Here already...

Well, the trip has been chock full already! My adventures started before I even reached Germany. I was laid over and bored in Chicago, so I started talking to some fellow travellers: a music major that just graduated from UT, a Mexican couple, and a lady going to join her husband in the United Arab Republic(?). Ten minutes later I had an email address and an invitation to go visit her in Awagabee(?) We got to Germany yesterday and spent the day getting acclimated. We learned how to use the transportation system and got our hotel rooms. Last night we took the Ubahn to an Italian restaurant. On the way we were greeted by a tipsy, expansively friendly German man who welcomed us to Germany and ended up hugging me and kissing the top of my head. Now that's a cultural experience. After a very long night's sleep, I felt much better. Today we walked all around Dusseldorf. There's artwork everywhere, from lion statues with the noses rubbed shiny from where the locals touch them for good luck, to ultra realistic statues of people, to very modern architecture in the buildings around the AIB. We went up a very tall tower and saw an overview of Dusseldorf. This afternoon I took off on my own. After wandering through residential areas for a while, I found a really cute park and watched the kids play. I went into a corner store and was amazed at the different fresh produce and fruits and meats there. I bought ice cream by pointing and smiling, and just generally wandered around looking at Dusseldorf, a bit away from major touristy areas. It was really great. This evening we had a welcome dinner at the AIB with the other group from the United States. Now, I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep and seeing Cologne tomorrow. I've heard that it's beautiful, and the cathedral and chocolate museum are very much worth seeing.