Stuttgart's Spring Festival

Hello all,

This past weekend was one to remember, sort of.. Myself and two other Rehhutte interns made our way to the Spring Festival in Stuttgart! This is annual tradition, much like the Octoberfest in Munich. However the difference is it's Spring and not in Munich.

We would depart for Stuttgart on Friday afternoon. Besides going to a festival this weekend, this was also my last week of actual work. Prior departing from work I had to unregister myself from the great city of Limburgerhof and close my european bank account. Around 4pm I was joined with all my co-workers for a farewell event. We had cake, all wished me well for the future, and then it was officially over.

As I left work, turning in my badge and all that other jazz I finally made my way to the bahnhof. I would hope on the train and meet the others in Stuttgart. The neat thing about this weekend, it was not going to be a touristy event. I was going to go place and meet people, and "do as the locals do." As a result we went to student pubs and had a good time Friday night.

Awaking on Saturday morning was not the best time I have ever had. Having gotten home at 3:30 am we were all feeling a little, dehydrated... We then ate some breakfast and drank some .... coffee?! After we were all ready we made our way to the festival. To give a comparison for those unsure about what this festival is, it is like a three week fair, three times the size, and HUGE beer tents. We made our way to the beer tents and did as everyone else, ordered a liter of cold German Beer. After a couple of beers, half a chicken, we decided to do a little dancing on the tables!!

Eight hours later we were all doing good, decided it was time to go and made our way back home. With my two liter mugs hidden from sight I managed to have some great memories and a neat gift to myself!!

Ready or not?

Greetings to all,

I would first like to say that I cannot believe that in under 14 days I will be landing in Chicago and returning to the Great Midwest!! It has been one great experience after another, and who could have guessed we would have another explode right in front of us, or a couple thousand miles away!

The purpose of this blog topic is to discuss the systematic problems made apparent because of the Icelandic Volcano dilemma. To be specific I thought I would start with a little history. This volcano in question has erupted three previous occasions. The first being in 920. Now I don't remember the 920's but the last eruption was in 1821. This particular eruption last a mere 13 months in to Jan. of 1823. When this occurred it set of the 'Angry Sister' which is even more dangerous.

The biggest concern that I have now is, "How the hell am I, along with other, going to get back to the States?" Now I understand that the concept of volcanic ash is relatively new to the EU given is ten year existence, but I would have thought that someone in some geological association would have thought to mention this was a possibility. I understand that not many would have seen a glacier eruption shutting down many European airlines, but this is not different than any other disaster. All it would have taken is to have a plan in place that states what to do if... This if could be a major flood, tsunami, earthquake, etc.

Now I do not doubt that EU officials are working 9-5 to fix this problem, but lets face it, the world is to politically controlled to provide disaster relief. Look at Katrina, how many days did it take to get water and supplies to the victims? How many different earthquakes we have seen, landslides, and the list goes on. I am not saying that each disaster is the same, but there should be at least some plan in place to get the ball rolling. It should not take three days for the administration to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the situation and possible solutions. These steps should have been taken years earlier not on the day of!!

My real concern is the world has become entrapped in to much "Red Tape." It is ridiculous at the amount of time that passes before any actions are taken. I understand the pressures and everything that go along with these decisions, but don't you think they could have eliminated most obstacles by having an emergency plan. I fear that this lack of readiness is becoming more and more apparent. With politicians, most not all, worrying about their next election and what will happen to them if they do not vote the right way is really becoming a major concern with many people.

A lesson that needs to be learned from this natural disaster is that governments covered with Red Tape are not serving the best interests of the people, but the interests of the people inside the building. It is time for the governments of this world to put aside party ideals and work for the "Greater Cause." It is time to develop plans to fix the current problems instead of financing problems for future generations.

In closing, the people of Iceland, Euro travelers, and others are suffering billions each day while the administrations TALK about what to do, instead of enacting a plan to fix the problem. I understand things change and shit happens, but volcanos erupt every year. It is time for our governments to step up and do what they are established to do and take care of the people that created them!!! Hopefully this disaster will be resolved quickly with out much more loss, but its hard to say.

Until next time...

Venice Italy. Ohh and that special girl that came with me!!

I know I should try and update my blog a little more frequent and not all at once, but I just get so busy in Limburgerhof!!

After my trip to Berlin, I was blessed with a short work week due to Easter! Anyway for this four day weekend I got to plan a big trip and go a little farther away than usual, VENICE!!! Not only did I get to go to Italy, but I got to be blessed with a royal presence, the 2006 State Fair Queen!!! Now she may be few years retired now, but her grace made the Italians bow as she graced them with her presence. Ok well maybe that really didn't happen, but I did get to spend an amazing 6 days with my beautiful gf, Heather Miller!!!

As she landed in Frankfurt, DE I met her after being apart for over 3 months and it was one of the best moments in the trip! Being with people love always makes a great start to any trip, foreign o domestic. After she landed we loaded up on a bus to board our plane in Hahn Germany. After we left Hahn we landed near Venice just about a hour later. We then made our way to another bus and ended up in Venice City Center. To get to our hotel on Lido di Veniza we had to take the infamous water taxis that Venice is so well known for.

We finally made it to our hotel unpacked and then decided that it was time to eat. We found a place to eat on the beach of Lido facing the sea, and got to indulge in some amazing Italian cuisine. A bottle and a half of wine later we made our way back to the hotel, at this point Heather had not slept in about 36 hrs.

The next day we slept till about 11am and then hit the sites. Our first destination was the St. Marc Square. In the square we sat down and enjoyed the sunshine, vino, and some much needed food!! Throughout the rest of the day we would ride up and down the Grand Canal seeing the sites, taking in the culture and just love being with each other :)!! Awww, i know right so adorable!

7 hrs into our excursion we, and by that I mean me, decided it was time for a nap. We again took the water taxi to Lido and my tired companion crashed for about a two hour nap, at which she didn't think she was tired. After waking up we made our way back to the main island for dinner.

As we searched the square for a place to eat we decided to make our way down the canal to eat dinner. While eating dinner Heather and I we trying to decide on what to do, Gondola ride or a play about Venice. Needless to say, we decided to take a boat ride. After dinner and a successful bargaining by my ever so savvy self, we talked the boat master down 30 Euros!!!! I was way excited at this point, and no I am not going to mention the starting price! During our ride through the canals of Venice the city seemed so quiet. It almost seemed like we were the only people on water. Our boat ride saw many sites including the 007 building, post office, female jail, Marco Polos home, a big church, and few other odds and ends about venice. Now I will be the first to admit I did not think there was anything really cool about the Gondolas, but it is a must for anyone going to Venice!! It was probably the best way to see the city and is definitely the most romantic!!

The second day in Venice would include a trip to the island of Murono. Murono is an island known for its blow glass. Here they make some of the most amazing glass things you have ever seen. Not only do they sell it but they will also open their factories up for tourists to view them actually making the glass objects. Spending most of the day and consuming a bottle of vino by 1pm we decided it was time to make our way back. We headed to the square of St. Marc and found us the one and only Hard Rock Cafe. We did not stay long, but is always nice to feel the American influence when you have been overseas for a few months.

Our last dinner and night would be spent a long the quite inner canals of Venice at a small resturante. We would then eat our last Italian meal and make our way back through the square to get on a taxi and head to our hotel. To get back to the bus, we were able to ride the water taxi all the way up the Grand Canal to say good bye to Venice!

One of the coolest things about venice is the fact it is built on a hundred different islands. When first looking at the city it seems as though they just placed large building in the water. You never really see the islands and it really makes the city that much more remarkable. Another interesting fact is that the city is expected to sink by 2030 unless something is done. If you would like to know more about how they are saving the city, Youtube "MOSES PROJECT" and this will describe their plans.

Upon returning to Limburgerhof I got to experience Heather's masterful skill on a bike, her need for 20 pounds of gummy bears, and would get to spend another 2 and a half days with my lovely girlfriend. Oh and how could I forget on Easter Sunday we both got to feel apart of the family when we Skyped both sides of my family and her parents! It seems to me we could have stayed in Venice and still made the Easter party, but with skype you can never miss another family gathering!!

Well until next time.

East Meets West! (Berlin)

Since it has been almost a month since I last updated everyone on my latest expeditions, I thought I would take some time and do so now.

A recent trip at the end of March took me to Berlin Germany. I left early on the 27th of March and was planning on being in Berlin for most of the weekend, returning on late Sunday night.

During my time in Berlin I had a weird feeling. For those of you who are aware of some WWII history you know that it was bombed during the war. Later the city was the first and really only to separate itself apart with a human made wall.

When walking through the sites I got to see monument that welcomed people and some that still showed the affects of the war and separation. The first site I saw was their parliment house. Here housed one of the best places to get a 'bird's eye' view of Berlin. However, I didn't want to wait in line for 3 hrs so I decided to keep walking. The next few sites I got to see included the Berlin Dome Cathedral, TV tower, many churches, Berlin University, German and French Churches and museums on "Museum Island." As I continued to walk around I came to probably one of the best and most "interesting" places in Berlin, "The Berlin Wall."

Now I understand that we all know that the Berlin wall separated many friends and families for many years. We have all seen pictures of the wall, and know how bad it was. The biggest thing that I felt when I finally saw it was a strange eire feeling. Reading about the wall in history books gives you the facts about it, but being there seeing what is written, what it stood for, and all that pain and suffering that it brought to so many, is just a feeling you can only get when you are there seeing it in person.

When mixing the feelings from the wall and the bombings, Berlin made for a very interesting city. Seeing that there is only one place that you could pass between East and West Berlin (Checkpoint Charlie) really makes you appreciate all we have in our great country. Having seen the buildings that still showed signs of a bombing really makes the WWII seem more real. Also one thing that I did not mention is that where the wall stood they left pavers marking it all the way around the city. It would be marked with the name of the city section and years on it, but again it made the events of the Berlin Wall even more real.

Berlin was a great city and I would love to return to see all of its amazing sites. However, on my first visit I was overwhelmed by the feelings created by the markings on the buildings and the remnants of the Wall. These put together leaves you understanding the suffering that went on in Germany for so many years, and makes you really appreciate everything we have at home, no matter how crazy things get.

Overall Berlin was a short and sweet trip, that definitely left an impression upon me and I plan to return someday to take in more than just the wall.

Alicante Spain

Hello everyone, again. Sorry that I have been posting quite a lot lately, but just felt like I needed to inform everyone before I forget all of the details.

This last weekend, March 12th-14th, I went on an adventure to Spain. And this was not just anywhere in Spain, but Alicante! For geographically uninformed people like myself, it is in Southern Spain right on the Mediterranean Sea! This trip was taken for really three reasons. One being that I was tired of being cold and in cloudy Germany. Two I hadn't seen SAA friends in over three months, and was going through withdraw. Third, it was Brittany's birthday!!!!! When a friend turns 21 you have to go out with them, but when there are in another country turning 21, then it is a absolute must; plus it was on a beach so i made an exception, lol.

My trip started on Friday the 12th. I was the fortunate one in my office because I was able to leave early and avoid staying for the entire departmental meeting, but I think it was over when I left. As I made my way to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport I got to experience a different part of Germany, the western country side. To get to Hahn you have to take a bus, and this can be enjoying because you can see some more part of the country. However, the bad part of my trip was the fact it was 0 degrees C and was spitting rain and snow. As you can imagine I was more than ready to get to Spain and enjoy the sun, beach, and a little time with some good friends.

After arriving in Spain 30 mins ahead of schedule, I made my way to meet up with Brittany and Laura. We met at the bus stop, headed to the hostel, and then proceeded to start the reunion celebration off right. One lesson that I learned in Spain is that you don't mess with a 250 pound, red headed drunk female. To elaborate further, this particular red head about 'threw down' with Brittany within the first few minuets of meeting all of Laura's friends. The way it started is Brittany decided to borrow a plastic cup for her wine, needless to say they didn't really appreciate it. After putting the cup back, the angry red head came chasing Brittany and nearly started a good old fashion brawl. Luckily Brittany escaped with only the memory of the angry red head haunting her dreams for the next few days!!

Upon awaking on Saturday after nearly being up for 24 hrs, we decided it would be good to go and meet up with Laura. We met up with Laura and headed to a local market near the university in Alicante. This market was neat for the reason it had everything. When I say it had everything, I mean literally everything. They had everything from fruit, shoes, clothes, underwear, and much more. After tights, white linen pants, and some strawberries we decided that we had experienced the market to its fullest and headed for the castle.

Now someday I might actually remember the names of some of the places I saw, but you never know. Regardless, there is a mountain in the middle of Alicante which plays host to an enormous castle. After hiking our way to the top, we were a little worn out. Our exhaustion was soon forgotten. The view from atop this castle was just amazing. I have pictures of what I saw, but they just don't do it justice. It always amazes me of all the magnificent view that I have seen in my time in Europe. These views can be seen in pictures, but the true beauty is never really known until you can experience it first hand.

After tromping up and down the mountain, TWICE, we finally headed for lunch. At lunch the group introduced me to my first real Spanish dishes. We stopped at a local place that did what I would consider an afternoon lunch special. This would include everything, but the best part of this was that it included four courses, bread, and drinks!!! The food was simply amazing, much like all the food I have had when traveling. Lunch was now over and we headed to the beach for a nice relaxing time.

While on the beach we sat, talked, play volleyball, drank some wine, watched a memorial service, and even had the chance to workout. On the beach they had some workout machines and of course we had to check them out. After a while everyone parted ways until dinner and went on to do their own thing.

Around 11:30pm we headed to meet everyone for dinner. We got to the local diner and ordered us some drinks and ate. At this particular location the main event was about to occur. Brittany finally turned 21!!!!! As a typical American tradition she got to take her first legal shot!! After celebrating a little while longer, we decided it was time to hit the town. Now typical Spanish night life is like nothing I have ever experienced. They don't go out until 12-1 am and don't quit until about 6-7am. For someone who is used to getting up at 7am to work, this was a lot like jet lag. However, I managed to make it through an eventful night, and probably some of the most fun that I have had since being in Europe.

Upon waking at 12pm on Sunday, time was running out for enjoying the sun. As I left the hostel I walked around the main strip and got to do some really good people watching and take in all the beauty of the beach, sun, and the sea. The last few hours in Spain were spent on the beach enjoying good friends, food, and an unbelievable view. At 4pm I had to leave new and old friends with some great memories. I was a little sad, not only about leaving friends, but the fact that it was about 30 degrees colder in Germany than where I was currently. Upon arriving back to Limburgerhof, I had the nice surprise of finding out that my bike seat had been stolen, who knew there was such a black market. Anyway that minor negative was not near enough to dampen the highs from an amazing weekend

Until next time

EU: Amflora Approval

For those who just joined us, I am doing an internship with BASF Plant Sciences. Recently there has been an increased buzz running through our campus here in Germany. It was a couple of weeks now, but the European Union has finally made a break through on genetically modified plants. The EU Commission approved Amflora!

Amflora is a potato that produces only the amylopectin starch required for industrial starch use. Conventional potatoes contain amylose and amylopectin starch and separating them is very uneconomical. See the wiki page for more information or google it!

Anyways I felt I should share this information because the people I work with are the project managers who have worked to get approval after 13 years!! Seeing their product be approved and begin preparations for market introduction has been really a great experience.

This is a big step in the agriculture world. With the acceptance of GM products evolving in Europe show positive signs for many years to come. It also means that this is a trait that is not owned by Monsanto. With this increase competition, agriculture could be looking for some major changes in years to come and that is something to be excited about!!

Trip with the parents Part II

When we arrived in Torino Italy, we as most of the trip were completely lost! However, with mom's amazing skill of reading a map she was able to find us a place to stay, and we dropped off our luggage and headed to the street.

After asking the front desk where to go, we headed off. The first thing we did was wonder around till we found a pizza joint. Now when going to Italy I was probably more concerned about eating the food than actually walking around. We finally found place to eat some pizza, and we got to watch mom chug a beer, lol. For those of you who know my mom, well... enough said haha.

After we all three scarfed an entire 25 cm pizza, we started walking around. As we walked we saw some pretty neat churches and buildings through Torino. The way this city was laid out was interesting. It seemed as if they built it up with space between the buildings, and urbanization hit and caused the city to become one huge structure. Walking around you would find a church here, a museum there, an old palace or barracks in the middle of town, and then out of now where you would run into a giant courtyard. The size of some of these buildings was just amazing, not to mention the train stations. After walking around window shopping and getting some drinks we headed back to the hotel to relax before dinner. As we walked towards dinner, I was stilled amazed at the buildings we would see. As we stopped for dinner, the food was everything I could have imagined. I had a plate of spaghetti that was to die for! not to mention the wine that was cheap and absolutely delicious. After dinner we headed back to the hotel, where we all crashed.

After sleeping in, we all got up and headed to breakfast and planned our next journey. We decided that we would stay in Italy for another day, but instead of Torino, we headed to Milan. Milan, for those who are unaware, is one of the fashion capitals of the world! Upon arriving in Milan, we again had no idea of where we were going to stay, but didn't matter it just made the trip a little more interesting! AFter finding a place to sleep, we encountered a concierge that was great. He told us where to eat, shop, sites, and even told us about the Soccer match that was in town. Milan was playing host to the Inter vs. Chelsea game, and everyone was excited. As we walked through the streets we would constantly hear people start chanting for their team and occasionally we would hear an argument between fans.

The places we saw during our stay were: a really big church built in the 14th century or even sooner than that, the church that housed the "Last Supper" painting, but unfortunately they were sold out for the day when we got there. After seeing a few major sites, we headed to the shopping district. I have never seen so many stores for so many blocks. It was just amazing the number of stores that the streets had. I mean there was absolutely no empty buildings! Now the stores were nice, but the cars parked outside of them was even more amazing. After stopping in a few of the stores, we headed for dinner and then would call it a night!

Our next adventure would take us to Zurich. As we boarded the train, we all were tired enough to just crash almost instantly! On the trip to Zurich we got see some of the most beautiful sites we could have wanted too. The Swiss Alps were just amazing and words can't really describe what we saw, so just look at the pics on facebook.

Once we arrived at our hotel in Zurich, we started to wander around the city again looking at the shops and some of the little restraunts in the old parts of town. We then made our way to Lake Zurich, and again the view was just unbelieveable! After gazing over the lake for awhile, we headed back to the 'magnificant mile', or what is a really expensive part of town. Here we got see the infamous Swiss watches. Just a random fact, there is actually a law that governs the quality and branding of the "Swiss Watches". If you have some free time, Google it and its pretty interesting. Some of these watches that we saw were in the range from $100 Swiss Francs to about $50,000 Francs, no joke! The part that really got me was the $11,000 cell phone, I like expensive phones, but that is as much as a nice used car, or a down payment on some persons home.

Much like most people I am a sucker for fashion, or at least I like to spoil myself every now and then. What I am getting at is that I broke down and bought me an original Swiss watch. The neat part about some of these watches is the years of business the watch company had been in business. There were some that had been around since the 1700's! Mine is only from 1888, but still I felt like a true Swiss for a little bit, or maybe it is an ignorant tourist, but ohh well.

When we awoke the next morning, we headed to the train station to begin our journey home. Mom and dad were going to be leaving at 2pm, and we were still four hours from Frankfurt. As they dropped me off in Mannheim we said our good byes, and they were off.

I just want to say thanks to both my parents. I know that our trip was probably more expensive than any of us could have imagined, but then again I am priceless, lol! I just want to say thanks for coming to see me and the memories that will last forever. It means the world to me when you fly almost half way around the world to see me for a couple of days. Again thanks for everything, because if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't be doing what I am or be the person I am today. Thanks for the great memories, and I love you both!!

Trip with the parents

As you may have guessed from the title, my parents have recently just visited me in Germany. They arrived on the 20th of February and left on the 26th. Throughout our time together we decided to do a little bit of traveling, or actually we traveled a lot, approximately 2400 km.. I think. This may seem like a lot except when the train is going 300 km/hr it doesn't take long to get from place to place.

Our first stop was Mannheim Germany. Not to far from the Frankfurt Airpot, but was an easy location for us to decide where we wanted to go from there. During our time in Mannheim mom and I walked around and looked at the city, figured out the plans, and scouted a place for dinner. All the while dad was trying to get some sleep, and that is also why we stayed in Mannheim the first night was to allow them rest since they had traveled the entire day before.

After we left Mannheim we headed over to Paris, France. So our journey started at 9:30am on Sunday as we embarked on a very unplanned vacation. Upon arriving in Paris, by train, we tried to figure out where our hotel was. Believe it or not none of us had ever been to Paris, and there were no free maps to be found. So instead of wasting time trying to Google map our way and walk and further waste time; ohh wait we did do that. So after a few minutes passed we finally, by we I mean dad, decided to hail a cab. He took us to our hotel, where we couldn't check in until 3pm, dropped off our luggage and head for the cites. Now the easiest way to get around Pairs is the metro system, and that is exactly what we did for the next couple of days. Our first stop was Notre Dame. Holy Cow!! This church was enormous!! The shear size and and detail work on this historic place was just unbelievable and is definitely a must see when in Paris. After losing mom countless times in Notre Dame we decided it was time to make her more visible; therefore, she bought a hat with the say "Paris" on it. As if we didn't look like tourists before we sure did now!!

After touring Notre Dame we decided that it was time have a snack before we saw anymore. We stopped over at a small cafe right next to the church and had Crepes!! These are the sugariest pancake things you could ever imagine, especially if you get carmel and whip cream on them. After we could all barely move from the overdose of sugar, we headed off to the see the Arch of Triumph. The Arc is probably a very central point in the city, and was built to honor the Triumphs of Napolean. While standing at the base of this enormous landmark, off in the distance was the Eiffel Tower.

After the Arch we headed towards the tower. Now before getting to this Eiffel Tower I knew that it was a large structure, but little did I know just HOW LARGE it really is. This tower is just huge!! Words really don't describe it until you are standing at the bottom of it and looking up at. As we walked around for a bit we contemplated the idea of having dinner at the top, but decided we would just go up and have a look around. We then hopped in line and waited for around an hour to go up, and then spent about an hour or so having a look around Paris from one of the highest points in the city! The really cool part about going to the top of the tower was being up there at night. At night you could see all the main sites lit up and you could really see just how big of a city Paris really is!

As we end dinner and head back to the hotel, we were wondering if leaving our luggage in the front lobby of the hotel was actually a good idea. Luckily all the bags were accounted for upon our return to the hotel, if that is what you would call it. The first problem was our room was on the fifth floor and the elevator was barely big enough for the bags let alone three people. When getting to the room I opened the door and first noticed the camo wallpaper, flower curtains and plaid bed spread and the fact there was just a full bed for three people, not good. Luckily the hotel/hostel had an extra room that the odd third wheel could sleep in; that was me if you didn't catch that.

Upon awaking for day two in Paris I was room less and we had no plans for the rest of the trip and it was only Monday morning. Once we all got ready to go for the day we decided to figure out our plans for Tuesday, or at least figure out where were going to sleep. So after having mom run up pack everything up, checking out once with no refund, and then about to leave and googleing hotels near by, the hostess suggested switching us to a three person room. Wow that would have been really nice to know before we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off.

On to site seeing. Our first stop on Monday was the Louvre. Now when I got the Louvre I had heard that it is big and that there is no way you could even see half of the place in a day, but much like I was with the Eiffel Tower, this was the biggest museum I have ever seen!! Once I thought I found the end of it, and was wrong because it just kept going even further!!! After getting over the size of the building we had lunch and started in looking for just a few of the main attractions. We stopped and saw the Mona Lisa, Venius statue, and few other really large and famous painted, sculpted things. After we saw a tiny part of the Louvre we then set off to see some other places.

The first place we went after the Louvre was some really big church over looking the city and then after we went up and down the giant hill we stopped for a drink at a local place we thought would have wireless, but it was broken. The next thing we did was head towards the infamous Moulin Rouge. Then later that night we went and saw the show at Moulin Rouge. After the show we made our way back to the hotel, and then next we would be headed for Italy!!

Becoming Domestic

I apologize for the massive blog posts all at once, but I am afraid after this next week I will have even more to write about.

I just wanted to take a minute and explain how living on your own can result in many domesticating experiences. Since I have been in Germany I have done many things that I would have not typically done or ever really wished to do. As you read early today I slept in a train station, I have done my own laundry, cooked, bought groceries, and cleaned all without my mother telling me too!! Not only have I been able to accomplish these everyday survival tasks, but I have recently had a really domestic moment.

In Rehutte I live with 3 female Germans and one kid from Illinois. Well come to find out these women like to have parties, and not just any kind of party but something most men would not attend. That is right I am talking about a Tupperware party!!!! As of 2/16 I officially attended my first and last tupperware party.

When coming to Europe I had people telling me that I would have the time of my life and experience many things, and they were right. For you future foreign travelers, don't be afraid to try everything, and I do mean everything. Even if it is a tupperware party or going to a local festival, it will be something to remember for a long time to come.

Now and update of future blog posts:

Gerald and Jayme (aka mom and farmer of the year dad) will be joining me from the 20th through the 26th! I am not going to spill the details of our trip to keep up the suspense, but they should be entertaining as my jet lagged parents track across Europe! If you care to see pictures from my trips they are loaded on my Facebook Profile.

Until next time...

Carnival: Mainz Germany

After returning from Austria I thought there would be no trip that could top it. However, I soon realized that every trip in Europe is special. In Europe you can't compare place, events, or traditions. Yes some times will be better than others, but all will leave different, lasting impressions on you.

To start this story I feel everyone should have some knowledge of the event that I am going to. So to make your life easy I have included the link to the Carnival Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival. This is a pretty good summary of what I saw on my way to Austria and what I would experience on Monday the 15th.

Upon arriving at the Limburgerhof train station I met up with Stephen Bux. He is an intern with BASF as well. We met and soon knew we were in for a long day of partying. Before we even got to Mainz we saw people wearing ridiculous costumes, singing, dancing, drinking, and carrying on.

The train ride to Mainz was standing room only and took about an hour or so. There we got to hear more singing and people just plain having a great time! After we arrived at the train station in Mainz we were engulfed in the festivities! The train station was packed and there were people and police everywhere! To best describe this event was a mix between Halloween and St. Patrick's Day.

Now Stephen and I did not just go to Mainz without a plan, in fact we had planned on meeting some locals. There is a program called "couch surfing" that millions of people take part in. The group consists of people in many different locations that will host travelers when they are visiting cities. So we met up with Nora and hung out with her and her friends for the day. We went down to the parade and go even more immersed in this new cultural experience. The parade is know as "The Parade of Roses," see the wiki page for more detail. This parade consisted of thing like floats, rotary clubs, bands, and many others things. The outfits were both traditional and some were entertaining. Overall this parade was both festive and long, about 5 hours.

After having been at Mainz for near 7 hours, Stephen and I were ready to go home! As we boarded the train, it was again standing room only! The train ride home took about 45 mins longer than it did to get there. Again we met some new people from Germany ages ranging from 16 to about 27. Finally we arrived back safely in Limburgerhof and made our way home before passing out at 8pm and getting some much needed rest before work the next day. Overall our first Carnival experience was one to be remembered!!

Innsbruck Austria

I am sorry that it has been a few days since my last blog, but I have been a little preoccupied traveling around Europe. Please forgive me!

Any this will be the first of about three blog posts I will try to have done by the end of the week or tonight which I feel I can get done.

My first trip was to Innsbruck Austria, if you don't know just type it in to google and you will find it. In Innsbruck I met up with friend Luke Sullivan to go snow skiing in the Alps for a few days! However this trip was both the best yet, but at the same time seemed to have the worst of luck! Don't worry I will inform you about being on the mountains, but first we have to start at the beginning of this memorable trip!

On Thursday 2/11 I went to work like most days excited about the trip that lay ahead of me that weekend. I left work around 5:30pm with a slight bounce in my step since I would soon be on a train headed to the Alps!! As I packed to get ready to leave I was getting even more nervous, so I decided to leave early. Well given my anxious nature I arrived at the train station almost 40 minutes before I even needed to get there, but at least I knew I would not miss it.

Just to keep you up to date, Thursday the 11th was the first day of Carnival, which is a celebration leading up to Lent. So when I was waiting on the train I saw everything possible. There were people wearing things I didn't know you wore when it was around 25 degrees F. After being entertained by the costumes I boarded the train which was standing room only! After about an hour and a half the train finally cleared and we got to sit the rest of the way to Munich.

When I arriving in Munich I stepped off the train and headed to my sleeper train that would eventually take me to Austria. Well, I got to the right platform and guess what, the train wasn't there. So I went and checked on its status, and as luck would have it the train didn't come until 6:38am, it was only 12:45am!!!!! So I went to the nearest warm place, Burger King, and stayed there for about 2 hours, and slept for about an hour before they kicked me out. As I left and wondered the city in the cold and dark I was starting to really appreciate a warm place to sleep. I finally made it back to the train station after hanging out in an ATM terminal to stay warm, and then slept on the benches at the station until about 5am. Then I went to the coffee shop warmed up, ate some food and then finally 6:30am came and it was time to load the train. As you can imagine within minutes of giving the conductor my ticket I was asleep for two straight hours.

When waking up after my short nap I was in Austria. Now for those of you who have seen the Rockies, take that times about 10 and then you almost compare to the Alps. To this day I still can't get over the view. After the bad luck I had encountered with traveling the sight of the mountains was well worth everything it took to get here. Finally I arrive in Austria, get to the hotel and check in. I then spent a couple of hours looking for the ski rental shop and lift ticket office before meeting Luke, or at least I thought. Much like me, Luke mis read his ticket and came at 1:30pm and not 11:30am. Oopppss! Word to the novice travelers out there, read your ticket carefully before leaving the warmth of your home!

After we both finally arrived, we got out skis, and got some food to eat. We then walked around a little bit, checked out what times the bus left for the mountains and then by 8pm we both crashed!

Finally we made it to the main event, ski day! I had not been skiing in nearly four years so when I woke on Saturday the 13th I was beyond excited!! We decided to go to the Glacier/Stubaier resort. This was the biggest and highest ski runs in Innsbruck. When we got to the top it was amazing! You could see mountains for miles and nothing but clear blue skies and sun all day long!!! As we made our first few runs, we were a little rusty and overwhelmed, but we got our sea legs and so decided to get a little more brave. After a good 5 hours, we stopped ate lunch and rested. We were then coming close to the end of the first ski day and headed back to the bottom of the mountain to head back to town. As we left the mountain the we were both just exhausted, but the beauty of the mountains was still fresh in our minds.

As we got back to the hotel we rested and watched a little bit of the Olympics, which were in Innsbruck in '64 and '76 for some of you that remember. About 8pm we headed out on the town and went to the "Old Town" to eat some authentic Austrian food. After dinner we made our way back to the hotel to rest up for the next day of skiing and more train travel!!

On Sunday we were faced with a problem, the distance to some of the ski lifts. So Luke and I decided that we would just stay close, little did we know we were in for a real treat. Once we arrived at the first lift we were a little disappointed. On Saturday we had near perfect weather all day, and Sunday just seemed to be cloudy, cold, and just a little depressing. As we loaded the lift and started our assent we were so shocked. We rode up to about 500o feet and that gloomy day was no more. When reached that point we came out of the clouds and much like the day before we could see nothing but clear skies and mountains for miles!! Now the day before had some pretty amazing views, but nothing compared to the sites on Sunday! The skiing was good, but the shear beauty of being on top of the mountain seemed to be the highlight of our day.

As usual the time to leave was upon us, and Luke and I made our way back down to the hotel and then made our way to the train station. We parted ways about 2:30pm on Sunday the 14th and would leave Austria having seen some of the best mountains in the world, having experienced the best snow skiing in the Alps, and memories that would last a life time!!

Another Week

Hey everyone!

I don't really have anything new and exciting to share this, but thought I would just right and kind of detail what you might be able to expect in the coming month.

In the coming month I plan to do a bit of traveling around the countries of Europe. My first trip will be to Innsbruck Austria. Here I will be meeting up with a friend from U of I and go skiing for a few days in the Alps!! After that I plan to attend a cultural event the following Monday (2/15/10) called Carneval, I probably spelled that wrong.

After that I will probably take another short trip around Germany, and then mom and dad arrive. With them I plan to travel about 7 of nine days hoping to see more of Germany, France, and possibly London if I get the chance.

After Ma and Pa return home I will be partaking in an American tradition. This tradition is more of a coming of age sort of ritual, or just another night in which a good friend turns 21. Except the difference is we won't be in the freezing tundra of Illinois we will be in Alicante Spain right next to the Mediterranean Sea!!! Beaches here I come!!

Well that is a brief synopsis of the adventures I will be having in the next month!! Don't worry I will be updating this after each one and trying to post pictures, so all of you in Illinois can get excited for Spring or maybe even Summer!!

Until next time!

Oh wait.. Please spread the word about the blog, if we reach an undetermined number of followers something really cool will happen with this blog, but you won't know till we reach that number so please spread the good word!

One down three to go!

As I sit here on this sunny Sunday, I realize that I have been abroad for a month already!! Now it is hard to believe this fact because it seems just like yesterday I was worrying about getting my luggage weights right, not forgetting anything important, and then hoping that I wouldn't have any trouble at the airport.

Now I would like to reflect on some of the things that I have done since I have been here.

First I want to talk about work. Since starting work I have been able to experience many different things. The biggest thing is working in an office building. For those of you that don't know me, I come from a farm in rural Illinois, and as you can imagine office work isn't typical. Working in an office has been definitely an experience all for the best. My favorite part is working with my boss and Andreas. These two guys make my day enjoyable. While they have a lot going on they still find time to make jokes, poke fun at things happening in the news, and occasionally find some work for me to do. Not only do they help me during work, but they also are able to help me plan some of my weekend trips; where is should go, what I should see there and so on. While working in an office is definitely different, it has been a positive experience thus far.

Secondly is the living situation. Where I live is really close to the BASF location, and not to far from town. As I mentioned in my last post I hate to grocery shop! Anyway things are changing here. Today marks the third day of sun since I have arrived. (we are in a valley and it seems to be hazy and dreary during the winter months) Also this week we lost a member of the Rehutte gang. His internship has ended and he has left BASF. On his last night here we all stayed told stories, made pizza, drank some.... water, and played some good ole' card games. While he will be missed we will be getting at least two or three new interns during my stay.

Third, traveling is one of the best things to do in Europe. I mean Illinois has some sights, but you can only go to Chicago or some small town before it all looks the same. Last weekend I was able to travel to Munich. During this trip I saw famous buildings, local market places, mingled with the locals and travelers, and even got to see the Olympic Stadium. (to bad everything is closed on Sunday) During my time in Munich I got to experience the history something the US doesn't have to the same extent. I also got to eat at a place called 'Haufbrau Haus', I may have mis spelled that. When I got there the place was packed!! There were many people from all of the world here, either seeing Munich or just passing through, it was amazing. When I sat down for dinner I sat with complete strangers! The neat part was no one had any problem starting up the conversation, with the help of the beer of course!! During my meal I was able to eat with 2 Germans, 2 Norwegians, and 3 people from Russia!! As I said when you travel you never know who or what you are going to see.

This weekend I was also suppose to travel, but the weather didn't seem to think I needed to. About Tuesday of this week they were predicting about 12 inches of snow and most coming on the two days I would be traveling. So I decided to stay home and not spend a bunch of money to get stuck on a train somewhere between Mannheim and Berlin. Instead I made my way over to Heidelberg to see some familiar sights, climb some mountains (actually took the trolley), witness a political protest, and got to do a little shopping. The nice thing about being in Europe is the fact that you can get about anywhere by train, and it usually pretty easy to do so.

Overall the first month has come and gone with three more memorable months to come!! This next month should be very exciting! I plan to being skiing in Austria in two weeks, maybe a little bit of Rome, and then my parents will be traveling with me for a week. Where we will be going is still up in the air, but we will figure it out.

Until next time my hand full of followers!

The Real World

Hello to all of my new and excited followers!! Ok I know there is no following this blog yet, but whatever. A little background on the blog and the reason that I am writing. I am currently a senior at the University of Illinois studying Ag business. I am in Europe right now because I am doing and internship I gained through a business immersion program through the university. I am living in Limburgerhof, Germany (near Mannheim), where I am working for BASF Plant Sciences in their value chain management department.

During my stay in Europe I will be working on many exciting things, some which can't be talked about. I will also be living in the real world with five other people. Currently four of them are from different parts of Germany and the other is from Bellville, Illinois!! It is truly a small world after all, lol. Also during my time here I will be doing a little traveling!! Ok well I am going to travel as much as my bank account will allow.

This experience will be like no other I have ever had. Being away from home, 4000 miles away, I am going to finally live on my own. During my time at UIUC I have had a cook, AGR's great Italian chef Bill, doing my own laundry, and even grocery shopping!! Now you may think grocery shopping would be easy, but it is a pain. Where i am living I am currently about 2 miles from the nearest food store and everything there is in German and I have no idea what is says unless I can see through the packing.

In all this should be the best experience I have had yet in my long years!! Anyway so if you want to keep following along I am going to try and update this every few days and keep everyone interested in what I am doing both at work and while I travel to new parts of the world, literally.

Until next time!!