Last day in Germany - getting ready for Italy - and my buddy Apollo

Saturday April 16, 2016

Today is a day for getting ready - tomorrow very bright and early, we leave for ITALY!

Caroline cleaned house, made multiple meals to leave for Booker, took Apollo and packed.

I worked on the blog, packed boxes to send home,  I think I have all my pottery packed from this Fall, packed my luggage, made granola for Booker and printed our tickets.

Late in the afternoon, Caroline took Apollo to his boarding place since he will be staying there for the next few days while  we are in Italy and Booker is working such long hours.  It made me sad to say goodbye to him knowing that I won't see him again until later this year.  He is such a good dog, and they have done a wonderful job training him.

(Another observation, German dogs are all, truly almost all, well behaved.  They sit at restaurants, they go wherever their humans go, they make no trouble and know what they are allowed to do.  I think we could learn something from that too. )

Here is a parting shot of Mr. Apollo  -

haha, nope that is Finley - just missing him....

here is Apollo with the neighbor's little girl, looking handsome and regal, snuggled in on the couch, and looking silly.  : )  Enjoy.  I will miss you Apollo!

Crystal, schnitzel and fun family time

Friday  April 15, 2016

Caroline substituted this morning and was up and gone before 7:00.  When she came back around 1:30 we headed out for a crystal factory about an hour and a half away - Nachtmann's.  Another beautiful day to be driving in the country - and the country looks just like the Blue Ridge Mountains. Seriously - the rolling hills, the trees, the mountains, I felt like I was driving Rt. 8.

The towns here are lovely - houses painted light pastels, neat yards, kitschy yard art, trees blooming, and tiny streets.  Bakery in every one.    Picturesque.

Shopped for the crystal we needed/ wanted : ) and headed home, stopping to eat at a restaurant for some Schnitznel and spaetzle - had to have our German food before we head to Italy.  We also had a soup that is only offered in the spring, made from allium - looks like chives?  It was delicious too.

Booker surprised us and got to come home early, so we all had a chance to sit around and talk, tell riddles, and laugh.  What a great way to end the day.

Guess who's coming to dinner and tales of Italy

Thursday April 14, 2016

We spent the day cleaning up and getting ready for a friend of Caroline's who was coming over for dinner. I had met Colleen before and was looking forward to seeing her again.

 Another trip to the local grocery store, where I got to roam and decide what I wanted to bring home.  Caroline made a spring vegetable risotto that was unbelievably good and we also had a wonderful salad, bread, and sorbet and strawberries for dessert.

What I didn't know was that Colleen had just gotten back from Italy and I got so excited hearing her talk about the food there and wine there!!! I cannot wait - it will be here in two days, and it is going to be great.  Thank you Colleen for getting me excited about the trip!

Another late night for Booker, but he had some good leftovers to come home to. : )

Wahalla!

Wednesday April 13, 2016

Yet another busy day!  Caroline and I went back to Rewe and picked up some goodies for a picnic.  There was a place she had talked about when Michael and I were here and when I was here in the Fall, but the weather had never cooperated well enough for us to go.  I really had no idea of what to expect but wow - it was beautiful -and peaceful -and perfect for a picnic.

It is called Wahalla ( the word makes me smile when I say it, Vaaa haaa Laaa) and it looks like it should be in Greece.

It was built to honor the "great thinkers" and inside are busts of the thinkers that made "the cut".  

Albert Einstein 

The inside was beautiful and quite a testament to the great minds though-out history, but it was the view and the outside that was the most stunning.  

There were several people there, but it is so huge it didn't really seem that anyone else was around.  The food we brought was great, perfect finger food, the beer was delicious on the warm day, and the view was so peaceful.  You could see for miles and miles, and miles and miles....

As we left we drove to some castle ruins and walked through them, again, beautiful view.  

The white part of the castle above was restored to show what it would have looked like back in the day....

The sky started darkening fairly quickly, so we headed back to the car and got there just before the rain started.  We decided to go to a nearby IKEA and wait out the storm.  Which was a great decision because Booker called us and said there was a huge storm back in the Parsberg area, so we suffered and shopped - and had coffee and cake, and when it cleared up we headed home. : )

It was at least an hour between when Booker had called us and when we got home ( maybe even longer) and when we got to Parsberg we could still see mounds of hail that had not melted!  It must have been some kind of storm.   

So our peaceful day ended with some stormy weather, but it was still a perfect day. 

Now I see you, now I don't

Tuesday April 12, 2016

Happy Birthday Sally! (lots of April birthdays in this family)

Another busy day.  We are working on some projects Caroline would like to get done before they move back to the states, so today we are looking for material again, which we found at a wonderful local fabric shop.  It reminded me a lot of the school house in Floyd, but not nearly as big.  I tried to find some vintage looking material for the RV, but alas, nothing really stood out to me.

Next we went to a local hardware/garden store where we looked at paint and entertained ourselves trying to read the labels which of course were in German.  Caroline and Booker are both pretty good at speaking and understanding German, but we had no clue about most of these words.  We decided to go home and look up the words we needed to know on Google.  Not sure what we would have done before that wonderful option....

I, of course, had to look around the store and see what I could find that was different or unique to me, and I found some great finds in the garden section!  I found a pair of leather work gloves that are made for women, so they fit! as opposed to those huge light blue and gray ones that you find everywhere and are made for the Hulk.... I plan to put them in the RV.

I also found some clamp thingies for tomato plants, which I have seen in the states but they were much more expensive, and some clampy things for me to attach to the inside wall of the closet in the RV that will hold our flashlights where we need them to be.  I think Charlie will like the purchases.  

Speaking of Charlie,  I cannot wait to see what he has done in the RV by the time I get home, he has been building shelves, fixing somethings that were not quite right, and who knows what else!  It should be ready to head out by the time I get home! : )  but I digress....

One thing I have noticed while over here is that overall most things in Germany are much cheaper than in the States.  Of course there is also a pretty good exchange rate going for the dollar right now, so that helps, but I have been pleasantly surprised at the prices of everything from food, water, beer, and household items.

Later  in the day we met Lauren for coffee and cake - It was a beautiful day and we sat outside and just enjoyed ourselves.  You gotta love a country that believes people should stop and eat cake and drink coffee in the afternoon.

The next stop before home was a local pharmacy - another observation, customer service here is usually amazingly helpful and pleasant.  Not that I expected it to be otherwise, but everyone is smiling and asking if they can help and willing to speak English when they realize I cannot speak German - which happens quite quickly when they ask me something and I just politely look confused.  : )

And then..... the best part of the day - Booker told Caroline to bring me out to the base around 10:00 p.m. that he had a surprise for us.  Caroline knew what it was, but I had NO idea.  When we got there I found out that he was going to let us look through the night goggles he uses to fly!!!! He did not know this of course, but I have been wanting to try out night vision glasses FOREVER!

 It was so much fun!  And amazing!  It had turned into a rather cloudy night, but with the glasses on you could see so many stars it looked like there was glitter in the sky.  Take them off, they were gone, put them on, there they were!  Then he took a special flashlight and moved it around toward the ground. Glasses on - light!  Glasses off, nothing.

Same thing with the headlights on the truck/jeepy thing.  Lights on, and clear as day with glasses on, no light when glasses off.  They are magic!

I think I need to get a pair to wear when Charlie and I are walking through the woods before dawn, looking for a place to see turkey and deer.  Meg, if you are reading this, Joe would LOVE them too!  Imagine what you could see on your land?   If any of you have never tried them, go get some now and try them out - don't wait - it is too much fun to put it off!

Thank you -Thank you -Thank you -Thank you Booker!!!!!

Men and trucks floating down from the sky - and ....crispy duck.

Monday April 11, 2016

What an exciting day today!  We went on base to run some errands ( went to the Post office to mail the chocolate before the weather warms up too much) and they were running some drills and I got to see "stuff" ( vehicles and supplies) and people jumping out of a plane.   It was cool and also beautiful at the same time.  My pictures are not very good because they were a long way away, but you get the idea....

Booker was not jumping out or flying, he was watching and critiquing. : )

For dinner I had a craving for crispy duck (had it the first time I was here) so we came home and walked downtown and ate at a local restaurant known for its German and Thai food.  I had the sweet and sour crispy duck, the duck was great, but the sauce was only okay, but too traditional - I should have gone for the mushroom crispy duck.  Caroline got peanut crispy duck  that was delicious and we took some Curry crispy duck home for Booker  - which he took for lunch the next day and said it was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.  : )  I look surprised in this picture, not sure why..... : )

Can you tell this is going to be a blog that is heavily weighted toward food?  And I haven't even gotten to Italy yet!

Cow cafe

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Happy birthday Liz!

Today we visited the Cow cafe.  Yep, it has another name, but I don't know what it is.  : ). It is a dairy farm that has a restaurant and creamery too.  As some of you know, I like the smell of cows.   It reminds me of Wisconsin when I was a little girl and played on my Grandpa's farm.  So I loved the smell of this place. It definitely smelled like cows!

We got to see cows as they walked into the milking stalls to be milked, and while they just hung out in the barns.  There were big cows, little cows, old cows, and baby cows.  Some steers, some bulls and some momma cows.  Lots and lots of cows!

And .... there were delicious ice cream and cake choices. Caroline and I chose ice cream of course. : )

But just in case you think we were only there for the food.... there was also this cool wooden sphere, which I discovered is also educational it represents the sun, and the small balls in the box attached represent the rest of the solar system. 

Linens, chocolate and popcorn

Saturday, April 9th, 2016

Another fun day of shopping in local shops.  Our first stop was a chocolate factory (Seidl) that I had visited the last time I was here.  They sell many of the same chocolates in the pastry\coffee shop we went to on Wednesday, but it is a tiny bit less expensive at the factory and the selection there is huge!  So I bought more chocolate to send home for friends, family the postman and the UPS man.  (The UPS and USPS guys are so helpful especially when I am traveling... they loved the last ones I gave them, so I bringing them some more : )

Next was a trip to small family owned business ( Katharieder Bauemhanddnuck) that sold beautiful bolts of material including hand stamped designs.  We were looking for something for a project of Caroline's and while we didn't find what we were looking for we had a great time looking at all the bolts and bolts of material.  I ended up buying some dishcloths which I will enjoy using and remembering this quaint shop each time I do.

Then onto the commissary where we found one of Michael's favorite fruits! (granadilla) I haven't seen them since we were in Peru but there they were just sitting in the produce section.  Of course I had to send a picture of them to Michael. :  )

Next on the agenda is the movie theatre on base where we meet Lauren and Amanda to see The Boss. Dinner tonight was popcorn, nachos and a diet coke.    After visiting a bit after the movie, it was home to unpack and off to bed.

Another busy, fun day in Deutschland.

Shopping is fun in any country.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Got to have a ladies day out today.  Went shopping with Caroline and two of her friends ( Lauren and Claire) with the goal of finding a dress for an upcoming Ball.  Lauren, Claire and I had a great time picking out dresses for Caroline to try on, and she was willing to try anything we brought ( including a pretty oddly constructed green dress that I picked out - it was pretty bad but we got a good laugh out of it.)  Eventually we found an elegant emerald green dress that I think will be perfect and will be both beautiful and easy to wear. Can't wait to see the picture of her in the dress and Booker in his uniform.

Then on to a delightful lunch, more shopping for the other ladies, and home.

I am glad Caroline has made good friends here in Germany. : )



Friday,  April 8, 2016

Happy birthday Grandpa!   Today is my dad's birthday!  Hope he is having a wonderful day. Love you Dad!

 I love shopping in grocery stores in general, but especially in other countries.  There are always foods I already know and like - and many new ones to discover and this afternoon we got to go to Rewe, the local grocery store that we use.  And then home to cook.

Booker is working some pretty long hours right now so you may not hear much about him as I talk about our days activities - he is gone early in the morning and coming home around 10 or 10:30. So sadly, he is missing much of our fun.  Caroline tries to have healthy food for him to take for his meals when he is working this rotation and since she is a good cook, he is eating well.    Whenever I am visiting them,  I always go home with new ideas for foods that I want to prepare, and I can already tell this trip will be no exception.

Practice makes petfect

I was smarter this time.  Sometimes it takes me a few times to figure out a better way to make something better but eventually I get there...

This is my third trip to Germany in the last 6 months and I have finally figured out the easiest way to have an 8 hour layover in Atlanta- buy a days pass to one of the lounges.  Specifically "The Club" in concourse F.  For 35 dollars you can sit in comfortable chairs, in pleasant surroundings and even take a shower in a spa like setting (which I did) ( and it was great!).  I mean, if you paid for it, then why not use it?

Also, they serve a continental style breakfast of muffins, various pastries, cereals, fresh fruit, yogurt, fresh juice and any kind of coffee drink you want.  Later they serve a light lunch of soup, salad, and sandwiches.  ( I assume dinner is similar choices, but had I had left by then.)

 I chose fresh fruit, yogurt and a cappuccino. They also had snacks of popcorn, more fresh fruit, cookies and chips.   A full bar is also included in the cost,  I passed on this perk today, but I know others would love it!

To make the day even better, Tom had a layover in Atlanta that afternoon so I was able to visit and catch up with him.  How perfect was that!

Some of you savvy travelors already know about these travel oases, but I was blown away at how much easier it made 8 hours of waiting.  I am sure between Starbucks, breakfast and lunch at the airport, I would have easily dropped 35.00 so in I thought it was a great deal as well.

Trip of a lifetime

Monday April 4, 2016

Tomorrow morning I leave on a trip that I have dreamed of for at least 40 years... I am finally going to Italy...

and...

while there, I am going to get to go to a cooking school...

and even better....

Caroline is going to be able to go with me!

About 8 Christmases ago, the kids gave me money to set up an "Italy savings account".  They knew how much I wanted to go and said that since I had always supported their dreams and they wanted to support mine.  I set up the account and have added to it over the years, and now with Caroline already being in Germany and the cooking school running a heck of a deal, I took the plunge and bought the tickets!

I am not sure why, but I have always wanted to go to Italy.  My real dream is to live there for at least 4 months, but since I don't know anything about the country other than it calls to me, and I had no idea where I should go, I decided a small cooking school set in the hills of Italy would be the perfect introduction to the country.

The first part of the trip takes me to Germany where I get to spend time with Caroline, Booker and Apollo, then on the 17th we will hop on the plane to Italy and spend a week learning traditional Italian dishes and seeing the country side.  whooo hoooo hooooo!  I. can. not. wait!

I plan to write about the trip and post my pictures here so that family and friends who are interested can come along with me and I won't be boring others or blowing up my facebook page with pictures that others may not want to see.  In many ways, it will be a running diary for me to remember the trip, but feel free to travel with me and leave your comments. : )