Dogs and Monschau, Tues. July 27th

For all the dog lovers out there, I have some funny dog stories for you. Well, Puppy doesn't think they're funny . . .

I wanted to go back to Monschau because it has been my favorite town so far. Nancy D had an interview this morning and Puppy had to be at work this afternoon and Monschau is an hour away, but we figured we could do it and should, since today was one of the only days it wasn't supposed to rain this week. So, after taking Jackie for a walk and making sure she did all her business,

*Side note: Walking the dog, something I have never had to do before, has confirmed my cat-personness. I have NO idea how many times a day that cat goes to the bathroom and this arrangement suits us both perfectly.

we all piled into the car and headed to the Schinen base. While Nancy D went into her interview (she now has her choice of jobs!), Puppy, Jackie, and I wandered the base waiting for things to open. As we walked, we saw a cop drive by. Then the cop looped back and headed back in our direction, just tooling around doing his cop thing. Jackie, seeing a golden opportunity, turned her tail toward the cop, squatted on the military grass, and did some serious business. We didn't bring anything for this type of situation because Jackie had already done her business earlier, not to mention the fact tha Puppy HATES poo and all that it entails. But we had to do something bcause the cop had pulled over and was watching us. Puppy poked her head into a nearby building, hoping the cop would give up and move on. He did, actually, move on. To pulling over to us and asking what she planned to do.

He was actually really nice and helped Puppy locate a bag, involving yet another person in the Great Poo Pick-Up Fiasco of 2010. Puppy was horrified and revolted, I was having a hard time not laughing, and Jackie was smiling at everyone. I personally think that Jackie was testing Puppy's love for her. And tested it was.

Monschau was just as adorable the second time around. Since it was lunchtime, we stopped in for a "light" lunch at a witch-themed brat place called Hexenhausen. It was adorable, cheap, and I would recommend stopping in. I ordered just a plain bratwurst mit brochen (brat on a roll, mustard was 50 euro cents extra but was worth it) and set up a picture of ShuShu eating a brat in this adorable establishment. I got everything positioned and was holding both ShuShu and the camera, when the adorable waitress ran over and held ShuShu for me. She even ducked under the table so she wasn't in the picture! Now that is excellent service. AND the food was delicious.

On a not completely unrelated note: German food hates me. The cream sauces and red meats mixed with walking around is killing me slowly. While German food is delicious, it is too heavy for my system and I am going to try to stick to ice cream or beer till I leave on Thursday.

After Monschau, we all came home and took a nap. Jackie was napping with me (she likes me best now because I let her sleep on the bed) and we both fell asleep hard (so much for being over jet lag). At one point, Puppy tried to get Jackie out of the room so they could play before she went to work, but Puppy clearly didn't understand the value of sleeping on the bed. At another point, I rolled over and saw Jackie sleeping with all 4 paws in the air. We had a hard time waking up, but all of a sudden at 6:30pm we both decided it was time and sprang out of bed. But then I realized that I needed to check my email and sat back down. Jackie walked over to me and raised an eyebrow. I informed her that she didn't have to wait for me. Jackie pricked up her ears. I told her that Nancy D was still here too and that she should should go downstairs and see her. At hearing Nancy D's name, Jackie trotted out of my room and headed to the left. "No, downstairs," I shouted, and Jackie turned around and trotted back across the doorway and down the stairs. It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen a dog do.

Tomorrow we're heading to Bruges in Belgium. I saw the movie In Bruges with Colin Farrell and can't wait to see this beautiful city. I doubt I'll get to karate chop a midget though . . .