I apologize for being tardy with this installment of the adventures of Steve, but once again, I have had the exceptional luck to pick up something again on those flying disease tubes that people often refer to as airplanes. I have spent the last 12 days sounding like a 70 year old, 3 pack a day, asthma sufferer. This time around it was bronchitis and a sinus infection.
I did get to see the doctor on base. Several times actually. The first doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics and some other stuff that was supposed to work. Some did, some didn't. The next doctor, Mengeles or something, gave me this stuff for my incessant coughing. Good news, I am almost over it. Bad news was the side effect of this magic elixir. I would have to say the side effects were almost worse than the illness. I was warned that I would experience an elevated heart rate at times, profuse sweating, and paranoia. Let me tell you, there is nothing like waking up at 2 am with your heart trying to beat its way out of your chest while sweating like a fiend. To big guy like me, it feels like a heart attack. Lovely.
That being said, it has been an interesting couple of weeks, both back home and here in Germany.
I had a great 2 weeks back in Ottawa! I was able to see my friends, get lots of little things done around the house, see a few movies, and spend time with Laurie and the boys. We spent xmas over in Apsley and Laurie's mom actually provided me with 2 very important items: Tim Horton's coffee and an umbrella. Both are life savers.
Justin is now missing 6 teeth, all in the front. Looks similar to a professional hockey player. Justin is getting proficient at a computer game "Star Wars Lego II". That is all I ever hear about when I call, so it must be important to him. Rhys is just as cute and rambunctious as ever.
Flying back to Germany was interesting. I was originally routed through Pittsburgh and had a 5 hour wait until my flight to Frankfurt was to leave. That left me with a lot of time to kill. The main concourse for international flights is rather boring on the main level. There are 2 pieces of "art"? A liberty bell made from Lego. Which I will admit was an impressive Lego sculpture, and some thing made from wire and hair. I have attached two photos, so you can judge for yourselves.
After I checked in for the flight, I found out the flight was 20% oversold. I was going to see how much an upgrade to first class was, as there were a lot of kids around. Flying a long flight, in coach, with a lot of kids, makes for a very very long flight. Well, when I enquired, the airline representative stated they were looking for volunteers. Me me me me oohh oooh pick me me.....
The only catch was the change in flights. I was now flying out 7 hours later to Paris, but in FIRST CLASS BABY! I was psyched about that, but the idea of spending 7 hours in a very boring terminal was not my idea of fun. Luckily, this upgrade came with a lot of other perks as well. In addition to my new 1st class ticket, I was also given a voucher to the 1st class lounge. See picture. That was half the lounge. Unlimited booze, unlimited food, they had football playing on the plasma TVs. Yup, drinking beer and watching football. It was tough for 7 hours, but I managed.
I even got a voucher for an additional flight anytime in the next year. Sweet!
All I can say is that 1st class rocks. Man, oh man. The chair itself was amazing. All electronic, 2 lumbar supports, 3 way settings for your legs, reclined almost vertical, built in lcd screen. Dang!
The whole flight was amazing. The menu was wild as I had a choice of filet mignon, swordfish, or some vegetarian meal. Served with real cutlery and table cloths, unlimited drinks, and private bathrooms. I am so spoiled! (or lucky depending on how you look at it).
Alas, all things have to end and the pilot insisted on landing. Pop. There goes that dream bubble. It was still wonderful while it lasted. Landing in Charles de Gaulle airport was weird. No other way to describe it. They have the most
I eventually got to Düsseldorf, and proceeded to catch the airport train (S7) to the Düsseldorf Banhof. If you see letters like this, HBf, it means the center, or main, stop in any town. Just an FYI. I caught a connector train that brought me to Geilenkirchen in about an hour, and I just missed my connection with the local bus. I had to wait until one of the 4 taxis in town decided to come by the train station.
I only had to wait 20 minutes, so I was grateful that I would soon be in my bed comatose. I literally carried my bags upstairs when the doorbell rang. Caught me off-guard as I couldn't figure out who would visit. Turns out to be my buddy at work, Romanus, who wanted to see if I was back.
In addition to wanting the laptop I brought back for him, he was also wondering where I was. There was evidently a mix up in the information my boss had, and I was expected at work on Monday. Seeing as it was 4:45pm, it just wasn't going to happen. The powers that be are a little jittery regarding me and my job. More the history, as 5 consultants have been here in the last 2 years. Not a great track record to be sure. The next morning, I got the same. "Give us lots of notice if you decide to stay back in Canada...." and other ridiculous statements like that. They don't know me too well yet, obviously. I gave my word that I will not run out on them.
Anyway, it was nice to be home (see photos). The next two weeks were fairly uneventful, due to my being ill and not up for much. Granted I am pretty much limited by my lack of vehicles here. More on that later. What I will cover will be my living conditions, and promise that the next installment will have more interesting stories of Germany with pictures.
Did you know that the dishwashers here have a container for salt as well? The water must be pretty hard for washers to require that. Lots of different ways of doing things as well. Stoves sometimes have fans inside them to circulate the hot air around. This speeds up cooking time. Most cooking directions have instructions for regular and fan-assisted ovens.
I have a Grill Master next door. This is a chain with a bunch of locations all around Germany. Think of a very tiny McDonalds with schnitzel instead of burgers (though you can have those too) and having the ability to buy beer with your meal. Side note: you can drink beer in public here, I saw guys on the train knocking them back, walking around town, etc...
To alleviate my boredom while home sick, I can do several things: watch TV, play computer games, watch movies, or pester my friends with phone calls. My boss was kind enough to let me hook up to his sling box. It is an electronic appliance that you hook up to your satellite or cable system. Then you load the viewer onto your PC/laptop. I get a virtual TV and remote that I can use anywhere. I can watch canadian TV here now. Fantastic stuff. Movies I either rent from the base, or find online. Now I get to the cool stuff. I have a vonage number. It is an Ottawa number, so if you live there, it is a local call for you. Calling my number makes my computer "ring". If I am home, I can answer and talk over the internet. Please remember that I am +6 hours from you. If you are not in Ottawa, I am sure the rates to call an Ottawa number are much cheaper than calling Germany. I also have voicemail setup, so you can leave a message. My number is 613-216-2347. I also have skype setup (http://www.skype.com). If you want a completely free way to talk with me, load skype onto your PC. I would recommend having high speed connections. After loading skype software, it will prompt you to create an account. My account here is "peurope". Add my account name to your contact list. Then just click to phone, and my pc rings again. Skype also allows video conferencing, so if you have a web camera already installed, then you can see who you are talking to. Anybody needing instructions or help to install and configure, let me know.
We had one of the biggest wind storms blow through here the other day. It was amazing to see. Most of the houses in this area are brick with terracotta shingles on the roof. Roofs were disintegrating everywhere, and you had to watch for flying debris. Here is a brief write-up from wikipedia. Note the wind speed.
January 18, 2007. In the wake of storm Kyrill, storm-warnings were given for several countries in Europe with severe storm-warnings for some areas. Schools in particularly threatened areas had been closed by mid-day, to allow children to get home safely before the storm reached its full intensity in the late afternoon. At least 32 people were killed as violent storms lashed northern Europe, causing travel chaos across the region. Britain was the worst hit with fifteen people killed as rain and gusts of up to 99mph (159km/h) swept the country. Sustained wind speeds of up to 73mph were recorded. Five people were killed during the storm in the Netherlands. In both Germany and the Netherlands the national railways were closed.
For my next installment, I am planning to go back to Aachen and over to Cologne. I will take photos, and try to absorb some history to regurgitate back to you. That’s all for now. Hope everyone is doing well, and I will be in touch soon.
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment