The Dogs I live with

This is Toby the 16 year old dog. Do you think he is on a suicide mission? Oh my mom took these, not me, to show how the dog gets himself caught in things around the house.

This is Corky the bad dog that I adopted in College

The Rheingau - Rheine River

The grapes



Vineyards - yum the beginnings of wine.


the thing that Elvis rode in in that movie.

So these pictures were taken in May of '09 but who really wants to see snowy pictures. This picture is of the wine museum in the area. There are lots of interesting artifacts in there including one of the oldest boots to drink from. As you can see there is a vineyard both next to and behind the museum. Once you complete your tour you can engage in wine tasting.

This is Germania... toasting France. Built after the Germans were freed from the French.




This is a castle along the Rheingau. There are several castles that line this particular area.












This is a view of the Rheine River from Germania.

My City Wiesbaden

Schloss Biebrich



The Russian church in town up the hill.
My parents and I up the hill with a view of Wiesbaden below.

Here is a hedgehog that lives in my parents' garden. Corky does not like them. He will bark and then they will curl up into a ball. I have never seen it but this is what my mother has told me.





A little bit of information about Wiesbaden, my new place of residence. It is 26 miles west of Frankfurt am Main. As of 2007, it had a population of 274, 648 people. It consists of hilly terrain, forested areas, rivers and agricultural land. It is in the state of Hessen. The other state in Germany that located close to us is Rheinland-Platz, which has the Rhine River & two small tributaries. It is popular for the production of wine.

The Fasching Parades in Town

My shot of schnapps compared to my parents. Sad. Who knew they had a higher than me?


With Fasching comes parades. There are both for children and adults. The parade participants not only throw candy but give out schnapps and cups of wine. In hilariousness, my parents were able to drink all of them shots. I did not make it. Some people had utility belts like Batman filled with various flavored shots.

The Food I am Eating...

My nutella ice cream cone and holding my mom's ice cream.

Here is the first German frankfurter I have ever eaten! You can see how much longer it is than the bun (or brotchen). The foods I love here: spatzle, the cheeses, the breads, and the cheap and local. Also there tends to be mushrooms in many meals. I am a fan of wiener schnitzel. Although I am sure I will learn about more foods that I enjoy. I tried herring for the first time on Ash Wednesday and it was okay. I was not expecting it to be cold. I have also tried raw beef mixed with a raw egg, it sounds gross but it so incredibly tasty. Kevin, I will let you know when your meal as mushrooms in it.

Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Garrison in Wiesbaden

My mom and I went to see Rev. Jesse Jackson speak for Black History Month. The acoustics were not great so it was difficult to hear some of the things that he said. But I learned that he was friends with Martin Luther King Jr. I included a picture of my mom and I (and many others) with Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Fasching

This is the soccer cup that I drank beer from. More beer than I have ever had in my life. Peer pressure is much worse when you are not sure what they are saying.



Depending on what region of Germany you are in, would determined the term you would use for this event. It is called Karnival, Fasching, or Fastnahct. These are the pictures from the costume parade in Kiedrich. Every table has a jury room and at midnight they declare a winner. The crusaders (pictured here with the castles on their heads) were the winners. Some of theme costumes required demonstrations, for example, a cleaning company. The cleaning company had me vacuum their carpets after they threw confetti on it. There is loud music that everyone knows the words to, including a techno version of John Denver's "Country Roads". According to some of the locals, the Germans get more crazy at this event than Oktoberfest!