Impressions in Moscow

Hey Everyone! I'm signing in from Moscow, and in the few days I've been here, I've made a lot of impressions of this strange country.

You might wonder why I'm even calling it strange, it should be very familiar, for I've lived here and visited many times, but for some reason, this time around, I've come to realize that in the past year since I've been here, not much has changed and there hasn't been any progress.

Perhaps this is because of the financial crisis, and Russians are all to familiar with loosing wealth. Here people don't put their money in banks, nor do they worry about their future and save pensions and IRAs. They spend today without worrying about tomorrow. Many here have had immense wealth only today to have very little. It's a phenomenon that I find difficult to understand.

Anyways, Moscow is big, very very big. It's also dirty. There is a trash almost everywhere on the streets (by the end of the day of course). People drive huge cars. There is no concern for the environment, packaging is uberall. No one is concerned with the foods which they consume, whether they have chemicals or preservatives inside. Customer service is non-existent except at the most expensive department stores and boutiques. Advertising inundates the city, with signs, placards, and cell phone shops basically door-to-door.

Of course, these first impressions are of Moscow, and Russia itself is totally different, perhaps better, but it is this sense that people here only care about money and that nothing else matters. People don't understand the meaning of earning what you work for (according to my mom though - as I haven't had to work hard myself... YET). Also the fact that the Russian mentality is still very much influenced by the Soviet Time. There is not much regard for your fellow citizens and I'm amazed that this country can still yet function more or less like a western country. (Reliable supply chains, services and so on.)

At my birthday yesterday, I told one of my relatives about what bothered me about modern Russian society. Her response was, does anyone like Russians, even abroad? She asked, our we like the Russians you see? I guess my family and friends are of a different type, ones that if filled the streets of Moscow, would make it a much better place. (I probably sound bigoted and very judgmental for saying this).

Well to be more exact, here is one thing that sort of shocked me after living in Germany. This would never happen in Germany. Last night (at 1am) we went to Metro, and big box store like Costco that sells things in large quantities for less money. We knew that there would be a lot of people out shopping right before the hugh Christmas/New Year's holiday (Dec. 25th is not a holiday here, Russia's Xmas equivalent is the 31st) but we went in the middle of the night. When we got to the store in the snowy weather, the parking lot was full. We almost decided to leave, but we went in anyways. After waiting 10 minutes to find a shopping cart, the store seemed picked over and totally chaotic. After passing the electronics section, we arrived into the liquor section. People were stock-piling vodka and rum by the 10s of litres. Carts full of heavy spirits! The poor workers trying to drive by with their forklifts and tidy up the store were over-worked and ignored by the crazy shoppers who didn't heed to their signs or barricades.

Anyways after getting everything we needed, our friend was waiting for us by check-out line #33. There were about 50 in all, and all were full of people waiting. This is worse than Costco on any given day, and the lines moved incredibly slowly. Mind you, this is now 3am (the store operates 24hrs/day).

These were the lines for the cashier. Meanwhile, using dot-printers, they printed our receipts (literally on computer paper, and then stamped them with these official looking stamps) Three copies were made.

Our shopping cart - lots of water, juice, meat, vegetables, bread etc. Normal stuff

While waiting in line for 1.5 hours, my brother and I noticed these girls, also waiting in line reading Playboy but trying to cover the front page so as not to reveal the publication they were reading.

(Sorry for poor image quality, taken with my cell phone)

German Christmas Markets

I know, I know. It's been over a month since I've posted. Many of you know that I took a little break, but now I'm back and running, and I have a couple of posts to make. I hope to get caught up by the New Year.

Anyways, Germany is very well known for its Christmas Markets, which you can find everywhere leading up to Xmas. Frankfurt has an especially big Xmas Market that takes up the central city hall sqaure (Rathaus Platz) and an adjacent one.

The markets are filled with sights and smells that cannot be found in the US, although some things we do have. For instance, roasted almonds are especially popular, and they are usually roasted right in front of you. You could go broke though going around and trying everything as usually things are priced like you'd expect at an open air market/tourist trap.

Apart from the numerous different sweets and delicacies available (ranging from smoked sausages to funnel cakes) there are also a myriad of different vendors selling toys, candles, xmas decorations, fine arts and crafts and clothing. Some are especially traditional, like toy train sets and xmas stars, and others are unique and can only be found there.

The xmas market in Frankfurt was especially busy when I went. Richard invited me to go walk around and try some things. It was really nice, and it felt like the holiday season, (despite the warm weather - it had reached 60°F days prior).

Oberursel, my home town and suburb of Frankfurt also had a xmas market. I especially enjoyed the Oberurseler Weinachtsmarkt, as it was smaller and more tame. There are several main pedestrian areas where the merchants set up their kiosks. The goods sold were quite literally the same things one could find in Frankfurt.

I went to the Oberurseler Xmas Market with some friends who I recently met in Oberursel - a huge plus because it means I don't have to take a train anywhere to meet them, and also means I don't have to worry about the train coming back. We walked around town with these new friends of mine (almost all of them Au Pairs). They sort of introduced me to the ins and out of Oberursel. Apparently what I had thought was downtown or the central areas turned out to be just the periphery of the central area, and I was finally taken to the main square with the church. (I had always though it odd that Oberursel didn't have a church, but alas it does).

At the xmas market, we drank Glühwein with Amaretto di Sorrento (a hot red wine with Amaretto liquor). It was very tasty (Amaretto is my favorite) and we ate some roasted almonds. However we also tried Med, a honey fermented beer (also hot) and sat by this huge bon fire.

As the Au Pairs and I talked, many Germans sitting around us took interest in our "foreignness" and encouraged us to talk in German. Many of us do fluently, but because we're from all different parts, we speak English to keep it simple, Well, it's really a mixture of English and German... Denglish.

This Xmas Market in Oberursel apparently was a moving one, as it only stayed one weekend in early December. It was nice though, and the locals take it seriously, dressing up in costume (like elves) and selling Glühwein, Med, Beer, Roasted Nuts, Funnel Cakes, Bretzels, Sausages, Crepes, Quiche Lorraine, Flammkuchen, und etc.

Thanksgiving Dinner

For those of you who facebooked me asking whether Germany had its own Thanksgiving, and if it was really days before the American one, here's your answer.

No, Germany does not have Thanksgiving. Actually, I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving and show my family what one would traditionally prepare for a thanksgiving dinner. I celebrated it on Sunday, because naturally on Thursday we all have to work and go to school and not many people would be able to come. Also, next weekend, my family is already having people over for dinner, so it'd be too much to do all in one weekend. Hence, I chose last Sunday as the day.

To begin, buying traditional Thanksgiving foods is not easy in Germany, but luckily my fellow PPPler C-, who lives literally like a hop, jump over the autobahn and skip away from me, has a military ID and we were able to go to the US Military Commissary in Wiesbaden and buy the groceries that we needed.

I decided that I would first buy everything that I needed at the commissary since 1) it would be cheaper and I could pay in dollars, 2) anything they didn't have I'd buy elsewhere, 3) we were being driven to the commissary which makes life a lot easier.

I've never been to a commissary before and I had no idea what to expect. It's so funny when you're in a foreign country like Germany, you're used to everything being a certain way, even when buying groceries. You expect that you're not going to get this or that, because it simply doesn't exist here. But then you go to the commissary and your whole view changes.

We arrived at the commissary just in the knick of time to get the shopping we needed done. C- registered me into the commissary and as we filled out paper work, I was looking around the store from the entrance. At this moment in time, everything was black and white. The transition from Germany (just right outside the doorway) to the commissary is stark. As you walk in the sliding doors, you see the bright fluorescent lights, the large isles with signs written in English, and shopping carts whose wheels only swivel in the front. These minute differences you notice when you jump (literally through the threshold of the doorway) between cultures as I did.

Once in the commissary, it was strange to see the prices, (in dollars). At first it seemed expensive to me, but then I realized I had to stop thinking in Euro. I was able to buy so many things that I dreamt of buying but couldn't. Normal sized romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, canned pumpkin, chocolate chips, tostitos tortilla chips (scoops version), brownies, cranberry sauce, stuffing, Edy's Ice cream (french silk and mint chocolate chip), cereal, orange juice (not from concentrate - there are no orange trees in Germany), cranberry juice. I was sort of in heaven. It was unbelievable, and everywhere you went, you saw people speaking English (although mostly with southern accents).

So there my adventure ends at the commissary. I was able to buy everything I needed for a small amount of cash and it was great. I didn't have to go anywhere else, and I had everything I needed for my dinner.

Lastly, going out into the parking lot was also funny. All the cars are the American versions, just with tiny German license plates to fit the US standard. I saw Tahoes, Suburbans, Hondas, Jeeps, all cars that you never see in Germany, and there they were all parked in the parking lot. Very strange.

When I got home, I thawed (or as we say in Michigan dethawed) the Turkey. Since I was cooking it the next day, I couldn't let it thaw in the refrigerator, so I filled the sink with cold water and let it sit there. I've never cooked a Turkey before, and so this was my first time.

I left the turkey in the water overnight. I was prepared to wake-up early the next morning to begin cooking, but the instructions said it only needed to thaw 6-8 hours, which was perfect. My turkey (a butterball) was 12lbs. Sort of small, but remember, ovens here are also smaller, and I didn't want so many leftovers as is the case with Thanksgiving.

I prepared the turkey, made the stuffing, and right before I put the turkey in the oven at 160°c, I stuffed it with my stuffing. Luckily of us Americans, all the directions are already on the packages. I placed the Turkey in the oven at 12:10, and then I got going on the other things. I had also prepared to make sweet potatoes, mashed garlic potatoes, stuffing (more), salad, and pumpkin pie.

I had helpers coming over to help, Max and KC, and they were supposed to arrive anytime between 1 and 2. So I decided to peel all the sweet potatoes and potatoes. Everything was prepared so that when they came, we could continue working. D- (my host father) also helped me by putting an additional leaf in the table (I wasn't even aware that our table expanded). So we preped the dining room, expanding the table, and N- (my host sister) helped set the table.

KC worked on the salad, which had dried cranberries, almond slices, tomatoes, spinach, romaine lettuce and croutons. Max worked on the pumpkin pie recipe, and I worked on boiling the potatoes. It's always great to have help, but you can't have to head chefs in the kitchen, and sometimes Max is hard to deal with because he's used to a quality and way of doing things. Max is pretty stubborn when it comes to most things, cooking not withstanding.

The turkey we basted with vegetable oil and its juices. It was interesting to see how it was cooking. The first two hours, we had the over at 325°F and in convection oven mode, and then we turned off the convection and just had heat from below and above. After 4 hours, we took out the turkey (it was the first thing done) and put the potatoes to bake. It was sort of an acrobatic act because we had to constantly keep switching things in and out of the oven so that it would stay warm. Now I know why American households usually have two ovens. It's all about Thanksgiving.

People started coming over at 4:00pm, exactly when I told them. This was expected but at the same time sort of annoying. In the US, we say 4pm and people come 4:15-4:30. German's come at 3:59pm. Anyways, the only thing done at this point was the turkey and so we weren't going to eat until later. I predicted that things would be done at 5:30pm, and I was right, but we didn't sit down to eat until 5:45.

In all there were 12 of us, unfortunately M- (host mom) was sick and didn't join us as she feared she's contaminate us. In the end, the dinner was successful, and everything tasted so good. It's good to stick to some traditions even when abroad. I feel now I am ready for the holiday season. You can't have Christmas without celebrating Thanksgiving.

By the way, my Turkey was juicy, and the stuffing that was inside was the best. Max and KC also made gravy, and I ate it with the cranberry sauce. There was enough food for 12 people, so if you don't want left overs, buy a smaller turkey.

StudieVZ and its importance to us Julicher's

Okay, I'm a little excited at the moment.

I just joined StudieVZ (pronounced Schtoodee Fau Tzed), something I have known about for a while, but have had no desire to join. It's basically Germany's version of Facebook.

I decided to join today, because I've been meeting a lot of people who don't have facebook, but do have StudieVZ.

So after I created my profile, I decided to find some people I know. Then I decided to use the search feature and look to see if there are any Julicher's. Well, there are almost 40 hits, and all of them have the last name Jülicher. (The city in Germany where my ancestors come from is spelled Jülich, but the English translation is just, Julich).

So I looked through some of the people's profile pages, and there are groups. One of them is called, "People's whose name is Jülich and have nothing to do with Jülich." The other one is called, "Julicher's who think their last name is cool".

So I've message a couple of people, and I'll see how their response is. There are really quite a lot of people online in Germany that have my last name, and it will be interesting to see if I'm able to actually find a relative of mine.

What's encouraging is, is that many of them come from the area near Jülich or directly from it. So it seems likely that there is some sort of connection. It's only in this part of Germany really, that people have this last name too.

I'll keep you posted on the responses.

The Days are Getting Shorter

It's that time of year now. Here in Frankfurt, the days are very short. It's already dusk currently as I look out my window onto the Taunus Mountains. It's 4:53pm.

It's about around these times that our program says a lot of people begin really missing home and the honeymoon phase of Germany is over. Although life seems to be falling into place here, my rhythm being set, and life falls into a state of normalcy, I am still enjoying every moment here.

I'm going to be joining the Goethe University Orchestra next semester. I've been in talks with the conductor and he has welcomed me to start next semester.

I'm also playing indoor tennis once a week with a team. I go on Fridays at noon and play and rally for one hour.

I'm also really enjoying my classes here and I'm finding that I'm learning more and more about the aviation business. Our classes I find are really useful and we're taught pertinent information. We also do mock situations of what types of problems need to be solved when running an airport.

The weather here is much like it is in Michigan. Yes, here it's quite a bit warmer in the winter, but the days are grey and it always rains. With all the construction going on, it's a bit of hassle to get the train station in the mud. At the same time, I feel these shorter days help one reflect on what they have to do and enjoy doing. The somber atmosphere is for me quite soothing.

The biggest topic at hand now is Christmas and Thanksgiving. I love the holiday season in the US, and it's always when I reunite with my high school friends, go Christmas shopping, go Christmas tree shopping and so on. I here that in Germany, they've adopted a lot of our Christmas season passion and I hear that we're going to have these Christmas Markets in the old square. There you can drink Glühwein (a warm red wine).

This week I didn't do anything special. I did go bowling friday, and that was fun. It's amazing how much is taken from the US. The bowling alley here was identical to what we have in America. I went with my friend Markus and another LVMer Oliver.

I'll try to keep you posted with the latest from Frankfurt. Pictures will come too.

This week in Review

These posts are getting less and less detailed which may or may not be a good thing. I don't have too much to say this week. [PS not so short anymore!]

Sunday: I spent to day at home doing work.

Monday: I went to the registration office to get registered finally. I've waiting long enough. That was relatively simple. I did have lunch in Frankfurt with KC and I signed up for 1GB of mobile internet per month, so now I receive my email on my phone, which is convenient but addictive and can be annoying when people write on your facebook profile.

Monday night I went to KC's to help her paint her new apartment. Max and KC had gone to Hornbach (think Home Depot) to get paint supplies. Although they got paint, brushes and rollers, they did forget some other useful things, like a paint tray for the large roller. We had to paint the walls with the small roller. The other problem was that the guy moving out lied and hadn't taken all his stuff with him, so it was still in the middle of the room. We managed and were able to prime one wall and paint the first coat on the other. I was the tapemeister, which meant I did all the taping.

Tuesday: Tuesday morning I spent at home preparing for the week ahead. L- (M-'s mother) came by to make potato pancakes. They were very good, and to my delight I had sour cream, which I insist you eat together with the apple sauce when eating potato pancakes (known as kartoffel puffer in German).

Max and KC arrived with the moving van, (I offered to help her move furniture and go with them to Ikea). We ate the potato pancakes and Max and KC got to meet my family a little bit. Then we headed off for IKEA and Hornbach to get the remaining supplies.

Driving in the Mercedes Sprinter Van was not fun, as we had not much stuff in it after we left Ikea (although over 800€ were spent there) and we had to be careful so it wouldn't shift and break. I also had no seat as well, and so I sat on the floor between Max and KC. I kept pulling the emergency brake too. My phone was about to die, Max's sim card was broken, and KC.... well she wasn't help with directions. That's why I have googlemaps, but we got where we were going.

Afterwards, we drove back to Frankfurt where we had to pick up KC's bed and dresser. The guy selling it was a musician and he told me where I can go to join an orchestra. I have a 400 year old violin to play, and I have all my music supplies, so I'm planning on joining the Goethe University Orchestra.

We moved the furniture into to van, and to our amazement it was already around 7pm. We then had to figure out how to get back to KC's apartment through the center of Frankfurt. It was difficult because none of the streets go straight through and we sort of had to try several attempts.

Finally, we made it, and Max and I helped carry all the stuff up to KC's apartment on the 3rd floor. We then began to paint again. I'll have KC give me pictures so that you can see the final product. Needless to say, I spent the night there on the futon (that was my first time, and probably not my last). The next morning, we had to mitigate with the old renter who was upset that we moved his stuff into the outside hallway after he failed to come pick it up when he said. The old renter was quite a character, and not much of a negotiator. He tried to leave a trunk of clothes for us as well as some other junk. Luckily Max confronted him and argued that he take it. (It's hard to throw stuff away in Germany). Max and I finished painting and we began to move things into place and build the furniture from Ikea.

Max and I are great Ikea furniture builders and are really good at doing it. In fact, I'm sure Ikea would hire us. I guess I could always get a job there doing that. We built two Malm dressers in about 30 minutes. We also put the chair, sofa, and coat rack together.

Wednesday: I went to class all in paint and sort of shabby. I was a little embarrassed because that day we had a guest in my Luftverkehrsmanagement course from Fraport (the people who run Frankfurt Airport). His presentation was very interesting and he asked me what I was doing in this class. (He sort of helps organize the course and so he was interested that there was a guest in his program). He was very encouraging and he gave me his business card. Yet another contact where I can apply for a internship.

Afterwards, KC invited me for dinner after all the hard work I offered. I saw an almost finished apartment and later left home. It was about 9 when I got home and I was exhausted.

Thursday: Toma (my cousin from Russia) arrived from Paris at 12:00. I got to the airport on time but had to literally run 1 mile in about 5 minutes to not miss the train. I was running the length of the entire platform just to get to the end where the train stopped. I just made it!

At the airport, I was jealous to see all the departing flights to the US. The airport announcements were paging passengers for the flight to Philadelphia. I thought that I could just somehow out of some odd occurrence get on that flight and make it to Nick's wedding. I also saw the flight leaving for Detroit. It's so strange to be in a place where in a matter of hours you can be in a totally different point of the world. That's what amazes me and intrigues me about airports. You can be in one point, and you have people coming and going to all points of the globe. This modus of travel is amazing. Koreans to Ghambians all in one building. Of course you have Americans too. As I was waiting for Toma to leave the baggage claim and come into the arrivals hall, the United flight from DC was exiting and some Americans marveled at how you can take the luggage carts onto the escalator. (Leave it to the over-engineering Germans).

Toma and I left the airport and went back to my home in Oberursel. We got ready, and planned to go to the city center. I showed her around, but I had class at 5:45, so we had only time to grab dinner. We at tapas at this restaurant which were surprisingly very good. I had to then run off to class while Toma went to her tango class and dance hour.

After class, I came back to the city center, met with Markus (from LVM) and waiting for Toma to be done with her class so that we could go back to Oberursel together.

Friday: I had my second tennis practice, and it went horribly. I have to really improve my skills. I've devised a new workout plan and have re-organized my time so as to be more productive and hopefully, effective.

I went with Toma to the city center to go see Julie and Julia (it's been out a while in the US, because I know my parents saw this movie when I had just left DC). We planned to see it in the OV (original version, i.e. ENGLISH) but to our chagrin, the movie theatre (which was run down) had a broken projector. Instead of telling us that the movie would not be playing, they just waiting until we asked. After, Toma and I just went and walked around the town instead, grabbing lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant.

Later on, we went to the small hall market (which isn't small). It's reminiscent of the markets that are in Russia, but nicer. There we bought apples, carrots, olives, and some figs. We then walked along the Zeil (the main shopping street in Frankfurt). Toma and I were invited for dinner that evening at Toma's old friend from Russia, who is now married to a German. We travelled to their new home (which is really nice). We had dinner with them, and spent the night there.

Saturday: Toma and I ate breakfast with her friends, and then we left for Frankfurt in the drizzling rain for the Museum of Modern Art. The building was not very modern on the outside, but inside was sort of interesting. Angular in the non-modern way. There was an exhibition about Jack Goldstein. I'm not sure I liked it, but there were some pieces that really made you think. We spent about one hour in the museum, and then went to Frankfurt's best coffee shop.

I'm trying really hard not to drink coffee too often. I fear of getting addicted, and I don't want it to become a routine I need in the morning, so I only drink it in the afternoon or evenings (caffeine doesn't affect my sleeping habits) and not daily. It was very nice of course, and the aromas from Wacker's Coffee shop keep the customers coming. It's always crowded in there.

Afterwards, we walked on and crossed the river to the other side. It's called Sachsenhausen, and it's a very bourgeois area. There are several other museums located on the bank of the river in old homes from the 18&19th centuries. We walked along the river bank (for nothing better to do really), and then went to the Städel Museum, which is the main museum with art ranging from the 14th - 21st centuries). The collection wasn't very impressive in my opinion. Much of it dated from the Renaissance and was very religious in nature. However, there were some interesting pieces, which depicted Frankfurt in the 19th century that I enjoyed.

Afterwards, we met up with Toma's friends again in Bornheim, where we went out to dinner. They took us to an Applewine Restaurant. It served traditional German food, (which is not light at all), but it was tasty. Afterwards, we rode to the airport together and I said goodbye to Toma.

This Week in Review

Here's what I've done over the past week:

Sunday - Wednesday: I was in Brussels visiting Liz and my Uncle Hank.. This you already know. Refer to the blog on Brussels.

Wednesday: Today I traveled with Uncle Hank to Düsseldorf in Germany we I reserved him a hotel to stay at while he was attending the FSB conference in Köln. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything in Köln as everything was booked, but Düsseldorf was great. I was also able to invite Till, my friend from Germany, to have dinner with us.

Thursday: I traveled back to Frankfurt via ICE train which only took 1:26 minutes to travel 142 miles with 2 stops in between. At points that train was traveling up to 250km per hour. Once in Frankfurt, I made it home and got ready for my class that evening. I had an appointment at the University a little bit early and was able to sell the Ipod Touch that I got for free when I got my new computer. I went to class, my favorite International Management. Class gets done very late, at 9pm and I headed home.

Friday: It was my first day of Tennis. I'm very excited and glad that I signed up for Tennis. I'm in Fortgeschrittene Ebene II (or Advanced 2). This is great because everyone I'm playing with is very good and I've definitely improved my tennis skills while I was living in Radolfzell since I was playing several times per week. At tennis, we only did some skills training and warmed up with our partner. My partner, Brent (who just also happens to be American) is very good and I was worn out by the end of the hour just rallying with him.

Afterwards, on the way home, I lost my phone, which I didn't realize until later, and then went shopping with D-, in Bad Homburg, the neighboring town. It's much nicer there as it is famous for it's mineral baths and was visiting by Kaiser Wilhelm II, which is what made it famous. In fact, Bad Homburg is one of the wealthiest places in Germany due to its proximity to Frankfurt. There is also a casino there, and a quite nice main shopping street. Bad Homburg is only 10 minutes away by car and can also be reached by S-bahn and Bus from Oberursel. D- and I went to Karstadt where I bought some Halloween makeup. Then D- showed be around as we ran errands.

Friday evening, I went out to dinner with my host family. There we met up with their good friends. D-'s friend is a manager at Lufthansa and we began talking about the possibility of interning at Lufthansa. He seemed quite confident that I could get an internship there. The food was also very good, and it was nice to just spend the evening with my host family.

Saturday: I found my phone early in the morning because I retraced my steps from the day before. Luckily my phone was lying on the tram tracks near the tram station. I was amazed that it was still there and not damaged. I went home, to only go back out into Frankfurt to look for my halloween costume. Before I left, I called around and check with different uniform clothing shops. I decided to be a mad scientist for halloween. It was a prerequisite of Max's. I found this great store in the Ostend part of Frankfurt, which sells work clothes for fire fighters, garbage men, nurses, doctors, lumbermen, etc. There I was able to get a white lab coat, pants and laytex gloves for 14€. Afterwards, I headed back home to only realize when I got there that my cousin Toma's flight from Moscow was 25 minutes early. So (yes I know UH), I had to immediately leave once again and get to the airport.

At the airport I met up with Toma, and ate dinner in the three hours between her flights. It was nice to meet up with her and we discusses our plans for when she comes to Frankfurt on Thursday. I saw her off on her flights, and then I went to celebrate Halloween at Max's. When I got there, I was amazed at how much work he put into decorating. There were cobwebs everywhere with a fog machine, stage lighting, scary music, and of course lots of candy. I will try to post pictures when I got them of the ambience and our costumes.

Brussels

This weekend I traveled to Brussels to meet up with my friend Liz from UofM and with my Uncle Hank. I was really excited to go visit a friend from my old life. I love everything about my program and my time here in Germany, but it’s always nice to see someone familiar. Liz and I are good friends and we’ve gone through basically 5 years of University together. Liz was in Brussels because she was visiting her future Mother-in-law who lives there.

I left for Brussels from Frankfurt on the direct ICE train. I was able to book my travel on line and the ticket, although a little expensive 63€ was the most convenient way of getting there. The train took little over 3 hours to travel the distance. This was also my first visit to Belgium.

Liz met me at the Brussels-Midi station with P-, Liz’s to be mother-in-law. She drove me directly to the hotel where I was staying, (the 4 Points Sheraton which Uncle Hank so kindly provided). Since everything in just about every European Country is closed on Sundays, we stayed in the hotel and chatted about our new lives in Europe.

The next morning, I travelled the Brussels public transportation system, which is not organized, not comfortable, nor efficient. I had to wait over 15 minutes for the bus to arrive at the stop during morning rush hour, and it’s not like in Germany where there is a sign explaining which busses are on their way and when they are going to arrive. In fact, you look at the schedule and see that there are supposed to be quite a few busses, but in Brussels as I figured out, things do not run on time. Again, I wasn’t in Germany.

That was probably the most difficult thing to adapt to when I went to Brussels. German efficiency is something that Germans and I take for granted. Living in a culture where punctuality and efficiency are ubiquitous, it’s hard to transition into a more French society where things are laissez-faire. Anyways, after what seemed 2 hours, I made it to P-‘s house. It’s interesting to always see how different people live, and P- lives has a very nice apartment in a relatively new building. She also has a Golden Lab, Kipling, who was very friendly.

That day we went to the train station again to pick up Liz’s other friend Geraldine, who also happens to be a UofM graduate. It’s amazing to see how many there are of us in Europe. P- then took us on a tour of Brussels by car. She told us that she never uses the transportation network, and I don’t blame her. Basically it’s very efficient in the center, but when you need to go the outskirts, it’s hard to navigate and use. P- took us to many places in Brussels and showed us how the city is transitioning and redeveloping depressed areas.

We saw the World Exhibition Fair of 1958 and the specific atomium monument built for the world exhibition. It’s basically a giant atom which is the size of the Eiffel Tower. It stands in the northern part of Brussels in Flanders. We also saw mini-Europe, a kitschy re-incarnation of all the European capitals.

Later on, we went to see the Palace and Palatial Gardens of the Belgian Royal Family. I have to say that my first impressions of Brussels were negative, as the city is very odd. In fact, my personal feelings of the entire country are mixed. It has a very strange feel. I couldn’t tell whether I was in Northern Europe like Amsterdam, or in Paris. The city is very divided. The old part looks very similar to many Northern European cities, but the southern part of the city is very reminiscent of Paris. Also, the city is huge, 4 times bigger than what I had expected to see.

Belgium has many problems though, and the biggest one is the riff between the North, Flanders; and the South, Wallonia. In the south they speak French, and in the North they speak Flemish aka Dutch. Brussels is actually located in the North (Flanders), but over 80% percent of the population speaks French. Both languages are plastered all over everything. It’s interesting as I’m finding Dutch very easy to understand now with my knowledge of the three languages it’s based off of, German, English and French. However, there are tensions between the people, and the country almost split in two last year.

The Grand Place is spectacular, and few probably realize the beauty that Brussels has. Many of the building are very ornate, built primarily at the end of the 17^th Century. It’s exactly a mix of French Baroque with Dutch simplicity and practicality. Many building are built of brick, but the older one’s in the center are mostly of sandstone. There are many different districts within Brussels as well.

After roaming the streets of Brussels, we went back with P- to her apartment where we ate this fantastic Moroccan couscous with lamb, chicken and vegetables. Afterwards we had tea and tried these macaroons that I bought from Paul, a very famous French pastry shop. The macaroons were deliciously and in general, it was great to see Liz and Geraldine and feel the warmth of the Belgian hospitality.

The following day, I met up with Liz and Geraldine on the Avenue Louise. This was relatively near where my hotel was, and it is the expensive shopping street of Brussels. The girls wanted to go shopping, so I went with them, but I have really no money to spend on such things. Brussels and I must say is significantly more expensive than Germany. Clothing is the same, but food is about 3 to 4 times more expensive. That means getting something to eat on the street is also more expensive.

Of course, since we were walking through the city, we had to try the famous Belgian specialties. The first thing I tried was Kriek, which is a Belgian beer with cherry flavor. It’s different from the things that I tried in Germany with coke and beer. I have to say I’m not a fan of cherry flavor as everything of cherry flavor tastes like cough medicine to me. I don’t think I’m a fan of Kriek, but it’s very loved in Belgium. The other thing that I tried was of course a Gaufre belge, or Begian Waffle. You have to buy them from one of the many street vendors. The waffles are sweet, and they these crystallized sugar granules in the batter which makes them taste different. Usually you get it with whipped cream and chocolate, but I opted for just a half and plain. It’s basically a heart-attack waiting to happen. The last thing that I tried were famous Belgian pomme-frites or french fries. The Belgians are notorious for their potatoes. These fries you also get from a street vendor or a whole in the wall place. They’re pretty good although, I think the outsides need to be more crunchy. In Belgium, you also eat fries with ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together.

After the entire day of walking and shopping, we went back to P-‘s house where we played cards and relaxed. I had to get back to the hotel early as the following day I was supposed to meet Uncle Hank at the airport in the morning. Although I was late, I met up with Uncle Hank the following morning. Again, I’m not used to trains being late and buying a ticket in Belgium is complicated as you can’t use the automated machines as they don’t accept credit cards or cash. You literally have to have a Belgian bank account to use them. Therefore, I had to stand in line and buy a ticket. Also, I had to figure out my way to the station using the public transit system, again, not as efficient as I’m used to.

After meeting up with Uncle Hank, I took them to the Grand Place where we had something to eat. We walked quickly through the center and then we already set to leave for Germany. Brussels was great and I enjoyed it very much, but I’m happy to be back in Germany now. I think that Germany is the European country where I am supposed to live.

Also, for those of you who are interested, in Belgium I spoke in French. At first, it was a catastrophe as I couldn’t speak at all. All that came to mind were German words and German grammar structure. However, after a couple of house of listening to just French. P- speaks French with Liz, and everywhere we went we spoke French with the locals, my French was improving. By the end of the 3 days I was in Brussels, I was at least conversational again. I think that if I were to spend a week or a long weekend again in a French speaking country, I would be able to regain much of my French. Interestingly, just after three days of being in Belgium, it was difficult for me to transition back into German.

This week in review

So I'm getting really used to living here in Frankfurt, but I have to say that this last week has been pretty strange for me and a bit exhausting.

Last Friday and Saturday, my mom was here for what seamed like a blip second. She arrived late Friday night and left early Saturday morning. It was nice to see here, and get a couple gifts from family members in Russia. Although, after she left, it was strange to think that my mom was here in Frankfurt this morning, and now she's on the other side of the world. It just shows you how static life can actually be.

This week has been full of partying, and it definitely has taken a toll on me. I'm not 21/22 anymore. I'm sad to say, that I'm feeling my age a bit as I'm incapable of staying up late anymore (Thanks a lot Radolfzell). I went out to Darmstadt to Max's house last Saturday with KC (maybe those of you who went to Cranbrook remember her?). There we went to a friend's birthday party. The problem I always run into is, that I want to sleep but no one else does, and then you're sort of stuck. This time I stuck it out until 6am, but then the next was wasted. I hate that so much too. Anyways, I got sick and has a lackluster Sunday.

On Monday I went to Wiesbaden to meet up with my InWent Representative. It was my first time there, and my representative/advisor was very friendly. She told me that I should definitely start my internship search now so that it is easier for me and that I don't have to look as much later down the road. It took about an 1 1/2 hours to get to Wiesbaden. I was late of course too because I don't check the train schedules and naively thought that there would be a regiobahn train instead of the S-bahn to Wiesbaden. (Just so you know, there are actually both, but at the time I needed to go, only the S-bahn was running). I returned to Frankfurt, met my friend Markus (from Luftverkehrsmanagement) at Starbucks, and then went and had dinner with Richard at Vapiano.

On Tuesday, I decided to go to IKEA again, because I wanted to buy a shelf for the bathroom so I could put my things in the bathroom without having to worry about them falling into the toilet bowl. (This happened to my loofa, so I had to throw it out). I don't particularly mind my flat mate, but he's not very careful when he showers and he gets water all over the floor. Partially this has to do with the bad shower curtain we have (they're all super thin here) but also because he doesn't care too much. No wonder we have so much mildew in the tiles! I'm planning on recaulking the shower once we have some time when no one will be using it. I also check for shower curtains at IKEA, but to no avail did I find anything that I was looking for. I did stop next door to Hornbach (a store identical to the Home Depot) and there, they had shower stalls with glass doors that would have perfectly fit in this space. I told my family about it, but I don't think they're going to invest the money now on renovating our bathroom. (They have two separate bathrooms which they use.)

On Wednesday, I went to class as normal, except for the fact that LVM (Luftverkehrsmanagement) was cancelled. It will be moved to this week Thursday I believe. So I only had my Entrepreneurship class. Afterwards, I met up with Markus and some other LVM classmates at a bar with KC and we then went to what's called a 'sneak preview' at the movie theatre. It's basically a program where you go and sign up online through Germany's version of Facebook (StudiVZ) and register. Then you can sign up and go to the movie. The ticket costs only 4€. The clincher is though that you have no idea what movie you're going to see, but it's a movie that is not out in theaters yet. I ended up seeing "Searching for Eric" and it was good. It was a french-british film, and it was pretty interesting. But the ending wasn't french at all, which sort of disappointed me. It had an overly too happy ending.

Thursday I travelled to Darmstadt to visit Max and go to TK Maxx, yet TJMAXX is spelled this way in Europe. It was the grand opening of the store there, and it's almost identical to what we have in the US. The prices are pretty cheap for German standards too. I bought a scarf. Everyone has them here, so I thought I'd fit in and Germanify myself a bit. Then I had to go back to Frankfurt for class. I sat in International Management, which is one of my favorite classes, but since we have 4 blocks of 45 minutes, it's hard to stay focused in German the whole time. I also think my professor thinks I'm a slacker as I've had to leave class early twice. Once to make it to a Tennis meeting, and the other because I would otherwise miss the train I need to take.

After class, I went to Max's house again with KC, where we went to a "Fach Party" or the opening semester party. It's hosted by Max's university at a local club. I didn't enjoy it very much, there were way too many people and it was hot. Add to that my dislike of staying up late and I decided to go back to Max's early and just call it a night (which was what I exactly did). Anyways, I had to wake up early the next morning so as to be in Frankfurt at school at 8:15.

Friday started out tough waking up so early at Max's, but KC and I made it. Max came to visit me on Friday later in the day for the first time, but as he was arriving I was on the phone with my mom, and didn't realize I didn't have call waiting. Max couldn't call me to let me know he was already here. I guess I'll know for next time. Roman, my French friend from Radolfzell who now works in Cologne passed through on Friday as well. Max and I showed him a bit of Frankfurt, and concurrently met up with Richard and KC. Max, KC and I went to a district of Frankfurt called Bornheim where we found a great and very affordable Sushi Restaurant. Afterwards, we headed over to KC's just to talk, and I eventually went home.

Saturday, was very busy. I woke up early and had a traditionally German breakfast with my family. I always enjoy this. We get freshly baked bread on the weekends from the baker at the end of our street. Then I played the violin, as I got the package from my Dad with some of my violin accessories, which makes playing a lot easier. I've actually played quite a lot of violin recently, and probably Monica, Nele, and I (these are my host mom and host sister) will put on a concert for the extended family and friends for Christmas. We plan to go to the music store to find some music, and I will need to buy an E-string. I decided to change the strings on the violin, and I'm glad I did, because the sound is much better now. Although I believe the violin needs some refurbishing and new pegs, but I'll let Monica decide what she wants to do.

Later in the day, Detlev and Monica took me to a friends house for a dinner party. Monica and Detlev met these friends in Tuscany at a cooking course, so they plan these dinner parties a couple times a year and cook together. I felt a little strange going, since Nele didn't go, but it was surprisingly very nice, and the food was very good. We had about 6 courses over 10 hours. I was tired afterwards. We had Oysters, then Eggplant rolls with Mozzarella, Tomato Sause, Capers and Basil, then Tagliatelli with King Bolito Mushrooms, followed with Sea Bass and Rosemary Potatoes and finally a desert. I understood all the German that was being said, and participated actively in the conversation. I really enjoyed the evening, even though it ended late.

After the dinner party, which ended at midnight, I had to go to KC's for her Penthouse Apartment Party. She currently lives in corporate housing, and lives on the 15th floor in downtown Frankfurt. She has amazing views of the whole city, and this will be her last weekend living in it, so she decided to celebrate. I of course was already tired, and only got there at 12:30. Most people had left and it was pretty chill by this point. It was nice to see everyone though.

This week has also been a little hectic because I've been helping Uncle Hank plan his trip to Ireland, Belgium and Germany. I really like doing this for him, because other than Peggy, I'm probably the only person that can do this for him, and I'm always happy to help. So in recognition of helping my name-bearer, I will travel tonight to Brussels by train. Conveniently, there is a non-stop train to Brussels 3x per day and it will only take 3 hours. Also, Liz is in Brussels currently and so I will get to so her before Uncle Hank arrives from Dublin. I'm excited for this little excursion, and it will be my first time in Belgium. Now I'll be able to check that country off my list.

Check for updates later this week with a photostory of this blog, and also pictures and descriptions of Brussels.

Hope I didn't bore you to death with details.

My University in Frankfurt

I go to the University of Applied Sciences Frankfurt. The campus is in downtown, but not in the downtown core, but rather about 1km outside. It is mostly in a residential area, but there are a lot of cafes, restaurants, bars and boutique stores nearby.

The campus is really quite small in comparison with what I'm used to from the United States. We have 7 buildings, numbered 1-7. Most of them however, at least the one's I use, are renovated or in the process of being renovated. That's really nice, and all our rooms have projectors, white boards, and new furniture. The library is also very good, and much larger than I expected. I go there during my breaks and go online. Wireless is being installed I guess, but it is only accessible officially in buildings 1 and 2, but from building 4 I can get signal in parts of the building, like the library.

My computer has been very helpful when I go to class. All my classes are conducted in German, and they are for German speakers. Nothing like German as a foreign language. Therefore, my online dictionary is very very useful when listening. I usually take my notes in English since I can type faster and I'm also able to look up key words that I don't know. For the most part, however, I understand most everything the professor is saying.

My class schedule is actually awesome. I have no class on Monday or Tuesdays, and only 1 morning class on Fridays. Wednesdays are quite busy though. According to the program, I'm only required to take three classes, but I've in enrolled in 5. In the meantime, I'm hoping to get some sort of job in with the American Consulate here in Frankfurt. Hopefully they have some work that needs to be done.

In the afternoons and evenings, I've registered for weight training and tennis. Germans are extremely picky about rules here and so I will have the rights to come in for fitness training only for the time I have registered. It actually costs money to register too, 10€ for the fitness (until February) and for the indoor tennis 60€. For indoor tennis, I also have to have INDOOR tennis shoes with smooth soles. Therefore I had to buy a set on ebay, but it wasn't expensive 15€. The sports center is for all studying students in Frankfurt, not just my university or another university. It's probably one of the best ways to meet people in Frankfurt too. I'm looking forward to the start of tennis which is in two weeks.

The University Sport center is not located near campus though. I have to take two busses to get there, but it's only a 30 minute ride, however I waste a lot of time waiting and traveling with the bus. Sometimes, at night when it's chilly, it really helps having a car. The equipment is mostly the same, although there are some apparatuses that are different. My trainer coach is very nice and is willing to help you through anything. However, the other people who have signed up for the weight training are scary. This one girl reminds me of the girl who smells her armpits on SNL. She also has extremely long fingernails, and not the fake kind. Most of the other people using the gym are normal, and you can hear people from different origins. I mostly here the Russian though, as I pick it out easily.

Here are some pictures of my university and the backdrop of the city.

Getting around in Frankfurt

(Oberursel-Bommersheim - my U-bahn stop. Notice the rainbow this morning)

Frankfurt is probably one of the smallest global cities. The city's population is only 600,000 people and the surrounding area has about 1.9 million people. Despite it's relative small size, it's very easy to get around. Today I was thinking how awesome it would be for the US to these type of public transportation networks.

Frankfurt has Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt (FRA) which handles about 55 million passengers per year.

Frankfurt also has Germany's largest railstation in Germany with the most platforms. It's positioned like a hub due to it's central location in Germany. From here, you can get anywhere in Germany in about 4 hours.

Then the city of Frankfurt has a subway (U-bahn), suburban train network (S-bahn), trams, buses, and regional Deutsche Bahn trains. All this is seamlessly integrated and all you need is one ticket. Since I'm studying this semester at University, I can travel on any transportation in all of southern Hessen for free using my Student-ID, however to get the student ID, it's 227,- €.

(The U-bahn trains. They're above ground in the outskirts but underground in the center)

From Oberursel it takes me about 25 minutes to get into downtown Frankfurt. I usually take the U-bahn as it goes straight downtown and the station is closer. But Oberursel also has a train station, which has regional trains and the S-bahn which takes me directly to the Frankfurt Main Railway Station, also 25 minutes away. From there I can go anywhere in Germany, as well as connect to ever other single mode of transport to get anywhere in the Frankfurt area.

(The farmland between Oberursel and Frankfurt)

Also, when traveling on public transportation in Germany, there are no turn-aisles. Instead, everything is done on the honor system. However, people may come on the trains (in normal clothing) and then once the train doors are closed, check your ticket. If you don't have one, you pay a fine of 40,- €.

(Frankfurt from the train near Oberursel. See the silhouettes of the skyline?)

Eating with my Host Family, the Hubers

Despite being warned that my family is always on-the-run and hardly ever at home, I'm pleased to say that I still get the chance to eat dinner with them and breakfast on the weekends. My host mom M-, like I said is really into organic foods and has a garden in the back yard where she grows vegetables. There she grows peas, zucchini, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, char, and some other things too. I think that that's really cool that the food we eat at dinner is grown by them. It's sort of like what the city of Detroit is trying to implement in all the vacant zones to feed the city.

So, last Friday, in commemoration of N-, my host sister, and my arrival, we had a special dinner where M- made risotto in a tall frying pan. To make it she dumped the risotto into the pan, and let it simmer with some vegetable stock, white wine, and water. After continuously stirring it for 15 minutes, she then added the char, onions, and more liquid. The liquid is the key to making the risotto grow in size and not having it be burnt. It took about 30 minutes of continuous stirring to make the risotto. In the last 5 minutes we grated about 2oz. of parmesan cheese into the pan so as the risotto would stick together.

In addition, M- had prepared two types of fish, Sea Bass and Salmon. N- prefers salmon. She backed the fish (exposed) with some dill, tomates, onions, leeks, and lemon in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Also, we had salad. It was a simple spinach salad with some hard boiled egg whites. My family eats very little meat and so I assume the eggwhites are for protein. They're not vegetarians though, but I think that they are careful not to eat farm-raised animals.

Then on Sunday we also had a family dinner. It was more simple, but still very good. We had band noodles (thick like 1cm) with fresh "herb mushrooms" (Krauterpilzen). We also had a salad to go with it.

Also on Saturday, my host Grandmother (M-'s mother) came to visit and she had specially prepared me a Zwetschkenkuchen (plum pastry cake). It was very good. She had also made Käsekuchen (or cheesecake à la German).

Next Saturday it's my host Grandmother's birthday, and we will be going out to dinner with the whole family and some close friends. It's very nice to know that I'm included in everything that they do. M- asked me to do something very specials for her grandmother which involves playing a 4-stringed instrument. So this week I've been practicing. (More on this in another post). Then on Sunday, we will celebrate her birthday at home as well, and we each are in charge of making something for dinner. I elected to make dessert. I want to make Jewish Coffee Cake, so if you Aunt Jane want to send me your recipe you should do so, otherwise I'll just have to find one online.

I now live in a city!

Welcome to Frankfurt! or should I say, Oberursel. Now that the first part of my program is complete, the language school portion, I now begin going to a German university. Actually, it's not really a university but something between a university and a technical school, although the degree which you get is equivalent to a university degree.

I moved to Frankfurt! Yes, Frankfurt, a city that everyone knows. A city of skyscrapers and foreigners. A city with public transit and a massive airport. I mean, really, what else could I really want. Well... I have friends here too, German ones. Oh, and one new American from CRANBROOK.

So, now that my mom is gone to Russia, I've settled into my new living situation. I live now in what is essentially a suburb of Frankfurt, except that I'm on the first layer of suburbs. I think there is only one as well. Luckily, Oberursel is connected to Frankfurt by rapid train and an above-ground subway. Oberursel is on the fringe of the Taunus mountains and it is also home to the Frankfurt International School, which means there are lots of expats living there.

My new family is very nice, and although I was not sure what to make of them, I think that my next 10 months are going to be very enjoyable. I live in what seems to be a very old farm house that has been added onto every couple of generations. The home is quite large and is three stories high. I live on the 3rd floor and have an oddly shaped room, but it's really divided into two parts. I have two windows looking onto the neighborhood, and one skylight, which opens and from there I have a fantastic view of the Frankfurt skyline, especially at night.

Oberursel is only 15km from downtown Frankfurt, approximately 10 miles, so the journey into town everyday is very manageable. From my house it takes me 8 minutes to walk to the underground station, which is above ground. Also, surprisingly is that I live on the edge of Oberursel closest to Frankfurt, and despite the high population density, there are actually farms that separate the city's boundaries with Oberursel's.

My host mom is awesome. She reminds a bit of Peggy, in that she's very conscious about the food she eats, and she loves wine. We eat all organic and many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat are from her own garden. Otherwise, she buys the produce at the nearby farmer, and as a last resort at the grocery store. I think this is awesome. She also is a great cook. Friday we ate Sea Bass, Salmon and a home made Risotto with swiss chard [like spinach] (Mangold), onions and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Interestingly we made the risotto in a deep skillet. She commented that it is a form of meditation because you constantly have to stir the risotto. It was indeed very tasty.

I also got to meet my host grandmother (my host mom's mom) who also lives in Oberursel. She immediately commented to me that my German is almost perfect, and that she would have mistaken me for a German. (YES! - my German is really getting good). I met her doing some gardening in my host mom's (M's) garden. (My new backyard is huge and is very untypical for a German private home).

In my family, I have my host dad, D-, who is a psychologist. He work's a lot and is rarely home. He likes to play golf though, and also likes to watch Criminal Series at night on TV. Both my host parents are conscious with the food they eat. I also have a host sister, N-, who is 18 and in her last year of Gynasium (German equivalent of high-school). She just got back from a week in Croatia with her school class.

I travel 25 minutes with the train from Oberursel to Frankfurt. Then I either take a bus 5 minutes or walk another 25 minutes to my university. I study at the University of Applied Sciences Frankfurt, or (Fachhochschule Frankfurt) [read it like this... fach - hoch - schule - Frankfurt]. There I have an advisor who's helped me a lot.

At my uni, there are a lot of Erasmus students, a European exchange program for college level students. If you've seen L'Auberge Espagnole, then you know what I'm talking about. Mostly, the Erasmus students are French, and they speak very little German, (how typical), but they are very friendly. I have to stay that they all can speak English.

I've attended a lot of class these last couple of days, because when I registered for classes, I wasn't sure what to take. Registration works differently here and therefore, I had to choose classed inbetween faculties, because usually students here follow a set course which they all take together upon entry. Therefore I had to chose between the Business course plan for students in their 1st, 3rd, and 5th semester, and respectively students in their 1st, 3rd, 5th semesters in the following disciplines, Economics, Finance, Dual-Degree Business, Business Management, Aviation Management, Business Law, etc. There was a lot to chose from, and interestingly many of the classes I take are with the Erasmus kids.

I'm enrolled currently for, Investing, Entrepreneurship, Macro-Economics, German Business Language, Introductory Business, Aviation Planning, Marketing, International Management, and Aviation-Airport Development.

Most concrete details will come. I thought I'd keep you posted though. Pictures will also follow.

Ausflüge nach der Schweiz und Italien (Part III)

The following morning, we all woke up and ate our breakfast downstairs at the hotel. It consisted of the same items as in other Italian hotels. I was quite surprised to see this, as I thought the breakfast foods would be more similar to what is eaten in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. I had a croissant and some pineapple juice.

We first set off to take a walk through Livigno and actually find tourist information. In reality, we had come because we were interested in going to the National Park there, so we were hoping that there would be some information like there usually is at American National Parks. Unfortunately, Livigno only marketed itself with its winter wonderland and skiing opportunities. So we decided to turn back and walk back to the car. The weather was crisp and chilly yet very sunny and comfortable. It was nice to be in the mountains and feeling the brisk air.

Livigno is a tax-free area. It's separate from the rest of Italy, and this played to our advantage unknowingly. We decided to re-fuel in Livigno and were able to do so at an astonishingly cheap 87cents a litre. (3.8litres = 1 US Gallon). That's about half of what gas usually costs. We then drove through the mountains to the a point on the map that looked interesting to me.

Usually when there is water within a national park and a dead end road leading to it, that usually spells beauty to me. Something my dad most likely taught me through all our car journeys. I persuaded everyone that we she go to Lake Concano. Everyone agreed. Upon the way, we stopped at a small town called Valdidrento. There we ate lunch, albeit it was a very odd time for Italians and most things in the town were closed for 'siesta'. Clearly we were in Italy and not Austria or Switzerland. It's amazing how stark the cultures can differ by just a couple of miles.

After lunch, we piled all back into the car and drove according to Holly to Lake Concano. Unfortunately, Holly led us through some really back roads and we had to pass between two buildings that were so close together that we hardly fit through with our "giant for Italian standards" Opel. If you've ever watched Chevy Chase and National Lampoons European Vacation, you remember the scene where they are driving in their French car and trying to outrun some guy. They drive into a tight street and actually get stuck in between the two buildings. This was the same sort of situation. For us though, we stopped in the nick-of-time before we damaged the sides of our car. However, the Carabinieri (Italian Police) driving in a Land Rover Defender we driving between the same two buildings and looked on to us struggle to get our vehicle out, now that they were blocking our path forward. Finally we did get through, and it was one of those "you had to be there to get it" experiences. Anyways, the road was steep and windy and our front-wheel drive car with gear and five people wasn't making it up the road. At first we though the car was actually broken, but it turned out the incline was so extreme that the wheels didn't have traction. So we changed our route.

Finally we make it on to the serpentine road that takes us up to the plateau where Lake Concano is. The road is quite treacherous and it's hard to see vehicles coming down the opposite way. It took us about 30 minutes to actually drive up, going really slowly. There were about 16 hairpin turns. (See picture)

Lake Cancano however, turned out to be spectacular. The water was a strange hue of blue, most likely somehow affected by the dams, but the scenery was amazing. In the foreground was a glacier visible, and the rock formations from the mountains were also clearly visible. The lake reminded me of the fjords in Norway.

We decided to go hike around, and we actually went along the lake's edge from one end to the other. The whole hike took actually much longer than we had expected. The going was touch with areas without any footholds. The weather was getting cooler, and it was always imminently about to rain. The hike in all was about 3 hours, and 7 miles.

After hiking and getting some scrapes and bruises it was time for us to leave Italy and start making our way back home. It was probably a 5 hour journey, and we still needed to eat our Fondue. One of our goals of this trip. We drove down the serpentine road and made it to a junction which let us choose our way back into Switzerland. The road we choose took us through the Umbrail Pass, which is one of Europe's tallest. In fact, the road leading up it is featured in one of Top Gear's episodes. The road also was quite frightening, as much of it was in tunnels that were only 1 car wide, but meant for two way traffic. The sign at the beginning of the pass said that the border closes at 8pm, and knowing our luck we were determined this time to make it. We had one hour, and according to Holly's calculations, were supposed to have enough time.

The journey was tough and we made it to the border with just 15 minutes to spare. After crossing back into Switzerland, we were one of the last people on top of the pass since it had closed. We took some pictures and realized what the brown things were in the grass from the day before in the Fuela Pass. It happened to be cow excrement, and it was literally everywhere. We could hear the cows in the meadow though. It amazed me that these animals had enough to eat so far above the tree line. They were a distance off as their cowbells echoed in the valley below.

The road going down was perfect. We were alone on the road and had no-one to worry about. The pass was closed and we were the last car to descend. The scenery was amazing and we noted that some people lived here. There was even a house that was perched on the mountain side. It had no driveway, and we wondered how it's owner made it home. I was also surprised that the cows had no barn, or at least no one visible barn. The meadow in which they were grazing was enormous, and I wondered how the farmer gathered his cattle for milking. Swiss cows really do exist.

At the bottom of the pass in Mustair, we planned on eating our Fondue. We were directed to the neighboring town which is famous for some very old Monastery (get it, with the name?) There we had fondue. A real budget breaker. At 20 CHF a person, it was one of the most expensive meals. It actually was a disappointment. The innkeeper that was serving us said it was the traditional recipe, but it was strongly alcoholic that it was hardly edible. Apparently Fondue has 80cL (almost one full bottle of white wine) in it. The flavor of the alcohol was so pungent that we ate it just tolerably. However, Patrick being a disliker of cheese, was lucky. He also was our designated driver, as all of the rest of us had eaten the fondue and become quite "happy" from the side affects of our meal.

By the time we left Munstair, it was past 8pm. The drive was going to be a long one and a hard one. We had to pass through the same roads where we had driven the night previously. However, we made it back into Radolfzell at 2am, and were all in one piece.

Mom's Arrival and First Impressions in Germany

Stay tuned, Flüge nach der Schweiz und Italien Part III is coming. I will try to write more clearly for those of you who have trouble reading my posts. :)

Yesterday, my mom flew from Detroit-Amsterdam-Zurich to come visit me for a few days before she flies onwards to Moscow.

I went to Singen, the town next to Radolfzell to pick up our rental car (a VW Golf). This car is pretty weak and I'm not sure I can show my mom the full experience of driving on the autobahn. I picked up the car without any problems, and after about an hour driving, I made it to the Zurich Airport. However, I was yet again stopped on the border with Switzerland, but luckily got a perplexed border guard wondering why I have this Russian/American/German mixture. He later waved me through.

At the airport I parked the car. The Euros that I had exchanged into Swiss Francs were of no use for parking unfortunately. There, unlike in Germany, everything is done my credit/bank cards. There goes all the work in getting the 20 Swiss Francs for the parking.

I go into the airport only to find out that the flight is only landing. I decide to go spend the Swiss Francs. I buy some Gruyere Cheese (the cheapest thing in Switzerland) as everything there is so ridiculously expensive. I happened to walk by McDonalds, and the BigMac value meal costs 12 CHF! That means 12 USD. At the Magic Wok at the other end of the food court, the cheapest thing you could get was 19 CHF!

Anyways, I met up with my mom, load the luggage into the car, and we decide to go into downtown Zurich. It was my mom's first time in Switzerland and luckily the weather was really nice. We walked through the old town and did some window shopping. The most interesting thing we saw was Chagall's stain glassed window in the Evangelical Church. We spent about an hour in the city.

Afterwards, we drove back to Radolfzell. Surprisingly, the whole ride was about 50 minutes to the border, and another 15 minutes to Radolfzell. Almost the same amount of time that it would take us to get from our house in Bloomfield Hills, to Detroit's airport.

Upon arriving in Radolfzell, I took my mom directly to Lake Constance to see the water. We saw the balancing rocks, an art project done by some local where he balances different sized rocks vertically. It's really amazing to see. Then we drove home where my mom met Birgit, my guest mother. There we had some tea, I continued to pack my things and then we went out for dinner.

We went to the Alt-Baden, a typical German restaurant. It was totally empty when we got there, and 5 minutes later a whole group came and filled the restaurant to its capacity. I order Wiener Schnitzel and it was nice to see my mom meet at talk with Birgit.

This morning, we drove from Radolfzell to Tübingen, where Jutta's parents live. On the way, we stopped at Riechenau, and Unesco World Heritage Site with a church dating from the 10th century. The we drove to a town, Sigmaringen in the middle of the Schwäbischen Alb with one of the castles from the Hohenzollern Castle. Afterwards, we continued on to the Berg Hohenzollern, the castle that was rebuilt three times and is the seat where the Kings of Prussia were originally from. We walked up the quite steep climb to the top of the mountain. The views were stunning and the weather fortunate. Even Stuttgart, at 40 miles away was visible.

Then, I took my mom to Metzingen, a very large outlet mall town which is the home to Hugo Boss. She needed to pick up a couple of things for friends in Russia. Then we drove to Tübingen, and met Jutta's parents. We had dinner and then took a walk through the town. If anyone has the change to come to Germany, Tübingen should definitely be a place to stop as Tübingen is one of the most representative towns in all of Germany. It's worth seeing.

No pictures since I can't find my camera. I think it's packed somewhere, but I have absolutely no recollection where. I hope I didn't forget it in Radolfzell.