GUTEN TAG! Greetings from Dusseldorf!

GUTEN TAG!! I have less than an hour here to write, edit, post, pack, and eat breakfast, so HERE I GO!

First of all, we NEVER would have gotten on the plane had it not been for my mom kicking some Delta a**, so love goes out to her! My plane ride overseas went well, and it was great fun to hang out with everyone at the airport. We had lot's of sleepyheads in layover at Atlanta airport, including Dr. Webb!

We arrived in Dusseldorf around 8 am their time, and I was so psyched about getting my first stamp in my passport! YEAH!

My morning, however, turned pretty sour pretty fast. My luggage apparently had stayed in Atlanta. GREAT. At least mine wasn't on it's way to Tel Aviv like Drew and Joe's. Let's just say, this gives my mother yet ANOTHER thing to chew Delta out for.  Mom, however, was able to put money in my account so I could buy outfits (that the airline will reimburse me for).

My new outfit I literally bought off a mannequin! Addidas is HUGE over here! 

Time to stroll downtown!
Dusseldorf has been beautiful! It still doesn't really feel like I'm in Europe except the buildings are more old and majestic...

I found it so odd that all the restaurants and cafes basically didn't open until noon or later downtown, but we finally found one place that was open and not overly priced. I've had some good food that I can't say I had much of an appetite for, but I'm still so happy to be here. I gotta remember I need to order stilles wasser!

Lunch with friends was at Balthasar Cafe-Bar-Restaurant

Staci Harvey modeling the stilles wasser! 

My tomate mozzarella sandwich

Before dinner, we walked as a group from the bus and I got stopped by some people at the restaurant who talked my ear off in German before they realized I understood nothing! They argued over where I was from til I confirmed Missouri, then they expressed how lovely my dress was (which I had just bought), and how I looked so much nicer than the hookers I was standing next to. I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS STANDING BY HOOKERS! GAH! I said thank-you, and they laughed and told me to enjoy my stay in Germany. :)

And dinner with the group was at Zum Schluffel!

Beef bouillon soup! (Tasted JUST like potato soup, but too salty for me!!)

Knuckle of grilled pork (which was almost as big as my head!), potato dumpling and red cabbage

Vanilla ice cream with cooked rum cherries and whipped topping (this was DELISH!)

I decided to stay in town after dinner instead of go back on the bus with friends because I wanted to buy another new outfit (since I still don't have my luggage!), only to find out all the shops closed at 8, which is about 10 minutes after we got out of dinner.

A group of us meandered around to find a cell phone shop for Maddie, and then stopped for some gelato.

We got stopped by a lot of drunks asking for cigarettes, which truly none of us had, and then got asked where we were by a couple of punk-style girls near the train station, who wanted to confirm that they were either in Frankfurt or Berlin. When we told them Dusseldorf they yelled F***!!!! and after thanking us ran down the ramp to the train station.

After realizing nothing left was open except bars and discotheques, we decided to take a taxi van back to the hotel.

It may be a few days before I get to blog again, so I wish you auf wiedersehen til I can return to the digital world! LOVE YOU ALL!