Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Week 1

August 1, 2012: The Arrival

We arrived at around 10:00 AM.  After checking into the hotel, Christopher, Sarah, Katie and I took the train into the center of Oberursel.  We had to wait a bit to change money as the banks close from 1 pm to 2 pm.  After changing money, we attempted lunch.  We went to a small cafe, where the menu was in german, so our Berlitz training was put to use.   Christopher ordered a baguette mit Knoblauch thinking it was a baguette with sausage.  He would be wrong.  He ended up with garlic bread for lunch. In desperate need for ice, we sent Sarah to the front desk to ask for a bucket. The girl at the counter asked, Vanilla or Chocolate? (Eis = ice-cream in German).  We made it through Day 1 in Germany without air conditioning and ice.

August 2, 2012:  Ingelheim

We went to Wiesbaden and found an Italian Grocery store (Germany's version of Villarina's).  The family ventured to Ingelheim where we opened bank accounts and saw Boehringer Ingelheim from a distance.

August 3, 2012:  Christopher's B-Day


Sarah and I ventured into town to find breakfast for the family.  Of course, that meant finding parking. Entering a garage we saw the word "verboten" and decided to turn around causing a traffic jam in downtown Oberursel.  Eventually, we found city parking.

We had a family adventure to Luxembourg for Christopher's birthday --three hours on the Autobahn.  Chris drove there.  Over time, we got used to cars passing us on the left going 150 miles an hour.  Driving through the narrow country roads made us feel as if we were in a James Bond movie.

August 4, 2012: Echternach and Trier

We visited the town of Echternach (Luxembourg) Saturday morning.



As you can see, it is a very quaint little village.

After having a snack in Echternach, we got back in the car and drove to Trier.  Trier is an old German city that has ruins from Roman Empire dating back to 300 A.D. The town was also home to Karl Marx.


The Roman Bathes in Trier


Porta Nigra -- The City Gate

Karl Marx's House
The sign from Checkpoint Charlie at the Berlin Wall



































2 comments:

  1. Deb, If you want to be the new "Bond Girl" for 007, you'll need to get hair extensions. No, wait... Halle Berry has short hair, and she was terrific. So you're all set, but you'll need to drive a little faster to keep up the image.

    I LOVE the photos! Keep them coming, and I'll be sure to follow the updates. And for the record, tell Christopher that Knoblauch sounds much more like sausage than garlic.

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  2. Thanks for sharing Deb! Looks like you are having an amazing time. I agree with Kelly, keep the pictures coming! I thing the Germans are on to something with the whole shopping cart system. Annoying at first but also ingenious and efficient...

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