The hostel had a free breakfast so we were able to get some bread, ham, cereal, milk, and coffee. After breakfast we did Germany's favorite pasttime called "wandern" which means going hiking. Behind our hostel was acres of woods that had some dirt paths. There were a few runners and a couple of dog walkers. We walked through the woods and saw a soccer field hidden behind the trees, a playground in a little clearing, and then we got mooned by 3 deer. 
Actually we walked passed the zoo which had an entrance from the woods. I think that it was a very clever entrance. When we looked through the fence we could see the animals and it felt like we were out in the wild with these animals. There was a small monument in the woods that was in remembrance of a school teacher who was killed in a bombing at the site in 1944. We went back to the hostel then and took showers while we waited for Malte 
and his friend to come and pick us up (Malte is a friend of Phil, who went to my high school for a year as an exchange student. Meg has kept in touch with him).Malte and his friend Daniel came to the hostel and then we drove to their apartment in
Osnabruk. We stayed there for a little bit and then we walked through town for a couple of hours. It was a little drizzly but we didn't melt. They gave us a walking tour of the city and then took us to the university section of the city. They both go to school there and were able to tell us some pretty interesting things about the city. We stopped at a cafe and had some good old schnitzel. It was tasty. We then walked back to their apartment and drove to Lingen (the town where Malte and Daniel are both from). Malte and Daniel drove in their car and we followed behind.
We got to Lingen in the early afternoon. It is a town of a whopping 25,000 people so it didn't take too long to get that walking tour. It was a great place to spend some time though, especially with Malte and Daniel who are hilarious. They told us some of the history 
of the town and showed us all the interesting buildings and places. (Malte at one time wanted to study architecture so he was able to tell us a lot of interesting things in both Osnabruk and Lingen). We then went to Daniel's house in the late afternoon. We sat in his kitchen talking for a little bit and just relaxed (we were glad that we started this trip in such a small city because we were able to relax and not be overwhelmed by a large foreign city). Daniel's parents didn't speak English but they still brought a few pieces of cake out for us. We then left his house and went to Malte's house (Daniel said he had to do some things...we later found out he took a nap...oh siestas). It was raining pretty steadily so walking through the streets by all the shops wasn't really an option. Malte's dad is an architect and designed their house. It was a very cool house. It was very crisp and clean on the inside. The backyard was relatively small but there was a man made pond (about 20 feet in diameter) just a few feet from the back door. We used his computer to start looking into some hostels in Cologne that we could stay at. We left his house around 6 and drove to Daniel's house to pick him up for dinner.We went to a restaurant called the Gruner Jager where we could get some typical German food. Tom and I both ordered the schnitzel with mushrooms and sauce. I think it was the best meal I have had in Europe so far. It tasted delicious. The bathroom at the restaurant was pretty cool as well. The wall above the sinks was a fish tank that was about 6 feet long and 3 feet high. There was a great variety of fish in it and, it was amazing to watch them swimming around while you washed your hands. We stayed at the restaurant a little while and then went to a pub that Malte and Daniel usually go to. It was a cool place and the owner was a nice lady. The guys have known her for a while and this was the third bar that she has owned in Lingen. We left the town around midnight and made it back to Osnabruk by 1 30.
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