Appartementen Hotel Ons Epen

... 7-8 minute walk, so we just walked together. His name is Yuwu and hes from China, been living in Aachen for 3 years. He speaks Chinese, English, and German. He was pretty cool and we traded emails when we parted. Maybe I will hit him up sometime to go do something, who know? (Don't get jealous Matt, I'm allowed to have friends, aren't I? :)

So I finally made it back home. Left at 8 this morning and got back at 6pm. I guess thats not ...

... so it won't cost so much to get there. I am focusing on having enough money for food, electricity, rent, and a mattress, and Oktoberfest isn't really high up on the list of priorities right now. I will be so excited and relieved when I get everything settled and can really focus on integrating myself and learning German!!

Also I am concerned with the safety at the Oktoberfest.. with hundreds of thousands of people grouped in a ...

Hi all,

Had a pretty lazy Sunday. I know that tomorrow is going to be very busy so I just wanted to relax today. Had apple strudel ala mode for lunch, haha. Then we had a turkish dish for dinner. It was chicken wings and sliced potatoes on a pan lightly smothered in tomato sauce with lots of spices and garlic. It was pretty good! I just dont like the skin or fat on chicken, and I dont like ...

... They told us we were at the highest point in Belgium, which was somewhere in the Nature Park.

We decided to call it a day for the roadbook, and make a detour to just get into Luxembourg for fuel, and to make sure we 'did' all the countries.

Looking back that detour cost us some time, but did mean we visited Luxembourg, even if it was too dark to see it.

Once in Elsloo, we stopped to find postcards (having completely missed the observations again), only to find that the only card shop was closed that afternoon.

Up the road a bit, and Kieran was dropping a card into the door of a Landy enthusiast they had met on the recce. The guy turned up at that moment, and so we were invited in for a refreshing cold drink. The Landyprikkers overtook us at that point, and went on their way. We then ...

... and everything.

Then today I picked up my key for the new place. Not sure when I am going to move in, yet. The apartment is furnished with a bed and closet and everything, but it doesn't have a mattress. I don't want to move my stuff in there until I can sleep there, too. I will have to buy a mattress soon, about 50 Euros should do it.

Pics of the new apartment will be up soon.

Tonight Nil ...

... bread that I brought. The bus ride this morning was OK. I was too tired to get out my computer and write my blog, but hopefully I will get used to waking up early and be more functional in the mornings. The bus is also kind of crowded; there are kids getting on and off going to school. The students ride the public transportation here; they don’t have separate school buses.

So far I have seen a 5th grade and a ...

We 'trundled down past Maastricht towards Germany. The deviations were big ones but we still were able to make good time! The scenery was worth the deviations though. We past by some wonderful little towns and river gorges. Very nice bit of countryside. Will have to return there sometime, God willing!

... On the house. Some chocolate appears, as if from nowhere, to keep me going. Feeling thoroughly adopted into the fold of Chez Alito, I begin to hope, maybe someone will let me pitch my tent in their field. (We´re in the middle of the countryside, everyone has a field). Maybe they could see this in my eyes, maybe it was a current, an irresistable mental eddy around that horseshoe bar, but almost immediately the landlady turns to me and asks ´would staying in ...

... beers anyway. But, now, in rapid succession, Stephanie placed in front of me: a beer, a shot, two beers, another shot, my very own German stein of beer! and another beer, a shot, and two more beers. Before I puked my guts out, I managed through persistence to convince everyone at the Hohe Lucht that we should dance German folkmusic. It's a couples dance, rather clomp-y in nature. It's how horse couples would dance if they danced something other than break-dancing. Man ...