Deutschland!

8/31/10- Tuesday

This morning we docked in Kiel, Germany at about 9:00. Everyone made a mad rush to their cars which were parked extremely close to each other. How we made it without any scratches we will never know! As all the cars were waiting to drive off the boat, all of a sudden the platform we were on started tilting forward. It was crazy! Good thing we had the parking brake on. We drove off the ship and down through the streets of Kiel. It was a little crazy but we figured everything out. The GPS is really helpful but for some reason we can never match the street it tells us to go on to any of the street signs. Haha! This sounds a little crazy but we do have a system now. Once it says the street name for a second time that is when you turn. It has seemed to work! Today was our long day of driving. We left Kiel and headed to Rothenburg which took us about 6 hours. Driving on the Autobahn was nuts! There were multiple times that cars were zooming past us in the left lane at about 100mph+. We went about 80mph for the majority of the time and it felt slow! It was crazy! Dad was a little worried but after awhile he caught on to the etiquette of the Autobahn. Basically it is to get out of the way when in the left lane.

Our only little “speed bump” (no pun intended ;) ) came when we stopped for food and gas. We got food at the gas station which was fine but Mom almost ended up stealing an apple. She said Dad and I rushed her so she forgot to put it on the counter. Funny thing is…she went into the building first! Anyway, she ended up putting it back. I do have to say (no one will believe this!) but Mom is really impressing me with her German skills. She remembers a lot and people actually understand what she is getting at. She is pretty fearless, unlike me so it works. After we got our food, we decided to go to the bathroom. Well, of course we had to pay to use the bathroom – which I completely forgot and guess who is in Germany without any Euros? Yup! None of us had one Euro. How dumb! Luckily there was an ATM but the next problem was that the smallest bill it dispensed was a 20 and the bathroom cost 70 cents. So Mom and I had to ask for change which ended up being ok once I could figure out how to say it! I found out that I need time to think about how to say something and then I can do it. Thank goodness the girl understood what I meant! Haha! It is kind of intimidating but I’m getting there. It took us about 20 minutes just to go to the bathroom! It was a little ridiculous.

Once we got to Rothenburg we were happy to get out of the car. The hotel we are staying at is so nice! It is two rooms with 4 beds and 2 bathrooms. We do not know why they gave us such a big room. One room has a queen bed and the other has three single beds which makes me sad Katie and Laurann aren’t here with us! Rothenburg is famous because it is a walled-in city with cute cobblestone roads and everything. Dad was so nervous driving in because once we got inside the wall it did not look like cars were supposed to be in there at all! There were so many people and no cars! Looking back it is hilarious but at the time Dad was freaking out. Once he saw a car doing the same he felt a lot better. He made sure I took a picture of it so people could see what he had to drive on. We walked around Rothenburg and along the wall which was beautiful. It is a really cute little city. It is exactly what people think of when they think of little German towns. We had some drinks and found a place for dinner which was very typical German food. I had Kasespatzle (jealous Katie?) which is pretty much the best macaroni and cheese you could ever eat. We of course had to end the night with Spaghetti Eis (ice cream shaped like spaghetti with strawberry sauce and white chocolate shavings) which is the best! It was a really nice day and I cannot believe we will be in Salzburg tomorrow night!

Quote of the Day: (When trying to decide where to go for dinner…) Dad- I want Wienerschnitzel and sausage and sauer kraut! It is going to be fart city! (Sorry Gramma for the language, but he said it not me!)