Deutschlandin' it up (zwei)

Wow it feels good to have a keyboard under my hands again...I really need a break from the field.
We got in yesterday after our 10 day out at Baumholder; the days seemed to really drag on. I got to learn a lot about the Patriot missile system but for the most part, I had very little to do. Fortunate I brought along Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games" (500 pages) and finished it in 9 days. A new record. On day 4 of the FTX I had the chance to accompany the Battery (ADA's equivalent to a Company) first SGT to the Best NCO/Soldier compitition awards ceremony in Heidelberg. That was a nice 24 hour break.

Today, Thursday, were finished up some recovery ops, making sure all the equipment is squared away and ready for their trip to Israel in several months. We should be getting off early today in preparation for the four day weekend, which I'm pretty stoked about. The plan right now is to head to the Rhine river valley for some wine samplin, then to Munich for two days followed by a day in Heidelberg (I was only on a base there the other day; didn't get a chance to tour the city proper). I'm looking forward to seeing if I still remember any part of it. I must've been maybe 9 years old when I was there last? Looking back on it, on everything I've done and experienced, I'm almost surprised I'm only 21. God's really been pouring out His love on me lately.

I've discovered even more trails up behind my housing area. There's one that takes you all the way up to one of the local castles but it requires a nice 3 quarter mile climb to get to. That little mountain is lousy with well worn paths through the woods. Once I started exploring that area, the trails were as easy to find as perrywinkles at the beach, little jewels waiting to be enjoyed. Tonight I'm hoping to get back out there. I hated not being able to work out much when we were in Baumholder. A thunderstorm has been forecasted for this evening, though, so we'll see.

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Yesterday after an early release from the base, I had a luxuriously long evening to myself. Those trails I spoke of earlier were beggin for some further exploration so I ran back up that hill towards the castle and peeled off onto a jeep road. After cruisin down it for a while I followed an old sign on a post that pointed me towards something. I couldn't really make out the words. Eventually it becomes time for me to start heading back to the hotel; by now I was in some neighborhood I'd never been through. It took a little trial and error before I made it out back on the main road that would take me to Vogelweh. An hour later and I was back, making that the first time I'd run for that long in over 6 weeks. The calves were none too happy with me.

That evening, the 4 other cadets and I (Jessica, Isaias, Alex, and Will) caught the bus on down to K-town to enjoy a little night life. We stopped in one of the döner places where I picked up a falafel wrap, eager to scarf it down after that run. After stopping by a few more local joints we decided it was time to go back. Thursday nights were exactly the most active in this small German town.

Friday

My alarm got me up at six after about that many hours of hard sleep later. We wouldn't be heading to the train station for another two hours but I wanted to get in a morning run to clear my head after last nights' fun. The legs were still sore from yesterday's jaunt and my head may have been a little on the fuzzy side at first but it was good to get out and sweat under the overcast sky on a cool, breezy morning.

We met up at the bakery accross the street an hour an a half later, which, once again, did not dissapoint. After finishing up my almond croissant and small coffee we rode the bus down to the train station in K-town. We had a little time to spare once we got there so we hung out in the little cafe/convience store for a little while before had. As always, I took my time oogling over the varieties of drinks and snacks that are absent from American shelves. As I took my dark chocolate bounty bar and green tea to the register, I saw for the first time in years one of my favorite chocolate items Europe has to offer: the endearing Kinder Egg. I immediately bought five of them so my fellow train buddies could share in the joy that is the Kinder Egg. 

Another hour and a half passed and our train pulled into the station in Bigen, located right smack on the Rhine river south of Cologne, north of K-town. We didn't really know exactly what we were going to be doing there; we spotted a castle situated on the higher ground in the city and started walking that way, but not before cutting through the town center. The view from the top was eye-filling, with the town right below you, the busy Rhine river beyond that, and on the steep opposite banks, some local vinyards. Somehow they are able to cultivate grapes on sloping hillsides that look like that have at least a 30-40% grade.    

It was getting close to lunch time and after our hike up the hill we were ready for some eats. Jessica, Will, and I found an Asian joint that had enough menu items to fill a whole wall. I, of coarse, ordered a chicken curry dish with bamboo shoots and peppers that turned out to be magnificant, if I do say so. It's a taste that can't be beat when you've got a craving.

We headed back down towards the river side and purchased tickets to take a cruise along the river. Again, we had a little time on our hands before the boat would be ready so we continued along the large pedestrian path paralleling the river, taking in the views with every step. There was a joint right along the river that, as far as I could tell, served nothing but local wines. The lady there spoke English well and was really gracious in letting us do a little wine samplin. Now I haven't exactly been a life long wine drinker but by George that smooth, red, alcoholic grape drink was mighty fine. I was impressed enough to purchase a bottle for home. It was a good bit more expensive than the supermarket stuff, but I think I got what I paid for.

The river cruise ship soon pulled up and we were adrift. This section of the Rhine, and maybe even along most of it, was littered with history. You couldn't swing a dead cat by the tail without hittin a centuries old castle, many of them dating back to the Roman times. There was never once a lack of beauty to take in. As I sat on the top deck, wind all up in my face, sun hidding behind some still lingering clouds, I thought about what life would be like living in this particular section of earth. It's called a "river valley" for a very good reason. There is hardly any flat land on either side at all so there is really only room to build a row or two of houses, the train tracks, a road and a pedestrain path. I imagine it would be hard for these people to go to anything that comes close to a supermaket or something like that. Each town we passed seemed even smaller than the next.

A relaxing four hours on the river went by quickly. We were all getting a little tired and the train back to K-town would leave in about an hour. I was somehow able to find the shadiest kabab joint in perhaps all of Germany that evening and decided it'd be a good idea to get some food there. As soon as I said "Spreken sie English?" to the owner (he didn't, by the way) the regulars to this particular establishment shoot me and Jessica all kinds of looks. Well, the döner pizza I got was good, anyway.

Pics to follow.