Yep, it's true! We gathered up our family, packed our bags, hopped on a plane, and now we're in Germany! Well, okay, it wasn't quite that simple but we HAVE officially arrived in Stuttgart. We took a leap over the pond and an even bigger leap off faith!
I must admit that, prior to now, I have not considered blogging ~ I didn't think I had anything to say that was worth reading by another person. I am rethinking this because (although it has only been one day) I am now without my beloved Droid. And this means I am without my rock solid, always reliable (and terribly attractive) comforting connection to my family and friends. We are working on the phone "Situation" but in the meantime, I have so many things to tell my family and friends and feel so far away and disconnected. I think blogging would be better than copying and pasting emails to all my peops! And I knew my Mom and friends would appreciate it more than me calling them collect!
So, thanks to all of my friends who have helped convince us to share our German Adventure via blog. And for all of our new friends who are following us over to Germany in the next few months, hopefully my experiences (good and bad) may be beneficial to you.
Our flight left Jacksonville, NC, airport at 2 PM Tuesday yesterday. We flew to our connection at Atlanta and took off at 6 PM for Stuttgart. We arrived at Germany at 9 AM. All of our flights were on time and we even got all of our luggage around 10 AM. We had a lot of luggage!!! 3 -50 pound duffle bags, 3 -50 pound suitcases, 3 carry-on bags and my purse, plus one of Mark's carry-ons got up 75 pounds which was his limit. We were fortunate enough to get all of the bags in Suzie's van. Suzie is our sponsor and she is amazing. We feel very fortunate!
When we first arrived yesterday, we got checked in at the Marriott and met the staff. We were taken to our rooms which are two adjoining rooms with a total of 4 beds about the size of a twin or slightly larger. We had bags and luggage everywhere. We decided to do go for a walk around the area and found a park and a BK with a person who knew some English and didn't completely destroy my Double Cheeseburger. Yum. It's the little things in life!
After exploring the area a little and getting some things knocked off our To Do list, we ate dinner at The Steakhouse at Marriott. Mark got a grilled steak and I got a signature German dish which was beef tip with a wine and onion brown gravy. They had pan friend potatoes. Also bread with oils ~ Meat and Potatoes ~ I think I am going to like this German way of eating!!!
My head feels very fuzzy, my eyes are bloodshot and I feel dehydrated. The time change is tough to get used to. We went for a swim and then went to bed. Getting to sleep was ok but everyone was restless with frequent wakenings. It's 2 AM on our clock but its really only 8 PM to my body. We stay in bed and try to tell our body that this IS the time we are supposed to be sleeping. Then I am lying there this morning at 10 AM not wanting to get up because my body thinks is 4 AM. It must take weeks to settle this problem!
I am hoping for a re-do tonight with a better outcome. Many things to do tomorrow. I will keep you posted! Goodnight all!
