LEGS & ARMS complete ANSBACH SOLO MISSION......**

Guten Abend (means good evening in German pronounced 'Gooten AH-Bent') BLOG!

Atmospheric conditions brought to you by TANK GIRL: Bitter freezing Cold.  I haven't seen the sun since the day we got here......I miss the sun.....in Alabama I used to wish for a dreary day....be careful what you wish for.

When we got back from Rothenberg on Saturday, we were pooped.  Walking around all day outside in the fresh air and cold can wear on you.  We spent a few hours lounging, but then realized we were hungry.  We took Karmella for a walk and decided to stop at one of the Doner shops in town.  

As I have said before Doner sandwiches are like Gyro's. There is a Doner shop around every street corner, they are open every day and late into the night, which means they are a reliable source of food for nomad's such as ourselves.  

These shops are owned and operated by the 'Turks.' Before LEGS and I came we did some research on crime in GERMANY, much of the crime in GERMANY is accredited to the Turks.  What I have seen is they are very hard working people, but if you cross them they don't take any sh*t.  Not surprising since most minorities I have been around tend to stick together and stand up for each other.

Every Sunday in NEVER NEVER LAND, many things shut down.  The grocery store is closed, along with all the shops, a few restaurants stay open because they make business since the grocery store is closed, but for the most part the GERMANS hang out inside and at the very most take a walk through the park.  

LEGS and I decided when in NEVER NEVER LAND be lazy on Sunday.  We got up for breakfast, but went back to bed after.  We went for a run through the park.  I find it aggravating how many times LEGS' feet hit the pavement to how many times my feet hit the pavement, most of the time I feel like a small child running behind him when he is just walking, when we run together I feel like I am chasing after a GOD DAMN Olympic track and field star. We showered, got into PJ's surfed the net, watched movies, skyped with family, and laid around some more.  

Finally we were hungry.  So we HAD to get up, get dressed, and search for food.  We stopped at a local pizzeria.  The ENTIRE menu was in GERMAN, usually they will have the menu in GERMAN and ENGLISH, this forced us to close our eyes and pick an entree'.  LEGS was more lucky than I.  I would say that although whatever my finger landed on was edible it wasn't my most favorite meal here so far.  

The Salad was really good, the Prosciutto was fresh and amazing!

LEGS had Spaghetti Carbonara 

I don't know what it is but this is what I had

Last night I could hear the GERMAN man staying in the room next to us snoring....it kept me up until I heard him roll over and quiet down.  Then I proceeded to have the most bizarre nightmares all night long.  

This morning we were on a mission.  

Since we have been nomadic we have gotten fat.  Also, I am expected to make an appearance in the boxing gym this week.  I have promised myself to run hard, do push-ups and some core workouts this week to be SLIGHTLY prepared.  We got up and went for a run, then LEGS timed me while I did a combination of shadow-boxing and push ups.  I thought I would be horrible, but to my surprise I felt strong and sharp.

Karmella was out of dog food and we needed more 'safe' water.  We walked down to the market and searched the store for dog food.  I haven't wanted to change her food because I am quite sure there is nothing worse then a dog with the runs when your staying in a hotel.....best I could do was be sure to buy food with rice instead of corn.  Karmella went from NUTRO dog food to Pedigree because that is all we could find.  And it was expensive, but.....

LEGS said:' I don't care how much it is she deserves it....'  

When we got home and fed the dog 

LEGS said:'Karmella hasn't had her dose of GERMAN food yet so this is it.'

Looking over the pictures from Rothenberg I have also come to the conclusion that I need eye cream.  Preferably the anti-aging kind with whatever the hell takes wrinkles out.  Try finding that kind in a GERMAN store when every thing is in German.  To my disappointment I will have to wait one more day, a day that I cannot afford, until we can get some on base, with the ingredients and options in English.

I am sure you can tell by my tone that we have been here for 12 days.  I am tired of not having a fridge, I am tired of eating out every single night.  I am tired of not sleeping in my bed.  I am tired of not being able to speak and understand German, every time we go out to do anything its a bunch of work, and I feel out of place and awkward all the time.  With the German Language I feel like I am doing better than most people, its just so hard to remember all the words and pronounce them right, and conduct a conversation without clamming up.

But I am not giving up, we went to the same restaurant we went to last night for dinner, and I ordered in GERMAN, and looked up what was in the food in the stupid GERMAN phrase book- embarrassing as it was I am quite smitten with myself.  Pizza from that Restaurant and it was good!

We took made our first adventure SOLO today.  The plan was to buy tickets and ride the train to Ansbach.  And we did it! (Ansbach is pronounced 'ONS-BOCK')

Lunch before the train at one of our NEW favorite places, Schnitzel sandwich:

We bought tickets, we got on the train, we switched trains, and arrived in Ansbach.  When we switched trains, I distracted LEGS because I wanted a kiss, so we hopped on and then started to worry maybe we had gotten on the wrong train.  But we didn't.  I cannot begin to tell you how scary it is to be on a train you aren't sure is taking you where you want to go, and all you can do is ride it out.......

Once we arrived in Ansbach we were again amazed by the architecture, the city streets, the European style and swag we saw walking down the street.  It was very cold out, so we had to hold hands and snuggle close while we walked to our destination.  I was thinking today that riding trains, and walking hand in hand places that are surrounded by such beauty is incredibly romantic....like out of a movie.....

 

We found the mall, and only had to pull out our GPS twice.  I took a few pictures but I felt like a total tourist so I had to abstain a little.  

 

The not so romantic part is using the city bathrooms, or searching the mall for the bathroom.....the GERMANS call bathrooms 'Water Closets.'  One of the bathrooms I used today was THE most disgusting bathroom I have ever been in.....and I just want everybody to remember that I traveled all over the South on very remote highways while I was boxing....so my resume' as far as bathrooms is concerned is not too shabby.

We mostly window shopped.  We went into the Grocery Market that is in the mall, looked around compared prices etc. We didn't purchase anything so when we got ready to leave it was a little tricky.  We didn't want to be rude and push through the people in line to make purchases, and get stopped knowing no GERMAN etc.  At one point LEGS tried to go through one of the rails that has a minus sign on it, and he rammed right into it- I laughed out loud it was so funny.  So we decided the only way to get free was to buy something......a chocolate bar at the check out lane.....there goes our diet......

I am proud of myself on our way out of the mall I ordered us coffee using all GERMAN.......yeah.....so I had to used a phrase book in order to request it to go...but give me credit reading from a GERMAN phrase book in a crowded cafe' takes balls!

And I would also like to thank our life line, Sir Bradford, we had to call him twice to double check information on the train....I am glad we did because the Train Inspector guy checked us both there and back....

Random Thoughts:

I feel like this whole blog was random thoughts....

I have been struggling personally with somebody in my life.....I don't know quite how to say what I think or what I mean....this is the best I can come up with:

Sometimes in life, our faith in people is blind, they make horrible terrible mistakes, they cut us, burn us, and crush our hope for the future, and because of all the songs, movies, and stories, we always believe that they will rise again, they will become the people we want them to be, good, genuine, caring, but sometimes in life that hope is perishable...and the reality is....very very sad.....**

ALERT! New Squack Pack Information: Squacky girls are the same in every country....Loud, annoying.....and STUPID.....

I did see a verbal altercation between a German Train Operator and three Turkish teenage boys today.......

We walked ALOT today....I can see why Europeans are skinny, their biggest meal of the day is lunch, they drink a lot of coffee and they walk ALOT!

Over & Out...

Just another day in the life of an unlikely military wife....**

LEGS & ARMS' adventure to Christmas City......**

Hey Blog!

Weather Report:  The snow that fell yesterday didn't stick until we got up closer to Rothenberg (pronounced ROW-TEN-BURG), but we did have freezing rain this morning.  Its deceivingly cold outside.

Everybody around here keeps talking about Fraconia (pronounced Frank-Cone-nia).  So to better understand what exactly they meant I did some research. Here is what they mean when they say 'Franconia'

Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Wurttemberg called Heilbronn-Franken. The Bavarian part is made up of the administrative regions of Lower Franconia Unterfranken, capital city Würzburg), Middle Franconia (Mittelfranken, capital city Ansbach), and Upper Franconia (Oberfranken, capital city Bayreuth).  

Why this is especially important to me.  My Mother was born in Wurzberg.  Ansbach is where the larger base with the larger Commissary and PX are located.  And as I mentioned before people keep talking about it.

Why 'Franconia?'

Franconia is named after the Franks, a Germanic who conquered most of Western Europe by the middle of the 8th century. Though one might assume that Franconia was the homeland of the Franks (indeed in German, Franken is used for both modern day Franconians and the historic Franks) this is not the case.

Modern Day Franconia:

Most of modern day Franconia became Bavarian in 1803 thanks to Bavaria's alliance with Napoleon. Culturally it is in many ways different from Bavaria proper ("Altbayern", Old Bavaria), however. The ancient name was resurrected in 1837 by Ludwig I of Bavaria. During the Nazi period, Bavaria was broken up into several different Gaue, including Franconia and Main Franconia

While Old Bavaria is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, Franconia is a mixed area. Lower Franconia and the western half of Upper Franconia is predominantly Catholic, while most of Middle and the eastern half of Upper Franconia are predominantly Protestant. The city of Furth in Middle Franconia historically (before the Nazi era) had a large Jewish population; Henry Kissinger was born there.

East Franconian region is very different from the Austro-Bavarian language. Most Franconians do not call themselves Bavarians, but their insistence on this point is generally a lighthearted matter in modern times. In fact, Franconians will most likely take umbrage at insults directed at Bavaria. 

Franconia has almost 300 mainly local, small breweries. The northwestern parts, the areas around river Main called Franconian wine region produce also a lot of wine. Food typical for the region includes Bratwurst (especially famous small Nuremberger Bratwurst), Schäuferla, Saurbraten, dumplings, fried carp, Obatzda, Head cheese. A traditional sort of biscuit are Lebkuchen or Küchla (sort of sweet fried dough).

Why people are talking about it:

 

Every time it is mentioned by a local they are really proud of it.  I suspect it is very much how I happily and pridefully claim I am from Alaska!  Also, the dialect of German that is spoken here is different then they way Germans in other regions speak German.  This has become obvious since my High School German teacher taught us a dialect that is closer to Munich, I have been corrected or people have looked at me like I am not from around here.  And last but not least, the diet, Heidi did tell me that Bratwurst and Saurkraut were a 'traditonal franconian dish.'

Okay......after 45 minutes of searching for a good map and a near divorce between LEGS and I, I have given up on putting a map!

Our first ride on the train!

This morning we got up early to take our very first travel trip in NEVER NEVER LAND to Rothenberg, also known as The Christmas City.  Those of you who know me, know that I love Christmas so much I was married just 5 days before Christmas. 

 

Rothenburg is a town in the district of Ansbach well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City. 

The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" means, in German, "Red fortress above the Tauber". This is so because the town is located on a plateau overlooking the Tauber river. As to the name "Rothenburg", some say it comes from the German words Rot (Red) and Burg (burg, medieval fortified town), referring to the red colour of the roofs of the houses which overlook the river. The name may also refer to the process of retting ("rotten" in German) flax for linen production.

In March 1945 in WWII, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 39 people and destroying 306 houses, six public buildings, nine watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet (610 m) of the wall. 

 

The U.S Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered US Army General Jacob L. Devers not use artillery in taking Rothenburg. The local military commander Major Thömmes ignored the order of Adolf Hitler for all towns to fight to the end and gave up the town, thereby saving it from total destruction by artillery.

 

What makes Rothenburg ob der Tauber Germany even more exciting is its reputation as town of eternal Christmas. All year round lots of shops offer beautiful handcrafted Christmas gifts and keepsakes. In December the town gets really crowded, because nobody wants to miss the famous Christmas Market, one of the most romantic ones in Germany.

We went to the World Famous Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber today. Inside there is countless handcrafted Christmas decorations and ornaments of wood and glass, twinkling lights and nutcrackers as well as many other souvenirs. But be careful, prices are accordingly high! I was only able to purchase one very simple ornament for Grams, Mema, The Mommy, Sister, Sissy, Rylee, and The Daddy and Lena, without breaking the Bank of LEGS.

We had a delicious German style lunch at one of the local restaurants.

 LEGS said 'This is a man meal, 3 Phallus like meats over beans.....

 The Mommy: Spaztel....very good gotta learn how to make it- need machine!!!

 Homemade Maultaschen- Stuffed noodles DELICIOUS!!!

After lunch we went and had Schneeballs (pronounced SHNEE-Balls or known as 'Snowballs') this is something special Rothenberg does.  They were also VERY yummy!

 

 Random Thoughts:

Even though I am eating a lot of junk my a** still isn't getting too fat!

Please if you have facebook, check out the other pictures that were not included in this blog, we took 120 pictures and it took me hours to load this small handful.

Over & Out...

Just another day in life of an unlikely military wife.....**