Thursday May 13, 2010

Flying out at the time of the day seems to set you up to think it is a normal day it is light when you leave and light when you get home. After a good nights sleep at times being confused as to where I really was it was time to get ready to leave for Iowa. We are leaving on Friday for Marla Mennes wedding with Kathy and Perry down in Iowa. We can't be in one place too long our average stay for the last 12 weeks has been about 4 days and then we move on. We are thinking we will have to call our friends and see if we can stay at their houses just to feel like we are still moving around.

To sum up the trip it was a trip of a lifetime and we spared no expense. We stayed at nice hotels, ate great food, took some excursions and enjoyed wonderful wine. We traveled over 4000 miles and tryed to see as much as we could in the time we had allotted. There was no one favorite spot but there were alot of spots that we found much more attractive than others. Bob and I were joined at the hip and an arms length apart for 6 weeks which by any opinion is a long time. We managed to pull it together and enjoy the moment. The clothes I packed were perfect, the Icebreaker shirts get 5* ,the Nike free black tennis and the suitcase with the back pack were also high on the list of great things. It has been fun sharing my experiences with everyone, for now I am signing off to plan another event not sure where that will take us.

Wednesday, May 12 2010
Greg had arranged for the taxi driver to pick us up at 6:30 am to start our trip home and the man was right on time. He drove about 180 km an hour to the airport and believe me we were not late. Delta had changed our connecting flight by 10 minutes and I was hoping to get on an earlier flight. When I inquired the lady said I should try in Atlanta to change the flight and gave me in formation of a flight we might be able to get on without a charge.
The flight was uneventful left at 9:45 am and arrives at Atlanta at 1:05. You now it is a good flight when the elderly man next to you uses the little wipe cloth they give you to clean his underarms, and I was right next to him , kind of weird. The flight information that was given to us was a 2:40 flight out of Delta. When the plane landed the race against time began, going through customs was no problem then there is security. Since I have 2 knee replacements it takes twice as long and staring at the scars they still ask why I am setting off the buzzer. We arrive at the gate and they have a boarding pass for us to get on the flight. Amazing things due happen the woman in Germany had put us on the flight. A quick phone call to Perry and we were on the plane. Perry was waiting for us and away we went to our house for a 48 rest so we could once again leave for another destination.

May 11, 2010
This will be our last day of the trip and decided that we didn't need to drive any place or see any more things. We drove to the rental car return without getting lost and walked back to explore the picturesque town we are staying in. The town of Oberursel is the cutest and also very old as far as the buildings and streets. They have a walking tour that you can take, Teresa provided us with the book and map. The tour takes you through the winding narrow streets to some incredible houses and also past many of the towns fountains. We stopped at a great place for lunch called the Bauihaus (spelling?) also a brewery and had a typical German ham hock and sauerkraut lunch with of course a great German beer.
Bob has not been able to take his typical daily nap because we have been on the move far to fast so he opted for a nap and I went to the Asian nail place to get a much needed pedicure. People think this traveling is no work but I have had to search for hair dye, massages and a pedicure.
Teresa was not feeling good all day so she had to put up with us coming and going but seemed to be ok with it. In the morning we discovered they had an infestation fo ants under the planter they had just moved one of our jobs was to find something to get rid of them. When I was in the courtyard applying something to kill them the crazy dog next door came out of his house barking and bounded over the 2 foot high fence attempting to attack my ankle. The owner just looked at me and in German I think asked if I was ok. Greg, Bob and I went to the Bauihaus(spelling???) for dinner and Teresa had to go to a meeting with the new head of schools and put a happy face on and take away the sick face. Staying with them the last part of this trip was the best. It was the closest accommodations to home that I have seen in several weeks and their hospitality was the best. There place is in the perfect location right in the heart of the little town and right next to a church, so at 7:00 am every morning we new it was time to get up when the bells starting ringing. Early to bed as we had a flight to catch.

Monday May 10, 2010

When we got up this morning the rain had quit and it looked like the sun may be peaking through the thick clouds. Teresa and Greg were off to work and we decided to find some destination to visit, as our time is winding down. We drove 2 1/2 hours to a town called Trier that is located west of Frankfurt on the Mosel river. The drive was mostly autostrada so we could make some good time getting there. I plugged the amphitheater into the GPS and she took us right to where we would start the exploration of this charming old city. Trier is one of the oldest cities in Germany and still has some of the Roman ruins in tact for visiting. We opted to take a guided tour that took us by the ruins of the baths, the Porta Nigrm that was the entrance to the walled city and then high atop the city for an aerial view. Some of the city had been hit by the war in 1944 but over time has been rebuilt to be very charming architecture old mixed with new. The main part of town has only foot traffic and the shopping looked affordable, I might add I still only have the small bag that can't hold much. After a few hours of touring the city we headed back to T & G's where they treated us to a great steak dinner at a local restraunt called Ratskeller & Gartenlokal im Museumhof. A great day and the last day in the car.

Sunday May, 9 2010
Happy Mother's Day !!!
It was so enjoyable to get up this morning and have coffee,a real breakfast and not have to move to another hotel. I feel like I am almost home hanging out here with Teresa & Greg sitting on real furniture and not spending time in a hotel room. After a nice breakfast Teresa and Greg needed to go to work at their schools World Fest event. When we arrived at the school Teresa gave me a tour of the school that is beyond words 1 example was the staff lounge refrig that is stocked with beer and wine and classrooms that are very nice. While T & G were selling tickets Bob and I went for a walk in the woods once again avoiding the rain. This is a great fundraising event for the Frankfurt Internationl School and many of the families who attend this school particapate in this event. There are several booths set up representing various countries selling the food that is native to their country. When Teresa says she has to work at certain events I always felt bad until I was at this event. They sell beer, wine and ethnic food and Teresa has the opportunity to visit with the parents and other administrators in the school while drinking an ocassional wine.
We ended the night at a great restaraunt called Stadischanke located just a few steps from their house. Tomorrow we will go and explore one more German town.