Ich bin in Deutschland.

I'm super jet-lagged right now, and exhausted, but trying to hold out before falling asleep so that I can adjust to the time difference. So we are sitting in front of the fire in Torsten's parents' house and I wanted to blog, but I'm too tired to write any more than a collection of impressions. So:

Even though the flight was direct, it was still way too long, especially for Torsten, who's a good 6'4" tall. He just about fit into his seat until the person in front of him tilted their seat back. I slept for a total of about three uneasy hours in the plane, but Torsten didn't sleep at all. I can sleep deeply pretty much anywhere except in a plane. I wish business class weren't so bloody expensive.

His parents' house is very nice, and his mother thoughtfully included all sorts of personal touches, like a case of Diet Coke because she knows I drink it. When she was showing me the shower, she told me I could use her hair dryer so that I wouldn't be cold going outside with wet hair. I tried to explain to her that curly hair doesn't take well to being blown dry, and then she whipped out a brand new diffuser designed specifically for curly hair. I'm pretty sure that it came with her hair dryer and that she didn't go out and buy it specifically for me, but still. It was amazing.

Torsten's mother has already baked a cake called Donauwelle, which means Danube Wave, and it's waiting for us to eat it in the morning (though I'll be having only a small slice as it is the furthest possible thing from Weight Watchers friendly).

We went to the supermarket and for the first time, I got to go to a grocery store in another country and actually pick what I personally liked. When I lived in France and in Senegal, I never had any say in what we ate. For this meal, I picked liver, sauerkraut, and mushrooms. I wanted to be authentic, I suppose. Torsten cooked it all up and it was delicious.

Torsten's parents collect ducks, which I knew before I got here, but the sheer number of ducks in their house is absolutely astounding. There are ducks, multiple ducks, in every single room of the house, including the bathrooms. I will try to post photos of them at some point, because it truly is incredible. Apparently, his parents also call each other "duck," both in English and German, as a pet name.

My German is slightly more useful than I thought it would be. I think someday I might actually be able to learn this language.

My credit card is slightly less useful than I thought it would be. This is such a small town that most of the stores only take German debit cards. We'll have to do most of our shopping elsewhere. Luckily, Torsten's grandmother gave us a gift of 150 Euros in cash, or we would have been screwed when it came time to pay at the supermarket.

Torsten's grandmother was so happy to see him that she almost cried. She kept talking to me in German and then Torsten would start translating but before he'd finished five words, she'd be talking again. I still have no idea what she was saying to me most of the time. She'll be 89 on Wednesday.

Torsten is in his element here. The self-sufficient only child in him is so visible here. Not that he isn't self-sufficient in the US, but he just... it's such a familiar space to him, and he does everything. He was so happy to get to build a fire. Our next home will have to have a fireplace, I suspect.

This is going to be a good trip.