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LEAVING FOR GERMANY ASSIGNMENT
June 2002

Hallo!!  I should have never said "never"...but since I did, our mailing address changed.  Update our mailing address as of 25 June 02 (slight problem at the Post Office but don't worry, the mail will still get there if you sent anything to the other box, just please correct the address now... the only difference is the Box number.

Cimoli
CMR 408 Box 772
APO AE 09182

So, we finally made it here to Germany.  Talk about culture shock.  You come knowing you will have a lot to learn, but honestly after arriving you feel very overwhelmed when you realize you cannot even read the advertisements on the billboards along the highway!!  We all felt very homesick yesterday and a bit apprehensive.  Today is better as we are not so tired.

It is so beautiful here.  Like a fairytale.  We are in southern Germany (Bavaria) which is very rural and it is mainly rolling green hills dotted with little red roofed villages.  The one thing that you notice immediately is that the Germans are avid gardeners.  They have flowers in window boxes and will transform a minute little yard into a flowery hideaway.  I have never seen so many roses crammed into such a small area before!!

Our flights here went surprising well. We had a little mix-up at the airport in Detroit (the reason why you should arrive 2 hours early!) and Ben's backpack strap broke (the reason why I always carry needle and thread in my backpack!), and discovered Ben was wearing Emily's 2 sizes too big hiking boots, (which we swapped once we got the baggage back in Atlanta!).  We got on our flight to Atlanta and that was pretty smooth, we were seated in the last row, and thankfully there was no one in the seat in front of Anabelle because she kicked it the entire 2 hour flight!!

Once we got to Atlanta, we had to  cross the entire airport (using the tram of course) to collect our substantial amount of baggage.  We then checked in to AMC (Air Mobility Command) after waiting in line about an hour.  We then went to get some food as it was after 4pm by that time.  Then we went back across the airport to check in at our gate.  Our flight was posted as leaving at 5:15, however when we checked in we were told 6:50pm, in reality of course it was 8p.m.

Anyway, once on the plane, Anabelle fell asleep and fifteen minutes later we took off.  After about an hour into the flight we were fed some (kind of gross) food- a tiny dried chicken breast covered in spaghetti sauce, a salad, a stale roll, and a brownie that tasted like play-doh. (oh, and some really NASTY decaf coffee- it tasted like watered down motor oil!) We all managed to sleep a little and in the a.m. received a biscuit thing with egg and turkey ham, but that tasted kind of funky , even the kids wouldn't eat it. Thankfully the coffee in the morning was drinkable.

We arrived at 3:45 am (Michigan time) but it was 9:45 am in Frankfurt.  The sun was shining it was almost 80 degrees and we were practically staggering from exhaustion!!  We managed to collect all our stuff, including one battered looking suitcase (it was all dirty like they dragged it to the plane! lol ) and one slightly damaged stroller.

After passing through customs we went outside and were greeted by our sponsors, Shawn and Jennifer Holmes.  They packed us into 2 cars and after Gordon signed in we headed down A3 (autobahn 3) to Wurzburg.  Ok, actually, to the town of Huechelhof (hoo-kul-hoff) where we are staying now in the home of Brenda and Tom O'neal, generous people whom we have never met, yet are allowing us the use of their home while they visit family in the States.

Believe it or not after dinner we actually went for a walk and stopped at the Lidl (Lee-doll) (market) around the corner to buy some yogurt.  So after purposely struggling  to stay awake the rest of the day, we crashed about 9pm and awoke this morning feeling 80% better.

Gordon took off for work at 8 am to in process and Jennifer came and got the kids and I to show us around a little. We drove thru some of the little villages and over to the airfield in Giebelstadt and then on to the military post in Wurzburg where we went to grab some lunch at the PX.

However, as we stood in line at Taco Bell( yeah I know- but there are no German restaurants on post) we were told to evacuate the building (bomb threat).  So we headed down the street to Popeye's chicken instead.  So our first meal out was Popeye's chicken!!

It was kind of weird at first when we were told to leave the building- funnily enough, after standing in line for 15 minutes juggling Anabelle and refereeing the other two, my first thought when they told us to leave was- "can I get our food first?"  Then I just turned around grabbed Ben's hand told him to hang on to Em and we walked out of the building.  It was strange in that we have not been in a situation like that before in the States, and also weird that it happened on our first "real" day here.  I don't recall being scared, but as we walked to the car I felt that prickly sensation on the back of my neck and walked tiny bit faster as I wondered how far out the building would blow.  (too many movies LOL)

Anyway, we went to the commissary to get some food and then took the long route back here, past the local castle (called the Residence) and picked Jennifer's brain about Germany the rest of the afternoon.

OK, a bit of history I heard today for you:   Giebelstadt (the airfield where GJ is stationed at), was the staging field where the Red Baron flew out of.  During WWII, they painted the airfield green and painted white blobs on it.  Form the air it looked like sheep.  They built tunnels underground to house the planes.  Thus they avoided being bombed.  Then when comparing surveillance photos at some point, someone noticed that the sheep were in the same exact locations in those photos, taken over a period of years, and the jig was up.

Also in WWII, the city of Hanau and the surrounding area was repeatedly bombed, however the airfield remained undamaged because they would flood it under several inches of water, and from the air it looked like a lake.  Those Nazis were pretty ingenious.

Anyway, tomorrow we look at a house in some village just south of Giebelstadt, I cannot remember the name.  GJ did a little wheeling and dealing to get the housing briefing ahead of schedule so we could start looking immediately.   We'll keep you all updated.  We miss you all talk to you soon!

LOVE
Stef, G and kids.
P.S. PLEASE REMEMBER TO UPDATE OUR ADDRESS!!!!!

June 28, 2002 -By Stef

More on Germany....
The other day I spoke with my friend Lisa (Hi Lisa!) who is also here in Germany, in Stuttgart. She had me laughing with the story of trying to order Chinese takeout in German!
It didn't occur to me until this morning (2 days later) that not only is there NO WHERE to order Chinese, (except maybe in Wurzburg), there will be no pizza deliveries either!

Stuttgart is a metropolitan area- south of Frankfurt. Our location, south-east of Frankfurt and south of Wurzburg, is very rural.

Hmm, ok, let me clarify on exactly what I mean by rural.  Tiny one lane roads that wind and criss-cross through the farmers fields and connect the the towns. Yes, there is B19, a major road, which runs N to S from Giebelstadt to Wurzburg, but the towns lie on either side of B19 so you have to take these little paved tracks to go from place to place.  And on any given day at any given time you could be stuck chugging behind a tractor, on B19 or a back road.

Don't get me wrong though, the area is charming, and we are all enchanted by the countryside itself...  It looks like a storybook, you expect a door to open and see Cinderella come out to feed the chickens or something.  The towns are beautiful, mostly old stone, wood frames, red tiled roofs, and the inevitable yellow cream stucco of newer constructions. These too have the red roofs though and I already mentioned how much the Germans love to garden.  You can also tell a German house from most Americans by the lush bushes and gardens that encompass the tiny yards.

And speaking of tiny, it has thus far been my discovery that Germany kitchens were afterthoughts.  Unusual I would think for a country that enjoys food so much, but I guess maybe much of German food is simple enough to not require space to prepare it in!!  Gives them more time to brew and drink bier!  (which will delivered by the case to your home if you wish).

Ok, so when I say there are no pizza places, I mean that many towns do not have a bakery, butcher, grocery store, bank or church either!  The houses are clustered in the center and the fields surround the farmers house and the town.  Many of the towns have a Gasthaus, some more than one.  A Gasthaus is a restaurant, sometimes from what I understand they have rooms.  But I think primarily they are just restaurants..

There are also places called an Imbiss, or a Donner which are kind of like a fast food stand, you can get brats, chicken, kabob, etc.  These are not chain places...I also saw a restaurant that offered pizza and a Greek restaurant, but these were in the town of Giebelstadt (where the airfield is located) where there is a LARGE American population (called Little America).  These larger towns also have small stores, a bank, etc.

But even if you were driving through this area in the black of the darkest night, BELIEVE me- you would know when you arrived thanks to your sense of smell!! LOL
It is not bad, but on certain days, it is very...odorous!!

We will hopefully do a little traveling this upcoming holiday as G will have some free days.  Haven't decided if we will do a couple day trips or go a little further and try some overnight stays.
There is a little town south of Frankfurt, called Triberg, in the Black Forest.  This is the region where the Black Forest Torte originated, however it is very popular for its cuckoo clocks!
We may also head up to Darmstadt and follow the castles south to Heidelberg, or head for the border to Garmisch and see some sights there- to include Mad King Ludwig's castles.  This guy was very exocentric.  He called himself the "Moon King" in contrast to France's "Sun King".  Anyway, one of these castles was used as the model for Cinderella's castle by Walt Disney.

We may also head to Frankfurt, if we do we'll be sure to sample the ApfelWein Chris!!  Bye for now!

June 30,2002 -By Gordon
To answer some questions:

Q: Are the German people friendly?
A: Yes.  I think they are.  But they are not overly friendly like us Americans.  While walking the other night, we passed Germans (who were walking also) and as we passed, I would nod or say Hallo.  However, they would not even acknowledge that we were there.  Thinking they were rude, I asked some Americans and they told me that if they don't know you or have business with you, they will not just simply say hello in passing.  Opposite that, we went to the market in the town center of Wurzburg yesterday and we bought some fresh produce.  The woman saw that we had children and came back with 3 packages or Gummi Bears and gave them to the kids...so I believe they are very friendly, but it depends on the situation.  I am sure that here, just like any other place in the world, people can be mean, but it has not been our experience yet.

Q: Do they have roads an towns similar to ours?
A: Yes and no.  Yes, they have large roads and highways and road signs and stoplights etc.  Yes, they drive on the same side of the road as we do and yes, the steering wheels are on the same side.  But no, it is not all the same.  The driving rules are similar enough, but definitely not the same.  We have to take a drivers test to drive here and we have to get a 90% or better.  The test is not easy.  I got exactly 90%!  My heart was pounding as I thought I had failed for sure.  Stef's turn is this week.

The towns are different.  There are many small towns where the main road winds right through it, but it twists and turns in all directions...I have not seen many straight roads or what we would think of as a "city block".  Maybe they exist in the large cities, but the small ones that we live in and around do not seem to be set up that way.

I haven't seen many country homes either--it seems that all homes (of the vast majority) are squished together in one location and then surrounded by farm fields of beets, corn, and wheat mostly.  It is all so beautiful!

WORLD CUP FINAL 2002-By Gordon
Today was awesome--(I will write more about it and send it out later) but in short, Germany played the World Cup championship match today and we took a street car into downtown Wurzburg.  The pedestrian traffic was so great that the train just stopped and told everyone to get off!

We were short of our destination so we walked and enjoyed watching all the Germans show patriotism to their country by waving flags, honking horns, yelling, blowing whistles, wearing painted faces and so much more!  It was awesome.

We ended up having to walk about a 1/4 of the way back but it was worth it!

Forecast for: Giebelstadt, Germany (June 30 thru July 3)
Sunday     Partly Cloudy  71°/53°
Monday     Showers        66°/57°
Tuesday    Showers        59°/51°
Wednesday  Showers/Sun    58°/53°

As you can see the weather is certainly not very warm at all!  My blood is still warm from my year in Honduras so I have a long way to go!


July 1, 2002
Ok, back to Stef!!
Yes we went to downtown Wurzburg on Sat, walked around and kind of ate our way across the plaza!  There is a bakery (backeri- pronounced bahk-er-eye) every half a block or so, although as G said it isn't a city block like you would be used to.  Anyway we got some pastry from the backeri, very delicious and not super sweet like you get in the U.S.  We got our cell phones, a pretty good deal, and shopped in the market a bit, bought some produce and some more brot (bread).
They sell it by the loaf, but the larger loaves (have picture will send you link for it) you can buy by the kilo, well, each loaf was 2 kilos. The venders also have samples of their wares- bread with pesto, fresh cut  tomatoes and sliced cucumbers, etc.  We had a small meal at a sidewalk cafe where Gordon had kartoffelenbrat (baked potato) with (drum roll please) a yogurt herb dressing!  Yes he ate some of it though he wasn't crazy about it!!
I had camembert cheese (they bake a small round of the cheese, and serve it with jam and bread)  It was ok, but I won't order it again!  Not a big camembert fan apparently!

So on Sunday we took the train to Wurzburg intending to go where we were on Sat.  Note: The trains are local public transportation that goes to some of the outlying towns of Wurzburg and back) Every place except the restaurants is closed on Sundays, and like G said they were partying in the streets because of the World Cup.  Funny thing though, we thought they had won because of the flag waving and cries of Deutschland! Deutschland!  I can only imagine what it would be like had they actually won!  Anyway, I am off for now.

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