Cologne, Germany - Day 10

Today was another great day! I'd chalk this one up as an awesome "Ghobad Family Day". I woke around 8:30, only to hit snooze and wake (officially) at 9:20 am. The idea was that Rita would be home a little after 9:00 am with some breakfast, so I set my alarm for 8:30 to try and be ready... when I woke @ 8:30, I realized that it required zero preparation and gladly fell back asleep for a while. :)

Around 9:20 I stumbled upstairs and joined Jonathan and Rita for some bread with various spreads. She also made some filtered coffee from a french press coffee container for us to enjoye. It was perfect! Oddly the French Press coffee reminds me of Russia. This was the last time I had seen or used a "french press"(ie. "frencheski press") coffee container, and in Russia I drank from this every single day. We sat around the table and laughed at Jonathan being silly, and then we got ready for a nice relaxing walk through the local forest.

The walk was great. It actually started to sprinkle a bit, but we didn't mind. Jonathan was very relaxed and didn't make a peep the entire time. Rita and I talked about all kinds of things and just enjoyed the nature around us. This morning (breakfast and the walk) was really the first time I'd ever spent one-on-one time with Rita. Typically we are surrounded by a herd of kids or other chaos. She and Dariush compliment each other very well. They are both so relaxed and genuinely great people.

Upon returning, Rita and Jonathan decided to take a little mid-day nap. This was a great time for me to change into some running clothes and try to get lost again. :) This time, I tried to stick to the nature trails as much as possible and avoid the city streets. There are so many forests around here, and they are all open to the public. This is very much unlike rural America. Most times, when you see woods in the states, they are somebody's property. Here they are open to the public, which (as a trail runner) I simply LOVE!

At one point, I realized I was lost (again). It was my goal, and I'd accomplished it. I tried to keep my bearings, but the further I went, the more I realized I wasn't quite sure where I was anymore. I eventually stopped and asked a lady how to get back to "Theilenbruch"... She said "Oh, wow... go maybe 1 kilometer this way then turn right, then left, then right". I tried repeating it to her and then she suggested to go until I wasn't sure and then ask somebody else. We shared some jokes and I was back on my way through the trails. So much fun!

My German Trail Run

When I returned, I took a quick shower and then Dariush came to pick me up so that we could pick up Nouchine from Kindergarten. In Germany, Kindergarten is the same as our "pre-school", whereas Pre-school is the same as our "Kindergarten". It's exactly backwards, but makes more sense in Germany than in the States if you ask me. "Kinder" means "child" and "garten" means "garden", therefore "kinder-garten" is a "child garden". Whereas "pre-school" is "before-school". Duh. America is wrong, Germany wins. :) All the way back home, Mila and Nouchine held a little conversation where I understood nothing but cuteness. At one point Dariush had me telling Mila that my name was also Nouchine (ie. "Ich bin Nouchine"). She wasn't buying it... :)

After dropping Nouching and Mila off back at Dariush's house, he and I headed to the grocery store (Aldi's) to pick up some food for a cook out. We got lots of stuff and brought it back to the house where we began to prepare for the evenings event. Dariush and I were in charge of the kids and the meat; Rita was in charge of everything else (the salad, the fries, preparing the table, drinks, plates, etc..). I had another pot of french-press coffee and a nice beer to assist me with entertaining the kids.

My job was very easy; I simply pushed Jonathan on the swing and jabbered with him, while Mila and Nouchine were making a "Baum Salat" (ie. "Tree Salad"). Basically they were picking tons of leaves off of a helpless tree in the back yard and were throwing them into a small wheel barrow full of water and sand. I was the "wassen-mann" (ie. water-man) who was in charge of the spigot. Every minute or so they would come up to me and jabber in "kinder-German" asking me to fill their water containers. How could anybody say no!? It was fun for everybody and the salad looked delicious. :)

Dariush was in charge of the grill and the food smelled amazing. I'm sure the neighbors would agree. He had a large array of different sausages, some chicken, some beef, and some pork. At the dinner table, we had amazing salad (no, not Tree Salad) with some feta, fresh bread, french fries, fresh cut vegetables, and this huge selection of different meats. We all had a great time and everybody ate enough to walk away miserably happy (the only way to cook out).

Best yet, we actually just beat the rain. As soon as dinner was finishing up, the skies let loose and it poured "buckets" for about 10-15 minutes.

Sometime after dinner, Mila's mom came to pick her up and she and Rita talked for quite a while in the foyer area with all the kids running around. Shortly there-after, Dariush and I picked up the house while Rita put Jonathan down for bed. Once all the kids had gone home / fallen asleep, Dariush and I put on our walking shoes and headed out for an evening stroll. He took me down his street to a nice little Italian Ice Cream parlor near his village. From there we took a back-road home past a beautiful cemetery and past some nice farm pastures before getting back into his village. I got to see what a quaint little German village actually looked like; small cars, narrow roads, quiet / friendly people living simple lives in simple houses. The walk took us about 20-30 minutes and it was exactly what we needed after a fun-filled day.

When we returned, Rita, Dariush, and I decided to sit down and watch the Pink Panther (the old one) with a small bag of chips, some chocolates, and a bottle of red wine. The movie was hilarious and I can't believe I'd never seen it. A few times, I thought we were going to wake the kids from laughing so hard. :) After the movie, I came down to my room and talked with the girls for about 20 minutes or so before going to bed.

Tomorrow, Dariush has taken the day off of work (so cool) and we're going to play "tourists" in downtown Cologne all day after dropping Nouchine off at "kindergarten".

Alarm is set for 8am... It's now 1am. Good night!

Cologne, Germany - Day 9

Today was another great day. Excuse the length of the post! I took a lot of pictures today, so just ignore the size of your scrollbar on the right... :)

Anyway, it started off rather slow actually. I slept in until about 11am after a solid nights sleep. My room was very quiet and very dark all night and all morning. I was actually quite surprised to learn that it was already 11am when I woke up. I've not had this much solitude in a long time, even at home.

Immediately, I put on my running clothes and headed out the door to see if I still remembered how to run. I haven't ran since the slow 4 miler with Volli a week ago. Needless-to-say, it felt great to get my legs moving again. Around mile 2 I realized I was lost and decided to turn around and retrace my steps. I actually ran outside the boundaries of Koln at some point...

These are the best runs most times; the ones where you just go out and discover a new place. I do it everywhere I travel to and it's one of the highlights of travelling for me believe it or not... I plan to do this again tomorrow and the next to try and run through some trails around here. There are actually quite a few nature trails in this area and I can't wait to see some of the German beauty off the beaten path.

When I returned, I took a quick shower and then joined Rita, Uda, and Nouchine for lunch. We had rice with meat and juice to drink. Afterwards we all sat around and enjoyed ice cream bars for dessert. By this time, it was a little after 1:30 and everybody in the house was going to lay down for a nap since they've all had a long day already. Since I'd slept the day away, I decided to take my train ticket and head into downtown Cologne by myself. I think Rita was a bit surprised, but I felt confident I could navigate the rail system by myself. Also, Dariush had found an extra cell phone (with some free minutes on it) that I was going to keep in my pocket in case I get really lost or something.

I left a little before 2:00 pm and was in downtown Cologne in about 20 - 30 minutes. I did a LOT of walking today. I actually got off the train a few exits early just so I could see some new sites and walk the streets of Cologne. Once I got near the Cathedral area, I saw that the city was alive and crawling with tourists and shoppers. I tried to blend in with my big peace sign tie dye t-shirt. Though, I'm sure I could be spotted from miles around. This shirt rocks! :)

The weather was beautiful, so all the shops had their front doors open for business and the sidewalk cafe's had their tables mostly filled. I stopped for a pastry and a coffee at a nice little cafe and sat out on the sidewalk for a while myself. After that, I hit a few souvenir shops and mostly just walked around soaking in the day. I had no schedule and nowhere to be, so I just turn down a street and followed it for a while to see where it would take me, then I'd turn down another street and see where it would take me, etc... Every now and then I'd pop into a souvenir shop and look around, but mostly just walked around outside and took lots of pictures of the area:

Around 4:30, Dariush had made it home from work and called to invite me back to the house for dinner with the family. I made my way back to the train station and took the "18 train" back to Theilenbruch (their village). The entire trip takes about 20 minutes once the train leaves the Kolner Dom train station. I just looked out the window at all the scenery the entire time. We went through big stations, under the streets, through tunnels, over the Rein River, and through lots of little villages all the way back. It was neat to see so much of Germany without any effort. I literally had my leg propped up on the seat in front of me with my chin in my hand while looking out the window the entire time. Others would get on at one stop and get off at the next stop, but I was there until the train stopped at it's final destination.

When I got back to their village, they all met me and we walked back to their house together. We actually walked through a small park and it was very peaceful. Nouchine was a ninja on her little bike. She's only 4 years old and rides her bike like pro. Jonathan was very quiet the entire time in his stroller; much like me on the train. :) We all talked about the day and I told them about everything I'd seen in Cologne. Dariush plans to take me to the top of the Cathedral sometime this week, and I'm very excited about that!

Before dinner started, I gave them all some gifts from the states, and it was so cute! Jonathan and Nouchine really opened up to me once I started handing out gifts. :D I sat and played with them in the living room while Dariush and Rita prepared dinner. It was so much fun to just hang out with two toddlers where none of us understood the other. Really, I loved it so much and was bummed when we had to actually get up for dinner. I think that Jonathan gave me every toy he owned, and Nouchine talked to me like I understood German like everybody else. :) From time to time I'd just say "Yaa, good" or "Ahh, Danka" with a smile. :) They were so cute!!

For dinner we had the Ghobad special of rice and meat again. It's actually quite delicious, and I was looking forward to it this time! This time with bread, salad, cheese and other meats. The grown ups had red wine as well. By this time Nouchine was very comfortable with me and actually wanted to sit by me. I felt honored! I sat between my two new friends: Jonathan on my left and Nouchine on my right. Dinner was delicious of course, and then it was time for my two new friends to get ready for bed. I read a few English books to them while Dariush and Rita cleaned up, and really enjoyed it. Jonathan jabbers a lot and gives me lots of toys to let me know that I'm "ok" in his book. :)

At one point, Nouchine and I were having a "conversation". This means that she would rattle off a bunch of German and laugh, at which point I would then laugh too. Somewhere in the middle of these stories, Dariush came in the room and I asked him what she was saying while she was in mid-sentence of story # 7... He politely interrupted her and asked that she tell him instead, and that he could translate it into English for me me. She looked at him and said (in German) "No, it's ok Daddy, I spoke very loud and clear!". :) Too funny!!

After the kids laid down for bed, Dariush and I headed to a local pub for some beers. This pub is about 3 or 4 buildings down from Dariush's house and was bustling with locals enjoying beer and football on the television. Dariush FORCED ;) me to try a special German dish called Curry Waurst, and let me tell you... Wow! Not to say that it beat Rita's Rice and Meat, but it was pretty darn good! The sauce should have come with a straw, but for health purposes, I'm glad they forgot it.

Once we were done there, we came back to the house and I was able to chat with Jennifer for a while, and then I wrote this post. Tomorrow, I get to do a few fun things and I'm anxious to post the pictures at the end of the day.

Stay tuned... Oh yeah, thanks for reading and commenting (on Facebook and in my comments). I mostly put this up here for my own journal to look back on and to let my family know what I'm experiencing in real time. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!

Cologne, Germany - Day 8

I'm in Cologne now. I woke up this morning around 9am, after only a few hours sleep. Last night I was able to chat with Jennifer for a while and then I packed my bags so that I didn't have to scurry around this morning and forget something.

Yiorgos woke me and we went down to his parents house so that I could say goodbye. I'm not sure when I'll see them again and I hate saying goodbye in those situations. Therefore, I gave Dimitra a big hug and shook Thenassis' hand real hard. Yiorgos translated our conversation and it boiled down to the fact that I have to come back with Jennifer and the girls soon. I really hope to and we'll give it a serious talking next time we are planning a family vacation!

Yiorgos and I left for Thessaloniki around 9:40am and had a great drive. It was neat to see northern Greece in the daytime. There were lots of very cool landscapes with mountainous villages next to the Mediterranean Sea. I snapped a few pictures and we talked the entire time. It's ironic that the day I arrived, it was overcast and raining. The day that I leave it's sunny and hot. The drive was simply beautiful!

When we arrived at the airport, Yiorgos helped me get checked in and saw that I made it to where I needed to go then we said our goodbyes. I thanked him for everything and he humbly said "Wheteva man, I did nothing". Whatever malaka! Have fun tonight around 10:30pm, once you're evening can begin! :) We'll be seeing each other very soon! Thanks for everything, you Malakasian (a Greek Malaka from Malakasa)! :)

I made it to my flight on time and actually caught myself dozing off on my flight to Vienna, Austria. The language around me had changed drastically. What was once fast paced gibberish (ie. Greek) had turned into a plane full of Hanz-n-Franz talk. I loved it! It was cool landing in Vienna too, because as we were landing I looked out the window and saw the typical Austrian villages scattered all over the country side. Unfortunately, my camera was in the overhead strorage area at the time... Vienna was a quick visit. I rushed through the airport and made my way onto the flight to Dusseldorf without any delay. The flight to Dusseldorf was crazy fast. It seemed like we were up and down in no time.

When I landed, I found Dariush waiting for me after baggage claim! I gave him a big man-hug and we began catching up immediately. First priority was to get some more euros. I was out and had a stack of US Dollars that were burning a hole in my pocket. The exchange rate was HORRIBLE, but... what can you do?...

The drive was simple and quick. It took about 1 hour for Dariush to zip through Dusseldorf and into Cologne. We caught each other up on what's been happening more during the drive and had many laughs. Honestly, it always feels like Dariush and I pick up right where we left off every time. It's amazing but true!

Dariush standing in front of a pub near his house.

The drive was very beautiful once we got off the highway. :) As we entered his village, I was just mesmerized by the fact that I was actually here. Similar to Greece, I've always wanted to visit Germany and it kind of hit me that I had made it finally. His little village kind of reminded me of Montevrain, the French village I ran through when I was in Paris a few years ago. However, the houses in this neighborhood were (of course) a bit more "German" style. Not sure if it was the rooftops or what... it's hard to explain. :P

When we arrived at Dariush's house, Rita, Nouchine, and Jonathan were just getting home on their bicycles. I can't believe how big (and cute) Nouchine has gotten, and it was great to meet Jonathan. He's 1 1/2 years old and full of personality; much like his zany father. :)

I took a quick shower and then we had a nice dinner of rice, chicken and vegetables, and red wine. Rita's mother, Uda, joined us for dinner and it was fun to talk with her. She speaks very little English and I speak absolutely no German, so we communicated with many hand signals and simple guessing of what the other actually said. :) From time to time Dariush and Rita would pass through the room and we would use them for translating simple sentences. Regardless, Uda and I had a great conversation (if that's what you want to call it).

After dinner, Rita made me a delicious cappuccino and we all discussed the plans for the week, taking Nouchine and Jonathans schedules into consideration. Rather than give it all away here, I'll update my blog each day with the details instead. :)

Before the sun completely fell, Dariush and I headed into downtown Cologne via the metro and had some German beers and then walked around the city a bit before heading back. I had no idea how beautiful Cologne was. I mean... Wow!! I'll be posting some amazing pictures on here throughout this week, so stay tuned...

Here is one picture to wet the whistle:

Cologne Cathedral at Night

Larissa, Greece - Day 7 (Last Day)

Today was my last (full) day in Larissa, Greece and boy was it a relaxing one. :)

I woke up around noon... yes, noon. When I woke up, I could smell the smoked lamb filling up Yiorgos' apartment. His parents live directly below him and it had been cooking all morning on the terrace. I yelled down to the lower deck and told Yiorgos I was awake and that I'd be down shortly.

When I arrived, everybody was just relaxing and enjoying family time. I started with a glass of Heineken and prepared myself for the feast ahead. Everybody mingled and the kids played while lots of family and friends came and left throughout the day. The lamb was cooking out on the terrace the whole time and it was looking and smelling delicious.

Yiorgos was in charge of the meat and he managed it like a rockstar; checking on it every 5 minutes or so.  There were 3 skewers, the top 2 was the actual meat of the lamb, and the bottom skewer was the insides of the lamb, wrapped in the intestines to hold in the juices. I tried some of the meat from the bottom skewer, but I wasn't to keen on the texture or the taste, so I filled my plate with meat from the top 2 skewers instead.

A few hours of relaxing and conversation went by and then we all sat around the table and enjoyed dinner together. My dinner consisted of lamb, tsadziki, greek salad, bread, and beer. Oh yeah, afterwards, I had an ice cream bar too. :) It was a festival of family, food, and fellowship. It was very similar to the Easter celebration that we do at home, but with a few custom traditions that differentiate it from ours. I felt very comfortable and relaxed the entire time. Yiorgos family really welcomed me with open arms and I enjoyed this day immensely. It's a day that I will never forget.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Around 5pm or so, Yiorgos and I came back upstairs to relax for a while before heading out for drinks with his friends later tonight. After drinking so much beer and consuming so much lamb, I was really fighting to keep my eyes open. I decided to lay down and take a quick power nap. I ended up sleeping for 2 full hours. :) I never take naps, but all this eating and relaxing must have been hard work. :)

When I woke up, we got ready to go out for drinks with Yiorgos' friends. We stopped and picked up Alexandra and headed to the coffee shop. We spent about 2 or 3 hours there and Thenassis met us around 10:30pm. After a while, we all headed down the street to a nice little bar where we met up with Thomas, "Michos", and Athena.

Thenassis, Yiorgos, Alexandra, Mitsos, Athena, Thomas, Me

We hung out there for about an hour or so and then decided to look for an all-night Gyro restaurant. Unfortunately we didn't find one, so we all went our separate ways. It was hard to say goodbye to everybody, knowing that I'd probably never see them again. However, we did offer our homes to each other the next time any of us visit the others home country. I told them that I'd make a place for them in my barn, next to the goats if they ever visit Ohio. :) Kidding aside, they will always have a nice warm futon in my basement whenever they come to Ohio, and I mean that.

Yiorgos' friends and family have been so hospitable and very kind to me. I'll never forget my week here in Greece. It really has been an amazing visit and I made so many great memories here. Thank you, everybody for an unforgettable week.

When we got back to Yiorgos house, Yiorgos and I were able to Skype with Jennifer and the girls one last time. They told us about their day and we had some good laughs back and forth.

Next stop is Cologne, Germany for a week with the Ghobad family, which I'm looking forward to very much. Not sure when I'll get another chance to post, but know that I'll be in good hands...

Oh yeah, a big shout out goes to Brother Farley on his big finish at the Forget the PR, Mohican 50K today. It was his first ultra and he rocked it!! Congrats Bro! :)