Wine Fest Here We Come!

No visa for Ben yet, so now we are forced to stay in Germany another weekend and enjoy the big St. Goar on the Rhein Wine Festival tomorrow night. They are thinking midweek the visa will be ready and then we can fly on Thursday...maybe? No flight is booked at this time. Sounds like next week we will both be going up to northern Germany for a few days so Ben can work. Who ever said transitioning to another country is easy? I didn't expect to spend 3 weeks in Germany though! Today we went geocaching in the afternoon and found some really neat locations.

No Fly Friday!

A very frustrating day today! I feel really bad for Ben as he is just beside himself with this visa issue, but more so with the people who messed it up. Essentially we are both helpless in the matter and sitting ducks. We are not flying tomorrow as they suggested last week. Now they are thinking it will be Tuesday, but we really don't know. My five year tourist visa is ready to go, but I'm not going without my husband. I'm not sure where the time has gone. We landed in Germany Sept. 4th and we were suppose to fly last Thursday the 11th. Now tomorrow is the 18th already and the month is half gone. Good night from Simmern.

Evian & Balsomico Chips

Good Evening from Simmern! Day 10 or so here in the mecca of the Rhein Valley. At the moment I am loving 1.5 liters of Evian (ohne Kohlensaure "without bubbles") and Aldi's Balsomico potato chips. I can't get enough of them since Klaus introduced them to me in the Netherlands. A two hour city walk to the post office, bank, Italian gelato cafe, Aldi, and Getrink Center was the excitement for the day. I followed that with shopping with my MIL at Globus and Obi. Ben arrived home from northern Germany tonight safely. It is great to have him back in my arms as we are now preparing to fly Friday to India. Let the fun begin!

Lazy Tuesday

Good Morning/Afternoon to All! Ben left for northern Germany today to work for a few days at the headquarters. I opted to stay with his parents where I can go for nice city walks, bake, cook, read, and not have to pack and unpack another bag. We had lunch at McDonalds together and then he was off. We are taking full advantage of as many hamburgers as we can get before we hit the non-beef area of India. I went grocery shopping at Globus for a few small items and then walked home. Asti was on sale for 4.5 euros so I stocked up for Christmas. I made devilled eggs this afternoon, cleaned a bit, and am thinking about going for a long afternoon stroll around town. A lazy Tuesday in Simmern. I'm chugging water and multivitamin juice in an effort to be as healthy as possible when we hit the ground running in India. Sounds like we are flying Friday morning as the visa should be ready by then. Have a great day!

My 1st German Cake

One load of laundry, a flower arrangement, and a fresh baked bundt cake ready to be eaten at 4:30 pm cake and coffee time. MMM! A busy day here in the Stabe home. =)

Rhein River Valley Hiking 9.12.09

Saturday we went on a really beautiful hike of the Rhein River Valley near the city of Boppard, Germany. It was an adventure hike with challenges along the way. We had to climb up and down ladders, across pegged steps in the stone, and up steep hills. It was truly a workout, but so rewarding when we got to the top. We hiked for 3-4 hours and had coffee and spaghetti on the camping stove at the top. I would like to add that Ben carried the backpack full of water and food to the top and after lunch once the bag was lighter I took over. Ha Ha! Our good friend Stefan joined us and navigated us to the top. After a day of hiking we explored Boppard for a quick ice cream and then met up with Stefan in Koblenz for a night out. I took in my first German movie! Wicki the Wiking was the name of the show. It translates to Vicky the Viking and was a German kids movie that I could follow pretty good. It was a great first experience! An absolutely breathtaking view of the Rhein, beautiful weather, and a great time with Ben and Stefan for a really wonderful day. No views like that in India I'm afraid!

Last Tuesday's "Family Day"

FAMILY DAY: These pictures are from last Tuesday when we visited both sets of Ben's grandparents and then drove to visit his brother. This was when we thought we were flying out Thursday morning. The one picture is with Phillip and Edith in Sorgenloch and the others are from the Brauhaus in a town near Ludwigshaven where Ben's brother lives. Best schnitzel I've ever had!

Center Parcs Netherlands Get Away Weekend

Pictures from our getaway in the Netherlands with Klaus and Alex. Beautiful Place! We all enjoyed our 4 person bike ride around the lake and resort property. Fun had by all!

Good Bye Cincinnati

A picture of our last night in Cincinnati with friends at Montgomery Inn (Ribs!) We love you guys and gals. We hope all is well in the 'Nati. Nice purple shirt John!

A final beverage at the Hofbrauhaus in Newport with Tina....memories! Take care!

City Festival

Today we took in a city festival in a neighboring town where they celebrated Shinderhannes Fest. Shinderhannes is like the German Robin Hood. You can see from the pictures that it is set in the older times. Great food, good wine, and lots of fun music. Richard's theatre group had two live performances. He is wearing the black cap with the green vest and holding the stick.