Confessions of a Wandering Gypsy Princess

Im just trying to get everything caught up, like classes and cleaning and all those neglected emails! But dad got to spend his birthday on the Mediterranean in Cinque Terre and mom Mothers day in venice, so I am well on the road to taking that golden child award away from Sean. WAHA!

Some highlights:

Mom looking for George Clooney in Como:

Mom getting more insistent when he just did not seem willing to answer:

And the view that kept me and my father from killing each other while navigating out of Italy through the alps:

SO now I updated you (admittedly briefly, but I worked all day yesterday and today, and you know how it is spending your days showing your parents around Europe ), this you will have to be content with for a few days. I have to be dad’s navigator through Italy, and that may prove to be a challenge. These are the people who are thankful that we have blinds that need to be opened for our plant corner, as they locked themselves out in my backyard this morning.

But then there is a drawback to all of this, for I started this blog having no idea anyone would ever read it, and used my full real name. Now google has me cached for life writing about random things, and any cover letters I write run the risk of being googled and finding stories like this one, which produced in Samara the following reaction:

Why was she so happy you ask? Because her partner was out of town for the weekend and returning that night, and dad had just agreed to lounge in his underwear and Toby’s housecoat, sprawled over their new new coach, and to demand what Toby was doing in his apartment.

One small glitch happened, Toby came home early, and so dad tried to whip his clothes off quickly to just surprise him in general.

How did Toby react to this half naked strange man?

“Who are you?” instantly followed by “Why are you naked?” and instantly followed by “AAAAAAAAHHHHHH you must be Sherries dad.”

This is the insanity that happens when enough beers the size of your face are drank, to the point where even your mother challenges you and the “yank” to a beer contest.

For the record I lost, since becoming an old woman I just cant drink anymore.  :-P  (Old happened at 27 apparently!)

The hotel we stayed in the Black Forest was lovely! I dont pass on links for everything and anything from Phentermine without prescription onwards without some pay off. Inns nestled in the Black Forest, with day trips to Strasbourg France would include some of this pay off.

I will accept being a sell out with this view.

Again you will find me a little quiet over the next couple of days as I am taking my parents to Switzerland and Italy. First stop is Patrick’s parents as we BBQ and spend the night on Lake Konstance for dad’s birthday, and then we are off to Italy for 5 days. I told my parents to expect some hotel deals, as the place we stayed in the Black Forest is as nice as it gets. Italy we are going hosteling! I think they should think of it as the adventure they never had in their youth!

“Who are you?”

“Why are you naked?”

“aaaaa, you must be Sherrie’s dad”

Those quotes went in that order. Full stories to come, but Im way too tired at the moment. Lets just say my parents may not be looking into drug rehab, but the amount of German beer may land them in detox anyway.

Somewhere on this is me and my mother screaming for our lives!

Samara and dad heckling each other over who can kill the most seals and drink the most beer:

Beer the size of your face and sadly what is happening to my camera!!

(The worse one with lines I deleted).

Our apartment gets the seal of approval, it may not be fancy, but all my talk about how small it is made it seem worse in their mind then it was! I dont think anything, be it tankless water heaters they were not sure how to work or a bed that is not really a bed, could upset them! Even the cloudy weather was ok, they are in Germany and they didnt need a jacket, they are two happy people~!

Tomorrow the black forest!

I wish dad would just let me take a nice picture of him!!!

They arrived alive, albeit very very tired. But here they are, and we welcomed them with a breakfast of the Munich variety, pretzels, white sausages, and beer! I intend on making sure they will need a vacation from their vacation! No need to worry about her cattle supplies or whatever she gives out to farmers when they have sick animals!

My class canceled this morning which means I do not work today until 5 30! Wheeee! How am I using this beautiful spring day??? (Yes mum, it is beautiful out, sunny and spring like!). I am finally getting rid of all the paperwork I have been neglecting forever, as well as a proper spring cleaning. So mum you wont be treated to fancy teak furniture but you will at least have a clean place to stay.

So yesterday I had 3 back to back lessons on the road. At first I was beyond excited, at that rate (as up to now I have been doing one a WEEK), I would finally have all 12 done by the end of this month. Only it turns out the only time he has next week is on Friday, when I am in the Black Forrest with my parents. Now is the time all the teens are getting licensed as well. Gwaaaaaaaa.

But while driving yesterday I saw a number of bikers wearing not regular gear but military gear like 5.11 Tactical Pants, on one biker I understand, but on a couple that are not driving together? I wonder if its a new German trend.

Raven’s Rides is hosting a motorcycle carnival May 7th. It is about time someone did one!

I am contributing, but my contribution is coming from a post over at Sticky Apple Kisses on Betty and finally getting into learning to ride a big bike! However maybe I will contribute to her next one from next weekend when we are in the Black Forest for the annual Schweizer motorcycle trip. (It misses her deadline by a couple of days!)

Getting ready to leave 2 years ago:

Last years trip in the Italian alps:

Me, the first time Patrick took me for a motorcycle ride through the Black Forest:

The Spring festival is happening here in Stuttgart at the moment, which is basically Munich’s Oktoberfest, only here in the land of the Swabian they do it twice a year, in the spring and the fall. So I hope to get my parents there as well, as the idea of a wine of the month club may not be so attractive, but a beer festival surrounded by drunk singing Germans is awesome for all involved!

Work Boots USA has more than just work boots, but boots in all kind of styles, all at a great price, all rather nice. They have more than your standard workbooks, but also shoes and brand names that include Converse, Bates, and Wolverine. I recently bought my boots for the big trip, Daytona waterproof Lady Stars. All paid for by my travel jar.

Me practicing:

heh heh

I promise! I have been completely neglecting the blog, but between work, getting the motorcycle lessons over and done with, German class on Friday nights AND Saturday mornings, and lest we forget (but the one part that is the most fun) preparing for my parents visit next week!!!!!! (which includes rounding them up some bedding, don’t worry mom, we got ya covered! ooooo see Ive sunk so low as bad puns), well I am going a little crazy and I am completely short on anything that resembles any type of free time.

I promise fun when my parents come!

So the good news is that I am riding the bike a fair bit now, and getting closer to the actual license, which means closer to the trip.

The bad news is that Sticky got google slapped. I figured it would happen where I do pass on links there for everything and anything, including things like a faucet, and google does not like that so much. but I was well behaved, I tried to keep it to one or two a day, and still they took my rank away.

Which is sad because it was making enough again to be at a point where it would support me on the road this summer. And blogging for a living while traveling is so much sweeter than not traveling and going to work everyday.

I am still going on the trip, it just means more savings. sigh.

Hmmmmmmmmmm, my regular travel health insurance expires this month, but 2 months ago I purchased health insurance for the entire year here in one fell swoop.  I need it to remain in Germany, and it covers the whole of Europe.  The whole of Europe does not seem to include the Ukraine.  So I may be looking into special insurance after all.

This time in 2 weeks my parents will be here! We should be stuffed full of Swabian food and ready to sleep before heading off for our Black Forest weekend (which will include a stint into France). This in my mind is a much better gift than golf equipment, which though my father does so love golf, I find it boring. And I prefer my gifts to give back to me as well. So castles, Black forest cake and motorcycles it is! (though I suspect that Patrick will be driving mine and I will be in a car with my parents. I am not completely selfish after all!

For the record its looking more and more like we are going to have to choose a side of the Black Sea, as to go completely around  it as we desired by bike is a little dodgey.  (To a lot so dependent on what website you read).

So Turkey in August, or the Ukraine.

Im trying to push for both anyway, and just go north first then south, but Patrick doesn’t want to worry about time constraints, and if we backtrack time may become a pressure.