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Carrie Rodriguez 
Up early to fold a dryer full of sweet baby girl clothes. (FYI-There is something up with the dryers-the whole building takes almost all day to dry a load.) Julie was making waffles and Diego was happy. Adrianna said she felt like she was on vacation when she got up to breakfast and a fed child. She filled cup after cup with hot beverages made to order with sugar-free syrups and chocolate and non-fat milk-so delish and not bad for us. Heard from Dawn that she arrived from Tucson but they lost her luggage...After her last night's mom-applied pedicure and massage, Adrianna was hesitant to wear tennies, but she looked cute and with all the walking we did, she made the right choice. Dressed and ready to exchange the car (ok, it took them over an hour to be ready but we were there when they asked). On the way in we met Bailey the Beagle who loves Diego because he always finds something to eat when they meet (cherrios, crackers, etc). Shopped a little, saw pretty German Christmas decorations, darling slippers with grip for Diego so he won't slip on the hard wood floors, and picked up a pretzel for the trip to town. Ran into a Staff Sergent who complimented Andres on his hard work. Dropped off the thank you notes at the mailbox- watch for yours! Everyone who knew them suggested Andres take Adrianna to have the baby. Had a good laugh while we were waiting at the first car for Andres to find the second and bring it to us so we could load the car seat and stroller. The car next to us started blinking...took Andres a few minutes to walk from the far end of the parking lot it was supposed to be in back to us where it was.
Stuttgart was pretty, such old historic buildings mixed with new. The palace of Wilhelm was interesting; the red haired king had built it just for himself, not for any of his family. He had 365 room so he could sleep in a different one each night of the year. During WWII it was used by the German soldiers. Being afraid of bombings, they took all the movable art such as statues, water fountains, painted art, etc and hid them in the subways. These pieces were used on the rebuild castle. We saw the art museum build of stones from northern and southern Bavaria symbolizing their uniting to rebuild together. We have not seen inside a cathedral yet. Koln is the favorite of Andres and Adrianna and I am not sure we will see one till we can travel the hour away and see that one first. The mall was an extensive open shopping area, many blocks long and many stories high. Mixed in the shopping was several museums for art, the history of the area, automobiles and more. So much to see, so many people. The hub of all the train systems is at the end of the area and we were there during the evening. With their efficiency, many people depend on the trains. We took photos at the Stuttgart Opera House, the fountains, flowers and park. The tulips are in bloom everywhere in so many colors, along with dogwood trees, narcissus and pansies.Stopping to hear a street band, we got a couple cd's which Andres and Adrianna did not purchase last time they heard the group who sing in several languages. Being in public takes on a new attitude. We do not want to be seen as Americans; visitors yes, not specifically Americans. That means switching from the American Flag purse to a neutral one and no "Red Shirt Friday" with my "Proud Marine Mom" tee shirt. No camo sweatshirt for Diego. Don't want to call attention to ourselves.
Dinner at Ohma'n Willie (hope that is right) was a treat. For their first venture into German food, Zach Parr took Adrianna and Andres here and they loved it. They paid it forward for Julie and I. Nice ambiance and great food. My cold salmon was lox. You know the food is fresh, not shipped in from some central processing plant, and made with regional produce. The bakeries sell their wares at 1/2 off after noon because they do not sell anything day old. It is like this everywhere. And if you want to spend hours at your table, you don't leave and no one asks you to. You may have other people join you at the table if you have empty seats, but you can stay. And those who come to eat at your table do not talk with you, no eye contact. They don't want to interrupt you nor be interrupted by you. We had a table by the window where we could look out on the city and Diego could show his little Diego toy what it looked like outside. Leaving the restaurant, we stopped by a potted tree to see three birds jumping from branch to branch to the delight of Nana and Diego.
After this great meal we had pigeon chasing time. This was an extended run from pigeon to pigeon by Diego with Andres following him. Each time Diego got close and the bird took off he shuttered, both glad it did fly but not sure he understood it. Then the two boys walked side by side, Diego on a low wall and Andres below next to him, hand in hand on our way to the garage. You pay for your stay at a vending machine before you go to your car. We had to hurry a bit; it was 8 Euros for the afternoon and only a few minutes granted to get to our car and back to the gate or we would pay again.
We had taken the scenic trip on the way with views of the cemeteries, government buildings and landscapes. There were tunnels and a short drive back to base on the way home. The tunnels are so well designed with ventilation, sidewalks and traffic signals that they are also used by pedestrians.
Stopped at the Shoppette to see if there was a video for all of us; Friday night on a 3 day weekend, no movies. We checked the video messages from home's both families. Frank had both Nic and Mia with him to greet us; Cesar broght the cat to the phone for Diego. We sent return messages to them with details about the Bob and Larry Singing Toothbrush and the Nemo ball. Adrianna selected "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" for us. Andres joined us after he finished his homework and got ahead for next week (in case Isabella really does come). Popcorn, cozy blanket, happy boy; good night. I downloaded Julie's photos for Facebook, looks like 103 for now.
Diego is alseep; Andres is playing his game. Julie and Adrianna are planning tomorrow's shopping which sounds to include a Gummie Bear World. It is so great having Andres with us. He gets us to where we are going, humors us and narrates on our trips with history. It is a blessing to see Adrianna at peace and Diego so happy with him there. It also makes it easier to get passed the possible disappointment of another day without our little girl's arrival. Walk walk walk, come on, Isabella.
Stuttgart was pretty, such old historic buildings mixed with new. The palace of Wilhelm was interesting; the red haired king had built it just for himself, not for any of his family. He had 365 room so he could sleep in a different one each night of the year. During WWII it was used by the German soldiers. Being afraid of bombings, they took all the movable art such as statues, water fountains, painted art, etc and hid them in the subways. These pieces were used on the rebuild castle. We saw the art museum build of stones from northern and southern Bavaria symbolizing their uniting to rebuild together. We have not seen inside a cathedral yet. Koln is the favorite of Andres and Adrianna and I am not sure we will see one till we can travel the hour away and see that one first. The mall was an extensive open shopping area, many blocks long and many stories high. Mixed in the shopping was several museums for art, the history of the area, automobiles and more. So much to see, so many people. The hub of all the train systems is at the end of the area and we were there during the evening. With their efficiency, many people depend on the trains. We took photos at the Stuttgart Opera House, the fountains, flowers and park. The tulips are in bloom everywhere in so many colors, along with dogwood trees, narcissus and pansies.Stopping to hear a street band, we got a couple cd's which Andres and Adrianna did not purchase last time they heard the group who sing in several languages. Being in public takes on a new attitude. We do not want to be seen as Americans; visitors yes, not specifically Americans. That means switching from the American Flag purse to a neutral one and no "Red Shirt Friday" with my "Proud Marine Mom" tee shirt. No camo sweatshirt for Diego. Don't want to call attention to ourselves.
Dinner at Ohma'n Willie (hope that is right) was a treat. For their first venture into German food, Zach Parr took Adrianna and Andres here and they loved it. They paid it forward for Julie and I. Nice ambiance and great food. My cold salmon was lox. You know the food is fresh, not shipped in from some central processing plant, and made with regional produce. The bakeries sell their wares at 1/2 off after noon because they do not sell anything day old. It is like this everywhere. And if you want to spend hours at your table, you don't leave and no one asks you to. You may have other people join you at the table if you have empty seats, but you can stay. And those who come to eat at your table do not talk with you, no eye contact. They don't want to interrupt you nor be interrupted by you. We had a table by the window where we could look out on the city and Diego could show his little Diego toy what it looked like outside. Leaving the restaurant, we stopped by a potted tree to see three birds jumping from branch to branch to the delight of Nana and Diego.
After this great meal we had pigeon chasing time. This was an extended run from pigeon to pigeon by Diego with Andres following him. Each time Diego got close and the bird took off he shuttered, both glad it did fly but not sure he understood it. Then the two boys walked side by side, Diego on a low wall and Andres below next to him, hand in hand on our way to the garage. You pay for your stay at a vending machine before you go to your car. We had to hurry a bit; it was 8 Euros for the afternoon and only a few minutes granted to get to our car and back to the gate or we would pay again.
We had taken the scenic trip on the way with views of the cemeteries, government buildings and landscapes. There were tunnels and a short drive back to base on the way home. The tunnels are so well designed with ventilation, sidewalks and traffic signals that they are also used by pedestrians.
Stopped at the Shoppette to see if there was a video for all of us; Friday night on a 3 day weekend, no movies. We checked the video messages from home's both families. Frank had both Nic and Mia with him to greet us; Cesar broght the cat to the phone for Diego. We sent return messages to them with details about the Bob and Larry Singing Toothbrush and the Nemo ball. Adrianna selected "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" for us. Andres joined us after he finished his homework and got ahead for next week (in case Isabella really does come). Popcorn, cozy blanket, happy boy; good night. I downloaded Julie's photos for Facebook, looks like 103 for now.
Diego is alseep; Andres is playing his game. Julie and Adrianna are planning tomorrow's shopping which sounds to include a Gummie Bear World. It is so great having Andres with us. He gets us to where we are going, humors us and narrates on our trips with history. It is a blessing to see Adrianna at peace and Diego so happy with him there. It also makes it easier to get passed the possible disappointment of another day without our little girl's arrival. Walk walk walk, come on, Isabella.
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