Adventures in Deutschland: Days 43 through 46

This has been the fastest week we've spent in Germany. I can't believe it is already Thursday. We settled right back into our routine after Munich. Monday was a gorgeous day so Therese and I spent our morning at the two parks swinging and sliding. We also spent significant time in front of the toy store chasing bubbles that were being blown by a stuffed bear. Reese loved it so much that she had to show it to Todd when he got out of class. We didn't just hang out in front of the store, however - we actually went in. Therese brought about 5 toys along with her to Germany and somehow we managed to lose one of them - the tennis ball. She's been asking for it daily since it disappeared 2 or 3 weeks ago so I decided to replace it. We wandered around the toy store a bit and found a large number of Settlers games, expansion packs, and even puzzles. At least the Germans have good games :-).

Tuesday was filled with time at the parks as well. Todd, Therese and I also went to the train station in order to get tickets for my mom and stepdad. There are always deals on the fast German trains, but you have to get them before they sell out of the lower priced tickets and the tickets have been selling fast. We got tickets for them to travel from here to Munich and from Munich to Frankfurt at much cheaper rates than the normal price. While at the train station, we grabbed lunch at a great little Turkish place called Atkas Kebap. We had been there once with Jesse who claims it has the best yufkas in the city. I had thought it was good/fine when we went there with him. This time, however, I really appreciated how good it is. For those who don't know, the standard Turkish restaurant consists of a large counter behind which there is a gigantic piece of meat (about 3 feet high and two feet in diameter) turning vertically on a spit very slowly in front of some source of heat. The workers then shave off the part of the outside that was just roasted and put it in whatever you order whether it be a pide (pita), seele (like a calzone sort of), or a yufka (in a bread that is like a tortilla). The meat itself tastes very seasoned and tender. When you order a yufka at this place, they then start throwing the dough for the tortilla-type bread, cook it fresh, and then fill it. Yum. Did I mention that the meat is lamb?

Tuesday night when we were saying our prayers with Therese before she went to bed, we asked her who she wanted to pray for (like always) and she went through her normal list. I added, "For great-grandma who has a cold - that she feels better and that she is healed." Therese nodded earnestly and added, "With pretzels."

Wednesday I was looking forward to going to the market, but as soon as we stepped outside it started to rain. I persuaded Therese to go back inside for a half hour until the rain subsided. We ran to the market quickly before meeting up with Todd. I purchased what will probably be our last jar of fresh preserves. I'll miss them very much. With that said, I am VERY ready for American food. Two nights ago I dreamed about buying a gallon of cold skim milk - something that is truly a dream since here a) milk is only sold a liter at a time, b)kept at room temperature, and c) they do not have skim milk. Yeah, I think I'm ready for home.

Today (Thursday) I received an email from my mom letting me know that they made it safely to Germany. They are going to be north until Sunday when we meet them at the train station. Last night I casually asked Birger what the weather was supposed to be like today. He said the world was supposed to end, meaning that there were going to be big storms with bad winds. I felt a little adventurous (or maybe bored) this morning and headed out anyway. Reese and I made it to both parks, fed the ducks, and splashed around in the lake before Todd got out of school. It was very hot and humid so I thought I should get Therese some ice cream to cool down. She agreed. After lunch time we had a rain shower followed by some clear weather. Then came the real storm - heavy rains, thunder and lightning, strong winds. Birger got home shortly after the storm cleared. I asked him if he got caught in the rain. He said, "Yes, I got caught in the first wave of rain...or wait, the first shower...wait, how do I say that in English - that I got caught in the first rain shower but not the second? Do I say the first wave of rain or the first rain shower or something else?" I told him either of these would work to which he dramatically rolled his eyes and said, "Uuuuugh, English is so imprecise." :-)