensive but it was fun to look, nonetheless. We mostly browsed. There were scads of people! Apparently the Germans spend money just like Americans do!
Our last stop was Ralph Lauren store on the way back to the car. There were some beautiful soft cashmere sweaters which were incredibly expensive compared to the two cashmere sweaters Ted bought a Gottchalks years ago in California. We did, however, find some wonderful 100% cotton, Italian made, shirts. They were gorgeous and we'll probably go back and buy at least one for Ted.
It was around 4pm when we left Metzingen. We needed to stop at Rewe for Ted's Peach tea. I wanted to take the tea home for two reasons: it was heavy and I needed to get the cloth grocery bags I'd forgotten to bring with me that morning.
We went to Netto to do our weekly shopping. I didn't need much, since I've been preparing dinners with what was in the freezer. I only brought two cloth shopping bags with me so it's going to have to be enough. I also need to get some bread at the bakery. We are going directly to dinner after doing our shopping. It's cold enough outside to allow us to still do that. Leaving the frozen and cooler items in the car will not make a difference while we are having dinner.
We went to Ted's now favorite restaurant...Capri in Plattenhardt. I wanted to try the steak he had the last time we were there. We were not disappointed. It was wonderful. I also asked her, the owner, about the olive oil they use to finish the vegetables and the salads. It turns out, her father-in-law orders it from someone who hand makes it in Italy!!! WOW! No wonder it tastes so wonderful. She told me to bring her a bottle the next time I come in and she will fill it for me. How generous that was! I definitely will be doing that, let me tell you.
By the time we were done with dinner, we realized it had been snowing the entire time we were having dinner. The flakes were huge and it almost looked like Christmas, it was falling so hard. I wondered about us driving home in it. It was almost like a white out! We finally got home and spent the rest of the evening watching TV until bed time.
Saturday 02/20/2010
I hurriedly got ready, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, made the bed and generally cleaned up before he got home. We decided to try one last time to find the yarn place in Bernhausen. We talked to Anna again last night about it because we'd gone and looked for it at least four times and still could not find it!
Well, we still didn't find it! I'm going to have to find a telephone book and see if I can find it using the telephone book. I need a physical address and she couldn't give me that.
So off we go to Metzingen. The trip is about 20 to 30 minutes long. We parked in the parking deck. They have six or seven parking areas but we chose the covered parking for obvious reasons.
There were so many stores! Every kind of clothing store you could think of! They were not all housed in the same location but stores that were spread out among the streets of Metzingen. There were cafes and restaurants as well. Where we parked had an escalator (it was outside but covered) to the first level of the shopping area we would visit.
Our first stop was in the Burberry store. Ted loved the super soft scarves but when I looked at the price, I said no way were we going to spend over 100 Euro (about $140-$150) for a scarf that he might lose!! (But it wa fun to look, nonetheless.) We also checked out the Timberline shoe store and the Lindt chocolate store. (We decided a few chocolates were in order.)
It's amazing that there are these waterways right in the town. It makes the shopping area seem to be almost out in the country. I have to wonder what it's like in the summer time when all of the trees are covered in leaves. It will be worth a trip to check it out when the season changes!
I don't know what Joop! is because we didn't go inside but I loved the architecture of the building.
This was interesting in that the above creek photo was taken from this bridge. These two buildings are rounded. The store on the right is called Marc O'Polo. It's a women's store. Because there were a ton of women's under garments, I wanted to spare my husband having to walk through them so we did not go in.
This is a whale for kids to climb on. It even has a blow hole. I wonder if water comes out of it in the summer time? It's adjacent the footbridge from the above photo. As you can see there is still snow on the ground but that does not stop the Germans from having a bit of fun or going shopping!
The air was cold but the sun was warm and walking from store to store was fun even if we did have to cross main roads to get to where we were going. At LaCosta, I had to put my purse in a locker before going up stairs. It was uncomfortable not having my purse with me but that's their policy. We finally ended up buying two short sleeved polo shirts from La Costa for Ted.
We stopped at Puma to look at tennis shoes. I picked up a new pair of gloves and a darling zippered vest for my grandson, Ro. That was the extent of our shopping.
Ted wanted to see what Hugo Boss was all about. They had some spectacular women's spring clothing. Very reminiscent of the 40's and 50's. We looked at belts and shirts for Ted. Most everything in the store was incredibly expensive but it was fun to look, nonetheless. We mostly browsed. There were scads of people! Apparently the Germans spend money just like Americans do!
Our last stop was Ralph Lauren store on the way back to the car. There were some beautiful soft cashmere sweaters which were incredibly expensive compared to the two cashmere sweaters Ted bought a Gottchalks years ago in California. We did, however, find some wonderful 100% cotton, Italian made, shirts. They were gorgeous and we'll probably go back and buy at least one for Ted.
It was around 4pm when we left Metzingen. We needed to stop at Rewe for Ted's Peach tea. I wanted to take the tea home for two reasons: it was heavy and I needed to get the cloth grocery bags I'd forgotten to bring with me that morning.
We went to Netto to do our weekly shopping. I didn't need much, since I've been preparing dinners with what was in the freezer. I only brought two cloth shopping bags with me so it's going to have to be enough. I also need to get some bread at the bakery. We are going directly to dinner after doing our shopping. It's cold enough outside to allow us to still do that. Leaving the frozen and cooler items in the car will not make a difference while we are having dinner.
We went to Ted's now favorite restaurant...Capri in Plattenhardt. I wanted to try the steak he had the last time we were there. We were not disappointed. It was wonderful. I also asked her, the owner, about the olive oil they use to finish the vegetables and the salads. It turns out, her father-in-law orders it from someone who hand makes it in Italy!!! WOW! No wonder it tastes so wonderful. She told me to bring her a bottle the next time I come in and she will fill it for me. How generous that was! I definitely will be doing that, let me tell you.
By the time we were done with dinner, we realized it had been snowing the entire time we were having dinner. The flakes were huge and it almost looked like Christmas, it was falling so hard. I wondered about us driving home in it. It was almost like a white out! We finally got home and spent the rest of the evening watching TV until bed time.
Saturday 02/20/2010
Day 333 - Tying up loose ends.
I finally got the last of my TESOL unit done and submitted it. I started on unit 15 as I have six weeks to complete the last six units. My plan is to do one unit per week until the course is completed. This unit is a video watching a teacher teach. There were two lessons to watch. The first one was absolutely painful to watch. The second one was a hundred times better! I started working on unit 15 right after I got unit 14 submitted. It's about 60% done and I'll finish it up on Monday or Tuesday and get it submitted then.
Ted wanted me to check on the weather forecast for the weekend. The plan is to go for a long drive to one of the Romantic Road cities if the weather is going to be nice. If it's not, we are planning to go to Metzingen to the shopping outlets. After checking on the weather, it appears we are going to Metzingen because it's supposed to be cold and snowy.
I did a few loads of laundry today and since we're going to dinner at Mama Maria's, I'm not doing anything in the kitchen, thank goodness!
Ted came home with the week's mail. Hooray! My sewing patterns have arrived. As soon as I hear from my daughter what the gender is of the new baby due to arrive in August, I will start sewing some things that I thought would be nice to have. I also need to start on the baby's afghan before the weather gets too warm and I cannot stand to have hot yarn laying on me!
We took the garbage out on the way over to Mama Maria's. It's snowing prety heavily on our way over there with big, white fluffy flakes of snow. Who knows how much snow will accumulate by tomorrow!
I brought some American (Italian) sausage over to Michele and Anna because they were so gracious as to allow us to bring our own sausage so I could have my favorite pizza: Sausage and mushrooms. Ted decided to have the same sausage and mushroom pizza. It was terrific.
Our upstairs neighbor came in and sat at the bar and had dinner. We talked about the chimney sweep coming to the apartment on Tuesday. (We don't have fireplaces but I guess the chnimney sweep also checks the exhaust from the furnace.) There was another guy sitting at the bar and he was listening to our conversation. I could tell that he understood English because he seemed quite interested in our conversation. I said as much to my husband when he left to go to the restroom.
Somehow or another, we got to talking to him about the U.S. and it turns out he has a condo in Florida! His condo on an island off of Sarasota! What a small world!! And it turns out, he's in Stuttgart on business and comes here four to five months out of the year. He lives in Northern Germany near Cologne (The Germans call it Koeln). His name is Sasha and I think he has Russian ancesters because the name sounds Russian.
He speaks English very well. He plans to visit the west coast of the U.S. (California and Las Vegas) and wants us to help him plan his trip while he's in California. We told him we would be happy to do so. We talked about American politics, German politics, the war, traveling and languages. It was a most enjoyable time.
We also got to meet Anna's brother who lives on the other side of Stuttgart. I sat and talked to him for a bit. It turns out his sister-in-law lives in Texas. She's lived there going on 20 years now. They speak a little English but not much. I spoke to him in Italain for the most part. It was getting late (we'd already been there for more than four hours) and it was time for us to leave and get home.
We watched another episode of a TV series and then went to bed.
Friday 02/19/2010
Ted wanted me to check on the weather forecast for the weekend. The plan is to go for a long drive to one of the Romantic Road cities if the weather is going to be nice. If it's not, we are planning to go to Metzingen to the shopping outlets. After checking on the weather, it appears we are going to Metzingen because it's supposed to be cold and snowy.
I did a few loads of laundry today and since we're going to dinner at Mama Maria's, I'm not doing anything in the kitchen, thank goodness!
Ted came home with the week's mail. Hooray! My sewing patterns have arrived. As soon as I hear from my daughter what the gender is of the new baby due to arrive in August, I will start sewing some things that I thought would be nice to have. I also need to start on the baby's afghan before the weather gets too warm and I cannot stand to have hot yarn laying on me!
We took the garbage out on the way over to Mama Maria's. It's snowing prety heavily on our way over there with big, white fluffy flakes of snow. Who knows how much snow will accumulate by tomorrow!
I brought some American (Italian) sausage over to Michele and Anna because they were so gracious as to allow us to bring our own sausage so I could have my favorite pizza: Sausage and mushrooms. Ted decided to have the same sausage and mushroom pizza. It was terrific.
Our upstairs neighbor came in and sat at the bar and had dinner. We talked about the chimney sweep coming to the apartment on Tuesday. (We don't have fireplaces but I guess the chnimney sweep also checks the exhaust from the furnace.) There was another guy sitting at the bar and he was listening to our conversation. I could tell that he understood English because he seemed quite interested in our conversation. I said as much to my husband when he left to go to the restroom.
Somehow or another, we got to talking to him about the U.S. and it turns out he has a condo in Florida! His condo on an island off of Sarasota! What a small world!! And it turns out, he's in Stuttgart on business and comes here four to five months out of the year. He lives in Northern Germany near Cologne (The Germans call it Koeln). His name is Sasha and I think he has Russian ancesters because the name sounds Russian.
He speaks English very well. He plans to visit the west coast of the U.S. (California and Las Vegas) and wants us to help him plan his trip while he's in California. We told him we would be happy to do so. We talked about American politics, German politics, the war, traveling and languages. It was a most enjoyable time.
We also got to meet Anna's brother who lives on the other side of Stuttgart. I sat and talked to him for a bit. It turns out his sister-in-law lives in Texas. She's lived there going on 20 years now. They speak a little English but not much. I spoke to him in Italain for the most part. It was getting late (we'd already been there for more than four hours) and it was time for us to leave and get home.
We watched another episode of a TV series and then went to bed.
Friday 02/19/2010
Day 332 - One more day of company work
Another day of company work not related to the new contract and I spent time working on the TESOL unit. I must get it completed and submitted by tomorrow. I hope to have it at least 75% completed by tomorrow.
My boss sent me an email right before dinner to review the scope and the cost estimate one last time before submitting it to the client. That took about an hour and then I fixed dinner for Ted and we spent the rest of the evening watching the last two episodes of the final season of Monk. It was very well done and closed out the series really well.
Thursday 02/18/2010
My boss sent me an email right before dinner to review the scope and the cost estimate one last time before submitting it to the client. That took about an hour and then I fixed dinner for Ted and we spent the rest of the evening watching the last two episodes of the final season of Monk. It was very well done and closed out the series really well.
Thursday 02/18/2010
Day 331 - Company work takes over.
Because the contract with one of my company's clients is up next month, it's a mad rush to scope out the work and get a cost estimate together. There's more work to do this year so we are trying to get the figures and the text completed for my boss' meeting at the end of the week. I worked most of the day on this particular company work, managed to fix Ted some dinner and then retreated to the third bedroom where our office is and worked until bed time.
Luckily this happens very seldom and Ted had a movie to watch so he didn't mind but I don't like not spending evenings with him. It's not fun for him nor is it any fun for me. Add to that, there was no new episode of NCIS, so we were both bummed about that.
Thakfully, tomorrow we will be back to our normal schedule.
Wednesday 02/17/2010
Luckily this happens very seldom and Ted had a movie to watch so he didn't mind but I don't like not spending evenings with him. It's not fun for him nor is it any fun for me. Add to that, there was no new episode of NCIS, so we were both bummed about that.
Thakfully, tomorrow we will be back to our normal schedule.
Wednesday 02/17/2010
Day 330 - More work
I'm determined to get the next TESOL unit completed and submitted this week. I'm dragging my feet a bit because I have to do two lesson plans. Even with the sample lesson plans, I'm a bit overwhelmed by doing it.
I also had some company work to get through today along with some household chores. I finally finished Ted's scarf and needed to block it so he could at least wear it once before the winter season is over.
Ted came home a bit late this evening because he stayed to go over some work with a colleague. Evenings go really fast when he comes home late. But it's ok, at least it's staying lighter longer and that's a good thing.
Tuesday 02/16/2010
I also had some company work to get through today along with some household chores. I finally finished Ted's scarf and needed to block it so he could at least wear it once before the winter season is over.
Ted came home a bit late this evening because he stayed to go over some work with a colleague. Evenings go really fast when he comes home late. But it's ok, at least it's staying lighter longer and that's a good thing.
Tuesday 02/16/2010
Day 329 - Another work day.
Mondays are always difficult. Even if you stay at home like I do. There's still work to be done. I've decided to split up my housekeeping in daily chunks by room. I think it will help me be more focused on the things that I need to do for our personal lives and keep me in check when the summer time comes and there's no time to do anything but travel on the weekends.
I managed to update our finances by entering all of the receipts from the previous week and filing them. I have an error in my bank account and I need to resolve it before I can balance this month's checking account but I have no desire to do that today. I can not do it on the first day of the week, there's too many other things to do.
I managed to work on some other things and get dinner organized when Ted comes home. By the time I finished doing all of those things that I wanted to get done, it was time for my weekly call with my boss to organize the projected work for the week.
Ted came home, we had dinner and watched some videos until bedtime. It's rather boring but it's winter time so it's expected!
Monday 02/15/2010
I managed to update our finances by entering all of the receipts from the previous week and filing them. I have an error in my bank account and I need to resolve it before I can balance this month's checking account but I have no desire to do that today. I can not do it on the first day of the week, there's too many other things to do.
I managed to work on some other things and get dinner organized when Ted comes home. By the time I finished doing all of those things that I wanted to get done, it was time for my weekly call with my boss to organize the projected work for the week.
Ted came home, we had dinner and watched some videos until bedtime. It's rather boring but it's winter time so it's expected!
Monday 02/15/2010
Day 328 - Sunday, the day of rest!
Today is a rest day here in Germany and it's a rest day for us as well. Although we did go to the Commissary today to pick up a few things that we get there than rather from the local economy, we spent the majority of our time at home. It's still very cold outside and there's still snow on the ground. I'm looking forward to Spring. It couldn't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned!
Sunday 02/14/2010
Sunday 02/14/2010
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