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  Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany
Sunday, January 13, 2008

Greetings from Ansbach.

As luck would have it on the day of my departure, I arrived at the airport gate to have Lufthansa, my new favorite airline, offer me a first class upgrade. The down side was I didn't get a lot of sleep because I became so fascinated by the horizontally reclining seat which featured a personal massage and lumber support device, a computer hook up, a full catalog of movies, CD.s and games available on my personal screen, a reading light hooked into the upper right side of my seat, a spring loaded tray table with attached case for storing your glasses during sleep, the food and the refreshments. After previewing the 15 minute training video explaining the multiple functions of my 21st century seat, I had intended to recline and get settled for several hours of shut eye. Unfortunately by the time I transformed my seat into my own personal boudoir, there wasn't much flight time left. It didn't help that in navigating the "full recline" function, I managed to wedge my boots and purse into the bottom foot-rest section against the seat in front of me - there are a few credit cards that might never look the same. Don't ask. I'm not certain where I thought the entire seat was going to fit. By the time I left, the flight attendants were addressing me by name and I had vowed to never again use any other carrier. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the 4 course meal (and the breakfast) wasn't up to par with Alitalia and/or Singapore Airlines. Ditto for the German wine.


After a day and a half of making arrangements, orienting, and picking up train tickets, I was ready to depart for Katterbach. While I was waiting for the train a man from Boston who was standing next to me started up a conversation. He works for Dragon (hey, Jackie we had a lot to talk about) and was in Germany to sell some of their communication systems to the military. Unfortunately I was a little too involved and followed him right onto the train where the attendant looked at my ticket and then helped me store my bags. Imagine my chagrin when the conductor came by and said, "YOU are on the WRONG train." Sigh. At that moment my "on call" phone rang and it was the nurse from the base explaining that there had been an emergency and they were awaiting my arrival. Well, the bad news is that the train I was on took me as far south as Stuttgart. The good news is that I arrived at the Ansbach station 5 minutes earlier than my originally scheduled arrival time. Go figure.

The pace didn't slow and the only interruption to the work was a fantastic Indian meal - accompanied by German beer. The rest of the week was more of the same - accompanied by several other kinds of German beers. Lynn, you were so right.

A week end trip to Frankfurt started out with a bang when I stopped to buy fortifications - in the form of sugar - for the trip. Imagine my surprise when a Werher's Original got the better of me and dislodged a crown while I was still at the train station. As my travel buddy said, "Good thing it wasn't your front tooth." Sounds like my GB/TB. And yes it did curtail some of the week end activities. Will be finding a dentist tomorrow. Bill can you schedule me in on February 7th or 8th?

I did board the correct train this time and what followed was an exciting week end spent exploring my surroundings. It was sensory overload even though Frankfurt turned out to be a little cold and misty. We decided that the panoramic view from the rooftop of the local department store was lacking the charm of perhaps the view of Paris from the roof of the Galeries Lafayette. I suppose that a good guide book would have helped but we decided to wing it and see what came up. Stopping for food we worked our way around the plethora of fried items and accompanied the repast with what else? German beer. I engaged the help of a young man at the bar in making the selection. He helped me pick a German favorite and then explained why it took so long to pour and serve - to do it correctly you have to maintain a head of frothy white foam which entails two pourings with a wait of some length in between. He also convinced me that if I drank any German wine it should be white. We ended by agreeing that the best reds came from France, Italy AND California.

Coming home by train was quit pleasant (I think that constitutes boarding the correct trains and not losing any more teeth). The countryside is green and sprinkled with villages of red peaked roofs capping white houses OR fields of carefully manicured farmland. Everyone was out walking the trails and fields with their canine companions. Hawks decorated the trees beside the train tracks. I practiced my German pronunciation at every stop. How do those words come from those letters? I passed through several areas of rolling hills although where I am located in Bavaria (or Franconia as they say) it is quite flat. I have to add that the sun and blue sky brightened the scene. Most of the time it is very gray and overcast here. When you approach the town a welcoming sign states that Ansbach is the sister city to Bay City, Michigan. Does that provide a clear picture of my surroundings?

No bidet here in Germany. As most of you already know I am staying in base housing. I have a shared kitchen and my suite-mate is Lieutenant Young. We have yet to meet personally although I hear him rattling around in the kitchen. The walls are so thin that I can also tell you that he too drinks a lot of German Beer and has quite a bladder:) The view from my window looks like the forests of Traverse City.

Addendum:

Tonight I finally made it to the grocery store. There is no doubt that none of my genes are German in origin. I actually found myself becoming more and more depressed as I navigated the multi directionally wheeled cart down aisle after aisle of the most boring, unattractive, unappealing, substandard food I have ever had the opportunity to rest my eyes upon. Well, maybe Russia was in the running. Those of you that know me are aware of what I can do with the barest of staples. This was beyond my capabilities. I kept passing the most monochromatic customers as I wheeled the cart past endless displays of yoghurts, head cheeses, very suspect meats, and creamy mixtures of who knows what.

I briefly perused the Vodka aisle, almost grabbing a bottle and sampling it on the spot, but passed up several Russian varieties and headed for the beer section. I might add that I had to navigate through endless household and toy sections to get to the meats and beverages. I have no idea who organized this store or what their thinking was. As my mood darkened I almost didn't have the strength to push on to the check out section but as I rolled the out-of-control cart down the beer lane, I threw in one of each bottle I passed by. I figure I have to learn something while I'm here.

Tomorrow I see the good Docktor Otto at Banhoufer 10. He hopes he will be able to fix my tooth and is hoping I am in not too much pain.

PS One thing I have learned tonight is how much more sophisticated drinking wine is than consuming beer. When I couldn't find a bottle opener in my kitchen I went down to the front desk to borrow one. I popped the cap and as I ran back up the steps I put the bottle to my lips, threw my head back, and took a hefty swig - something I would never think of doing with a bottle of wine. Well, let's just say that I got foamed and have left a trail of beer foam all the way down the hall to my room

Gute Nacht

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