Germany Trip, Day 6
8/27/05 - Day 6
Today we took the train to Nuremburg where we walked some more and did the whole tourist thing. There was supposed to be a festival, but we couldn't find it, so we wandered through the market place and pedestrian section, which was filled with lots of shops and food booths. Also visited the local castle (which, as with all castles, was at the top of a very steep hill. My calfs may never forgive me) which was built in something like 1034 AD, so my inner history geek was totally doing the "squee!" thing again. Took lots of pictures to make up for the cameral I lacked in Munich (forgot it in the car again) - mostly of all the funky fountains scattered here and there all over the place. It was a lot of fun, and I picked me up a really pretty scarf and a cheesy Nuremburg key chain to get the "gaudy souvenir" thing out of my system.
Caught the 2:50 train back to Ansbach, which is where I am now. Not sure if we have anything else planned for today, but damned is it nice to relax and sit in one place for a few hours.
From here on out it appears I didn't write anything down for the last two days I spent in Germany (well, three if you include the day I lost jumping back and forth between planes on my way back home), so if I were to write anything, it would all be from memory, which is a bit rusty since more than 4 months have passed since the whole trip thing. I will, however, give you all the basics and see if Emma can't fill in the blanks for me if you all want more.
8/28/05 - Day 7
As this was a Sunday and everything in Germany is closed on Sunday (and I mean *everything*. I think the gas stations are even closed, or at least most of them), we didn't do much on the 28th. We went to the service at the church on Emma's base (which was really really boring because, according to Emma, we ended up with the dull padre that time around. I was even *trying* to pay attention to the message, and I have no idea what the man was talking about) where the Bible School kids sang a bit, so that was a bit of an escape from the droning voice of the padre. Afterwards there was a potluck where Joe made nummy enchiladas and I ate entirely too much and met a few of Em and Joe's friends.
After that, we went back to the apartment and crashed for a few hours, watching TV, reading, or playing on the computer because, yeah, it was the only place open. ;) We did go to a movie later in the evening, though (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), so that was fun (YAY pretty explosions and gun fights! Even if it did have Brad Pitt in it).
8/29/05 - Day 8
Um... we went to Rothemburg I think? and visited the cool Torture Museum? (big museum filled with mid-evil torture/shame devices... was quite interesting in a sadistic kind of way, and the Shame Masks were really cool) I think we also visited a famous church (that I can't remember the name of) with really pretty stain glass windows (which were set at such an angle so that they only were all three lit up at the same time from the outside on Easter Morning).
And I got a Germany t-shirt. And took more pictures.
And that's all I can remember. Was still a lot of fun, though.
I think Emma and I went to the grocery store at some point. And I know we shared a really big Eis Sundae and Jasmine tea afterwards at an Eis cafe. Joe stayed behind for this one, so it was just me and Emma for an hour or two, which was nice because then we got to do the girly talk thing without fear of grossing out Joe (though in our cases, the "girly talk" could probably be considered more "guy talk" since neither of us has much shame and both of us are rather dirty minded). The Eis and tea were very very good, and it was just nice to have Emma to myself (love you, sweetie!) for a few hours without fear of offending Joe's tender ears. ;) (though i can't really remember what we were talking about. But, knowing me and Emma, I'm sure there was some dirtiness involved at some point.)
Headed back home on the 30th, giving Emma one last hug goodbye before she wandered off to work and Joe drove me off to the airport. Had a bit of a mix up with my tickets when I tried to sign in, but it all worked out in plenty of time. Joe and Rascal walked me to my gate, where I gave *them* one last hug goodbye before wandering on my merry way to three hours of waiting before another 12 hours sitting on an airplane (at least this time I got a seat by one of the Emergency Exits, so it wasn't quite as crowded.
Landed in Minneapolis around 4:30 pm (I think... again with the whole rusty thing), spent 45 minutes waiting to walk through customs (pretty much the only food stuff I brought back home was chocolate, so I had no problems getting through, it was just waiting that took so long) and get my luggage. Somehow managed to find my parents in the crowded halls of MSP after having been awake for 36 hours straight again (seriously... Still not sure how I managed that one. I think cell phones were involved, though I'm pretty sure it had mostly to do with luck and being in the right place at the right time), where they informed me that New Orleans had sunk into the Gulf of Mexico thanks to the efforts of Katrina. I then proceeded to frantically text Vaidah about any news she had heard on Dawn (who lived near New Orleans), and happily received a text back saying that she was safe with her family in someplace not Louisiana ({{{hugs Dawn}}}).
Then we started the 3 and a half hour trek back home, stopping for dinner at some steak house in Eau Claire along the way. Finally got home around 9:30ish, where I made myself stay up for another hour at least in hopes of having a repeat of the No Jet Lag thing I enjoyed my first night in Germany (again, sometimes being away for 36 hours straight comes in handy), and the rest is history.
All in all, I have to say that the whole Germany thing was one of the best experiences in my life so far. I hope I can get back there again some day and stay a little longer, because there is just way too much to see and squeeze into one tiny little week. Maybe next time I'll beg Verena for a place to stay and we can take North Germany by storm like Emma, Joe, and I took the South. ;)