Germany Update!

Hallo!

I bring you greetings from Mannheim! For those of you traveling this way soon, you may want to create a folder to save the information to refer to in preparation for your upcoming travel!

A great German to English translation website is http://dict.leo.org/ Just in case you wanted to brush up on some German words before your journey!

Please bring very comfortable shoes as we will be walking A LOT! Stephanie & Daphne it is COLD, COLD, COLD! Please bring clothing that may be layered. For example, yesterday I wore a tank, t-shirt, sweatshirt, furry animal jacket, peacoat, scarf & gloves...I was great, comfortable, and warm! My legs were a little cold because I just had on blue jeans and snow boats. If any one wants to send a pair of long johns my way...I wear a S/M! Danke! (Thanks!) Tabby, hopefully the weather will be just a tad bit warmer when you come. Rashawn has become "One of Them"...He runs at 0600 in the morning. Craziness! Oh ya, Germany uses military time, nurses you shouldn't have any problem with that, huh?
Interestingly, our aparmtent is heated by the long distance heating system of the city. A temperature of 19 Celsius is guaranteed (from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.). The temperature is REDUCED at night. We have made up a song for this. Please sing to the tune of "The Freaks Come Out At Night" Here goes..."The Heat Goes Out At Night", And The Air Don't Come On At All!" HeeHee

As far as communication, your cell phones WILL NOT work in Europe unless you have AT&T. I recommend buying a calling card when you arrive in Europe. If possible, have your family/friends download SKYPE, get it set up, and then you can talk for FREE on Skype to Skype! This is how we talk to Ray's family & Tabby! Also AIM is great! You can send text messages to ANY phone, ANYwhere for free! This is how I talk to my sister and cousin. FREE communication is great! The internet is absolutely amazing!

As far as $$$, the EURO is the currency used across Europe. The US $1.33 = Euro $1, so yeah, we get jipped! Darn war and minirecession! Europe is a bit more expensive than America. At the airport, you can get money exchanged, you may also pick up a $5, $10, or $20 calling cards at the same location if you wish. There is a one-time exchange fee of $4.50 or $4.99. You may also use your Visa/Mastercard Check Card at most locations. However, please check with your bank or card company to see if International fees apply. That is important!

It is cool just walking around, stumbling upon restaurants, and saying, "Let's try here!" Fortunately, we have had nothing but GREAT food! And fortunately for you, our visitors, many restaurants in our area (Mannheim) will have been pre-screened for you! There are lots and lots of pastry shops! Yummy to my Tummy! Germans eat lots of bread and really good potatoes of all sorts (fried, mashed, you name it) You should know that most beverages are served cool, WITHOUT ICE! So we must be sure to say Cola WITH ICE in order to have Ice! Ha! Germany is KNOWN WELL for their BEERS! Beer is cheaper than water! Can you believe that? I have yet to try any, but there are two light light beers that have been recommended, one with a little sweet additive, the other with some type of banana flavor! I'll keep you updated! Most drinks are sparkly (fizzy, carbonated, such as Pellegrino) including water, apple juice, etc. However, it is possible to get water without fizz! Ask for Stilles Wasser!

So to all my girlfriends, many many of the chicks wear tight, tight skinny jeans. So, feel free to pack yours and "You'll fit right in!" (Hopefully in the jeans too) HeHe If you re interested in shopping, there are cute clothing shops everywhere in Mannheim! The prices don't look that bad either!

Talk to ya soon!