Our first day in Germany, we visited the Army Base, Katterbach in Ansbach. We stayed in the Army Lodging hotel, Franconian Inn, on base. We put on a clinic for the sons and daughters of the soldiers in the afternoon at a nice beach court near a little lake just off base. It was a beautiful day and the kids were once again, so polite and excited to be there. After the clinic, we put on a short exhibition. Jeff, Ty, Brooke, and I played a King of the Beach format with games to 11. Then Brooke and I partnered up with soldiers to play a game. All in all, there were about 30 people in attendance. Everyone had a great time and we enjoyed their wonderful hospitality.
After it was over, we had a great dinner at a German restaurant in downtown Ansbach with Mark, our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) host and his family. We were all excited to try authentic German food. I tried a bite of schnitzel and strudel, had a hefeweisen and ate a roast chicken with bulgur as my meal. It was great visiting with Mark and his family and hearing all about what goes on year round at the Germany base. His wife and two daughters were with us and shared what life is like for them living overseas.
The next morning, we woke early to get in a workout before heading to the next base in Bamberg. We did not know what the day had in store for us, so we wanted to get in a good workout while we had a chance. I did a cardio session and then went back to the hotel to pack. We had a two hour bus ride to the next base. Once we got there and checked in, we were told that no one was signed up for the clinic. We were on our own to do what we would like.
We took a tour of the facility and were amazed with its enormity. It was bigger and much nicer than your typical gym. Everything was very clean and well taken care of. I got in a great footwork and agilities workout before heading into the weight room. Then we took a little break to see if anyone would show up for the exhibition. When no one arrived, we went out to the sand courts and got in a great practice.
After our day of working out, we went into downtown Bamberg. We toured around a bit and did some sight seeing. It is a gorgeous city with lots of old churches and beautiful buildings. We had dinner at an outdoor café, and then went back to the hotel. I had trouble sleeping for the first time. I fell asleep right away, but woke in the middle of the night for a few hours and could not fall back asleep. Hopefully that is the only time that will happen.
We just arrived at Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg. It is the US Army Europe Headquarters. We checked into our rooms and now we have a little time to ourselves. We are going into the downtown area to check it out.
Tomorrow is up in the air. We are trying to pull together a clinic and exhibition, but not sure if it will happen or not. If we do not have the performances, we will still practice and maybe people will drop by to check us out. Then we can at least talk to some military families and bring a little out of the ordinary into their day.
The timing of our trip in Germany has not been conducive to visiting the soldiers. All the bases we have visited so far have been on leave. Most have recently returned from or are about to leave on a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan or Iraq and are off base on vacation. We have encountered a few soldiers, but the participation has been mostly by their families. It is difficult on the family members to say goodbye to a parent, husband, or wife for 15 months and not see them the entire time. The communities pull together to get jobs done and help each other out. They develop close relationships and have a tight community. It is clear how much love and respect these families have for one another. It is wonderful and comforting to see.
I am so happy to be here and hope that we can positively affect as many lives as possible.
More later!
Angie
After it was over, we had a great dinner at a German restaurant in downtown Ansbach with Mark, our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) host and his family. We were all excited to try authentic German food. I tried a bite of schnitzel and strudel, had a hefeweisen and ate a roast chicken with bulgur as my meal. It was great visiting with Mark and his family and hearing all about what goes on year round at the Germany base. His wife and two daughters were with us and shared what life is like for them living overseas.
The next morning, we woke early to get in a workout before heading to the next base in Bamberg. We did not know what the day had in store for us, so we wanted to get in a good workout while we had a chance. I did a cardio session and then went back to the hotel to pack. We had a two hour bus ride to the next base. Once we got there and checked in, we were told that no one was signed up for the clinic. We were on our own to do what we would like.
We took a tour of the facility and were amazed with its enormity. It was bigger and much nicer than your typical gym. Everything was very clean and well taken care of. I got in a great footwork and agilities workout before heading into the weight room. Then we took a little break to see if anyone would show up for the exhibition. When no one arrived, we went out to the sand courts and got in a great practice.
After our day of working out, we went into downtown Bamberg. We toured around a bit and did some sight seeing. It is a gorgeous city with lots of old churches and beautiful buildings. We had dinner at an outdoor café, and then went back to the hotel. I had trouble sleeping for the first time. I fell asleep right away, but woke in the middle of the night for a few hours and could not fall back asleep. Hopefully that is the only time that will happen.
We just arrived at Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg. It is the US Army Europe Headquarters. We checked into our rooms and now we have a little time to ourselves. We are going into the downtown area to check it out.
Tomorrow is up in the air. We are trying to pull together a clinic and exhibition, but not sure if it will happen or not. If we do not have the performances, we will still practice and maybe people will drop by to check us out. Then we can at least talk to some military families and bring a little out of the ordinary into their day.
The timing of our trip in Germany has not been conducive to visiting the soldiers. All the bases we have visited so far have been on leave. Most have recently returned from or are about to leave on a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan or Iraq and are off base on vacation. We have encountered a few soldiers, but the participation has been mostly by their families. It is difficult on the family members to say goodbye to a parent, husband, or wife for 15 months and not see them the entire time. The communities pull together to get jobs done and help each other out. They develop close relationships and have a tight community. It is clear how much love and respect these families have for one another. It is wonderful and comforting to see.
I am so happy to be here and hope that we can positively affect as many lives as possible.
More later!
Angie
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