Day 4
Finally got to bed at about 2AM last night, and thought it would be a good idea to set the alarm for 8...that leaves plenty of sleep, and gives me a couple of hours to finish the only project that I brought with me for work. Well, I said I set the alarm for 8, but it was 8PM. That's alright, I really needed the sleep, because I'm still tired (probably because it's almost 1AM again. So, finally got my first really good shower since I've been here, and so I was feeling pretty refreshed this morning. Got some rolls, butter, strawberry jam, and salami yesterday for breakfast at Aldi (and yes, it's the same Aldi as in the states...except that it originated here in Germany as my sister cleaned the teeth of the owner). So, I had a good shower, good breakfast, good sleep, now for a good day. It started pretty well, we left Weimar and were heading for our hotel in Duesseldorf where we are staying tonight and tomorrow night since it is just about a 15 minute drive between Cologne and Gelsenkirchen (we had a match in Cologne tonight, and team USA plays in G-kirchen tomorrow).
About halfway into the drive, Knuckles pulls up behind a Polizei on the autobahn. He drove behind them for several miles. Then he said "ya know, I'm always hesitant to pass a police car." Well, since there was no speed limit at that portion of the autobahn, and they were going slow, he decided to pass. I didn't want to say "don't do that" because I hate when people give me driving directions...so I held my tongue...bad idea. The cops sped up, passed us, then turned on a sign on their roof that said to follow them. Then they took us to a remote parking lot off the autobahn. I figured this would be like those B-rated movies about the tourists have a run-in with the law because we "speaken none of ze ger-mans." Yeah, we got pulled over, and Knuckles luckily handled it with kid gloves, telling them that he could only speak a little german. After about 10 minutes we were back on the road to check into our hotel. After checking in, we went down to Koeln, past the stadium then drove around town a bit. Knuckles took my camera tonight, so I can't post any pictures. Anyway, it's a pretty interesting town. There are some very NARROW streets with parking on one side.
After getting a quick bite to eat at a small EYE-talian (...or ih-talian to those of us NOT from Sicily...sorry Michelle!) shop, we went to the stadium to meet up with the English bloke we were trading tickets with. I hope bloke is just a general reference to someone, and not a derogatory term. How about: we met up with our mate at the pitch...I think you get the idea.
We actually saw MANY people from Angola (that's the country, not the small city in Indiana). But in the stadium, it seemed that most of them were carrying Portugal colors, but towards the end of the match, the fans got restless and started rooting for Angola, the underdogs. There was alot of excitement, singing, and dancing in the stands! Great atmosphere, and we sat next to a German who chatted us up the entire match, which was alot of fun. It sure is nice to meet people from all over the world who are here for the same reason. A couple of people down said to me: you're from the US and you are a soccer fan? I didn't think those existed!
Well, us two mohawked-freaks are here to watch soccer! Knuckles mentioned to the kind German next to us that I was an attorney, and the guy laughed...I think that he didn't believe him after looking at my hair.
Well, we're back at the hotel, and I'm pretty spent. Here's the log of our travels today (Weimar-Dusseldorf-Cologne-Dusseldorf):
'til tomorrow,
Rocco
About halfway into the drive, Knuckles pulls up behind a Polizei on the autobahn. He drove behind them for several miles. Then he said "ya know, I'm always hesitant to pass a police car." Well, since there was no speed limit at that portion of the autobahn, and they were going slow, he decided to pass. I didn't want to say "don't do that" because I hate when people give me driving directions...so I held my tongue...bad idea. The cops sped up, passed us, then turned on a sign on their roof that said to follow them. Then they took us to a remote parking lot off the autobahn. I figured this would be like those B-rated movies about the tourists have a run-in with the law because we "speaken none of ze ger-mans." Yeah, we got pulled over, and Knuckles luckily handled it with kid gloves, telling them that he could only speak a little german. After about 10 minutes we were back on the road to check into our hotel. After checking in, we went down to Koeln, past the stadium then drove around town a bit. Knuckles took my camera tonight, so I can't post any pictures. Anyway, it's a pretty interesting town. There are some very NARROW streets with parking on one side.
After getting a quick bite to eat at a small EYE-talian (...or ih-talian to those of us NOT from Sicily...sorry Michelle!) shop, we went to the stadium to meet up with the English bloke we were trading tickets with. I hope bloke is just a general reference to someone, and not a derogatory term. How about: we met up with our mate at the pitch...I think you get the idea.
We actually saw MANY people from Angola (that's the country, not the small city in Indiana). But in the stadium, it seemed that most of them were carrying Portugal colors, but towards the end of the match, the fans got restless and started rooting for Angola, the underdogs. There was alot of excitement, singing, and dancing in the stands! Great atmosphere, and we sat next to a German who chatted us up the entire match, which was alot of fun. It sure is nice to meet people from all over the world who are here for the same reason. A couple of people down said to me: you're from the US and you are a soccer fan? I didn't think those existed!
Well, us two mohawked-freaks are here to watch soccer! Knuckles mentioned to the kind German next to us that I was an attorney, and the guy laughed...I think that he didn't believe him after looking at my hair.
Well, we're back at the hotel, and I'm pretty spent. Here's the log of our travels today (Weimar-Dusseldorf-Cologne-Dusseldorf):
'til tomorrow,
Rocco
posted by Rocco at 3:54 PM
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