Dry cycle

Laundry today

Catching up a bit... very happy travelers

Missed posting yesterday as we were at the skatepark most of the day and otherwise walking around central Stuttgart.  Started the morning with a run up Panorama Strasse.  Beautiful view and an excellent vantage point to look out over the city.  Shot baskets with Jude in the park next to our apartment.  Turner later found online a skatepark, so we ventured out as a family.  Ate at a little Italian cafe on the way.  Pics here and there along the way.  Spent last night on our little balcony with a bottle of wine, sausage, cheese, tomato, grapes, bread, etc.  Not much, but enough.  All we need!

Walked through the city center today (Deutsche Bank errand and more) and headed to the hauptbahnhof (train station) to make our way north to Ludwigsburg and Favoritepark.  Met up with Laurie, one of the UTC students, on the train. She was exhausted from travel, and the airline had lost her bag.  She was holding it together but quite tired.  Made it to Favoritepark and the campus.  Met up with the other students--unplanned--and touched base with Rick (the other UTC teacher).  We're all here, save one student who arrives tomorrow.


Still searching for the elusive 5 lbs. gummy bear.  It's here somewhere in the city.  If anyone can find it, Jude can.  This evening, we'll walk the Schlossgarten (castle gardens) and then take in a movie.  Hoping for subtitles.

Anna outside our apartment (left).  Anna and Jude dancing below... enjoy!

Weekend in Munich

Just got home from a weekend in Munich.  Met the Hensleys there (terrific family from Signal Mountain who have kids in school with the boys).  Walked a bunch, terrific hotel (Hotel Exquisit), good food, saw the Glockenspiel do its thing at 5:00, took in the X Games crowd and toured Dachau.  We all found the latter to be a pretty profound experience--beyond words.  

Pic of Turner with Torey Pudwill (pro skater here).  

A few highlights:  In general, navigating public transportation is easy and fun.  We got around Munich beautifully and found confidence in our ability to get around Stuttgart.  (Still have to figure out our home city.)  Anna continues to learn German and is more and more confident in getting around.  Jude loved the train ride to and from Munich.    

Day 1: arrival, finding home, getting lost, find home again...

3:45 a.m. on Day 2 here...

Anna, the boys, and I are loving Stuttgart.  Got in yesterday around 9:30 a.m. after a sleepless flight for 3/4 of us.  Jude can sleep anywhere!  He's an animal--a free-spirited, open-to-the-world, 90-lbs. animal!  (That'd be around 41 kilos of unfiltered and unfettered fun.)  Found our apartment via taxi from the airport.  We're staying in the home of Eva and Helmut Giessel--super nice people--who immediately got us familiar with the area.  Liederhalle for shopping, supermarkets, etc.  We returned from shopping, in fact, to find that they'd left a basketball for Jude.  Park and court nearby.  He was thrilled!  

Walked for 2 hours.  Ate at a local joint (Bierhaus West) that is apparently a fav for politicians, Mercedes execs, and dignitaries.  Something like Porkers BBQ in downtown Chattanooga, I suppose, or the Pilot House in Cape G. or Jeremiah's in Sikeston.  Perfect!  Hit the grocery store (Newe).  Came back to our apartment for cheese, sausage, a tomato, olives, a little wine, and Ben & Jerry's "Half Baked."  (That's about how I felt.)  Not a bad first day!  

A highlight or two: Turner is speaking German without inhibitions.  I think he greeted almost everyone we came across yesterday--supermarket check-out gal, for example--and summarily gave them each a warm "Auf Wiedersehen!" when we were off.  Lots of smiles from our new neighbors.  And Anna fits right in!  (I always thought she looked European, Scandinavian perhaps.)  I asked a nice woman on the street yesterday for directions.  She gave them to me and then looked at Anna and asked (in really fast German) if her directions were accurate.  Apparently, I looked like I needed more help, and Anna looked like a local.  Deer + headlights = "Um, she's with me./Sie is mit mir."  The lady's expression (looking at Anna): poor thing!  But we got where we needed to go.

Headed to Munich today to see the X Games (what luck!), the summer festival/markets, and to meet up with the Hensleys, friends from Chattanooga who happen to be here at the same time.  Two-hour train ride.  Looking forward to it!  Students begin arriving Monday.

Tolles Wochenende!

Testing mobile app

This is me testing the mobile app

Getting started

Stuttgart: Here We Come (Eventually)!

Well, we're nine days from leaving for Germany.  Can't wait, but there's a LOT to do... 

Woke up at 4:30 a.m., made a pot of coffee and started making notes:  notify bank and credit card company about our trip, finish preparing my class (Environmental Lit. in Germany and America), make travel arrangements for in-country trips (e.g., Freiburg, Rhine Falls, etc.), brush up on my German (more), get the kids started on their web logs (blogs), make travel plans for Italy (for/with Anna), call neighbor's oldest son to follow up on mowing our grass while we're gone, get international plan on phone, etc.  Oh, boy!  Didn't go back to sleep.

Setting up the boys' blogs tonight with them.

Anna's in Arizona a few days.  I think we'll need to pack (finally) when she gets home.