Day 22! (14th July)

Today I got up at around 8 as we had to leave reasonably promptly. Around 8.30 me and Mrs Kirste left home and headed first to Ulm after a quick breakfast. the drive in was ok, and after we got a park spot we headed over to the massive cathedral in the innercity. This thing was seriously awesome ay!! MASSIVE! And so elaborately decorated.. It was quite stunning!! The inside was equally so, although unfortunately it was a little dark and the pictures didnt come out that well.. but take my word for it. AMAZING inside aswell!!

After have a good look around inside and lighting a candle for Grandma I started the 768 step climb to the top of the spire (Mrs Kirste opted to stay down ha ha). The stairway most the way up was a really narrow spiralling one that kinda made u dizzy coz u had to look down at where u were stepping! A stopped a couple of times to take photos and to let people ahead of me get further up again. Being up close to the spire you could see some more cool details including some great gargoyles (I love those things!, even if a bit creepy). I finally got to the very top, where u could kinda just shuffle around to look out at the cool 360 view of the city and the Donau river.

After trekking back down and encouraginging a few americans and a family (from the UK it sounded like) to keep on going, I met mrs Kirste and we had a drink, then walked through the old city. There was a ship builders guild house, an awesome city hall with paintings on the outside, and this great hotel which was all slanty and part of which was in a small river ( bad description.. theres a pic). We then walked along a section of the old town wall. And past a bunch of closed stalls (its the Donau fest at the mo, so lotsa food and crafty stuff from a bunch of the cities on the Donau - which is quite a few - and quite a few very cool cities too! But anyway.. I had a feuerwurst for lunch, which lived up to its name even though the saleswoman assured me it wasnt 'too spicy'.. Im glad I avoided the one she said was spicy!! Sitting eating on the Donau was very nice! After this we walked through the city a bit more.. went up the cool modern glass triangular library then back to the car and off to Erbach again to do errands and stuff like last week.

First off we picked up her Aunty and did some shopping and errands.. Oh! that reminds me! There are a few flies around, especially when u get further into the 'country'.. but man.. at the supermarket, and other places ive seen there will be a bunch of flies flying around in the deli and walking on the cheese and meat and stuff... Nobody seems to care very much :S. Ha ha to me its gross as!! Anyway... We did that, and once all finished we headed over to Mrs Kirste's brother Wolfgang's place and she did the ironing and stuff, then we went and got some mineral water for him (they drink the stuff like mad over here.. must be expensive! and kinda weird when u have perfectly fine tapwater..). Then he arrived home so we went back to the supermarket to pick up some more stuff for him n stuff, and then dropped him home, and im pretty sure by then it was late and we headed home.

Got home around 6.30 and had some dinner, then me and Björn went for a run. We went the same gorgeous route as last time, but there were hardly any people out this time. Near the start we passed the big Festo plant and there was a big zepplin (well actually a hot air baloon shaped like one) giving people rides which looked cool! But anyhow.. we finished the run (went a bit faster this time.. Björn was pretty stuffed :), he told me he wouldnt go jogging with me again ha ha, but it was all just jokes n stuff).

Once home Arnulf asked if I wanted to go play some pool with him in Esslingen. I thought thatd be cool! So we headed in and played a few games (slightly diff rules here, but it was fun) and after about an hour Ariane rang Arnulf's cell and said she was going with Andreas to a friends to play some board games and all that. I said Id come, so after she had picked me and Arnulf up, driven back home and picked up a popcorn machine (and i had a quick drink of water) we headed first to Andreas's to pick him up, then into Stuttgart where his friend Chrisi (spelling?) lives. He (his family) has a totally mint place, with a crazy view, awesome furnishings, and a great outside garden and plaza type thing. Also there were Carson and (i think) his gf Caro. I had met them all before (at the beergarden after the quarterfinal, and watching the semi-final. (and somewhere else too).

It was dark, but we played outside using outside lights and stuff. The game of choice was poker - must be pretty popular over here! (glad I downloaded that texam holdem game to my cell phone a while back, so i know how to play!). We were playing reasonably conservative petting rules, so nobody got elimainated (prob a good thing). This carried on for a while, and we eventually moved inside and carried on. After a while Carson and Caro left and it was just us 4, so we played this game called (in english) 'yes, my master' or something similar. Ha ha i just realised that sounds dodgy, so it wasnt! Its basically just a bunch of cards with different events and people on them. And the master sets a story (like I sent you out to deliver a letter to my aunt.. tell me how it went), and then the other players have to tell a story about it using the cards they have. And if you stuff up 3 times u loose. Not worth explaining in super detail, but thats the general idea. Seeing as it was in german I opted out, as to play a game like that you need to be quite good at the language, like really good. So it was still fun watching them play :).

I got a message to ring home. So once i got back around 2am I rang home and talked to the family (quite a few people :) ), for who it was saturday morning the morning after the funeral. It was cool to talk to everybody!! Anyway.. after this (around 2.30ish I went to my room and went to sleep)