Monday, March 30, 2009

Flying Home

We left Roland's place around 5:30am. We loaded our luggage into Axel's rental car, gave my Dad a hug and told him we loved him and then we drove off...

I slept most of the way since I was up all night packing and making Roland a photo slide show DVD of all the pictures I took. I also watched Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest in German.

While we were checking in our baggage in the airport they were teaching people how to drive the little sweeper cars. It was funny and I got it on video. It looked more like a ride at Lagoon. They would drive down the terminal then turn around, drive back and switch off.

Anyway, after going through security and taking off our shoes, belts, hats and the other usual stuff we off and flying back to America.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Time to pack

My last day in Bielefeld.
Roland, my Dad and I had breakfast together. It was nice.


It actually turned out to be a nice day. So I went into the city for a bit with Martina and took some pictures.





Holger and Andrea took me over to see their house for a little and I pretty much spent the rest of the day with my Dad in the apartment packing my stuff. Everybody stopped by to say goodbye and in the evening Roland, my Dad and I went and got Gyros for dinner.






Saturday, March 28, 2009

The Roland Talk Show

It was 40 years ago today that my Dad left Germany to come to America. Roland got some chips, peanuts and drinks and invited Andrea & Holger, Martina & Christian and Evi & Carlo over to hear his story. It was fun and educational.

Now I'm here enjoying the creepin' rain, back then it was the creepin' sunshine. People were meant to enjoy four seasons. -Pops















Kirmis im Regen

Heute haben wir Jamie abgeholt und sind dann in die Stadt gefahren. Zum Kaufhof sind wir gegangen um CDs zu kaufen und gläser anzuschauen. Das hat Spaß gemacht. Danach sind wir zum Bücherladen gegangen um mein Tim und Struppi Buch abzuholen. Weil sie ihn nicht hatten haben wir ihn bestellt.

Emily and Parker want to learn German and so I thought I'd write a little in German.
It basically translates to: We picked up Jamie in the morning and then drove into the city. We went to Kaufhof (which is the name of a store) to buy some CDs and look at some drinking glasses. After that we walked over to the bookstore to pick up my Tim and Struppi book. They didn't have the one I wanted so we ordered it.




Then we drove over to the Kirmis that came to Bielefeld this weekend.
That was fun too even though it rained all day.



The sun did come out for 2 minutes but then hid quickly behind the gray clouds so it could rain some more.


I ate a bratwurst and a Nutella crepe with lots of Nutella, nothing like IHOP.






We made one more quick stop at Teddy Toys to get some Kinder Überraschungseier.
They have a ton of plastic toy animals by Schleich, the same ones you can get at Target.
Thomas, this photo is for you.

Then we dropped Jamie back off at Axel's Mom's house and went back home.

One more day and we're coming home.
I miss you guys! I'll see you soon. I love you so much!
Love, Daddy.


I lost Round 2

Round 2 was a tough competition and I placed 2nd.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Sparrenberg

It's 5:00 am and I'm watching a cooking show on RTL Living. 
First I learned how to make a pineapple egg salad with a light dressing and now they're showing me how to make pastries with oranges and green beans.
I wasn't up late because I wanted to learn these tasty dishes. 
I'm talking to Becky through Facebook.

After I woke up and got ready Roland and I drove into the city to have some Quark Brötchen at Café Dingwerth, get some Tim and Struppi books and exchange money at the bank.

This made me laugh because this truck driver stopped to ask these people for directions and held up traffic.
This is the church in the Alter Markt seen from the other side. I was here Monday with my Dad, Jamie and Axel. I had a Quark Brötchen that day too, they're my favorite.





This is where I found one of the Tim und Struppi books I was looking for. I bought Das Geheimnis der Einhorn and had to order part 2, Der Schatz Rackhams des Roten, that will be here tomorrow.
Then we walked across the street to the Commerzbank.

This is the same guy I saw on Monday.

These are the stairs that my friend André and I would hang out on. We would sometimes go walking through the city after school to get something to eat and then just sit on these stairs and eat and talk. 




This is the Sparrenburg.



This is the view from behind the castle. I love the "Psycho" house on the upper right. 


A Strassenbahn. We have Germany to thank for the Trax idea.


This is where I went to school. It's the Wichernschule.

This is the back of the Wichernschule and the school yard. They've added an elevator.

This was my class room, except that when I was here we sat on wooden chairs and had wooden tables and a chalk board.







This is Jibi! Jamie, Hagen and I think about this store and laugh. There's a big story about this store that we have never forgotten. It was the 80s and kids were always stealing. I remember it seemed to be the fun thing to do. I had a friend who would come over occasionally and then he would empty his jacket that was usually filled with candy and CDs. Jamie and Hagen got sucked into the criminal world and decided to give it a try at Jibi, the little grocery store down the street from where we lived. 
They stole some chocolate Kinder eggs. They were caught.
I was at home playing with Legos when the phone rang. I remember thinking how I was in the middle of creating something great and wasn't about to answer the phone. The ringing seemed to go on and on and I finally had enough. My Mom was in the living room watching TV and I don't think she even heard the phone. I answered the phone and then I received a huge surprise... it was Jibi's store detective and he began to tell me how he caught Jamie and Hagen stealing some chocolate. He thought I was their father. Now this was going to be bad if my Mom found out that they got caught stealing and I just couldn't let that happen, so I continued to play the role of their father. I remember thinking, 'Wow, this is going to be fun'. So the detective asked if I could come down and have a word with him. I told him I was just about to leave for work but would give them a royal spanking in the evening. He was glad he could talk to me and told me he would let the kids off with a warning but they could never enter the store again. Jamie and Hagen had a very, very long walk home. Imagine how you would feel if you were about to come home to a world of hurt. They arrived home terrified and after letting them sweat a little I finally told them that I was the one on the phone with Jibi's detective. 
Now, years later, everybody in our family knows this story, including Roland, who took this picture of me remembering that time that we all laugh about now. 
Jamie and Hagen never stole anything ever again.

Roland and I stopped at a grill to get a Gyros Pita. Roland told the cook I was visiting from America and the cook insisted I snap his picture for my Germany photo album.
The Gyros Pita was delicious!

After a great lunch we drove to the windmill I saw on Tuesday that we weren't able to see up close due to time constraints.
I took these pictures just for you Becky. :)