Schnitzel please!

Had dinner with Linda, a new friend and coworker.  We met in the Bonn City Center and found a beer garden to try for dinner.  I had to order a schnitzel and check this out.....it's the biggest schnitzel in Bonn!!!  And I'm happy to report that it was delicous and it was really too much food.  Top it off with a few Bonsch beers and all is good in the world!!!

BBQ on the Rhein River

Last week a group of friends hosted a BBQ on the Rhein River and it was a great night!  We BBQ'd all sorts of food, just don't ask me what everything was but simply put, it was delicious!!!  In the following photo, Ty is holding a sandwich that Susie and I named a "Suzuki", however, I don't even recall how we came to that conclusion.  Marija, in the yellow t-shirt, put the sandwich together for me and I think it was a cross between Croatian and Hungarian.  All I remember is it was delicious!!!

After I ate and drank all that was possible.  Ty gave me the key to the bicycle and I managed to stagger my way home on the bike.  YES - first time on a bike since I was a kid.  I was pretty wobbley but I made it home safe without any collisions.  All is good in the world and I may consider getting a bike back in Seattle.  It really was fun to ride!  Thanks Ty & Marija!!!

Here is a picture of the group (left to right):  Frank, Susie, Jennifer, Stefan, Sven & Kathryn. 

This really is the best group of people and they are incredible friends!  And with enough pressure from them, I just might take up running!  Oh, and bicycing too! 

Good news, not so good news and delicious ice cream!

So, it appears that I'm not the best blogger!  LOL  However, I'm finally taking an evening to myself and I don't think I've had this time to myself in over a week.  So, yes.....life is busy!

It's Tuesday August 2nd and only 2 days remain in Germany and I head home to Seattle.  Would you believe that the sun and heat have finally made an appearance and it's warm today.  It feels good but I could certainly use a fan in my apartment.  Thank goodness there is a fan in my office!!!  It's a bit warm and I decided that the best option for dinner is ice cream!  I walked to the nearby village, yes that is village, not neighborhood, and went to the most popular ice cream shop and got two scoops on a cone.  Oh my gosh......delicious!!!  After the first two licks I was tempted to go back for a second cone.  It was the best moment of the day. 

Now for the not so good news of the day.  There was an announcement yesterday at T-Mobile in Bonn, Germany that there is a freeze on hiring and they are looking at a headcount reduction.  Being that I was considering applying for a position here, the timing just isn't working with me.  So thankfully, I still have a job back in Seattle and I'm in no rush to figure out what is next for me (assuming that the AT&T acquisition will take place in a matter of time).  So here I've been really thinking and stressing about figuring out whether I like it over here in Germany enough to move permanently and now I don't have to worry about it.  No decision necessary with the hiring freeze, so I feel less stressed about making up my mind.  Now to enjoy the last two days of my time here and to see friends before I hit the airport. 

In reality, it's all good news.  I believe that what is meant to be, will happen.  Fate....karma or whatever you want to call it!!   :)

The Museum Mile & The Day of Desserts

Sunday July 24, 2011 – Started the day by getting my laundry done and as you know, it takes time to get that done.  So, about noon I walked to the nearby ice cream café that has coffee and I desperately needed a cup of coffee and I had a scoop of caramel ice cream for breakfast and ohhhhh, that was SO incredibly tasty!!!  YUM! 

Next up was the day of the Museum Mile, located near my apartment.  I went to the German History Museum, which was free admission to promote learning the German history.  Although, it was a bit difficult as there was no English interpretation so I had to rely on reading the English postings which were frequently posted, just not on every display.  It was quite interesting to learn about the German history, where it’s been and how far along it has come.  It’s really quite interesting. 

After the history museum, I stopped into an Italian café and had a late lunch and it was so delicious!  It began with a glass of chardonnay, caprese salad, and ended with spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and shrimp with the best Italian bread.  It was incredibly delicious!!!  AND I brought a piece of tiramisu to bring home for later (dessert #2).  I think this weekend I’ve had the best food so far on the trip!

And last I went to the Bonn art museum and walked through the different artists on display.  I have to admit, there is some interesting art and then there is the art that doesn’t make any sense.  There was a display of a dresser drawer cabinet with glass and inside the cabinets were blankets.  Somehow, I was thinking that I could somehow come up with something interesting too and call it art.  Wonder if my closet of clothing at home could qualify as art if the blankets on display was art?  Another display was about 12 televisions and they were playing video tape of men playing basketball and all you could hear was the sound their sneakers on the basketball court and all the squeeks of the soles on the court floor and that was considered to be the art on display.  Hmmmmm, never would have thought of that myself.  Last thing I found at the museum was the café and had an espresso and an apple dessert (dessert #3) and they have a HotSpot there so can use my iPad (must make mental note to return here). 

After two museums and a great meal and a few sweet desserts, I walked home and am catching up on the blog postings.  It’s been a busy weekend, great food, my legs are tired and I’m ready to rest. 

Wine Country Photos

Here's a few photos from the top of the hill.  It really was gorgeous to overlook the little villages and the vineyards.  A fabulous day with incredible friends!  Thank you Stefan and Susie!!!

Hiking in Wine Country

Saturday July 23 – Today Stefan and Susie pick me up at 11am and it’s a full day in wine country and I return home at 10pm.  It was probably the best day I’ve had so far on my trip! 

We drove up to Ahrweiler, which is about 30 minutes south of Bonn.  We went hiking in wine country and did a few wine tastings along the way.  It was a beautiful country side and I was so amazed at the vineyards in Germany and I had no idea that they grew grapes for wine here.  The vineyards grew up the hill side and there were plateau’s of grapes and I can imagine that harvesting the grapes is very labor intensive due to the way the grapes are planted.  But it really makes for a beautiful view!!!  Amazing!

It was an overcast day but overall it was very nice and it didn’t rain at all.  We hiked 10km overall, which is about 6.2 miles.  Stefan and Susie were telling me that we would not see any wildlife, however we did see some goats, a kangaroo and some deer.  So, that blew that theory about not seeing wildlife! 

We stopped at a monestary that was 824 years old and we took a break with a red wine and a flat bread pizza, which is called flammkuchen, and very tasty!  The monestary was just beautiful and I can’t imagine the history that it has in all of its years. 

At the end of the hike, we stopped in a village, walked around the market square and shared a bottle of white wine at a “borg”, meaning castle in German.  After that, we all had quite an appetite and were getting tired, so we took the train back to where we started and found a restaurant for dinner.  We ate at the Hofgarten in the village of Dernau.  It was a cute little house setting and there was even a kitty that seemed to belong to the restaurant and was hanging out.  We had the BEST dinner that I’ve had so far in Germany.  Chicken breast with mashed potatoes and red wine.  Oh, I also had vanilla ice cream with a variety of fruit.  It was so incredibly delicious!!!! 

Susie and Stefan were the best hosts.  They taught me some German, which I’m really trying hard to remember.  They taught me a little about German history as we’re overlooking the villages while we’re hiking and you can see the wall that was built around the town/village.  Typically the villages started by having a church built and then the village was built around the church and then the wall was built around the town.  It’s really very interesting to see that it is all still in existence, however, they have continued to build outside of the village wall as it continues to expand.  Very interesting!

Susie and Stefan were staying overnight so they dropped me off at the train station and waved a sad good bye (but I don’t think they were really going to miss me) and I headed back to Bonn.  On the train I met a man from New York and a couple, Kate and Ludwig, originally from Hungary and now they live in Dublin.  They were visiting for the Formula 1 race trials that were held that day and they said it was very fun and a lot of people.  I chatted with the guy from New York and he is a musician that has been living in Hamburg for a year and a half.  He loves Germany and highly suggested I make the move if it is something I’m interested in.  By the time I got home I was incredibly tired and slept like a baby.

Beer & Brauts!

Friday, July 22 – Went to the Rheinaue, which is a park area next to the Rhein River.  The Bierboerse festival was just starting up.  The Bierboerse is a family event, however, I want to point out that it hosts 800+ beers and has a live music stage.  I arrived just after work and met Birgit, a friend that Sven connected me too.  Birgit is German, however, she lived in Chicago for about 15 years.  She speaks very good English and she promised to guide me to all the good beers.  We spent a few hours there and I had such a great time with Birgit!!!  We hit it off and chatted, drank beer, and laughed.  I also had the best brat that evening – it was soooo delicious!  My shuttle driver also indicated that he thought Duvel beer was the best beer he has tried and I found one, so I had to try one for him.  I managed to try some great beers and then stumbled home from the train.