When in Germany...do as the Germans do...yes? Well one thing that the German's just can't seem to get enough of is Sparkling water. Sadly for me, I'm not much of a fan. When going into a restaurant or bar, asking for still water really isn't socially acceptable. Luckily today, I finally found the non carbonated goodness at a store called "Litle" which is like the equivalency of an "Aldi" or a "Go Grocery" in the US. The reason I was so adament about getting the gracious water was because my first 2 days in Berlin have worn me out. Would you like to hear about it; The story of the American girl blowing fuses, racing in Frankfurt airports, and losing a very important key?
Day 1 ---
Getting to the Charlotte airport was pretty smooth, aside from the TWO times I misplaced my wallet, luckily for me, someone turned it in each time. It would be unfair to not mention the $150 baggage fee I had to pay for the extra weight in my bag...word for the wise..don't over stuff your bag, just take two when traveling to Europe..you'll save about $100.
I got on the plane and was extremely wired about traveling that far. Eventually....well...9 hours later I landed in Frankfurt, Germany. Once in Frankfurt, I had to recheck my luggage....which was a huge hassle in itself. After getting the baggage situation settled and dumping a few bottles of soap and shampoo to reach the weight limit... it was 5 minutes until the plane boarded. I was told, "SPRINT RUN GO'' ...so I did.
I made it just in time too. The 45 minute flight flew by and finally, I was in the sexy city of Berlin!!
My project coordinator met me right at the door and I recognized the sign that read "City Travel Review" and he quickly helped me with my bags and we were able to get a month rail pass, and exchange my dollars for a few Euro.We got straight on a train a trailed our ways in the pouring rain to my new flat.
I ran into my roommate in our room and immediately asked her if she wanted to grab dinner...little did I know.. it was 11am in Germany and nobody in their right mind eats dinner at 11am; Jet lag much?I settled in and then we went out for lunch where I had my first German meal. I had a Doner Kebab, which is what the picture is of on the right. It's usually lamb served with vegetables and a side of bread. It is one of Germany's most famous dishes.
Later on that night we went out and I had a Choco Coloda at a little cocktail bar on my street. It wasn't the best cocktail I have ever had, it was really strong and tasted like straight Baileys. After that, we went to a little mini mart where I stocked up on the ever so famous, pasta!! (Traveling isn't cheap, sooo...bring on the pasta!!) I also bought 3 different types of bottled beer. I only paid 2.50 Euro for 3 beers and I was very excited about that as opposed to ordering dollar PBR at the Bone Shack. I didn't like the first 2 beers that I tried, so I was hoping I would like the 3rd, luckily, I loved it! The taste is very similar to Blue Moon and I am so pleased that I have found a beer that I can enjoy while in Germany. It's called Schofferhofer, but I plan on keeping my still water and open mind. The mini marts around here are made up of 80 percent beer, 10 percent cigarettes and the rest is basically sausage.
After gathering the necessities (pasta and beer) we headed back to our flat only to find that we had locked ourselves out and had to stay at our neighbors flat next door who are also doing the project. It was a very long night, to say the least. The next day was much better, after we were let back into our flat, I washed the airline and jetlag stigma off and decided to dry my hair. Long story short, I used the wrong converter and blew a fuse and had my own July 4th fireworks. Luckily, no major harm was done and I went to work for our first staff meeting. The walk to work is only about a 15 minute walk from the neighborhood I am living in. We had an orientation meeting and discussed a few things about the expectations. That night my Europen flat mates and neighbors talked me into celebrating the great American holiday,July 4th. So we all put on our red, white and blue and headed out for the night! It was a great night. Germany takes a lot of getting used to, especially since everything..and I do mean EVERYTHING is written in German. Hopefully these German classes will treat me well and I'll learn to use the RIGHT converter, keep up with a key and stay away from Frankfurt airports for a while. All is good here, and I will keep you updated. 