Royalty

Vroom Vroom


I have spent the hottest months of the year in the areas of the world that are hottest and now that fall and winter are approaching I am planning to spend much of that time in places that are really cold. I definitely could have planned that better. The benefit of my poor planning is that there are fewer people where I am so I get better prices and shorter lines. My suitcase is very small and I only have 1 pair of pants, a pair of jeans. I have only worn them on days that I fly, so I can take the extra weight of the out of my suitcase. Since it is so cold here and it’s only going to be getting colder as the year winds down, I figured I should probably get another pair of jeans.

Apparently in Germany most shops are closed on Sundays with the exception of once a quarter when they are open for a small celebration. That happened to be this past Sunday and so Anna, her boyfriend and I all went to look at the shops and walk around. We went to the mall in Hagan, a nearby town, and they allow dogs in the mall all the time. Then we went to a castle on a very high hill overlooking the town. It is basically an old farm house built high on a hill with high walls around it. It had some great views of the surrounding town below.

Monday Katja, Anna’s mother, and I headed to Dusseldorf, about an hour away. On the way we stopped at the nearby lake and walked across the dam. Things here are so beautiful with the water and all of the trees everywhere, I love it. When we got to Dusseldorf we went to a department store and I looked around, everything was so expensive and this was supposed to be a reasonably priced department store. Things are at least two times as expensive in America before the Euro to Dollar exchange and when that is taken into account things become nearly three times as expensive as they are in America. I should have bought everything I could ever need while I was in India. I found a pair of jeans that I liked and then I went to look for a new pair of shoes, I have been wearing the same pair of shoes since I started and they were already dirty and stinky when I started. While I was looking at the shoes Katja came over and she had bought my jeans for me. I protested that it was unnecessary, but she insisted that since my mom took care of her daughter for a year, spoiling me for a week, was the very least she could do.

This past weekend Anna had wanted to go to a disco, a dance club, but I don’t really have any dance club clothes and I definitely cannot wear dirty stinky tennis shoes in a club either. I had originally packed a nice pair of shoes and pants but when I never used them in all of India, Nepal or Morocco, I sent them back to America with Julie when she returned home. I decided that since I am in Europe now and might go to a club if it’s free to get in and they are offering reasonably priced drinks, I should at least get some shoes to wear, if they are affordable.

We went to another store and I found both a pair of reasonably priced tennis shoes and dress shoes and decided to splurge and buy them both. When I went to check out Katja again would not let me pay and insisted on paying for me. Not that I mind, because I am beyond cheap, but I do feel bad and wish she would let me pay. At least on some level I am sure I feel that way.

We walked around the old part of Dusseldorf and then walked down to the Rhine river where we sat and watched the boats pass in the sun eating a dessert. When we got back to Anna’s house I took out the go-cart/lawnmower and drove it around in a field near their house. With the wind blowing and the fields and the trees all around I had a feeling of flying and then I really wanted to actually go flying.

Anna’s family has a truly beautiful home and they have been treating me like royalty. The family won’t allow me to help with anything and has done my laundry and constantly brings me food and drinks. I feel as if I have rented out an entire five star hotel for myself.

I am having an amazing time resting up and relaxing, traveling does wear on a person after a while and this is a perfect time in my trip to recharge my batteries.

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09_08_09 Breckerfeld small