Author: Jennell

Germany, International Travel

Rothenburg, 9/3/16

Jennell

Well, Saturday morning was a bit rough to start. Up too late and too many Jameson shots the night before. But we got up and went to explore Rothenburg, which is a city with a defensive wall. It was a lot bigger than I expected it to be. There are Houses, shops, restaurants, etc and people live there! There were people dressed up in mid-evil outfits and a lot of shows that happened as well.
It was very busy and we drove in circles trying to find parking. We went to the street to find something. A woman flagged us down and asked (in English) how long we would be there. We said a few hours, but were unsure of an exact time. She said she was having a good day and we could park in front of her garage as long as we didn’t stay overnight. We thanked her and took her up on the offer, and then she said, “My husband was American. I’ll tell you what I did to him.” Then she walked away. I think there was something lost in translation. Anyway, we parked in front of her garage and went to explore.
We were hungry when we got there, so we went straight to a restaurant. I got the spätzle, which was delicious. Unfortunately, my stomach was not happy with it, and we spent a good portion of the day searching for a restroom and a pharmacy. The pharmacy inside was closed, and we didn’t want to leave, so I grabbed a soda and the bubbles helped quite a bit. We wandered around and looked at the shops. They had a few Christmas shops that are famous and open year round. We then went to get some photos by the wall (luckily, someone the people who took us there had been there before and knew where to go!). We tried to go to the torture museum, but it was closed. We got a picture out front and then headed back to Stuttgart.
That night, we ??

 

 

 

 

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Germany, International Travel

Sunday and Monday in Stuttgart, 9/4/16

Jennell

We woke up and went to brunch at the place where my friend’s boyfriend works.  Then she took us around Stuttgart to do some tourist stuff.  She showed us a lookout point near where she used to live and we did a lot of walking around.  We stopped at the Stuttgart wine festival and Wardell and my friend had one glass, then we headed to a different Irish pub for a birthday party.

We decided to stay an extra day in Germany because my friend only had to work for a couple hours on Monday. However, she realized she actually had more to do that day, so on Monday morning she let us know that she was busy and we could explore on our own. We woke up and had breakfast, then went back to take a nap and slept a lot longer than expected. We realized how tired we had been because the entire trip was “go, go, go.” I went to make sure everything was packed up and ready, and the zipper on my big backpack broke! The one with all of my clothes in it! So I had to go find a new suitcase, since we couldn’t really take the broken backpack with us to Iceland.
We went to TK Maxx (TJ Maxx in Germany) and I grabbed the biggest and cheapest suitcase they had. I was actually concerned about not having enough space, but when I transferred my clothes to it, there was actually more than in my backpack!
We napped again (it was a pretty lazy day), and then decided to go to the TV tower, which is essentially the space needle of Stuttgart. They even have a restaurant up there! We took the bus to get there and went to the base to get some pictures and into the gift shop, but did not pay to go to the top or eat there.
The night before, we were told that there was trivia at the Irish pub we went to the first night, which is very close to my friend’s place. So we decided to head there and try the trivia. It was just the 2 of us, and the questions were very difficult, but it was fun. However, after round 5 of 10, we both realized how tired we were and headed back to my friend’s house.

 

 

Germany, International Travel, Switzerland

Journey to Stuttgart, 9/2

Jennell

We had looked up the trains the night before and told my friend the time we planned on being there. We had to take 3 different trains (Montreux-Lausanne, Lausanne-Zurich, Zurich-Stuttgart). The first 2 were fine, but the second was a little later than we expected. Then we got to Zurich. We had planned on only having a 30 minute break between trains. We went to the closest ticket machine and realized that it was only for within Switzerland. We asked someone and he pointed us to another ticket machine (honestly may have been a language issue). Still nothing. We asked another person, who pointed us to the information booth. They told us to go to a window with “one woman” to purchase these tickets. We found the window (many windows where you can buy tickets) and talked to a man. We were already well past the time we had planned on leaving, so I knew we were going to be late.

We found out that the next train to Stuttgart left in 2 hours, so during that time, we needed to find WiFi so I could message my friend to let her know we would be 2 hours later than expected. This was surprisingly difficult. The train station has WiFi, but they have to text you a code, and we couldn’t do that because we couldn’t receive texts. That’s where the language barrier got in the way again. We tried to ask for an internet café and at least 4 people told me “there’s internet everywhere, on your phone.” Finally, after going to the information window a few times and asking many different people, we found out that they have an internet café at western union, which we had to find. After asking a few people (many of them thought there wasn’t one there), we finally found it! I paid for 15 minutes and then realized that keyboards there are different. Y and Z are switched and I had to ask someone where the @ symbol was. But I finally messaged my friend and we had a little less stress at that point.
When we got into Stuttgart, my friend was running a little late. The thing is, again, there was WiFi at the station but you had to text, so I didn’t get her message. I walked around to find her and we decided to wait by the gate we came into. That worked well, and she said they ran to get there, and they had beer for us!

We went back to their house and stayed in for a home cooked dinner, then went to their local bar, an Irish pub down the road. We learned that in every country we’ve been to, the Irish pubs are where the Americans tend to hang out, and it can get crazy!

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Uncategorized

Concerts of 2016

Jennell

Concerts/Plays/Shows I attended last year. I was going to put them in order of how much I liked them, but that is way too difficult so they’re in chronological order. The only one that I didn’t love was Melanie Martinez. And Bob Dylan (hate to say it, but the show was not great).  Wardell went to most of these shows with me, but not all of them.  If he wasn’t there, there is a star (*) by the name.

1. Jan 2016- Blackberry Bushes String Band at the tractor tavern (Joy Mills Band opener)- Honestly, I don’t remember a whole lot about this one (it was almost a year ago).  I do remember enjoying both the main act as well as the opener.  I also got some earrings at this show because the lead singer makes earrings with lasers.
2. Feb 2016- Melanie Martinez at the Showbox- My friends came up from Salem to go to this show. Unfortunately, the only reason I enjoyed this show was because my friends came up for it.  I had heard the concept album and was excited to see what she did with it.  She was dressed up, but was walking back and forth on the stage like a coked out lion in a cage (my friends wording, but perfect).  The venue was also full of teenagers (I didn’t realize that she was big with the teens.  Thank god for the bar area where they weren’t allowed).
3. Feb 2016- Eric Prydz at the Armory in San Francisco- I took Wardell to this show, really (for me), it was more about the trip to San Francisco.  I’m not too into electronic music, and I was only going to the show because Wardell had been raving about him for years.  This show was seriously one of the best shows I’ve ever been to!  For me it was more about the lights/lasers/holograms than the music, but the music tied it all in.  I’m so glad I went to this show and would love to see him again soon.
4. March- A night with Janis Joplin* at the 5th Avenue Theatre (play)- I bought tickets for this randomly on the way to my birthday dinner.  I’ve always been a huge Janis Joplin fan, but was unsure what the play would be like.  It was very well done and the woman who played Janis was spot on.  I also liked that it was focused her life and music, not her death.
5. April- Newsies* at the Paramount Theatre (play)- LOVED IT!  I had been so excited for this since I saw it was coming to Seattle.  The music and the dancing was so fun and upbeat.
6. April- Jackie Greene* (Opener Suitcase Junket) at the tractor tavern- This is one of the few shows I went to alone.  Wardell was doing homework and everyone else was busy or not interested.  This was seriously one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.  The opener sounded like an entire band, but it was just one guy with a suitcase full of instruments.  I bought this CD and am still baffled that it’s just him.  Jackie Greene got on and started with one of my favorite songs of his (I don’t live in a dream) and I was so into the music that I forgot I was there alone.  I started talking with other people near me, and there were multiple people who followed him from city to city to watch his shows, and now I understand why.  He is a great stage performer and can play a bunch of different instruments.
7. May- John Craigie at Columbia city theater- I’ve seen John a few times at multiple venues.  He always puts on a great show and has so many stories to tell.  (This was the first of his shows that I went to where he did not sing the Chuck Norris song.)
8. May- Billy Joel at safeco field- This show was so fun and it was cool to see a show on the baseball field.  He sang and danced around, and mixed in other songs with his.  My favorite was when he did River of Dreams, and mixed in a Jimmy Hendrix song (I forget which one it was and am super sad I didn’t get that on video.  Purple Haze maybe.  I was too busy enjoying the show!).  Wardell said he only went because I wanted him to and by the end of the show, he was talking about what a great show it was.
9. June- Paint your wagon (play)- 5th Ave theatre- I went to this show actually expecting to not like it because it didn’t seem like my type of play.  I only went because we got $5 tickets.  I was shocked when I really got into the play and enjoyed it a lot more than expected.
10. June- Bob Dylan at chateau St. Michelle in Woodinville- I’m really sad to say that this show was not great.  Bob Dylan had been on my list for such a long time, and I’m glad that I got to see him live, but the show itself wasn’t great.  Most of the music was his new stuff, but it was impossible to understand him (I know he’s always been difficult to understand him, but this was bad).  The only reason I recognized Tangled up in Blue was because I knew the lyrics.  It did not sound like any version I had ever seen and I think he may just be getting up there in age and his performing days are almost over.
11. July- Avett brothers at the Showare center in Kent- This was the 3rd or 4th time I’d seen them.  I was surprised at how empty the arena seemed.  It was a good show, but was a less intimate show in an arena.  My favorite show of theirs was at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, OR.
12. September- Dolly Pardon* at the Showare center in Kent- This was at the same venue as the Avett Brothers, but it was FULL.  I went because my friends really like her.   Not that I didn’t like her, but I just did not expect to enjoy the show as much as I did.  This woman is talented (and the sparkles! Sparkles everywhere!).  She can play multiple instruments, tell stories, and preform.  So glad I went to this show and I would definitely see her again if I get the chance.
13. Sept- St. Paul and the Broken Bones at the Paramount- I LOVED this show.  Definitely one of the top.  The lead singer can sing/dance and dress.  He had an awesome plaid suit jacket on.  The whole band was having so much fun and I can’t wait to see them again.
14. Sept – Sia at Key Arena- This show was great.  Sia has such an amazing voice.  It was not what I was used to because she was in the corner singing, and it was focused on the dancers. She seemed so shy, which you don’t see often with performers.
15. Nov- Nekromantix* at El Corazon- I had a lot of fun at this show.  I was in my first mosh pit in years (but ended up with a head injury).  I loved the vibe and had a lot of fun dancing.  My friends left kind of early because they had to work the next day, but I stayed until it was over.
16. Nov- Agent Orange at the Funhouse- This was Wardell’s first punk show.  It was in a small venue, so it was very crowded.  There was a drunk guy who took a mic and got on stage and refused to leave (but also wasnt forced to.  Wardell said he must have been bank rolling the tour).  It was a fun experience and Wardell got to see what a punk show looks like.
17. Nov- Anthony Bourdain (show) at the paramount- This was basically stand up comedy for the first 30 minutes, then an audience Q and A.  It was really interesting to hear some of his stories and this guy is hilarious.  The show was over by 8:30.
18. Dec- Little mermaid* (play) at the 5th Ave theatre- I got a subscription to the 5th Avenue theatre and this was the first of those shows (so lots of plays next year!)- This show was so fun and I enjoyed the way they made it look like it was under water.  They changed the story a bit from the movie, which was unexpected and I felt like a part of the play was missing because of this.  But overall a lot of fun and great costumes, actors and music

I went to some other smaller shows as well as a book talk, but did not include those.  Keep in mind this is all from my point of view.  2016 was full of great music and I will try to make 2017 full of even more!

International Travel

Montreux, 9/1

Jennell

We went to Montreux without a real plan, and actually planning on going onto Bern later in the day.  We put our luggage in the train station lockers and started heading down toward the waterfront.  We had seen pictures of the castle Cheteau de Chillon , and this is why we chose this city.

We also heard that there was an iconic Freddie Mercury statue there, which we wanted to check out.  We walked along the waterfront and saw a lot of art, and of course the statue of Freddie Mercury.  He owned a studio in this city, which is one of the reason that many of the residents in the city love him.  We got some photos with the statue, then continued on toward the castle.

We could see it on the other side of the lake, but didn’t realize how far away it was until after we were about halfway there (it was 4 kilometers away).   When we finally got to the castle, we paid the admission and decided to do a self-guided tour (with the brochure they provided).  This castle was overwhelming and really I don’t know what to say about it, so I say check out the pictures and if you ever get a chance check it out.  After the castle, we decided to to take the bus back to the area of the train station and figure out the next steps.  We got ice cream (which was WONDERFUL) and looked up places in Bern.  By this time, it was about 5pm, so we ended up deciding to stay in Montreux that night.  I decided that I wanted to try fondue, so we found a hotel near the train station and near the train station and near a fondue place that I found on yelp (Caveau des Vignerons Montreux).  When we checked into the hotel, we saw that guests have the access to the pool at the casino across the street.  However, it had closed a couple days before (August 31st) even though it was still hot outside.  We decided to go down to the lake (lake Geneva) and swim there.  The casino pool was open and there was a brief discussion on which one we should do, but, really, how many times can we say we swam in Lake Geneva?  I’m glad that is what we chose to do, as the water was great.  There were “no swimming” signs everywhere, but there were sections that looked like it was made for people to swim.  There were even lounge chairs set up in the area.  After the swim, we headed toward the fondue place.  It was wonderful.  Also, I didn’t realize that there was a difference between meat and cheese fondue (I was envisioning meat that you dip in cheese).  I’m glad the server spoke English and explained the difference!  We also got the creme brulee, which was delicious as well. After dinner, we decided to stop at the Hotel bar and ended up talking with a doctor who was there for a medical conference.

 

Where we stayed: Hotel Helvetie

 

 

 

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