The other thing we had been putting off for a couple weeks was laundry. But we were finally out of the necessities and had to do something about it. It took me about a week to get a straight answer from the hotel about where we can do laundry. They kept saying they had a laundry service, but when I saw the prices I knew something wasn't right - it was all for dry-cleaning. And we really don't need to pay several euros per item to have socks, underwear, and t-shirts dry-cleaned. So they finally found us a do-it-yourself laundromat. It was quite an adventure for us. And this being my first time ever doing coin-laundry, I was shocked that it cost us about 15€ to wash and (partially) dry two loads of laundry. It was a bit of an adventure, since everything was in German, but we were able to figure it out. After two hours in the laundromat, we finally gave up on paying 1€ per 15 minutes on the dryer that wasn't getting anything totally dry, and laid the damp stuff out all around the apartment to air dry overnight. Having the wireless stick paid off on it's first night - I brought my computer and we used it to translate some of the German words on the washing machines, and also to work on some of our trip planning - especially to plan out our route for 8 nights in Italy as the finale to our trip.
Another big event for us this week was meeting another couple for dinner Tuesday night. Last week when I was working from the lobby, I met a young couple staying at the hotel - Benedikt and Ashlee. They were also here for work, but only for two weeks. As it turns out, they are from Kennesaw, Georgia - not too far from us. Benedikt is actually German, but has lived in the US for a few years and recently married Ashlee. He works in the Atlanta area for a logistics company headquartered in Germany, so they sent him over here for a couple weeks to meet with some of his German counterparts. After seeing him in the lobby and talking with him a few days last week, I told him that the four of us should all get together for dinner this week after my parents were gone. It turned out to be a great evening. When we met them in the lobby they had already picked out a spot, a traditional Bavarian restaurant close by called Meckatzer Bräu Engel. The food was good, and I also enjoyed a couple of their home brews. It was nice having Benedikt there, a native German who could translate the menu and also give us general tips on Germany. It was also very interesting to get Benedikt's view on Germany, having grown up in a small town in East Germany. He seems to be very Americanized by now, and he gets just as frustrated as we do with the German way. Afterward, we found an open ice cream shop where they treated us to some ice cream. They are a very nice couple. It was so nice to spend a night here with another couple, and getting to know some people that we may even see again back home. It's unfortunate they aren't here longer, they leave tomorrow.
Thursday was a religious holiday in Germany (Corpus Christi), so Laura's office was closed. In the morning we took the opportunity to visit the Linderhof Castle, and when we got back earlier than planned we decided to check out the Kempten Residenz building. My parents went last week and highly recommended it. They clearly had a better experience than us, and a guide who gave the tour in both German and English. Our tour guide spoke about enough English to take our money for a little brochure that explained the rooms in English, but that was about it. We walked around, not knowing a thing she said, just the little guide in English to read along the way and guess at which rooms we were in. We also had to put on some slippers over top of our shoes, to preserve the wooden floors. I was more interested in just looking through and leaving, but we couldn't find a break from the tour. The building is huge, but kind of deceptive because the middle is all a big courtyard. In my opinion, it's a bit cheesy on the outside with the 3D-painted window frames. The inside rooms that we saw are very elaborate, but a little over the top for my liking. A little history on the building.....The site of the Kempten Residenz was originally a Benedictine Monastery, founded in 750. However, it was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. In 1651, they began rebuilding the church and residence on a massive scale. It was the first monumental baroque monastery complex to be built in Germany after the Thirty Years' War. It was over a hundred years later before all the detail and art throughout the rooms were completed. The building served as residence for the Prince-Abbots, and part of it is now open for tours, while other parts seem to be offices.
After visiting the Residenz, it was back to the apartment to work. After dinner, Laura was itching to walk around a bit and grab some ice cream. So despite the cold, damp weather, we walked up to our little ice cream spot. My curiosity got tome, and I had to at least taste the Red Bull & Vodka flavored ice cream. It was right on, tasting just like the drink, but a small sample spoon was enough for me.
Time to pack, off to London tomorrow.
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