Many Adventures of a Nomadic Poet A young poet with Asperger's makes travel his passion, and away he goes...

Another day on my adventures in Europe has passed. I woke up at about 7:30 and washed up. Breakfast wouldn't be ready until 8:00 and Ashley wasn't up yet, so I waited around. I had a yogurt, a bowl of cereal, and a cup of tea. Ashley and her classmates were headed off to Rothenburg for the day, so I thought I'd stay in Bad Windsheim for the day and relax. Last night I was thinking of heading to Luxembourg today, but I'll go tomorrow. It's expensive and difficult if you're traveling around like a maniac during a trip; it's good to stay in one spot for awhile. It was very cold out and I walked to the railroad track with Ashley and her friends and after she took off I decided to walk up to the store. Tyler (the desk clerk) was saying earlier that snowstorms were expected, but the sun was shining through the clouds for a bit. I got a Red Bull and two croissants. I walked a different route back and I was admiring the beautiful architecture. German families were here with their children for the holiday and it is so peaceful. Waving my arms and taking in the sights I took a few photos before walking back to my room. I relaxed for a bit and took a shower, and then went up to the internet place. It's more like a casino, and people smoke inside which is disgusting! There are vending machines that sell cigarettes on nearly every street corner out here. On the internet I saw that the Lakers picked up two big road wins. The German keyboard is a little different from the one I'm used to: the Z is where the Y should be, and vice-versa. I wanted to get one of those delicious pastries that I got yesterday, but the cafe was closed because of Good Friday. I understand that Lent is a very important time in Germany because it's a predominantly Christian country. I went back to the "haus" and relaxed, and the group came back much earlier than I thought. Ashley said it's because everything is closed today. I relaxed for a bit and played a few games of solitaire. I asked Ashley if she wanted to go to lunch but she wasn't hungry. She told me about a place she liked and I had to bug her to show me where it was. Her and I walked there, but it was closed. So she walked back while I looked around. I stopped at a cafe and found out that most restaurants out here close for lunch. Lunch is a big meal in some European countries while small in others. I did find a little Thai restaurant that was open, so I went on in to stay warm and have a nice meal. For lunch I ate fried pork with rice, and had a cup of tea. There was an older German man (maybe in his 60's) and he seemed to be interested in talking to me because I'm American, so I gave him my email. Like I was saying yesterday, Bad Windsheim is a town mostly for German tourists. As I was eating, it started to snow a little. I was very excited because it was my first time actually seeing it snow since 1991 when I lived in Pennsylvania. Of course I've seen snow on the ground because I've been snowboarding, but I hadn't seen snow fall in 17 years! After eating, I felt good and I started to walk back. It was freezing cold and snow was starting to collect on my jacket. Despite the cold, I was enjoying it! My trip was so horrendous from the get go, but now I feel confident. Ashley and everyone else were hanging out, and they were making me laugh again. It was really starting to snow out, but either way I decided to go for a walk. Snow covered the cars, roofs, and fences. I stopped at the petrol station for a coffee and a pack of gum and then walked back along another route and took some photos of the snow-covered buildings. I live in Los Angeles, and it NEVER snows there. At about 6:00 I asked Ashley if she wanted to go to this Italian restaurant that I noticed yesterday. She agreed and got ready. Ashley's classmate, Taylor told me about how his eye got hurt a few weeks ago from when someone threw a snowball at him, and now he has to see a glaucoma specialist. That sounds painful; now I know why my first grade teacher told us not to throw snowballs. For dinner we had pizza, and I had a bowl of tomato soup and a cup of tea. It's surprising that quite a few places out here don't take credit cards. Restaurants are quite expensive out here, but the ones I've been to have been quite good! Back at the house, we just let out some laughs and thanked ourselves for being inside on this cold German night. The Pastorius Haus is named in honour of Franz Daniel Pastorius: one of the founding fathers of Pennsylvania. Ashley is from Pennsylvania and that's why she and her class came here. The original haus was built in 1668 but the current building was built in 1710; however, it's only been used as a bed & breakfast since 1986 after an extensive renovation. It was getting late, and everyone started emptying out of the lounge and into their rooms, and at 11:00 I went and took a shower and lay down. Good night