Back to Berlin...and BEYOND

U.S.A.

2012-02-25T18:55:00.001+01:00

We're back!

Back in the land of big coffees, big American breakfasts, big cars, vast lands, Mexican food, livestock, childhood friends, homesteads, driving, BBQs, Oscars, TV, and FREEDOM. We are back in American & couldn't be happier.

747!

A week in New York City only alluded to it's many pleasures, but we stuffed every moment with memories. We started sharing some of the pics, but there about a bajillion more to go up.

View from the rooftop in Brooklyn

Times Square

A New York slice

After a delay, awesome friends Mat & Travis picked us up at the airport last night around midnight and we are officially back in Seattle. We look forward to enjoying some serious friend time today with a few of the things above & will be finishing our shoot for house hunters international tomorrow with shots of the city, friends, and family we left.

America, it's good to be back.

Our visit to the Museums of Paris

2012-02-15T11:23:00.004+01:00

During our trip to Paris in December, we got all cultured. We did this (primarily) through buying the Museum pass and going museum crazy. We are museum lovers and prefer to visit a museum over & over, slowly absorbing the incomprehensible displays of grace and beauty BUT a week long trip to Paris only affords a precious hour or two in each place. Even then we missed some must-sees. We're sorry. This action packed museum itinerary was exhaustingly carried out over 2 days and was so incredibly worth it.

A glimpse at some greatness.

First stop:

Panthéon

This was the major landmark by our airbnb apartment. Located in the Latin Quarter in Paris, it is a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens such as Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, etc. Modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, the building is known for Foucault's pendulum a simple device conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. While it had long been known that the Earth rotated, the introduction of the Foucault pendulum in 1851 was the first simple proof of the rotation in an easy-to-see experiment.

Foucault pendulum

Curie's tomb

Panthéon tombs

2nd stop:
Musée de l'Orangerie

This beautiful museum sadly doesn't allow photos of its most illustrious treasure, the eight Water Lilies murals by Claude Monet. The upper rooms are designed to display the pieces and they are truly breathtaking. My fixation is on modern art, but there is no denying the eeiry beauty of these pieces.

Though I am loath to be guided by anyone but Ian, Ian is devoted to Europe travel guru and NW native Rick Steves. Ian used Rick Steves's guide to Paris to channeled Rick and allowed us much further insight into the museum and Monet's work then we would have had without it. Well done Porter.

And this is not to say that is all there is to see. I am glossing over works by Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Modigliani, and Matisse. The wonder and the frustration of so many world class sites to see.

3rd Stop:
Musée de l'Armée in Paris

Wherever we go, Ian needs to make it to a war museum. The man loves a bloody war story. While the museum offered many lovely views of the Eiffel Tower outside, it was not the greatest war museum we've seen.

What was awesome - Napoleon's tomb. E gads the man had an ego didn't he? It is truly massive and awe inspiring. As was the building that housed it. Gorgeous.

Napoleon's tomb

Musée de l'Armée in Paris

Stop 3:
Centre Pompidou

The French are both known for the iconic architecture and their distaste for it. Novelist Guy de Maupassant claimed to hate the tower supposedly ate lunch in the Tower's restaurant every day. When asked why, he answered that it was the one place in Paris where one could not see the structure. Such is the case with the Pompidou Identified by it's external structure, it is the premiere museum for modern art in Paris. I was in love.

The escalator offers views of the city including a unique view of Montmartre.

I was blown away by this museum. We didn't have a set time to spend in each museum, but after 4 hours we realized we really need to move on. This is a tiny sampling of the mind-blowing and dramatic pieces and exhibits:

Within the exhibit

This last picture doesn't look like much, but it could easily be the best thing we saw. In a section about movement, it was a tape (like out of a cassette) being blown by a fan. The base was created in such a way that the tape flew about wildly, but never left the space between the base and fan. Mesmerizing.

Stop 4:

Crypte Archeologique

Sadly, not much to say about this site in front of Notre Dame. We actually ducked in primarily to get out of the rain for a minute (I know - shameful). It is the remnants of the Roman city that once stood before modern Paris stomped all over it. If you're into ruins, it's a nice little museum. Us, not so much.

Stop 5:

Arc de Triumph

Arc de Triomphe

One of my favorite sites of Paris, the Arc (officially known as the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile) stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle. A symbol of France, it is beautifully ornate and massive. I have admired the Arc from afar, but this was my first look up close.

It honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. We had hurried here for the sunset:

View from the Arc de Triomphe

Good God those views are glorious! Highly recommend coming for sunset. And while the stairs are impressive, there are multiple areas in which to pull off and catch your breath. 2/3 of the way up, the museum is small but a unique space. The best thing it offers is ruins of some of the figures that adorn the exterior.

Arc de Triomphe Museum

Stop 6:

Conciergerie

Looking through the very handy guide & map that comes with the pass, we realized we were close to the place Marie Antionette was imprisoned. We're off!

Conciergerie

We happily skipped past the line (the pass offers you expedited entrance to many of the museums) and were immediately entranced by a temporary exhibit. Bêtes Off disturbingly paired animals with art. I was in love with the absurdity.

An absolute wonder. This is one of the best things we saw in Paris. Sadly, this space is often left empty as the former dining hall of the prison. If you have the chance to see this exhibit - GO. The main exhibit was low on info in English (understandable, but not so good for us) and a little hoaky.

Stop 7:

Louvre
What more is there to say about the Louvre? From trusted fact source Wikipedia:
"The Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument."

We had done a run through the museum on our last trip to Paris, but to even marginally cover the place you need months. Again, we didn't have enough time to do much more than admire the grandiosity of the museum itself.


Entrance to the Louvre

Ridiculously massive rooms. It takes some time to even walk across this room

can never resist a good smiting

Venus de Milo and tourist throngs

many signs warning of pickposckets

I took this picture last time, but I love it. Most people walk up, snap a pic, and walk away. Another common move is to pose in front of it. WTF?! People be crazy.

Whew - that was some serious museuming. Two places among the zillions we didn't get to that are at the top of our list for next time (oh yes, we will go again):

Catacombs - NOT included on the museum pass, these sound amazing but we were kept pretty busy with all of the other museums.
Sewer Tour - Did you know Parisian sewers make up significant portions of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables and that crazy things like jewels worth £12million have been found hidden in the sewers? I did, but I yearn to know more. This tour sounds fantastic, is covered by the museum pass, BUT is not open Thursday & Friday. Well, poop.

Museum Pass

What is it? A pre-paid entry card that allows entry into over 70 museums and monuments around Paris (and the Palace of Versailles). The card allows you to jump lengthy queues. The pass does not become active until your first museum or site visit when you write your start date.

Price?
2-day €35
4-day €50
6-day €65
Note these are 'consecutive' days.

Where to buy it? Available from participating museums, tourist offices, Fnac branches and all the main Métro and RER train stations. (We bought ours from the Pantheon, the 1st museum we went to, with no problems or line)

Worth it? YES

Pictures of Paris last trip.
Pictures of Paris this trip.
And my last Paris Post: "10 Things We Didn't Know about Paris"

"Germans sure know how to Blow Shit Up"

2012-02-03T15:10:00.000+01:00

My dad recently joined Facebook (which is all kinds of funny) and the title of this post is the comment he left on this video of Berlin's New Years. Well played Daddio.

It's true, Berlin's Silvester celebration is not only like nothing I've ever seen before, but like nothing I've ever even seen in my dreams. It's madness. It's excitement incarnate. It's magic. I've written about it 1, 2, 3 times before, but this year was the best of them all.

This year we hurried back from Paris on December 31st to enjoy our 3rd New Years in Berlin, this time with our Berlin friends that actually stayed in town. We ended up on a rooftop for midnight and I can say - without hesitation - this was the best New Years celebration I have ever enjoyed. Incredibly dangerous, and totally worth it.

Videos of New Years 2012 in Berlin:

A new apartment (pics etc. coming soon)...
An episode of House Hunters International being filmed with us....
A growing career...
A pair of pets to share our happiness...
An upcoming trip home...
And travel plans galore.....

Let's see what you got 2012.

We're Going Home!

2012-01-30T18:55:00.000+01:00

We have been teasing our friends & family with plans for a Seattle visit for months now. Now the rumors can die as we have something even better:

Plane tickets!

We are flying to NYC for the first time and will fit in as much hot dog/pizza/bagel/deli eating, Broadway shows, comedy, art and pictures as possible. I've got a happy little NYC Pinterest board together gathering all the info of things I want to see & do (please feel free to give us tips, we're flying blind). No joke, we're excited.

After 4 short days we will continue the journey home and make our way to Seattle. Freinds & family - prepare for hugs. Favorite dining establishments/bars/venues - prepare to be beloved. However, there is a little sadness as we salivate over some of our favorite places and find them closed.

We poor a little beer out in honor of:

New China Express - our first date was here :(
Casuelitas Caribbean Cuisine
Lunchbox Laboratory
Barracuda Taqueria
Rizzo's French Dip
Julia's
Upper Playground
Roy's BBQ
Art Collective off of the viaduct (I seriously teared up about this one)

Seeing all of these places closed seriously puts a dagger in my heart. Really reminds you that everything is always changing and the place you love does not stand still just because you aren't there. That's why I am going to do everything I can to grab onto Seattle real tight when we're home and give it all my loving, but when we leave, make sure to let go.

Egads - We're Moving Again

2012-01-22T17:04:00.002+01:00

I've always liked moving. I guess that makes me a bit of an anomaly. But I like getting rid of all the old things, re-organizing, and making a new Home.

What I do not like, what I am completely and totally over, is looking for a new place. When we moved to Berlin in 2007, we stayed in a total of 2 sublets. It was a relatively inexpensive and pain free experience, so when we returned to Berlin in 2009 it made sense for us to look for sublets again. We have now lived in 6 apartments, been ripped off, and been rejected in our application for our own apartment because we are foreigners. We're tired, so very tired, of this whole apartment debacle. I loathe thinking about how much time, energy, stress, and money we have spent on it.

Luckily, we did sign a contract for a truly fabulous little dachgeschoss (attic apartment) that has 2 balconies(!), skylights, and a view of the Fernsehturm. Serious swoon. It is in Wedding, not our favorite 'hood, and is a sublet until June, but then we are setting it up to take over the apartment. It is also on the 5th floor, something our thighs are dreading. But what's one more floor, right? Especially with a view. The other bummer is that our current sublet is up mid-month and the next apartment is available on the first. What does this mean? Just one more move of course! We have a temporary place set-up to bridge the gap that is actually kinda neat. I just can't wait to unpack one final time.

But before that, we bid adieu to our current apartment in Neukölln. It has some neat features and in a lot of ways we settled in and made it a home. BUT it also put up some resistance with an unexplained linoleum bubble in the kitchen and a mysterious crack in the living room window that appeared overnight. So long deposit....sigh.

Good-bye Neukölln, good-bye apartment, and please, oh please!, good bye to our short-term subletting days.

UPDATE: Move #1 complete. 'Twas a bitch. But we are excited to be moving closer to NO More Moves! And the short-term apartment in Neukölln near Hermanplatz is pretty badass. Huge rooms (though one is primarily holding our stuff), funky decor, a school across the street....maybe I still have a little love of moving to new places in me. Video coming soon...

10 Things we Didn't Know about Paris

2012-01-19T20:11:00.002+01:00

Rocking some 'stache for France

1. People smiled! I can't even explain how this lightened our already luminous moods. While the stereotype of Germans being cold and humorless is far from totally true, they don't smile much, especially in the blustery NE corner. The first time we went to London was after a month in Berlin and there too we felt the friendly vibe we didn't realize was missing in our Berlin lives. Obviously this is just our experience, but we always laugh when people talk about how unfriendly the Londoners are or about the rudeness of the French.

We went a market near our AirBnB flat 2 different days and were given freebies both days, recognized & greeted with a smile. That would NEVER happen in Berlin. Ian goes to the same currywurst stand almost everyday and struggles to get the same amount of fries.

In addition - check out that respect for the elderly! Here in Berlin we see teens push past old ladies with canes to take the last seat on the UBahn. In Paris, the elderly seem to move in a bubble where they are taken care of first, greeted with respect, and seem to rule the city. Ian is hardened against the old Berliners. He says maybe if they had taught their children to give up their seat, they would be sitting down now.

2. Butter Sandwich. What the hell France? You have delicacy upon delicacy (hello macaroons!), yet insist on putting butter on perfectly good sandwiches. Dislike.

It seems an additional insult to American women who go for crazy diet fads and low-carb foods and here are all these fabulous Frenchies putting gratuitous butter on their jambon and fromage
(ham & cheese) sandwich.

3. The French live in houses. Before we moved to Berlin, we had never stepped foot in Germany. Nervously, we had studied on our new home to be. Learned about the graffiti, the nightlife, and the city's massive size (4 times the size of Paris!) . Upon arriving, we were relieved to find out how spread out the city is with green space on practically every street. But there are about 3.45 million people in Berlin. So where do they all go? Apartment buildings - sometimes big ugly block houses known as plattenbau.

The city of Paris has a population of over 2.2 million, with a metropolitan population of over 12 million. Damn! So different from the sprawling Berlin cityscape of apartment after apartment, we were just 30 min out of the center of the city and already rolling past single family houses. It reminded us a bit of London suburbs and had us missing being house dwellers.

4. No personal bubble. Though we bumped up this a few times (get it), Ian was made painfully aware of this phenomenon during our wait for Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disneyland. For about 65 minutes, a pair of slightly drunk, smoke-laden, middle-aged men cozied up to him from behind. Trying to talk to Ian was useless. He was too focused on the passive-aggressive American reaction of grinding teeth and muttering about murder under his breath.

5. Less graffiti than Berlin? Even with our expanded tour of the city from our first visit, there is so very much we didn't see. We've heard the suburbs is where the graffiti is and were surprised at the mostly immaculate city center. Even in the area we stayed, the Latin quarter (full of students), there was nary a hair out of place.

In Montmartre we finally spotted a little in the form of altered signs. Irreverent, fun, and totally mischievous.

6. Government Regulates Baguette Price. If a baguette costs .45 cents it cost .45 cents everywhere in the city. For absolutely no reason at all, I love this.

7. You know more French than you think. Ian is a language genius. We arrive in a country and by the time we have left he is ordering tickets in that language and making little jokes with the ticket sellers. He is AMAZING. He is a one-man tour company and has helped guide me across much of Europe, and impressed our visiting friends and families with his know how.

I was prepared to lazily lean on him like usual, but was surprised how much French my dumb dumb mind has observed throughout the years. Was it tv/movies, prevalence of French food, or just American's general fascination with the French that had allowed these words to sneak in? No matter - I was delighted to find I didn't have as much trouble with menus and getting around as I would have thought.

Words like:

adieu - means "until God", but is used like "farewell"
Au revoir - "Goodbye"
à la carte - "on the menu". French restaurants usually offer a menu with choices for each of the several courses at a fixed price. If you want something else (a side order), you order from the carte.
Bonjour - "Hello/Good morning/afternoon". Always greet when entering a shop or restaurant.
Bonsoir - "Hello/Good evening"
café au lait - "coffee with milk". Yes please!
c'est la vie = "that's life". My favorite French phrase
du jour - "of the day". Another helpful menu phrase
encore - "again".
Est-ce que vous parlez anglais? - Do you speak English?
Excusez-moi - "Excuse me"
faux pas - "false step, trip". Something that should not be done, a foolish mistake.
je ne sais quoi - "I don't know what". Used to indicate a "certain something," as in "I really like Ann. She has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find very appealing."
Merci - "Thank you". One of the most important words in any language
Oui/Non - "yes,/no"
par excellence - "by excellence".
rendez-vous - "go to". In French, this refers to a date or an appointment
S'il vous plaît - "please". One of the most important words in any language
sortie - "exit". Always good to know

(more of these: http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/frenchinenglish.htm)

8. Multicultural. E gads - Black people! As kids from small town Washington State and even Seattle, there are a limited amount of black people in our background. Not that we we are without friends of color, there just aren't a lot of them to choose from.

As waiters, we did have a favorite manager who is black, lesbian and from New York City. She stood out from the Seattle landscape and we adored her. We were all driving to an event and as she got in the car, James Brown's "The Boss" came on. She squealed,

"You little white kids DID NOT just put on JAMES BROWN!"

Somehow, we managed to move somewhere even whiter in moving to Berlin. Paris was a complete 180 as we saw people of every color. No wonder Paris is so cool.

9. Recycling & Trash bins. Germany has recycling covered. As a former recycle educator, I am continually impressed with the availability of recycle bins and programs that recycle goods. While Paris was far from terrible, it is hard to match the German excellence in this arena. And those crazy "trash cans" that are just bags on a hoop? We looked it up - these replace traditional concrete can holders after a bunch of bombs were put in them in 1995.

10. No need to Tip Big. I don't know if we will ever get used to just rounding up the bill as a tip. It is pretty much the same here in Berlin, but tipping 10% or less can seem so woefully inadequate.

However, Frommers says
"By law, all bills in cafes, bars and restaurants say service compris, which means the service charge is included. However, it is customary to leave 1€ or 2€ depending on the quality of the service. "

A few other miscellaneous tips from our trip:

Just buy a map! We can be cheapskates and at first we just couldn't find a map we liked. Then they were too expensive. We never did buy a map and were able to get around with a guide bok, Ian's excellent navigation and planning, and the frequent maps that are osted around the city. Don't do like we do though. Just buy one.
I still want to go to the Sewer Museum. Included in the truly great deal of the museum pass, this museum is not open on Thursdays & Fridays. Those are the days we had the pass. We'll be back Paris!
Reserve tickets for the Eiffel Tower. We have resisted some of the more touristy stuff on earlier trips to the city but caved on this trip and went up. It was magic. One night, reserve your tickets. It's easy, but you must do it at least the day before and need to be able to print your tickets.
Airbnb - We've now used the service several times and continue to be delighted with it. We stayed in the Latin Quarter (student area), just off from a very busy dining/shopping/bar street. Location was ideal, and we had our own tiny (and I mean tiny) apartment with bath, kitchenette, & elevator for under 250 euro for 5 nights. Here is Peirre's flat.
Buy a Metro Pass! We bought a week transport pass, Navigo Découverte, which I highly recommend. This was a stress-reliever as we could go anywhere in the city with an easily scanned pass. It also offered huge savings at 33.40 euro for 6 zones (which includes the airport & disneyland). RER train tickets to the city from the airport and out to Disneyland were each 9 euros so this was a great deal for us. Only caveat to this pass is that you must buy a card and pay a one-time fee (€5) and have a stamp-sized photo.

I already posted about our trip to Disneyland Paris, and will post about museums & eats in Paris. But for now, gratuitous shots of the Eiffel Tower and other Frenchie stuff.

Eiffel Tower from the Arc

Eiffel Tower from the War Museum

Eiffel Tower times a million

Père Lachaise Cemetery

In front of Jim Morrison's grave

La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre

Montmarte

Arc de Triomphe

Stairs within Arc de Triomphe

in the Arc de Triomphe

...from Arc de Triomphe

We arrived for our trip up

View from the Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame

Louvre

Parthenon

...from the Parthenon

Happy PorterBalls

If you are an absolute glutton and haven't got enough of the Tower or Paris or us,

Full Paris Album

Vienna: Much more than a little Sausage

2012-01-09T10:40:00.001+01:00

Ian & I were excited to return to Vienna as we have been there several time and indulged in the cafe culture, oohhhed & ahhed at Stephansdom, and ate and ate and ate. But returning with the parents this time, we realized we actually hadn't spent much time in this Austrian wonder. In our usual whirlwind fashion of travel we had been here on our way elsewhere, but only actually stayed for 1 or 2 nights. This was an egregious error that needed correcting and we couldn't have been happier with our latest experience.

As always, what follows are our highly unscientific, capricious ratings of "The City of Dreams" (home to Sigmund Freud).

Vienna Ratings:

Ratings will be done in schnitzel. I know- too easy - but how could we not?

Transportation

cheryl
5 schnitzel -
We still had our rental car – but no need to use it in Vienna. We could easily walk most places from our downtown hotel. It was also convenient to ride the trains when we wanted to, thanx to our ever-faithful navigator, Ian! I wanted to ride the Ring to get an overall view of the city – but we got too busy to make time for that.

Dave
5 schnitzel -
Didn’t even need to use much transportation. Everything was within walking distance.

Ian
4 schnitzel -
It's not necessary to use the transportation here as the Altstadt is very walkable. Got a daypass & enjoyed the UBahn & tram system. Handy for getting to places out of the center of the city such as Schloss Schönbrunn. Coming from Berlin, the metro system was super spic 'n span.

ebe

4.5 schnitzel -
Getting into the city and around could really not be easier. We drove in with my parents craning their necks to see all the very tall & very grand buildings and easily located a space near the hotel. We walked, took UBahn, and trams. There is also a ring tram around the city that we planned to take a load off and check out the city, but never quite got to. Transport - piece of Torte.

Accommodations

Hotel Pension Franz

cheryl
4 schnitzel -
We found this hotel online and it had some reviews that were less than glowing, however, the price was very good for Vienna which can easily run over $300 per night for a small hotel room. The hotel was quaint, easily located, paid for our parking during our stay and gave me one of those “can-only-happen-in-Europe-experiences” that seemed to happen

View from our room

quite a bit in Vienna. We had a set of French doors out to a balcony from our 3rd floor room that caused us all to have an insane happy dance. There were cherub statues on the side of our building and across the street was the Votive Cathedral – which was grand and imposing. We could look up and down a main street and one side street and the views were all of what a downtown city view should be, people strolling, trams running, honking, cars, music playing – just fascinating. On the other hand – there was some remodeling going on, the bathroom definitely needed some updating, breakfast was only okay (but filling), the room needed some repairs – but the view made it all worthwhile. If I were fortunate enough to return to Vienna I would try to stay again at the Franz Pension.

Dave
4.5 schnitzel -
Wonderful – even though it was an older hotel and had some quirks. Just to walk
out on your balcony and see a cathedral across the street was fascinating.

Ian
4 schnitzel-

The hotel was in a very old building and had a nice antique feel, even though it was a bit rundown. Decently priced. Absolutely amazing view from our balcony.

Cherub on our balcony

ebe
4.5 schnitzel -
That view...I've never had a hotel room with a showstopper like an enormous wrap-around balcony and a cathedral just outside of the window. Awesome.

Location was also superb in walking distance to the Rathaus. Parking is free with a voucher you get from the desk on the weekend (small charge weekdays).

However - we had the pimp room. No other balconies compared to ours. We had 4 people in one room (2 beds) which was a great deal at 100 euro a night. The parents worried about crowding & snoring, but it worked out fine with enough room and wifi in the lobby just off our room.

The place was made-up like a historic estate, but unfortunately a little ragged. Looks they are putting work into vamping it up. We heard other guests complaining about a variety of issues, but didn't really have any ourselves. A big thumbs up for me.

Sights

cheryl
5 schnitzel -
Vienna is beautiful. That is such an inadequate statement for how breath-taking it truly is. The buildings are “so European” and so much more beautiful than anywhere I’ve ever been. The city reeks of financial security – in a very good way. They must collect a lot of taxes to keep things so pristine and welcoming. The castles, cathedrals, restaurants, shops, horse-drawn carriages (never have I seen so many!!), walkways, fountains, statuary - - everything is just soinviting you want to stay and linger and find out more information about each individual one.

We did see some early Roman ruins from the 4th century. I have been to many museums andhave seen many historical exhibits – but this one really moved me. It was apparent that the city had started excavation to build something and came across the ruins. They preserved them by building a wall around them and now traffic, both cars and pedestrians, have to navigate around the ruins, which are now a tourist destination. The Rathaus and theater area was incredibly beautiful.

Parliament

Dave
5+ schnitzel -
Amazing! Breath-taking! Had trouble not dropping my jaw all the time as everything was so intricate and beautiful. Could never get tired of just looking around. The detail work on the buildings was incredible.

Ian
4.5 schnitzel -

Few places have so many beautiful historical buildings in such a compact area. We touched a few of the highlights, but there are many more to see. the only drawback is the expensive prices for everything.

ebe
4.5 schnitzel-
I mean, c'mon! It's VIENNA. Playground of kings, imperial city, impressive extraordinaire, the city looks luxurious at ever turn.

Ample architectural eye candy was paired with one of the most wonderful shows I will ever see - the Spanish Riding School. This is the most unusual and spectacular equine event I have ever had the pleasure to see. Ian took me here on our last trip through Vienna and while it was magic, it was just this morning work-out. My parents treated us to a full show. My family is notoriously sentimental about animals, especially horses. The Lipizzaner danced, capriole'd, courbette'd, and levade'd across the ring. Don't look at us, we just all have a little something in our eye.

Dining

cheryl

3.5 schnitzel -

Vienna was much too wonderful to be expected to have good food, too. However, we did find great food – it just wasn’t as convenient as we had hoped and our hotel breakfast was a bit ho-hum. We did go to one place that served tiny sandwiches in flavor combinations that were terrific. We also happened upon a place that served schnitzels that were exceptional and as big as the plate. It was very crowded and noisy and we were asked to share our table – and the food was good, but I found the couple they seated with us was more interesting in the long run.

Dave
4 schnitzel -

The dessert at the Hotel Roth was incredible. It was expensive, but worth it. Did have trouble finding a place one night.

Ian
3 schnitzel -

No doubt Vienna has great cuisine, but the outlandish prices and table covers distract from the experience. I'll eat that riesen Schnitzel any day, followed by some coffee and cake. Finger sandwiches for lunch aren't bad either.

ebe
4 schnitzel -
The only bad part about living in Berlin, we always say, is traveling elsewhere where everything seems to cost a fortune. This is especially true in a place like Vienna. Despite that, we dined well in the city of schnitzel.

Starting off with the mandatory kaffee & kuchen (coffee & cake), we eventually made our way back to Trzesniewshi, full of locals and tourists and itsy bitsy delectable sandwiches. Once the haunt of Franz Kafka, the place serves open face bites in a wide variety of spreads like cheese, salami, herring, tomatoes, lobster, and about 20 other combos. Standing room only, you are hustled through the line in which you make your selections. The official motto of the company is Unspeakably good sandwiches, a reference to the Polish name of the founder, which is said to be unpronounceable to most German speakers.

Trzesniewshi

Another memorable spot was Figlmueller. Incredibly busy, they fit us in quickly and we dined on schnitzel literally bigger than our head. I was pleased to find that the best schnitzel I ever had came from here. Though it initially appeared a little more fine dining than we liked with grand wrought iron and elegantly attired waiters, that was quickly dispelled by the hopping mad atmosphere and cacophony of swears and reprimands coming from the kitchen. Who needs a show when you have some crazy Austrians to entertain you?

Overall

cheryl
5 schnitzel -

Vienna is a destination spot and if I were to venture to Europe again, I would like to revisit Vienna. It is clear why the citizens and tourists both adore it. The drawback, a major one – is the cost. Vienna is quite expensive. It also is a very large city and we saw primarily one area – and the summer palace. I agree with my husband, the Spanish Riding School, was a ‘Top 10’ of my life highlights that was so completely worth every penny and seeing it with Eryn and Ian was magical.

Dave

5 schntizel -
Vienna is just an incredible place. It is a little bit like being in a fairy tale with so much to see and take in. We needed much more time than we had allotted, or could afford. The Spanish Riding School was awesome and was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A very well-maintained, pretty city.

Ian
4 schnitzel -

Already having been to Vienna 2 times, I am surprised at how much more there still is to see. Really is a world city and I can't wait to go back...except for the prices.

ebe
4.5 schnitzel-
This city still holds the mantle as one of my favorite cities in Europe. While I don't think I could live there, the horses, the food, the loveliness of it all still enchants me.

Opera House

Parliament

Spanish Riding School

Super expensive box seats at Spanish Riding School

Stephansdom

Fireman Band

UBahn Stop for the Palace

Schloss Schönbrunn

Fountain at Schloss Schönbrunn

Figlmueller

Fancy!

Us on the last day

P's got me this horsey skirt the day we went to the Spanish Riding School. They got me the rest of the outfit during thier stay. Thanks p's!

Danke Wien!

Earlier stops on the Parent Express:
Berlin
Stettin, Poland
Budapest
Hungarian Open Air Museum
Bratislava

It's just not quite Christmas without Family

2012-01-07T14:24:00.000+01:00

Doesn't it always seem like warp speed toward Christmas, followed by an utter melt down in January? With our trip to Paris, harrowing apartment hunt, and plans to return home, it's easy to forget about the German Christmas magic that swept us off our feet not so long ago.

Here are the pictures of Christmas I didn't share in our Christmas Advent Calendar Count - Down

glühwein

Weihnachtsmarkt vor dem Roten Rathaus

Santa

Ian's class

Our little Christmas tree

Potsdamer Platz

Treats - chocolate covered pretzels and gummi bears

Christmas Meal - Surf & Turf

Lebkuchen (anyone know a more specific name?)

Alexanderplatz - Weihnachtsmarkt am Alexanderplatz

Christmas Day

Yeah, it was gorgeous. But looking at these pictures also makes me a little sad. It's another Christmas away from home and we miss our friends, family, and city oh so much. And to make matters worse, today is my mum's birthday. The most wonderful, supportive, funny and all around awesome mum I could ever have - it's the hardest thing about being away.

Conducting the Expat Interviews for BlogExpat is one of my favorite parts of the job and offers enlightenment into what other expats are missing. Among my favorites:

Mexican Food (yes - we're not the only ones!)
Decent supermarkets with a selection of mustard (lady in Doha)
Reliable Postal Service
Chicken wings
Good Chocolate
Jon Stewart
Convenience (all Americans seem to mention a verison of this)
Speedy Internet
Sushi
American/South African/Dutch/British Humor

But far and away, what absolutely everyone mentions - their Friends & Family. I don't know how people expated before skype, e-mail, and Facebook. It sounds like an eleborate form of self-torture.

Even with all this beauty & joy, it's just not Christmas without you mum.

Disneyland...in Paris!

2012-01-03T11:17:00.000+01:00

We had an epic time the last time we went to Disneyland in California. Both of us had been as kids (Ian went many times as his family is Disney obsessed) but our first trip together was during our 1 year anniversary (Married - yea!). We road tripped all the way to SoCal- visiting fam AND to visit the "Happiest Place on Earth". And we were deliriously happy. A week before Halloween, the place was decorated like never before and lines were almost non-existent. We rode every ride in the place in one day and rode some of our favorites back-to-back, gleefully getting off a ride only to run right back on. Best. Disney. Trip. Ever.

photos of our entire epic road trip

We made a pact that we can't go back till we have kids. This is a selfish decision as there is no way we can top that experience, unless we change up our crew. (I heard Christmas is amazing in a whole new way once you have kids too). But as we planned our 2nd trip to Paris we just couldn't help ourselves - we wanted to cheat and go to Disneyland. We reasoned that it is different going to Disneyland in a different country, and we promised each other we would not be disappointed no matter what.

The day started ominously. Seriously - look at the weather.

But the park was (of course) truly beautiful and we excitedly made our way to the closest ride - the Haunted Mansion. This is one of my favorites and SoCal's Halloween additions to the house's decor and show had me extra excited. It was a disappointment. Long lines led to a boringly similar ride to the USA with long lulls of slowly riding through dark spaces. Worriedly, we looked at each other.

Next we went to Big Thunder Railroad which was enticingly placed on an island in the middle of a lake. The ride looked gorgeous & we couldn't wait to get on. Unfortunately, the rest of the park couldn't wait either. The line for Fastpasses was so backed up we decided to just jump in line for the ride & hope for the best. 60 min later things were looking grim as the drunk, chain-smoking French men behind Ian had been ramming into his back for most of the wait and the old timey music and standing was making us question our sanity. BUT - the magic of Disney - we got on the ride and smiles (and screams) appeared as we roared down the rails.

Only a few moments and the ride was over. It didn't matter. One good ride had swept away our worries & frustrations. We were ready to get down at Disney.

'staches for France

1st ride of the day on lucky 13

Indiana Jones - we rode it 3 times

It's a Small World

Inside the castle

Christmas decorations

Christmas Lights

Christmas decorations were magic & coming during the holidays (which extend from Nov - Jan) offers special shows and extra long hours.

It "snows" on Main Street once a day

There are many different ways to get to, get in, and "do" Disneyland Paris - but this is what we did.

Official site: http://www.disneylandparis.com/
Admission: $80 USD (unfortunately not many discounts/coupons except for multi-day/food)
Badass free ap that let's you virtually explore the park: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/disneyland-paris/id396908589?mt=8
Tip: Don't despair if there are crowds! By 6pm things had cleared out astonishingly & we were able to ride some of the roller coasters multiple times.

Transport
We bought a week transport pass, Navigo Découverte, which I highly recommend. This was a stress-reliever as we could go anywhere in the city with an easily scanned pass. It also offered huge savings at 33.40 euro for 6 zones (which includes the airport & disneyland). RER train tickets to the city from the airport and out to Disneyland were each 9 euros so this was a great deal for us. Only caveat to this pass is that you must buy a card and pay a one-time fee (€5) and have a stamp-sized photo. For us - great savings and wonderful ease of use.

Food
I am confused about if you can bring food into the park or not. We planned on getting to a grocery store for snacks the night before, but didn't get into the city til 7pm the day after Christmas - everything was closed.We bought a bottled water & breakfast outside of the park which was a huge save. There was a bag check, but my unopened water made it through easily.

Paris park prices - 6 euro each

Midday we were crashing & needed to eat. Typical to France, there were items a la carte and many meal options. This included 6 euro hot dog stands to fish & chips at a sit-down for 12-14 euro to burger meals in a covered film area for 10-12. I wasn't loving our options. But the handy map pointed us to Main Street where we found a filling, tasty, and cost effective option of croque monsieur & pizza for 6 euros each. This was at the Market House Deli and while not "cheap", the price was far from outrageous for Paris and they really tasted good & kept us going the rest of the day. Oh the agony of being from such an inexpensive place like Berlin! (Stop my complaining, right?)

With your receipt comes a free coffee which cleverly sucked us into buying a 3.50 euro muffin. Well played Disney. It was well worth it for us as we stayed at the park til close at 10pm and we slowly nibbled it down, half-jokingly calling it a "marriage saving muffin" (I tend to get a wee bit bitchy when hungry).

There are many, many options. There are almost more food stands than attractions. Plan accordingly.

Shop
We aren't big shoppers when tourist'n, but wanted to get some postcards and little things for the parents as they are all some degree of Disney fans. We were surprised to find many cool little things like glasses & ornaments under 5 euro. Total score, and yes parents, we have something for you.

Until next time Disney

Maybe we could stop in Florida sometime....

Silvester in Berlin

2011-12-31T10:08:00.000+01:00

Today we are flying back to Berlin from Paris - our glamorous Christmas gift to each other (glamorous in name only - we flew for less than 200 euro, stayed in a tiny studio, and subsisted on croissant). Glorious nonetheless.

It may seem odd that we flew in after Christmas and are retuning before New Years, but we just couldn't tear ourselves away from Berlin. Christmas in Germany is magic. When we went to London in December 2007 we expected their Christmas markets to be English. Nope - just crummy imitation German.

Instead, we prefer to spend Christmas in Germany. Midnight mass in the Berliner Dom, friends, & Weihnachtsmarkt held us hostage. We've heard that neighboring European countries offer trips for people to visit Germany & the markets. Everyone should be lucky enough to experience the markets once.

Videos of 2010 markets & events:

And New Years Eve, better known as Silvester in Germany, is a sight to behold. Here are short posts about the celebration in 2008 and last year's celebration. It's gonna be good.

A video from last year in front of the Reichstag:

Yep, good times. Summing up this past year is a pleasant surprise. We've done a lot.

Moved 6 times
2nd trip to the UK & visited Wales
Picked up Greg (FiL) in Copenhagen & road a train onto a ferry
Traveled through Italy: Bergamo, Venice, Bologna, & Ven ice
Got Ripped Off
Received our visas!
New family member: bunny extraordinaire, Herr Schmidt
Driving Beer Tour of Southern Belgium (not at the same time)
Saw our German foreign exchange student, Thomas, in Berlin, in Köln, and off to Mexico
Saw the town Greg stayed in during the 70's - Herrieden
Visited a now favorite Germany town, Bamburg
Stayed in Colmar, France - a mix of German & French
Bellatrix Badou, beloved cat, joined us in Berlin
Day trip to Stettin, Poland
Received a beautiful handmade quilt from my mum
Took my parents on a mini Central Europe tour: Budapest, Hungarian Open Air Museum, Bratislava, Vienna
A last minute Christmas trip to Paris (post coming soon)

One of the things we always seek to do, TRAVEL, was done admirably. (pat on the back) Some things weren't great (moving all the time, scam). BUT I am happy with this year.

To our loved ones and the few, dear readers,

Guten Rutsch!

Love, Photos, & Christmas Cheer

2011-12-25T09:01:00.000+01:00

Our photo advent calendar for our p's has become a grotesque thing of beauty. We've enjoyed showing our culinary accomplishments (sugar cookies), showcased our Berlin life (kita Christmas pageant), and showed our decorating skills (Axis of Evil member adorns our tree).

Since we couldn't be with them this Christmas, we hopefully made them smile and laugh at least once a day.

Day 17:
Snowman were swiftly created, just to get into a food fight. We finished them off.

Day 18:
We are applying for our 1st real (ie not a sublet) apartment! Excitement has led to a lot of emotions, including extreme frustration at assembling our documents (Germans & their "papers"!). Here we are trying to get out Schufa (credit report) that is open on Saturday, but not offering the Schufa on the weekend. Merry Christmas.

Day 19:
Our Sunday night ritual of American Football at Salamas was jolly'd up by a photo of the three of us.

Day 20:
Always forget about Potsdamer Platz until we want to watch a mainstream movie in English and then viola! - Potsdamer Platz. Gaudy & jaunty, the lego sculpture and mega chandelier fit the space. Ian got into the spirit driving the sleigh with Santa.
(p.s. We saw Carnage & though critiques have declared it inferior to the play, I didn't get to see the play and will watch these 4 actors in practically anything.)

Day 21:
Reused our hipster pic to make: Hipster Christmas!

Day 22:
Bringing out the merry in Berlin. Merry Christmas!
(For real this time, note the exclamation point)

Day 23:
Our celebration this year mainly consisted of a giant meal. Deviled eggs, scallop potatos, stuffing, pumpkin soup, garlic pull apart, AND steak & scallops. This took some shopping.

Day 24:
Even though we are completely NOT religious, Ian's dad suggested we go to the cathedral (Berliner Dom) midnight of the 24th. It was magic and it has been a tradition ever since.
(Yes, I see the similarity to day 22's pic. This is a go to pose for us)

Day 25:
And finally, a glimpse of the markets on Christmas Day. We're lucky to be here in Germany, the land of Christmas. But we do miss our families desperately and can't wait to give them a real hug back home in Washington and celebrate a family Christmas later this Winter.
(That's right folks! We're coming to home to Seattle in just a few short months. More details to be realeased soon.)

Frohe Weihnachten!

....and onto Paris!

Advent Calendar:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Our Plan of Attack on Paris

2011-12-22T11:24:00.000+01:00

When we plan (aka fall into an internet sink hole) for travel to places like Bratislava, Reykjavik , Polignano a Mare, Italy, Sighişoara, and Ljubljana - any resource is a good resource.

Researching our xmas gift to each other - a trip to Paris - is different. Much written about, photographed, and waxed on about lyrically, everyone and their mother has advice on Paris. And we have our own thoughts as well. I had one day in Paris on my month long high-school-group-adventure back in the day, and Ian & I spent 2 nights there on our month traipse around Europe in 2008. We are crazy excited to go back.

Onto what we have used to prepare for the trip.

Airfare

Airfare from Berlin - Paris is gloriously & regularly cheap at around 100 euro per person (can be as low as 80). We spend a lot of time on discount airlines (will fly for free!) and are straight up ecstatic to be flying a "real" airline, AirFrance. Do they feed you on an 1.5 hour flight?

We use: Hipmunk, Skyscanner & Kayak to find cheap places to fly to, track prices, and book flights (usually buy through Kayak).

Accommodations

I am scared to say our hostel days might be behind us. It's not just that we are getting older (we are), as a couple, a hostel is often a dumb idea. Don't get us wrong, we travel on the cheap and have stayed in many a hostel. We even stayed in 2 A&O in Berlin before we had a place to live (it sucked - don't do it). But when you are a twosome, hostels mean

Seperate beds
Dorm rooms with loud roommates that may only be there to party (you may be too)
Prices similar to that of a cheap double room, B&B, or pension (really - add it up)

Hence, not always a good idea.

We like having our own space and a kitchen, even if we just eat breakfast there. Thus- we are transitioning to renting private apartments. We've rented apartments here in Berlin through Craigslist, but is generally safer to rent through one of the many companies that link reviewed and verified members. I wrote an article for EasyExpat listing options in "The Hotel Alternative".

We use: We've had great luck finding great deals & good places through AirBnB. We used this service in London & Budapest. Hopefully we will have good things to say about our experience in Paris (Daumen drücken)

EAT

The two things we do when touring are WALK & EAT. A lot. So having some references for where to eat is vital. (Don't worry folks who know us, I am sure Ian will stay take me on a miserable death march).

We use:

David Lebovitz - This expat in Paris is a total foodie inspiration. I love seeing his creations and his advice on Paris dining & sightseeing is invaluable.
French for Foodies - Superb site with a great list of best Paris lunches
Euro Cheapo Paris Prices - Guide to max prices you should be paying for things in Paris
Eat in Paris - Wine me, Dine me!
Chocolate and Zucchini - A Parisian shares her recipes & experience

SEE

What don't we want to see in Paris?

We use:

The Girl Who Stole The Eiffel Tower - Another expat, I wish I was as fabulous as her. I'll pretend as I walk along the Seine.
http://www.paris.fr/english - Official recommendations, it told me about ice skating beneath the Eiffle Tower. Sold!
Secrets of Paris - Excellent guide, hopefully taking us to the good stuff
Frommers Paris & Frommers Disneyland Paris - Frommers is the sheez. And yes, we are going to EuroDisney (don't laugh)
Lonely Planet Paris - Again, the pros got it going on
Paris Webcam - Beautiful overview of the city
The Paris Blog - First hand guide to the city
Paris Museum Pass - Yes yes yes! Last time we were too cheap to climb Notre Dame, go in the War Museum, or do much more than nibble on croissants. Not this time...
Pinterest - Love Pinterest to gather all of my ideas and so (of course) I made a board for Paris

We'll see how well these resources serve us & report back. Have tips for us? Please share! We leave in 4 days....

Advent Calendar Enhance with Crazy Cute Kids

2011-12-16T08:58:00.001+01:00

We continue our photo advent pics for the parents with week 3:

Day 10:
15 days till Christmas & time to pick our tree. That means 17 euro tiny trees at a hardware store.

Day 11:
No snow in Berlin yet so we are trying out indoor sledding in our stairwell

Day 12:
We couldn't find an advent calendar we liked for ourselves BUT we did find one for Bella. To clarify, we are without advent calendar, but our cat has one.

Day 13:
Decorate the tree! Our finger puppets of the "Axis of Evil" are quite festive.

Day 14:
Another heralded Christmas tradition: The Holiday Argument

Day 15:
Trying to finish Ian & his diabetes off with a holiday favorite - sugar cookies. No cookie cutters in our sublet so I settled on glasses and knives to form ornaments, wreaths, and snowmen.

Day 16:
Ian's kita had a Christmas pageant that was pretty darn adorable. Those kids are crazy cute. His group, "Pebbles", were dressed in white with crowns and snowballs. M-F-Precious.

WARNING: Cuteness overload. Super cute kiddos & a Mr. Claus to rawr over

To see more of our photo advent calendar, check out:

Week 2

Week 1

Bratislava - Not as Bad as People Say!

2011-12-12T10:08:00.000+01:00

We continue on our tour of central Europe with the p's & give our biased, unprofessional opinions of Bratislava, Slovakia.

Ian & I had been to Budapest & Vienna before, so this was the only truly unknown on the trip.I feel comfortable rolling with the punches and we've gotten ourselves into some pretty divey conditions (Ian sleeping in a closet in Rome, 26 hour train ride in August to Istanbul, a sub-zero train ride sleeping in the crowded hall back from Krakow), but things are different with your parents. They've worked so hard to visit you and take this vacation to places they never really wanted to go before you suggested them. As seen on previous posts, they're troupers, but I as worried about this tiny capital of an oft-forgotten country. The night before we were looking at things to do and came across one review that described the whole city as "smelling like cabbage". Here we go, hold your breath...

Bratilava Ratings:

Ratings will be done in Zlatý, for the Zlatý Bažant beer (Golden Pheasant).

Transportation

cheryl
2.5 zlatys -
We walked all around the old town – and had our rental car from Hungary. My rating reflects my dread with taking the car back to the rental guys – who looked a bit thug-like (all ended up okay). However, I did worry a bit if something happened to it, that it would haunt me forever. Parking was also a be-atch, with having to drive down a dead-end street full of tourist cars causing me to anticipate a long, difficult back-out. Leaving town was hard – we were trying to get to the castle and the directions weren’t quite clear – and because I was already car-freaked, it made me a be-atch. Then I apologized to my wonderful family, followed the directions and saw the wonderful castle.

Dave
3 zlatys -
Traffic was light and it was easy to get around. Parking did suck. City center was easy to just walk.

Ian
2 zlatys -
Seemed to have an extensive tram network, but having a car and it being such a small city we didn't need to use it. Although I must admit, driving seemed hectic with lots of on way streets and poor markings.

ebe
3 zlatys -
Our drive through Hungary and into Slavakia was less scenic and more boring. Luckily, the whole "scenic" drive from Budapest to Bratislava only took about 3 hours. Once inside the city, it is infinity walkable. Parking was ok to find, but paying for it was bizarre. Men in orange vests wander the streets and you pay them in increments of time. Strange.

Accommodations

cheryl
2 zlatys -
We rented an apartment through AirBnB – that was priced right, convenient and without many amenities. It was a spacious apartment with two bedrooms, two baths, a small kitchen and an outside porch. The building itself was none-too-pretty. We were awakened by garbage trucks arriving at a nearby restaurant early in the morning. There was no coffee maker and most of the kitchen items were a bit dirty-looking.

Dave
2 zlatys -
We rented an apartment through AirBnB – that was priced right, convenient and without many amenities. It was a spacious apartment with two bedrooms, two baths, a small kitchen and an outside porch. The building itself was none-too-pretty. We were awakened by garbage trucks arriving at a nearby restaurant early in the morning. There was no coffee maker and most of the kitchen items were a bit dirty-looking.

Ian

3.5 zlatys -

I like Igor's eastern European dry sense of humor. Great location int eh center of the city. Really pretty spacious rooms at a good price. The big drawback was that it was a little hostel-y feel with single beds and decor.

ebe
4 zlatys -
Actually wasn't AirBnB, unfortunately we couldn't find a place on the site. But this was a similar arrangement as we were able to stay in our own apartment with 2 bathrooms & 2 rooms - perfect! The back balcony looked out over a yard area where we watched a woman feed feral cats. Def a bit odd. The poor guy - Igor- renting it to us was nice, but seemed quite downtrodden.

Sights

cheryl
4 zlatys -
We ran into a street fair when we were in the old town section of Bratislava and found some wonderful folk art and handcrafts. Old town had beautiful plazas and a large cathedral. There were lots of bronze sculptures, many of them humorous in nature. Some of the buildings had foundations that were over 1000 years old. There is even a walkway over what used to be a moat. When we left old town we went to Bratislava Hrad (Slovakian for castle). The castle has recently undergone an extensive maintenance program – and is beautiful. There are walls around the castle, some of which are many stories tall. From inside the castle walls, there is a great view of the Danube River and the UFO Bridge. The UFO Bridge is nicknamed this due to the spacecraft-looking restaurant on top of the bridge. Outside the city, there are lots of buildings that look like early communist block houses and not so pretty. We did see a branch of my favorite store on our walk around town – amazon.sk!! We also got ushered up to the sidewalks by a large parade of local men accompanied by riot-gear cops for some sort of protest. According to Eryn, these are fairly common throughout Europe – although I found it very intimidating.

Dave
3.5 zlatys -
Nice view from Bratislava Castle of the Danube. City center was clean and well-maintained. Crowds were quite light and it was easy to get around.

Ian
2.5 zlatys -

The sights that are there are interesting. For example, the castle & old city center. Just compared to Budapest or Vienna, a bit lacking in sights.

ebe
4 zlatys -
One of the main concerns of visiting Bratislava was that there wouldn't be much to see. Several nasty internet reviewers were proved wrong as we enjoyed the lovely old town, little market, and magnificent castle. We lucked out with a beautiful weather and the town hit the mark of "charming". There wouldn't be enough to see for a multi-day trip, but there was too much to see for just a short one-night stay.

Dining

cheryl
4.25 zlatys

The Slovak Pub was recommended by our AirBnB host and a convenient walk from our apartment. At first it looked like it only had smoking areas, however, when we asked for non-smoking – they walked us through what seemed like miles of happy restaurant patrons eating wonderful food – to a quiet no-smoking section. The food was awesome. We even ordered appetizers and desserts. They specialized in many local foods from area farmers. There was a huge menu and I had my first Radler (a beer and Sprite mixture) that was better than it sounds. We had homemade bread and desserts of dumplings and strudels. Yummy!!

Dave
4 zlatys -

Quirky, a little hard to find – sprawling once inside. Good, authentic homey food. Quite tasty. One of the best meals (Top Five) that we had on our vacation.

Ian
4 zlatys -

Went to the Slovak Pub and was blown away by how awesome a college bar it was. Food was hearty, drink was cheap, tummy was fool...Ian was happy.

ebe
4.75 zlatys -
When looking at reviews of where to eat, Slovak Pub kept coming up, but I just wasn't sure. When our host suggested it and we wandered up to it, it seemed like fate. We made our way up the stairs, saw a full front room, then were led through one room, then another..another....and another! This place is huge and offers a great selection of inexpensive dining options and some awesome brews. Locally brewed and interesting adaptions of black and tans, radlers, etc. Plus - bagels! They are becoming more common in Berlin, but I haven't had one in a year. Tasted like fatty heaven.

Overall

cheryl
4 zlatys -

Bratislava is a beautiful European capital city with a lot to see – and we saw very little of it. The skyline of the Old Town area is fascinating with many steeples, towers and turrets. The dated buildings made the walk through town much more interesting. The statues made it clear that the people here have a great sense of humor and pride – I took photos of my family sharing a bench with a bronzed Napoleon-type general, a large antique bicycle that was made into a modern-day bike rack, beautiful copper doors, buildings with dated cornerstones and a red geranium-decorated town hall. Seeing the protesters was a bit disconcerting, but made our visit infinitely more interesting. The castle was beautiful and the views of the Danube River and the UFO Bridge were amazing. There are a lot of shops and a museum I would have liked to visit. We did stop by a church as we were walking that was very plain on the outside and ornately beautiful inside. Slovakia, on the other hand seemed quite financially depressed in many ways, which is interesting as it is only an hour from here to Vienna, Austria. Would definitely spend more time here if the opportunity arose.

Dave

3.5 zlatys -
Bratislava where we stayed was very nice, the surrounding areas were full of many old eastern European block housing. Enjoyed the sights that we saw. Could have spent more time there.

Ian
4 zlatys -

Despite being off the main tourist path and perhaps not living up to nearby giants, Bratislava had a charm that made it special in it's own right. I'd go back for a day or two to relax and enjoy partying.

ebe
4 zlatys -
Relieved to say we would have enjoyed staying longer. Prices were good, there were interesting things to see, we got beautiful mementos of our time there. PorterBalls recommended.

Just entered Slovakia

Sculptures

Slovak Pub

Protesters

Market

Corner of the castle

Castle Wall

The fam at the castle

More ratings & posts from the parent's trip:
Stettin, Poland
Budapest, Hungary
Berlin Botanical Garden
Hungary's Open Air Mueum

How to Pose for a Christmas Card Photo

2011-12-08T23:29:00.001+01:00

...don't do what we do - seriously. Euphemistically you could say we're quirky, but realistically we're a little off. If you do not want to look mildly insane to your friends & family, do not make a photo advent calendar like this:

Day 3:
Ian had pnemonia. So a day in bed, sleeping & watching movies had us a little loopy.

Lebkuchen eyes!

Day 4:
Re-creation of a Sears family portrait, complete with pet - bunny extraordinaire, Herr Schmidt.

Day 5:
Pet picture, Bella & Schmidty. Had to hold them down for this one.

Day 6:
After days in bed, our plants and decorating were as anemic as us.

Day 7:
Milk mustache & we finally have our ""Welkom Sinterklaas" sign up from going through the Netherlands last year.

Day 8:
This may look peculiar if you don't know us, but there are many threats of stabbing in our relationship. We decided to make it festive with a candy cane!

Day 9:
Merry Christmas from the guys!

To check out last week's photos: Frohliche Weihnachten.

16 more days, 16 more pictures!

Get in the Mood...for Christmas!

2011-12-03T09:37:00.001+01:00

Christmas is a mere 18 days away and we have halfway thrown ourselves into the Christmas spirit. We put up our paper sign "Welkom Sinterklaas" we got in the Netherlands when we visited friends in Venlo on our way here last year. We hung a "Wilkommen" snowman on our doorknocker that we inherited from some Irish friends that repatriated back to Dublin. We put up colorful lights on our bare balcony. We celebrated my birthday at a Weihnachtsmarkt. But without family here (paired with Ian's pneumonia that has kept us almost entirely housebound for 5 days) it's been hard to feel truly jolly.

However, we have a plan.

Movies play a large part in our entertainment schedule.
"What do you want to do?" is usually followed with
"Want to watch a movie?" which is followed by
"YES!"

Diligently, we have compiled a list of Christmas movies, both expected and unusual, to get us in the mood.

Die Hard

Not a Christmas movie you say? Au contraire! It is set during this blessed holiday and it's kickass approach is an inspiration. Someone actually took the time to compile "5 Reasons Die Hard is the Best Christmas Movie Ever Made". Well done sir.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Dickens's Christmas Carol makes several appearances on this list. It is a sign of the genius of "A Christmas Carol" that is can be told so many different ways and still be classic. Michael Caine plays one of the best Ebenezer Scrooges. Plus- there's muppets!

A Diva Christmas Carol

Oh yes! Here we are again with another Christmas Carol! A made for TV version no less. Before you automatically dismiss it note: Vanessa Williams, Chilli from TLC, Kathy Griffin, and hit single of Christmas spirit, "Heartquake".

Miracle on 34th Street

Surprisingly, neither of remember watching this classic before. And I do mean classic. It's so impressive when a movie from 1947 is both relevant and provocative in 2011. This will be added to must watch list for every Christmas. (Review on our Classic Movie Tuesday page)

Prancer

I don't really remember this one, but Ian is firm about this pick. Looks crazy saccharine, but Christmas is the one time of year I almost unilaterally let it pass. (When I searched "Prancer" on googel images it came up with woman bent over & in bikinis. Yikes. )

Seeing Reece Witherspoon & Vince Vaughn on the playbill we pretty much knew what we were in for. Cheesy, expected, and I seriously balked at the mainstream ideal of every happy independent couple actually secretly wants to get married and have a baby...this one barely squeaked by my lowered Christmas standards.

Scrooged

Holla! Another Christmas Carol, this time with Bill Murray. Another perfect embodiment of Scrooge, and one of the best films of Murray's career (besides Ghostbusters of course).

I always loved this movie, but it was only in the most recent watching I noticed all the perfect details. Watch it again and note the carefully selected house colors, the dinosaur hedges, the angel ice sculpture. These elements have to do with a truly great movie, not necessarily a Christmas movie, but the beauty of the snowfall and the underlining meaning of what it means to belong and what makes a family and an individual are perfectly in tune with the ever present melancholy of winter holidays.

Starts with "Jingle Bell Rock"
Christmas lights on balcony she jumps off
Drinking egg nog when shot
Drug bust Xmas tree lot
Storefronts decorated (before Mel Gibson jumps through it)
"I'll be home for Christmas" at closing

"The film focuses on a group of local reindeer herders whose Christmas is disturbed by excavations on the mountain. A scientist has ordered a team of workers to dig open what he calls "the largest burial mound in the world". An explosive used by the team uncovers what is referred to as a "sacred grave". However, the occupant of the grave is still alive. Soon, the reindeer important to the local people are mysteriously killed, and children and supplies begin to disappear from the town. It emerges that the occupant is the source of the original Santa Claus myth; a supernatural being who, rather than rewarding good children, punishes the naughty. One family, however, manages to catch the culprit in a trap, and plans to sell it to the scientist to cover the losses caused by his excavation"
Seriously can't wait to watch & tell my thoughts on this Finnish gem.

Deck the Halls

DeVito hits the list again with Matthew Broderick. It is impossible to believe that Kristen Chenoweth would ever be married to Devito (the woman is a tiny goddess of talent), but this super cheesy flick almost has you believing it as he is a silver tongued salesman obsessed with getting enough lights on his house to be seen from outer space. Yeah, space.

This movie falls under the unique film category of "Horror Comedy". with these little monsters definitely on the naughty list. Possibly, The worst Christmas gift of all time, these small, furry creatures are found in an antique store in Chinatown. Bad sign #1. Then given to teenage son (bad sign #2), they don't follow instructions (bad sign #3) and an old lady definitely gets hurt. Merry Christmas!

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

2011-12-02T17:33:00.001+01:00

We've been on the look out for an advent calendar we really like. The supermarkets are chock(late) full of disposable calendars with cute little doors that open to tiny, adorable chocolates... but to be honest- they're not my thing. I'm not a huge chocolate fan (I know, horror of horrors) and I don't really get excited trying to pry open those impossible paper doors to find a chocolate candy cane. We usually do it for 2 days and then remember it on Christmas eve and gorge on chocolate (I said chocolate is not my favorite, not that I wouldn't eat it if it's right there).

Even if we did want one- they're probably all gone. Those crazy Germans & their need for seasonality and function. When we were first in Berlin & feeling broke we came up with the clever idea to wait till Dec 1st to buy our advent calendar. Not such a bad idea when you them marked up to 20 euros! However, we hadn't thought out the German angle. We walked in to our local Lidl to find....nothing. Not a one. Apparently it was past their time and they were all chucked. That must have been some sad trash can - stuffed full of happy families, silver bells, and softly snowing scenes.

Anyhoo - I need to figure out what kind of advent calendar I would want and make it. There are loads of clever ideas, and I have a genius one at home that my mum prepares every year, but alas I am too late for an advent calendar for my home this year.

BUT I did have a great idea for an advent calendar for our beloved, if far-away P's. Each day in December, we are going to send them a Christmas shot of us, preferably with a little chocolate Santa we got to keep us company until the 25th (shhhh! Don't tell him what is going to happen then). I will send them the photos by e-mail, with a round-up on the blog each Friday. So enjoy, and

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

December 1st

Memories! Last Christmas in Berlin

SchlossCharlottenburg Weihnachtsmarkt Christmas Day

Rescuing a Tree from an abandoned lot Christmas Day

December 2nd

December on the balcony

Till next Friday....

UPDATE:
week 2
week 3
week 4

Stepping back in Hungarian Time

2011-11-26T16:53:00.000+01:00

My parents aren't ready to give up on car trips, even when traveling in Europe. While Ian & I are full fledged fans of train travel and have a growing love for cheapo plane trips (yes- even Ryanair & EasyJet), we have to admit seeing Europe by car is an entirely different experience.

With Budapest picked as our start location and Vienna as our endpoint, the decision was -
where to tranverse between the two?

We picked to stay a night in Bratislava and stop at Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, an Open Air Village Museum. We visited one in the Netherlands and loved it, and hoped my parents would find it just as interesting.

We never did get completely comfortable with Hungarian money. We were suspicious about the additional cost of the train until Ian reminded us it was only a dollar. And what a train! A beautiful restored classic, it was roof to ceiling varnished wood, complete with conductor.

The fancy seats were in back with vintage prints & plush seats.

kitchen

Thresher for Hemp

Hives & Guide

Dad tries to win over wild little mama

Along with the amazing preserved homes, barns, and event halls, there is a place to look at photographs of families from these areas. They also have a computer set-up for you to research family in the area.

The place is enormous & we easily could have spent all day there but we had to venture on. We meandered through Northern Hungary and stopped at things that interested us like this tower. Unfortunately, parking in the middle of nowhere was charged. And going into the ruins was expensive. Booo!

BUT we did enjoy the views.

Next stop:

Bratislava!

Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum details:
Location: 3 km from Skanzen towards Visegrád, about 1-1.5 hour from Budapest.
Address: Sztaravodai út 13.

Opening Hours

	16th Jan-31st Mar	1st Apr-31st Oct	3rd Nov-9th Dec
Outdoor exhibitions	closed except for 15th-18th March: 10.00-15.00	Tue-Sun: 9.00-17.00	Closed on weekdays, Sat-Sun: 10.00-15.00

Admission: adults: 1000 HUF, 1200 HUF for festivals, students: 500 HUF, 600 HUF for festivals

Bellatrix Badou

2011-11-24T11:10:00.000+01:00

Who is this Bella I speak of? The moronic heroine of a teen series? A visiting dignitary? A foreign princess? NO!

This is Miss Bellatrix. (Doesn't your cat have a full name?)

Cat. Native Seattleite. Huge slut for cat food and catnip. Beloved family member. Kitty cat has us wrapped around her paw.

Seriously, cats are one of the greatest sources of humor.

Bellatrix recently joined us in Berlin, making us a happy family. This was the one regret of our first trip. Not having her with us left a gaping hole in our family life. All the time we would sigh, and say

"Wouldn't everything be perfect if Bella was here?"

Courtesy of my Wonderful parents, she was microchipped, vet checked, multiple fees were paid, multiple documents were moved around and she is here. It was seriously an ordeal I am so glad my courageous mum underwent. Cuz having our little lady in the house, sitting on our lap purring, makes us say

"Isn't everything perfect?"

Want more crazy cat pictures? Here ya go!

Yesterday was my birthday and it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E thanks to my wonderful Ian, fantastic friends, loving parents and yes, Miss Bellatrix herself. Plus she is helping me with the Thanksgiving cooking (just kidding - she's useless in the kitchen).

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all you celebrating (I feel bad for those NOT eating stuffing today) . Be forewarned, upcoming posts on Bday & Tday sure to be filled with awesomeness & food porn pics.

Buda Love

2011-11-15T16:03:00.001+01:00

Once again, we have decided to rate the cities we are visiting with the parental units. The first leg of our mini- central European tour, we start with breath-taking Budapest.

Budapest Ratings:

Ratings will be done in paprika. These are the opinions of our fine raters in not an iota of any official capacity.

Mum & Dad

Transportation

cheryl
5 paprika -
The train from the airport into town had plush seats and old-world looks – complete with a few scary looking people, that turned out to not be scary at all. The subway tube under the Danube River had one of the steepest escalators I’ve ever seen – and the people coming up when we were going down looked absurd as they leaned forward to compensate the angle of ascent and the speed! Trams and trains were readily available to get everywhere. All our guiding was done by the multi-talented Ian – who was always generously thinking ahead on how to get somewhere in a timely fashion. We also rented a car – a Skoda – as we left Hungary – and the people working at the rental definitely worried me a bit. The car, however, was fine. I remembered how to use a stick-shift without too many odd shifts, and again with Ian being the navigator we were able to navigate our way out of Hungary to other places, and back to Budapest in four days.

Dave
5 paprika -
I now know what they mean when they call it rapid transit. Fastest trams on earth. Don’t dawdle at the door.

Ian
4.5 paprika -
It's amazing how frequently trains & trams come. We had to wait just a few minutes at most stops. Very impressive in this aspect.

And, if I remember correctly, Budapest had continental Europe's 1st subway.

ebe
4 paprika -
EasyJet flight was not nearly as horrific as everyone described (then again we are used to Ryanair). Love being able to fly somewhere for around a hundred dollars. The train in was seriously ghetto chic.

And once you're in the city, you could literally see the next tram coming - awesome. Platforms and directions could be a bit difficult to navigate (plus the whole "Everything's in Hungarian"), but it was still wonderful to get around. Loved the metro's crazy sirens, bells and whistles. So glad we bought tickets to cover our time as patrols were out TOUGH.

Accommodations

cheryl
3.5 paprika -
We secured an apartment through AirB&B in Budapest. The place we rented was convenient to everywhere we went. It was located in the heart of the Pest side of the city – and was built in the 1930’s. The apartment had a full kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and two baths. Quite lovely. The owners were two charming gentlemen – that gave us many insights into places to see in their city – and they obviously took a lot of pride in being Hungarian and in the apartment that they had updated beautifully. Unfortunately the exterior of the building was undergoing updating that we had not been warned about which made locating the address of the building difficult, as well as impossible to open windows in the bedroom, not allowing any cool nighttime air. We also had eager construction workers waking us before 7am with construction work including jack-hammering. This will be an excellent place to stay, worthy of 5 paprikas – once the exterior construction is completed.

Dave
3 paprika -
Only a 3 because of the construction on the building and the squeakiness of the floor.

Ian
4.5 paprika -
The apartment was huge & located in the middle of town. Huge rooms, tall cielings, but the only drawback was the construction and building being covered in scaffolding.

ebe
4 paprika -
AirBnB has become our new best friend. It helped us locate this lovely 2 bedroom apartment. We each ahd a room, huge kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms, the knowledge of our inn keepers. Maybe a little too much knowledge- those gays could chat up a storm! BUT they gave us flawless recommendations & were crazy welcoming & warm.

The only problem- and it was a big problem- was that the building was under construction. This meant a dusty construction zone on the ground floor, all windows covered in plastic, and noisy mornings starting at 9am. Ouch. Should have been revealed before we got there, but we can make do with anything and there were enough positives to keep us happy.

For others looking to stay in Budapest - there are about a million accommodations of all kinds available and prices are insanely reasonable. Staying there had us all looking at the "For Rent" signs & considering staying here permanently.

Sights

cheryl

4.75 paprika -
Beautiful city filled with architectural treasures on every street. The high points included the Chain Bridge, Fisherman’s Bastion, Parliament, Saint Stephen’s Castle, the Market, the Agriculture Building, the Opera House, the train station. Definitely the most beautiful European city I’d ever seen. The sights were amazing. Obviously the inhabitants care deeply about their city – and it shows. I loved the market and the variety of offerings from the stalls. Some of it was touristy – but I was a tourist and loved it.

Dave
4.5 paprika - Outstanding architecture. Loved the palaces. Making a real effort to reconstruct.

Ian
4.5 paprika-

The city itself is a sight to behold. Everywhere you look there are beautiful buildings and interesting statues. The actual attractions are splendid from hero's Square to the Terror House all the way to Castle Hill.

ebe
4 paprika -
Buda & Pest are beautiful; together they're a knockout. The city is a wonder and just walking around (our favorite kind of touring) is magical. We didn't take advantage of the baths & the Labyrinth was closed (a serious disappointment) but there was STILL tons to do. Castle Hill, Fisherman's Bastion, the market, Parliament, Chain Bridge are photographers fodder (even a bunch of amateurs like us). We got good at pulling at the camera to snap a quick shot.

PLUS - We got to the Opera House for Kamamoz Brothers. The ballet was so beautiful & powerful, it was easy (for me, not so much for Ian) to forget we had bought the cheap seats and our knees were tucked up against the seats in front of us. The theatre is a true gem. Do whatever you need to get in for a performance, and pay the medium price.

Dining

cheryl

4.5 paprika -
Our first evening we went to Kiskkakuk (cuckoo in Hungarian), on a reference from our landlords. This was a delightful evening celebrating our daughter and son-in-law’s second wedding anniversary. The restaurant, service and food lived up to the recommendation. We all had different entrees, bacon-wrapped sirloin was mine – and we shared bites of each others. For dessert we had chocolate soufflé with orange sauce and crepes with vanilla sauce. Heavenly. Our other meals were almost as good. We made our own breakfasts including some jam that the landlords had made and had for sale in our apartment. The meals in Hungary were amazingly inexpensive, hearty, well-seasoned and yummy.

Dave
4.5 paprika -
A little hard to find nice places, but when you did – it was great authentic food with great service.

Ian
5 paprika -
Horse meat is delicious! And apart from that, everything else was too. Amazing meals were to be had on the cheap. Even ate at the President's favorite restaurant.

ebe
4.5 paprika -
Oh sweet meaty heaven! Meat, meat, meat & potatos. Glorious meat & potatos. We loved the food.

Our first night at Kiskkakuk (recommendation of our friendly AirBnB host) was really special. It was our first night in Budapest, Ian & my 2 year anniversary, and a magical evening. Elegant service, beautifully prepared Hungarian specialties, and local beer & wine. Oh- and the desserts! Chocolate souffle with citrus sauce. Yeah. WOW.

Another favorite was the Lángos. A fast food specialty of deep fried flat bread topped with anything you can think of, traditionally sour cream and cheese.

NOT a favorite - horse sausage. I know, I know.horse meat is common and nothing to be afraid of. But when you spent a good 20 years working together with your equine partners to greatness - the thought of sad unwanted horses being slaughtered for meat is unsavory. A mistake buy had Ian eating this sausage alone.

Overall

cheryl
4.75 paprika -
We have actually played with the thought of living an expat life here after retirement. The biggest drawback for us would be not speaking one iota of Hungarian. However, the city is beautiful with lots to see and explore to keep you busy for a long time. I had read that Budapest is a popular city with other European and American expats – affordable real estate, central European location, temperate climate, etc. Although a member of the European Union, Hungary has not been allowed to use the Euro and still has their own monetary system using Hungarian Forints. Hungarian sales people have a better attitude toward service than those generally found in Berlin, but there is a large trust factor required. We did end up with a counterfeit bill being given to us in change (equal to approximately $15.00) and the rental car company guys really worked hard to find any damage to the car on our return to increase the charges. However, if we go the expat route on retirement - - Budapest will definitely be considered as a potential place to live.

Dave
4.5 paprika -
Would love to go back and spend some more time. Feel that there is a lot more to see.

Ian
4.5 paprika -
Our first experience with Budapest wasn't the best. But with a little homework I was simply blown away upon our second trip there. Truly beautiful city, delicious food, interesting sights, and not having to spend a lot of money is a great combination.

ebe
4.5 paprika -

We were happy to take a second run at this city, Not:

arriving on a Hungarian holiday at 11pm
being completely unaware what to see in the city
having a place to stay

This trip was awesome. The food, the city, the company...we had an amazing time. It was a great adventure to take with the P's, and a wonderful experience to have together.

More pics of our Buda Loving

Opera House

The hand! at St. Stephen's

House of Terror

Opera House

St. Stephens

Anonymous - rub the quill for luck

Ian's Sick Again

2011-11-14T12:17:00.001+01:00

Here's Ian's pic from when he was ill this Spring .He looks like this again...with a little less hair.

Makes me feel a little:

I know I should feel bad for him, but his sickness is seriously crimping my style. He'll be lucky if I don't get a little stabby on him.

Gardens in the Rain

2011-11-10T13:01:00.002+01:00

I had a dilemma. My parents were visiting, but Ian worked during the week. What to do that wasn't going to make him crazy jealous, but entertain them. I got it - Berlin's Botanical Gardens!

Unfortunately, there was a hitch. It was raining. A lot. We're from Seattle, but c'mon Berlin. Good sports that they are, they accompanied on my fools errand and we got very, very wet. Trying to keep up our spirits, we tromped though the soggy grounds. I apologized.

But then we found it - the conservatories! Yes, the acres of forest, Italian & Japanese gardens, & lake are glorious - but the conservatories are where it's at in the rain.

Yeah, those are raindrops

Cover!

Awesome cactus section

P's taking a break

Enticing walkway..that you aren't supposed to use :(

Most confusing Hours: open daily (closed 24. 12.)
January: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
February: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
March: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.(on 31st March 2012 open until 8 p.m.)
April: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (from 28th-30th April 2012 open until 9 p.m.)
May, June and July: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
August:9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
September: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (from 1st-2nd September 2012 open until 8 p.m.)
October: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
November and December: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Directions: Unter den Eichen & Königin-Luise-Platz
http://www.bgbm.org/BGBM/pr/about/verkehr.htm

Entrance: 6 euro

Quilt of Love

2011-11-06T15:28:00.000+01:00

As the weather turns cooler, I snuggle under our new quilt. An instant heirloom, my mum gave it to me on their recent trip to visit us in Berlin. Lovingly crafted with my aunt, it is composed of the ribbons I won showing horses. It's amazing.

If you are unfortunate enough not to have a million ribbons from your childhood, a basic ribbon looks like this:

Blue ribbons usually denote first place with all sorts of colors meaning other placements. Purple ribbons mean High-point (note the many purple in my quilt). I have had dozens of these ribbons adorning the walls of my room since I started showing horses in my early teens.

But don't get me wrong, I wasn't always good. Check out this vintage photo of my horse, Barney, & me (left) with my friend Tara & Doc circa 1995. Believe it or not, Tara was the height of style at that time. Me & Barn...not so much. (And Barney is a respectable horse name! His full name was "Condon's Bar Knot")

But I had lessons (thanks mum & dad!) and I got better. Much better. I won saddles, glasses, belt buckles, crystal, silver stirrups, and many, many ribbons. I started stapling the ribbons to the wall and a few turned into many. I ended up having 2 1/2 walls covered in ribbons with highpoint neck sashes hanging from the ceiling. I LOVED it.

Tolerant parents meant this montage to my horsey accomplishments remained through college, living in Seattle, my first trip to Berlin as an expat, coming back home & getting married, and nearly a year into my second stint as an expat. (yeah, they're great). Finally - they had enough of one room being dedicated the "Erin/Ribbon Room". They re-decorated. But what to do with my boxes of ribbons?

Mum had a genius idea. Completely unbeknownst to me, she went to work on a quilt. She had the idea, and the help of a wonderful sister who could help make it happen. When I did finally recieive the quilt, one of my first questions was - "You sewed this!?" She did. AND she ironed! These are two things, my mum just doesn't (usually) do.

It took two trips to California, working for 5 days, one Aunt Sue, only one major argument (a huge accomplishment in my eyes), a lifetime of ironing, and 99 blocks of 8x8 squares which came from hundreds of ribbons to make this amazing quilt. It's a beauty.

Mum at work

Aunt Sue

Literally hundreds of ribbons cut, ironed, and stitched together

Mum knew just how she wanted it to look

Serious color-coordinating. My mum worked hard to maintain the writing which I am so thankful for. Each show brings back some wonderful memories.

Center Square, complete with pics of my boys: Houston & Barney

The finished quilt is massive!

I always had a version of this on all my State jackets, but the latest signature now includes a married name. Weird! This intitials stand for my name, my horses names, and our farm name.

"Erin Kelsey Florence Ball Porter

& Condon's Bar Knot

& Houston Texas

at Kelsey Greens Farm"

Kelsey Greens Farm

My AMAZING mum & the Quilt

The quilt also has several interesting details. There is a dedication on the back from my mum & Aunt sue who I can never thank enough for this beautiful gift. A careful picked complimenting border of horse shoes is perfectly horsey and further enhanced by the professional quilter who etched hearts in it. And the pictures of my boys directly on the quilt...I love it. I miss them so much, it is easily one of the worst things about leaving Snohomish. I miss the horses, and the farm, and my horsey friends, and the show environment and winning. An important element in my childhood, I think the best of these times will always hold a place as some of the best times of my life.

This is one of the best gifts I've ever received. It always felt great going home & seeing my room awash in color from the multitude of ribbons plastering the wall. But it could never be permanent. I knew that someday, they would want their room back and all these web covered ribbons would need a place to go. Now I can take them with me, wherever home is. It can be a legacy of all that my boys & I accomplished and more. The ribbons are now more then just markers of placings, they have been given the additional attention of being crafted into a piece of pure, loving art . More than a quilt made of ribbons, this is our Quilt of Love.

For all the pictures of the epic quilt making, check out the slideshow.

Where my Ghouls at?

2011-10-29T16:24:00.000+02:00

I LOVE Halloween. As in LOVE!!!

Far and away my favorite holiday, I love the silly, spooky character of the season. Not yet into the mushiness of family time and fresh in the "holiday season", Halloween is all sorts of awesome.

I have fond memories of past outfits and tasty treats. What- You'd like to see some costumes & treats? No problem!

1st couple costume: Princess Peach & Mario

Pirates. Arrrr!!!!!!!!

Ledehosen & dirndl double for Hänsel und Gretel

For work Halloween I wore the Lederhosen. A bit large

Halloween just after our wedding = 1950s housewife & husband, complete with black eye, pipe, and bottle of xanax

Young Homer

Marge Simpson

I also love working on creepy treats. My most successful was Devil Eyes - a spin off of deviled eggs. Tasty & delightful!

Unfortunately, freinds can be hard to convince to dress in costume as we grow older. They are also not as easily amused by scary movies, pumpkin carving, and caramel apples. Berlin seems similarly nonplussed. Sure there are clubs listed as having Haloween parties, but they are missing the sheer goofiness of the holiday with girls dressed as sexy nurse, sexy cat, sexy Osama Bin Laden (yes, really).
I am still trying to champion a serious Halloween extravaganza, but worse case it will be me, Ian, some fake spiderwebs, apple cider, jack-o-lanterns, and a scary movie. Actually, that sounds kinda great.

UPDATE: We were able to rally some folks & actually had a good little shindig. We've got pictures to prove it - just wait. And guests? Be afraid, be very afraid.

Halfway Around the World...

2011-10-26T09:28:00.001+02:00

Snohomish is a small town in the State of Washington (NO! Not the capital). About an hour away from gorgeous Seattle, it is known for

antiques,

quaint Victorian housing from it's time as a lumber town,

and a charming 1st street that combines the above two.

This is my hometown. Where I went to High School, had countless soda pops, went to the movies and laughed too loudly with my friends, "hung out" amid the antique shops, and generally did what teenagers do. I'm sure we were very annoying. As much as I would say Seattle is home, this small town is where I am from.

And now my parents have taken the thee long plane rides back there.
From Berlin to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Minnepolis
Minneapolis to Seattle,
then the drive home.

Man that is a long commute! I am certainly glad they love me enough to come to Europe for a second time. Somewhere they had no ambition of visiting themselves, I rudely foisted the "opportunity" to go to Europe off on them twice now. They bought scarves while they were here, participating in the mandatory European uniform. And while they had a great time visiting Poland, taking a trip through Budapest, Bratislava, & Vienna, and exploring more of Berlin (at least they nicely lied & said they did) they never would have taken the trip if it weren't for me.

You're welcome?
I'm sorry?

Either way, it was amazing to spend some time with them. Like adult time, talking about important things and showing them around like two grown-up couples. Well, kinda. They're still my parents and I'll always be their little girl. I'll miss them like crazy, and feel guilty that being "so far away" is by choice.

Ian & I are feeling pressure to start acting like adults, make plans that extend further than that party this weekend (seriously - you want to come to a Halloween party this weekend? We just started planning it), and even have a trip home...maybe permanent or visiting. There are too many question marks right now, we need to replace some of those with some periods, or better yet, some exclamation points!

A big thank you needs to go to main man in this post. Apparently a dread of your in-laws transcends national borders. When he told the ladies at the Kita that his in-laws were visiting for a full 3 weeks he got a resounding cringe. Amazingly, he didn't mind. Ian's a real champ about taking my parents in stride, even enjoying their company. I can certainly butt heads with them, but he is the eternal peace-keeper, tour guide extraordinaire, built-in entertainment, metro guru, and all around fabulous 4th wheel. I think my small family functions 10 times better with him in it. It's here in writing -

Ian is Amazing!

I really have no idea how I got so lucky to have the most fabulous, giving, adventurous, funny, smart parents in the world AND Ian. The day we flew to Budapest was our 2nd wedding anniversary & he surprised me with some of my favorite things -

flower pots painted like our wedding/blog colors, owl earrings, wall stick to hang my maps, sour gummies, and local honey. I stupidly thought we weren't "doing" gifts this year. I owe him. Big time.

Anyways, the parents flew on Tuesday and I didn't take pictures of them leaving this time. There were tears...and smiles. Much like when we left for Europe last November. As I already said, I'm going to miss them like crazy.

IKEA I spy

2011-10-19T11:08:00.000+02:00

As a sublettor in Berlin, you expect everything in your apartment to be from IKEA, but you don't know for sure until you go to the source. Oh, look!

There is our motar & pestle (who needs one of these anyways?)

Wood shelf

Computer table...

Desk, closet, dining table & chairs, etc!

And it wouldn't be a trip to IKEA if Ian didn't peer pressure me to steal fried onions at the end of our visit. If the 1 euro dog & soda wasn't enough, this has become our shady tradition.

How To:

Get an extra soda cup (easy to do in your man orders multiple dogs like Ian)
Wait for an opening - this is the tricky part as the food court is populated at all times
Nonchalantly head over there, perhaps with hotdog and cup to disguise your actions
Furtively fill cup with delectable fried onions and cover with napkin to take home. Yes - they are going to spill.

In my perpetual we-are-on-the-brink-of-poverty state of mind, I was the first to do it and now Ian insists. No matter you can purchase them for a cool euro in Netto, this has become part of our big trip to IKEA.

I hang my head in shame, and to spare you from my delicious fried onion breath.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2011-10-16T20:26:00.003+02:00

Paired with last night's karaoke escapades and tomorrow's flight, I got a little John Denver on the mind:

We are taking the parents to their 4th-6th European country. Flying to Budapest & spending a few days there, then a day in Bratislava, then Vienna. Some new, some old for us, but I am sure it will all be fabulous. Especially since having them here has been so fun-filled in boring 'ole Berlin.

Botanical Gardens

Turkish market & dried fruits

Cart Racing


Ian's kids

Potsdam

Sanssouci

Beers. Prost!

Truffels & chocolates oh my!

History - Topography of Terror

Random UBahn performance from Canada's Trike

Brandenburger Tor

Festival of Lights

Friends

Time with the fam.

I borrowed my mum's pics here, but will have to upload mine soon. And I will provide more city ratings, rants, and random stories. But for now,

Kedves egeszsegere!

(according to Google, Hungarian for Prost)

Back to Berlin...and BEYOND

U.S.A.

Our visit to the Museums of Paris

First stop:

Panthéon tombs

The escalator offers views of the city including a unique view of Montmartre.

Looking through the very handy guide & map that comes with the pass, we realized we were close to the place Marie Antionette was imprisoned. We're off!

Conciergerie

"Germans sure know how to Blow Shit Up"

We're Going Home!

Casuelitas Caribbean Cuisine

Lunchbox Laboratory

Barracuda Taqueria

Rizzo's French Dip

Julia's

Upper Playground

Roy's BBQ

Egads - We're Moving Again

10 Things we Didn't Know about Paris

Père Lachaise Cemetery

La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Vienna: Much more than a little Sausage

It's just not quite Christmas without Family

Disneyland...in Paris!

Silvester in Berlin

Love, Photos, & Christmas Cheer

Frohe Weihnachten!

Our Plan of Attack on Paris

Advent Calendar Enhance with Crazy Cute Kids

Bratislava - Not as Bad as People Say!

How to Pose for a Christmas Card Photo

Get in the Mood...for Christmas!

What don't I love about this movie? Island of misfit toys, the Abdominal Snowman, friends compared to "Silver & gold"....this movie is Christmas catnip. If you don't feel Jingle Bells in your soul after watching this, you must be a Jehovah Witness.

To be honest, I've never had much affinity for Charlie Brown, that little dope. But it's been years, and I'm ready to give him another chance this Christmas season. C'mon Charlie Brown, I'll hold the football.... (review - once I watch - to follow).

Once again, you may question the xmas appropriateness. A list:

The 80s sax makes it almost unwatchable, but the ridiculous beginnings of buddy cop movies, Mel Gibson's crazy showing through, and Gary Busey get you through.

Holy Crap - this sounds badass!

Tim Allen was the (family) man in the 90's. Remember Home Improvement. I loved that family (and JTT). This movie still hits the funny bone as it narrowly dodges the unbareably sweet. Tieing it up in how the next Santa is picked as a legal clause is perfect.

I watch this movie around Christmas. And Halloween. And whenever I get "This is Hallowen" stuck in my head. Which is a lot. Look at Tim Burton makign our Christmas list twice! Almost as Christmasy as he is ghoulish, eh?

This household will pretty watch anything Will Ferrel does. Though I am not sure if I am totally on board with this film, the man child I am married to loves it and I love him.

This one falls awfully close to the painfully cheesy line, but -hey!- it's Christmas.

3rd Tim Burton! Bam - the man is king of feel good. No, he's just good. And I LOVE the penguin. De Vito - you're a genius. Den of Geek gives an apt review.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon)

30 minutes of Christmas spirit embodied on screen. Suess was a master of the absurb and the wonderful and pairing that kind of children literary mastery with Christmas results in possible the most outright perfect holiday movie of all time.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey)

I was so angry when I heard they were re-doing the classic. Then I heard Jim Carrey would play the grinch. Then I saw Cindy Loo Who. I saw the trailer. I thought, this could actually work. And it does.

Filled with romance & holiday spirit, I suppose this does fall in the chick flick category but I uncategoricaly love it. The oh so dry wit, the American stereotypes, the gritty of love mixed up with fairytale happy endings...I always cry. And I hate to cry.

The first movie was surprisingly good. The 2nd wasn't half bad. Any chance the 3rd won;t be a multitude of suck? Since Neil Patrick Harris is still going to be in it, I'm in.

I saved the best for last. Not just my favorite Christmas movie, this is one of my favorite movies. I love every second of this movie and all I want every Christmas is just to watch this movie.

"What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary. "

For more great picks from "professionals", Empire online has a surprisingly good list. http://www.empireonline.com/features/30-best-christmas-movies

Merry Christmas!

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Stepping back in Hungarian Time

Bellatrix Badou

Buda Love

Ian's Sick Again

Gardens in the Rain

Quilt of Love

Where my Ghouls at?

Halfway Around the World...

IKEA I spy

Leaving on a Jet Plane...