Although I'm back stateside and wicked jet lagged, here's hoping I can faithfully remember my last three days in Germany. If not, I'll make up some fun tidbits ;-)
After returning to Berlin late Monday night, Gunther and I had planned *absolutely nothing* for Tuesday, and we were both glad for it :-) We started off with a low key morning, went shopping for a few groceries (on foot of course!), had lunch, and then took a good walk through the city to the highest point (or one of them) for a great view. Whenever a long walk or steep climb has tired me out on this trip, I've always been more than happy with the great reward at the top :-)
We returned from the walk and (finally!) watched a movie together :-) A couple of years ago we met online through a mutual interest in movies, so it was only fitting that we watch at least one together, in addition to a couple more episodes of season one of Scrubs.
Wednesday was another low key day. Around 10:30 we set out on foot to take a hike into the Black Forest, as Pforzheim is the gateway city to the forest. The incline wasn't too bad and we took it at a more relaxed pace than our day trips, so exercise + pretty scenery = good times! At the top we ate at the only restaurant around and I had a super wonderful salad. Several of the salads I had in Germany were plated more beautifully than any other salad I've had before. *Kudos*
Our walk to the forest, through it, and back home lasted most of the day, and I enjoyed one last Hawaii toast dinner on Wednesday evening :-)
Thursday morning we were off to Stuttgart to meet my friend Elle. Like Gunther, Elle and I have been friends online for a couple of years now, but we'd never met and were both quite nervous O:-) When we met up at the train station and gave each other a hug, it took only a few minutes for the butterflies to go away. The three of us talked about a variety of things on our way to the Mercedes-Benz museum, where we ended up spending a couple of hours visiting the 8-story complex. One of my favorite parts had nothing to do with cars -- the elevators taking you to the 8th floor (where you are supposed to start) looked so futuristic...like something out of Star Wars (yeah I know, even though it's set "a long time ago"). I learned a lot in the museum, perhaps most notably about the existence of the Pope Mobile. How I did not know about it before is beyond me. Not that I'm Catholic, but still, I figured I'd know about something like that.
After the museum it was getting late, and Elle took us to a great Italian place for lunch. Another yum is all I can say :-) Then we headed out to the TV tower for great views of the city, and thankfully we bypassed the 800+ steps and took the elevator. Of course just that morning we had missed the yearly race where crazy competitors run up the stairs, but we did see the winner and I'm guessing the second place finisher (who won last year and in years past). Guess those guys aren't as crazy (and I mean that in the best way possible!) as the ones who race up the Empire State Building.
We finished up the day with a visit to the pedestrian mall for a sweet treat, where we also saw more G8 protestors. They left for the day before I could go watch for a bit.
Gunther and I returned home so I could say goodbye to his parents before I packed up my gear. We talked about the previous two weeks and I invited them to come visit me sometime :-) They're such a fun family, and I know I'm going to miss having meals with all of them.
Friday morning Gunther drove me to Stuttgart's airport. Five minutes before I was supposed to take off, the plane still had not arrived. Despite the delay, we somehow managed to land at Heathrow a few minutes earlier than expected! There was absolutely no line at Immigration, and Customs was easy as always at Heathrow. Check in wasn't too bad, but getting through security was a long process...I can't complain about Dulles anymore (especially since they've really changed things anyway so it's pretty speedy). Yo Sushi was not open as promised, so I ate a small salad at EAT and lapped the terminal, waiting for my gate number to be displayed on the board -- the only tell you about 45 minutes before your flight. Thank goodness for those laps around the terminal, because the 7 hour flight would have been even more uncomfortable without them. I don't know why, but this was probably the most uncomfortable I have ever been on a plane.
Dan picked me up, took me out to this fun restaurant for dinner, and then I slept a few hours. Next morning we did breakfast and then I drove the two *boring* hours from NOVA to home. Now it's Sunday afternoon, and I'm awake, but exhausted. I need to get in some physical activity to keep myself going!
Most photos have been posted on Flickr, but I'll get the rest up soon and link to the four sets I have from the trip O:-)
Cheers ♥
After returning to Berlin late Monday night, Gunther and I had planned *absolutely nothing* for Tuesday, and we were both glad for it :-) We started off with a low key morning, went shopping for a few groceries (on foot of course!), had lunch, and then took a good walk through the city to the highest point (or one of them) for a great view. Whenever a long walk or steep climb has tired me out on this trip, I've always been more than happy with the great reward at the top :-)
We returned from the walk and (finally!) watched a movie together :-) A couple of years ago we met online through a mutual interest in movies, so it was only fitting that we watch at least one together, in addition to a couple more episodes of season one of Scrubs.
Wednesday was another low key day. Around 10:30 we set out on foot to take a hike into the Black Forest, as Pforzheim is the gateway city to the forest. The incline wasn't too bad and we took it at a more relaxed pace than our day trips, so exercise + pretty scenery = good times! At the top we ate at the only restaurant around and I had a super wonderful salad. Several of the salads I had in Germany were plated more beautifully than any other salad I've had before. *Kudos*
Our walk to the forest, through it, and back home lasted most of the day, and I enjoyed one last Hawaii toast dinner on Wednesday evening :-)
Thursday morning we were off to Stuttgart to meet my friend Elle. Like Gunther, Elle and I have been friends online for a couple of years now, but we'd never met and were both quite nervous O:-) When we met up at the train station and gave each other a hug, it took only a few minutes for the butterflies to go away. The three of us talked about a variety of things on our way to the Mercedes-Benz museum, where we ended up spending a couple of hours visiting the 8-story complex. One of my favorite parts had nothing to do with cars -- the elevators taking you to the 8th floor (where you are supposed to start) looked so futuristic...like something out of Star Wars (yeah I know, even though it's set "a long time ago"). I learned a lot in the museum, perhaps most notably about the existence of the Pope Mobile. How I did not know about it before is beyond me. Not that I'm Catholic, but still, I figured I'd know about something like that.
After the museum it was getting late, and Elle took us to a great Italian place for lunch. Another yum is all I can say :-) Then we headed out to the TV tower for great views of the city, and thankfully we bypassed the 800+ steps and took the elevator. Of course just that morning we had missed the yearly race where crazy competitors run up the stairs, but we did see the winner and I'm guessing the second place finisher (who won last year and in years past). Guess those guys aren't as crazy (and I mean that in the best way possible!) as the ones who race up the Empire State Building.
We finished up the day with a visit to the pedestrian mall for a sweet treat, where we also saw more G8 protestors. They left for the day before I could go watch for a bit.
Gunther and I returned home so I could say goodbye to his parents before I packed up my gear. We talked about the previous two weeks and I invited them to come visit me sometime :-) They're such a fun family, and I know I'm going to miss having meals with all of them.
Friday morning Gunther drove me to Stuttgart's airport. Five minutes before I was supposed to take off, the plane still had not arrived. Despite the delay, we somehow managed to land at Heathrow a few minutes earlier than expected! There was absolutely no line at Immigration, and Customs was easy as always at Heathrow. Check in wasn't too bad, but getting through security was a long process...I can't complain about Dulles anymore (especially since they've really changed things anyway so it's pretty speedy). Yo Sushi was not open as promised, so I ate a small salad at EAT and lapped the terminal, waiting for my gate number to be displayed on the board -- the only tell you about 45 minutes before your flight. Thank goodness for those laps around the terminal, because the 7 hour flight would have been even more uncomfortable without them. I don't know why, but this was probably the most uncomfortable I have ever been on a plane.
Dan picked me up, took me out to this fun restaurant for dinner, and then I slept a few hours. Next morning we did breakfast and then I drove the two *boring* hours from NOVA to home. Now it's Sunday afternoon, and I'm awake, but exhausted. I need to get in some physical activity to keep myself going!
Most photos have been posted on Flickr, but I'll get the rest up soon and link to the four sets I have from the trip O:-)
Cheers ♥
1 Comments:
Wow! While I certainly got the impression that you liked the salads you got here and you mentioned numerous times that they were yummy I didn't realise that they were ranking *that* high on your list. :)
Not that I felt the urge to use them but given all that we did during our trips it still felt a bit like as if we cheated by not using the stairs of the Stuttgart TV tower. ;)
Gunther
By
Anonymous, at 5:41 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home