On Saturday, we went to Jahnplatz to do some shopping, mainly to buy a cellphone for me. We got a phone for 20 Euro with 10 euros of time on it. We also went to 2 different stores to accomplish unlocking Heidi's phone from 6 years ago, putting a new SIM card in it, and putting euros on it. So, I have 2 phones now. When Sandi and Christine visit, they can call me if something goes wrong, they're outside and I'm inside, whatever.
Pete, Heidi, and I all ended up buying nice wooden toys for their coming child and for me to use for Christmas present. This child is not due until April, but s/he will have toys to push and pull while walking!! The quality can't be beat. After we took this picture, I realized not all the toys were in it, and I forgot the German children's books I'd bought entirely. Maybe another picture later---I finally found a nursery rhyme book with the music included!!
We unfolded the couch into a bed and left it down the whole time Heidi and Pete were here. This is my main living room, which you enter immediately when entering the apartment. This picture was taken from my bedroom door, looking toward the kitchen.
This picture is from the kitchen looking into the bedroom. The TV and table are to the right, my desk and bookshelf are to the left. With so much black furniture (the two IKEA tables bought last are yellow because Ulla thought it was too much black already!), it's a little hard at times to find my black key pouch (Harley Davidson---a great choice---room for lots of keys and then a zippered bag attached for money, especially all the change involved in Europe), the memory card reader, etc. Almost all my computer and camera equipment is black!!
Saturday evening we were invited to Wolfgang's house by him and his wife, Coco. They will be taking care of Brandi for a couple of weekends, so we took her along so that she could get used to them and the house. We had a fantastic dinner---a casserole from the Tachine, I believe it's spelled---basically the Taliban area! Heidi was ill with a cold, feeling lousy, but Rainer picked Pete and me up and we had a great time.
The kids left the Bielefeld train station Sunday morning at 9, supposedly due at the Mpls airport by 5:30 Sunday afternoon. Flying west works a whole lot better, I think. I was sad to see them go, but I also needed to get back to focusing on school, my future trips, etc. My other visitors will be in singles, not pairs---Sandi from NMU (by way of a year's teaching in Helsinki, Finland this year), and Christine near Thanksgiving.
Heidi and Pete took back some things I'd bought, mainly toys, paperback mysteries I've read by now, and a now-empty brewery beer bottle!! They'd also brought me a couple of things I'd asked for---multivitamins and some small ziplock bags. I'd also requested a washcloth---people here just don't use those. The kids forgot that, but that's not a problem.
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