Traveling

Hello from sunny California! We're out here for a bit of Thanksgiving fun.

As I was hopping on the plane, I remembered these photos that I took on my way out the door to Germany. It's the mundane, but oh so important, extra items that I pack to make long travels comforting. And if you're interested in some more exciting travel posts, follow my sister's writing as she travels around Thailand.

The basics:: I always pack some Emergen-C packets - they're powdered drink mix full of vitamins, minerals, and a bit of fizz (like alma seltzer). I figure the extra vitamin C is always good when confined to cramped quarters with a bunch of strangers, and having the flavored drink mix helps to make any water-fountain water more palatable. Along with this I carry any empty water bottle. A few Cliff or Luna bars always go in my bag ~ on some trips I don't need them, on other trips, like the last one to Germany, I'm surprised by how quickly I go through them. A snack bar can really come in handy when flight schedules change and you don't have enough time to grab food in the airport. They're also great when you land in a foreign country late at night {or on a Sunday in Germany} and find most businesses closed. And finally, chocolate.

The meals:: I'm not opposed to eating in the airport, and sometimes it can be fun and delicious {I just had a fantastic salad full of veggies, avocado, and almonds on our layover in Phoenix}, but when I know that my travel is going to span several meals, or don't want to fork over the $$$, packing a meal is the way to go. Remember that the "no liquids and gels over 3oz" rule applies to food too, so I veer away from anything slightly gel-like {no yogurts, soups, etc.}. My favorite stand-bye is a bean salad. I picked these up at Wegmans, and cooked up some quinoa to go with them. So easy, filling, and delicious. On our Saturday flight, I skipped packing a meal, but packed a big slice of my mom's carrot cake - it was hearty enough to substitute for breakfast until we found lunch on our layover.

The entertainment:: I never travel without some project to keep me busy. Usually it's two projects so that I can switch them up if I'm bored, and so that I have plenty to keep me busy if travel plans change or are delayed. I always make sure that one is small enough for a plane so that I don't disturb my neighbors, and I try to stick to mindless projects that are difficult to mess up when I'm exhausted and jet-lagged.

Those are my travel necessities, what about yours? If you're hopping on a plane this holiday season, I hope stay well fed and entertained!

A day in Berlin

Thursday was free of meetings, so I bundled up, and headed out for a walk across Berlin, taking pictures along the way. The good: This post is full of pictures! The bad: It may take a while to load.


Getting to the city required a walk past the lake::

And through the woods::

To the most deserted-looking train station ever::

So deserted that I wasn't all that surprised when a fox strolled through like he was making his daily rounds::


I would have thought that I was in the wrong place if it weren't for the fresh cigarette butts near the bench, a clear sign that someone recently waited for a train... at least I hoped that's what they were waiting for::


Once on the train, I love to get a sneak peak at the German allotment gardens {this picture doesn't show just as awesome and neatly maintained the allotments are, but the wikipedia link provides a few more shots}::

I hopped off the train near the Berlin zoo, and peaked in at the animals as I walked along its perimeter::





I soon left the zoo and took off through the Tiergarten, once hunting grounds where fox was prey::

I continued through the center of the Tiergarten::

And then found a nice bench for lunch::

I walked through the Brandenburg Gate::

And continued towards Mitte, the central borough of Berlin, passing by the Berlin Cathedral along the way::

Once in Mitte, it was time for a rest. After the long walk, I need both a bathroom and internet access...enter Starbucks, definitely not a truly German experience, but it was fun to order a "Lebkuchen Latte" and comfortably relax before heading back out for some shopping::

***the picture taking stopped for a few hours while I visited some of my favorite {and some new to me} shops for a few stocking stuffers****

By the time I filled my bags with goodies, the sun had set and it was time to make my way to the evening's hotel. I passed through the market at the Hackescher Markt Station::



I picked up some raspberries for an evening snack, and then headed into the train station for one more ride::

Hello from Germany!

I've been here since Sunday for work. We're staying in a hotel on a lake surrounded by forests. Best location ever, but between jet, lag, short daylight hours, and long meetings, I haven't had a chance to walk outside. Hopefully that'll change tomorrow, and ooh, maybe I'll even have some pictures to share.

During the meetings, I've had plenty of time to scroll the internet, and have a fun tidbit to share ~ google knows your location when you sign on to check our email, and they translate the languages on their pages accordingly:: It's confusing at first, but a fun method of language immersion.

Thursday's a day off, and I've mapped out a plan for the day:: I'm in Potsdam now {located to the south-west of Berlin}, I'm going to take the train into Berlin and hop off somewhere around the marking on the south west of that map ~ it's a hardware store that sells fun housewares. Then I'm going to walk through the Tiergarten, ending at the Brandenbrug Gate, and continuing across the Spree river to the cluster of shops that I've marked on the other side!

Can this Christmas season last any longer?

It's been the ~ longest ~ Christmas ~ ever. And boy has it been fun! So if you'll indulge me for just a moment, Merry Christmas! Again!

Here, let my friends sing you a virtual carol, or two, to get you in the mood.


It's almost a month to the day that Sarah and I took off for Germany. She was going on a photography mission, and C and I were along for the ride. A small selection of her brilliant photographs are posted on her Tumblr site. Since I'm late to the party, scroll back through her history to catch the Germany shots.

Germany was covered in snow, making its fantastic castles, churches, and timber-frame buildings look even more dramatic.

As I'm sure you know, there's a Christmas market in every town... and we can confirm that the following are simply fantastic:
-Goettingen
-Dresden (at least a million festivals in this old city!)
-Nuremberg
-Munich
-Garmisch
-Esslinger?... there was much confusion as to where we were actually going and how you spelled it, but we were definitely somewhere.
-and Frankfurt!

I mentioned before we left that Germany was suffering from a major cold spell. As a result, we spent our time cozied up to plenty of burning logs in all shapes and sizes.

The cold was made even colder by the gray skies. GRAY skies. The cold and gray was enough to make a person go mad if it weren't for the random moments of beauty. Who knew a Ferris wheel would look so good in gray? And look at how well these doors wear their gray walls? Or wait, are the walls sporting gray doors? Like the gray? Want more? Whoa, how about a shot from Zugspitze, the highest point in Germany?

Somewhere along the way, Calder hijacked the camera. He caught Sarah and I on a serious shopping mission::Followed by a goofy moment over a bowl of mac and cheese.

Then I stole the camera back, and captured the cutest photo of my exhausted traveling buddies... See that spot in the middle? That was mine, and when we crashed, we crashed hard.

Hello!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Holy Cow!

That deodorant post was up just a bit too long, don't you think? As usual, we celebrated (are still celebrating) the holidays to their fullest. Leaving little time for blogging, but much to catch up on!

Right now my camera and all of the holiday photos are somewhere in Nebraska, making their way across the country with Calder, the van, and the rest of our stuff as they move from one coast to another. Their current ETA is sometime late tomorrow evening, so I've raided my iPhone for some pictures for this post.

This holiday season included more travel than ever.

Exhibit 1:: the view from my napping position while waiting for 1 of the 10, yes 10, flights required to get from here to there to there to here.

Exhibit 2:: a blurry view from the autobahn. We drove it and survived! And the one thing we all agreed upon. Measuring speed with kilometers rather than miles feels the same as paying for things in Euros rather than dollars : euros are like play money, so you're not really spending "real" money from your bank account when you go on that shopping spree, and you're not "really" going 100 MPH* when your speed is measured in kilometers.

But now I'm home, recovering with one of my favorite soup recipes (paired with a grilled cheese), and gearing up to one more big gathering and end to our holiday fun before the semester starts!

We're hosting the family for the first time at the new house and it should be fun! There will be games, and if we're ambitious, we may catch up on some holiday baking that never happened in the pre-holiday hustle and bustle. I'm going to try my hand at making popovers. If they're as easy as the recipe seems, this could be a new favorite!

Once the camera returns, I'll catch you up on some of the fun sites from our travels, and, of course, the holiday crafts. The few the were finished in time and the many still waiting in the craft room!

*Don't worry Mom, we didn't quite reach 100 MPH.

Happy Solstice!

These are pictures from a bike ride C and I took in Berlin. We set off from the city heading north. Riding along bike paths, over cobblestones, through fields, and past cows {furry cows}.

We came to this little cafe in the woods, stopped for lunch, and continued on to the lake. Where we found a nice spot with a splendid view. And then, you know, there was some idle chit chat, some small talk, and a marriage proposal! Around this time next year, C will be come Mr. WinterFoliage {hehe I haven't tried that nickname out on him yet, but I'm guessing it'll get a groan}. So if you don't mind, please indulge me as wedding-related crafts and ideas make an appearance in future posts. For starters, I'm already bummed that the Solstice doesn't fall on a weekend next year. Wouldn't it be a great date for a June wedding? We have friends who were engaged in Italy and have a painting from the town where he proposed. Us? We're going to have a photograph of a beetle and a furry cow. Happy Summer*

Berlin's details

C and I can't stop talking about how much we love Berlin in June. In today's post I'm sharing some of the small details that make the city beautiful. enjoy*




and happy Friday!