Ok Rangers fans, and Yankee haters (i.e. smart people), you can blame me for last night's game. I had not watched any of the other games, but I was able to catch the first few innings last night. I decided to stop watching and go to bed when it was 4-0 and I realized how much damage I had brought to them. Unfortunately, they were not able to make up for my bad mojo.
Last night, I did go to the Italian restaurant (Vapiano). When I entered, the hostess gave me a card and asked (in German) if I had been there. I told her no, and when she started to explain in German, I asked if she spoke English. She did not, but she was nice enough to take me to one of the bartenders who told me how it works. Basically, they have a line of cooks for pasta, pizza and anti-pasta, and salads. You order what you want and they make it in front of you. They put what you ordered on the cards, then you pay when you leave. It's actually pretty cool. I got some bologonese spaghetti, which was quite good. I walked up to the bar and ordered rotwein (red wine). When the bartender (a different one) asked me what kind, I just said "house" and he seemed to understand. The wine was pretty good as well, somewhat like a quite not as dry pinot noir. The seating was not my favorite. The majority of the restaurant was a series of long tables where different groups sit together, and next to the bar there were smaller tables, which of course were all filled up. I eventually found a corner of a table next to the window, so it was ok. What was really interesting was that they were playing house disco music. Overall, I really liked it, especially the price (5.50 Euros for the dinner, though 6.50 for the wine!).
Today I woke up a little bit later than I wanted, so I got to ESOC a little later than I wanted. But it was ok, because all I had for today was as long as I needed in the library. I was reading through one of the books when the librarian showed up. I told her my research interests and asked her for help. She did the best she could, but they really do not have a lot there. I asked if they had any archival material, and she looked at me quizzically. She did take me downstairs to a seperate area where they have older books and journals. So I spent the rest of the day combing through their journals and the few books that could help me. I did find a few interesting things, like the documents for the creation of ESA, as well as a pdf file with floor plans for the control centres, but again it was very limited. It was a slightly disappointing day, but not a total waste. That, however, completes my time at ESOC since I have no reason to return tomorrow.
Tonight, I walked back down to the town square to check out a German restaurant/brew house I had been told was the best in town. When I walked in, it was completely filled, standing room only. I immediately turned around and left. I looked around for another restaurant, but all they have are cafes and a few American restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut), which I am avoiding at all costs. Disappointed, I decided to walk back to Vapiano from last night. I figured I could try one of their pizzas, so I ordered the Salame pizza. It ended up being basically pepperoni pizza, which was not a disappointment. It was quite good, very thin crust, though slightly burnt. Again, I will not complain for their prices.
I was just able to talk with Mom and (surprise) Dad, which is always good. Since I am not going to ESOC tomorrow, I think I will take most of the day to sort through what I have and perhaps begin to write a few things down. I would do siteseeing, but I think my walks down to the town square means I have seen the site. I will not lie, I am eagerly anticipating Saturday morning when I will be heading through more interesting sites (Zurich and the Alps) to a warmer climate.
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