How You Doing?

Dear 2B,

When you boarded the aircraft, there was a look. Witty banter ensued, cute I-was-on-a-business trip-in-Europe conversation... and oh how I was so not impressed the way you thought I was, you silly BusinessFirst passenger you. A Jersey boy, excited to hear I was from there too. It was nice.

We took off, I did some work. I wondered up to your cabin in between service, and you did it. You had not only taken off your shoes, which is understandable, but had also removed your socks. Deal breaker. You are no longer in the running for coveted "IFB" (in flight boyfriend), nor will you ever be. I won't slip you my number on a cocktail napkin, nor would I remotely even consider keeping yours. You have crossed the line and taken off your socks.

Its over.

Oh to what never will be!

Always,

Alyssa

PS - Eddie also said he saw you picking your nose. You're lucky I missed that one; I might have directed you to your amenity kit for a tissue.

New Jersey? What Exit???

My usual response is exit 3, off the turnpike. A while back, I discovered a local brewery, at exit 4, named a beer after their exit! I vowed to myself that I would get my hands on it at some point. So yesterday, when I was running about Philadelphia with a few friends of mine, we stopped at Eulogy on Chestnut in Old City and I found it! I found Exit 4! And I drank it! And it was magically delicious! What I love about Belgian beer bars is their selection of Europe's tastiest along with some local or hard to find domestic favorites. My buddy Adam from Oregon was excited to find a few brews from his neck of the North American woods. What can I say, we love beer.


Adam's Dead Guy and my Exit 4... *sigh*

New Bed Time: 9 pm

Jet lag is currently kicking my ass.

My first night home, I was asleep before 8:30 on a Saturday night. Sunday, I was up and running at 5 am and needed two cups of coffee to make it through the day. I was assigned airport alert Monday morning at 7:45, which meant up at 4:30 to leave by 5:15 for a Wawa run and in the employee lot by 7. It should be no surprise that I barely made it to 9 before it was lights out. Yesterday, I managed to sleep in til 7; I worked out and napped a bit. Still in bed asleep by 9. This morning, I was up at 5, snoozed til 6, and then post-nap til 9. Its currently 3:15 in the afternoon and I'm so ready for a nap, its unreal. How I long for the days when I could stay up til 1 and sleep solidly til 10 or 11. I'm going to a wedding on Saturday and I'm beginning to get a bit concerned that I'll have to leave before they even cut the cake for fear of falling asleep at the wheel! I'm going back to work on Sunday night... this ought to be interesting.

Oh, and I totally forgot I had a pot of chili on the stove and just managed to cook the crap out of it. I don't think I burnt it... we'll see how this endeavor goes tonight at dinner. I am not okay. Sleep deprivation/jet lag is not cute!

What DOES Augsburg Look Like???

Maureen, quick look! A non-food photo!

This is a shot of the famous buildings of Augsburg, Perlachturm (tower, with church) and Rathaus (City Hall). They are in Rathausplatz, and below the building on the left is where we had my birthday dinner in the Ratskeller (Keller is German for cellar - crafty).

J and I were not alone and did not take pictures of dinner there... it was really good though. She had schnitzel with a cranberry sauce and I had pork roast with red cabbage, beer, and strudel for dessert.

And for those of you who are my friends on the book of faces, you'll find some more snap shots there... once I get around to loading them. It was my original intention to do it today at airport alert but my computer wouldn't connect to the wifi in the crew room and I was less than pleased. First day back at work and reserve still sucks. Germanic thoughts dancing in my head did make me feel better, and lit the fire under my tush to study harder!

Food, One Last Time

My Dearest Maureen,

I promise that this will be my last post about the food and beer in Germany.

And yes, that's simply because I don't have anymore.

Love always,

Alyssa

Dinner our last in Augsburg: salad, pretzel, and beer

This is a snapshot of my new favorite beer - Mart and Mo, I know you'd love it too! And check out that head - poured by yours truly.

One word: lunch. I had regular ketchup, J had curry ketchup and she was right, it was good. Just before this we had brats, but they were consumed too quickly to take a picture!

Good Eats!

Now that Joanna is here with me in Germany, we have been on a non stop
eating tour of everything and everywhere. On the 12th, we had Thai for
lunch, then ice cream because it was a bit spicy for yours truly,
followed by two big dark beers called Alligator at the Bavarian
restaurant, dinner at the Ratskeller which is one of the nicer joints
in town (I had pork roast with red cabage and J had schnitzel),
strudel for dessert, followed by a night of more beers. There are no
pictures of these particular culinary delights.

The next day was a national holiday and we purchased a Bayern ticket
for the two of us and rode trains all day for 28€. Our first stop was
in Donauwörth at a Greek Brauhaus and here are the two pictures, soup
and main entree. Amazingly delicious. Then in Nürnberg we just had hot
chocolate and a raisin pretzel. There was no need for dinner. And once
I get home, I'll be sure to post real pics. Make sure not to drool on
your computer screen!

Via iPhone

That Tourist...

Someone once told me that there is a partcular group of tourists from
a particular Asian country that is known to photograph their food
prior to consumption. I tried so discreetly to snap this shot... But
based on prinicple alone, I must be one of them.

This is my Jaegerschnizel mit pomme fritz, post-eatum. And it was
delicious. I ordered the klein, smaller portion, and the waitress
appologized upon it's arrival as this was anything but little. I did
my best to finish, as I always do. I have yet to clear a plate since
I've been here. Next time, next time.

Beer For Breakfast!

The Get Up Kids, my favorite band, has a song about this very topic -
beer for breakfast! While it may be a cover, it's still one of my
favorites. And prior to yesterday, I'd never experienced such morning
nonsense. Now that I have, let me tell you, it's delicious. I had a
traditional Bavarian breakfast with white brats with sweet mustard,
pretzel with butter, and a mighty delicious Franziskaner. I wanted
coffee because it was a bit early, but the beer just matches the
flavors so well that it's just not an option. The traditional meal
isn't something that you have everyday, just a special occation kind
of thing. But beer with breakfast, especially this beer with these
brats, is quite alright in my book!

Via iPhone

You're embarrassing me...

Yes, well aparently I am embarrassing to myself.

This evening I was invited out to a house warming party. I was excited
to go and looking forward to the company and being with real German
people. So I get there and the first thing I noticed was a pile of
shoes in the hall equal to that of people there. Which means I'm going
to have to take off my shoes. I'm wearing socks, but like totally and
completely ridiculous socks, and now everyone shall see just how
obsurd they are. Awesome. Now without saying a word, I have just
become that girl. That American girl, that girl with the socks, that
girl who speaks piss pour German...

For those of you who have seen my sock collection or who know me well,
wouldn't expect anything less. And here is a snap shot of these
particular socks. In terms of my collection i feel as though they are
rather tame. Just not in a strange country, where I don't know anyone,
when I can barely get a few words out...

Irony is funny... When it happens to someone else...

This week, I finally made a new friend. We have had lunch twice this
week and I enjoy my new friend's company, as they are a native English
speaker too. Now that I got my cool German cell phone to work, we
exchanged numbers and I was invited out for a beer this evening. I got
all dressed in my fancy party top (because I know if I don't wear it
now I won't later), put my face on and eyes in (contacts! ooo fancy)
and was headed out the door. I put my key in the lock to open the door
and it wouldnt turn. I kept twisting and prying and pulling to no
avail. I even got Martina to help - nothing. We called Sister Reggie
and she said the door is broken and will call someone in the morning.
I could leave, but I wouldn't be able to get back out. Awesome. I
finally have something to do and someplace to go with someone and I am
LITERALLY locked inside of a convent. I know, I know. It's funny. But
I know you think it is far funnier than I do.

Via iPhone

Laundry... European Style

Being here in Germany, and Europe in general, is teaching me patients,
which clearly is not one of my shining personality traits. Prior to
arriving at the nunnery, I was aware that no one really has dryers in
Europe. And at the convent, that is most certainly a luxury they can
do without. Anticipating this to be the situation, I woke up early
Sunday morning and put a mini load of my underpants, socks, tee shirts
and pjs in the washer at 8:45. They were still spinning around at
10:40 when it was time to leave for mass! I got back from church
around 1 and hung everything to dry. It's now Tuesday morning and
things still don't feel exactly what I would call dry. And they're
stiff! I used fabric softener too! Oh how I long for that fresh dryer
sheet smell and feel of warm clean clothes straight from the dryer.

Americans are so spoiled. Enjoy your Maytags. I'll see mine in two
weeks!

Nobody Told Me You Were a Sucker for a Kiss

Those of you who know me, know that I am an absolute sucker for love
stories, how we met stories, our first kiss stories. Someday if you
ask me I'll tell you the best of my stories - my first kiss!, how I
stumbled upon my college boyfriend, meeting Mr. Chicago (that was
recent... might be in here somewhere), the bidding war that ensued at
a kids with cancer fundraiser... I got some good stories. But these
two are good and I'm almost sad neither is mine.

So on average, there 12 students in my German class; two are native
English speakers, one's an Aussie, the other from DC. The Aussie is
learning German because he married a German girl LAST WEEK and cannot
work here as the trained engineer he is without fluency. He met her
down under three years ago, and he showed her his homeland and they've
kept in touch, coming back to one another over time and distance, and
now they are married. As Long Duck Dong would say, "Married?" "Married!"

Now the kid from DC, let's call him Chris. Chris is cute, pushing 6'2,
blondish hair, blue eyes. Well traveled, spoken, educated and 23. He
graduated from the college, got some desk job which he quit to move to
Germany, learn the language and give things a go with his girlfriend
of five years. She was an exchange student at his high school his
senior year and they've been going back and forth ever since. I'm so
upset that Chris is a dude and tells 'dude bro' stories because I'm
sure the cutesy details would make you gush for a week! All of this
leads me to draw the conclusion that true gentelmen, romance, and
courting are all very much so alive and real.

I'm waiting.

Und ich sprecke Deutsch in the meantime ;)

Via iPhone

European Toilet Paper

Toilet paper in Europe is different, for lack of a better term. I have
heard it compared to elementary school paper towels, but I'm not sure
if it's quite that rough. It is, however, thicker and I feel more
absorbant than classic American Scotts, which you need a million
sheets to complete the job. Not here, a few rectangles will do you
good. European toilet paper it isn't squared.

And to answer your question, yes. These are the important things I
observe and think about while not studying, eating too many pastries
or drinking beers like whoa. Life is simpler here. Just like the
toilet paper.