It's hard to believe I've been away in Europe for a week already!!! It doesn't feel like that much time has passed.
Family is wonderful!
I have had such a nice time the past few days here in Lörrach, Germany with my mom's cousin Hellie and her husband Wolfgang!
Yesterday Hellie and I had the best breakfast! (Wolfgang was already up and at work...he missed out! haha) Very European! We ate fresh bread with sesame seeds on it with delicious cheese and smoked meat slices. Also with fruit and jam and of course some tea. Tea is a staple around here so it seems! (Fine by me !! I love tea!)
She took me on a tour of the small town yesterday. We did some shopping and browsing in the little stores in the downtown area. Very nice.
We had a low-key afternoon/evening. Hellie is learning how to play the guitar, so she had to practice. I listened. I now understand why my dad enjoys listening to his kids practice music. It was lovely!!! I then played some songs for her as well. I also sight-read a John Denver song. I impressed myself doing that! I usually suck at sight reading. It was an easy song, but I am better at guitar than I thought I was! I cannot wait to get home and practice more and more! My goal is to be able to sing and play at the same time by the end of the summer. I took pictures of some of the songs so I can continue to play them at home.
Hellie made a warm supper for me. This is not very European! Usually people in Germany eat their warm big meal at lunchtime, and a smaller salad or sandwich type meal at dinnertime. We had a side of homemade asparagus/mushroom soup! SOOOO GOOOD! She used the water she boiled the asparagus the night before and added some mushroom-spice package with maybe some sort of milk to make it a little bit creamy. It was delicious! I will have to try to recreate it when I get home as well.
We went for a jog this morning around the park near her house. It was a good jog! She stopped to show me the stained glass windows of the Catholic Church! It is a modern church with a gorgeous stained glass window across the entire one side. I wish I had a camera to capture the beauty. If we go jogging again tomorrow I will ask to go to back and I'll carry my small camera with me.
Another nice European breakfast followed our jog. I also got the chance to throw in a load of laundry. All of my smelly clothes from hiking in the Swiss Alps were in desperate need of washing!! 
They were starting to stink up my bag! I am quite excited as I was able to hang them out on a rack on the balcony to dry. They will smell so good!!!
After breakfast we casually biked to SWITZERLAND! How crazy is that?! On our bike ride we saw a stork's nest with a baby stork in it! So nice! (I had my camera at this point and could snap a picture of it!) We stopped in Switzerland and enjoyed some sorbet. It was my first time BIKING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY!!! It sounds so funny to say that! It wasn't too long of a bike ride either. It took less than an hour to bike across the Swiss-German boarder. Hellie said that sometimes she and Wolfgang bike through Switzerland, into France, and home through Germany. That trip takes about 4 hours to do. So crazy!
It is a very nice day today. I think earlier in the afternoon it was about 20 degrees and has been sunny! (YAY SUN!) I have been enjoying the view from the balcony while typing this sitting in the sun. 
I can hear the birds tweeting (or twittering? #NoPunIntended #TotallyIntended #lol). It is also very nice to hear people playing tennis. In the picture of me, the tennis courts are just below...
you can kind of see them through the fence.
Hellie is at her guitar lesson but should be back any minute. I think for supper tonight we will be having a more European style dinner.
I am thoroughly enjoying my time here in Germany!!
-Steph
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