Dogs woke me up early, so I got up and burned, I mean made some sweet potato pancakes. Also made some blueberry muffins for later. Watched "Roman Holiday" - very cute! Strange ending though. Decided to do yard work so I weeded, raked, trimmed, tidied. Then moved inside to work on the house a little. Re-arranged a few things in the living room. Had a hair appointment at 2:30 so I headed to PHV. Got my hair highlighted and cut and my eyebrows threaded (ouch!). Stopped at the commissary to grocery shop, swung through the gas station to top off the tank, and headed home to do a little more random work around the house and watch some tv. Went to bed about 9:30ish. Whew.
Today, I got up semi-early to head to Ramstein. I met up with Jen and her other friend Jen for a fun-filled day of bazaar-and-big-PX/BX-shopping! I made really good time and had no issues getting there, even without my GPS.
We went to Macaroni Grill for lunch, which was a good idea, but the waitress said they were out of eggplant parmesan. Nooo! That's about the only decent vegetarian meal they have! I didn't want spaghetti or fetuccini because I make those a lot at home. Finally settled on a margherita pizza (also something I eat a lot of but I just didn't have many other options ok?!)
We headed to the bazaar after lunch and wandered the stands of more than 130 vendors from all over Europe and the world. Very fun!
I came away with spending a grand total of... drumroll please..... $10!!
I got some cute paper and envelopes from Italy and some really yummy Belgian caramel waffles. Besides that, the biggest draws I saw were things like Polish pottery and Murano glass from Italy.
I have to say it, but shopping at a bazaar like this really loses its appeal when you've been to all these places and bought their goods in the cities/countries themselves.
Oh, the hardships of living in Europe! :)
Overall it was just fun to wander. Jen and Jen both came away with some very nice stuff and a few gifts for others. No one really went overboard on our spending. I think overall it was just a fun afternoon with the girls.
We also wandered the PX where I spent a little more on essentials and stuff I can't get here at our PX (the shopping center at Ramstein is the largest in the world; more like a mall).
On our way out, we stopped at Cinnabon and the two Jen's got cherry cokes from Johnny Rockets.
I was a little nervous about the drive back, because on the way there I noticed the A6 (the autobahn I was on) was closed part of the way going back. I don't know any other way back to Heidelberg. Oh and remember, my GPS is broken. Great.
The plan was for me to follow Jen and Jen since they go right by my exit on their way back to Bavaria. They had a working GPS too that we figured could help us through the detour.
That plan was scratched as soon as I saw them get on the autobahn going in the opposite direction from the way I knew I needed to go.
I wasn't sure if their GPS was taking them a different route back to Bavaria (very possible) or if they just took a wrong turn (also possible), but I figured there's two of them and a GPS, so they should be ok to find their way on their own. So, I headed out on my own to find my way back.
I am so excited and proud to say that I made it without one single problem! Go me!! There I was, cruising through the German countryside on a very unfamiliar road, trying to follow road signs in German.
Let me just say this - detours (Or "Umleitung" in German) are nothing like they are in the States. Be prepared to follow a tiny sign, and if you miss it, you're out of luck. Their detours, well this one in particular, literally had me going through neighborhoods of small towns. At one point I was the lead car for a whole line of cars trying to follow the same very few Umleitung signs. I just kept following the blue Autobahn sign that said A6 - Mannheim and figured at some point I'd pop out somewhere familiar.
It took about an extra 30-45 minutes to get home, but I was just so darn proud of myself that I was in a good mood. I took the doggies for a little walk as a reward for having to be alone all day again and being good.
I made a yummy dinner of rice and vegetables in the wok - and then settled in for some football. Too bad the Vikings are losing :( I've been in my Brett Favre t-shirt all day so that's probably why they're losing. Sorry!
One purchase I am excited about is the new Nicholas Sparks book. That's probably the one author that I will always buy his new book when it comes out. I am definitely excited because here, we can buy the paperback international version instead of the hardback that's available in the states. I'd have to pay about $20 but instead I got mine today for $12. Score!
Tomorrow starts another workweek. Here's hoping it's a good one!
Thanks for reading!
p.s. If you're wondering if Jen and Jen made it home, I am wondering the same thing... probably should call and check on them....
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