Nineteenth Week in Germany
It is hard to believe that we have been here 19 weeks already. We have learned a lot and still have so much to learn. A little aside this morning...I ran to the big grocery store to get some diapers (because we ran out this morning) and some shoe pads for Bailey which they did not have, garbage bags, and some normal stuff. I went to the Getranke shop right before this (right next door) and returned bottles and bought drinks with my debit card. Of course it was one of those days when Bryn was throwing a fit so I opened a bag of wafers and let her have some while we were shopping. When I had a cart full of things at the grocery, I went to pay for them and my debit card didn't work. She tried it three times. In the States this would have been no problem, I would have just given her another credit card, right? No, they only take cash and debit. So, I ask in my best German where there was a "geld-automat" which is an ATM, and luckily there happened to be one right down the street. We parked our groceries and walked to the ATM. My card didn't work. Of course. Why would I think it would? I went to get a guy inside the bank to help that spoke a little English (they all say that) and apparently he had the magic touch because when he was standing behind me watching me get money out of the ATM, it worked. Then, I had to go back to the grocery and pay for the groceries in cash. It's a Monday morning!
This week, Bailey started Dance class after school. She is happy with it. We also had a holiday on Wednesday. It was Germany Unification Day. We didn't really see any kind of celebration or anything. We planned on driving to another country to see some sights, but we slept in, had a big breakfast, and didn't get out of the house until a bit later. Bailey roller bladed and Avery rode her bike along the Rhein River. When we returned, we just basically hung out all day. It was a nice rest. Thursday, it was so tough to get up. Saturday was beautiful weather. We decided to drive up to an old Roman walled city, called Xanten. It was very cool, complete with an amphitheatre, Roman bath ruins, and a partially reconstructed Roman Temple.
Also, in this town was a very cool windmill, that has been converted into a backerei (bakery). There was also a very large Cathedral, that at one time rivaled the Dom in Koln. It is where the remains of St. Victor are said to be and there were many pilgrimages to this town. We had our first frikadella mit kartoffeln salat. Bailey was in huge opposition to trying something new, but Greg and I decided to get one for us to split anyway. It is one of those things you have to have if you live in Germany. I think Bailey ended up eating at least a third of it. Avery and Bryn just wanted the hazelnut waffles we had purchased at the bakery.
It was a long but a very nice day to spend together. We will definitely try to go back to Xanten before we leave. We got back in time to have something to eat for dinner and start to watch conference on the Internet. The first session here started at 6:00pm. We made it through the first session both days but both of us fell asleep watching the second session. I plan on trying to catch up on what I missed this week. How about that President Hinckley, huh? Still getting up there to speak and making jokes every time. I just think he is so great!
This week, Bailey started Dance class after school. She is happy with it. We also had a holiday on Wednesday. It was Germany Unification Day. We didn't really see any kind of celebration or anything. We planned on driving to another country to see some sights, but we slept in, had a big breakfast, and didn't get out of the house until a bit later. Bailey roller bladed and Avery rode her bike along the Rhein River. When we returned, we just basically hung out all day. It was a nice rest. Thursday, it was so tough to get up. Saturday was beautiful weather. We decided to drive up to an old Roman walled city, called Xanten. It was very cool, complete with an amphitheatre, Roman bath ruins, and a partially reconstructed Roman Temple.
It was a long but a very nice day to spend together. We will definitely try to go back to Xanten before we leave. We got back in time to have something to eat for dinner and start to watch conference on the Internet. The first session here started at 6:00pm. We made it through the first session both days but both of us fell asleep watching the second session. I plan on trying to catch up on what I missed this week. How about that President Hinckley, huh? Still getting up there to speak and making jokes every time. I just think he is so great!
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