That's a wrap!

This week has been so interesting and so much fun! It's not at all what I expected and because of that it has been that much better!

I expected it to be a little harder than it has been. The fact that it has been so seamless makes me put a lot more stock into that Hindu priest who blessed me and told me I would have an amazing time out here. Even my 4 hour German class has been a blast.

Part of the orientation here has also included a few tours and one was of the city of Aalen. Did you know that Aalen hosts an inn that Napoleon stayed in? There is a special window made out of colored glass that Napoleon put his head through. The people of Aalen did not like Napoleon b/c he took over the town in the 1800's and found it very amusing that Napoleon was not used to glass windows. Where he originated from was still using wood or nothing at all. So even though he conquered a town, he still was not smart enough to bypass a glass window.

During another time in history when the area of Aalen was being fought for by the Holy Roman Empire the town sent over a spy to find out when they were going to be attacked. The spy went to the Emperor and his soldiers and instead of being stealth he opened up his mouth and said:

"Hello I am a spy from Aalen. Will you please be so kind and tell us when you are planning on attacking our town?"

The Emperor was so taken aback by the honesty of the spy and wondered why he would be so upfront with his agenda that he figured the people of Aalen must be kind, welcoming, open hearted and trusting. Because of this he decided not to attack and gave them their independence. Now at the top of their old town hall is a man's head that spins from East to West, acting as Aalen's spy to this day making sure they are safe and protected.

I also took a bike ride to the local YMCA and swam around for a bit. They don't have hot tubs like we do in the US. Their equivalent of a hot tub is a lukewarm mini pool that is about 6 feet all the way around. It feels good for about the first 5 minutes and then your body adapts, unless you jump into their cold lap pool and back into their warm pool.

Saturday was a Farmer's Market and it was awesome. It was so extensive and everything was fresh and colorful. What is it about fresh veggies from a vendor that makes you feel like you're real! I stopped by a vendor and had a classic German Bratwurst sandwich. Honestly I thought I might have a problem with the German cuisine b/c it consists of meat, meat, potatoes and more meat and potatoes. Well not anymore! That sandwich was so good and I can't wait to have Spaetzla, a classic German pasta dish.

Tomorrow I am headed to a festival that celebrates the independence and culture of the individual entities within the Aalen area. It is in Ellwangen, about a 20 minute train ride away. They have a huge parade with such extensive floats. A friend went to a carnival over the weekend where they had a giant sized Michael Jackson made out of paper mache and they had him propped as a marionette and had him do the moon walk down the street. Even in Germany he is the King of Pop!

Munich and Cologne are coming up for the week of the 14th and I can't wait (Oh that and my real class schedule starts. Which do you think is more important!)

More pictures are coming I promise and I am thinking of all of you back home! Even with everything that is going on, I could never forget all of you!