tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75272775258096557322024-03-12T17:41:10.206-07:00Life in EuropaKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-19948649983265405812008-03-13T18:11:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:32:55.769-08:00Back in DüsseldorfWe arrived in the Düsseldorf-Weeze airport to be greeted by<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGIrPb-KVX0Aoc8FCVaQanCUfCWZw86goiSYDRXgTNknvnKAmCPlSivlUbarzV_k-GTCG3ZfbBU5AC7_1Cg7UFuRS4aJIGTVYrbL1bEmrQGnT2O73Iy4imIRyYzqtzMzSjW_sDTE4Yn4/s1600-h/Me.Erdbeer.Kat's.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGIrPb-KVX0Aoc8FCVaQanCUfCWZw86goiSYDRXgTNknvnKAmCPlSivlUbarzV_k-GTCG3ZfbBU5AC7_1Cg7UFuRS4aJIGTVYrbL1bEmrQGnT2O73Iy4imIRyYzqtzMzSjW_sDTE4Yn4/s320/Me.Erdbeer.Kat's.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177400708380896626" border="0" /></a> my mom AND Shadow!<span style=""> </span>Despite having lived here for over 6 months I’m still not used to dogs being allowed in most public places.<span style=""> </span>I also don’t feel that Shadow is as well-behaved as most German dogs, so I tend to leave him in the car or at home.<span style=""> </span>We were also greeted by the smell of cows when we stepped outside – the smell that lets you know you’re near The Netherlands.<span style=""> </span>Anyways, mom drove us back to Kaiserswerth, where we did a quick walking tour through the village and grabbed some currywurst, bratwurst, and pommes (fries).<span style=""> </span>I love German junk food!<span style=""> </span>And then to be super-healthy we went over to the Eis-Café to get an Erdbeerbecher (strawberry sundae) and spaghetti ice cream.<span style=""> </span>When we finally got to the house Kat and I decided the best plan of action was a nap – we were both completely exhausted from the busy week and early morning. <span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>After our nap we went out to Vapiano (a new German Italian food chain concept – I think<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cMNe_CT4j2IrlwVYMKWdeGglQUIrHwOf7X6-rPSjJ2BSFErz_M645DhgPVNRThghbPB9wANJhrmOVKGSVnOpFNigfn25mZscPNyU_lBcKL0cCbf5pu3I4lcgkjyZNcBwgc7un7PA3bY/s1600-h/vapiano_logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cMNe_CT4j2IrlwVYMKWdeGglQUIrHwOf7X6-rPSjJ2BSFErz_M645DhgPVNRThghbPB9wANJhrmOVKGSVnOpFNigfn25mZscPNyU_lBcKL0cCbf5pu3I4lcgkjyZNcBwgc7un7PA3bY/s320/vapiano_logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177399772078026050" border="0" /></a> they’re starting up in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> in D.C./northern <st1:state><st1:place>Virginia</st1:place></st1:state>) with Jenny and my mom for pizza.<span style=""> </span>It <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJn_-mCpQcf8Au8l2V1NloiBOQkEER_LYPGfggVMnU6AGGkcTPlEvyAKKA7be1mY5HsVieW2fYN4oDBtVx8CjTg5drZxf_2lrGzm3VDBmBo-bALaP1i0IWqGkH8Msz8oetpTQmhFrM8Qw/s1600-h/IMGP8686.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJn_-mCpQcf8Au8l2V1NloiBOQkEER_LYPGfggVMnU6AGGkcTPlEvyAKKA7be1mY5HsVieW2fYN4oDBtVx8CjTg5drZxf_2lrGzm3VDBmBo-bALaP1i0IWqGkH8Msz8oetpTQmhFrM8Qw/s320/IMGP8686.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177399385530969394" border="0" /></a>was packed, but I guess that’s what you’d expect in Düsseldorf on a Saturday night.<span style=""> </span>After dinner Kat and I went into the Altstadt to see what was going on, and as usual, it was packed with people drinking beer.<span style=""> </span>We stopped at Zum Uerige briefly to try Altbier, picked up some drinks for the road, and went over to Max’s apartment in<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQF4xruZqgzdpBpi7rRRY1IA0II1LAg5lzGA6MZ4LwwV_aHZDmsLkF8ijKN0sO7nD1GOnerGsbJsqd1YWVlVLAGyCm8lMNkc9ExERZH3GevGgyxBa-8TWO_SgHiLlKPl_3eC2jG-hbcI/s1600-h/IMGP8695.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQF4xruZqgzdpBpi7rRRY1IA0II1LAg5lzGA6MZ4LwwV_aHZDmsLkF8ijKN0sO7nD1GOnerGsbJsqd1YWVlVLAGyCm8lMNkc9ExERZH3GevGgyxBa-8TWO_SgHiLlKPl_3eC2jG-hbcI/s320/IMGP8695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177400021186129234" border="0" /></a> Oberkassel.<span style=""> </span>We hung out there for a little bit with Max, Max’s friend Patrik, who was in town from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Sweden</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and Feli (who studied in <st1:state><st1:place>Virginia</st1:place></st1:state> for a year) before going into the city to meet up with <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDiyrSvgKUZE1EF6VLv5SdjAzOPIbLO7Kdrj5xYUn0ZVrBjHWIpwLKBxWPPCQ-iaSsF4BK-TcBHLCH0mr_nr6-ar9S-PBM-AqxyNQ_WK5jXcZFchrJJ111bELCZ26uaJdpSIwM_cqryw/s1600-h/IMGP8699.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDiyrSvgKUZE1EF6VLv5SdjAzOPIbLO7Kdrj5xYUn0ZVrBjHWIpwLKBxWPPCQ-iaSsF4BK-TcBHLCH0mr_nr6-ar9S-PBM-AqxyNQ_WK5jXcZFchrJJ111bELCZ26uaJdpSIwM_cqryw/s320/IMGP8699.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177400231639526754" border="0" /></a>Dinesh and Elise.<span style=""> </span>We went to <st1:place><st1:placename>Buddha</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place>, a club off of Berliner Allee, and danced the night away . . . literally.<span style=""> </span>Kat and I began to get tired around <st1:time minute="0" hour="3">3AM</st1:time> and when we eventually went to the train station we figured out that the next train to Kaiserswerth wasn’t coming until <st1:time minute="45" hour="4">4:45am</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>Yikes!<span style=""> </span>So we grabbed some food and hung out in a pub in the Altstadt to pass the time.<span style=""> </span>In the end we wound up just taking a cab, which I was grateful for because it got me back to my bed faster.<span style=""> </span>I can’t stay up as late as I used to be able to.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Naturally, we slept in the next day, but were eventually able to pry ourselves out of bed and hop in the car to drive to <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Normally it only takes a bit over 2 hours to get there, and technically we were IN the city in that amount of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmERcoWwgT1yUtvusSQ-m3UzeQRDi304uj4Ltt-AjdbIoyCmwNOj_TERBthCF3AzJK5mOTRpYJj60QiB3FIFofkctkC3tHEquGAz3UxzyVbUwqVxKekLMs8a-4TYtpUWhS-ho0dpR8go/s1600-h/nl-amsterdam.flag.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmERcoWwgT1yUtvusSQ-m3UzeQRDi304uj4Ltt-AjdbIoyCmwNOj_TERBthCF3AzJK5mOTRpYJj60QiB3FIFofkctkC3tHEquGAz3UxzyVbUwqVxKekLMs8a-4TYtpUWhS-ho0dpR8go/s320/nl-amsterdam.flag.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177401219482004866" border="0" /></a> time, but we hit terrible traffic in the city center.<span style=""> </span>By the time we actually found a parking spot the trip time had hit 4 hours, which was annoying.<span style=""> </span>It was nice to finally get out of the car, stretch our legs, and walk around the city.<span style=""> </span>We walked through the Dam and moved onto the Anne Frank Huis.<span style=""> </span>Then we hit the FlowerMarkt just as it was closing, managed to buy a bouquet of tulips from a stand that was still open, and went on a long search for a restaurant.<span style=""> </span>We finally settled on an English pub (honestly, it was one of the only things we could find), got burgers (which I hadn’t had in a while), and enjoyed being warm and inside.<span style=""> </span>By the time we finished dinner it was starting to get late so we wandered back towards the car, via the Red Light District, which is always a bit of a shock to see, and were able to leave the city with no further traffic problems.<span style=""> </span>By the time we got back to Düsseldorf, Kat and I were both exhausted and went straight to bed.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The next morning was an early one because we had to get Kat back to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Weeze</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Airport</st1:placetype></st1:place> near The Netherlands.<span style=""> </span>It was sad to see Kat go – we had a lot of fun.<span style=""> </span>But the good news is she may be coming back for a visit?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After dropping Kat off my mom and I drove to <st1:city><st1:place>Essen</st1:place></st1:city>, an industrial town north of Düsseldorf, for a doctor’s appointment.<span style=""> </span>We parked the car and needed help finding the exact street and location of the doctor’s office, so we <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFv5wrKYpY3idVoMLzyMZhKR3JhTS_PLXgxrNRNVnrcmJIb5Le329EvYym1uffvLXjuZ-Jfb3RymVwxbHVX1IW3xx9Pi6QXIyXfFCFy_FH44VYYtMvjvqG6cxE003Fkldy0fkTCUwD1MU/s1600-h/techartpolizei.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFv5wrKYpY3idVoMLzyMZhKR3JhTS_PLXgxrNRNVnrcmJIb5Le329EvYym1uffvLXjuZ-Jfb3RymVwxbHVX1IW3xx9Pi6QXIyXfFCFy_FH44VYYtMvjvqG6cxE003Fkldy0fkTCUwD1MU/s320/techartpolizei.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177402490792324498" border="0" /></a>asked a member of the Polizei (a policeman) for directions.<span style=""> </span>The woman next to him was able to help us out and we found the office fairly quickly.<span style=""> </span>After the appointment we came out of the building to discover that a movie or TV show was being filmed just outside, and low and behold, the scene that was being worked on was a police car chase scene.<span style=""> </span>And who was one of the main actors?<span style=""> </span>The officer we had asked directions from.<span style=""> </span>How embarrassing – he wasn’t even a police officer and probably had no idea where anything was in <st1:city><st1:place>Essen</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>So, we had a good laugh, discreetly and hastily walked away from the movie set, and went to Vapiano for a quick lunch.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Since then, what else has happened?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Well, Mom found out she had a hernia (just like I did a year ago) and was scheduled for surgery less than a week later.<span style=""> </span>She’s been home for a little over a week since surgery and is doing very well.<span style=""> </span>She is still doing too much post-surgery if you ask me, but I can’t seem to stop her.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We received a package from Chris, who was here in January, filled with chocolate-chips, brown sugar, and assorted candies that you can’t get here in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>It was an extremely nice surprise and will be put to good use.<span style=""> </span>Thanks, Chris! </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I joined Dinesh, Max, and large group of expats for a night out in Köln last weekend.<span style=""> </span>It was a lot of fun and Köln has arguably better nightlife, but the trek down there gets to be a little much for one night.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTci16no9NuBpwWkU9bnWwUr9vCvmbgE1KW72d1qjEA4WVKvOFolFje4jI2r0PKwxw3icHC5ylP8BgkHUmGKHBNdALWZP2_rhUmB-dVI0Y5jF6Ir4mPA4Lif8Qrin_0DudKYRZIynxGqw/s1600-h/IMGP8701.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTci16no9NuBpwWkU9bnWwUr9vCvmbgE1KW72d1qjEA4WVKvOFolFje4jI2r0PKwxw3icHC5ylP8BgkHUmGKHBNdALWZP2_rhUmB-dVI0Y5jF6Ir4mPA4Lif8Qrin_0DudKYRZIynxGqw/s320/IMGP8701.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177403036253171106" border="0" /></a>Laura has been in town since Saturday for her 2-week long spring break.<span style=""> </span>We’ve been hanging out, but haven’t done anything tooo exciting yet, aside from going to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbNLDU1xIeW85sh4kamLs3d4BLy8BpQl-c3vG3Q5uloTfEsFy2KES9gp5r98qu3pRw2VfIYsqelt7J8lDIg7jM-uJR8ZFmZmYVNykf82ncOIvuqDM1PAJAmw0-liDELN28IyBzRcEAKI/s1600-h/IMGP8706.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbNLDU1xIeW85sh4kamLs3d4BLy8BpQl-c3vG3Q5uloTfEsFy2KES9gp5r98qu3pRw2VfIYsqelt7J8lDIg7jM-uJR8ZFmZmYVNykf82ncOIvuqDM1PAJAmw0-liDELN28IyBzRcEAKI/s320/IMGP8706.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177403328310947250" border="0" /></a>a Bayer Leverkusen v. <st1:place>Hannover</st1:place> soccer game.<span style=""> </span>Tim, Laura, and I went (unfortunately, Jenny wasn’t home yet from a basketball tournament in <st1:place><st1:city>Antwerp</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Belgium</st1:country-region></st1:place>) on Sunday and it was craaaaazy!<span style=""> </span>I’ve never seen more dedicated and excited sports fans in my life.<span style=""> </span>We sat in the <st1:place>Hannover</st1:place> (away team) section because it was the only place we could get tickets together, and were possibly more entertained by the fans than the actual game.<span style=""> </span>It would have been even better if we had been able to understand the cheers!<span style=""> </span>Fyi, final score: Bayer Leverkusen 2 – <st1:place>Hannover</st1:place> 0.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">And now Jenny is packing for her school ski trip to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Austria</st1:place></st1:country-region> (where she plans to learn how to snowboard) and the rest of the family is packing for a week-long trip to <st1:city><st1:place>Rome</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>As soon as we are back in Düsseldorf again, Mom, Laura, and Jenny hop on a plane to go to <st1:state><st1:place>Connecticut</st1:place></st1:state> – Laura for school, and Mom and Jenny for a visit.<span style=""> </span>So we have an action-packed couple of weeks coming up.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Hope everyone is doing well – we miss you all!<span style=""> </span>Send emails with updates whenever you get a chance! <o:p></o:p></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-55302624542546473582008-03-13T17:57:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:32:56.772-08:00London (Round 2)Tim gave me a ride to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Weeze</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Airport</st1:placetype></st1:place> late on a Tuesday night last week (thanks, Tim – it’s the one that’s almost in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>) so that I could fly RyanAir over to <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I was very excited to be going back to <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> (one of my favorite cities) and to see Kat (one of my college roommates who is au-pairing in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>)!!<span style=""> </span>I arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> at the same time I left <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> (due to the time change) and caught a series of buses and underground trains into the city.<span style=""> </span>Kat met me at King’s Cross Station and walked me to the <st1:place><st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>London</st1:placename></st1:place> apartment that she and the Fowler Family (the family she is au-pairing for) are staying in.<span style=""> </span>It was late when I arrived, so Michael and Nicholas (the 2 ½ year-old) were already asleep.<span style=""> </span>I got to meet Tyler, the mother, who is really great.<span style=""> </span>She is an art history/archaeology professor at UVA and has a fellowship at the <st1:place><st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>London</st1:placename></st1:place> right now.<span style=""> </span>After settling my bags into the apartment Kat and I went to check out some of the pubs in the area.<span style=""> </span>Being a Tuesday night it was fairly quiet, but we found a nice, old pub on the corner and got a drink.<span style=""> </span>By the time the place closed we met two guys (one English and one Irish) who wanted to take us bowling.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, the bowling alley we went to was just closing down, so we found another bar and chatted for a while. <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning I woke up, walked out into the living room and met Nicholas for the first time.<span style=""> </span>He was a bit confused to see a stranger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq2MfAID3-NKTwGHLCobSQ3IxCLCTzBKebtOkPJzREzAwCLYLkb5WhYQhRRjhNFQa6MwdSMadV1mx3FYkRqAr9BnuKjoiKk0g5RzFl6xkCO1MRrJaJze5s559IghqpCHGQid6xu9odMc/s1600-h/Kat.Trafalgar.Square.Kelly's.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq2MfAID3-NKTwGHLCobSQ3IxCLCTzBKebtOkPJzREzAwCLYLkb5WhYQhRRjhNFQa6MwdSMadV1mx3FYkRqAr9BnuKjoiKk0g5RzFl6xkCO1MRrJaJze5s559IghqpCHGQid6xu9odMc/s320/Kat.Trafalgar.Square.Kelly's.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177396482133077218" border="0" /></a> walk out of one of the rooms in his apartment, but eventually warmed up to me.<span style=""> </span>Kat and I went into the city with Nicholas to meet Kelly, another friend from UVA (who is currently completing a Masters at <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city>).<span style=""> </span>We got off the tube at Victoria Station and walked past some of the “must-see” <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> sights – Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and on <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqEIdeXbYeu1Y-369XYX3Oa35SkTJV7NtGfArJMnJtmXCGL9ySAAtPRTyxsvFwZn5UM043QKJvVk6eJeocplfLWC2AARbp0S87oJkO9ew5DV1AOc0qhp66n6OBLAXXNQwKJR93MnWUU0/s1600-h/IMGP8668.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqEIdeXbYeu1Y-369XYX3Oa35SkTJV7NtGfArJMnJtmXCGL9ySAAtPRTyxsvFwZn5UM043QKJvVk6eJeocplfLWC2AARbp0S87oJkO9ew5DV1AOc0qhp66n6OBLAXXNQwKJR93MnWUU0/s320/IMGP8668.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177395696154062034" border="0" /></a>to <st1:street><st1:address>Trafalgar Square</st1:address></st1:street>, where Nicholas chased the pigeons.<span style=""> </span>We moved on to <st1:street><st1:address>Leicester Square</st1:address></st1:street> where we bought food at Burger King for Nicholas and went into <st1:place>Soho</st1:place>, which was still decorated for Chinese New Year, for lunch.<span style=""> </span>We went to a 5£ buffet at a Chinese restaurant – you can’t do much better than that in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>By this point it was getting close to Nicholas’ naptime so we went back to the apartment, enjoyed some tea, and then Kelly and I went to the <st1:place><st1:placename>British</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place> (which was just a few blocks from Kat’s apartment).<span style=""> </span>We saw the Rosetta Stone and an abundance of artifacts that the British have “borrowed” from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>We tried to see the Terracotta Soldiers, but the exhibit was sold out.<span style=""> </span>Maybe next time.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirui4n4qsyMRqn_HwuYBv0kCLLUT6nKE3datfZWvFm6Jj6pSZDfHuXQOpFkz9YwF1WbOTVVy2DspePwaAxsER0jG8g0jcqGLrgAtrOuF54OksZhlreFqqntx6rSIOaCCbsLcITyh0j5Q/s1600-h/IMGP8671.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirui4n4qsyMRqn_HwuYBv0kCLLUT6nKE3datfZWvFm6Jj6pSZDfHuXQOpFkz9YwF1WbOTVVy2DspePwaAxsER0jG8g0jcqGLrgAtrOuF54OksZhlreFqqntx6rSIOaCCbsLcITyh0j5Q/s320/IMGP8671.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177397053363727602" border="0" /></a>After the museum Kelly, Michael and I went to <st1:city><st1:place>Tyler</st1:place></st1:city>’s lecture on Grecian vases at the <st1:place><st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>London</st1:placename></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>It was strange for me to be back in an academic environment again, but fun.<span style=""> </span>Then Kelly and I joined back up <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCzYh03aHTiQL1s7Qwq395kMgoJ_XC6j5a3qECoLYpKpNhFJT2JXA6soaZg9My451py1CE-JoFQn1CtB7-wXwZrv_yuHC88OPa2NylByEZfNqBwIvTei6_2Fg_yR_uroSOpID3XiQgnw/s1600-h/IMGP8675.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCzYh03aHTiQL1s7Qwq395kMgoJ_XC6j5a3qECoLYpKpNhFJT2JXA6soaZg9My451py1CE-JoFQn1CtB7-wXwZrv_yuHC88OPa2NylByEZfNqBwIvTei6_2Fg_yR_uroSOpID3XiQgnw/s320/IMGP8675.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177397418435947778" border="0" /></a>with Nicholas and Kat and got Indian food (my favorite) from down the street.<span style=""> </span>Once we finished up our dinner and <st1:city><st1:place>Tyler</st1:place></st1:city> and Michael returned home, Kat, Kelly and I went back out.<span style=""> </span>We went to King’s Cross Station to see the famous Platform 9 ¾ and then took the tube to Victoria Station to get Kelly on her bus back to <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Finding the bus wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be because it didn’t actually stop where it said it would online.<span style=""> </span>After getting in a little late-night jog while re ran around asking for directions we finally found the bus and Kelly was on her way.<span style=""> </span>It was still fairly early in the night so we decided to stop at a pub near Kat’s apartment before going in for the night.<span style=""> </span>Apparently there had been a soccer game going on because the place was filled with fans.<span style=""> </span>We had our drinks bought for us (yet again by one English and one Irish guy) and then went home for a good night’s sleep.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning I left the apartment with Kat, Nicholas, and Michael.<span style=""> </span>We were all headed to Regent’s Park; however, they were going to take the tube/underground and I was going to run and meet up with them – despite the traveling I try not to skip my training runs.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> has an abundance of parks and Regent’s is particularly enormous.<span style=""> </span>It contains a large number of soccer fields, ponds, gardens, playgrounds, and birds.<span style=""> </span>I ran for a good hour and didn’t see <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb_gjIZUN83gQHdtSloEgvpwoUvY6JQMnOtJ5jYOpg1uX2jePqzIRokNDPWjcqvLYdPlwJtThW8bvkG995k5mbfrBaaSnZaSH9BeFW53NeAFM9qm-Log7sLyPnCRUEB-_yswZO2oSoFM/s1600-h/DF_cremeegg_325.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb_gjIZUN83gQHdtSloEgvpwoUvY6JQMnOtJ5jYOpg1uX2jePqzIRokNDPWjcqvLYdPlwJtThW8bvkG995k5mbfrBaaSnZaSH9BeFW53NeAFM9qm-Log7sLyPnCRUEB-_yswZO2oSoFM/s320/DF_cremeegg_325.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177398367623720226" border="0" /></a>everything.<span style=""> </span>I even stumbled upon the London Zoo on the northern part of the park, so passed some peacocks, warthogs, and wild dogs during the run.<span style=""> </span>I also ran through an area called “Little Venice” - a canal filled with boats and lined with mansions.<span style=""> </span>It was very cool!<span style=""> </span>I met back up with Kat, Nicholas, and Michael at one of the playgrounds in Regent’s park and we headed back to the flat for naptime.<span style=""> </span>We managed to grab some great sandwiches at Pret a Manger for lunch on the way back.<span style=""> </span>We actually had a very productive nap time.<span style=""> </span>Michael stayed in the flat in case Nicholas woke up, which allowed Kat and I to pop down the street to buy some movies for later, and to buy a large box of tea for me to bring back to Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span>And what do you know?<span style=""> </span>Being in <st1:country-region><st1:place>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and close to Easter-time, there were Cadbury’s Crème Eggs on sale in the grocery store.<span style=""> </span>We bought some for a snack and had I known at the time that they don’t exist in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>, I would have bought more.<span style=""> </span>Once we got back to the flat we also called up Her Majesty’s Theater and bought tickets to a showing of Phantom of the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtbjYeRHPB9ZjAbH0vXVp2YA6pfT079bl7ixF0OwICG5bNqSqiqQ5Xtm3lsqselQcwm-7sUrlNBw8sfhTxwV-C1keS6ijVCescZKvzHUr_DDZVMS7h7Om94X-aR3AMuB22D4scqhJuWI/s1600-h/IMGP8677.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtbjYeRHPB9ZjAbH0vXVp2YA6pfT079bl7ixF0OwICG5bNqSqiqQ5Xtm3lsqselQcwm-7sUrlNBw8sfhTxwV-C1keS6ijVCescZKvzHUr_DDZVMS7h7Om94X-aR3AMuB22D4scqhJuWI/s320/IMGP8677.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177397809277971730" border="0" /></a> Opera for later that night.<span style=""> </span>Once Nicholas was up and it was time for dinner we walked down the street to get fish and chips and mushy peas (which were actually better than they sound).<span style=""> </span>Despite the time I had previously spent in London, I had yet to try fish and chips and I would have been very upset with myself had I missed out again.<span style=""> </span>The food was great and once Kat was off duty we went into the city for the show.<span style=""> </span>Her Majesty’s Theater was very impressive.<span style=""> </span>It was a much different experience than seeing Wicked the last time I was in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>, although both shows were great.<span style=""> </span>When I saw Wicked, the theater was very large, modern and without frills.<span style=""> </span>Her Majesty’s Theater, however, was obviously very old and intricately decorated.<span style=""> </span>Additionally, the Phantom of the Opera is a classic show and I know most of the music by heart.<span style=""> </span>We wound up walking all the way home after the show (which wasn’t too bad) because it was a nice night and the city was bustling.<span style=""> </span>We were humming Phantom of the Opera songs the whole way back.<span style=""> </span>We bought a bottle of wine just down the street from Kat’s flat and watched one of the movies we had purchased earlier in the day before falling asleep.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning we woke up and took Nicholas to a nearby park complete with a large sandbox, playground, and petting zoo.<span style=""> </span>The park was extremely kid-friendly and as an adult you had to be “escorted by a child” to be allowed entrance.<span style=""> </span>I really enjoy playgrounds and may have had as much fun as Nicholas did, especially on the trolley.<span style=""> </span>After thoroughly tiring Nicholas out, we went back to the flat for lunch and naptime.<span style=""> </span>While Kat got Nicholas fed I ran out to grab us some pasties for lunch.<span style=""> </span>If they had pasties in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> I would eat them all of the time – they are small pies filled with different meats and/or veggies and are great on the go.<span style=""> </span>If you’ve seen Sweeney Todd, they’re like the pies they make in the play/movie sans human flesh.<span style=""> </span>My eyes were much bigger than my stomach and I wound up buying waaaay more than we needed to eat, but the leftovers served as part of our breakfast the next day, so it was alright.<span style=""> </span>While Nicholas napped, Michael stayed in, and we were able to run out quickly again.<span style=""> </span>We went down the street to a small shopping mall, where I made a few purchases for much cheaper than I can get in Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span>We went back to the flat, started a movie, fed Nicholas once he got up, and then went out to <st1:street><st1:address>Oxford Street</st1:address></st1:street> for some more shopping.<span style=""> </span>We shopped until the stores closed (which sounds like a long time, but was really only about one hour).<span style=""> </span>We went out to Wagamama, an Asian noodle restaurant, and one of my favorites.<span style=""> </span>I wasn’t going to let myself leave <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> without eating there.<span style=""> </span>It was PACKED, which makes sense since it was a Friday night, but it made eating and talking a little difficult.<span style=""> </span>Still worth it, though.<span style=""> </span>After Wagamama we wandered through <st1:street><st1:address>Leicester Square</st1:address></st1:street> and grabbed some ice cream at Häagen Dazs.<span style=""> </span>We went home and <st1:city><st1:place>Tyler</st1:place></st1:city> returned from a party in <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> shortly thereafter.<span style=""> </span>The party was to celebrate the book she had just gotten published in.<span style=""> </span>I got to look at a copy and it was very cool.<span style=""> </span>After everyone else went to bed, Kat and I packed, finished our movie, and eventually got to bed by <st1:time minute="0" hour="2">2AM</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>We then were up just after 5AM to begin the trek to Düsseldorf – walk to King’s Cross Station, catch the tube out to Golder’s Green, then take a bus to Stansted, and fly to Germany.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-1694234768530995322008-03-11T13:37:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:32:57.381-08:00HamburgA couple weekends ago Jenny had a NECIS (International School) Basketball tournament in<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYlb537u0nSrtmWLddpUgc452EMMn_AWQaGWAjEZ8eWduGJ4-id-T2OYv1K3wCSnu4i-WB2Of7BOQrU3Dm4TjAX2eSIubTlnaFatLyqs-MKRorf5szEd66FUGffTdPyAJlRrIdvgwDyE/s1600-h/basketball+photo+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYlb537u0nSrtmWLddpUgc452EMMn_AWQaGWAjEZ8eWduGJ4-id-T2OYv1K3wCSnu4i-WB2Of7BOQrU3Dm4TjAX2eSIubTlnaFatLyqs-MKRorf5szEd66FUGffTdPyAJlRrIdvgwDyE/s200/basketball+photo+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176588929497181346" border="0" /></a> Hamburg, Germany.<span style=""> </span>Jenny left school early on Friday with the team and mom, Tim, and I drove up a little later in the day.<span style=""> </span>With traffic the drive wound up taking a little longer than we expected (just over 4 hours), so we went straight to Jenny’s first game at ISH (the International School of Hamburg).<span style=""> </span>The ISD Alts did very well and won their first game 61-12.<span style=""> </span>Due to a faulty scorer, or scoring machine, the final score appeared as ISH 12 - ISD 3, but I kept score the whole time and know what really went down.<span style=""> </span>Mom, Tim, and I drove to the hotel afterwards, inadvertently through St. Pauli, the well-established Red Light District of Hamburg, while Jenny went home with housers from the other team.<span style=""> </span>Then we went out for seafood on the harbour.<span style=""> </span>I haven’t had seafood in a while and it was great! <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning we woke up and went to another one of Jenny’s games.<span style=""> </span>The Alts won 38-10, so overall it was a very successful tournament!<span style=""> </span>The team took the bus back to Düsseldorf, but Jenny stayed with us to explore <st1:state><st1:place>Hamburg</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style=""> </span>We started off by taking a bus tour of t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJw2lyTjA763qWq3ZVZ_vD7bCr8zprnyG3PF9flBhiZE3pi7s-GXEm8gPILw6rYYkV1erMW0ly0zO14yEDraxikmDtlVyrlsq532C8cGT96mpdFiwkAh-KyXQoIs4XudThRSLrAheQvSc/s1600-h/IMGP8666.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJw2lyTjA763qWq3ZVZ_vD7bCr8zprnyG3PF9flBhiZE3pi7s-GXEm8gPILw6rYYkV1erMW0ly0zO14yEDraxikmDtlVyrlsq532C8cGT96mpdFiwkAh-KyXQoIs4XudThRSLrAheQvSc/s320/IMGP8666.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176588517180320914" border="0" /></a>he city to get oriented.<span style=""> </span><st1:state><st1:place>Hamburg</st1:place></st1:state> is really quite beautiful, especially some of the areas around the Alster (a large lake in the middle of the city).<span style=""> </span>Fun fact: apparently <st1:state><st1:place>Hamburg</st1:place></st1:state> has more bridges than <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>, <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>, or <st1:city><st1:place>Venice</st1:place></st1:city>!<span style=""> </span>After the bus ride we walked on our own past the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbj8qhyYCxkqQwyxbCAtTZl0RIdzr77llmMrdAJQQxf_ILMerbws-tC13GuPO9HEcpcHFbMhe-TuqaHsiW0sTJkf-HVjjub-j9w0swz2rO-6U8HXNX5y_p_apgCyv7mVVPKc8xHZJZbTE/s1600-h/IMGP8667.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbj8qhyYCxkqQwyxbCAtTZl0RIdzr77llmMrdAJQQxf_ILMerbws-tC13GuPO9HEcpcHFbMhe-TuqaHsiW0sTJkf-HVjjub-j9w0swz2rO-6U8HXNX5y_p_apgCyv7mVVPKc8xHZJZbTE/s200/IMGP8667.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176589565152341170" border="0" /></a> impressive Rathaus and the very Italian-looking shopping esplanade near the Alster.<span style=""> </span>We made a pit-stop at Starbucks to warm-up for a bit and found out we weren’t the only ones who had the idea – it, and every other coffee house in the city, were packed.<span style=""> </span>We walked back to the hotel and got ready for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We wound up going to a place called the Old Commercial Room – a <st1:state><st1:place>Hamburg</st1:place></st1:state> institution, which of course served great fish.<span style=""> </span>The Old Commercial Room’s list of famous guests was impressive and included the likes of Sting, George Clooney, and maaaany more people I have since forgotten.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On Sunday we woke up and enjoyed the massive breakfast buffet at the hotel.<span style=""> </span>There are so many nationalities in <st1:place>Europe</st1:place> that hotel breakfasts aim to make everyone happy, so there was American breakfast food, German food (mostly meat), sushi, etc.<span style=""> </span>There was everything you could ever want.<span style=""> </span>It was great.<span style=""> </span>Then we <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CKOnjBlblIx79nPTEMyKXWFrAq1kYoXqxbxteOP4rOM01k0sk21BThZkLGPcAMvVZFlQBrJx3im9YJA4nED_Z3QtmjUDGO8JgXtfE3thZ6Thi_flSmp0W-yn0CwP05332zQXTJcZIvI/s1600-h/hamburg_03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CKOnjBlblIx79nPTEMyKXWFrAq1kYoXqxbxteOP4rOM01k0sk21BThZkLGPcAMvVZFlQBrJx3im9YJA4nED_Z3QtmjUDGO8JgXtfE3thZ6Thi_flSmp0W-yn0CwP05332zQXTJcZIvI/s320/hamburg_03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176589943109463234" border="0" /></a>drove back into the city and checked out St. Nikolai’s Church, or what used to be a church.<span style=""> </span>St. Nikolai’s is the bombed-out remains of a once-grand church that was the tallest building in the world from 1874-1876 and was ruined in the Second World War.<span style=""> </span>Its steeple is the second tallest in all of <st1:place>Europe</st1:place> after the Kölner Dom.<span style=""> </span>We made sure to stop by Europa Passage for some shopping afterwards.<span style=""> </span>We were especially excited to shop because it was a Sunday and most places in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> are closed on Sundays.<span style=""> </span>But since I was listening on our bus tour I figured out that the shop owner’s in “Europa Passage” (a large shopping arcade in old town <st1:state><st1:place>Hamburg</st1:place></st1:state>) elected to hold their own opening hours and were therefore open on Sundays.<span style=""> </span>When we finally got to Europa Passage we discovered that my German is not as good as I thought it was and everything was closed.<span style=""> </span>So much for getting our hopes up.<span style=""> </span>Maybe next time.<span style=""> </span>Disappointed and dreading the 4-hour drive home we got some more Starbucks and got going.<span style=""> </span>It was a short getaway, but we had enough time to figure out that <st1:state><st1:place>Hamburg</st1:place></st1:state> is definitely worth a trip back.</p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-19123987893667283412008-03-03T06:54:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:32:58.906-08:00PragueI recently booked a last-minute trip to <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> to meet up with Sarah Dupee (one of my roommates from UVA, who is currently teaching English in a small town in eastern <st1:country-region><st1:place>France</st1:place></st1:country-region>).<span style=""> </span>And by last-minute I mean very last-minute.<span style=""> </span>I bought my ticket on Friday night and left Monday morning.<span style=""> </span>We figured out accommodations at some point over the weekend.<span style=""> </span>When I arrived in the <st1:place><st1:placename>Prague</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Airport</st1:placetype></st1:place> and checked the status of the arriving flights I was <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr7XnMekjEKe6pAzfXY_muGETZBC00jtztNiO2Nv0QmokgcoVsx6uyqdJZY2EEI-DAdCy3iUacSyGBNLodlhVWAeUqv-SWmaWJMa-KRBRGZwSMAnQpzJFMdJkVnBWhUlF0QH9LM_55sc/s1600-h/IMGP8654.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr7XnMekjEKe6pAzfXY_muGETZBC00jtztNiO2Nv0QmokgcoVsx6uyqdJZY2EEI-DAdCy3iUacSyGBNLodlhVWAeUqv-SWmaWJMa-KRBRGZwSMAnQpzJFMdJkVnBWhUlF0QH9LM_55sc/s320/IMGP8654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173529810895846850" border="0" /></a>shocked to find that Sarah’s flight had been canceled!!!<span style=""> </span>And this was after she took a five-hour train ride to <st1:city><st1:place>Geneva</st1:place></st1:city> to catch the flight in the first place.<span style=""> </span>Luckily she was able to get on other flights to get to <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> – it would have been awful if she had gotten stuck.<span style=""> </span>So I hung around the airport for several hours until her new flight came in and we hopped the bus and metro into the city.<span style=""> </span>We got to the center of <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> as it was getting dark and all of the lights were coming on – the <st1:street><st1:address>Old Town Square</st1:address></st1:street> looked very impressive as we walked through to get to our hostel.<span style=""> </span>We attempted to navigate our way to the hostel with the poor directions I had printed from the website, but eventually had to resort to asking in shops before we stumbled upon it.<span style=""> </span>We checked-in, dropped our bags, and went back out into the city to find an ATM and dinner.<span style=""> </span>We went to a traditional Czech restaurant, tried the variety of meat and dumplings that are so popular in the Czech Republic, as well as some of their famous beers, before heading back to the hostel to get some sleep. <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On Tuesday we woke up, ate breakfast at the hostel, and took a 3.5 hour walking tour of <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We were out for 3.5 hours straight and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDaeCFsapJGiz8_bBj-sZGL2CI8O0fWTweVosPWxXm97Rrf_dEbxVoVhwKp25zYfsawskoIjrdDIX-QA39j1pVVQLMI-_QHnb6cJvx2z6eHUspHfWJWLTqJKw9bS85vlT-_T7AfOrGCo/s1600-h/IMGP8650.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDaeCFsapJGiz8_bBj-sZGL2CI8O0fWTweVosPWxXm97Rrf_dEbxVoVhwKp25zYfsawskoIjrdDIX-QA39j1pVVQLMI-_QHnb6cJvx2z6eHUspHfWJWLTqJKw9bS85vlT-_T7AfOrGCo/s320/IMGP8650.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173530124428459474" border="0" /></a> while we saw a lot, we only scratched the surface of all there is to do and see in <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We started in the <st1:street><st1:address>Old Town Square</st1:address></st1:street>, saw the astronomical clock (which reminds me a lot of the Glockenspiel in Münich)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jrDgGS3UawdzsT3UEWaSbG9nkgRplJxCUNlXjpGa6BD7wMtjgXMF2gDQJMJhBTeFKUtlzMq5mAxUwm3PhQjD8ArRYetERvgcXEZhMCS7YS7e5M1uxZxL2kBk3tdLG91GXS0Oo1rwQJ4/s1600-h/IMGP8639.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jrDgGS3UawdzsT3UEWaSbG9nkgRplJxCUNlXjpGa6BD7wMtjgXMF2gDQJMJhBTeFKUtlzMq5mAxUwm3PhQjD8ArRYetERvgcXEZhMCS7YS7e5M1uxZxL2kBk3tdLG91GXS0Oo1rwQJ4/s320/IMGP8639.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173529613327351218" border="0" /></a> and various churches before moving into the old Jewish Quarter.<span style=""> </span>We had a quick break, during which Sarah and I got extremely good spinach and cheese pancakes/crepes and warm drinks, before crossing the <st1:place><st1:placename>Charles</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Bridge</st1:placename></st1:place> to the Lesser Quarter and Castle Hill.<span style=""> </span>The <st1:place><st1:placename>Charles</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Bridge</st1:placename></st1:place> is very impressive and OLD – it dates back to 1357.<span style=""> </span>It holds more than 30 statues across its length.<span style=""> </span>Once in the Lesser Quarter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95_fwkSeWPPPYDMsPLDirIvfXZ0pJljkvRRa2Z5_G1G4jV-17BGxkCJLNjhSYlwgXOqMTU2zs3AwYHqqyc_hCLF5Y5Z7sJdAGjx3JgSvqlbo-bkBbrENsz3ztAtFZzerAZEGXofKBiBM/s1600-h/IMGP8643.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95_fwkSeWPPPYDMsPLDirIvfXZ0pJljkvRRa2Z5_G1G4jV-17BGxkCJLNjhSYlwgXOqMTU2zs3AwYHqqyc_hCLF5Y5Z7sJdAGjx3JgSvqlbo-bkBbrENsz3ztAtFZzerAZEGXofKBiBM/s320/IMGP8643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173530528155385314" border="0" /></a> we saw the Lennon Wall – a wall with a bust of John Lennon and an enormous amount of graffiti.<span style=""> </span>It was used to present grievances and to protest the government under communist rule, but people still decorate it today.<span style=""> </span>We then moved towards Castle Hill, passing <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvQNIAQQzq3z7FbLWDChSXHbqqI-Y1fK28UVn7VrnZJFq345ghi-YNgg0ge3vO0vqk7LHSIzsTrgwq5N-NKW1L4G9FDe6xvvcx-61IkzUv-RGwz4qpHVUpnLjlFahPOxpKaZRQqiABOU/s1600-h/IMGP8648.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvQNIAQQzq3z7FbLWDChSXHbqqI-Y1fK28UVn7VrnZJFq345ghi-YNgg0ge3vO0vqk7LHSIzsTrgwq5N-NKW1L4G9FDe6xvvcx-61IkzUv-RGwz4qpHVUpnLjlFahPOxpKaZRQqiABOU/s320/IMGP8648.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173530764378586610" border="0" /></a>MANY cafes before climbing several hundred stairs to get to the castle.<span style=""> </span>The Guinness Book of Records names the <st1:place><st1:placename>Prague</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place> as the largest ancient castle in the world.<span style=""> </span>It is 570 meters long and an average of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhluUijwHEJHZAeVS6MysEyTJUquXguWwvTf9hN4jID2Atq64hgsisw_gfeAulR_j65yDIjnH2Mv5J_ZTJ4SLH-20bCOWkUeTvtPojHbRCykjfHF71E6QSogGwjTIumrZhFYqOlxZnrw/s1600-h/IMGP8645.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhluUijwHEJHZAeVS6MysEyTJUquXguWwvTf9hN4jID2Atq64hgsisw_gfeAulR_j65yDIjnH2Mv5J_ZTJ4SLH-20bCOWkUeTvtPojHbRCykjfHF71E6QSogGwjTIumrZhFYqOlxZnrw/s320/IMGP8645.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173531129450806786" border="0" /></a> 130 meters wide.<span style=""> </span>Maybe a better idea of size and scale is given by the fact that a gigantic cathedral sits comfortably in one of the many courtyards within the castle walls.<span style=""> </span>The tour ended at the castle with views across the city.<span style=""> </span>Sarah and I took some pictures before heading back down the hill towards the cafes we had seen before to warm up with some hot chocolate and tea.<span style=""> </span>The weather wasn’t great at any point while we were in <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city>, but it wasn’t <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTzdUl3cRVc-zfEgelsKLNuZsyCeZO84o32U93pB2vld3pJDpjnh1NJxTT3Gb-C38waynYJGMv9Nmd98AbqforGMjfUh8niAEPtnYzH9Ajp5ZjFMA68ltPEHjoCS8udhVdtNy5gYuw_8/s1600-h/IMGP8646.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTzdUl3cRVc-zfEgelsKLNuZsyCeZO84o32U93pB2vld3pJDpjnh1NJxTT3Gb-C38waynYJGMv9Nmd98AbqforGMjfUh8niAEPtnYzH9Ajp5ZjFMA68ltPEHjoCS8udhVdtNy5gYuw_8/s320/IMGP8646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173531348494138898" border="0" /></a>raining, so we were happy.<span style=""> </span>We just had to make frequent café stops to warm up.<span style=""> </span>We ducked into a classical music shop to find out about concerts in the city.<span style=""> </span>If you want to see classical music in <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> you will have no trouble finding a concert.<span style=""> </span>We were told that we could find a concert at virtually any church (and as with most European cities, <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> has a bunch of ‘em).<span style=""> </span>We wound up taking the store owner’s suggestion and trekking over to the Municipal Hall, the premier venue in the city, to see if they had cheap tickets for that night.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, they did!<span style=""> </span>We bought tickets to see the Prague Symphony Orchestra in Smetana Hall, the largest and most beautiful hall in all of <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city>, for roughly 10 euro.<span style=""> </span>Not bad.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We had a little time before the concert started, so went back to the hostel to relax and stopped at Bohemia Bagel to grab a bite to eat before the concert.<span style=""> </span>I <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n9vd626BldPAPifO3qBkUQcI_HcsxuKQz0FsId6CvjIE0Zn4lx3mFE6cB2eH6zwpsZNZJ8IqWmNYsVARFpq6Njff5rj47mZyQfUhnefYjECDOiiyzgIo3RDU-CKbs1eoGunw2Q1LpA0/s1600-h/bagels.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 104px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n9vd626BldPAPifO3qBkUQcI_HcsxuKQz0FsId6CvjIE0Zn4lx3mFE6cB2eH6zwpsZNZJ8IqWmNYsVARFpq6Njff5rj47mZyQfUhnefYjECDOiiyzgIo3RDU-CKbs1eoGunw2Q1LpA0/s320/bagels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173532581149752882" border="0" /></a>had read about Bohemia Bagel (a bagel café/restaurant aptly named for the region that <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> is located in) before getting to <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> and was excited to go there, mainly because I have yet to find bagels in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>Once we got to <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> we discovered that Bohemia Bagel was about two blocks away from the hostel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8Xzl0-n1q5SqFVWcpxRYKu3wWTYWCqj5ZADJu43MRX1yNEF0ZNtESj0I2Gb5m0hC1QVB3oYouEjDB19AgdDXlh3vT1y6DyPPLeDen3pMwSqPh271RMrHtzYpwYyAG8MMmkkzqkoK0lk/s1600-h/IMGP8651.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8Xzl0-n1q5SqFVWcpxRYKu3wWTYWCqj5ZADJu43MRX1yNEF0ZNtESj0I2Gb5m0hC1QVB3oYouEjDB19AgdDXlh3vT1y6DyPPLeDen3pMwSqPh271RMrHtzYpwYyAG8MMmkkzqkoK0lk/s320/IMGP8651.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173531885365050914" border="0" /></a>, so very convenient.<span style=""> </span>We ordered, went to find a table, and when we sat down we spotted Emily and Lee, people we had gone to school with at UVA, at the table next to us!!<span style=""> </span>Talk about a small world!<span style=""> </span>As soon as we saw Emily we remembered that she had mentioned she was getting married and moving to <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> after graduation.<span style=""> </span>But the fact that the four of us wound up in the exact same place at the same time in <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> was pretty crazy.<span style=""> </span>We caught up quickly and made plans to meet up the following morning since Sarah and I had to eat and run.<span style=""> </span>We made it to Smetana Hall just in time and listened to the Prague Symphony Orchestra play Suk, Kabalevsky, and Tchaikovsky’s “<st1:place><st1:placename>Swan</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>.”<span style=""> </span>The concert lasted for about two hours, but it went by really quickly for me, meaning it was a good concert.<span style=""> </span>After the concert we decided to walk around the city to see it at night.<span style=""> </span>We went to <st1:place><st1:placename>Charles</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Bridge</st1:placename></st1:place> and were slightly underwhelmed – not much was lit up, but it was still nice to be out.<span style=""> </span>We wanted to hang out somewhere for a little bit before going to bed and settled on a Moroccan Café near the hostel – we had mint tea, which was great! </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning I woke up early to get a training run in before we met Emily and Lee.<span style=""> </span>I crossed the river and w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcy2eZz7DqM11l66GXOWgIDkIIdeDcPo-LG0gbPW5l02GR-I6_Z4j8vDHI9XHUC3fXQgpFP-hej0w1mVJwOcF3EMiympbWp4zpX9FankPM-_21Kuz9OqnoJfWA85MrTp2QVsxANFZ_AQ/s1600-h/IMGP8662.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcy2eZz7DqM11l66GXOWgIDkIIdeDcPo-LG0gbPW5l02GR-I6_Z4j8vDHI9XHUC3fXQgpFP-hej0w1mVJwOcF3EMiympbWp4zpX9FankPM-_21Kuz9OqnoJfWA85MrTp2QVsxANFZ_AQ/s320/IMGP8662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173533053596155458" border="0" /></a>ent up a large hill (it didn’t seems very big until I started running it) to find a park and great views over the city.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, Sarah and I met Emily and Lee and we took the tram south to <st1:place><st1:placename>Vysehrad</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place> and the <st1:place><st1:placetype>Church</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>St. Paul</st1:placename></st1:place> and Peter. Here's a view from Vysehrad. It was really nice to get out of the city center and the touristy areas.<span style=""> </span>The Church was beautifully painted and decorated inside.<span style=""> </span>A woman who worked there told us stories about the Church in Czech and luckily Lee was able to translate them for us.<span style=""> </span>When we left the Church we walked through the adjacent cemetery where most of the well-known Czech people have been buried (i.e. Franz Kafka and Antonin Dvorak, the composer).<span style=""> </span>We stopped at a café on the castle hill to warm up before taking the metro back into New Town Prague.<span style=""> </span>We arrived in <st1:street><st1:address>Wenceslas Square</st1:address></st1:street>, where Prague Spring took place, and Emily and Lee took us to one of their favorite lunch spots.<span style=""> </span>It was a small sandwich/deli shop with open-faced sandwiches of all varieties.<span style=""> </span>Sarah and I never would have found it on our own.<span style=""> </span>We each got three sandwiches and a beer for less than 4€!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAallx_ordvSI8nSHsTEIBTdknGePR2kspZi14I1_dVGMtXY6NMHdE7KtNqEZY79wkVG1TzmoUtMH7sLiQ8FV3eNM-_hqFpFUn07dWs0kV2teteqvBxG7VqNg8NiFajt6Y3XDVef6V97I/s1600-h/Bata.logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAallx_ordvSI8nSHsTEIBTdknGePR2kspZi14I1_dVGMtXY6NMHdE7KtNqEZY79wkVG1TzmoUtMH7sLiQ8FV3eNM-_hqFpFUn07dWs0kV2teteqvBxG7VqNg8NiFajt6Y3XDVef6V97I/s320/Bata.logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173533702136217170" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>That’s amazing!<span style=""> </span>Emily had to run as soon as we finished to get back to school to teach and Lee pointed Sarah and me in the direction of the best places to shop.<span style=""> </span>Sarah and I went into one shop before we decided we were already tired and needed another café break.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we went in a few more shops, with very little luck, before heading back to the hostel for a nap. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUP_lEZ7PB6WOmjHoAsIFervP_iT2VOdFBqN-Hv0YI8gt3xxf0CJiIr1GpQKJlZenm-des37AgMpybiyRNjSabo6Vh3pgTfTCw88R6NWX3wM0F5XUql7-9nChPWpiKtWDqmjs0pPwvW0/s1600-h/Ungelt.Jazz.LOGO.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUP_lEZ7PB6WOmjHoAsIFervP_iT2VOdFBqN-Hv0YI8gt3xxf0CJiIr1GpQKJlZenm-des37AgMpybiyRNjSabo6Vh3pgTfTCw88R6NWX3wM0F5XUql7-9nChPWpiKtWDqmjs0pPwvW0/s320/Ungelt.Jazz.LOGO.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173534320611507810" border="0" /></a>After our much-needed nap we decided to walk back over towards <st1:place><st1:placename>Prague</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place> for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We found another Czech-style restaurant, ate some good warm food, and then went back over to <st1:street><st1:address>Old Town Square</st1:address></st1:street> to find some live jazz.<span style=""> </span>We went to a place called Ungelt Jazz & Blues Club, which we had found on the internet, and the music was great.<span style=""> </span>But by <st1:time minute="0" hour="23">11pm</st1:time>, as most of our nights went in <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city>, we were tired and ready for bed. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next day was Valentines’ Day, and also our last day in <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city>, so Sarah and I checked<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqCV0nuEBe5RlqjHjSf9iD7PwctcDl3f9KHx0o1nUWLkM4wIQoJRQW_m8-zlTXGWQw68fxRD4faTSoye7l1dGIoLdLFBUBe7mAKSPmI4qP1AJPVi9qM-Bq67vcnaAm0yFnTJ8Jj-uIwQ/s1600-h/hearts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqCV0nuEBe5RlqjHjSf9iD7PwctcDl3f9KHx0o1nUWLkM4wIQoJRQW_m8-zlTXGWQw68fxRD4faTSoye7l1dGIoLdLFBUBe7mAKSPmI4qP1AJPVi9qM-Bq67vcnaAm0yFnTJ8Jj-uIwQ/s320/hearts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173534930496863858" border="0" /></a> out of the hostel and went out for breakfast/brunch at Bohemia Bagel (you have to get bagels while you can over here).<span style=""> </span>We had egg bagels, which reminded me soooo much of Bodo’s!<span style=""> </span>We went on a quick postcard search afterwards, got some chocolate croissants for later, and then I had to get my bags and head to the airport.<span style=""> </span>It was a short visit, but really nice to see Sarah!<span style=""> </span>Hopefully she made it safely back to <st1:country-region><st1:place>France</st1:place></st1:country-region> after the rest of her travels!<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></b></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-36227791160751255672008-03-03T04:43:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:01.121-08:00Lately . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwnF0TVvNLvZY5-QLMpb8LupXnUj5ToZAxisW3i29_fb9lcGPNaRjeZ8mQmb43MaCuuGut7hPwEz-AdhKA4dT7Fc3z_japAWmo2KVlzrproZz3uEuA3LfbpmQaj-m6dsEbcHdUKOgGBk/s1600-h/IMGP1215.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwnF0TVvNLvZY5-QLMpb8LupXnUj5ToZAxisW3i29_fb9lcGPNaRjeZ8mQmb43MaCuuGut7hPwEz-AdhKA4dT7Fc3z_japAWmo2KVlzrproZz3uEuA3LfbpmQaj-m6dsEbcHdUKOgGBk/s320/IMGP1215.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173501429751954626" border="0" /></a>I realize I haven’t written much lately, so here is what has been going on over the past couple of months.<span style=""> </span>The holidays were great here in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>I for one think that Europeans do an amazing job of celebrating the holidays – lots of time off, lots of good food and drinks, and Christmas markets. I won’t go into too much detail about the Christmas markets, since I already described my slight obsession in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Austria</st1:place></st1:country-region> entry, but we enjoyed them, and the abundant Glühwein, very much.<span style=""> </span>Laura was here f<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvxSTGbvRnzYUaF4zRsDsaGT1OYtCEeX4lx8zRbJLKigmIRm1gaLwDO-SzAXIvSKm3PTAAWxAYUlu0FS3MJ9MDWYjLTDdDkMZZEIzgInVJFcIsMclH888S8_uCXiS_qiubM_4vKH9wJg/s1600-h/IMGP1225.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvxSTGbvRnzYUaF4zRsDsaGT1OYtCEeX4lx8zRbJLKigmIRm1gaLwDO-SzAXIvSKm3PTAAWxAYUlu0FS3MJ9MDWYjLTDdDkMZZEIzgInVJFcIsMclH888S8_uCXiS_qiubM_4vKH9wJg/s320/IMGP1225.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173502031047376082" border="0" /></a>or the holidays after a successful first semester as a “Camel” at <st1:place><st1:placename>Co</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placename>nnecticut</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>We got to show her around Kaiserswerth and Düsseldorf and get all of our last-minute shopping done together.<span style=""> </span>We found it slightly difficult to do our Christmas shopping on the far side of the <st1:place>A</st1:place><st1:place>tlan</st1:place><st1:place>tic</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>When it came to books and movies we wanted things in English, but to ship those things costs an INSANE amount of money and you even get charged a customs fee, so it’s not worth it.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, we managed to find something for everyone downtown. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We had a nice, quiet Christmas morning in Kaiserswerth.<span style=""> </span>It was the first Christmas that we had<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjONswXsAf7rL7DKoYysOhfFuaru2XJy4q5MD7zIu8V65YFo-GFFAybyWBehnG4n4snj_dRNiJ5E-X8cx9Eofi7x-AqNjvDRzaBvs7g6aaGRl8xDbS6uKNv1tT-3EgogW0NA6I-xceGo/s1600-h/IMGP1202.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjONswXsAf7rL7DKoYysOhfFuaru2XJy4q5MD7zIu8V65YFo-GFFAybyWBehnG4n4snj_dRNiJ5E-X8cx9Eofi7x-AqNjvDRzaBvs7g6aaGRl8xDbS6uKNv1tT-3EgogW0NA6I-xceGo/s200/IMGP1202.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173502409004498146" border="0" /></a> with only our immediate family.<span style=""> </span>It was a bit strange and lonely, but hopefully we’ll be seeing people in the years to come!<span style=""> </span>We sat by <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5c553d4_32yVky8WrTs_qNmjsNseax_Wza6dvcsYLkrND2bwE-ewczK85GU_9PLRujjpxvZ1g0Erka4U-Fml7tkggtvYkLO7cVCFaesNExoAXf9kXo5eTRm0FRg54pEkVkiAgioNboU/s1600-h/Fam.In.Paris.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5c553d4_32yVky8WrTs_qNmjsNseax_Wza6dvcsYLkrND2bwE-ewczK85GU_9PLRujjpxvZ1g0Erka4U-Fml7tkggtvYkLO7cVCFaesNExoAXf9kXo5eTRm0FRg54pEkVkiAgioNboU/s320/Fam.In.Paris.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173504629502590194" border="0" /></a>the HUGE Christmas tree and enjoyed the view of the backyard, although it was without snow, while we opened presents.<span style=""> </span>One of Tim’s Christmas gifts to the family was a trip to <st1:city><st1:place>Paris</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I would have enjoyed the trip, but had already made plans to go to <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city>, so Laura’s friend Chris (from <st1:state><st1:place>Minnesota</st1:place></st1:state>) got to take my place when he flew over to visit.<span style=""> </span>I flew to <st1:city><st1:place>Budape</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>st</st1:place></st1:city> early on January 2<sup>nd</sup> and the rest of the family and Chris drove to <st1:city><st1:place>Paris</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I heard good reports from the trip when we all got back to Kaiserswerth!<span style=""> </span>On Chris’ final day in Europe we tried to do a whirlwind tour of the nearby areas – we went to Köln to see the cathedral and Altstadt, into Zons, and around Düsseldorf – the Hafen and Altstadt for a dinner of currywurst and bratwurst.<span style=""> </span>The stops were a bit rushed, but hopefully he got a feel for what this part of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> is like.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Not long after Chris left, Uncle Jon came to town!<span style=""> </span>He had<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZTRilgFCx4wHfJBlvw0HsNcLs9f0FK5QFqyDtdJMbtg2y72cP3bDCg4ZdpobQanPNtJKHtQ1KRIO07VTlf3bNOnomj3VAJ0yXoOUBA9T8t1ARKRAJuK3IQ22sIkAwvzRzwc_UTVe2rg/s1600-h/IMGP1281.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZTRilgFCx4wHfJBlvw0HsNcLs9f0FK5QFqyDtdJMbtg2y72cP3bDCg4ZdpobQanPNtJKHtQ1KRIO07VTlf3bNOnomj3VAJ0yXoOUBA9T8t1ARKRAJuK3IQ22sIkAwvzRzwc_UTVe2rg/s320/IMGP1281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173506493518396674" border="0" /></a> been on a business trip in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> and decided to pop over for a visit.<span style=""> </span>On his first night here we went to Im Schiffchen, the extremely fancy restaurant on the square in Kaiserswerth.<span style=""> </span>Apparently it is one of the top ten restaurants in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> and it is in our little village – <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXnaO3cJgyoMykHVUOfnc4wa0hwG7Hhe4F8aSLEUgAIYoIes9Ok4J_SFqCvt6KMGNG-LDruAOeF1nseYx0ZlpA1bZ2gkAn92lAG0hY4FTEwOhA1d4Rf_ULt807lxG4PW_tn4SjYfqjAs/s1600-h/DSCN1211.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXnaO3cJgyoMykHVUOfnc4wa0hwG7Hhe4F8aSLEUgAIYoIes9Ok4J_SFqCvt6KMGNG-LDruAOeF1nseYx0ZlpA1bZ2gkAn92lAG0hY4FTEwOhA1d4Rf_ULt807lxG4PW_tn4SjYfqjAs/s320/DSCN1211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173507747648847138" border="0" /></a>pretty cool.<span style=""> </span>The food was good, but was so fancy and obscure that it was somewhat lost on me.<span style=""> </span>The wine was definite<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ySGFUu66ePp2ANffBFMTAPm8RE4ubwZfmAK6SVyybHqmrp-5vgKY_WQ1lYX7pxH7LyN7ABD4FI3TVSq3qhiTBqBtkBbJcy-BSmysEHgTj3ozy-MNuAUOZHIX_cq-lu0zPVCwCWOrUaI/s1600-h/DSCN1224.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ySGFUu66ePp2ANffBFMTAPm8RE4ubwZfmAK6SVyybHqmrp-5vgKY_WQ1lYX7pxH7LyN7ABD4FI3TVSq3qhiTBqBtkBbJcy-BSmysEHgTj3ozy-MNuAUOZHIX_cq-lu0zPVCwCWOrUaI/s320/DSCN1224.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173508314584530226" border="0" /></a>ly the highlight.<span style=""> </span>For the rest of Jon’s stay we planned day trips.<span style=""> </span>On Saturday we drove to <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>, walked around, saw the Anne Frank Huis, and went out for dinner.<span style=""> </span>I still love that city.<span style=""> </span>Then on Sunday we went into <st1:city><st1:place>Luxembourg City</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It was nice to return there in clear weather.<span style=""> </span>The views from the “city on the cliff” are beautiful, but the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXONV2UWqXKXdjEBIZ2ZNyzNCOYidb86J1-RjIqyd1IadOCcEfAEaIRRyOAIvfyX62DxBpK51hedHKZDooNcH8wvGVl-Dc58MgZujEqGsetveWTf4EFP0VRkjk_rEtCGvA1F4Z6uSr_lc/s1600-h/DSCN1231.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXONV2UWqXKXdjEBIZ2ZNyzNCOYidb86J1-RjIqyd1IadOCcEfAEaIRRyOAIvfyX62DxBpK51hedHKZDooNcH8wvGVl-Dc58MgZujEqGsetveWTf4EFP0VRkjk_rEtCGvA1F4Z6uSr_lc/s200/DSCN1231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173507038979243282" border="0" /></a> weather was so horrible the first time I was there that you couldn’t see a thing.<span style=""> </span>There were also many more people out in the city this time, which made for a much more upbeat atmosphere.<span style=""> </span>We walked along the edge of the city walls, stood atop the casemates (the old tunnels and armaments on and inside the walls), looked down into the valleys, and stole glances into many of the fancy bakeries around the city.<span style=""> </span>On our way back to the car Jenny and I found one of the coolest playgrounds we have ever seen, complete with a teepee and pirate ship.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Gxij29ADiO099SWD5QxypY_7BoIWbrxxXQbOSSaixfMXhUCiVoTuogGXAxwLd_hip5LAZr9UCt8FHuemaQGiD1gX233Rj-jLxKqKPDz19ilwNHyrLqLuO78cIOxslVHi-5YJJq_Cp1c/s1600-h/renoir004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Gxij29ADiO099SWD5QxypY_7BoIWbrxxXQbOSSaixfMXhUCiVoTuogGXAxwLd_hip5LAZr9UCt8FHuemaQGiD1gX233Rj-jLxKqKPDz19ilwNHyrLqLuO78cIOxslVHi-5YJJq_Cp1c/s200/renoir004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173509650319359298" border="0" /></a>The end of Uncle Jon’s visit marked the end of our holiday travels and visitors – meaning back to real life.<span style=""> </span>Since then Jenny has started school again, had lots of soccer and basketball games, and Tim is traveling as much as ever.<span style=""> </span>Mom and I made time to visit the Renoir exhibit in the nearby town of <st1:city><st1:place>Wuppertal</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>And Shadow gets lots of walks.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>At the beginning of February we had more festivities to look forward to at Karneval!!<span style=""> </span>Karneval is basically the European equivalent of Mardi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YQAbf9-3qTTpXCFUT49C4HhUnODFAogN_PmokSBvcikditXsiIuGGYh1fng4r0vjnQ9hqUA-nl3Xm77taQL6RU4ITvfIkcwp4KE20YOfeDvd-cQI-hitQpHvE18HOhg9K2xCNMkGvHQ/s1600-h/IMGP1294.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YQAbf9-3qTTpXCFUT49C4HhUnODFAogN_PmokSBvcikditXsiIuGGYh1fng4r0vjnQ9hqUA-nl3Xm77taQL6RU4ITvfIkcwp4KE20YOfeDvd-cQI-hitQpHvE18HOhg9K2xCNMkGvHQ/s320/IMGP1294.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173510277384584530" border="0" /></a> Gras and it is HUGEly popular in cities along the <st1:place><st1:placename>Rhein</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>River</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Düsseldorf and Köln are among the top cities for Karneval.<span style=""> </span>For the official start of the festivities I joined my mom and members <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7HfWJkkpr62JNh8t05NVcNhYXT5tMrzMCbztKeecS8YlIX1qbenKVabNKCAf9o5QFrLsA0VlZdUe6RlhYE7qYGfEUJ2aH0y-oM8UhFpFwZIu-7t9VzgIaYbOHVkIhVQLHMX3rELn4mo/s1600-h/IMGP1302.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7HfWJkkpr62JNh8t05NVcNhYXT5tMrzMCbztKeecS8YlIX1qbenKVabNKCAf9o5QFrLsA0VlZdUe6RlhYE7qYGfEUJ2aH0y-oM8UhFpFwZIu-7t9VzgIaYbOHVkIhVQLHMX3rELn4mo/s320/IMGP1302.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173511093428370786" border="0" /></a>of the American Women’s Club to “storm the Rathaus.”<span style=""> </span>At 11:11am, once the Altstadt is filled with people, the mayor steps out on the balcony of the Rathaus (city hall) and tells all the women to go home and take care of the kids, cook, and clean (all part of the tradition, of course).<span style=""> </span>Then the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijdNThhFJrC9iNYVFGKUbj4g9R4NDtUOeqTQ5eTZX8YmWEINRDYi85ai0zGjqzdl4E1giyDcY2DlIKgIBgWTv66P2kSDZ54d9B6LMhsBTrh7XqeRQVzyQDmtFfSPnWfXPJkzctyY5kro/s1600-h/IMGP1308.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijdNThhFJrC9iNYVFGKUbj4g9R4NDtUOeqTQ5eTZX8YmWEINRDYi85ai0zGjqzdl4E1giyDcY2DlIKgIBgWTv66P2kSDZ54d9B6LMhsBTrh7XqeRQVzyQDmtFfSPnWfXPJkzctyY5kro/s320/IMGP1308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173512326083984754" border="0" /></a> women refuse, break through the doors of the Rathaus, and take control of the city for the night.<span style=""> </span>We got there extra early to make sure we were in the group of 50 women that actually get let into the Rathaus at <st1:time minute="11" hour="11">11:11am</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>Once we were inside there was free beer and drinks and we got to watch as all of the women cut the ties off of the city <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNyGAvAqWd-8aHAU0TpBwaLLgSVo5i_pKCFtSgrpbfGLqxFQvBxQ-JDCVDwG98qf65lomiKSBygJzyNDGEqhwSEdMjGEUaq21oOYNqPTQ08s9Z4PJpGLaonPDAY-zRyLWPiUNzLht3nE/s1600-h/IMGP1311.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNyGAvAqWd-8aHAU0TpBwaLLgSVo5i_pKCFtSgrpbfGLqxFQvBxQ-JDCVDwG98qf65lomiKSBygJzyNDGEqhwSEdMjGEUaq21oOYNqPTQ08s9Z4PJpGLaonPDAY-zRyLWPiUNzLht3nE/s320/IMGP1311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173512888724700546" border="0" /></a>officials (also part of the tradition – you should bring scissors with you on that day if you’re a girl and not wear your favorite tie if you’re a guy).<span style=""> </span>Here's mom with a pirate in the Rathaus. One of the other American Women’s<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0WbCP-orxyayzNUlJtMm-a_1GFdxolsJ0aQ_4U98QraxU8_3wl6tU_yhpI0Iyk0UQamSnEUSsq350i-RSJGjhCy4zXRqps7aoQzf8Jsqeh_6f2c84VPml7pOPn1ulGwzZ5ofJgD8umU/s1600-h/IMGP8636.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0WbCP-orxyayzNUlJtMm-a_1GFdxolsJ0aQ_4U98QraxU8_3wl6tU_yhpI0Iyk0UQamSnEUSsq350i-RSJGjhCy4zXRqps7aoQzf8Jsqeh_6f2c84VPml7pOPn1ulGwzZ5ofJgD8umU/s320/IMGP8636.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173536210397118082" border="0" /></a> Club members brought her daughter Catherine with her.<span style=""> </span>It was nice to have someone my age around!<span style=""> </span>Our whole group was interviewed and we even made the paper - pretty cool! After enjoying the Rathaus we went back into the streets to find something for lunch.<span style=""> </span>The streets were crazy!<span style=""> </span>You could barely walk around because there were so many people. All of the costumes were great.<span style=""> </span>They were much better than most of the Halloween costumes I see in the States.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKDCfKkXjOLDTNKlGkCMCz9oewCQfz4CoBl8ezZ7tOkopEiu7vRPJ4lb7YCQIpcWTgutmanfRhym3klQb2nibdYjUfaM5chyphenhyphensAadrqDGmhPb8HszN8j900vAwhwiDsmcQmQ8B-aSvHDI/s1600-h/IMGP8622.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKDCfKkXjOLDTNKlGkCMCz9oewCQfz4CoBl8ezZ7tOkopEiu7vRPJ4lb7YCQIpcWTgutmanfRhym3klQb2nibdYjUfaM5chyphenhyphensAadrqDGmhPb8HszN8j900vAwhwiDsmcQmQ8B-aSvHDI/s320/IMGP8622.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173514056955805074" border="0" /></a>The main Karneval festivities went on for 5 days, with the trains and streets always filled with people.<span style=""> </span>On Saturday I went back into the city with Catherine for an English-speaking young person’s meet-up.<span style=""> </span>It was a good night, filled with drinks and rugby-watching.<span style=""> </span>And I’ve been able to keep in touch with people <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXXS0CQQCYqh1Y0y-q4Ln-4FAsjPfKuaTE9twIQ30HHQN4ZyzbyTeExUSdlNGOAye89B1BqtokMd18ZSSxshMLeGzlYoMhln6GlDAn5eBvqj8pupHokenpolpuTS6m1PKYygYHQWeAgU/s1600-h/IMGP8634.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXXS0CQQCYqh1Y0y-q4Ln-4FAsjPfKuaTE9twIQ30HHQN4ZyzbyTeExUSdlNGOAye89B1BqtokMd18ZSSxshMLeGzlYoMhln6GlDAn5eBvqj8pupHokenpolpuTS6m1PKYygYHQWeAgU/s320/IMGP8634.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173514503632403874" border="0" /></a>since then, which has been fun.<span style=""> </span>On Monday my mom and I went into Düsseldorf, despite the rain, to watch part of the parade – one of the final Karneval events.<span style=""> </span>We met up with Jörg and Elise on the train and met some of their friends in the city.<span style=""> </span>Overall, Karneval weekend was a great time – too bad it’s only once a year!</p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-1221938382323942912008-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:08.257-08:00European Roadtrip and BudapestThe day after Christmas (which we found out is 2<sup>nd</sup> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4wkPjliIAVtuKBRBo27cRWCT-sWw0I05At7UCO63uNo7vDQnUpj60k0_tRKQrdm_CKoKyJRKzmjoqHAWf9KFm-C2m0TAgvXMtEXF1U7_oR4bWWhp0u6STghPBEOWXFcc_3ZqWUt5nxU/s1600-h/IMGP8205.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4wkPjliIAVtuKBRBo27cRWCT-sWw0I05At7UCO63uNo7vDQnUpj60k0_tRKQrdm_CKoKyJRKzmjoqHAWf9KFm-C2m0TAgvXMtEXF1U7_oR4bWWhp0u6STghPBEOWXFcc_3ZqWUt5nxU/s320/IMGP8205.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157973095520498258" border="0" /></a>Christmas here in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and everything is still closed) I picked Sarah and Dana up at the Düsseldorf airport.<span style=""> </span>Sarah is one of my friends from UVA and is teaching English in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Russi</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place>a</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the year.<span style=""> </span>Dana is one of her fellow English teachers and is from southern <st1:state><st1:place>Illinois</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style=""> </span>They had flown in from a few days in <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> and we planned on hanging out in and around<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRGbAssqeCUa_WzFImBxelOvP-moGKGKsj3HNL5QSLNYy38KgcJznRak5kj0sIH6mfaSXxdJPNESLbZjIWQ1PzSNGdDAJZjyoHCFgozfAw1m6pK0wNPjmWAwiF8eBqO16DD2ohxdE9pU/s1600-h/IMGP8210.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRGbAssqeCUa_WzFImBxelOvP-moGKGKsj3HNL5QSLNYy38KgcJznRak5kj0sIH6mfaSXxdJPNESLbZjIWQ1PzSNGdDAJZjyoHCFgozfAw1m6pK0wNPjmWAwiF8eBqO16DD2ohxdE9pU/s320/IMGP8210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157973421938012770" border="0" /></a> <st1:country-region><st1:place>Ge</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place>rmany</st1:place></st1:country-region> and then going to <st1:place><st1:city>Budapest</st1:city></st1:place><st1:place><st1:city></st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Hung</st1:country-region></st1:place><st1:place><st1:country-region>ary</st1:country-region></st1:place> at the beginning of 2008.<span style=""> </span>After dropping everything off at the house we went for a quick drive through Kaiserswerth, but since everything was closed there wasn’t too much to look at. <span style=""> </span>We hung out for the rest of the night, watched Superbad, and planned a roadtrip. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3D83Hbh-tWR3_jQ4HMGA8ZQwqKxyQdhgsWy0PvSoPywKuT6Smf7VTS2kqflC_6vzqYWsBJBDelTTbPfBAN8ZOtpqUTw8sRH08ige47o6RxH3k1bSbF4FAZPKsDcFjwnIFbo1mILUdRI/s1600-h/IMGP8220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3D83Hbh-tWR3_jQ4HMGA8ZQwqKxyQdhgsWy0PvSoPywKuT6Smf7VTS2kqflC_6vzqYWsBJBDelTTbPfBAN8ZOtpqUTw8sRH08ige47o6RxH3k1bSbF4FAZPKsDcFjwnIFbo1mILUdRI/s320/IMGP8220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157974641708724866" border="0" /></a>On Thursday morning we woke up fairly early and jumped into the car (thanks for letting us use it, Tim and Mom) to begin our 2 day-5 country tour.<span style=""> </span>We drove 5.5 hours to <st1:city><st1:place>Paris</st1:place></st1:city>, parked in an outer metro stop and took the train into Place de la Concorde.<span style=""> </span>We took ourselves<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4G6gQ9a1qRvtUP7Aj4pyAL3FsHxLMzF_5XYpIRmqVnW9ozuVFy9LuxKPJRqhLp3lAPmDFPwK6Rn7WR4igU_heD0lMuguHv0xzTCg3NGVKnvdDCsBLYZ1ZTRxexcWuTi8D-FiH0PrMAtc/s1600-h/IMGP8222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4G6gQ9a1qRvtUP7Aj4pyAL3FsHxLMzF_5XYpIRmqVnW9ozuVFy9LuxKPJRqhLp3lAPmDFPwK6Rn7WR4igU_heD0lMuguHv0xzTCg3NGVKnvdDCsBLYZ1ZTRxexcWuTi8D-FiH0PrMAtc/s320/IMGP8222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157975011075912338" border="0" /></a> on a walking tour past the Arc de Triomphe, the <st1:place><st1:placename>E</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placename>iffel</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placename></st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Towe</st1:placetype></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placetype>r</st1:placetype></st1:place>, and along the <st1:place>Seine</st1:place> to Notre Dame.<span style=""> </span>We ran across a statue of Thomas Jefferson - can't seem to get away from him. We walked past <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYuTElu4rwpu3s6Oy2LGWyBWt-V5JXUU85siP7KNNvuJtGvgq0vkKPn1JUWA0Ey2XuQ4Q39eXM3o_IhT710ooM6pV03E0_8nBfgyeduY0Y7GOwGi9JWTF2eULyhLXLZUnh6rkExb6Tws/s1600-h/IMGP8217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYuTElu4rwpu3s6Oy2LGWyBWt-V5JXUU85siP7KNNvuJtGvgq0vkKPn1JUWA0Ey2XuQ4Q39eXM3o_IhT710ooM6pV03E0_8nBfgyeduY0Y7GOwGi9JWTF2eULyhLXLZUnh6rkExb6Tws/s200/IMGP8217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157973967398859378" border="0" /></a>“Shakespeare and Company,” the famous bookstore, and then grabbed dinner in the <st1:place>Latin Qua</st1:place><st1:place>rter</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>After dinner we explored more of the <st1:place>Latin Q</st1:place><st1:place>ua</st1:place><st1:place>rte</st1:place><st1:place>r</st1:place> at night, grabbed dessert (chocolate croissant for me!) at a bakery, and then made<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggj3pqoh-r3E9YNcW3h7V6sixZZu6gJkNY0BNuxpzRKLGMNReTdgHZhjCRtB1l9o-o65g2w0uOTWrsBcMrc7eCmPc-nP1VwlNlfYA_jjZK_1Nyd_TxDLcvu2Lmu8P_fDg8MNIgc2tJw-I/s1600-h/IMGP8235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggj3pqoh-r3E9YNcW3h7V6sixZZu6gJkNY0BNuxpzRKLGMNReTdgHZhjCRtB1l9o-o65g2w0uOTWrsBcMrc7eCmPc-nP1VwlNlfYA_jjZK_1Nyd_TxDLcvu2Lmu8P_fDg8MNIgc2tJw-I/s320/IMGP8235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157975333198459554" border="0" /></a> our way back towards Place de la Concorde via the Louvre.<span style=""> </span>The Louvre is amazingly pretty at night, and what made it even better was that around <st1:time hour="20" minute="0">8PM</st1:time> the entire <st1:place><st1:placename>Ei</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placename>ffel</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>T</st1:placetype></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placetype>ower</st1:placetype></st1:place> started glittering.<span style=""> We co</span><span style="">ul</span><span style="">d see it across the </span><span style="">Tu</span><span style="">ileri</span><span style="">es Garden. </span>I didn’t know it did that?!<span style=""> </span>It was great!<span style=""> </span>We took the metro back to our car and had a very foggy drive towards <st1:place>Reims</st1:place>, the city we had booked a hotel outside of for the night.<span style=""> </span>Has anyone ever stayed in a Formule1?<span style=""> </span>It’s a cheaper Accor-owned hotel chain and was an experience in and of itself.<span style=""> </span>We got there close to <st1:time minute="0" hour="0">midnight</st1:time>, which meant that no employees were present anymore.<span style=""> </span>I had to check us in with a credit card, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ22F_CODGbI3u00aD2MWI6K_joBdicjItm4L8V3jJPtFut1FN6EuTkE3JVdyywRkoVQDrgyKoSKNu6KVTPRfjk3zoTy4mtQjB7GNrUg9vz8EqUb90Mlmu59hlbsmygSOnCGOFlodIl0/s1600-h/paris2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ22F_CODGbI3u00aD2MWI6K_joBdicjItm4L8V3jJPtFut1FN6EuTkE3JVdyywRkoVQDrgyKoSKNu6KVTPRfjk3zoTy4mtQjB7GNrUg9vz8EqUb90Mlmu59hlbsmygSOnCGOFlodIl0/s320/paris2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157976832142045874" border="0" /></a>get the code to the gate to let our car in, and use the code to get us into the room.<span style=""> </span>It was perfectly clean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9X_YGhf3HQDPqtaRAWufQjvAXSvZig-Ibo1sv53-FPY8f-8jf3MY9Gn3oFJSLRYvdJ8HLHYnaPG1ph-OkCte0zIrKoCW_Fp3CBTgJPVsWurd9P-cZSRAAIW92JuAsz-7WZ_1aUKMrH4/s1600-h/hotel-formule-1,88382.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9X_YGhf3HQDPqtaRAWufQjvAXSvZig-Ibo1sv53-FPY8f-8jf3MY9Gn3oFJSLRYvdJ8HLHYnaPG1ph-OkCte0zIrKoCW_Fp3CBTgJPVsWurd9P-cZSRAAIW92JuAsz-7WZ_1aUKMrH4/s200/hotel-formule-1,88382.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157977107019952834" border="0" /></a> and fine, but a little out of the ordinary.<span style=""> </span>The bathrooms and showers were communal for each floor and could best be described as “space age.”<span style=""> </span>The best part though was that it was only $30/night, which meant $10/person.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We woke up early again on Friday and drove in to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzD8l2W42ufk7honq2yydb3fO4zOD1E22SF90NPFrtLXzcIlvoxfOwUPtQ8oYJvRb3HPZ4DsCw_5NNVxWrawPRx4l4fCZm0vEkR9JuItZ6SKed3xIa2ezLeseGAmeeyop6FMJidqIJkg/s1600-h/IMGP8238.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzD8l2W42ufk7honq2yydb3fO4zOD1E22SF90NPFrtLXzcIlvoxfOwUPtQ8oYJvRb3HPZ4DsCw_5NNVxWrawPRx4l4fCZm0vEkR9JuItZ6SKed3xIa2ezLeseGAmeeyop6FMJidqIJkg/s320/IMGP8238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157977957423477458" border="0" /></a> <st1:place>Reims</st1:place> to see an impressive cathedral.<span style=""> </span>We got back on the highway as the sun came up and went towards <st1:country-region><st1:place>Luxembourg</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>’s third smallest country, in a dense fog.<span style=""> </span>Half <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cXbTnSg4J-N9UdFaIBbRvE39t0rFfh2u9XJHHhS6LFbRkh0IBihUPWWABKI_vY4FpJx2SEQ49BgRn9Kc_A2ASoRicopGDjZSCYP287Zttn_xx0qXz08g3dtkX9t4C4bhFPv5v_7iWGY/s1600-h/IMG_0531.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cXbTnSg4J-N9UdFaIBbRvE39t0rFfh2u9XJHHhS6LFbRkh0IBihUPWWABKI_vY4FpJx2SEQ49BgRn9Kc_A2ASoRicopGDjZSCYP287Zttn_xx0qXz08g3dtkX9t4C4bhFPv5v_7iWGY/s200/IMG_0531.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157979013985432290" border="0" /></a>of our reasoning for doing all this driving, aside from seeing some great European cities, was that we would see all of the countryside in between.<span style=""> </span>Due to the fog, however, we couldn’t see more than 10 yards beyond the highway.<span style=""> </span>Oh well.<span style=""> </span>As soon as we entered <st1:country-region><st1:place>Luxembourg</st1:place></st1:country-region> I stopped to gas up the car.<span style=""> </span>Apparently, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Luxembourg</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s fuel prices are among the cheapest in <st1:place>Western Europe</st1:place>, which is still unbelievably expensive in comparison to what we pay in the states.<span style=""> </span>We arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>Luxembourg City</st1:place></st1:city> (pop. 80,000 – the largest city in the country), parked the car, and walked across the bridge to the old town.<span style=""> </span>After the Middle Ages, fortified <st1:city><st1:place>Luxembourg </st1:place></st1:city><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHZ4faAlj5udMcztwYibwykp5-LeQZfqQySTUoU3SNFcDTNN3G_pBWkpwM6jAnXiezulkwVECuo0DNiDcFKzw61jXGbK1yaMCkVccupOzXonQWVfo8lRSzCexEcwwf4mhQn8Eah2ZS9A/s1600-h/IMG_0536.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHZ4faAlj5udMcztwYibwykp5-LeQZfqQySTUoU3SNFcDTNN3G_pBWkpwM6jAnXiezulkwVECuo0DNiDcFKzw61jXGbK1yaMCkVccupOzXonQWVfo8lRSzCexEcwwf4mhQn8Eah2ZS9A/s320/IMG_0536.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157982372649857794" border="0" /></a><st1:city><st1:place>City</st1:place></st1:city> was devastated and rebuilt more than 20 times in 400 years and became the strongest fortress in <st1:place>Europe</st1:place> after <st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place>, thus its nickname “<st1:place>Gibralt</st1:place><st1:place>ar</st1:place> of the North.”<span style=""> </span>The old, walled city is situated on a large cliff surrounded by river <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3Mwx9hrBcpk44MH5614lkJyx7MqEPgEBrS7j4qy2mSxTwiv_YGsOWg9iYbPJMYIvaoXo5J6G2sLQmxUvehJRhJgtOXmPzmxVQ0UgawgX9d6wqIL-Yzz-tyMZxGjXZL8YbNup-PyeYtU/s1600-h/IMG_0532.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3Mwx9hrBcpk44MH5614lkJyx7MqEPgEBrS7j4qy2mSxTwiv_YGsOWg9iYbPJMYIvaoXo5J6G2sLQmxUvehJRhJgtOXmPzmxVQ0UgawgX9d6wqIL-Yzz-tyMZxGjXZL8YbNup-PyeYtU/s320/IMG_0532.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157982888045933330" border="0" /></a>valleys and is known for its beautiful views.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, the views were somewhat lost on our visit due to the winter fog.<span style=""> </span><st1:country-region><st1:place>Luxembourg</st1:place></st1:country-region> was surprisingly dead for a weekday.<span style=""> </span>We didn’t see many people, open stores, or restaurants.<span style=""> </span>We stopped at the famed “Oberweis” bakery, which was luckily open, for a good lunch and tea.<span style=""> </span>I was hoping I would be able to use some of my German in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Luxembourg</st1:place></st1:country-region>, where there are three official languages – German, French, and Lëtzebuergesch, a mix of German and French.<span style=""> </span>However, French seemed to be the accepted way to communicate with visitors.<span style=""> </span>After lunch we grabbed some postcards and hit the road.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We drove towards <st1:country-region><st1:place>Belgium</st1:place></st1:country-region>, undecided as to which cities to stop in.<span style=""> </span>We were thinking of 1-2 of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR6HsP3TMGtjsk1Uhra16pNBenUlFUdG55x2bL2ClTjPUMzrIH-nub8FPBX8uUbTHJ5mby7KFHYuvUgvwnZ-bBAu1e0BkRUBtZO8YFwDbmWHENUct0hY2qaiHa7Zwu7TH-sxsFhGHxxc/s1600-h/IMGP8255.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR6HsP3TMGtjsk1Uhra16pNBenUlFUdG55x2bL2ClTjPUMzrIH-nub8FPBX8uUbTHJ5mby7KFHYuvUgvwnZ-bBAu1e0BkRUBtZO8YFwDbmWHENUct0hY2qaiHa7Zwu7TH-sxsFhGHxxc/s320/IMGP8255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157983467866518306" border="0" /></a> the following: <st1:city><st1:place>Brussels</st1:place></st1:city>, <st1:city><st1:place>Bruges</st1:place></st1:city>, <st1:city><st1:place>Ghent</st1:place></st1:city>, and <st1:city><st1:place>Antwerp</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It all depended on the weather and how much time we made on the road.<span style=""> </span><st1:country-region><st1:place>Be</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place>lgium</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a very interesting place, especially for its size.<span style=""> </span>The southern part of the country, called <st1:place>Wallonia</st1:place>, is officially French-speaking.<span style=""> </span>The northern part of the country, <st1:place>Flanders</st1:place>, is officially Flemish-speaking.<span style=""> </span>There has been talk of making the linguistic divide an official border between two separate countries to ease tensions between the two areas.<span style=""> </span>To make things even more difficult, some of the far eastern cantons are German-speaking.<span style=""> </span>And <st1:city><st1:place>Brussels</st1:place></st1:city>, the capital, which lies in <st1:place>Flanders</st1:place>, is officially bilingual - Flemish and French.<span style=""> </span>Talk about complicated.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc7rSURkjHpNOZQRQnJU4ER1Q817ACPjJRCjU0r5lim1bl-5sqNqyFZDCQY8z6kthmDWvQgQnM_WL-My-goJBnYri0joD7QcB_XsgzIGD3rwd_qHsZZFXQ2yfXImhAA_xTZP8Ojqx8rE/s1600-h/IMGP8258.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc7rSURkjHpNOZQRQnJU4ER1Q817ACPjJRCjU0r5lim1bl-5sqNqyFZDCQY8z6kthmDWvQgQnM_WL-My-goJBnYri0joD7QcB_XsgzIGD3rwd_qHsZZFXQ2yfXImhAA_xTZP8Ojqx8rE/s320/IMGP8258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157984404169388850" border="0" /></a>Aside from all of these complications the Belgians know how to do three things very well – waffles, chocolate, and beer.<span style=""> </span>As we approached <st1:city><st1:place>Brussels</st1:place></st1:city> the weather started cooperating and we saw blue sky for the first time in I don’t know how long.<span style=""> </span>So we decided to stop.<span style=""> </span>We saw an impressive church and the famed <st1:address><st1:street>Grand </st1:street></st1:address><st1:address><st1:street>Place</st1:street>, <st1:city>Bru</st1:city></st1:address><st1:address><st1:city>ssels</st1:city></st1:address> central square, filled with Gothic architecture.<span style=""> </span>We also saw Galeries St. Hubert, the shopping arcade that contains Neuhaus, the famous Belgian chocolatier and the place where pralines were invented.<span style=""> </span>We grabbed some waffles on one of the many tiny streets surrounding <st1:street><st1:address>Grand Place</st1:address></st1:street> and then stopped in an English bookstore, where we bought a guide for <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city> and looked up some good places to try beer in <st1:city><st1:place>Antwerp</st1:place></st1:city>, where we had decided to stop next.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Koeyotx90UlLFW8p1QZkZtBjY0BXUkt0N-ZXUttKW9w6VRaP9ZkgFlSATWV_dtm25HMJN8rn5rkSSWUTWEfI9EZQkABPnSkqOxfYCSseMFZt5n-b3_tuKHEu9i_mqxKORXlB-br3rvw/s1600-h/IMGP8264.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Koeyotx90UlLFW8p1QZkZtBjY0BXUkt0N-ZXUttKW9w6VRaP9ZkgFlSATWV_dtm25HMJN8rn5rkSSWUTWEfI9EZQkABPnSkqOxfYCSseMFZt5n-b3_tuKHEu9i_mqxKORXlB-br3rvw/s320/IMGP8264.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157985636825002818" border="0" /></a>We arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>Antwerp</st1:place></st1:city> as it was starting to get dark.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t know quite what to expect.<span style=""> </span>Jenny had had a soccer tournament in <st1:city><st1:place>Antwerp</st1:place></st1:city> and came back with some not-so-good reports.<span style=""> </span>But I wasn’t sure that she had made it to the city center, so I was optimistic.<span style=""> </span>We made it to the main square in <st1:city><st1:place>Antwerp</st1:place></st1:city> and it was hopping!<span style=""> </span>There was an ice rink in the middle of the square, surrounded by Christmas market stalls and stands selling food and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJxvpS23HQVrSZWzuea03y2ONPXRNIilXU3gCD0mhH4eQfyh394DFpTzcQjAkxHswdWPUUuwDtWtWGCyZaKLm-2o3Ryn_3TOHRLp94zzEOgB2BU8Vgs6IzSFEvsKNyiOeSSXCHJIhUuE/s1600-h/IMGP8261.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJxvpS23HQVrSZWzuea03y2ONPXRNIilXU3gCD0mhH4eQfyh394DFpTzcQjAkxHswdWPUUuwDtWtWGCyZaKLm-2o3Ryn_3TOHRLp94zzEOgB2BU8Vgs6IzSFEvsKNyiOeSSXCHJIhUuE/s200/IMGP8261.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157986560242971474" border="0" /></a>Glühwein.<span style=""> </span>There was music and lights everywhere.<span style=""> </span>We soaked up the atmosphere in the square and smaller streets and found an out-of-the-way local place to grab a beer.<span style=""> </span>We tried a local winter beer and it was great!<span style=""> </span>We also seemed to be the only non-locals in the pub.<span style=""> </span>Then we grabbed some currywurst and fries (my usual).<span style=""> </span>On our way back to the main square we bought some real Belgian chocolate – the last thing on our list since we had already tried the waffles and beer.<span style=""> </span>We jumped back in the car to head home.<span style=""> </span>On the way back we spotted a large Church off of the side of the road somewhere in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>, so pulled off to check it out.<span style=""> </span>It was in a quiet little Dutch village and was very cool to see.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>On Saturday, surprise, surprise, we slept in.<span style=""> </span>We watched “Bring It On” while waiting for the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHznsZajSFRMMMDDE1hLURdZnBozpGLTS3UWThvUSBqCDA3D-rzNf1t_pcks9XAQroBLFkvyBxUAErWQ9xmugZyAkk9TC350v6YmqOhVJ17nELgrA6KAxQS5UpjNLhUce6j5-ksw9-7g/s1600-h/IMG_0612.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHznsZajSFRMMMDDE1hLURdZnBozpGLTS3UWThvUSBqCDA3D-rzNf1t_pcks9XAQroBLFkvyBxUAErWQ9xmugZyAkk9TC350v6YmqOhVJ17nELgrA6KAxQS5UpjNLhUce6j5-ksw9-7g/s320/IMG_0612.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157987440711267170" border="0" /></a> laundry and afterwards went into Düsseldorf with Laura and Jenny.<span style=""> </span>Here's a pic of Sarah with the Mullin girls. The five of us took four bikes to the train station (meaning Laura and Jenny doubled up) and then took the train to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDOl2hkTMHoEU3ckjkCjwei0QPmiYiQYcyuxGLwEqNRPxpQnZm1y-6hnEYf_WHGFt4MxlxwIMGJGxR2QoKV6WIkpE7t9paIUoLVl8T1uJW-EzVOTkxMYzGA-P49iCJ0p1U8pCrO38jvY/s1600-h/Dunkin+Donuts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDOl2hkTMHoEU3ckjkCjwei0QPmiYiQYcyuxGLwEqNRPxpQnZm1y-6hnEYf_WHGFt4MxlxwIMGJGxR2QoKV6WIkpE7t9paIUoLVl8T1uJW-EzVOTkxMYzGA-P49iCJ0p1U8pCrO38jvY/s200/Dunkin+Donuts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157988845165572978" border="0" /></a>Heinrich Heine Allee.<span style=""> </span>We started out by shopping on Schadowstrasse and visiting Dunkin’ Donuts.<span style=""> </span>It seems crazy that I can get Dunkin’ Donuts near my house in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but not near my house in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>Anyways, we continued the walking tour over in the Altstadt, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JqdxIsOZKUonWb-27H6uNgt2vlDA3y4B_QyG2y7ewkvpcqfnE3NLc1PnVTgS49Du3_oFqQotIix7BFTIhmwHwWuvmFOBqf-bHB79XqP9flabb7tR1q0MdaQRjhAXVq7NtpC5o0ZTHhc/s1600-h/IMGP8283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JqdxIsOZKUonWb-27H6uNgt2vlDA3y4B_QyG2y7ewkvpcqfnE3NLc1PnVTgS49Du3_oFqQotIix7BFTIhmwHwWuvmFOBqf-bHB79XqP9flabb7tR1q0MdaQRjhAXVq7NtpC5o0ZTHhc/s200/IMGP8283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157989635439555458" border="0" /></a>by the river and the Rathaus before stopping for a dinner of Currywurst, Bratwurst and Pommes (fries).<span style=""> </span>We tried a Pils (pilsner) at dinner and then wandered over to “Zum Schlüssel” to try some Alt (Altbier – the beer of Düsseldorf) at the only place that it is still brewed at in the Altstadt. Here's a pic of Sarah, Dana, and me. “Zum Schlüssel” was great<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsPuEuHYrspC03D71Vbr8r3a6rgG7KUPvUlBtYivoXfC-gF1_xBwmoZHrvoEpl_karH6iXI_tPHBt_7xAdVxvQSDuS11s99E6XIYYTLPuv0ivHsDRlDtVfEZUP3ORoBt-7p4pSWtlwRs/s1600-h/IMGP8284.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsPuEuHYrspC03D71Vbr8r3a6rgG7KUPvUlBtYivoXfC-gF1_xBwmoZHrvoEpl_karH6iXI_tPHBt_7xAdVxvQSDuS11s99E6XIYYTLPuv0ivHsDRlDtVfEZUP3ORoBt-7p4pSWtlwRs/s320/IMGP8284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157990095001056146" border="0" /></a> because they had tables set outside – it doesn’t matter what the weather is, Germans still stand outside to drink their beer even in the middle of winter.<span style=""> </span>As a joke our waiter kept trying to serve me Apfelschorle (carbonated apple juice) instead of a beer.<span style=""> </span>He thought it was very funny.<span style=""> </span>There seemed to be quite a few people out considering it was holiday time here in <st1:country-region><st1:place>German</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place>y</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>The line at the “Peter Pam” Discotheque across from us was down the street.<span style=""> </span>After our drinks we took the train, and then the bikes, back to the house and watched “I Love <st1:state><st1:place>N</st1:place></st1:state><st1:state><st1:place>ew Yo</st1:place></st1:state><st1:state><st1:place>rk</st1:place></st1:state>” with Laura and Jenny.<span style=""> </span>Jenny got the complete season for Christmas – it’s one of those shows that is so bad you just can’t stop watching. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>On Sunday morning we woke up and Sarah made the breakfast that her host mom in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region> usually makes for her – eggs and bread in the shape of a sun.<span style=""> </span>It was<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxa8GoHIlJf9v0H7jFyaeIPNVvOxWRJP5T2bcwCfV3SWUNjrQ7pPuRNriVttTBHlF_zq-0Ow0wIjVjFfIDlm-g1uM0UjwxI8QegODklEE61RNcOJnsa50B58Pl31KQr56_m_zoMvHZUM/s1600-h/IMG_0641.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxa8GoHIlJf9v0H7jFyaeIPNVvOxWRJP5T2bcwCfV3SWUNjrQ7pPuRNriVttTBHlF_zq-0Ow0wIjVjFfIDlm-g1uM0UjwxI8QegODklEE61RNcOJnsa50B58Pl31KQr56_m_zoMvHZUM/s320/IMG_0641.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158018321526125570" border="0" /></a> a rainy day (as expected in Drizzledorf) so our grand plans for a river bonfire and bike ride were out.<span style=""> </span>We watched “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and had an overall lazy day.<span style=""> </span>In the evening, Tim’s friend/fellow Ecolab employee Anthonie, and his wife Beverly, came over for dinner.<span style=""> </span>They’re originally from <st1:country-region><st1:place>South</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place> Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region>, have lived in <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVePbycrfAzw_H_tv7737xEp9gQhNvXSi_6Q66KF_u4czIaGl5EZ3XQKXfCtGetnjuSrLSQYc1eDaJMaZ5IAHca-7OzhnM5zribZ6lTwZ8PCvoNOhzxxXGuHhv2lWcrV3lWcEDuWkaBZo/s1600-h/comrades_logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVePbycrfAzw_H_tv7737xEp9gQhNvXSi_6Q66KF_u4czIaGl5EZ3XQKXfCtGetnjuSrLSQYc1eDaJMaZ5IAHca-7OzhnM5zribZ6lTwZ8PCvoNOhzxxXGuHhv2lWcrV3lWcEDuWkaBZo/s320/comrades_logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157994351313646498" border="0" /></a>the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Düsseldorf, and are now in <st1:state><st1:place>Minnesota</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style=""> </span>A lot of the lamps, electronic equipment, DVDs, extra beds, etc. that are in our house now were from them.<span style=""> </span>They are extremely interesting to talk to.<span style=""> </span>Anthonie has run over 60 full-length marathons and half a dozen ultra-marathons, so we had a lot to talk about in terms of running.<span style=""> </span>I have now added the Comrades Ultra Marathon (90km/55.9mi) in <st1:country-region><st1:place>South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region> to my list of life goals, but one that is not to be completed for a long time.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRoLRaDJntpI91uECmzhpXPAvOvn1lZajMALlt5mD1nHTy8YiWXjdo1f7YkxEf44dairvVeA3jA4NQ8X49hZZmjZP8m0cOPBtJhX_iUnQRoyHfaF3CSEW7VmzxwUbW2dx-jE30CLYE9g/s1600-h/IMGP8290.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRoLRaDJntpI91uECmzhpXPAvOvn1lZajMALlt5mD1nHTy8YiWXjdo1f7YkxEf44dairvVeA3jA4NQ8X49hZZmjZP8m0cOPBtJhX_iUnQRoyHfaF3CSEW7VmzxwUbW2dx-jE30CLYE9g/s320/IMGP8290.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157994866709722034" border="0" /></a>On Monday, New Year’s Eve, we set out for <st1:city><st1:place>Amste</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>rdam</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We drove the two hours there and parked in a stadium parking lot to avoid traffic and expensive parking in the city.<span style=""> </span>Sadly, as we left the car around <st1:time minute="0" hour="13">1pm</st1:time>, we didn’t know that we wouldn’t be getting back to it for another 15 hours.<span style=""> </span>We took the metro into town and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TifYOolkj4Hm9oyPEUL5tmSaAlwfqbQ8X-m0CTKumuB5ByP2S2Mj2zi-XdTlMaCEWUzycr9uEnBZFRWWZ9b6addhO7K-8aJdiMzEXXhsF9yq_yRQM4a0H5luxSMZNf97u4zkEJeJv80/s1600-h/IMGP8288.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TifYOolkj4Hm9oyPEUL5tmSaAlwfqbQ8X-m0CTKumuB5ByP2S2Mj2zi-XdTlMaCEWUzycr9uEnBZFRWWZ9b6addhO7K-8aJdiMzEXXhsF9yq_yRQM4a0H5luxSMZNf97u4zkEJeJv80/s320/IMGP8288.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157995498069914562" border="0" /></a> walked around for a bit, saw the Flower Market (where you can buy 50 tulips for 5€ and 20 roses for 10€), as well as many coffee shops - the kind that doesn't sell coffee.<span style=""> </span>Eventually we decided to find something to eat and headed over to the Newmarket/ChinaTown area.<span style=""> </span>We had a late lunch, grabbed some bubble tea (the closest I’ve found to Düsseldorf), saw the c<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cM5u8E4Zb1XFUKCawq2q9bIypN1kULG2l1APvCs8EBJIfWuYCa96SpvRZoZFZQ9EsJG2F0hCsTytc7ebdsH8AExGn_41uw7IKdOFJdengGhjQLGU3I46O9y6oUmZZGnvJ8qunwrpgUA/s1600-h/IMGP8292.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cM5u8E4Zb1XFUKCawq2q9bIypN1kULG2l1APvCs8EBJIfWuYCa96SpvRZoZFZQ9EsJG2F0hCsTytc7ebdsH8AExGn_41uw7IKdOFJdengGhjQLGU3I46O9y6oUmZZGnvJ8qunwrpgUA/s320/IMGP8292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157996378538210258" border="0" /></a>ountdown screen at the Dam (the main square), passed through the Red Light District, and did some shopping.<span style=""> </span>We spent most of the rest of our night wandering through the streets and being scared by the fireworks.<span style=""> </span>If the Germans spend their money on cars, the French on food, and the Italians on clothes, then the Dutch spend their money on fireworks.<span style=""> </span>It was CRAZY!!<span style=""> </span>People were setting off firecrackers all day, with the aim of surprising and scaring others in the street.<span style=""> </span>I screamed on numerous occasions and we even saw someone on a bike go flying into a building and fall over.<span style=""> </span>Since it was cold and rainy we ducked into a bar for a little while to warm up then went back out into the streets for more fireworks.<span style=""> </span>People were sitting in their apartments and shooting professional-show-size explosives out of their windows.<span style=""> </span>I couldn’t believe it.<span style=""> </span>We made our way towards the train station<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGa5O5xZZz7G5s9fBnz1aOV3ojsfjKqzlkwSDD1c6UsMOUbG_1T6mE1lTNKWp4FDH7dbRv0plkRYTGQfQf_Tfmpu5hmPuw1lzaoLh6oZQeXge87LyVTB-U7_qkxjwnZiRg5wuYb96rU0/s1600-h/IMG_0668.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGa5O5xZZz7G5s9fBnz1aOV3ojsfjKqzlkwSDD1c6UsMOUbG_1T6mE1lTNKWp4FDH7dbRv0plkRYTGQfQf_Tfmpu5hmPuw1lzaoLh6oZQeXge87LyVTB-U7_qkxjwnZiRg5wuYb96rU0/s320/IMG_0668.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159111357686502034" border="0" /></a> in the hopes of getting one of the first trains out after <st1:time minute="0" hour="0">midnight</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>Along the way we got fireworks thrown at us, which are very difficult to run away from, especially if you have heels on.<span style=""> </span>We sat at the train station, watched the fireworks, and then tried to head to our car just after <st1:time minute="0" hour="0">midnight</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>That is when our trouble started.<span style=""> </span>The metro had been closed down much earlier than normal because the authorities didn’t want fireworks going off in the underground.<span style=""> </span>Understandable, I guess, but that cut off our most direct way to the car.<span style=""> </span>The main train station was also closed despite having trains scheduled to leave.<span style=""> </span>We waited outside in the cold with the assortment of people you would expect to be hanging out in the streets in <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>After two hours of waiting the station <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZNtxS-HIX2VYxIY-MjVV0jAP14MFiEq3EXeISdgZGsXEx8cNapYsG9UT2amZgDjJhZVI-_TZTsdfIXiJvkmFMifxCmlwM2Rw_nJ-q27aI-GVvyvKx4c-KvMhWo5gP0umkAsFw5vjCP8/s1600-h/IMG_0678.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZNtxS-HIX2VYxIY-MjVV0jAP14MFiEq3EXeISdgZGsXEx8cNapYsG9UT2amZgDjJhZVI-_TZTsdfIXiJvkmFMifxCmlwM2Rw_nJ-q27aI-GVvyvKx4c-KvMhWo5gP0umkAsFw5vjCP8/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159112328349110946" border="0" /></a>opened.<span style=""> </span>We went inside only to find that the first train that could take us to our car didn’t leave until <st1:time minute="30" hour="6">6:30am</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>So we sat down in the train station to wait it out.<span style=""> </span>Then we decided we should try and figure out the “night bus” thing we had heard about.<span style=""> </span>After searching around and asking many people who knew nothing, we found where the buses left from.<span style=""> </span>After more waiting in the cold we were able to get on one of the buses.<span style=""> </span>Thank goodness!<span style=""> </span>We finally arrived at the parking lot and guess what?<span style=""> </span>We couldn’t find the car!!<span style=""> </span>I gave Laura my bags and ran the entire parking lot – no car.<span style=""> </span>Finally, like the voice of God, someone said over the intercom, “Can you find your car?”<span style=""> </span>One of the lot attendants came down, took one look at our ticket, and knew exactly where our car was.<span style=""> </span>I have never been so happy to see a car.<span style=""> </span>We took off, and I kid you not, 30 minutes after<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvMwMzNaSSB1wpNnCNnOfNw0HKnxqRcuLmLRLW9W2RBxQCjV516NMBKBLX9xDUhPTcF5N0Q65YjG9FXVoZhXGVezd53jzVup3w2TQXHBrIxhyphenhyphenZdgwdaMgccdal0fbZCYxZfkCe_iAxb8/s1600-h/FOG.towercam_gray.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvMwMzNaSSB1wpNnCNnOfNw0HKnxqRcuLmLRLW9W2RBxQCjV516NMBKBLX9xDUhPTcF5N0Q65YjG9FXVoZhXGVezd53jzVup3w2TQXHBrIxhyphenhyphenZdgwdaMgccdal0fbZCYxZfkCe_iAxb8/s320/FOG.towercam_gray.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159114364163609266" border="0" /></a> we left we encountered the worst fog I have ever seen.<span style=""> </span>We had to slow down to 20km/hour, but even then we were having trouble seeing the white lines on the road.<span style=""> </span>It was ridiculous.<span style=""> </span>We weren’t meant to get home.<span style=""> </span>After covering only a few kilometers in 20 minutes we decided it would be best to pull off the road and wait it out.<span style=""> </span>Luckily we were able to see a rest stop through the fog, pulled off, and tried to sleep for about 4 hours.<span style=""> </span>I grabbed a Coke at the rest station at around <st1:time hour="8" minute="0">8am</st1:time> and we took off for the rest of the ride home.<span style=""> </span>We pulled up to the gate at the house around <st1:time hour="9" minute="30">9:30am</st1:time> and the gate wouldn’t open.<span style=""> </span>I then tried to catapult myself over the fence, but only wound up hurting my arm and didn’t make it over.<span style=""> </span>We eventually made it into the house.<span style=""> </span>Dana said she kept expecting to fall down the stairs on her way to bed – it would have fit perfectly with the night.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>As you might expect after an adventure like that we slept in VERY<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwdY4Yki9zwg4aCIkcxzG8MPdGcg78wx0_PbhkWhlqP9Wa3bcz_zI6N1oNHDJPlICBlQD9ZDCp7ar2_sKOPUmDyaA-NJhsWf15Mw0oArcADMOBgoj35C1OjNIIW_1g2l9j2LHu0J8GIM/s1600-h/iloveny.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwdY4Yki9zwg4aCIkcxzG8MPdGcg78wx0_PbhkWhlqP9Wa3bcz_zI6N1oNHDJPlICBlQD9ZDCp7ar2_sKOPUmDyaA-NJhsWf15Mw0oArcADMOBgoj35C1OjNIIW_1g2l9j2LHu0J8GIM/s200/iloveny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159116438632813250" border="0" /></a> late on New Year’s Day.<span style=""> </span>I honestly can’t remember what we did for the rest of the day.<span style=""> </span>It probably involved some TV, “I Love <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state>,” food, and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Rf2QBUsu8ryVJByw8kjZ5zo57eQE7Ub66DgKcjoJY0vXB-DDGbhD6B5DjdsJVc9-12mGfYgC4xaQ1AU6uwO0C1HZJp4odfnTcvDldgA6c6rd3xke5hQneOhPf0Yz0DXhyLmg7OTjoSA/s1600-h/IMGP8296.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Rf2QBUsu8ryVJByw8kjZ5zo57eQE7Ub66DgKcjoJY0vXB-DDGbhD6B5DjdsJVc9-12mGfYgC4xaQ1AU6uwO0C1HZJp4odfnTcvDldgA6c6rd3xke5hQneOhPf0Yz0DXhyLmg7OTjoSA/s320/IMGP8296.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159117207431959250" border="0" /></a> packing.<span style=""> </span>On Wednesday we woke up early to catch our flight to <st1:place><st1:city>Buda</st1:city></st1:place><st1:place><st1:city>pe</st1:city></st1:place><st1:place><st1:city>s</st1:city></st1:place><st1:place><st1:city>t</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Hungary</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>We arrived to find snow and much colder weather than I am accustomed to in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> (I was kicking myself for not having brought long underwear).<span style=""> </span>We had plans to stay in a local university student’s apartment in downtown while we were there (thanks to Sarah!), found it relatively easy, and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1x79INEl2S2hXFzjx3PG9uPfQy6xj5jDeUg1CfUieO_M9Jepp68VFSlh6x0udbARKTqPJawpHLwuJWzFzf38XVI4SGxxwm8z9zCqtCeZnCn2xUi3WblMhYtFjkd9mdU61WstH1Pycg-w/s1600-h/IMGP8298.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1x79INEl2S2hXFzjx3PG9uPfQy6xj5jDeUg1CfUieO_M9Jepp68VFSlh6x0udbARKTqPJawpHLwuJWzFzf38XVI4SGxxwm8z9zCqtCeZnCn2xUi3WblMhYtFjkd9mdU61WstH1Pycg-w/s200/IMGP8298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159118040655614690" border="0" /></a>waited for Marton (the university student) to finish an exam and let us in.<span style=""> </span>We dropped off our stuff in the hallway (since three French guys were still occupying our room) and went to check out <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We went to Vaci Utca, the main shopping and pedestrian street in Pest (Budapest was originally two cities – Buda and Pest, on opposite sides of the Danube River), which was only two blocks or so away, checked out some of the shops and got some hot tea.<span style=""> </span>Then we began what we lovingly called “Jew Tour ‘08” at the Budapest Great Synagogue, the largest synagogue in <st1:place>Europe</st1:place> and second largest in the world, after <st1:city><st1:place>New York City</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It was very<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yLTFF4vGxIusk_O-NRrDEYKVktEVh8Ac54WmZzyxM_YnrfKqFfPvtIWnQc37q9b1OpPaJuA50ntx3vCDNv6OyMb1qNJObBnVmkPvUwaQ_JQgfHY4hv4YMRqVF1mv2FptMmFqjvsPj9w/s1600-h/IMGP8316.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yLTFF4vGxIusk_O-NRrDEYKVktEVh8Ac54WmZzyxM_YnrfKqFfPvtIWnQc37q9b1OpPaJuA50ntx3vCDNv6OyMb1qNJObBnVmkPvUwaQ_JQgfHY4hv4YMRqVF1mv2FptMmFqjvsPj9w/s320/IMGP8316.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159119114397438706" border="0" /></a> impressive.<span style=""> </span>Sarah explained a lot of the customs and different parts of the synagogue once we were inside.<span style=""> </span>After touring the synagogue, gardens, and museums, we walked through the Jewish Quarter of Budapest.<span style=""> </span>We eventually made it back to the apartment to meet Marton.<span style=""> </span>We moved all of our things into our room and Marton gave us a map and some tips on the city.<span style=""> </span>We went out for Mexican food, something you can’t get in this part of the world very often, and went on a long, cold night walk through <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It was worth it though, <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city> is an amazingly pretty city and looks great lit up at night.<span style=""> </span>Here’s a shot of the Chain Bride, connecting Buda and <st1:place>Pest</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We woke up on Thursday and Dana wasn’t feeling very well.<span style=""> </span>She stayed home to get some rest <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8HfFnlGyaOmc27azItVe29dhtEZChn4Tdbnc77i9TE6Ky1tfYArtvVwqD8sjRzSRHoJTEsSGY7ZpySDPgdBC9aMiimeDrq5WAh4LPhCOyABMfL2jg4AleUrMAI3KIDxI8HlbmPaoUV8/s1600-h/IMGP8333.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8HfFnlGyaOmc27azItVe29dhtEZChn4Tdbnc77i9TE6Ky1tfYArtvVwqD8sjRzSRHoJTEsSGY7ZpySDPgdBC9aMiimeDrq5WAh4LPhCOyABMfL2jg4AleUrMAI3KIDxI8HlbmPaoUV8/s320/IMGP8333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159120329873183490" border="0" /></a>and Sarah and I went out to check out more of the city.<span style=""> </span>First order of business was food.<span style=""> </span>We went back to the Jewish Quarter to find a kosher restaurant that Sarah had read about.<span style=""> </span>We found it tucked back in a seemingly residential neighborhood and it was quite an experience.<span style=""> </span>Sarah and I were the only non-Hasidic-Jewish-men in the place.<span style=""> </span>After<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGgTyf0Utbyg3I0UsElxXtSHItu0ZaGgrpEiIGrPv7po3IdqDlcaEmn9eRtgpciNuiHIZTxO2npsc6gd6joCehkjwIj1qsnKQIa4TaHUzHi-fR8mks6Sh8FEJTJkDYPPmVFdV540XyWQ/s1600-h/fat-mos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGgTyf0Utbyg3I0UsElxXtSHItu0ZaGgrpEiIGrPv7po3IdqDlcaEmn9eRtgpciNuiHIZTxO2npsc6gd6joCehkjwIj1qsnKQIa4TaHUzHi-fR8mks6Sh8FEJTJkDYPPmVFdV540XyWQ/s320/fat-mos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159121777277162258" border="0" /></a> lunch we went to the Opera House, hoping that we could snag some tickets for a show while we were in town, but unfortunately all the shows were sold out.<span style=""> </span>The Opera House was still worth seeing, though.<span style=""> </span>It was gorgeous, as all buildings in <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city> seem to be.<span style=""> </span>The entire time I was in <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city> I kept thinking that it reminded me of <st1:city><st1:place>Paris</st1:place></st1:city>, but just slightly rougher around the edges and French-free.<span style=""> </span>Once I got home I found articles that called it, “<st1:city><st1:place>Paris</st1:place></st1:city> o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SdYV63b3YS2mvfmLJZsVTLZa95qrEtSQ0yrPzhVFKdNg4XctTWaptxjDH7fLyiCx-vVI9K_vMExwThHxYSUtynPaJAhPvvUozweTqhbkMviOmaTaJmfcNjm5LSz34POqIvtqlIUvZfE/s1600-h/IMGP8337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SdYV63b3YS2mvfmLJZsVTLZa95qrEtSQ0yrPzhVFKdNg4XctTWaptxjDH7fLyiCx-vVI9K_vMExwThHxYSUtynPaJAhPvvUozweTqhbkMviOmaTaJmfcNjm5LSz34POqIvtqlIUvZfE/s320/IMGP8337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159122580436046626" border="0" /></a>n the <st1:place>D</st1:place><st1:place>an</st1:place><st1:place>ube</st1:place>.”<span style=""> </span>I guess I wasn’t that far off the mark.<span style=""> </span>Since the Opera tickets didn’t work out we went over to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Parliament</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Building</st1:placetype></st1:place> to try and get tickets for a tour.<span style=""> </span>After waiting for a bit in line we found out that Parliament was sold out for the day.<span style=""> </span>Great.<span style=""> </span>We went back to the apartment to check on Dana and then went out to Fat Mo’s for dinner.<span style=""> </span>Fat Mo’s was awesome.<span style=""> </span>It had a <st1:city><st1:place>Chicago</st1:place></st1:city> speakeasy theme and live music almost every night.<span style=""> </span>The food was amazingly good, too.<span style=""> </span>We enjoyed our food and then were joined by a Ukranian and several Italians.<span style=""> </span>We then joined tables with the two British girls, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Lydia</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Lydia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, next to us.<span style=""> </span>After a while of hanging out at Fat Mo’s and not being able to communicate with the Italians, Sarah, the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Lydias</st1:place></st1:country-region> and I went out to another bar that Marton recommended.<span style=""> </span>The bar was very cool and overall it was a great night.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The next morning we got up and grabbed breakfast (surprise! ham and cheese croissants – we<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tdd0k_oF5JYdeu4bZxjwNtimIgZ53HuqnM0ttz0nxALBX1Lq1k3SHeVmicHv5Lia41ALH2V2wCXtPh8P4SyIsmfDHeLTD1VIjPru3BKRLWSIO54Afhg_xzxyptBeSis9dhIcAcxqY4c/s1600-h/IMGP8354.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tdd0k_oF5JYdeu4bZxjwNtimIgZ53HuqnM0ttz0nxALBX1Lq1k3SHeVmicHv5Lia41ALH2V2wCXtPh8P4SyIsmfDHeLTD1VIjPru3BKRLWSIO54Afhg_xzxyptBeSis9dhIcAcxqY4c/s320/IMGP8354.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159123658472837938" border="0" /></a> can’t read Hungarian) at a nearby grocery store.<span style=""> </span>The store was filled almost completely with very old, pushy, slow-moving women, which made it difficult to get around.<span style=""> </span>Sarah struck up a conversation with a guy from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Malta</st1:place></st1:country-region> – first person I have ever met from there.<span style=""> </span>We went over to the Buda side of the city to visit one of many baths in the vicinity (Budapest is covered with natural thermal springs, and people have taken advantage of the hot water for years by building immaculate bath houses around them).<span style=""> </span>But before we went to the baths we had to buy bathing suits, which proved more difficult than we thought it would be.<span style=""> </span>After a small search we gave up on the bath idea for the day and had <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy04R5Xfs4xiI7s8B2Y4i1-nV07NnXZHGI03LX6nQoTGkc1qBvE_wqa2haQFp-hKxMjbIx7fISaHSwFOA3pqpBfCYB0IYRJ8RrQfgGwHM8OXBJQ4eHHmWkj_iMZwQiIBnSY5F2XgulZ94/s1600-h/IMGP8381.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy04R5Xfs4xiI7s8B2Y4i1-nV07NnXZHGI03LX6nQoTGkc1qBvE_wqa2haQFp-hKxMjbIx7fISaHSwFOA3pqpBfCYB0IYRJ8RrQfgGwHM8OXBJQ4eHHmWkj_iMZwQiIBnSY5F2XgulZ94/s320/IMGP8381.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159140924241367874" border="0" /></a>lunch at a great pizza restaurant with a direct view of Parliament across the Danube.<span style=""> </span>After sipping some hot chocolate we decided to brave the cold and climb to the top of Várhegy (Castle Hill).<span style=""> </span>It was DEFINITELY worth the few minutes of uphill walking.<span style=""> </span>Our first stop on the top of the hill was Fisherman’s Bastion, a neo-Gothic arcade that has the best views of the city.<span style=""> </span>You can probably tell from the pictures.<span style=""> </span>It was my favorite spot.<span style=""> </span>Directly adjacent to Fisherman’s Bastion is <st1:place><st1:placename>Matthias</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place> <st1:placetype>Church</st1:placetype></st1:place>, with a beautiful, multi-colored tile roof.<span style=""> </span>The inside of the Church wasn’t bad either.<span style=""> </span>As it got dark we moved onto the Labyrinth under <st1:place><st1:placename>Buda</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>It was mostly an attraction for children, but we loved it<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6gK6eJ_rrsPtqcwDu7Vv0jHFzjbuDBWIOtDaMSqO8MkfnJsrDApD-Ndq1QKGxSduIX4K1MRYuWZVYBU2AslBCQ_lbO6WIBP3u4jIlZk7X4TFezx_C1Nt1LmPT5eIAliHwROu3eULufs/s1600-h/IMGP8388.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6gK6eJ_rrsPtqcwDu7Vv0jHFzjbuDBWIOtDaMSqO8MkfnJsrDApD-Ndq1QKGxSduIX4K1MRYuWZVYBU2AslBCQ_lbO6WIBP3u4jIlZk7X4TFezx_C1Nt1LmPT5eIAliHwROu3eULufs/s320/IMGP8388.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159142199846654802" border="0" /></a> (especially the allusions to the old David Bowie movie – our allusions, not the site’s).<span style=""> </span>There are <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD4kJDU6f-xSHFy3hO-eQCKUFnWK9eIUDVifAheb-hVDCf2_Wz1npiNEW5bKLI-Enir52XeNkVAp7TtAh5wpNJtzOSoVeqzVKWvQwPjoudHqsEF7b_f-N-gZvIXmijr0Y5dJUE-GcKPw/s1600-h/IMGP8379.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD4kJDU6f-xSHFy3hO-eQCKUFnWK9eIUDVifAheb-hVDCf2_Wz1npiNEW5bKLI-Enir52XeNkVAp7TtAh5wpNJtzOSoVeqzVKWvQwPjoudHqsEF7b_f-N-gZvIXmijr0Y5dJUE-GcKPw/s200/IMGP8379.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159143252113642338" border="0" /></a>over 10km of caves and tunnels stretching beneath Castle Hill, which are assumed to have been joined by the Turks in the Middle Ages for military purposes.<span style=""> </span>The tunnels also served as an air-raid shelter during WWII.<span style=""> </span>Now they are filled with st<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLFFHPoHlFPABVmkcTW3TOQak8QhulAQpxuX26p85XSUhAxDCN1uPgXPomcPoOkO4rLqjN6yXrbJUTao-z7e967-i5niYE9jZNsSc77SmiKbWEDtr4QZBUhYtpTl9H5MTRQmz_zJJWQk/s1600-h/IMGP8442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLFFHPoHlFPABVmkcTW3TOQak8QhulAQpxuX26p85XSUhAxDCN1uPgXPomcPoOkO4rLqjN6yXrbJUTao-z7e967-i5niYE9jZNsSc77SmiKbWEDtr4QZBUhYtpTl9H5MTRQmz_zJJWQk/s320/IMGP8442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159144102517166962" border="0" /></a>range relics form a Hungarian history exhibit.<span style=""> </span>It was still cool to wander around, though.<span style=""> </span>At times the tunnels were exceptionally dark – there was one portion sectioned off into complete darkne<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfYCV7P8sazbitpPmBGMpxu2RHKtLdy9-C886ZsN-oTApgXb0cp6zuHKySDybwsEStppWF_TmCLFL0h5gO8j2YnVEdD8H_fKvcee3IOtE3LeMPvQjUxoJEoEctqHDdbtYr7OlwxcDXMY/s1600-h/TwoBeautfullAmericanGirls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfYCV7P8sazbitpPmBGMpxu2RHKtLdy9-C886ZsN-oTApgXb0cp6zuHKySDybwsEStppWF_TmCLFL0h5gO8j2YnVEdD8H_fKvcee3IOtE3LeMPvQjUxoJEoEctqHDdbtYr7OlwxcDXMY/s320/TwoBeautfullAmericanGirls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159145287928140674" border="0" /></a>ss.<span style=""> </span>The only way you could get through was to hold onto a string tied to the wall.<span style=""> </span>We also stumbled across a fountain of wine in the middle of the tunnels.<span style=""> </span>We also made an Italian friend, Christian, in the tunnels.<span style=""> </span>We had a cup of tea with him afterwards, walked around the <st1:place><st1:placename>Buda</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place>, and took the funicular back down with him.<span style=""> </span>It was an especially good thing that he was there because my camera died and he took the rest of our pictures and then sent them to us.<span style=""> </span>Thanks, Christian!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We walked back over to do some more swimsuit shopping in <st1:place>Pest</st1:place>, were finally successful, and then went to Musselein, a Belgian Beer Bar, for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We struck gold again – <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city> is a city that you can eat extremely well in.<span style=""> </span>The food and beer were delicious.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, by the time we left dinner the metro had shut down, so we had a long, cold walk home.<span style=""> </span>Sarah and I even switched boots halfway back to make it a more comfortable walk. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>On Saturday we woke up early, determined to get tickets for Parliament.<span style=""> </span>As it turns out, early morning is the way to go.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oQxMWYJN6xIl9H8VDsmkjblu_G0WAlr9IkYqX7Gng7_gWBlc1EFDEi4PKirbE1RPgMF0WU-de-b0uvsc2swuGg6q4EAvlQSiIdvoUaz2whflBDVH-I_eCfVxd4U-Et7sUHg-4Y26uP4/s1600-h/IMGP8475.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oQxMWYJN6xIl9H8VDsmkjblu_G0WAlr9IkYqX7Gng7_gWBlc1EFDEi4PKirbE1RPgMF0WU-de-b0uvsc2swuGg6q4EAvlQSiIdvoUaz2whflBDVH-I_eCfVxd4U-Et7sUHg-4Y26uP4/s320/IMGP8475.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159160135630082978" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>The line to buy tickets was much shorter than it had been in the afternoon.<span style=""> </span>It was rough waiting outside, though.<span style=""> </span>It was cold and windy.<span style=""> </span>The guard made fun of us for being cold and said it wasn’t that bad.<span style=""> </span>He then asked us how many pairs of trousers we were wearing.<span style=""> </span>When we responded with “one,” he got a kick out of it.<span style=""> </span>Apparently we don’t dress as warmly as Hungarians do.<span style=""> </span>When it came time to pay (with cash) for our tickets we didn’t have exact change, which is what you need (and you don’t find this out until after you wait forever in line outside).<span style=""> </span>Thank goodness there was a generous couple behind us who threw in 30 Forints for us (the equivalent of $0.18), otherwise we would have been out of luck again.<span style=""> </span>To kill time until the tour we went over to the Parliament Café for some much-needed hot chocolate.<span style=""> </span>Then it was tour time.<span style=""> </span>We passed through the tight <st1:place><st1:placename>Parliament</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Building</st1:placetype></st1:place> security, put our tracking devices on, and started up the grand 96-stair entryway.<span style=""> </span>I’ve seen quite a few ornate buildings, but this one is up there with some of the more impressive ones I’ve seen.<span style=""> </span>I forget how long it took to build, but trust me, it took a while.<span style=""> </span>There is marble and gold leaf everywhere.<span style=""> </span>The crown jewels are house in the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa4R2iQFFPkjev9Hy8_AoXczJxkGAFJy74E_pLywBoQFSev5p7TsSASktk7-o-rq7XtMmlOactwFv2W-1_Bi6SYV9OVPvhbZ0R0sLtZt2nxdO3OMQknQXOaJf0TZLl_opLlBJg5IpPjs/s1600-h/IMGP8490.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa4R2iQFFPkjev9Hy8_AoXczJxkGAFJy74E_pLywBoQFSev5p7TsSASktk7-o-rq7XtMmlOactwFv2W-1_Bi6SYV9OVPvhbZ0R0sLtZt2nxdO3OMQknQXOaJf0TZLl_opLlBJg5IpPjs/s320/IMGP8490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159152172760716178" border="0" /></a>Rotunda Room and the meeting rooms are gorgeous.<span style=""> </span>There are even gold cigar-holders situated around the building, so that (when smoking was still permitted) the Parliament members could leave their cigars and come back to them.<span style=""> </span>I particularly liked the pink marble throughout the building.<span style=""> </span>The funny thing with the pink marble is that it is fake.<span style=""> </span>All of the materials used in construction of Parliament were required to be Hungarian.<span style=""> </span><st1:country-region><st1:place>Hungary</st1:place></st1:country-region>, however, does not have pink marble, so Hungarian materials were used to construct the imitation marble.<span style=""> </span>At the time, the imitation material cost 4 times what natural marble did.<span style=""> </span>Today it is the reverse.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>After Parliament we walked towards Városliget, the large <st1:place><st1:placetype>City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> in <st1:place>Pest</st1:place> built to celebrate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2pQlQlz1_62qM1cWeyxY2QLfiYBLIh0c8zS_FFPx6dFhPZmXPBdCPiRZu0Do68pnd7VhFtHbeyQzSH68dHW8vyq7kYcQns30xJITU39n-b1sWRx7yU0ayqlkCY_vhOmWaBFBiAISnLU/s1600-h/IMGP8510.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2pQlQlz1_62qM1cWeyxY2QLfiYBLIh0c8zS_FFPx6dFhPZmXPBdCPiRZu0Do68pnd7VhFtHbeyQzSH68dHW8vyq7kYcQns30xJITU39n-b1sWRx7yU0ayqlkCY_vhOmWaBFBiAISnLU/s320/IMGP8510.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159175949699666866" border="0" /></a> Hungarian history.<span style=""> </span>Due to the cold we had to stop one more time for some hot chocolate at a cafe.<span style=""> </span>Once we reached the park we got to see the impressive piazza of Heroes’ Square, one of MANY World Heritage sites in <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city>, and the ice rink outside of <st1:place><st1:placename>Vajdahunyad</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>C</st1:placetype></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placetype>astle</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Vajdahunyad is very interesting to look at.<span style=""> </span>It was built using a range of architectural styles, ranging from Romanesque to Gothic, each intended to represent a single century since the Magyars arrived.<span style=""> </span>The effect is what appears to be several castles in one.<span style=""> </span>After the castle we went to the Széchenyi Baths, which I had been looking <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi177GimOl9nTjlcKOB8tZ_LSKa2zl5JOL_WvjSZCvxPobjJBqk3v3CZKQUyJ5Z0DU3-zo_Mb1reeNiJH-uyZbqjppR6f8NOiAXtH9OU63yhjlK_ZoOzRIAKY3o79_36KSJPkVTGX4uuxY/s1600-h/IMGP8519.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi177GimOl9nTjlcKOB8tZ_LSKa2zl5JOL_WvjSZCvxPobjJBqk3v3CZKQUyJ5Z0DU3-zo_Mb1reeNiJH-uyZbqjppR6f8NOiAXtH9OU63yhjlK_ZoOzRIAKY3o79_36KSJPkVTGX4uuxY/s320/IMGP8519.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159179368493634498" border="0" /></a>forward to since we arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It was amazing!!!<span style=""> </span>Sarah and I got our own little “cabin” to change in, then wandered through the indoor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCndDhbiNOM6PrHNaMvNDczumAf26OwZdlqsy1deJ1IPxmiR9vi0k3qMYdjjDTX5neL4uJHnvbXDZrBvgzv6YICLyPpn9DNPia3iXJHC64s3kIqXIkb5D5uat3LMGB_EUg4r2shKi7Tk/s1600-h/szecsenyi-ba1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCndDhbiNOM6PrHNaMvNDczumAf26OwZdlqsy1deJ1IPxmiR9vi0k3qMYdjjDTX5neL4uJHnvbXDZrBvgzv6YICLyPpn9DNPia3iXJHC64s3kIqXIkb5D5uat3LMGB_EUg4r2shKi7Tk/s320/szecsenyi-ba1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159181692070941650" border="0" /></a> baths/hot tubs ranging in temperature.<span style=""> </span>We even ran across a pool with currents built in so that you could grab something to float in and go cruising very speedily around.<span style=""> </span>I <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_vjNq3l2oLMh8Xt9w60Tunvh3b1CRcOJW-tMppoFu7rUVA1vxMk9IOT9FPM73MJRL_f0_0mfUJlBgDThNE43SZWJEvjWsf2P1IN-9wDF_JFsQOXzErHytVSKkGQnOeQ3yUPET_ziPms/s1600-h/IMGP8568.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_vjNq3l2oLMh8Xt9w60Tunvh3b1CRcOJW-tMppoFu7rUVA1vxMk9IOT9FPM73MJRL_f0_0mfUJlBgDThNE43SZWJEvjWsf2P1IN-9wDF_JFsQOXzErHytVSKkGQnOeQ3yUPET_ziPms/s320/IMGP8568.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159183122295051234" border="0" /></a>think it was mostly meant for kids, but we were definitely not the youngest ones in there.<span style=""> </span>And then we made the best decision of our lives . . . we went outside to discover the real reason there were so many people around.<span style=""> </span>The largest, warmest, and most impressive bath of all was outside, gushing steam into the cold air (I've included a photo of the outdoor bath in summer).<span style=""> </span>It was great!<span style=""> </span>We hung out there for a while, feeling like we were in a dream – the bath was surrounded by statues and yellow and white palace walls.<span style=""> </span>People were even playing chess at the built-in tables around the bath. All in all, we spent two hours at the baths before leaving. Afterwards we felt amazingly relaxed, and magically the colds we both had seemed to disappear, so we were happy. That's me in our little changing cabin at the baths.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We took the metro back towards our apartment and did some shopping before meeting up with Dana for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We took Marton’s advice and went to a place called Mensa for some Hungarian food.<span style=""> </span>I’m glad we listened to him.<span style=""> </span>Yet again, the food was great.<span style=""> </span>There were several groups celebrating birthdays there, so periodically the lights would go way down, and a waiter would bring out a cake covered in sparklers, while “Happy Birthday To You” blasted in the background.<span style=""> </span>It was fun.<span style=""> </span>We went home with the intention of going back out again, after all, it was a Saturday night in <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>But by the time it came to leave again we were too tired and were enjoying watching (or at least making fun of) Hungarian music videos and the Turner Classic Movies channel.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>On Sunday we woke up to some pretty awful weather.<span style=""> </span>At least it waited until our last day.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdbyOkmLgCb4ytAIzjW_grghsdD-RFmyDNVwJSUiXKKQIVxQmBA2imtGJyWrwam8wRM_kdzpwvFEuTOxXRqV8oKfpBjKyvr2EacpRSyZPIL7SyBVbd5WlAOt9QSoroHn9mKnT96L4yJU/s1600-h/IMGP8334.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdbyOkmLgCb4ytAIzjW_grghsdD-RFmyDNVwJSUiXKKQIVxQmBA2imtGJyWrwam8wRM_kdzpwvFEuTOxXRqV8oKfpBjKyvr2EacpRSyZPIL7SyBVbd5WlAOt9QSoroHn9mKnT96L4yJU/s320/IMGP8334.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159184170267071474" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>Dana and I met up with Sarah at the Christmas Market (still going strong in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Hungary</st1:place></st1:country-region>, unlike <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>) and searched for a place to get lunch.<span style=""> </span>We didn’t want to walk very far.<span style=""> </span>The weather was a mix of rain and snow on top of a layer of pure ice, a.k.a. the perfect mix to make someone fall.<span style=""> </span>Luckily we found a small Hungarian restaurant not too far away.<span style=""> </span>We tried some of the very traditional Hungarian foods, i.e. cabbage stuffed with meat and rice, golaska (dumplings), and goulash.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards Dana went off to do some souvenier shopping and Sarah and I intended to go to the Opera House for a tour.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think we got as far as a block before deciding against it.<span style=""> </span>We were sure to fall along the way.<span style=""> </span>We went to nearby St. Stephen’s Basilica, which was very <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibobS-Yo5rXfsjUwd6nxu9LIprbpZqW_vcE0baTg21KxF0sjl0pgWmXd71HsYtaLUDMWGVMdHGxtBMvFfdkZh5-6re48bLe46qJRdlSOyERF8JZbhyphenhyphen7fE44IN4zXmlwW8yvrlOAMDIh8M/s1600-h/IMGP8609.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibobS-Yo5rXfsjUwd6nxu9LIprbpZqW_vcE0baTg21KxF0sjl0pgWmXd71HsYtaLUDMWGVMdHGxtBMvFfdkZh5-6re48bLe46qJRdlSOyERF8JZbhyphenhyphen7fE44IN4zXmlwW8yvrlOAMDIh8M/s320/IMGP8609.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159185012080661506" border="0" /></a>impressive and then meandered back towards the apartment hitting many of the shops along the way.<span style=""> </span>It turned out to be the best day to go shopping.<span style=""> </span>Shop owners realized that it would be a horrible day, so they gave those willing to enter their shops extra incentive to buy things.<span style=""> </span>In the first shop we went into the owner offered us <i style="">palinka</i>, a Hungarian fire whiskey that we had heard a lot about, right off the bat.<span style=""> </span>We kept wandering and bought some postcards, chocolate, and chili chocolate.<span style=""> </span>Since Dana had the only key, we killed time by trying some rice pudding at the gyro place underneath our apartment – it was really good!<span style=""> </span>Once we were all back in the apartment we spent most of the rest of the day watching TV.<span style=""> </span>It wasn’t worth trying to walk around.<span style=""> </span>Here's Sarah in our apartment! We grabbed our dinner at the very close gyro place, managed to make it to an internet café, and then Sarah and I went back to Fat Mo’s for a brownie dessert and live music.<span style=""> </span>As it got later we went home to pack because it was our last night in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Hungary</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We woke up early and thankfully managed to get a cab.<span style=""> </span>We had sent an email request the day before and got a reply that said, “I am sorry, but we are too busy to send a cab for you,” or something similar.<span style=""> </span>Calling was much more effective.<span style=""> </span>We made it to the <st1:city><st1:place>Budapest</st1:place></st1:city> airport, flew to Düsseldorf, where I said goodbye to Sarah and Dana, and they flew back to <st1:city><st1:place>Moscow</st1:place></st1:city>, where they stayed for the night before making the trek out to their hometown of <st1:city><st1:place>Vladimir</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-26569915252605114632008-01-15T14:42:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:12.371-08:00Österreich and BarcelonaLet’s just say that my next trip didn’t start out as smoothly as it could have.<span style=""> </span>I set my alarm for <st1:time hour="5" minute="0">5AM</st1:time> so that I could get everything <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNym5NCyp11TWC2DUuzpR5XCxmzGnzHbKzeUmQROYszRlw8ct1IYxafBfG1ZFcAYRgbSG2VzrFaGBKRPdHbiMn2GLOZBRm-0ePkvnXXyQdclXJ7fC5BR7erp1p52_6rMNm_QVm4VcpXw/s1600-h/austrian.train.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNym5NCyp11TWC2DUuzpR5XCxmzGnzHbKzeUmQROYszRlw8ct1IYxafBfG1ZFcAYRgbSG2VzrFaGBKRPdHbiMn2GLOZBRm-0ePkvnXXyQdclXJ7fC5BR7erp1p52_6rMNm_QVm4VcpXw/s320/austrian.train.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155838595558633618" border="0" /></a>ready to leave by <st1:time hour="5" minute="30">5:30AM</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>Tim walked into my room at <st1:time hour="5" minute="27">5:27AM</st1:time> to wake me up.<span style=""> </span>I was so rushed that I left the house without the cell phone and didn’t realize it until it was too late.<span style=""> </span>But that was the only thing I forgot – I guess it could have been worse.<span style=""> </span>I got to the airport, slept on the flight (since I had only gotten one hour of sleep the night before), and arrived in <st1:place><st1:city>Zürich</st1:city>,</st1:place><st1:place> <st1:country-region>Switzerland</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>I bought a train ticket to <st1:place><st1:city>Dornbirn</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Austria (</st1:country-region></st1:place>Össtereich in German), where my friend Amanda (a friend of my roommate at UVA) was living/studying for the semester, grabbed some breakfast, and boarded the train when it arrived.<span style=""> </span>However, there was one slight problem.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t realize that the train ticket I bought contained a connection on it.<span style=""> </span>Since this was my first trip on a train in <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>, at least without a large group of people going to the same place as me, I assumed that there was just a 15-minute scheduled stop in Bregenz, one of the cities along the way.<span style=""> </span>So, since I was completely exhausted, I set an alarm for about 10 minutes before I was supposed to arrive in Dornbirn and went to sleep on the train.<span style=""> </span>I woke up and looked out the window, waiting for my stop.<span style=""> </span>I noticed that the terrain was getting flatter, and not mountainous, which seemed a little strange, but I didn’t think too much of it.<span style=""> </span>A little while later I looked at my watch and noticed that we were at least 10 minutes behind schedule (which doesn’t really happen) or I did something wrong.<span style=""> </span>After several trips up and down the train looking for the conductors, I finally found them and was informed that I was<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxaS0TfmRkkUEVxMogJzv-riOYNt2bd9b7SFzYeZxlpqI5piBVMRB_gYHfKOQ7KJm6FePAsSk1RntExmd2tLDpRJKCB15MBkmNJVXvS15od3lFw7jwHiRlEhHRuFYbPKG0uvGFps6C-o/s1600-h/hallo.germany.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxaS0TfmRkkUEVxMogJzv-riOYNt2bd9b7SFzYeZxlpqI5piBVMRB_gYHfKOQ7KJm6FePAsSk1RntExmd2tLDpRJKCB15MBkmNJVXvS15od3lFw7jwHiRlEhHRuFYbPKG0uvGFps6C-o/s320/hallo.germany.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155839892638757026" border="0" /></a> a “long way away” from Dornbirn, should have switched trains earlier, and was now back in Germany.<span style=""> </span>Great!!<span style=""> </span>They were kind enough to use their computers to re-route me and tell me exactly where to go.<span style=""> </span>So, I got off the train in <st1:place><st1:city>Memmingen</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Germany</st1:country-region></st1:place>, bought a new ticket, and took three trains to get back to Dornbirn, which got me there approximately 3 hours after I told Amanda I would arrive.<span style=""> </span>That would have been alright had I brought the cell phone with me, but remember, I forgot it!!<span style=""> </span>So, I had to make a quick call from a pay phone around <st1:time minute="0" hour="12">noon</st1:time> (already an hour after I should have arrived) to tell Amanda when my new ETA was.<span style=""> </span>I felt really badly because I think she waited for a while! <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Anyways, I made myself stay awake for each of the train rides, which was very difficult, and finally arrived in Dornbirn.<span style=""> </span>Amanda met me on the platform with two beers in hand.<span style=""> </span>Yay!<span style=""> </span>She said she thought I’d need it.<span style=""> </span>And it’s alright to walk around with a beer in the streets there, as I think it is in most of <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>So we drank the beers and walked through Dornbirn to her a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_AwAouasYfFj1Bf0WIE_dlH0tSigYRpcNvdKllCQm7MCYNrT_qObWFhZ9KjXQ3mUoH98I1ka2OU2tD2WpJayISptrmZ_2w0m4X9rQ4YIzlSpcs1Gb9QsQSte8RUmKPh4GLjUmBLweWw/s1600-h/spar.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_AwAouasYfFj1Bf0WIE_dlH0tSigYRpcNvdKllCQm7MCYNrT_qObWFhZ9KjXQ3mUoH98I1ka2OU2tD2WpJayISptrmZ_2w0m4X9rQ4YIzlSpcs1Gb9QsQSte8RUmKPh4GLjUmBLweWw/s320/spar.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155841619215610050" border="0" /></a>partment to drop off my stuff.<span style=""> </span>Then we headed back out for a quick tour, saw her school, and grabbed pasta for dinner at Spar, the grocery store.<span style=""> </span>We went over to her friend Katie’s apartment, where we cooked dinner and looked at pictures of all their trips around <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>I eventually had to take a nap because I couldn’t keep my eyes open, but afterwards we went out to the Christmas Market in the center of Dornbirn, where everyone was drinking Glühwein, and then went to Mr. John’s (pronounced "Jones"), their favorite bar in town.<span style=""> </span>We hung out at Mr. John’s for a while, eating, drinking, and meeting a lot of other people from her program, and then went home to sleep.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The next morning was supposed to be an early one, but we slept in an hour longer than we<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTOdTQe3_ft3d7kj3DXntkYs34EMFazn4pqaDRlsyQMHmJDX2P36ZHBildMzoDGS9U_9S7FGD9Msbtw_irQINXdNXRfTGGJMyylWNYkbTzu7gXADW2gidQnjgO20pbrT4swd0OmJO6MA/s1600-h/IMGP8079.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTOdTQe3_ft3d7kj3DXntkYs34EMFazn4pqaDRlsyQMHmJDX2P36ZHBildMzoDGS9U_9S7FGD9Msbtw_irQINXdNXRfTGGJMyylWNYkbTzu7gXADW2gidQnjgO20pbrT4swd0OmJO6MA/s320/IMGP8079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155840794581889202" border="0" /></a> meant to.<span style=""> </span>We got up, grabbed all our gear, and caught a train a little before <st1:time minute="0" hour="9">9AM</st1:time> out to St. Anton, a great mountain a little more than an hour out of Dornbirn.<span style=""> </span>I went skiing and Amanda went snowboarding.<span style=""> </span>I was thrilled to be skiing in the <st1:place>Alps</st1:place> – first time!!<span style=""> </span>(Jenny is likely going on a school ski/board trip to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Austria</st1:place></st1:country-region> in the spring!)<span style=""> </span>The weather could have been slightly more cooperative, but it was still great!<span style=""> </span>There was a lot of powder skiing, at least a lot more than I am used to.<span style=""> </span>My legs felt dead after the first run.<span style=""> </span>You can’t tell <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RCo4jabgEYAKTeTNeAGdMHUbKFx2MoTDwMAAfX6N_cV9zQDhFgZ25cJcma_VcETiOP6iW19mxbM15ZPT2Clg2n8MsJpBadTpgC3vpD2tMpVLfvlJGL_EXulXuQyrhzpNLE1SOhe_hb8/s1600-h/st-anton-am-arlberg-pistenplan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RCo4jabgEYAKTeTNeAGdMHUbKFx2MoTDwMAAfX6N_cV9zQDhFgZ25cJcma_VcETiOP6iW19mxbM15ZPT2Clg2n8MsJpBadTpgC3vpD2tMpVLfvlJGL_EXulXuQyrhzpNLE1SOhe_hb8/s320/st-anton-am-arlberg-pistenplan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155841812489138386" border="0" /></a>how big these mountains are until you realize how long it takes to get down them.<span style=""> </span>The sky was clear for about one hour all day, which is when I took my pictures.<span style=""> </span>Other than that, we were either inundated with fog and clouds, or blinding snow.<span style=""> </span>At times it was scary because you couldn’t see more than ten feet in front of you.<span style=""> </span>It’s kind of crucial to know what’s coming when you’re flying down a mountain on a board or skis.<span style=""> </span>At the end of the day, as the weather conditions got worse, and my legs became useless, we went in for “after-ski.”<span style=""> </span>The Austrians tend to spend hours in a bar after a full day on the mountain.<span style=""> </span>Amanda and I each got a glass of Glühwein, listened to some really old American songs, and hopped the train back to Dornbirn.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Once we were back in town we hunted down a kebab shop (the only food you can find anywhere in the world, except the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>) – for those who don’t know it’s basically a Turkish gyro, it has some type of meat and lettuce/tomato/onion with sauce in a pita).<span style=""> </span>I love them.<span style=""> </span>Then we changed and caught a bus out to Mary and Kaisa’s (Amanda’s Finnish friends).<span style=""> </span>We watched Blades of Glory, the Will Ferrell/Napoleon Dynamite-guy skating movie, then caught the bus back for some much-needed sleep.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I slept in on Monday (big surprise!) while Amanda went into school.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-Obr-zjRoDRQBqoSUfl9FcuN3Ff7ae1kwV96SxzmtH5e936KbGOQXV0AuZoVAILpN9CuV1Om5hDF4IBv0JsKCtCA360ELkqMPMkP7UrXnxcVEtabEFSdDy39RD_2x2zBGRVJrukWLWc/s1600-h/chestnuts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-Obr-zjRoDRQBqoSUfl9FcuN3Ff7ae1kwV96SxzmtH5e936KbGOQXV0AuZoVAILpN9CuV1Om5hDF4IBv0JsKCtCA360ELkqMPMkP7UrXnxcVEtabEFSdDy39RD_2x2zBGRVJrukWLWc/s320/chestnuts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155842615648022754" border="0" /></a>Once I got up we went back over to Mary and Kaisa’s for some home-made Finnish food, meatballs and mashed potatoes.<span style=""> </span>They made enough so that they would have leftovers, but apparently didn’t know who they were having over – we finished it all (2.2 pounds of meat for the meatballs and one large bowl of potatoes).<span style=""> </span>It was very good!<span style=""> </span>During the afternoon we hung out at Amanda’s, looked at pictures, listened to music, and then made tuna melts for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We went back over to Katie’s apartment for Glühwein, cookies, roasted chestnuts, and Christmas music.<span style=""> </span>Katie’s Swedish roommate, Lina, was back in town, so I met her, and the four of us ate up all the goodies.<span style=""> </span>We had gingersnaps with blue cheese.<span style=""> </span>I would never have put those two together before, but it was good.<span style=""> </span>I’ll have to try it again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning we woke up early to catch a train t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWMDIuBpOk32F3d1V0AZVkTfc5EfQ4YFmu10FLXouiUBK1WRK4_aXj8Mf4m7nkAIRX60PZU9ODgS5K_L-8RAUTpOhgXJ5VAOaly-ikQZ1I89MQlkDOCF3Tqy9evGThjHH0x9S85Rn5eI/s1600-h/IMGP8090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWMDIuBpOk32F3d1V0AZVkTfc5EfQ4YFmu10FLXouiUBK1WRK4_aXj8Mf4m7nkAIRX60PZU9ODgS5K_L-8RAUTpOhgXJ5VAOaly-ikQZ1I89MQlkDOCF3Tqy9evGThjHH0x9S85Rn5eI/s320/IMGP8090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155843027964883186" border="0" /></a>o <st1:city><st1:place>Salzbu</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>rg</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We met up with Amanda’s friend Caitlin and went to the train station.<span style=""> </span>We stocked up on snacks and sandwiches for the long train ride.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Salzburg</st1:place></st1:city> isn’t all that far<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6zJCKtUoIdNt7wsp32NemG9jMPv4P8-ObMXnWwjk4Z40gzmRnwW68cZ54k45-cR77kY_CyW_0PGd_JbrxxZzqsVTvQwirJN1G-MRRw5sm29rsLUygE2TYTn3h8y_XLb0DJtjfEI4qBM/s1600-h/IMGP8097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6zJCKtUoIdNt7wsp32NemG9jMPv4P8-ObMXnWwjk4Z40gzmRnwW68cZ54k45-cR77kY_CyW_0PGd_JbrxxZzqsVTvQwirJN1G-MRRw5sm29rsLUygE2TYTn3h8y_XLb0DJtjfEI4qBM/s200/IMGP8097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156504178050560274" border="0" /></a> from Dornbirn, but with the connection we would be traveling for about five hours.<span style=""> </span>We arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>Sa</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>lzburg</st1:place></st1:city> and found our hostel.<span style=""> </span>Despite the cold rain we ventured into the Salzburg Altstadt to the Christmas market, which takes the cake for the best Christmas market I have been to.<span style=""> </span>It was massive, had a million different types of foods and decorations, and a live choir singing inside one of the squares.<span style=""> </span>It was everything I had wanted out of a Christmas market.<span style=""> </span>I have some strange obsession with these markets.<span style=""> </span>I remember watching a late-night TV special on Christmas markets in Germany/Austria/Switzerland several years ago and it really stuck with me.<span style=""> </span>I promised myself that I would get to one eventually, so I was extremely happy to be there.<span style=""> </span>I even found a gingerbread man cookie cutter for Mom and Jenny at the market.<span style=""> </span>They had been looking for one all over Düsseldorf and had given up.<span style=""> </span>Thank you <st1:city><st1:place>Salzburg</st1:place></st1:city>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After we had had enough of the Christmas market we walked through some more of the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MtsJrxwlUrTC2myUnKbIZ-zLFXnilul53epcvayu_YwY0SWwopVVikR_An9JcCUVYPRmB-_2f2huURNW_9iGApHkbebQ_ATxU0TwLJpmbJWYhfBapnL1-dq59-zexSzWOwkcpFOUh7I/s1600-h/IMGP8092.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MtsJrxwlUrTC2myUnKbIZ-zLFXnilul53epcvayu_YwY0SWwopVVikR_An9JcCUVYPRmB-_2f2huURNW_9iGApHkbebQ_ATxU0TwLJpmbJWYhfBapnL1-dq59-zexSzWOwkcpFOUh7I/s320/IMGP8092.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155843487526383874" border="0" /></a> quaint <st1:city><st1:place>Salzburg</st1:place></st1:city> streets and found one of the coolest stores in existence – a store filled with THOUSANDS of <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyOo0pssfChLYVZ0ed7natODKOWWE84BNRAVGEOdxL67wwYKEoqh3oVM7zejsU1R_ztOqKfQelh65LFN6ajwJTwbQ9ERSMQ66Liudn0PBYBEG3mTo6KxD1EwciJjaLhXjr3ogaEDLC-w/s1600-h/IMGP8099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyOo0pssfChLYVZ0ed7natODKOWWE84BNRAVGEOdxL67wwYKEoqh3oVM7zejsU1R_ztOqKfQelh65LFN6ajwJTwbQ9ERSMQ66Liudn0PBYBEG3mTo6KxD1EwciJjaLhXjr3ogaEDLC-w/s200/IMGP8099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156504629022126370" border="0" /></a>hand-painted, real eggs.<span style=""> </span>It was a little strange to go directly from Christmas to Easter, but it was truly an amazing store.<span style=""> </span>I think our mouths were hanging open the whole time we walked through it.<span style=""> </span>By this time we were getting very hungry, so we asked the friendly “Egg Lady” where to eat.<span style=""> </span>She recommended Zipfer, a local pub and restaurant.<span style=""> </span>It wound up being really cool because I think we were the only non-locals in there.<span style=""> </span>We were also probably the youngest ones by about 20 years, but that was alright because the food was good.<span style=""> </span>We went back to the hostel afterwards to get out of the freezing rain, grabbed beers, and watched the tail end of Shawshank Redemption before putting in American Pie.<span style=""> </span>I hadn’t seen that one in forever.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning I woke up and Lauren (another friend from <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlmyH1sj2ELNqsFLPc0hqB9sAbuunggVWvBsN9__7qiNSOpRTzq1Lt0MHwBYmu8OgTw2n7QDwv6ZKXHKllSEl1MLBI1w8OhkAxJAxLf_A9p8yxbHfzsjsxa-0DLbUsSKmv4cYAwtKde0/s1600-h/IMGP8101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlmyH1sj2ELNqsFLPc0hqB9sAbuunggVWvBsN9__7qiNSOpRTzq1Lt0MHwBYmu8OgTw2n7QDwv6ZKXHKllSEl1MLBI1w8OhkAxJAxLf_A9p8yxbHfzsjsxa-0DLbUsSKmv4cYAwtKde0/s200/IMGP8101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156505251792384306" border="0" /></a>Amanda’s program) had joined us, completing our group of four.<span style=""> </span>Amanda and Caitlin had woken up super-early to meet her at the train station – I apparently didn’t hear the alarm (I’m sensing a trend with me not hearing alarms and sleeping a lot).<span style=""> </span>She had had a class to finish and took a night train to meet us.<span style=""> </span>We grabbed breakfast at the hostel and went back into town with Lauren. We passed by the house where Mozart was born and wandered back through the Christmas markets, but couldn’t stay outside for too long due to the cold and rain.<span style=""> </span>We ducked inside a café for hot chocolates and ventured back into the markets to grab lunch before catching our train to <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We got sausages and met an older couple from <st1:state><st1:place>North Carolina</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style=""> </span>The wife was actually an alumnus of Caitlin’s school, so they had a bit to talk about.<span style=""> </span>We got our last-minute postcards and souvenirs, grabbed our bags at the hostel, and caught our 4-hour train to <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>What we could see out the window was beautiful until the sun went down.<span style=""> </span>We must have gone up in elevation because we were no longer seeing a driving rain, but large snowflakes falling over Austrian villages.<span style=""> </span>We were in a six-person compartment, rather than a regular train seating arrangement.<span style=""> </span>It made me happy because I felt like I was in the Harry Potter books.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZ_E1_V2P_N8IyOK0B8eSBQl6fE4BXxPiUJqYoxajCcFhjYESmRZWlQn4jRLdpen7rjMVg_auz2DDRjvOukaInVo3HxbsZ7TcrOn30_eH6e0lSfqDg4zFSuFbUgbSnkZlIWtLqU0qdF8/s1600-h/IMGP8102.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZ_E1_V2P_N8IyOK0B8eSBQl6fE4BXxPiUJqYoxajCcFhjYESmRZWlQn4jRLdpen7rjMVg_auz2DDRjvOukaInVo3HxbsZ7TcrOn30_eH6e0lSfqDg4zFSuFbUgbSnkZlIWtLqU0qdF8/s320/IMGP8102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156508790845436226" border="0" /></a>By the time we got to <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city> we had gone back down in elevation, so had to walk through the rain to our hostel.<span style=""> </span>We got dinner at a bakery/restaurant down the street, where I had Wiener Schnitzel, in Wien (Wien is the German spelling of <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>) – I was psyched.<span style=""> </span>Then it was dessert time.<span style=""> </span>I grabbed my usual chocolate croissant and brought it with me to the ice cream shop where everyone else got their dessert.<span style=""> </span>We got back to the hostel, checked out their bar, which was not very lively, and then went to bed so that we could have a full next day in <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On Thursday we woke up and took the metro into the center of the city.<span style=""> </span>When we<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXA5dFrzsb_-FkTuFH6kDdd9g2z8h8BK0-FOFSPjGumJ-QJHANa-D7A_Quj9EE6GW4dxL8X_vmVB51ZetZoB5Ps2AoFycyzlSXcSb3OW_FpRV2VVY7DuMS7gW8NIoVp3wkuVmicgyEsk/s1600-h/IMGP8110.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXA5dFrzsb_-FkTuFH6kDdd9g2z8h8BK0-FOFSPjGumJ-QJHANa-D7A_Quj9EE6GW4dxL8X_vmVB51ZetZoB5Ps2AoFycyzlSXcSb3OW_FpRV2VVY7DuMS7gW8NIoVp3wkuVmicgyEsk/s200/IMGP8110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156513777302466914" border="0" /></a> emerged from <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uBlb8gYF8Gw7qbU3SyLe02b4FBCqz-57DQ-Dt86dGHKeJ19-WsitpGS2Rm55gAUReRfJPBSksT0Die12S0hg7WuSirp026Qu4m7fOR5ihWYx9BhJv0ZfrO6jTC_eAN7B_A427VRsmaQ/s1600-h/IMGP8106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uBlb8gYF8Gw7qbU3SyLe02b4FBCqz-57DQ-Dt86dGHKeJ19-WsitpGS2Rm55gAUReRfJPBSksT0Die12S0hg7WuSirp026Qu4m7fOR5ihWYx9BhJv0ZfrO6jTC_eAN7B_A427VRsmaQ/s320/IMGP8106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156512531761951058" border="0" /></a>the underground we saw the beautiful Stephansdom, the trademark of Vienna.<span style=""> </span>We spent the morning walking around the city and ducking into shops because it was very cold and windy, but not rainy, which was an improvement.<span style=""> </span>We got lunch in an Italian restaurant, not very unlike Cosetta’s in <st1:city><st1:place>St. Paul</st1:place></st1:city>, and it was great.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, we walked through more of the very historic and beautiful parts of <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t know quite what to expect in <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I had seen very few pictures, but had heard several times that it was one of the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhlJkys5a4LZ1bu4y4Fwh3pCmdbC40TMEaCdIAURUR98Trup1CqfM914qS9GgddObxD3w_AmLULnl-lZswnna9-AxYw_YhbnIib0AW8aur7K2jgyjm6Vn-TG1b2EI6vZRtwyxC1J3E8A/s1600-h/IMGP8117.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhlJkys5a4LZ1bu4y4Fwh3pCmdbC40TMEaCdIAURUR98Trup1CqfM914qS9GgddObxD3w_AmLULnl-lZswnna9-AxYw_YhbnIib0AW8aur7K2jgyjm6Vn-TG1b2EI6vZRtwyxC1J3E8A/s320/IMGP8117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156514202504229234" border="0" /></a> most beautiful European cities.<span style=""> </span>My Lonely Planet guide book begins its entry on <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city> like this . . . “If New York is the ‘Big Apple,’ then <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city> is the big wedding cake.”<span style=""> </span>That didn’t give me any clear expectations either.<span style=""> </span>After seeing the city I assume it means that you get the big-city feeling of <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state>, yet it is a lot prettier, like icing on the cake?<span style=""> </span>It’s open to interpretation.<span style=""> </span>Anyways, we continued <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9s5LtqpNKV9fOS07gbDOEiIkQa_y2ELzv2CRO7zJN_5lzI-hkSvndFevsviC9sqlJFcsguJtbDmHoSpphhVdqJwGEp0NttH4ccavNM6Q6MRA8J48nHjk8YzfQBZPrxnHGh1YScUWguo/s1600-h/IMGP8123.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9s5LtqpNKV9fOS07gbDOEiIkQa_y2ELzv2CRO7zJN_5lzI-hkSvndFevsviC9sqlJFcsguJtbDmHoSpphhVdqJwGEp0NttH4ccavNM6Q6MRA8J48nHjk8YzfQBZPrxnHGh1YScUWguo/s200/IMGP8123.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156514692130500994" border="0" /></a>walking through the beautiful buildings and ran across one of <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>’s Christmas markets in Maria Theresien Platz.<span style=""> </span>We made sure to get some Glühwein and try some of the local goodies.<span style=""> </span>Then we continued on to <st1:city><st1:place>Vi</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>en</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>na</st1:place></st1:city>’s main shopping street, Mariahilferstrasse, stopping at every chocolate shop in sight along the way.<span style=""> </span>Every European city is overflowing with chocolate shops and bakeries, but <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city> in particular has an overabundance.<span style=""> </span>My favorite was a very fancy shop that made massive marzipan sculptures.<span style=""> </span>We got to watch the chefs in the kitchen and it was pretty impressive.<span style=""> </span>We hung around the city center until dark and saw all of the Christmas decorations – there were tons!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We then decided that it was time to warm up a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYEKrAvpBPNtwzThG5vJB3gJheWcb-VSvCVXZWSF7w-6zHdAcv-xqIXaXrwMAOCtVnXQDtx2-2UVDB1YjKXAUhPEjqRJ5GIKg5HjBLbDc8hrj-Cpi9sAimDvM_coofCQl_nIRBjc5DEo/s1600-h/IMGP8127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYEKrAvpBPNtwzThG5vJB3gJheWcb-VSvCVXZWSF7w-6zHdAcv-xqIXaXrwMAOCtVnXQDtx2-2UVDB1YjKXAUhPEjqRJ5GIKg5HjBLbDc8hrj-Cpi9sAimDvM_coofCQl_nIRBjc5DEo/s320/IMGP8127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156516444477157778" border="0" /></a>nd get dinner, so we took the train back out to our hostel.<span style=""> </span>We had dinner at a local pub just around the corner.<span style=""> </span>I had goulash for the first time and I loved it.<span style=""> </span>It also happened to be “Dixie Night,” so we sat in a very German pub, eating very German food, and listening to live New Orleans Jazz music.<span style=""> </span>It was a strange contrast.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards we decided to check out the bar scene in <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>The hostel recommended the Mozart Stube, but when we walked in all of the customers were men in their sixties, or older, so we quickly left.<span style=""> </span>We tried another hostel recommendation, but didn’t like it, and finally got to their third recommendation, Café Europa, which was much more our speed.<span style=""> </span>It was a trendy café down a side street that we never would have found on our own.<span style=""> </span>It was perfect for us though because there was a lot of good people-watching, which entertained us for the whole night.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Friday was another early day.<span style=""> </span>We rode the Strassenbahn (street-car) to the nearest bus depot and caught a bus to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEn2SBet5PSmsetECZBownS0o2p8KZ-CpjpYY0eiVyyGcUqXB5MQczGWSPAdZbsW-ZIbGYPSGZFCaX6uuMYidPTz4Q9o1uSE9uA7uv0FUWQT1tbFxs2slrh9jgINgu3KOXsxkbOpgfdr4/s1600-h/IMGP8133.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEn2SBet5PSmsetECZBownS0o2p8KZ-CpjpYY0eiVyyGcUqXB5MQczGWSPAdZbsW-ZIbGYPSGZFCaX6uuMYidPTz4Q9o1uSE9uA7uv0FUWQT1tbFxs2slrh9jgINgu3KOXsxkbOpgfdr4/s320/IMGP8133.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156516951283298722" border="0" /></a> <st1:place><st1:city>Bratislava</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Slovakia</st1:country-region></st1:place> from there.<span style=""> </span>We were planning on flying RyanAir to <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>, the low-cost airline, so the airport was a ways away and in a different country in this case.<span style=""> </span>But we were psyched to go to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Slovakia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, not because we necessarily had heard good tourist reviews about it or anything, but when else were we going to be in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Slo</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place>vakia</st1:place></st1:country-region>?<span style=""> </span>We were also excited to get a quick look at <st1:city><st1:place>Brat</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>islava</st1:place></st1:city> since we had heard it was the “<st1:place><st1:placename>Twin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>City</st1:placetype></st1:place>” to <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>. <span style=""> </span>From the views we got of <st1:city><st1:place>Bratis</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>lava</st1:place></st1:city> from the bus, we were at a loss for how anyone could call it even a distant cousin to <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It looked depressed and run-down, and there was graffiti everywhere.<span style=""> </span>The two cities aren’t even physically close.<span style=""> </span>They are about a one-hour drive apart, not just a few miles like <st1:city><st1:place>Minneapolis</st1:place></st1:city> and <st1:city><st1:place>St. Paul</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Needless to say, we were glad we hadn’t set aside an afternoon for <st1:city><st1:place>Bratislava</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We arrived at the airport, checked-in, and got some fairly cheap food, one of the good things about <st1:country-region><st1:place>Slovakia</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>We boarded the plane and were excited to be leaving cold, cloudy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa1zQxu97qvXa_z_6VZaEEobR0nRXSKAr2lsPepjqzvF2q_XW4Xs1pamIm4fKRLzrif4-MjRHOiP7Bm78BftGJJ4AHvJXrvWlOdKoikZ7jYx8qTiCorOO2U1IjeNv7a8OU-17HtfdEaE/s1600-h/IMGP8137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa1zQxu97qvXa_z_6VZaEEobR0nRXSKAr2lsPepjqzvF2q_XW4Xs1pamIm4fKRLzrif4-MjRHOiP7Bm78BftGJJ4AHvJXrvWlOdKoikZ7jYx8qTiCorOO2U1IjeNv7a8OU-17HtfdEaE/s320/IMGP8137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156517771622052274" border="0" /></a> weather for a while.<span style=""> </span>The flight path to <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> went directly over the <st1:place>Alps</st1:place>, all covered in snow.<span style=""> </span>It was cool to see.<span style=""> </span>We also got a great view of the Spanish coastline and countryside on our way in.<span style=""> </span>Once we were in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> we had to grab a packed bus to get into <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We sat behind a group of four, not particularly bright, American guys.<span style=""> </span>So we got to listen to an hour and a half of them arguing over what languages they spoke in what European countries.<span style=""> </span>One of them is still probably very adamant that they speak Flemish in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Switzerland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>The conversation would have been more understandable had they not already been studying in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Austria</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the whole semester.<span style=""> </span>We <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9km6DsnFuVXdtDEHl625Ou6MUnIXZ4gSzChXX9l9gjGXhSBcreWYZvdZzjt_C0JdthPFi6ZxpmUmlSdrCj2zbIssoi3KQ6g8zo3M1Mksn8s_D0laf7uKrBK3RTvQcOFf3p76FZz2AC3k/s1600-h/IMGP8159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9km6DsnFuVXdtDEHl625Ou6MUnIXZ4gSzChXX9l9gjGXhSBcreWYZvdZzjt_C0JdthPFi6ZxpmUmlSdrCj2zbIssoi3KQ6g8zo3M1Mksn8s_D0laf7uKrBK3RTvQcOFf3p76FZz2AC3k/s320/IMGP8159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156548536472793554" border="0" /></a>were happy to get away from their conversation as soon as the bus arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> (only to find that they were staying at the same hostel as us!).<span style=""> </span>We took the metro and walked down Las Ramblas, the major pedestrian street in <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>, to get to our hostel.<span style=""> </span>Our hostel probably couldn’t have been in a better location.<span style=""> </span>We were right on Placa Reial, a beautiful square (in the picture) just off of Las Ramblas.<span style=""> </span>We were in walking distance to everything in <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>!<span style=""> </span>This hostel also had a much more upbeat atmosphere than some of the others we had been in, but they made you pay for the good atmosphere and location.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM-mnKw1KYoXamHBi9pRb_mCRoHC1AF06prVKGVZA5Cr3RGTeNPDms1Q1R_kUoOfnsX_zPdXPbD4PSL7qq1gq9az4kRTQEBsijdee3QJWysaAPNSxzjXWiaI5WNeo-TBJkpJwIGX_Qw0/s1600-h/IMGP8147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM-mnKw1KYoXamHBi9pRb_mCRoHC1AF06prVKGVZA5Cr3RGTeNPDms1Q1R_kUoOfnsX_zPdXPbD4PSL7qq1gq9az4kRTQEBsijdee3QJWysaAPNSxzjXWiaI5WNeo-TBJkpJwIGX_Qw0/s200/IMGP8147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156518523241329090" border="0" /></a>We settled into our room and went down to the main floor for happy hour and dinner.<span style=""> </span>The dinner was alright, but not enough food, so we went out for a tapas tour of our neighborhood.<span style=""> </span>We tried things like patatas bravas, croquettes, shrimp and of course, sangria (the Spanish, fruity wine drink).<span style=""> </span>After a good night out we went home and slept well.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Once we woke up on Saturday we took to the streets (in lighter jackets, which was a welcome change - it was probably in the 50s, in<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHtjw4XKeX-mDuRBZj3OBz5OqdYHaQmnWlOAFlKfc09uGkdfOSyw9No0fWeEM5u_IzdThAEHdY7ViwWBQXMdo_luXNZk-mgBsan3Vzpxk0owk833HpWJK32ePqRKQxzOlxcIPIXjx_PE/s1600-h/IMGP8164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHtjw4XKeX-mDuRBZj3OBz5OqdYHaQmnWlOAFlKfc09uGkdfOSyw9No0fWeEM5u_IzdThAEHdY7ViwWBQXMdo_luXNZk-mgBsan3Vzpxk0owk833HpWJK32ePqRKQxzOlxcIPIXjx_PE/s320/IMGP8164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156549279502135778" border="0" /></a> mid-December!).<span style=""> </span>We walked along Las Ramblas towards the harbour, checking out the open-air art and street markets.<span style=""> </span>We walked around the edge of the harbour, looking at fish in the water and looking back at the beautiful buildings of <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eTWunzr2ma-STJAlyrojtGzMujn6bDzdpZvcfQZIvXWz21t4SddgXFqcyEHiSgEjHIx_NLCpDhTyb1gFaaInF1ZaEFpfJBG39C9An1TXEFSKNyyYSsIfAXu2Kp-RqmA7Ed7pgEcxHrk/s1600-h/IMGP8170.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eTWunzr2ma-STJAlyrojtGzMujn6bDzdpZvcfQZIvXWz21t4SddgXFqcyEHiSgEjHIx_NLCpDhTyb1gFaaInF1ZaEFpfJBG39C9An1TXEFSKNyyYSsIfAXu2Kp-RqmA7Ed7pgEcxHrk/s320/IMGP8170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156549936632132082" border="0" /></a><st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We eventually wound up at the beach!!<span style=""> </span>It was definitely too cold to go sun-bathing, but there was a small group of people out surfing in wet suits.<span style=""> </span>We made a pit-stop at Spar, where I bought a jar of olives, and then we continued our walk around the city, eating olives.<span style=""> </span>We went through the entire day without<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKufKFV4ULx0ymuEhpj1cZf6fYvOMf2yn03hBJhrpT1GAgfCKpIsqyJKz_nFpkWt8moCQty6eQp4pZPZb6_tKTAiBJMJHbJ45KRjzIB-k1EVKGbMtjahin2D3cpf59rKNFPPdQY12jDY/s1600-h/IMGP8177.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKufKFV4ULx0ymuEhpj1cZf6fYvOMf2yn03hBJhrpT1GAgfCKpIsqyJKz_nFpkWt8moCQty6eQp4pZPZb6_tKTAiBJMJHbJ45KRjzIB-k1EVKGbMtjahin2D3cpf59rKNFPPdQY12jDY/s320/IMGP8177.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156550645301735938" border="0" /></a> a map and turned down whichever street looked the most interesting when we came to an intersection.<span style=""> </span>We never truly knew where we were, but were also never lost since we weren’t trying to be anywhere.<span style=""> </span>We walked through parks, saw the Arc De Triomf, and stepped into shops along the way.<span style=""> </span>A large portion of the shopping we did was window-shopping because we were out at siesta (the time when most stores close down for lunch).<span style=""> </span>On our way back to Placa <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9sj_ZM2BTul_DhVnqTzXpwLAhGopeDKyEsk-k2mQBweTJ69wpW3eMyX4XDaTGNb1h7BiqNWMSICYPqzgGcnKkYWpBb0UO9pv0eYvGdtdhBQPde1YJ0BUh4Wdm4ttC6rP4mTbQsNMWkM/s1600-h/IMGP8176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9sj_ZM2BTul_DhVnqTzXpwLAhGopeDKyEsk-k2mQBweTJ69wpW3eMyX4XDaTGNb1h7BiqNWMSICYPqzgGcnKkYWpBb0UO9pv0eYvGdtdhBQPde1YJ0BUh4Wdm4ttC6rP4mTbQsNMWkM/s320/IMGP8176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156551298136764946" border="0" /></a>Reial we passed a wide array of street performers and stopped at the large food market off of Las Ramblas.<span style=""> </span>It had fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, candy, and pretty much anything else you could want.<span style=""> </span>Everything was the best and biggest I had ever seen.<span style=""> </span>I got a pineapple already cut up for €1.50.<span style=""> </span>Not bad.<span style=""> </span>I kinda wished I had had a kitchen to use so I could get some of the seafood, too.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After at least 4 solid hours of walking we wound up back at the hostel, where I took a nap.<span style=""> </span>Inconveniently, I had woken up on Saturday morning with a sore throat and a cold, so I was a little out of it. Amanda, Caitlin, and Lauren hung out downstairs for happy hour, then came and woke me up once I had slept long enough.<span style=""> </span>We went back out into the city for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We went back to one of the restaurants we had visited the night before for tapas.<span style=""> </span>We had burgers, Spanish omelets, a million different types of potatoes, etc.<span style=""> </span>Then we decided to take advantage of the free flamenco show for hostel guests at a nearby club.<span style=""> </span>We got a jug of sangria and enjoyed the live music and dancing.<span style=""> </span>It was actually a lot more impressive than I was expecting – the music at least, not necessarily the dancing.<span style=""> </span>Flamenco guitar looks so complicated and sounds sooo cool.<span style=""> </span>And the singers were amazingly talented as well.<span style=""> </span>After the show we went back out to try and find some of the legendary <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> nightlife, but had a serious lack of luck.<span style=""> </span>Apparently Saturday night isn’t a big deal in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region>?<span style=""> </span>We were also very tired of walking, so eventually gave up and went to bed.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmIVD3-K92FO0abR6NXkqmTqTprixKb-3spe4bdBdbROANedsiD41OGG4bep95RYXP_jPjB3efEBQqIAQ5vP8H7_ZmanBFzkQLqDSaWaw8nU23XJUq7N-j7CSqeg8mNPphnvqsDFzVkc/s1600-h/IMGP8184.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmIVD3-K92FO0abR6NXkqmTqTprixKb-3spe4bdBdbROANedsiD41OGG4bep95RYXP_jPjB3efEBQqIAQ5vP8H7_ZmanBFzkQLqDSaWaw8nU23XJUq7N-j7CSqeg8mNPphnvqsDFzVkc/s320/IMGP8184.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156553217987146274" border="0" /></a>Sunday seems to be the day to be out in <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We woke up and started walking again, past more street perrformers. Can you guess which dog is real?<span style=""> </span>We did a TON of walking in <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>, but it never got old because there was so much to see.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyCPN7cpoQDUgEe7ULJPdHbb2w-v34LQDFzmiw4IlOkh3fjdNooeKuyKJ8LdazELlBHebzEdSc-qVJLsDyz4xzJlhBgWiSEpmWTAAqcLX5IMOzQecSaAKpwJRzlPl21EextuQpCGgHZ4/s1600-h/IMGP8192.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyCPN7cpoQDUgEe7ULJPdHbb2w-v34LQDFzmiw4IlOkh3fjdNooeKuyKJ8LdazELlBHebzEdSc-qVJLsDyz4xzJlhBgWiSEpmWTAAqcLX5IMOzQecSaAKpwJRzlPl21EextuQpCGgHZ4/s320/IMGP8192.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156557517249409586" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>We grabbed food at the Pita House.<span style=""> </span>I tried falafel and it was good, but I still don’t really know what it is.<span style=""> </span>The best part about the Pita House though was the American-sized Coke they give you!!<span style=""> </span>It was significantly more than one gulp, which is what you get in most other European<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fGkrAA2BXvQga6CXEK3kt0iRIf_dhzqWsYvGvG7RarGIYKPJZQfe8eWNFEEhWP6gWtDJbOXWPBUwWNrJt-yePTqBAQz4WHcL4F-We4uPQuA3BAKYflPPm8UKOAoVWWaAPavxtmUhuZ4/s1600-h/IMGP8199.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fGkrAA2BXvQga6CXEK3kt0iRIf_dhzqWsYvGvG7RarGIYKPJZQfe8eWNFEEhWP6gWtDJbOXWPBUwWNrJt-yePTqBAQz4WHcL4F-We4uPQuA3BAKYflPPm8UKOAoVWWaAPavxtmUhuZ4/s200/IMGP8199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156558281753588290" border="0" /></a> establishments.<span style=""> </span>We walked through the multitude of open-air markets – stamp collecting, art, jewelry, antiques, flowers, and pets.<span style=""> </span>Haven’t you always wanted a pet turkey or pigeon?<span style=""> </span>After seeing the markets, we took off on another trek to see La Sagrada Familia, the extremely modern church that has become a symbol of <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It was designed by Antoni Gaudi, Construction began in 1882 and it is still not exceptionally close to being complete.<span style=""> </span>There are also a few other very unique buildings around <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> that were designed by the same guy, i.e. Casa Batllo.<span style=""> </span>Once we got back to our side of town I took a nap again in the hopes that it would make me feel better, while the other three found something to occupy themselves with.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I joined Amanda, Caitlin, and Lauren again to go out for dinner.<span style=""> </span>We went on a mission to find paella, because we wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we left <st1:country-region><st1:place>Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> without having some, at least Amanda and I couldn’t.<span style=""> </span>Paella is the very Spanish seafood and rice dish – really good!<span style=""> </span>We started out by taking some of the smaller streets off of Las Ramblas.<span style=""> </span>It seems that we finally picked the right time of day to go onto these streets.<span style=""> </span>Late at night and early in the morning all of the shops on these streets are boarded up, covered in graffiti, and deserted.<span style=""> </span>It’s very creepy.<span style=""> </span>But when they are open and people are everywhere it is great!!<span style=""> </span>We discovered the true, old Gothic quarter, which we thought we had already seen, but had been mistaken.<span style=""> </span>There were more shops in these tiny side streets than I have ever seen in one place.<span style=""> </span>And enough people to fill them all.<span style=""> </span>We wished we had discovered the Gothic Quarter earlier, because we probably would have spent more time there.<span style=""> </span>But at least we got to see it.<span style=""> </span>We continued to look for paella, which was more difficult to find than we would have thought. <span style=""> </span>Eventually we found a place that served it.<span style=""> </span>The restaurant was pretty dead when we walked in because it was around 5/6PM, which is in-between meal time for the Spaniards.<span style=""> </span>Spanish people START going out for dinner around 9/10PM.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We enjoyed the great food at dinner and then went back to the Gothic quarter for dessert.<span style=""> </span>Caitlin and Lauren got waffles with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.<span style=""> </span>It looked great, but Amanda and I couldn’t stomach it after all of the paella.<span style=""> </span>We had made it back to the Gothic quarter as all of the shops were closing, and it started to get creepy back there again, so we walked with the dessert.<span style=""> </span>We got back to the hostel and I started to pack up all of my stuff for the early morning I knew was coming.<span style=""> </span>Caitlin and Lauren went for one more nighttime walk around our side of <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> and then we all tried to sleep.<span style=""> </span>Tried being the key word.<span style=""> </span>There was an extremely loud group of boys on our floor who stayed up until <st1:time minute="0" hour="3">3AM</st1:time> yelling at each other, went out to bars for two hours, and then came back in around <st1:time minute="0" hour="5">5AM</st1:time>, yelling and screaming again.<span style=""> </span>All in all I think I got about one hour of sleep.<span style=""> </span>I had to be up at <st1:time minute="30" hour="5">5:30AM</st1:time>, when it was still dark and people were still out for the night, to get the train to the airport (which wound up being a little more difficult than I had originally thought).<span style=""> </span>I asked three different people about how to take the train to the airport and I got three completely different answers, some of which was in Spanish, which I don’t understand.<span style=""> </span>I wound up catching two trains, walking a good ways, and hoping that I was headed for the correct <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> airport.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, I made it to the right airport and in plenty of time.<span style=""> </span>I had the easy trip home – just grab a plane to Düsseldorf and I was there by <st1:time minute="0" hour="12">noon</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>Amanda, Caitlin, and Lauren left the hostel about one hour after me and had to retrace all of our previous steps – bus to <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> airport, fly to <st1:city><st1:place>Bratislava</st1:place></st1:city>, bus to <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>, 8-hour train from <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city> to Dornbirn.<span style=""> </span>They got home in the early hours of the next day.<span style=""> </span>They were traveling for almost 24 hours non-stop.<span style=""> </span>I wasn’t jealous.<span style=""> </span></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-50919129869394223522008-01-15T13:39:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:14.457-08:00SwedenOn Jenny’s Birthday (sorry, Jenny) I caught a plane to <st1:city><st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city>, out of the small airport near the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>Other than a small delay needed to clean a bird off of the wing of the plane from the previous landing, everything went smoothly.<span style=""> </span>I got off the plane and met up with my<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BzifoMs_1qM0pOtrUFMD6_Bm3yNhPFdFZtliMUixm-DWN6L-HBPPGnnX4r0z730c8xCv-ta51Dc2E-D5jt_ttqzI1srJiKZ08ADkko-Vz37_uwXcMBhLn_3UcroQPjB4OifncK6YOUs/s1600-h/Sweden.map.karte-1-491.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BzifoMs_1qM0pOtrUFMD6_Bm3yNhPFdFZtliMUixm-DWN6L-HBPPGnnX4r0z730c8xCv-ta51Dc2E-D5jt_ttqzI1srJiKZ08ADkko-Vz37_uwXcMBhLn_3UcroQPjB4OifncK6YOUs/s320/Sweden.map.karte-1-491.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155827132290920498" border="0" /></a> friend Håkan, who I had played ultimate frisbee with in <st1:city><st1:place>Brisbane</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>He came all the way to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Skavsta</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Air</st1:placetype></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placetype>port</st1:placetype></st1:place> to pick me up (thank you!) and so we had a bit of a drive to get back to <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city>, which is 70km north of <st1:city><st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>There was a little snow on the ground, which was exciting because I don’t think I’ll see much of it this year.<span style=""> </span>But the biggest surprise on the drive home was that the sun was setting at <st1:time minute="0" hour="15">3PM</st1:time>!<span style=""> </span>I’ve never been anywhere where the days were so short, but I guess it makes sense because this was the closest I’ve ever been to one of the poles.<span style=""> </span>Håkan drove me through the main part of <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city>, which was very charming.<span style=""> </span>We got to his apartment, set up my bed, and then drove out to Balinge, the town where he grew up and where his brother and family now live.<span style=""> </span>We walked through town and picked up Håkan’s nieces, Tilde and Elvira.<span style=""> </span>I felt badly because I couldn’t speak to them in Swedish, although I did learn how to say goodbye.<span style=""> </span>We drove back to <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city> and stopped to get some Glögg and Julmust, two very Swedish drinks.<span style=""> </span>Glögg is a thicker, sweet, warm drink that you usually have with raisins and nuts (I have since learned that it is basically the same thing as Glühwein, which is big in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>).<span style=""> </span>And Julmust is a dark soda.<span style=""> </span>Between the two, I liked Glögg better.<span style=""> </span>Apparently they have it in <st1:state><st1:place>Minnesota</st1:place></st1:state>, too, although I had never tried it before.<span style=""> </span>A fun fact: <st1:city><st1:place>Minneapolis</st1:place></st1:city> has been a twin city with <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city> since 2000!<br /><br /> Once we got back into town we went out for dinner at one of the Nations<st1:city><st1:place></st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>A Nation is kind of like a student union in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>Student members get tax free food and drinks (which is a big discount in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Sweden</st1:place></st1:country-region>, since tax is usually 25%), can attend sponsored cultural events, etc.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city> is a big <st1:city><st1:place>university city</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It is home to <st1:place><st1:placename>Uppsala</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype></st1:place>, which was founded in 1477 (makes UVA look like a baby) and is the oldest center of higher education in <st1:place>Scandinavia</st1:place> and much of northern <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Pretty cool!<span style=""> </span>Anyway, we met up with Håkan’s friend Johan, grabbed dinner, a few beers, and played a game of darts at one of the Nations.<span style=""> </span>We went back to Håkan’s to try some drinks with the Julmust and hung around for a bit before going out to another Nation for drinks and dancing.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_NZj_la_3o7QxHR3VYJeeetec8aYSkQTpvpOCFpWT69MhVqY-ZdW2OS1uPqQEFOYAPkt-L7aM4VdRiKbC_9_6vQCxCUFwKCotWV3w3UrKiLx6sjZVyhf3gBA7cmLwwZEoe9EGNIJEuQ/s1600-h/IMGP7997.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_NZj_la_3o7QxHR3VYJeeetec8aYSkQTpvpOCFpWT69MhVqY-ZdW2OS1uPqQEFOYAPkt-L7aM4VdRiKbC_9_6vQCxCUFwKCotWV3w3UrKiLx6sjZVyhf3gBA7cmLwwZEoe9EGNIJEuQ/s320/IMGP7997.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155822957582708658" border="0" /></a>I slept in very late the next morning (and every day I was in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Sweden</st1:place></st1:country-region>, sorry, Håkan), but once I was up Håkan took me on a tour of <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We went inside one of the old University buildings and saw the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sPLszQ0tHCuCuVpl-pR1f9oRapjp8_0drrBS-xuRejoyZWDPJXy7uqzSTZmm-3N2eJ8uC6ghn9Nv2DTGbvP7L3bd9uufWHlxyANgqjUUb4xQrYdRBioNgPQwL3RhXOkhpXWxueH_AT8/s1600-h/IMGP8000.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sPLszQ0tHCuCuVpl-pR1f9oRapjp8_0drrBS-xuRejoyZWDPJXy7uqzSTZmm-3N2eJ8uC6ghn9Nv2DTGbvP7L3bd9uufWHlxyANgqjUUb4xQrYdRBioNgPQwL3RhXOkhpXWxueH_AT8/s320/IMGP8000.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155823271115321282" border="0" /></a> Gustavianum, with the anatomical theatre at the top.<span style=""> </span>We went inside the Uppsala Cathedral, the largest gothic church in all of the Nordic countries, and the place where many Swedish coronations have taken place.<span style=""> </span>We also visited Carolina Rediviva, the main university library building, which holds the Silver Bible.<span style=""> </span>Next we walked up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZHKctsMtLeINQkkd8xLhx1LDpf5HskYeNPcxEIqvFdNvEtveTeyRwm6jbUMYykiLXw6mt5CLQV1kNDlbvut_Ce-k5UWiw-qVTuRgNyFAq_7JnWcpPgWXP_K9v040ZZ9wvS8H97xSrQQ/s1600-h/IMGP8003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZHKctsMtLeINQkkd8xLhx1LDpf5HskYeNPcxEIqvFdNvEtveTeyRwm6jbUMYykiLXw6mt5CLQV1kNDlbvut_Ce-k5UWiw-qVTuRgNyFAq_7JnWcpPgWXP_K9v040ZZ9wvS8H97xSrQQ/s200/IMGP8003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155823528813359058" border="0" /></a> to <st1:place><st1:placename>Uppsala</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place> (the pink building), which has its cannons <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8QF7QrlU7G19URvw57K5LwNCQyfopavNHpn0YLhOHlEeC20dtAF8_f0NgVgGrHN2duh96sqI4gKIKRhKq0RTtakldPsvL35IH9OGry3AkRWO8E0v7hCnx4R3Epo1Q7JDUlhrLFZl-O0/s1600-h/silver.bible.p7b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8QF7QrlU7G19URvw57K5LwNCQyfopavNHpn0YLhOHlEeC20dtAF8_f0NgVgGrHN2duh96sqI4gKIKRhKq0RTtakldPsvL35IH9OGry3AkRWO8E0v7hCnx4R3Epo1Q7JDUlhrLFZl-O0/s200/silver.bible.p7b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155834940541464706" border="0" /></a>pointed toward the Cathedral – apparently one of the Kings didn’t like the Church very much.<span style=""> </span>The last stop on the tour was the new music and convention hall in <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It is a contemporary, several-story black and white building with panoramic views of the town.<span style=""> </span>So we went up to check it out.<span style=""> </span>Here is one of the shots from the convention hall - I love the pastel colors of the buildings. It was a bit cloudy, so not great for picture-taking, but still cool to see.<span style=""> </span>On our way back to Håkan’s we stopped at the liquor store to buy a bunch of different types of beer (Swedish, Czech, and others) for me to try while I was in town.<span style=""> </span>For an easy dinner we stopped and got kebabs and then went home and watched The Heartbreak Kid, the newer Ben Stiller – Farrelly Brothers movie.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRROVcJvMDUQvoN99QhjTXgFTTn2vyQ1lXvec8tP8aJaVLuL3An3W4nDbwXQPwbsGhlewE-nzq6ukKrMtwArwA87wA0ppjwkgtQqmtkH7mdRBlqb1BlsYeD5C1Yl-m3K-_rUVTfqa0yB8/s1600-h/IMGP8009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRROVcJvMDUQvoN99QhjTXgFTTn2vyQ1lXvec8tP8aJaVLuL3An3W4nDbwXQPwbsGhlewE-nzq6ukKrMtwArwA87wA0ppjwkgtQqmtkH7mdRBlqb1BlsYeD5C1Yl-m3K-_rUVTfqa0yB8/s320/IMGP8009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155823803691266018" border="0" /></a>On Thursday we went to <st1:city><st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city>!<span style=""> </span>It’s less than an hour train-ride from <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>When we got there Håkan took me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-geycZ1sFGU-rNbYxbR2QnykC0XH-l8frWNxnOMbA8kcd3HhjKQxpQZZhYhNQNeQajrxC8iyW21viw_qWv7kzGXxzbh6Ef61nrgc15Ge9zsXSbnZ_6Cam4HoztdjjFcOVd8SjjuOyR8/s1600-h/Stockholm(1).jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-geycZ1sFGU-rNbYxbR2QnykC0XH-l8frWNxnOMbA8kcd3HhjKQxpQZZhYhNQNeQajrxC8iyW21viw_qWv7kzGXxzbh6Ef61nrgc15Ge9zsXSbnZ_6Cam4HoztdjjFcOVd8SjjuOyR8/s320/Stockholm(1).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155830108703256642" border="0" /></a> to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Medieval</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>, so I got to see what <st1:city><st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city> was like hundreds of years ago. <span style=""> </span>We walked through Gamla Stan – old town <st1:city><st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city>, past Storkyrkan (the oldest Church in the old town - it dates back to the 12-1300s - that's old), and past the palace.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOgI3_-AtUR6IZ2psCRV6B2-xwUYkSzkIyx-zRKqPJgExb0nfUGWRQVCxdtixdVGdoxpxo2moAvw-euC0jtXZ3vrU3HjIm-6n_n3VRqRYp3nd1katmTTdyA1lUEQ5PEpRkSmJbBWjOxI/s1600-h/IMGP8018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOgI3_-AtUR6IZ2psCRV6B2-xwUYkSzkIyx-zRKqPJgExb0nfUGWRQVCxdtixdVGdoxpxo2moAvw-euC0jtXZ3vrU3HjIm-6n_n3VRqRYp3nd1katmTTdyA1lUEQ5PEpRkSmJbBWjOxI/s200/IMGP8018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155824246072897522" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city> is really cool in that it is built on several islands.<span style=""> </span>So there are bridges and boats everywhere.<span style=""> </span>The p<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTOhyscYT3DSmGgt4qvM0mTCgJdk9eaz8l_EEQKR8U-5jlaB2ebx67jX8QBPHZmqcF-k18cl3if089oqpd9PwuVzV15PjSpgXHfIv8jlBsQtcibN9tb83MlCVmdv9A6FgcfQuOzMsTSk/s1600-h/IMGP8022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTOhyscYT3DSmGgt4qvM0mTCgJdk9eaz8l_EEQKR8U-5jlaB2ebx67jX8QBPHZmqcF-k18cl3if089oqpd9PwuVzV15PjSpgXHfIv8jlBsQtcibN9tb83MlCVmdv9A6FgcfQuOzMsTSk/s200/IMGP8022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155824546720608258" border="0" /></a>ictures I’ve seen from summertime look pretty spectacular.<span style=""> </span>We ducked into some of the nicer shopping areas to get out of the rain and everything was decorated for the holidays – I love that!<span style=""> </span>We used our shoes to skate around an ice rink, passed the statue of Charles XII pointing east (towards <st1:country-region><st1:place>Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region> - watch out), and went to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Royal</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Armory</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Despite not being able to read most of the captions in the museum, there were still some very interesting things to look at – lots of weapons/swords, armor, fancy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BomCjiGRCs7-l0IZnc05kS5YjJmHfh4KXhlV_DU2a4kRj09mC3TRRbwLpJBqL9Rk9FUVItaAJfzCS7lg3iDVysK2Xs8EQe6bXZ33ql64EsjHR6eqqQceEytOt4yE73da0PyGt-v5R0o/s1600-h/IMGP8023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BomCjiGRCs7-l0IZnc05kS5YjJmHfh4KXhlV_DU2a4kRj09mC3TRRbwLpJBqL9Rk9FUVItaAJfzCS7lg3iDVysK2Xs8EQe6bXZ33ql64EsjHR6eqqQceEytOt4yE73da0PyGt-v5R0o/s200/IMGP8023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155825414304002066" border="0" /></a> clothing, and carriages.<span style=""> </span>By the time we left the museum it was dark already.<span style=""> </span>We walked through a few more stores and then caught the train <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_xXpKPLZdqx5rvzbFld1bXUdHiFUIwbEE8HKQBj0fSd-YMLA4MOvZ64b-8ZF9W3QuY3eUTHyNlPsknNzYO2n2JmH0tIwCQ4tlXEg500rKU4a5Ajx0Ej9ATydbRHVdl3LyXT9nWE1Xlc/s1600-h/IMGP8035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_xXpKPLZdqx5rvzbFld1bXUdHiFUIwbEE8HKQBj0fSd-YMLA4MOvZ64b-8ZF9W3QuY3eUTHyNlPsknNzYO2n2JmH0tIwCQ4tlXEg500rKU4a5Ajx0Ej9ATydbRHVdl3LyXT9nWE1Xlc/s320/IMGP8035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155825805146026018" border="0" /></a>back to <st1:city><st1:place>Uppsala</st1:place></st1:city> for dinner at one of the Nations.<span style=""> </span>I tried the famed pea soup and liked it (Håkan does not), punsch, and waffles with jam and cream.<span style=""> </span>The best part was that I got to meet a lot of his friends and hall mates. All of whom I really liked.<span style=""> </span>We made plans to meet up with everyone later as they visited each of the Nations.<span style=""> </span>It was a fun night! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>After a late night I slept in and watched Pirates of the Caribbean III – I hadn’t seen it yet!<span style=""> </span>I think my first time outside was when we went to Håkan’s parent’s house for dinner.<span style=""> </span>The food and drinks were great and it was so nice to get to know everyone.<span style=""> </span>Håkan’s nieces were there and we were able to communicate a little better than we had the first time we met – they even taught me to count to 24 in Swedish on their Advent calendars! Unfortunately, have now forgotten. I tried a bunch of different drinks – Glögg (this time with nuts and raisins), wine, beer, and two different kinds of schnapps.<span style=""> </span>It would probably take me a little bit to get used to drinking schnapps.<span style=""> </span>I loved the food!<span style=""> </span>We had fish, dumplings, meatballs, and of course, the lasagna that Håkan made in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> (my favorite!).<span style=""> </span>After dinner Tilde, Elvira and I played a game of memory and they beat me by a landslide.<span style=""> </span>Tell your parents thanks again for me, Håkan!<span style=""> </span>I had a great time. We had to make it back to Håkan’s by 7 because he had invited a bunch of friends over for a party.<span style=""> </span>We waited for everyone to get there, tried the assortment of beers we had picked out, and went out to the Nations again.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eGtAZV2V6qMaUkbIbP8-PBEt5R7f9VrsNBRkSE8LdQErxayLbuWQ7VRWLX-mxhJPliCxHn7U5H6FIfEhFxaFgZSgC-wtEyJ3uxvqvRbqwHsDL305jThFJHOcVF0CvIRaqi33gJDUDUE/s1600-h/IMGP8072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eGtAZV2V6qMaUkbIbP8-PBEt5R7f9VrsNBRkSE8LdQErxayLbuWQ7VRWLX-mxhJPliCxHn7U5H6FIfEhFxaFgZSgC-wtEyJ3uxvqvRbqwHsDL305jThFJHOcVF0CvIRaqi33gJDUDUE/s320/IMGP8072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155831745085796434" border="0" /></a>On Saturday we had Fika – the Swedish, one-word term for going out for a coffee/tea/snack/etc.<span style=""> </span>I still am not sure how to use the word in a sentence.<span style=""> </span>We hung out drinking coffee/tea and talking for a while before heading back to Håkan’s.<span style=""> </span>For dinner we ordered pizza with Christian and Annie, watched a movie, and then met Johan at one of the Nations for a concert.<span style=""> </span>I was fully expecting the music to be in Swedish, but since I don’t normally listen to song lyrics anyways I didn’t think it would matter.<span style=""> </span>But to my surprise all of the songs were in English – the band just spoke Swedish in between.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Sunday was a lazy day, too.<span style=""> </span>It was also my last day in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Sweden</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>We woke up and watched a string of Scrubs episodes.<span style=""> </span>We left the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bRRwLGCNYlPSOGHFqLv0Tb-S_1n74e7sEeRE6AY3KiQPsapmIjRjOx94iz4TXHpLpV9ZxlLyFuIYsiz0Qb2q_rJtHB2Tg86CeVTbDvP9YLT-Wr2YXFCGRZY6DDb5SR-hyJVjM1sznL8/s1600-h/Carl+Von+Linn%C3%A9+House.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bRRwLGCNYlPSOGHFqLv0Tb-S_1n74e7sEeRE6AY3KiQPsapmIjRjOx94iz4TXHpLpV9ZxlLyFuIYsiz0Qb2q_rJtHB2Tg86CeVTbDvP9YLT-Wr2YXFCGRZY6DDb5SR-hyJVjM1sznL8/s200/Carl+Von+Linn%C3%A9+House.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155833896864411762" border="0" /></a>apartment a little earlier than needed so that we could walk through<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvpVFV0DL5gQrk8OzzphwmSaP4pgeOeGL17LATC_cJUUmplW8r8zczoGFdK2Hp07UiUmSpXuHPWXjawvUXtEv1GQZNYuNFvNPeoOzCzQSzI8rAPFtUQsgR0u5phPHZCxN2kFSKecPhtg/s1600-h/IMGP8074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvpVFV0DL5gQrk8OzzphwmSaP4pgeOeGL17LATC_cJUUmplW8r8zczoGFdK2Hp07UiUmSpXuHPWXjawvUXtEv1GQZNYuNFvNPeoOzCzQSzI8rAPFtUQsgR0u5phPHZCxN2kFSKecPhtg/s320/IMGP8074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155832990626312290" border="0" /></a> town and check out the festivities for First Advent. On the way we passed by Carl Linnaeus' house and it was open this time! Linnaeus was from Uppsala and did a lot of his work there - Sara, you would have liked it!! (For those who don't know, Linnaeus is know as the "Father of Taxonomy." He came up with the whole classification system we have for living organisms, which I have had to deal a lot with in classes.) I was pretty psyched. His is the yellow house - I got this picture from Hakan - I was there in winter. After Linnaeus' we kept walking and came across the Advent market and a children’s choir singing carols.<span style=""> </span>Then Håkan walked me over to the train station where I took the long trip home – train, bus, plane, and car back to Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-90705259843901042802007-12-23T06:07:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:18.278-08:00LondonI was looking for something to do with my free time in November and decided to go to <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> for a few days.<span style=""> </span>It’s not that far from Düsseldorf AND I got a flight for 20€.<span style=""> </span>Not bad.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fvMuacqZR-dD7fuUMLsmL0-rrKdJmCnd2f0Z3YrHbWQmmKlqUjR-QB68pEwA0REWCbSGtJFc8qymfkSOBWNEAImMi1i_21x_dw8xeh-udyexMlTS8FFercXimXGpVBBQDICA-1EHof8/s1600-h/ryanair.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fvMuacqZR-dD7fuUMLsmL0-rrKdJmCnd2f0Z3YrHbWQmmKlqUjR-QB68pEwA0REWCbSGtJFc8qymfkSOBWNEAImMi1i_21x_dw8xeh-udyexMlTS8FFercXimXGpVBBQDICA-1EHof8/s320/ryanair.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147171411684847074" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>RyanAir is the cheap way to fly around <st1:place>Europe</st1:place> as long as you are not bringing too much with you – if you carry on less than 10kg you don’t have to pay a baggage fee.<span style=""> </span>RyanAir also tends to fly out of smaller, more distant airports.<span style=""> </span>I made my flight out of the Düsseldorf-Weeze airport before checking to see exactly where it was.<span style=""> </span>When I finally checked its location I discovered that it was just over the border from The Netherlands and about one hour north of Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span>It seems a bit of a stretch to call it the Düsseldorf-Weeze airport, but then again, the flights are very cheap and there is no speed limit on most of the roads there. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> less than an hour after take-off.<span style=""> </span>I met an Argentinean guy in the non-EU passport line (which was nice and short - the line, not the guy) and spent the bus-ride into <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQt7Pr-3N5QtQkEb9mVYOb4loqP-vEdHtxCWyU1MVGpP2Pqwdxk0FW8n8z9UDPWGoYXFJb1wtwl5_TjGW76M_uR9JI2KBx97WwwJma9Maf8ZMHidmFTKl14yG88uSzqQWtbJ-jFig-LI/s1600-h/IMGP7954.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQt7Pr-3N5QtQkEb9mVYOb4loqP-vEdHtxCWyU1MVGpP2Pqwdxk0FW8n8z9UDPWGoYXFJb1wtwl5_TjGW76M_uR9JI2KBx97WwwJma9Maf8ZMHidmFTKl14yG88uSzqQWtbJ-jFig-LI/s320/IMGP7954.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147171970030595570" border="0" /></a><st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> learning about <st1:country-region><st1:place>Arge</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place>ntina</st1:place></st1:country-region> and sharing travel stories.<span style=""> </span>I now know the best way to drive from <st1:city><st1:place>Buenos Aires</st1:place></st1:city> to the beach without getting a speeding ticket (while disobeying the speed limit that is).<span style=""> </span>We’ll see if that ever comes in handy.<span style=""> </span>I got off the bus and walked a few blocks to my hostel.<span style=""> </span>I arrived at Palmer’s Lodge, which I had booked online a few days beforehand, and was pleasantly surprised.<span style=""> </span>It was an old Victorian mansion with very cozy rooms/beds and a welcoming reading room with a fire.<span style=""> </span>It had all of the things that you learn to appreciate in good hostels – a reading light for each bed, a place to lock up your bags, clean bathrooms and showers, free internet, free breakfast, etc.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I had made plans to meet up with the Argentinean in the city, so I figured out where the closest subway stop was and took off.<span style=""> </span>The London Underground is very easy to use, but not exactly cheap.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> as a whole, as I already<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58Y6V0sblS21u4JZRUhzpjHK72D3e76y4mmuLIBlc-7_Jb2bHPiDQ8T1rAeRNJI4cvN4SMtIp3NkYcmBnTFoM3k2o5SE0Y6SsITH7v_fA6yeG-171o81LPSQzGBLY2B8xc0AlZydUFs8/s1600-h/canada_money.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58Y6V0sblS21u4JZRUhzpjHK72D3e76y4mmuLIBlc-7_Jb2bHPiDQ8T1rAeRNJI4cvN4SMtIp3NkYcmBnTFoM3k2o5SE0Y6SsITH7v_fA6yeG-171o81LPSQzGBLY2B8xc0AlZydUFs8/s320/canada_money.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147173202686209554" border="0" /></a> knew, but was constantly reminded, is very expensive.<span style=""> </span>I spent more money traveling around on the Underground for four days than I spent to fly to <st1:country-region><st1:place>England</st1:place></st1:country-region> (the flight was cheap, but that still seems crazy).<span style=""> </span>It also doesn’t help that the American dollar is doing HORRIBLY right now.<span style=""> </span>FYI, the British Pound is currently worth $2.06, the Euro is worth $1.47, and even the Canadian Dollar is worth slightly more than $1.<span style=""> </span>It’s not a great time to be traveling elsewhere if you are trying to get your money’s worth.<span style=""> </span>I tried to save money by weaning myself down to one meal a day once I figured out how much money I was spending on food alone. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Anyway, back to Saturday night.<span style=""> </span>I took the Underground into <st1:place>Central London</st1:place>, which was only about three stops away.<span style=""> </span>I went to meet the Argentinean at his hostel, but he wasn’t <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhdjgbTMmg_1DQMwrNhbtbgUnoGHHEwDAgrLGVaolPR5dVjcmkYWWcobXIq2ejzhf3eC4Vam3cq5Ekp9DtGDd3ZORq_sl7AKQGt4ew_-qONIW4-l8IESehHat6EKGhw0YAgwzkmA1bb0/s1600-h/london_underground_logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhdjgbTMmg_1DQMwrNhbtbgUnoGHHEwDAgrLGVaolPR5dVjcmkYWWcobXIq2ejzhf3eC4Vam3cq5Ekp9DtGDd3ZORq_sl7AKQGt4ew_-qONIW4-l8IESehHat6EKGhw0YAgwzkmA1bb0/s320/london_underground_logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147172463951834626" border="0" /></a>there.<span style=""> </span>The hostel had been completely full, so he left a message to meet him elsewhere.<span style=""> </span>Haha, he had given me a hard time for booking my hostel ahead of time, but he was the one without a place to stay.<span style=""> </span>I like it when I’m right.<span style=""> </span>I never actually went to meet up with him, but I got to check out <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> and get my bearings while seeing the Saturday nightlife.<span style=""> </span>I finally decided to go back to the hostel and caught a night bus home.<span style=""> </span>I found a bus that went to Finchley, and my hostel was right off of the Finchley Road Underground Station.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, I did not know enough at the time, or have a map to show me, that Finchley and <st1:street><st1:address>Finchley Road</st1:address></st1:street> are not even remotely the same place.<span style=""> </span>So after a very long bus ride in the wrong direction, an unofficial tour of some of the <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> suburbs, and a bus transfer, I made it back to Palmer’s Lodge.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I let my self sleep in on Sunday due to the fact that I had gotten home much later than expected the night before.<span style=""> </span>If I had done a little research ahead of time I would have visited some of the many food and clothing markets <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> has to offer, as most are held in the second half of the week.<span style=""> </span>However, not knowing what I was doing, but at least in possession of a map this time, I headed back into the city to see the sights.<span style=""> </span>My first priority was lunch since I hadn’t really eaten dinner the night before or breakfast.<span style=""> </span>I went to Wagamama, a chain asian noodle restaurant, at Tim’s suggestion.<span style=""> </span>It was very good.<span style=""> </span>If they had one back in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> I would eat there every day.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards, I planned to go on a long walk starting on Oxford Street, going past Kensington Palace and Gardens, through to Buckingham Palace, and then onto the River Thames.<span style=""> </span>I got as far as <st1:street><st1:address>Oxford Street</st1:address></st1:street>.<span style=""> </span>I’m not much of a shopper, but there were a lot of shops on <st1:street><st1:address>Oxford Street</st1:address></st1:street>, and a lot of very cool ones.<span style=""> </span>As expensive as <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> is, you can still get clothes, and shoes especially, more cheaply there than you can in Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span>So I spent the afternoon walking through the shops, stopping to get a cup of tea, and avoiding the cold and rain outside.<span style=""> </span>I was so cold that I went into a Marks and Spencers and bought myself a scarf and gloves.<span style=""> </span>They helped a lot.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, about an hour after I bought them I looked down and saw I only had one glove on.<span style=""> </span>I have no idea where the other one went.<span style=""> </span>I was so mad that I had lost it so quickly that I refused to buy more gloves.<span style=""> </span>And since walking around with one glove on looks kinda stupid I took the one I had off and was cold again.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>As it started to get dark I walked up <st1:street><st1:address>Regent </st1:address></st1:street><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTLfCvB0PdkMlO2YqFxLMJNo354rnxmgTiGZpWWSqDCBlB9vSAI1GqOw5oVDcgzlzbYouRqOrTdaH6MWRTIIQtTrWWLQRPjtFhjd-l-nM3QsDbbgsVpwNHi5mvYl6morxPjED9w_FJO4/s1600-h/LondonRegentStreet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTLfCvB0PdkMlO2YqFxLMJNo354rnxmgTiGZpWWSqDCBlB9vSAI1GqOw5oVDcgzlzbYouRqOrTdaH6MWRTIIQtTrWWLQRPjtFhjd-l-nM3QsDbbgsVpwNHi5mvYl6morxPjED9w_FJO4/s320/LondonRegentStreet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147174057384701474" border="0" /></a><st1:street><st1:address>Street</st1:address></st1:street>, another shopping street.<span style=""> </span>Regent Street has a much more grand appearance than <st1:street><st1:address>Oxford St</st1:address></st1:street>.<span style=""> </span>All of the buildings are made of white stone and Christmas decorations were already going up.<span style=""> </span>I love big cities at Christmas time!<span style=""> </span>I made it <st1:street><st1:address>Leicester Square</st1:address></st1:street>, where many of <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>’s theaters and ticket vendors are located.<span style=""> </span>I got some info on all of the shows in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> and decided to get tickets to Wicked.<span style=""> </span>Since it was still cold and rainy and I felt like it was<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2A3QkAgd3d8DiYeC7vdFx4DY4w86nCPdF82QId_oKq1hkCEKP7SZNSE1kBbkHaFejN5iRfsGBfrxBjbGw0jZHcrf4qVJP5THsJSRxfdLLEG4Zg3FRNA1Z6oRjikyPNgTiboAnSBOZdSw/s1600-h/american+gangster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2A3QkAgd3d8DiYeC7vdFx4DY4w86nCPdF82QId_oKq1hkCEKP7SZNSE1kBbkHaFejN5iRfsGBfrxBjbGw0jZHcrf4qVJP5THsJSRxfdLLEG4Zg3FRNA1Z6oRjikyPNgTiboAnSBOZdSw/s200/american+gangster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147175015162408514" border="0" /></a> still a bit too early to go back to the hostel for the night I bought tickets to see American Gangster, the Denzel Washington movie.<span style=""> </span>I had an 1 ½ to kill before it started, so I hunkered down to read in a Starbucks for a while, and got dinner and a bubble tea in Chinatown.<span style=""> </span>I went to the movie, which was in the nicest and biggest theater I have ever been in.<span style=""> </span>The movie was good, but I’m not sure it was worth the most expensive movie ticket I have ever bought - 13£, which equates to almost $30 American!<span style=""> </span>After the movie I was happy to go back to the hostel, change into dry clothes, and get into a warm bed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The next morning everyone in my room was woken up by someone yelling right outside our door, “Don’t touch my things.<span style=""> </span>It is private property!”<span style=""> </span>Blah, blah, blah.<span style=""> </span>What I could gather from the other girls in the room was that one of the girls who had been staying in the room for almost a month was a little off-her-rocker, possibly schizophrenic, and getting kicked out at last.<span style=""> </span>The police showed up and she made quite a scene.<span style=""> </span>Since I obviously wasn’t going to get any more sleep I went down to breakfast, then packed up <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcy0Snh0kl6tMycklFRvl14YHIqeuCWdCCjcOdkRSoOHXE1SC3md2A3UzXr-7HnpgFbw2zSozockNg0Lb_z5trdLeDUdyEXJlw-lruFrj0Fl4JUx-Z0xb8yFJI0nQ2SWu7-sjHafV6tLU/s1600-h/IMGP7932.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcy0Snh0kl6tMycklFRvl14YHIqeuCWdCCjcOdkRSoOHXE1SC3md2A3UzXr-7HnpgFbw2zSozockNg0Lb_z5trdLeDUdyEXJlw-lruFrj0Fl4JUx-Z0xb8yFJI0nQ2SWu7-sjHafV6tLU/s320/IMGP7932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147175719537045074" border="0" /></a>my things and checked out.<span style=""> </span>I took the Underground to Hyde Park Corner station, where the FREE Royal Walking Tour began (it’s not really free though, because the guides only get paid through “tips”).<span style=""> </span>In true <st1:city><st1:place>Lond</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>on</st1:place></st1:city> style, it was raining/pouring, but I had an umbrella with me.<span style=""> </span>The tour wound up being one of the best things I did while in <st1:city><st1:place>Lo</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>ndon</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>The guide, Gregg, was from <st1:city><st1:place>Brisbane</st1:place></st1:city> (one of thousands of Aussies in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>), knew a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_42s-c9qHttpL3BnZx6isq6UtI5EkrnRHQACLF4Orl40r-cQE4BXnK1-UM6BFk7j8iMv-bUNLK9_EJfDQ8V2yvTXFy-UvJtXcvxJJ3fAWZWyOK0q1o1dmOQmrxMryGgGEFsJ0LkUts0/s1600-h/IMGP7933.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_42s-c9qHttpL3BnZx6isq6UtI5EkrnRHQACLF4Orl40r-cQE4BXnK1-UM6BFk7j8iMv-bUNLK9_EJfDQ8V2yvTXFy-UvJtXcvxJJ3fAWZWyOK0q1o1dmOQmrxMryGgGEFsJ0LkUts0/s200/IMGP7933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147176363782139490" border="0" /></a> lot about <st1:city><st1:place>Lond</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>on</st1:place></st1:city>, and was able to put a fun spin on everything he showed us.<span style=""> </span>As we waited for everyone to arrive a motorcade went by, with lots of police.<span style=""> </span>It was likely someone important, but we couldn’t tell <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzn-Q-zQYkVWGqyhecYyBj06NDXF02LJOHNU5_6W_Q6FLa56SExsFtwxND8Cp5dtEB989cfcP1kgL5AADhXUcZjW1PXx4touSSYMwT7hGti2pi-87eJd1JGxzg9devIqVcONwFhvO-HM/s1600-h/IMGP7936.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzn-Q-zQYkVWGqyhecYyBj06NDXF02LJOHNU5_6W_Q6FLa56SExsFtwxND8Cp5dtEB989cfcP1kgL5AADhXUcZjW1PXx4touSSYMwT7hGti2pi-87eJd1JGxzg9devIqVcONwFhvO-HM/s320/IMGP7936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147176728854359666" border="0" /></a>who.<span style=""> </span>We started the tour at Buckingham Palace, where the Changing of the Guard usually happens, but get this . . . it doesn’t happen when it rains, which gets me thinking, does it ever happen?<span style=""> </span>It probably would have bored me though, so I didn’t care.<span style=""> </span>When we arrived at the Palace Gregg pointed out that the flag was up, signaling that the Queen was in residence.<span style=""> </span>She hadn’t been there the day before, so it is very possible that the motorcade we had seen was the Queen on her way to the Palace.<span style=""> </span>Pretty cool.<span style=""> </span>We also got to see the Horse Guard, the official protectors of the Queen, parade by.<span style=""> </span>Then we moved on to the Princes’ Residence and got our pictures taken with members of the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyQDT3AfRNisBLu0Ozrkg15mcI1GLqFSa0Kqa8is-5197PEv5W84l5M9RbeNTTPduRaAJ8kCMQlvxKjdhOs4Goi5CgUxFGi0i0GWjehZm3LOnxGN4XSFInJIrqt2mFX5SDIfLGU5ikS4/s1600-h/IMGP7938.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyQDT3AfRNisBLu0Ozrkg15mcI1GLqFSa0Kqa8is-5197PEv5W84l5M9RbeNTTPduRaAJ8kCMQlvxKjdhOs4Goi5CgUxFGi0i0GWjehZm3LOnxGN4XSFInJIrqt2mFX5SDIfLGU5ikS4/s200/IMGP7938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147177257135337090" border="0" /></a> Royal Guard.<span style=""> </span>Next was Park Place – one of the most expensive neighborhoods in London, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, where Gregg mentioned that it looked like Fred Claus was going to premier that night, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYlKy5y61u8w7rDyzvXamW4QC8UfZz0PQLb1qRTSxWcr7NEF5-h5lzM7zGC_T_MpyGVZU1ImiDYScAAoNqUb1jV_X0snSlrK7uy2-A2XI0wVZ5QnGSH6e1zHt55riTvdZMoVt2oo4QNI/s1600-h/IMGP7939.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYlKy5y61u8w7rDyzvXamW4QC8UfZz0PQLb1qRTSxWcr7NEF5-h5lzM7zGC_T_MpyGVZU1ImiDYScAAoNqUb1jV_X0snSlrK7uy2-A2XI0wVZ5QnGSH6e1zHt55riTvdZMoVt2oo4QNI/s200/IMGP7939.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147179615072382610" border="0" /></a>Diagon Alley – or at least where they shot some of the scenes in Harry Potter, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square – where you are supposed to see someone you know if you stand there for over 10 minutes, the National Gallery, Whitehall – the British White House, 10 Downing St. – the residence of the Prime Minister, and Churchill’s War Cabinet Bunker, where Gregg retold some of Churchill’s funnier quotes:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOu38c2pBsqNhIQcq6U38gY_1hBFFuCxG-7dtgmSLzziWaxm9S0RcYsQqZsGvEvn7J2nJt3Iy2mb9yY9YwwV3f4CWzWPBkXFE9c-l5nBdjXPD4jqfMm9BQ49E-Bl0gFhFew24zOpF4_04/s1600-h/IMGP7940.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOu38c2pBsqNhIQcq6U38gY_1hBFFuCxG-7dtgmSLzziWaxm9S0RcYsQqZsGvEvn7J2nJt3Iy2mb9yY9YwwV3f4CWzWPBkXFE9c-l5nBdjXPD4jqfMm9BQ49E-Bl0gFhFew24zOpF4_04/s320/IMGP7940.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147180066043948706" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>JOKE #1: Secretary: “Mr. Churchill, you’re drunk.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Churchill: “Yes, my dear, but you are ugly and tomorrow I will be sober.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>JOKE #2: Secretary: “Mr. Churchill, if I was your wife I would poison your tea.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Churchill:<span style=""> </span>“Ms. Jane, if I was your husband, I would drink it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohy1EfXAQtRwF0MUsoHmNGVD9GnsgHL9k9_jK6IFW8yYuU2WKlZmTYqu2UADa9qf-NByObeubUpeC0swag3UrUVL4Gl9vHrDoSx82SRbaF3pEHmbcS8AEybFrwwXquoMYK90Hc-Z6-RY/s1600-h/IMGP7942.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohy1EfXAQtRwF0MUsoHmNGVD9GnsgHL9k9_jK6IFW8yYuU2WKlZmTYqu2UADa9qf-NByObeubUpeC0swag3UrUVL4Gl9vHrDoSx82SRbaF3pEHmbcS8AEybFrwwXquoMYK90Hc-Z6-RY/s320/IMGP7942.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147180572850089650" border="0" /></a>We ended the tour with St. Stephen’s Tower, which contains Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.<span style=""> </span>The bells at Westminster Abbey were clinging non-stop and we later figured out that it was for the Queen’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary, which explains why all the flags were up at the Royal Residences – everyone was in town for it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I grabbed lunch at Tesco, at Gregg’s suggestion, since it is the cheapest way to go in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It’s a convenient store with a lot of takeaway food.<span style=""> </span>I got pasta for 1£, which is a very good price.<span style=""> </span>I ate and walked over to the <st1:place>Thames</st1:place>,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE7m2sXYxSPWn1AHGROxFtNNGnQKx606UZeoInCuHXFgCBXXCI3lCMS6HQri6-fsBvpuTfFpSl06vxIpQKsEDoqNvPIlwCs6UYxkvxOYEoeqF4V4huciB_5CwFvgBsbb_szMef80Crmk/s1600-h/IMGP7946.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE7m2sXYxSPWn1AHGROxFtNNGnQKx606UZeoInCuHXFgCBXXCI3lCMS6HQri6-fsBvpuTfFpSl06vxIpQKsEDoqNvPIlwCs6UYxkvxOYEoeqF4V4huciB_5CwFvgBsbb_szMef80Crmk/s320/IMGP7946.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147181148375707330" border="0" /></a> which I was seeing for the first time – it took me almost 48 hours in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> to actually see the river!<span style=""> </span>The London Eye, the huge observation wheel (not ferris wheel, if you say that they get pissed), was going.<span style=""> </span>The Eye was constructed as one of three projects for the Millennium and was supposed to be temporary.<span style=""> </span>But people liked it and it brought in so much money (50,000£/day in the summer) that it’s<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKp3xEmvSZUAJ8CMi9xx0kHKdXnzg8si2aCsE6nrggKRL3VwGrb7L6Omei6GxcfJ10mQwFdDoykx3DiuBQpuQSfL6SrSKLCpwFJNvR28cKFNX4V0wFdjWx4sawjrQsye7rCQmoEi0Z0U/s1600-h/IMGP7950.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKp3xEmvSZUAJ8CMi9xx0kHKdXnzg8si2aCsE6nrggKRL3VwGrb7L6Omei6GxcfJ10mQwFdDoykx3DiuBQpuQSfL6SrSKLCpwFJNvR28cKFNX4V0wFdjWx4sawjrQsye7rCQmoEi0Z0U/s320/IMGP7950.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147181625117077202" border="0" /></a> there for good.<span style=""> </span>Kinda like the <st1:place><st1:placename>Eiffel</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placename></st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>During the tour someone had mentioned something about there actually being a Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station (Harry Potter fans will know what I am talking about), so I went to check it out.<span style=""> </span>Then I had to scoot back to my hostel to pick up my bags because I had booked a second, cheaper hostel for my last two nights in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It turns out that that was a very good idea, because the power was out at Palmer’s Lodge when I went to retrieve my bags.<span style=""> </span>I took the Underground to the Docklands Lightrail and caught a train out to <st1:place><st1:placename>Dep</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placename>tford</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>, which is two stops away from <st1:city><st1:place>Greenwich</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I was quite a ways from the city center, but paying only £6.50/night, which is pretty much unheard of in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I walked into the reception/bar at the new hostel and the only customers were old Rastafarian guys in a very heated discussion.<span style=""> </span>I got up to my room and met the roommates – all very cool people.<span style=""> </span>There was a French girl who had been at the hostel for almost a month while trying to get a job and an apartment set up.<span style=""> </span>She had decided that <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> was the place to be and just picked up and went.<span style=""> </span>There were several Aussies, some who had been traveling the world for almost a year, and we all shared travel stories.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I quickly had to change and make the trek back into the city for dinner before Wicked.<span style=""> </span>I made a point to walk through <st1:street><st1:address>Leicester Square</st1:address></st1:street>, just in <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpJ38XIyZa8OYLesme6Y71B4ggJF2qWK4DNIEhd2Yym5TidDMxAltc-Cqv8GDvlCl5eWmQcSePfjGBbM2Quhda0e0gZq3wsa_hxJX3-uQZYiUdwXVJT9nHKcGlAsnMY29aWbxrH4P1vY/s1600-h/IMGP7958.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpJ38XIyZa8OYLesme6Y71B4ggJF2qWK4DNIEhd2Yym5TidDMxAltc-Cqv8GDvlCl5eWmQcSePfjGBbM2Quhda0e0gZq3wsa_hxJX3-uQZYiUdwXVJT9nHKcGlAsnMY29aWbxrH4P1vY/s320/IMGP7958.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147182797643149042" border="0" /></a>case the Fred Claus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZ5vGjSPRzjUFnp8u-5EQe8A_0womNopDe8wKwTRGd0fef8dnAVFt7M95FVgLwj6gTC7sA6zM_1HatdVENCqEedc5RxkdiILSxO0dMk-oa2UTVoae7kYbneUg5pEMJHVWNZZQeDtnfNs/s1600-h/Vince.Vaughn.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZ5vGjSPRzjUFnp8u-5EQe8A_0womNopDe8wKwTRGd0fef8dnAVFt7M95FVgLwj6gTC7sA6zM_1HatdVENCqEedc5RxkdiILSxO0dMk-oa2UTVoae7kYbneUg5pEMJHVWNZZQeDtnfNs/s200/Vince.Vaughn.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147182033138970338" border="0" /></a> premier actually was happening.<span style=""> </span>And it was!!<span style=""> </span>I picked the perfect time to walk by because Vince Vaughn had just arrived on the red carpet.<span style=""> </span>It was my first famous-person sighting, so I was pretty excited.<span style=""> </span>Not to mention that <st1:street><st1:address>Leice</st1:address></st1:street><st1:street><st1:address>ster Square</st1:address></st1:street> was completely decked out with decorations, enormous TV’s, and fake snow machines blowing soap/foam into the air.<span style=""> </span>It<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_rNDUBjSkgfTtlGGmGuKpg_uJluQ-s6a3aMiYoeveIOU2tmyjEedPDjDsjPqIL2AwDZg9VtVYISXhvCE7GxunGBNzS_GJioK9bZnH1rmSbn1Lwin27JVJk7-C4tCZ9AHBN4cpOEhGi8/s1600-h/wicked.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_rNDUBjSkgfTtlGGmGuKpg_uJluQ-s6a3aMiYoeveIOU2tmyjEedPDjDsjPqIL2AwDZg9VtVYISXhvCE7GxunGBNzS_GJioK9bZnH1rmSbn1Lwin27JVJk7-C4tCZ9AHBN4cpOEhGi8/s320/wicked.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147183265794584322" border="0" /></a> was cool!<span style=""> </span>I quickly ran over to <st1:place>Chinatown</st1:place> to grab some dumplings and tea and then caught the Underground to Victoria Station.<span style=""> </span>I made it to the theater just in time and had pretty good seats, second row up in the balcony.<span style=""> </span>For those of you who don’t know, <i style="">Wicked</i> is the untold story of the friendship between Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West (from the Wizard of Oz), and is based on a book.<span style=""> </span>It turns the classic story of the Wizard of Oz inside out, but still manages to get you to like it.<span style=""> </span>The show was very good!!<span style=""> </span>After the show I went to the River Thames and saw the <st1:place><st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> and nearby sights at night.<span style=""> </span>Then I had to catch a train back to <st1:place><st1:placename>Deptford</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> before they all shut down for the night.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning I woke up early because I wanted to catch a tour of the Old City of London, which started at <st1:time minute="0" hour="10">10AM</st1:time>.<span style=""> </span>And guess <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzelNOOmK4prwExO-jRSAEmNKOjsWapu1anqOPRCow17olmm0HDUQhABIEhVXSn9abbdrnvjbsxX0Wn_n5Zuvmtfz9-2sZZrhDJYF7702_uzoz2cV8gwQFa-dNSdOOy21Cq-5t_9WzPw/s1600-h/IMGP7975.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzelNOOmK4prwExO-jRSAEmNKOjsWapu1anqOPRCow17olmm0HDUQhABIEhVXSn9abbdrnvjbsxX0Wn_n5Zuvmtfz9-2sZZrhDJYF7702_uzoz2cV8gwQFa-dNSdOOy21Cq-5t_9WzPw/s320/IMGP7975.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147184184917585682" border="0" /></a>who the tour guide was?<span style=""> </span>Gregg again, which was cool, but a lot of the jokes weren’t as funny the second time around.<span style=""> </span>And I ran into the first Americans I had seen the whole time on the tour.<span style=""> </span>They were a bit annoying.<span style=""> </span>It may seem silly that I would be going on another tour of <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>, but there is so much to see in this city that even two tours aren’t enough.<span style=""> </span>We started out at the <st1:place><st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>London</st1:placename></st1:place> and <st1:place><st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>, and saw The Monument to the Great Fire of London (1666), which you can climb and get a certificate for, but make sure you get all the way to the top.<span style=""> </span>They have hired someone whose sole<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rP4GlKxeT6-lV7e9Qqk9ET8Hu0fPbYuBwHj61d9qOlpqKnwzxN_hBQFxkeZNPofwRom_68C9X4dMIzVJa45Hb0aUjgvWsCdcn5PlluKGQV3otPgY-mC3H4AV7_K-3mwLVVymJOaWALY/s1600-h/IMGP7977.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rP4GlKxeT6-lV7e9Qqk9ET8Hu0fPbYuBwHj61d9qOlpqKnwzxN_hBQFxkeZNPofwRom_68C9X4dMIzVJa45Hb0aUjgvWsCdcn5PlluKGQV3otPgY-mC3H4AV7_K-3mwLVVymJOaWALY/s320/IMGP7977.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147184756148236066" border="0" /></a> job is to give certificates to those who have climbed ALL the way to the top.<span style=""> </span>Gregg learned that the hard way. <span style=""> </span>We also saw the Royal Exchange,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS_xl2M7Zmaa8ANQtKTvq47EIEcvplIHYJe_82e2jW-8ZNvpzc4iNLOVG3XN5gx0aRF1h2pBjdjO4cF32ez_mlkdHfkBrs57pjpkZDNKC-Fg-r9_7ft4zpSgcsRHJlVrel9axTndCAj8/s1600-h/IMGP7981.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS_xl2M7Zmaa8ANQtKTvq47EIEcvplIHYJe_82e2jW-8ZNvpzc4iNLOVG3XN5gx0aRF1h2pBjdjO4cF32ez_mlkdHfkBrs57pjpkZDNKC-Fg-r9_7ft4zpSgcsRHJlVrel9axTndCAj8/s320/IMGP7981.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147185434753068850" border="0" /></a> The Bank of England, and <st1:city><st1:place>St. Paul</st1:place></st1:city>’s Cathedral, which was used as a mark by the Nazis to bomb <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> – the only reason it survived the war.<span style=""> </span>We also saw the Millennium <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype>, the HMS Belfast, the Tate Modern art museum, the Globe Theatre, the Church of the Knight Templar (Da Vinci Code fans!), and the real London Bridge.<span style=""> </span>Many people get <st1:place><st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype></st1:placetype></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> and <st1:place><st1:placename>London</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> confused.<span style=""> </span>The pretty one with the towers is <st1:place><st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span><st1:place><st1:placename>London</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> is one of the ugliest and most nondescript <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpse82s1AI3l4cc3lhPUiTyEOwTTom7j3olfJWHUAPkYtk04W99DlIYkM7fE05cjIp6PdAVn3cQotG6LueYxP3RYunmf4mks2adCC1qeroweD667xSQjFtG92Iro9RaPZ4sCkBiHzQhZ4/s1600-h/London_Bridge_Lake_Havasu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpse82s1AI3l4cc3lhPUiTyEOwTTom7j3olfJWHUAPkYtk04W99DlIYkM7fE05cjIp6PdAVn3cQotG6LueYxP3RYunmf4mks2adCC1qeroweD667xSQjFtG92Iro9RaPZ4sCkBiHzQhZ4/s320/London_Bridge_Lake_Havasu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147186998121164610" border="0" /></a>bridges you’ll ever see.<span style=""> </span>What’s funny is that when it had to be replaced years ago, the old bridge was put up for sale.<span style=""> </span>An American bought it, paid to have it dismantled, shipped, and reconstructed in the middle of the desert in <st1:state><st1:place>Arizona (what is in the picture)</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style=""> </span>It is now the second most-visited site in all of <st1:state><st1:place>Arizona</st1:place></st1:state> after the <st1:place>Grand Canyon</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Even funnier, after it was reconstructed the purchaser asked where the rest of it was (meaning the towers).<span style=""> </span>When he was told that that was all of it and that the <st1:place><st1:placetype>Tower</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> was still in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> he said, “Oh yah, I don’t know what I was saying.<span style=""> </span>I knew that.”<span style=""> </span>He has never admitted to thinking he bought the <st1:place><st1:placetype>T</st1:placetype></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placetype>ower</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>We ended the tour in <st1:place>Covent Garden</st1:place>, where Gregg told us the story of Sweeney Todd, the greatest serial killer in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> history.<span style=""> </span>Greatest in that he had the most victims (over one hundred!), even more famous in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> than Jack the Ripper.<span style=""> </span>Sweeney Todd had a barber shop with a trick chair which would drop the customer into the basement when it was tilted back.<span style=""> </span>Once in the basement, if not killed by the fall, the victim was killed and skinned by Sweeney Todd.<span style=""> </span>The meat was given over to a local pasty (meat pie) shop that had the tastiest and sweetest pasties in town!<span style=""> </span>Ick!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Right after hearing the legend of Sweeney Todd I decided I was hungry and had to get something quickly before I caught the Tube/bus to <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Despite the gross stories of huma<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6MnWY2SrwKdTN0BP0V4oDsdDMOAbfl5_We_TD_3AT0VtbqaH8AoiVgwLI_jMHx8ZlZlqpMUXbg4jCN7YYVEBBQYjcD4ez9Xn-MQfGvVlr570QRW-HblfhSDFgBQ4Bq6cKNnEewTUi9A/s1600-h/London.pasty.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6MnWY2SrwKdTN0BP0V4oDsdDMOAbfl5_We_TD_3AT0VtbqaH8AoiVgwLI_jMHx8ZlZlqpMUXbg4jCN7YYVEBBQYjcD4ez9Xn-MQfGvVlr570QRW-HblfhSDFgBQ4Bq6cKNnEewTUi9A/s200/London.pasty.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147187981668675410" border="0" /></a>n flesh pasties, I decided to get one (beef, not human, hopefully), and it was good.<span style=""> </span>The rest of the tour group was heading to the pub, but I wanted to make it to <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> before it got dark.<span style=""> </span>I caught the Tube, grabbed the front seat on the top of the double-decker bus, and watched as we drove through <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUGK-BFVLFCJD_RFs36g4DxViwey7VYo_79SODFSntJTuoSV3Yg5eBk5Vh2bc8QqVCxUvtBKqUJ-_AnUZ8e5zwcDLi78MAggsGjP8044QGP-7UUFXLDW9q4NJKCvK8yNtlZGs1mvhiSM/s1600-h/oxford.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUGK-BFVLFCJD_RFs36g4DxViwey7VYo_79SODFSntJTuoSV3Yg5eBk5Vh2bc8QqVCxUvtBKqUJ-_AnUZ8e5zwcDLi78MAggsGjP8044QGP-7UUFXLDW9q4NJKCvK8yNtlZGs1mvhiSM/s320/oxford.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147189145604812642" border="0" /></a>Kensington, Paddington, and Notting Hall, all very trendy parts of <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I was exhausted and fell asleep for most of the rest of the 2-hour ride there.<span style=""> </span>When I awoke it was almost like I was in a different world.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> is an amazingly beautiful city, mostly due to its architecture.<span style=""> </span>I felt like I had jumped into a storybook.<span style=""> </span>I had never seen pictures of <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> before, so had no idea what to expect, but it was filled with monumental,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU47sIL9rpAR1-K2zM2_3Y3PlRErpkqJ9bJ6mdB3Y5xlVVxnoQf6-jEqq0VyL4c7ljxwN4-tvkP65EqP8fRATeaySLYhBtxrEsfLgsNKB-kb-RO6z8uHDUBmWVTlCEZWOYJQuJZninhFY/s1600-h/IMGP7984.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU47sIL9rpAR1-K2zM2_3Y3PlRErpkqJ9bJ6mdB3Y5xlVVxnoQf6-jEqq0VyL4c7ljxwN4-tvkP65EqP8fRATeaySLYhBtxrEsfLgsNKB-kb-RO6z8uHDUBmWVTlCEZWOYJQuJZninhFY/s320/IMGP7984.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147189867159318386" border="0" /></a> old, ornate stone buildings and warm, inviting shop windows.<span style=""> </span>I left the bus at Gloucester Green and met my friend Anne, who I went to high school with, at a nearby coffee shop.<span style=""> </span>She is at <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> for a masters in biological conservation.<span style=""> </span>She took me on a walking tour of <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> and explained how the whole college system and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhS89eOywhpkV50RANFT1bqmr7SKP8wfGiDUBUMXLWdAtS8fZmZZ9oh3ZcGSUuZ227vNJk6KUTsCCfYtodFkR6MwsRmkMMAqUczj_SxSwYcuphARI73p71dSUEmB9ShxSXhlul8g5PI4/s1600-h/IMGP7982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhS89eOywhpkV50RANFT1bqmr7SKP8wfGiDUBUMXLWdAtS8fZmZZ9oh3ZcGSUuZ227vNJk6KUTsCCfYtodFkR6MwsRmkMMAqUczj_SxSwYcuphARI73p71dSUEmB9ShxSXhlul8g5PI4/s200/IMGP7982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147190605893693314" border="0" /></a>University works.<span style=""> </span>And by “college” I mean the group of people you are assigned to live, dine, and bond with during your time at the University.<span style=""> </span>Think of Harry Potter, or schools in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region><st1:place>Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> if you know how they work.<span style=""> </span>Speaking of Harry Potter, I hadn’t known before, but many of the scenes from the movies were filmed at <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Check out some of the pictures.<span style=""> </span>The people lucky enough to be assigned to <st1:place><st1:placename>Christ</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Church</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype></st1:place> get to eat in the Great Hall every night if they want to.<span style=""> </span>How cool is that?<span style=""> </span>We walked through some more of the larger colleges, all impressive in their own ways.<span style=""> </span>It seriously felt like I had stepped back in time.<span style=""> </span>After the tour we went to the Lamb and Flag (I think?) Pub, one of the famous, old, very English pubs in <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We talked to the friendly, old bartender who had just gotten back from a trip to NYC (very cheap now due to the lousy American dollar, but I’ve already done enough complaining about that).<span style=""> </span>Anne and I talked about traveling, high school memories, jobs/school, and sports.<span style=""> </span>Anne is playing on the Oxford University Lacrosse team and is on the novice rowing team.<span style=""> </span>Sound familiar?<span style=""> </span>Crew is a VERY big sport at <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Oh, and if there are any girls out there that play basketball, the <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city> women’s team needs players!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After the pub, we went back to Anne’s apartment, I met some of her roommates, and we changed into nicer clothes for dinner at <st1:place><st1:placename>Worcester</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Anne was able to get me a ticket through her roommates (thanks!) for the three-course meal in the dining hall at Worcester, not quite as fancy as the hall at Christ Church, but still very cool.<span style=""> </span>We had to wait for everyone to arrive, and for a master of ceremony to recite something in Latin before we sat down to dinner.<span style=""> </span>We had shrimp cocktail, vegetables, pasta, a meat dish, and a custard dessert, all for 5£.<span style=""> </span>Pretty good.<span style=""> </span>Things can get exceptionally fancy at <st1:city><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Worcester</st1:place></st1:city> has a ball once a year where the ticket, which doesn’t include dinner, is 160£!<span style=""> </span>After dinner we hung out at Anne’s apartment, had some tea, listed off all the people from high school that we now know are married!, and talked with her roommate from Northern Ireland.<span style=""> </span>Then I had to catch the tube back to <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>, which was a much shorter trip this time since it wasn’t rush hour, and then take a string of trains to get back to <st1:place><st1:placename>Deptford</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I let myself sleep in a little bit on Wednesday.<span style=""> </span>I had been trying to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdCi-QTvV1z6bjxIbuA-QO8H6j0uLh5uGJq-vFUcgWTQ9PyCg_rXoRSl8v520puDJ_HL5eC4R2L6sDN3rEOdv5P3C0S_sOF1fanonMTKYa9jJmPQG5nTjAolTmg_KNzgcEishHgqGloc/s1600-h/IMGP7989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdCi-QTvV1z6bjxIbuA-QO8H6j0uLh5uGJq-vFUcgWTQ9PyCg_rXoRSl8v520puDJ_HL5eC4R2L6sDN3rEOdv5P3C0S_sOF1fanonMTKYa9jJmPQG5nTjAolTmg_KNzgcEishHgqGloc/s200/IMGP7989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147192465614532514" border="0" /></a> do so much that I hadn’t realized how tired I was.<span style=""> </span>And by this time I also realized that there is way too much to do in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>!<span style=""> </span>Or at least 4 days isn’t nearly enough to do it all.<span style=""> </span>I packed up my things and took the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmC7Ww-CnmhXu2tINix-oCWsbij6Q6nhFYeM3fOIOSNxlNt-kwHqFlDuSpdfBD3EamxFGus2YCov7szUPkTKIxKeh4O2KBb1feefeSBUE83Yhhrhn55ECB9_E04_jbWA-UwaBSzKozGeo/s1600-h/IMGP7988.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmC7Ww-CnmhXu2tINix-oCWsbij6Q6nhFYeM3fOIOSNxlNt-kwHqFlDuSpdfBD3EamxFGus2YCov7szUPkTKIxKeh4O2KBb1feefeSBUE83Yhhrhn55ECB9_E04_jbWA-UwaBSzKozGeo/s320/IMGP7988.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147191640980811666" border="0" /></a>train over to <st1:city><st1:place>Greenwich</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I was psyched to be at the Prime Meridian and to see the cute town of <st1:city><st1:place>Greenwich</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, the markets weren’t open, but it looked like it would be a really vibrant place when the markets are going on the weekend.<span style=""> </span>I took a walk along the <st1:place>Thames</st1:place> and through the <st1:place><st1:placename>Old</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Royal</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Naval</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place>, which looked a LOT like <st1:city><st1:place>Annapolis</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>My walk through <st1:city><st1:place>Greenwich</st1:place></st1:city> got old pretty quickly because I was carrying my bag with me, which was mysteriously getting heavier by the minute, or so it seemed.<span style=""> </span>So I hopped on the train and headed for the <st1:street><st1:address>Brick Lane</st1:address></st1:street>, a street in the Indian part of town that is lined with curry shops.<span style=""> </span>There was no way I was leaving <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> without getting the number one most-ordered dish in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> . . . chicken tikka masala, which is also one of my personal favorites.<span style=""> </span>I had lunch, had hoped I would have more time for sight-seeing, but unfortunately had to head back to the airport.<span style=""> </span>It was a good couple of days and I will be heading back to <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> whenever I get the chance! <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-5867689687423025312007-11-08T15:28:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:20.430-08:00Athens and THE MarathonOn Halloween I flew down to <st1:place><st1:city>Athens</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Greece</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>For the past four months or so I have been training for the Athens Classic Marathon – the original marathon.<span style=""> </span>This year it was run on November 4, so I went to <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> a little early to get<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip12-dRFFg5RbYygwFo5FpbQMbHM62UXGLTVlCRW9fRgUEOzt5uKYDhu7nWnLRPKI-H5kScVXkV_bAXhg0h6SnDsvEFUNiWx9eQ4XcyjchjQPlD7yvJx4M9PQdJyrmVhN_aN6H_wmXxBM/s1600-h/IMGP7905.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip12-dRFFg5RbYygwFo5FpbQMbHM62UXGLTVlCRW9fRgUEOzt5uKYDhu7nWnLRPKI-H5kScVXkV_bAXhg0h6SnDsvEFUNiWx9eQ4XcyjchjQPlD7yvJx4M9PQdJyrmVhN_aN6H_wmXxBM/s200/IMGP7905.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130620235665577154" border="0" /></a> adjusted to the city and to see some sites.<span style=""> </span>I arrived to discover I had done an excellent job of picking a hostel via the internet.<span style=""> </span>I was right on the edge of the Plaka, the old, gorgeous, and most well-kept area of <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It is at the foot of the Acropolis and filled with great restaurants and interesting <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMPEimwMcToik2FnPidfZh9-t7RSI6vznTsD3k1qrXmU5mJkEVXu6gmjsfdgDgoTpTyTPIS8ZLiVOSi3D6jKC9wa4Mtb3r4J2s2dNWLUGqZFNMHJtII9iPL7YTMwaHH6Y51aXpIOC3Fc/s1600-h/IMGP7919.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMPEimwMcToik2FnPidfZh9-t7RSI6vznTsD3k1qrXmU5mJkEVXu6gmjsfdgDgoTpTyTPIS8ZLiVOSi3D6jKC9wa4Mtb3r4J2s2dNWLUGqZFNMHJtII9iPL7YTMwaHH6Y51aXpIOC3Fc/s320/IMGP7919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130621111838905554" border="0" /></a>shops.<span style=""> </span>It also turned out that my only roommate in the hostel was from Brisbane (Northside – Mitchelton, to be exact), so we had a lot to talk about.<span style=""> </span>Her name was Rae and she has been traveling the world solo for 8 months (through both <st1:country-region><st1:place>Americas</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>, and then onto <st1:place>Africa</st1:place>).<span style=""> </span>When we met she had just returned from the <st1:place><st1:placename>Greek</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Islands</st1:placetype></st1:place>, which sounded very cool - another place I have to add to my list.<span style=""> </span>Luckily she had previously spent a few days in <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city>, so she had tips for restaurants and things to do.<span style=""> </span>I went for one of my few remaining training runs through the National Garden, which was filled with fountains and statues, and old men playing chess, past the Parliament Building and the Temple of Zeus, and up towards the Acropolis.<span style=""> </span>I watched the sun set over <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> and then returned to the hostel.<span style=""> </span>Rae was gone but left me directions to where all the restaurants were.<span style=""> </span>I wound up going to “God’s Restaurant” – it couldn’t possibly be bad, right?<span style=""> </span>It actually wasn’t – it had lots of good home-style Greek food, like moussaka, souvlaki, lamb, stuffed peppers, feta cheese, cheese saganaki, Greek salads and OLIVES, baklava, etc.<span style=""> </span>I had the moussaka, a glass of Mythos beer, and watched a Greek soccer game on TV.<span style=""> </span>I even got free dessert because I was eating alone, although I’m still not sure what it actually was.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After dinner I met Rae at another hostel that had a bit more going on.<span style=""> </span>She knew a bunch of people there since she had stayed there the week before. Everyone was dressed up and celebrating Halloween.<span style=""> </span>Some of the Athenians led a large group of us bar-hopping<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeKN_jqg6HsJ7gXTPNq76Zlmvvy27XPHynaBfagfVb6knIkHVleRF8zrBiPIQfdeoTQs3FQoF7C-wFxHOfvBgp6D7t9m8TdRgjwmdGb1F17e3V60Bi-Se1XRdxHOMKZt5pCdh02y60hc/s1600-h/Halloween.Athens,images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeKN_jqg6HsJ7gXTPNq76Zlmvvy27XPHynaBfagfVb6knIkHVleRF8zrBiPIQfdeoTQs3FQoF7C-wFxHOfvBgp6D7t9m8TdRgjwmdGb1F17e3V60Bi-Se1XRdxHOMKZt5pCdh02y60hc/s200/Halloween.Athens,images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130623456891049218" border="0" /></a> through <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It was mostly Aussies, Brits, and Americans.<span style=""> </span>And one guy from <st1:place><st1:city>Uppsala</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Sweden</st1:country-region></st1:place>!<span style=""> </span>It was a ton of fun.<span style=""> </span>I think it’s the first time I’ve been hanging out with people my age since August (with the exception of the trip back to the States).<span style=""> </span>Anyways, after a fun night out I woke up to breakfast at the hostel, which consisted of cucumbers, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and tea.<span style=""> </span>I loved it, but other people didn’t seem too happy – they couldn’t figure out where the bacon and eggs were.<span style=""> </span>After breakfast I grabbed a map and wandered around the city.<span style=""> </span>I crossed back through <st1:street><st1:address>Syntagma Square</st1:address></st1:street>, where I had arrived on the bus the day before, and strolled through huge shopping streets until I stumbled on the flea market.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqCy79x-enZoW5U_r_t6QRyX08Ofy0PfnVLgpmHEaJDGGwProEQIrZ4RvXqdeMAHJXyHOPiV5mcSkvZJlQWsEHId0kfD9oMO__pw9CW5QWQQnOPsLKtzpsMBd0kz0bDG8f3zOsooqyBw/s1600-h/IMGP1100.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqCy79x-enZoW5U_r_t6QRyX08Ofy0PfnVLgpmHEaJDGGwProEQIrZ4RvXqdeMAHJXyHOPiV5mcSkvZJlQWsEHId0kfD9oMO__pw9CW5QWQQnOPsLKtzpsMBd0kz0bDG8f3zOsooqyBw/s320/IMGP1100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130622851300660466" border="0" /></a>You can find pretty much anything you want at the <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> flea market – food, furniture, clothing, Greek and Roman statues, an overabundance of souvenir shops and more.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t buy anything, but it kept me entertained until I was ready to eat again.<span style=""> </span>I picked one of the many street side cafes near the Agora – the ancient marketplace – and had stuffed peppers and feta cheese.<span style=""> </span>I people-watched/browsed a book for a while until I decided that I wanted to see what the <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> coastline was like.<span style=""> </span>I heard that it wasn’t that impressive, but was hoping whoever told me that was mistaken.<span style=""> </span>And really, I just wanted to be down by the water.<span style=""> </span>So, I took the train to the waterfront, walked around for about 20 minutes, and decided it wasn’t worth the trip.<span style=""> </span>The beaches near <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> were not where I wound up, which was just a marina of construction and polluted water.<span style=""> </span>I jumped on the next train back into the city, went for my LAST training run of only 2 miles, and had just enough time to take a nap before meeting Rae for dinner on her last night in Europe!<span style=""> </span>We went back to God’s Restaurant since it was cheap, good, and we knew pretty much everyone who worked there.<span style=""> </span>We were there for over 3 hours eating and comparing travel stories!<span style=""> </span>Out of all of her travels, the worst hostel she has ever stayed in was not in <st1:place>South America</st1:place>, or some eastern European country, but in <st1:place><st1:city>Denver</st1:city>, <st1:state>Colorado</st1:state></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Kinda surprising.<span style=""> </span>The most boring place she had been to – <st1:city><st1:place>Brussels</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I have heard that from virtually everyone I have talked to.<span style=""> </span>One place I do NOT need to add to my list of places to go. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After a good night’s sleep I woke up, checked out of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHemhKNMLuz1gb4xdnwgE-omCx6aUA2nBBJWnJ9-wO9c0TFcD9Nf0MFCspfSMxhACTTtq83ocHElnDoNq9qS6EAWKDNBv2pC3KqgtTNW2_jCbPwsBRvm1fA4pQ2wNEoy7hP8gG47vBOp4/s1600-h/IMGP7922.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHemhKNMLuz1gb4xdnwgE-omCx6aUA2nBBJWnJ9-wO9c0TFcD9Nf0MFCspfSMxhACTTtq83ocHElnDoNq9qS6EAWKDNBv2pC3KqgtTNW2_jCbPwsBRvm1fA4pQ2wNEoy7hP8gG47vBOp4/s320/IMGP7922.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130624156970718482" border="0" /></a> the hostel and found the hotel I had booked for the rest of the weekend with Tim, Mom, and Jenny.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, the Novotel was nowhere near as close to the Plaka as my hostel and in a rather run-down area of town, but it worked out.<span style=""> </span>I then took the tram to pick up my marathon registration at the Olympic Fencing Hall at the Hellinikon Complex from the 2004 Olympics.<span style=""> </span>It was conveniently one hour out of the city (sense the sarcasm); however, I did find the beaches that were worth going to.<span style=""> </span>I got my bib number, racing chip, and commemorative shirt and towel – all very exciting!<span style=""> </span>I made it back to our hotel in the “ghetto” and read for longer than I had planned while waiting for the family.<span style=""> </span>Little did I know how difficult driving in <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> was, especially when you are given completely <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbliAlZuTSYeIFA1zE_Tbwga0WofA-9Lj65vg3ovaJRL1TzFcFefe3h0vFJp45lHBzKBW-NXqx-aBaiVTYYBHuhytJ87i17fpDNKx1ZPODuWBVCgwHYKavueJ_KUeBfPO8DZwxTWFmvUU/s1600-h/IMGP1087.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbliAlZuTSYeIFA1zE_Tbwga0WofA-9Lj65vg3ovaJRL1TzFcFefe3h0vFJp45lHBzKBW-NXqx-aBaiVTYYBHuhytJ87i17fpDNKx1ZPODuWBVCgwHYKavueJ_KUeBfPO8DZwxTWFmvUU/s320/IMGP1087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130621949357528290" border="0" /></a>false directions.<span style=""> </span>The traffic, tiny streets, and signs in Greek are bad enough to begin with.<span style=""> </span>It took Tim, Mom, and Jenny three hours to get to the hotel from the airport!<span style=""> </span>It only took me one hour to get into the city on the bus.<span style=""> </span>Lesson – just use the train/bus in <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>Once they arrived we took the Metro into the Plaka and wandered/climbed around the quaint streets and alleyways.<span style=""> </span>We had a great dinner filled with Greek salad (which we learned does not usually contain any lettuce), stuffed vine leaves, moussaka, lamb, and souvlaki at a rooftop restaurant below the Acropolis.<span style=""> </span>I have decided that Greek food is my favorite European food so far.<span style=""> </span>I can’t get enough of it. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On Saturday we started out in the flea market.<span style=""> </span>Our only purchase was what Jenny <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHue2vWI-OIM1e27bzIwZh5DHI-zd1_oGLYlYMVr2UErUABTNyhuEV78CoCLOyYP294FI5nOK4vVNAUpNt8i03Aqp12KmIcLC_t9xaEQ-_sZKDfYMCXne1L5immqMTMPDHAxZKjpxnig/s1600-h/IMGP1098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHue2vWI-OIM1e27bzIwZh5DHI-zd1_oGLYlYMVr2UErUABTNyhuEV78CoCLOyYP294FI5nOK4vVNAUpNt8i03Aqp12KmIcLC_t9xaEQ-_sZKDfYMCXne1L5immqMTMPDHAxZKjpxnig/s320/IMGP1098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130624985899406626" border="0" /></a>is wearing in this picture.<span style=""> </span>Apparently she has a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVIAe9LLvDtXIWDriUmjukmHexpnxAC7ZFUx4l9XQZJOerruLiOU_X4KOK-GOPqdAm0tZ4W6m1bn7EtwxSuTjHav4paU9RvhpW3eY0_aQ2KGBvXYVEUMY6G_217KIvtOSSFkrCyApkZA/s1600-h/IMGP1110.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVIAe9LLvDtXIWDriUmjukmHexpnxAC7ZFUx4l9XQZJOerruLiOU_X4KOK-GOPqdAm0tZ4W6m1bn7EtwxSuTjHav4paU9RvhpW3eY0_aQ2KGBvXYVEUMY6G_217KIvtOSSFkrCyApkZA/s200/IMGP1110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130625703158945074" border="0" /></a>lways wanted one of these masks.<span style=""> </span>I’m not quite sure what it says about her, but out of everything they have in the markets, this was the ultimate for her.<span style=""> </span>I had saved going up to the Acropolis for when Tim, Mom, and Jenny got into town, so that’s what we did next.<span style=""> </span>We had our own tour with a friendly Greek lady named “Kula.”<span style=""> </span>I think we only understood two-thirds of what she said, if that, but it was still interesting.<span style=""> </span>I was racking my brain to remember all the things we learned from <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rPyxds2-s9uGqsG59YnxwWDgS1ulXV_OojbvTrEJxRFyBjXWFwKQ1-N9ITL0TkL4mEzv9c6ncEVgsW4klcucJfAi9238L5sUqBj-UFjET54pCunpA8WDcdo2qtxWhOcbUw8z7Wre3oA/s1600-h/IMGP1107.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rPyxds2-s9uGqsG59YnxwWDgS1ulXV_OojbvTrEJxRFyBjXWFwKQ1-N9ITL0TkL4mEzv9c6ncEVgsW4klcucJfAi9238L5sUqBj-UFjET54pCunpA8WDcdo2qtxWhOcbUw8z7Wre3oA/s200/IMGP1107.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130626450483254594" border="0" /></a>Jacobson and Miller in Humanities, but a lot of that is gone now.<span style=""> </span>Jenny snapped a picture of this dog up on the Acropolis.<span style=""> </span>There is actually an abundance of stray dogs and cats in <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>The odd thing is that they are fairly friendly and look as if they could lose a few pounds.<span style=""> </span>Apparently the people of <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> feel bad for the strays and every once in a while the animals are rounded up, sterilized, vaccinated, and collared.<span style=""> </span>They are virtually everyone’s dogs, and everyone feeds them, which is why many are overweight.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Back to our activities . . . we grabbed an earlyish dinner at <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJFbRty0nMM4bufOVJj9F-7TSKirsD5GWqxsBsOMIouAHe2SvGvk-WE5YJsXcvBDXKD2YaYBhJ3om0vJl1qgFLWAcbSip0dYwsH51N_UTE1p_gjOroJUTup2yCfjAYJ5mWHmJELaVKBI/s1600-h/IMGP1131.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJFbRty0nMM4bufOVJj9F-7TSKirsD5GWqxsBsOMIouAHe2SvGvk-WE5YJsXcvBDXKD2YaYBhJ3om0vJl1qgFLWAcbSip0dYwsH51N_UTE1p_gjOroJUTup2yCfjAYJ5mWHmJELaVKBI/s320/IMGP1131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130627154857891154" border="0" /></a>a taverna on our favorite street in the Plaka.<span style=""> </span>We had a cozy table next to a fire place and live, traditional Greek music played in the background.<span style=""> </span>It was very relaxing.<span style=""> </span>After the filling pre-race dinner we headed back t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzvyycN_952R6nroQcNina2IR0RtmMl56dazAIMNzAyuxPl0C4hI2aYBvjzaM2zQPELNZLT-88MCPKAAHtyQnUe8yE1I39WIG48iL36fqIiwZ-OK0dUee-iTP9A49izzsaBeBi3wcrPU/s1600-h/IMGP1134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzvyycN_952R6nroQcNina2IR0RtmMl56dazAIMNzAyuxPl0C4hI2aYBvjzaM2zQPELNZLT-88MCPKAAHtyQnUe8yE1I39WIG48iL36fqIiwZ-OK0dUee-iTP9A49izzsaBeBi3wcrPU/s200/IMGP1134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130627790513050978" border="0" /></a>o the hotel where Jenny and I watched TV until I could fall asleep, which was late – <st1:time hour="1" minute="30">1:30am</st1:time> – not good.<span style=""> </span>I woke up at <st1:time hour="17" minute="30">5:30</st1:time> to catch the train to the Panathinaiko Stadium for the marathon.<span style=""> </span>Panathinaiko is the pure-marble stadium that was built for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and was used as the finish for the marathon in the 2004 Games, as well as annually for the Athens Classic Marathon.<span style=""> </span>From Panathinaiko, all 4,000 participants were bused 26.2 miles, or 42.2km, out to the city of <st1:city><st1:place>Marathon</st1:place></st1:city> where the race began.<span style=""> </span>I warmed up on the track and was running alongside the Kenyans who eventually went on to win the race.<span style=""> </span>I thought that was pretty cool!<span style=""> </span>I was amazingly calm before the race, which is totally unlike me.<span style=""> </span>I wore a pair of UVA shorts, which turned out to be a good idea because I met a lot of people from VA and the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> that way.<span style=""> </span>I even got some “Go Cavaliers” shouts during the race, which was an especially welcoming thing to hear when most other cheers were in one of 20+ other languages.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IWjbIua3a_1S4UV8p1uqLg8eMRoVhiAqQeXjp_CNlCd1oB6OP9nJLrDWYr3wKhtH4V3ynNoDjwqivchwQo85Ps4x_atPvNLQRE2m-Yi18NfqeAHKUO-En8TmQtfph25xYZE4_QnzH7Q/s1600-h/IMGP1145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IWjbIua3a_1S4UV8p1uqLg8eMRoVhiAqQeXjp_CNlCd1oB6OP9nJLrDWYr3wKhtH4V3ynNoDjwqivchwQo85Ps4x_atPvNLQRE2m-Yi18NfqeAHKUO-En8TmQtfph25xYZE4_QnzH7Q/s320/IMGP1145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130628473412851058" border="0" /></a>Overall the race went amazingly well – much better than I thought it ever would!<span style=""> </span>Knowing that Athens was a difficult course, I had hoped to finish in under 5 hours, and I would have been extremely pleased with anything under 4:20, which is 10-minute-mile pace.<span style=""> </span>In the end I wound up finishing in <st1:time minute="35" hour="15">3:35</st1:time>!!!<span style=""> </span>That’s 8:13-mile pace! I was the 41<sup>st</sup> woman across the finish line (out of 579).<span style=""> </span>I powered up the hills like they weren’t even there, or I could also say, like Kate Meehan.<span style=""> </span>And I ran negative splits – my second half was 7 minutes faster than my first.<span style=""> </span>So, I’m happy.<span style=""> </span>I had planned on this being the one marathon I ran in my life, but I have since figured out that I qualify for the Boston Marathon.<span style=""> </span>I may be running two marathons in my lifetime now.<span style=""> </span>Exciting though.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I hung out at Panathinaiko after the race<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TXgeaUXUy_O2vdwEipZ3fffpEmiVqQPUXgJPC1-3tn030EhLrZUTk6Dqv5RXP9TL8OAmeDP9rJdKmACnf2PZBfJwe2prRJ5JQkiOw2FFmZX2Kw7-e2hpWsZ2LD9Cf8bnCBRg-ooGjdQ/s1600-h/IMGP1154.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TXgeaUXUy_O2vdwEipZ3fffpEmiVqQPUXgJPC1-3tn030EhLrZUTk6Dqv5RXP9TL8OAmeDP9rJdKmACnf2PZBfJwe2prRJ5JQkiOw2FFmZX2Kw7-e2hpWsZ2LD9Cf8bnCBRg-ooGjdQ/s320/IMGP1154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130629220737160578" border="0" /></a> as the soreness set in.<span style=""> </span>For anyone who has run a marathon, you know what I am talking about.<span style=""> </span>I managed to get a massage, but can’t tell if it helped at all.<span style=""> </span>By the time I recouped and the massage was over I still hadn’t seen Tim, Mom, or Jenny, nor had I seen them anywhere along the course.<span style=""> </span>I finally met <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkSGIlRlOeVz3CS9Y1ci_sPJ4pG7Rv-uSTl_WPnrRd4-3Jg3PIanq2gUGoQEgXbVrELBV9bbE-qndF9g9A-n4oj5hsMFO-08ukgVinDo-sscLKvZuKmWw8g9f7FgvEm1AjcY5n4veQa8/s1600-h/IMGP1158.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkSGIlRlOeVz3CS9Y1ci_sPJ4pG7Rv-uSTl_WPnrRd4-3Jg3PIanq2gUGoQEgXbVrELBV9bbE-qndF9g9A-n4oj5hsMFO-08ukgVinDo-sscLKvZuKmWw8g9f7FgvEm1AjcY5n4veQa8/s320/IMGP1158.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130630058255783314" border="0" /></a>up with them about two hours after I had finished.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> traffic had come back to haunt them.<span style=""> </span>They had tried to get to different points along the course, but missed me every time and arrived at the finish about one and a half hours after I had.<span style=""> </span>I felt badly that they spent all morning in the car!<span style=""> </span>So, we took a bunch of pictures after the big rush was over.<span style=""> </span>We then went back to the hotel room, where I had never been so happy to see a bed and a shower!<span style=""> </span>I fell asleep for a while before we went out for one last Greek dinner in the Plaka.<span style=""> </span>Actually, I hobbled to dinner.<span style=""> </span>It was pretty hysterical – you could instantly spot anyone who had run the marathon that day.<span style=""> </span>We all had the same exhausted expression and pained gait as we trudged around that night.<span style=""> </span>After dinner we grabbed one last glimpse of the Acropolis lit up at night, when it is most beautiful.<span style=""> </span>We woke up early the next day and headed to the airport several hours earlier than necessary to make sure we could get through <st1:city><st1:place>Athens</st1:place></st1:city> traffic. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We all arrived safely back in Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span>Jenny is now at a soccer tournament in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> and will return on Saturday.<span style=""> </span>Tim took off for <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city> for a day, too.<span style=""> </span>And Mom, Shadow, and I are hanging out at the house.<span style=""> </span>I can finally walk normally again, which is good.<span style=""> </span>Hope everyone is doing well!!<span style=""> </span>Drop us a line and let us know what is going on back in the States!!<span style=""> </span>Miss everyone! <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-57292927882628821702007-11-07T15:08:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:23.289-08:00Costa del Sol<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcLvqngMx7kVSFF8jD_ubD-KLdNgxuqUr414Bw4Zo5xp1b53-1UuKJMr5fLJaBfWvsOi2mkogEry_025d1UL-TYHGsAxQ1J8AXV6JUN6GZuujN-QawsKir-R-4TAJU08pxPt-eh80TJc/s1600-h/IMGP0933.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcLvqngMx7kVSFF8jD_ubD-KLdNgxuqUr414Bw4Zo5xp1b53-1UuKJMr5fLJaBfWvsOi2mkogEry_025d1UL-TYHGsAxQ1J8AXV6JUN6GZuujN-QawsKir-R-4TAJU08pxPt-eh80TJc/s320/IMGP0933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130613707315287218" border="0" /></a>While I was in <st1:state><st1:place>Maryland</st1:place></st1:state>, the rest of the family flew down to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTy4JUT03y1H0OZCUL5DPaDwb1yLkj2XJISLMjOsJq6NvW7ez2DU5-7ybSLBUvko0ML5blUv7lI1i_fYxDBYnI102xCeABAU2dgZAGUNN3DLaefZJzR2AEGFTGMyb7xbeZUpKvmJV6JQ/s1600-h/IMGP0939.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTy4JUT03y1H0OZCUL5DPaDwb1yLkj2XJISLMjOsJq6NvW7ez2DU5-7ybSLBUvko0ML5blUv7lI1i_fYxDBYnI102xCeABAU2dgZAGUNN3DLaefZJzR2AEGFTGMyb7xbeZUpKvmJV6JQ/s200/IMGP0939.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130241509579480706" border="0" /></a> <st1:place><st1:city>Marbella</st1:city>,</st1:place><st1:place> <st1:country-region>Sp</st1:country-region></st1:place><st1:place><st1:country-region>ain</st1:country-region></st1:place> on the Mediterranean.<span style=""> </span>Before I got there they managed to drive around and get lost several times, so that by the time I arrived they had the directions all figured out.<span style=""> </span>They also managed to explore old town <st1:city><st1:place>Marbella</st1:place></st1:city> and visit the cliffside town of <st1:city><st1:place>Ronda</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>I can’t go into too many details about those excursions since I wasn’t there, but I do have some pictures.<span style=""> </span> Marbella . . . oranges and limesHere are some of the sites from Old Town in the Plaza de Los Naranjes (Plaza of the Oranges), a Catholic, Church, cute streets, etc.<span style=""> </span>And here is a shot of the gorges around Ronda.<span style=""> </span>It’s a bit scary, especially when driving on skinny roads in a manual car.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHm2PeZ9JV9HCFVBQUAQhVZds5yGCKvITLI91T6EtYS4F38Z2wVVInlvUwwpn3lAuwQASzNJC_1YqdmeGkqbLNsOG6o3Jqo1852Xr4xiLvp66t3i_dTuDZr0nL1109a7zBKzF4lY87pvA/s1600-h/IMGP0944.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHm2PeZ9JV9HCFVBQUAQhVZds5yGCKvITLI91T6EtYS4F38Z2wVVInlvUwwpn3lAuwQASzNJC_1YqdmeGkqbLNsOG6o3Jqo1852Xr4xiLvp66t3i_dTuDZr0nL1109a7zBKzF4lY87pvA/s200/IMGP0944.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130243111602282162" border="0" /></a>Here is Jenny in front of the oldest bull-fighting ring in<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mSAthTBKWJ7r7b5nLnsciH64OF3eWepGQBl1YtpIDrL-spcbkD_g6C7WQoWt09C5uBz5nmRHT8gboCLjZe4Gt-cs0AanJID6FCpNA9A1Ev3mYVNhmJh8laAXYczae0I47lFDTNL3qks/s1600-h/IMGP0945.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mSAthTBKWJ7r7b5nLnsciH64OF3eWepGQBl1YtpIDrL-spcbkD_g6C7WQoWt09C5uBz5nmRHT8gboCLjZe4Gt-cs0AanJID6FCpNA9A1Ev3mYVNhmJh8laAXYczae0I47lFDTNL3qks/s200/IMGP0945.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130244391667438450" border="0" /></a> <st1:country-region><st1:place>Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> with her attempt at getting two scoops of ice cream.<span style=""> </span>She did get two scoops!<span style=""> </span>But also an extra cone to go with it.<span style=""> </span>Some Spanish boys passing by laughed at her.<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On the first day that I was there we went out for a great dinner in Old Town <st1:city><st1:place>Marbella</st1:place></st1:city> at a restaurant with a Moroccan-style outdoor courtyard.<span style=""> </span>J<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1znJ9OzbAHQp2J_ZOoKmQnESKaqDlr36dVLeQhb2F5-5C_UT6cJmf7eBSY8sez4a9lm5KLDf2QBDLaKTp_lh4KbO7RnQuci-lnlAjGJX4UMb9rX6croutRVYdVPOnr-5L8bnFYIQU6Dk/s1600-h/IMGP7819.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1znJ9OzbAHQp2J_ZOoKmQnESKaqDlr36dVLeQhb2F5-5C_UT6cJmf7eBSY8sez4a9lm5KLDf2QBDLaKTp_lh4KbO7RnQuci-lnlAjGJX4UMb9rX6croutRVYdVPOnr-5L8bnFYIQU6Dk/s200/IMGP7819.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130245220596126594" border="0" /></a>enny had the most memorable dinner – “hung” chicken.<span style=""> </span>Literally.<span style=""> </span>After dinner we went on our usual gelato hunt.<span style=""> </span>By the next morning my jet lag was<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYzsdMMeqd7rtAn1PGcgLZc43P0CP7Ro9WQeRtQfufkdxZVFAdZmq9xTi2T0LNqxO7V6sFrpuGHaJjDqSqv4Gl4tJy8oD0993A73x7SdwLGj7hEtuKcq4KJI1rJRfowvwpXDFi9ZdFKw/s1600-h/IMGP0960.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYzsdMMeqd7rtAn1PGcgLZc43P0CP7Ro9WQeRtQfufkdxZVFAdZmq9xTi2T0LNqxO7V6sFrpuGHaJjDqSqv4Gl4tJy8oD0993A73x7SdwLGj7hEtuKcq4KJI1rJRfowvwpXDFi9ZdFKw/s200/IMGP0960.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130246229913441170" border="0" /></a> beginning to wear off.<span style=""> </span>We had nothing in particular planned, so spent our morning exploring the <st1:place><st1:placename>Old</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Town</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>We also spent some time down by the pool before mom, Jenny, and I went to a Paella cooking class.<span style=""> </span>They made <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-jNb1c4wu2PlFcmxeyyuFjLwbBIAKXTYW0Gyytior2JT3RKYxcF-KKGFE-2UWUUGpbhyphenhyphenZiQmFiWmrX274f9GG9T0ubDQo9usvVDncnpVcnarFS690K3IumNOp2g09iyc0wn-gfCtgaY/s1600-h/IMGP0967.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-jNb1c4wu2PlFcmxeyyuFjLwbBIAKXTYW0Gyytior2JT3RKYxcF-KKGFE-2UWUUGpbhyphenhyphenZiQmFiWmrX274f9GG9T0ubDQo9usvVDncnpVcnarFS690K3IumNOp2g09iyc0wn-gfCtgaY/s200/IMGP0967.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130246668000105378" border="0" /></a>enough paella for 50 people in this one skillet!<span style=""> </span>I went for a run at sunset on the beach.<span style=""> </span>I actually managed to run at sunset almost every night we were there, which was<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgn7UTyHaeDBgPIXmc8MNOZRFbqr5VqL2dgbfZg8tUQX8WEToXMjAoJ2IBAFQRV0YfK5H2JN0-kAhjpkXigLcR7H8TtyoHm0hNQ0Uo_SsAGF5zaqxvQ5h-KfbzJr7Xw20hNl0uhLr8LA/s1600-h/IMGP0968.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgn7UTyHaeDBgPIXmc8MNOZRFbqr5VqL2dgbfZg8tUQX8WEToXMjAoJ2IBAFQRV0YfK5H2JN0-kAhjpkXigLcR7H8TtyoHm0hNQ0Uo_SsAGF5zaqxvQ5h-KfbzJr7Xw20hNl0uhLr8LA/s320/IMGP0968.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130247363784807346" border="0" /></a> great.<span style=""> </span>It was so gorgeous!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On Thursday we took a day trip to <st1:city><st1:place>Granada</st1:place></st1:city>, the home <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rf5Z7cWVZQAZ5dtAU3ANO2Yc245IgnJNhU6ZusJ3Uzw_MH1XFvgzLhz11nObG5KoQAvsVGdsQV_pljoL_hamVg9wxjYPGNYvxkBct5ck7Bl8YwIqN4MGpWa6Hs4XNXhPoQnRk6JWVh0/s1600-h/IMGP0982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rf5Z7cWVZQAZ5dtAU3ANO2Yc245IgnJNhU6ZusJ3Uzw_MH1XFvgzLhz11nObG5KoQAvsVGdsQV_pljoL_hamVg9wxjYPGNYvxkBct5ck7Bl8YwIqN4MGpWa6Hs4XNXhPoQnRk6JWVh0/s200/IMGP0982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130248347332318146" border="0" /></a>of the famous <st1:city><st1:place>Alhambra</st1:place></st1:city>, an expansive Moorish city and palace.<span style=""> </span>The drive through the Andalusian region was beautiful – rocky mountains and olive trees at sunrise,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eiXSrwRJTeD-oC6yjDYq1dgQ-UTbhfLQEO9J0SgqbRNe3aMjzyJaSsQ_dMvAc3ALPDfJFhTsQzWHHs8EHo4zobMqqBgieHzKVqUPtByMdhTSHvd4DJs0RbHWgpZfFWROmNQhs8vwHAg/s1600-h/IMGP1006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eiXSrwRJTeD-oC6yjDYq1dgQ-UTbhfLQEO9J0SgqbRNe3aMjzyJaSsQ_dMvAc3ALPDfJFhTsQzWHHs8EHo4zobMqqBgieHzKVqUPtByMdhTSHvd4DJs0RbHWgpZfFWROmNQhs8vwHAg/s200/IMGP1006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130249081771725778" border="0" /></a> with the original Sierra Nevadas in the distance.<span style=""> </span>We got to the <st1:city><st1:place>Alhambra</st1:place></st1:city> and went on a tour, which was quite long – roughly three hours.<span style=""> </span>It was very interesting to see though.<span style=""> </span>The Islamic architecture throughout the palaces was very different from the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mfNK8IpZnht1Ywd4jCHZiGlhN0-4BZXe11vac2MQVpnEu90vVsR-p4abXKhUN_02LWvjpBz8mAGxuhI7ceT982oRqOgBJdiiDOvcQAAUpiru83JiffT3IG_TbjTcapKBVrYbxZ_wze8/s1600-h/IMGP1032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mfNK8IpZnht1Ywd4jCHZiGlhN0-4BZXe11vac2MQVpnEu90vVsR-p4abXKhUN_02LWvjpBz8mAGxuhI7ceT982oRqOgBJdiiDOvcQAAUpiru83JiffT3IG_TbjTcapKBVrYbxZ_wze8/s200/IMGP1032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130249764671525858" border="0" /></a>classical European <span style=""> </span>architecture we have been seeing all over the place.<span style=""> </span>Islamic style architecture stresses adorning the inside of the structure, so while the outside may look a little plain, the inside of the palace was meticulously detailed and intricate.<span style=""> </span>There is also a stress on the incorporation of water.<span style=""> </span>Several courtyards within the palaces contained ponds and waterways and were extremely cozy and relaxing.<span style=""> </span>The views down to the main part of <st1:city><st1:place>Granada</st1:place></st1:city> were great!<span style=""> </span>And on one of the adjacent hills there were gypsy homes/caves!!<span style=""> </span>After the tour we attempted to see part of downtown <st1:city><st1:place>Granada</st1:place></st1:city>, but driving in that town is kind of difficult, so after several failed attempts to find the Old Town of Granada we decided to head back to <st1:city><st1:place>Marbella</st1:place></st1:city>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhpAXLZdyEReAj4qUWsxYrlHqOLoIbO2BRlPykit9Cri0laHHGiDMPcmywgDIVR_qyYafRTMfyLHYH4olIn_l8xN1lHdn1NPXG3Wg5O4qJUH-HLzaM-zv9uTDx5M1Vws6H5nwBhb7e64/s1600-h/IMGP1043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhpAXLZdyEReAj4qUWsxYrlHqOLoIbO2BRlPykit9Cri0laHHGiDMPcmywgDIVR_qyYafRTMfyLHYH4olIn_l8xN1lHdn1NPXG3Wg5O4qJUH-HLzaM-zv9uTDx5M1Vws6H5nwBhb7e64/s200/IMGP1043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130250499110933490" border="0" /></a>The next day was our big trip down the coast to <st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Before this trip I had heard of “The Rock of Gibraltar.”<span style=""> </span>I figured it was an overly large boulder sitting at the mouth of the <st1:place>Mediterranean</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>In some ways it is, but it is also a lot more.<span style=""> </span>First off, it’s not just a big boulder, but a massive protruding cliff containing a town a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLogYpfsJdPLtmzWIt2XJZG9EI_qtHyQ6D3jG0iLKbGU9ORyzaRcAUtXtxxs3pMqKJQlPkvTnE2EiCeAMpXX7aNlbVivRoyW-FTQ0XfdMwSPcHEYekHnx4QAhP5YbUniWCBrlKIA2a1w/s1600-h/IMGP7866.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLogYpfsJdPLtmzWIt2XJZG9EI_qtHyQ6D3jG0iLKbGU9ORyzaRcAUtXtxxs3pMqKJQlPkvTnE2EiCeAMpXX7aNlbVivRoyW-FTQ0XfdMwSPcHEYekHnx4QAhP5YbUniWCBrlKIA2a1w/s320/IMGP7866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130610464614978690" border="0" /></a>t its base, castles on it, and caves and tunnels within it.<span style=""> </span><st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place> is actually a British colony – the only colony in modern-day <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>So once you cross into it (with your passport) everything is in English, and fish and chips <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTg_3epcsqeWS_UYCm_7rVb9MiVy5R9SyuKlA9ShvJDR-hEM2MY4ojyomCszyBSCrWWOA01anh_sbXSKPJrU0OMb3PtFHuUH1PA2HdIx7YXkyB_m1rw-y5CSdJYGGaaFospXQth38TcGk/s1600-h/IMGP7873.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTg_3epcsqeWS_UYCm_7rVb9MiVy5R9SyuKlA9ShvJDR-hEM2MY4ojyomCszyBSCrWWOA01anh_sbXSKPJrU0OMb3PtFHuUH1PA2HdIx7YXkyB_m1rw-y5CSdJYGGaaFospXQth38TcGk/s200/IMGP7873.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130607836094993490" border="0" /></a>and Marks and Spencer abound.<span style=""> </span>And it is also home to a group of wild monkeys, likely pets brought over hundreds of years ago.<span style=""> </span>The first thing you have to cross when you enter <st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place> is<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_1or_QXM3E-lwslXAAfDDCI3cv1cEucG_oA5hpXf5QvATq1LdOF1gztWjbPkdcXD6YtzNs-NqvQh_xjWENGJTNrXiTEnMtFZvdrzEbykAkw7BzjwkIP8fzbKOuSWAeRS4vWtRJGHsbQ/s1600-h/IMGP1051.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_1or_QXM3E-lwslXAAfDDCI3cv1cEucG_oA5hpXf5QvATq1LdOF1gztWjbPkdcXD6YtzNs-NqvQh_xjWENGJTNrXiTEnMtFZvdrzEbykAkw7BzjwkIP8fzbKOuSWAeRS4vWtRJGHsbQ/s200/IMGP1051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130251405349032962" border="0" /></a> a one-lane airstrip.<span style=""> </span>We decided to take a tour around <st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place> by van with a guide.<span style=""> </span>It was actually a great way to go.<span style=""> </span>Mom may disagree since she hates skinny, high-up roads, and these were pretty much the worst I have ever seen.<span style=""> </span>And we did it in a manual car.<span style=""> </span>Our tour guide was extremely interesting and had just missed being voted into the local Parliament by one vote.<span style=""> </span>Too bad.<span style=""> </span>We started up the Rock and looked towards <st1:place>Africa</st1:place>, which is 15km away.<span style=""> </span>You can see the <st1:place>Atlas Mountains</st1:place> in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Morocco</st1:place></st1:country-region> easily on a clear day! We then entered St. Michael’s Cave, one of many naturally-formed caves within the Rock.<span style=""> </span>St. Michael’s holds a concert hall, where the Mounds View Orchestra has actually played a concert before on one of their European tours!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After the caves we headed up to the heights of the Rock, where the monkeys hang out.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbQjgtGIwJuMb6EbSWwoaAHViebwqf-HqlTjcqgAmTCw61GUSehJfpeudF-34eIttlMMghzAIijEttkypT4NZjBeR40rPi4IdiY-JZMKBz0s79uBlmFzFl_Y9yYFyVUTFcGt_FpBiYDk/s1600-h/IMGP7852.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbQjgtGIwJuMb6EbSWwoaAHViebwqf-HqlTjcqgAmTCw61GUSehJfpeudF-34eIttlMMghzAIijEttkypT4NZjBeR40rPi4IdiY-JZMKBz0s79uBlmFzFl_Y9yYFyVUTFcGt_FpBiYDk/s200/IMGP7852.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130609811779949682" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>They are extremely used to human contact, but you still have to be careful with them.<span style=""> </span>We kept our van windows closed, as monkeys have been know to jump in and steal your bags.<span style=""> </span>Check out this monkey riding on the top of the van in front of us!<span style=""> </span>Our driver even had a plastic snake in the van to keep them away.<span style=""> </span>It freaked me out a little, too.<span style=""> </span>Jenny wanted to have a monkey sit on her shoulders, which you can do.<span style=""> </span>Bu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50CttqggEcI-8PCiEPU9ZevPG_kqpPBKKXQiVof92AWg2ZWQNYkmRiOy-tMCPx095tj94TwnC0-tgkKTLT85RjFKU2jWhtGpgZxB17ogc0A2qVfiO9SRceGZHDPFY-Dbc5Gid6MjCoAs/s1600-h/IMGP7863.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50CttqggEcI-8PCiEPU9ZevPG_kqpPBKKXQiVof92AWg2ZWQNYkmRiOy-tMCPx095tj94TwnC0-tgkKTLT85RjFKU2jWhtGpgZxB17ogc0A2qVfiO9SRceGZHDPFY-Dbc5Gid6MjCoAs/s320/IMGP7863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130606822482711602" border="0" /></a>t some of the monkeys got in a fight in front of us and made a show of their enormous teeth.<span style=""> </span>They would bite, so I was not disappointed that Jenny decided against having one of them on her shoulders after that.<span style=""> </span>I was really psyched about this part of the rock because clouds were forming right in front of our eyes!!<span style=""> </span>Wind was coming up and over the eastern side of the rock and materializing into white smoke.<span style=""> </span>It was sooooo cool!<span style=""> </span>I think I got a lot more excited about that than anyone else.<span style=""> </span>If I haven’t said it already, the views from anywhere on the Rock are absolutely amazing, as I’m sure you can tell from the pics.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Then we moved onto the military tunnels inside the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuylf51bOCKzlnnRkwDJGRxXx0VxA9GAVGae5-DjdW_cPFeWpEuq4KR53ubyFcQ-FYA9czqa2gmiwOPsDZyuIBCLdrGjQLI54myWtFgaa8tem5plxpBaJYNFiXwDkqPI4gLAQ_6qhEKtQ/s1600-h/IMGP1078.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuylf51bOCKzlnnRkwDJGRxXx0VxA9GAVGae5-DjdW_cPFeWpEuq4KR53ubyFcQ-FYA9czqa2gmiwOPsDZyuIBCLdrGjQLI54myWtFgaa8tem5plxpBaJYNFiXwDkqPI4gLAQ_6qhEKtQ/s320/IMGP1078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130612204076733602" border="0" /></a> Rock of Gibraltar.<span style=""> </span>As a precaution during WWII, the British built tunnels in the rock and armed them with cannons in case the Germans ever decided to attack.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, the tunnels never had to be used, but they were cool to see.<span style=""> </span>We als<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnIGDTvewW1Zr8nTM_qO5mqFuBQP-e9boCdyIFNFmPJXQaRYgIv4m__JfATsqJ1StG4bhzBeXHzXF2IPig5oYXSv-Buod2xJ8AAJBdg6znyMazsUSSlleDDjpkqdfef0QFH4XYP3FwiQ/s1600-h/IMGP7885.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnIGDTvewW1Zr8nTM_qO5mqFuBQP-e9boCdyIFNFmPJXQaRYgIv4m__JfATsqJ1StG4bhzBeXHzXF2IPig5oYXSv-Buod2xJ8AAJBdg6znyMazsUSSlleDDjpkqdfef0QFH4XYP3FwiQ/s200/IMGP7885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130611224824190098" border="0" /></a>o walked through the old Moorish castle halfway up the rock and took in our last elevated views before heading back into the town of <st1:city><st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We walked back out of <st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place> (which is faster than driving because of the traffic), but had to wait for planes to land and take off first.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to an active runway before.<span style=""> </span>Here is all the traffic lined up , waiting to cross.<span style=""> </span>Once the planes were gone, we were supposed to walk across “as quickly as possible” – that’s a little scary.<span style=""> </span>I think we all enjoyed our day trip to <st1:place>Gibraltar</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>It was one of the most interesting and eclectic places I have ever been to, and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vyZr-hkQHPsNrOk6-brHdWqJt9lOHr8qeS48ba-HFo-LtASbiiNdKERB1lKrnxr-YMVrHx81DOp9RVkMFKdZsroB_qMW3rpnOrKnMWCUuTrNMyhRJG3_fSaa5EdsZd-6Q97x_0lPRfc/s1600-h/IMGP1080.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vyZr-hkQHPsNrOk6-brHdWqJt9lOHr8qeS48ba-HFo-LtASbiiNdKERB1lKrnxr-YMVrHx81DOp9RVkMFKdZsroB_qMW3rpnOrKnMWCUuTrNMyhRJG3_fSaa5EdsZd-6Q97x_0lPRfc/s200/IMGP1080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130252169853211666" border="0" /></a> I hadn’t really known it existed before.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We grabbed a nice seafood dinner by the beach in <st1:city><st1:place>Marbella</st1:place></st1:city> for our last night.<span style=""> </span>The next morning we took one last trip to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Old</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Town</st1:placetype></st1:place> before catching our plane back to Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-77050665539736013412007-11-07T13:50:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:33:24.973-08:00Back in the USA!I headed back to the States for a visit in the beginning of October.<span style=""> </span>I flew into <st1:place><st1:city>Washington</st1:city> <st1:state>D.C.</st1:state></st1:place> and stayed in the city for the night with my friend Liz from high school.<span style=""> </span>I got in somewhat late, but we still had time to eat the green curry she and Dave had made for dinner before heading out to Dupont Circle for a drink.<span style=""> </span>Since it was a work night, and the trains shut down at 12, we didn’t stay out too late.<span style=""> </span>Omar was still able to come meet us, though!<span style=""> </span>We woke up early the next morning and Liz and I met Omar at Cosi for breakfast in the city.<span style=""> </span>S’mores for breakfast – <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwrBGoUXd10bYmFvCvSXFPl9aju6EwLXS79Gm4vdDowtfRLtfH86IbdnWVMyvMQd0X6HxSao5V9VzS3VhFx1hSOIRSGwr_SD4CYvQVhptFuJT3qhOuq-KsdJvrLWHnfgdL5rc8GYkqf0/s1600-h/mellow.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwrBGoUXd10bYmFvCvSXFPl9aju6EwLXS79Gm4vdDowtfRLtfH86IbdnWVMyvMQd0X6HxSao5V9VzS3VhFx1hSOIRSGwr_SD4CYvQVhptFuJT3qhOuq-KsdJvrLWHnfgdL5rc8GYkqf0/s200/mellow.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130223702645071442" border="0" /></a>delicious and nutritious.<span style=""> </span>We chatted for a bit until I had to run to catch my train to <st1:state><st1:place>Nort</st1:place></st1:state><st1:state><st1:place>h Car</st1:place></st1:state><st1:state><st1:place>olina</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style=""> </span>I rode down to <st1:city><st1:place>Winston-Salem</st1:place></st1:city> to visit Katie at med-school at <st1:place><st1:placename>Wake</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Forest</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>The packed train arrived late and Katie was probably starving by the time I got in.<span style=""> </span>We went to Mellow Mushroom (which I now know is a chain) for dinner.<span style=""> </span>Very good, as always.<span style=""> </span>We stopped by <st1:street><st1:address>First Street</st1:address></st1:street>, the bar close to the hospital and her apartment, where an 80’s cover band was playing outside, and I met a bunch of her med-school classmates.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning we slept in, watched some Food Network, and then drove out to <st1:place><st1:placename>Salem</st1:placename></st1:place><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsMRRRpBhXno9eEIWto80HO3A2VdlVX7YAn_G0APso5NTFZY85ZQdO8grXWZa0mjQ7e3WRwuq-sSHIC90yrHPmGEQYK-twnSsdptttMRDFxPTJWblakwcPLExO1TRGtJQuVLXF5hjj1A/s1600-h/IMGP7763.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsMRRRpBhXno9eEIWto80HO3A2VdlVX7YAn_G0APso5NTFZY85ZQdO8grXWZa0mjQ7e3WRwuq-sSHIC90yrHPmGEQYK-twnSsdptttMRDFxPTJWblakwcPLExO1TRGtJQuVLXF5hjj1A/s320/IMGP7763.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130220240901430722" border="0" /></a><st1:place><st1:placename></st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place> to run.<span style=""> </span>It was great!<span style=""> </span>I haven’t seen a lake in a long time!<span style=""> </span>The only problem was that the trail wasn’t well-marked all the way around, so we wound up running a little farther than we needed to in the HOT weather.<span style=""> </span>After we got back to the apartment I went for another 7-mile <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZQlWauVGbtmqWTiaEu2aBm1-ISC0Cp3wICxvCfLPEtRpItgDSxljngGXNj_4yG-sgURhreqhGBOlrY6zFI385zsBQfQcTIKQueOtn87SBkgDhCvCaaAiGUf3SgIjWnR0iB97LxEuyLo/s1600-h/IMGP7767.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZQlWauVGbtmqWTiaEu2aBm1-ISC0Cp3wICxvCfLPEtRpItgDSxljngGXNj_4yG-sgURhreqhGBOlrY6zFI385zsBQfQcTIKQueOtn87SBkgDhCvCaaAiGUf3SgIjWnR0iB97LxEuyLo/s200/IMGP7767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130220571613912530" border="0" /></a>run – it’s getting to the point where I have to run long distances for marathon training on the weekends.<span style=""> </span>After my run we went to an Oktoberfest party at one of Katie’s classmate’s houses.<span style=""> </span>It was a lot of fun - there was a lot of good food and beer, and everyone brought their dogs.<span style=""> </span>I heard quite a few med-school jokes that I didn’t get, but I didn’t mind.<span style=""> </span>After the party, while everyone else watched the LSU game, Katie and I went to the Dixie Classic Fair, which reminded me a lot of the MN State Fair.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, we made it there too late to see the pig races, but we did get to try fried candy bars/Oreos and see fireworks! </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning Katie gave me a tour of the WF Medical School, we grabbed Jersey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVeIhXYpPBFpVU1TLE9zOz1Htb34hthIx1zPH2DvnS8ehrEwKlPhyphenhyphenRRorzFT_VgT8XETnwmhwAHcLzwfGrcgNZ26HltY6ZEtUKkG5ueZLBSABrZW7_AyvAZuFcilALjUhkUu919A4Fkk/s1600-h/IMGP7783.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVeIhXYpPBFpVU1TLE9zOz1Htb34hthIx1zPH2DvnS8ehrEwKlPhyphenhyphenRRorzFT_VgT8XETnwmhwAHcLzwfGrcgNZ26HltY6ZEtUKkG5ueZLBSABrZW7_AyvAZuFcilALjUhkUu919A4Fkk/s200/IMGP7783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130221168614366706" border="0" /></a> Mike’s, and then went hiking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5W-jNieWEMUOHJo8bBhFzOaq8irSprbOwA1CcorKoSZvk3znQu8RybmYlrkTgEhd6r1ab53MHmsXbHpPMnblZVA79b-ZQwCTBol7YKO53SgQR-A04qvJSFCqeaU2cGQHHmTs0PBKBBo/s1600-h/IMGP7776.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5W-jNieWEMUOHJo8bBhFzOaq8irSprbOwA1CcorKoSZvk3znQu8RybmYlrkTgEhd6r1ab53MHmsXbHpPMnblZVA79b-ZQwCTBol7YKO53SgQR-A04qvJSFCqeaU2cGQHHmTs0PBKBBo/s320/IMGP7776.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130220936686132706" border="0" /></a> at <st1:place><st1:placename>Hanging</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Rock</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>Hanging Rock looked eerily like Humpback Rock, but had a couple of water falls to see, too.<span style=""> </span>After a nice afternoon outside, we got back to town and went out for good North Carolina BBQ, with sweet tea.<span style=""> </span>This was my first experience with sweet tea.<span style=""> </span>I loved it, but went a bit overboard.<span style=""> </span>I had five cups – the sugar content of which kept me up most of the night.<span style=""> </span>We also made a stop by Krispy Kreme because the “HOT NOW” sign was on – sooooo good!<span style=""> </span>After eating we went over to the main <st1:place><st1:placename>Wake</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Forest</st1:placetype></st1:place> campus to see the two<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQH-kyfVz1kDQY8t57wRZdV11KbwcQPWiHFC5XuSTaPbOofIyXon5XKkyZaZshIapkPzQMtyV6WxlPccLmVo3eb7Yu5WDm82ZjNHHrtUNYTCGEF5ss681Htm9S3gbYkRS4fVgrs_1IvFM/s1600-h/IMGP7784.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQH-kyfVz1kDQY8t57wRZdV11KbwcQPWiHFC5XuSTaPbOofIyXon5XKkyZaZshIapkPzQMtyV6WxlPccLmVo3eb7Yu5WDm82ZjNHHrtUNYTCGEF5ss681Htm9S3gbYkRS4fVgrs_1IvFM/s200/IMGP7784.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130221370477829634" border="0" /></a> med-school football teams f<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnX3W9JE2HM7CiDAW5tCK9-f96KIQWoLJB_Ak5PXkRMEmpmEnq-Z1w3l4yiDEewQiSE1IS8UY5sVhyXhJMeHsf9XCTwgELt2EYgW3BgOQTYD6NnPfJovw-Gh12wGNFHR_fEMadKuWcKE/s1600-h/Krispy.Kreme.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnX3W9JE2HM7CiDAW5tCK9-f96KIQWoLJB_Ak5PXkRMEmpmEnq-Z1w3l4yiDEewQiSE1IS8UY5sVhyXhJMeHsf9XCTwgELt2EYgW3BgOQTYD6NnPfJovw-Gh12wGNFHR_fEMadKuWcKE/s200/Krispy.Kreme.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130224089192128098" border="0" /></a>ace each other in the intramural playoffs.<span style=""> </span>High stakes.<span style=""> </span>It was fun to watch!<span style=""> </span>Here is Katie and a lot of the WF Class of 2011.<span style=""> </span>After the game, we went home and tried to get some sleep before the late night trip to the train station in <st1:city><st1:place>High Point</st1:place></st1:city> – the only train that services <st1:city><st1:place>Winston-Salem</st1:place></st1:city> and goes to <st1:city><st1:place>Charlottesville</st1:place></st1:city> is one hour away and leaves at <st1:time minute="30" hour="3">3:30am</st1:time> every day – very convenient.<span style=""> </span>And there are no buses that run there at that time of night, so Katie had to drive me.<span style=""> </span>Thank you soooooooooooo much Katie!!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>Charlottesville</st1:place></st1:city> around <st1:time minute="0" hour="8">8am</st1:time> the next day, where Kat picked me up.<span style=""> </span>I made it back to the new apartment on University Circle, said hi to everyone, probably ate some brownie mix, and then took a long nap – I seemed to have fallen right back into the college schedule.<span style=""> </span>I spent a lot of time at UVA hanging out at the apartment and talking to whoever was home at the time.<span style=""> </span>Murph and I went out for dinner one night, as well as Arch’s, and Kat and I went to trivia at Mellow Mushroom another night.<span style=""> </span>Amazingly, with just a team<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vzz7Q_qWUIrokssloSh3TCIg1yNk_aFmIbK1DHCV4gbbpm8iAAUht984Gbko9zV1lWg_RrsdOAZsZ0wqXoKvtnvXMtK9wewN3d9wExAt9BVzDw_NzEecd_0CgKBjbPuuygw8xEdUTuM/s1600-h/IMGP7793.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vzz7Q_qWUIrokssloSh3TCIg1yNk_aFmIbK1DHCV4gbbpm8iAAUht984Gbko9zV1lWg_RrsdOAZsZ0wqXoKvtnvXMtK9wewN3d9wExAt9BVzDw_NzEecd_0CgKBjbPuuygw8xEdUTuM/s320/IMGP7793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130221881578937874" border="0" /></a> of two, we didn’t finish last!<span style=""> </span>We also went to Revolutionary Soup for the first time (at least for me), which was good, and we had dumplings at some point, too!<span style=""> </span>On Friday night a lot of the alums were back in town for Homecoming weekend.<span style=""> </span>Kate and Katie got to UVA and the three of us and Kat went out to Buddhist.<span style=""> </span>We had a sleepover, woke up the next morning and went running.<span style=""> </span>Kate, Katie, and Kat ran to the downtown mall to get dumplings while I took off to finish my longest training run before the marathon – 20 miles.<span style=""> </span>Later in the day, Kat and I jumped in the car and drove up to <st1:place>Northern Virginia</st1:place> for dinner at her house, where I got to meet her new puppy!<span style=""> </span>Then we finished<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhlgeB06Y1vWVIONlo8RSllZ0CZdBiH097l50bdyo95FvGm4nJeAz_I2I9ut-lQsYxMyNEdzsArVqSzrGi-5Lm7a-AG2Mh_FBUPoDjANHtmC2X1llEciOZr_SJxFP1KtdsMOgczDGeRM/s1600-h/IMGP7806.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhlgeB06Y1vWVIONlo8RSllZ0CZdBiH097l50bdyo95FvGm4nJeAz_I2I9ut-lQsYxMyNEdzsArVqSzrGi-5Lm7a-AG2Mh_FBUPoDjANHtmC2X1llEciOZr_SJxFP1KtdsMOgczDGeRM/s320/IMGP7806.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130222366910242338" border="0" /></a> the last hour of the drive to <st1:place><st1:city>Frederick</st1:city>, <st1:state>Maryland</st1:state></st1:place> for Sara and Steven’s wedding.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, the hotel we stayed at had a hot tub, which we made sure to use both nights.<span style=""> </span>On Sunday we woke up and got a massive breakfast to go from IHOP.<span style=""> </span>Then got dressed and went up into the mountains to Ostertag Vistas for the wedding!<span style=""> </span>It was a great day out and the ceremony was beautiful.<span style=""> </span>Short, too – only about 15 minutes.<span style=""> </span>Then everyone went over to the refurbished barn for food, drinks, and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1C3pS6unU0h9_Ge5aF-q_g9mgyiUuPywivVtnyPtm_tV3bOYRAD0mlmrz2c0z06O_51hT9JKSr-uUiQUodXkVOCD2SZFm9df2tGPCWtOfymj6slqTWNXxKnQZ4bta7Dv0wF0GYK5PRg/s1600-h/IMGP7818.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1C3pS6unU0h9_Ge5aF-q_g9mgyiUuPywivVtnyPtm_tV3bOYRAD0mlmrz2c0z06O_51hT9JKSr-uUiQUodXkVOCD2SZFm9df2tGPCWtOfymj6slqTWNXxKnQZ4bta7Dv0wF0GYK5PRg/s200/IMGP7818.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130222951025794626" border="0" /></a>bluegrass music.<span style=""> </span>Kat and I stayed until we saw Sara and Steven off in the limo before we went back to the hotel and hot tub.<span style=""> </span>We woke up really early the next morning so that Kat could get back to UVA and I took the train into D.C.<span style=""> </span>I hung out in a coffee shop for the morning, reading and eating BAGELS (which I can’t get in Düsseldorf).<span style=""> </span>I checked my luggage at a hotel and wandered arou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y-r3iECJmIvzJzxHNBR8hu6aio-yr4Cov1ee8qni2Y6rr7o5NJ2i3fdS_CpvOcGL0krlX_LVEsrujpLQ9WXIsvWU__Gj_lIsf1C9H1ItSFB91kYTzRELbjWSE3tpOlEy0cMd5q9NX_A/s1600-h/IMGP7813.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y-r3iECJmIvzJzxHNBR8hu6aio-yr4Cov1ee8qni2Y6rr7o5NJ2i3fdS_CpvOcGL0krlX_LVEsrujpLQ9WXIsvWU__Gj_lIsf1C9H1ItSFB91kYTzRELbjWSE3tpOlEy0cMd5q9NX_A/s200/IMGP7813.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130222693327756850" border="0" /></a>nd for the rest of the day.<span style=""> </span>I went to the <st1:place><st1:placename>International</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Spy</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>, met Kate Meehan for lunch at <st1:street><st1:address>Dupont Circle</st1:address></st1:street>, and wound up in the Mall where the Solar Decathlon (a contest for solar-powered homes) was going on.<span style=""> </span>That was really interesting.<span style=""> </span>There was something like 30 teams, each with a model home powered completely by the sun.<span style=""> </span>I think two of the teams were international, one of which was German.<span style=""> </span>And, of course, the Germans won it all – they are really on top of a lot of environmental issues.<span style=""> </span>By this time the day was winding down and it was time for me to get back to the airport to fly through <st1:city><st1:place>Detroit</st1:place></st1:city> and Düsseldorf to get to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-87467362885152174862007-10-03T16:58:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:33:26.559-08:00Zürich, SwitzerlandThis past weekend the whole family went to Zürich!<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately it wound up being an abbreviated trip for Jenny and me, but still a lot of fun!<span style=""> </span>My mom and dad left on Friday as<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQfldDQkqsjE1tgMcWfn0Nibo-ysGXOo-_Cwx74jgnmTOGm8lnYKxq1IuGhN0lXE1lK38UEpbWXS6wT0NAL2bUB6dAfQ_ZCdZrAh3QxCetHwLuy0pTGQhpRqTeruPMWFNgN_Dkr0VPW4/s1600-h/DSCN0820.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQfldDQkqsjE1tgMcWfn0Nibo-ysGXOo-_Cwx74jgnmTOGm8lnYKxq1IuGhN0lXE1lK38UEpbWXS6wT0NAL2bUB6dAfQ_ZCdZrAh3QxCetHwLuy0pTGQhpRqTeruPMWFNgN_Dkr0VPW4/s320/DSCN0820.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117265596449887138" border="0" /></a> originally planned.<span style=""> </span>We had planned on Jenny missing her soccer tournament for the weekend, but then we found out that if Jenny couldn’t go, the team wouldn’t have enough players to compete.<span style=""> </span>So, I hung around Düsseldorf for a couple of days while Jenny went to <st1:place><st1:city>Antwer</st1:city></st1:place><st1:place><st1:city>p</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Belgium</st1:country-region></st1:place> for her tournament.<span style=""> </span>She got to stay with a Belgian family and played other international schools from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Belgium</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and the <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>Jenny’s team did very well, winning three out of four games!<span style=""> </span>The only loss was a 0-1 game when the ISD captain accidentally headed the ball into their own goal.<span style=""> </span>Unlucky. <p class="MsoNormal">Jenny and I caught the first flight to Zürich on Sunday morning.<span style=""> </span>We were both exhausted, as Jenny had just played four soccer games in the rain at <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEIdrnTIeCFbzOXoT2pC9oZQwPhZj0Z91JqtW-oKlEAtwgMrV8j93aTy-Weks1nwE5-VC5syOklrcNfvWBbPnNUnZb514_avdoki8lF9oo9t5xsiFajpRHHwW2me63pXIKVHEyclAbkk/s1600-h/DSCN0861.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEIdrnTIeCFbzOXoT2pC9oZQwPhZj0Z91JqtW-oKlEAtwgMrV8j93aTy-Weks1nwE5-VC5syOklrcNfvWBbPnNUnZb514_avdoki8lF9oo9t5xsiFajpRHHwW2me63pXIKVHEyclAbkk/s320/DSCN0861.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117266176270472114" border="0" /></a>her tournament, and I had run 18 miles for my marathon training.<span style=""> </span>Mom and Tim picked us up at the airport and gave us a driving tour of the city before we wandered by foot through the tiny streets of the Altstadt.<span style=""> </span>Zürich is absolutely gorgeous!!<span style=""> </span>The city is set on two rivers and the <st1:place><st1:placetype>shore</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>Lake</st1:placename></st1:place> Zürich<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0Vsf2xEAOOF8_XfywermVZ46BP53IJTBK6srLpriyZiZm7Cu0ra-8k1gI7SKCUP6JildEmJLfpCWRYTQjqYFqro2KumFWLPFiI7OUJqRYRQ65O85ZDbGRs56OxlGkeyBgy9biF5nGO4/s1600-h/DSCN0871.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0Vsf2xEAOOF8_XfywermVZ46BP53IJTBK6srLpriyZiZm7Cu0ra-8k1gI7SKCUP6JildEmJLfpCWRYTQjqYFqro2KumFWLPFiI7OUJqRYRQ65O85ZDbGRs56OxlGkeyBgy9biF5nGO4/s320/DSCN0871.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117267035263931330" border="0" /></a> with a view of the <st1:place>Alps</st1:place> in the distance.<span style=""> </span>Apparently great skiing is only a little over an hour away!<span style=""> </span>The buildings in Zürich are much older and more European-looking than those in Düsseldorf (which makes sense since <st1:country-region><st1:place>Switzerland</st1:place></st1:country-region> was not bombed in WWII) and make it, in some ways, a more inviting city.<span style=""> </span>Just take a look at the pictures!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After an introduction to the city, and a stop for a kebab in the Altstadt, we headed back to the hotel to rest a bit before going out again.<span style=""> </span>Due to the fact that most European hotels have a maximum of two people per room (and we had a group of four), rather than getting two rooms we wound up with the Executive Suite on the top floor of the Marriott.<span style=""> </span>Lots of room, great view, and tons of free snacks!<span style=""> </span>Since my dad stays in hotels sooooooo much, we also had access to the executive lounge off of the lobby which was always stocked with free drinks and snacks – everything from water, beer, wine, soda, hot chocolate, and tea, to sushi, prosciutto, cheese, croissants, fruit, candy, chocolate, etc.<span style=""> </span>I made sure to stop by the lounge on every trip in and out of the hotel!!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59-wlFCGYCHRV2T11kIa1SsknI7AHt3-wl1JfnI0ZBMzfAUnigXH1Cx5N7Oco_10swzBoLUG7eWMhQBe8JmwK3o9bN06ZkE2von6hz9XVqmnGpce5O7WOF2DDax92ZvlZ2Qbown2Xt0k/s1600-h/DSCN0878.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59-wlFCGYCHRV2T11kIa1SsknI7AHt3-wl1JfnI0ZBMzfAUnigXH1Cx5N7Oco_10swzBoLUG7eWMhQBe8JmwK3o9bN06ZkE2von6hz9XVqmnGpce5O7WOF2DDax92ZvlZ2Qbown2Xt0k/s320/DSCN0878.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117267559249941458" border="0" /></a>We made dinner reservations at a traditional Swiss restaurant in the Altstadt.<span style=""> </span>It was great!<span style=""> </span>We had lots of rösti (kind if like potatoes au gratin, but with the cheese on top) and cheese fondue. <span style=""> </span>Well, at least mom, Tim and I had that.<span style=""> </span>Jenny doesn’t like cheese, so<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVfbrfWPg8QP6FNg3hD5jvhAi4OLG-0zLigEARWKIiem6Dll84O-gev5Cpu2pBauqAKSUY51UBWXFuxJb0_Pp9HHp5x2yR0FIg8V85DX_vqZHeWsCl0jdKzWwEo3ElFufeHA1ruMKSiM/s1600-h/DSCN0884.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVfbrfWPg8QP6FNg3hD5jvhAi4OLG-0zLigEARWKIiem6Dll84O-gev5Cpu2pBauqAKSUY51UBWXFuxJb0_Pp9HHp5x2yR0FIg8V85DX_vqZHeWsCl0jdKzWwEo3ElFufeHA1ruMKSiM/s320/DSCN0884.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117267971566801890" border="0" /></a> those specialties were lost on her.<span style=""> </span>We tried to find an ice cream store afterwards, as we usually do, but by this point it was late on a Sunday night and not much was open.<span style=""> </span>We did, however, find a candy store still open.<span style=""> </span>They had some of the candies I ate all the time at UQ, so we had to get them.<span style=""> </span>It was surprisingly warm out, so it was nice to walk through the city at night back to the hotel.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The next morning we had a huge breakfast before setting out for Bahnhofstrasse – one of the most famous shopping streets in the world!<span style=""> </span>We w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuART56G2wSw59tYKdGmAqkk58YD3UmS6y-WEJDxOlMhKqMuFLLaKQQ_FFNEyNkLgj-fA2QWFEwUuKsXsgLZPA3rZ1qJfHHLYT73iE9-QrDQ-qkg5rjC5IagCDCp4pw6FXid-sHs9ilJk/s1600-h/IMGP7755.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuART56G2wSw59tYKdGmAqkk58YD3UmS6y-WEJDxOlMhKqMuFLLaKQQ_FFNEyNkLgj-fA2QWFEwUuKsXsgLZPA3rZ1qJfHHLYT73iE9-QrDQ-qkg5rjC5IagCDCp4pw6FXid-sHs9ilJk/s320/IMGP7755.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117268817675359218" border="0" /></a>ent into a couple of enormous, high-end department stores and looked around.<span style=""> </span>I was impressed by the grocery stores and food courts they had on the bottom floors.<span style=""> </span>And when I say food court, I don’t mean a Burger King, Panda Express, and Taco Bell within a hop, skip, and a jump of one another.<span style=""> </span>I mean every kind of food you can imagine made fresh in front of you by trained chefs – Italian, sushi, Thai, Indian, etc.<span style=""> </span>I could be happy there every day of the week!<span style=""> </span>We wandered through the massive, central train station and then headed to Confiserie Sprüngli, a chocolate shop, to try another Swiss specialty – Luxemburgerlis.<span style=""> </span>They are basically tiny burger-shaped sweets.<span style=""> </span>They were good, but I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Jx73X3u_mcZz32_2gzpYg0FUChoMf5BOkT2DL_VdcrhOn2bsVi61H0D3LQvt5skNwkYP9-PtsAvqV_smtXMPT4AIBhzvwI4Pq12vsDpwFp5VhSdnWyQSLdJTZpvWbEY6TLBNmj-kOTU/s1600-h/luxemburgerli.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Jx73X3u_mcZz32_2gzpYg0FUChoMf5BOkT2DL_VdcrhOn2bsVi61H0D3LQvt5skNwkYP9-PtsAvqV_smtXMPT4AIBhzvwI4Pq12vsDpwFp5VhSdnWyQSLdJTZpvWbEY6TLBNmj-kOTU/s320/luxemburgerli.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117265132593419154" border="0" /></a> think I’d rather have a plain, old chocolate bar.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We walked a bit more through the tiny streets, got some good views of the city, and found a p<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDhlNhi-N3FHOlSXdQGrV2jhnKtKE4i5i1qLa7PAkp0nK-jWf0iUcd-ddR3d7WwhHqhkp74q3CxlfsSFDrW8rsapHDDjiWHFizrjhyphenhyphennZbEKlEBYxuQJaSvphXSJIYs7rkvmCnolHiEHw/s1600-h/IMGP7762.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDhlNhi-N3FHOlSXdQGrV2jhnKtKE4i5i1qLa7PAkp0nK-jWf0iUcd-ddR3d7WwhHqhkp74q3CxlfsSFDrW8rsapHDDjiWHFizrjhyphenhyphennZbEKlEBYxuQJaSvphXSJIYs7rkvmCnolHiEHw/s320/IMGP7762.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117269105438168066" border="0" /></a>layground before we had to go to the airport.<span style=""> </span>So, a quick, but action-packed trip!<span style=""> </span>And now that I look back at this entry, a food-filled adventure!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In other news, our air shipment arrived.<span style=""> </span>So, I now have a seemingly brand-new bike to use – thanks, Larry!!<span style=""> </span>We also have more dishes to use in the kitchen, some warmer cl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcgFp1YFbwOsp_7OOpyeUmDDdojb7bxL-NsmLvtlMuxPP2Btv9vCkJo2pF_ckGllLnuvtb0MAyPDLzFXq2gR9kd3L3dOB2NLpioNxyezoNUTf5XwKTXutwh-5lsUXE64wqNrQPaQ4zrw/s1600-h/IMGP7756.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcgFp1YFbwOsp_7OOpyeUmDDdojb7bxL-NsmLvtlMuxPP2Btv9vCkJo2pF_ckGllLnuvtb0MAyPDLzFXq2gR9kd3L3dOB2NLpioNxyezoNUTf5XwKTXutwh-5lsUXE64wqNrQPaQ4zrw/s320/IMGP7756.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117269427560715282" border="0" /></a>othes, and what looks like a lifetime supply of brownies and pop-tarts (since we can’t buy those here).<span style=""> </span>I’m heading back to the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> tomorrow for Sara’s wedding and visits on the East Coast.<span style=""> </span>At the same time, Laura will be vacating the East coast to go back to <st1:state><st1:place>Minnesota</st1:place></st1:state> for the weekend.<span style=""> </span>Not sure when I’ll get a chance to write next.<span style=""> </span>I’ll be going directly to meet the family in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> in mid-October before I get back to Düsseldorf, so sometime after then.<span style=""> </span>Miss everyone and hope you are all doing well!!<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-63294850223217536712007-09-16T14:49:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:33:27.874-08:00AMSTERDAMAlthough my previous post is just a few days old, a lot has happened since then.<span style=""> </span>Jenny’s game against SG-Unterrath went well.<span style=""> </span>The Alts won 9-0, so they’ve still got a perfect record!!<span style=""> </span>Jenny accidentally injured the captain of the opposing team, who had to be carried off the field and was out for the rest of the game.<span style=""> </span>Woops!<span style=""> </span>On Friday I babysat Andre, the pre-school-aged son of one of my dad’s work buddies.<span style=""> </span>We spent the morning playing with paper airplanes and jumping on the trampoline, so we both had fun.<span style=""> </span>His favorite game on the trampoline was a “fighting game” that he and his brother play.<span style=""> </span>They fake fight and Andre swore that no one ever got hurt.<span style=""> </span>I tried to convince him we shouldn’t play because I thought “he would hurt me.”<span style=""> </span>His reaction to that was, “BRING IT ON!”<span style=""> </span>It’s kind of funny when someone a quarter of your size says that to you.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t want me to leave when it was time to go, so that’s a good sign! <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Later in the afternoon I went car shopping using a mix of German and English.<span style=""> </span>As if car salesman weren’t bad enough already.<span style=""> </span>I was trying to get some more information for my mom so that we can get a car as soon as she gets over here.<span style=""> </span>We need it now especially because Tim is back in the country and using the car AND I blew out the tire on the only bike here for me to use.<span style=""> </span>Figures.<span style=""> </span>It sounds like Tim had a good time in <st1:country-region><st1:place>China</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>His first impressions were that there are lots of people there and that it is very polluted.<span style=""> </span>I have to agree.<span style=""> </span>He got to see the Great Wall, <st1:place>Tiananmen Square</st1:place>, and the upcoming Olympic sites (since Ecolab will be servicing the Olympic Village). Here's a virtual picture of the "Bird's Nest" Stadium in Beijing. From one of Tim’s emails . . . “They plan on shutting down all i<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1nQCqMLE-thMz54_NJ0E3cjhGPs5KTV2LHpi6TNgkv-r2eU8XvtyJqTDLzHssZXRM_xWo8W5PK4mj0vbDtnw5ffN8zti6-6wiW52KSf0HFsRbL79c-EGRL7HY-U0rmIPOUEwWsyWa14/s1600-h/birdsnest1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1nQCqMLE-thMz54_NJ0E3cjhGPs5KTV2LHpi6TNgkv-r2eU8XvtyJqTDLzHssZXRM_xWo8W5PK4mj0vbDtnw5ffN8zti6-6wiW52KSf0HFsRbL79c-EGRL7HY-U0rmIPOUEwWsyWa14/s320/birdsnest1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110933497716054402" border="0" /></a>ndustry within 60 miles of <st1:city><st1:place>B</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>eijing</st1:place></st1:city> about 30-45 days prior to the Olympics so that the skies look clear during the games. They also plan to “seed” the clouds west of <st1:city><st1:place>Beijing</st1:place></st1:city> to make it rain prior to the games to cleanse the skies.”<span style=""> </span>I thought that was pretty interesting.<span style=""> </span>Tim was exposed to some of the different foods they have over there, i.e. pig ear, jellyfish, donkey, and snake soup.<span style=""> </span>And he also included this in an email . . . “Believe it or not, our host (the guy who has my job in <st1:place>Asia</st1:place>…..he’s Scottish and lives in <st1:place>Hong Kong</st1:place>) had made arrangements for fun on Thursday afternoon. He had us scheduled to go to a shooting range….they give you an AK-47, unlimited clips, and you blast away at a variety of targets. He’s done it and says if you pay a little extra, they will give you a bazooka and tow a car across in front of you, and you get to blast away at it. Is that a Great Country, or what! You actually had to get a permit from the Chinese Government to do this, and he got one. Unfortunately, we fell behind on a variety of meeting topics and didn’t get to do it. This job is really starting to get in the way of fun, and it’s just not right! It’s probably just as well. I could see one of us blowing off our foot or something like that, and I’m sure their safety precautions are thorough as hell!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Jenny had an 8th grade “New Students” sleepover in the gym at school on Friday night.<span style=""> </span>It sounded like it was a bit awkward, but I would expect that.<span style=""> </span>It’s especially hard when everyone doesn’t speak the same language.<span style=""> </span>She only got 1 hour of sleep!<span style=""> </span>On Saturday morning I woke up “early” (a.k.a. <st1:time minute="0" hour="9">9am</st1:time>) and went for a 16-mile training run.<span style=""> </span>I’m still sore from it.<span style=""> </span>But as <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9m85V5IXm8AWpLhqGheDepZmTXFeH7or742afoTXwWF4XCBM44aZiTR43Iat3pg88Sad8Ou1MKidh7Ar3UhbwlQtag9q87mvenbdQ7b58K9HLJ5WBDD0ISJwXKnCcFP_64ge3VPi7Ss/s1600-h/IMGP7703.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9m85V5IXm8AWpLhqGheDepZmTXFeH7or742afoTXwWF4XCBM44aZiTR43Iat3pg88Sad8Ou1MKidh7Ar3UhbwlQtag9q87mvenbdQ7b58K9HLJ5WBDD0ISJwXKnCcFP_64ge3VPi7Ss/s200/IMGP7703.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110923958593689794" border="0" /></a>soon as I got back we all, including Shadow, jumped in the car and drove 2 hours to <st1:city><st1:place>Am</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>sterdam</st1:place></st1:city>!!<span style=""> </span>We got a cute, old hotel in one of the canal neighborhoods and walked around for the rest of the day.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> is a great city to wander around in.<span style=""> </span>There is great people-watching, window-shopping, and gorgeous houses, canals, and boats.<span style=""> </span>There is every type of restaurant you can imagine, as well as your cafes and “coffee shops.”<span style=""> </span>FYI, you shouldn’t expect to get coffee at any place that calls itself a coffee shop in <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It is most likely a marijuana shop.<span style=""> </span>We<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QdV09Dxu1A7MdjAyuK73Ihyfujoh-IDlalL7pZc-ff7RgnDiz8glSrrtXH-E94-HY76CJdsw0iPu23Le70Oh95Zq6jDOhItxPzYKe3fyG13VWtEJFZQkduBaCw6BIAMIV3iDJURr_lc/s1600-h/IMGP7702.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QdV09Dxu1A7MdjAyuK73Ihyfujoh-IDlalL7pZc-ff7RgnDiz8glSrrtXH-E94-HY76CJdsw0iPu23Le70Oh95Zq6jDOhItxPzYKe3fyG13VWtEJFZQkduBaCw6BIAMIV3iDJURr_lc/s200/IMGP7702.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110923679420815538" border="0" /></a> walked through the Flower Market and saw tons of gorgeous flowers.<span style=""> </span>Oh yah, there is a wide variety of marijuana plants on sale at the market as well (as you can see in the picture).<span style=""> </span>And then we visited the Anne Frank House.<span style=""> </span>We actually got to walk up the hidden staircase behind the bookcase and go into the Secret Annex.<span style=""> </span>I never thought I would do that!!<span style=""> </span>The Anne Frank House and Museum were great to see, but were <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX25hEE353BW9f4CYvmKA9LSMsYs98woCfZ4ot72Rlbf6Kbfhaw6kzFbgyH7hSb2CLs166gaOJA1HvyBi41nEaefJeYKA1fFvLcOZjNRJ1Nqw6vyfCdIk2Kt6MmB_qbMS8Fr4u_KUVCMo/s1600-h/annefrankhousebookcase.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX25hEE353BW9f4CYvmKA9LSMsYs98woCfZ4ot72Rlbf6Kbfhaw6kzFbgyH7hSb2CLs166gaOJA1HvyBi41nEaefJeYKA1fFvLcOZjNRJ1Nqw6vyfCdIk2Kt6MmB_qbMS8Fr4u_KUVCMo/s200/annefrankhousebookcase.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110924495464601810" border="0" /></a>not the most uplifting part of the weekend.<span style=""> </span>Afterwards we went to a great European-style restaurant, drank Heineken (not Jenny, of course), and enjoyed the live Spanish-style music in the restaurant.<span style=""> </span>We went back to the hotel to grab Shadow and went out for Ben and Jerry’s.<span style=""> </span>We walked through the very busy streets near our hotel and followed the sounds of rowdy rugby fans (the Rugby World Championship Tournament is currently being played) to a packed square with restaurants and street entertainers.<span style=""> </span>There were so many exciting things to see!<span style=""> </span>At this point we had spent a large part of the day walking around, Tim was jet-lagged from the return from <st1:country-region><st1:place>China</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Jenny was exhausted from the sleepover, and I was tired from my 16-mile run.<span style=""> </span>It took us all of 2 seconds to fall asleep once we were back in the hotel.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We slept in a bit on Sunday.<span style=""> </span>I was woken up by Shadow’s wet nose in my face.<span style=""> </span>He wanted to go for a walk.<span style=""> </span>Despite the rude awakening it was nice to get out on the city streets early on a Sunday morning.<span style=""> </span>Everything was quiet and we found some pretty parks and fountains.<span style=""> </span>When Shadow and I got back to the hotel we grabbed Tim and Jenny and went out for breakfast.<span style=""> </span>We found a small café with tables along the canals and had bagels and cinnamon buns.<span style=""> </span>You don’t see bagels around here too much, so that was exciting.<span style=""> </span>We wandered the streets some more and got fresh b<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1ctFIsuq1daKvdM5B5PBp6iKump8WWBvkHJxAaFhfz5zEyCEyWJyprJMxk9JwwTFgC2GSTHRe9TG_EQpIHMnKmG_-4HYNDGE4HjM-vgPG4nNcMrfJfniy11niXCV1kBgFKdqtd_YiGU/s1600-h/IMGP7740.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1ctFIsuq1daKvdM5B5PBp6iKump8WWBvkHJxAaFhfz5zEyCEyWJyprJMxk9JwwTFgC2GSTHRe9TG_EQpIHMnKmG_-4HYNDGE4HjM-vgPG4nNcMrfJfniy11niXCV1kBgFKdqtd_YiGU/s320/IMGP7740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110933849903372690" border="0" /></a>ananas, strawberries, and nectarines before checking out of the hotel.<span style=""> </span>Our plan had been to go on a bus tour, but we couldn’t bring the dog.<span style=""> </span>So, we walked around the streets some more, which was just as entertaining, if not more so, than the bus tour.<span style=""> </span>We went into a delft shop, explored the quaint Jordaan neighborhood, and visited the <st1:place><st1:placename>House</st1:placename></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placename></st1:placename> <st1:placename>Boat</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> has over 2500 moorings around the city for houseboats, and at the museum we got to see what the inside of a houseboat is really like.<span style=""> </span>There was more room than I thought there would be.<span style=""> </span>The constant swaying<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBRXKd-p1WvxZiVggy_v8erf7lAj8qDn_thihx9MUWaB-UgIcmHhyQ9WnkbXTgk1tOOPQXfMK_64CVttl-1yX8CGNo7FourQHZxnMFKBtSFzKVUBFFjBsKdLEK7MBIn2oDJtBNcuN13M/s1600-h/IMGP7717.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBRXKd-p1WvxZiVggy_v8erf7lAj8qDn_thihx9MUWaB-UgIcmHhyQ9WnkbXTgk1tOOPQXfMK_64CVttl-1yX8CGNo7FourQHZxnMFKBtSFzKVUBFFjBsKdLEK7MBIn2oDJtBNcuN13M/s200/IMGP7717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110926368070342914" border="0" /></a> would take some getting used to, however.<span style=""> Here is a picture of Tim, Jenny, and Shadow on t</span><span style="">he back deck of a houseboat! </span>Oh, some other random facts.<span style=""> </span>Aside from there being<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsianQlt3HQOs08GsL6YsgjQEpMACvYOALiEE-0TKLpkwFvLaVvcY1_8mJQqkewHfrTqqlbtfMPyLQl5TOJ5kYNm3aRIgdKGpXjm9fauXVb-x4LIsVEOi0k_NFqhvp8XTLZlicg4Ygx0/s1600-h/IMGP7707.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsianQlt3HQOs08GsL6YsgjQEpMACvYOALiEE-0TKLpkwFvLaVvcY1_8mJQqkewHfrTqqlbtfMPyLQl5TOJ5kYNm3aRIgdKGpXjm9fauXVb-x4LIsVEOi0k_NFqhvp8XTLZlicg4Ygx0/s200/IMGP7707.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110925015155644642" border="0" /></a> a lot of houseboats around, <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> has a ton of bikes as well.<span style=""> </span>The population of the city is 750,000.<span style=""> </span>The total number of bikes is 600,000 – they are everywhere, and they can get pretty fancy, too.<span style=""> Also, if you look closely at the canal houses you can see a large hoo</span><span style="">k, or</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfu6UlXe0NeIKc8GuABaHNektH1oR3t1kcMAt3Xp86kyZxhMwaVGyALDKBRWh5wSdn1OV3LmJB8g-788nr8lAHJtBgNQD5Peg_4u0qfTK0Ojwrmfui4DcSs4239qhwm9J3pf9jrLlRyo/s1600-h/IMGP7709.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfu6UlXe0NeIKc8GuABaHNektH1oR3t1kcMAt3Xp86kyZxhMwaVGyALDKBRWh5wSdn1OV3LmJB8g-788nr8lAHJtBgNQD5Peg_4u0qfTK0Ojwrmfui4DcSs4239qhwm9J3pf9jrLlRyo/s200/IMGP7709.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110925307213420786" border="0" /></a><span style=""> arm, near the top, which is used to move furniture. The old </span><span style="">houses have tight, steep staircas</span><span style="">es, so the best way to move things in and out is through the</span><span style=""> windows. We even</span><span style=""> saw a move in action! </span>After the houseboat museum we decided to rent a paddleboat.<span style=""> </span>It was especially nice because we could bring Shadow with us.<span style=""> </span>So, the four of us piled into the boat and paddled (slowly) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxheN9AZhy4a3zroZ9A6cLDb38wQyTjT6RxLrPR-j3aGClUXcqZ9qCBfGNETHs9TbUDhmq679J9hSLVTj4H06dFaG1n3ziPLaG60UWzhcwWAq26oNqHOhfU9dvultGqvwX-0xX3XR9IE/s1600-h/IMGP7745.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxheN9AZhy4a3zroZ9A6cLDb38wQyTjT6RxLrPR-j3aGClUXcqZ9qCBfGNETHs9TbUDhmq679J9hSLVTj4H06dFaG1n3ziPLaG60UWzhcwWAq26oNqHOhfU9dvultGqvwX-0xX3XR9IE/s200/IMGP7745.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110930645857769810" border="0" /></a>through the canals.<span style=""> </span>It would have been a complete success except for the fact that Tim’s glasses fell out of his pocket into the canal.<span style=""> </span>They sank faster than I could grab them and none of us was about to jump into the murky, 10-ft deep canal to get them.<span style=""> </span>Other than that incident, however, the paddle boat was very fun.<span style=""> </span>We had a quick lunch in one of the canal neighborhoods before heading, exhausted, back to Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I am definitely going to have to go back to <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterda</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city><st1:place>m</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>The feeling you get just by<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis81UXd7Wd2CiGDjOI1T-ua21-aoDINPkBfVP9dTXdACQzDingwzHZ8jqF35wPkI7ciGvGI1S1xSRnua1XT3U5q3KPtdmBbuyFkBMI6IwUUFiw8gyLGTn7HmpnsS7qGvFyh8XZ5iUqMCw/s1600-h/IMGP7726.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis81UXd7Wd2CiGDjOI1T-ua21-aoDINPkBfVP9dTXdACQzDingwzHZ8jqF35wPkI7ciGvGI1S1xSRnua1XT3U5q3KPtdmBbuyFkBMI6IwUUFiw8gyLGTn7HmpnsS7qGvFyh8XZ5iUqMCw/s320/IMGP7726.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110933192773376370" border="0" /></a> walking along the canals and being in the city is great – it’s up there on my list of favorite cities.<span style=""> </span>It is one of the most diverse and eclectic places I have ever been. <span style=""> </span>I would agree with Tim when he says that it is one of the underrated great European cities.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-4447503663675469592007-09-13T02:58:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:33:28.438-08:00Lately in Germany . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmAAt1qKBzDedgpcoutJzb1ikuHNtYUvSy7Q0mD2ZfcMnaEEhifrAtb0D1WQ7ecQ10UieoExlaW-IZ5uuOGmBOEpRDwAQkiZW69-QjUYUqfMqgNnfEkbRfQsJFYEfYZ9SSA_-TRr8uko/s1600-h/beijing-gugong4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmAAt1qKBzDedgpcoutJzb1ikuHNtYUvSy7Q0mD2ZfcMnaEEhifrAtb0D1WQ7ecQ10UieoExlaW-IZ5uuOGmBOEpRDwAQkiZW69-QjUYUqfMqgNnfEkbRfQsJFYEfYZ9SSA_-TRr8uko/s200/beijing-gugong4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109647399824038050" border="0" /></a><br />Not much has happened since my last post. Tim has been in Beijing, China since Sunday, so Jenny and I have been living by ourselves in the house, which is a little weird. At least Tim left us with the car this time so we have a little more freedom and it is easier to go to the grocery store (especially when it is raining). Right now, Tim is probably in the Forbidden City, about to go see the Great Wall, and eating dumplings. I'm jealous.<br /><br />Let's see . . . Jenny has a soccer game tonight and an 8th grade sleepover in the gym on Friday night. She's been trying to teach me some of her Irish dancing steps, but it is a lost cause. Not because she is a bad teacher, but because I am a bad student, or not coordinated, or both. Earlier this week I went to a German language class in Japantown in downtown Düsseldorf. It was nice to hear German being spoken because I'm not getting any practice by living in a house with Americans who know very little German. Hopefully I can keep going to the classes!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxeNBRX6G-UCr41dyRgG70gO3SeTI9xZ8C7aKou2bydrVD4yOcDd22zpCN4SBEN-mc4O3hA4rMWhCLndZ_y8V8KrfdFIY_veWGn9-_poqpdh3N4BYvQnmmrpGC1FU6muMs3c8EusWXlw/s1600-h/dhdevilsfood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxeNBRX6G-UCr41dyRgG70gO3SeTI9xZ8C7aKou2bydrVD4yOcDd22zpCN4SBEN-mc4O3hA4rMWhCLndZ_y8V8KrfdFIY_veWGn9-_poqpdh3N4BYvQnmmrpGC1FU6muMs3c8EusWXlw/s320/dhdevilsfood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109643263770531954" border="0" /></a>Last Saturday was a marathon of grocery stores and soccer. In the morning we went to Real (kind of like a Wal-Mart). Jenny was extremely excited when we ran across the "American" section. It's nice every once in a while to have a few reminders of home. They had ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, and marshmallow fluff, along with other stuff. All very healthy. But what Jenny was most excited about was the Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix. The only problem was that they didn't have any frosting. Luckily I got a chocolate frosting recipe (thanks Kat!!) and we now have chocolate cake in the house.<br /><br />In the afternoon Jenny had a soccer game against Hamburg. ISD won 7-0 and Jenny made one of the goals!! Their team is pretty good and hasn't allowed a single goal yet this season, but apparently playing the UK teams is going to be a real challenge. After the game we went to Edeka - the really nice, American-style grocery store in Duisburg (2 towns north of us). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9ORu5jaQ0yueibxcDaDA16QP3sf9zox7wvPo_0HD9b7Wea6rhCnQfa3eToLlAkZj6YwajdYUdqple8vd9Sc6WrWIND0Rl857rC8znFlYXGiDq8yGp7PuzrvlIOHbGPKCSC8Oof_gX_A/s1600-h/Edeka.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9ORu5jaQ0yueibxcDaDA16QP3sf9zox7wvPo_0HD9b7Wea6rhCnQfa3eToLlAkZj6YwajdYUdqple8vd9Sc6WrWIND0Rl857rC8znFlYXGiDq8yGp7PuzrvlIOHbGPKCSC8Oof_gX_A/s320/Edeka.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109643482813864066" border="0" /></a>Lucky for us, Edeka was having some sort of "Italian Celebration Day," meaning they had tons of free food to try - bruschetta, fresh tomatoes and mozzarellla, prosciutto, and waffles with powdered sugar (didn't see how that fit into the Italian theme, but they were good anyways). It was my first trip to Duisburg. The only thing I knew about the town beforehand was what Jenny told me . . . "Don't go there. You will be killed." Just before I got to Germany there was an Italian mob hit in Duisburg. Six men were killed after 70 shots were fired outside a restaurant following one of the victim's birthday celebrations. Apparently this was a response that escalated after someone threw food at someone else's wife. What a well-thought-out, rational response. In the future, I will refrain from throwing food in Duisburg.<br /><br /><div class="mxb"> <div class="mvb"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"A mafia family feud spills over"</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="416"><tbody><tr><td valign="bottom"><div class="mvb"><br /> <span class="byd"> BBC News website </span> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif" alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="416" /><br /></span></div> </div> <span style="font-size:85%;"> <!-- S BO --> <!-- S IBYL --> </span> <!-- E IBYL --> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>The killing of six Italians in the German city of Duisburg has thrust into the spotlight the shadowy world of the 'Ndrangheta, whose tentacles have spread far beyond their rural origins in Calabria, in southern Italy.</b><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Aside from the mob presence and Edeka, Duisburg also has a fancy recreation center with a bowling alley,</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> gym, tennis courts (clay, of course), mini-golf, and a bar. I'm not sure there is anywhere you could go in Germany without being able to get beer. It would be a good place to</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> watch a football game - there are big screen TVs everywhere. </span><br /><br /></span>Last weekend, we also took a drive to Zons - an old, walled city on the Rhein. It's amazing how many houses can actually fit in this tiny<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaF5yJ7GNQgY3qugwUUHC2CD2smTJn-RN5e7Gk-eF-GvcI0ehZgIXBeeJCuFyFCTCDWTfTdA6wvIp8v3OKrKPqYjfu8n_hdMybmsmCIwSWBnEFggnfCfvObiXmZhzo6KjEA_L3D2CWPDI/s1600-h/DSCN0518.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaF5yJ7GNQgY3qugwUUHC2CD2smTJn-RN5e7Gk-eF-GvcI0ehZgIXBeeJCuFyFCTCDWTfTdA6wvIp8v3OKrKPqYjfu8n_hdMybmsmCIwSWBnEFggnfCfvObiXmZhzo6KjEA_L3D2CWPDI/s320/DSCN0518.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109644088404252818" border="0" /></a></span> town. Cars can barely fit through the streets, which are kept amazingly clean. It is especially nice to walk through Zons at night when all of the lanterns are lit. Aside from houses, the town has multiple churches, guard towers, a windmill, bakeries, and more restaurants than you would guess. We went to a restaurant that Tim had been to before for business. It was an old house that had been turned into a very cozy restaurant and hotel. I was happy because they had Indian food. The fact that multiple weddings were being held in Zons the night we were there tells you that it's pretty nice.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-81480923429755754972007-08-30T03:16:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:33:29.338-08:00Shadow Made It!!!Shadow has been here for almost two days now, and I think right now is the first time he has let me out of his sight. Up until now he has lived up to his name and hasn't let me get more than a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00rEZfd7TZ274fhxTNJrMFRrCfztt02ESaTvwverFFc3U8_SKxeeTh54as2XFFvhquBIr8IFbDsYgjgAJOfBd0qJX7M0GtBeDx0wiLV08dZo4uqFnKTdiTshyCWSbnofvMOyHJ_LUyNw/s1600-h/IMGP7687.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00rEZfd7TZ274fhxTNJrMFRrCfztt02ESaTvwverFFc3U8_SKxeeTh54as2XFFvhquBIr8IFbDsYgjgAJOfBd0qJX7M0GtBeDx0wiLV08dZo4uqFnKTdiTshyCWSbnofvMOyHJ_LUyNw/s320/IMGP7687.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104441158813880994" border="0" /></a> couple feet away from him. He made the flight over to Frankfurt and drive up to Düsseldorf and arrived in a lot better condition than I ever expected. I was really worried about his flight over here, but everything is fine now. At the moment he's just really confused. He doesn't understand that this is where we live now and he keeps trying to leave. It doesn't help that he hasn't seen my mom in a while either. He has also already run into the glass wall in the middle of the kitchen - I knew it was going to happen to someone soon.<br /><br />Once he gets a little more relaxed and well-adjusted I think he'll like it. He's going to get a lot of walks around here. I've already taken him down to the Rhein paths, which he likes, but we have to keep an eye on him near the river. He loves<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_46KVAl34YHCvLl3xgEf35YexfMa9IyVLQrduHIcZdn7rY1pPLjI4aUT2nDLjXORJK8SmxVGNuTjUfh6sc4QWxfVNckDPrZmUyIIHljzLyIzi6H599d6C8ew0LzIPkmWQq6g2GqreS8Q/s1600-h/IMGP7688.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_46KVAl34YHCvLl3xgEf35YexfMa9IyVLQrduHIcZdn7rY1pPLjI4aUT2nDLjXORJK8SmxVGNuTjUfh6sc4QWxfVNckDPrZmUyIIHljzLyIzi6H599d6C8ew0LzIPkmWQq6g2GqreS8Q/s200/IMGP7688.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104454511867204274" border="0" /></a> to go on the beaches and into the water though (I keep him on the leash, Mom!).<br /><br />Yesterday was our big adventure into the Altstadt! He got to go on the streetcar/train, which he has never been on before. He was really well-behaved, but he's so big that he can't help but be in the way. When we got to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwCH5DbO2vpuU4D7c4bpunnbry1UbH7WfhUKKqvcD3XSol3MuWruzAPTFENql0bo1Ga2wT6yWS5RhTLmSRrfwdICjbtRcdC68az_mcBPtAHb9TkMkj2KFpWQt47KVmX65BUPL6lvy__g/s1600-h/IMGP7690.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwCH5DbO2vpuU4D7c4bpunnbry1UbH7WfhUKKqvcD3XSol3MuWruzAPTFENql0bo1Ga2wT6yWS5RhTLmSRrfwdICjbtRcdC68az_mcBPtAHb9TkMkj2KFpWQt47KVmX65BUPL6lvy__g/s320/IMGP7690.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104454743795438274" border="0" /></a>Heinrich-Heine-Allee, the main train station near the Altstadt, the only way up to the street level was via escalator. Shadow didn't like that so much. He crouched as low as possible without actually lying down and slowed everyone up behind us. It was funny to watch, but I felt bad at the same time because I knew he was scared. Aside from pulling a bit, he was much more well-behaved than I expected, considering every restaurant in the Altstadt had tables and food outside. We'll have to experiment and take him to dinner with us once. I don't think his table manners are good enough though. All the German dogs sit quitely at their owners feet while they eat. Shadow would be whining and barking at us for food.<br /><br />Jenny and I have been on our own for the past couple of nights while Tim is in Belgium. We went to the Berliner-Imbiss last night for dinner for some German junk food. Instead of going<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJXBOCotYLdCdQhwW6MZE6EiOnrlsGmy7yEAGx7iCmmqT1Z51jSWrM0Ty2qHviFjGxXrv5bVhgwrtDz-eILF5IlfEf5ENpnkvYP_oFleyAobwmMpH6WuifN6i3rpXYJ8Plez5QZIlkN0/s1600-h/IMGP7692.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJXBOCotYLdCdQhwW6MZE6EiOnrlsGmy7yEAGx7iCmmqT1Z51jSWrM0Ty2qHviFjGxXrv5bVhgwrtDz-eILF5IlfEf5ENpnkvYP_oFleyAobwmMpH6WuifN6i3rpXYJ8Plez5QZIlkN0/s320/IMGP7692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104455555544257234" border="0" /></a> for a burger around here, you get Currywurst. It's sausage doused in curry powder and ketchup. It's better than it sounds. This is an oh-so-attractive picture of Jenny with currywurst. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKmL3WI8n4gQxgs4SNjVzY7GxUHSeR4cxxeulYUg010eFQEh9qZgBlGdI-2LyJ02ldFxkxnyWlemB7oyuJ5wQp-wA9Oz8EGOwN1vBAKhcn5cSm86h6YXxeutaxAJBR5o5P0x9MjsYajw/s1600-h/IMGP7694.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKmL3WI8n4gQxgs4SNjVzY7GxUHSeR4cxxeulYUg010eFQEh9qZgBlGdI-2LyJ02ldFxkxnyWlemB7oyuJ5wQp-wA9Oz8EGOwN1vBAKhcn5cSm86h6YXxeutaxAJBR5o5P0x9MjsYajw/s200/IMGP7694.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104459107482211042" border="0" /></a>For dessert we went for Spaghetti Eis - pretty cool. It is ice cream that comes out of a machine in strands like spaghetti, is covered in fresh strawberry sauce (to look like marinara sauce) and sprinkled with white chocolate (to look like grated parmesan cheese). I think I still like the Erdbeerbechers better, but it was worth a try.<br /><br />Tonight Jenny has cello, which should be interesting since we do not have a car to get it to school and it looks like it is going to rain. That's it for now. Talk to you soon!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-594091128153463242007-08-28T08:58:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:33:30.208-08:00DüsseldorfSooooooo, we live in Kaiserswerth, which is a suburb of Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span>We’re really close to the city and since that’s where I told everyone I <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfJGq7Pjy7JlRUTRnjMrl1MLFyOZxJCMEzdeG5ZTWCUBzMDw1qqQoJ3xf0oW1ll1_sxtORfLvtvlWS5etTnZMSVQwZk5lHEddtYDuzqlGiqAioGjoIvR75C2l7B1ZrcCLi0NDx6iBIg4/s1600-h/Germany.Koenigsallee_okt2004.large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfJGq7Pjy7JlRUTRnjMrl1MLFyOZxJCMEzdeG5ZTWCUBzMDw1qqQoJ3xf0oW1ll1_sxtORfLvtvlWS5etTnZMSVQwZk5lHEddtYDuzqlGiqAioGjoIvR75C2l7B1ZrcCLi0NDx6iBIg4/s320/Germany.Koenigsallee_okt2004.large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103794847840211538" border="0" /></a>was moving, I’ll tell you a little more about it.<span style=""> </span>It’s a city of about 250,000, but feels bigger than that.<span style=""> </span>It’s the fashion capital of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> – there are fashion houses everywhere – and is sometimes called “Little Paris.”<span style=""> </span>I don’t know if I agree with that nickname, but it’s out there.<span style=""> </span>Düsseldorf is on the <st1:place><st1:placename>Rhein</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Riv</st1:placetype></st1:place><st1:place><st1:placetype>er</st1:placetype></st1:place> and is about 30 km north of <st1:city><st1:place>Cologne</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>We’re also 2 hours by car from <st1:city><st1:place>Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> and 4 hours from <st1:city><st1:place>Paris</st1:place></st1:city>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW8J-lUgBabOR5oDm50Pfnn4TgN9ymnkWnsUDzYYVDh4Eo72gWOGql2U4z9WKXO_YHHsS9js7jjprdbabkYZX0fz3BcT7DTcvqRXA8cPY8iOWlS0xBQT0KZU9zL6CgGssirsJl8_KSIw/s1600-h/Germany.Koenigsallee.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW8J-lUgBabOR5oDm50Pfnn4TgN9ymnkWnsUDzYYVDh4Eo72gWOGql2U4z9WKXO_YHHsS9js7jjprdbabkYZX0fz3BcT7DTcvqRXA8cPY8iOWlS0xBQT0KZU9zL6CgGssirsJl8_KSIw/s320/Germany.Koenigsallee.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103795367531254370" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span>The most famous area of the city is the Kö, short for König’s Allee, or the King’s Avenue.<span style=""> </span>It’s comparable to <st1:street><st1:address>Michigan Avenue</st1:address></st1:street> in <st1:city><st1:place>Chicago</st1:place></st1:city> or <st1:street><st1:address>Fifth Avenue</st1:address></st1:street> in <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state> – very high end shopping.<span style=""> </span>These are some pictures of the Kö, with the river down the middle. <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Near the Kö is the Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof (or main train station) and the Altstadt.<span style=""> </span>If you can’t tell yet, the Altstadt is my favorite area of the city.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94KJlyyCqVazI7A26n_nLt_8WLmcqXXWNPVbMIXm2YloK4f_quqZuB48nYF1Vu2F5HNrLM9ZtopaVMpi3SczHXGgonKoxjcSpaEc4aITpXJTQ3x3tpvTabF5HpmS26HhOPcEMaj-74kE/s1600-h/Germany.dus_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94KJlyyCqVazI7A26n_nLt_8WLmcqXXWNPVbMIXm2YloK4f_quqZuB48nYF1Vu2F5HNrLM9ZtopaVMpi3SczHXGgonKoxjcSpaEc4aITpXJTQ3x3tpvTabF5HpmS26HhOPcEMaj-74kE/s320/Germany.dus_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103797983166337666" border="0" /></a>It is the part of the city with the stereotypical old German architecture and tiny, cobblestone streets.<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure if it<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7kTQerYnU3aHdJp1_-Pvhwsub4NLeasqIpVpwRlmHpqqMXZqtn2bQjIFt6usuNPMCqA6A-6zIhbdOEJnkqqvDaMufVlI8ruT0LVH_vGYqY1SLPrzKxNpng9XG3imEA2FFUwWGAVVY00/s1600-h/Germany.altstadt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7kTQerYnU3aHdJp1_-Pvhwsub4NLeasqIpVpwRlmHpqqMXZqtn2bQjIFt6usuNPMCqA6A-6zIhbdOEJnkqqvDaMufVlI8ruT0LVH_vGYqY1SLPrzKxNpng9XG3imEA2FFUwWGAVVY00/s320/Germany.altstadt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103796892244644466" border="0" /></a> is completely authentic since most of Düsseldorf was flattened in WWII, but it doesn’t really matter because it still looks cool.<span style=""> </span>They also refer to the Altstadt as “Der Längste Theke der Welt,” or the longest bar in the world. Within only a couple of city blocks there are 260 bars! There's even a "White Bear Bar" in the picture - anyone recognize that?<span style=""> </span>Düsseldorf is home to the traditional Altbier.<span style=""> </span>It is darker then a pilsner and outsells pilsners here by something like 6 to 1.<span style=""> </span>It’s good.<span style=""> </span>Jenny’s sports teams at ISD are actually called the “Alts.”<span style=""> </span>You can find virtually every type of food you could want in the Altstadt, with the exception of Mexican food.<span style=""> </span>They’ve got German, French, Argentinean, Thai, Moroccan, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1xjsrNGtlWydj3RV1vJsDq4oRZFBN-l9f1U3CR78QcVuq8GKQEpLcM8hkPsLN91FD33j8lgIgz3wGm4HS1vTdv-IcPTlFBo-_j0PanxrmItw7dtfMFMsd6drRfwMzkvGcdXGBb39CFI/s1600-h/Germany.Duesseldorf_riverside_by_night_01.large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1xjsrNGtlWydj3RV1vJsDq4oRZFBN-l9f1U3CR78QcVuq8GKQEpLcM8hkPsLN91FD33j8lgIgz3wGm4HS1vTdv-IcPTlFBo-_j0PanxrmItw7dtfMFMsd6drRfwMzkvGcdXGBb39CFI/s320/Germany.Duesseldorf_riverside_by_night_01.large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103798374008361618" border="0" /></a>Indian, Italian, Turkish, etc.<span style=""> </span>Keeping with the trend in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the Altstadt has its fair share of bakeries as well.<span style=""> </span>Every day of the week there is a huge market with fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, cheeses, olives, breads, flowers, ethnic foods, and of course beer.<span style=""> </span>I ride my bike along the Rhein and pick up fresh food for dinner a lot of the time (we have to shop a little more frequently here than in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> because our refrigerator is pretty small).<span style=""> </span>Food also doesn’t last as long because it has fewer preservatives in it, but I’m sure that’s good for you.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >A couple hundred yards down the Rhein from the Altstadt is the Hafen (literal translation harbour), which is what it is. The harbour used to have a more industrial focus, but as Düsseldorf has transformed into a more fashion and arts-centered city th</span></span><span style=""><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >e Hafen has been reglorified. It is now the “new money” center of town. It is filled with modern architecture, trendy restaurants, and upscale hotels. All of the boats in the harbour now are personal yachts,</span></span> rather than commercial ships.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx55f3ClBY8e7DcM2WWLUhqn6dp05ISfIj_gQMwj8FRhi8bOCLhyphenhyphen9DjZJ7oPUd2Orqg998ihci7lKjotj_I8MDGnwRlAv-83ky-5LEWtBSZGOgbEZcL8xG4CSjjnHMaE7G8C0rQXwr9w/s1600-h/Germany.18284-duesseldorfer_hafen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx55f3ClBY8e7DcM2WWLUhqn6dp05ISfIj_gQMwj8FRhi8bOCLhyphenhyphen9DjZJ7oPUd2Orqg998ihci7lKjotj_I8MDGnwRlAv-83ky-5LEWtBSZGOgbEZcL8xG4CSjjnHMaE7G8C0rQXwr9w/s320/Germany.18284-duesseldorfer_hafen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103793997436686914" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">More recently . . . a few days ago we were invited over to my dad’s friend Mel’s. <span style=""> </span>They live over in what could most appropriately be called Expat Row here in Kaiserswerth.<span style=""> </span>Four families from Minnesota came over for cake and cookies.<span style=""> </span>It was strange for there to be four families that lived within 10 miles of each other in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> now living within 10 miles of each other in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>It’s nice if you get homesick, I guess.<span style=""> </span>Meanwhile Jenny was playing out in the street with kids from the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Sweden</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>, etc. – that’s different from MN.<span style=""> </span>I think I may have been identified as the new babysitter for everyone.<span style=""> </span>Could be alright seeing as I have no big plans at the moment. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I planned on leaving Mel’s early to head towards the city to play Ultimate Frisbee.<span style=""> </span>I figure that will be a good way to meet people around here.<span style=""> </span>At least I’m hoping there will be people my own age and that I will be forced to speak German a little more.<span style=""> </span>Kaiserswerth is nice, but it is very much a family town – lots of younger kids.<span style=""> </span>Anyways, I did leave early but found out I had the Frisbee time wrong.<span style=""> </span>It had started two hours earlier than I thought, so I’ll have to wait ‘til next week <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">L</span></span>.<span style=""> </span>Luckily I hadn’t left the house yet, so hung around and made dinner – something other than Tim’s cycle of pasta/pizza/sandwiches for once, which was very nice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">As long as it does not rain this week I should have stuff to keep me busy.<span style=""> </span>If it rains I’m housebound because I don’t have a car and don’t want to ride a bike in the rain.<span style=""> </span>I’m hoping for sun, which can be scarce at times here in “Drizzledorf.”<span style=""> </span>The climate here seems to be what you would expect in <st1:city><st1:place>Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> or <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>It never gets too warm or too cold, but it rains quite a bit.<span style=""> </span>Good news: Shadow comes this week so I’ll have some company during the day!!<span style=""> </span>It has been a little lonely since I got here.<span style=""> </span>My dad is at work all day and traveling sometimes.<span style=""> </span>And Jenny has school and sports all of the time.<span style=""> </span>That is why I definitely HAVE to go to Frisbee next week!<span style=""> </span>And I can’t travel yet since I have to be in Kaiserswerth for Jenny.<span style=""> </span>For those of you who I said I’d visit, it’ll have to be after September 15<sup>th</sup> or so when my mom gets back in the country!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Other information if I haven’t talked to you in a while . . .</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m going to try and go to Oktoberfest in <st1:city><st1:place>Munich</st1:place></st1:city> near the end of September.<span style=""> </span>If you are going to be anywhere close, let me know.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll be back in the states (<st1:state><st1:place>Maryland</st1:place></st1:state>, D.C., VA/UVA, <st1:state><st1:place>North Carolina</st1:place></st1:state>) from October 4<sup>th</sup>-15<sup>th</sup>.<span style=""> </span>I’m coming back for my first-year roommate’s wedding, but I also should have some time to visit people!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m training for the Athens Marathon on November 4<sup>th</sup>.<span style=""> </span>It’ll be my first marathon (barring any further injuries)!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Let me know if you want to visit or want to plan a trip somewhere cool!<span style=""> </span>I’ll try and be in touch a little more often from now on!<span style=""> </span>I hope everyone is doing well!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><span style=""><br /></span><br /><span style=""></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style=""><span style=""></span></span> </span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527277525809655732.post-23284998800965705412007-08-28T04:49:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:33:31.982-08:00MY FIRST FEW WEEKS IN GERMANY . . .I made it safely to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>!!<span style=""> </span>I finished my internship in <st1:state><st1:place>Indiana</st1:place></st1:state> on August 10<sup>th</sup>, drove<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQmuNJz_JlUQH_YAzOKQ6YYk2qyuFQz1qvUrt0Smd3xyRPT9wGVRbPrreFi0AGnwZbsz4e6PEvZoLYdUZ-0AnZTCxlT4-LwZ-jhs0PLCeMonxx8n-Bdr4ydKgl8hR9yooQX7HtnRNF_Y/s1600-h/Germany.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQmuNJz_JlUQH_YAzOKQ6YYk2qyuFQz1qvUrt0Smd3xyRPT9wGVRbPrreFi0AGnwZbsz4e6PEvZoLYdUZ-0AnZTCxlT4-LwZ-jhs0PLCeMonxx8n-Bdr4ydKgl8hR9yooQX7HtnRNF_Y/s200/Germany.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104471060376195826" border="0" /></a> home, packed up my life, and flew out on the 15<sup>th</sup>.<span style=""> </span><st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> has been great so far!!<span style=""> </span>I arrived and found that our house is no more than 10 minutes from the airport, which is very convenient.<span style=""> </span>Before heading home I got a quick tour of our new village, Kaiserswerth.<span style=""> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6hcAXDQSaB73gVYWdBNe9y1Fi7dyEEDJ5d1Hxi9Bq0u8RecQsVu-fTJLTJLDNlIFiUvxMxJSbd7VLKGA9UeRLN98sNuwsuqiLHAVthyphenhyphenmIeX2xcdtS4eiNvjDLZ3T71lHtcri1FAPXVs/s1600-h/IMGP7674.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6hcAXDQSaB73gVYWdBNe9y1Fi7dyEEDJ5d1Hxi9Bq0u8RecQsVu-fTJLTJLDNlIFiUvxMxJSbd7VLKGA9UeRLN98sNuwsuqiLHAVthyphenhyphenmIeX2xcdtS4eiNvjDLZ3T71lHtcri1FAPXVs/s320/IMGP7674.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103724371721851106" border="0" /></a>It is very cute and well-kept.<span style=""> </span>There is one main street filled with shops, bakeries, ice cream parlors, and restaurants.<span style=""> </span>That’s enough to keep me happy <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span>.<span style=""> </span>I’ve already had several Erdbeerbechers (basically a strawberry sundae, but with really good ice cream, real strawberries, and real whipped cream).<span style=""> </span>Jenny and I go to get ice cream sometimes after school.<span style=""> </span>Here she is with an Erdbeerbecher!<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Kaiserswerth also has one of the 10 best restaurants in all of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>, which I am excited to check out!<span style=""> </span></p> <span style=""> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Kaiserswerth looks like the quintessential German village.<span style=""> </span>It is actually a stop on <st1:place><st1:placename>Rhein</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>River</st1:placetype></st1:place> cruises that pass by - it’s weird to think that my town is a tourist destination.<span style=""> </span>People also<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStc4EIR_n43uOKQW3PNJX43baLZ3OydWkbSqfbHNlgpmew3vLM4ejnAwWq54aN6vSEmu3VtXwD95c6WpvMiRQBGcVs5RJzJRMH2SNG4Qc57w8XEvmmj2ie5UY9di1vTxPeeWVZk_lMpY/s1600-h/Germany.duesseldorf_kaiserswerth_09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStc4EIR_n43uOKQW3PNJX43baLZ3OydWkbSqfbHNlgpmew3vLM4ejnAwWq54aN6vSEmu3VtXwD95c6WpvMiRQBGcVs5RJzJRMH2SNG4Qc57w8XEvmmj2ie5UY9di1vTxPeeWVZk_lMpY/s320/Germany.duesseldorf_kaiserswerth_09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103726811263275298" border="0" /></a> stop by to see the Kaiserpfalz ruins, one of many old castles on the Rhein.<span style=""> </span>These ruins date back to 700AD.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RqKXCGcxlV3leZ75UfFJ4b75SqyhbZQO5w2779D4owFjmIsqybceBYFyVni-xSztl8hwYq3uTQkvTxzH63ILcpafZVlpYn9y8BbdSMoBws_b-BKnc4jJwtVpzRgGpQGDa2gg1fP_-5M/s1600-h/Germany2.images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RqKXCGcxlV3leZ75UfFJ4b75SqyhbZQO5w2779D4owFjmIsqybceBYFyVni-xSztl8hwYq3uTQkvTxzH63ILcpafZVlpYn9y8BbdSMoBws_b-BKnc4jJwtVpzRgGpQGDa2gg1fP_-5M/s320/Germany2.images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103727330954318130" border="0" /></a> The castle was used by the National Socialists as a shrine for the Hitler Youth from 1933-1945, but that fact is usually downplayed. Now it is a historic site and is sometimes used for outdoor theater performances in the summer.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Our house in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> is very modern – completely different from our house in MN.<span style=""> </span>Lots of glass, as you can see.<span style=""> </span>It gives the sensation that you’re in a fish bowl.<span style=""> </span>Two guys came to clean the windows the other day (which took the whole day) and I kept moving from room to room so I didn’t have to stare at them while they worked.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9D_PhuLiLwPlmk1kvI5ecIAn_p7a0B_S6IcuHc6kjI5dhxThTg_gFMFEQiCygvzehsehZsoAI-V-VPzZ_-LHp1DQ0B2kUQ3Yk6CEDy6jcUqwKWrQO90Kzt8XVpuAW9mh84fUQV1-yUY/s1600-h/IMGP7662.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9D_PhuLiLwPlmk1kvI5ecIAn_p7a0B_S6IcuHc6kjI5dhxThTg_gFMFEQiCygvzehsehZsoAI-V-VPzZ_-LHp1DQ0B2kUQ3Yk6CEDy6jcUqwKWrQO90Kzt8XVpuAW9mh84fUQV1-yUY/s320/IMGP7662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103728134113202498" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepL4OXEas3nZT5stdtTOff2pq8IGi5jEyJfIdcVSTKt9-_fAUBaMvHh1tGV5IhDhlWsNI26rA0Ib3q4GsVX1OFOJlEyleZHXzmqeN8qmdPg1yjVDNMTmZ_uk5sEeESV0pnoOV-jPd1OA/s1600-h/Germany.duesseldorf_kaiserswerth_09.jpg"> </a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">No. 26 Curt-Beckmann Strasse is a duplex.<span style=""> </span>We live in the front part.<span style=""> </span>My room is actually part of the glass pyramid you can see on the top level.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Jörg, Elise, and Lisa are our neighbors on the other half.<span style=""> </span>Jörg is really into architecture and had the house built.<span style=""> </span>It is based on the Richard Meier style of architecture for anyone who knows it.<span style=""> </span>Our neighbors are really cool.<span style=""> </span>Jörg works for a family-owned beverage distribution company.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know exactly what he does, but I do know that it means he always has a lot of beer at his house.<span style=""> </span>And he likes to share it.<span style=""> </span>Elise is originally from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>She was a professional dancer for a while and now is a full-time artist.<span style=""> </span>She has a lot of her work displayed in the house – mostly modern painting and sculpture.<span style=""> </span>Her English is decent, much better than my German.<span style=""> </span>But in addition to being fluent in Portugese and German, she speaks a lot of Spanish, French, and Italian.<span style=""> </span>It makes me feel so lazy.<span style=""> </span>Lisa, the daughter, is Jenny’s age, but goes to a different school.<span style=""> </span>She speaks English very well, too, and has been trying to get Jenny to hang out with her and her German friends, but Jenny is still a little hesitant because of the language barrier.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">They had us over for a traditional Brazilian dinner a few nights after I got into town.<span style=""> </span>It was reaaaalllly good!<span style=""> </span>I don’t know exactly what everything was, but I would have it all again.<span style=""> </span>One of the dishes we had reminded me of croquetas (I know I butchered the spelling, but I’m talking about those Spanish-fried-ham-things that Murph and Robyn make).<span style=""> </span>For dessert we had sushi and caviar and many more servings of wine and beer.<span style=""> </span>We started comparing music collections, too, and spent the rest of the night listening to The Doors and Jack Johnson.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHxDbIKYOyx_DvJPz7Wl91M9TPNk8ZSJ-T8tHxcmiIk05zPw4m9xS4kavwfZJQE8Ki9Onl0NOABRy3dCYTzDHt0f9THlAEw-djl5E_x_gkCqpd-3ZJ8IYwL7xehSsIbKMNXZ1scVTIK4/s1600-h/IMGP7661.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 328px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHxDbIKYOyx_DvJPz7Wl91M9TPNk8ZSJ-T8tHxcmiIk05zPw4m9xS4kavwfZJQE8Ki9Onl0NOABRy3dCYTzDHt0f9THlAEw-djl5E_x_gkCqpd-3ZJ8IYwL7xehSsIbKMNXZ1scVTIK4/s320/IMGP7661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103729414013456722" border="0" /></a>Back to the house . . . this is the kitchen and front entrance.<span style=""> </span>Notice that there is a glass wall in the middle of the room.<span style=""> </span>I haven’t walked or run into it yet.<span style=""> </span>Surprising, I know.<span style=""> </span>But it’s coming soon.<span style=""> </span>And here’s the living room.<span style=""> </span>My<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fGLeMlqLW5lff-R91yNHXH8c1WRyhH0pdVjlI4iy2Pz0-hpdUraRdNA-pjZobOvY7ue_fCUvK_57ZC9JL7LrBZ4cM_G_yM0l5OE2_aIaiYdq86sXcq47waPYOPH3KRQ46y_oKu5q1As/s1600-h/IMGP7660.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fGLeMlqLW5lff-R91yNHXH8c1WRyhH0pdVjlI4iy2Pz0-hpdUraRdNA-pjZobOvY7ue_fCUvK_57ZC9JL7LrBZ4cM_G_yM0l5OE2_aIaiYdq86sXcq47waPYOPH3KRQ46y_oKu5q1As/s320/IMGP7660.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103729688891363682" border="0" /></a> dad joked with the relocation agent and said that he was going to put a basketball hoop on each end of the room so that we could get a full-court game going.<span style=""> </span>She was not amused.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>We’ve got a decent deck and backyard with a gate that opens up to a path on the Rhein.<span style=""> </span>We can see the river from the yard when there aren’t too many leaves on the trees!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">These are a few shots of the <st1:place><st1:placename>Rhein</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>River</st1:placetype></st1:place> paths near Kasierswerth.<span style=""> </span>Luckily it is not all cement.<span style=""> </span>As long as you are n<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog8AUvFCDnTZ7eC0Vb_RaXlIL4D15TJ9OBxZX62eZgR6bCXrG6-1mce-AkIUeXTCF9g7D3DcdZowtw5jiIuSBfECIQHrjHrM6xTbCwCKfGW7DaOh60arCTSS5TDzwwKugqzYvaxuq1eg/s1600-h/Germany.duesseldorf_kaiserswerth_11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog8AUvFCDnTZ7eC0Vb_RaXlIL4D15TJ9OBxZX62eZgR6bCXrG6-1mce-AkIUeXTCF9g7D3DcdZowtw5jiIuSBfECIQHrjHrM6xTbCwCKfGW7DaOh60arCTSS5TDzwwKugqzYvaxuq1eg/s320/Germany.duesseldorf_kaiserswerth_11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103730736863383922" border="0" /></a>ot right in front of the village the floodplain opens up and leaves room for farming and multiple trails. <span style=""> </span>There are three levels of trails in most places – the upwards paved path for bikers, rollerbladers and whoever, a middle unpaved path for bikers, runners, and horseback riders, and the lowest path near the river for runners, dog-walkers, etc.<span style=""> </span>Basically, you get<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9TFPteQpLsPbTETU3NamWD_Js5AXmAVC5Wzer5-QskRcRA2KC5hKEVIVd_Kn74rh7nOs-aIfZBV_sci-UnHmXlvUn5sMorawjvd21hyphenhyphenr2vXF4Iit3hB1lH423pmHdd12MBJ_NKH2EZA/s1600-h/Germany.duesseldorf_kaiserswerth_14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9TFPteQpLsPbTETU3NamWD_Js5AXmAVC5Wzer5-QskRcRA2KC5hKEVIVd_Kn74rh7nOs-aIfZBV_sci-UnHmXlvUn5sMorawjvd21hyphenhyphenr2vXF4Iit3hB1lH423pmHdd12MBJ_NKH2EZA/s320/Germany.duesseldorf_kaiserswerth_14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103731114820505986" border="0" /></a> whatever you want and there are always tons of people out there.<span style=""> </span>The river path brings back a lot of memories of <st1:city><st1:place>Brisbane</st1:place></st1:city>!!!<span style=""> </span>If you take the river path it is only about 10k (or 6.2miles) to the center of downtown Düsseldorf.<span style=""> </span>Not a bad run and an even faster bike ride.<span style=""> </span>I go down there all the time.<span style=""> </span>It would be somewhat of a long walk, but in that case you can just take the S-Bahn (streetcar system).<span style=""> </span>The nearest station is a 10-15-minute walk from my house.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglO7vWVsqEy3Qc75pCO7JrTQAabagwcfSd4_CYb2MaCP8HdutQIZJs0J12muD8FiVX1y-obJNKlPn1hNeASex2aunUM1S4g6PrW5zocMknPwkKGQL2k6Unr4BTu6zhJ3dUWSwQPqNsMBY/s1600-h/IMGP7664.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglO7vWVsqEy3Qc75pCO7JrTQAabagwcfSd4_CYb2MaCP8HdutQIZJs0J12muD8FiVX1y-obJNKlPn1hNeASex2aunUM1S4g6PrW5zocMknPwkKGQL2k6Unr4BTu6zhJ3dUWSwQPqNsMBY/s320/IMGP7664.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103731759065600402" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">If you take the path that begins at the end of our street, within minutes you can see the LTU stadium, which is where the Düsseldorf Fortuna play (the soccer/football team).<span style=""> </span>I really want to go to a game!!<span style=""> </span>I’ve heard tickets are hard to get, so I’ll see what I can do.<span style=""> </span>Just going to the Altstadt (“old city” – more to be explained later) to watch the game in a bar would be a blast.<span style=""> </span>On my first or second day in town we passed through the Altstadt while a game was being played.<span style=""> </span>It is crazy down there!!<span style=""> </span>Everyone was dressed in red and white, with scarves, jerseys, etc. and the bars put big-screen TVs out on the street.<span style=""> </span>It was a really fun atmosphere!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNMobgZfD-bp4SxFDWoq3OsALE5w8nMerlKgfWUuG40yukfb2JyxLMvQqS56n9dyM59ufNQM0vEgS-hTkjIC2z4OaFbZTDdnLjdgtBL8jfHsEQ2503N1VnxDp546Do5eRyGIRBlZwBW8/s1600-h/Germany.img_20030905T165728937.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 323px; height: 44px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNMobgZfD-bp4SxFDWoq3OsALE5w8nMerlKgfWUuG40yukfb2JyxLMvQqS56n9dyM59ufNQM0vEgS-hTkjIC2z4OaFbZTDdnLjdgtBL8jfHsEQ2503N1VnxDp546Do5eRyGIRBlZwBW8/s320/Germany.img_20030905T165728937.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103732639533896098" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Jenny is in her third week at ISD (the International School of Düsseldorf) and likes it so far.<span style=""> </span>She has 13 classes – too much for me.<span style=""> </span>She’s taking two languages – French and German – and even Irish dancing.<span style=""> </span>She’s playing soccer and basketball at ISD and seems to be one of the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tv9sGAG_cXjw3OMFrmKyIvrT3PIwim9TO6zgZaplITxHnQugIKBfFhEc8jEcWxNPW1zES7i2b02zAEa7qNAY0092aeDmkLWZZ2Fk1-xfA5A5Z1F8tGA0LlFNzt9Rgi7q-2VmH1zwxXo/s1600-h/IMGP7670.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tv9sGAG_cXjw3OMFrmKyIvrT3PIwim9TO6zgZaplITxHnQugIKBfFhEc8jEcWxNPW1zES7i2b02zAEa7qNAY0092aeDmkLWZZ2Fk1-xfA5A5Z1F8tGA0LlFNzt9Rgi7q-2VmH1zwxXo/s320/IMGP7670.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103733498527355314" border="0" /></a> best athletes they have.<span style=""> </span>The school is pretty small and isn’t exactly a sports powerhouse.<span style=""> </span>In terms of basketball, she’s probably the best the school has got.<span style=""> </span>Basketball isn’t very popular for girls over here.<span style=""> </span>And she’s on the varsity soccer team even though she’s only thirteen!<span style=""> </span>I’m trying to convince her to join the local German leagues, but it’s a little scary for her since she can’t speak the language.<span style=""> </span>She would get so much better at soccer if she joined though!<span style=""> </span>Here is a picture of Jenny’s team (she’s #2) after their first game against Mettmann.<span style=""> </span>ISD won 6-0!<span style=""> </span>Apparently most of her games will be played on gravel pitches like this, or on astroturf – hope she doesn’t hurt herself!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <span style=""><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style="'width:279pt;"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Student\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg" title="IMGP7670"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I have been playing mom for the last week and will be for at least another three weeks – d<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXED_9ihj2ZFpA_xPAnyCI1MRwlZgH2lNVIaoJwAjfu4wwyFm_D85tvps9tDFozz8_UG2mWdcx-0rcLbGXV0GV_cwMxwBNrWu0Hw1f2AN48l75t8rbAgYSOOuFdsCoWIgeugxcU0kk2Gg/s1600-h/IMGP7677.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXED_9ihj2ZFpA_xPAnyCI1MRwlZgH2lNVIaoJwAjfu4wwyFm_D85tvps9tDFozz8_UG2mWdcx-0rcLbGXV0GV_cwMxwBNrWu0Hw1f2AN48l75t8rbAgYSOOuFdsCoWIgeugxcU0kk2Gg/s200/IMGP7677.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103734336045978050" border="0" /></a>idn’t realize it would be for that long until I got over here.<span style=""> </span>My mom is back in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> getting Laura into <st1:place><st1:placename>Connecticut</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype></st1:place> (Go Camels!) and packing up our entire house by herself.<span style=""> </span>Good luck, Mom!<span style=""> </span>So, I have been going to school meetings and registering Jenny for sports, etc.<span style=""> </span>It is awkward at times.<span style=""> </span>I walked into the “Welcome Coffee” at ISD only to be surrounded by fifty plus women in their 40s and 50s.<span style=""> </span>They couldn’t figure out whether I was a student or a very young mother, even though I said I was there for my sister several times.<span style=""> </span>I’ve also been doing a lot of cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.<span style=""> </span>It took a bit for me to figure out the washer and dryer.<span style=""> </span>They are made by a Swedish company and all of the directions are in Swedish.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, my dad eventually got a translation from someone at work.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style="'width:225pt;"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Student\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.png" title=""> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style=""> </span><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style="'width:202.5pt;height:146.25pt'"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Student\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image003.png" title=""> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[endif]--></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047749021616136174noreply@blogger.com2