Hola Family, it has been an exciting weekend in Germany. On Friday night I was able to get in touch with JJ, my nephew who is stationed at Armstrong Barracks in Budingen, Germany. We chatted on-line and were able to coordinate a meeting in Frankfurt on Saturday . JJ took the train in and met me at the Marriott hotel we then drove downtown to the shopping district and eventually settled down for a nice talk and dinner at the Surf and Turf Steakhouse. Dinner was excellent, we had "red meat", a very lean cut of the Filet Mignon variety, cooked to perfection, which was accompanied by some veggies, fries and onion rings. JJ and I both enjoyed the meal and the conversation and we left at around 8:30 PM so I could drive JJ back to Budingen. Not having had a hell-of-a-lot of experience driving in Germany, we allotted plenty of time to get JJ back before curfew. JJ is a scout in the US Army, so he was invaluable in deciphering the "code" (German map) to help us arrive at our objective. Driving the German back roads is exciting, as the towns are very old and picturesque.
Upon arrival at the base, JJ tried to sign me in to see his barracks, but since I did not have my USA passport with me, they declined. JJ gave me some history of the base, it was a German military base during WWII and Hitler actually gave a few "pep" speeches from that location, thank God they failed. The USA took over heaps of bases in Germany after the Allied victory and to this day, many are still manned by our Military forces. This particular US Army base is being decommissioned later this summer and JJ will be heading back to the USA for his next assignment. JJ, we look forward to seeing back in the USA soon!!
On Sunday, I woke up very late (finally over the jet-lag) and since I had missed the breakfast that ended at 11 AM, I had a few Cappuchinos and fruit .... the caffeine made me do it!!! I decided to test my driving skills on the famous Autobahn. I picked a nice town south of Frankfurt that was not to far or too close and plotted the course, I had decided to drive to a beautiful town called Heidelberg, about 60 miles away. Well, well, well ... at first it is somewhat intimidating being in the fast lane going about 75 mph, when all of the sudden you see a Mercedes closing on you at probably 125 mph. At those speeds one has to adjust quickly and I got out of the way.... but only for a moment as I had realized that I wasn't in "Kansas" anymore. So I finally gave the Audi A6 what it wanted and hit 112 mph and with a brief excursion to 125 mph. It was exhilarating, so much so that I missed the exit to Heidelberg, it's hard to make the exit when you only have a kilometer to react. I turned around and made the exit and drove into the town to get some gas a take a few pictures. I wish I could tell you more about the beautiful German Castle's, Churches and architecture, but since parking is a conspiracy and I was still on my speed mission I only stayed for about 30 minutes and headed back to Frankfurt, ie... Autobahn. Call me crazy, but I actually made it back to Frankfurt in 40 minutes, hitting max speeds of 125 mph (200 kilometers per hour), I have pictures to prove it, which I'll share when I return to the USA . . . . "this is strictly prohibitted for all offspring reading this blog".
Well I know this is a long entry, but I felt the urge to share. You can blame Joey for unleashing the action writer in me by opening the B.L.O.G.
Cheers to the Family,
Joe Sr.
3 comments:
My, my, my .......Who is this Amazing, Exciting, Depicting, Action Writer? I really enjoyed your "weekend In Germany" post and I wish you were here so I could hug you! But, I'll do the next best thing, send you a HUGE Virtual Hug!
I think it's wonderful that you were able to meet J.J. I mean, what are the chances, right ? Had you planned it for two months, it probably would not have come together as nicely as it did.
Thank you for the step-by-step narration of your evening with your nephew, the scout; the interesting (and brief) historical description of your country side sight seeing, AND...........your Autobahn Adventures.........YIAKES.....200 Kilometer Speeds...............DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT !!!!!!!!!!! I won't be able to sleep tonight as I dream of you playing "Astro Boy" on the Galactic Autobahn.......Hijole !!!!!
Familia, I'm loving this BLOG Thing. Thank you Joey and Julie. As you said, It's like having your first cup of coffe and sitting down to read the Denver Post, or the San Jose Mercury OR The Familia's Daily Avocado BLOG...........I'm digging it, it's awesome, It's cool, it's phat, it's sick ! (And you thought I was just an Old Senora....Ah Verdad ???!!!)
Love You All. Con Carino, MoonRaka
John and I were very happy that JJ got to spend some time with his Uncle Joe in Germany. JJ told us that the steak was the best he had ever had. We also want to thank Joe for turning around and dropping off J's new Mic and headset that had accidentally been left in the car. After he had his headset we were able to do a video conference and actually see him for the first time in 6 months. You're right Joe, he is getting a thick neck.
Love to all, Deb and John
John and I were very happy that JJ got to spend some time with his Uncle Joe in Germany. JJ told us that the steak was the best he had ever had. We also want to thank Joe for turning around and dropping off J's new Mic and headset that had accidentally been left in the car. After he had his headset we were able to do a video conference and actually see him for the first time in 6 months. You're right Joe, he is getting a thick neck.
Love to all, Deb and John
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