Tschüss

After a period filled with somewhat epic disasters (the loss of important documentation; being unable to escort Dan onto certain bases due to my lowly contractor status; the rising cost of adequate accommodations and so forth), we are back on our feet and ready to continue our journey. The household goods have been packed and are ready to ship, the vehicle has been turned in, and Dan and I are currently awaiting our opportunity to depart Germany and make our way to Greece, where we will board the cruise ship and begin our ultimate departure from Europe.

Our last days here have proven to be quite eventful: earlier this week we made it to Paris, where I was surprised by the extreme "beige-ness" of the city buildings, though they were otherwise quite ornate (the trip went well, and we returned to Germany in higher spirits than when we left); yesterday we spent the night in a pension situated in Enkenbach, the town next to Mehlingen - this morning, during breakfast, we were treated to bread, ham, cheese, and the innkeeper's life story (which turned out to be almost unbearably heart-wrenching).
Overall, we have spent the majority of our "free" time in the library, tying up loose ends, or cruising around town searching for places to eat, sleep, and access the internet (which, generally speaking, has not been as depressing as it might sound).

This will be our last post from Germany. Due to the hectic pace of our schedule, we have decided to end our blog here and focus exclusively on our upcoming travels.* Living and traveling overseas has been quite an adventure for us, and we hope - through our rambling posts, pictures, and videos - that you've been able to share a bit of the experience as well. Thank you for reading, and we wish you all the very best.

Tschüss!



A Quick Recap: Thank You for Watching!

Lynette And Dan Take on Germany Slideshow: Lynette’s trip from Europe to 17 cities London, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna, Brussels, Luxembourg, Cologne, Innsbruck, Lucerne, Heidelberg, Trier, Leuven, Feldkirch, Vaduz, St. Wendel and Wissembourg was created by TripAdvisor. See another United Kingdom slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

*Experiencing withdrawal symptoms? Not to worry, our new wedding blog is coming soon! Available at: http://www.weddingwire.com/catlin (check periodically for updates)

Countdowns

We visited the vehicle shipment company today and made arrangements to drop Poet off on the 25th; overall, everything is going as planned and happening very quickly, though not as quickly as we would like in some cases.
We finally found a shipping company for our household goods (after numerous attempts), but are still waiting for the small pile of belongings in the corner of the living room to be packed and taken away (we managed to sell quite a bit of stuff through Ramstein Yard Sales; some of our later experiences did not go as smoothly as the first, but we have lightened our shipment considerably).



Dan and I are both looking forward to going home and resuming a "normal" lifestyle: I, of course, am also looking forward to our wedding and all the planning that entails (unfortunately, he does not share my level of excitement at the moment).




UPCOMING TRIPS

We are closely monitoring various news reports in case the Egyptian portion of our cruise is adversely affected. According to the cruise company, they are aware of the situation and will make a decision (to continue as planned, schedule a detour, or issue refunds) at a later date.
Dan and I have also committed to an overnight tour in Paris, to coincide with our last week in Germany and subsequent departure to Venice. We were considering a trip to Prague in the near future, but will wait and see how the rest of this week goes (only 4 working days left!).

THE MOST ROMANTIC FEAST EVER:

A small glimpse of how we spent our first Valentine's evening as an engaged couple:

♥ XXL Meat Lover Pizza and Red Wine ♥

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Proposal

Dan and I are engaged!

He proposed last Wednesday evening; a week earlier, he casually suggested we go out to dinner at some point in the future.  I agreed, and we decided to go on either Tuesday or Wednesday.  We chose Wednesday, obviously.
He was in the bathroom shaving beforehand, with the reasoning being that he would be "among civilized people" for the first time in a while - we hadn't left the apartment (except to run errands) in over a week. 
Seeing his trimmed beard prompted me to don classier attire, and I also put a bit of effort - just a bit - into subduing my unruly hair; as I stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway I noticed that Dan was also dressed nicely.
We went downstairs, got into the car and headed to the restaurant (earlier in the week he had given me the choice of either Spanish or Italian; I chose Italian).  It was sprinkling as we pulled into the parking lot, and as I walked up to the front door of the ornate building I remarked that I was glad we were dressed somewhat formally.

THE PLACE

Dan opened the door for me, then led us into Dino's, bypassing the first few dining rooms and heading straight for the back of the restaurant.  We ended up at a small table tucked neatly into the corner, where we glanced through the menu and placed our drink orders (water for me, wine for him).

THE PROPOSAL

After comparing entree choices, we made our selections and I leaned back, ready to relax and wait for our meals.  Dan reached over and took one of my hands in both of his, then began telling me how special I was, and how he wanted to spend the rest of our lives together (since our four year anniversary was approaching, I assumed this was his annual glad-to-be-with-you speech; I honestly had no idea what was coming!).  Not understanding why he was so nervous, I attempted to lighten the mood by throwing in a joke or two.  After a bit of this back-and-forth wordplay, he suddenly tossed a small box onto the table and spit out his all-important question:  "Will you marry me?"

THE AFTERMATH

I was so stunned that I didn't say anything for a long moment.  A waitress appeared out of nowhere, hovering near our seats, and Dan quickly hid the ring under the table while I looked away.  After she left, he looked at me and produced the ring again, while I laughed and finally answered his question:  "Of course!"

Our food appeared after a while (pasta and salmon for me, pork medallions in mushroom sauce for him) and we ate dinner and conversed; I was so excited that I honestly can't remember much of what we talked about.  For dessert we were served tiramisu and one shot of espresso each (which ultimately led to us being awake until the evening after). 
As we walked out of the front doors of the restaurant a few hours later, I looked up and noticed that it had begun to snow.  I pointed this out to Dan, and he looked down at me and smiled.
It was absolutely perfect.

My ring!

BONUS:

Since our engagement, I have talked non-stop about my dream wedding; subsequently, Dan has forbidden any mention of our upcoming nuptials (at least for the time being).  Of course I defied this command, with disastrous consequences:

Crabby Cabbies and More

We all had a very nice time in London, despite the seemingly bitter title of this post.  We did (almost) everything we set out to do, and had a fantastic time doing it:

THE SHOW:  WICKED

Heidi and I at the Apollo Victoria theatre

The show, of course, was absolutely delightful.  We had a fabulous time, although Dan claimed to have nodded off at some point in the first act; Heidi agreed that the show had a prominent "girl-power" theme and would not appeal to the average guy.

THE FOOD:  INDIAN

We decided to stop for a bite to eat before seeing Wicked:  Dan was in the mood for Indian food, and Heidi and I took that suggestion and ran with it.  We found a small Indian restaurant directly across the street from the theatre; the sign said it was closed, but according to our watches it should have been open already, so Dan went ahead and tugged on the door handle.
The host came to the door and informed us that the restaurant was, in fact, not open (it was then that we discovered our failure to reset our watches), but he let us in anyway.  We sat at a table chatting for a while until the host returned and presented us with the following offer:  he would bring out various dishes for us to try (what he described as 'the best of the best authentic Indian cuisine'); a feast of lamb and chicken and rice and curry.  We took him up on his offer, and did not regret it.  The food was absolutely delicious!

Indian food

I was a bit nervous when he laid the bill on the table, but that was (almost) the best part of all:  our meal was pretty cheap (unless I managed to erase the actual cost from my mind), plus we got complimentary chocolate mint squares.

THE HOTEL ROOM:  TINY

I knew that our lodging would not be the best; after all, Dan and I were aiming for convenient and affordable (keyword:  cheap).  A few days after I made our reservation Dan approached me, a worried expression on his face.  'Did you read any of the reviews on this hotel?' he asked.  I told him I hadn't, and wasn't sure if I wanted to know what he had discovered. 
I spoke with Heidi later- she hadn't yet reserved her room, at that point- and we decided that the hotel would be considered suitable as long as it met one very important condition:  no bedbugs.
All in all, it wasn't that bad:

Entrance to our (tiny) room

The rest of our room

THE ESSENTIALS:  TOURISTY FUN

We started out early the day after the show:  we began by heading over to the Tower of London.  Before arriving at our desired location- led by Dan and Heidi's collection of maps and travel pamphlets- we found ourselves at a Merchant Navy memorial; I read an inscription on one of the plaques which honored the Sailors who have "no grave but the sea." 
We stood around for a while before heading across the street to see the Tower.  It was much more involved than I orignally thought, and we spent a significant amount of time there, searching for torture chambers and execution sites, and finished our tour with an on-site lunch of fish and chips (questionable ketchup included). 

Later in the day, we took the tube to check out the Parliament buildings and Big Ben; as soon as we stepped onto the sidewalk I glanced up and saw the huge clock towering above us and the massive London Eye across the street.  We took a couple of pictures and eventually wandered over towards Westminster Abbey, then argued in a highly civilized manner over which route would take us most quickly to Buckingham Palace.  Before heading that way, however, we decided to take a detour to Trafalgar Square, where Dan took pictures of various statues while Heidi and I went to a cafe to purchase coffee and brownies (due to the dining-in surcharge, we took our goodies out to the curb and consumed them there).

After passing a Changing of the Guards ceremony involving horses (which we couldn't see clearly due to a inconveniently placed guard shack), we headed to the palace, crossing what we believed to be Hyde Park and arriving at the gates the same time as nightfall.  We did manage to get a good view of the building, and snapped a few photos to commemorate the experience.
As we traveled back to the underground station (our shoes muddy from crossing through the grass instead of staying on the sidewalk), Dan mentioned how easily it would be for us to drop by the King's Cross station (the site of the infamous Platform 9 3/4, as all worthy Harry Potter fans know) and take a few pictures there as well.  Of course, Heidi and I took the bait.  Unfortunately, we were not aware of the Platform 9 3/4 monument set up on the wall outside, and instead bravely wrestled our way inside of the station to take photos:

 

In "disguise" at Platform 9

The "real" Platform 9 3/4 (per Wikipedia)

THE CABBIES:  CRABBY

London cabbies have a system:  they line up and collect customers in the strictest order.  Therefore, a cabbie may wait approximately half an hour or more in line before getting an opportunity to find someone in need of a ride. 
This was the case when Heidi and I were making our way back to the hotel; we were returning from a short shopping excursion while Dan visited the British museum (we parted ways earlier that morning after devouring an "authentic British breakfast" of eggs, bacon, toast, and beans in a very adorable diner; we were to meet him later at the hotel).  After a bit of walking my knee began to act up (both of them, unfortunately, which resulted in excrutiating pain), and Heidi insisted we take a cab for the remainder of the trip (a 5-10 minute walk, admittedly).  I didn't argue, and we made our way to the front of the line of cabs, only to be crabbily rebuffed by the cabbie with the explanation given above.
So we walked away and sat on the curb, and after a five minute rest continued on our way.

THE WEATHER:  SUNNY (OVERALL)
Amazingly enough, it was sunny for most of our trip, which was a good thing, since Dan lost his hat at some point during our various bus/tube rides.

Showtime in London

Dan, Heidi and I have purchased the following:  3 day, 2 night hotel reservations in London, accompanied by three Dinner Class (a.k.a. "cheapest admission possible") theatre tickets for an evening performance of Wicked.  We are incredibly excited and cannot wait to see the sights and experience everything (well, as much as we can) the area has to offer.

Wicked poster, courtesy of londontheatredirect.com

Of course, immediately after booking the flights and reserving the hotel rooms, I was informed that my work schedule had changed; Heidi and I were both scheduled to work the morning of our return (our flight, however, would not arrive in Germany until later that afternoon).  We were faced with the choice to either reschedule our plans or swap shifts with other co-workers.
Considering the fact that Dan and I are leaving soon, and we were extremely reluctant to give up our coveted airline/hotel rates, we decided to stick with the original dates and (successfully) plead with our peers.

WEATHER UPDATE

Surprisingly, the weather has been relatively warm for the past week or so.  Some people have even reported leaving their windows and doors open for extended periods of time (we haven't; temperatures of mid-60 and lower do not equate "warmth," in my opinion).  I have to admit, though, my walks to and from the car have been rather pleasant.

FARE THEE WELL, VOLVO (AND AAFES!)

Alas, Dan no longer has the wonderful vehicle that has taken us on numerous adventures (Belgium and the Netherlands, to name a few); it was given to a junk dealer after a sudden indisposition and several unsuccessful attempts to sell or negotiate with a local mechanic.  We shall certainly miss our dearly departed friend.

On a happier note, yesterday marked Dan's last day of compulsory subjection to AAFES policies.  He is looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation before undertaking the next task:  planning the remainder of our trips in the local area (and slightly beyond).

SOLD!

PHASE I

About a week ago, Dan and I sat down and made a list of items we would like to sell on Ramstein Yard Sales, in order to raise a bit of money for our upcoming trip and keep our shipping expenses relatively low.  We decided to list nine items first - with full-color pictures - ranging from a  black clutch I had lying around, to Dan's Volvo.  There was some initial interest, particularly for a rolling storage unit (originally priced at $15; ours listed for $5), but not many people were willing to venture far beyond the Ramstein base (approximately 15 minutes away).  Most potential buyers were determined to have the items delivered to a spot more convenient for them:

Subject:  2 Wooden Chairs

Potential Buyer (PB):  I would like to buy these chairs.  2 of mine broke and look a lot like this!

ME:  You will need to come to Mehlingen to view/pick up.  Please let me know if you are interested.  Thanks!

PB:  Isn't that pretty far away?

ME:  It's about 15-20 minutes away from the Ramstein east gate.

PB:  That's what I thought...


It wasn't long before we finally became frustrated with the entire ordeal, and Dan exclaimed, "Screw 'em!  We're trying to sell stuff, not run a charity organization here!"  I kept that in mind while dealing with our other prospective buyers, though their constant nagging eventually began to irk me beyond belief.

A few minutes ago, however, our first buyer appeared to pick up a pair of bar stools, priced at $10/each.  Ka-ching!

PHASE II

Although Dan has already informed his employer of his impending resignation, I have yet to complete this task.  I wonder if informing the scheduling department of my last day, before notifying my actual employer, qualifies as a professional no-no?

Sushi and Resolutions

SUSHI

The fireworks have been going off sporadically since Christmas Eve, but we expect to hear them quite often throughout the course of our sushi dinner tonight with Heidi.  We didn't really plan much else, since Dan and I have to work tomorrow morning.
We arranged the meal a few weeks ago, to be followed by a nap at home, then being woken up by the alarm a few minutes before the Big Moment to celebrate, if only for a short period of time.  It should be nice.
Also, Dan and I will be awake again during the East Coast New Year a few hours later...

RESOLUTIONS

I remembered posting a pretty accurate 'Resolutions' entry on my MySpace blog (June 26th, 2006 - June 5th, 2009, to include a few shipboard entries beginning May 22nd, 2005) a few years back, before permanently leaving the site over a year ago.  I actually logged onto my account to retrieve the entry and compare it to my goals for the upcoming year; of course, I ended up spending a few hours re-reading the numerous posts written by my younger self.

It was refreshing to go back in time and reawaken memories that had lain dormant for years:  I was amazed at the sheer honesty, emotion, and hope displayed in those old reflections, and instantly succumbed to the youthful voice of one contemplating life after college and the military: 

I've been thinking about what I want to do when I get out (again) and I'm really excited about moving away, like to the west coast.  But I also want to go North.  I was originally going to go to New York, but now I'm thinking....Washington?  Maybe.  Colorado?  Perhaps.  Arizona?  Too many Mexicans.
In April ('09) I'm taking a trip to Washington, to look around and see how I like it.  Maybe I can go to carpentry school and make shelves.  They have a very extensive logging community there.  The town I plan on visiting consists of just over three thousand people.  How many carpenters can there be in a place that small?  Hmmm....
- A Writer's Education/Life/Dreams/Hopes/Aspirations..., March 15, 2008 6:58PM


I was doing all the mathematical calculations and everything concerning my future earnings, aka "how much I'll need to earn in order to survive in the 'real' world", and holy cow!  My mortgage is like a big chunk of money!  But other than that, it's not too bad.  My car will be paid off two months after I am released (haha), and as long as I get a pretty decent job it should all be good.  I guess I can always use the money I'm saving on car payments to cover my gas bill.  And really, who needs health insurance?!?? 
- Just Tired (I Ramble)., June 6, 2008 4:05AM

THE END (UPDATE)

Last night Dan and I stayed up late hashing out the details for our Grand European Tour in March.  The date is rapidly approaching, but we still managed to find some pretty good deals, and will be making those arrangements very soon.