Is there Jenny Craig in Germany?

Guten Tag,
    I have found heaven! The food here (both street vendors and restaurants) is amazing. I am gaining weight by the hour. The bakeries/coffee shops are to die for. The amount of different kinds of bread and pretzels are insane.
Whoever thought of putting bacon and cheese baked into a pretzel is my hero! You can also get yummy pizzas and sandwiches togo as you are strolling around town...and don't get me started about the pastries and donuts! Oh, and who knew that the Captain with coke is available in a can???
AWESOME!

This ain't Chico

I never thought I would miss summer weather in Chico but damn it's not very warm here and I could sure use another sweatshirt!  Of course I think it's 104 in Chico so I guess I can't complain too much. It rains every day but not for very long. You can see it coming and I swear the clouds move faster here than at home.
Today I checked out the farmers market (see pic) which is in the main square of town and is amazing! The outside is lined with trucks sort of like taco vans only with display cases all along the sides. They have everything from meats (lunch meats and fresh steak), cheeses, pastas, hot dogs, salads (like egg & potato not lettuce), olives, mushrooms & stuffed peppers. Around 12 of these I think were there. Then  all in the middle was the fresh produce: fruit, veggies, nuts, etc. It was amazing. The market is every Wed & Sat.
Then went to the salt museum (since it's what Luneburg is known for). This town was created in 956...yes that was not a typo. I guess there was a huge party in 1956 for the 1000yr anniversary.  It was a very rich place when they were producing salt but that ended in the early 1980's.
Had a beer at one of the brewery's then off to a restaurant called Hemingway's for dinner since they had a burger special. More beer there and then to our Irish pub haunt for a nightcap.
Still having fun but missing you all.
Prost! (cheers)

I'm in Luneburg!

Today is day 3 in Luneburg. It is truly amazing. Unlike Berlin which was mostly destroyed in WWII, Luneburg was untouched so all the buildings are original from as far back as 1300's. It looks like something out of a movie set. There was a car show the first day I was here so that was perfect for me. Today and yesterday was a children's festival near the town square which was fun to walk through. I felt bad for the parents as the kids were all hyped up on sugar and going nuts. Just outside of that was a group of firefighters who were nice enough to let me take their picture. Thank god for Jim my roommate who speaks wonderful German and is kind enough to hang out with me. The food and beer have been great (a little pricey) and we of course already have several favorites including an Irish pub that is right on the water. 

School starts on Tuesday so that will be interesting. I really need to learn this damn language!

Miss you all but I am having a great time :)

I made it!

Hallo! So, I made it to Germany....but my luggage didn't. The flight was horrible (I'm not coming back). I barely fit in the seat and just when I fell asleep, the guy in front of me leaned back so far that my knee got crushed and I was in pain for the rest of the flight. Food was....as you would expect but the wine was free so that was nice. We landed in Amsterdam and I had 20 min to run and catch my next flight. I had no clue I would need to go through customs and another security check point there so I just made it. After a short hour flight we arrived in Berlin but I guess my luggage decided to stay in Amsterdam. Trying to deal with the lost and found was super fun. The woman was not happy I didn't speak German and when I repeated what she said I needed to do just to clarify, she told me she would not repeat it....such a lovely lady she was. I figured out how to find where the USAC group was meeting and after 2 hours was with people that could help me navigate the customs baggage claim area where my luggage was to arrive on the next flight....of course the nice man that helped us said it wasn't there yet and to come back in an hour but he was going on break. When we went back, no one was there and the phone you were to use just rang and rang. After 1/2 hour someone finally came to help the 5 other irritated passengers in the same boat...but my bag was still missing. So off to the hostel with no luggage I went. That was actually a blessing since it was a train ride, then a bus ride, then stairs and walking just to get there and my bag weighed 48lbs so that wouldn't have been fun. I did have an extra shirt and jeans in my backpack so that was good since my luggage didn't come until the end of day 2! I wish I would have taken a picture of the closet that was my room in Berlin because you all would be shocked. It was ok until my bag came and then crowded was an understatement. Berlin was great. Lots to see and do. I should have brought a pedometer...the walking was insane. My legs are still in shock.

1 day to go

Holy SB! Packed house & with help from my fabulous friends, I'm all moved into storage.
Jonelle's boys were the last to enjoy my pool....we are all sad about that.
Spent the night with friends (thx Matt & Steph) & headed to parents if i can stay awake for the drive. I might be too old for all this!

5 days & counting

To do list seems to be growing. Found a place to live for when I return & thanx to my amazing friends...all should be moved into storage this week.  Still need to pack for trip while showing my house to potential buyers ...which is fun. Holly & Steve helped pack some of my never ending crap last nite. Holly even got some custom tattoos from Steve as a souvenir.  Drank wine for dinner & passed out!

6 days and counting

So, 6 days before I’m off to the adventure of a lifetime (or at least of my lifetime).
Am I ready…no. Am I excited…kinda. Am I scared shitless…pretty much.
I think I would be more excited and ready if I didn’t have to also move in the next 5 days into a storage unit, find and secure a place to live for when I get back, pack for my trip, pack the house, try not to feel guilty about sending the cat to a shelter, re-show my house to a bunch of strangers, work 10 hr days…and a few other minor things. But God doesn’t give you more than you can handle…and I think he is judging that by height in my case…cuz it feels like a lotta stuff for one person.