Getting nostalgic I pulled out my journal from traveling through Europe last summer. So this is straight out of it...poor grammar and all ;) I have to admit I can barely read my own writing!
Friday July 18, 2008
We had another great, free hotel bfast, no champagne today :) Checked out. My hypothesis was correct, the clothes hung all around the room are definitely still wet. In the suitcase they go, what are ya gonna do! We checked out and realized "Borkum" our next destination is on another island! We would.
Basically we'd have to go back through Hamburg to the other side. Right now we're in Utersum on the island of Fohr. Instead, we cancel our Borkum hostel and with the help of our very sweet German hotel owner, get a cab to the nearest hostel on OUR island. That hostel = full. The lady tells us about "Haus Atlantis" a house behind the hostel building that rents out rooms. We get our ish over there and some how communicate that we need a room for 2 nights. After some confusion and speculation she gives us a spot. Not only is this the 3rd place we checked and almost a failure as well, but its cheaper and absolutely adorable. We have our own room, living room with kitchen and bathroom! Seriously its our own little German island apt! God is so good. We need this: a place to cook, chill and somewhat transition back to real life. The best part was the owner leaning in through the window, "ALLO!" to tell us we could stay a 3rd night. Holla!
So that means less time in Hamburg but this place is legit! I'm reading a new book, then decided to wrap up in my comforter on the love seat to sleep a bit (catch up). Of course my mind won't shut off.
I'm thinking about how much I want to be around when my friends and sister start having babies. I can't wait to be an aunt and I'm finally super excited for people to get pregnant. It might even make us all closer. I'd have a ball watching their little babes and running errands with them to help 'em out. What a trip it'll be when my sister has kids. I really think Chase is it for her, and possibly soon! Crazy.
(I have to interrupt the journal entry here...check out a few blogs ago... sister and Chase are engaged now! Am I good or what?!)
Back to the journal...
I don't have my usual instinct- "Another person falling in love and me still alone!" instead I'm actually excited. Time for a PBJ...so hot right now! Val and I cried together on the 2 seats which together make a couch. Since that exhausted me I was finally able to sleep. Three hours later we went to the "store." Since we went about an hour in the the wrong direction (I assume since no store was in sight and these peeps get their food from somewhere) we decided to forego making dinner in our quaint kitchen and dine at a fine, local German restaurant. We actually ended up there by following a sign that read "Kaffee Pause." We always figure any place with "kaffee" (coffee for German amateurs like myself) must serve caffeine and at least some sort of baguette or other edible options. We found that everything was closed except the restaurant inside the gigantic windmill...sweet. We attempted to order water without "gas" and our server told us they only have water "partially w/out gas." So I ordered my usual guilty pleasure-Coca Cola Light. I later took note that the water is in the same bottle as the water "w/out gas" that I was served the other day! I knew I tasted some partial gas in that h2o.
Anyway, being "low maintenance about food" I confidently said to Val, "I'll just order this one, pointing to one of the all German items on the menu (none of which I can translate)...how bad could it be, I'm not picky! When our server came for our order I had a sudden fear that I might not be ordering what I assumed would be some sort of sausage or schnitzel-like option. So I investigated the situation. The non-English speaking waiter consulted his colleague and she translated, "escargots." The look on my face showed my surprise and the two servers and Val and I laughed for days. He said he'd come back (I only know this because actions truly speak louder than words in this situation). Serves me right for being a cheap skate, I only ordered it because it was the least expensive, non beverage item on the menu!
After a lovely dinner (I ended up with a "normal" salad and 2nd Coca Light) we attempted to get back home...okay there was deep and ground-breaking conversation as well-what can I say.
So back on the gravel road, surrounded by all red, brick houses and fields with horses we were inevitably lost. After countless statements like "Wait this doesn't seem right" and "I think I remember that wheat" we were sure we'd gotten off the beaten path. Being the observant female she is, Val confidently said "I don't know where we are, I definitely don't remember walking past sheep though, that's for damn sure." She was right. We were now coming up on a herd of sheep and that was definitely not right.
We finally made it back, even with 1/2 of the trek being in the dark. Oh German islands!
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