I am officially 19 years old!!!! It doesn't feel any different because I'll always be a little kid! Well I woke up on Tuesday morning ready to go and excited to see what was going to happen downstairs!! Bed head, norts, socks, and morning breath, I headed downstairs. My Tante Lisa Oncle Friedhelm greeted me with the two biggest hugs ever and then as I sat down, I noticed a thick yellow envelope lying by my breakfast dish. Inside was a beautiful card and two tickets to Die Toten Hosen!! They are one of the most popular bands in Germany and I cannot wait to see them this Sunday :) It didn't stop there though! I went to work and we started the day with cake and strawberry champagne. Remember the color red and roses because some how this happened to be a theme all day :) This cake also has marzipan. It's like fondant but it's not chocolate and it's simply fantastic! At work, I practiced some piano and then braced myself for some fantastic bowling at 10am! We bowl every week and I can only tell you that this is the most exciting event we plan and hold every week. I love my house guests <3 They all sang me happy birthday (the German version) and I smiled for a straight hour because they are all so cute. Then we served lunch and ate our lunch with more champagne from Luxembourg! Later we had my concert. Mind you this entire day it was 37 degrees celsius and HUMID. It was unbearable but it made the house guests want to come to my concert even more because it was cool and in the basement. I guess you could say that the environment and weather affects the way any event goes. They all loved my playing and since it was the last of the 4 concerts we bowed together and thanked all of them.
We got back a little bit later, but as I walked in there was this mysterious package on the bench...IT WAS ADDRESSED TO ME! This really cute guy named Ben sent it to me and of course I didn't find the card until the end. Needless to say, Benjamin couldn't be with me for my birthday so he sent me a dozen beautiful roses AND a vase FROM GERMANY! What a guy! So Benny, if you're reading this, I love you and that was a wonderfully most amazing surprise!!!
After my perfect, most wonderful birthday surprise we went to the Irish Pub! These were just two of my yummy cocktails :)
Now we're on to Wednesday! This will be much shorter than Tuesday simply because I traveled most of it in the most insane humidity and heat of my life.
So that morning we went to the birthday breakfast at The Delicat. The breakfast looked like heaven, here's a picture! I can't eat that much in the morning so I drank the orange juice FRESH SQUEEZED THAT MORNING and peppermint tea with the actual peppermint leaves in the pot. Possibly the best tea, I have ever had in my entire life.
Of course we went shopping before my train left at noon. It's safe to say that I will need another suitcase because I have bought the cutest clothes and most amazing presents for all of the people that I love most!
My train left Trier on time and then I had to rush in Koblenz because I was going to miss my train to Stuttgart. PSYCH! I ended up having a one hour delay and had absolutely no idea how horrendous the Deutsche Bahn was actually going to be. It is outrageously expensive with mediocre service. I guess you could say that's socialism at its finest, but then again we have horrendous public transportation in the USA as well. Your call :) Mind you this entire train ride, it was still 37 degrees Celsius and I had to wait outside. As soon as I saw the train pulling up to the platform, I was ecstatic for air conditioning! BUT WAIT! The train doesn't have AC! Let's just say I was sweating for 24 hours straight. I got to Stuttgart safely but an hour late. Greeted by my favorite cousin Hanna Banana!!!! We went to Uni and met some of her classmates and then took the S-Bahn back to Korntal for dinner. Then we went to a birthday for one of her friends.
It was mad chill. People were just sitting around talking and listening to good music. Then the nutella broke out. I have never seen a nutella fight but it was awesome. Sarah Coon, you should have been there because you would have decimated everyone haha. There were water fights and a lot of things were thrown over onto some roof. Then we headed to a club that the Uni runs and the students go to. Also mad chill! I taught them how to Bernie, Wobble, and Wop. I felt like a real American. We got home pretty late and then both Hanna and I passed out within minutes of walking through the door.
So Thursday was also fantastic but ridiculously hot in the morning. So hot that I had to sit in a fountain in Schlossplatz and enjoy the weather. I shopped around for a few more hours. Ended up buying silicone cupcake forms and Stabilo pens. These pens are legendary and if you ever get the chance to use one, DO IT! Everyone is posting these feet pictures now, so here you go. These are my feet...in a fountain. Not artsy but you understand perfection, now. This was the fountain! It eventually was bombarded with elementary school kids splashing and that's when I took my chance to leave and find my cousin for lunch.
We went to an Asian noodle place. These noodles are also fantastic and basically Lo Mein. I had a Schwipp Schwapp which is Coca Cola and Fanta mixed together. Next to Apfelschorle and water, this is the best drink ever known to mankind. A bit exaggerated, but if you've tasted it, then you'd understand what I'm talking about.This is also just another super cool fountain in Stuttgart :) And I finally had my crepe with Apfelmus and Zimt (applesauce and cinnamon-sugar). They are heavenly. Just come to Stuttgart and we can eat together. Just a day of food and getting fat. I'm down, you just need to get your butt over here now!
I found the S-Bahn and missed my stop at Korntal and thought, "Okay, the train has to turn around at some point." About 20 minutes later, my mom suggested that I get off and take another train back to my stop. Oops :) On the bright side, I made it to Renningen which is where my Opa's brother had a bakery. It's now run by his daughter. I would have never known that if I got at Korntal the first time. Adventure time is what I do best! A 20 minute ride, turned into an hour sight seeing tour. So worth it!
As soon as I got back, we headed to Oma's apartment!!! I cannot even begin to tell you how awesome it was seeing her. She is the happiest woman ever and always knows how to make you smile. She may be older but she can always connect with you and know exactly what to say. We finally broke the language barrier and lots of conversation. I finally feel like I know my Oma now and am proud to say that I am her granddaughter. Here she is! Doesn't she look great in green :)
After our ice cream and visit with Oma, my Tante Susanne and I went to visit Opa's grave. I'll show you a picture and give you a little bit of context. Graves here are very expensive to keep and maintain. They need to be watered often and paid for otherwise the grave becomes anonymous and nobody knows where their relatives are. A headstone is very expensive so until then, there is a beautiful wooden cross. The flowers are new but when in full bloom will look absolutely amazing. That is Hebrews 13:14 which means "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."
After we visited my Oma and Opa, we went to pizza at Vesuvio in Feuerbach. This is the most fantastic pizza place ever. It is made by native Italians who moved here. It is always busy and a true that we even found a table. Then after we stuffed our faces we made our way back to the apartment and watched, Ziemlich Beste Freunde. Like everything in Germany, it's amazing. The story is wonderful and true! The acting is incredible and the story is so touching. It's about a man who is paralyzed from the neck down and looking for help. That's all you need to know. Just look at the imdb reviews or pirate the movie! If you get a chance, check out the soundtrack, it's incredible.
SO FRIDAY! TODAY!!!! I slept in and then we went to Killesberg. This is a park that was built in the 40s for the public to enjoy. Every Sunday, there is a circus for kids and train that runs around the entire park. A famous architect also built this tower that people can climb to see the best view of Stuttgart. They have flamingos, goats, pigs, llamas, birds, fish, and everything. There were even Greyhound races held there when it was legal. So here is a view of the park and me sitting on a horse. The Steinbrich family used to walk there every Sunday together when they were younger. Apparently everyone takes a picture on the horse but it's so awkward to sit on!
I TOTALLY FORGOT TO MENTION THIS EARLIER! We ride everywhere by public transportation within the city and by Vespa. I want a Vespa. But the S-Bahn is wonderful and so is the U-Bahn. They are much better than the long distance trips :) We made our way back home and had Maultasche. They are big ravioli looking things stuffed with vegetables and yummy ingredients. There's meat in there too :) Don't you worry! The main reason for Maultasche was so that the Germans could still eat meat during lent, so they would hide it in these little pockets. This is my cousin, Hanna!!! :)
Sadly this was my entire stay in Stuttgart because my train left at 4...or was supposed to leave at 4pm. Someone commit suicide and jumped on to the train tracks along the way. This backed up every single train for 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, and so on. Deutsche Bahn doesn't really know how to handle anything and the service is not all that great. My train was delayed and then I would miss my connecting train. Here comes the adventure! I hopped on a train to Mannheim and then switched there to a train to Saarbrucken. I found some crazy awesome Americans. They were all living and doing research for different science companies. Every weekend they traveled to a different city in Europe. After meeting them, I realized that I love traveling because there are always new faces to see and new friends to be made. So much excitement!!! Surprise my train was late to Saarbrucken and I missed my connecting train to Trier. An hour later, I finally made it on the train to Trier. The weather was cool this time and I had people to talk to, so it didn't seem so bad or lonely!
After 5 hours, I made it back to peaceful Trier :) Tante Lisa gave me a huge hug and made pommes (french fries) and salad for me!! We shared our stories and now I'm here blogging for you, you wonderful person, you!! I can't even tell you how grateful I am that someone is reading this blog. There is always something positive that happens when something goes wrong and I've made the most of my crazy travels here. I hope that my blog makes you want to come to Germany and adventure on your own!
Much love and bis dann!!!
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