Written on 21 October 2012 but posted today because of the move and Internet struggles!
This has been a very fun past 8 days. We are trying to take advantage of the nice weather before it turns cold and fortunately it has been going very well.
Last Saturday we made the 25 minute train ride from Bonn to Cologne to see the world famous catherdral. We were not disappointed! Just to give you some highlights, construction on the catherdral began in 1248 to house the relics that were acquired by Frederick Barbarossa at the conquest of Milan in 1164. The relics are believed to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men. The cathedral is huge and old (duh!) and beautiful and the most popular tourist attraction in Germany with over 20,000 visitors a day. As if that wasn't enough we ate at an amazing Asian restaurant in the train station. A little background on that: we have had major troubles finding some decent restaurants for our date nights, so when we found this Asian place with many different curries, stir frys, etc. for less than €6 each, we were elated. Then we had some of the best ice cream we've ever had- for the first time in my life, I ordered chocolate instead of vanilla. Pretty great day!
This week was a big week for me at work. We had 8 people fly in from all over the world to improve the program that we will roll out across the entire company. It was many long and stressful days getting ready for the workshops. Wednesday night all of the participants went out to dinner. But this is Germany and people wanted to have a real German experience so they decided on a brewery tour. Yes, a brewery tour. To say I stuck out a like a sore thumb would be an understatement. I learned a lot (not from first hand experience but rather from our brew guide) about the nuances of a fine brew. I enjoyed a wide selection of carbonated waters. The real experience/mistake of the night came when we sat down for dinner. I had been having a very pleasant conversation with a guy named Ingo. He is a native German and we had been talking about everything from Octoberfest to the Debt Crisis in Greece. I told him that I was feeling particularly German that night and that I wanted him to recommend a traditional German meal for me to try. Not often getting the chance to experience authentic and fancy German cuisine on someone else's dime, I thought this was a good idea. When my food came out it was basically meat wrapped in another meat, with a side of meat, and a smaller side of potatoes. So much for the mostly-vegetarian lifestyle Emily and I have been living. To say the meal was on the heavy side would be like saying the Pope is Catholic!
This past weekend was an absolute dream. The weather was perfect and we did our best to be outside as much as possible. It all started Friday after work. I called Emily at 5:30 pm to let her know that I got off work early and I was heading home. She said, "Hurry, the weather is so nice. We can play some Smashball before we go to dinner with your co-worker!" I made it home in record time and we had a lot of fun. Then we had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant called May May which we will definitely take you to when you come visit! With a dose of Americana, we finished out the night with splitting a slice of carrot cake from Starbucks.
Saturday morning we went to the flea market. Just to give you an idea, this is the biggest flea market in Germany; there are over 5 kilometers of people selling anything and everything. It is the third Saturday of the month (April to October) so plan your visit to Bonn accordingly! We have never had so much success. I just felt that, even though they were on the other side of the world and sound asleep, Stephanie Sorensen and Julie Beck were smiling in their sleep and thinking of the amazing deals that we got. I think I learned a valuable lesson of negotiation- don't talk. Once we found something we really wanted we would show a little interest and then not say anything more as we continued to look at their things. Then we would hold up what we wanted and ask "how much?" and the price would be €10 to €20 less than what we thought! The funnest parts for me are riding our bikes to the event, being out with everyone, and the treasure hunting. And maybe the best news is that we have most of our Christmas shopping done.
The last thing that we are really excited about is all of our opportunities for missionary work here in Germany. Emily has been so great to make food and accommodate my spur-of-the-moment invites for co-workers and other acquaintances to come over for dinner. We have several friends with whom we are talking about the Church. It is so exciting to feel like we are on a mission again (with a way better companion this time!) and to have that satisfying feeling of sharing the gospel.
Till next week! The thing that we are looking forward to the most is moving into our apartment (finally!) We'll have some pictures to share. Thanks for reading. Love you tons!
Nate and Emily
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| Saturday evening in front of the Cologne Dom! (It's pronounced dome but spelled Dom) |
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| like most cathedrals, this is shaped like a cross, and we are towards the bottom of the longer, "up and down" part of the cross |
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| After dinner, before the train ride home. Another unbelievable thing about this cathedral is how close it is to the central train station of Cologne- less than 100 meters! |
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| Our new favorite ice cream! (Nate's first order of chocolate ice cream! And my plain frozen yogurt) |
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| President Monson visited Germany for 10 days, right after General Conference and this was on Sunday the 21st, his second Sunday in the country. He was in Frankfurt and we watched at the building in Cologne. |
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| Our friend Sina, who is fluent in English, told us that the translator did an almost perfect job translating President Monson's talk. (Please note the classic hand pose!) |
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| Nate watching the last presidential debate :) |
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| Em making salsa because she found cilantro at a farmers market! No luck since, so say a little prayer that we can find it again. |
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| At the 5 kilometer-long flea market, we couldn't continue until we took a picture of the grandmother of our Bosch. We almost bought it and mailed it to Stephanie! |
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| The Sorensens had the exact same tent when Em, Alex, and Sarah were growing up! |
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| Walking around the grounds at the cathedral in downtown Bonn with our friend Marcel. |
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| Em before we rode to our first German lesson! |
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Nate on a Saturday grocery run, looking very handsome and manly with so much food on his bike and in his backpack.
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Finally, here are two videos of us in action!
