Stealing Cherries and Sweating to Death

     Cherry season is in full swing up here on the hill above Esslingen and it seems impossible to go for a walk without seeing a cherry tree lush with dark, juicy cherries, waiting to be eaten. I know that it's very illegal to go onto other peoples' property and take their produce, but the Witch From Next Door (an Into The Woods reference) hasn't caught me yet. We have a cherry tree in our backyard here too, but the cherries are smaller and only turn red instead of the ultra-delicious lip-staining dark wine red of the tree not but a three minute walk from the house. I mean, how am I supposed to help myself when I find myself hungry, out for a walk and there's this gorgeous, lush tree just waiting to be climbed and share its fruits with me. I don't think any person would be able to resist that without keeping their sanity.

     Cherries aside, school is back in swing after Pfingstferien (Pentecost Vacation). To recap, we went to Italien (Italia, Italy) for the two weeks and saw enough cities, landscape and mountains to last me a while. If you would like to know more about what happened in Italy, do what I always tell my family when they ask me and, read my blog. Anyways, Joern seems to have Arbeit (Half an American exam, I would say) after Arbeit after Arbeit and I feel totally helpless because it is very difficult for me to study for them and impossible to receive a grade that is even on a measurable scale. There's about four weeks of school before our 10-day trip to England and then Joern's six-week summer vacation kicks off and I am kicked out and hop on a plane back to the USA. And no, it doesn't seem like my time here went fast or slow because time is time and it will always go the same speed. But back to school. Despite my inadequacy in the German language at the moment, I can get by day to day in German and make normal conversation. I can definitely see myself one day being more proficient in German and I definitely would like to pursue it because when it comes to the real world, German is pretty much useless unless your German is better than the typical German's English, which I must say is pretty good. 

     We've been going through a little bit of a heat wave down here in southern Germany too. This whole past week has had highs of 32+ and it's been quite miserable. I guess the fact that air conditioning is foreign to German schools and houses has contributed to the heat being so oppressive as well. However, the nuclear-ready cement walls of our house and the space curtains that can make it feel like night in here, do a good job of keeping the heat out and the cool in during the hottest hours. Our school (Schelztor) is not built so well; however, and today we got Hitzefrei (heat free, directly translated) which means that we got the afternoon hot so we didn't roast to death inside of the school. Thinking about it now, I should have taken the temperature inside the school to see how much hotter it really was inside there than outside. Anyways, the heat might not have been so bad for us, as our main classroom is on the first floor, but anyone on floors two or three was getting burned out and I definitely understand why it isn't possible to conduct class when everyone is only focused on leaving the building.

     Today I also gave a presentation for the 8B English class about Sheboygan and the differences between the US and Germany. I made sure to include that the US is much more than just New York and L.A. and also that, indeed, not all Americans like President Trump, as these two are things that I feel are very often confused as being things that all Americans are on board with. I mean, I've never even been to New York and I've been in 40+ states. Other than that, the presentation was very well received and I enjoyed giving it.

     Also, in my presentation I listed how many fast-food restaurants Sheboygan has and I must say that it took me quite a while to list them off. Thinking about it now, I think that we might have a few too many Subway's in Sheboygan. I mean, Esslingen has 90,000 people, no McDonald's, one Starbucks, two Subway's (compared to Sheboygan's seven) and one Burger King and that's IT. It took me a while to count them up and I'm not going to share what I got, but I can definitely say that Sheboygan has way too many and I would encourage everyone to count up the number of fast-food restaurants in their area because chances are, it's probably way too many. Anyways, as I was listing them off, I can definitely say that 8B couldn't help but smile at the obscene amount of fast-food that my hometown has to offer.

Today is 22.6.2017 and I just listened to The Book of Mormon

Nat

Fresh Dirty Mountain Air

     The past two days have been loads of fresh air and hiking around in the mountains. I say fresh dirty mountain air because, while the air might be great for most of us, it's not so great for Lars because he can't breathe due to all of the pollen up here. I'm not sure if it's the grass or the pine trees, but these past two days have been getting progressively worse for Lars. But Lars isn't the only one with problems up here. I know bloody noses are for that weird kid in fourth grade that got them all the time, but today I got one for the first time in a while. I think that it was the high elevation plus the sudden low pressure drop because of the storm that passed over us, but I have yet to ask Google why it happened. Despite our problems with the air, the freshness of it makes up for the problems it brings. It's funny because it truly feels like being cleansed from all of the people and cities we've seen in the past two weeks.

Today is 16.6.17

Nat

A City Sinking

     Venice is fabulous in the same way an aluminum can is fabulous in that you know that no matter how much fun it is, it's only temporary. Our trip to Venice yesterday reminded me to that even if tourists flood the streets and you can buy a postcard on every corner, a city can still keep it's charm 1,000 years later. The main streets of Venice may be filled with tourists, but the 55,000 residents prove that Venice is still very much a city where people live and thrive. I know this because we spent the whole day walking around the whole of the city, seeing what feels like every corner, nook and cranny there is to see of the place. I don't think it's quite possible to describe or even capture the feeling of the city with photos or words, so I won't even attempt it. But, I can say that it was quite refreshing to not see a single car in such a crowded and exciting place. As with the city being temporary, I got the chance to see the sinking city before it sinks and I am very aware that not everyone has that opportunity; however, anyone with the opportunity should without a doubt take it up and see the place before the Adriatic swallows it up, because who knows if my kids will even be able to see it.

     After hitting 30,000 steps, we boarded the train and rode for an hour back to Bassano del Grappa to find some dinner. The question was whether to go to the same restaurant or to find a new one. I, of course, was against all pleads to go to the same restaurant because I think doing the same thing twice is completely grausam when you can do something different and explore. It seemed as though it was me and Mutti against the rest of the family and no one was going to be happy. After looking around for a little bit, we hadn't found anywhere good to eat so the general consensus was to head back to the pizzeria from the day before. I didn't feel like putting up a fight because 1) Lars wanted me to, 2) I was really hungry, and 3) I kind of liked the place. The name of the place escapes me at the moment, but it was totally Italian in that the whole family was working there at the same time and I'm pretty sure that we were the only people eating there that weren't Italian. The reason Joern's mom and I wanted to find a different place was so that we could sit outside, but maybe it was good we didn't get our way so that we could experience something completely authentic all over again. It was funny because the same couple that was eating there the day before was eating there again as well, just another reminder that we had made a good choice. Also, the family dog remembered us and let us go straight to petting. The dog was cool because there was a wall mural that had a dog in it that looked suspiciously familiar to our friend. We can only guess, but we were all pretty sure that the dog from the mural was the same dog that watched us eat. Anyhow, I got pizza rather than a calzone this time with "spicy salami". It turns out that pepperoni has nothing to with Italy and is 100% American. Furthermore, my spicy salami was far better and impossible to compare to the fake-meat pepperoni that I have known my whole life. For dessert I had a slice of homemade gelato meringue cake that I can only describe as being a taste of The Good Place. After dinner we didn't mess around and headed straight back to the car to rescue it from the parking lot as we were paying 1€/hr to keep it there for the whole day. After getting back to the B&B, we got ready for bed and called it Feierabend.

     This morning we woke up to 3 different varieties of homemade cakes, steaming hot coffee and fluffy scrambled eggs. After having breakfast outside, we packed our things and hit the road for the mountains. The drive was quite sucky because of the twisty turny curvy passes, but eventually we   came upon the village that is near where we are currently staying. The village is in the Northern Italian Alps close to the border of Austria. I'm told that before WWII this was part of Germany but, after the war, has since been annexed into Italy due to the post-war agreements. Today, it is quite confusing which language (Italian or German) is superior due to the people being German but also Italian citizens. After our trip downtown to the supermarket, my current assessment is that it's about 50/50, but I really have no idea.

     After stocking up, we headed up the north side of the valley to find the farm where are currently staying. Again, the twisty turny curves of the switchback were stomach-wretching and furthermore, the narrow road left us in constant fear that we would get caught in an unsolvable stand-off with a other car (which we did). Nonetheless, we made it to Kerschbaumhof without a scratch on the car, unlike Rome (where the car got more than a few scratches). I'm not sure what makes this place a farm, as it is quite sideways and I don't see how growing  anything is possible, but I guess there are chickens which is farm enough for me. But despite all the downsides of being on a mountain, there is one thing that makes driving all the way up to our little chateau worth it, the view. we have a view of die Dreizinnen (the three peaks) right from our rooms. It's also really awesome because we have a balcony where we can sit out on and watch the sun rise over the mountains tomorrow morning. I have no idea how Joerns's parents found this place, but it is yet another dream straight out of a movie.

     We'll spend the next few days hiking around the Nationalpark Sextener Dolomiten and cleansing ourselves of all of the city we have seen in the past week and a half. I'm super pumped to get my relaxation on the next couple of days and see me some moubtains.

Today is Wednesday the fourteenth of June in the year MMXFII

Nat

Drama and Real Pizza

10.6.17
     When we first arrived at our apartment four days ago here in Rome, we were devastated to find that there was no dishwasher. The apartment seemed to have everything (namely air conditioning) that we could have wanted, but it seemed as though we would be doing the dishes by hand for the next five days. Now that those five days are almost up, we have had a chance to see how the "we're all gonna take turns" system worked out. And let me just say, it didn't. It seems that Lars and Joern are both two unstable chemicals, that, when you mix together, explode in a loud, abnoxious and (usually messy) way. It's not that they don't get along, it's that they do get along and aren't quiet about it. Hence, Joerns parents have given up on the "taking turns" dish system and have switched to method that leaves Joern and Lars in separate rooms, doing the dishes themselves. I would call it genius of Joern and Lars, but I'm not quite sure that they're even aware of the great system that they have going.

     Dishes aside, Joern's dad said something sarcastic today. It was really funny because I've only ever seen him as this really serious guy that gets annoyed when Joern and I have arguments just for fun. We were talking about marrying Mexicans for citizenship and how I may or may not do it one day. I also learned that it is extremely illegal in Germany and results in deportation and detaining of the German that attempted the stunt. It was then that Joern asked, "Do they fly back in economy class?" and Joerns dad countered with, "No, they fly back first class." I guess stupid questions will always get stupid answers.

     These past two days have been lots of walking, church-seeing and ice cream eating. Since the first two days was seeing the big stuff, the last two days of our five-day stay have been walks through the city. It's been really funny because Lars and Joern never stop asking when we will go back to the apartment. They're like magnets I guess that constantly feel pulled into the abyss of doing nothing. Anyways, it's been a long four days and we've still got one more to go.

12.6.17
     It's a few days later and since the last time I wrote, we've packed up from Rome and headed up north to Bassano del Grappa which is a little north west from Venice (which we will see tomorrow). After driving for six hours, we finally came to our gorgeous house that we will be staying in for the next two days. I couldn't shut up about how cool it is because it feels like something straight out of a movie because of how the rooms are all elevated over a common area with no walls but still a roof. Anyways, after settling in, we headed into the city to get some food because we don't have a kitchen.

     This was our first time eating out in Italy on this vacation and my first time trying real Italian food. I got a Calzone Ricotta e Spinaci and, of course the black woman inside me couldn't help but moan. Sure any restaurant can have a wood oven and a cooled table to make pizza on, but ain't nobody got nothing on the secrets these Italians have. I guess that now I can say that I have tried the pizza of the homeland and that nothing else is truly as good. Tomorrow, we will take the train into Venice as the city is 1) sinking and 2) parking is extremely expensive​ due to it's popularity.

I already said the date

Nat

Three, Four or Five? No One Knows

     Sitting on the balcony of our eighth floor apartment, one could watch the cars, motorbikes and whatnot else flow by for hours. Rather than the big street having designated lanes like there would be in the ever so organized Germany, there is simply a line through the middle of the road so that cars don't hit each other head-on. Other than that, the street is a free-for-all. Hence, it is quite a fun activity to watch the cars fight for dominance and form three, four or five lanes depending on how aggressive everyone is feeling. In fact, when one adds in the lanes the motorbikes make when they squeeze between the cars, I would say there could be even seven. All of this in what would be the equivalent to the size of a two lane per direction boulevard in the US.

     I would say that the word chaotic isn't quite strong enough to describe the traffic in Rome. Our drive in Yesterday was a nail-biting, hold-on-to-your-seat, hope-you-don't-die experience​. And I loved it. I'm pretty sure that if I would have been driving, I would have run over at least 20 motorbikes and how many other countless pedestrians that think they own the street. Nonetheless, I don't think words can describe the tension in our mega-mini-van as we fought through the streets yesterday.

     After driving in a few circles around the block, we eventually found a parking space where we could squeeze our mega-mini-van in, and unpacked. Luckily, but also unluckily, our holiday apartment is on the top floor of the building. That means that 1) we get the best terrace but 2) that we have to take two trips with the teeny tiny elevator or take the stairs. Nonetheless, we unpacked the car and headed out to find a grocery store to load up on supplies. I got some real, Italian prosciutto cotto (cooked ham) that was probably the best ham that I will ever eat and also some cool elderberry-lemon Fanta that they apparently only have in Italy. After the grocery store, we headed back to the apartment to cook some dinner and go to bed.

     This morning was what I would call in the Fischer Family, one of the more stressful ones, but nevertheless we got going and were ready to start the day by about 930. First we had to find the metro. From what I've seen so far, I would call the Rome metro another one of Italy's desperate attempts at infrastructure due to the lack of connections, overcorwding and failure to offer an alternative​ to driving due to the latter. The lack of connections doesn't effect us so much, as we only need to get to the the main things, but still, a city this crowded requires reliable public transportation. Anyhow, we arrived at the Piazza Venezia at about 10 and started our day. There, we found the Basilica di San Marco which is found behind the big white monument that looks a lot like a bigger version of the Lincoln memorial. After getting our photos and a quick history lesson, we the headed over to Colonna Traiano (Trajan's Column) which is all of his battles from some war wrapped around a big tall column. It was really cool to see it because when we were in a museum somewhere in Munich the other month, we saw a mini version and I said to Joern, "We're gonna see the real thing when we go to Rome." and now we have and it's full circle and Joern, surprise, still didn't care. Anyhow, next we headed over to the Foro di Traiano and Mercati di Traiano (Trajan's Forum and Market). The forum is just ruins, but the market was really cool to see because we learned about it in history class.

     I could go on and on about all the endless ruins of basilicas, shrines, courtyards, gardens, churches and arches we saw in the Palatino and not to mention we saw the Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus), but when it comes down to it, they're all just ruins and there isn't much to see, but rather to learn. Eventually, we came out of the ruins to the Colosseo (Colosseum) and I guess one could say that it is colossal. We were smart and had advanced tickets, so we got to skip the insane line and go straight in. It was funny, because it felt like a Six Flags ride, but actually wasn't. Anyhow, I've seen plenty of movies about the Colosseum so you could say that I pretty much know everything there is to know about it. And I have to say, it was super awesome to be in the same place where Russel Crowe fought off the other gladiators and whupped butt. In my opinion, they should rebuild the place so that it actually has use other than for sweaty tourists to take pictures of. But then again, I also think we should air-condition​ the Sahara so it's not hot anymore, so what do I know.

     After the Colosseum, Inga and Lars wanted to get ice cream and Joern and Lars wanted to head back to the apartment to "study". It was already 1600, so we started our search for a decent ice cream parlor, which isnt too hard in Italy. I got Dulce de Leche, Caffé, and Vaniglia. And of couse, they were amazing. After ice cream, we headed back to the apartment​ on the wonderful public transportation, went grocery shopping again, had some dinner drama, and are now winding down for the day.

Today is 8 June 2017

Nat

Call It Paradise And Kiss It Goodbye

     Sitting on a bench today, taking a break from our day of walking the crowded streets of Firenze, we decided to have a little power-snack to keep us going. Not two seconds after we opened our bags to take out some num-nums, a lonely little pigeon had found us. And not two seconds more until a whole flock was bobbing away at our toes, trying to eat our shoes. And so it is with people when someone finds something good.

     At about 900 we stepped out the door and bought some bus tickets to get us into the city. Little did we know that the bus system in Italy is total kaputt, disorganized, and übervoll. So we we ended up not taking the bus. Once we finally were finished fighting through the construction that wasn't being constructed and the traffic that wasn't going anywhere, we arrived into the downtown area. I wouldn't describe it being a relief from any of the latter, but I have to say the buildings were substantially prettier. First, we walked past the Galleria dell' Academia where we wouldn't be seeing the David Statue due to the INSANE line of people that seemed to never end; however, I did get a picture of the line of the people to see the David Statue which is basically the same thing.

     From there, we headed over to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore where we also wouldn't be going in because the line wrapped around the whole thing and it happened to cost money. So far, it was two things on the list that Germany does better; the public transportation and free entrance to churches. The good thing was that most of the money was spent building the church rather than decorating the inside. My guess is because they ran out of money by the time they were done building the church out of solid marble. Nonetheless, we got our photos and moved on.

     Next up was a lot of walking where, along the way we saw plenty of expensive shops, people, statues, marketplaces, landmarks such as arches, bridges and fountains, churches that we did go inside, and of course lots and lots of street hawkers. For those who don't know, in Italy there are many African  immigrants for whom it is difficult to obtain work, so many of them have taken to selling plastic junk to tourists as a means of survival. Joern and I have adopted the the name of "pigeons" to these pesky people that will never leave us tourists alone, and we strongly stand by our vows "Not to feed the pigeons!". As I always say, it's not a racist thing, but rather that anyone shoving stupid crap in your face ever two meters would be extremely annoying. So, we didn't feed the pigeons today.

     Of course along the way we found an ice cream shop to indulge ourselves in. After all, we are in Italy, are we not? It seems as though that it's impossible to find an ice cream shop in Italy that makes you moan like a black woman (or me) at KFC after the prohibiton of chicken has been lifted. I thought that Wisconsin had something going with it's frozen custard or Cedar Crest or whatever, but all of that is forgotten now. Nothing beats Italian ice cream.

     After trying to eat our ice cream as slow as enjoyably possible, we stumbled upon another Sunglass store that happened to be having a sale. Joern's mom and I instantly turned to Joern expectantly, hoping that he'd want to go in and find a pair. Despite his excitement yesterday over all the different kinds of glasses and my new ones that I had got, he had a bad case of shoppers-anxiety and denied our pleads for him to go inside. It was funny, because I often see this in my brother, Josh whenever he is unsure about a purchase. I; however, follow my gut and know what I want when I see it and what I don't when I do. I guess not  everyone is that way, and that's okay. Anyways, Joern ended up getting the boring-est pair (in my opinion) of Ray•Bans® that the store had AND forking over 100€ for them. I don't think I'll ever quite understand why someone would blow so much money on something that has either 1) no bright colors or 2) is not shiny, but I guess not everyone thinks like I do. For now, I guess I have to say I understand it but I don't.

     After walking and walking the beautiful, non-Italian filled streets some more, we came upon a church with wet stairs where I learned that the Italian government actually spends money on keeping them wet so that tourists won't sit on them, but rather eat in a café and spend more money. So, anyone looking to come to Florence, I recommend you bring a tarp along. As well as wet stairs, we walked past countless leather stores, stalls and vendors that seemed to have no end. I bought a bracelet as my "leather souvenir from Italy", but maybe one day I'll come back with my millions and get a few more things.

     As the day was coming to an end, we decided to take a snack break on a bench in a nice little square with a nice pigeon-pooped on fountain. It was there where we were swarmed by pigeons and I couldn't help thinking of how, at one time, this city wasn't filled with tourists, but rather a unique culture and peole that must have been at one time a beautiful thing to see. Don't get me srong, Florence is still a life-filled and vibrant, growing city, it's just that I was reminded that it's impossible to find something truly genuine in this world, but rather, we have to make it ourselves.

Today is 6 June 2017

Nat

Inside: The Life of a Professional Tourist

     It seems as though I've been all over the continent of Europe in the past few weeks, but I know that it is far from being over. Don't get me wrong, I love every second of it and I have come to identify myself as being a professional tourist.

     To be a professional tourist, one must find the delicate balance between gobbling up the cheesey, famous stuff AND enjoying the not-so-famous hikes, walks, and nooks and crannies of the place being visited. I would say that my career as a professional tourist began three years ago in our trip to Berlin for the first time. We were taking a bus tour and it was very difficult to take pictures of the landmarks we were driving past, but me being the determined person I am, got good enough pictures from the moving bus. I said, "rule #1, a professional tourist will do anything for a good photo". And that's where it all began.

     Three years and 10,000 pictures later, I have seen plenty more through the eyes of a professional tourist and am ready to take on the the arguably tourist capital of the world, Italy. One must know the ropes pretty well to take on a country so diverse and daft as Italy, and I get the privilege of taking it on.

     We started our trip at four in the morning last Friday to beat the Pfingstferien (pentacost holiday) traffic; being of course the professional tourists we are, we knew that the whole of southern Germany would be making the mass Exodus to Italy and we knew to beat them by getting up early. The drive through die Schweiz (Switzerland) reminded me a lot of driving through Colorado, just overall nicer. Sorry, no offence Colorado. I also got the chance to exchange a few euros for some Schweizer Franken at a gas station that let you pay with euros but gave you change in Francs. It was a little sleazy because the Swiss franc is worth considerably less than the euro and I only got the change back that I would've gotten if I'd payed with francs, but that's the price you pay I guess.

     We were able to tell that we were out of Swizerland, not because of the big sign, or even the the border drive-thru, but rather because of the fact the the tunnels through the mountains were considerably less fancy Tha. Switzerland and the buildings were no longer built to survive the next nuclear war. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Milan is a beautiful city, it's just that Switzerland does it better than Italy I guess. Anyways, after the twelve-hour drive, we finally arrived at our Ferienwohnung (holiday apartment) in Firenze (Florence, Florenz in German). It was burning hot, but luckily air conditioning is a must-have in Italy, unlike in Germany, so we won't have to completely die in these next two weeks. We hit up a near by grocery store to stock up on suplies and I got to hear some Italian spoken.

     I haven't heard too much of the language, but so far my gist of Italian is that it's a lot like Spanish but way more fun.  Joern thinks that it's more like French, so I'm not quite sure who's right, but I guess we both hear what we know.

     Yesterday was our first full day of professional tourism and we hit up a village about an hour away from Florence called San Gimignano. San Gimignano is famous for having lots of towers that families built at one time to show their greatness over each other and also for the archery match the happens once every year between the green and the blue sides of the city. One knows this because of the flags displayed along the main promenade through the city. Being in Toscana (Tuscany), the landscape around the village is also gorgeous, so of course we had to make a short two hour hike out of our trip to see more than just where the amatuer tourists hang out.

     Today I got to photograph what is probably one of a professional tourist's biggest wet dreams. You guessed it (or not), today we went to Pisa. It was totally awesome to see it for real, but besides the tower, the church, and the dome there isn't much else to see in Pisa, but the nearby city of Lucca; however, is much more interesting and has, in my opinion, much more personality. In lucca, we went up one of the many church towers that make up it's skyline. The one we went up was really cool because it had trees at the top and there was a steel door on one of the landings near the top that you could use to lock people on the top. But sadly, Joerns mom wasn't as excited as we were to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

     After walking around the city for awhile, we stumbled upon a sunglass store that was having a decent sale on some name brands. It was funny because we had been talking about buying new glasses tomorrow when we go shopping in Florence, but fate has it's own plan and I ended up buying a pair of super cool 60€ Polaroids that weren't even on sale. Joern didn't instantly fall in love with anything so he will still be looking tomorrow when we go into the city. After the sunglass store, we walked a little bit on the Stadtmauer (City wall) where we may or may not have gotten yelled at by the Polizia for going too close the the edge which, mind you, was a four meter fall. Then we headed back like horses to a stable to the air-conditioned car.

     Tomorrow we go to Florence, the next day we go to Siena and then to Rome.

Today is 5 June 2017

Nat