5 months later

I promised pictures in one of my earlier blogs.  Five months later, I have a dose of what 158 looks like.  Enjoy.

The "kitchen" and "entertainment studio"

 Danielle caught a rare moment, me sitting in bed on my computer.

 Standing on my bed, finally hanging posters that we've had for months.  Note, the pink neck pillow.  Best Christmas present ever.

 This is where we brush our teeth in the dark on most mornings.  One of the many perks of having a roommate with a different schedule.  Also where we wash dishes, put our faces on, warm boots and gloves on the radiator, and listen to drunk conversations from our window.  It's a very versatile area.

Danielle's bed and the table where we enjoy many meals and morning coffees.











In closing I will reveal a little something to the world.  Maybe in my revelation I will gain even more motivation.  I have decided to run a half marathon with a group of my friends here.  Location and time TBD but the training has begun.  I even splurged and bought myself a new pair of running shoes.  As much as I love my Nikes, I realized it has been 5 years since I bought them.  It was definitely time for an upgrade.  I'll keep you updated on my progress and complaining.

Alright, if Facebook says it's ok....

When living in Europe....

Eat up
and don't feel guilty
Drink up
since beer is cheaper than water
...but most of all
Live it up
Take too many vacations,
and spend money you don't have.
You'll end up thanking yourself later.

I recently saw this on a friend's status and it made me regret all of the stress that I've given myself over my excessive food/drink intake, my sleeping habits, and my trigger happy ATM finger.  With that being said, I won't be any more liberal with my funds and/or lifestyle, but I think I'll be ok at my current level of over indulgence.  I don't have any trips planned until the beginning of February, and even then I'm staying in Germany (Freiburg) and my train tickets round trip were only 78 Euro.  Not too shabby. 

I picked up a babysitting gig this morning and it was yet another reminder that I'm unfit to parent a young child for many more years.  Poop being my biggest concern.  I seriously had to wrap my scarf around my face to keep from vomming all over this poor little girl.  How do parents do it?  I will never know...

Swamptown

Dance Floor Debauchery

BERLIN.  Wow, what an amazing place.  The three days we spent roaming the streets wreaking havoc were not enough to completely embrace the history and culture of this city.  We did manage to get a good grasp on it and decided we would definitely be returning in the summer for another spin.  Upon arrival we decided we would do the free bar crawl our hostel sponsored because we had heard it was mellow and laid back.  We blindly followed the guide through the S-bahn system into the city to discover that it was the paid pub crawl that is known for being out of control, featuring four bars and an exclusive night club.  We were not mentally or physically prepared for the mayhem that was to come, but we decided it was Berlin and we could tackle the fun.  And boy did we.  It was halfway through the 3rd bar that I realized we were on a path of destruction.  We had started a revolution on the dance floor and made sure that no other patron would even attempt to join us.  The text book dancing American.  We easily took a minimum of 100 hundred pictures at this bar.  We were having such a good time dancing, singing, and being silly that we didn't care what anyone thought.  When it was announced that it was time to move on to the next place we all grumbled and were hesitant to leave.  Don't worry, the same nonsense occurred at the following bars, but with less disco ball lights and camera flashes.  We ended the night with a taxi ride back outside of the city to our hostel and a late night BK throw down.  Thank god for a fast food place open late because in our hurry to get to the crawl we had missed dinner earlier that evening.  Perhaps an explanation for our eagerness to hit the dance floor?



Memorial to the Murder Jews of Europe



We awoke around 9 am free of hangovers (I'm not sure how that happened) and chose to do the free walking tour.  This was my first one of these and I'm so disappointed I haven't taken advantage of them in the past.  All of the bigger cities have them.  You go for free, tip the guide as you see fit and listen to them promote other tours that cost Euro to take.  It works, we ended up taking the Alternative Tour the following day, which highlighted street art and the hipster scene.  Definitely worth the 10 Euro to see the side of Berlin that didn't involve a history book.  Although a bit repetitive it was really interesting to see the "scene" and get a feel for Berlin's sexy grunge it is known for.  The free tour featured all the main points of Berlin; Checkpoint Charlie, a section of the Berlin wall, Brandenburg Gate, Hotel Adlon (where MJ dangled the baby from the balcony), Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and some other pretty buildings I'm not sure of the names.  The memorial was easily one of my favorite structures ever.  While walking up to it I thought it looked boring and void of any thought or character.  It honestly looked like a city block of stone coffins, but when you walk into the memorial the elevation of the blocks all differ and as you continue in you feel more isolated and distant.  The sounds carry strangely and it we lost each other within moments of entering.  After we finished our free tour we journeyed back to the hostel to gain some energy before venturing out to find dinner.  We used the handy dandy GPS to locate a nearby Mexican place.  What was supposed to be a 5km walk turned into a death march into the side streets of Berlin.  When we finally saw the neon glow of the restaurant it felt like a miracle.  After all of that energy and near fighting I was sure it would be closed or infested with roaches, so I was pleasantly surprised with the mango margaritas and curry sauce on my burrito.  Definitely not the Mexican we're used to, but a tasty way to end the hike. 



Kunsthaus Tacheles

 Corinne and I discovered that although we long to relinquish control/parent status on trips, once we do we are unhappy with that too.  We usually take the reins and dictate what we do, give directions, and are the ones to figure out the lay of the land.  On the way home from Berlin we wanted to relax so we let the boys drive and be in control of navigation.  We both found ourselves growing more and more annoyed at their stupidity and lack of care when they realized they'd been reading the GPS wrong.  So even though we say we want to give up the responsibility, I think in the future we will continue to be the grown ups of the trip.
When we returned to Garmisch everyone had to work at 6 or 7am the following morning.  I was the only one with the day off, so I was elected to fill up the rental and return it to Hertz.  Said car has a manual transmission and guess who drove it to base, filled it up, and returned it while only stalling out twice?  ME.


Berlin Wall




Rachel, Corinne, and I in front of Brandenburg Gate



Me? Responsible?

After my history of hungover exhausted mornings at work I find it hard to believe that I actually stayed in on New Years Eve.  Despite the knocking on my door every ten minutes and the constant taunting from my fellow Abrams residents, I successfully did not go out or drink a drop of alcohol on the most celebrated night of the year.  It was a strange feeling, watching the clock strike midnight and hearing the fireworks but having no one to share the moment with.  During the minutes of my of regret after realizing that I could be in the Marienplatz with all of my friends I texted Dad and recounted a NYE we spent together watching a Twilight Zone marathon on the SciFi channel and then the night in didn't seem like such a bad idea.  Sure I missed out on what I can only guess was an amazing time, but this morning I was overjoyed when I saw the bloodshot eyes, unkempt hair, and general sluggishness of every person sipping on their burnt coffee in the staff cafeteria.  Even though I missed last night's adventure, I had quite the adventure myself on the 30th.  A concert in Kur Park, the biathlon in the marienplatz, and too much gluhwein.  The biathlon was an interesting sight.  They fenced off areas of the marienplatz and put a 3 foot layer of snow for them to ski on.  Towards the end of the loop they had the targets set up where the athletes layed on their stomaches and shot their rifles after skiing speedily around the arena.  After the event the competitors raced around and touched the crowd.  It was then that Corinne and I decided we could give up our life at Edelweiss to marry a biathlete.  The concert was next.  It was easy to spot us Americans, we were all right up against the stage dancing the night away singing all of the words and passing around a flask of something that made our tummies warm and our dance moves better, or so we thought.  Yet another force protection fail.

Having the family come and go was a whirlwind for me.  I still find it hard to believe that they were here.  It was a great time, but I only wish I could have spent more time with Mom.  The size of the vacation rental made it nearly impossible for all of us to stay there, so Bret and I would part ways with the parentals and venture back to the Abrams every night.  It also didn't help that I had to work the whole week.  Welcome to the hospitality industry.  Despite my 40 hour work week, I think they enjoyed their time here.  They did more touristy Garmisch things than I have in my 4 months here.  I rationalized not going to the attractions with them because I have another 9 months here.  Well, closer to 8 months.  WOW.  I need to do work on my travel list.  This Monday a group of us are renting a car and heading to Berlin.  Should be a promising trip of sight seeing and chaos as always. 

A new year is ahead of me and I can only hope it will be as great as the last.

Abrams Goggles

Lindsey landed in Chicago yesterday afternoon.  I wasn't feeling very homesick until I thought about all of my Bloomington friends reuniting while I'm still in Gtown living the hospitality dream.  I was texting with Kassy the other day about our usual shenanigans and it hit me that I haven't even talked to her on the phone since before I left.  It's hard enough to keep in touch with my family, let alone my friends.  The good side of all of this missing is that I have faith in the friendships that matter to me and I don't think daily phone calls/skyping is necessary to keep us going. BUT Mom, Bret, and Dave arrive in three days :) I'll be getting off of a grave shift several hours before they arrive, so we can all be exhausted together.  I think I am most excited to just sit around and have family time that requires me to do nothing.  I love the constant flow of activities, traveling, eating, drinking, talking, laughing, moving, doing, etc. that goes on around here, but it will be nice to have some down time.  I'm also looking forward to taking them to the Christmas market.  A good portion of my paycheck has been spent here on amazing German food and drink.  The feuerzangenbowle is my new favorite.  It's easy to see how money goes so quickly in the Christmas market, the hot drinks and delicious treats warm you up to the elements and allow you to stay longer.  A vicious cycle of amazingness.

The girls and I have come up with a term for how you begin to feel towards the opposite sex after being in Garmisch for a few months; Abrams Goggles.  Similar to drunk goggles, they skew your perception and make whoever you're looking at becomes more attractive, funnier, great story tellers, and awesome listeners.  I wouldn't say this term is 100% accurate, but I completely understand how it occurs.  The ratio of males to females here is about 3 to 10.  The good ones go fast and if they don't, they take advantage of the disproportion.  So after being here for a while working, living, and socializing with the same group of people you begin to see the guys that you would have never considered before as having potential to date.  Danielle and I also recently compared the whole Edelweiss operation to a series we began reading, The Hunger Games.  It is in a post apocalyptic North America where the people are divided up into 12 districts (ELR departments...front desk, gift shop, food & beverage, custodial, etc.) with each district becoming less desirable.  Then you have the Capitol (Marc Jansen, GM), who wants to remind the people that they will never be in control again so every year there is a fight to the death among chosen citizens known as the Hunger Games (Peaches on a Tuesday).  It really isn't that bad, but it strangely fits.
On a random sidenote, several days ago I missed the 5:30am shuttle and left about a quarter after six to walk to work in a heavy snowfall.  I made it about 200 meters before a massive snowplow pulled over and asked me "Edelweiss?" I confirmed and he waved for me to jump in. It never once crossed my mind that it wouldn't be safe, it's an old Bavarian!  I climbed the three steps up to get inside and the old German man and I attempted at our best broken conversation while he drove me to work.  As I pulled up to the resort the ponds guards were getting a good laugh out of it and commented on my very nice taxi.  If only I could run into this guy every morning.  He saved me a lot of time and energy because the 5:30 shuttle is meant for people scheduled at 6.  There is a definite lack of planning here.  The majority of people who ride this shuttle have to be to work at 7, but wake up earlier than usual so that they don't have to make the walk in the cold, dark, snowy morning.  Several people have mentioned bringing the 6:30 shuttle idea to Jansen, but I honestly can't see anything happening with it within my time here.  It's a pretty obvious idea and they aren't implementing it for some reason we are overlooking.  Snow tires for my bike it is.

NEWS FLASH

This just in.  I have received an e-mail confirming my suspicions of my early childhood adoption.  Bret has stepped forward and admitted to actually being the child found under the rock.
I can finally sleep easy.

Thank you, Michael.

I had one of those happier than ever, can't get enough of the day, smiling, walk home from work the other day.  Surprisingly, it was at 8am after a never ending solo night on a grave shift.  I was listening to the Kooks on my iPod and decided to take the long way home so that I could pass by the river and take in the cold dreary morning while those skinny English boys sang right to me.  I honestly don't think I've ever been this content and happy in my life.  Don't get me wrong, I've never been not happy, but this situation, these surroundings, and my outlook over the next years of my life are all things that make me smile on a daily basis.  Even today, when I'm kind of grumpy and having trouble making it out of bed, I feel glad to be here and thankful for this opportunity.  I do really miss my friends and family though.  Blackout Wednesday was a tough one for me because I knew all of my friends from home and from school were together doing something that I've been there for over the last couple years.  You know me, I just hate to miss out.

Carli and I braving the winds at the top of the Zugspitze

Yesterday was the day of days.  Woke up super early and got a free trip to the top of the Zugspitze for "training".  Unfortunately, there was zero visibility and the wind was so strong it took my breath away, but thankfully the post cards and souvenirs gave me a good idea of what I was supposed to be seeing from 3,000 meters high.  Although I was kinda miserable in the freezing temperatures I got a free lunch and got paid for four hours of work.  Once again, thank you Edelweiss.

I was supposed to head to the resort after to do a 3-11 operator shift.  And then it happened.  Another employee asked me to go to Krampus in Berchtesgaden with her, and then another employee offered to take my shift without me even asking.  I love when things work out like that with little or no preparation.  Although the day promised to be full of fun whippings, drinking, and good ol weird German folklore, the deutschebahn put a halt to it.  The departure list stated that our train would be delayed 30 minutes, then another 30 minutes, then it was canceled all together.  No one knew what was happening and we weren't given an explanation until later that there was a problem with the tracks up past a small city, Murnau.  We waited for the next train to only have the same outcome.  You could tell everyone was growing angry and the crowd was beginning to get larger and more restless.  We were promised buses to take us past the broken part of the track so we could continue our journey.  The first bus arrived and was mobbed by people trying to depart Garmisch.  We weren't one of the lucky ones and we waited for the next bus.  Five hours later we were in Munich and on our way to our connecting train, only to discover that if we got on this train we'd have to turn around and head back home as soon as we arrived to our final destination.  Of course, I was disappointed, but the beauty of it was that we met this hilarious little Austrian man who made the whole useless journey worthwhile.

 Michael kept us laughing the entire time by teaching us funny German phrases, telling us about his life, helicoptering a bottle of wine (I use this term thanks to Randy.  It's when you open a bottle and pass it around in a circle.  Miss ya bud), and telling "that's what she said" jokes.  Yes, he told a that's what she said joke.  Made my night.  When we were going our separate ways I told him I already missed him and even though I was partially joking, it was more of a serious statement.  This little nerd kept me entertained for 5 hours of a pointless journey.  He then invited us to visit him in Munich for a piano recital he was having at a performing arts university in January.  You better believe I'll be there.  SO anyway, we decide to stay in Munich for a couple hours to get dinner and walk around the Christmas market with the plan to take the last train home.  Our friend Tommy was insisting on using the bathroom and we still had a little bit of a walk before we made it to the restaurant so I pointed to an alley and told him to go there.  The girls and I are waiting for about ten minutes then the worry started to set in and we broke apart to look for him in the area.  After thirty minutes I knew something was wrong and saw a sign for the polizei (German police), so the girls and I walked up to the building and I confronted the man behind the glass.  I told him that my friend had stepped away to use the bathroom and didn't come back.  The officer looked back at his friends and shared a few words and we knew then that Tommy was in there.  You could tell they were holding back laughing while they were talking.  Moments later they were escorting Tommy out of the back office and asking for us to pay for his public urination ticket.  Tommy in his slight intoxication relieved himself in front of the polizei station.  A mistake I'm sure he won't make again and that we will never let him forget.  On our way out of the station I asked the officer if I could use the restroom there and added that I'm sure they wouldn't want any more problems for the night.  Luckily, he caught my joke, smiled, and led me to the bathroom.  The day didn't go as planned, but at least I got my first polizei experience out of the way with no tickets in my name.

What about santa's cookies? I suppose parents eat those too?

You know what sucks?  Riding my bike in the snow.  You know what sucks even more?  Losing one glove and wearing socks on my hands instead.  Did I mention this was in -9 C?

Tonight Danielle and I jump started our holiday cheer by putting together our very own cardboard Christmas tree complete with ornaments and a little red star, all cardboard as well.  Actually corrugated, but I don't need to get technical here.  We constructed the tree with the aid of gluhwein, snow caps, gummy bears, and Elf playing in the background.  The candy was for the gingerbread house we were going to put together next, but unfortunately Danielle forgot to purchase a very crucial ingredient, icing. So we put the candy to more practical use and just ate it.  The gingerbread house can wait.  Elf is easily one of my favorite Christmas movies.  Not because of the cute message it sends, but because Will Ferrel is hilarious and can really pull off those yellow tights.  I found myself laughing out loud at every other scene and waking up Danielle to ask her if she saw that.  How many movies can you say easily have that effect?  Even though Mom, Bret and Dave are coming, I feel like Christmas here would still be okay.  There are several secret Santas going on, many Christmas parties and countless friends who are also away from their families during the holidays.  As much as people like to think management is sub par here, they go way out of their way to make sure we feel at home and like a huge family.  A very big and weird family. 
You know what else sucks?  We haven't had internet in our room for over a week now.  Housing services claims "they're working on it".  I have trouble believing this.  Not only is it a huge inconvenience, it makes me feel so disconnected.  We get by with minimal cell phone use with the use of Facebook and Skype.  Without access to these it's a huge pain in the butt to find out what's happening in the Abrams.  I've been forced to actually walk to other rooms AND talk to people in person.  Disgusting, I know.  The inconvenience could be a blessing in disguise, but I sure do miss laying in bed and Facebooking to my heart's content.
I remember when I wasn't allowed to say "sucks".  When I started this post I wondered to myself if Mom would remember those late elementary days and be disappointed that I reverted back to my rebellious suck saying ways.  Don't tell her, but I secretly said sucks all the time with my friends.

Recalculating

Snowflake, our rebel Mercedes

The all too famous quote "It's not about the destination, it's about journey" sums up my first driving experience in Germany.  Four clueless girls all crammed into a Mercedes B Class heading out into the wintry world of mountains and the autobahn sounds like a good idea, right?
Just a little introduction to the madness that was us getting ready for the trip.... Minutes before our departure time we realized our borrowed GPS had fallen through so we headed to base to make a quick purchase, get our Esso card (allows you to buy tax free gasoline on the economy, a perk for military personnel in Europe), VAT form (tax free on significant purchases - rental car) and to stock up on car snacks and booze.  An hour later we were finally on the road wishing for better weather.  Our journey began in the midst of a decent snow storm.  The lady at Europcar seemed concerned that we didn't have snow tires, but I had driven countless winters without them and had been preached to about snow driving by Bret and dad every time a snowflake fell, so I was confident enough in my driving abilities that I wasn't too worried.

The girls and I sipping on our gluhwein

Despite the snow we slowly made our way onto the autobahn and were traveling for quite some time when our Australian accented GPS, Dave (named after my future husband that I met in Munich), warned us that traffic was heavy and we'd need to recalculate.  Corinne, my excellent navigator didn't see a car in sight and after several reminders from Dave, we silenced him and continued on.  Then the traffic came.  We were stopped for nearly an hour with two grumpy backseat passengers needing to use the WC, and for some reason they weren't thrilled when I offered to hold up a blanket on the side of the highway while they went. Once traffic started crawling we decided we'd take Dave's advice and do a detour.  This is when I began to think we might die.  Dave took us up a mountain, down a mountain, through a small village, where we proceeded to get stuck on an icy hill and only after all of us pushing while in neutral and me finally getting enough momentum to race up the hill did we escape, then up another mountain, down another mountain AND FINALLY back to the autobahn.  It wasn't until we were climbing the mountain for the second time, looking down the cliff side, sliding and losing traction every 10 seconds that I realized what a dangerous situation we were in.  I'm pretty sure the steering wheel has permanent groove marks from my white knuckling.  Now I can understand my dad's yearly dread when he was driving out west through the winter months.  Those curvy mountain roads aren't very forgiving.  Props to you daddio.  For sanity's sake, Corinne and I kept telling the girls in the back (both inexperienced snow drivers) that it was fine and we had it under control.  It wasn't until we hit flat ground that we expressed our dread that we were going to slide right off the side of the mountain into the beautiful snow covered trees.  We all shared a good laugh about it and thanked Dave for making us realize how thankful we were for our lives.  Happy Thanksgiving!

A three hour journey stretched out into six as we pulled up to the dorm of Corinne and Rachel's friends in Esslingen, a small town outside of Stuttgart.  We settled in for the night with a bottle of wine and some good stories to share with our new friends.  The next day we visited an all you can eat sushi buffet with a conveyor belt of delicious sushi, wantons, egg rolls, and may other strange looking items.  You simply sat down, ordered a drink and let the food grabbing begin.  If only all restaurants had the convenience of a conveyor belt.  Next was the Christmas market.  It was a medieval theme and was nothing like Salzburg's.  The costumes and beards were very Lord of the Ringsesque and had me wondering how I could score a gig like that.
 

For our thanks to our hosts we agreed to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for them and some of the other students living in the dorm.  It turned out to be my favorite Thanksgiving meal ever.  To start the endless day of meal preparation we got in the most American van possible with one of the most fun Germans I have ever met and went to the commissary on base in Stuttgart.  This vehicle had the looks of the Van Buren (Hutch's ride in high school..I'm sure my Mom remembers it parked in the driveway when we'd have "game night"), well maintained, fridge stocked with beer, an American flag hanging from the roof, and plenty of party jams for the ride.  My favorite part of the grocery store trip was explaining American brands and foods to the German.  It is so interesting to discuss difference in cultures, especially when the other end is eager and curious to share your lifestyle.  He had never actually been to America, but said that he loves it and cannot wait to finish his school and try to be a permanent resident in Nevada.  You must be wondering why Nevada?  Most Europeans think the U.S. consists of New York and California, but he's tired of the mountains and wants flat desert.  Finally someone with an original idea.  In thanks for his driving us, I bought him a case of Cherry Coke.  Trust me, he didn't get the short end of the stick.  He was so excited to try Coke that was manufactured in the states that he barely made it to the car before breaking one open.  It's surprising because even though all of the same ingredients are used many things taste differently that are made here.  The German was impressed with our version and left the American Army base with a smile on his face.

The dinner party - minus the four cooks

Salzburger With Cheese

The hotel has been busier than ever with endless single soldier retreats and the redundant anti terrorism conferences, but in between two hectic shifts I found the time to visit the Christmas markets in Salzburg, Austria.  Brad, a STL native, also had the day off so we woke up bright and early and took the 8am train.

Salzburger Christkindlmarkt

Other than having to run to catch a transfer our transportation for the day went smoothly...especially when we both slept the entire 4 hour journey home.  The Christmas markets were so cute with booth after booth of Christmas ornaments, nutcrackers, handmade goods, wood carvings, and pretty much every imaginable holiday decoration ever known to man.  The food and gluhwein stands were abundant and we made sure to make frequent stops at them. My favorite stop was the baked potato stand.  They had monster potatoes with very un-American toppings.  I asked the lady working the stand for her recommendation and she said the most popular was the garlic cream sauce, cheese, and bacon.  And that is what I got...delicious.  To warm up from the cold day we also stopped in this little Irish pub off of the main street.  We treated ourselves to Edelweiss beer (don't worry, we took pictures) and a couple Irish whiskeys.  Before we knew it it was dark and we ventured out to take the cable car up to the top of the hill to see the Festung Hohensalzburg - a castle.  The fog made pictures impossible, but we enjoyed the city like atmosphere inside the empty fortress and after taking some silly pictures with a cannon we made the descent down to make our final purchases for the day.  It was a whirlwind day of festivities that makes me even more anxious for the Christmas markets to hit Garmisch!
The 3 month mark has come and passed.  Time is sure moving quickly and as much as I miss my friends and family, it needs to slow down so I can do and see everything in the following ten months.  This weekend I'm road tripping to Paris.  I hate to use a 4 day weekend on a city I've already been to, but the journey should prove interesting and I'm really excited for the adventures to come.  As Bret said, a lot of people have never been to Paris so don't complain that you're going twice.  It's so strange traveling in Europe this time compared to two summers ago.  Alex and I had such a different approach to sightseeing. Not that one is better than the other, but I'm really enjoying the laid back, relaxed, whatever happens, happens way of traveling.  Que sera, sera....now if only I could learn that in German.
Sidenote: No longer going to Paris.  The other girls have decided funds are too low and we are now going to Esslingen to visit someone's cousin and friend (free lodging).