The highlights since last week:
Tuesday Lenae and I went into downtown Mannheim to the farmer's market. We were able to get lots of fresh fruits and veggies. It was crazy awesome.
Markt Platz (aka: the market)
Thursday night Lenae and I went to the Top Hat Club which is a multiuse facility. One night it is a Latino Club with salsa dancing. The next night it is a disco....yadda, yadda, yadda. On this particular night it served as a country and western dance hall. It was funny! We entered and found it basically empty. There were two couples, three men at the bar, a DJ, and a bartender. It was hoppin'. Hah! We stayed for all of an hour, and we only stayed that long because we knew one of the men at the bar. He is part of the security division and lives in the building across from us. He arrived the same day as Paul, Lenae, and Elizabeth. He was drinking hot tea and gingerale. My kind of man. I'm kidding, but he was pretty funny. His wife arrives in one month...she stayed behind to sell their house and allow him to get everything set up for when she arrives. She is a smart woman! By the time she gets here her furniture will already be here, her husband will have internet and phone already established, and she will be able to enjoy her first few weeks here instead of shoveling through all of the crap we have had to deal with. It's okay, because as much as I have not liked dealing with all of the military mumbo jumbo, I have enjoyed every second I have spent outside of the military gates. I love Mannheim and I love the German people. They love to talk to Americans because it gives them a chance to practice their English, and it gives us a chance to practice our German. It is a win-win situation.
We have our furniture! Giggidy giggidy. It arrived on Friday, January 22 and most of it was unharmed. There were damages to some of the legs on the big pieces, but we filled out a form so that we will be reimbursed for damages. My room is still pretty bare, but I plan on collecting pieces as I travel. Little knick knacks (I have no idea how to spell it...every way that I try looks ridiculous) from random places. It will come together in time. :) We no longer have boxes in our apartment either! Everything is unpacked and in place. This morning Lenae and I cleaned like crazy! It is starting to feel like a home!!
We found a yummy Greek restaurant two train stops away. It is legit! We went Sunday night after bowling so that we could celebrate unpacking two truckloads of boxes. We decided that it will be our new Mexican since it is nonexistant here. Everything we have had has been incredible. The first time we went was on a Saturday because they only serve gyros on the weekend and we all wanted to try them. They were different in that a typical gyro is served without the pita bread. If a gyro is served in a pita, it is called a doner which is pronounce derner. So yummy! Since we are in Germany, the gyro is served with a side of fries. You can get it served with rice, but Germans love their fries! Another thing that is crazy is that you must eat french fries with a fork and knife if they are served on a plate with meat. The second time I ordered pork chops smothered in garlic. That is another thing- Germans love pork. The chops had so much garlic that my breath was kickin'. I am pretty sure that if I were a cartoon, green smoke would have oozed from my mouth. I am telling you it was kickin'! Some bites had so much garlic it was spicy. Delicious! Another thing that is fun about it is that after the meal, they serve you a complimentary shot. Our waiter always brings us a shot of Bailey's with one piece of ice to act as dessert.
Also, my German is improving so that I am able to speak a few key phrases. yay! Tomorrow Lenae has a hair appointment and I am going to travel with so that I can shop around the walking district of Mannheim to find some fun stuff for my room. There is also this little dessert shop/cafe that we are going to eat lunch at. I think I talked about it in an earlier post... the Dolce something or other. I am pretty pumped! I can't wait to go into the city and explore some more!!!
Thursday night Lenae and I went to the Top Hat Club which is a multiuse facility. One night it is a Latino Club with salsa dancing. The next night it is a disco....yadda, yadda, yadda. On this particular night it served as a country and western dance hall. It was funny! We entered and found it basically empty. There were two couples, three men at the bar, a DJ, and a bartender. It was hoppin'. Hah! We stayed for all of an hour, and we only stayed that long because we knew one of the men at the bar. He is part of the security division and lives in the building across from us. He arrived the same day as Paul, Lenae, and Elizabeth. He was drinking hot tea and gingerale. My kind of man. I'm kidding, but he was pretty funny. His wife arrives in one month...she stayed behind to sell their house and allow him to get everything set up for when she arrives. She is a smart woman! By the time she gets here her furniture will already be here, her husband will have internet and phone already established, and she will be able to enjoy her first few weeks here instead of shoveling through all of the crap we have had to deal with. It's okay, because as much as I have not liked dealing with all of the military mumbo jumbo, I have enjoyed every second I have spent outside of the military gates. I love Mannheim and I love the German people. They love to talk to Americans because it gives them a chance to practice their English, and it gives us a chance to practice our German. It is a win-win situation.
We have our furniture! Giggidy giggidy. It arrived on Friday, January 22 and most of it was unharmed. There were damages to some of the legs on the big pieces, but we filled out a form so that we will be reimbursed for damages. My room is still pretty bare, but I plan on collecting pieces as I travel. Little knick knacks (I have no idea how to spell it...every way that I try looks ridiculous) from random places. It will come together in time. :) We no longer have boxes in our apartment either! Everything is unpacked and in place. This morning Lenae and I cleaned like crazy! It is starting to feel like a home!!
We found a yummy Greek restaurant two train stops away. It is legit! We went Sunday night after bowling so that we could celebrate unpacking two truckloads of boxes. We decided that it will be our new Mexican since it is nonexistant here. Everything we have had has been incredible. The first time we went was on a Saturday because they only serve gyros on the weekend and we all wanted to try them. They were different in that a typical gyro is served without the pita bread. If a gyro is served in a pita, it is called a doner which is pronounce derner. So yummy! Since we are in Germany, the gyro is served with a side of fries. You can get it served with rice, but Germans love their fries! Another thing that is crazy is that you must eat french fries with a fork and knife if they are served on a plate with meat. The second time I ordered pork chops smothered in garlic. That is another thing- Germans love pork. The chops had so much garlic that my breath was kickin'. I am pretty sure that if I were a cartoon, green smoke would have oozed from my mouth. I am telling you it was kickin'! Some bites had so much garlic it was spicy. Delicious! Another thing that is fun about it is that after the meal, they serve you a complimentary shot. Our waiter always brings us a shot of Bailey's with one piece of ice to act as dessert.
Also, my German is improving so that I am able to speak a few key phrases. yay! Tomorrow Lenae has a hair appointment and I am going to travel with so that I can shop around the walking district of Mannheim to find some fun stuff for my room. There is also this little dessert shop/cafe that we are going to eat lunch at. I think I talked about it in an earlier post... the Dolce something or other. I am pretty pumped! I can't wait to go into the city and explore some more!!!
