Getting there

Quick synopsis of my day:

Fairly uneventful getting out of San Diego. Got to Chicago, ate at Chili's. Got on the plane, and gave up my aisle seat to a grandmother from Iowa who was taking her granddaughter to see where she grew up in Austria. On the other side of me was a Greek grandmother from Chicago going back to Greece. The first thing the Greek woman said to me was "Are you Italian?" But I said that I was American. We talked at length about her grandchildren, and I saw many pictures of the latest edition, a little baby boy named Niko.

I also learned that all the alcoholic beverages were free on the Lufthansa flight. The food wasn't that great (tasted fine, but looked like potluck food), but there was a lot of it. I also watched Dan In Real Life (OK) and Juno (that ain't no etch-a-sketch, this is one doodle that can't be un-did, homeskillet) on the plane.

Finally landed in Germany. Really grumpy guy at Customs when I put up my baggage claim ticket on the counter instead of the passport. But, all in all, wasn't bad.

Took a taxi to the hotel. Half the songs on the radio are in English. Got to the hotel.

Getting into my room was interesting. They put me in room 511, but after dragging my luggage up there, the key card didn't work. Went back downstairs, the key card was reprogrammed, but still didn't work. I figured out that the key card reader was broken. So, they found a room with two twins (room 711), but the key card didn't work there either. Went back downstairs, the key card was reprogrammed, but upon entering the rooms, I discovered that someone else's stuff was still in the room, and they were currently in the bathroom doing who knows what. Finally, they put me in room 623, where I am now. Of course, then the wireless didn't work because the last name was wrong. Got that fixed.

Anyway, MYL and I went into Dusseldorf (2-3 km walk) to look for power outlet adapters, and MYL wanted some food. Discovered that what sounds like German to me is completely unintelligible to at least some native speakers, and that I needed to try harder.

Also, learned that girls in the park by the edge of the Rhein river sometimes sunbathe topless. Sorry, no pictures of that. I'm a doctor, not a pornographer!

Most places don't serve lunch until later than we were out, so most people at the restaurants either were drinking beer, or drinking shots of espresso and smoking.

Some pictures to thrill you:

What city could possibly be complete without the burnt and bitter taste of Starbucks?


This is part of the park at the edge of the Rhein river near my hotel.


This is the always lovely river Rhein.


It's good to know that when you've tasted all the dark beers that Germany has to offer, you can always get a Guinness, made of twigs, grass and the dark, dark hearts of leprechauns. And some shepherd's pie. It's folking great!


The Dusseldorf Rathaus. Hey, everybody, it's an old building! This is not the place where we actually saw a rat run across the floor. No, that was where we had dinner. In the States, that would get the restaurant a Class C rating. Here it just adds flavor (in more ways than one).


Some rat-schnitzel. Just kidding, this was actually billed as the "original Wiener-Schnitzel." At Schnitzel Hubers, which was kinda like what KFC might have been if Colonel Sanders had been an officer in the Luftwaffe.

I'm adding the pictures, but I've been awake now for 30 hours, and I'm ready to get to bed. There may be more tomorrow. Having a good time so far. Much fun.