What's She Up to Now? Jody's Life Blog

August 18, 2016 Berlin and Saying Goodbye to the Army

Howdy Once Again!

Well, today our virtual tour of Europe takes us to Germany. Germany's flag is black, red, and yellow. I decided yellow would probably be too hard to read, so I'm keeping the prompt in black and I'll, yet again, be typing in red. I think I'm going to be really disappointed when I get to a country that doesn't have red in their flag. lol

August 18, 2016 Berlin

We'll staying at the Marriott. Potsdamer Platz location in Berlin, Germany's city centre. Our 370 guest rooms and 9 deluxe suites are each outfitted with in-room entertainment, stone bathrooms with walk-in showers, and fashionable decor. No matter your reason for visiting Berlin, we can help you feel at home with quality amenities such as a 24-hour fitness center and an indoor pool. Dine-in and enjoy delicious steak and seafood from our Midtown Grill, or savor a specialty cocktail from our trendy CATWALK fashion bar. Our well-situated hotel places you near many of Berlin's most notable attractions, including Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bermc-berlin-marriott-hotel/

I'm rooming with Sally on this leg. It's appropriate that she be stuck with me since she's the reason I'm here. lol She's such a sweetheart, though! I really like spending time with her! Our room is across from Fivesixer and Andy~hating university, so I think she and I are both quite pleased. I don't know if the boys care at all, but hey, as long as WE'RE happy...

Not long after we got to the hotel, Jellyfish, Creeper Of The Realm, Carol St.Ann, and WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24 came to the door asking if we wanted to go to the pool to sort of wake up. Today's my last day in the Army, so I decided it was best I not be alone (Sally had decided to take a nap), so I agreed to go. Besides, I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to disturb her. What's quieter than a quiet roommate? No roommate. lol NaNoKit, Elycia Lee ☮, SandraLynn, and BlueMoon had apparently decided the same thing. It was more crowded there than I'd expected considering the time, but it was fun. We managed to get into a splashing contest and got to making such a ruckus that someone from the staff came in and asked us in German to hold it down. We don't speak German, but we knew what the complaint was. Hahaha We had quieter fun, but still enjoyed ourselves. Finally we decided to go upstairs to get ready for lunch. I was starved!

After lunch at the hotel, we'll be going on another Segway tour

Experience Berlin like never before on this guided, educational and entertaining, 3-hour small-group Segway tour. Berlin is Germany’s capital and cultural centerpiece. Cruise to all its main sites — like the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Cathedral and Museum Island, Reichstag, Gendarmenmarkt and many more — stopping frequently to hear fascinating stories, take pictures and discuss Berlin’s history. Guided Segway training, plus a helmet and poncho (in case of inclement weather) are included. Dress in weather-appropriate clothes with flat, closed-toed shoes. Highlights Segway tour of Berlin See more of the city than you would on a walking tour Cruise by major attractions like the Berlin Wall and Brandenburg Gate

Read more about Berlin Segway Tour - Berlin | Viator at: https://www.viator.com/tours/Berlin/Berlin-Segway-Tour/d488-3933BERSEGWAY?pub=vc...

The segway tours were limited to 8 per group, so we broke up into groups of 8. I got to be with Apondia, Princess Megan Snow Rose, Dragon is hiding, Finn O'Flaherty, 💙 Carly - aka Joan Watson, PandaPaws Licensed VetTech, and Andy~hating university (swoon). We had a fabulous time on the segways. It was funny because Andy~hating university was trying to hotdog on his, most of us were being normal, but a couple of folks were a bit skittish about the whole plan, though they caught on and seemed to really have a ball after a bit. lol I was also amused that someone who shall go nameless, actually asked more questions than I did. That's impressive! Our poor guide was inundated with questions. We all had a lot of questions, but between me and my rival questioner, that guide was probably glad to be rid of us. lol

When we got back, one of the other groups was all atwitter about their experience. I didn't think anything about it since I figured we all had mostly the same experience, but theirs was much different! First, one of them "fell off," though no one would say who. Even better, they fell off because they were evacuating because they were about to hit someone and didn't think they could stop in time. Well, that didn't matter and their segway bumped them anyway. Well, it turns out it was Dolph Lundgren (whom I'm a BIG fan of) and some super famous international model (I've never heard of). Even their guide was excited! I'm so jealous! They said Dolph was really nice about it, but the model was angry because in the incident, somehow her thousand dollar shoes got scuffed. Well, I can't blame her. I'd be pretty angry, myself. But then, shoes get scuffed. That's why I'd never buy a thousand dollar pair, even if I could afford them. lol Anyway, we couldn't get anyone to tell us who had bailed just before hitting someone. Oh well, but I've narrowed it down to someone in that group. I know, not helpful, but it was either Fran 🌈🧜‍♀️, LostGhost: Seeking & Learning, Moody Blue: Needs an Upgrade, Winnie, Prosperous Snow celebrating, Lyn's a Witchy Woman, ElaineElaine, or Brother Nature. Personally, I've got my opinions, but I can't really say for sure who it is. But I'm dying to know. How embarrassing! lol

We're skipping the line for this once in a lifetime experience by celebrating our visit to Berlin with a sky-high meal in the clouds during this VIP dinner 679 feet (207 meters) above the city in the revolving restaurant of the Berlin TV Tower. Enjoy skip-the-line access to the tallest building in Berlin, sitting down for a VIP dinner at Sphere, the revolving eatery located at the tower’s apex. Savor a delicious 2-course dinner at a guaranteed window-seat table, accompanied by three wines and soak up the incredible vistas of nearby Berlin landmarks like Charlottenburg Palace and Checkpoint Charlie. Highlights Skip-the-line VIP dinner atop the famous Berlin TV Tower Treat yourself to an unforgettable dining experience at the top of the highest building in Berlin Enjoy skip-the-line entrance to Sphere, a revolving restaurant at a soaring 679 feet Dine in the elegant atmosphere and admire incredible 360-degree views of Berlin from your table Choose from four different dinner menus to suit your taste and savor three glasses of wine.

Read more about Skip the Line: Dinner Atop the Berlin TV Tower - Berlin | Viator at: https://www.viator.com/tours/Berlin/Skip-the-Line-Dinner-atop-the-Berlin-TV-Towe...

Well, dinner was interesting. We had to decide what we wanted to eat ahead of time, then arrived according to our choice. Also odd, there were only 4 choices. Whatever, I found something I'd like, so I was happy. The place was packed, but just as advertised, everyone had a window seat table. I got to sit with Fivesixer and SB Musing. There were only 3 of us because we were at the end of our group of folks who wanted to eat the chicken. Norb was really funny and kept us laughing quite a bit before dinner came. I also pawned off my wine since I don't like wine, but instead of telling the waiter, I just slowly poured some into each of their glasses bit by bit to make it seem like I was drinking some. lol Hey, we paid good money for this meal, wine included. I'm not getting cheated out of my wine!

Anyway, as the night went on, I got quiet as I began to realize that my last day in the Army was coming to an end. It was really hard for me to focus on the conversation and throw in something here and there to pretend I was still "with the group." I think SB Musing must have noticed because after dinner, when we all started back, she delayed leaving the table for a minute and asked me to wait for her. Then on the way back she talked to me one-on-one about what I was going through. I cried a bit, but she was SUPER SWEET about the whole thing! I really appreciated her and I think when we got back to the room, she said something to Sally while I was in the bathroom because Sally was extra awesome too. Thank you, ladies! I NEEDED THAT!

Did you check in with your fellow backpackers lately? How are they doing with all this traveling?

No, I've been a bad friend and haven't checked on my fellow travelers. How's everyone doing? Everyone still alive?

On to real life...
Saying Goodbye to the Army

My social worker and occupational therapist took me to the nearest veterans' memorial today...a veterans' cemetery. Hmmm...I feel like there should be a different memorial here, but whatever. It was a BEAUTIFUL cemetery! I laid flowers at the base of the U.S. and POW flags and wrote on 3 biodegreadable dove-shaped balloons. One I wrote my poem, "Salute to My God-Given Life" , on. On one I wrote thank you to everyone I could think of (but later realized I'd STILL left some folks off) and on the back I'd asked God's forgiveness for my sins. I can't remember what I wrote on the other one...the 2nd balloon. Even before we left, just minutes later, I couldn't remember. Maybe it was the stress of everything. God knows I was STRESSED!!! I cried a good bit, naturally. It was really hard for me.

Because I'm prone to making ridiculous decisions since Iraq, I'm not even going to try to explain why I think this is a good idea, but my apartment complex changed their mind and said I COULD have rabbits. So I've decided to go check out some rabbit places this weekend and see if I want to get a rabbit or 2 (for company when I'm not playing with it). I'm pondering either the American Chinchilla Rabbit, the most endangered breed of rabbit in the U.S., or the Silver Fox Rabbit, another endangered breed, but doing better than the Am Chin.

Here's a link for the American Chinchilla Rabbit
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/americanchinchilla

Here a link for the Silver Fox Rabbit.
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/silver-fox

I thought I could get maybe 2 does (girls) and breed them occassionally to help build up the breed numbers. That way it would be ALMOST like I'm farming endangered livestock like I originally wanted to do. But I'll sell the babies instead of keeping them...after all, I DO live in an apartment. lol

I haven't decided for sure yet. I don't want my place to stink and I'm a light sleeper in a small and echo-y apartment. Maybe I should just get a cat instead...