Kids Are Kings

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

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

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

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

Awkward Laundry Moment in Berlin

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

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

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

...still searching for an apartment in Berlin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chick on a Stick: Berlin's Siegessäule

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

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

Our Berlin apartment!....kinda

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Train Ride from Hell

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

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

MUNICH!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EUROPE

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

This is IT

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

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

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

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

Like usual, the debonair Rick Steves said it best

Tri-City Bloggin'

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

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

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