So, this was her idea....

Ok, I have to admit, I have always been a bit wary of "blogs." Reason the first: they have stupid names. Blog? Really? Come on. Reason the second: it seems a bit presumptuous to keep a record of what one does, on the internet. What is so interesting about your life that people would actually go online and find your blog, and then read it?

However. As you might have guessed, I have pushed aside my misgivings, for a couple of reasons. Reason the first: writing about my life in Germany once on here, and then giving people the link, is MUCH easier than writing twelve emails a day. Not that I don't love you all, but sometimes it's a bit wearing to say the same thing to eight different people eight different times. Reason the second: It's easy to post pictures. As most of you know, I'm a bit of a picture freak. Reason the third: Krystyn Ourada suggested it, and I take all her suggestions seriously. It really was her idea.

Anyway, I can excuse myself from feeling presumptuous by saying this: if you don't want to read this, then....don't! There we go. Now onto the good stuff.

I've been living in Germany now for about five weeks. Can you believe that?! I sure can't, it seems like just yesterday that I was living in the Farmhouse and waking my house mates up with the toy trumpet on Sunday mornings. Now I have a little (very little) apartment all to myself, up on the fifth floor of an apartment building in the Neustadt, which is a very happening part of the city, I have to say. Most nights there are local hooligans getting drunk on the sidewalk down below my living room windows, and occasionally breaking bottles. Surprisingly, this doesn't bother me at all, since they have so far proved to be harmless, and they sing some pretty funny German drinking songs. And I can go into my bedroom and close the door and voila, they're gone! I do live one tiny block from the train tracks, so I get to hear train whistles on a very regular schedule. Those do bother me a bit, I shake my fist out the window at the tracks quite frequently. I have a neighbor who likes to have extremely loud sex, but this has only happened twice. Twice that I've heard at least, he may have gotten the hint when I slammed my balcony door shut during frolic number two, in an attempt to block out the moaning. Perhaps he's as randy as ever, but just keeps the door firmly closed now. I don't ask questions, I just count my blessings.

My German has improved a minuscule amount since being back over here. I was a pretty mid level German speaker when I left Salzburg two years ago, but after not speaking it for so long I am VERY rusty. I still know the important word though....Bier. Yes, I have been thoroughly enjoying the German brews, there really is nothing like a huge weissbier at the end of a hot day. Sometimes I find it more enjoyable to just drink my dinner....don't worry, I don't do it all the time. That beer fills you up, what can I say. I also live in a region of Germany that is (apparently) famous for their wine. Well, I decided that I needed to see if this was the truth, or if it was just a vicious rumor. I'm happy to say that after extensive research, I can confirm that the wine from 'round these parts is indeed fame-worthy.

Well, I think that's about all I feel like saying right now. Today I went to a little town called Meissen, and paid the three euros to tour the castle...luckily, it was a self guided tour with information about each different room in German AND ENGLISH!!! I get sick of tour guides, and I'm the hugest nerd that ever lived, so I do a lot of lingering, which tour guides don't really approve of. It is now pretty high up there on my list of Really Sweet Castles. OH AND THIS IS AMAZING. Well to me it is. It turns out that the Wettin family, who ruled over Saxony for hundreds of years, are actually....the WINDSORS. After WWI they decided to up and change the family name. Quite interesting, no? George "Wettin" is the same George who was married to Queen Victoria!

Ahh, proof of what a nerd I truly am. I was positively gleeful after learning my new and interesting historical fact. On the right you will see pictures of this little town that I visited today. It was totally and completely charming, that's the only word that appropriately describes it. Oh, and it's where porcelain was invented. I saw a few 800 euro TEA SAUCERS in shop windows. Not really my style, but I suppose if you have 800 euros to throw away, might as well throw it away on a tea saucer.

Oh, and I start work on MONDAY. Oy.