Report - Julie is now in Germany

Horray for my first blog post! For those of you interested in Marybeth, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it is only me at the moment.
I just arrived in Schorndorf, Germany yesterday. The European Futbol Championships are going on right now, and Germany has unexpectedly upset Portugal tonight in the quarter finals. Ach, ja!!! There are horns honking in the streets, fireworks, and other forms of celebrations. It's pretty cool. We actually moved our concert tonight up an hour because of Germany's unexpected game schedule. Our host knew that no one would be there if we sang during the game.
We are staying with host families here. I've enjoyed my family very much. They're all making their best efforts at speaking English, which is good because all I know in German are swear words and how to ask for the toilet. It has been sunny and mild, which has been wonderful for walking tours of the town (which is wonderfully idillic and peaceful) and eating wonderful German bread for every meal outside on the porch. Ah, the bread. I never understood why my German friend complained about the bread in the States until I had the bread here. Mmmm.
We went to tour the Mercedes-Benz museum as well as the palace at Ludwigsberg today (the largest Baroque palace in Germany) before coming back to Schorndorf for the concert and then, of course, THE game. I've seen enough spotless works of machinery and gold-plated statues to last a lifetime, I think.
We are off to Tuebingen tomorrow after meeting the mayor of Schorndorf for breakfast, and our next concert is tomorrow night. As much as I'm enjoying the learning experience of staying with a host family, it will be nice to have the freedom of the hostels after this.
Well, it's time for me to get some sleep, and frankly, I'm tired of navigating this German keyboard. I'll try and keep this thing updated as I go along (as well as try to add some pictures), but obviously, it depends on my internet access. Best wishes from Deutchland!