• We drove and drove and drove. And drove. But it's fine... the scenery is gorgeous.
• Germany is really amazing. Castles and towers and Loralai, oh my.
• But, we also had time to shop in Amsterdam and go see the Van Gogh museum.
• I didn't see his ear there. Very dissapointed.
• Almost went into the Anne Frank house, but I was out of gilders, they don't take credit cards, and my friends are already broke.
• Oooh! Look! Castle!
• Pretty.
• I'm sitting next to Chad from Oregon, who is here with his buddy Nicole from Oregon. Chad is taking lots of pictures out the bus window. Jeri is sitting next to Sarah the little Aussie girl who's currently living in Texas.
• All Jeri does is sleep.

  

• Every day Kate plays a song, the Day Song, so that we'll have a song to associate with our tour, forever and ever.
• Really hate the Day Song. It must be Aussie music or something.
• I think it's called "Shoeshine." It has like this midget girl singing, "You get the cool! You get the cool shoeshine!"
• What the hell does that mean?
• Aussies think that American corporate rock from the '80s is all happening.
• The Wake Up song, played before we get to rest stops, is by Wham!. I rest my case.

  

• I did get to check my email at our little inn in St. Goar.
• Z and Y are switched on the keyboard, and the apostrophe and @ are really hard to find.
• Which is really rough after you've been to a wine tasting.
• Especially a wine-tasting hosted by Frau Farbissina.
• They grow grapes on the side of the mountains here, but the industry is dying. They think that in 30 years, they won't make wine in this region.
• Jeri got a little, oh, eight sheets to the wind. On four shot-glasses of wine. Jesus, she's a lightweight.
• There was a huge shaggy white dog in the tavern. It was really old and wanted to be left alone, but everyone kept going up and petting it. Poor baby.
• Standard dinner was pork chops, gravy, peas and carrots. I had a deep-fried Veggie Loaf instead, which was actually really tasty, like a fritter.
• Fritter fritter fritter fritter.
• On the first day we were together as a group, Kate said, "Don't form little cliques." But it was inevitable, I guess. All the over-30's are hanging out together. The people who don't speak English as a first language hang out together. The Aussies all have their group, as do the Americans and the Canadians.
• Somehow, I got kinda adopted into one of the Aussie groups. So I'm Sty-cee again.
• Aussie Aussie Aussie!
• Oi! oi! oi!
• Canuck Canuck Canuck!
• Eh! Eh! Eh!

  

• Mom emailed me a picture of Diva giving her a kiss.
• I MISS MY DOGGIES!!!!!!
• More castles. OoooOoo.
• Mom would go nuts here.
• It's lightly raining. Feels like fall. Smells of burning oak leaves and fireplaces. It's really cozy.
• I've got to buy more underwear, since we don't get to do laundry here.
• I am not doing the Polish Girl Underwear trick, thank you. Even if I am Polish.

It's Oktoberfest!