Mainz in the Rain

Don't you hate planning a daytrip somewhere and then you wake up and it happens to be the rainiest day you've had all summer? That's what happened to us yesterday. Maike, her friend Steffi (super-nice gal), see below

and I decided to take the train to Mainz, a fairly large university city in Germany. Well, as previously insinuated, it was the crummiest day (in terms of weather) that we've had the whole month! So my only purchase at Esprit yesterday was an umbrella. :) Maike and Steffi both had theirs along, but there are few things worse than sharing an umbrella with someone. You always get half-wet; and half-wet is almost worse than all wet. Whatevs, I would have had to buy an umbrella at some point this year anyways.

So we got off the train and obviously had no idea where we were going so we just started randomly walking in the direction that most of the buses were heading. Then we spotted the green signs that point you into the right direction for different touristy attractions. We found one sign that said "Tourist Information" so we followed the signs half way around the freaking city (at least it felt that way). We got side-tracked by a museum, which had a sign outside with the hours of operation and a nice big "FREE" beside the price, so heck yes we went in! It was a museum of artifacts from the Roman, Byzantine, Germanic, etc empires and stuff like that. You know, the really really really old stuff. Some amazing jewelry, which obviously drew me in like Angelina Jolie to orphaned babies. Also these incredibly old, half-disintegrated swords. Zo, you probably would have loved it. :) Some of it was BC., some of it the early AD. centuries. (Does that make sense to anyone but me?). After the museum we decided to keep following the "Tourist Information" signs that at this point seemed to merely be mocking us with their constant arrow pointing. And after some minor confusion we eventually found it. This tourist office was conveniently located right beside Esprit, Zara, and H&M, which was a nice way to get out of the rain for a bit. Plus I'd never been to an H&M before. By this point Maike and I were slightly RAVENOUS so lo and behold a halo-ed (well, it's a word now...) Pizza Hut immediately drew our attention and in we went. I have to say, the food tasted just like Pizza Hut pizza in Canada. (I don't know what I was expecting, but either way it was good.) Then we kept walking, around the famous Dome and through the vegetable market. Through little alleyways,

past "Bierstübchen" (little hole-in-the-wall bars), until we found this church (St. Stephan's) that Maike was looking for. It's got these GORGEOUS blue stained-glass windows by Chagall. The pics didn't really turn out very well. I think my flash kind of got lost in there or something.

from the outside

After that we walked back through the city and took the train home. It was several hours earlier than we had planned, but it wasn't exactly the nicest of days and we still got to see a bunch of things.

Other than that I've just been making all kinds of arrangments for my final month of freedom. :) It's time to break camp and move on. So on Friday I'll be taking various trains acrosss the country and in a mere 5 hours I'll be back where I used to live! Again, as the situation changes I'm not sure what the Internet options will all be like. I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem, neither in Ellefeld nor in Öschelbronn (which is where I'm going beginning of September), but just as a warning if I seem to fall off the face of the earth for a bit. :)

Oh, but exciting-ness happened today! I've gotten several e-mails in the last week from the teacher I'll be assisting in Eilenburg, as well as the British girl (Ruth) who was the teaching assistant last year. So that was nice, to find out a little bit more about the people I'll be working with and also to hear a bit from someone who has been in the position I'm about to step into. She had a really good year and said that while she heard some horror stories about other assistants and the various schools they were positioned in, her time in Eilenburg was really awesome and everyone was very helpful, the students were (for the most part :) ) great. She also kind of gave me an idea about what exactly her "duties" were, which was REALLY nice. And then, to top it all off, I got my first e-mail from my future landlords - Michael and Ulla! They sound like incredibly nice people. Michael told me ALL about the apartment. Like, it was the practically an epistle - and coming from me that must mean something. It has everything there, from furniture to dishes. It's newly renovated, has a tv with satellite, radio, microwave, full kitchen, pull-out beds for future guests (that would be YOU, Zoe and Katrina (much excitement)...and if anyone else wants to come for a visit, feel free!!!. Mom and dad, I'm gong to put on all the pressure I can muster!!! :) ) They even have everything from towels to bedsheets. He sent pictures and it looks perfect. And large! Only 170 Euros/month plus gas/electric. I'm the fourth teacher's assistant they'll be housing, so they have experience with all of this. There's even a bike there for me! Haha. And I can get Internet as well as a phone hooked up with theirs for a small fee, if I want. Plus there's a washing machine in the basement. NO LAUNDROMAT! There are two big grocery stores right there, too (Lidl and Rewe). Plus Michael and Ulla sound super-friendly. (He's a retired professor and she is a German Prof.) Michael said he hoped I would like to come have dinner every so often and they'd like to show me around. I can even use Ulla's monthly bus pass ... or train....I can't remember... whatever ....on the weekends! I know, I'm rambling and this is all coming out like verbal diarrhea complete with stunted vocabulary and horrible point-form structure, but I can't help it. It's just so exciting. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'M GETTING AWFULLY TIRED OF LIVING OUT OF SUITCASES. I cannot wait to have a CLOSET AGAIN. I cannot stress this enough. After 2.5 months of the nomad-life, I'll be happy to unpack. Plus there's just something about living off of other people's kindness ...and patience ... that makes you feel bad after a while. I mean, first my sister and bro-in-law for a month, now Maike's family for 2.5 weeks, the next 1.5 weeks with Jürgen and Nancy, and the final 2 weeks at Tante Edda and Onkel Roland's...I just need to feel a little more self-sufficient again.

Ok, I'm honestly done for now. Going to IKEA. Maybe find some cute little things for my new place? Thanks for your patience. Next time I "see" you I'll be "back home" :) :) :)

xoxoJulia