Thursday, March 19, 2009
Germany: Day 2
I slept from 9:30pm to 10:26am this morning and let me tell you... it feels good to have 13 hours of sleep packed away. I'm feeling pretty good right now and don't feel too tired. We haven't done very much today. I have just been typing away on my blog. We are about to go out on a walk though and enjoy the nice weather! This is the first week it had been sunny in a while. I'm glad it chose the week I'm coming to shine! I will keep you up dated as the day progresses!
Germany: Day 1
So now I can finally start talking about what I have done so far! That's the thing about not being able to get on until a day after everything has happened. You have to start off way early so you can catch everyone up.
So we left the airport and my uncle then had a couple options for us as far as what to see first. My aunt and cousins were in school all day and my Uncle had the day off so we were going to go around with him. We decided to go to "Waldspirale" first. On our way we passed a monument for the airplanes that flew food into Berlin during World War II I believe.
We drove on the auto bon (Is that how you spell that?) and let me tell you... it was fast! Cars were going all over the place. All the trucks have to stay int he right most of lanes and can only go 100 kph. We were in an older van so we stayed in the right lane most of the time, but we did get to cruise with the fast cars one in a while. The streets were very interesting. The trafic lines are really cool and all the curviness is fun. We got to "Waldspirale" and I was really amazed! (To see a picture go here)
Waldspirale is an apartment building located in Darmstadt's Burderpark viertel. It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, but built by the Bauverein Darmstadt company and planned by architect Heinz M. Springmann. It was completed in 2000! It has about 105 apartments, a parking garage and a cafe and bar at the way top of the tower. There are a 1000 windows in the building and all of them are different! Similarly, all the handles to the apartments aren't the same either! The building reminded me of a Dr. Zues book... seriously!
I took some pictures as we walked around it and under it. I was really surprised to find that it's just an apartment building! Imagine living in a room in that building?? And it's not that bad price wise either.
After we checked that out we went to option 2 anyway and saw the "Lorche Abbey" in Lorche (of course) which is about 6 miles east of Worms. You can aslo see pictures of this at the link above too. It has quite a bit of history to it and is worth looking up on Wikipedia for information. There were even bullet holes in the side of the building. The Gatehouse was also really cool. The stone design and the shapes are all really amazing. I'm going to run out of adjectives to describe things really soon!
We walked around a little bit in the little town square and went to a bakery. I'm not sure what I got to eat, but it was a square pastrey with vanilla pudding/custart in on top with a pile of cherry sauce in the middle. IT was really good! The streets and walking places are really detailed! The way they lay the stone and the design is really cool. We then walked back to the vehicle and headed to the doctor for a check up my uncle had. While he went to get a check up we walked along the Neckar river on a back street and saw some really pretty houses. We then walked up a hill street and looked around in the shops. We reached the top of the street and hung out in a market place until my uncle picked us up. His doctor appointment was rescheduled for later so we then went home and unloaded. I got my stuff settled and then took a nap. I meant to sleep for 30 minutes, but that turned into over an hour as I was obviously really tired. My uncle got back and we loaded up in his car and drove to get passes so we could go on base. "On Base" means that we can go into the U.S. military "town" type place. There are American shools and stores "on base". I had to fill out some forms and then they had to take my picture... and let me tell you I look like a ghost! I'm note sure what the deal is with their camera, but it made me look bad. Then they had to scan my finger prints and that was cool :)
After we got our passes we had to wait for my Aunt to meet up with us. We greeted her and then I went with my Uncle to wait for my cousins to be picked up after school activities. My cousin Ana had soccer try outs and my other cousin Emily had Ballette till 7:30. IT was around 4:30 when we got to the soccer try outs and I got to say hi to Ana before they started. My uncle and I went and ate at the bowling alley across the street and had an american experience in Germany. We watched the sports channel for a while and then went and waited till my cousin was done. We picked her up around 6:00 and went to the mall to get something for her to eat.
We went to this really cool place that made all sorts of crepes! I had a chocolate one and it was really good. By then though I was super full because of all the things I had eaten. We then looked around and went to a media center which had all sorts of technological things. The mac screens they had there were huge!! And they had TVs bigger than me!! I was kinda blown back. Oh and you really have to watch where you look because some of the advertisements over here are very... inapproriate almost.
We then picked up my other cousin and headed home. I showed my pictures of the day to them and then fell asleep for the 30 minute ride home. I got home and talked with everyone for a bit and then called home to let everyone know I made it safely. Then I sat down and tuned the guitar and played for a bit. Then I got read for bead and "really slept" for the first time in 27 hours. I played a song before I went to sleep on my IPod and don't even remember listening to it... Ahhh sleep :)
My adventure continues in... Germany: Day 2!
So we left the airport and my uncle then had a couple options for us as far as what to see first. My aunt and cousins were in school all day and my Uncle had the day off so we were going to go around with him. We decided to go to "Waldspirale" first. On our way we passed a monument for the airplanes that flew food into Berlin during World War II I believe.
We drove on the auto bon (Is that how you spell that?) and let me tell you... it was fast! Cars were going all over the place. All the trucks have to stay int he right most of lanes and can only go 100 kph. We were in an older van so we stayed in the right lane most of the time, but we did get to cruise with the fast cars one in a while. The streets were very interesting. The trafic lines are really cool and all the curviness is fun. We got to "Waldspirale" and I was really amazed! (To see a picture go here)
Waldspirale is an apartment building located in Darmstadt's Burderpark viertel. It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, but built by the Bauverein Darmstadt company and planned by architect Heinz M. Springmann. It was completed in 2000! It has about 105 apartments, a parking garage and a cafe and bar at the way top of the tower. There are a 1000 windows in the building and all of them are different! Similarly, all the handles to the apartments aren't the same either! The building reminded me of a Dr. Zues book... seriously!
I took some pictures as we walked around it and under it. I was really surprised to find that it's just an apartment building! Imagine living in a room in that building?? And it's not that bad price wise either.
After we checked that out we went to option 2 anyway and saw the "Lorche Abbey" in Lorche (of course) which is about 6 miles east of Worms. You can aslo see pictures of this at the link above too. It has quite a bit of history to it and is worth looking up on Wikipedia for information. There were even bullet holes in the side of the building. The Gatehouse was also really cool. The stone design and the shapes are all really amazing. I'm going to run out of adjectives to describe things really soon!
We walked around a little bit in the little town square and went to a bakery. I'm not sure what I got to eat, but it was a square pastrey with vanilla pudding/custart in on top with a pile of cherry sauce in the middle. IT was really good! The streets and walking places are really detailed! The way they lay the stone and the design is really cool. We then walked back to the vehicle and headed to the doctor for a check up my uncle had. While he went to get a check up we walked along the Neckar river on a back street and saw some really pretty houses. We then walked up a hill street and looked around in the shops. We reached the top of the street and hung out in a market place until my uncle picked us up. His doctor appointment was rescheduled for later so we then went home and unloaded. I got my stuff settled and then took a nap. I meant to sleep for 30 minutes, but that turned into over an hour as I was obviously really tired. My uncle got back and we loaded up in his car and drove to get passes so we could go on base. "On Base" means that we can go into the U.S. military "town" type place. There are American shools and stores "on base". I had to fill out some forms and then they had to take my picture... and let me tell you I look like a ghost! I'm note sure what the deal is with their camera, but it made me look bad. Then they had to scan my finger prints and that was cool :)
After we got our passes we had to wait for my Aunt to meet up with us. We greeted her and then I went with my Uncle to wait for my cousins to be picked up after school activities. My cousin Ana had soccer try outs and my other cousin Emily had Ballette till 7:30. IT was around 4:30 when we got to the soccer try outs and I got to say hi to Ana before they started. My uncle and I went and ate at the bowling alley across the street and had an american experience in Germany. We watched the sports channel for a while and then went and waited till my cousin was done. We picked her up around 6:00 and went to the mall to get something for her to eat.
We went to this really cool place that made all sorts of crepes! I had a chocolate one and it was really good. By then though I was super full because of all the things I had eaten. We then looked around and went to a media center which had all sorts of technological things. The mac screens they had there were huge!! And they had TVs bigger than me!! I was kinda blown back. Oh and you really have to watch where you look because some of the advertisements over here are very... inapproriate almost.
We then picked up my other cousin and headed home. I showed my pictures of the day to them and then fell asleep for the 30 minute ride home. I got home and talked with everyone for a bit and then called home to let everyone know I made it safely. Then I sat down and tuned the guitar and played for a bit. Then I got read for bead and "really slept" for the first time in 27 hours. I played a song before I went to sleep on my IPod and don't even remember listening to it... Ahhh sleep :)
My adventure continues in... Germany: Day 2!
The Fight to Frankfurt
We boarded the plane and everything went very smoothly! My first reaction was... WOW this thing is HUGE!! We went down three hallways... INSIDE of the plane! I was blown away! Well not literally. My grandparents and I all sat in the same row. I got the window seet, and my grandma sat next to me. There was an aisle and then my grandpa sat in the seet across the aisle. We had a 20 minute wait and I got comfertable and started to read and talk to my grandparents. I also spent some time praying and just thinking about my trip. The plane started to move and the big truck was pushing the plane backwards out off the dock. The plane got in line and then we watched a couple planes take off in front of us. It was really amazing to see how fast the move forward right away. IT was our turn and we pulled around and lined up. There was this huge explosion of sound, like those podracers in Star Wars starting up, and then we shot forward. I guess it takes a little more speed to life a bigger airplane :P
The view from the airplane was something else and I waved good bye to the U.S. as we started our journey. I'm not sure which lake we flew over, but for a while I could only see water. We flew over canada and then it got dark so all I could see was random clouds of orange light where ever there was a town. Then we got to the ocean because all the lights disappeared. I was way to excited to sleep on the plane so I decided to watch a movie. They didn't have the best selection. The first one that interested me was Twilight. I haven't seen it and I haven't even read the book, but everyone has been talking about it so I watched it. I wasn't very impressed... it was kind of cheesy. I mean seriously when the line "You are my life now" came with out very convincing emotion I pretty much locked in for a 5 out of 10. I then watched a couple other movies including the new James Bond movie, which was a lot better than Twilight.
The first bit of excitement on the plane happened when my Grandma got some ice cold water so she could take come pills. She set it on my tray and then closed hers and got her bag out to get the pills. When she opened the bag the flap bumped the water and it went all over my lap and under my legs and so I had a wet butt and a very weet front side. IT was quite shocking at first with it being cold water and all. I was able to dry the table up and then get a little bit of water from my pants, but I pretty much had to settle with having wet pants :P - Which was no big deal, it's life!
As we neared Frankfurt the sun started coming up and we saw a little bit of Scotland as we flew over. The clouds were very amazing and I wish I was able to take good pictures of the pinkness. The towns were amazing and I could see all the red roofs and the river and the hills. Landing in Frankfurt was really really hard on my ears! It was super uncomfertable and chewing gum really didn't help. I could barely even hear as the plane touched down! It was a goodlanding... a little rougher than most I have been on, but good! The first thing I noticed when we landed was that I couldn't read anymore!! Almost everything was in German! We got off the plane and went through costoms then we went and got our baggage. I didn't have any trouble finding mine and then we went and met my uncle and we loaded up our stuff in his van.
I just thought I would let everyone reading this know that my blog posts probably won't always be this long! But I have the time right now, so I might as well give the details :)
My adventure continues with.... Germany: day 1 :)
The view from the airplane was something else and I waved good bye to the U.S. as we started our journey. I'm not sure which lake we flew over, but for a while I could only see water. We flew over canada and then it got dark so all I could see was random clouds of orange light where ever there was a town. Then we got to the ocean because all the lights disappeared. I was way to excited to sleep on the plane so I decided to watch a movie. They didn't have the best selection. The first one that interested me was Twilight. I haven't seen it and I haven't even read the book, but everyone has been talking about it so I watched it. I wasn't very impressed... it was kind of cheesy. I mean seriously when the line "You are my life now" came with out very convincing emotion I pretty much locked in for a 5 out of 10. I then watched a couple other movies including the new James Bond movie, which was a lot better than Twilight.
The first bit of excitement on the plane happened when my Grandma got some ice cold water so she could take come pills. She set it on my tray and then closed hers and got her bag out to get the pills. When she opened the bag the flap bumped the water and it went all over my lap and under my legs and so I had a wet butt and a very weet front side. IT was quite shocking at first with it being cold water and all. I was able to dry the table up and then get a little bit of water from my pants, but I pretty much had to settle with having wet pants :P - Which was no big deal, it's life!
As we neared Frankfurt the sun started coming up and we saw a little bit of Scotland as we flew over. The clouds were very amazing and I wish I was able to take good pictures of the pinkness. The towns were amazing and I could see all the red roofs and the river and the hills. Landing in Frankfurt was really really hard on my ears! It was super uncomfertable and chewing gum really didn't help. I could barely even hear as the plane touched down! It was a goodlanding... a little rougher than most I have been on, but good! The first thing I noticed when we landed was that I couldn't read anymore!! Almost everything was in German! We got off the plane and went through costoms then we went and got our baggage. I didn't have any trouble finding mine and then we went and met my uncle and we loaded up our stuff in his van.
I just thought I would let everyone reading this know that my blog posts probably won't always be this long! But I have the time right now, so I might as well give the details :)
My adventure continues with.... Germany: day 1 :)
The Detroit Airport
I got off my Rochester to Detroit flight and walked out the long tunnel. Everyone was walking to the underground tunnle from concourse B to concourse A. You had to take a moving side walk and then take the escalator down and then through the tunnle and then back up again. As I was nearing the moving sidewalk the gentlemen in front of me dropped his jacket. I picked it up and caught up with him and gave it back. He was extremely thankful! He shook my hand and introduced himself to me as we kept walking. He was making a video for his youth kids and asked me a question for his video, which was pretty cool. He told me that he was a youth pastor from Ft. Knox, KY up here for a big meeting in which a bunch of people were going to be planning summer camps all over the united states! I explained where I was from and what church I go to and how I'm involved. I even told him about the top ten question series (that's to you craig!) We had a good conversation! We both reached concourse A and there was this giant fountain... well more like spraying thing. There were about 30 streams of water and they would shoot archs of water at different times and in different patterns. I took out my camera and started taking pictures and he asked if I was into photography, which I am, and told me that his wife did a lot of that. We talked about that a little bit and then I told him I had a site. We traded information (Website for his business card) and then shook hands and went our seperate ways.
I then went to find out where my flight was because it didn't say what gate I was taking off from on my ticket. After I found my gate I memorized the surroundings so I could get to it again and then I began my 4 hour exploration of the airport. I started off by walking from one end to the other and then I took the train back and forth a couple of times. I got hungry and found a small pizza place. After eating there I was tempted to get something from starbucks, but since I never have anything from there I didn't know what to order. I went back to the center of the airpirt where that fountain thing was and watched some airplanes take off.
There was a lounge area there so I took out my book and found a comfertable chair in the corner. After abou a chapter I put it down and hid my back pack behind the chair and fell asleep. I woke up an hour and a 1/2 later and everything had changed! Everyone that was sitting in the chairs before had transformed into different people, the airport was super crowded and there was a lady sitting right next to me. I wiped the sleep form my eyes and tried to get myself focused. I picked up my back pack and then went to look for some ice cream. I got some at Mc Donnalds and then went and road on the train again.
I met my grand-parents at 4:30 at our gate a half hour later. After saying hello they said they wanted some ice cream so I diected them to a TCBY that I found earlier and we had ice cream... and I had it again! :D
We then headed back to our gate and waited till we boarded. We then got in line and the security guy was randomly checking bags and he decided to pick my back pack. So I had to undo all the twisty ties that I had on my zippers and he looked through everything. Then I scanned my ticked and walked on board!
The airport was a lot easier then I thought it was going to be. IT was just one long concourse and I was able to find everything really easily! I never had any trouble and felt great the whole time! The only thing that I had a little trouble with was just my back pack being uncomfertable to carry after 3 hours!
My adventure continues with.... The flight to Frankfurt! :)
I then went to find out where my flight was because it didn't say what gate I was taking off from on my ticket. After I found my gate I memorized the surroundings so I could get to it again and then I began my 4 hour exploration of the airport. I started off by walking from one end to the other and then I took the train back and forth a couple of times. I got hungry and found a small pizza place. After eating there I was tempted to get something from starbucks, but since I never have anything from there I didn't know what to order. I went back to the center of the airpirt where that fountain thing was and watched some airplanes take off.
There was a lounge area there so I took out my book and found a comfertable chair in the corner. After abou a chapter I put it down and hid my back pack behind the chair and fell asleep. I woke up an hour and a 1/2 later and everything had changed! Everyone that was sitting in the chairs before had transformed into different people, the airport was super crowded and there was a lady sitting right next to me. I wiped the sleep form my eyes and tried to get myself focused. I picked up my back pack and then went to look for some ice cream. I got some at Mc Donnalds and then went and road on the train again.
I met my grand-parents at 4:30 at our gate a half hour later. After saying hello they said they wanted some ice cream so I diected them to a TCBY that I found earlier and we had ice cream... and I had it again! :D
We then headed back to our gate and waited till we boarded. We then got in line and the security guy was randomly checking bags and he decided to pick my back pack. So I had to undo all the twisty ties that I had on my zippers and he looked through everything. Then I scanned my ticked and walked on board!
The airport was a lot easier then I thought it was going to be. IT was just one long concourse and I was able to find everything really easily! I never had any trouble and felt great the whole time! The only thing that I had a little trouble with was just my back pack being uncomfertable to carry after 3 hours!
My adventure continues with.... The flight to Frankfurt! :)
Plane flight number 1
I finished packing Tuesday morning around 6:00 in the morning. My alarm went off at the wrong time, I guess I was too excited and wasn't paying attention or something, so I was up around 5:00 in the morning. I finished every last little thing I could think of and then we were out there door. We arrived at the airport right on time and faced our first problem when we couldn't get the gate to open for us, but we soon figured it out. I checked my baggage in and waved goodbye to it. Then I waited around for a little bit with my family and then we had a huddle (that's what us Ogrens call a prayer when we leave) and had hugs all around. I walked through security with out setting anything off and proceeded to my gate which was 50 ft from where I was sitting before I went through security! Small airport!
I sat there for about 10 minutes looking around and then the plane started bording. I walked down the hall and I started to feel this trip becoming real! I was actually on my first flight all alone and everything was going great! Then right before I enetered the airplane I had to stand on the little platform inbetween and got sprayed with a ton of wind coming from the planes. I got on and found my seet next to the window and waited there. Then the lady that had the seet next to me sat down and we started to talk. Turns out she was the daughter of some really good friends of my parents and knew me! Talk about a small world! It was fun to talk about homeschooling and college and stuff. I got her card and that was person number one that I was to meet! It was a good take off and landing, but my ears had a little trouble landing. I chewed some gum to help with it and it made them feel a little better.
That was my first flight! And if you thought that was exciting you should read about my next adventure... The Detroit airport! :)
I sat there for about 10 minutes looking around and then the plane started bording. I walked down the hall and I started to feel this trip becoming real! I was actually on my first flight all alone and everything was going great! Then right before I enetered the airplane I had to stand on the little platform inbetween and got sprayed with a ton of wind coming from the planes. I got on and found my seet next to the window and waited there. Then the lady that had the seet next to me sat down and we started to talk. Turns out she was the daughter of some really good friends of my parents and knew me! Talk about a small world! It was fun to talk about homeschooling and college and stuff. I got her card and that was person number one that I was to meet! It was a good take off and landing, but my ears had a little trouble landing. I chewed some gum to help with it and it made them feel a little better.
That was my first flight! And if you thought that was exciting you should read about my next adventure... The Detroit airport! :)
Monday, March 16, 2009
One Day Left!
I pretty much have all my packing done. I'm trying as hard as I can to keep it simple and not bring everything. I still can't decide if I should bring my mattress or not. Part of me thinks it might not fit on the plane, but on the other hand I want to be comfertable on the trip over... :P
Ok, seriously now, I enjoyed one last run this morning and am continually pointing things out... My last lunch in Winona, my last run in the U.S., My last load of laundry. The reality of my trip still hasn't really hit me completely and I don't expect it to until I land in Detroit. I'm pretty excited about being stuck in the airport for 5 hours though :)
This trip is not just exciting for me because I get to go 1/2 way around the world and see some cool things. I'm looking forward to how much it's going to open my eyes to the world I live in and the beauty it with holds. I have grown up hearing about Europe and I have seen countless pictures of it, but seeing it makes it all a reality. I'm also praying and looking forward to how God will use this trip to change me! I'm pretty sure that I'm going to meet some cool people! I'm not one to be shy so I'm going to do my best to talk to people and ask quesitons... and maybe I'll even get to take peoples pictures when they see my camera.
The count down is down to under a day! I'll probably sleep fine tonight, but then have trouble sleeping tomorrow on the flight... I'm leaving at 7:30 tomorrow morning! I'll be waving good bye as I take off!
~ Skylar
Ok, seriously now, I enjoyed one last run this morning and am continually pointing things out... My last lunch in Winona, my last run in the U.S., My last load of laundry. The reality of my trip still hasn't really hit me completely and I don't expect it to until I land in Detroit. I'm pretty excited about being stuck in the airport for 5 hours though :)
This trip is not just exciting for me because I get to go 1/2 way around the world and see some cool things. I'm looking forward to how much it's going to open my eyes to the world I live in and the beauty it with holds. I have grown up hearing about Europe and I have seen countless pictures of it, but seeing it makes it all a reality. I'm also praying and looking forward to how God will use this trip to change me! I'm pretty sure that I'm going to meet some cool people! I'm not one to be shy so I'm going to do my best to talk to people and ask quesitons... and maybe I'll even get to take peoples pictures when they see my camera.
The count down is down to under a day! I'll probably sleep fine tonight, but then have trouble sleeping tomorrow on the flight... I'm leaving at 7:30 tomorrow morning! I'll be waving good bye as I take off!
~ Skylar
Friday, March 13, 2009
Trip to Europe - Pre-takeoff
On Tuesday, March 17th I'm leaving on a one month vacation to Europe with my grandparents. I will be spending two weeks in Germany staying with my Aunt and Uncle and then I will be taking a trip with both my Aunt, Uncle, my two cousins and my grandparents to Crete for two weeks. I want people to be able to keep up with my trip and know what I'm up to so I'm going to blog my trip to the best of my ability! So that means I might have to leave rather short notes sometimes :) So I currently I have 3 1/2 days till I take off and I thought I would make this first installment of my adventure.
I will be flying out of the Rochester Airport at 10:14am Tuesday morning on a Canadair Regional Jet CXJ on Tuesday morning. I land in Detroit around 1:00 pm and then don't take off to Germany till 6:00 pm Tuesday night. I kind of have a long wait, but I guess I'll have to read a book or walk around, or maybe talk to the security gaurd for a while. :)
My grandparents are going to meet me at the Detroit airport and from there we will take off for Germany flying on an Airbus a330 . We'll land in Frankfurt, Germany around 7:20 Wednesday morning and will then head to my Aunt and Uncles house. I suspect that I will be so excited that I'll forget myself in the airplane or something...
I'll do my best to keep my blog updated, but don't be surprised if I don't post everyday or even every other day. You can also check out my web site (http://www.skylarogren.com/) for pictures that I'll post if at all possible. I will probably say something about posting pictures on my blog when I do. If you have Facebook then I will probably be writing stuff on there too or posting the same blog info on a note. I'll also do my best to upload photos there, but I don't know how much time I'll have!
So that's about all for now! I will keep you updated! Please be praying for me! It's going to be an amazing life changing trip!
Skylar :)
I will be flying out of the Rochester Airport at 10:14am Tuesday morning on a Canadair Regional Jet CXJ on Tuesday morning. I land in Detroit around 1:00 pm and then don't take off to Germany till 6:00 pm Tuesday night. I kind of have a long wait, but I guess I'll have to read a book or walk around, or maybe talk to the security gaurd for a while. :)
My grandparents are going to meet me at the Detroit airport and from there we will take off for Germany flying on an Airbus a330 . We'll land in Frankfurt, Germany around 7:20 Wednesday morning and will then head to my Aunt and Uncles house. I suspect that I will be so excited that I'll forget myself in the airplane or something...
I'll do my best to keep my blog updated, but don't be surprised if I don't post everyday or even every other day. You can also check out my web site (http://www.skylarogren.com/) for pictures that I'll post if at all possible. I will probably say something about posting pictures on my blog when I do. If you have Facebook then I will probably be writing stuff on there too or posting the same blog info on a note. I'll also do my best to upload photos there, but I don't know how much time I'll have!
So that's about all for now! I will keep you updated! Please be praying for me! It's going to be an amazing life changing trip!
Skylar :)
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