Quick Visit to Germany

Although this trip occurred a couple months ago, I didn’t want to leave it out of the Journey. Going to Germany was the best unexpected trip ever!

Both Douglas and I needed to have some routine blood work done. In the states we would simply make an appointment with our doctor, which is typically on base or at a nearby Naval Hospital. The process is quick and easy. But Algiers is nothing like the states. Without getting into the specifics of how the Department of State and the Department of Defense operate, we could not be serviced at our local health unit at the embassy. Within days of finding out this news, we received information stating that we were approved to go to the closest military hospital. To our fortune, the closest one was in Germany.  Almost immediately, two tickets were purchased for us to fly to Frankfurt where we would stay for three days with our lodging covered and per-diem provided.  I had never looked forward to going to the doctor so much in my life! I have a huge fear of needles, but getting poked in my arm was now the last thing on my mind. 

We arrived early evening, around 6:00 p.m. Region headquarters arranged for a Marine to pick us up from the airport and be our source of transportation the entire time. After experiencing a few technical difficulties regarding our lodging, everything finally worked out for us. We drove about 45 minutes away from Frankfurt to stay at an Army Base in Wiesbaden, Germany. Their lodging facility was one of the best we had ever seen. We dropped off our luggage in the room and headed right back downstairs to explore the town. 

Hilton Hotel. Never seen one shaped like this before.

 

 

Oh how I miss seeing a stop light and a crosswalk.

 

 

Although I don't eat McDonald's, I sure was happy to see one

Shopping district in Germany

It was pretty nice to be in a country where things felt normal again. Germans walked the streets freely, vehicles drove with respect and consideration for other cars on the road, taxis were available at almost every street corner, and restaurants offered menus that were actually in English. Things were good! We caught a taxi to downtown Wiesbaden where large shopping districts and many restaurants are located. Douglas and I had such a good time walking up and down the mildly crowded streets, going in and out of stores, and stopping at various food vendors for scrumptious treats. Most of the restaurants had outside seating. The only negative to being outside is that there was no option for a non-smoking section. Many people smoke in Germany. Douglas and I stumbled upon a great restaurant that served American style food with German flavor. We sat outside underneath small umbrellas basking in our surroundings. Our meals were delicious! I had a turkey and veggie kabob, baked potato and a side of broccoli. Douglas had grilled salmon with a side of veggies. When that food came out we were in heaven! After dinner we made our way around the city a little more and then went back to the hotel. 

SALMON....Oh how we missed you!

Never knew how much I enjoyed broccoli until I moved to Algiers where it's extremely hard to find

 

 

We saw this sign and considered seeing a movie since there are no theaters in Algiers

Hmm.....this isn't exactly the kind of movie we were thinking about

And....moment over....so much for a theater experience

The next morning we packed all our belongings to check out of the lodging facility. We were scheduled to stay in a different city that night. Our driver picked us at around 11:00 a.m. and drove us to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC). It was an hour away from Wiesbaden. During the ride I was a little shocked to see how fast we were travelling. The flow of traffic must have been going at least 95 mph. I couldn’t believe that speed was legal. 

As we pulled up to the hospital, we were astounded by the vast facility. LRMC is the largest military hospital outside of the United States. Most wounded soldiers that come from Afghanistan are brought to that location. There is a department for every type of doctor imaginable. The facility was massive. We spent more time there than expected, but we were relieved to have taken care of everything in one place. 

Immediately following, we already knew our next stop: shopping. We drove a few miles on the highway to Ramstein Air Base. Douglas and I took full advantage of both the Commissary and the Exchange. It doesn’t seem like much to look forward to, until it’s no longer an option for you to go to. I packed our cold bag, a couple of ice packs, and stocked up on meats, seafood, cheese, hummus, yogurt, and plenty of other goodies. After we completed our purchases at both stores, the driver took us back to Frankfurt where we stayed at the lodging facility located on the grounds of the U.S. Consulate. It was past 8:00 p.m. when we returned and checked into our room. Fortunately, we had plenty of energy remaining to leave our footprints all over downtown Frankfurt. The security guards on duty kindly called a taxi for us. It didn’t take long for the taxi to arrive since they were readily available. 

The largest base exchange in the world. Ramstein, Germany

Subway system

Mr. Softee or something like it...

It was after 9:00 p.m. when we realized our stomachs were growling for dinner. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from. We tried to find something unique to Germany. After reading several menus posted outside the restaurants you would be as surprised as we were to know we settled on dining at a Chinese Restaurant. 

This was me looking "suspect" about this restaurant

Douglas absolutely loves Chinese food. He ate it just about once a month in the states. During our time in Algiers I would talk about how much I missed Chick-fil-A and he talked about how much he missed Chinese food. Well, there was no opportunity to dine at Chick-fil-A but there was an opportunity to fulfill his desire for Chinese food. Although I didn’t care for it, I proposed this place because I knew how happy it would make him. Oddly enough, I had nothing but sarcastic comments to say about the place before we ate, despite me being the one to suggest it. This was all in jest of course. I thought to myself, who would come all the way to Germany and eat Chinese food. It didn’t help that there were about six people at the restaurant and all other establishments were mildly crowded. Then we entered the place and the kitchen was practically at the foot of the steps. I felt like I was walking into a diner. I just wasn’t sold on the exterior. Eventually I put all that to the side and said to myself, “This is the place I recommended, I agreed to eat here, so get over it!” Besides, it felt good to see Douglas so happy.

When the waiter took my order, I did the very best I could to explain that I only ate gluten-free food. I could see from the blank stare on his face that my words meant absolutely nothing to him. He basically said, “Do you want sauce or no sauce?” I settled by saying, “No sauce and no flour.” I’m sure he still thought I was crazy and confused, but we seemed to be in agreement on what I didn’t want. I honestly did not expect much. Most of the time when I went to Chinese restaurants in the states, I had to order steamed white rice and steamed veggies with no sauce thus equaling no savory flavor. This is why I fell in love with P.F. Chang's in the states. I was finally able to experience Chinese food the way everyone else could.

Douglas and I sat there, joking with one another, staring out the window, and reflecting on what a great day we had. There was one group of people sitting beside us, but soon after we ordered they exited the restaurant. Now, it was just the two of us and the staff. That was a little awkward…just saying. Moments later our food was brought to the table. I ordered friend rice with chicken and veggies and no sauce. It certainly didn’t look like the typical steamed food I usually get back in the states. I picked up the fork and hoped that I would not be terribly disappointed. Douglas knew what I thought by the look in my eyes. It was a look of amazement because that food was delectable! I was reminded of some great words, “Never judge a book by its cover.” We had a fabulous time enjoying our Chinese food in Germany, of all places.

I want to go back to Germany to eat Chinese food!

After our bellies were stuffed, we had the waiter take a few pictures of us and then exited the restaurant. Directly across the cobblestone pavement was a Haagen-Dazs shop. Douglas and I knew that would be our dessert. In Algiers, there is one grocery store that sells Haagen-Dazs ice cream by the pint. However, and let me say this is a big HOWEVER, one pint of ice cream cost $17. Yes, this container below is same cost of your average entrée at a restaurant.

Food is expensive in Algiers. We enjoyed our normal priced scoops of Haagen-Dazs very much. Douglas and I sat outside in a couple of chairs under a large umbrella. It was nice to do a little “people-watching” and relax. It’s just not possible to have moments like that in Algiers, so we soaked in every moment while in Germany. 

Once we were done, Douglas and I took a stroll to the water that was about ten minutes away. The air felt phenomenal. There was a cool breeze that lightly blew past us with each step. We reached the large body of water and stood in front of a long bridge that led to another side of the city. It reminded me of New York City at night. It was beautiful. We remained on the bridge for several minutes and began to reminisce. We discussed a few of our deepest thoughts, and made some revelations that would significantly improve both our lives. It was certainly a night to remember. In that moment, and in everything we had done that evening, you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t living in a movie. It was surreal. Experiencing Frankfurt at night was a treat. And it was even sweeter that I had on my comfortable walking shoes. At nearly 1:30 a.m., we decided to call it a night and caught a taxi back to the Consulate. As tired as we should have been, both of us had energy that could last for days. 

The next morning we were scheduled to fly back to Algiers. I packed up all the food in the refrigerator and prayed that it would stay cool until we got back home. Our driver met us downstairs and proceeded to take us back to the airport. We only spent 2 nights and 3 days in Germany, but in that short amount of time we explored more than a couple cities (Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Landstuhl, and Ramstein), we had a romantic getaway each night, and we experienced a new culture that was very relatable to our own. That doctor’s visit was a blessing in disguise and well worth the trip. That is what I would call a grand adventure!