Mertens Bonn

... from the eighties. One is very nice and the other (who looks a good deal like Ian McKellan) is very grumpy. When someone messes up, he will stop the game, shush everyone to silence, and whisper exactly what you did wrong in your ear, while you glow pink and mutter "okay, danke. okay." I had this happen to me a lot. But last week something happened. We lost a point and Grumpy leaned over and said, it's okay, that wasn't your fault. My heart just about ...

... er hier einmal erwaehnt. Ansonsten war es auch mal wieder nett ins Kino gehen zu können, russischsprachige Filme sehe ich mir ja in Kasachstan nicht unbedingt an.

Dann wieder zurück in Almaty beziehungsweise Astana. Was gibt's Neues? Der Benzinpreis liegt jetzt bei KZT 101 pro Liter 96 Oktan. Statt über Währungsabwertung gegen den USD wird mittlerweile über eine Währungsaufwertung ...

... So viel ist schon passiert, so wenig habe ich bisher erlebt. Neue Freunde, eine 2te Familie und ein ganz anderes Leben erwarten mich hier. New York, meine neue Liebe!

Jetzt, mit mehr Zeit und Muse widme ich mich dem langersehnten Lebenszeichen. :)

Viel Spaß beim lesen!

... but I assure you it is the most famous brewery in Germany, possibly in the world). There we had the good fortune to sit next to a Stammtisch, a special table reserved every Friday night by special Hofbrauhaus members. These men, largely older, are fully decked out in traditional lederhosen, jackets, and wonderful felt hats full of feathers, pins, and fur. They drink from special ceramic mugs, emblazoned with the Hofbrauhaus logo. On discussion ...

... to its tall spires which were a navigational tool for the allied forces against Nazi Germany. Although beautiful we could only stare at a building for so long so we decided to take a walk along the Rhine River where a huge flea market was being held. I love flea markets and could buy everything but where will I put it in the van. A common joke me and Chris make is whether or not we should get a pool table or microwave for the van…we can just strap it to the roof ...

... then went back to the hostel and read and made some dinner. We planned to do a nice walk into the forest from Freiburg the following morning but it was pouring rain so we packed it in and headed to Cologne.
We were thinking of doing a day trip from Cologne to take a boat ride down the Rhine. However, when we set out on the train from Freiburg to Cologne we found that the trainline runs right along the Rhine on the most interesting section according to ...

... and Amsterdam in Netherlands. Philip and Lawrence both took their cars over for the tour, with highlight of the Nürbergring racetrack. As they say, what happens on tour stays on tour, but we had a brilliant time. Here's a few pictures and video's from the Germany part of the trip, courtesy of Elias, who had the commonsense to bring a camera.

... 65th birthday party. We learned many things that night. The night spent at the Lothar Konig Winery will not soon be forgotten; we had a blast, and we discovered that we are not quite ready to hang with the Big Dogs, but the wine was delicious. "Who needs viagra, when you can drink a glass of Lothar Konig wine?" Much fun and laughter, and good bonding. Long live Lothar Konig! We're already looking forward to our next visit.

... madness and I am at the heart of it all. Thanks to Mum and Dad I have a whole load of gear ready to distinguish myself as an Aussie in the crowds. Getting around in Germany is going to be difficult but I am going to do my best. Needless to say, accommodation in Germany is scarce and a hostel can set you back 60 Euro a night so this is where contacts might come in handy. If there is a way for me to get to Munich on June 18th when Australia play Brazil then I will be there. Ciao.

... crisp, hard feeling that comes from air-drying everything. Outside, there is a patio area that we share with the building behind us. Oh, and there is ivy growing all along the side of the buildings. From my windows, I have views of the roofs of buildings in Geislar. During the week, I have a pretty regular schedule. I usually get up around 6 AM and leave for work at Hennecke around 7:20. The company let me borrow a car, so I drive that to work. The ...