Rainy Days and Mondays always Get Me Down...

OK, it's not exactly raining but it has been for the past 2 days.  Totally fine with me but after it rains it leaves high humidity.  Not good for the hair...B and I were supposed to go to Antwerp yesterday but those plans were scuttled as we got up too late so we decided to go to the train station to pick up my trainpass.  I can now officially go around the city without bothering to buy those pesky train tickets - the tickets kiosks  have too many choices; day trips, short trips (3 or less stops), 4 trip tickets, group tickets, I think you're getting the idea on how detail oriented Germans are.  From the main train station we caught a connection to the Heinrich Heine University where my classes are to start next week.  We did a dry run just to figure out how long it would take me to get there.  I have a placement test this Thursday and I didnt want to be wandering around not knowing where to go.  It's a rather large campus so I'm glad that we went so I wouldnt look like a total tool running in late for the test.

By the way, the trains here do not have AC and the windows are few and far between so you can imagine the heat it generates when rush hour rolls around and how deodorant is not a necessity for some Europeans - I hate to make blanket generalizations but I have me endured it too many times to know better.  Also the trains operate on an honor system here.  You can ride the trains without technically paying but be aware that there might be plainclothes inspectors who will come up and ask to see your ticket.  If you dont have one, then you must pay €40 on the spot and if you do have a ticket but forgot to get it validated by one of the machines on the train, it is still considered a no ticket situation.  

Nothing much else went on yesterday.  After that little side trip B retreated to this home office and worked for the rest of the afternoon while I played dutiful housewife trying to figure out what to make for dinner.  My main criteria was not to use to many pots and pans and dishes as I didn't want to wash dishes in the tub again (please see entry below on that debacle).

Oh!  Fashion week started yesterday in the city.  I was told that Düsseldorf is the fashion capital of Germany and once a year they hold their fashion extravaganza with events and buyers from around Germany and Europe.  Our apartment is smack dab in the middle of it all.  Loro Piana, the Italian fashion house known for cashmere has a showroom 2 doors down from us, and 2 blocks from our us Vogue Germany held a party in a museum (or I think it was a museum) last night.  Right behind our building, on another leafy street is whole bunch of showrooms and fashion events so there are "FASHION" people walking up and down our street today.  I have a great view from our balcony.  We almost snuck into one of the events but B chickened out, he didnt want to be caught and not know what to say.  I told him all you have to do is say FIERCE wherever you go.  That dress is FIERCE!  You are FIERCE!  That bag is FIERCE!!!!  And walk inside with a bitch face..or with a clipboard and headset.  I can totally do that from my years of experience doing meeting planning (not the bitch face mind you, I save that for behind the attendees backs and not to their face - I might have  loathe them sometimes but I wasnt stupid!).