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Today John and I decided that we would finally start eating a little bit better. We can say we are finally sick of having bread, meat and cheese for breakfast and lunch. I like that breakfast a lot but sometimes I need a little change up. So we started our day off with some yogurt and granola for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch (lunches here are what we would have for dinner so its almost like having two dinners!) But luckily the jeans still fit good so that's a relief. Our morning was pretty relaxing after only getting up around 11, but we did go to bed after 1 am. We read up some more on our next route and then went to Wissen to go shopping. I really wanted to buy a dress to bring for the next month. John's grandma bought me a really nice dress and she bought John some nice cologne! On the way back to Morsbach we got dropped off at the bottom of a hill so that we could climb up. Only a 100 m elevation gain but it is good practice. We were going to go for a longer hike but it started to rain so we headed back. For dinner we went to a real Italian restaurant and had some pizza and beer. The owner even recognized John from when he was back here two years ago! We bought a six pack of beer for only €3.79 for the soccer game we were going to watch later on. On the way to John's cousins we stopped in to say hi to his great grandma. We showed her the pictures of our trip and chatted a bit. After, we watched the soccer game, well I didn't really watch to much since this is the only place we have wifi! Ps John's team lost 4-0.
Over the two full days in Bebra we did a lot of relaxing and planning our next month of our trip. We went for ice cream with John's cousin Jana and her boyfriend Thorben and had one of those big fancy style ones. There was a big family dinner on Saturday and on Sunday we went to John's aunt Alina for lunch. We went on a nice walk around town and headed back to his grandmas to spend the night. After a nice relaxing weekend visiting John's other relatives we took the train back to Morsbach. We arrived around 1:30pm, showered and got all cleaned up. John, his grandma and I were going to see the show AFRIKA! AFRIKA! in Cologne tonight! After eating a late lunch and then lounging around, I suddenly realized it was only 17 minutes away until we were supposed to catch the train, with a 12 minute drive to the station. We hurried out of the house and made it with three minutes to spare! The train ride took about an hour and we arrived in Cologne around 5:30pm. We walked across the Deutzer bridge by the Dom and went to the shopping street. I bought a €3 shirt. I didn't pack my clothes very well and didn't bring many T-shirts or a zip up sweater. I was so worried about my backpack being so heavy, I downsized on clothes not really thinking that I would need them! But fortunately we will be heading to hot places soon! Before the show we all had Döners (aka donairs) and a beer by the Rhein. The show started at 8pm so we walked back across the bridge, found the place and relaxed. John got us floor seats (this show was a birthday gift for me and also his grandma) but the very last row. The arena was pretty big but not packed so right before the show started the usher came by and told us to move up to the closer section since it was still empty. The seats were a lot better but the other ones would have been good too! The show was really good. It had African dancers from about 20 different nations, with drumming and dancing performances from their home nations. There were also many stunts including a guy climbing a high ladder, the basketball dunking (which seems to be in every type of cirque show!), some insanely flexible people and some very strong men! The show was 2.5 hours long with an intermission. It was an incredible show with live music and some amazing talent. I enjoyed it a lot!! Once the show was over we headed for the train station where we realized we missed our train by only three minutes but I'm almost happy we didn't look at the train plan before because we would have left the show early. The next train was an hour away so we decided to walk to the main Cologne station to kill time. So back over the bridge for the third time, it was a beautiful night and nice to see the Dom all lit up! At 11:20pm the train left and I'm pretty sure we were the only ones on it. They still came on and checked our tickets. It was a busy travelling day and we had lots to do. But it was nice to have a jam packed day again!
A four and a half hour train ride to get to Bebra with only three transfers. We arrived at 3pm and started walking to John's grandmas but he couldn't remember how to get there and after we made a big circle we headed to his aunts. We showed up at her house and she wasn't expecting us so it was a surprise and luckily she was home. And of course we were offered food, declined and still got fed! Whenever we say no to food, we also get fed and well I sure can't say no to food, apparently we look to skinny. We might as well enjoy all this delicious home cooked meals while we can as we will able to lose the pounds gained pretty quick after! It was a sunny hot day so we ate outside and spent the rest of the day outside. We were pretty much a surprise to everyone when they got home and saw us sitting there, luckily no one had lots of plans! Plans got mixed up and we were only expected to be here tomorrow. We went for a nice walk around the town, lots of paths around. Once we got back we had a couple beers and of course some more snacks! At around 1030 pm we headed to John's grandmas (John's cousin drove us since he really didn't know the way!) and slept there for the night
Another beautiful day to take advantage of and get outside. Our first original plan was to get some bikes from John's cousin in the morning and go on a bike ride. When we first got to the house no one was home so we just decided to go for a walk among the many trees and hills. About 30 mins into our hike John's cousin called him to let him know we could have the bikes. So we trekked back down and borrowed the bikes. We biked from Morsbach to Wissen, about 30 km round trip. There were lots of hills, some very steep. We put the bikes in low gear and slowly made our way up. A very good workout, which we needed if we're going to climb a mountain in two weeks! It took us about 1.5 hours to get to Wissen. Once in town we were making our way to the grocery store to pick up some drinks and that's when the sidewalk curb got the best of me. Trying to cross the street and not realizing that the curb was pretty high, I went head over heals, literally. Fortunately nothing bad happened to me, just skinned the palm of my hand, and a couple scrapes on my legs and elbow. Unfortunately the bike I was using, which was apparently only two weeks old, got a couple scratches too. A lady from the store next to where I fell saw my fall and let us go inside and use the bathroom to wash up. After John bandaged my hand up he knew the perfect way to make me feel better. We walked over to the store and he bought me a nice big beer and a kinder surprise, which definitely helped with the pain. We headed back after our beers but we took the highway road between towns back instead of the way we came in because it was quite a bit faster and a flat surface. We returned the bikes and went back to John's grandmas to make dinner. His grandma was out so we made ourselves some leftover gulasch, mini perogies (Russian style) and had some very tasty 2€ Wine! John's cousin was able to find some bikes for us to have for the rest of our stay. We picked up the bikes after dinner and lucky for me the bikes were pretty old so already scratched up. But hopefully I won't fall anymore!! We had a low key night, John talked with his other relatives in Germany and decided we would go visit this weekend. We packed up for a couple days in some smaller backpacks!
We haven't really done much over the last few days! John caught a cold and has been trying to beat it and I'm trying to avoid it! Today we ventured out of the small town. John needed to renew his passport, with only five blank pages left he wasn't going to make to many countries requiring visas. The closest Canadian consulate was in Dusseldorf. Since they were only open until noon we got an early start. We were at the train station by 8:30 to buy our tickets, 41€ for both of us all day, not to pricey I would say. We arrived at the city around 10:15 and quickly found the consulate. Luckily John had everything filled out and ready to go so it was a quick and easy stop and if we are lucky, the passport should be back by the end of next week so we don't have to spend more money on a temporary passport to go to Morocco. Of all the things we remembered to do before we left this wasn't one of them. Originally we thought we could just get the new passport in Tanzania, before we realized it takes 20 business days (as per their website) and it would make the visa invalid and complicate things further. So luckily I thought we might as well get it done in Germany where we know the places and have more communication access. Cologne was on our way there and back so we decided to spend the day there. Two years ago we toured around this city, checked out the Dom Cathedral, and all the hot spots so today was more relaxed. On the bridge we put a lock their to lock away our love and threw the key in the Rhein river. Today we were hoping to find that lock but apparently tons of people fell in love the past two years and flooded the bridge with locks. Our tiny lock didn't have a chance so we couldn't locate it. It was a sunny hot day today, the first day I didn't have to wear my jacket! We enjoyed some beers by the Rhein, I had a 0.5l beer and John only had 0.3l because he's trying to beat a cold! As we tend to do a lot we made our lunch on the go, bread, cheese, meat and my favourite for desert, kinder pinguis! After lunch we walked the shopping streets. I found a nice shirt in one of the stores but the sign and the tag didn't match and I didn't want to pay the 3€ difference. After working in retail whenever the sign says differently the customer gets the lower prices, I don't think that works quite like that here. So we moved on and I found a better shirt for cheaper! John found a great deal on hair clippers USB chargeable and we bought a new SIM card and now have a working phone number! (Email us for the #) At around 4 we headed back to Morsbach, which is an hour train ride from Cologne. For dinner, John's grandma made his favourite, cheese pucks. Pretty much like mozzarella sticks in the shape of a puck. And to even it out had a very nutritious salad. We will have a relaxed night and visit with relatives.
Let's get some deals!
In my opinion traveling by train is the best way to get around and see the most. But it's not always the cheapest. Buses (http://www.eurolines.de/index.php?id=2&L=1) and ride sharing (http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de) offer some great deals. Prices on budget airlines like Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com) often are lower than bus or train fares. So far we have found some great deals though. The euro specials offered by the DB (http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/europe/europa-spezial.shtml) are a good deal and start at 29 Euros. Tickets are valid for train rides between major cities in Germany and neighboring countries. We used this deal between Copenhagen and Hamburg. Other offers include Frankfurt to Paris or Berlin to Warsaw. They are IC trains which are quick and comfortable. While visiting Charlotte in Hamburg she showed us a great website for last minute deals (http://bahn.ltur.com). These are seat sales which can be booked 7 to 1 day/s prior to traveling. It is a flat rate of 26 euros per person and routes as well as times can vary. We used it between Hamburg and Siegburg/Bonn. Total cost of 52 euros (4.5 hours of traveling), only 8 euros more than the "Schönes Wochende ticket" (8.5 hours of travel). The stations have to be ICE stations (high speed trains). An even better deal would be to go from Hamburg to Munich, quite a far stretch for a cheap price. The site has other last minute deals, and offers to neighboring countries are also available for 36 euros. The offered country changes monthly. The popular "Schönes Wochende ticket" for weekend group travel within Germany is also a great deal even for two people (Max 5). Some restrictions apply (http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/germany/schoenes_wochenende_ticket.shtml). It costs 44 Euros and can be used for a full day starting at midnight on a weekend. The equivalent is available starting at 9 am and costs 44 euros valid for one weekday (http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/germany/quer-durchs-land-ticket.shtml). The main restriction is that only regional trains can be used (excluding high speed ICE or IC trains). So for longer distances last minute deals may be more attractive and quite a bit faster. This morning we (John, me and John's grandma) went to church for Easter. Not a traditional church that I am used too so it was different but I enjoyed it. Fortunately we both brought one nice piece of clothing to wear to church, with jeans and hiking boots. A lot of people to meet being such a small town, and more German. I was happy that I knew the Easter story because following along was easier in another language. We then spent the afternoon at John's great grandmas house where the whole family gathered. We had sausages, different salads and some very delicious deserts. Its nice to eat so well after having lots of pasta and rice in Iceland! I met a lot of his family two years ago when I was here so it wasn't as overwhelming to meet them all again. And they tried to speak English which was very convenient for me! John was a very good translator to make sure I knew what was being said, even though he translated the words that I knew since most of the time I understood the main topic with the little German I know. After everyone left John and I went for a walk around the town. Morsbach is a small town with lots of hills and trees! The trees here in Germany like to give me allergies, which started today! Hopefully the allergies don't get too bad but I made sure I stocked up on medications since last time I had hay fever allergies pretty bad! Today was a really good day and it finally felt warm being outside, didn't have to wear a jacket most of the day, which is a first on this trip. At night we just relaxed and settled in a bit.
Apparently we were very tired because we didn't wake up until 11 this morning! It was a well needed rest though, wouldn't have lasted another day with 4 hours of sleep! We all had another delicious German breakfast, packed up our bags and went to the Alster lake to get some ice cream before we headed to the train station, since it was a beautiful day (of course when John and I are on a train all afternoon). We hopped on the high speed ICE train at 3:30 pm and we were on our way. The train ride went smooth and we figured how to not sit in a reserved seat! We arrived at 4 pm with only one stop. John's friend Andy picked us up and we went to his house first where his mom made us a lot of food at 9:00 pm, pizzas, sandwiches, cake, I was full after that! A lot of German now since they didn't know English. Luckily I know enough words to make sense of what is going on. John's grandma picked us up and we went back to her place. It was a long day so we went to bed pretty quick after we got back.
I am such an early bird! Not even five hours of sleep, I was awake with no signs of going back to sleep at 730! Once the other two woke up at 9 we got ready to start our day, but not before we had a typical German breakfast. It consisted of hard boiled eggs, bread with meat and cheese, some fruit and coffee. Then we all headed for the city centre. From where we were we took a boat bus across the harbour, which took about ten minutes. From the port we walked around the streets and sat down for a coffee to warm up, of course another chilly day but not as bad! For lunch we had fish on a bun, apparently I needed to have one before I left Hamburg! It was quite tasty, deep fried fish with some yummy sauce! To drink we had a mezzo mix, a mix of coke and orange pop, a drink I had a lot the last time we were here! The rain started to pour while we ate so instead of walking around more we headed back home. Not much sleep and greasy food caught up to John and I so we laid down and had a half hour nap and some chamomile tea. Charlotte also bought us this type of cinnamon bun which is from this area. After a relaxing afternoon we headed for another night out on the town. Because of it being Good Friday no clubs opened until midnight but we started the night off at a bar. We met with two of her friends at this one pub and had a few beers each before we headed to the main streets with all the clubs, Reeperbahn. It was definitely a whole other world on these streets. In Germany smoking is still allowed in bars so that wasn't something I was used too, We all reeked of smoke the whole night, and the smell followed us back with it on our clothes. We probably went in and out of five different clubs. We only stopped to have a drink at one, because the ladies got a free cocktail! We went up to this very expensive pub that had a beautiful night view of the city. Even though we weren't exactly dressed up fancy enough for this place we took a quick peek in and headed back out. It was around 2:00 am at this point so we started our trek home. John had a bought a beer from a cornerstore and still had it when we went on the platform and waited for the train. Apparently in Hamburg you are not allowed to have alcohol at all once on the station platform. So three security guards swarmed us and started talking German and luckily John played dumb tourist. We got away with a warning by just throwing the last bit out, I guess they are starting to get stricter here about drinking in public! We got back to the apartment at around 3ish, had a quick snack of leftover spaghetti and headed to bed! Another late one but it was worth it! I must say it was nice to finally wear jeans and not hiking pants and of course wear make up! On the move again!! We caught the train to Hamburg at 10:28 this morning There was a German school trip on the same train and kicked us out of the first seats we sat down because apparently you can get reserved seats that we didn't know about! So we hauled our stuff to the next compartment and sat down, but not for long. Some guy with a reserved seat came in and that meant we had to sit on the steps by the doors for the last three hours. At least we didn't have to stand for that whole time! And the holiday didn't help the situation either but we made it through! In Germany we switched to the Regional train where we got a seat and could stay put! We made our lunches and relaxed for the two hour journey to Hamburg. John's friend Charlotte met us at the train station and we headed back to her place. We had a quick stop, dropped off our bags, had a snack and then took a walk by the harbour where all the cargo ships get loaded up. We (finally) had a German beer, and at a reasonable price! We came back and had spaghetti for dinner, that her mother made and it was very good! It's different for me to hear a lot of German, at least I know a little bit more know so I can actually make sense of what is going on and John doesn't have to constantly translate. I'm surprised on how many words I can recognize, even if I only understand a couple words, I usually can get a grasp of what the conversation is about. I'm sure after a few weeks here I will catch on and hopefully understand more! After dinner we bought our tickets to get to Cologne on Saturday. Charlotte found a site that John and I could both take the ICE (the bullet trains) for a total of 52€, regularly 180€, and we get there in four hours instead of 8. That was a very nice find for us. Now at about 10:15 pm we headed out for a drink. Because tomorrow is the holiday the first two bars we checked out were packed! Luckily on our third try we found a bench we could claim. The beer I had was good but I almost forgot how strong you can taste the hops/barley with German beer. It definitely wasn't a beer I could drink fast but it's always fun trying new beer here. We left the bar around 1:00 am and took the bus back. I haven't been out and about that late at night in a long time so I was a little creeped out on the streets but I was very surprised at the amount of people still out! I also haven't stayed up until 2 am for a long time either! Had a coffee with dinner and that gave me the boost to keep going!
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November 2022
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