Have I mentioned that the kids thing gum is the greatest thing ever. Is that normal? Andrea hates gum so they only get it when they are with their Dad, or me, and Andrea is not around. We'll go to get a treat and they'll choose gum over chocolate. Obviously this is something I just cannot understand. This is a picture of Emily chewing a gum ball. So strange. :)
Emily had swim lessons three times this week and one of the days Oscar and I went swimming while she was having her lesson. I drove their rental BMW which is an automatic - weird! They just don't have a lot of automatic cars here. Their car is in the shop getting fixed after a slight mishap with the back of the car and the driveway gate. Wasn't me! This "pool" was actually about six or more different pools connected in some way - outdoor section, wave pool, diving board section, serious swimmers section, kids section, older people section, etc. There is also two hot tubs, a sauna, and two amusement park size slides that we took full advantage of because we were there early in the morning during a week day which means no lines! Emily was happy to join us on the slides after her lesson and we kept going down them like crazy kids until Oscar rammed into the wall and his nose started bleeding. Oops! Maybe all three of us going at the same time wasn't such a good idea. . . lol. We had a lot of fun though.
Later that afternoon we went and wandered around the PalmenGarten and watched the silly fish that follow you around. The kids were leaning way over the rope to watch the fish and were making me a bit nervous. Thankfully no one fell in! Here they are loving on a lion statue there. Tender.
Heard that I won't get my visa for another four weeks or so which means I don't get my passport back for another four weeks or so which means no traveling outside of Germany basically. That's all right. Save my money! Or maybe I can still go places if I take the train. . . Yesterday I went and got my BahnCard or Train pass which will get me 50% off train prices! The card cost 225 Euros and will last for a year. And lucky me - the family pays for it! So I will save a bit on my trips with that. Trips coming up: SüdTirol - Northern Italy, Eichstätt - Southern Germany, Dresden - Eastern Germany, and Berlin.
Yesterday Phillips brother Moritz and his wife Udit (sp?) and 4yr old daughter Lilly came to stay here until Saturday morning. Moritz is a journalist for the big newspaper in Berlin and he's here working - checking out the giant Book Fair. As the website says : "The Frankfurt Book Fair is the most important marketplace for books, media, rights and licences worldwide. More than 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, 299,000 visitors and over 10,000 journalists. " So it's kind of a big deal. Sadly I won't be able to go because it is only open to the public on Saturday and Sunday and we leave tomorrow for Italy - which I'm not sad about of course! :)
The sun came out which means I'm out!
lovelovelove
xoxoxo
c
