Mon, May 12th 2008, 05:17
Kurort a resort or spa area
This weekend we went to visit Mike's family again. It is warm and beautiful in Germany right now. Everything is green and there are flowers blooming everywhere. We ate most of our meals outside, and at night I could hear the frogs at the pond across the street.
We drove quite a ways to Oybin,
which is a "Kurort" close to the Czech border. Oybin is most famous for the Oybin mountain, an exposed sandstone rock that towers above the town and on top sits the ruins of a medieval monastery.
The old church was pretty cool looking. There were several rooms you could go into. We hiked up the mountain, which was pretty steep, and then climbed these very narrow stairs to a tower of the church that had a great view.
Today I woke up with the idea in my head that I could go to the center and shop a little bit for souvenirs to take to my family and for some food. But then I remembered that it is a holiday (how many holidays do they have here, anyways?), so everything is closed.
I am terribly bored, and getting very anxious about my flight to Arizona this Saturday, so naturally, this week will be one of the longest I have had in a while. And it is really hot in our dachgeschoss bedroom (our room is in the roof, which means the ceilings are slanted and the windows are in the ceiling). There is not much of a breeze in here.
We found our new apartment in Gorbitz. It is on the first floor, so it will be easy to move into. Plus, it is slightly elevated and has a balcony that we can sit out on, and perhaps let Penny have supervised trips outside. The cool thing is that we are getting a brand new Einbaukuche (built in kitchen) that I get to pick! I also get to buy kitchen stuff and curtains, so that will be fun. We are hopefully moving in July. We just have to find some people to take our place in our current apartment.
I am going to have to start reading a book or cleaning soon so I don't go crazy with antici....pation. It will be so much fun to go shopping and eat my favorite foods and to see my family. Nathaniel is graduating high school!
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Mon, May 5th 2008, 06:23
(Going for a walk) Mike and I took a walk in the park the other day.
"Dresden - hier wurde die Schönheit erfunden. Nichts als Fluss und Wiesen - in zartesten Farben und märchenhaftem Licht."Johann Joachim Winckelmann, 1755
Dresden - here beauty was invented. Nothing but rivers and meadows - in tender colors and fairytale light.
It does look nice here in Spring, but I think Johann went a little overboard.
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Sat, May 3rd 2008, 23:49
Spring
Spring has finally arrived in Germany, and it is pretty great. It's sunny and all of the greenness looks so amazing with the backdrop of blue sky. I should have come to Germany in the Spring, and not at the beginning of winter. The sun is up until eight o'clock at night, and all the trees are blooming.
Yesterday I decided that I wanted to make some guacamole. I don't know what for, since I still can't eat chips. But I went to the store and tried to find the ingredients. I was a little stumped with the cilantro, but I looked it up in a dictionary and it said it was called Koriander in German. Well apparently, it's called coriander in English as well, but that is the wrong part of the plant. The fresh leaves are called cilantro, which is what I wanted, and the spice called coriander is made from the seeds and tastes differently. So I bought some coriander, which will probably make my guacamole taste strangely, but oh well! I am waiting for my avocados to get soft, I have no clue how to tell when they are ripe. But then I will enjoy some odd guacamole.
I started playing Lord of the Rings Online again yesterday, and it was fun. I haven't played for about a month. I really think I just don't like playing when the roommates are here. I will be so happy when we finally move out of this place.
But in two weeks I will be in Phoenix! I cannot wait. I will spend my days shopping, eating, and watching movies while Mike is at work. I really hope my mouth is healed by then. And then I will get to see a lot of my lovely family for Nathaniel's graduation.
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Mon, Apr 28th 2008, 23:48
So, the death breath, swelling, and most of the pain have gone away. And now, the only thing left to trouble me is my inability to eat anything.
I have an appointment tomorrow to get my stitches out, so I will find out if they are healing properly (they seem to be).
Like I mentioned, I have been eating chicken broth, instant mashed potatoes, and ice cream. I can only eat a little because my jaw gets tired, so I am constantly starving, because these things are not very filling. Then the combination of starving and not taking my antibiotics resulted in nausea the other day.
I've been having dreams about food, folks. It's all I can think about, I am so hungry! Yesterday I went to class, and all I could smell when walking past the Hauptbahnhof was the Burger King and Subway. When I got home I pleaded with Mike to take me to the grocery store, and I bought refried beans, taco seasoning, ground beef, and tortillas.
So now I am enjoying taco meat and refried beans, and it is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I have to chew it with my front teeth, and it still wears my jaw out to eat it. But it is goood. The tortillas are still a little too hard for me.
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Thu, Apr 24th 2008, 13:03
Gentlemen's Day
Wednesday is a triple holiday in Germany. First it is a religious holiday called Ascension Day, second it is Father's Day which they call Männertag, and third it is the anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot (beer purity laws).
Männertag has a tradition where men go on a hiking tour with wagons filled with wine or beer and traditional regional food. No women allowed! I'd like to get a picture of this, because it sounds quite silly.
The Reinheitsgebot are beer purity laws started in Germany 492 years ago (Der Spiegel article). These laws strictly regulated the price and ingredients of beer at the start of the 16th century. The law stated that:
"In all cities, markets, and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail."
This day is basically an excuse for more beer drinking, and it is especially big in Bavaria, even though breweries don't follow the laws anymore, since yeast is now used in beer.
It figures that the first beautiful, warm days of spring start when I am confined to my bedroom with puffy cheeks. The first day was really the worst, now I have to say I have relatively no pain, just a few minor inconveniences: having to sleep on my back, not being able to eat solid foods, having puffy cheeks, and having rotting death breath no matter how often I clean my mouth. I am only taking normal pain medication now because the stuff my doctor gave me made me very sick. But I really don't need it because my mouth hurts less than it did when I had teeth back there. Only issue is the swelling, which makes my jaw really stiff and I can't open it very wide or talk too much without it getting sore.
I've been spending my time watching movies, surfing the net, and playing computer games. I've been eating ice cream, chicken broth, and instant mashed potatoes. Today I left the house for a walk outside because it was nice and warm, and I will probably have no excuse to skip class on Monday.
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This weekend we went to visit Mike's family again. It is warm and beautiful in Germany right now. Everything is green and there are flowers blooming everywhere. We ate most of our meals outside, and at night I could hear the frogs at the pond across the street.
Today I woke up with the idea in my head that I could go to the center and shop a little bit for souvenirs to take to my family and for some food. But then I remembered that it is a holiday (how many holidays do they have here, anyways?), so everything is closed. 
