Tübingen
See, the good part about the German keyboard is that I am not sitting here trying to figure out how to get an umlaut over letters. The u with umlaut is just part of the keyboard. I am having a hard time trying to figure out how to get an apotrophe, so bear with no contractions and a lot of I ams and do nots, OK? It is the best I can do right now...
So, things are still going good. We have gotten cell phones...that was a big relief. I hate not feeling able to make phone calls or be connected to Hans when he's (oh, found the apostrophe) out and about, especially as we're trying to accomplish so much. The phones have already come in handy. Like when I was able to call Gen five or six times over the weekend. She never answered the phone. Not even, apparently, when I accidentally called her at 6 in the morning. Sorry about that, Badg. I think it was maybe a little closer to 7. I just wanted to hear her sweet little voice!
Hmmm, what else? We passed a very pleasant weekend. Saturday was spent running errands at the various bases. We went to the PX (the Army's form of a NEX) and did some shopping on Saturday. Had to get a mattress pad for poor Hans. The beds are über-hard, to him anyway. I am sleeping like the dead every night. We picked up a set of imitation Legos and some play dinosaurs for the kids to mess around with, just something to keep them busy. Had some lunch and then went over and got a library card and checked out the post library. A little skimpy in the children's section, but then we are a little spoiled after Newport's library!
The kids were both up all night puking on Saturday night. At regular, three-hour intervals. We still don't know what it was. It was great...I guess I lied when I said it was a very pleasant weekend. I guess I should downgrade it to pleasant. They were perfectly bouncy and happy when they got up on Sunday morning...but Hans and I...not so much.
So, the title of this post is Tübingen, and the reason for this is because on Sunday I went to the Chocolart Festival in Tübingen, a town south of Stuttgart. Jen, our wonderful sponsor, invited me along with two of her girlfriends. We had a great time. Jen is quite fluent in German, having a German mother and having been partially raised here. I tell you, we were amazingly blessed to score her as a sponsor.
Anyway, the area of Stuttgart that we are staying in is on the southern border and is pretty industrial. Not what the average bear would imagine when daydreaming about Germany. But Tübingen was amazing. When I saw the town square, I couldn't help but let out this little whoop of pure delight, because Tübingen was exactly, exactly what I was needing to see to prove that I am really, really in Germany. Big half-timbered buildings, old churches, little shops and restaurants surrounded by cobblestoned streets. I took lots of pictures, but of course, I can't download them onto a public computer. It will have to wait. The festival was great too, even though I am not a big chocolate person. There were booths up and down the town square and the little streets, lined with vendors of everything chocolate, every flavor you could imagine, and lots of free samples!
I didn't buy any chocolate, but I did buy a little potted Christmas tree from a stand. It is about 2 feet high and smells so great. I also got a couple of little ornaments made from red felt for 1 Euro each. Now, we have a Christmas tree at SI Suites!
More news on housing in the next post...we are going to look at a townhouse "on the town" tomorrow evening with a realtor and then looking at the Robinson housing on Thursday. I know you are all confused. Trust me, so are we!
So, things are still going good. We have gotten cell phones...that was a big relief. I hate not feeling able to make phone calls or be connected to Hans when he's (oh, found the apostrophe) out and about, especially as we're trying to accomplish so much. The phones have already come in handy. Like when I was able to call Gen five or six times over the weekend. She never answered the phone. Not even, apparently, when I accidentally called her at 6 in the morning. Sorry about that, Badg. I think it was maybe a little closer to 7. I just wanted to hear her sweet little voice!
Hmmm, what else? We passed a very pleasant weekend. Saturday was spent running errands at the various bases. We went to the PX (the Army's form of a NEX) and did some shopping on Saturday. Had to get a mattress pad for poor Hans. The beds are über-hard, to him anyway. I am sleeping like the dead every night. We picked up a set of imitation Legos and some play dinosaurs for the kids to mess around with, just something to keep them busy. Had some lunch and then went over and got a library card and checked out the post library. A little skimpy in the children's section, but then we are a little spoiled after Newport's library!
The kids were both up all night puking on Saturday night. At regular, three-hour intervals. We still don't know what it was. It was great...I guess I lied when I said it was a very pleasant weekend. I guess I should downgrade it to pleasant. They were perfectly bouncy and happy when they got up on Sunday morning...but Hans and I...not so much.
So, the title of this post is Tübingen, and the reason for this is because on Sunday I went to the Chocolart Festival in Tübingen, a town south of Stuttgart. Jen, our wonderful sponsor, invited me along with two of her girlfriends. We had a great time. Jen is quite fluent in German, having a German mother and having been partially raised here. I tell you, we were amazingly blessed to score her as a sponsor.
Anyway, the area of Stuttgart that we are staying in is on the southern border and is pretty industrial. Not what the average bear would imagine when daydreaming about Germany. But Tübingen was amazing. When I saw the town square, I couldn't help but let out this little whoop of pure delight, because Tübingen was exactly, exactly what I was needing to see to prove that I am really, really in Germany. Big half-timbered buildings, old churches, little shops and restaurants surrounded by cobblestoned streets. I took lots of pictures, but of course, I can't download them onto a public computer. It will have to wait. The festival was great too, even though I am not a big chocolate person. There were booths up and down the town square and the little streets, lined with vendors of everything chocolate, every flavor you could imagine, and lots of free samples!
I didn't buy any chocolate, but I did buy a little potted Christmas tree from a stand. It is about 2 feet high and smells so great. I also got a couple of little ornaments made from red felt for 1 Euro each. Now, we have a Christmas tree at SI Suites!
More news on housing in the next post...we are going to look at a townhouse "on the town" tomorrow evening with a realtor and then looking at the Robinson housing on Thursday. I know you are all confused. Trust me, so are we!
Comments
I hope the kids are lots better and done with the upset stomachs.
Once you get your own internet connection, I hope you post lots and lots of pictures. I'm so curious to see what you are seeing. Take care. I miss all of you!
Dad has a good point--maybe it's all the sausages and beer that you are feeding the kids that has led to their upset tum-tums.
Hearing you describe the chocolate festival really made me excited to come visit...someday!
Imitation Legos? Would these be Ersatzlegokinderfabriken? I understand they come in some...interesting kits (if you could pick up the Otto von Bismarck figure, I'll pay you back!).
Regarding the German language, there is indeed a split between the north and the south (hmmmm...), dating from when the Germans "came together" back in 1871; "high German" is actually the Prussian dialect, and people from places like Bavaria, Swabia, etc., always thought it sounded rather high-falutin'/snotty.