Post Engagment: London, Hamburg, Frankfurt

The conclusion of the third day of London is long overdue, and the trip to central Germany hasn't even been addressed- so here it goes:

Merry Christmas Eve!

A very merry Christmas to everyone! Cooledge arived safely from Seattle yesterday. We tore up the town visiting Christkindlemarkts, Farmer's Markets, doner stands, and Salamas (our favorite place to watch American football). Today we are attempting traditional German fare from Goose with apple stuffing, Knodel, Rotkohl. Tommorow brings Schnitzel, German Potato Salad, and Kaisershamm. Betty and Greg are also arriving today to kick off this holiday with some real merryment. This picture marks our third month and Europe and the first time we can really say we are living and working in Europe. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all- we miss you.

London: Day 1

Well, well, well... despite my fears of being flown into the House of Parliment in a terrorist attack, we've made it back safely to good ol' Berlin. I must admit, it's nice to get back to Berlin's grittiness. As far as our trip, we saw so much; therefore, we shall tell you of our adventures in London by the day.

We woke up bright and early Tuesday morning in Berlin, after a night of heavy cleaning (and a weekend of heavy drinking)... Our apartment mistress was coming back to reclaim her land for a few days, so we wanted to make it quite smashing for her (notice the English flair). We awoke in the early morning dawn and made our trek to Schönefeld Airport, where our RyanAir flight would soon be departing. We boarded the plane without any cavity searches (much to my disappointment) and were on our way to jolly ol' London Town!

After only and hour and twenty minutes, we landed at Stanstead Airport. After a brief inquisition into our reasons for visiting Britain, we were allowed to enter the country and boarded the Stanstead Express to London. Ebe kept looking for Platform Nine and Three Quarters, but I insisted we not spend one of our days at Hogwarts being made fun of for being muggels. Anyway, back to reality. The train ride into Liverpool Station lasted around 45 minutes, and we got to hear the lovely accents of the British people. It was weird not hearing German and took our ears a while to get acclimated to hearing English again... especially such silly English as what the Brits speak! Liverpool Station was beautiful, and Ebe and I were awestruck as we left the station and stepped into London's financial district. Buildings with old world charm stood next to shimmering sky scrapers; one of which was shaped like a huge pin cone! We decided on our way to the station that we would take a walking tour and try to see all of the big sites on our way to our hostel.

After leaving the financial district, we promptly entered the City of London. Back in the day this was London, which was surrounded by many other towns and villages (such as Westminister, Bloomsbury, and Southwark), which have today become part of London. The sidewalks were much smaller than any other city we've been in thus far, and the city itself much denser. We zig-zagged our way through the center and saw St. Paul's Cathedral rising in front of us. It was quite a site to behold. Thanks to some handy plaques, we learned that St. Paul's has the second highest free standing dome in the world, outside of the Vatican! Pretty impressive eh? We continued on our way to Covent Garden, which is a little "old" world shopping center. We were a little bummed to see that there wasn't a Christmas Market as we had expected, but it was still fun to see musicians playing the classics such as Handel and Mozart. We wandered around for a while, but it wasn't really quite our thing, plus we had to get to Piccadilly Circus to pick up our London Passes before the tourist office closed.

The closer we got to Piccadilly Circus, the more touristy the area became. On every corner were souvenir stands and McD's, with even a few Starbucks scattered here and there. The square itself at Piccadilly's is kind of comparable to Times Square in New York we've heard, so try to imagine that with a little English flair and not the huge skyscrapers. We picked up our London Passes, went to a British supermarket named Temco, and proceeded to a little park named St. James's Square, where we had a tasty sandwich with cheddar cheese (finally some cheddar) and ham. After looking at the map, we realized we weren't too far from Buckingham Palace, so we decided to drop in on the old broad. After walking up to the gate, we realized we couldn't just walk in and say hello, as there were soldiers standing guard outside the gate... along with some policemen with badass guns. Now you may be thinking that the guards here are the ones you always see on TV and in the movies, who are wearing red uniforms with the huge black hats that make them look like a giant's q-tip, but unfortunately they were dressed in more "present day" garb. After watching them "walk up and down the square," we told the Queen bye bye and headed to Westminister Abbey and the Houses of Parliment.

We walked through St. James's Park on the way there, and saw some cool things: some boxers sparing one another, crazy squirrels, and geese that were more curious than George! Westminister Abbey was quite a site to behold, but just beyond it stood Big Ben, which I think took a little bit away from the Abbey's splendor. Big Ben is part of a huge building of the Houses of Parliment. It's a grandiose building with beautiful architecture. Probably my favorite site in the city. It was really neat being next to Big Ben thinking that years ago Peter Pan flew by with the Darling children on their way to Never Neverland. Needless to say, we took a few pictures and headed over the Thames toward our hostel in Kennington.

After many wrong turns, and seeing a little street fight, we finally made it to our hostel. We caught our breath, put our junk away, and headed out to an English pub for some tasty British ales. We found a neat little local place not too far from our hostel and grabbed a pint. We sat down next to a charming man with a lovely mullet and continued to watch soccer with the patrons of the bar. After many "bloody hells" and "fuck offs" yelled at the TV screens, Mr. Sandman was coming to collect his dues. We said "cheerio" to this lovely crew and headed back to the hostel to catch some much needed Z's.

Coming up... Will Ebe and Ian get lost in the maze of the Tube? Or will they get caught up in a good ol' English hooligan soccer riot?  Maybe they'll even unfoil the plot of the British dental epidemic...

 London: Day 2 ( ebe gets the surprise of her life)
London: Day 3
London 2011
All UK posts

2 months!

Into the second month! Weekend in Austria was amazing with a wonderful family and many great memories. The video in the upper left shows the actual Christkindlemarkt (Christmas Market) we went to in Vienna. In other news- Ian has almost got a job (woohooo!)& we are continuing to work on papers (sigh). NEXT- London.

We have added some new features to the blog. On the lower left there is a link of sights in Berlin. We also have a slideshow of our pictures in the left hand column. We are currently trasferring our pictures from Webshots to Flickr so if you wanna look at either disorganized mess of pics just go to either of those sites and look up beakymcgee & the photos will be there.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I think Ian & I are just going to go scavenge around & buy a 1/2 a chicken! Maybe if we're lucky we'll find a place that will show the Macy's Day Parade & football. That's the essence of Thanksgiving right?

The Continental Shelf

One of the biggest differences I've found about our apartment in Germany and our old apartment back home (besides of course the shower in the kitchen), is the idiocy of our German toilet. I hope you all don't mind, but I shall try my best to describe this phenomenon.

Like most toilets around the world, you would expect to poo right directly into the water at the bottom of the toilet bowl; however, many toilets here in Germany have a small porcelain shelf that catches the poo. Then when flushing (and hoping the water pressure is good enough and the poo not too hearty), the poo should just slide right off into the lower basin and disappear forever as it should.

This "lay and display" idea is monstrous to me. It just sits there on the top shelf and continues to stink up the bathroom the entire time as you try and finish as quickly as possible. Gone are the lovely days of crossword puzzles and PSP games while I passed through one of life's many pains in the asses... yes, the pun was intended. And I thought Germans were the best engineers...

We're ready for our close-up Mr. DeVille

We have been trying to organize our huge load of photos since arriving but have had numerous requests to just see the pics SO:
http://community.webshots.com/user/beakymcgee
they are a bit of a mess which we will keep working on. In the meantime- enjoy

(if you have trouble with the link just go to webshots & the username is beakymcgee)

Alcohol anyone?

At times it may appear Americans have a peculiar relationship with alcohol, but I have come to believe we ain't got nothing on Berlin baby!

Football in Deutschland

Football, the kind played with your hands- not your feet. Elusive in Berlin, Ian was able to hunt down a game in Freidrichshain with a bunch of other fans. We made it just in time for the highly anticipated Patriots v. Colts game & the room was packed! A lot of American guys, a German or two, & a Swede all fell into speaking in English with all fo its colloquialisms & slang. We have resisted the temptation to hang out with English speakers till now, but the trade off was some leads on jobs, advice on how to go forward, and proof that other determined Americans landed in Berlin without much of a plan & have thrived. Thank you Toy Town, thanks fellow ex-pats, and most of all thank you football (although the Colts should have won).

They love stamps... lots of stamps.

Well, Ebe and I are officially registered with the local town hall. A rule in Germany is that you must register with your local town hall whenever changing addresses. We've been kind of bad and waited until today to do it. The process wasn't all that difficult, but we were a little nervous going in because our landlady has never registered, so we didn't want to get her in trouble. Needless to say, after a few questions in German, a glance at our passport, and some data input, we were given a piece of paper with a stamp showing that we have officially registered.... yay. Apparently German bureaucracy loves stamps. We finally have a document that is stamped, and now all we need are a few more to finally apply for an extension on our VISA.

After all this, I think I need a coffee. Which reminds me of a little rant I had with Ebe outside the Fernsehturm one day. Back home, Seattle being home of course, you order a coffee and you have your choice of 4 different sizes... short, tall, grande, and venti. Germany seems to have the choice of two... small or large, and the large isn't even that big! I order a large and get a cup of coffee the size of a short back home! Now, if I can still hold my hands still enough to perform a vasectomy on Kevin Federline, the coffee was too damn small. If I'm not running for the nearest john for fear of befouling my pants after my cup of coffee, the coffee was too damn small. I want to be shaking like a whore in church or Michael J. Fox after my coffee. Oh sweet Seattle barristas, how I miss thee.

German v. American

There are many subtleties to appreciate in the difference between Germans & Americans. Ian & I are going to watch a football game tonight & Ian posted to the group to ask about details. An interested German also had some questions. Guess which one is Ian:

nw2berlin
Post #99

So Salama's tonight eh? What is the going rate for beers there? Do they have any specials or anything? This dollar/Euro conversion is really kicking my ass.


winterfeld
post #100

I'm new within this topic, .. is it possible to join your group this evening in Salamas bar?

Literaturforum im Brecht-Haus

One of the many nice things about Berlin is the bi-monthly magazine Zitty. It has articles about interesting things happening in Berlin as well as listings for all events that are within that issue's two week time frame.

ONE MONTH

This is it people! Ian & I have been in Europe for 1 month! We arrived in Amsterdam on the afternoon of Sept. 20th, it is now Oct 20th and we have a flat in Berlin (for those of you in remedial math like me). This pic was taken moments ago from our balcony. Yet another beautiful fall day in Berlin, which closes the last poll (with Beer garden & Doner Kabob tieing with 5 votes each) & opens a new, Halloween-themed poll. Enjoy & VOTE!

It also means 2 more months till we are unceremoniously kicked out. Tick tick tick...

Kids Are Kings

Hate to break it all of you who were, like me, born & raised in the USA, but kids RULE in Europe. You know that awesome jungle gym you had at your house/park/school? Well theirs is bigger, badder, and a 100 times cooler. Walking through the park the other day there wasn't just one kick-ass wonderland but two! These are not your everyday jungle gyms either. They are usually made out of wood, tower overhead, and have a theme. The second one we came across had a Arabian nights theme with a ship complete with crow's nest, rock climbing walls (the things to pull yourself up were all themed too- lamps, camels), sand, an airplane to climb in, a full size genie carved out of wood, wooden palm trees, a ping pong table, a picnic area, a rope maze...Awesome.

Kids rule in other ways too. They are constantly running, often away from their parents, and nary a word of caution is ever called out. They also rove around in gangs of fiveish unaccompanied at the tender age of tenish. I guess the U-Bahn (Subway) is like their backyard. People seem to look at these little terrors careening by, often on bikes, and shrug as if "What can we do? They are just being kids."

The same for the noises they make. Ian and I have turned around a couple times sure that a terridactile is right behind us only to see a todler. They screech, and scream, and shout the most outher-wordly sounds. It's actually kinda freaky with Halloween coming around. The funniest was in the Supermarket, a little boy was trying to tear into a package of food they were going to buy and his mother told him to wait, they had to pay for it first. "WahnSinn!" he yelled. What 5-year-old even knows the word madness?

Speaking of creepiness....this poll will end early so we can post a new, Halloween related poll so get your votes in now. I'm surpirsed no votes for curry wurst- it is delicious. Much better choice then the one vote for hot dog (with real Hund)- that's dog y'all. Also- please keep sending us e-mails and/or letters. It is nice to hear about home and what's happening with all of you. We even finally have an address you could send letters, packages, money, etc. to (just joking about the money- but seriously). We live on:
Jablonskistrasse 10
c/o Anat Vaadia
10405 Berlin, Germany
It's wonderful to call somewhere home and put up some pictures. Hopefully we will hear from y'all soon.

Awkward Laundry Moment in Berlin

Well, after nearly three weeks in Europe, our clean clothes finally came to a close (hah, the words sound very similar). Instead of wandering around Berlin in freshly soiled underpants, we decided to try our luck at the local laundromat. And I say try our luck, because the machine you use to start the washers is more like a slot machine than a washing-machine. But before jumping to that, we must first tell you the story of the inpenetrable door...

So after a block and a half, we finally found ourselves stading in front of the nearest laundromat from our short-lived apartment. I was carrying the bag of dirty laundry, so Ebe tried to open the door for me, but alas, to no avail. Thinking that she is merely a girl and lacking the proper strength to open the door, I gently laid down our bag of undesirables and attempted to open the laundromat door. At first I pushed like a good lad would, but the door didn't budge. Then I found the inner-devil in me and tryed like hell to open the door, but, much like Ebe, with no luck. We then eyed one-another trying to figure out what the hell we did wrong? Perhaps you need a key to open the door? Or maybe it's plain old closed... Then a nice German came walking by, and I asked him if you needed a key to get in. He looked at me funny, said you just open the door, and then without a grunt opened the door! Ebe and I looked dumb-founded at one another, said Danke, and slid into the laundromat feeling like idiots. Why the hell didn't the door open for us? Was it because it sensed our non-pure German blood? Turns out we just didn't rub it the right way I suppose.

After finally being allowed entrance into the all holly laundromat, we were confronted by yet another set of obstacles. Figuring out which washers were functional, how much it cost, where to put the detergent (and what kind of detergent, powder or liquid), and did they have any dryers? Around 9 Euro later, we had a good amount of wet clothes, a handful of dry jeans and shirts, and a ton of confusion about what had just happened to us.... Needless to say, I think next time we'll be ready to storm the murky moat of the laundromat, and not only sack our clothes, but the laundromat itself!

...still searching for an apartment in Berlin

We only have 1 night left in our 1st fabulous sublet apartment & still no permanent home. We've been close, but not quite. The perfect one will be along soon, right?

In the meantime, Berlin is amazing. On the way to see an apartment yesterday we stumbled upon a farmer's/Turkish street market. A road along the river was lined on both sides with stalls. Fruits, vegetables, and materials I had never seen before. I wish we had written it down, but we ate this cool grilled spinach & cheese sandwich thing with and amazing flaky crust (maybe a Borek?). And all of the Turkish ladies were toting those mini suitcases with wheels to haul their groceries. Just a bit different from our markets.

When we got to the end, a bunch of swans were delicately looping around in the river in front of the market. There were so many, Ian & I had never seen so many all at once. A couple males kept lifting their wings to assert their dominance but they just reminded me of the swan cars on the merry-go-round. There were also a few ugly ducklings that kept getting their feathers pulled if they got too close.

Everyday we encounter new things we have never seen, or done, or never even heard of. The whole experience can be a little surreal, and a little trying with each day full of difficult (& usually costly) decisions. It is, however, beyond my wildest dreams. Beyond fun. The perfect adventure.
I asked Ian today, "So, are you ready to go home?"
"No! Are you?"
"Nope."
and so we will see where this road takes us...

To hear more about our epic failures and successes in Berlin real estate,

"What Moving 6 times in a Year has Taught Me"

Chick on a Stick: Berlin's Siegessäule

So our first week in Berlin has been quite the adventure. Apart from desperately trying to find an apartment, we have also tried to see most of Berlin's famous landmarks... with much success!

Our most recent visit was the Siegessaule from Sieg ‘victory’ + Säule ‘column’ (or more comically referred to: "chick on a stick"). Visible from Brandenburger Tor, it's a monument in the middle of the Tiergarten, which serves as a victory piece from the days of Prussia, and it commemorates Prussia's victories over Denmark (real hard I know, it's Denmark), Austria, and Napoleonic France (once again a difficult victory I'm sure... sense the sarcasm???). The woman on top, Viktoria, is made completely from melted down French canons... pretty sweet eh? Also along the column are a few rows of canons, once belonging to the beaten nations.

Our Berlin apartment!....kinda

So we have an apartment....for a week. It actually might lead into a longer arrangement, but we mostly just needed to get out of the hostel! And the flat is great. In Prenzlauer Berg, one of the current hippest section of town, it is on a quiet street with a modern facade and an amazing historic interior. It is basically a studio with a really funky layout (the shower is in the Kitchen) but is an altbau (which means it has original wood floors, high ceilings and huge original windows). It also has a cool little balcony with some plants that we are planning on eating breakfast from and looking at the very tip of the Fernseturm (famous TV tower). There are also a load of trendy bars and comfy bakeries all around. There is also a shower in the kitchen - but hey! It adds character.

We just got back from our 1st serious grocery shopping since we now have a kitchen & it was an adventure. Leeann had been nice enough to give us a crash course in the Netherlands, but we still have a lot to learn. We walked in through a turnstile only to immediately realize that carts were on the other side. To get the carts you need to put a refundable 20 cents or so in the cart.

Once we had managed that obstacle we tried to return some bottles. After wandering around for a while we were directed to the machine over by the drinks and tried to read the directions. An older women asked if she could go quick so we dumbly watched her as she neatly slid the bottles into a conveyor belt & the machine computed their worth then spit out a receipt to be redeemed at check-out.

Next was trying to remember the word for a dozen different foods and connect that word with the price listed and then translate grams into ounces. To check out we had no grocery bag so we had to buy 2 plastic bags to carry our goods which were promptly pushed past the scanner and needed to be quickly put into the bags which we had just purchased so the next person could go. An adventure.

And of course we forgot to redeem the coupon for the returned bottles. Next time...

As for now, we are reading in front of the beautiful windows looking over a peaceful neighborhood in Berlin and contemplating making nachos. What can I say? Life is good.

To hear more about our epic failures and successes in Berlin real estate,

"What Moving 6 times in a Year has Taught Me" 

Train Ride from Hell

Hello everybody,
We finally made it to Berlin! We took the cheap train, so our trip was super long, nine hours to be exact! We ended up sleeping in the train station in Munich last night, because we weren't sure when we we're going to leave for Berlin. We ended up leaving at five in the morning! We had to change trains five times throughout the day too! We did go through Nurnburg, Leipzig, and Wittenburg, where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to start the reformation!

Now we are finally here & heading to our hostel for a looooonnnng shower. talk to you all soon. ian & ebe

MUNICH!!!

Well, well, well... finally we are able to update the blog for all our die hard fans back home (ha!). It's been one week now since we've been in Europe, and I've already visited more countries than I had in my 24 years back home!

Amsterdam was our first stop of our whirlwind tour. The city really does live up to all the hype. The buildings were amazing, the people great, and the red light district titilating. Pun intended.

We made our way down to Venlo where we stayed with Matt's sister Leann for three days. She was very hospitable and showed us a great time. Without her, we wouldn't have gotten such a great feel of true dutch life. We went to an Open Air Museum which chronicled Dutch life from long ago to the present. On our way there though, we visited the site where the Battle of Overloon was fought. There was an amazing museum there dedicated to the war, with tanks and all the trimmings. Truly what I always wanted to see. We also saw some breweries and distilleries, all of which we toured.

On Monday Leann took us to Belgium where we visited a beautiful town named Louven. It has one of the oldest universities in Europe, which explains the young populace. After our stay with Leann, we said good bye to comfy Dutch living, and headed east for Koeln. Immediatly walking out of the central train station, you see the magnificent Cathedral, which is one of the biggest in Europe. It's amazing to think it was built without all the useful tools that today brings, and that it lasted through the bombings which destroyed 90% of Koeln during the war!

Next was Munich, and what else is there to say besides PROST! We luckily found a hostel named the Tent... and it truly was a tent. It is a huge tent with bunk beds and more than 250 people can stay there! Luckily we got a bed, because there's another tent next door where they give you a pad and some blankets and you just sleep on the floor... shitty!!! Munich is a very pretty city, but the rain has put a bit of a damper (haha) on things. Luckily when we visited the Wiesn, where Oktoberfest takes place, the rain stopped, and the beer began to flow. We got there early, around 10, and had our first beer at the Lowenbrau tent. Out front of the tent stood a huge lion that drinks a beer and then yells "Looooooooooooooooooowenbrau!" Pretty cool.

After that we went to a beautiful tent built by Hacker Phschorr. Their catch phrase is "Himmel der Bayern," or heaven of Bavaria. Inside the ceiling was decorated with blue sky and puffy white clouds. Immediatly when we walked in there was music, smoke all over, and drunk people from around the world yelling Prost! We sat next some Austrians, GErmans, and a lone Aussi who had been drinking all morning. He didn't realize how strong the beers were until we told him of their high alcohol content, but he had allready drank 3 or 4. Oktoberfest was great and quite an experience. Who would have thought that the one of us to get thrown out was not me, but Ebe! I'll let her take over from here....

I was innocently heading to the bathroom when a wave of people pushed by me and swept me away. Before I realized it I had passed the threshold to the outside and the bouncer reached behind the little group of people pushed out and shoved us to the back of the line to get in. By this time it was getting really late and only people with reserved spots were getting in. I tried to explain but he would only listen for so long as i stumbled along in German. Luckily, Ian eventually came out of the tent to find me and we were reunited. At the time it was horrible, but Ian is right that it will make a great story. It is almost funny now.

A couple things ian did not mention/ in Amsterdam we stayed with a great couchsurfer also named ian, spelled Yon. He let us stay in his home and offered great discussion. We also made some friends in a bar in Amsterdam, a life long Amsterdamer named Richard who was quite drunk and constantly trying to flatter his very pregnant girlfriend who was also our bartender, and a nice Brazilian kid who had moved to Amsterdam a few years before. We got a great picture of them which we promise to post, along with a bunch of others soon. In koeln we stayed in Station hostel, a great funky place. And now Munich has completed the experience. Tonight we leave for Berlin, our final stop. Wish us luck, we will be in better contact with you all, and happy travels to you as well.

EUROPE

Jan und Juli in the Netherlands! More to come...

This is IT

In less then a week we are on the airplane heading to Amsterdam. We're so excited- and so nervous. To leave everything we know and love behind is terrifying! W e are heading for an unknown post in a city with which we have no familiarity. We are trading the Space Needle for the TV tower, the ferries for the U-Bahn, our work as servers to probably work as dishwashers, and our friends and families for strangers.

With that said, I know this is going to be an experience of a lifetime. When I was a little girl I told my parents I was going to live in Europe. They were bemused with my stubborn assertions, but since then my plans have never varied. This is fulfilling my ultimate dream and I am incredibly thankful I have someone as amazing as Ian to share the adventure with. I want to thank everyone for their contribution to our lives. I never imagined it would be quite this hard to leave and that's thanks to all the wonderful people we have gotten to know. So thanks...

Our next post will be after we've made a 91/2 flight, met Yon (a friendly Amsterdam resident that is willing to put us up for 2 nights), and started to fulfill our far- flung dreams. I urge all of you to travel and expand your cultural and societal boundaries.

"Travel, like the world, is a series of hills and valleys. If something's not to your liking, change your liking. Travel is addicting. It can make you a happier American, as well as a citizen of the world. Our Earth is home to nearly six billion equally important people. It's humbling to travel and find that people don't envy Americans. They like us, but with all due respect, they wouldn't trade passports." 

Like usual, the debonair Rick Steves said it best

Tri-City Bloggin'

Been sitting at the local "Espresso World" here in Kennewick, and I realized that I need to post something on our blog! So here goes... Been a nice last couple of days here, the sun has been shining, as well as the sweat on my brow, but it sure does beat the overcast clouds that had been haunting us in Seattle before we left.

It's been really nice catching up with my mom and dad the last week, and I would recommend it for anyway planning on going away for an extended period of time. I don't understand some people that only go home for a day before they leave. I feel like I owe it to them and myself before setting off on a trek half-way across the world... plus, it's been really nice being taken care of like in the good ol' days. Mom, dad, give me money for the movies!

As the date grows nearer, just under a week-and-a-half now, the excitement is growing more and more. I have also probably done more research in the last week about our travels, than I have the past six months! It's really exciting looking at all the cool sites that I'll soon be at. It's gonna be quite a chore too, trying to figure out which things to see, and which things to leave behind. Do we visit the Heineken Brewery, or do we not??? A question haunting me and keeping me awake until the early morning... (amongst many others) But I think when all is said and done, beer will most definitely win out.

learning curve

hmmm....this blogging thing is tricky. My typos in the first post are infuriating but I cannot seem to get rid of them, I'll have to be more careful. Luckily, I have figured out how to do other things like add the George Washington video and poll. pretty sweet.

This blog is most likely going to remain pretty boring until D day- departure day- September 19th. We will be flying from Vancouver, B.C. to Amsterdam, traveling to Munich for Oktoberfest, and then heading for Berlin to find an apartment and a job. Wish us luck! We leave in exactly 67 days so if you haven't talked to us lately- give us a call. Or better yet- take us out for a beer. Prost!

blog what?

so...I've never blogged. which I know is a mortal sin for poly sci majors in the year 2000s. But everyone who I wanted to know about my life I just talked to or picked up the phone. Archaic right? Anyways, the point of the matter is that Ian and I are going to Berlin & we need a link to our friends and family back home. Therefore, a dip into the blog waters seems entirely necessary.