Erfurt 08-29-08

Thank you everyone for bailing me out with the cash situation. I miss placed my faith in Macy’s. I was under the impression that my vacation pay would enable me to avoid my current situation. But as it turns out I never got my vacation pay! I only got $87.00 of the couple hundred I was expecting. So, once again Thank You very much. Also, when I get home could some one tell me how much I owe whom for bailing my hide out of the fryer? Just be aware that the money will be slow coming. Current estimates are mid November. First, I need to get square with my banks. Then, I need to pay the school bill, buy the books- all that jazz. So, yeah mid November, should be about the time I have some money in hand for everyone.
You can guarantee when I get back I am going down to Macy’s bright and early on the 12th to see what’s what! But as I was standing in the post office trying to figure out which line to use or if I should use the machine, I started thinking how much it costs to send post cards. No wonder I’m hurting for cash! Granted I only had about €250.00 to begin with. I have spent €15.57 ($23.55) on postcards, internet, and a phone call all just to stay in touch with you guys! And I still intend to send two more from Berlin! Which is another €3.00 and that brings the total up to €18.57 ($28.05). I have spent €6.24 for batteries. Thank fully I found a “€ store” today so the batteries were cheap. I just hope they work. So far I have spent another €9.90 for city transportation. I still need to take this tram one more time for €1.70 and then the Berlin subway four times. I don’t know how much that will cost though. I guess that is where the other half of the American Express card is going. I only have €17.33 left on the card ($26.00). But again what’s the conversion fee going to be? I only hope that the Berlin Subway accepts it and that it’s enough for the 4 train tickets. I’ll just walk in to the tourist building at the main train station and see what they can do for me. Oh, well, “What ever will be, will be.”
You know I am really glad that Germany has such a push to recycle! That has helped me out so much! When you take the bottles back to the store you get money back! I think it’s 15 cents for every half liter of coke. This only works for the bottles sold in Germany though. I got €5.37 back for all of the bottles I’ve taken. When the Russians left the dorm in Ilmenau they had so many Vodka bottles that they didn’t have time to take back. So, they just let me have them and the cash.
Although, even with all of this counting and remembering, I don’t know where some of the money has gone… I have about €20 unaccounted for in my brain, but at the same time I don’t remember exactly how much I had to start with. So really, the amount could be more or less. I really do think its more. Because the amount I still have is including all of the refunds and that stuff. Oh, well, just call me Sunny or Cher. “Before our moneys been earned, it’s already been spent.”
On a different note, but still the same train of thought for me, I have walked soo much! I found out today that from the Hostel to the town square is 3 km one way. That isn’t including the getting lost bit either. Which I have done plenty of! Basically I’m in Hyde Park and I’m walking to Fountain Square. There are so many twists and turns and forks in the road I can only guess and ask for directions every other street. Then I did the whole getting lost in town. I did find the second hand shops I was looking for but they cost as much as new! When I finally got un-lost I was coming up the backside of the city mountain palace/ citadel. I got into town around 9 AM, walked around the Mall and the Post office until 10:30. I didn’t get to the citadel until 12:30! I did find the University though (well, just the one building). On that part of town was a shop that had the most beautiful Pakistani products in it! If I had had the money I would have bought that blue and gold comb/hair clip, and I don’t even wear combs! I loved the snake bracelet they had! But I can’t imagine showing off my arms like that! It would have pinched my fat little arms so bad! I knew I couldn’t afford it so I moved on. When I came down from the citadel I walked into the main market square and it was market day. I putzed around for a bit then I bought a bratwurst and a coke. It was fairly good given I still hate all sausages. Bratwurst is typically the cheapest thing on the menu. I shouldn’t buy the cokes, I know, they’re so expensive, but I have to have something good to wash down the bratwurst. Fact of the matter is that all meats in Germany are bigger than the bread roll by about 6 inches. At this point I found the local library, and posted a few blogs. I wasn’t impressed by the collection. Love the building and the staircase! From there I made my way back and ducked in and out of the shoe stores (mine are shot, not torn, just worn out). I also ducked into Claire’s for a bit on Anger square (No, not anger, it’s the German “Anger”). Same stuff as stateside just a bit more pricy. I have to walk past the train station to get to my part of town, so I walked in. I was looking for a New York Times. I am such a news fanatic that to be this cut off is not pleasant! (Online my home page is cnn.com/world.) Around 3 I walked out of the train station and walked into the park. Again very pretty, and again I let time slip away. I didn’t leave until 4:30 when 2 guys were trying to ask me something or other, the accents were so strong! I said “verstehen sie nicht, guten tag, und tschus!” I got so lost on the way back. On the way there I just followed the tram tracks. This time I had to deal with the way that the tracks split, etc. I walked for 7 hours today. I can only guess how many km or miles that is. Tomorrow, I have no intent of getting out of bed! Sunday I think I will go to church again. Thomas Church is the half way point into town. Services begin at 10.00 and breakfast here ends at 9 so I should get there in time. I’m very tired. I’ve been getting up at 7 each morning for breakfast. It’s 10:00 PM here. I think my day has been long enough. Good night.