Funny Things........

Hey Everyone,
Well, we have finally managed to readjust to life back home. It took 4 days to get back on my feet and not feel run down. We had a great time on our vacation and wanted to share some of our funny situations with you.

Amsterdam:
Well, if we go back we will certainly not stay directly in the middle of party town! When we arrived we were both pretty worn out (he slept, I didn't!) and we took the train from the Schipol directly into the city. The hotel had told us that they were not far from the station but Mark wanted to stop and get a 3 day pass. We were directed over to the machines that issue tickets but it wouldn't take our credit card. (the Dutch machines don't take American credit cards!) Mark tried 3 or 4 times and being tired was a little annoyed. So.....we started out for our hotel. Mark wanted to know exactly where it was and I just wanted to walk and find it. Meantime he's being stalked by a pick-pocket, so I just turned around and looked him in the eye and he went the other direction. We ended up asking some construction people and they pointed us in the direction. Off we went and we thought we found the street but no hotel. We went further and found another street with a name very simular but not quite right. Third time was a charm. Seems all the streets running parallel have the same name with small derivations! Checking in the clerk told Mark that he did have a non-smoking room available at this time (it was 7:45a) but it was few euros more. Mark didn't understand one word he said, he was so tired that I had to explain it to him a couple of times and of course we got the room. We did the right thing and stayed up and decided to see some sites! Funny how sun light and coffee can keep you up!


Amsterdam to Deutschland:
No problem getting our tickets stamped and all that, but 10 minutes out of Amsterdam the PA came on and announced that there was a problem with the train and may have to go back to the station. We did proceed and made it into Deutschland and made an unscheduled stop at Koln. Everybody off the train and it seems that each car had it's own crowd. Now...our crowd was definitely upper middle aged and they were rather jolly all talking together. When the new train came, it was like out of the movie "It's a Mad Mad Mad World", everyone stopped and looked at each other and ran for the same car! Each one of us ended up in the very same seat we had before we changed trains. And everyone had luggage. I have to give those old people credit!

Deutschland:

Munchen Tag Zwei:
Today is the day we toured Dachau and it is Sunday. We made it back to the apartment no problem but we had to pick up something to eat so we went up the street to a restaurant recommended by our lodging. I went and sat at a table while Mark waited in line to order. Seems no one is sitting down at the tables.....so I decided to go back up and wait in line with Mark. Finally made it up to the counter to order the meal, and little did we know we were meeting the "Chicken Nazi"! Mark asked about a table and he said, Nein Sitzen - order out only-take and go! Perhaps he did not like working on Sunday, I don't know. I'll never forget that scoul on his face! Needless to say we felt like Jerry and Elaine out of the Seinfeld episode. Too bad we didn't have an amoire with recipes in it, Next! We made it back to our apartment and sat down to eat and decided to turn on the radio. Well you'll never guess what piece of music was on but, the score from the miniseries "The Winds of War". Mark and I just looked at each other. What a day; Dachau, the "Chicken Nazi", and end it all with music from the "Winds of War" miniseries! Sort of twilight zonish, huh?

Munchen Tag Funf:

OK girls, one for us. Last night I was feeling a bit uncomfortable and woke up this morning feeling a need for something from the Apoteke (Pharmacy). Mark was up earlier than I and wanted to go to the U-bahn station and buy another pass and pick up something from the bakery. Well I asked him to pick up some medicine for me. WRONG! He looked up the word and when he went to the Apoteke, used this word in describing my situation. Unfortunately, this is not the word they use for it in Germany. When the girls behind the counter figured out what I needed there was some laughing because the word "Pilz" (mushroom) had come into conversation somewhere and there was quite a bit of gesturing! Needless to say, I became the "Mushroom Woman" for a day.........:-()

Berlin Tag Zwolf:
You have to give my husband credit, when he needs to find something he will! He went out the day I was ill and had to go to the bank. The first bank he went to did not have a Teller machine so they sent him down the street, then right, then left. Of course Mark went where he thought they said and could not find a machine. Turns out there was a bank directly across the street from where he had been and they had a lobby with Teller machines! Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humor? I bet they watched him till he was out of site.....and laughed!

Berlin Tag Viersehn:
When touring the Flak towers our guide was giving us all measurements in meters. He must of saw a puzzled look on my face because he stopped and asked, "Is there anyone here in a country that still uses the old Imperial Units? If so please petition your government to update your system with the rest of the world"! He broke things down though but I believe he's probably right!

Berlin Tag Funfsehn:
Oh my god....it's the "Pergamon Polizei"! I swear the staff at that museum were just the worst.....and not too polite about it. God forbid you put your ass somewhere it should not be, "Sitzen sie nicht!". And I think he followed us through all the exhibitions as Mark and I saw him almost the whole time! We just clicked away on the camera (Nein flash) and saw what we wanted to. When we got out we just laughed!!

The whole trip:
Throughout the whole trip we evidentally passed as Germans, which we both considered a good thing. It seemed like everywhere we went people were asking us for directions! We parked our Mercedes in Fussen and got out and walked down the street only to be asked for directions twice from people pulling up in their cars. And it always seems to be Germans looking to find the way.