Cologne

Last week wasn't too exciting, but we still managed to have some fun. My babysitting job started and it kept me very busy. My schedule is supposed to start at 2:30 and I pick the 5 year old and 10 month old up at school/daycare. Then we spend about 4 hours at the house before I'm picked up and dropped off around 6:30. This is a very appealing schedule. I have all morning to get things done around the apartment, make it to the gym and to the market all before I start watching the kids. Unfortunately, last week Sam was off from school and I was watching her for 10 hours a day. It made for a very long week.... I'm starting to get used to babysitting though. It's pretty funny to think about because I haven't actually been paid for babysitting since Luke and Jenn (my cousins) were little - kind of funny that I'm now getting paid for it, 10 years or so later. :)

On Friday night, the other TLP, Brad, had a friend come into town. We decided to go out in Cologne. This is a much bigger city than Bonn and has a lot more to do. It's only about a 25 minute train ride. We had a great time out and were even able to sing karaoke (in English).

The picture above is of the Dom (huge Cathedral) in Cologne. Construction of this church began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete – a period of over six hundred years! It's such a beautiful Cathedral. Here's a picture of the interior. I didn't take very many pictures so it doesn't really do it justice, but it should give you an idea of what it's like inside.

This week should be far more eventful. Lacy arrives TOMORROW! I'm so excited to have her here for 2 weeks. Randy will also be here on November 7th! For Halloween, a group of 7 (Me, Brian, Lacy, Brad, Nick, Daniel, and Gabby) will be going to Amsterdam. I'm not sure what we're dressing up as, but I'm super excited. This is going to be such a fun couple of weeks.

Switzerland

On Friday, Brian and I drove 5 hours to Luzern, Switzerland. We arrived around 8pm and met up with Brian's college roommate, Jon Ong. We were able to enjoy some of the Swiss night life and beautiful mountains. Since Jon was leaving the Saturday morning, Brian and I were planning to drive to Zurich and do some sightseeing. We definitely didn't expect the city to be as amazing as it was, so when we woke up the next day, we opted to stay in Luzern and drive into the mountains.

We did some sightseeing in the city first before exploring the mountains. It was a little hazy, so we weren't able to see as much as we would have hoped, but it was still breathtaking. We decided to take a gondola lift up to the top so we could get a better view and do some hiking! We were able to explore the area and had an amazing time. I really think Switzerland is the most beautiful place I've ever been. I'm very excited to go back again in December with Marie and Nick for a 3 day ski trip!

Brian and I drove home on Saturday night. Brian was able to drive in the no speed limit zones for quite a while and was going 120mph! It was a little scary, but at least it wasn't me driving!

This week Brian may be traveling to some of the plants, but we don't have much else planned. I started babysitting for Brian's boss today. I'll be watching her kids for 4 hours a day except when we're traveling or have visitors! I had a lot of fun on my frist day and am excited to have a job a few hours a day. They have a cat so I'm pretty excited to have an animal around since I'm really missing Sammy and Tiki!

Our Building

Per my mother's request, here's a picture of our apartment building in Bonn. Our window is the lowest window to the left of the door.

My mom also wanted to see our street. This is a picture of the street our apartment is on looking towards the Rhine.

Things are going really great here. Last week was pretty quiet. I had a really bad cold and am just getting over it. (I guess that's what sleeping outside for 3 nights in a tent will do...) We don't have much planned for this week, but we're planning to go to Switzerland this weekend if we're able to get a car from Kautex. The plane and train tickets are too expensive to Switzerland so we're waiting on the response from Brian's manager.

One of Brian's college roommates, Jon Ong, will be in Howr, Switzerland for work on Friday night and we really want to visit him. If we're able to go, we'd spend Friday in Howr and Saturday in Zurich. I really hope it works out.

The weather here has been pretty nice over the last week. It's been in the low 60's and hasn't rained in a few days! I've been a little homesick after hearing about the 80 degree weather, fun tailgates, pumpkin carving, and hot cider in Michigan, but still am having a great time and looking forward to this weekend! Luckily Lacy will be here in 2 weeks! I can't wait! :)

Oktoberfest

What a weekend! 3 nights, 4 boys, 1 girl (me), 1 tent, 30 degree (Fahrenheit) weather, continuous rain, and german beer! That basically sums up our weekend at Oktoberfest. There were so many people celebrating at the festival. This was the last weekend of Oktoberfest and Friday was a German Holiday (Day of German Unity). This made the festival extra busy and the most beer consumption I've ever seen in a single location.

There are 14 different beer tents, each a different brew. All of the tents allow up to 6 or 7 thousand people into the tents! In order to get in, we had to arrive around 8am just to make it inside. Once inside, you're lucky if you can get a seat. We did luck out and get seats Saturday! Inside the tents, you'll find food, music, thousands of people, beer, beer, and more beer. I noticed people of all ages in the tent - old and young, but everyone had something in common....BEER! We were singing, dancing on benches, eating traditional food, drinking HUGE beers and really taking in the experience.

After a good 10 hours or so at the festival, we'd head back to the campground to a night of camping. This was the coldest experience I've ever had. Sleeping in 30 degree weather just isn't as fun as you'd think... ;) In the morning, our car was actually frozen shut and there was a 1/2 inch of ice on the windows. Although the nights were rough, I wouldn't have missed a chance to experience Oktoberfest. It was an experience of a lifetime and definitely exceeded my expectations.

We arrived back in Bonn yesterday around 3pm. Brian leaves today to visit a plant in Northern Germany, but I choose to stay home this time. I need a little time to relax and warm up!

Mallersdorf

We arrived in Mallersdorf last night around midnight. Brian will be traveling all week to 2 different plants and I decided to go with him. I was warned that this city was very remote, but I think I completely underestimated what "remote" means. The picture above actually captures the entire city.

Since it was dark when we got to our hotel last night, I wasn't sure what to expect within the city. We're staying at a small Bed and Breakfast in the town. After Brian, Brad, and Nick left for work this morning, I slowly woke up, got ready for the day, and went downstairs. I assumed I could get breakfast, but it turned out I missed it. I went out in search of Breakfast or coffee, but quickly realized it only took me about 3 minutes to walk through the entire town and not a single restaurant or store...haha!

Brian forgot to mention there would be 2 of us staying in a room, so we ended up with a single bed last night. Since the reception was closed (our room keys were sitting on a table), we decided we'd try and change in the morning. So this morning, Brian requested to move to a double room. After I went down to get our new keys, I found out she put us into the biggest room! It's really nice, with a couch, large bathroom, and queen bed! I love it - it's definitely country Germany at it's best. The owner realized I didn't make it to breakfast and made me breakfast and even invited me to eat lunch with her family! Talk about hospitality!

Well, tomorrow night we're off to the Czech Republic to another plant...it should be an interesting road trip!