That’s what they kept telling me: “Oh, Ioana, we’re not your typical German family.” I don’t know many German families but I know that Martha’s family is special. I’ve stayed at Maria and Walter‘s place (Martha‘s parents) for about 10 days and I’m not exaggerating when I’m saying that those have been wonderful days! They must have the concept of “hospitality” running through their veins cause I haven’t felt more welcome anywhere! They did everything possible so I could have a great time: they took me out to dinner, they took me on trips (we got as far as Denmark but I’ll write about it in a different post), they bought me white beer even if it’s Bavarian and they encouraged me to believe in a better future for this country (although I don’t think that is possible, it was still nice to see someone actually believing in it).
Kiel is a completely different city from Baia Mare or Bucharest (the only two cities I’ve lived in). First of all, it’s a harbour city, meaning it has lots of water, beaches, ships, docks, all kinds of unfamiliar things to me. When I first saw the Stena Line I felt like a midget. Martha just laughed saying that the Color Line is even bigger. We also went sailing one day: five people in a rather small boat, which shook with every wave that hit it. I was a bit scared in the beginning but then I got the hang of it. And no, I wasn’t seasick 
I am not a good swimmer and I’m not very fond of water (except blue, salty, warm sea water) so I looked at everything that happened in that harbour with a bit of fear and awe.
Although we had planned a whole bicycle trip along the coastline the weather was so unpredictable (and cold for me but they didn’t seem to mind it; they were used to autumn weather in summer months) that we decided not to take any risks and just pedaled for one day. We didn’t get very far – we stopped in a city about 30km from Kiel – but, still, it was my first bike trip and it was awesome! There is a special bike lane that goes along the whole north coast of Germany: the Baltic Sea Cycle Path. I am proud to have used it. The landscape was amazing and cycling next to the sea was better than any cycling I’ve done so for (the reasons are obvious). Again, Martha is the best trip planner ever 
One day we visited Hamburg, another rainy day we went to the cinema, we had drinks and cakes in a very nice local café, we went second hand shopping, we did lots of great things. It was never boring and I didn’t feel homesick (well, I missed some people from home but I didn’t miss home). I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. It was perfect.
ionuca 
Gracie 
Nu promit nimic de Sibiu toamna asta, dar la primăvară sigur ajungem la o bere 
claudia 
You also have a great time when you go abroad 
slashdot 
m. 
ce aparat foto folosesti? sunt minunate fotografiile