Yesterday Jim and I went drove down to Cochem which is a little over an hour south of Bonn. Cochem is a little picturesque German village along the Mosel River. Of course, there was a castle above the town. It seems that all little German towns along a river have a castle in the town. I think we could probably spend every weekend visiting castles, and it would take us a year to see them all.
We walked up to the castle which was a classic turreted castle but we discovered that it was built recently (for European standards) in 1877. We decided against going in as the tours were all in German.
The Mosel Valley is known for white wine and there are vineyards along the steep riverbanks. In Cochem, there is a wine shop on every corner. You can get a Weinprobe (don't worry this doesn't actually involve any probing) to sample 4 different wines. We sampled some white wines but didn't fall in love with anything we tried so didn't end up buying any bottles.
Cochem was a little overrun with day trippers and bad clothing shops, but it was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours wandering around the town.
This will be my last blog posting for about a week. Today is the last day that I will have Internet access at the hotel. Our Internet at our house is being installed on Friday afternoon but then Jim and I are going to France for a long weekend.
I'll have pictures from our cycling weekend in the Arndennes mountains next week. Jim's friend Andrew is renting a house for a week so we are tagging along over the weekend.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Musical Laundromat
I went to my favorite laundromat yesterday. I found this laundromat the last time I was here in June. The staff is really helpful which was a great relief after my frustrating laundromat experience in Cologne. In Cologne I couldn't figure out how the German washers worked and had a cafe full of old men across the street entertained for a good hour.
The Bonn laundromat has a cafe in it so I can get a coffee while I'm waiting for my laundry. Yesterday while studying my German and drinking my cappuccino, a guy sat down at the piano in the laundromat and started playing Chopin. I'm not a big fan of hanging out at laundromats but this one certainly makes it more enjoyable. I would never have thought of putting a piano in a laundromat.
One of the things I noticed yesterday is that there are bookcases around the city (usually near a park). From what I can gather, people take a book if they need one and put one there when they are done with it - like a penny dish in the US. I checked but didn't see any books in English so I'll have to improve my German before I can take advantage of it.
Last night Jim and I ate dinner at a restaurant near our house. Jim finally broke down and got the schnitzel. It tasted a lot like chicken fried steak to me. I don't think I'm a schnitzel person.
We of course enjoyed our dinner at a wobbly table. Either every table in Bonn has a wobble to it or we just end up choosing poorly. It is starting to get comical. I may start carrying around a book of matches to fix the tables.
Something else I noticed the first time I was here was the huge amount of graffiti all over the city. Unfortunately our house didn't escape getting tagged either. There is a one story building next to our house which provides easy access to the canvas which is our building. It is sad to see such beautiful architecture marred by graffiti.
The Bonn laundromat has a cafe in it so I can get a coffee while I'm waiting for my laundry. Yesterday while studying my German and drinking my cappuccino, a guy sat down at the piano in the laundromat and started playing Chopin. I'm not a big fan of hanging out at laundromats but this one certainly makes it more enjoyable. I would never have thought of putting a piano in a laundromat.
One of the things I noticed yesterday is that there are bookcases around the city (usually near a park). From what I can gather, people take a book if they need one and put one there when they are done with it - like a penny dish in the US. I checked but didn't see any books in English so I'll have to improve my German before I can take advantage of it.
Last night Jim and I ate dinner at a restaurant near our house. Jim finally broke down and got the schnitzel. It tasted a lot like chicken fried steak to me. I don't think I'm a schnitzel person.
We of course enjoyed our dinner at a wobbly table. Either every table in Bonn has a wobble to it or we just end up choosing poorly. It is starting to get comical. I may start carrying around a book of matches to fix the tables.
Something else I noticed the first time I was here was the huge amount of graffiti all over the city. Unfortunately our house didn't escape getting tagged either. There is a one story building next to our house which provides easy access to the canvas which is our building. It is sad to see such beautiful architecture marred by graffiti.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Movin' on Up
We heard today that our stuff has gotten through customs without any glitches so our goods will be delivered on Wednesday. I can't wait to move into our apartment. It will be so nice to get out of the hotel. Not that Hotel Konigshof isn't a great hotel but having 5 suitcases and 2 bikes in one room starts to feel a little cramped.
Our kitchen has also come in and will be delivered next week. Apartments in Germany come without kitchens so we were lucky enough to find a landlord who would essentially rent the kitchen to us. Why people would move their entire kitchen from place to place is unclear to me. I don't really have any idea what the kitchen will look like so I've got my fingers crossed that it turns out as well as the bathroom did. Renting a place without having any idea what the bathroom or kitchen would look like was definitely a leap of faith.
Well, we are off to put our names on our mailbox so that we can get mail.
Our kitchen has also come in and will be delivered next week. Apartments in Germany come without kitchens so we were lucky enough to find a landlord who would essentially rent the kitchen to us. Why people would move their entire kitchen from place to place is unclear to me. I don't really have any idea what the kitchen will look like so I've got my fingers crossed that it turns out as well as the bathroom did. Renting a place without having any idea what the bathroom or kitchen would look like was definitely a leap of faith.
Well, we are off to put our names on our mailbox so that we can get mail.
Observations of a newcomer
1. Everyone follows the don't walk sign. There might not be a car for miles but apparently rules are rules.
2. There are more Italian restaurants here than German ones. I think Jim and I have eaten Italian almost every night. Not that I'm complaining!
3. No one wears sunglasses. Not that it is very sunny here but it can be bright.
4. Every cafe and restaurant has outdoor seating and people will sit outside in just about any weather. The restaurants usually have umbrellas so you don't get wet when it rains.
5. Lots of spandex. Spandex is the preferred fabric for all exercise.
6. Ice cream/ gelatto shops and cafes (Eiscafe) everywhere but no soup! Apparently there was a soup place here, but it went out of business. Today I'd kill for some hot soup.
7. It is much faster to bike here than drive - too many einbahnstrasses (one way streets). Every street has a bike lane. I can't wait to get a cruiser bike.
8. People really like their beer here. You see people drinking at cafes at all times of the day. Apparently beer is considered food not an alcoholic drink. Jim said that they even have beer in the office cafeteria. I think they've had some issues with that in the explosives manufacturing facilities. Shocking.
9. No mosquitos but tons of bees. Every time we eat breakfast outside there are 5 wasps buzzing around us or hanging out in our jam or honey. They are shameless. They just dunk their whole head in the jam and start drinking.
10. Huge trees which are a great canopy so when it rains you hardly get wet.
11. There are a lot of really nice cars here. However, they don't have any problem parking these cars up on a sidewalk. No car covers here.
2. There are more Italian restaurants here than German ones. I think Jim and I have eaten Italian almost every night. Not that I'm complaining!
3. No one wears sunglasses. Not that it is very sunny here but it can be bright.
4. Every cafe and restaurant has outdoor seating and people will sit outside in just about any weather. The restaurants usually have umbrellas so you don't get wet when it rains.
5. Lots of spandex. Spandex is the preferred fabric for all exercise.
6. Ice cream/ gelatto shops and cafes (Eiscafe) everywhere but no soup! Apparently there was a soup place here, but it went out of business. Today I'd kill for some hot soup.
7. It is much faster to bike here than drive - too many einbahnstrasses (one way streets). Every street has a bike lane. I can't wait to get a cruiser bike.
8. People really like their beer here. You see people drinking at cafes at all times of the day. Apparently beer is considered food not an alcoholic drink. Jim said that they even have beer in the office cafeteria. I think they've had some issues with that in the explosives manufacturing facilities. Shocking.
9. No mosquitos but tons of bees. Every time we eat breakfast outside there are 5 wasps buzzing around us or hanging out in our jam or honey. They are shameless. They just dunk their whole head in the jam and start drinking.
10. Huge trees which are a great canopy so when it rains you hardly get wet.
11. There are a lot of really nice cars here. However, they don't have any problem parking these cars up on a sidewalk. No car covers here.
Arrival in Deutschland- July 2008
I arrived in Frankfurt without any issues. There was a slight mishap with my baggage in that I was waiting for it at the wrong spot. Who knew the airline would actually take my luggage to the train station for me?
The next day our relocation specialist took us to get our visas and get us registered with the city of Bonn. Apparently you aren't supposed to smile in your pictures for any government issued documents / ids. I was reprimanded and required to go take new pictures. Just my luck considering the photos I brought turned out really well. I guess I'm destined to have bad photos for my licenses and passports. We are now official residents of Bonn.
That first Saturday (July 12th) we went shopping to look at electronics. We found it a little daunting to think about all of the stuff we needed to buy - washer, dryer, coffee maker, TV, satellite receiver, phone, hairdryer, iron, fan and on and on. We ended up buying a hairdryer and a cheap pre-paid phone for me. It is great to have a way to get in touch with Jim while I'm out and about.
That night we were invited to a co-worker of Jim's. They just moved to Germany from Atlanta but are originally from Chile. Another couple from Sweden were there as well. It was nice to have a social night out.
Sunday, July 13th we went to Aachen which borders Belgium and the Netherlands. The cathedral in Aachen is in the center of town and was built in 800 and was Charlemagne's palace chapel. Some of the lower ceilings were covered in a decorative mosaic including semi-precious stones so it sparkled. It has an octagonal dome which was much different than the Gothic style of Cologne's cathedral (Dom). Jim and I both liked this cathedral over the one in Cologne.
While in Aachen we had lunch at a little Italian spot right next an old roman archway. The food was really good and the ambiance was perfect with an outdoor table and a view of the cathedral.
Aachen was a great day trip and we'd definitely go back for a visit. When we went it was Sunday so all the shops were closed but it looked like there would be pretty good shopping.
The next day our relocation specialist took us to get our visas and get us registered with the city of Bonn. Apparently you aren't supposed to smile in your pictures for any government issued documents / ids. I was reprimanded and required to go take new pictures. Just my luck considering the photos I brought turned out really well. I guess I'm destined to have bad photos for my licenses and passports. We are now official residents of Bonn.
That first Saturday (July 12th) we went shopping to look at electronics. We found it a little daunting to think about all of the stuff we needed to buy - washer, dryer, coffee maker, TV, satellite receiver, phone, hairdryer, iron, fan and on and on. We ended up buying a hairdryer and a cheap pre-paid phone for me. It is great to have a way to get in touch with Jim while I'm out and about.
That night we were invited to a co-worker of Jim's. They just moved to Germany from Atlanta but are originally from Chile. Another couple from Sweden were there as well. It was nice to have a social night out.
Sunday, July 13th we went to Aachen which borders Belgium and the Netherlands. The cathedral in Aachen is in the center of town and was built in 800 and was Charlemagne's palace chapel. Some of the lower ceilings were covered in a decorative mosaic including semi-precious stones so it sparkled. It has an octagonal dome which was much different than the Gothic style of Cologne's cathedral (Dom). Jim and I both liked this cathedral over the one in Cologne.
While in Aachen we had lunch at a little Italian spot right next an old roman archway. The food was really good and the ambiance was perfect with an outdoor table and a view of the cathedral.
Aachen was a great day trip and we'd definitely go back for a visit. When we went it was Sunday so all the shops were closed but it looked like there would be pretty good shopping.
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