last days in Germany
Aug. 5th, 2021 01:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
howsmyenglishSo, this is it. I'm back home. The last few days in Germany have been even more eventful than the ones before. First, I drove to the next city! The fact alone is really cool, as even though I have been driving for five years now, I am afraid of highways and long driving in areas I don't know. And, granted, I told my navigator to "avoid freeways", but I did do an hour long drive in a completely unknown area. It turned out to be the most scenic, pretty and enjoyable ride I've ever been on. Winding roads, almost no cars on the way, forests, little villages, cows, horses and geese (I think?) on the way. I drove with open windows and screamed things like: "Cows! Mooooooh!" It was a blast.
I then went shopping a bit. I used to do it a lot previously: since I moved from Germany to the country I live in now, I never got used to buying clothes here, so I always bought them when I was in Germany. And I haven't been in Germany for a long time, so I really wanted to at least go to two of my favorite shops. I got two linen dresses, a skirt lighter than the wind (all perfect for the heat we live in) and - unexpectedly for myself - a fluffy oversize cardigan, a turtleneck pullover and a woolen skirt. I was happy to wake up the next morning and find that I'll need both, the turtleneck and the cardigan to keep warm!
Having done with shopping (I'd gladly have continued, but I was out of time), I got myself a Bratwurst and munched on it on my way back to the car. The drive back was less enjoyable, because I was tired and because my navigator didn't know about a closed road, and then - of course - it couldn't find another way, and I ended up just turning in the direction of a village whose name I remembered seeing on the way up, and, luckily, the navigator woke up afterwards and I did reach home on time.
I was in such a hurry, because I needed to pack before brother and F would be home. Because when they're home, there's no time for packing anymore. And I was leaving early the next morning. So, I came back, had a beer (did you notice that beer is a great remedy for when you're really heavily tired?) and packed all I wanted to take back home. My suitcase seemed much heavier than it should. Back when I had just moved away and would go back and forth every couple of months, I used to be able to tell the weight of a suitcase between 14kg and 23kg. The limit for my suitcase on the flight was 23, and I was afraid that it was a bit heavier, but I thought - one or two kilograms are not such a big deal, I'll just take one or two heavy items out at the airport and that'll be fine. (later about this more) (reverse the first and the last word in the previous brackets)
Early next morning I went to Cologne to meet a friend who doesn't live there and to do a PCR test. We were students together, we hadn't seen each other for a long time, and it was really nice. Short, but nice. She then helped me to get on my next train, because my suitcase... well, its main handle broke the second I got on the very first train of the day, and Germany is notorious for train stations with no elevators or escalators.
My next stop was Frankfurt. I would fly back home from there the next day, but for now - a friend whom I know from back when we were in school came to see me all the way from Berlin! I mean, I was not the only reason and more of a pretext to also go to museums (she is just crazy about those), but it still was very cool. I booked us a hotel room in a very nice neighborhood, and we spent all of our time together talking. First, we talked on the bed while I tried to check in and fill in all the things I had to before my flight. Then, we talked while I ate my most German dinner for ages (Jaegerschnitzel with fried potatoes). After this, she immediately fell asleep and I talked to my book until I felt that the Schnitzel, too, will be quiet now.
The next morning was just a dream: we both had had a good night (despite the room looking out on a very busy street and being extremely loud), we dressed and packed, left our stuff at the reception and went out for breakfast. And guess what? The first place we got to was right on the way where a marathon was taking place on that same day and time! So we ended up having a two hours long breakfast, during which we talked, discussed the people running past, picked the ones we liked most, whistled a bit and just had a hell of a time. We then proceeded to talk while we walked around - in the old town and along the river. It was great.
I was a bit worried that my PCR test would not be ready on time, but it was - it came just the second I would have started worrying if it hadn't. And then I proceeded to the check-in counter. And thank heavens for that, because if I had been able to check-in the precious evening and only needed to drop my bag, I would have had to pay through the nose. As it was, the lady who needed to check my documents took a lot of time and probably was exhausted by the end. I was able to weigh my suitcase while she was gone for a second, to see that it was 30(!) kg and to start taking stuff out. I then put _not the whole_ suitcase on the scale and it only showed 20kg, and the lady - I think - decided to pretend she didn't see anything when is was moved forward and you could plainly see it was 26.5kg. I'm telling this long and boring story just to say: the reason that I couldn't tell that my suitcase was too heavy is that I'm much stronger now than I used to be. And that's cool! That's really cool. Especially, considering a doctor once told me that the human body can not build muscle after the age of 35. Yeah it can!
And now, after I reread everything, I feel I need to explain the heavy weight of the suitcase. Well. Here it is: bath salts. I love them. And Germany has a huge variety of really really good ones. And I hadn't been to Germany in a long time, and I didn't know when I'd be able to go back again. And my brother told me to order them online (and not to go to a shop as I would do in the past), and it's really hard to tell how much you're buying when you're buying online. So. I'm a freak. But I am going to take my first salty bath today. Yes, I am.
I then went shopping a bit. I used to do it a lot previously: since I moved from Germany to the country I live in now, I never got used to buying clothes here, so I always bought them when I was in Germany. And I haven't been in Germany for a long time, so I really wanted to at least go to two of my favorite shops. I got two linen dresses, a skirt lighter than the wind (all perfect for the heat we live in) and - unexpectedly for myself - a fluffy oversize cardigan, a turtleneck pullover and a woolen skirt. I was happy to wake up the next morning and find that I'll need both, the turtleneck and the cardigan to keep warm!
Having done with shopping (I'd gladly have continued, but I was out of time), I got myself a Bratwurst and munched on it on my way back to the car. The drive back was less enjoyable, because I was tired and because my navigator didn't know about a closed road, and then - of course - it couldn't find another way, and I ended up just turning in the direction of a village whose name I remembered seeing on the way up, and, luckily, the navigator woke up afterwards and I did reach home on time.
I was in such a hurry, because I needed to pack before brother and F would be home. Because when they're home, there's no time for packing anymore. And I was leaving early the next morning. So, I came back, had a beer (did you notice that beer is a great remedy for when you're really heavily tired?) and packed all I wanted to take back home. My suitcase seemed much heavier than it should. Back when I had just moved away and would go back and forth every couple of months, I used to be able to tell the weight of a suitcase between 14kg and 23kg. The limit for my suitcase on the flight was 23, and I was afraid that it was a bit heavier, but I thought - one or two kilograms are not such a big deal, I'll just take one or two heavy items out at the airport and that'll be fine. (later about this more) (reverse the first and the last word in the previous brackets)
Early next morning I went to Cologne to meet a friend who doesn't live there and to do a PCR test. We were students together, we hadn't seen each other for a long time, and it was really nice. Short, but nice. She then helped me to get on my next train, because my suitcase... well, its main handle broke the second I got on the very first train of the day, and Germany is notorious for train stations with no elevators or escalators.
My next stop was Frankfurt. I would fly back home from there the next day, but for now - a friend whom I know from back when we were in school came to see me all the way from Berlin! I mean, I was not the only reason and more of a pretext to also go to museums (she is just crazy about those), but it still was very cool. I booked us a hotel room in a very nice neighborhood, and we spent all of our time together talking. First, we talked on the bed while I tried to check in and fill in all the things I had to before my flight. Then, we talked while I ate my most German dinner for ages (Jaegerschnitzel with fried potatoes). After this, she immediately fell asleep and I talked to my book until I felt that the Schnitzel, too, will be quiet now.
The next morning was just a dream: we both had had a good night (despite the room looking out on a very busy street and being extremely loud), we dressed and packed, left our stuff at the reception and went out for breakfast. And guess what? The first place we got to was right on the way where a marathon was taking place on that same day and time! So we ended up having a two hours long breakfast, during which we talked, discussed the people running past, picked the ones we liked most, whistled a bit and just had a hell of a time. We then proceeded to talk while we walked around - in the old town and along the river. It was great.
I was a bit worried that my PCR test would not be ready on time, but it was - it came just the second I would have started worrying if it hadn't. And then I proceeded to the check-in counter. And thank heavens for that, because if I had been able to check-in the precious evening and only needed to drop my bag, I would have had to pay through the nose. As it was, the lady who needed to check my documents took a lot of time and probably was exhausted by the end. I was able to weigh my suitcase while she was gone for a second, to see that it was 30(!) kg and to start taking stuff out. I then put _not the whole_ suitcase on the scale and it only showed 20kg, and the lady - I think - decided to pretend she didn't see anything when is was moved forward and you could plainly see it was 26.5kg. I'm telling this long and boring story just to say: the reason that I couldn't tell that my suitcase was too heavy is that I'm much stronger now than I used to be. And that's cool! That's really cool. Especially, considering a doctor once told me that the human body can not build muscle after the age of 35. Yeah it can!
And now, after I reread everything, I feel I need to explain the heavy weight of the suitcase. Well. Here it is: bath salts. I love them. And Germany has a huge variety of really really good ones. And I hadn't been to Germany in a long time, and I didn't know when I'd be able to go back again. And my brother told me to order them online (and not to go to a shop as I would do in the past), and it's really hard to tell how much you're buying when you're buying online. So. I'm a freak. But I am going to take my first salty bath today. Yes, I am.
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Date: 2021-08-05 01:37 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2021-08-11 05:05 pm (UTC)I didn't remember any trains when we flew in, but it was six years ago and I've slept since then. ;-) Whenever I fly to Washington, DC I have to change planes at Dallas, TX. I always have to change terminal wings via train, both ways. Flying to DC I have a couple of hours layover and can get a meal, and I know where to go. Returning I'm usually pretty tight on time, plus time zones work against me and I'm in a bit of a rush to get to my plane. One time I was literally running for the gate and they were paging "Last call for TheWayne...." and I was the last to board!