This morning we headed across the river to the town. There is a market on the weekends so we bought some lettuce, leeks, potatoes, green beans, green onions, gouda cheese, and bratwurst. We also bought a
small umbrella since it started to pour but by the time we paid for it and left the store the sun was shining. It is very strange to walk out of stores and see buildings that are older than the USA. We went into a very large church (the one whose steeple is across from our apartment). The organ was playing so we sat down to listen to it and to enjoy the magnificent place. We both commented on how Art would've thought he was in heaven. After a bit, a priest came through with a family with a baby in a baptism gown followed by other people. They entered a private room where we could hear them singing the doxology in English!I noticed several things today. Even when you can't understand the language, you can understand when people are quarreling and when they are head over heels in love. Tourists stand out because they carry plastic bags instead of fabric ones. You can pick the wealthy people out in a crowd even when you can't understand a thing they're saying. I do not like feeling illiterate. Essentially that's what I am since I cannot read the signs. I can understand the letters and occasionally I can figure out what part of it is but, in general, I walk around quite ignorant. I would be more ignorant in Asia where I couldn't even recognize letters but it certainly makes life more difficult. When you aren't used to understanding anything, it takes you awhile to realize when someone is speaking/singing English (especially with an accent.) We heard a band playing and I pretended to know the song and sang what I thought they were singing. (Which seemed like nonsense to me.) Once I sang that, Len said, "No, I think they're singing 'Georgie Porgie Pudding and Pie kissed the girls and made them cry.'" Sure enough, that was it. We laughed every time we heard them play that song. Also, when we were in the restaurant, all of the sudden I said, "I think this song is in English!" Sure enough, it was.
Today we saw a couple riding bikes. They had multiple saddlebags on the bikes and each was covered with a "raincoat" that was designed especially for that bag. The same was true of the stuff on their racks and in their baskets. I wondered how far they are traveling with just their bikes for transportation.
We were supposed to have dinner with the students tonight but of the 2 places we were going to choose from, neither could accommodate 17 people. We decided to make reservations for tomorrow and split up for tonight. Len and the boys and I returned to one of the places that had sent us away and there was room for all 17 of us. Go figure. In the States they would've just told us there'd be an X# minutes wait. Here, they suggested we try another place. Several of the students came in after us. Michael and I struggled with what to order even though they found a menu printed in English for us. He ended up getting a curry brat with fries. It was basically a footlong hotdog in a red sauce and sprinkled with curry. He ate all of it and now is eating a banana and cheese sandwich because he is still hungry. Both boys got coke and it came with no ice. Jake ordered a pasta with shrimp that he liked. Len got a pork something (breaded) and smothered with mushroom gravy along with fried potatoes. He liked his as well. I tried it and thought it was ok but I wouldn't order it again. Michael ate part of Len's meat that didn't have gravy on it. I ordered a meat loaf with fried potatoes and a fried egg. I asked her to significantly overcook the egg so it was very hard. I tried 2 bites of the egg but the texture did me in. It stuck to my teeth! I gave the egg to Len. The meatloaf was like fried spam. Not my favorite but edible except that the texture was rubbery. I ate it as quickly as I could and then enjoyed my potatoes. I wanted water but the water they brought me was carbonated (Len says it is mineral water) and was awful. I took a few sips to eat the salty meat and also took a few sips of Len's beer. When we got home I guzzled down a bottle of water. Len gave both of the boys sips of his dark beer but they didn't like it. He said he'd let them try a light beer later on. The students are allowed to have one alcoholic drink with dinner.
After supper the boy
s headed home and Len and I walked along the beer garden. We got ice cream cones for 70 cents each. They were very small but just the right size after dinner. Unfortunately, we couldn't read the names of the ice cream and the guy couldn't speak English. Len ordered mokka (and it was mocha!). I pointed out the only one with nuts. It was fruity tasting and I really didn't like it. Len said he's had it once before but couldn't think of what it was. He liked it as well as his (or so he said) so we traded. I really think he just felt sorry for me after not liking my meal very well either. (We took this picture for Mom DeJong. Notice the name of the boat!)If Europe's styles are ahead of ours and I have seen what is to come, we'd better run! I am mortified at how people dress over here. The best word I can use to describe it is tacky. I was hoping to find a necklace to go with the shirt I wore today but couldn't find anything even remotely like what I had in mind.
Tonight the people on the street were something else! Raunchy and Rowdy! There was a man walking around with a box around him. You could try to throw balls at his stomach and try to knock down tin cans that were sitting on a ledge of the box there. In the back of the box were several alcoholic drinks and the man's jeans pockets. When he turned sideways, you could see they were actually his pockets because he had big holes there in his pants. He wasn't wearing any undies so you got a view of his buns with writing on them. I think was glad I was illiterate then! People were dressed in all funny costumes and many of them carried little boxes in front of them. I don't know if they were selling stuff or not. They were quite loud and raucus. One group of women all had red and white necklaces (like Hawaiin leis) on and one had a tacky veil on. We wondered if it was a bachellorette party. In our restaurant, there was a bunch of guys with red and white striped pointy caps (like Santa hats or sleep caps) on. They were extremely loud and sang many songs and drank a ton of beer. We assume it was a bachelor party. I caught a few words of one song but wasn't sure I had heard correctly. However, judging from the look of the woman next to us's face (who had a young boy with her), I figured I had heard correctly. It was vulgarly describing female anatomy. They were so loud that we couldn't hear the music in the restaurant and before they came in we were complaining that the music was so loud. :-)
The boys and Len found another grocery store today and bought a cheese cutter for the cheese I bought. Later, Michael showed the students how to get there. When he returned, I decided to go to the first grocery store for salt since I didn't want to make potatoes without it. We ended up buying cookies, milk, dish cloths, eggs (which don't come in a dozen here, they're in tens. How metric of them!), yogurt (strawberry, orange, chocolate hazlenut, and hazlenut). We wished we had brought bags (they don't give you any) but we thought we were only buying salt! At least we had 3 of us to carry it home. To get to that store you have to walk through 2 "alleys" that have beautiful murals painted on the walls. Unfortunately, there is also graffiti and tagging everywhere. We noticed that both in Holland and in Germany.
We haven't played any of our games yet. We've either been too tired, too interested in what's going on, or felt like reading. Tomorrow the students have chosen a church to go to. That was one of their homework assignments.
Well, it's 11:15 here. Time for a Tylenol PM and to head to bed.
Good night, all!
Ann
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